# First Trust Senior Loan Fund (FTSL): ETF Facts & Distributions > Markdown mirror of https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftsl for AI agents. Same live data as the HTML page, regenerated on the same refresh cycle. Not investment advice. - Issuer: First Trust · Asset class: High Yield & Loans - Strategy: Actively Managed · Inception: 2013-05-01 The First Trust Senior Loan Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (ETF) that primarily aims to deliver substantial current income. This is achieved by principally allocating its capital to a diverse portfolio of first-priority, senior, floating-rate bank loans, commonly referred to as "Senior Loans." A secondary goal of the fund is the protection of its invested capital. Under normal market conditions, the fund commits at least 80% of its net assets to Senior Loans, with a focus on those extended to businesses predominantly operating in North America. Up to 20% of its net assets... ## Key Facts | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Price | $44.30 | | Expense Ratio | 0.70% | | Assets Under Management | $2.47B | | NAV | $44.37 | | Holdings Count | 388 | | Distribution Yield (TTM) | 6.31% | | Annual Distribution (TTM) | $2.80 /share | | Distribution Frequency | Monthly | | 52-Week Range | $44.25 – $46.09 | | Beta | 0.06 | ## Latest Distribution - Amount: $0.2250 /share - Ex-date: 2026-10-21 - Pay date: 2026-10-30 ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What does FTSL invest in? The First Trust Senior Loan Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (ETF) that primarily aims to deliver substantial current income. This is achieved by principally allocating its capital to a diverse portfolio of first-priority, senior, floating-rate bank loans, commonly referred to as "Senior Loans." A secondary goal of the fund is the protection of its invested capital. Under normal market conditions, the fund commits at least 80% of its net assets to Senior Loans, with a focus on those extended to businesses predominantly operating in North America. Up to 20% of its net assets may also be invested in other asset types, including debt instruments that are not Senior Loans, warrants, equity securities, and holdings in other collective investment schemes. ### What is the expense ratio of FTSL? First Trust Senior Loan Fund (FTSL) charges an expense ratio of 0.70%. This is the annual fee deducted from fund assets to cover management and operations. ### How big is FTSL? First Trust Senior Loan Fund (FTSL) manages $2.47B in total assets. AUM determines bid-ask liquidity and the fund's vulnerability to closure. Funds below ~$50M are at higher risk of liquidation. ### Is FTSL actively managed or an index fund? FTSL is actively managed: the manager selects holdings rather than tracking an index. Active funds typically charge higher expense ratios than index funds (FTSL's is 0.70%) in exchange for the discretion to over- or under-weight positions. ### When was FTSL launched? First Trust Senior Loan Fund (FTSL) launched in May 2013 and is managed by First Trust. ### How has FTSL performed? FTSL's total return (price change plus reinvested distributions) is charted at the top of this page. Switch the price chart to Total Return and pick a 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, or 10-year window to read the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over each horizon. ### Does FTSL pay a dividend? First Trust Senior Loan Fund (FTSL) currently distributes little or no income. Trailing-twelve-month yield is 6.31%. Investors looking for income should consider income-focused alternatives. See the Peers tab. ### How often does FTSL pay dividends? First Trust Senior Loan Fund pays dividends Monthly. Each ex-dividend date, record date, and payment date is listed in the dividend history table on this page. ### What is FTSL's dividend yield? FTSL's trailing-twelve-month yield is 6.31%, calculated from the sum of dividends over the past year divided by the current price. ### When is FTSL's next ex-dividend date? The most recently announced ex-dividend date for FTSL was 2026-10-21. The next ex-date typically follows Monthly; once announced it appears at the top of the dividend history table on this page. ### How much will FTSL's expense ratio cost me over 30 years? On a $10,000 investment compounding at 7% gross return, a 0.70% expense ratio quietly compounds against your balance every year. The Fee Compounding Forecast card above projects the dollar drag for any holding period and assumption you pick. The typical result for a 1.0% expense ratio on a 30-year hold is roughly 25% of the final balance lost to fees. ### How does FTSL charge its expense ratio? The expense ratio is deducted in tiny daily slices from FTSL's net asset value (NAV). You never see a bill. The price quoted on every exchange is already net of fees. There's no "fee day" to avoid; the cost is continuous and built into the trading price. ### Why does FTSL cost more than a fund like VOO? FTSL is actively managed (current expense ratio 0.70%). Active funds charge more than passive index trackers in exchange for the manager's discretion to over- or under-weight positions. The Cost Verdict card above tells you whether FTSL's fee is competitive for the active-management cohort. ### Are there cheaper alternatives to FTSL? The Lower-Fee Alternatives card above lists ETFs following the same investment strategy as FTSL (0.70%) but at a lower expense ratio. Each row shows the fee gap, the peer's AUM as a liquidity sanity-check, and a direct link to that fund's analysis page. Cheaper price doesn't automatically mean better. Verify the peer holds what you actually want. ## More on Dividend Data - Overview (HTML): https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftsl - Distribution history: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftsl/dividend - Holdings & diversification: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftsl/diversification - Fees & cheaper alternatives: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftsl/expenses - Peer comparison: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftsl/peers Data sourced from primary filings and market data providers; see https://www.dividenddata.com/methodology.