BJAN vs DDFJ: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Oct 9, 2026 BJAN can fall 10.9% before its buffer engages and DDFJ 6.9%. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $351m for Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Jan and $75m for Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - Jan.
Both cost 0.79% a year; BJAN is 4.7 times larger.
| BJAN | DDFJ | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.79% | 0.79% |
| Net assets | $351m | $75m |
| Total return, 1 year | +15.3% | not published |
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| Index fall to the buffer | 12.4% | |
BJAN: reference +14.2% since period start, fund +11.4%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +16.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
BJAN: reference +14.2% since period start, fund +11.4%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +16.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
DDFJ: reference +14.2% since period start, fund +6.7%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +9.0%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
DDFJ: reference +14.2% since period start, fund +6.7%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +9.0%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
These are two different products. DDFJ is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. BJAN is a buffer fund, which absorbs the first part of a fall and leaves everything below it with the holder.
DDFJ is already at its cap, so more rise in the index adds nothing to it before the period ends.
Both are Innovator funds, so the difference between them is the terms rather than the house.
Where each one stands today
BJAN resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 83 days from now; DDFJ runs to Dec 31, 2026, 83 days. BJAN can still gain 3.9% before its cap, DDFJ 1.5%. A fall from here reaches BJAN’s buffer after 10.9% and DDFJ’s after 6.9%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.
Performance, window by window
| Total return | Gap to the reference's price return | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | BJAN | DDFJ | BJAN | DDFJ |
| 3 months | +3.4% | +1.8% | +0.2 pts | −1.3 pts |
| 6 months | +11.0% | +5.6% | −3.5 pts | −9.0 pts |
| 1 year | +15.3% | not published | −0.7 pts | not published |
| 3 years | +64.4% | not published | −14.8 pts | not published |
Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →
On the same fields
As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
BJAN in plain words
From its price on Oct 9, 2026, the fund can gain about 3.9% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 10.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 12.4% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 9.0% of the 9.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 83 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.
DDFJ in plain words
SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +9.0% for the period on Oct 9, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 1.5% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 6.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level.
Questions people ask
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
ETFIQ calculates every figure from each issuer’s published outcome-period terms. Buffer ETFs hold options on an index, not shares, so there is no holdings overlap to report.
Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.
ETFIQ, BJAN against DDFJ, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bjan-vs-ddfj
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). BJAN against DDFJ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bjan-vs-ddfj
[BJAN against DDFJ (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bjan-vs-ddfj)
Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.