ALDB vs BUFB: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

Aptus Laddered Deep Buffer ETF

ALDBBCboe

Innovator Laddered Allocation Buffer ETF

BUFBCCboe

Overlap

0.0%by weight

Expense ratio

ALDB −0.59pt a year

ALDB0.30%BUFB0.89%

Avg volume · 30D

BUFB 4.4×the volume

ALDB6.84KBUFB30.1K

ALDB vs BUFB Performance

Jul 31, 2026 – Oct 30, 2026

+1.7%ALDB+1.3%BUFB

Expense ratio: ALDB 0.30%, better; BUFB 0.89%
Fund size: ALDB $12M; BUFB $339M
1Y total return: ALDB No data; BUFB +11.2%
Holdings: ALDB 5; BUFB 13
Avg volume (30D): ALDB 6.84K sh; BUFB 30.1K sh, better
NAV per share: ALDB $25.73; BUFB $40.06
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for ALDB, BUFB, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	ALDB	BUFB
Cost30% weight	A100Higher	C47
Mission25% weight	Not scored	Not scored
Risk15% weight	B56Higher	D27
Tradability15% weight	C41	C48Higher
Holdings10% weight	D39	A71Higher
Durability5% weight	F11	B65Higher

Rank among S&P 500 Laddered Buffer funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. ALDB and BUFB are both graded against the same 18 S&P 500 Laddered Buffer funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

S&P 500 Laddered Buffer⁠

Category · 18 funds

See all 18 ›

ALDB ranks 3rd and BUFB 13th of 18 funds in the S&P 500 Laddered Buffer Category.

Rank 1BBUFPPGIM Laddered S&P 500 Buffer 12 ETFScore 69
Rank 2BPBFRPGIM Laddered S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETFScore 68
Rank 3BALDBAptus Laddered Deep Buffer ETFScore 65
Rank 4BIVVMiShares Large Cap Moderate Quarterly Laddered ETFScore 64
Rank 12CBUFZFT Vest Laddered Moderate Buffer ETFScore 48
Rank 13CBUFBInnovator Laddered Allocation Buffer ETFScore 47
Rank 14CLADMPacer Swan SOS Laddered Moderate ETFScore 40

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

ALDBBAptus Laddered Deep Buffer ETF

BUFBCInnovator Laddered Allocation Buffer ETF

In short

ALDB No data

BUFB Buffer 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

ALDB No data

BUFB 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

ALDB No data

BUFB 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

ALDB No data

BUFB 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.

Full ALDB profile⁠

Full BUFB profile⁠

ALDB vs BUFB Holdings

How ALDB and BUFB differ

Overlap by weight

0.0%

Shared holdings make up 0.0% of ALDB and 0.0% of BUFB.

Level by level

Holdings0 in both0.0%
Asset classEquity100%
Countryby domicile100%
Sector11 Sectors100%

Sector

Sector weights in ALDB and BUFB, widest gap first
Sector	More in ALDBMore in BUFB	ALDB	BUFB
Technology	Same weight	40.1%	40.1%
Financials	Same weight	11.3%	11.3%
Communication	Same weight	9.9%	9.9%
Health Care	Same weight	9.4%	9.4%
Consumer Discretionary	Same weight	8.7%	8.7%
Industrials	Same weight	7.6%	7.6%
Consumer Staples	Same weight	4.4%	4.4%
Energy	Same weight	3.4%	3.4%
Utilities	Same weight	1.9%	1.9%
Real Estate	Same weight	1.7%	1.7%
Materials	Same weight	1.6%	1.6%

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in ALDB and BUFB, widest gap first
Country	More in ALDBMore in BUFB	ALDB	BUFB
United States	Same weight	99.5%	99.5%
Switzerland	Same weight	0.3%	0.3%
China	Same weight	0.1%	0.1%
Mexico	Same weight	0.1%	0.1%
Ireland	Same weight	0.0%	0.0%
United Kingdom	Same weight	0.0%	0.0%

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

ALDB100.0%
BUFB83.3%

Securities held

ALDB5
BUFB13

Asset class

ALDB: Equity
BUFB: Equity

Holdings

Only in ALDB5
In both0
Only in BUFB13

Only in ALDB

5 securities, 100% of ALDB by weight

Aptus October Deep Buffer ETF25.20%
Aptus January Deep Buffer ETF24.95%
Aptus April Deep Buffer ETF24.89%
Aptus July Deep Buffer ETF24.88%
Cash & Other0.08%

Only in BUFB

13 securities, 100% of BUFB by weight

Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF April8.36%
Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - October8.34%
Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - June8.34%
Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - March8.34%
Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - May8.33%
Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - August8.33%
Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - January8.33%
Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - February8.33%
Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - September8.32%
Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - July8.32%
Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF -December8.30%
Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - November8.30%
Us Bank Mmda - Usbgfs 9 09/01/20370.07%

Weight gaps

ALDB and BUFB share no securities.

All ALDB holdings⁠All 13 BUFB holdings⁠

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

ALDB vs BUFB Cost

Overpaying BUFB vs ALDB

$10,723

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

ALDB 0.30%
$6,149
BUFB 0.89%
$16,872

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

ALDB 0.30%
BUFB 0.89%
Overpaying

Year by year

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

Expense ratio

0.30%ALDB, cheaper
0.89%BUFB

ALDB0.30%BUFB0.89%

0.30%1.21%

Middle half of S&P 500 Laddered Buffer funds
Median 0.89%

ALDB cheapest of 18 funds

BUFB 9th cheapest of 18 funds

ALDB vs BUFB Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026

Payout (12M): ALDB None; BUFB None

Distribution history

ALDBAll ALDB payments⁠

No distribution history available.

BUFBAll BUFB payments⁠

No distribution history available.

ALDB vs BUFB Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: ALDB No dataBUFB 7.7%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: ALDB No dataBUFB 1.52
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: ALDB No dataBUFB −14.9%since Feb 2022
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: ALDB 0.46BUFB 0.68; Market = 1

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