Is SCHD or IRT a better dividend investment in 2026?

SCHD currently yields 3.46% with a 13.05% 5-year dividend growth rate. IRT yields 4.59% with 5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: IRT offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between SCHD and IRT?

SCHD has a forward dividend yield of 3.46% ($1.06/share annually). IRT yields 4.59% ($0.68/share annually). The yield gap is 1.13 percentage points.

Home › Compare › SCHD vs IRT

SCHD vs IRT: Dividend Comparison 2026

SCHD yields 3.46% · IRT yields 4.59%● Live data

vsPost on X →

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

🏆 IRT wins by $4.2K in total portfolio value· pulled ahead in Year 2

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

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 →

IRT

● Live price

4.59%

Share price

$14.81

Annual div

$0.68

5Y div CAGR

10.1%

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$33.3K

Annual income

$1,914.49

Full IRT calculator →

Portfolio growth — SCHD vs IRT

📍 IRT pulled ahead of the other in Year 2

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	SCHD	IRT
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%.

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Dividend Calendar Overlap

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

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

SCHD pays

IRT pays

Both pay

Neither

💰

Tax Bracket Optimizer

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

SCHD

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

$294.40/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$362.06/yr

IRT

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

$390.28/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$1,627.32/yr

At 15% tax rate, IRT beats the other by $1,265.26/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

⚖️

Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

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

SCHD: 50%IRT: 50%

100% IRT50/50100% SCHD

Portfolio after 10yr

$31.1K

Annual income

$1,170.21/yr

Blended yield

3.76%

📊

Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on IRT right now

SCHD

No analyst data

IRT

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Consensus: Buy

Price Target

$20.08

+35.6% upside vs current

Range: $18.00 — $22.00

Altman Z

0.7

Piotroski

6/9

Analyst ratings via FMP. Altman Z-Score: >3.0 safe, 1.81–3.0 grey zone, <1.81 distress. Piotroski: 7–9 strong, 0–3 weak.

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

SCHD buys

IRT buys

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

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

MetricSCHDIRT

Forward yield	3.46%	4.59% ✓
Annual dividend / share	$1.06 ✓	$0.68
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	10.1% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$29.0K	$33.3K ✓
Annual income after 10y	$425.95	$1,914.49 ✓
Total dividends collected	$3.9K	$10.7K ✓
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	ETF	REIT

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

Year	SCHD Portfolio	SCHD Income/yr	IRT Portfolio	IRT Income/yr	Gap
1	$11,226	$346.36	$11,206	$505.52	+$20.00 → SCHD
2← crossover	$12,572	$357.38	$12,573	$582.88	$1.00 → IRT
3	$14,046	$367.84	$14,126	$672.95	$80.00 → IRT
4	$15,660	$377.73	$15,893	$777.98	$233.00 → IRT
5	$17,425	$387.07	$17,906	$900.64	$481.00 → IRT
6	$19,354	$395.86	$20,203	$1,044.12	$849.00 → IRT
7	$21,461	$404.13	$22,830	$1,212.23	$1.4K → IRT
8	$23,762	$411.89	$25,837	$1,409.50	$2.1K → IRT
9	$26,272	$419.15	$29,287	$1,641.41	$3.0K → IRT
10	$29,010	$425.95	$33,252	$1,914.49	$4.2K → IRT

SCHD vs IRT: Complete Analysis 2026

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 →

IRT — REIT

Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: IRT) is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates multifamily apartment properties across non-gateway U.S. markets, including Atlanta, Louisville, Memphis, and Raleigh. IRT's investment strategy is focused on gaining scale within key amenity rich submarkets that offer good school districts, high-quality retail and major employment centers. IRT aims to provide stockholders attractive risk-adjusted returns through diligent portfolio management, strong operational performance, and a consistent return on capital through distributions and capital appreciation.

Full IRT Calculator →

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