FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF
$37.91−0.03 (−0.08%)
- 0.10%
- $10.9B
- +14.8%
- 1.3M sh
- $37.92
- low $33.03high $37.95
The ETF.net BUFR Grade
A
Score 74 out of 100
- 1 of 18
Score 74 of 100 falls in the A 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.A82 out of 100Rank 1 of 18Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C44 out of 100Rank 12 of 18Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A86 out of 100Rank 1 of 18Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.A72 out of 100Rank 3 of 18Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A92 out of 100Rank 1 of 18
Our read on BUFR
AMost buffer ETFs make you pick a start month. BUFR skips the calendar: twelve underlying FT Vest buffer funds on a rolling monthly ladder, each cushioning the first 10% of S&P 500 ETF losses in exchange for a cap.
The Fund seeks capital appreciation through U.S. large-cap equity exposure and a laddered portfolio of twelve underlying buffer ETFs. Those underlying ETFs seek SPY price-return exposure up to caps while buffering the first 10% of SPY losses.
Why people hold it
- The ladder is the whole idea: twelve underlying buffer funds resetting on a staggered schedule, so one purchase date doesn't lock you into a single year's cap and buffer.ftportfolios.com
- Each sleeve is built to absorb the first 10% of SPY's price decline over its outcome period. A defined cushion written into the fund's documents, not a manager's judgment call.
- One ticker replaces a twelve-fund do-it-yourself ladder, and it's a multi-billion-dollar, actively traded name in a corner of the market full of thin ones.
- Running since 2020, it sits in the upper half of its buffer peer group on our review, with a wide underlying basket rather than a single-month bet.
Worth knowing
- The convenience costs: 0.95% a year, richer than the typical fund in its buffer group, and cheaper defensive structures exist (SWAN at 0.49%, DMAX at 0.53%).
- Caps are the trade for the cushion. The sleeves track SPY's price return only, so dividends and the top of a big rally stay outside the deal.
- Laddering blends outcomes rather than delivering one: each sleeve sits at a different point in its own period, so your protection at any moment is partial, not a clean 10% floor.
BUFR Holdings
- Other
- 13
- 83%
- FSEP
Sectors
- Technology40.1%
- Financials11.3%
- Communication9.9%
- Health Care9.4%
- Consumer Discretionary8.7%
- Industrials7.6%
- Consumer Staples4.4%
- Energy3.4%
- Utilities1.9%
- Real Estate1.7%
- Materials1.6%
Geography
- United States100.00%
BUFR Performance
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.
BUFR$11,480
Returns run to the Oct 12, 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.
| Period | BUFR |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +10.7% |
| 1 month | +1.6% |
| 3 months | +3.1% |
| 1 year | +14.8% |
| 3 years | +15.3% |
| 5 years | +10.5% |
| 10 years | — |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | BUFR |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +10.7% | |
| 2025 | +12.4% | |
| 2024 | +14.7% | |
| 2023 | +19.6% | |
| 2022 | −7.6% | |
| 2021 | +11.9% | |
| 2020 | +7.6% |
BUFR in the news
BUFR Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
BUFR Risk
- 7.2%
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.
- 1.39
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.
- −13.7%
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.
- 0.61
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
BUFR Cost
0.10%
BUFR0.10%
- The middle half of S&P 500 Laddered Buffer funds
- Median 0.25%
No S&P 500 Laddered Buffer fund charges less.
Other funds in S&P 500 Laddered Buffer
- ABUFDFT Vest Laddered Deep Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.10%1 year return +11.9%
- ABUFZFT Vest Laddered Moderate Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.10%1 year return +12.1%
- ABUFFInnovator Laddered Allocation Power Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.10%1 year return +12.3%
- BBUFBInnovator Laddered Allocation Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.10%1 year return +15.7%
- BBUFTFT Vest Buffered Allocation Defensive ETFExpense ratio 0.20%1 year return +10.3%