ALDB vs BUFT: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

Aptus Laddered Deep Buffer ETF

ALDBBCboe

FT Vest Buffered Allocation Defensive ETF

BUFTDCboe

Overlap

0.0%by weight

Expense ratio

ALDB −0.91pt a year

ALDB0.30%BUFT1.21%

Avg volume · 30D

BUFT 3.5×the volume

ALDB6.86KBUFT23.9K

ALDB vs BUFT Performance

Aug 7, 2026 – Nov 9, 2026

−0.1%ALDB+0.8%BUFT

Expense ratio: ALDB 0.30%, better; BUFT 1.21%
Fund size: ALDB $12M; BUFT $164M
1Y total return: ALDB No data; BUFT +9.0%
Holdings: ALDB 5; BUFT 8
Avg volume (30D): ALDB 6.86K sh; BUFT 23.9K sh, better
NAV per share: ALDB $25.38; BUFT $26.22
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for ALDB, BUFT, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	ALDB	BUFT
Cost30% weight	A100Higher	F0
Mission25% weight	Not scored	Not scored
Risk15% weight	C49	A78Higher
Tradability15% weight	C41	C50Higher
Holdings10% weight	D39	C42Higher
Durability5% weight	F11	B62Higher

Rank among S&P 500 Laddered Buffer funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. ALDB and BUFT 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 4th and BUFT 15th of 18 funds in the S&P 500 Laddered Buffer Category.

Rank 1BPBFRPGIM Laddered S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETFScore 69
Rank 2BBUFPPGIM Laddered S&P 500 Buffer 12 ETFScore 67
Rank 3BIVVMiShares Large Cap Moderate Quarterly Laddered ETFScore 65
Rank 4BALDBAptus Laddered Deep Buffer ETFScore 64
Rank 5BBUFFInnovator Laddered Allocation Power Buffer ETFScore 57
Rank 15DBFEWFT Vest Laddered U.S. Equity Equal Weight Buffer ETFScore 35
Rank 15DBUFTFT Vest Buffered Allocation Defensive ETFScore 35
Rank 17DONEZTrueShares Seasonality Laddered Buffered ETFScore 32

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

ALDBBAptus Laddered Deep Buffer ETF

BUFTDFT Vest Buffered Allocation Defensive ETF

In short

ALDB No data

BUFT One ticket instead of a whole ladder of dated buffer funds: BUFT owns a basket of S&P 500 buffer ETFs tilted to the defensive end, with capital preservation as its stated goal. That convenience carries a 1.21% price tag.

Stated mandate

ALDB No data

BUFT The Fund seeks capital preservation by investing in ETFs whose returns are tied to SPY up to a predetermined cap and that provide a defined buffer against SPY losses over a one-year period.

Why people hold it

ALDB No data

BUFT Buy the ladder, skip the legwork: one holding spreads you across several S&P 500 buffer ETFs instead of tracking start dates, caps and rolls fund by fund.ftportfolios.com
The reference point is plain vanilla: the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust. No bespoke index under the options layer, just the benchmark everyone already knows.ftportfolios.com
Downside cushion is the entire design. Each underlying fund absorbs a defined slice of S&P 500 losses across its one-year outcome period before losses reach the shareholder.ftportfolios.com

Worth knowing

ALDB No data

BUFT At 1.21%, you pay for the wrapper plus the funds inside it, which lands above the typical buffer ETF. First Trust's own laddered BUFR runs cheaper.
Caps are the price of cushions: upside is limited to a preset ceiling each period, and the fund has not been paying distributions.
Assets are modest and trading is thin, so spreads can widen. Limit orders are the standard tool for funds in this volume range.

Full ALDB profile⁠

Full BUFT profile⁠

ALDB vs BUFT Holdings

How ALDB and BUFT differ

Overlap by weight

0.0%

About this figure: ALDB holds other funds. We compare those funds, not the stocks inside them.

BUFT holds other funds. We compare those funds, not the stocks inside them.

Level by level

Holdings0 in both0.0%
Sector11 Sectors98.3%
Countryby domicile100%

Sector

Sector weights in ALDB and BUFT, widest gap first
Sector	Gap	ALDB	BUFT
Technology	BUFT +1.2 points	38.2%	39.4%
Communication	BUFT +0.5 points	8.4%	8.9%
Health Care	ALDB +0.5 points	10.3%	9.8%
Financials	ALDB +0.3 points	12.0%	11.7%
Consumer Staples	ALDB +0.3 points	4.9%	4.6%
Energy	ALDB +0.2 points	3.9%	3.7%
Industrials	ALDB +0.1 points	7.6%	7.5%
Utilities	ALDB +0.1 points	2.1%	2.0%
Real Estate	ALDB +0.1 points	1.8%	1.7%
Consumer Discretionary	ALDB +0.1 points	9.2%	9.1%
Materials	ALDB +0.1 points	1.6%	1.5%

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in ALDB and BUFT, widest gap first
Country	More in ALDBMore in BUFT	Gap	ALDB	BUFT
United States		Same weight	100.0%	100.0%

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

ALDB100.0%
BUFT100.0%

Securities held

ALDB5
BUFT7

Asset class

ALDB: Stocks
BUFT: Multi-Asset

Holdings

Only in ALDB5
In both0
Only in BUFT7

Only in ALDB

5 securities, 100% of ALDB by weight

Aptus October Deep Buffer ETF25.24%
Aptus January Deep Buffer ETF24.90%
Aptus April Deep Buffer ETF24.89%
Aptus July Deep Buffer ETF24.88%
Cash & Other0.08%

Only in BUFT

7 securities, 99.95% of BUFT by weight

FT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - March16.61%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - December16.34%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - January14.29%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - February14.00%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - March13.78%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - March13.37%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - April11.56%

Weight gaps

ALDB and BUFT share no securities.

All ALDB holdings⁠All 7 BUFT 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 BUFT Cost

Overpaying BUFT vs ALDB

$15,856

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

ALDB 0.30%
$6,149
BUFT 1.21%
$22,005

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

ALDB 0.30%
BUFT 1.21%
Overpaying

Year by year

Year	ALDB	BUFT	Overpaying
10	$545	$2,115	$1,570
20	$2,113	$7,873	$5,760
30	$6,149	$22,005	$15,856

Expense ratio

0.30%ALDB, cheaper
1.21%BUFT

ALDB0.30%BUFT1.21%

0.30%1.21%

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

ALDB cheapest of 18 funds

BUFT 18th cheapest of 18 funds

ALDB vs BUFT Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 9, 2026

Payout (12M): ALDB None; BUFT None

Distribution history

ALDBAll ALDB payments⁠

No distribution history available.

BUFTAll BUFT payments⁠

No distribution history available.

ALDB vs BUFT Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: ALDB No dataBUFT 3.9%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: ALDB No dataBUFT 1.52
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: ALDB No dataBUFT −10.4%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: ALDB 0.46BUFT 0.33; Market = 1

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