ETF Evaluator:
FT Vest Buffered Allocation Gr ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Defined Outcome Over the Last Year
| 23.7% | Innovator U.S. Small Cp Pwr Buf ETF -Nov (KNOV) |
| 23.2% | Innovator U.S. Small Cp Pwr Buf ETF -Feb (KFEB) |
| 21.9% | Innovator U.S. Small Cp Pwr Buf ETF -Mar (KMAR) |
| 21.9% | Innovator US Small Cap Pwr Buff ETF™ Oct (KOCT) |
| 21.1% | FT Vest U.S. Small Cap Mod Buf ETF-Feb (SFEB) |
Risk
Index
Risk
Index
ETF Details
FT Vest Buffered Allocation Gr ETF Overview
FT Vest Buffered Allocation Gr ETF (BUFG) is an actively managed Nontraditional Equity Defined Outcome exchange-traded fund (ETF). First Trust launched the ETF in 2021.
The investment seeks to provide investors with capital appreciation.
The fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in a portfolio of ETFs that seek to provide investors with returns (before fees and expenses) based on the price return of the SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust (“SPY”), up to a predetermined cap, while providing a defined buffer against losses of SPY over a defined one-year period. The investment objective of SPY is to seek to provide investment results that, before expenses, correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the S&P 500® Index.
About FT Vest Buffered Allocation Gr ETF (BUFG)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 3.17 years: Karan Sood (2021) and Trevor Lack (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 1 primary benchmark: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100%. FT Vest Buffered Allocation Gr ETF has 8 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 100.0% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
FT Vest Buffered Allocation Gr ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Nontraditional Equity ETF group. FT Vest Buffered Allocation Gr ETF has 0.5% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 98.2% There is 0.5% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). FT Vest Buffered Allocation Gr ETF has 1.3% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $326 million in total assets, which is above the $183 million average for the Defined Outcome category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
BUFG Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The FT Vest Buffered Allocation Gr ETF expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Defined Outcome category. FT Vest Buffered Allocation Gr ETF has an expense ratio of 1.13%, which is 58% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a F. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. FT Vest Buffered Allocation Gr ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 190%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 3% for the Defined Outcome category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, FT Vest Buffered Allocation Gr ETF returned 0.4%, which earned it a grade of D, as the Defined Outcome category had an average return of 0.2%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
FT Vest Buffered Allocation Gr ETF has a trailing yield of 0.00%, which is below the 0.48% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income quarterly and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
FT Vest Buffered Allocation Gr ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 6.8%, 1.0 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 13.4% over the past year (grade of B) and 12.4% over the past three years (grade of B).
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BUFG Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| BUFG Return (NAV) | 0.4% | 2.8% | 13.4% | 12.4% | na | na |
| BUFG Return (Price) | 0.5% | 2.9% | 13.5% | 12.5% | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.117% | -0.140% | -0.110% | -0.123% | na | na |
| Defined Outcome Avg | 0.2% | 2.2% | 11.3% | 11.8% | 8.6% | na |
| BUFG Grade (NAV) | D | B | B | B | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 0.2% | 0.6% | 2.1% | 0.6% | na | na |
| BUFG Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.0% | 0.0% | na | na |
BUFG Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| BUFG Return (NAV) | 6.8% | 12.6% | 14.8% | 18.9% | -11.9% | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| BUFG Return (Price) | 7.1% | 12.3% | 15.1% | 18.5% | -11.6% | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.038% | -0.024% | 0.024% | -0.019% | -0.027% | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Defined Outcome Avg | 5.8% | 11.3% | 12.4% | 18.5% | -8.8% | 9.7% | 7.7% | 16.4% | -6.7% | 15.8% | na |
| BUFG Grade (NAV) | B | B | B | C | F | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | 1.0% | 1.3% | 2.4% | 0.4% | -3.2% | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 0.64 |
| R-Squared: | 97% |
| Standard Deviation: | 8.4% |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.13 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Above Average |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.69 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Below Average |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 0.0% |
| Total Assets: | $ 327 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 327 Mil |
| Turnover: | 190.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 1.13% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | S&P 500 (TR) (1970) |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Quarterly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 4.8 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 3.2 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Sood Karan (2021), Lack Trevor (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 8 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 100.0% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.5% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 98.2% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.5% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 1.3% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | First Trust |
| Phone Number: | 800-621-1675 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | October 26, 2021 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.13% (Rating: High) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.72% |
