Revisiting the Principles of Risk and Risk Management in the Context of Modern Portfolio Theory Asset Allocation Alone May Not Be Enough: The Growing Idiosyncratic Risk in Today’s S&P 500 Index Traditional asset allocation has long served as the main way investors manage risk. They spread money across stocks, bonds, and other assets and count…
Why Buffered ETFs Require Ongoing Analysis and Monitoring Even “identical” buffered ETFs can deliver dramatically different results due to nothing more than the luck of their reset dates. FJUL and FAUG are two adjacent monthly slices within the popular First Trust BUFR laddered ETF. Both offer the same 10% buffer width, the same cap methodology,…
Seek First to Understand – The Pleasure of Finding Things out While growing up in the investments industry at Russell Investments, I was privileged to participate in an excellence-driven and strong research culture. George Russell, the visionary who built a transformational company, often quoted various business thinkers to inspire the hundreds of Russell associates to…
Sometimes taking a very long-term view, describing the core “nature” or “essence” of the market’s behavior, can help put more recent experiences in context. That is precisely the point of this inaugural “Investment Perspectives” piece from Ogard Capital Markets Research, LLC. Below is a daily logarithmic return chart for the S&P 500 Index starting in…
Big news: BufferLABS has its first client—wealth management star Jeff Hussey! As markets teeter, we’re rolling out tools to enhance buffered ETF portfolios at Bufferlabsetfs.com. Jeff’s in, and you can be too! Meet Jeff HusseyJeff’s a serious investor: former Global Chief Investment Officer at Russell Investments, steering hundreds of billions through rough seas. Now, he…
On April 14, 2025, AQR Capital Management’s Daniel Villalon appeared on Bloomberg TV and labeled buffered ETFs, such as the FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF (BUFR) and Innovator Laddered Allocation Power Buffer ETF (BUFF), as an “investment failure.” Watch it here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2025-04-14/buffer-etfs-an-investment-failure-aqr-video AQR’s critique claims these options-powered funds underperform simpler alternatives, fail to mitigate drawdowns…
We’re thrilled to announce our upcoming webinar, Introduction to BufferLABS – Mastering Buffered ETFs with the ADOPT Model, happening on May 7 at 2:00 PM EDT. In partnership with BlueVault Research, who is proudly sponsoring the event, we’ll unpack the BufferLABS research platform and showcase our innovative ADOPT model. Led by Erik Ogard, CFA, Co-Founder…
The exchange-traded fund (ETF) landscape has evolved dramatically over the past decade, with one of the most exciting innovations being the rise of buffered ETFs—also known as defined outcome ETFs. These funds, which use options strategies to provide downside protection while capping upside potential, have surged in popularity, growing from a niche concept in 2018…
Markets are stumbling through a correction—and it might get uglier. BufferLabs’ research subscriptions launch Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at Bufferlabsetfs.com, arming you with tools to conquer buffered ETF portfolios. First 100 subscribers snag 50% off their first year—and advisors, you can claim a free 1:1 holdings review now, before you sign up. Let’s tame the…
BufferLABS Response to AQR Blog Post: “Rebuffed: A Closer Look at Options-Based Strategies” Dated March 21, 2025 – Cliff Asness and Daniel Villalon https://www.aqr.com/Insights/Perspectives/Rebuffed-A-Closer-Look-at-Options-Based-Strategies As a new research publisher and participant in the buffered ETF ecosystem, BufferLABS aims to shed light on these hedging instruments using data and facts—nothing more, nothing less. So, we read…
