Should ETF Investors Consider CLOs? Inspirion Opens $25 Million CLOA Position

What happened

According to a recent SEC filing dated Jan. 8, 2026, Inspirion Wealth Advisors established a new position in BlackRock ETF Trust II - iShares AAA CLO Active ETF (NASDAQ:CLOA), acquiring 499,926 shares. The estimated transaction value was $25.87 million, calculated using the average price during the filing quarter.

What else to know

• This is a new position, now accounting for 3.17% of Inspirion Wealth Advisors' reportable assets under management.
• Top holdings after the filing:
  • Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund ETF: $71.95 million (8.8% of AUM)
  • Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF: $69.14 million (8.5% of AUM)
  • Janus Henderson AAA CLO ETF: $68.77 million (8.4% of AUM)
  • Capital Group International Focus Equity ETF: $55.86 million (6.8% of AUM)
  • Vanguard Mid-Cap Value Index Fund ETF: $47.99 million (5.9% of AUM)
• As of Jan. 8, 2026, shares were priced at $51.80, up 5.4% on a total return basis over the past year, underperforming the S&P 500 by 13.76 percentage points.
• The fund reported a 5.35% annualized dividend yield as of Jan. 9, 2026.

ETF overview

ETF snapshot

• Investment strategy focuses on actively managing a portfolio of U.S. dollar-denominated collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) rated AAA or equivalent, seeking to provide high-quality credit exposure and income generation.
• Underlying holdings consist primarily of AAA-rated CLO tranches, with the fund maintaining at least 80% allocation to these securities; the portfolio is non-diversified and may include CLOs of any maturity.
• The fund operates as an exchange-traded fund (ETF) structure.

iShares AAA CLO Active ETF (CLOA) provides institutional and retail investors with access to a portfolio of high-quality, AAA-rated CLO securities. The fund leverages BlackRock's expertise in credit markets to actively select and manage CLO exposures, aiming to deliver attractive income while maintaining a strong credit profile. Its strategy is designed to appeal to investors seeking enhanced yield with a focus on principal preservation and liquidity within the structured credit space.

What this transaction means for investors

Collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) are pools of corporate loans from medium and large businesses. Investing in a CLO exchange-traded fund means you get access to several -- in CLOA's case, 355 -- CLOs that you can buy and sell like you would a share of a company's stock.

The ETF is relatively new, having been created in January 2023, but it currently yields north of 5% and distributes its dividend monthly, which makes it attractive for income investors seeking low volatility and regular payments. Because of the nature of its holdings, you won't be investing for growth here. The ETF's share price is up just 3% since 2023 and basically flat over the last year, but the fund's AAA-rated loans and regular payouts may make sense if you're looking for reliable income or a safe place to park your money.

The CLOA ETF also makes sense in the context of Inspirion's other top holdings, which include the Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund and the Vanguard Growth Index Fund, taking advantage of the stability and simplicity of large ETFs with slightly different goals to yield steady appreciation and regular dividend income.

Glossary

ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund): An investment fund traded on stock exchanges, holding assets like stocks or bonds.
Collateralized Loan Obligation (CLO): A security backed by a pool of corporate loans, divided into tranches with varying risk levels.
AAA-rated: The highest credit rating assigned to a security, indicating extremely low risk of default.
Active management: An investment approach where managers make ongoing decisions to buy or sell assets, aiming to outperform benchmarks.
Dividend yield: The annual dividend income from an investment, shown as a percentage of its current price.
13F reportable AUM: Assets under management that must be disclosed in quarterly SEC Form 13F filings by institutional investors.
Tranche: A portion or slice of a security, each with different risk, return, or maturity characteristics.
Non-diversified: A fund that invests in a limited number of securities or sectors, increasing potential risk.
Principal preservation: An investment goal focused on protecting the original amount invested from loss.
Structured credit: Financial products created by pooling and repackaging debt instruments, such as CLOs or mortgage-backed securities.

Sarah Sidlow has positions in Vanguard Whitehall Funds - Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Vanguard Index Funds - Vanguard Growth ETF and Vanguard Whitehall Funds - Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF. The Motley Fool recommends BlackRock. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.