JULZ vs SIXJ

JULZDTrueshares Structured Outcome (July) ETF

SIXJBAllianzIM U.S. Equity 6 Month Buffer10 Jan/Jul ETF

In short

JULZ The buffer ETF that skips the ceiling. JULZ buffers the first 8% to 12% of a 12-month drop in the S&P 500 price index with no cap on the upside, the format TrueShares pioneered in 2020.

SIXJ Most buffer ETFs lock you into a 12-month cycle. SIXJ runs a six-month one, resetting each January and July: it tracks SPY's share-price move, absorbs the first 10% of losses, and takes a fresh upside cap twice a year.

Stated mandate

JULZ The Fund seeks to track the S&P 500 Price Return Index before fees and expenses while seeking to buffer the first 8%–12% of index losses over each 12-month period.

SIXJ The Fund seeks to match the share-price return of SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust over a six-month outcome period, subject to an upside cap and protection against the first 10% of losses.

Why people hold it

• JULZ Most buffer funds pay for downside cushion with an upside cap. This one doesn't: the buffer targets the first 8% to 12% of index losses each 12-month period, no ceiling attached.true-shares.com
• Running since 2020, from the shop that launched the uncapped buffer format. Sibling funds cover other start months (AUGZ, SEPZ, MARZ), so entry dates can be staggered across the year.true-shares.com
• Fee of 0.79% sits right at the going rate for shallow-buffer S&P 500 funds, and the outcome period resets on a fixed annual calendar each July 1.

• SIXJ The 10% buffer and the cap reset every January 1 and July 1, so terms refresh twice a year instead of on the usual annual clock.
• 0.74% expense ratio, on the lean side for a defined-outcome fund and below the typical fee among its shallow-buffer peers.
• The reference asset is SPY itself, the original S&P 500 ETF, so the payoff is keyed to a plain vanilla benchmark rather than a bespoke index.
• Rates among the stronger implementations in a crowded shallow-buffer field, alongside AllianzIM's other six-month siblings like SIXZ and SIXD.

Worth knowing

• JULZ Uncapped is not the same as full upside. Participation in index gains can land under 100%, and the reference is the S&P 500 price index, so dividends sit outside the math.true-shares.com
• The buffer is a targeted range (8% to 12%, aimed at 10%) measured over the full 12-month period, not a guarantee. Buy mid-period and your own cushion and exposure differ.true-shares.com
• Small fund, thin trading, so spreads can run wider than the biggest buffer names. Laddered buffer peers such as BUFB charge materially less.

• SIXJ Buffer and cap are designed to work over the full six-month period. Buy mid-period and you get whatever cushion and upside room remain at that moment.
• It tracks SPY's share-price return, so dividends aren't passed through and the fund isn't structured to pay income.
• Volume is light next to the largest buffer funds, so bid-ask spreads can run wider, especially in fast-moving markets.

Full JULZ profile⁠

Full SIXJ profile⁠