ARKD vs RSJN

ARKDFARK DIET Q1 Buffer ETF

RSJNBFT Vest U.S. Equity Equal Weight Buffer ETF - June

In short

ARKD A buffer ETF pointed at ARK's flagship innovation fund instead of a stock index: it absorbs about half of any ARKK decline over the 12-month outcome period, in exchange for the first ~5% of upside and a share of the rest. Fee: 1.44%.

RSJN Most buffer ETFs are bolted onto the cap-weighted S&P 500, where a few megacaps call the shots. RSJN buffers the equal-weight version instead: the same 500-odd names, spread evenly, with the first 10% of losses absorbed over each June-to-June period.

Stated mandate

ARKD ARKD seeks capital appreciation while limiting participation in losses of ARKK to approximately half over each Outcome Period. It participates in ARKK gains above an approximately 5% hurdle, with documented upside participation of 61.20%.

RSJN Seeks returns matching the Underlying ETF’s price return up to a predetermined cap, while buffering the first 10% of its losses during the June 22, 2026–June 17, 2027 Target Outcome Period.

Why people hold it

• ARKD Buffer mechanics aimed at ARK's flagship innovation fund, not an index: shareholders take roughly half of any ARKK decline over the 12-month outcome period.sec.gov
• No upside ceiling in its terms. Instead of a cap, it gives up the first ~5% of ARKK's gains and takes a set share above that, struck at each period's start.sec.gov
• A plain 1940 Act ETF wrapper: the outcome comes from the fund's own options book, not a bank's note or an issuer's credit.ark-funds.com

• RSJN The reference asset is the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF, so roughly 500 companies carry similar weight and no single megacap steers the outcome. A rare flavor in a cohort built mostly on cap-weighted indexes.ftportfolios.com
• The rules are written down, not left to a manager's judgment: absorb the first 10% of the underlying ETF's price decline over the stated outcome period, in exchange for an upside cap set at each period's start.ftportfolios.com
• Expense ratio is 0.85%, right in line with what defined-outcome funds in its peer group charge for the same options plumbing.
• June is one of three siblings on the same equal-weight reference (March and September round it out), so start dates can be laddered instead of hitched to one calendar.ftportfolios.com

Worth knowing

• ARKD At 1.44%, it carries a higher fee than the typical buffer fund; peers like CBXO (0.69%) and KBFR (0.79%) run leaner.
• The 50% loss share is a haircut, not a floor, and the terms are measured over the full outcome period, so a mid-period entry changes the math.sec.gov
• Launched in 2026, it's a young fund with a small asset base and light trading, which can mean wider spreads.

• RSJN The buffer is paid for with a ceiling: gains in the underlying ETF above the period's cap don't come through. Terms also reset each June, so entering mid-period changes your effective cap and remaining buffer.ftportfolios.com
• The target is price return on the underlying ETF, held via FLEX options, so dividends from those 500 companies are not passed through. Income is not part of the design.ftportfolios.com
• Trading is light next to the biggest buffer funds, so spreads and limit orders matter more here than with a mega-cap-index product.

Full ARKD profile⁠

Full RSJN profile⁠