SCHF: Schwab International Equity ETF

Schwab International Equity ETF (SCHF) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by Schwab. This fund owns shares of about 1,500 large and medium companies in rich countries outside the United States. It charges 0.03% a year. From November 2009 to October 2026 it returned about 7.5% a year, and its worst drop was −34.9%.

Written by the Tactfolio research team. Fund facts checked October 17, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

Yearly fee
0.03%
about $3 on $10,000
Return per year
7.5%
since November 2009
Worst drop
−34.9%
since 2009
Started trading
Nov 2009
Schwab

Key points

  • Expense ratio: 0.03% a year (about $3 on $10,000).
  • Started trading on November 3, 2009.
  • Worst drop since 2009: −34.9%.
  • No Tactfolio classic strategies hold it.

What does SCHF hold?#

This fund owns shares of about 1,500 large and medium companies in rich countries outside the United States. Changes in foreign money values can move its price too.

It tracks the FTSE Developed ex US Index. It had 1,480 holdings as of February 28, 2026, according to Schwab.

FactSCHF
Full nameSchwab International Equity ETF
IssuerSchwab
Expense ratio0.03% a year
Started tradingNovember 3, 2009
TracksFTSE Developed ex US Index
TypeInternational stocks, ETF
Holdings1,480 holdings as of February 28, 2026
Facts checkedOctober 17, 2026 on the Schwab fund page

What is the SCHF expense ratio?#

SCHF charges 0.03% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.03% fee comes to about $3 a year.

You never get a bill for it. The fund takes the fee out of its own value a little each day.

How has SCHF done since 2009?#

$10k$20k201020132016201920222025
SCHFGrowth of $10,000, log scale, with dividends reinvested. Past results do not tell you what happens next.

From November 2009 to October 2026, SCHF returned about 7.5% a year. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $34,128 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

MeasureSCHF
Total return241.3%
Return per year (CAGR)7.5%
Worst drop from a high−34.9%
Volatility (how much it swings)18.1%
Last 12 months18.0%
Last 3 years, per year20.2%
Last 5 years, per year9.6%
Last 10 years, per year9.9%

Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.

SCHF returns by year#

YearSCHF return
2026 (part of the year)12.7%
202534.5%
20243.3%
202318.4%
2022−14.8%
202111.4%
20209.5%
201922.3%
2018−14.3%
201726.0%
20163.0%
2015−2.5%
2014−5.7%
201318.9%
201218.8%
2011−12.6%
20109.3%
2009 (part of the year)4.8%

What was SCHF’s worst drop?#

0%−10%−20%−30%201020132016201920222025
Drawdown: how far SCHF was below its last high on each day.

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. SCHF’s worst fall was −34.9%, from January 26, 2018 to March 23, 2020. It got back to that high on November 11, 2020.

The chart shows how far below its last high the fund was on each day. Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.

Which Tactfolio strategies hold SCHF?#

No classic strategy holds SCHF yet. You can add it to your own rules in the builder and see how they would have done.

How does SCHF compare with similar ETFs?#

Funds that can stand in for SCHF:

  • VEA: Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF, 0.03% a year
  • IEFA: iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF, 0.07% a year
  • EFA: iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, 0.32% a year
  • VEU: Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF, 0.04% a year

See all 8 SCHF alternatives, compared on the same dates as SCHF.

Test SCHF in your own rules#

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the builder, add SCHF, and see how a rule such as “hold it only above its 200-day average” would have done. Strategies run on daily prices and hold US stocks and ETFs only.

The details#

Prices come from Tactfolio’s stored daily prices for SCHF. Each close is adjusted for splits, and dividends are reinvested on the day the fund pays them out. CAGR is the steady yearly return that turns the starting value into the ending value. Volatility is the yearly standard deviation of daily returns.

Fund facts come from Schwab. We checked them on October 17, 2026. Read what a backtest simulates and how to read drawdown and CAGR for more on these measures.

Common questions#

What is the expense ratio of SCHF?#

SCHF charges 0.03% a year, according to Schwab as of October 17, 2026. That is about $3 a year for every $10,000 you hold.

When did SCHF start trading?#

SCHF started trading on November 3, 2009. It is run by Schwab.

What does SCHF track?#

SCHF tracks the FTSE Developed ex US Index. This fund owns shares of about 1,500 large and medium companies in rich countries outside the United States.

How much has SCHF returned per year?#

From November 2009 to October 2026, SCHF returned about 7.5% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −34.9%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.

Which strategies use SCHF?#

None of Tactfolio’s classic strategies hold SCHF yet. You can test it in your own rules in the builder.

Sources#