At a glance
RSSB charges 0.39% a year, below the 0.86% average of the 7 funds most like it (the cheapest of 8). It has $509.2M in assets, the 8th largest of that group; it paid 3.25% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, annual. Over the past year it returned +6.4% with distributions reinvested (S&P 500: +11.5%), the weakest of those 8 funds.
The short version
Return Stacked Global Stocks & Bonds ETF (RSSB) is an actively managed fund. It holds global stocks weighted by market size, mostly through other ETFs, and adds U.S. Treasury futures on top. Each $1 invested aims to give about $1 of global stock exposure plus about $1 of Treasury exposure, so the fund uses leverage. The expense ratio is 0.39%. Losses can be larger when stocks and bonds fall at the same time.
Price history
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RSSB +6.4% 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSSB official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | — | +25.10% | — | — | — | +20.71% |
| RSSB price data to Oct 27, 2026 | +7.3% | +6.4% | — | — | — | +17.2% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, RSSB returned +6.4%, 8th of 8 among similar funds.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2024 (+10.6%); its best was 2025 (+25.1%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 16.2% (Dec 6, 2024 to Apr 8, 2025), recovered by May 19, 2025.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +7.3% | — |
| 2025 | +25.1% | +25.10% |
| 2024 | +10.6% | +10.60% |
| 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 | Before this security existed |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Before this security existed |
Dividends and income
Show as a table
| Year | Per share | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $0.9800 | +276.9% |
| 2024 | $0.2600 |
What's inside
As of Jul 31, 2026, the fund held 2 securities; the ten largest made up 88.17% of assets, and 9.89% sat in cash and money-market holdings.
| Fund held | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 1500 Composite Stock Market ETF | 52.43% | |
| Vanguard Total International Stock ETF | 35.74% |
By country
United States 88.17%By asset type
Stocks 88.17%What changed recently
- Over the three months to Jul 31, 2026, investors added a net $25.9M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +4.22%, -0.33%, -2.33%.
How it works
Tidal Financial Group offers the fund. Its sub-adviser, Newfound Research, builds the stock side to mirror global stock markets, weighted by each company's market value. At least 40% goes to non-U.S. companies (30% when conditions are judged unfavorable). The fund usually puts 75% to 80% of its portfolio in ETFs or individual stocks and gets the rest of its stock exposure through equity index futures or swaps. As of July 31, 2026, its two largest holdings were State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 1500 Composite Stock Market ETF (52.4%) and Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (35.7%), plus S&P 500 E-mini futures.
On top of that, the fund holds Treasury futures and swaps (contracts tied to bond prices) worth about 100% of net assets. They cover maturities from 2 to 30 years, with a target duration of 2 to 8 years. Duration measures how much a bond's price moves when interest rates change. As of July 31, 2026, it held 2-year, 5-year, 10-year and long-bond futures. Investors get the Treasury return, minus financing costs, added to the stock return.
Futures expire, so the fund keeps replacing them with later contracts. Portfolio turnover was 39%. The fund keeps 0% to 25% of assets in Treasury bills, money market funds or cash as collateral (9.9% cash as of July 31, 2026). It does not promise a multiple of any index's daily return.
What it really costs
- RSSB charges 0.39% a year, versus an average of 0.86% for the similar funds below (1st of 8, cheapest first).
- Of that, 0.35% is the management fee; the rest covers other fund expenses.
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $40 in the first year and $493 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSSB | $40 | $125 | $219 | $493 |
Structure and tax notes
- Invests in other funds rather than directly in stocks or bonds, so its holdings are those funds.
In a retirement portfolio
It holds broad global stocks, but leverage, a short record and no test in a year when stocks and bonds both fell argue for a limited position.
RSSB puts a global stock allocation and a Treasury allocation in the same dollars, which can free room for other assets. The trade-off is leverage. The fund launched December 4, 2023, so it missed the 2008, 2020 and 2022 sell-offs. It has never been through a year like 2022, when stocks and bonds fell together. Its deepest drop was 16.2%, from December 6, 2024 to April 8, 2025, and it recovered by May 19, 2025. Its weakest calendar year, 2024, still gained 10.6%. One-year volatility was 16.4% as of October 27, 2026. A retiree selling shares in a bad stretch could face losses on both sides at once. The trailing yield was 3.25% as of October 27, 2026, paid once a year. Annual costs are 0.39%. 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 who want global stocks plus a layer of Treasury exposure in one fund and accept leverage to get it.
- Holders of a stock-and-bond mix who want to free portfolio space, since each $1 targets about $2 of total exposure.
- Cost-aware investors: the 0.39% expense ratio works out to about $40 in year one on $10,000, under the SEC's standard example.
Look elsewhere if
- Retirees who need regular income: the trailing yield was 3.25% as of October 27, 2026, but it is paid only once a year.
- Anyone who wants a track record through a 2022-style year when stocks and bonds both fell. RSSB launched in December 2023.
- Investors who want downside protection. There is no buffer or cap, and leverage can make losses larger.
Close alternatives
Matched by other buffer (defined-outcome) funds, largest first.
| Fund | Cost | Net assets | 1 yr | 3 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSSB this fund | 0.39% | $509.2M | +6.4% | — |
| 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 RSSB a leveraged ETF?
Yes, but not in the usual daily-multiple sense. Each $1 aims to give about $1 of global stock exposure plus about $1 of U.S. Treasury exposure through futures and swaps. That is roughly $2 of total exposure. As of July 31, 2026, the stock side was mainly SPTM (52.4%) and VXUS (35.7%), plus 2-year to long-bond Treasury futures. Leverage can make losses larger, especially when stocks and bonds fall together.
How has RSSB performed since launch?
Per its prospectus, RSSB returned 10.6% in 2024 and 25.1% in 2025. From its December 4, 2023 launch through December 31, 2025, it averaged 20.71% a year. The price-based return for the year to October 27, 2026 was 6.4%. Its strongest quarter gained 11.74% (ended June 30, 2025), and its weakest lost 5.59% (ended December 31, 2024). The record is under three years long.
Does RSSB pay a dividend?
Yes, once a year. Over the trailing twelve months it paid about $0.98 per share, a yield of 3.25% as of October 27, 2026. Because the fund pays out annually rather than monthly or quarterly, it may not fit someone who relies on steady checks from their portfolio. Payouts from a fund using futures and Treasury bills can also change from year to year.
What is RSSB's expense ratio?
The expense ratio is 0.39%, per the prospectus filed April 27, 2026. That includes a 0.35% management fee. Under the SEC's standard example ($10,000 invested, a 5% annual return), costs would be about $40 after one year, $125 after three, $219 after five and $493 after ten. The prospectus also notes that holding other ETFs adds a second layer of expenses.
How is RSSB different from buffer ETFs like BUFR?
They follow different strategies, so BUFR is not a close alternative. Buffer funds like FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF use options to limit losses in exchange for capping gains. RSSB has no buffer and uses leverage to add Treasury exposure on top of its stocks. RSSB costs 0.39% versus BUFR's 0.95%. Over one year to October 27, 2026, RSSB returned 6.4% and BUFR returned 11.6%.