At a glance
TACK charges 0.69% a year, below the 0.86% average of the 7 funds most like it (the cheapest of 8). It has $297.7M in assets, the 8th largest of that group; it paid 0.71% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, semiannual.
The short version
Fairlead Tactical Sector ETF (TACK) is an actively managed fund of funds. It rotates among State Street's 11 Select Sector SPDR ETFs using price-trend signals, and it can move into gold and Treasury ETFs when its model turns defensive. It aims for growth with smaller drops than the stock market. It costs 0.69% a year and trades heavily, with 100% portfolio turnover.
Price history
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TACK — 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TACK official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | — | +10.93% | — | — | — | +6.24% |
| Russell 1000 Equal Weight Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) index, same period | — | +11.13% | — | — | — | +5.52% |
| TACK price data to Oct 27, 2026 | +5.9% | — | — | — | — | — |
- The deepest fall in its price history was 4.4% (Aug 21, 2026 to Sep 30, 2026), not yet recovered.
| 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
No distribution history is available for this fund.
Distributions through Oct 27, 2026.What's inside
As of Jul 31, 2026, the fund held 8 securities; the ten largest made up 99.64% of assets.
| Fund held | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF USD Class | 13.91% | |
| State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF USD Class | 12.65% | |
| State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF | 12.56% | |
| State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF USD Class | 12.44% | |
| State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF USD Class | 12.24% | |
| State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF USD Class | 12.23% | |
| State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF USD Class | 12.20% | |
| State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF USD Class | 11.42% |
By country
United States 99.64%By asset type
Stocks 99.64%What changed recently
- Over the three months to Jul 31, 2026, investors added a net $13.8M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +0.58%, +1.70%, +0.63%.
How it works
TACK normally puts more than 80% of its net assets into other ETFs. It picks from the 11 Select Sector SPDR ETFs, which split the S&P 500 into sectors such as technology (XLK), energy (XLE) and health care (XLV). It can also hold three defensive funds: SPDR Gold MiniShares (GLDM), SPDR Portfolio Long Term Treasury ETF (SPTL) and SPDR Portfolio Short Term Treasury ETF (SPTS). The process is entirely technical. Decisions come from price and volume patterns, not from company earnings or valuations.
The model screens each ETF with trend-following and overbought/oversold indicators. Overbought or oversold means a price has risen or fallen unusually fast. The sector funds that pass are ranked by momentum, which measures how quickly their prices have been rising. The fund trades when the screens or rankings change. It holds 5 to 8 positions. Chosen sectors get roughly equal weights, and gold or Treasury positions of varying sizes are added when the signals point to risk. Managers can override the model in markets unlike those it was built on.
As of July 31, 2026, TACK held eight sector ETFs and no gold or Treasury funds. Each made up 11% to 14% of the fund, led by energy (13.9%), real estate (12.6%) and consumer staples (12.6%). Cash was 0.4%. Turnover was 100%. Because the fund may create and redeem shares in cash, it may be less tax-efficient than some ETFs.
What it really costs
- TACK charges 0.69% a year, versus an average of 0.86% for the similar funds below (1st of 8, cheapest first).
- Of that, 0.59% is the management fee; the rest covers other fund expenses.
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $70 in the first year and $859 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TACK | $70 | $221 | $384 | $859 |
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 offers a rules-based stock sleeve that can shift into gold or Treasuries, which behaves differently from a buy-and-hold index fund, but its defensive model has not been tested in a severe crash.
TACK could add a stock sleeve built to step aside before declines get worse. Its record is short, though. It launched on March 23, 2022, so it missed the 2008 and 2020 crashes, and its calendar-year record starts in 2023, which leaves out the 2022 bear market. It returned 7.38% in 2023, 11.8% in 2024 and 10.93% in 2025. Its worst quarter was -4.45%, in the third quarter of 2023. In price history since April 20, 2026, its deepest drop was 4.4%, from August 21 to September 30, 2026, and it had not recovered by October 27, 2026. Trend signals can lag a sudden crash, so someone selling in a fast drop could still lock in losses. The yield was 0.71%, paid twice a year, so it is not an income fund. The 0.69% expense ratio works out to $70 in the first year on $10,000. Past results don't predict the future, and a plan should weigh the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Investors wanting U.S. stock exposure with a rules-based plan to move into gold or Treasury ETFs when market trends turn down.
- Those comfortable with momentum-driven bets on 5 to 8 equally weighted SPDR sector ETFs instead of the S&P 500's own sector mix.
- Holders using tax-advantaged accounts, where 100% turnover and possible cash redemptions matter less for taxes.
Look elsewhere if
- Retirees seeking income: the trailing yield was 0.71% as of October 27, 2026, paid only twice a year.
- Investors wanting set downside limits: unlike buffer ETFs such as BUFR, TACK has no built-in protection, only signals that may or may not work.
- Cost-focused investors: the 0.69% expense ratio adds up to $859 over 10 years in the SEC's standard $10,000 example.
Close alternatives
Matched by other buffer (defined-outcome) funds, largest first.
| Fund | Cost | Net assets | 1 yr | 3 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TACK this fund | 0.69% | $297.7M | — | — |
| 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 TACK good for retirement?
TACK may suit retirees as a smaller holding, but it is a weak fit for income. It aims to limit losses by moving into gold or Treasury ETFs when its trend signals turn negative. It launched in March 2022, though, and has not been tested in a crash like 2008 or 2020. It yielded 0.71% as of October 27, 2026 and charges 0.69% a year. A trend model can react late to sudden drops.
What does TACK ETF hold?
TACK holds other ETFs, not individual stocks. As of July 31, 2026, it owned eight Select Sector SPDR funds of roughly equal size: energy (13.9%), real estate (12.6%), consumer staples (12.6%), health care (12.4%), materials (12.2%), utilities (12.2%), industrials (12.2%) and technology (11.4%). It held no gold or Treasury ETFs at that date, and cash was 0.4%. Its holdings can change quickly, since portfolio turnover was 100%.
How has TACK performed since launch?
TACK returned 10.93% for the year ended December 31, 2025, and 6.24% a year since its March 23, 2022 launch. Over the same periods, its benchmark, the Russell 1000 Equal Weight Total Return Index, returned 11.13% and 5.52%. TACK's calendar-year returns were 7.38% in 2023, 11.8% in 2024 and 10.93% in 2025. Its price return was 5.9% year to date as of October 27, 2026.
Does TACK pay dividends?
Yes. TACK pays distributions twice a year. Over the twelve months to October 27, 2026, it paid $0.23 per share, a trailing yield of 0.71%. The payouts come from the sector ETFs it holds, and from Treasury ETFs when it owns them. Because its goal is growth with limited drops, income is a small part of its return. It is not built to fund regular withdrawals.
TACK vs BUFR: what's the difference?
They limit losses in different ways. BUFR, the FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF, is a buffer (defined-outcome) fund. Buffer funds generally use options to soften losses within a set range, and in exchange they cap gains. TACK uses no options. It relies on trend signals to rotate among sector ETFs, gold and Treasuries, with no set protection. TACK costs 0.69% a year against BUFR's 0.95%. TACK had $297.7 million in assets as of July 31, 2026, while BUFR had $10.5 billion as of August 31, 2026.