AAII ETF Evaluator

ETF Evaluator: Simplify Volatility Premium ETF () Follow This ETF

Equity
Global Asset Class
Nontraditional Equity
Fund Group
Derivative Income
Category
$16.230
Last Trade
(as of Aug 26)
$ 523 Mil
Share Class Assets
13.29%
TTM Yield
$18.410 - $15.060
52-Wk High-Low Range
0.66% B
Expense Ratio
298%
Portfolio Turnover
237 (k)
Avg. Daily Trading Vol.

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Data as of 7/31/2026
0.1% C (NAV)
0.3% C (Price)
1-Mo Return
4.6% B (NAV)
4.7% B (Price)
3-Mo Return
1.5% D (NAV)
1.8% D (Price)
YTD Return
16.0% C (NAV)
15.6% C (Price)
1-Yr Return
5.8% F (NAV)
5.8% F (Price)
3-Yr Return
7.1% D (NAV)
6.9% D (Price)
5-Yr Return
1.09 D
Category
Risk
Index
1.16
Total
Risk
Index

ETF Details

Fund Family
Simplify Asset Management

Inception Date
5/12/2021

Website

Phone
855-772-8488

Primary Benchmark
S&P 500 (TR) (1970): -100%

Additional Fund Details

Simplify Volatility Premium ETF Overview

Simplify Volatility Premium ETF (SVOL) is an actively managed Nontraditional Equity Derivative Income exchange-traded fund (ETF). Simplify Asset Management launched the ETF in 2021.

The investment seeks to provide investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to approximately one-fifth to three-tenths the inverse (-0.2x to -0.3x) of the performance of a short-term volatility futures index while also seeking to mitigate extreme volatility. In pursuing its investment objective, the fund primarily purchases or sells futures contracts, call options, and put options on VIX futures. The fund holds cash, cash-like instruments or high-quality fixed income securities (collectively, “Collateral”).

About Simplify Volatility Premium ETF (SVOL)

There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.06 years: Shailesh Gupta (2021), David Berns (2021) and Jeffrey Schwarte (2024). 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%. Simplify Volatility Premium ETF has 52 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 124.4% 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.

Simplify Volatility Premium ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Nontraditional Equity ETF group. Simplify Volatility Premium ETF has 0.7% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 18.8% There is 0.1% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 64.2% (63.6% domestic bond, 0.6% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Simplify Volatility Premium ETF has 59.1% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $523 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.

SVOL 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 Volatility Premium ETF expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Derivative Income category. Simplify Volatility Premium ETF has an expense ratio of 0.66%, which is 21% 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 Volatility Premium ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 298%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 69% for the Derivative Income category.

Recently, in the month of July 2026, Simplify Volatility Premium ETF returned 0.1%, 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 Volatility Premium ETF has a trailing yield of 13.29%, which is below the 19.96% category average. The fund normally distributes its income monthly.

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 Volatility Premium ETF Grades

Year to date, the ETF has returned 1.5%, 1.1 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 16.0% over the past year (grade of C), 5.8% over the past three years (grade of F) and 7.1% per year over the past five years (grade of D).

For more ETF grades, analysis and screening tools to help your investment discovery, join AAII for a $2, full-access trial. Learn more here: https://invest.aaii.com/membership.

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SVOL 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
SVOL Return (NAV) 0.1% 4.6% 16.0% 5.8% 7.1% na
SVOL Return (Price) 0.3% 4.7% 15.6% 5.8% 6.9% na
NAV +/- Price Return -0.241% -0.126% 0.410% -0.025% 0.148% na
Derivative Income Avg -1.5% 0.6% 11.2% 13.7% 8.8% 7.5%
SVOL Grade (NAV) C B C F D na
+/- Category (NAV) 1.6% 3.9% 4.8% -7.9% -1.7% na
SVOL Tax-Cost Ratio na na 4.5% 4.7% 5.3% na

SVOL Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26

2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
SVOL Return (NAV) 1.5% 2.5% 7.2% 23.0% -4.6% na na na na na na
SVOL Return (Price) 1.8% 2.3% 6.7% 22.8% -3.2% na na na na na na
NAV +/- Price Ret 0.194% -0.049% -0.064% -0.009% -0.297% 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%
SVOL Grade (NAV) D F F A B na na na na na na
+/- Category -1.1% -8.1% -11.3% 5.5% 6.7% na na na na na na
Risk Measures
Beta: 0.78
R-Squared: 51%
Standard Deviation: 14.2%
Category Risk Index: 1.09
Category Risk Rating: Above Average
Total Risk Index: 1.16
Total Risk Rating: Average
Portfolio Characteristics
Yield: 13.3%
Total Assets: $ 523 Mil
Share Class Assets: $ 523 Mil
Turnover: 298.0%
Expense Ratio: 0.66%
Index Fund: No
Index Tracked: S&P 500 (TR) (1970)
Index Weighting: -100%
Leveraged: No
Socially Responsible Fund: No
Capital Gains Distribution Frequency:
Income Distribution Frequency: Monthly

Management Team

Number of Managers: 3
Longest Tenure: 5.2 years
Average Tenure: 4.1 years
Managers (Year): Gupta Shailesh (2021), Berns David (2021), Schwarte Jeffrey (2024)

Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)

# of Holdings: 52
% in Top 10 Holdings: 124.4%
Fund is Non-Diversified: No
% in Foreign Issues: 0.7%
 

Portfolio Allocation

Domestic Stock: 18.8%
Foreign Stock: 0.1%
Preferred Stock: 0.0%
Domestic Bond: 63.6%
Foreign Bond: 0.6%
Convertible Bond: 0.0%
Other: -42.1%
Cash: 59.1%

Purchase Information

Legal Structure: Open Ended Investment Company
Fund Family: Simplify Asset Management
Phone Number: 855-772-8488
Website:
Inception Date: May 12, 2021

Expenses and Fees

Expense Ratio (%): 0.66% (Rating: Above Avg)
Category Average Expense Ratio (%): 0.83%
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