ALDB vs BUFZ: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

Aptus Laddered Deep Buffer ETF

ALDBBCboe

FT Vest Laddered Moderate Buffer ETF

BUFZCCboe

Overlap

0.0%by weight

Expense ratio

ALDB −0.65pt a year

ALDB0.30%BUFZ0.95%

Avg volume · 30D

BUFZ 24.3×the volume

ALDB6.84KBUFZ166K

ALDB vs BUFZ Performance

Jul 31, 2026 – Oct 30, 2026

+1.7%ALDB+1.4%BUFZ

Expense ratio: ALDB 0.30%, better; BUFZ 0.95%
Fund size: ALDB $12M; BUFZ $1.09B
1Y total return: ALDB No data; BUFZ +9.0%
Holdings: ALDB 5; BUFZ 13
Avg volume (30D): ALDB 6.84K sh; BUFZ 166K sh, better
NAV per share: ALDB $25.73; BUFZ $28.51
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for ALDB, BUFZ, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	ALDB	BUFZ
Cost30% weight	A100Higher	F24
Mission25% weight	Not scored	Not scored
Risk15% weight	B56	B63Higher
Tradability15% weight	C41	B61Higher
Holdings10% weight	D39	A71Higher
Durability5% weight	F11	A73Higher

Rank among S&P 500 Laddered Buffer funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. ALDB and BUFZ 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 BUFZ 12th 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 11CBFRZInnovator Equity Managed 100 Buffer ETFScore 50
Rank 12CBUFZFT Vest Laddered Moderate Buffer ETFScore 48
Rank 13CBUFBInnovator Laddered Allocation Buffer ETFScore 47

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

ALDBBAptus Laddered Deep Buffer ETF

BUFZCFT Vest Laddered Moderate Buffer ETF

In short

ALDB No data

BUFZ Buffer funds usually make you pick a start month and live with it. BUFZ skips the calendar: a ladder of FT Vest moderate-buffer ETFs on staggered outcome periods, so one ticker spreads buffered S&P 500 exposure across the cycle.

Stated mandate

ALDB No data

BUFZ The fund targets capital growth by obtaining U.S. large-cap equity exposure through multiple moderate-buffer ETFs arranged across rolling maturities, with the structure intended to reduce downside risk.

Why people hold it

ALDB No data

BUFZ No entry-date roulette. The ladder holds several moderate-buffer funds at different points in their outcome periods, so the buy date matters less than it does with a single-month buffer fund.ftportfolios.com
One holding does the work of a do-it-yourself ladder. The rolling and rebalancing across maturities happens inside the fund instead of on your calendar.
The underlying exposure is plain vanilla: US large-cap equity referenced to the S&P 500 via SPY, not an exotic custom index.
Size and liquidity are real for a niche structure: a multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively enough to keep dealing costs from dominating the decision.

Worth knowing

ALDB No data

BUFZ Convenience has a price tag: 0.95% a year, above the buffer-peer median of 0.79%, and above laddered rivals like BUFP (0.50%) and IVVM (0.53%). It sits in the lower half of its peer group.
Laddering blurs the buffer. Each sleeve sits at a different stage of its own period, so you hold a blend of partial buffers and partial caps rather than one clean stated buffer.
Not an income vehicle. The mandate is capital growth with reduced downside risk, and the fund has not been making distributions.

Full ALDB profile⁠

Full BUFZ profile⁠

ALDB vs BUFZ Holdings

How ALDB and BUFZ differ

Overlap by weight

0.0%

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

Level by level

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

Sector

Sector weights in ALDB and BUFZ, widest gap first
Sector	More in ALDBMore in BUFZ	ALDB	BUFZ
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 BUFZ, widest gap first
Country	More in ALDBMore in BUFZ	ALDB	BUFZ
United States	BUFZ +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%
BUFZ83.4%

Securities held

ALDB5
BUFZ12

Asset class

ALDB: Equity
BUFZ: Multi-Asset

Holdings

Only in ALDB5
In both0
Only in BUFZ12

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 BUFZ

12 securities, 99.9% of BUFZ by weight

FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - October8.38%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - November8.37%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - March8.35%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - December8.35%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - February8.34%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - January8.34%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - September8.33%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - April8.31%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - June8.29%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - May8.29%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - July8.28%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - August8.27%

Weight gaps

ALDB and BUFZ share no securities.

All ALDB holdings⁠All 12 BUFZ 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 BUFZ Cost

Overpaying BUFZ vs ALDB

$11,720

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

ALDB 0.30%
$6,149
BUFZ 0.95%
$17,869

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

ALDB 0.30%
BUFZ 0.95%
Overpaying

Year by year

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

Expense ratio

0.30%ALDB, cheaper
0.95%BUFZ

ALDB0.30%BUFZ0.95%

0.30%1.21%

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

ALDB cheapest of 18 funds

BUFZ 12th cheapest of 18 funds

ALDB vs BUFZ Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026

Payout (12M): ALDB None; BUFZ None

Distribution history

ALDBAll ALDB payments⁠

No distribution history available.

BUFZAll BUFZ payments⁠

No distribution history available.

ALDB vs BUFZ Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: ALDB No dataBUFZ 5.4%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: ALDB No dataBUFZ 1.46
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: ALDB No dataBUFZ −10.1%since Oct 2023
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: ALDB 0.46BUFZ 0.42; Market = 1

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