BUFB — Innovator Laddered Allocation Buffer ETF
Data updated: 2026-09-28
BUFB — Innovator Laddered Allocation Buffer ETF. United States Multi-Cap / All-Cap Blend / Core Equity. Holdings, fees, performance and SEC filings.
BUFB Fund Overview
BUFB — Innovator Laddered Allocation Buffer ETF is a US ETF managed by Innovator ETFs Trust, categorised as United States Multi-Cap / All-Cap Blend / Core Equity. ABC INVEST provides holdings, performance, costs, cashflows, risk data, prospectus documents and SEC filings, sourced from SEC filings.
- Type: US ETF
- Manager: Innovator ETFs Trust
- Category: United States Multi-Cap / All-Cap Blend / Core Equity
- Assets under management: $319.94M
- 1-year return: 14.9%
- Ticker: BUFB
- SEC CIK: 0001415726
- SEC series ID: S000075196
- Share class ID: C000234039
BUFB Investment Objective and Strategy
Innovator Laddered Allocation Buffer ETF describes its objective and strategy as follows, from its latest prospectus filed with the SEC by Innovator ETFs Trust.
Investment objective
The Fund seeks investment results that generally correspond (before fees and expenses) to the performance of the MerQube U.S. Large Cap Equity Buffer Laddered Index (the Index ).
Principal investment strategy
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (including investment borrowing) in the ETFs that comprise the Index. The Fund, using an indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that generally correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index. The Index provider, MerQube, Inc. ( MerQube or the Index Provider ), compiles, maintains and calculates the Index. The Fund is classified as a diversified company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act ). To the extent the Index concentrates ( i.e. , holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund concentrates its investments to approximately the same extent. Information Regarding the Index. The Index is comprised of twelve Innovator U.S.
Equity Buffer ETFs (each, an Underlying ETF, and together, the Underlying ETFs ). The Fund, in accordance with the Index, will be continuously invested in each of the Underlying ETFs and will rebalance semi -annually by purchasing and selling the Underlying ETFs to equally weight the Underlying ETFs. As further described below, each Underlying ETF seeks to provide a defined outcome based upon the performance of an ETF that tracks the return, before fees and expenses, of the S&P 500 Index (the U.S. Large Cap ETF ) over the course of an approximately one -year time period (each, an Outcome Period ) that begins on the first day of the month indicated in the Underlying ETFs name. Each Underlying ETF seeks to provide returns that match the returns of U.S. Large Cap ETF up to a capped amount for an applicable Outcome Period (a Cap ) and a measure of downside protection from losses experienced by the returns of U.S.
Large Cap ETF for such Outcome Period ( i.e., a buffer). The Cap represents the maximum percentage return an Underlying ETF can achieve for an Outcome Period and each Underlying ETF provides a buffer of 9% of losses. The Index seeks to provide laddered investing in the Underlying ETFs. Laddered investing refers to investments in several similar securities that have different reset dates, with the goal of mitigating timing risks associated with investing in a single investment. The laddered approach of the Index is designed to help offset the timing risks inherent in the purchase of shares of a single Underlying ETF. The Fund, in accordance with the Index, will typically buy an Underlying ETF on days other than the first day of its respective Outcome Period and sell an Underlying ETF on days other than the last day of its respective Outcome Period.
However, by owning each of the Underlying ETFs at all times, the Fund will have a diversified exposure to the respective Caps and buffer that are available for each of the Underlying ETFs. An investment in the Fund allows a shareholder to participate in the outcomes of each Underlying ETF without undertaking any additional purchases or sales. As indicated in the chart below, each month, one Underlying ETF concludes its one -year Outcome Period, and subsequently rolls into another one -year Outcome Period, refreshing its buffer level and resetting its Cap for another twelve months. This process repeats monthly, with the Index participating in a rolling set of Caps and buffer. With the laddered investment approach, the Fund will continue to have the potential to increase in a market environment where the value of the U.S.
Large Cap ETF is steadily increasing, as it is likely that at least one of the Underlying ETFs will have performance capacity because it will have reset its Cap within the past month. In addition, the Fund will have the potential to derive benefit from a buffer in a market environment where the U.S. Large Cap ETF is steadily decreasing, as is it is likely that at least one of the Underlying ETFs will have a buffer against losses because it will have reset its buffer within the past month. However, the Fund may not benefit from the Cap or buffer of an Underlying ETF. It is possible that all of the Underlying ETFs will have exceeded its respective Cap or that none of the Underlying ETFs will have a buffer against losses relative to their respective Outcome Periods. Such circumstance may continue until the beginning of the next month, at which point an Underlying ETF resets its buffer protection level and applicable Cap.
In addition, for any given time period, the performance available for any single or group of Underlying ETFs may exceed the exposures to Caps that the Fund has in owning all of the Underlying ETFs. Similarly, for any given time period, the potential for a buffer against losses may be greater when owning a single or group of Underlying ETF that has more ability to benefit from a buffer than the buffer available by owning all of the Underlying ETFs. See Risks Fund -of-Funds Risk. The Index was created on January 25, 2022. On its inception date, the Index was equally allocated to shares of the twelve, monthly Underlying ETFs. The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced on a semi -annual basis. The Index will be scheduled to rebalance and reconstitute its portfolio securities on the third Wednesday of April and October each year.
On each semi -annual rebalance date the Index will re -allocate its portfolio to invest in the Underlying ETFs equally, such that each Underlying ETF will constitute 1/12 of the Index portfolio. The Fund will purchase and sell Underlying ETFs in accordance with these scheduled rebalances. The Indexs semi -annual rebalance and reconstitution schedule may cause the Fund to experience a higher rate of portfolio turnover. Frequent turnover of the Funds portfolio securities may negatively affect the Funds performance because the Fund may pay higher levels of transaction costs and generate greater tax liabilities for shareholders. The amount of an individual Underlying ETF in the Fund will vary after its semi -annual rebalance date and therefore the percentage of Underlying ETFs held by the Fund may be dependent on its proximity to the Indexs rebalance date.
Information Regarding the Underlying ETFs. The Underlying ETFs each utilize a defined outcome investing strategy. Defined outcome strategies seek to produce pre -determined investment outcomes based upon the performance of an underlying security or index. The Fund is a fund-of-funds and does not itself pursue a defined outcome strategy. The shares of the twelve ETFs comprising the Index are set forth below: 1. Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF January (BJAN) 2. Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF February (BFEB) 3. Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF March (BMAR) 4. Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF April (BAPR) 5. Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF May (BMAY) 6. Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF June (BJUN) 7. Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF July (BJUL) 8. Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF August (BAUG) 9.
Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF September (BSEP) 10. Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF October (BOCT) 11. Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF November (BNOV) 12. Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF December (BDEC) Each Underlying ETF invests in FLexible EXchange Options ( FLEX Options ) that reference the U.S. Large Cap ETF, and may also invest directly in the U.S. Large Cap ETF or the components thereof. Each Underlying ETF that comprises the Index seeks to provide outcomes with a specified Cap and buffer based upon the returns of U.S. Large Cap ETF, but only for the duration of an entire Outcome Period. The respective Outcome Period for each Fund begins on the first day of the month indicated in the Underlying ETFs name when the fund enters into its FLEX Option positions and ends on the markets closure on the last day of the month immediately preceding the month indicated its name when those FLEX Options expire.
For each Underlying ETF, the applicable Outcome Period has an upside return Cap that represents the maximum percentage return a Fund shareholder can achieve from an investment in the Underlying ETF for the Outcome Period and a buffer of 9% of losses. Each Underlying ETFs Cap may vary. Each Cap is dependent on prevailing market conditions, especially then current interest rates and market volatility, at the times each Underlying ETF enters into its FLEX Options contracts. The outcomes each Underlying ETF seeks to provide may only be realized by holding shares of the Underlying ETF on the first day of its Outcome Period and continuing to hold them on the last day of its Outcome Period. Purchasing or selling shares of an Underlying ETF after an Outcome Period has begun may result in investment returns that are very different from those that the Underlying ETF seeks to provide for an entire Outcome Period.
At any given point during an Outcome Period, an Underlying ETF may have more or less upside available to its respective Cap or more or less ability to benefit from its buffer when compared to the beginning of its Outcome Period. As a result of the performance of an Underlying ETF during its Outcome Period, once an Outcome Period has begun an investor that purchases shares of a single Underlying ETF may have little or no upside available to them for the remainder of the Outcome Period (because the Underlying ETFs share price has increased to a level near its Cap) or little or no ability to benefit from a buffer (because the Underlying ETFs share price has decreased in value by more than the downside protection). The section entitled Additional Information About the Funds Principal Investment Strategies contains additional information relating to the Underlying ETFs and graphics designed to illustrate the outcomes sought by the Underlying ETFs based upon the hypothetical performance of the U.S.
Large Cap ETF. Innovator Capital Management, LLC, the investment adviser to the Fund and the Underlying ETFs ( Innovator or the Adviser ), maintains a webpage for the Fund and each Underlying ETF that provides current information relating to the Underlying ETFs sought -after outcomes, including the performance of the U.S. Large Cap ETF since the beginning of the Outcome Period, the Underlying ETFs net asset value ( NAV ), the amount of investment gains possible until the Underlying ETF reaches the Cap, and the amount of buffer remaining. The address for each Underlying ETFs webpage is set forth in the section entitled Additional Information About the Funds Principal Investment Strategies. These webpages will not only allow Fund shareholders and/or a prospective Fund shareholder to find current information about each Underlying ETFs progress through its Outcome Period, but it also provides links to each Underlying ETFs prospectus and statement of additional information, which describe the principal investment strategies and principal risks of each Underlying ETF in much greater detail.
Fund Shareholders and prospective Fund shareholders are encouraged to visit one or more of these webpages and read the prospectus and statement of additional information of the Underlying ETFs in connection with making investment decisions regarding either an Underlying ETF or the Fund.
BUFB Holdings
Top 10 holdings of Innovator Laddered Allocation Buffer ETF by percentage of net assets, from the fund's latest SEC N-PORT filing.
| Holding | % of net assets |
|---|---|
| Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer E | 8.43% |
| Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer E | 8.43% |
| Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer E | 8.42% |
| Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer E | 8.40% |
| Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer E | 8.39% |
| Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer E | 8.39% |
| Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer E | 8.39% |
| Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer E | 8.35% |
| Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer E | 8.30% |
| Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer E | 8.29% |
BUFB Portfolio Allocation
Asset-class allocation of Innovator Laddered Allocation Buffer ETF by percentage of net assets, from the latest SEC N-PORT filing.
| Asset class | Allocation |
|---|---|
| Equity | 99.9% |
| Cash & Equivalents | 0.8% |
BUFB Performance
Total returns for BUFB (as of 2026-10-01), from SEC filings.
| Period | Total return |
|---|---|
| YTD | 8.0% |
| 1 year | 14.9% |
| 3 years (annualised) | 13.9% |
BUFB Risk Information
Risk metrics for BUFB, derived from monthly returns in SEC filings.
- 1-year volatility (annualised): 7.4%
BUFB Costs and Fees
BUFB costs about $89 per $10,000 invested per year in fund expenses.
- Net expense ratio: 0.89%
- Gross expense ratio: 0.89%
- Portfolio turnover: 1%
- Brokerage commissions: 0.04 bps of average net assets (SEC N-CEN)
BUFB Cashflows
Over the 12 months to 2026-07, Innovator Laddered Allocation Buffer ETF had net inflows of $69.95M, from monthly SEC N-PORT filings.
| Month | Net flow |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | $3.93M |
| 2026-06 | $8.83M |
| 2026-05 | $11.70M |
| 2026-04 | $26.94M |
| 2026-03 | $1.88M |
| 2026-02 | $20.33M |
BUFB Debt Constituents
No individual debt constituents are reported in Innovator Laddered Allocation Buffer ETF's latest SEC N-PORT filing.
BUFB Prospectus and SEC Filings
Official Innovator Laddered Allocation Buffer ETF filings on SEC EDGAR — prospectus, portfolio holdings and annual reports.
- Prospectus (485BPOS) — filed 2026-02-27
- Prospectus (485BPOS) — filed 2025-02-28
- Prospectus (485BPOS) — filed 2024-02-28
- Portfolio holdings (N-PORT) — filed 2026-09-28
- Portfolio holdings (N-PORT) — filed 2026-06-26
- Portfolio holdings (N-PORT) — filed 2026-03-27
- Annual census (N-CEN) — filed 2026-01-13
- Annual census (N-CEN) — filed 2025-01-15
Related Funds
Other United States Multi-Cap / All-Cap Blend / Core Equity funds tracked on ABC INVEST:
Data Sources
ABC INVEST compiles this page from public filings made to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) through EDGAR: portfolio holdings and monthly cashflows from Form N-PORT, expenses and returns from fund prospectuses (Form 485BPOS) and the SEC DERA Risk/Return Summary data sets, annual data from Form N-CEN, and shareholder reports from Form N-CSR.