SCHD vs. JEPI: How $10,000 of Income Changed From 2021–2025

Introduction

Starting with an equal $10,000 investment, SCHD and JEPI produced very different cash-income patterns from 2021 through 2025. The visualization focuses specifically on distributions taken as cash, without reinvestment. The comparison highlights both the amount of income generated and how that income changed over the five-year period. It does not measure price appreciation or total return.

Key insights

• JEPI generated substantially more cash income

  JEPI produced more annual distribution income than SCHD in every year shown. Its highest annual payout occurred in 2022, while its 2025 distribution was $4.72 per share. For the standardized starting price of $42.44, JEPI's yield on cost moved from an initial annualized rate of 15.3% to 11.1% based on 2025 distributions.

• SCHD delivered faster distribution growth

  SCHD's calendar-year dividend increased from $0.75 per share in 2021 to $1.05 in 2025, corresponding to an 8.72% dividend CAGR. JEPI increased from $4.16 to $4.72 over the same calendar years, for a 3.20% CAGR. SCHD therefore had the faster income-growth rate despite producing less absolute cash income.

• Higher distributions do not mean higher total return

  The chart isolates income rather than overall investment performance. JEPI's larger distributions should not be interpreted as evidence of a higher total return, just as SCHD's faster dividend growth does not establish superior investment performance. Price changes and reinvestment are outside the scope of this visualization.

Methodology

Each series begins with a hypothetical $10,000 investment at its standardized historical starting price. Annual payouts are based on the calendar-year distributions shown in the chart and are taken as cash rather than reinvested. The starting price is the adjusted close used as the hypothetical cost basis at the beginning of the timeline; it does not imply that a viewer purchased at that price. Initial yield uses the forward annualized distribution rate in effect at that starting point divided by the starting price. Ending yield on cost uses 2025 distributions divided by the same historical starting price. Neither measure represents current market yield. Dividend CAGR compares actual 2021 and 2025 calendar-year distributions. Calendar-year distributions can differ from the forward annualized rate at the starting date. The data-as-of date of September 21, 2026 is the snapshot date for the visualization, while 2021–2025 is the historical period being analyzed.

Related links

• Blog article