ETF Evaluator:
The Brinsmere Fund - Growth ETF ()
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(as of Aug 25)
Best Performing in Tactical Allocation Over the Last Year
| 31.2% | Relative Sentiment Tactical Allc ETF (MOOD) |
| 27.5% | RH Tactical Rotation ETF (RHRX) |
| 25.2% | Cambria Global Momentum ETF (GMOM) |
| 24.3% | STF Tactical Growth ETF (TUG) |
| 23.1% | Alexis Practical Tactical ETF (LEXI) |
Risk
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Risk
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ETF Details
The Brinsmere Fund - Growth ETF Overview
The Brinsmere Fund - Growth ETF (TBFG) is an actively managed Allocation Tactical Allocation exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Brinsmere Funds launched the ETF in 2024.
The investment seeks long-term growth of capital.
The fund is an actively managed fund of funds, which seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in a globally diversified portfolio of equity and bond markets. It systematically adjusts its holdings using two proprietary strategies developed by the fund’s investment adviser, The Milwaukee Company, that are run independently. Those strategies are the Systematic Market Beta Strategy (“SMB”) and the Classic Asset Allocation Revisited Strategy (“CAAR”). SMB and CAAR systematically rebalance the underlying funds in which the fund may invest based on a set of proprietary risk-management techniques.
About The Brinsmere Fund - Growth ETF (TBFG)
There are 6 members of the management team with an average tenure of 2.25 years: Dustin Lewellyn (2024), Ernesto Tong (2024), Shrey Patel (2024), Christine Johanson (2024), Andrew Willms (2024) and Jacob Willms (2024). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: S&P 500 (TR) index with a weighting of 100% and S&P Target Risk Balancd TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. The Brinsmere Fund - Growth ETF has 25 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 64.1% 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.
The Brinsmere Fund - Growth ETF is part of the Allocation global asset class and is within the Allocation ETF group. The Brinsmere Fund - Growth ETF has 30.5% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 48.5% There is 29.3% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 18.9% (17.7% domestic bond, 1.2% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). The Brinsmere Fund - Growth ETF has 0.8% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $380 million in total assets, which is above the $144 million average for the Tactical Allocation 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.
TBFG 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 The Brinsmere Fund - Growth ETF expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Tactical Allocation category. The Brinsmere Fund - Growth ETF has an expense ratio of 0.46%, which is 53% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. 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. The Brinsmere Fund - Growth ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 195%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 261% for the Tactical Allocation category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, The Brinsmere Fund - Growth ETF returned -1.4%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Tactical Allocation category had an average return of -1.4%. 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.
The Brinsmere Fund - Growth ETF has a trailing yield of 2.41%, which is above the 2.15% 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.
The Brinsmere Fund - Growth ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 8.8%, 1.3 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 18.1% over the past year (grade of B).
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TBFG 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 |
|
| TBFG Return (NAV) | -1.4% | 2.2% | 18.1% | na | na | na |
| TBFG Return (Price) | -0.7% | 3.7% | 17.6% | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.693% | -1.475% | 0.544% | na | na | na |
| Tactical Allocation Avg | -1.4% | 1.6% | 15.9% | 10.6% | 5.4% | 7.4% |
| TBFG Grade (NAV) | C | C | B | na | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -0.0% | 0.6% | 2.2% | na | na | na |
| TBFG Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.0% | na | na | na |
TBFG Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| TBFG Return (NAV) | 8.8% | 14.4% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| TBFG Return (Price) | 6.6% | 12.6% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.245% | -0.125% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Tactical Allocation Avg | 7.5% | 12.7% | 11.7% | 10.7% | -13.3% | 16.9% | 7.5% | 14.0% | -6.3% | 19.2% | 7.1% |
| TBFG Grade (NAV) | B | B | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | 1.3% | 1.7% | 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: | 2.4% |
| Total Assets: | $ 380 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 380 Mil |
| Turnover: | 195.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.46% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | S&P 500 (TR) |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Quarterly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 6 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 2.6 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 2.2 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Lewellyn Dustin (2024), Tong Ernesto (2024), Patel Shrey (2024), Johanson Christine (2024), Willms Andrew (2024), Willms Jacob (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 25 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 64.1% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 30.5% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 48.5% |
| Foreign Stock: | 29.3% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 17.7% |
| Foreign Bond: | 1.2% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 2.5% |
| Cash: | 0.8% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | The Brinsmere Funds |
| Phone Number: | 800-617-0004 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | January 12, 2024 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.46% (Rating: Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.97% |