Key Takeaways
- • Return Stacked® ETFs introduces RSST (U.S. Stocks & Managed Futures ETF), an actively-managed fund that combines full S&P 500 equity exposure with a managed futures overlay strategy, enabling institutional-grade portfolio construction at the retail level.
- • The return stacking methodology allows advisors to achieve "$1 of stocks + $1 of managed futures per $1 invested" without requiring traditional portfolio reallocation, preserving core equity allocations while adding diversification.
- • RSST's dual-strategy approach targets both inflationary and traditional bear market protection by layering trend-following managed futures on top of U.S. equity exposure, addressing a historical gap in retail investor access to institutional portfolio techniques.
- • Rodrigo Gordillo, President and Portfolio Manager at ReSolve Asset Management and Co-founder of Return Stacked ETFs, positions the fund as a solution to the common advisory constraint where adding diversification typically requires sacrificing existing positions.
- • The fund's structure represents a shift in retail portfolio construction philosophy—moving from zero-sum asset allocation decisions toward multiplicative exposure strategies previously available only to institutional investors managing substantial capital.
Summary
Return Stacked® ETFs has introduced a portfolio construction innovation designed to reshape how retail investors and financial advisors approach diversification. The flagship RSST fund exemplifies this approach by combining full U.S. equity market exposure with a managed futures trading overlay, eliminating the traditional constraint that forces advisors to reallocate capital among competing asset classes.
The core innovation centers on return stacking—a methodology that layers complementary investment strategies to achieve greater than one dollar of exposure per dollar invested. According to Rodrigo Gordillo, President and Portfolio Manager at ReSolve Asset Management and Co-founder of Return Stacked ETFs, this addresses a fundamental limitation in traditional portfolio construction. "Every dollar that you invest, you're going to get a full dollar of something, let's say like the S&P 500, and then on top of that, an extra dollar on a diversifying asset class or strategy," Gordillo explained in an interview with The Wealth Advisor. This approach preserves core equity allocations while introducing non-correlated managed futures exposure, enabling advisors to enhance portfolio outcomes without diluting existing positions.
RSST operates as an actively-managed ETF combining two complementary strategies: a U.S. equity strategy and a managed futures strategy. Managed futures employ trend-following approaches designed to capture returns from persistent market movements across multiple asset classes and market regimes. By stacking these strategies, the fund aims to provide protection against both inflationary scenarios and traditional bear markets—two distinct risk environments that often require different hedging approaches. The strategy brings institutional-level sophistication previously inaccessible to retail portfolios, democratizing techniques that large institutional investors have leveraged for decades to optimize risk-adjusted returns.
For financial advisors, RSST presents a structural solution to a persistent portfolio construction challenge. Rather than forcing the binary choice between maintaining traditional allocations or sacrificing equity exposure to add diversification, return stacking enables simultaneous full exposure to multiple strategies. This approach resonates particularly with advisors seeking to enhance client outcomes without the friction of portfolio rebalancing or the psychological burden of clients questioning why core positions were reduced to fund alternatives.
The core innovation centers on return stacking—a methodology that layers complementary investment strategies to achieve greater than one dollar of exposure per dollar invested. According to Rodrigo Gordillo, President and Portfolio Manager at ReSolve Asset Management and Co-founder of Return Stacked ETFs, this addresses a fundamental limitation in traditional portfolio construction. "Every dollar that you invest, you're going to get a full dollar of something, let's say like the S&P 500, and then on top of that, an extra dollar on a diversifying asset class or strategy," Gordillo explained in an interview with The Wealth Advisor. This approach preserves core equity allocations while introducing non-correlated managed futures exposure, enabling advisors to enhance portfolio outcomes without diluting existing positions.
RSST operates as an actively-managed ETF combining two complementary strategies: a U.S. equity strategy and a managed futures strategy. Managed futures employ trend-following approaches designed to capture returns from persistent market movements across multiple asset classes and market regimes. By stacking these strategies, the fund aims to provide protection against both inflationary scenarios and traditional bear markets—two distinct risk environments that often require different hedging approaches. The strategy brings institutional-level sophistication previously inaccessible to retail portfolios, democratizing techniques that large institutional investors have leveraged for decades to optimize risk-adjusted returns.
For financial advisors, RSST presents a structural solution to a persistent portfolio construction challenge. Rather than forcing the binary choice between maintaining traditional allocations or sacrificing equity exposure to add diversification, return stacking enables simultaneous full exposure to multiple strategies. This approach resonates particularly with advisors seeking to enhance client outcomes without the friction of portfolio rebalancing or the psychological burden of clients questioning why core positions were reduced to fund alternatives.
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