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BUFTFT Vest Buffered Allocation Defensive ETF

Stay safeGrow my money4y track recordRanked #210 of 357 in this goal

Seeks to provide investors with capital preservation.

By First Trust · Launched 2021

Annual Cost

1.21%

#5,483 of 5,854 · expensive

Fund Size

$146M

#2,630 of 5,854 · mid-size

Dividend YieldGoal

0.00%

Track Record

4 years

#2,465 of 5,854 · seasoned

Performance

Total-return NAV · USD
Growth of $10,000
$10,998+10.0%

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
17.1%
First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII
15.9%
First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII
14.7%
First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII
14.5%
First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII
13.0%
First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII
12.5%
First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII
12.3%
Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Funds
0.0%

Asset allocation

Stocks
99.2%
Cash
0.8%

Risk profile

Last 12 months · Sharpe & Sortino need 3+ years
Volatility (1Y)
3.4%Low

Year-on-year price swings

Max drawdown
-10.4%Mild

Worst peak-to-trough loss

Sharpe (3Y)
0.86Decent risk-adjusted returns
Sortino (3Y)
1.26Good downside protection

Listing

Exchange
Cboe BZX

Full fund details

Objective
Seeks to provide investors with capital preservation.
Strategy
Invests in a portfolio of ETFs that provide a defined buffer against losses of SPY over a one-year period while seeking returns based on SPY's price return, up to a predetermined cap. Employs a target outcome strategy to manage downside risk and upside potential.
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 2026-08-03