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Launched

Innovator Laddered Allocation Buffer ETF

BUFBCboeInnovatorC

$39.88−0.17 (−0.42%)

As of Nov 2, 2026, 3:59 PM ET

C47/ 100

Rank 13 of 18 in S&P 500 Laddered Buffer

C47/100Rank 13 of 18inS&P 500 Laddered Buffer
Intraday session: down, 79 prints from 40.05 to 39.88. Range 39.88 to 40.36. Use the arrow keys to read each point.40.2040.3010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.89%
Fund size
$339M
1Y total return
+11.2%
Yield · Last 12 months
No data
Holdings
13
Avg volume · 30D
30.1K sh
52W range
low $35.10high $41.00
Launched

The ETF.net BUFB Grade

Based on 5 of 6 pillars

C

Score 47 out of 100

Category
S&P 500 Laddered Buffer⁠
Rank
13 of 18
Six-pillar profile for BUFB. Scores out of 100: Cost 47, Risk 27, Mission not scored, Tradability 48, Holdings 71, Durability 65. Strongest: Holdings (71). Weakest: Risk (27). Based on 5 of 6 pillars.

Score 47 of 100 falls in the C band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.

  • Cost

    The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.
    C47 out of 100
    Rank 9 of 18

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    Not scored

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    D27 out of 100
    Rank 15 of 18

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    C48 out of 100
    Rank 8 of 18

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    A71 out of 100
    Rank 3 of 18

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    B65 out of 100
    Rank 7 of 18

Our read on BUFB

ETF.net Research

In short

CBuffer ETFs make you pick a start date. BUFB skips that question: it holds all 12 monthly Innovator 9% buffer ETFs at equal weight, so one sleeve rolls into a fresh outcome period every month.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks exposure to the investment results of the MerQube US Large Cap Equity Buffer Laddered Index through a laddered portfolio of 12 Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETFs. The underlying ETFs seek capped S&P 500 exposure and a 9% loss buffer; BUFB itself does not provide that buffer.

Why people hold it

  • One ticket, twelve staggered outcome periods. Each month one underlying ETF resets, so your result never hangs on a single entry date or a single cap.innovatoretfs.com
  • The 9% buffer line is the shallower of Innovator's two ladders; sibling BUFF ladders 15% buffers at the same 0.89%. Different trade-off between cushion and cap room.innovatoretfs.com
  • Running since 2022 and rebalanced back to equal weight twice a year, so the ladder does not drift toward whichever sleeve ran hot.innovatoretfs.com

Worth knowing

  • 0.89% all-in: 0.10% management plus 0.79% from the ETFs it holds. Near the category median, above ALDB (0.30%) and IVVM (0.50% net of a waiver through June 30, 2028).innovatoretfs.com
  • BUFB itself does not buffer. You hold 12 outcome periods at once, each with its own cap and its own remaining cushion, so the blend behaves softer than any single sleeve.innovatoretfs.com
  • Trading volume is light next to the big index funds, so spreads can be wider than the strategy's one-ticket simplicity suggests.

BUFB Performance

Launched Feb 9, 2022

Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.

Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.
BUFB$11,115
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,199
Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. BUFB $11,115. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 30, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.

Trailing total return for BUFB. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodBUFB
Year to date+9.3%
1 month−0.5%
3 months+1.3%
1 year+11.2%
3 yearsper year+17.0%
5 yearsFund is under 5 years oldper yearNo data
10 yearsFund is under 10 years oldper yearNo data

With distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for BUFB
YearReturn barBUFB
2026 YTD+9.3%
2025+13.4%
2024+16.4%
2023+20.5%
2022−8.4%

Since listing, Feb 9, 2022

BUFB in the news

BUFB Dividends

This fund pays no distributions.
No dataLast 12 months
Payout per share
No dataLast 12 months

No distributions in the last 12 months.

BUFB Risk

Risk pillarD27 out of 100Rank 15 of 18 in S&P 500 Laddered Buffer
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
7.7%
Annualised · 36 months to Oct 2026
How it’s calculated: standard deviation

The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
1.52
vs 3-month T-bills · to Oct 2026
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio

Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.

Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−14.9%
56 months · trough Oct 2022
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown

The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.

Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
0.68
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

FMP measures it over up to five years of monthly returns.

BUFB Cost

Compare BUFB and ALDB

Overpaying vs ALDB, cheapest in S&P 500 Laddered Buffer

$10,723

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • BUFB 0.89%

    $16,872

  • ALDB 0.30% Cheapest

    $6,149

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • BUFB 0.89%
  • ALDB 0.30%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K$20K051015202530BUFB $16,872ALDB $6,149

Year by year

YearBUFBALDBOverpaying
10$1,576$545$1,031
20$5,953$2,113$3,840
30$16,872$6,149$10,723

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