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BUFDFT Vest Laddered Deep Buffer ETF

Stay safeGrow my money5y track recordRanked #55 of 343 in this goal

Seeks capital appreciation with downside protection through a laddered portfolio of deep buffer ETFs.

By First Trust · Launched 2021

Annual Cost

0.95%

#4,695 of 5,573 · expensive

Fund Size

$1.9B

#774 of 5,573 · large

Dividend YieldGoal

0.00%

Track Record

5 years

#2,291 of 5,573 · seasoned

Performance

Total-return NAV · USD
Growth of $10,000
$11,452+14.5%

Total-return NAV, USD. Net of fund fees, before tax.

Classification

How Beacon categorizes this fund

Asset class

Alternative

Region

North america

Strategy

Structured outcome

Index tracked

S&P 500 Index

What it actually holds

By weight

Concentration

Top 10 holdings = 83.3% of fundconcentrated

FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - December
8.3%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - June
8.3%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - September
8.3%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - May
8.3%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - October
8.3%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - February
8.3%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - January
8.3%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - July
8.3%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - March
8.3%
FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - August
8.3%

Asset allocation

Stocks
99.1%
Cash
0.9%

Risk profile

Last 12 months · Sharpe & Sortino need 3+ years
Volatility (1Y)
5.3%Low

Year-on-year price swings

Max drawdown
-10.8%Mild

Worst peak-to-trough loss

Sharpe (3Y)
1.06Strong risk-adjusted returns
Sortino (3Y)
1.54Good downside protection

Where to buy

Listing

Exchange
Cboe BZX

Full fund details

Objective
Seeks capital appreciation with downside protection through a laddered portfolio of deep buffer ETFs.
Strategy
Invests primarily in a diversified portfolio of twelve Underlying ETFs that provide U.S. large-cap equity exposure while limiting downside risk. The laddered approach allows for periodic resets of caps and buffers, aiming to benefit from SPY's appreciation and provide downside protection.
Inception date
January 20, 2021
Fund family
First Trust

Our take

Structural notes on how this fund behaves. Read our guide on the 6 warning signs.

Buffer
Warning

Buffer ETF — downside protection at a cost

Defined-outcome funds cap upside (typically 8–20%) in exchange for partial downside protection (9–30%), priced via options. Fees are materially higher than the underlying index (often 0.70%+ vs 0.03–0.10%). For most pre-retirees, a simple stock/bond mix achieves similar downside behaviour at a fraction of the cost.

Source: Morningstar, 'Defined-Outcome ETFs: Useful or Uneconomic?' (2023)

Why we flagged this: strategy=structured_outcome + structured_outcome_strategy

Educational analysis of structural product characteristics. Not investment advice. Always read the fund prospectus and consult a qualified advisor before investing. More

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Data updated on 2026-06-20