ALDB vs BUFG: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

Aptus Laddered Deep Buffer ETF

ALDBBCboe

FT Vest Buffered Allocation Growth ETF

BUFGDCboe

Overlap

0.0%by weight

Expense ratio

ALDB −0.83pt a year

ALDB0.30%BUFG1.13%

Avg volume · 30D

BUFG 4.5×the volume

ALDB6.84KBUFG30.5K

ALDB vs BUFG Performance

Jul 31, 2026 – Oct 30, 2026

+1.7%ALDB+1.1%BUFG

Expense ratio: ALDB 0.30%, better; BUFG 1.13%
Fund size: ALDB $12M; BUFG $330M
1Y total return: ALDB No data; BUFG +9.6%
Holdings: ALDB 5; BUFG 8
Avg volume (30D): ALDB 6.84K sh; BUFG 30.5K sh, better
NAV per share: ALDB $25.73; BUFG $29.76
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for ALDB, BUFG, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	ALDB	BUFG
Cost30% weight	A100Higher	F6
Mission25% weight	Not scored	Not scored
Risk15% weight	B56Higher	D27
Tradability15% weight	C41	C48Higher
Holdings10% weight	D39	C44Higher
Durability5% weight	F11	A70Higher

Rank among S&P 500 Laddered Buffer funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. ALDB and BUFG 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 BUFG 18th 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 17DONEZTrueShares Seasonality Laddered Buffered ETFScore 32
Rank 18DBUFGFT Vest Buffered Allocation Growth ETFScore 27

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

ALDBBAptus Laddered Deep Buffer ETF

BUFGDFT Vest Buffered Allocation Growth ETF

In short

ALDB No data

BUFG One ticket instead of a calendar. BUFG holds a basket of buffered ETFs, each tied to the price return of a big S&P 500 fund up to a cap with a defined cushion against losses, so you skip picking an outcome month yourself.

Stated mandate

ALDB No data

BUFG The Fund seeks capital appreciation by investing in ETFs designed to provide returns based on SPY’s price return up to a predetermined cap, with a defined buffer against SPY losses over a one-year period.

Why people hold it

ALDB No data

BUFG A fund of buffer funds: one holding spreads you across several defined-outcome ETFs at once, instead of betting everything on a single start date.ftportfolios.com
The mechanism is the point: equity exposure to a large S&P 500 fund's price move, with a stated buffer against its losses over a one-year period.
Cheaper than the other fund built on the same reference: 1.13% a year versus BUFT's 1.21%.
Running since 2021, with a few hundred million dollars behind it, from an issuer with one of the deepest buffered-ETF lineups.

Worth knowing

ALDB No data

BUFG You pay for the packaging: 1.13% a year, above the roughly 0.79% median in its buffer-fund peer group and above laddered sibling BUFR at 0.95%.
Buffers come with caps. Upside is limited by design, and the buffer and cap apply across a full outcome period, so mid-period buyers get different terms.ftportfolios.com
Thinly traded next to the largest buffer ETFs, so bid-ask spreads can be wider. The mandate targets capital appreciation, not income, and it has not been paying distributions.

Full ALDB profile⁠

Full BUFG profile⁠

ALDB vs BUFG Holdings

How ALDB and BUFG differ

Overlap by weight

0.0%

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

Level by level

Holdings0 in both0.0%
Countryby domicile99.5%
Sector11 Sectors100%

Sector

Sector weights in ALDB and BUFG, widest gap first
Sector	More in ALDBMore in BUFG	ALDB	BUFG
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 BUFG, widest gap first
Country	More in ALDBMore in BUFG	ALDB	BUFG
United States	BUFG +0.5 points	99.5%	100.0%
Switzerland	ALDB +0.3 points	0.3%	0.0%
China	ALDB +0.1 points	0.1%	0.0%
Mexico	ALDB +0.1 points	0.1%	0.0%
Ireland	Same weight	0.0%	0.0%
United Kingdom	Same weight	0.0%	0.0%

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

ALDB100.0%
BUFG100.0%

Securities held

ALDB5
BUFG7

Asset class

ALDB: Equity
BUFG: Multi-Asset

Holdings

Only in ALDB5
In both0
Only in BUFG7

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 BUFG

7 securities, 99.9% of BUFG by weight

FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - August15.07%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - May14.97%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - September14.69%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - June14.68%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - July14.60%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - April13.11%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - January12.82%

Weight gaps

ALDB and BUFG share no securities.

All ALDB holdings⁠All 7 BUFG 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 BUFG Cost

Overpaying BUFG vs ALDB

$14,615

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

ALDB 0.30%
$6,149
BUFG 1.13%
$20,764

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

ALDB 0.30%
BUFG 1.13%
Overpaying

Year by year

Year	ALDB	BUFG	Overpaying
10	$545	$1,981	$1,436
20	$2,113	$7,403	$5,290
30	$6,149	$20,764	$14,615

Expense ratio

0.30%ALDB, cheaper
1.13%BUFG

ALDB0.30%BUFG1.13%

0.30%1.21%

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

ALDB cheapest of 18 funds

BUFG 17th cheapest of 18 funds

ALDB vs BUFG Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026

Payout (12M): ALDB None; BUFG None

Distribution history

ALDBAll ALDB payments⁠

No distribution history available.

BUFGAll BUFG payments⁠

No distribution history available.

ALDB vs BUFG Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: ALDB No dataBUFG 7.8%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: ALDB No dataBUFG 1.32
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: ALDB No dataBUFG −17.6%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: ALDB 0.46BUFG 0.67; Market = 1

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