Funds that offer buffers against market declines are becoming more popular among investors. But what are they and how do they work? How do they fit into a 60/40 allocation? Learn all about them from Douglas Yones, Head of Exchange Traded Products for the New York Stock Exchange, Bruce Bond and John Southard, co-founders of Innovator, the creator of Buffer ETFsTM and other Defined Outcome ETFsTM.
Learning Objective:
Learn a potential solution enabling clients to reduce downside risk through a built-in buffer, but also maintain the upside potential of the market. The goal is for the investor to be exposed, but stay “out of the fray” and focus on long-term financial goals, rather than short-term noise.
Content Outline:
- Market Perspective
- What is Defined Outcome Investing?
- How does it work?
- Where does it fit in portfolios?
Sponsored by
CFP, CIMA®, CPWA®, CIMC®, RMA®, and AEP® CE Credits have been applied for and are pending approval.
Bruce Bond
Co-founder and CEO
Innovator Capital Management
John Southard, CFA
Co-founder and CIO
Innovator Capital Management
Douglas M. Yones, ChFC - Moderator
Head of Exchange Traded Products
New York Stock Exchange
For Financial Professionals Only.
The Defined Outcome ETFs seek to generate returns that match the Price Index, up to the Cap, while buffering against losses, before fees and expenses, over the course of a 3-month or 1-year period. The Defined Outcome Series Funds have characteristics unlike many other traditional investment products and may not be suitable for all investors. For more information regarding whether an investment in the Fund is right for you, please see "Investor Suitability" in the prospectus. There is no guarantee the fund will achieve its investment objective.
The Funds are designed to provide point-to-point exposure to the price return of an index via a basket of Flex Options. As a result, the ETFs are not expected to move directly in line with the index during the interim period. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than standard options. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices.
If the Outcome Period has begun and the Fund has experienced an Accelerated Return, an investor purchasing Shares at that price may be subject to losses that exceed any losses of the Underlying ETF for the remainder of the Outcome Period and may have diminished or no ability to experience further Accelerated Return, therefore exposing the investor to greater downside risks.
The Outcomes may only be realized by investors who continuously hold Shares from the commencement of the Outcome Period until its conclusion. Investors who purchase Shares after the Outcome Period has begun, or sell Shares prior to the Outcome Period’s conclusion, may experience investment returns very different from those that the Fund seeks to provide.
Fund shareholders are subject to an upside return cap (the Cap) that represents the maximum percentage return an investor can achieve from an investment in the funds' for the Outcome Period, before fees and expenses. If the Outcome Period has begun and the Fund has increased in value to a level near to the Cap, an investor purchasing at that price has little or no ability to achieve gains but remains vulnerable to downside risks. Additionally, the Cap may rise or fall from one Outcome Period to the next. The Cap, and the Fund's position relative to it, should be considered before investing in the Fund. The Funds' website, www.innovatoretfs.com, provides important Fund information as well information relating to the potential outcomes of an investment in a Fund on a daily basis.
The Funds only seek to provide shareholders that hold shares for the entire Outcome Period with their respective buffer level against index losses during the Outcome Period. You will bear all index losses exceeding 9, 15 or 30%. Depending upon market conditions at the time of purchase, a shareholder that purchases shares after the Outcome Period has begun may also lose their entire investment. For instance, if the Outcome Period has begun and the Fund has decreased in value beyond the pre-determined buffer, an investor purchasing shares at that price may not benefit from the buffer. Similarly, if the Outcome Period has begun and the Fund has increased in value, an investor purchasing shares at that price may not benefit from the buffer until the Fund's value has decreased to its value at the commencement of the Outcome Period.
The Funds' investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses should be considered carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other important information, and it may be obtained at innovatoretfs.com. Read it carefully before investing.
Innovator ETFs are distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC.