FLDZ vs SHLD

FLDZBTrueShares Patriot Defense ETF

SHLDBGlobal X Defense Tech ETF

In short

FLDZ A defense-stock ETF with an unusual arrangement: the adviser's management fee, less fund expenses, goes to the Folds of Honor Foundation. Launched in 2021 as a patriot-themed core equity fund, it now runs an active, concentrated book of aerospace and defense names.

SHLD Most defense ETFs are a bet on American aerospace primes. SHLD goes global and leans into the tech side of modern war: cybersecurity, AI and big data, drones and advanced military hardware, wherever it gets built.

Stated mandate

FLDZ The Fund seeks capital growth.

SHLD The Fund seeks results that generally track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Global X Defense Tech Index.

Why people hold it

• FLDZ The adviser's management fee, less fund operating expenses, goes to Folds of Honor, a charity funding scholarships for families of fallen or disabled service members and first responders.true-shares.comtrue-shares.com 2
• Charges 0.40% a year, below the median for its actively managed US stock peers. The charitable angle does not arrive with a premium price tag attached.
• The mandate is spelled out: at least 80% of net assets in aerospace and defense companies as classified by GICS, with a policy of concentrating in that industry. No guessing what you own.sec.gov

• SHLD The mandate reaches past US airframes to global companies building cybersecurity systems, applying AI and big data, and making advanced military hardware like robotics and aircraft.globalxetfs.com
• At 0.50%, the fee sits right at the middle of the defense-theme pack. The global, tech-tilted twist doesn't cost extra versus the typical rival.
• A multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively, which puts it among the easier names in this niche to move in and out of.
• Index-tracking and rules-based: it follows the Global X Defense Tech Index rather than a manager's hunch about which contractor wins next.

Worth knowing

• FLDZ The strategy was rewritten in 2026 from broad US-economy equities to defense companies, so the fund's older track record reflects a different portfolio.sec.govsec.gov 2
• Non-diversified and concentrated in one industry, so a single contract award or budget headline moves it more than it would a broad market fund.sec.gov
• A small fund that trades thinly, so bid-ask spreads tend to run wider than on heavily traded ETFs. Limit orders matter more here.

• SHLD Cheaper US-centric alternatives exist. XAR (0.35%) and ITA (0.37%) cover aerospace and defense for less, with a narrower, more domestic lineup.
• About 50 stocks in one theme driven by government budgets and geopolitics. Concentration sharpens the exposure in both directions.
• Launched in 2023, so the record is short by cycle standards, and cash comes back once or twice a year rather than monthly.

Full FLDZ profile⁠

Full SHLD profile⁠