At a glance
OCIO charges 0.65% a year, below the 0.86% average of the 7 funds most like it (the cheapest of 8). It has $174.3M in assets, the 8th largest of that group; it paid 9.34% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, quarterly. Over the past year it returned +9.0% with distributions reinvested (S&P 500: +11.5%), the weakest of those 8 funds; over three years it returned +15.1% a year. At its worst it fell 17.2% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 16 months after the low. Its ten largest positions make up 48.4% of the fund, out of 54 in all.
The short version
ClearShares OCIO ETF (OCIO) is an actively managed fund of funds. It spreads money across stock, bond and commodity ETFs, aiming to beat a traditional 60/40 mix of global stocks and bonds. Its sub-adviser, Blueprint Investment Partners, can move the stock share anywhere from about 10% to 90% based on trend and valuation signals. It also sells a small number of covered calls for income. The expense ratio is 0.65%.
Price history
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OCIO +9.0% over the year to Oct 27, 2026, total return with distributions reinvested.
How it has behaved
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | Since start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OCIO official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | — | +12.57% | — | +7.13% | — | +7.45% |
| OCIO price data to Oct 27, 2026 | +9.3% | +9.0% | +15.1% | +7.4% | — | +9.7% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, OCIO returned +9.0%, 8th of 8 among similar funds.
- Its 5-year annualized return was +7.4%.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-12.5%); its best was 2021 (+15.4%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 17.2% (Jan 4, 2022 to Oct 12, 2022), recovered by Feb 9, 2024.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +9.3% | — |
| 2025 | +12.7% | +12.57% |
| 2024 | +12.8% | +12.78% |
| 2023 | +12.0% | +12.10% |
| 2022 | -12.5% | -12.24% |
| 2021 | +15.4% | +13.00% |
| 2020 | — | +11.47% |
| 2019 | — | +18.33% |
| 2018 | — | -7.51% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Before this security existed |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Not in the price data, which starts Jun 2, 2020 |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 17.1% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 17.2%, back to its old high 15.9 months after the low |
Dividends and income
Show as a table
| Year | Per share | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | $0.3500 | |
| 2025 | $3.5600 | +456.3% |
| 2024 | $0.6400 | -9.9% |
| 2023 | $0.7100 | -21.1% |
| 2022 | $0.9000 | -43.0% |
| 2021 | $1.5780 |
What's inside
As of Aug 31, 2026, the fund held 54 securities; the ten largest made up 48.44% of assets. It also reported 30.62% in a money-market fund, most likely cash collateral from lending out shares rather than uninvested money.
| Fund held | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 | 6.74% | |
| Vanguard Morningstar Value ETF | 5.79% | |
| Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF | 5.67% | |
| Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF | 4.73% | |
| State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | 4.62% | |
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | 4.52% | |
| WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund | 4.33% | |
| Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | 4.24% | |
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | 4.05% | |
| iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF | 3.76% | |
| VanEck Commodity Strategy ETF | 3.65% | |
| Schwab International Equity ETF | 3.59% | |
| iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF | 3.54% | |
| iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF | 3.43% | |
| Clearshares Ultra-Short Maturity ETF | 3.25% |
By country
United States 99.65%By asset type
Stocks 99.65%What changed recently
- Over the three months to Aug 31, 2026, investors added a net $5.7M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +0.76%, -2.35%, +2.62%.
How it works
OCIO doesn't track an index. ClearShares hires Blueprint Investment Partners as sub-adviser to pick other ETFs, called underlying investments, plus some individual U.S. stocks. Stocks typically make up about 10% to 90% of assets, and bond funds another 10% to 90%. There is no limit on bond maturity or credit quality, so junk (high-yield) bonds are allowed. Blueprint's model reads price trends, credit spreads (the extra yield riskier bonds pay), volatility, the yield curve, energy prices and currencies. The goal is to spot areas likely to rise or struggle over the next three to twelve months.
Blueprint picks each ETF on its exposure, liquidity, cost and tracking record. It may change the mix as often as daily, and turnover was 72%. It avoids leveraged and inverse ETFs and typically keeps any one holding to about 5% or less, though QQQ was 6.7% as of Aug. 31, 2026. On that date, about 96% of assets sat in other funds across 54 holdings. Those included three S&P 500 ETFs (SPY, IVV and VOO) totaling about 13%.
The fund also sells covered calls on roughly 1% to 10% of assets. A call gives the buyer the right to buy a stock at a set price. The fund keeps the fee but gives up gains above that price. Calls last no more than 31 days, with strike prices at 105% of the prior close or the 50-day average.
What it really costs
- OCIO charges 0.65% a year, versus an average of 0.86% for the similar funds below (1st of 8, cheapest first).
- Of that, 0.55% is the management fee; the rest covers other fund expenses.
- The fee includes a 0.01% waiver from the adviser, which may end.
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $66 in the first year and $822 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OCIO | $66 | $210 | $367 | $822 |
Structure and tax notes
- Generates much of its income from selling options (directly or through notes). That income is usually taxed as ordinary income rather than as qualified dividends, and the strategy gives up some upside in strong markets.
- Invests in other funds rather than directly in stocks or bonds, so its holdings are those funds.
In a retirement portfolio
It packages stocks, bonds and some commodities into one actively shifted mix, designed as an alternative to a 60/40 portfolio.
OCIO could act as a one-fund balanced holding, but it still falls with stocks. It lost 12.24% in 2022, its worst calendar year. It dropped 17.2% from Jan. 4 to Oct. 12, 2022, and didn't regain that peak until Feb. 9, 2024, about 16 months after the low. Its worst quarter was a 13.08% fall in early 2020. It launched in 2017, so it has no 2008 record. Anyone selling shares for income in a year like 2022 would have sold at lower prices. It pays quarterly: trailing 12-month payouts were $3.51 per share, a 9.34% yield as of Oct. 27, 2026. For a balanced fund, a yield that high may include capital gains that won't repeat. Under the SEC example, the 0.65% expense ratio costs $66 in year one on $10,000. Past results don't predict the future, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Investors wanting one fund that rotates among stock, bond and commodity ETFs, letting Blueprint's trend signals set the mix instead of a fixed 60/40 split.
- People who can sit through moderate drops: its deepest decline was 17.2% in 2022, and recovery took about 16 months.
- Holders who want quarterly payouts with only a small covered call overlay, typically on 1% to 10% of assets, which limits how much upside it gives up.
Look elsewhere if
- Cost-focused investors who could buy its largest holdings, such as QQQ, VOO, VTI and VEA, directly instead of paying OCIO's 0.65% expense ratio.
- Anyone wanting a defined loss limit: unlike buffer ETFs such as BUFR, OCIO has no buffer and fell 13.08% in the first quarter of 2020.
- Investors wanting a steady allocation: stocks can range from 10% to 90% of assets, holdings can change daily, and turnover was 72%.
Close alternatives
Matched by other buffer (defined-outcome) funds, largest first.
| Fund | Cost | Net assets | 1 yr | 3 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OCIO this fund | 0.65% | $174.3M | +9.0% | +15.1% |
| BUFR FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF | 0.95% | $10.49B | +11.6% | +16.8% |
| BUFD FT Vest Laddered Deep Buffer ETF | 0.95% | $2.04B | +9.5% | +13.9% |
| PJAN Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Ja… | 0.79% | $1.44B | +10.5% | +14.8% |
| PDEC Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - De… | 0.79% | $984.1M | +11.6% | +14.9% |
| FDEC FT Vest US Equity Buffer ETF - December | 0.85% | $1.31B | +12.9% | +18.5% |
| FJAN FT Vest US Equity Buffer ETF - January | 0.85% | $1.47B | +12.3% | +17.4% |
| FFEB FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer Fund - February | 0.85% | $1.42B | +12.9% | +18.6% |
Questions investors ask
Is OCIO a good fund for retirement?
It may suit retirees who want one fund that blends stocks, bonds and commodities and shifts the mix actively, but it isn't low risk. It lost 12.24% in 2022 and didn't regain its early-2022 peak until Feb. 9, 2024. Through Dec. 31, 2025, it returned 7.13% a year over five years and 7.45% a year since its 2017 launch. Its expense ratio is 0.65%.
Does OCIO pay monthly dividends?
No. OCIO pays distributions quarterly. Over the 12 months to Oct. 27, 2026, it paid $3.51 per share, a trailing yield of 9.34%. That is high for a fund holding mostly stock and bond ETFs, and part of it may come from capital gains rather than recurring income. Covered call income is usually taxed as ordinary income rather than as qualified dividends, which matters in a taxable account.
What is the expense ratio of OCIO?
OCIO's expense ratio is 0.65%, according to its prospectus filed Sept. 25, 2026. That includes a 0.55% management fee. Under the SEC's standard example ($10,000 invested, 5% annual return), costs total about $66 after one year, $210 after three, $367 after five and $822 after ten. Buffer ETFs such as BUFR and PJAN charge 0.79% to 0.95%, though they follow a different strategy.
Does OCIO beat a 60/40 portfolio?
Beating a traditional 60/40 mix of global stocks and bonds is the fund's goal, but no benchmark comparison is shown here, so the answer can't be confirmed. The fund's own record through Dec. 31, 2025: 12.57% in 2025, 7.13% a year over five years and 7.45% a year since inception. Its strongest year was 2019, up 18.33%, and its weakest was 2022, down 12.24%.
OCIO vs BUFR: what's the difference?
They follow different strategies. BUFR, the FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF, is a buffer fund. Buffer funds use options to absorb part of a market loss over a set period, and in exchange they cap gains. OCIO has no buffer. It actively shifts among stock, bond and commodity ETFs and sells limited covered calls. OCIO costs 0.65% versus BUFR's 0.95%. As of Oct. 27, 2026, OCIO returned 9.0% over one year and 15.1% a year over three years. BUFR returned 11.6% and 16.8%.