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The CoreValues America First Technology ETF (USMD) has arrived, and it's here to make your portfolio great again
In a market saturated with ETFs tracking everything from uranium miners to companies run by women named “Jennifer,” one product has dared to ask the question nobody was asking: “What if my index fund was also a bumper sticker?”
Enter the CoreValues America First Technology ETF, ticker symbol USMD, because nothing says “subtle” like naming your fund after a patriotic slogan and a military medical designation simultaneously.
What's In The Box?
According to the filing, USMD targets “autonomous systems, cybersecurity, and defence technology” – which is a fancy way of saying “robots, hackers who work for us, and things that go boom.” The fund will invest in companies that “enhance America's industrial leadership and defence capabilities,” presumably screened by an algorithm that checks each stock's flag emoji usage on corporate Twitter accounts.
Potential holdings include Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (KTOS) and Fortinet (FTNT) companies whose primary qualification appears to be having names that sound like rejected Transformers characters.
The Fee Situation
The actively managed fund has an expense ratio of 0.87%, which is approximately 87 basis points more than you'd pay for a boring, unpatriotic index fund that doesn't care whether its semiconductor holdings were fabricated by freedom-loving hands.
But can you really put a price on liberty? Apparently yes, and it's 0.87% annually.
Timing Is Everything
The fund's launch timing is exquisite. CoreValues America First Technology ETF launched on NYSE Arca in late January 2026, arriving just as geopolitical tensions have made “defence stocks” the new “AI stocks” in terms of dinner party conversation dominance.
It joins a crowded field of defence-themed products but distinguishes itself by being the only one that sounds like it was named by a focus group of people who describe themselves as “fiscally conservative but socially... also conservative.”
The Competitive Landscape
USMD enters a market where Aerospace & Defence saw $5.4 billion in inflows in 2025, suggesting that investors have collectively decided that the best hedge against global instability is to own the companies profiting from it. It's the financial equivalent of investing in umbrella companies when you see storm clouds.
The fund will compete with offerings from the likes of iShares, SPDR, and Invesco, legacy providers who boringly refused to put “America First” in their fund names, presumably because their legal teams still had some fight left in them.
Who Is This For?
USMD appears designed for the investor who has thought to themselves: “I like technology, I like America, and I wish there was a way to express both preferences while also paying active management fees.”
It's for people who look at a standard defence ETF and think: “Sure, but is it patriotic enough?”
It's for the portfolio that already includes a gold ETF “just in case,” a Bitcoin allocation “for the kids,” and a concerning number of positions in companies that sell freeze-dried food.
The Bottom Line
In an industry where product differentiation increasingly comes down to vibes rather than methodology, USMD has committed fully to the bit. The fund doesn't just invest in American technology companies, it believes in them.
Will it outperform a vanilla tech ETF? Who knows. But will it make you feel something when you check your brokerage app? Almost certainly.
And really, isn't that what investing is all about?
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