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 128 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 | |
| Nuveen Municipal Total Return Managed Accounts | 0.05% | — | May 2007 | SWCAX vs NMTRX | |
| Federated Hermes Conservative Municipal Microshort... | 0.05% | — | Feb 2021 | SWCAX vs FHMIX | |
| Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares | 0.05% | 12.30B | Sep 1994 | SWCAX vs VTMFX | |
| Strategic Advisers Municipal Bond Fund | 0.06% | — | Jun 2021 | SWCAX vs FSMUX |
Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to SWCAX
SWCAX has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 69. There are 382 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 Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio | 100 | — | Aug 2002 | SWCAX vs DFSMX | |
| abrdn Ultra Short Municipal Income Fund | 99 | — | Dec 2002 | SWCAX vs ATOIX | |
| Federated Hermes Conservative Municipal Microshort... | 99 | — | Feb 2021 | SWCAX vs FHMIX | |
| SEI Institutional Managed Trust Tax-Free Conservat... | 99 | — | Apr 2016 | SWCAX vs TFCYX |
Top Performing SWCAX Alternatives (YTD)
SWCAX is at 1.02% YTD. There are 405 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 11.06%.
| Symbol | Name | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuveen Municipal Income Fund, Inc. | 11.06% | — | Apr 1998 | SWCAX vs NMI | |
| Nuveen New York AMT Free Quality Municipal Income | 10.21% | — | Nov 2002 | SWCAX vs NRK | |
| BlackRock MuniYield Michigan Quality Fund | 8.32% | — | Oct 1992 | SWCAX vs MIY | |
| AllianceBernstein National Municipal Income Fund | 6.66% | — | Nov 2001 | SWCAX vs AFB | |
| BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund | 6.62% | — | Feb 1998 | SWCAX vs MUC |
Lowest Volatility Alternatives to SWCAX
SWCAX has 2.31% 1-year volatility. There are 160 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 0.55%.
| Symbol | Name | Volatility 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio | 0.55% | — | Aug 2002 | SWCAX vs DFSMX | |
| DFA Short-Term Selective State Municipal Bond Port... | 0.56% | — | Apr 2022 | SWCAX vs DFABX | |
| DFA California Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio | 0.57% | — | Apr 2007 | SWCAX vs DFCMX | |
| JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Fund | 0.58% | — | May 2016 | SWCAX vs USMSX | |
| JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Fund | 0.59% | — | May 2016 | SWCAX vs USMTX |
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 | |
| SEI Institutional Managed Trust Tax-Free Conservat... | -0.10% | — | Apr 2016 | SWCAX vs TFCYX | |
| abrdn Ultra Short Municipal Income Fund | -0.10% | — | Dec 2002 | SWCAX vs ATOIX | |
| DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio | -0.11% | — | Aug 2002 | SWCAX vs DFSMX |
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 $248B.
| Symbol | Name | Category | Risk / Return Rank | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schwab S&P 500 Index Fund | Large Cap Blend Equities, S&P 500 | 65 | 11.35% | 145.69B | May 1997 | SWCAX vs SWPPX | |
| Schwab Prime Advantage Money Fund Investor Shares | Money Market | — | 1.74% | 247.96B | Apr 1992 | SWCAX vs SWVXX | |
| Schwab Total Stock Market Index Fund | Large Cap Blend Equities | 63 | 11.84% | 44.59B | Jun 1999 | SWCAX vs SWTSX | |
| Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth Index Fund | Large Cap Growth Equities | 19 | 5.08% | 4.94B | Dec 2017 | SWCAX vs SWLGX | |
| Schwab International Index Fund | Foreign Large Cap Equities | 35 | 10.45% | 14.63B | May 1997 | SWCAX vs SWISX | |
| Schwab U.S. Aggregate Bond Index Fund | Total Bond Market | 19 | 0.06% | 8.31B | — | SWCAX vs SWAGX | |
| Schwab 1000 Index Fund | Large Cap Blend Equities | 61 | 11.62% | 22.48B | Apr 1991 | SWCAX vs SNXFX | |
| Schwab Large-Cap Growth Fund™ | Large Cap Growth Equities | 28 | 9.59% | 626.43M | Oct 2005 | SWCAX vs SWLSX | |
| Schwab Fundamental US Large Company Index Fund | Large Cap Value Equities | 92 | 16.34% | 12.97B | Apr 2007 | SWCAX vs SFLNX | |
| Schwab Small-Cap Index Fund-Select Shares | Small Cap Blend Equities | 65 | 20.72% | 7.67B | May 1997 | SWCAX vs SWSSX |
Often Compared With SWCAX
Investors most often compare SWCAX with CMF, PRXCX, VCAIX. These 20 comparison targets span 8 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