In the shadowed alleys of Wall Street, where the scent of rusted ambition clings to the air, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC has shed 245,575 shares of VictoryShares USAA Core Short-Term Bond ETF (USTB) for $12.48 million. A transaction etched in the ledger of desperation, it leaves 420 shares-a paltry relic of a once-bolder bet-worth $25,360 as of September 30, 2025.
What happened
The filing, dated November 4, 2025, reads like a confession. A quarter’s worth of shares, discarded like yesterday’s bread, now rest in the vaults of history. The average close price, a mere shadow of hope, paints a portrait of a fund that has long since abandoned its promise. For every dollar invested, the system returned a fraction, while the fees gnawed like rats at the carcass of optimism.
What else to know
This retreat reduces USTB’s stake to 0.0041% of Cornerstone’s 13F reportable AUM. A figure so small it could vanish in the dust of a factory floor. Yet the top holdings tell a tale of survival: QQQM, FENI, FNDC-names that hum with the faintest echo of growth. Each a lifeline in a sea of stagnant tides.
- QQQM: $66.78 million (10.7% of AUM)
- FENI: $57.63 million (9.2% of AUM)
- FNDC: $42.60 million (6.8% of AUM)
- VYM: $41.22 million (6.6% of AUM)
- SMLF: $32.75 (5.2% of AUM)
As of November 3, 2025, USTB’s price-$50.93-drifts 14.26 percentage points behind the S&P 500. A chasm that yawns wider with each passing year. The indicated dividend yield, 4.66%, is a meager wage for toil that has yielded a 1.01% total return since 2017. A lifetime of labor for a crumb.
Company overview
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| AUM | $1.6 B |
| Price (as of market close November 3, 2025) | $50.93 |
| Dividend yield | 4.66% |
| 1-year total return | 1.01% |
Company snapshot
The fund’s strategy-a diet of short-term debt, a sprinkle of foreign bonds-reads like a peasant’s meal. Designed for income, it offers little more than a sigh. The 20% allocation to emerging markets, a gamble for diversification, feels like throwing dice into a storm. Yet, for the working man, it is often the only game in town.
Foolish take
Cornerstone’s exit is not a failure but a reckoning. The 1.34% lifetime gain, a scar from seven years of toil, is a bitter pill. Investors who pinned their hopes on USTB-those who traded stability for stagnation-now face a cold truth: the system does not reward patience alone. Fees, inflation, and the relentless march of time have eroded their capital like wind on sand.
USTB’s dividend, a 4.66% yield, is a siren song. It distracts from the fund’s inability to grow. For the average worker, who must stretch every dollar, this is not income but a tax on hope. The 52-week high, now a distant memory, is a reminder of what could have been-a future snatched by the jaws of expense ratios and market indifference.
Cornerstone’s 420 shares, a final nod to the past, may yet vanish in Q4. It is a decision born not of greed but of necessity. To hold would be to wait for a train that never comes. In 2025, the working man cannot afford to wait. He must move, adapt, or be left in the dust.
VictoryShares USAA Core Short-Term Bond ETF (USTB) is a relic of a bygone era. Its peak in 2021, followed by a collapse, mirrors the rise and fall of countless dreams. Now, in 2025, it lingers like a ghost-haunting those who once believed in its promise. 🤑
Glossary
Stake: The ownership interest or investment held in a particular security or fund.
13F reportable assets under management (AUM): The total value of securities that an institutional investment manager must report quarterly to the SEC on Form 13F.
Dividend yield: Annual dividends paid by a fund or stock divided by its current price, expressed as a percentage.
Exchange-traded fund (ETF): An investment fund traded on stock exchanges, holding a basket of assets like stocks or bonds.
Short-term debt securities: Bonds or notes that mature in three years or less, typically with lower risk and returns.
Portfolio maturity: The average time until the bonds or debt instruments in a portfolio mature.
Emerging markets: Economies in the process of rapid growth and industrialization, often with higher risk and return potential.
Fixed income securities: Investments, such as bonds, that pay regular interest and return principal at maturity.
Total return: The investment’s price change plus all dividends and distributions, assuming those payouts are reinvested.
Indicated dividend yield: The most recent dividend, annualized, divided by the current share price, indicating expected yield.
Assets under management (AUM): The total market value of investments managed by a fund or investment firm.
Dollar-weighted average: An average where each component is weighted by its dollar value, often used for portfolio calculations.
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2025-11-11 05:18