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Launched · SEC filings

FT Vest Laddered Deep Buffer ETF

BUFDCboeFirst TrustC

$30.28−0.09 (−0.30%)

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

C52/ 100

Rank 8 of 18 in S&P 500 Laddered Buffer

C52/100Rank 8 of 18inS&P 500 Laddered Buffer
Intraday session: down, 79 prints from 30.37 to 30.28. Range 30.28 to 30.50. Use the arrow keys to read each point.30.4030.4530.5010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.95%
Fund size
$2.22B
1Y total return
+9.0%
Yield · Last 12 months
No data
Holdings
13
Avg volume · 30D
303K sh
52W range
low $27.43high $30.68
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net BUFD Grade

Based on 5 of 6 pillars

C

Score 52 out of 100

Category
S&P 500 Laddered Buffer⁠
Rank
8 of 18
Six-pillar profile for BUFD. Scores out of 100: Cost 24, Risk 61, Mission not scored, Tradability 80, Holdings 71, Durability 88. Strongest: Durability (88). Weakest: Cost (24). Based on 5 of 6 pillars.

Score 52 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.
    F24 out of 100
    Rank 12 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.
    B61 out of 100
    Rank 8 of 18

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    A80 out of 100
    Rank 2 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.
    A88 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 18

Our read on BUFD

ETF.net Research

In short

CTwelve First Trust deep buffer funds in one ticker, one resetting every month, so you never have to time an outcome period. The trade: a deeper cushion means a lower ceiling, and the ladder wrapper runs 0.95% a year.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks capital appreciation by providing U.S. large-cap equity exposure while limiting downside risk through a laddered portfolio of twelve FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETFs.

Why people hold it

  • One ticker holds twelve deep buffer funds on a monthly ladder, so there's no start month to pick and no buying in with a cushion that's already half spent.ftportfolios.com
  • Laddering spreads reset risk across twelve staggered outcome periods instead of one all-or-nothing 12-month window tied to a single entry date.
  • A multi-billion-dollar fund running since 2021, with U.S. large-cap exposure referenced to the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust.

Worth knowing

  • At 0.95%, it prices above the 0.79% median in its buffer peer group, and rival laddered wrappers charge less: BUFP at 0.50%, PSFF at 0.10%.
  • Each underlying fund sets its own buffer and cap at its reset, for its own outcome period, so the protection and ceiling you hold shift month to month.ftportfolios.com
  • Income isn't part of the mandate. The stated objective is capital appreciation, and the fund has not been making distributions.

BUFD Performance

Launched Jan 20, 2021

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.
BUFD$10,901
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. BUFD $10,901. 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 BUFD. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodBUFD
Year to date+7.5%
1 month0.0%
3 months+1.6%
1 year+9.0%
3 yearsper year+13.2%
5 yearsper year+7.5%
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 BUFD
YearReturn barBUFD
2026 YTD+7.5%
2025+10.7%
2024+12.4%
2023+15.4%
2022−7.7%
2021+6.0%

History from Jan 21, 2021

BUFD in the news

BUFD Dividends

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

No distributions in the last 12 months.

BUFD Risk

Risk pillarB61 out of 100Rank 8 of 18 in S&P 500 Laddered Buffer
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
5.8%
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.
1.41
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.
−10.8%
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.
0.42
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.

BUFD Cost

Compare BUFD and ALDB

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

$11,720

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

  • BUFD 0.95%

    $17,869

  • ALDB 0.30% Cheapest

    $6,149

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • BUFD 0.95%
  • 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$20K051015202530BUFD $17,869ALDB $6,149

Year by year

YearBUFDALDBOverpaying
10$1,678$545$1,133
20$6,322$2,113$4,209
30$17,869$6,149$11,720

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