Is QAI or SCHD a better dividend investment in 2026?

QAI currently yields 1.49% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. SCHD yields 3.46% with 13.05% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: SCHD offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between QAI and SCHD?

QAI has a forward dividend yield of 1.49% ($0.50/share annually). SCHD yields 3.46% ($1.06/share annually). The yield gap is 1.97 percentage points.

Home › Compare › QAI vs SCHD

QAI vs SCHD: Dividend Comparison 2026

QAI yields 1.49% · SCHD yields 3.46%● Live data

vsPost on X →

After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled

🏆 SCHD wins by $7.2K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

QAI

● Live price

1.49%

Share price

$33.87

Annual div

$0.50

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$21.8K

Annual income

$163.98

Full QAI calculator →

SCHD

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF

● Live price

3.46%

Share price

$30.48

Annual div

$1.06

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$29.0K

Annual income

$425.95

Full SCHD calculator →

Portfolio growth — QAI vs SCHD

📍 SCHD pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

Annual dividend income

🛡️

Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

How each stock treated shareholders during the 3 biggest crises of the last 20 years

Crisis Period	QAI	SCHD
2008–2009 GFC	— No data	— No data
2020 Q1–Q2 COVID	— No data	— No data
2022 Q4 Rate Hike	— No data	— No data

Based on dividend payment history. "Increased" = dividend grew during crisis. "Maintained" = held within 3%. "Cut" = reduced by more than 3%.

📅

Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, QAI + SCHD cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

QAI pays

SCHD pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

Which stock is actually better after tax? Adjust your rate to find out.

QAI

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$126.56/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$139.38/yr

SCHD

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$294.40/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$362.06/yr

At 15% tax rate, SCHD beats the other by $222.67/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of QAI + SCHD for your $10,000?

QAI: 50%SCHD: 50%

100% SCHD50/50100% QAI

Portfolio after 10yr

$25.4K

Annual income

$294.96/yr

Blended yield

1.16%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

QAI buys

SCHD buys

No recent congressional trades found for QAI or SCHD in the last 90 days.

STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →

MetricQAISCHD

Forward yield	1.49%	3.46% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$0.50	$1.06 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$21.8K	$29.0K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$163.98	$425.95 ✓
Total dividends collected	$1.6K	$3.9K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	ETF

Year-by-year: QAI vs SCHD ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	QAI Portfolio	QAI Income/yr	SCHD Portfolio	SCHD Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$10,849	$148.90	$11,226	$346.36	$377.00 → SCHD
2	$11,759	$150.97	$12,572	$357.38	$813.00 → SCHD
3	$12,735	$152.93	$14,046	$367.84	$1.3K → SCHD
4	$13,782	$154.79	$15,660	$377.73	$1.9K → SCHD
5	$14,903	$156.55	$17,425	$387.07	$2.5K → SCHD
6	$16,104	$158.21	$19,354	$395.86	$3.3K → SCHD
7	$17,391	$159.78	$21,461	$404.13	$4.1K → SCHD
8	$18,770	$161.26	$23,762	$411.89	$5.0K → SCHD
9	$20,247	$162.66	$26,272	$419.15	$6.0K → SCHD
10	$21,828	$163.98	$29,010	$425.95	$7.2K → SCHD

QAI vs SCHD: Complete Analysis 2026

QAI — Stock

NYLI Hedge Multi-Strategy Tracker ETF (QAI) seeks investment results that track, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of NYLI Hedge Multi-Strategy Index. NYLI Hedge Multi-Strategy Index attempts to replicate the risk-return characteristics of hedge funds generally. The Fund does not invest in hedge funds, and the index does not include hedge fund components. The Fund is not suitable for all investors.

Full QAI Calculator →

SCHD — ETF

The fund’s goal is to track as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the total return of the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index.

Full SCHD Calculator →

📬

Get this QAI vs SCHD comparison by email

Save your analysis + weekly dividend insights. Free forever.

More comparisons

QAI vs JEPI QAI vs O QAI vs KO QAI vs MAIN QAI vs VYM QAI vs DGRO QAI vs VIG QAI vs HDV

⚠️ Educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Congressional trades sourced from SEC STOCK Act filings via FMP. Past performance does not guarantee future results.