# FT Vest U.S. Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETF - August (SAUG): ETF Facts & Distributions > Markdown mirror of https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/saug for AI agents. Same live data as the HTML page, regenerated on the same refresh cycle. Not investment advice. - Issuer: First Trust · Asset class: Multi-Asset - Strategy: Buffered · Inception: 2023-08-18 SAUG uses options in an effort to moderate losses on shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF (ticker: IWM) over a one-year period, starting in August. The fund foregoes some upside return, as well as the dividend component of IWM because the options are written on the price (not total) return version of the shares, in exchange for preventing realization of the first 15% of the losses in IWM value. Should the shares of IWM decline greater than 15%, investors participate in the downside performance on a $1 for $1 basis. Shares must be held over a specific period to pursue the intended results. At... ## Key Facts | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Price | $27.09 | | Expense Ratio | 0.90% | | Assets Under Management | $127.4M | | NAV | $27.10 | | Holdings Count | 4 | | Distribution Yield (TTM) | — | | Annual Distribution (TTM) | — /share | | Distribution Frequency | — | | 52-Week Range | $24.38 – $28.15 | | Beta | 0.61 | ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What does SAUG invest in? SAUG uses options in an effort to moderate losses on shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF (ticker: IWM) over a one-year period, starting in August. The fund foregoes some upside return, as well as the dividend component of IWM because the options are written on the price (not total) return version of the shares, in exchange for preventing realization of the first 15% of the losses in IWM value. Should the shares of IWM decline greater than 15%, investors participate in the downside performance on a $1 for $1 basis. Shares must be held over a specific period to pursue the intended results. At the end of the target outcome period, the fund will reset for a new outcome period tied to the same index and buffer, but the cap may change based on market rates. The targeted cap and buffer do not include the funds expense ratio and should be taken into consideration. The fund is actively managed and uses FLEX options on IWM shares exclusively. ### What is the expense ratio of SAUG? FT Vest U.S. Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETF - August (SAUG) charges an expense ratio of 0.90%. This is the annual fee deducted from fund assets to cover management and operations. ### How big is SAUG? FT Vest U.S. Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETF - August (SAUG) manages $127.4M 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 SAUG actively managed or an index fund? SAUG's management style is described in the fund's prospectus. See the description on the Summary tab for the published strategy. ### When was SAUG launched? FT Vest U.S. Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETF - August (SAUG) launched in August 2023 and is managed by First Trust. ### How has SAUG performed? SAUG'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 SAUG pay a dividend? FT Vest U.S. Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETF - August (SAUG) currently distributes little or no income. Trailing-twelve-month yield is —. Investors looking for income should consider income-focused alternatives. See the Peers tab. ### How often does SAUG pay dividends? FT Vest U.S. Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETF - August pays dividends on its published schedule. Each ex-dividend date, record date, and payment date is listed in the dividend history table on this page. ### What is SAUG's dividend yield? SAUG's trailing-twelve-month yield is —, calculated from the sum of dividends over the past year divided by the current price. ### When is SAUG's next ex-dividend date? SAUG hasn't announced its next ex-date yet. Once declared it'll appear at the top of the dividend history table on this page. ### How much will SAUG's expense ratio cost me over 30 years? On a $10,000 investment compounding at 7% gross return, a 0.90% 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 SAUG charge its expense ratio? The expense ratio is deducted in tiny daily slices from SAUG'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 SAUG cost more than a fund like VOO? SAUG's strategy (current expense ratio 0.90%) is different from a broad-market index tracker like VOO, so its fee belongs to a different cohort. The Cost Verdict card above shows you where SAUG sits within its own category, which is the comparison that actually matters. ### Are there cheaper alternatives to SAUG? The Lower-Fee Alternatives card above lists ETFs following the same investment strategy as SAUG (0.90%) 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/saug - Distribution history: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/saug/dividend - Holdings & diversification: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/saug/diversification - Fees & cheaper alternatives: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/saug/expenses - Peer comparison: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/saug/peers Data sourced from primary filings and market data providers; see https://www.dividenddata.com/methodology.