Schwab California Tax-Free Bond Fund™ (SWCAX) belongs to the Municipal Bonds category. Below you'll find alternative mutual funds from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with SWCAX. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.
Cheapest Alternatives to SWCAX
SWCAX charges 0.48% annually. There are 130 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with lower expense ratios, going as low as 0.01%.
| Symbol | Name | Expense Ratio | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Asset SMASh Series TF Fund | 0.01% | — | Dec 2015 | SWCAX vs LSMSX | |
| Federated Hermes Conservative Municipal Microshort... | 0.05% | — | Feb 2021 | SWCAX vs FHMIX | |
| Nuveen Municipal Total Return Managed Accounts | 0.05% | — | May 2007 | SWCAX vs NMTRX | |
| Strategic Advisers Municipal Bond Fund | 0.06% | — | Jun 2021 | SWCAX vs FSMUX | |
| PIMCO Fixed Income SHares: Series TE | 0.07% | — | Jun 2012 | SWCAX vs FXIEX |
Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to SWCAX
SWCAX has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 66. There are 316 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 100.
| Symbol | Name | Risk / Return Rank | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFA Short-Term Selective State Municipal Bond Port... | 100 | — | Apr 2022 | SWCAX vs DFABX | |
| DFA NY Municipal Bond Portfolio | 99 | — | Jun 2015 | SWCAX vs DNYMX | |
| DFA California Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio | 99 | — | Apr 2007 | SWCAX vs DFCMX | |
| DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio | 99 | — | Aug 2002 | SWCAX vs DFSMX | |
| abrdn Ultra Short Municipal Income Fund | 99 | — | Dec 2002 | SWCAX vs ATOIX |
Top Performing SWCAX Alternatives (YTD)
SWCAX is at 0.94% YTD. There are 399 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 11.65%.
| Symbol | Name | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuveen Municipal Income Fund, Inc. | 11.65% | — | Apr 1998 | SWCAX vs NMI | |
| Nuveen Virginia Quality Municipal Income Fund | 6.88% | — | Mar 1993 | SWCAX vs NPV | |
| Nuveen New York AMT Free Quality Municipal Income | 6.87% | — | Nov 2002 | SWCAX vs NRK | |
| AllianceBernstein National Municipal Income Fund | 6.20% | — | Nov 2001 | SWCAX vs AFB | |
| BlackRock MuniYield Michigan Quality Fund | 5.14% | — | Oct 1992 | SWCAX vs MIY |
Lowest Volatility Alternatives to SWCAX
SWCAX has 2.31% 1-year volatility. There are 159 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 0.56%.
| Symbol | Name | Volatility 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFA Short-Term Selective State Municipal Bond Port... | 0.56% | — | Apr 2022 | SWCAX vs DFABX | |
| JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Fund | 0.59% | — | May 2016 | SWCAX vs USMSX | |
| JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Fund | 0.59% | — | May 2016 | SWCAX vs USMTX | |
| DFA California Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio | 0.59% | — | Apr 2007 | SWCAX vs DFCMX | |
| DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio | 0.61% | — | Aug 2002 | SWCAX vs DFSMX |
Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to SWCAX
SWCAX has a 1-year max drawdown of -2.75%. There are 220 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with shallower 1-year drawdowns, going as shallow as 0.00%.
| Symbol | Name | Max Drawdown 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BlackRock Allocation Target Shares | 0.00% | — | May 2021 | SWCAX vs BATVX | |
| Federated Hermes Conservative Municipal Microshort... | -0.10% | — | Feb 2021 | SWCAX vs FHMIX | |
| abrdn Ultra Short Municipal Income Fund | -0.10% | — | Dec 2002 | SWCAX vs ATOIX | |
| Cavanal Hill Ultra Short Tax-Free Income Fund | -0.10% | — | Dec 2017 | SWCAX vs APUSX | |
| SEI Institutional Managed Trust Tax-Free Conservat... | -0.10% | — | Apr 2016 | SWCAX vs TFCYX |
Other Mutual Funds from Charles Schwab
The 10 most viewed Charles Schwab mutual funds shown here include SWPPX, SWVXX, SWTSX and span 8 categories. AUM among these funds goes as high as $249B.
| Symbol | Name | Category | Risk / Return Rank | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schwab S&P 500 Index Fund | Large Cap Blend Equities, S&P 500 | 73 | 11.69% | 145.00B | May 1997 | SWCAX vs SWPPX | |
| Schwab Prime Advantage Money Fund Investor Shares | Money Market | — | 1.45% | 248.87B | Apr 1992 | SWCAX vs SWVXX | |
| Schwab Total Stock Market Index Fund | Large Cap Blend Equities | 71 | 12.02% | 43.45B | Jun 1999 | SWCAX vs SWTSX | |
| Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth Index Fund | Large Cap Growth Equities | 32 | 8.61% | 5.10B | Dec 2017 | SWCAX vs SWLGX | |
| Schwab International Index Fund | Foreign Large Cap Equities | 26 | 9.54% | 14.43B | May 1997 | SWCAX vs SWISX | |
| Schwab U.S. Aggregate Bond Index Fund | Total Bond Market | 21 | 0.38% | 8.21B | — | SWCAX vs SWAGX | |
| Schwab 1000 Index Fund | Large Cap Blend Equities | 70 | 11.89% | 22.44B | Apr 1991 | SWCAX vs SNXFX | |
| Schwab Large-Cap Growth Fund™ | Large Cap Growth Equities | 35 | 11.17% | 628.62M | Oct 2005 | SWCAX vs SWLSX | |
| Schwab Small-Cap Index Fund-Select Shares | Small Cap Blend Equities | 64 | 18.71% | 7.51B | May 1997 | SWCAX vs SWSSX | |
| Schwab Fundamental US Large Company Index Fund | Large Cap Value Equities | 92 | 14.66% | 12.67B | Apr 2007 | SWCAX vs SFLNX |
Often Compared With SWCAX
Investors most often compare SWCAX with CMF, PRXCX, VCAIX. These 20 comparison targets span 6 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.
Compare SWCAX with Any Fund or Stock
Compare SWCAX with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.
Pair SWCAX with funds that move differently
Schwab California Tax-Free Bond Fund™ alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to SWCAX.
Explore SWCAX Diversifiers