Schwab California Tax-Free Bond Fund™ (SWCAX)

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The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in Schwab California Tax-Free Bond Fund™, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.

Schwab California Tax-Free Bond Fund™ (SWCAX) has returned -0.74% so far this year and 3.41% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, SWCAX has returned 1.42% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 12.16% annually.

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Feb 24, 1992, SWCAX's average daily return is +0.02%, while the average monthly return is +0.35%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 16.5 years.

Historically, 65% of months were positive and 35% were negative. The best month was Feb 1993 with a return of +4.7%, while the worst month was Mar 1994 at -5.1%. The longest winning streak lasted 15 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 7 months.

On a daily basis, SWCAX closed higher 38% of trading days. The best single day was Nov 29, 2002 with a return of +3.8%, while the worst single day was Mar 20, 2020 at -2.6%.

Schwab California Tax-Free Bond Fund™ has an annualized alpha of 4.18%, beta of 0.00, and R² of 0.00 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since February 25, 1992.

• This fund captured 13.95% of S&P 500 Index gains and tended to rise during its downturns (downside capture of -0.88%) — a profile typical of hedging or uncorrelated assets.
• Beta of 0.00 may look defensive, but with R² of 0.00 this fund is largely uncorrelated with S&P 500 Index — low beta reflects independence, not downside protection. See the Volatility section for a true picture of this fund's risk.
• R² of 0.00 means this fund moves largely independently of S&P 500 Index — capture ratios reflect limited market correlation rather than active downside protection. Consider using a more representative benchmark.

SWCAX has an expense ratio of 0.48%, placing it in the medium range.

SWCAX ranks 49 for risk / return — on par with similar mutual funds. You're getting a typical balance of risk and reward. Not a standout, but not a red flag either — a reasonable choice if other factors align with your goals.

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for Schwab California Tax-Free Bond Fund™ (SWCAX) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (S&P 500 Index).

Schwab California Tax-Free Bond Fund™ provided a 2.99% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.33 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 3 consecutive years.

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for Schwab California Tax-Free Bond Fund™. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.

The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the Schwab California Tax-Free Bond Fund™. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.

The maximum drawdown for the Schwab California Tax-Free Bond Fund™ was 13.51%, occurring on Nov 21, 1994. Recovery took 121 trading sessions.

The current Schwab California Tax-Free Bond Fund™ drawdown is 2.66%.

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.