SCHO's Short-Term Treasuries vs. SMB's Municipal Bonds: Which ETF Is a Better Fit for You?
2026-03-05 09:02:41 ET
Both the Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF (NYSEMKT:SCHO) and the VanEck Short Muni ETF (NYSEMKT:SMB) are ultra-short bond funds targeting safety and liquidity, but with different approaches: SCHO tracks the short-term U.S. Treasury market, while SMB focuses on short-term, tax-exempt municipal bonds.
SCHO features larger assets under management (AUM), higher yield, and lower fees compared to SMB, while SMB has slightly outperformed over the past year and five-year periods. This comparison unpacks their differences in cost, yield, risk, and holdings to help investors weigh which may fit their needs.
Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year monthly returns. The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months.
NASDAQ: SMB
SMB Trading
-0.02% G/L:
$ Last:
28,692 Volume:
$17.89 Open:
