GSEP vs. SCHD

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – September (GSEP) and Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD).

GSEP and SCHD are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. GSEP is an actively managed fund by FT Vest. It was launched on Sep 15, 2023. SCHD is a passively managed fund by Charles Schwab that tracks the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index. It was launched on Oct 20, 2011.

Performance

GSEP vs. SCHD - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – September (GSEP) and Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

GSEP vs. SCHD - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023
GSEP FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – September	-1.34%	10.56%	10.85%	4.70%
SCHD Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF	12.17%	4.34%	11.66%	5.41%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, GSEP achieves a -1.34% return, which is significantly lower than SCHD's 12.17% return.

GSEP

• 1D: 0.29%
• 1M: -1.97%
• YTD: -1.34%
• 6M: 0.17%
• 1Y: 10.62%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

SCHD

• 1D: -0.55%
• 1M: -3.43%
• YTD: 12.17%
• 6M: 12.91%
• 1Y: 13.70%
• 3Y*: 11.84%
• 5Y*: 8.32%
• 10Y*: 12.25%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

GSEP vs. SCHD - Expense Ratio Comparison

GSEP has a 0.85% expense ratio, which is higher than SCHD's 0.06% expense ratio.

GSEP

FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – September

SCHD

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF

Return for Risk

GSEP vs. SCHD — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

GSEP

GSEP Risk / Return Rank: 61
GSEP Sharpe Ratio Rank: 56
GSEP Sortino Ratio Rank: 58
GSEP Omega Ratio Rank: 68
GSEP Calmar Ratio Rank: 52
GSEP Martin Ratio Rank: 70

SCHD

SCHD Risk / Return Rank: 43
SCHD Sharpe Ratio Rank: 46
SCHD Sortino Ratio Rank: 46
SCHD Omega Ratio Rank: 46
SCHD Calmar Ratio Rank: 39
SCHD Martin Ratio Rank: 38

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

GSEP vs. SCHD - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – September (GSEP) and Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	GSEP	SCHD	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.07	0.88	+0.19
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.60	1.32	+0.28
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.26	1.19	+0.08
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.51	1.05	+0.46
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	8.05	3.55	+4.50
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

GSEP vs. SCHD - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current GSEP Sharpe Ratio is 1.07, which is comparable to the SCHD Sharpe Ratio of 0.88. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of GSEP and SCHD, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	GSEP	SCHD	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.07	0.88	+0.19
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.58	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.74	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.27	0.84	+0.43

Correlation

The correlation between GSEP and SCHD is 0.54, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

GSEP vs. SCHD - Dividend Comparison

GSEP has not paid dividends to shareholders, while SCHD's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.46%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
GSEP FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – September	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
SCHD Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF	3.46%	3.82%	3.64%	3.49%	3.39%	2.78%	3.16%	2.98%	3.06%	2.63%	2.89%	2.97%

Drawdowns

GSEP vs. SCHD - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum GSEP drawdown since its inception was -10.09%, smaller than the maximum SCHD drawdown of -33.37%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for GSEP and SCHD.

Drawdown Indicators

	GSEP	SCHD	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-10.09%	-33.37%	+23.28%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-7.09%	-12.74%	+5.65%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-16.85%	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-33.37%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-2.50%	-3.43%	+0.93%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-0.77%	-3.34%	+2.57%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.33%	3.75%	-2.42%

Volatility

GSEP vs. SCHD - Volatility Comparison

FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – September (GSEP) has a higher volatility of 3.16% compared to Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) at 2.33%. This indicates that GSEP's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SCHD based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	GSEP	SCHD	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	3.16%	2.33%	+0.83%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	5.06%	7.96%	-2.90%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	10.01%	15.69%	-5.68%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	7.73%	14.40%	-6.67%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	7.73%	16.70%	-8.97%