ETF Evaluator:
Simplify Barrier Income ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Derivative Income Over the Last Year
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ETF Details
Simplify Barrier Income ETF Overview
Simplify Barrier Income ETF (SBAR) is an actively managed Nontraditional Equity Derivative Income exchange-traded fund (ETF). Simplify Asset Management launched the ETF in 2025.
The investment seeks to provide monthly income.
The fund’s investment adviser seeks to fulfill the fund’s investment objective by using two income strategies: (1) an interest income strategy and (2) an income generating option spread strategy. Barrier in the fund’s name refers to the fund’s out-of-the-money barrier put spread strategies. The fund invests primarily in interest income producing U.S. government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury and fixed income ETFs that invest primarily in U.S. government securities. The fund is non-diversified.
About Simplify Barrier Income ETF (SBAR)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 1.03 years: David Berns (2025) and Jeffrey Schwarte (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
Simplify Barrier Income ETF has 39 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 104.9% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Simplify Barrier Income ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Nontraditional Equity ETF group. Simplify Barrier Income ETF has 0.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is -3.7% There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 41.7% (41.7% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Simplify Barrier Income ETF has 62.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $401 million in total assets, which is below the $727 million average for the Derivative Income 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.
SBAR 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 Simplify Barrier Income ETF expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Derivative Income category. Simplify Barrier Income ETF has an expense ratio of 0.75%, which is 10% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. 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. Simplify Barrier Income ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 0%, which indicates that it holds its assets around /years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 69% for the Derivative Income category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Simplify Barrier Income ETF returned -0.2%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Derivative Income category had an average return of -1.5%. 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.
Simplify Barrier Income ETF has a trailing yield of 5.63%, which is below the 19.96% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income monthly 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.
Simplify Barrier Income ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 4.0%, 1.4 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 10.0% over the past year (grade of D).
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SBAR 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 |
|
| SBAR Return (NAV) | -0.2% | 2.4% | 10.0% | na | na | na |
| SBAR Return (Price) | -0.2% | 2.5% | 8.9% | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.001% | -0.148% | 1.098% | na | na | na |
| Derivative Income Avg | -1.5% | 0.6% | 11.2% | 13.7% | 8.8% | 7.5% |
| SBAR Grade (NAV) | C | C | D | na | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 1.3% | 1.7% | -1.2% | na | na | na |
| SBAR Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 3.1% | na | na | na |
SBAR Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| SBAR Return (NAV) | 4.0% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| SBAR Return (Price) | 3.7% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.080% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Derivative Income Avg | 2.6% | 10.6% | 18.5% | 17.5% | -11.3% | 19.4% | 1.4% | 19.2% | -7.1% | 12.1% | 8.7% |
| SBAR Grade (NAV) | D | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | 1.4% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | na |
| R-Squared: | na |
| Standard Deviation: | na |
| Category Risk Index: | na |
| Category Risk Rating: | |
| Total Risk Index: | na |
| Total Risk Rating: | |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 5.6% |
| Total Assets: | $ 402 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 402 Mil |
| Turnover: | na |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.75% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | N/A |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Monthly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 1.3 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 1.0 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Berns David (2025), Schwarte Jeffrey (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 39 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 104.9% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | -3.7% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 41.7% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 62.0% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Simplify Asset Management |
| Phone Number: | 855-772-8488 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | April 14, 2025 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.75% (Rating: Above Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.83% |
