Abacus FCF International Leaders ETF

Abacus FCF International Leaders ETF (ABLG) is an actively managed fund that owns stocks of companies outside the US, chosen by a model that favors businesses turning invested capital into spare cash. It charges 0.54% a year, against 0.09% for iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, the fund with the most holdings in common (about 8%), and it is small: about $16.1 million in assets as of July 31, 2026.

• Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, ABLG returned -5.5%.
• Its worst full calendar year was 2025 (+13.3%); its best was 2025 (+13.3%).
• The deepest fall in its price history was 20.6% (Feb 14, 2025 to Apr 7, 2025), recovered by May 27, 2025.

As of Jul 31, 2026, the fund held 47 securities; the ten largest made up 35.36% of assets, and 15.46% sat in cash and money-market holdings.

• Over the three months to Jul 31, 2026, investors withdrew a net $1.6M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
• Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +2.19%, +1.32%, -6.21%.

ABLG, from Abacus Life, Inc., is actively managed: its adviser, Abacus FCF Advisors LLC, picks stocks rather than copying an index. At least 80% of net assets go into foreign companies' shares or depositary receipts (certificates representing foreign shares). It invests mainly in large and mid-sized companies in developed markets, plus some in emerging markets (countries earlier in their economic development).

The adviser's Abacus FCF Leaders Model scores companies on free cash flow return on invested capital (FCF-ROIC): the cash a business has left after running and reinvesting in itself, compared with the money tied up in it. The model looks at capital spending, accruals (profits booked but not yet received in cash), cash flow margins and asset turnover (sales per dollar of assets). Weights come mainly from FCF-ROIC scores, adjusted for company risk through the business cycle, then blended with free-float market value (the worth of shares available to trade).

Big changes usually come in earnings seasons, but trades can happen anytime. Portfolio turnover was 143%, like replacing the portfolio more than once a year, which adds costs and can raise taxes in taxable accounts. It may use exchange-traded futures to guard against broad price swings. As of September 30, 2025, it focused on Asia and Europe and on technology, consumer discretionary (nonessential goods) and industrial stocks.

• ABLG charges 0.54% a year, versus an average of 0.09% for the similar funds below.
• Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $55 in the first year and $677 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).

A small, actively managed international stock fund with a 0.54% fee, 143% turnover and a 24.32% loss in 2022 may fit better as a modest add-on than as a portfolio's foundation.

ABLG could add foreign stocks to a US-heavy portfolio, but it has swung sharply. Launched in 2017, it has no 2008 record. In the first quarter of 2020, during the COVID crash, it lost 22.25%, yet ended 2020 up 18.83%. In 2022 it fell 24.32%, its worst calendar year on record. Since December 13, 2024, its deepest drop was 20.6%, from February to April 2025; it regained that ground by late May. Needing cash in a year like 2022 could mean cashing out shares at depressed prices.

The fund yielded 2.88% over the 12 months to October 27, 2026, with quarterly payouts. Its 0.54% annual fee compares with 0.09% for iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF; the SEC's standard $10,000 example puts costs at $677 over 10 years. Past results don't predict future ones, and a plan needs to look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.

Matched by closest holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports (no similar fund shares 20% or more of its holdings).