GOCT vs PSMR

GOCTCFT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - October

PSMRBPacer Swan SOS Moderate (April) ETF

In short

GOCT The October link in First Trust's moderate-buffer ladder: it follows the price moves of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust and absorbs the first 15% of losses over a one-year stretch, in exchange for a cap on gains that resets every October.

PSMR A 15-point cushion on SPY, reset every April, for 0.49% a year while the typical buffer fund charges more. Pacer and Swan's moderate tier trades away some upside (a cap set each period) for a floor you know going in.

Stated mandate

GOCT The Fund seeks to match the price return of the State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, before fees and expenses, up to a 12.14% upside cap, while protecting the first 15% of losses during the October 20, 2025–October 16, 2026 outcome period.

PSMR The Fund seeks to match the returns of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust up to a predetermined cap while providing a downside buffer over an approximately one-year period.

Why people hold it

• GOCT The cushion is contractual, not a hope: the first 15% of the reference ETF's losses across the outcome period, paid for with a ceiling on upside.ftportfolios.com
• Twelve monthly siblings (GJAN through GDEC) run the same playbook on the same reference fund, so entry dates can be staggered instead of hinging on one October reset.
• Buffer depth and cap are written into the fund's documents ahead of each yearly period, so the payoff shape is defined by rules rather than a manager's judgment call.ftportfolios.com

• PSMR Charges 0.49% a year against a 0.79% median in its buffered-SPY cohort, and undercuts Pacer's own single-month siblings like PJUL and POCT at 0.79%.
• The contract is spelled out: a 15-point buffer against SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust losses over roughly a one-year period, with upside capped at a level set when the period begins.paceretfs.com
• Terms reset on April 1 each year, so the new buffer and cap arrive on a known calendar date instead of whenever you happened to buy in.paceretfs.com
• Running since 2021, so this April series has cycled through several complete outcome periods rather than being a fresh launch with a paper track record.

Worth knowing

• GOCT At 0.85% a year it runs above several buffer peers, including POCT and PJUL at 0.79% and the laddered BUFF at 0.10%.
• It matches price return only, so the index's dividends sit outside the payoff, and the fund isn't built as an income payer.
• Shares trade thinly, and the buffer and cap apply in full only across a complete outcome period; buying partway through changes the math.

• PSMR Thinly traded next to the biggest names in buffer land, so spreads and order size are worth a look before you place a trade.
• The cap cuts both ways: big SPY years get trimmed, and the stated buffer and cap only line up in full for a holder who rides one April reset to the next.
• Not an income vehicle. It has not been paying a regular distribution, so whatever the strategy delivers shows up in the share price.

Full GOCT profile⁠

Full PSMR profile⁠