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IAUG vs YDEC

Innovator Intl Developed Power Buffer ETF

IAUGBNYSE Arca

FT Vest International Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - December

YDECDCboe

Overlap

Expense ratio

IAUG −0.05pt a year

IAUG0.85%YDEC0.90%

Avg volume · 30D

IAUG 2.8×the volume

IAUG25.8KYDEC9.13K

IAUG vs YDEC Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Nov 2, 2026

+8.3%IAUG+8.2%YDEC

Oct 31, 2025 to Nov 2, 2026. IAUG +8.3%. YDEC +8.2%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.0%2.5%5%10%Oct 2025May 2026Nov 2026
Expense ratio
IAUG 0.85%, better
YDEC 0.90%
Fund size
IAUG $80M
YDEC $168M
1Y total return
IAUG +8.3%, better
YDEC +8.2%
Holdings
IAUG 3
YDEC 3
Avg volume (30D)
IAUG 25.8K sh, better
YDEC 9.13K sh
NAV per share
IAUG $30.19
YDEC $27.97
52W range

ETF.net Grade

IAUG: Cost 38, Risk 78, Mission 96, Tradability 76, Holdings not scored, Durability 63. YDEC: Cost 6, Risk 39, Mission not scored, Tradability 56, Holdings 57, Durability 92.
Pillar letters and Scores for IAUG, YDEC, with each pillar’s weight
PillarIAUGYDEC
Cost30% weightD38HigherF6
Mission25% weightA96Not scored
Risk15% weightA78HigherD39
Tradability15% weightA76HigherB56
Holdings10% weightNot scoredB57
Durability5% weightB63A92Higher

Rank among Developed International Buffer 15% funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. IAUG and YDEC are both graded against the same 26 Developed International Buffer 15% funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Developed International Buffer 15%⁠

Category · 26 funds
See all 26 ›

IAUG ranks 3rd and YDEC 26th of 26 funds in the Developed International Buffer 15% Category.

  1. Rank 1BBUFIAB International Buffer ETFScore 65
  2. Rank 2BQBIFAllianzIM International Equity Buffer15 ETFScore 63
  3. Rank 3BIAUGInnovator Intl Developed Power Buffer ETFScore 58
  4. Rank 4BIJULInnovator Intl Developed Power Buffer ETFScore 55
  5. Rank 25DYSEPFT Vest International Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - SeptemberScore 36
  6. Rank 26DYDECFT Vest International Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - DecemberScore 31

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

IAUGBInnovator Intl Developed Power Buffer ETF

YDECDFT Vest International Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - December

In short

IAUG Downside padding for foreign stocks instead of the usual S&P 500 target. IAUG shadows the iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, absorbs the first 15% of a year's losses, and trades away upside above a cap reset every August 1.

YDEC Most buffer ETFs babysit the S&P 500. This one points the same machinery overseas: it tracks the price return of the iShares MSCI EAFE ETF with the first 15% of losses absorbed and the upside capped, on a one-year clock that resets each December.

Stated mandate

IAUG The Fund seeks to match the return of its underlying ETF up to a predetermined upside cap while protecting against the first 15% of underlying ETF losses during the outcome period.

YDEC The Fund seeks returns matching the price return of the iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, subject to a 13.03% upside cap and protection against the first 15% of losses during the current outcome period.

Why people hold it

  • IAUG The deal is written down in advance: match the reference ETF's return up to a preset cap, with the first 15% of its losses absorbed over an outcome period running August 1 to July 31.innovatoretfs.com
  • One rung in a 12-month ladder on the same EAFE exposure (IJUL, ISEP, IOCT and the rest), so entry points can be staggered rather than pinned to a single reset date.innovatoretfs.com
  • At 0.85% a year, it charges the same as the median fund in its buffered-international peer group. No premium for the international twist.
  • YDEC Buffers are overwhelmingly a US large-cap product. This is one of a small field aimed at developed international stocks instead.ftportfolios.com
  • The deal is written down, not improvised: 15% of downside absorbed, a cap set at the start of each outcome period, one year at a time.ftportfolios.com
  • December is one of four quarterly start dates in First Trust's international buffer lineup, so staggering entry points across the calendar is easy.ftportfolios.com
  • Live since 2020, so it has real outcome periods behind it rather than a launch-week pitch deck.

Worth knowing

  • IAUG Thinly traded with a small asset base, which usually means wider bid-ask spreads than the big buffer funds carry.
  • The 15% buffer and the cap are engineered for investors who hold the full outcome period. Buy mid-period and your actual cushion and ceiling differ from the headline terms.innovatoretfs.com
  • An options-built structure aimed at price outcomes, not cash flow. Distributions have not been part of the picture.
  • YDEC Costs 0.90% a year, above the 0.85% on the Innovator international buffers (IJUL, IMAR, ISEP), and it is thinly traded, so spreads can add to the bill.
  • It follows EFA's price return, so index dividends are not passed through. The fund has not been making distributions.
  • Buffer and cap are measured start to finish of the outcome period. Buy partway through and your own downside cushion and upside room differ from the headline terms.ftportfolios.com

Full IAUG profile⁠

Full YDEC profile⁠

IAUG vs YDEC 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.

IAUG vs YDEC Cost

Overpaying YDEC vs IAUG

$841

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

  • IAUG 0.85%

    $16,199

  • YDEC 0.90%

    $17,040

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • IAUG 0.85%
  • YDEC 0.90%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K$20K051015202530YDEC $17,040IAUG $16,199

Year by year

YearIAUGYDECOverpaying
10$1,508$1,593$85
20$5,706$6,015$309
30$16,199$17,040$841

Expense ratio

  • 0.85%IAUG, cheaper
  • 0.90%YDEC
  • Middle half of Developed International Buffer 15% funds
  • Median 0.85%

IAUG 11th cheapest of 26 funds

YDEC 23rd cheapest of 26 funds

IAUG vs YDEC Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 2, 2026
Payout (12M)
IAUG None
YDEC None

Distribution history

IAUGAll IAUG payments⁠

No distribution history available.

YDECAll YDEC payments⁠

No distribution history available.

IAUG vs YDEC Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
IAUG 6.3%since Sep 2024YDEC 7.6%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
IAUG 0.63since Sep 2024YDEC 0.80
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
IAUG −8.0%since Aug 2024YDEC −23.3%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
IAUG 0.25YDEC 0.48

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