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BUFGFT Vest Buffered Allocation Growth ETF

Grow my moneyStay safe4y track recordRanked #157 of 364 in this goal

Seeks to provide investors with capital appreciation.

By First Trust · Launched 2021

Annual Cost

1.13%

#5,440 of 5,861 · expensive

Fund Size

$327M

#1,917 of 5,861 · large

Return (1Y)Goal

+13.2%

Track Record

4 years

#2,465 of 5,861 · seasoned

Performance

Total-return NAV · USD
Growth of $10,000
$11,348+13.5%

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

What's inside

How Beacon categorizes this fund

Asset class

Alternative

Strategy

Structured outcome

Index tracked

S&P 500 Index

What it actually holds

By weight

Concentration

Top 8 holdings = 100.0% of fundconcentrated

First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII
15.5%
First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII
15.3%
First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII
15.1%
First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII
14.7%
First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII
13.8%
First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII
13.1%
First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII
12.5%
Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Funds
0.0%

Asset allocation

Stocks
98.9%
Cash
1.1%

Risk profile

Last 12 months · Sharpe & Sortino need 3+ years
Volatility (1Y)
7.7%Low

Year-on-year price swings

Max drawdown
-17.6%Moderate

Worst peak-to-trough loss

Sharpe (3Y)
0.87Decent risk-adjusted returns
Sortino (3Y)
1.29Good downside protection

Listing

Exchange
Cboe BZX

Full fund details

Objective
Seeks to provide investors with capital appreciation.
Strategy
Invests in a portfolio of ETFs that provide returns based on the price return of SPY, up to a predetermined cap, while providing a defined buffer against losses of SPY over a one-year period. The strategy employs target outcome strategies using FLEX Options on SPY to achieve these outcomes.
Inception date
October 26, 2021
Fund family
First Trust

Our take

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

Buffer
Warning

You can build this cheaper yourself

Defined-outcome funds cap your gains (often 8% to 20%) in exchange for cushioning losses by 9% to 30%, priced with options. The fee runs about 0.70% or more, against 0.03% to 0.10% for a plain index fund. For most investors, a simple stock-and-bond mix gives similar protection for far less.

Sources: Morningstar, 'Buffer Funds Are on the Rise, but They May Not Make Sense for Most Investors' (2025)

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 2026-08-04