AOA vs BAMO

AOAAiShares Core 80/20 Aggressive Allocation ETF

BAMODBrookstone Opportunities ETF

In short

AOA A whole portfolio in one ticker. Since 2008, AOA has held a fixed 80/20 mix of global stock and bond index funds, with its index rebalancing the split back to target twice a year. No spreadsheet required.

BAMO A go-anywhere tactical blend: the adviser builds the whole thing out of just 5 to 10 outside ETFs and can swing from all-in on stocks to all the way out into Treasuries and cash as its read on markets changes.

Stated mandate

AOA The Fund seeks to follow an index of equity and fixed-income ETFs designed for an aggressive target-risk allocation. It offers a diversified portfolio emphasizing growth and relatively higher equity exposure.

BAMO Seeks total return. It actively allocates through unaffiliated ETFs across foreign and domestic stocks of any capitalization, bonds, and cash based on the adviser’s relative outlook.

Why people hold it

• AOA One trade buys a handful of underlying iShares index funds spanning global stocks and bonds, with the 80/20 split set by index rule rather than a manager's judgment call.ishares.comspglobal.com
• Costs 0.15% net of a waiver through November 30, 2026 (0.19% gross), below the median fee in its allocation category.
• Live since November 2008 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund, it has run the same target-risk mandate through the financial crisis and everything after.ishares.com
• Among the strongest implementations in a crowded field of allocation funds, and it pays out quarterly.

• BAMO Truly go-anywhere: stocks of any size across the US, developed foreign and emerging markets, plus bonds and cash, weighted by the adviser's relative outlook rather than a fixed glide path.sec.gov
• The prospectus caps it at 5 to 10 ETF positions, so you can see what the manager actually believes at a glance instead of decoding a 500-line portfolio.sec.gov
• The bond side stays plain by design: U.S. Treasury ETFs or broad-based index fixed income ETFs, even when the equity side turns tactical. Distributions are quarterly.sec.gov

Worth knowing

• AOA Eighty percent equity means it rides global stock swings closely. The 20% bond sleeve softens drawdowns rather than stopping them.spglobal.com
• That 0.15% is net of a contractual waiver through November 30, 2026. The gross 0.19% is the figure that applies if the waiver is not renewed.
• Cheaper one-ticket rivals now exist: UCBG at 0.06% and IRTR at 0.08%. IRTR also glides its risk down over time, while AOA's 80/20 stays put.

• BAMO Costs 1.05% net of a waiver through September 30, 2027 (1.12% gross), above the category median, and the ETFs it holds charge their own fees on top. AOA runs 0.15% net of a waiver through November 30, 2026.
• It can be all in or all out of stocks and may hold leveraged ETFs, so results follow the adviser's timing calls rather than a published benchmark.sec.gov
• A small fund that trades thinly, so the gap between buy and sell prices can run wider than at the category's index-tracking giants.

Full AOA profile⁠

Full BAMO profile⁠