Form 485APOS Cambria ETF Trust
AS FILED WITH THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON DECEMBER 17, 2024.
No. 811-22704
No. 333-180879
FORM N-1A
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
| REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 | ☒ |
| Pre-Effective Amendment No. | ☐ |
| Post-Effective Amendment No. 249 | ☒ |
and/or
| REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 | ☒ |
| Amendment No. 251 | ☒ |
(Check appropriate box or boxes)
CAMBRIA ETF TRUST
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
3300 Highland Avenue
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(Address of Principal Executive Offices, Zip Code)
(310) 683-5500
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)
Corporation Service Company
2711 Centreville Road
Suite 400
Wilmington, DE 19808
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
Copy to:
W. John McGuire
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
1111 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20004
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):
| ☐ | Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) | |
| ☐ | On (date) pursuant to paragraph (b) | |
| ☐ | 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) | |
| ☐ | On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) | |
| ☒ | 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) | |
| ☐ | On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485. |
If appropriate, check the following box:
| ☐ | This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment. |
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION
Preliminary Prospectus dated December 17, 2024
THE INFORMATION IN THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED

Prospectus
[-], 2025
Cambria Fixed Income Trend ETF (CFIT)
This Prospectus provides important information about the Fund listed above (the “Fund”), a series of Cambria ETF Trust (the “Trust”), that you should know before investing. Please read it carefully and keep it for future reference.
Shares of the Fund (“Shares”) are listed and traded on [-] (the “Exchange”).
the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) HAS NOT APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THESE SECURITIES OR passed upon the accuracy
or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a
criminal offense.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
No person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this Prospectus and the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information dated [-], 2025 (the “SAI”) (which is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus and is legally a part of this Prospectus) and, if given or made, such information or representations may not be relied upon as having been authorized by us.
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Cambria Fixed Income Trend ETF
Investment objective
The Fund seeks income and capital appreciation.
Fees and expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Shares. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses That You Pay Each Year As A Percentage Of The Value Of Your Investment)
| Management Fee1 : | [-]% |
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees: | [-]% |
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses2,3 : | [-]% |
| Other Expenses3 : | [-]% |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses2 : | [-]% |
| 1 | Pursuant to the Fund’s investment advisory agreement, the Fund pays the Adviser (defined below) a unitary management fee. The Adviser, in turn, bears all of the Fund’s expenses, except for the management fee, payments under the Fund’s 12b-1 plan, brokerage expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses, taxes, interest (including borrowing costs and dividend expenses on securities sold short), litigation expense and other extraordinary expenses (including litigation to which Cambria ETF Trust or the Fund may be a party and indemnification of the Trustees and officers with respect thereto). |
| 2 | Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses may not correlate to the expense ratios in the Fund’s financial highlights because the financial highlights reflect only the Fund’s operating expenses and do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, which are fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund through its investments in certain underlying investment companies. |
| 3 | Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
Example
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that the operating expenses remain the same. The example does not reflect any brokerage commissions that you may pay on purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
| One Year: | Three Years: |
| $[-] | $[-] |
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Portfolio Turnover
The Fund may pay transaction costs, including commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund had not yet commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, it does not have a portfolio turnover rate to provide.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is actively managed using a model-based approach and seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in fixed income securities, including individual bonds as well as exchange traded products and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) that invest primarily in bonds. Fixed income securities include, but are not limited to, the following: U.S. government securities (securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities) such as Treasury bonds, Treasury notes, T-bills and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS); intermediate term (i.e., two- to ten-year maturity), investment grade bonds traded in the United States that comprise the U.S. aggregate bond market; corporate bonds; high yield (or “junk”) bonds; municipal bonds; residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”); convertible securities; preferred securities; private credit; foreign developed government bonds; and emerging market government bonds (i.e., sovereign debt). The Fund may invest in fixed income securities of any duration or maturity.
Utilizing its own quantitative model, the Fund’s investment adviser, Cambria Investment Management, L.P. (“Cambria” or the “Adviser”), generally selects fixed income securities for inclusion in the Fund’s portfolio tactically based on a comparison of current price trends across fixed income categories. Trend can be defined as the direction that prices of a security are moving in, based on where they have been historically. Trends are made up of peaks and troughs. It is the direction of those peaks and troughs that constitute a market’s trend. Whether those peaks and troughs are moving up, down, or sideways indicates the direction of the trend. The Fund will seek to invest in fixed income segments that are in an uptrend.
No less frequently than on a quarterly basis, the quantitative algorithm evaluates the price trends of various categories of fixed income securities. Although Cambria seeks to weight the applicable categories of fixed income securities with price trend strength (other than T-Bills) equally in the Fund’s portfolio, security weights may fluctuate in response to market conditions and investment opportunities that develop between the model’s quarterly calculations.
Cambria expects to obtain exposure to these fixed income securities through investments in other ETFs; however, the Fund may also invest directly in fixed income securities.
To the extent that the various categories of fixed income securities do not demonstrate price trend strength relative to T-Bills, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its portfolio in T-Bills, as market conditions warrant. However, if certain categories of the fixed income universe demonstrate significant trend strength, the Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in each of those applicable fixed income security categories with potentially no allocation to T-Bills.
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Although the Fund employs a model-based investment approach based on Cambria’s proprietary, quantitative algorithm, the Fund may sell a security when Cambria believes that the security is overvalued or better investment opportunities are available, to invest in cash and cash equivalents, or to meet redemptions. Cambria expects to adjust the Fund’s holdings at least quarterly to meet the investment criteria and target allocations (e.g., security weights) established by the Fund’s quantitative algorithm.
Principal Risks
An investment in the Fund involves risk. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. The Fund’s principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate investors’ ability to identify particular risks and compare them with the risks of other funds. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return, and/or ability to meet its objective. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. An investor may lose money by investing in the Fund. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections titled “Additional Information About the Fund’s Risks” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible securities are subject to market risk, interest rate risk, and credit risk similar to debt securities but are also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to their underlying common stock. The total return for a convertible security depends, in part, upon the performance of the underlying security into which it can be converted. In general, the market value of a convertible security performs similar to a debt security in that it tends to increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality.
Corporate Bond Risk. Corporate bonds respond to economic developments, especially changes in interest rates, as well as perceptions of the creditworthiness and business prospects of individual issuers.
Cyber Security Risk. The Fund, and its service providers, may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, including Cambria, the sub-adviser, the custodian, and the transfer agent, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches.
Emerging Markets Risk. Emerging market investments are subject to the same risks as foreign investments and to additional risks due to greater political and economic uncertainties as well as a relative lack of information about issuers in such markets. For example, emerging markets may be subject to, among other risks, greater market volatility; lower trading volume and liquidity; greater social, political and economic uncertainty; governmental controls on foreign investments and limitations on repatriation of invested capital; lower disclosure, corporate governance, auditing and financial reporting standards; fewer protections of property rights; fewer investor rights and limited legal, contractual or practical remedies available to investors against emerging market companies; restrictions on the transfer of securities or currency; and settlement and trading practices that differ from U.S. markets and markets of more developed countries.
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ETF Structure Risk. The Fund is an ETF, and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, it is exposed to the following risks:
Authorized Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) Authorized Participants exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other Authorized Participants step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to effect redemptions by Authorized Participants, in whole or in part, for the cash value of large blocks of Shares called Creation Units. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions and be less tax-efficient than if the in-kind redemption process was used exclusively. In addition, cash redemptions may incur higher brokerage costs than in-kind redemptions and these added costs may be borne by the Fund and negatively impact Fund performance.
Premium-Discount Risk. Shares may trade above (premium) or below (discount) their NAV. The market prices of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as the relative supply of, and demand for, Shares on the Exchange. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the Shares and the underlying value of those Shares.
Secondary Market Trading Risk. Investors buying or selling Shares in the secondary market may pay brokerage commissions or other charges, which may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur a bid/ask spread, which varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity and is generally higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Although the Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active or liquid trading market for them will develop or be maintained. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted.
Exchange-Traded Funds and Investment Companies Risk. The risks of investing in securities of ETFs and investment companies typically reflect the risks of the types of instruments in which the underlying ETF or investment company invests. In addition, with such investments, the Fund bears its proportionate share of the fees and expenses of the underlying entity. As a result, the Fund’s operating expenses may be higher and performance may be lower.
Fixed Income Risk. A decline in an issuer’s credit rating and/or financial condition may cause such issuer’s fixed income securities to decrease in value while experiencing increased volatility and investment risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” (or repay) the security before its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income. The market value of a fixed income security generally changes in response to changes in interest rates and may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer defaults and changes in issuer credit ratings.
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Foreign Securities Risk. Returns on investments in foreign securities could be more volatile than, or trail the returns on, investments in U.S. securities. Exposures to foreign securities entail special risks, including risks due to: (i) differences in information available about foreign issuers; (ii) differences in investor protection standards in other jurisdictions; (iii) capital controls risks, including the risk of a foreign jurisdiction imposing restrictions on the ability to repatriate or transfer currency or other assets; (iv) political, diplomatic and economic risks; (v) regulatory risks; and (vi) foreign market and trading risks, including the costs of trading and risks of settlement in foreign jurisdictions. In addition, the Fund’s investments in securities denominated in other currencies could decline due to changes in local currency relative to the value of the U.S. dollar, which may affect the Fund’s returns.
High Yield Securities Risk. High yield securities and unrated securities of comparable credit quality are subject to the increased risk of an issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payment obligations. High yield securities are subject to a greater risk of default and investments in them are inherently speculative. The secondary markets in which high yield securities are traded may be less liquid and more volatile than the market for higher grade securities.
Inflation-Protected Security Risk. Inflation-protected securities, such as Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), provide protection against inflation. Inflation-protected securities typically decrease in value when real interest rates rise and increase in value when real interest rates fall.
Interest Rate Risk. The market value of fixed income securities, and financial instruments related to fixed income securities, will change in response to changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the value of certain fixed income securities is likely to decrease. Similarly, if interest rates decline, the value of fixed income securities is likely to increase. Longer maturity securities tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates and more volatile; and thus if the Fund has a longer portfolio maturity, the Fund generally is subject to greater interest rate risk. Risks associated with rising interest rates are heightened given the Federal Reserve’s recent increases in interest rates. To the extent that rates increase substantially and/or rapidly, the Fund may be subject to significant losses.
Investment Risk. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed using a model-based approach, and the Adviser selects Fund investments on a periodic basis using a proprietary quantitative algorithm developed by the Adviser for the Fund. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes, or the Adviser’s quantitative model, will be effective or successful investment management techniques or that the Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of particular Fund investments will be correct even if the Adviser’s overall investment strategies and processes are otherwise effective. Further, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Market Events Risk. Turbulence in the financial markets, reduced liquidity in the fixed income markets, and/or the advent of certain economic or political events, including global events such as war, acts of terrorism or a public health crisis, may negatively affect issuers, which could have an adverse effect on certain Fund holdings. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government, Federal Reserve and/or other government actors, such as the recent increases in interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on certain Fund holdings.
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Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk. Movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain types of MBS. In addition, MBS generally can be prepaid at any time, and prepayments that occur either more quickly (prepayment risk) or more slowly (extension risk) than expected can adversely impact the value of such securities. MBS may be negatively affected by the quality of the underlying mortgages, the credit quality of its issuer or guarantor, and the nature and structure of its credit support. MBS not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government are subject to the risk of default on the underlying mortgage, particularly during periods of economic downturn.
Municipal Security Risk. Municipal securities can be significantly affected by political or economic changes, including changes made in the law after issuance of the securities, as well as uncertainties in the municipal market related to taxation, legislative changes or the rights of municipal security holders, including in connection with an issuer insolvency. Municipal securities backed by current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets can be negatively affected by the inability to collect revenues from such projects or assets. Certain municipal securities are issued by entities with limited taxing authority such as school districts, or are dependent on revenue from a particular sector or industry, such as the utilities sector, infrastructure sector, or transportation industry.
Preferred Securities Risk. Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies.
Private Credit Risk. Investments in private securities are illiquid. These securities are not traded in public markets and can be subject to various restrictions on resale. In addition, there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to realize the value of private securities in a timely manner. Further, private credit investments can range in credit quality depending on security-specific factors, including total leverage.
Quantitative Security Selection Risk. Cambria uses quantitative techniques to generate investment decisions and select fixed income securities, and the Fund may not perform as intended if it relies on erroneous or outdated data from one or more third parties. Errors in data used in the quantitative model may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected before having an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders.
Sovereign Debt Securities Risk. Investments in sovereign debt obligations involve special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. The issuer of the sovereign debt or the authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and the Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a default. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt, and the Fund’s NAV, may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations. In the past, certain non-U.S. markets have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest and declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debts. These risks increase for lower-rated and high yield debt securities, as discussed in this Prospectus.
U.S. Government Securities Risk. U.S. government securities are subject to market risk, interest rate risk and credit risk. Securities, such as those issued or guaranteed the U.S. Treasury, that are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States are guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity and the market prices for such securities will fluctuate. Notwithstanding that these securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, circumstances could arise that would prevent the payment of interest or principal. This would result in losses to the Fund.
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Performance
The Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus. Performance information will be available in the Prospectus after the Fund has been in operation for one full calendar year. When provided, the information will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns compare with a broad measure of market performance. As always, please note that the Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information will be available at www.cambriafunds.com/cfit.
Investment Advisers
Cambria Investment Management, L.P. serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. Tidal Investments LLC serves as the sub-adviser (the “Sub-Adviser”) to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Mebane T. Faber, Chief Investment Officer of Cambria, and Jonathan Keetz, Chief Operating Officer of Cambria, are the portfolio managers for the Fund and have managed the Fund since its inception in [-] 2025.
Purchase And Sale of Fund Shares
Individual Shares are listed on a national securities exchange and may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a “premium”) or less than NAV (at a “discount”). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying and selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.cambriafunds.com/cfit.
Tax Information
Distributions you receive from the Fund are generally taxable to you as ordinary income for federal income tax purposes, except that distributions will be taxed to you at long-term capital gain rates to the extent reported by the Fund as “capital gain dividends” or “qualified dividend income,” and may also be subject to state or local taxes. Fund distributions may not be taxable to you if you are investing through a tax-advantaged retirement plan account or are a tax-exempt investor, although you may be taxed on withdrawals from your tax-advantaged account.
Purchases Through Broker-Dealers and other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend Shares over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND
Additional Information About The Fund’s Investment Strategies and Risks
Additional Information About the Fund’s Strategies
This Prospectus does not describe all of the Fund’s investment practices. For more information about other types of investments the Fund may make, and about the risks of investing in the Fund, please see the Fund’s SAI, which is available upon request. The Fund’s investment objective is a non-fundamental investment policy and may be changed without shareholder approval upon written notice to shareholders.
Temporary Defensive Positions
To respond to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions, the Fund may invest 100% of its total assets, without limitation, in high-quality debt securities and money market instruments. The Fund may be invested in these instruments for extended periods, depending on Cambria’s assessment of market conditions. Debt securities and money market instruments include shares of mutual funds, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, U.S. government securities, repurchase agreements, and bonds that are BBB or higher. While the Fund is in a defensive position, the opportunity to achieve its investment objective will be limited. Furthermore, to the extent that the Fund invests in money market mutual funds, it would bear its pro rata portion of such money market fund’s advisory fees and operational fees.
Additional Information About the Fund’s Risks
This section provides additional information about the risks of investing described under “Principal Risks” in the Fund Summary. The Fund’s principal risks are presented below in alphabetical order to facilitate investors’ ability to find particular risks and compare them with the risks of other funds.
Principal Risks
Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible securities are subject to market risk, interest rate risk, and credit risk similar to debt securities but are also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to their underlying common stock. The total return for a convertible security depends, in part, upon the performance of the underlying security into which it can be converted. In general, the market value of a convertible security performs similar to a debt security in that it tends to increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. However, when the market price of the underlying common stock decreases, the convertible security tends to trade on the basis of its yield and other fixed income characteristics, but when the market price of such underlying common stock rises, the convertible security tends to trade on the basis of its equity conversion features. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality. Convertible securities are typically issued by smaller capitalized companies with stock prices that may be more volatile than those of other companies.
Corporate Bond Risk. Corporate bonds respond to economic developments, especially changes in interest rates, as well as perceptions of the creditworthiness and business prospects of individual issuers.
Cyber Security Risk. The Fund, and its service providers, may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data maintained online or digitally, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, including Cambria, the sub-adviser, the custodian, and the transfer agent, may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches and adversely impact the Fund. For instance, cyber-attacks may impact the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of confidential business information, impede trading, cause the Fund to incur additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures, subject the Fund to regulatory fines or other financial losses, and/or cause reputational damage to the Fund. Cyber security breaches of market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests could also have material adverse consequences on the Fund’s business operations and cause financial losses for the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund and its service providers have established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to address cyber security risks, prevent cyber-attacks and mitigate the impact of cyber security breaches, there are inherent limitations on such plans and systems. In addition, the Fund has no control over the cyber security protections put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect the Fund or its shareholders.
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Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to these securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. For example, emerging markets may be subject to, among other risks, greater market volatility; lower trading volume and liquidity; greater social, political and economic uncertainty; governmental controls on foreign investments and limitations on repatriation of invested capital; lower disclosure, corporate governance, auditing and financial reporting standards; fewer protections of property rights; fewer investor rights and limited legal, contractual or practical remedies available to investors against emerging market companies; restrictions on the transfer of securities or currency; and settlement and trading practices that differ from U.S. markets and markets of more developed countries. Each of these factors may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund Shares and cause the Fund to decline in value.
ETF Structure Risk. The Fund is an ETF, and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, it is exposed to the following risks:
Authorized Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent they cannot or are otherwise unwilling to engage in creation and redemption transactions with the Fund and no other Authorized Participant steps in, Shares may trade like closed-end fund shares at a significant discount to net asset value and may face delisting from the Exchange. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions, Shares may trade at a material discount to net asset value and face delisting.
Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to effect redemptions by Authorized Participants, in whole or in part, for the cash value of large blocks of Shares called Creation Units. As a result, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment than if the in-kind redemption process was used exclusively (i.e., securities are distributed as payment of redemption proceeds). In addition, cash redemptions may incur higher brokerage costs than in-kind redemptions and these added costs may be borne by the Fund and negatively impact Fund performance.
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Premium-Discount Risk. Shares may trade above (premium) or below (discount) their NAV. The NAV of the Fund will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The market prices of Shares, however, will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as the relative supply of, and demand for, Shares on the Exchange. The trading price of Shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. In particular, in stressed market conditions, the market for Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the Shares and the underlying value of those Shares. Cambria cannot predict whether Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. Price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the securities held by the Fund. However, given that Shares can be purchased and redeemed in large blocks of Shares, called Creation Units (unlike shares of closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAV), and the Fund’s portfolio holdings are fully disclosed on a daily basis, Cambria believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of Shares should not be sustained, but that may not be the case.
Secondary Market Trading Risk. Investors buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will generally pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur a bid/ask spread, which varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask spreads.
Although the Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active or liquid trading market for them will develop or be maintained. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. Further, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Exchange-Traded Funds and Investment Companies Risk. The risks of investing in securities of ETFs and investment companies typically reflect the risks of the types of instruments in which the ETF or investment company invests. When the Fund invests in these securities, shareholders of the Fund bear their proportionate share of the fees and expenses of the ETF or other investment company, as well as their share of the Fund’s fees and expenses. As a result, an investment by the Fund in an ETF or investment company could cause the Fund’s operating expenses to be higher and performance to be lower.
Through its investments in investment companies, the Fund may be indirectly exposed to additional risks. Derivatives used by investment companies in which the Fund may invest may cause them to become leveraged, allowing them to obtain the right to a return on stipulated capital that exceeds the amount paid or invested. Use of leverage is speculative and could magnify losses. Although certain investment companies may comply with an outer limit on the Fund's investments in derivatives based on the Fund's value-at-risk, this will not prevent losses of amounts in excess of the Fund's obligations under the derivatives contracts. Other investment companies may not employ any risk management procedures at all, leading to even greater losses.
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Fixed Income Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause the issuer to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations, or cause such issuer to be perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as being in such situations. A decline in an issuer’s credit rating may cause a decrease in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” (or repay) the security before its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income. The market value of fixed income securities, and financial instruments related to fixed income securities, generally changes in response to changes in interest rates and may change in response to other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness. As interest rates rise, the value of certain fixed income securities is likely to decrease. Similarly, if interest rates decline, the value of fixed income securities is likely to increase. While securities with longer maturities tend to produce higher yields, the prices of longer maturity securities tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates and thus subject to greater volatility than securities with shorter maturities. A fund with a longer portfolio maturity generally is subject to greater interest rate risk. Changes in interest rates may also have an impact on equity markets. Risks associated with rising interest rates remain heightened given the Federal Reserve’s recent interest rate hikes, which may have signaled an end to the recent historically low interest rate environment. To the extent that rates increase substantially and/or rapidly, the Fund may be subject to significant losses.
Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other issuer may cause it to default or become unable to pay interest or principal due on the security. The Fund cannot collect interest and principal payments on a security if the issuer defaults. Recent events in the financial sector have resulted in increased concerns about credit risk and exposure. Well-known financial institutions have experienced significant liquidity and other problems and have defaulted on their debt. The degree of credit risk for a particular debt security or other issuer may be reflected in its credit rating. A credit rating is a measure of a bond issuer’s ability to make timely payments of interest and principal. Rating agencies (such as Moody’s, S&P, or Fitch) assign letter designations typically ranging from AAA to A- (lower default risk) through CCC to C (higher default risk) or D (in default). A credit rating of BBB- or higher generally is considered “investment grade.” Credit ratings are subjective, do not remove market risk, and represent the opinions of the rating agencies as to the quality of the securities they rate. Credit ratings can change quickly and may not accurately reflect the risk of an issuer. Generally, investment risk and price volatility increase as the credit rating of a security declines. The value of securities of smaller, less well-known issuers can be more volatile than that of larger issuers. The value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer defaults, changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments and/or perceptions related thereto.
Foreign Investment Risk. The Fund may invest in foreign securities, including non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities traded outside of the United States and U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers traded in the United States. Returns on investments in foreign securities could be more volatile than, or trail the returns on, investments in U.S. securities. Investments in foreign securities, including investments in depositary receipts, are subject to special risks, including the following:
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. There may be less information publicly available about non-U.S. issuers. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to different accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards. Changes to the financial condition or credit rating of foreign issuers may also adversely affect the value of the Fund’s securities. Investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. Because legal systems differ, there is also the possibility that it will be difficult to obtain or enforce legal judgments in certain countries. Since foreign exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its Shares, the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell Shares. Conversely, Shares may trade on days when foreign exchanges are closed. Investment in foreign securities may involve higher costs than investment in U.S. securities, including higher transaction and custody costs as well as the imposition of additional taxes by foreign governments. Each of these factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments.
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Capital Controls Risk. Economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to government intervention and the imposition of “capital controls” or expropriation or nationalization of assets. The possible establishment of exchange controls or freezes on the convertibility of currency, or the adoption of other governmental restrictions, might adversely affect an investment in foreign securities. Capital controls include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to transfer currency, securities or other assets within or out of a jurisdiction. Levies may be placed on profits repatriated by foreign entities (such as the Fund). Capital controls may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities or currency, may adversely affect the trading market and price for Shares, and may cause the Fund to decline in value.
Currency Risk. The Fund’s net asset value is determined on the basis of U.S. dollars; therefore, the Fund may lose value if the local currency of a foreign market depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund’s holdings goes up. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention; by failure to intervene by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks; or by currency controls or political developments in the U.S. or abroad. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates may affect the NAV of the Fund and the price of the Shares. Devaluation of a currency by a country’s government or banking authority would have a significant impact on the value of any investments denominated in that currency.
Political and Economic Risk. The Fund is subject to foreign political and economic risk not associated with U.S. investments, meaning that political events (civil unrest, national elections, changes in political conditions and foreign relations, imposition of exchange controls and repatriation restrictions), social and economic events (labor strikes, rising inflation) and natural disasters occurring in a foreign country could cause the Fund’s investments to experience gains or losses. The Fund also could be unable to enforce its ownership rights or pursue legal remedies in countries where it invests.
Foreign Market and Trading Risk. The trading markets for many foreign securities are not as active as U.S. markets and may have less governmental regulation and oversight. Foreign markets also may have clearance and settlement procedures that make it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell securities. The procedures and rules governing foreign transactions and custody (holding of the Fund’s assets) also may involve delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments. These factors could result in a loss to the Fund by causing the Fund to be unable to dispose of an investment or to miss an attractive investment opportunity, or by causing Fund assets to be uninvested for some period of time.
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High Yield Securities Risk. Securities that are high yield, commonly referred to as “junk bonds,” are regarded as inherently speculative with respect to the capacity to pay interest and repay principal. High yield securities are subject to a greater risk of default and investments in them are inherently speculative. High yield securities may be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher grade securities. The prices of high yield securities have been found to be less sensitive to interest rate changes than are more highly rated investments, but more sensitive to adverse economic downturns or individual corporate developments. Yields on high yield securities will fluctuate. If the issuer of high yield securities defaults, the Fund may incur additional expenses to seek recovery. The secondary markets in which high yield securities are traded may be less liquid than the market for higher grade securities. Less liquidity in the secondary trading markets could adversely affect the price at which the Fund could sell a particular high yield security when necessary to meet liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event, such as a deterioration in the creditworthiness of the issuer. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions may decrease the values and liquidity of high yield securities.
Inflation-Protected Security Risk. Inflation-protected securities, such as Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), provide protection against inflation. Inflation-protected securities typically decrease in value when real interest rates rise and increase in value when real interest rates fall.
Interest Rate Risk. The market value of fixed income securities, and financial instruments related to fixed income securities, will change in response to changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the value of certain fixed income securities is likely to decrease. Similarly, if interest rates decline, the value of fixed income securities is likely to increase. Longer maturity securities tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates and more volatile; and thus a fixed income security with a longer portfolio maturity generally is subject to greater interest rate risk. To the extent that rates increase substantially and/or rapidly, Fund may be subject to significant losses.
Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and it is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed and uses proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantee that the Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of particular investments and strategies for the Fund will be correct or produce the desired results and no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective or outperform other investment strategies over the short- or long-term market cycles. If the Adviser fails to accurately evaluate market risk or appropriately react to current and developing market conditions, the Fund’s share price may be adversely affected. Securities selected by Cambria may not perform as expected. This could result in the Fund’s underperformance compared to other funds with similar investment objectives.
Market Events Risk. Turbulence in the financial markets, reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets, and/or the advent of certain economic or political events, including global events such as war, acts of terrorism or a public health crisis, may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government, Federal Reserve and/or other government actors, such as the recent increases in interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on certain Fund holdings. To the extent the Fund experiences high redemptions because of these policy changes, the Fund may experience increased portfolio turnover, which will increase the costs that the Fund incurs and may lower the Fund’s performance.
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Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk. Movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain types of MBS. Rising interest rates, for example, tend to extend the duration of fixed-rate MBS. As a result, a rising interest rate environment can cause the prices of MBS to be increasingly volatile and increase the risk that payments on principal may occur more quickly or earlier than expected, each of which may adversely affect the Fund’s holdings of MBS. Rising interest rates generally result in a decline in the value of MBS. In addition, MBS generally can be prepaid at any time, and prepayments that occur either more quickly (prepayment risk) or more slowly (extension risk) than expected can adversely impact the value of such securities. MBS are particularly sensitive to prepayment risk, given that the term to maturity for mortgage loans is generally substantially longer than the expected lives of those securities. MBS may be negatively affected by the quality of the underlying mortgages, the credit quality of its issuer or guarantor, and the nature and structure of its credit support. MBS not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government are subject to the risk of default on the underlying mortgage, particularly during periods of economic downturn. In addition, in general, a decline of housing values and other economic developments, such as a rise in unemployment rates or a slowdown in the overall economy, may cause delinquencies or non-payment in mortgages, particularly sub-prime and non-prime mortgages, underlying MBS, which would likely adversely impact the ability of the issuer to make principal and/or interest payments timely or at all to holders of the MBS and negatively affect the Fund’s investments in such securities.
Municipal Security Risk. Municipal securities can be significantly affected by political or economic changes, including changes made in the law after issuance of the securities, as well as uncertainties in the municipal market related to taxation, legislative changes or the rights of municipal security holders, including in connection with an issuer insolvency. Municipal securities backed by current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets can be negatively affected by the inability to collect revenues from such projects or assets. Certain municipal securities are issued by entities with limited taxing authority such as school districts, or are dependent on revenue from a particular sector or industry, such as the utilities sector, infrastructure sector, or transportation industry.
Preferred Securities Risk. Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies. In addition, preferred securities typically have no or limited voting rights with respect to the issuing company. Preferred securities are generally senior to common stock but may be subordinated to bonds and other debt instruments in a company's capital structure and therefore may be subject to greater credit risk than those debt instruments. In the event an issuer of preferred securities experiences economic difficulties, the issuer’s preferred securities may lose substantial value due to the increased likelihood of deferred interest or dividend payments and the fact that the preferred security may be subordinated to other securities of the same issuer.
Private Credit Risk. Investments in private securities are illiquid. These securities are not traded in public markets and can be subject to various restrictions on resale. In addition, there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to realize the value of private securities in a timely manner. Further, private credit investments can range in credit quality depending on security-specific factors, including total leverage, amount of leverage senior to the security in question, variability in the issuer’s cash flows, the size of the issuer, the quality of assets securing debt and the degree to which such assets cover the subject company’s debt obligations. The companies in which the Fund invests may be leveraged, often as a result of leveraged buyouts or other recapitalization transactions, and often will not be rated by national credit rating agencies.
Quantitative Security Selection Risk. Data for some issuers may be less available and/or less current than data for issuers in other markets. Cambria uses quantitative techniques to generate investment decisions and select stocks. Cambria may not perform as intended if it relies on erroneous or outdated data from one or more third parties. Errors in data used in the quantitative model may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected before having an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Securities selected using quantitative analysis can perform differently from the market as a whole as a result of the characteristics used in the analysis, the weight placed on each characteristic, and changes in the characteristic’s historical trends. The factors used in such analyses may not be predictive of a security’s value and its effectiveness can change over time. These changes may not be adequately reflected in the quantitative model.
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Sovereign Debt Securities Risk. Investments in sovereign and quasi-sovereign debt obligations involve special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. The issuer of the sovereign debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and the Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a default. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt, and the Fund’s net asset value, may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations. In the past, certain non-U.S. markets have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest and declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debts. These risks increase for lower-rated and high yield debt securities, as discussed in this Prospectus.
U.S. Government Securities Risk. U.S. government securities are subject to market risk, interest rate risk and credit risk. Securities, such as those issued or guaranteed the U.S. Treasury, that are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States are guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal when held to maturity and the market prices for such securities will fluctuate. Notwithstanding that these securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, circumstances could arise that would prevent the payment of interest or principal. This would result in losses to the Fund. The securities of other U.S. government-sponsored entities (“GSE”), such as Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”), Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), and Federal Home Loan Banks (“FHLBs”), may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, but rather supported through federal subsidies, loans or other benefits. Other GSE entities, such as Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.
Additional Non-Principal Risk Information
Cash and Cash Equivalents Holdings Risk. The Fund may invest in cash and cash equivalents for indefinite periods of time when Cambria determines the prevailing market environment warrants doing so. When the Fund holds cash positions, it may lose opportunities to participate in market appreciation, which may result in lower returns than if the Fund had remained fully invested in the market. This is particularly true when the market for other investments in which the Fund may invest is rapidly rising. Furthermore, cash and cash equivalents may generate minimal or no income and could negatively impact the Fund’s performance and ability to achieve its investment objective.
Operational Risk. The Fund and its service providers, including Cambria, the Sub-Adviser, the Fund’s administrator, custodian, and transfer agent, may experience disruptions that arise from human error, processing and communications errors, counterparty or third-party errors, technology or systems failures. Any such disruptions may have an adverse impact on the Fund. Although the Fund and its service providers seek to reduce these operational risks through their internal controls and processes, it may not be possible to identify and develop policies and controls to address all such risks.
Securities Lending. Although the Fund is indemnified by the Fund’s securities lending agent for losses incurred in connection with a borrower’s default with respect to a loan, the Fund bears the risk of loss of investing cash collateral and may be required to make payments to a borrower upon return of loaned securities if invested collateral has declined in value. Furthermore, because of the risks in delay of recovery, the Fund may lose the opportunity to sell the securities at a desirable price, and the Fund will generally not have the right to vote securities while they are being loaned. These events could also trigger negative tax consequences for the Fund.
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Adviser. Cambria Investment Management, L.P. serves as the Fund’s investment adviser. Cambria is located at 3300 Highland Avenue, Manhattan Beach, California 90266. Cambria is an investment adviser registered with the SEC under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Cambria was founded in 2006 and managed approximately $[-] billion in assets as of [-], 2024.
Cambria is responsible for overseeing the management and business affairs of the Fund and has discretion to purchase and sell securities in accordance with the Fund’s objectives, policies, and restrictions. Cambria continuously reviews, supervises, and administers the Fund’s investment program. Cambria also supervises the Sub-Adviser (defined below), including monitoring of the purchase and sale of securities by the Sub-Adviser and regular review of the Sub-Adviser’s performance, subject to the oversight of the Board.
Cambria has entered into an investment advisory agreement (the “Management Agreement”) with respect to the Fund. Pursuant to the Management Agreement, the Fund pays Cambria an annual advisory fee based on its average daily net assets for the services and facilities it provides payable at an annual rate of [ ]%.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Management Agreement, with respect to the Fund, will be available in the Fund’s report filed on Form N-CSR for the fiscal period ended April 30, 2025.
Cambria bears all of the costs of the Fund, except for the advisory fee, payments under the Fund’s 12b-1 plan, brokerage expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses, taxes, interest (including borrowing costs and dividend expenses on securities sold short), litigation expense and other extraordinary expenses (including litigation to which the Trust or the Fund may be a party and indemnification of the Trustees and officers with respect thereto). The Management Agreement provides that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Board or by a majority of the outstanding Shares of the Fund, on 60 days’ written notice to Cambria, and by Cambria upon 60 days’ written notice and that it shall be automatically terminated if it is assigned.
Sub-Adviser. Tidal Investments LLC, a Tidal Financial Group company, serves as the sub-adviser to the Fund. The Sub-Adviser is a Delaware limited liability company located at 234 W. Florida Street, Suite 203, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204. The Sub-Adviser is the parent company of Tidal ETF Services LLC. The Sub-Adviser was founded in March 2012 and has been managing investment companies since January 2018. As of [-], 2024, the Sub-Adviser had assets under management of approximately $[-] billion and served as the investment adviser or sub-adviser for [-] registered funds. Pursuant to a sub-advisory agreement between Cambria and the Sub-Adviser with respect to the Fund (the “Sub-Advisory Agreement”), the Sub-Adviser is responsible for trading portfolio securities and other investment instruments on behalf of the Fund, including selecting broker-dealers to execute purchase and sale transactions, subject to the supervision of the Adviser and oversight of the Board. Under the Sub-Advisory Agreement, Cambria pays the Sub-Adviser a fee calculated daily and paid monthly out of the fee Cambria receives from the Fund. A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Sub-Advisory Agreement, with respect to the Fund, will be available in the Fund’s report filed on Form N-CSR for the fiscal period ended April 30, 2025.
The Trust is in the process of applying for exemptive relief from the SEC, which, if obtained, will permit the Adviser, subject to certain conditions, to terminate the existing Sub-Adviser or hire new sub-advisers for the Fund, to materially amend the terms of particular agreements with sub-advisers or to continue the employment of a sub-adviser after events that would otherwise cause an automatic termination of a sub-advisory agreement. Consequently, under the exemptive order, the Adviser will have the right to hire, terminate and replace a sub-adviser to the Fund when the Board and the Adviser feel that a change would benefit the Fund. Within 90 days of retaining a new sub-adviser, shareholders of the Fund will receive notification of the change. This structure, known as a “manager of managers” structure, enables the Fund to operate with greater efficiency and without incurring the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approval of sub-advisory agreements. The structure does not permit investment advisory fees paid by the Fund to be increased or change the Adviser’s obligations under the investment advisory agreement, including the Adviser’s responsibility to monitor and oversee sub-advisory services furnished to the Fund, without shareholder approval. Furthermore, any sub-advisory agreements with affiliates of the Fund or the Adviser will require shareholder approval. Until the Adviser and the Trust obtain this relief, the Fund will continue to submit these matters to shareholders for their approval to the extent required by applicable law.
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Mebane T. Faber and Jonathan Keetz are the portfolio managers of the Fund and are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Mebane T. Faber, Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager
Mr. Faber has been co-founder and the Chief Investment Officer of Cambria since 2006, Chief Executive Officer of Cambria since 2018, and has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception. Mr. Faber is the manager of Cambria’s separate accounts and private investment funds for accredited investors. He is also President of the Trust and an interested trustee and the Chairman of the Trust’s Board. Mr. Faber is also the author of the Mebane Faber Research blog, author of Shareholder Yield, and the co-author of The Ivy Portfolio: How to Invest Like the Top Endowments and Avoid Bear Markets. Mr. Faber graduated from the University of Virginia with a double major in Engineering Science and Biology.
Jonathan Keetz, Chief Operating Officer and Portfolio Manager
Mr. Keetz has been the Chief Operating Officer of Cambria since 2020, served as Vice President of Cambria from 2015 to 2020, and has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception. He has also served as Vice President of the Trust since 2020. Mr. Keetz graduated from Bryant University with a Master of Business Administration in 2012.
The Fund’s SAI provides additional information about the portfolio manager, including other accounts managed, ownership in the Fund, and compensation.
ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”), 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, Colorado 80203, serves as the distributor of Creation Units (defined below) for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Shares.
Tidal ETF Services LLC, a Tidal Financial Group company and an affiliate of the Sub-Adviser, 234 West Florida Street, Suite 203, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204, serves as the administrator for the Fund.
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, d/b/a U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, serves as the Fund’s sub-administrator and fund accountant as well as transfer agent to the Fund’s assets.
U.S. Bank National Association, 1555 N. Rivercenter Drive, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, serves as the custodian for the Fund.
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Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20004, serves as legal counsel to the Fund.
[ ], [ ], serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. The independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Fund and reviewing the tax returns.
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by the Exchange. The Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated, in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of Shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Shares are redeemable. The Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of the Shares in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Shares. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Exchange have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES
Shares will be issued or redeemed by the Fund at NAV per Share only in Creation Units, which are likely to cost over $1 million. Creation Units are issued and redeemed for cash and/or in-kind for securities.
Shares will trade on the secondary market, however, which is where most retail investors will buy and sell Shares. It is expected that only a limited number of institutional investors, called Authorized Participants or “APs,” will purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund. APs may acquire Shares directly from the Fund, and APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV per Share only in large blocks, or “Creation Units.” Purchases and redemptions directly with the Fund must follow the Fund’s procedures, which are described in the SAI.
Except when aggregated in Creation Units, Shares are not redeemable with the Fund.
BUYING AND SELLING SHARES ON THE SECONDARY MARKET
Most investors will buy and sell Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers and, therefore, must have a brokerage account to buy and sell Shares. Shares can be bought or sold through your broker throughout the trading day like shares of any publicly traded issuer. When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered prices in the secondary market for Shares. The price at which you buy or sell Shares (i.e., the market price) may be more or less than the NAV of the Shares. Unless imposed by your broker, there is no minimum dollar amount you must invest in the Fund and no minimum number of Shares you must buy.
The Fund lists and trades its Shares on the Exchange and under the trading symbol CFIT.
The Exchange is generally open Monday through Friday and is closed for weekends and the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
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For information about buying and selling Shares on the Exchange or in the secondary markets, please contact your broker or dealer.
Book Entry. Shares are held in book entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), or its nominee, will be the registered owner of all outstanding Shares and is recognized as the owner of all Shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely on the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any stocks that you hold in book entry or “street name” through your brokerage account. Your account information will be maintained by your broker, which will provide you with account statements, confirmations of your purchases and sales of Shares, and tax information. Your broker also will be responsible for distributing income dividends and capital gain distributions and for ensuring that you receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Fund.
Share Trading Prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s Shares may differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and can be affected by market forces of supply and demand for the Fund’s Shares, the prices of the Fund’s portfolio securities, economic conditions, and other factors.
Continuous Offering. The method by which Creation Units of Shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units of Shares are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), may occur at any point. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirements and liability provisions of the Securities Act. For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent Shares and sells the Shares directly to customers or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a characterization as an underwriter.
Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in Shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of Shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the Investment Company Act. As a result, broker-dealer firms should note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted with engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the Shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the Securities Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the Securities Act is only available with respect to transactions on a national exchange.
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ACTIVE INVESTORS AND MARKET TIMING
The Board has evaluated the risks of market timing activities by the Fund’s shareholders. The Board noted that the Fund’s Shares can only be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund in Creation Units by APs and that the vast majority of trading in the Fund’s Shares occurs on the secondary market. Because the secondary market trades do not directly involve the Fund, it is unlikely those trades would cause the harmful effects of market timing, including dilution, disruption of portfolio management, increases in the Fund’s trading costs and the realization of capital gains. With regard to the purchase or redemption of Creation Units directly with the Fund, to the extent effected in-kind (i.e., for securities), the Board noted that those trades do not cause the harmful effects (as previously noted) that may result from frequent cash trades. To the extent trades are effected in whole or in part in cash, the Board noted that those trades could result in dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. However, the Board also noted that direct trading by APs is critical to ensuring that the Fund’s Shares trade at or close to NAV. The Fund may also employ fair valuation pricing, which may minimize potential dilution from market timing. In addition, the Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Fund Shares to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effecting trades. Given this structure, the Board determined that it is not necessary to adopt policies and procedures to detect and deter market timing of the Fund’s Shares.
The Fund has adopted a distribution and service plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act. Under the Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay distribution fees to the Distributor and other firms that provide distribution and shareholder services (the “Service Providers”). If a Service Provider provides such services, the Fund may pay fees at an annual rate not to exceed 0.25% of average daily net assets, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act.
No distribution or service fees are currently paid by the Fund, and the Board has not currently approved the commencement of any payments under the plan. In the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged, over time they would increase the cost of an investment in the Fund because they would be paid on an ongoing basis.
The net asset value, or “NAV,” of Shares is calculated each business day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time.
The Fund calculates its NAV per Share by:
| · | Taking the current market value of its total assets, |
| · | Subtracting any liabilities, and |
| · | Dividing that amount by the total number of Shares owned by shareholders. |
If you buy or sell Shares on the secondary market, you will pay or receive the market price, which may be higher or lower than NAV. Your transaction will be priced at NAV only if you purchase or redeem your Shares in Creation Units.
Because securities listed on foreign exchanges may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its Shares, the NAV of the Fund, to the extent it may hold foreign securities, may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell Shares.
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When calculating the NAV of the Fund’s Shares, expenses are accrued and applied daily and stocks held by the Fund are valued at their market value when reliable market quotations are readily available. Equity securities are valued primarily on the basis of market quotations reported on stock exchanges and other securities markets around the world. If an equity security is listed on a national exchange, the security is valued at the closing price or, if the closing price is not readily available, the mean of the closing bid and asked prices. Certain equity securities, debt securities and other assets are valued differently. For instance, fixed-income investments maturing in 60 days or less are valued primarily using the amortized cost method and those maturing in excess of 60 days are valued at the readily available market price, if available. Investments in non-exchange traded investment companies are valued at their NAVs. Forward foreign currency contracts and swap contracts are generally valued based on the marked-to-market value of the contract. Pricing services, approved and monitored pursuant to a policy approved by the Fund’s Board, provide market quotations based on both market prices and indicative bids.
Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act, the Adviser has been designated by the Board as the valuation designee with responsibility for fair valuation subject to oversight by the Board. If a reliable market quotation is not readily available or is deemed not to reflect current market value, and when the instrument to be priced is not a security, pursuant to the Trust’s valuation policy, such instrument will be fair valued in accordance with the Adviser’s fair valuation policy and procedures, which were approved by the Board. An investment may be fair valued in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to, situations when the value of a security in the Fund’s portfolio has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the market on which the security is principally traded but prior to the close of the Exchange (such as in the case of a corporate action or other news that may materially affect the price of a security) or trading in a security has been suspended or halted. Accordingly, the Fund’s NAV may reflect certain portfolio securities’ fair values rather than their market prices. To the extent the Fund has holdings of tax-exempt, foreign or other securities that may trade infrequently, fair valuation may be used more frequently than for other funds.
Fair valuation may have the effect of reducing stale pricing arbitrage opportunities presented by the pricing of Fund Shares. However, when the Fund uses fair valuation to price securities, it may value those securities higher or lower than another fund would have priced the security. Also, the use of fair valuation may cause the Shares’ NAV performance to diverge from the Shares’ market price and from the performance of various benchmarks used to compare the Fund’s performance because benchmarks generally do not use fair valuation techniques. Because of the judgment involved in fair valuation decisions, there can be no assurance that the value ascribed to a particular security is accurate.
FUND WEBSITE AND DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The Trust maintains a website for the Fund at www.cambriafunds.com. Among other things, this website includes this Prospectus and the SAI, and includes the Fund’s holdings, the Fund’s last annual and semi-annual reports, pricing information about Shares trading on the Exchange, daily NAV calculations, updated performance information, a historical comparison of the trading prices to NAV, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads.
Each day the Fund is open for business, the Trust publicly disseminates the Fund’s full portfolio holdings as of the close of the previous day through its website at www.cambriafunds.com/cfit. A description of the Trust’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Fund’s SAI.
Premium/Discount Information. The Fund is new and therefore does not have any information regarding how often its shares traded on the Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) NAV. This information will be available, however, at www.cambriafunds.com/cfit after the Shares have traded on the Exchange for a full calendar quarter.
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INVESTMENTS BY OTHER INVESTMENT COMPANIES
The Trust and the Fund are part of the Cambria family of funds and related for purposes of investor and investment services, as defined in Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the Investment Company Act.
For purposes of the Investment Company Act, Shares are issued by a registered investment company and purchases of such Shares by registered investment companies and companies relying on Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act are subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 12(d)(1) of the Investment Company Act. The SEC recently adopted Rule 12d1-4 under the Investment Company Act, which permits registered investment companies to invest in exchange-traded funds offered by the Trust, including the Fund, beyond the limits of Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions, including that such registered investment companies enter into an agreement with the Trust. However, if the Fund were to invest in securities of other investment companies beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1)(A), other registered investment companies would not be permitted to rely on Rule 12d1-4 to invest in the Fund in excess of the limits.
DIVIDENDS, OTHER DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
Fund Distributions
The Fund generally pays out dividends from its net investment income, if any, to shareholders quarterly, and distributes its net capital gains, if any, to shareholders annually. The Fund typically earns dividends from stocks in which it invests. These amounts, net of expenses, are passed along to Fund shareholders as “income dividends.” The Fund realizes capital gains or losses whenever it sells securities. Net long-term capital gains are distributed to shareholders as “capital gain dividends.”
Brokers may make available to their customers who own Shares the DTC book-entry dividend reinvestment service. To determine whether the dividend reinvestment service is available and whether there is a commission or other charge for using this service, consult your broker. Brokers may require Fund shareholders to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and net realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole Shares of the distributing Fund purchased in the secondary market. Without this service, investors would receive their distributions in cash.
Taxes
As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in Shares of the Fund will be taxed. The tax information in this Prospectus is provided only as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the federal, state, and local tax consequences of an investment in Shares. This summary does not apply to shares held in an individual retirement account or other tax-qualified plans, which are generally not subject to current tax. Transactions relating to shares held in such accounts may, however, be taxable at some time in the future.
Tax Status of the Fund. The Fund intends to elect and qualify for the special tax treatment afforded to a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”). If the Fund qualifies for treatment as a RIC, and meet certain minimum distribution requirements, then they are generally not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders.
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Certain of the Fund’s investments may be subject to complex provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (including provisions relating to hedging transactions, straddles, integrated transactions, foreign currency contracts, forward foreign currency contracts, and notional principal contracts) that, among other things, may affect the Fund’s ability to qualify as a RIC, affect the character of gains and losses realized by the Fund (e.g., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and defer losses and, in limited cases, subject the Fund to U.S. federal income tax on income from certain of its foreign securities. To the extent the Fund invests in an underlying vehicle that is taxable as a RIC, the tax treatment of complex securities will also apply to such underlying vehicle’s investments in such complex securities and instruments.
Taxes on Distributions
The Fund intends to distribute each year substantially all of its net investment income and net capital gains income. Dividends and distributions are generally taxable to you whether you receive them in cash or in additional Shares. Income distributions by the Fund, including distributions of net short-term capital gains but excluding distributions of qualified dividend income, are generally taxable at ordinary income tax rates. Distributions by the Fund that qualify as “qualified dividend income” are generally taxable to non-corporate shareholders at tax rates of up to 20% (lower rates apply to individuals in lower tax brackets). In order for a distribution by the Fund to be treated as qualified dividend income, it must be attributable to dividends the Fund receives on stock of most domestic corporations and certain foreign corporations with respect to which the Fund satisfies certain holding period and other requirements and you must meet similar requirements with respect to the Fund’s Shares. Distributions that the Fund receives from an underlying fund that is taxable as a RIC will be treated as qualified dividend income only to the extent so reported by such underlying fund. Qualified dividend income is, in general, dividends from domestic corporations and from certain foreign corporations (e.g., foreign corporations incorporated in a possession of the United States or in certain countries with a comprehensive tax treaty with the United States, or the stock of which is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States). The Fund’s investment and/or trading strategies may limit its ability to distribute dividends eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income.
Distributions of the Fund’s net capital gain (which is net long-term capital gain in excess of net short-term capital loss) that are properly designated by the Fund as “capital gain dividends” will be taxable to you as long-term capital gains regardless of your holding period in the Fund’s Shares and regardless of whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional Shares. For non-corporate shareholders, long-term capital gains are generally taxable at tax rates of up to 20% (lower rates apply to individuals in lower tax brackets).
U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing jointly) are subject to a 3.8% tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which includes interest, dividends, and certain capital gains (including certain capital gain distributions and capital gains realized on the sale of Shares). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts.
Corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends received deduction for the portion of dividends they receive from the Fund that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from U.S. corporations, subject to certain limitations. The Fund’s investment and/or trading strategies may limit its ability to distribute dividends eligible for the dividends received deduction.
A RIC that receives business interest income may pass through its net business interest income for purposes of the tax rules applicable to the interest expense limitations under Section 163(j) of the Internal Revenue Code. A RIC’s total “Section 163(j) Interest Dividend” for a tax year is limited to the excess of the RIC’s business interest income over the sum of its business interest expense and its other deductions properly allocable to its business interest income. A RIC may, in its discretion, designate all or a portion of ordinary dividends as Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, which would allow the recipient shareholder to treat the designated portion of such dividends as interest income for purposes of determining such shareholder’s interest expense deduction limitation under Section 163(j) of the Internal Revenue Code. This can potentially increase the amount of a shareholder’s interest expense deductible under Section 163(j) of the Internal Revenue Code. In general, to be eligible to treat a Section 163(j) Interest Dividend as interest income, you must have held your shares in the Fund for more than 180 days during the 361-day period beginning on the date that is 180 days before the date on which the share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend. Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, if so designated by the Fund, will be reported to your financial intermediary or otherwise in accordance with the requirements specified by the Internal Revenue Service.
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Distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits (as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes) first will reduce your adjusted tax basis in your Shares and, after the adjusted basis is reduced to zero, will constitute capital gain. Such capital gain will be long-term capital gain and thus, in the case of individuals, will be taxed at a maximum rate of 20% (or less in some cases, as noted above), if the distributions are attributable to Shares held by you for more than twelve months and as short-term capital gain or loss if they have been held for twelve months or less.
Under a dividend reinvestment service, you may have the option to have all cash distributions automatically reinvested in additional Fund Shares. Any distributions reinvested under such a service will nevertheless be taxable to you. You will have an adjusted basis in the additional Shares purchased through such a reinvestment service equal to the amount of the reinvested distribution plus the amount of any fees charged for the transaction. The additional Shares will have a holding period commencing on the day following the day on which they are credited to your account.
A distribution will reduce the Fund’s NAV per Share and may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gain even though, from an investment standpoint, the distribution may constitute a return of capital. In general, distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year when they are paid. However, certain distributions declared to shareholders of record in October, November or December and actually paid in January of the following year may be treated as paid on December 31 of the calendar year in which declared.
The Fund (or your broker) will inform you of the amount of your ordinary income dividends, qualified dividend income, and net capital gain distributions shortly after the close of each calendar year.
You may be subject to federal backup withholding tax, if you have not provided the Fund (or financial intermediaries, such as brokers, through which you own Shares) with a taxpayer identification number (for an individual, a social security number) and made other required certifications. You may also be subject to state and local taxes on distributions, sales and redemptions.
Taxes When Shares are Sold
Generally, you will recognize taxable gain or loss if you sell or otherwise dispose of your Shares. Assuming you hold your Shares as a capital asset, any gain arising from such a disposition generally will be treated as long-term capital gain if you held the Shares for more than twelve months or if held for twelve months or less will be classified as short-term capital gain. However, any capital loss arising from the disposition of Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of the amount of long-term capital gain dividends received with respect to such Shares. For tax purposes, an exchange of Shares for shares of a different fund is the same as a sale. In addition, all or a portion of any loss recognized upon a disposition of Shares may be disallowed under “wash sale” rules if other Shares of the same fund are purchased (whether through reinvestment of distributions or otherwise) within 30 days before or after the disposition. If disallowed, the loss will be reflected in an adjustment to the basis of the Shares acquired.
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The Fund (or its administrative agents) must report to the IRS and furnish to Fund shareholders the cost basis information for Fund Shares sold. In addition to reporting the gross proceeds from the sale of Fund Shares, the Fund (or its administrative agent) is also required to report the cost basis information for such Shares and indicate whether these Shares have a short-term or long-term holding period. For each sale of the Fund’s Shares, the Fund will permit its shareholders to elect from among several IRS-accepted cost basis methods, including the average cost basis method. In the absence of an election, the Fund will use a default cost basis method which has been separately communicated to you. The cost basis method elected by the Fund shareholder (or the cost basis method applied by default) for each sale of Fund Shares may not be changed after the settlement date of each such sale of Fund Shares. Shareholders should consult with their tax advisors to determine the best IRS-accepted cost basis method for their tax situation and to obtain more information about cost basis reporting. Shareholders also should carefully review the cost basis information provided to them and make any additional basis, holding period or other adjustments that are required when reporting these amounts on their federal income tax returns.
Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units
An Authorized Participant that exchanges equity securities for one or more Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or a loss on the exchange. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Unit(s) at the time of the exchange and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus (or minus) the amount of cash paid (or received) for such Creation Unit(s). A person who redeems one or more Creation Units for equity securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Unit(s) and the aggregate market value of the securities received plus (or minus) the amount of cash received (or paid) for such Creation Unit(s). The IRS, however, may assert that a loss realized that is realized by an Authorized Participant upon an exchange of securities for Creation Unit(s) may not be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales” (for an Authorized Participant that does not mark-to-market its holdings), or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Authorized Participants exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.
The Fund may include cash when paying the redemption price for Creation Units in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities. The Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment than if the in-kind redemption process was used.
If you purchase or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many Shares you purchased or sold and at what price.
NOn-U.S. Investors
If you are a nonresident alien individual or a foreign corporation, trust or estate, (i) the Fund’s ordinary income dividends will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies but (ii) gains from the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund generally are not subject to U.S. taxation, unless you are a nonresident alien individual who is physically present in the U.S. for 183 days or more per year. The Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Different tax consequences may result if you are a foreign shareholder engaged in a trade or business within the United States or if you are a foreign shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of a tax treaty.
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The foregoing is only a summary of certain federal income tax considerations under current law, which is subject to change in the future. Shareholders such as non-resident aliens, foreign trusts or estates, or foreign corporations or partnerships may be subject to different U.S. federal income tax treatment.
You should consult your tax adviser for further information regarding federal, state, local and/or foreign tax consequences relevant to your specific situation. More information about taxes is in the Fund’s SAI.
It is the policy of the Fund to mail only one copy of the prospectus, annual report, semi-annual report and proxy statements to all shareholders who share the same mailing address and share the same last name and have invested in the Fund(s) covered by the same document. You are deemed to consent to this policy unless you specifically revoke this policy and request that separate copies of such documents be mailed to you. In such case, you will begin to receive your own copies within 30 days after our receipt of the revocation. You may request that separate copies of these disclosure documents be mailed to you by writing to us at: 3300 Highland Avenue, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 or calling us at: 855-ETF-INFO (383-4636) (toll free).
Because the Fund had not yet commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund does not have financial highlights to present at this time.
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If you would like more information about the Fund and the Trust, the following documents are available free, upon request:
Annual/Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders
Additional information about the Fund’s investments will be available in its annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders and in its report filed on Form N-CSR. The annual report explains the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year. In Form N-CSR, when available, you will find the Fund’s annual and semi-annual financial statements.
Statement of Additional Information
An SAI dated [-], 2025, which contains more details about the Fund, is incorporated by reference in its entirety into this Prospectus, which means that it is legally part of this Prospectus.
To receive a free copy of the latest annual or semi-annual report, when available, or the SAI, or to request additional information about the Fund, please contact us as follows:
| Call: | 855-ETF-INFO (383-4636) (toll free) |
| Write: | 3300 Highland Avenue |
| Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 | |
| Visit: | www.cambriafunds.com |
Information Provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission
Additional information about the Fund filed with the SEC, including their shareholder reports and the SAI, is available (or will be available) on the EDGAR database on the SEC’s internet site (http://www.sec.gov). You can also request copies of these materials, upon payment of a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the SEC’s e-mail address ([email protected]).
Investment Company Act File No. 811-22704.
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SUBJECT TO COMPLETION
Preliminary Statement of Additional Information dated December 17, 2024
THE INFORMATION HEREIN IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS SAI IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
CAMBRIA ETF TRUST
Cambria Fixed Income Trend ETF (CFIT)
3300 Highland Avenue, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
PHONE: (310) 683-5500
[-], 2025
This Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”) describes additional information related to certain series of the Cambria ETF Trust. The Trust is an open-end registered management investment company under the Investment Company Act. This SAI relates to the Fund listed above.
Shares of the Fund are listed and traded on the [-].
The Fund is actively managed. Cambria Investment Management, L.P. serves as the investment adviser to the Fund, and Tidal Investments LLC serves as the sub-adviser to the Fund. ALPS Distributors, Inc. serves as the Distributor for the Fund.
This SAI is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s Prospectus, dated [-], 2025, as may be revised from time to time, which incorporates this SAI by reference.
Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the Prospectus may be obtained without charge by writing to the Distributor, calling 855-ETF-INFO (383-4636) or visiting www.cambriafunds.com. An annual report for the Fund (when available) can be obtained in the same manner at no charge by request to the Fund at the address, website, or phone number noted above. The Fund’s audited financial statements for the most recent fiscal period (when available) are incorporated in this SAI by reference to the Fund’s most recent Financial Statements and Other Information, which will be included as part of the Fund’s Form N-CSR.
THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION HAS NOT APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THESE SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON THE ADEQUACY OF THIS SAI. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
No person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this SAI and the Prospectus and, if given or made, such information or representations may not be relied upon as having been authorized by the Trust. This SAI does not constitute an offer to sell securities.
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The following terms are used throughout this SAI, and have the meanings used below:
“1933 Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
“1934 Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“Authorized Participant” means a broker-dealer or other participant in the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) or a participant in DTC with access to the DTC system, who has executed an agreement with the Distributor that governs transactions in the Fund’s Creation Units.
“Balancing Amount” means an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of a Creation Unit and the market value of the In-Kind Creation (or Redemption) Basket, used to ensure that the NAV of a Fund Deposit (or Redemption) (other than the Transaction Fee), is identical to the NAV of the Creation Unit being purchased.
“Board” means the Board of Trustees of the Trust.
“Business Day” means any day on which the Trust is open for business.
“Cambria” or the “Adviser” means Cambria Investment Management, L.P., the investment adviser to the Fund.
“Cash Component” means an amount of cash consisting of a Balancing Amount and a Transaction Fee calculated in connection with creations.
“Cash Redemption Amount” means an amount of cash consisting of a Balancing Amount and a Transaction Fee calculated in connection with redemptions.
“CEA” means the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended.
“CFTC” means the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“Creation Unit” means an aggregation of Shares that the Fund issues and redeems on a continuous basis at NAV. Shares will not be issued or redeemed except in Creation Units.
“Distribution Plan” means the Fund’s Distribution and Service Plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act.
“Distributor” means ALPS Distributors, Inc., the distributor to the Fund.
“Dodd-Frank Act” means the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
“DTC” means the Depository Trust Company.
“ETF” means exchange-traded fund.
“Exchange” means [-].
“FINRA” means the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
“Fund” means the series of the Trust discussed in this SAI: Cambria Fixed Income Trend ETF.
“Fund Deposit” means the In-Kind Creation Basket and Cash Component necessary to purchase a Creation Unit from the Fund.
“Fund Redemption” means the In-Kind Redemption Basket and Cash Redemption Amount received in connection with the redemption of a Creation Unit.
“In-Kind Creation Basket” means the basket of securities to be deposited to purchase Creation Units of the Fund.
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“In-Kind Redemption Basket” means the basket of securities a shareholder will receive upon redemption of a Creation Unit.
“Investment Company Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
“IRS” means the Internal Revenue Service.
“NAV” means the net asset value of a Share.
“NSCC” means the National Securities Clearing Corporation.
“NYSE” means the New York Stock Exchange, Inc.
“Prospectus” means the Fund’s Prospectus, dated [-], 2025, as may be amended and supplemented from time to time.
“REIT” means a real estate investment trust.
“RIC” means a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of the Code.
“SAI” means this Statement of Additional Information, dated [-], 2025, as may be amended and supplemented from time to time.
“SEC” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Shares” means the shares of the Fund.
“Sub-Adviser” means Tidal Investments LLC, the investment sub-adviser to the Fund.
“Transaction Fees” are fees imposed to compensate the Trust for costs incurred in connection with transactions for Creation Units. The Transaction Fee is comprised of a flat (or standard) fee and may include a variable fee. For the Transaction Fees applicable to the Fund, see “Transaction Fees” in this SAI.
“Trust” means the Cambria ETF Trust, a Delaware statutory trust.
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The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust formed on September 9, 2011, and an open-end registered management investment company comprised of twenty-three funds, sixteen of which have commenced operations as of the date of this SAI. The Fund is a diversified, actively-managed ETF. The offering of the Shares is registered under the 1933 Act. Cambria serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. Tidal Investments LLC serves as the investment sub-adviser to the Fund.
The Fund offers and issues Shares at NAV only in aggregations of a specified number of Shares, generally in exchange for a basket of securities, together with the deposit of a specified cash payment, or, in certain circumstances, for an all cash payment. Shares of the Fund are listed and traded on the Exchange. Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at, or above NAV.
Unlike mutual funds, Shares are not individually redeemable securities. Rather, the Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis at NAV, only in Creation Units. In the event of the liquidation of the Fund, the Trust may lower the number of Shares in a Creation Unit.
In the instance of creations and redemptions, Transaction Fees may be imposed. Such fees are limited in accordance with requirements of the SEC applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities. Some of the information contained in this SAI and the Prospectus — such as information about purchasing and redeeming Shares from the Fund and Transaction Fees — is not relevant to most retail investors because it applies only to transactions for Creation Units and most retail investors do not transact for Creation Units.
Once created, Shares generally trade in the secondary market, at market prices that change throughout the day, in amounts less than a Creation Unit. Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary market through a brokerage account or with the assistance of a broker may be subject to brokerage commissions and charges.
Diversification
The Fund is “diversified” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. Under applicable federal laws, to qualify as a diversified fund, the Fund, with respect to 75% of its total assets, may not invest greater than 5% of its total assets in any one issuer and may not hold greater than 10% of the securities of one issuer, other than investments in cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. government securities, and securities of other investment companies. The remaining 25% of the Fund’s total assets does not need to be “diversified” and may be invested in securities of a single issuer, subject to other applicable laws. The diversification of the Fund’s holdings is measured at the time the Fund purchases a security. However, if the Fund purchases a security and holds it for a period of time, the security may become a larger percentage of the Fund’s total assets due to movements in the financial markets. If the market affects several securities held by the Fund, the Fund may have a greater percentage of its assets invested in securities of fewer issuers.
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Shares of the Fund are listed and traded on the Exchange. Shares trade on the Exchange or in secondary markets at prices that may differ from their NAV, including because such prices may be affected by market forces (such as supply and demand for Shares). As is the case of other securities traded on an exchange, when you buy or sell Shares on the Exchange or in the secondary markets your broker will normally charge you a commission or other transaction charges. Further, the Trust reserves the right to adjust the price of Shares in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors (namely, to maintain a price per Share that is attractive to investors) by share splits or reverse share splits, which would have no effect on the NAV.
There can be no assurance that the Fund will continue to meet the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares. The Exchange will consider the suspension of trading in, and will initiate delisting proceedings of, Shares under any of the following circumstances: (i) if any of the requirements set forth in the Exchange rules are not continuously maintained; (ii) if the Exchange files separate proposals under Section 19(b) of the Investment Company Act and any of the statements regarding (a) the description of the Fund; (b) limitations on the Fund’s portfolio holdings or reference assets; or (c) the applicability of the Exchange listing rules specified in such proposals are not continuously maintained; (iii) if following the initial 12-month period beginning at the commencement of trading of the Fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the Shares of the Fund; or (iv) such other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on such Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will remove the Shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by the Exchange. The Exchange makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly or the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective. The Exchange has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The Board has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Fund’s portfolio securities. Under the policy, portfolio holdings of the Fund, which form the basis for the calculation of NAV on a Business Day, are publicly disseminated prior to the opening of trading on the Exchange that Business Day through financial reporting or news services, including the website www.cambriafunds.com. In addition, each Business Day a portfolio composition file, which displays the In-Kind Creation Basket and Cash Component, is publicly disseminated prior to the opening of the Exchange via the NSCC.
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INVESTMENT POLICIES AND RESTRICTIONS
In addition to the investment objectives and policies set forth in the Prospectus, the Fund is subject to the investment restrictions set forth below. The investment policies enumerated in this section may be changed with respect to the Fund only by a vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities. For the purposes of the Investment Company Act, a “majority of outstanding shares” means the vote of the lesser of: (i) 67% or more of the voting securities of the Fund present at the meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy; or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.
| 1. | The Fund may not borrow money, except to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief. |
| 2. | The Fund may not issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief. |
| 3. | The Fund may not engage in the business of underwriting securities except to the extent that the Fund may be considered an underwriter within the meaning of the 1933 Act in the acquisition, disposition or resale of its portfolio securities or in connection with investments in other investment companies, or to the extent otherwise permitted under the Investment Company Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief. |
| 4. | The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate, except to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief. |
| 5. | The Fund may not purchase or sell commodities, contracts relating to commodities or options on contracts relating to commodities except to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief. This policy shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling foreign currency or purchasing, selling or entering into futures contracts, options, forward contracts, swaps, caps, floors, collars and other financial instruments as currently exist or may in the future be developed. |
| 6. | The Fund may not make loans, except to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief. |
| 7. | The Fund will not concentrate its investments in issuers of one or more particular industries. |
In addition to the foregoing fundamental investment policies, the Fund is also subject to the following non-fundamental investment policies, which may be changed by the Board without a shareholder vote upon at least 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders:
| 1. | The Fund may not hold illiquid assets in excess of 15% of its net assets. For this purpose, “illiquid securities” are securities that the Fund may not sell or dispose of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which the Fund has valued the securities. A repurchase agreement maturing in more than seven days is considered illiquid, unless it can be terminated after a notice period of seven days or less. |
| 2. | Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in fixed income securities, including individual bonds as well as exchange traded products and ETFs that invest primarily in bonds. |
With respect to the fundamental policy relating to borrowing money set forth in (1) above, the Investment Company Act permits the Fund to borrow money in amounts of up to one-third of the Fund’s total assets, at the time of borrowing, from banks for any purpose (the Fund’s total assets include the amounts being borrowed). To limit the risks attendant to borrowing, the Investment Company Act requires the Fund to maintain at all times an “asset coverage” of at least 300% of the amount of its borrowings (not including borrowings for temporary purposes in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets). Asset coverage means the ratio that the value of the Fund’s total assets (including amounts borrowed), minus liabilities other than borrowings, bears to the aggregate amount of all borrowings. In the event that such asset coverage falls below this percentage, the Fund is required to reduce the amount of its borrowings within three days (not including Sundays and holidays) so that the asset coverage is restored to at least 300%.
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With respect to the fundamental policy relating to issuing senior securities set forth in (2) above, “senior securities” are defined as fund obligations that have a priority over the Fund’s shares with respect to the payment of dividends or the distribution of Fund assets. The Investment Company Act prohibits the Fund from issuing any class of senior securities or selling any senior securities of which it is the issuer, except that the Fund is permitted to borrow from banks, as described immediately above.
With respect to the fundamental policy relating to making loans set forth in (6) above, the Investment Company Act does not prohibit the Fund from making loans; however, SEC staff interpretations currently prohibit funds from lending more than one-third of their total assets, except through the purchase of debt obligations. (A repurchase agreement is an agreement to purchase a security, coupled with an agreement to sell that security back to the original seller on an agreed-upon date at a price that reflects current interest rates. The SEC staff treats repurchase agreements as loans). Certain types of derivatives give rise to future payment obligations and therefore, also may be considered to be senior securities. Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act permits funds that comply with the conditions therein to enter into certain types of derivatives transactions notwithstanding the prohibitions and restrictions on the issuance of senior securities under the Investment Company Act.
Except with respect to borrowing and illiquid securities, if a percentage limitation is satisfied at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in such percentage resulting from a change in the value of the Fund’s investments will not constitute a violation of such limitation. Thus, the Fund may continue to hold a security even though it causes the Fund to exceed a percentage limitation because of fluctuation in the value of the Fund’s assets, except that any borrowing by the Fund or investment in illiquid securities that exceeds the fundamental investment limitations stated above must be reduced to meet such limitations within the period required by the Investment Company Act or the relevant rules, regulations or interpretations thereunder.
For purposes of applying the limitations set forth in the concentration policy, the Fund, with respect to its equity holdings, if any, will generally use the industry classifications provided by the Global Industry Classification Standards (GICS® ), a widely recognized industry classification methodology developed by MSCI, Inc. and Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS
The Fund’s investment objective, principal investment strategies and associated risks are described in the Fund’s Prospectus. The following information, which supplements and should be read together with the information in the Prospectus, describes the specific investments and techniques applicable to the Fund. Unless otherwise indicated in the Prospectus or this SAI, the investment objective and policies of the Fund may be changed without shareholder approval.
Recent Events. Local, regional, or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the market generally and on specific securities. Periods of market volatility may occur in response to such events and other economic, political, and global macro factors. The COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and higher inflation have resulted in extreme volatility in the financial markets, economic downturns around the world, severe losses to some sectors of the economy and individual issuers, and reduced liquidity of certain instruments. These events have caused significant disruptions to business operations, including business closures; strained healthcare systems; disruptions to supply chains and employee availability; large fluctuations in consumer demand; large expansion of government deficits and debt as a result of government actions to mitigate the effects of such events; and widespread uncertainty regarding the long-term effects of such events.
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Cash Items
The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in cash or cash items pending other investments or to maintain liquid assets required in connection with some of the Fund’s investments. These cash items and other high quality debt securities may include money market instruments, such as securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper, bank certificates of deposit and investment companies that invest primarily in such instruments.
Credit Quality Standards
When investing in fixed income securities and, if applicable, preferred or convertible stocks, the Fund maintains the following credit quality standards, which apply at the time of investment:
For securities that carry a rating assigned by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (a “Rating Organization”), Cambria will use the highest rating assigned by the Rating Organization to determine a security’s credit rating. Commercial paper must be rated at least “A-1” or equivalent by a Rating Organization. Corporate debt obligations, mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities and municipal securities must be rated at least “B-” or equivalent by a Rating Organization. For securities that are not rated by a Rating Organization, Cambria’s internal credit rating will apply and be subject to the equivalent rating minimums described here. The Fund may retain a debt security that has been downgraded below the initial investment criteria.
Debt-Related Investments
Asset-Backed Securities
Asset-backed securities (“ABS”) are bonds backed by pools of loans or other receivables. ABS are created from many types of assets, including auto loans, credit card receivables, home equity loans, and student loans. ABS are issued through special purpose vehicles that are bankruptcy remote from the issuer of the collateral. The credit quality of an ABS transaction depends on the performance of the underlying assets. To protect ABS investors from the possibility that some borrowers could miss payments or even default on their loans, ABS include various forms of credit enhancement.
Some ABS, particularly home equity loan transactions, are subject to interest-rate risk and prepayment risk. A change in interest rates can affect the pace of payments on the underlying loans, which in turn affects total return on the securities. ABS also carry credit or default risk. If many borrowers on the underlying loans default, losses could exceed the credit enhancement level and result in losses to investors in an ABS transaction. Finally, ABS have structure risk due to a unique characteristic known as early amortization, or early payout, risk. Built into the structure of most ABS are triggers for early payout, designed to protect investors from losses. These triggers are unique to each transaction and can include: a big rise in defaults on the underlying loans, a sharp drop in the credit enhancement level, or even the bankruptcy of the originator. Once early amortization begins, all incoming loan payments are used to pay investors as quickly as possible.
Consistent with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies, Cambria also may invest in other types of ABS.
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Corporate Debt Securities
The rate of interest on a corporate debt security may be fixed, floating or variable, and may vary inversely with respect to a reference rate. Debt securities may be acquired with warrants attached. The Fund may invest in commercial interests, including commercial paper, master notes and other short-term corporate instruments that are denominated in U.S. dollars. Commercial paper consists of short-term promissory notes issued by corporations. Commercial paper may be traded in the secondary market after its issuance. Master notes are demand notes that permit the investment of fluctuating amounts of money at varying rates of interest pursuant to arrangements with issuers who meet the quality criteria of the Fund. The interest rate on a master note may fluctuate based upon changes in specified interest rates, be reset periodically according to a prescribed formula or be a set rate. Although there is no secondary market in master demand notes, if such notes have a demand future, the payee may demand payment of the principal amount of the note upon relatively short notice. Master notes are generally illiquid and therefore subject to the Fund’s percentage limitations for investments in illiquid securities. See Appendix B to this SAI for a description of corporate bond credit ratings.
Debt and Other Fixed Income Securities Generally
Debt securities include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies, instrumentalities, and political subdivisions, foreign governments, their authorities, agencies, instrumentalities, and political subdivisions, supra-national agencies, corporate debt securities, master-demand notes, Yankee dollar and Eurodollar bank certificates of deposit, time deposits, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper and other notes, inflation-indexed securities, and other debt securities. Debt securities may be investment grade securities or high yield securities, which are described below. Investment grade securities include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, as well as securities rated in one of the four highest rating categories by at least two Rating Organizations rating that security, such as Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (“Standard & Poor’s”), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or Fitch Ratings Ltd. (“Fitch”), or rated in one of the four highest rating categories by one Rating Organization if it is the only Rating Organization rating that security or unrated, if deemed to be of comparable quality by Cambria and traded publicly on the world market. The Fund, at the discretion of Cambria, may retain a debt security that has been downgraded below the initial investment criteria.
Debt and other fixed income securities include fixed and floating rate securities of any maturity. Fixed rate securities pay a specified rate of interest or dividends. Floating rate securities pay a rate that is adjusted periodically by reference to a specified index or market rate. Fixed and floating rate securities include securities issued by federal, state, local, and foreign governments and related agencies, and by a wide range of private issuers, and generally are referred to in this SAI as “fixed income securities.” Indexed bonds are a type of fixed income security whose principal value and/or interest rate is adjusted periodically according to a specified instrument, index, or other statistic (e.g., another security, inflation index, currency, or commodity).
Holders of fixed income securities are exposed to both market and credit risk. Market risk (or “interest rate risk”) relates to changes in a security’s value as a result of changes in interest rates. In general, the values of fixed income securities increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. Given the historically low interest rate environment, risks associated with rising rates are heightened. Credit risk relates to the ability of an issuer to make payments of principal and interest. Obligations of issuers are subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws that affect the rights and remedies of creditors.
Because interest rates vary, the future income of the Fund that invests in fixed income securities cannot be predicted with certainty. The future income of the Fund that invests in indexed securities also will be affected by changes in those securities’ indices over time (e.g., changes in inflation rates, currency rates, or commodity prices).
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Exchange-Traded Notes
The Fund may invest in exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”). ETNs are debt obligations of investment banks which are traded on exchanges and the returns of which are linked to the performance of market indexes. The market price for an ETN may be higher or lower than, respectively, the ETN’s NAV. Investing in ETNs exposes the Fund to all the risks of that investment and, in general, subjects it to a pro rata portion of the ETN’s fees and expenses. In addition to trading ETNs on exchanges, investors typically may redeem ETNs directly with the issuer on a periodic basis, typically in a minimum amount of 50,000 units, or hold the ETNs until maturity. ETNs may be riskier than ordinary debt securities and may have no principal protection. The Fund’s investment in an ETN may be influenced by many unpredictable factors, including highly volatile commodities prices, changes in supply and demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, changes in interest rates, and monetary and other governmental policies, action and inaction. Investing in ETNs is not equivalent to investing directly in index components or the relevant index itself. Because ETNs are debt securities, they possess credit risk; if the issuer has financial difficulties or goes bankrupt, the investor may not receive the return it was promised.
High Yield Securities
Securities rated lower than Baa by Moody’s, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, are sometimes referred to as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds.” Investing in these securities involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated fixed income securities. While offering a greater potential opportunity for capital appreciation and higher yields, high yield securities typically entail greater potential price volatility and may be less liquid than higher-rated securities. The Fund may have difficulty selling certain junk bonds because they may have a thin trading market. The lack of a liquid secondary market may have an adverse effect on the market price and the Fund’s ability to dispose of particular issues and may also make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain accurate market quotations in valuing these assets. High yield securities are inherently speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. They may also be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher-rated securities. Issuers of securities in default may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case the Fund may lose its entire investment.
Companies that issue high yield bonds are often highly leveraged and may not have more traditional methods of financing available to them. During an economic downturn or recession, highly leveraged issuers of high-yield securities may experience financial stress, and may not have sufficient revenues to meet their interest payment obligations. Economic downturns tend to disrupt the market for high yield bonds, lowering their values and increasing their price volatility. The risk of issuer default is higher with respect to high yield bonds because such issues may be subordinated to other creditors of the issuer.
The credit rating of a high yield bond does not necessarily address its market value risk, and, from time to time, ratings may change to reflect developments regarding the issuer’s financial condition. Generally, the lower the rating of a high yield bond, the more speculative its characteristics.
Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities
Mortgage-related securities include mortgage pass-through securities, collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”), commercial mortgage-backed securities, mortgage dollar rolls, CMO residuals, stripped mortgage-backed securities (“SMBSs”) and other securities that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property. The value of some mortgage- or asset-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates. Early repayment of principal on some mortgage-related securities may expose the Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. When interest rates rise, the value of a mortgage-related security generally will decline; however, when interest rates are declining, the value of mortgage-related securities with prepayment features may not increase as much as other fixed income securities. The rate of prepayments on underlying mortgages will affect the price and volatility of a mortgage-related security, and may shorten or extend the effective maturity of the security beyond what was anticipated at the time of purchase. If unanticipated rates of prepayment on underlying mortgages increase the effective maturity of a mortgage-related security, the volatility of the security can be expected to increase. The value of these securities may fluctuate in response to the market’s perception of the creditworthiness of the issuers. Additionally, although mortgages and mortgage-related securities are generally supported by some form of government or private guarantee and/or insurance, there is no assurance that private guarantors or insurers will meet their obligations.
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One type of SMBS has one class receiving all of the interest from the mortgage assets (the interest-only, or “IO” class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal only, or “PO” class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s yield to maturity from these securities. The Fund may invest in other asset-backed securities that have been offered to investors.
Other mortgage-related securities include securities other than those described above that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property, including mortgage dollar rolls, CMO residuals or SMBSs. Other mortgage-related securities may be equity or debt securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, homebuilders, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks, partnerships, trusts and special purpose entities of the foregoing.
Municipal Securities
Municipal securities include debt obligations issued by governmental entities to obtain funds for various public purposes, such as the construction of a wide range of public facilities, the refunding of outstanding obligations, the payment of general operating expenses, and the extension of loans to other public institutions and facilities. Other types of municipal securities include short-term General Obligation Notes, Tax Anticipation Notes, Bond Anticipation Notes, Revenue Anticipation Notes, Project Notes, Tax-Exempt Commercial Paper, Construction Loan Notes and other forms of short-term tax-exempt loans. Such instruments are issued with a short-term maturity in anticipation of the receipt of tax funds, the proceeds of bond placements or other revenues. An issuer’s obligations under its municipal securities are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency, and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the federal bankruptcy code, and laws, if any, which may be enacted by Congress or state legislatures extending the time for payment of principal or interest, or both, or imposing other constraints upon the enforcement of such obligations or upon the ability of municipalities to levy taxes. The power or ability of an issuer to meet its obligations for the payment of interest on and principal of its municipal securities may be materially adversely affected by litigation or other conditions.
Municipal securities can be significantly affected by political changes as well as uncertainties in the municipal market related to taxation, legislative changes, or the rights of municipal security holders. Because many municipal securities are issued to finance similar projects, especially those relating to education, health care, transportation and utilities, conditions in those sectors can affect the overall municipal market. In addition, changes in the financial condition of an individual municipal insurer can affect the overall municipal market.
Municipal bonds, which generally have maturities of more than one year when issued, are designed to meet longer-term capital needs. Some longer-term municipal bonds allow an investor to “put” or sell the security at a specified time and price to the issuer or other “put provider.” If a put provider fails to honor its commitment to purchase the security, the Fund may have to treat the security’s final maturity as its effective maturity, potentially increasing the volatility of the Fund.
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The Fund may invest in municipal lease obligations. Municipal leases frequently carry risks distinct from those associated with general obligation or revenue bonds. State constitutions and statutes set requirements that states and municipalities must meet to incur debt. These may include voter referenda, interest rate limits or public sale requirements. Many leases and contracts include no appropriation clauses, which provide that the governmental issuer has no obligation to make future payments under the lease or contract unless money is appropriated for such purposes by the appropriate legislative body on a yearly or other periodic basis. Municipal lease obligations also may be subject to abatement risk. For example, construction delays or destruction of a facility as a result of an uninsurable disaster that prevents occupancy could result in all or a portion of a lease payment not being made.
Investing in the municipal bond market is subject to certain risks. The amount of public information available about the municipal bonds held by the Fund is generally less than that for corporate equities or bonds, and the investment performance of the Fund may therefore be more dependent on the analytical abilities of Cambria. The secondary market for municipal bonds, particularly the lower-rated bonds, also tends to be less well developed or liquid than many other securities markets, which may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to sell its bonds at attractive prices. The ability of municipal issuers to make timely payments of interest and principal may be diminished during general economic downturns and as governmental cost burdens are reallocated among federal, state and local governments. In addition, laws enacted in the future by Congress or state legislatures or referenda could extend the time for payment of principal and/or interest, or impose other constraints on enforcement of such obligations, or on the ability of municipal issuers to levy taxes. Issuers of municipal securities might seek protection under the bankruptcy laws. In the event of bankruptcy of such an issuer, the Fund could experience delays in collecting principal and interest and the Fund may not, in all circumstances, be able to collect all principal and interest to which it is entitled. See Appendix B to this SAI for a description of municipal bond credit ratings.
U.S. Government Securities
U.S. government securities include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its authorities, agencies, or instrumentalities. Different kinds of U.S. government securities have different kinds of government support. For example, some U.S. government securities (e.g., U.S. Treasury bonds and Treasury inflation protected securities (“TIPS”)) are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Other U.S. government securities are issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or government-chartered or -sponsored enterprises but are neither guaranteed nor insured by the U.S. government (e.g., debt securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”), Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA” or “Fannie Mae”), and Federal Home Loan Banks (“FHLBs”).
It is possible that the availability and the marketability (that is, liquidity) of the securities discussed in this section could be adversely affected by actions of the U.S. government to tighten the availability of credit.
As with other fixed income securities, U.S. government securities expose their holders to market risk because their values typically change as interest rates fluctuate. For example, the value of U.S. government securities may fall during times of rising interest rates. Yields on U.S. government securities tend to be lower than those of corporate securities of comparable maturities.
In addition to investing directly in U.S. government securities, the Fund may purchase certificates of accrual or similar instruments evidencing undivided ownership interests in interest payments and/or principal payments of U.S. government securities. Certificates of accrual and similar instruments may be more volatile than other government securities.
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Zero Coupon Securities
Zero coupon securities may be issued by a wide variety of corporate and governmental issuers. Zero coupon securities tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities. When an investor purchases a traditional coupon-bearing bond, it is paid periodic interest at a predetermined rate. Zero coupon securities tend to be subject to greater price fluctuations in response to changes in interest rates than are ordinary interest-paying debt securities with similar maturities. The value of zero coupon securities appreciates more during periods of declining interest rates and depreciates more during periods of rising interest rates than ordinary interest-paying debt securities with similar maturities.
Equity-Related Investments
Common Stocks
Common stock represents an ownership interest in a company and usually possesses voting rights and earns dividends. Dividends on common stock are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of the issuer. Common stock generally represents the riskiest investment in a company. In addition, common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential because increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a company’s common stock price.
The fundamental risk of investing in common stock is the risk that the value of the stock might decrease. Stock values fluctuate in response to the activities of an individual company or in response to general market and/or economic conditions. Historically, common stocks have provided greater long-term returns and have entailed greater short-term risks than preferred stocks, fixed-income securities and money market investments. This may not be true currently or in the future. The market value of all securities, including common stocks, is based upon the market’s perception of value and not necessarily the book value of an issuer or other objective measure of a company’s worth. If you invest in the Fund, you should be willing to accept the risks of the stock market and should consider an investment in the Fund only as a part of your overall investment portfolio.
Convertible Securities
Convertible securities include fixed-income securities, preferred stock or other securities that may be converted into or exchanged for a given amount of common stock of the same or a different issuer during a specified period and at a specified price in the future. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest on debt or the dividend on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged.
Convertible securities have unique investment characteristics in that they generally: (1) have higher yields than the underlying common stock, but lower yields than comparable non-convertible securities; (2) are less subject to fluctuation in value than the underlying common stock since they have fixed-income characteristics; and (3) provide the potential for capital appreciation if the market price of the underlying common stock increases.
A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security’s governing instrument. If a convertible security is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to permit the issuer to redeem the security, convert it into the underlying common stock or sell it to a third party.
Convertible securities are typically issued by smaller capitalization companies whose stock price may be volatile. Therefore, the price of a convertible security may reflect variations in the price of the underlying common stock in a way that non-convertible debt does not. The extent to which such risk is reduced, however, depends in large measure upon the degree to which the convertible security sells above its value as a fixed-income security.
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Investments in Other Investment Companies or Other Pooled Investments
The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies to the extent permitted by law. Subject to applicable regulatory requirements, the Fund may invest in shares of both open- and closed-end investment companies (including money market funds and ETFs). The market price for ETF and closed-end fund shares may be higher or lower than, respectively, the ETF’s and closed-end fund’s NAV. Investing in another investment company exposes the Fund to all the risks of that investment company and, in general, subjects it to a pro rata portion of the other investment company’s fees and expenses. As a result, an investment by the Fund in an ETF or investment company could cause the Fund’s operating expenses to be higher and, in turn, performance to be lower than if the Fund were to invest directly in the securities underlying the ETF or investment company. The Fund also may invest in private investment funds, vehicles, or structures.
Preferred Stocks
The Fund may invest in preferred stocks. Preferred stocks include convertible and non-convertible preferred and preference stocks that are senior to common stock. Preferred stocks are equity securities that are senior to common stock with respect to the right to receive dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from the issuer’s liquidation. Some preferred stocks also entitle their holders to receive additional liquidation proceeds on the same basis as holders of the issuer’s common stock, and thus represent an ownership interest in the issuer. Depending on the features of the particular security, holders of preferred stock may bear the risks disclosed in the Prospectus or this SAI regarding equity or fixed income securities.
Foreign Investments Generally
Foreign Market Risk. Foreign security investment or exposure involves special risks not present in U.S. investments that can increase the chances that the Fund will lose money. These risks are higher for emerging markets investments, which can be subject to greater social, economic, regulatory and political uncertainties, and may have significantly less liquidity, than developed markets. In particular, the Fund is subject to the risk that because there are generally fewer investors on foreign exchanges and a smaller number of shares traded each day, it may be difficult for the Fund to buy and sell securities, or increase or decrease exposures, on those exchanges. In addition, prices of foreign securities may fluctuate more than prices of securities traded in the U.S.
Foreign Economy Risk. The economies of certain foreign markets often do not compare favorably with that of the U.S. with respect to such issues as growth of gross domestic product, reinvestment of capital, resources, and balance of payments positions. Certain foreign economies may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers, and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets, or the imposition of punitive taxes. In addition, the governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investing in their capital markets or in certain industries. Any of these actions could severely affect security prices, impair the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell foreign securities, or obtain exposure to them, or transfer the Fund’s assets back into the U.S., or otherwise adversely affect the Fund’s operations. Other foreign market risks include foreign exchange controls, difficulties in pricing securities, defaults on foreign government securities, difficulties in enforcing favorable legal judgments in foreign courts, and political and social instability. Legal remedies available to investors in certain foreign countries may be less extensive than those available to investors in the U.S. or other foreign countries. Foreign corporate governance may not be as robust as in the U.S. As a result, protections for minority investors may not be strong, which could affect security prices.
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Currency Risk and Exchange Risk. Securities in which the Fund invests, or to which they obtain exposure, may be denominated or quoted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the value of these securities. Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, an investment in a security denominated in that currency loses value because the currency is worth fewer U.S. dollars. Similarly, when the U.S. dollar decreases in value against a foreign currency, an investment in, or exposure to, a security denominated in that currency gains value because the currency is worth more U.S. dollars. This risk is generally known as “currency risk,” which is the possibility that a stronger U.S. dollar will reduce returns for U.S. investors investing overseas. Foreign currencies also involve the risk that they will be devalued or replaced, adversely affecting the Fund’s investments.
Governmental Supervision and Regulation/Accounting Standards. Many foreign governments supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities to a lesser extent than the U.S. government. Some countries may not have laws to protect investors the way that the U.S. securities laws do. Accounting standards in other countries are not necessarily the same as in the U.S. If the accounting standards in another country do not require as much disclosure or detail as U.S. accounting standards, it may be harder to completely and accurately determine a company’s financial condition.
Certain Risks of Holding Fund Assets Outside the U.S. Foreign securities in which the Fund invests, or to which it obtains exposure, are generally held outside the U.S. in foreign banks and securities depositories. The Fund’s custodian is the Fund’s “foreign custody manager” as provided in Rule 17f-5 under the Investment Company Act. The “foreign custody manager” is responsible for determining that the Fund’s directly-held foreign assets will be subject to reasonable care, based on standards applicable to custodians in relevant foreign markets. However, certain foreign banks and securities depositories may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. They may also have operations subject to limited or no regulatory oversight. Also, the laws of certain countries may put limits on the Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank or depository or issuer of a security or an agent of any of the foregoing goes bankrupt. In addition, it likely will be more expensive for the Fund to buy, sell and hold securities, or increase or decrease exposures thereto, in certain foreign markets than it is in the U.S. market due to higher brokerage, transaction, custody and/or other costs. The increased expense of investing in foreign markets reduces the amount the Fund can earn on its investments.
Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets differ significantly from those in the U.S. Foreign settlement and clearance procedures and trade regulations also may involve certain risks (such as delays in payment for or delivery of securities) not typically involved with the settlement of U.S. investments. Communications between the U.S. and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates. Settlements in certain foreign countries at times have not kept pace with the number of securities transactions. The problems may make it difficult for the Fund to carry out transactions. If the Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a purchase of securities, the Fund may miss attractive investment opportunities and certain of its assets may be uninvested with no return earned thereon for some period. If the Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a sale of securities, directly or indirectly, it may lose money if the value of the security then declines or, if it has contracted to sell the security to another party, the Fund could be liable to that party for any losses incurred.
Dividends and interest on, and proceeds from the sale of, foreign securities the Fund holds, or has exposure to, may be subject to foreign withholding or other taxes, and special federal tax considerations may apply.
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Depositary Receipts
The Fund may invest in foreign securities by purchasing sponsored and unsponsored depositary receipts, including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) or other securities convertible into securities of issuers based in foreign countries. These securities may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the securities which they represent. Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are denominated in U.S. dollars and are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, GDRs, in bearer form, are issued and designed for use outside the United States and EDRs (also referred to as Continental Depositary Receipts (“CDRs”)), in bearer form, may be denominated in other currencies and are designed for use in European securities markets. ADRs are receipts typically issued by a U.S. bank or trust company evidencing ownership of the underlying securities. EDRs are European receipts evidencing a similar arrangement. GDRs are receipts typically issued by non-United States banks and trust companies that evidence ownership of either foreign or domestic securities. For purposes of the Fund’s investment policies, ADRs, GDRs and EDRs are deemed to have the same classification as the underlying securities they represent. Thus, an ADR, GDR or EDR representing ownership of common stock will be treated as common stock.
In an unsponsored arrangement, the foreign issuer assumes no obligations and the depositary’s transaction fees are paid by the depositary holder. Unsponsored depositary receipts may be created without the participation of the foreign issuer. Holders of these receipts generally bear all the costs of the depositary receipt facility, whereas foreign issuers typically bear certain costs in a sponsored depositary receipt. The bank or trust company depositary of an unsponsored depositary receipt may be under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the foreign issuer or to pass through voting rights. Accordingly, available information concerning the issuer may not be current, and the prices of unsponsored depositary receipts may be more volatile than the prices of sponsored depositary receipts. In addition, the issuers of securities underlying unsponsored depositary receipts may be subject to less stringent government supervision.
Emerging Markets Risk
Investing in companies domiciled in emerging market countries may be subject to greater risks than investments in developed countries. These risks include: (i) less social, political, and economic stability; (ii) greater illiquidity and price volatility due to smaller or limited local capital markets for such securities, or low or non-existent trading volumes; (iii) foreign exchanges and broker-dealers may be subject to less scrutiny and regulation by local authorities; (iv) local governments may decide to seize or confiscate securities held by foreign investors and/or local governments may decide to suspend or limit an issuer’s ability to make dividend or interest payments; (v) local governments may limit or entirely restrict repatriation of invested capital, profits, and dividends; (vi) capital gains may be subject to local taxation, including on a retroactive basis; (vii) issuers facing restrictions on dollar or euro payments imposed by local governments may attempt to make dividend or interest payments to foreign investors in the local currency; (viii) investors may experience difficulty in enforcing legal claims related to the securities and/or local judges may favor the interests of the issuer over those of foreign investors; (ix) bankruptcy judgments may only be permitted to be paid in the local currency; (x) limited public information regarding the issuer may result in greater difficulty in determining market valuations of the securities, and (xi) lax financial reporting on a regular basis, substandard disclosure, and differences in accounting standards may make it difficult to ascertain the financial health of an issuer. Many emerging market countries have experienced currency devaluations and substantial (and, in some cases, extremely high) rates of inflation. Other emerging market countries have experienced economic recessions. These circumstances have had a negative effect on the economies and securities markets of such emerging market countries.
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Foreign Government Securities
Foreign government securities include securities issued or guaranteed by foreign governments (including political subdivisions) or their authorities, agencies, or instrumentalities or by supra-national agencies. Different kinds of foreign government securities have different kinds of government support. For example, some foreign government securities are supported by the full faith and credit of a foreign national government or political subdivision and some are not. Foreign government securities of some countries may involve varying degrees of credit risk as a result of financial or political instability in those countries or the possible inability of the Fund to enforce its rights against the foreign government. As with issuers of other fixed income securities, sovereign issuers may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal or interest payments.
It is possible that the availability and the marketability (that is, liquidity) of the securities discussed in this section could be adversely affected by actions of foreign governments to tighten the availability of credit.
Supra-national agencies are agencies whose member nations make capital contributions to support the agencies’ activities. Examples include the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank), the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, and the Inter-American Development Bank.
As with other fixed income securities, foreign government securities expose their holders to market risk because their values typically change as interest rates fluctuate. For example, the value of foreign government securities may fall during times of rising interest rates. Yields on foreign government securities tend to be lower than those of corporate securities of comparable maturities.
In addition to investing directly in foreign government securities, the Fund may purchase certificates of accrual or similar instruments evidencing undivided ownership interests in interest payments and/or principal payments of foreign government securities. Certificates of accrual and similar instruments may be more volatile than other government securities.
Illiquid Securities
The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. For this purpose, “illiquid securities” are securities that the Fund may not sell or dispose of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which the Fund has valued the securities. A repurchase agreement maturing in more than seven days is considered illiquid, unless it can be terminated after a notice period of seven days or less.
Cambria also may deem certain securities to be illiquid as a result of Cambria’s receipt from time to time of material, non-public information about an issuer, which may limit Cambria’s ability to trade such securities for the account of any of its clients, including the Fund. In some instances, these trading restrictions could continue in effect for a substantial period of time.
At times, the inability to sell illiquid securities can make it more difficult to determine their fair value for purposes of computing the Fund’s net asset value. The judgment of Cambria normally plays a greater role in valuing these securities than in valuing publicly traded securities.
Private Credit
Investments in private securities are illiquid. These securities are not traded in public markets and can be subject to various restrictions on resale, including substantial holding periods, which may be several years. In addition, there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to realize the value of private securities in a timely manner. Further, private credit investments can range in credit quality depending on security-specific factors, including total leverage, amount of leverage senior to the security in question, variability in the issuer’s cash flows, the size of the issuer, the quality of assets securing debt, and the degree to which such assets cover the subject company’s debt obligations. The companies in which the Fund invests may be leveraged, often as a result of leveraged buyouts or other recapitalization transactions, and often will not be rated by national credit rating agencies.
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Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with banks and broker-dealers. A repurchase agreement is an agreement under which securities are acquired by the Fund from a securities dealer or bank subject to resale at an agreed upon price on a later date. The Fund bears a risk of loss in the event that the other party to a repurchase agreement defaults on its obligations and the Fund is delayed or prevented from exercising its rights to dispose of the collateral securities. Such a default may subject the Fund to expenses, delays, and risks of loss including: (i) possible declines in the value of the underlying security while the Fund seeks to enforce its rights, (ii) possible reduced levels of income and lack of access to income during this period, and (iii) the inability to enforce its rights and the expenses involved in attempted enforcement.
Repurchase agreements may be treated as loans by the SEC staff. The Fund will not enter into repurchase agreements if, as a result, the aggregate amount of the Fund’s loans would exceed 33 1/3% of its total assets.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of securities held by the Fund subject to its agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest. Reverse repurchase agreements are subject to the Fund’s limitation on borrowings and may be entered into only with banks or securities dealers or their affiliates. While a reverse repurchase agreement is outstanding, the Fund will maintain the segregation, either on its records or with the Trust’s custodian, of cash or other liquid securities, marked to market daily, in an amount at least equal to its obligations under the reverse repurchase agreement. Under the Investment Company Act, the Fund may elect to treat reverse repurchase agreements either as (i) borrowings subject to the asset coverage requirement of Section 18 of the Investment Company Act or (ii) derivatives transactions for purposes of Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act including, as applicable, the VaR test to limit leverage risk. Although there is no limit on the percentage of total assets the Fund may invest in reverse repurchase agreements, the use of reverse repurchase agreements is not a principal strategy of the Fund.
Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the buyer of the securities sold by the Fund might be unable to deliver them when the Fund seeks to repurchase. If the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the buyer or trustee or receiver may receive an extension of time to determine whether to enforce the Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities, and the Fund’s use of the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement may effectively be restricted pending such decision.
Securities Lending
The Fund may make secured loans of its portfolio securities; however, securities loans will not be made if, as a result, the aggregate amount of all outstanding securities loans by the Fund exceeds 33 1/3% of its total assets (including the market value of collateral received). For purposes of complying with the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions, collateral received in connection with securities loans is deemed an asset of the Fund to the extent required by law. The Fund continues to receive dividends or interest, as applicable, on the securities loaned and simultaneously earns either interest on the investment of the cash collateral or fee income if the loan is otherwise collateralized.
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To the extent the Fund engages in securities lending, securities loans will be made to broker-dealers that Cambria believes to be of relatively high credit standing pursuant to agreements requiring that the loans continuously be collateralized by cash, liquid securities, or shares of other investment companies with a value at least equal to the market value of the loaned securities. As with other extensions of credit, the Fund bears the risk of delay in the recovery of the securities and of loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially. The Fund also bears the entire risk of loss on any reinvested collateral received in connection with securities lending.
Voting rights or rights to consent with respect to the loaned securities pass to the borrower. The Fund has the right to call loans at any time on reasonable notice. However, the Fund bears the risk of delay in the return of the security, impairing the Fund’s ability to vote on such matters. Cambria will retain lending agents on behalf of the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund’s return on its securities lending. The Fund may also pay various fees in connection with securities loans, including shipping fees and custodian fees. The costs of lending securities are not reflected in the Fund’s Annual Fund Operating Expenses.
“Portfolio Turnover Rate” is defined under the rules of the SEC as the lesser of the value of the securities purchased or of the securities sold, excluding all securities whose maturities at the time of acquisition were one-year or less, divided by the average monthly value of such securities owned during the year. Based on this definition, instruments with a remaining maturity of less than one-year are excluded from the calculation of the portfolio turnover rate. Instruments excluded from the calculation of portfolio turnover generally would include the futures contracts and option contracts in which the Fund invests because such contracts generally have a remaining maturity of less than one-year.
The value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s shares also is excluded from the calculation of the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. As a result, the Fund’s reported portfolio turnover may be low despite relatively high portfolio activity which would, in turn, produce correspondingly greater expenses for the Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Generally, the higher the rate of portfolio turnover of a fund, the higher these transaction costs borne by the fund and its long-term shareholders. Such sales may result in the realization of taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which, when distributed, are generally taxed to shareholders at ordinary income tax rates).
The Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI. Accordingly, no portfolio turnover information is provided.
Trustees and Officers
The business and affairs of the Trust are managed by its officers under the oversight of its Board. The Board sets broad policies for the Trust and may appoint Trust officers. The Board oversees the performance of Cambria and the Trust’s other service providers. Each Trustee serves until his or her successor is duly elected or appointed and qualified.
The Board is comprised of four Trustees. One Trustee and certain of the officers of the Trust are directors, officers or employees of Cambria. The other Trustees are not “interested persons” (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act) of the Trust (the “Independent Trustees”). The fund complex includes all funds advised by Cambria (the “Fund Complex”).
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The Trustees, their age (by year of birth), term of office and length of time served, their principal business occupations during the past five years, the number of portfolios in the Fund Complex overseen and other directorships, if any, held by each Trustee, are shown below. The officers, their age (by year of birth), term of office and length of time served and their principal business occupations during the past five years, are shown below. Unless noted otherwise, the address of each Trustee and each Officer is: c/o Cambria ETF Trust, 3300 Highland Avenue, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266.
Trustees
| Name and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with Trust, Term of Office, and Length of Time Served |
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years |
Number of Funds in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee |
| Interested Trustee* | ||||
|
Mebane Faber YOB: 1977 |
Chairperson of the Board, Trustee, and President of the Trust since 2018; Vice President of the Trust (2013 – 2018); no set term | Co–Founder and Chief Investment Officer (2006 – present), Chief Executive Officer (2018 – present), Cambria Investment Management, L.P. | [-] | None. |
| Independent Trustees | ||||
|
Cullen Roche YOB: 1980 |
Trustee; no set term | Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Orcam Financial Group, d/b/a Discipline Funds (investment firm) (2012 – present). | [-] | None. |
|
Dennis G. Schmal YOB: 1947 |
Trustee since 2013; no set term | Retired. | [-] | Trustee, AssetMark Mutual Funds (since 2007); Trustee, Wells Fargo GAI Hedge Funds (2007 – 2019); Director and Chairman, Owens Realty Mortgage Inc. (real estate) (2013 – 2019). |
|
Thomas (Taz) M. Turner, Jr.** YOB: 1977 |
Trustee; no set term | Founder and Portfolio Manager, Southshore Capital Partners (investment firm) (since 2010). | [-] | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CordovaCann Inc. (Canadian-domiciled cannabis retail) (since 2017). |
| * | Mr. Faber is an “interested person,” as defined by the Investment Company Act, because of his employment with and ownership interest in Cambria. | |
| ** | Messrs. Faber and Turner are first cousins, but they are not immediate family members for the purpose of identifying “interested persons” of the Trust as defined in the Investment Company Act. |
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Officers
| Name and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with Trust, Term of Office, and Length of Time Served |
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years |
|
Aaron Perkovich YOB: 1973 |
Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer since Sept. 2023; no set term |
Head of Fund Administration (since 2023), Fund Administration Manager (2022 – 2023), Tidal ETF Services LLC; Assistant Director – Investments, Mason Street Advisors, LLC (2021 – 2022); Vice President, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (2006 – 2021). |
|
Jonathan Keetz YOB: 1988 |
Vice President since Nov. 2020; no set term |
Chief Operating Officer (since 2020), Portfolio Manager (since 2024), and Vice President (2015 – 2020), Cambria Investment Management, L.P. |
|
Robert E. Spengler Jr. YOB: 1980 |
Chief Compliance Officer since December 2024; no set term |
Senior Principal Consultant, Foreside Fund Officer Services, LLC (2020 – Present); Vice President, Duff & Phelps (2018 –2020); Compliance Manager, Cipperman Compliance Services, LLC (2014 – 2018). |
Additional Information About the Trustees
The following provides information additional to that set forth in the table above regarding other relevant qualifications, experience, attributes or skills applicable to each Trustee.
Mebane Faber: Mr. Faber has extensive experience in the investment management industry, including as a portfolio manager, an author of multiple investment strategy books, and host of his own wealth management podcast.
Cullen Roche: Mr. Roche has extensive experience in the investment management industry, including as a portfolio manager and an author well-known for his research on the monetary system and portfolio construction. He is the founder and Chief Investment Officer of an SEC-registered investment adviser, and he serves as the portfolio manager for the firm’s exchange-traded fund. Mr. Roche has consulted on portfolio management as a discretionary and non-discretionary advisor for over 15 years.
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Dennis G. Schmal: Mr. Schmal has extensive experience in the investment management industry, including as a member of senior management of the investment company audit practice at a large public accounting firm, as well as service on multiple boards of directors overseeing public companies, registered investment companies and private companies and funds.
Taz Turner: Mr. Turner has extensive experience in the investment management industry, including over 20 years of experience investing in global equity and debt securities in both public and private markets on behalf of various hedge funds and private equity firms. In 2010, he founded the investment firm Southshore Capital Partners, and he serves as the firm’s General Partner and portfolio manager for the firm’s global investment fund.
The Board has determined that each Trustee on an individual basis and in combination with the other Trustees is qualified to serve, and should serve, on the Board. To make this determination the Board considered a variety of criteria, none of which in isolation was controlling. Among other things, the Board considered each Trustee’s experience, qualifications, attributes and skills.
Board Structure
Mr. Faber is considered to be an Interested Trustee and serves as Chairman of the Board. The Chairman’s responsibilities include: setting an agenda for each meeting of the Board; presiding at all meetings of the Board and, if present, meetings of the Independent Trustees; and, serving as a liaison between the other Trustees, Trust officers, management personnel and counsel.
The Board believes that having an interested Chairman, who is familiar with Cambria and its operations, while also having two-thirds of the Board composed of Independent Trustees, strikes an appropriate balance that allows the Board to benefit from the insights and perspective of a representative of management while empowering the Independent Trustees with the ultimate decision-making authority. The Board has not appointed a lead Independent Trustee at this time. The Board does not believe that an independent Chairman or lead Independent Trustee would enhance the Board’s effectiveness, as the relatively small size of the Board allows for diverse viewpoints to be shared and for effective communications between and among Independent Trustees and management so that meetings proceed efficiently. Independent Trustees have effective control over the Board’s agenda because they form a majority of the Board and can direct Trust officers, Cambria, and the Fund’s third-party service providers to give presentations and address agenda topics at Board meetings.
The Board normally holds four regularly scheduled meetings each year, at least one of which is in person. The Board may hold special meetings, as needed, either in person or by telephone, to address matters arising between regular meetings. The Independent Trustees meet separately at each regularly scheduled in-person meeting of the Board; during a portion of each such separate meeting management is not present. The Independent Trustees may also hold special meetings, as needed, either in person or by telephone.
The Board conducts a self-assessment on an annual basis, as part of which it considers whether the structure of the Board and its Committees is appropriate under the circumstances. Based on such self-assessment, among other things, the Board considers whether its current structure is appropriate. As part of this self-assessment, the Board considers several factors, including the number of funds overseen by the Board, their investment objectives, and the responsibilities entrusted to Cambria and other service providers with respect to the oversight of the day-to-day operations of the Trust and the Fund.
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The Board sets broad policies for the Trust and may appoint Trust officers. The Board oversees the performance of Cambria and the Trust’s other service providers. As part of its oversight function, the Board monitors Cambria’s risk management, including, as applicable, its management of investment, compliance and operational risks, through the receipt of periodic reports and presentations. The Board has not established a standing risk committee. Rather, the Board relies on Trust officers, advisory personnel and service providers to manage applicable risks and report exceptions to the Board in order to enable it to exercise its oversight responsibility. To this end, the Board receives reports from such parties at least quarterly, including, but not limited to, investment and/or performance reports, distribution reports, Rule 12b-1 reports, valuation and internal controls reports. Similarly, the Board receives quarterly reports from the Trust’s chief compliance officer (“CCO”), including, but not limited to, a report on the Trust’s compliance program, and the Independent Trustees have an opportunity to meet separately each quarter with the CCO. The CCO typically provides the Board with updates regarding the Trust’s compliance policies and procedures, including any enhancements to them. The Board expects all parties, including, but not limited to, Cambria, other service providers and the CCO, to inform the Board on an intra-quarter basis if a material issue arises that requires the Board’s oversight.
The Board generally exercises its oversight as a whole, but the Board has delegated certain oversight functions to an Audit Committee. The function of the Audit Committee is discussed in detail below.
Committees
The Board currently has two standing committees: an Audit Committee and a Nominating Committee. Each Independent Trustee serves on each of these committees.
The purposes of the Audit Committee are to: (1) oversee generally the Fund’s accounting and financial reporting policies and practices, their internal controls and, as appropriate, the internal controls of certain service providers; (2) oversee the quality, integrity, and objectivity of the Fund’s financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (3) assist the full Board with its oversight of the Trust’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the Fund’s accounting and financial reporting, internal controls and independent audits; (4) approve, prior to appointment, the engagement of the Trust’s independent auditors and, in connection therewith, to review and evaluate the qualifications, independence and performance of the Trust’s independent auditors; and (5) act as a liaison between the Trust’s independent auditors and the full Board. During the fiscal year ended April 30, 2024, the Audit Committee met two times.
The purposes of the Nominating Committee are, among other things, to: (1) identify and recommend for nomination candidates to serve as Trustees and/or on Board committees who are not “interested persons” as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act (“Interested Person”) of the Trust and who meet any independence requirements of Exchange Rule 5.3(k)(1) or the applicable rule of any other exchange on which shares of the Trust are listed; (2) evaluate and make recommendations to the full Board regarding potential trustee candidates who are Interested Persons of the Trust; and (3) review periodically the workload and capabilities of the Trustees and, as the Committee deems appropriate, to make recommendations to the Board if such a review suggests that changes to the size or composition of the Board and/or its committees are warranted. The Committee does not consider potential candidates for nomination identified by shareholders. During the fiscal year ended April 30, 2024, the Nominating Committee did not meet.
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Compensation of Trustees. The Independent Trustees determine the amount of compensation that they receive. In determining compensation for the Independent Trustees, the Independent Trustees take into account a variety of factors including, among other things, their collective significant work experience (e.g., in business and finance, government or academia). The Independent Trustees also recognize that these individuals’ advice and counsel are in demand by other organizations, that these individuals may reject other opportunities because of the time demands of their duties as Independent Trustees, and that they undertake significant legal responsibilities. The Independent Trustees also consider the compensation paid to independent board members of other registered investment company complexes of comparable size.
The Independent Trustees are paid $10,000 per quarter for attendance at meetings of the Board and the Chairman of the Audit Committee receives an additional $1,250 per quarter. The Trust’s officers and any interested Trustees receive no compensation directly from the Trust. All Trustees are reimbursed for their travel expenses and other reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attending Board meetings. The Trust does not accrue pension or retirement benefits as part of the Fund’s expenses, and Trustees are not entitled to benefits upon retirement from the Board.
The following table reflects compensation paid to the Trustees for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2024:
| Independent Trustees | Compensation1 |
Compensation Deferred1 |
Total Compensation from the Fund Complex Paid to Trustee1 |
| Cullen Roche2 | $25,000 | $0 | $25,000 |
| Dennis G. Schmal | $45,000 | $0 | $45,000 |
| Taz Turner2 | $25,000 | $0 | $25,000 |
| Interested Trustee | |||
| Mebane Faber3 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| 1 | Trustee compensation is allocated across the series of the Fund Complex on the basis of assets under management. Under the Fund’s Management Agreement, however, Cambria ultimately pays the compensation and expenses of the Trustees. |
| 2 | Messrs. Roche and Turner were elected to serve as Independent Trustees effective as of August 25, 2023. |
| 3 | Mr. Faber is an “interested person,” as defined by the Investment Company Act, because of his employment with and ownership interest in Cambria. |
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Equity Ownership of Trustees. The following table shows the dollar amount range of each Trustee’s “beneficial ownership” of shares of the Fund and each series of the Trust as of the end of the most recently completed calendar year. Dollar amount ranges disclosed are established by the SEC. “Beneficial ownership” is determined in accordance with Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the 1934 Act. The Trustees and officers of the Trust collectively own less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Trust.
| Name of Trustee | Name of Fund | Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund1 |
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Trustee in Family of Investment Companies1 |
| Interested Trustee | |||
| Mebane Faber | n/a | None | Over $100,000 |
| Independent Trustees | |||
| Cullen Roche2 | n/a | None | None |
| Dennis G. Schmal | n/a | None | None |
| Taz Turner2 | n/a | None | None |
| 1 | Dollar ranges are based on a December 31, 2023 valuation date. |
| 2 | Messrs. Roche and Turner were elected to serve as Independent Trustees effective as of August 25, 2023. |
As of December 31, 2023, none of the Independent Trustees or their immediate family members beneficially owned any securities in any investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Trust, or in any person (other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Trust.
Codes of Ethics
The Board, on behalf of the Trust, has adopted a Code of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act. In addition, Cambria, the Sub-Adviser, and the Distributor each have adopted a Code of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1. These Codes of Ethics (each, a “Code of Ethics” and, collectively, the “Codes of Ethics”) apply to the personal investing activities of trustees, directors, officers and certain employees (“access persons”). Rule 17j-1 and the Codes of Ethics are designed to prevent unlawful practices in connection with the purchase or sale of securities by access persons. Under each Code of Ethics, access persons are permitted to engage in personal securities transactions, including in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund, but the access persons are required to report their personal securities transactions for monitoring purposes. In addition, certain access persons are required to obtain approval before investing in private placements and are prohibited from investing in IPOs. Copies of the Codes of Ethics are on file with the SEC and available to the public.
Proxy Voting
The Board has delegated to Cambria the responsibility to vote proxies related to the securities held in the Fund’s portfolios. Under this authority, Cambria is required by the Board to vote proxies related to portfolio securities in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. Cambria has subsequently delegated the authority and responsibility to vote proxies for the Fund’s securities to the Sub-Adviser pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement described in greater detail below. The Sub-Adviser will vote such proxies in accordance with its proxy policies and procedures, which are included in Appendix A to this SAI.
The Trust is required to disclose annually the Fund’s complete proxy voting record on Form N-PX covering the period from July 1 of one year through June 30 of the next year and to file Form N-PX with the SEC no later than August 31 of each year. Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 will be available without charge by calling 855-ETF-INFO (383-4636) or by accessing the Fund’s website at www.cambriafunds.com or the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
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CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES
Cambria owns all of the initial Shares issued by the Fund prior to the commencement of investment operations and the public launch of the Fund.
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AND OTHER SERVICES
Investment Advisory Agreement
Under an investment advisory agreement between Cambria and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Management Agreement”), the Fund pays Cambria a fee at an annualized rate, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, based on its average daily net assets, set forth in the table below:
| Fund | Advisory Fee |
| Cambria Fixed Income Trend ETF | [ ]% |
The Fund had not commenced operations as of the end of the most recent fiscal year. Accordingly, the Fund has not paid any advisory fees to Cambria during the most recently ended fiscal period.
Cambria manages the investment and the reinvestment of the assets of the Fund, in accordance with the investment objective, policies, and limitations of the Fund, subject to the general supervision and control of the Board. Cambria is a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and is a limited partnership organized under the laws of Delaware. The address of Cambria is 3300 Highland Avenue, Manhattan Beach, California 90266. Mebane Faber, Sofia Reyes Descendants Trust, Lillian Elizabeth Richardson Trust, Cambria Investments Holdings, LLC, and Cambria Investments Holdings II, LLC are limited partners of the Adviser, and Cambria GP, LLC is the Adviser’s general partner. Cambria GP, LLC shares the address of the Adviser. Mebane Faber is the sole manager of, and controls, Cambria GP, LLC. Cambria GP, LLC controls the Adviser as its sole general partner. Cambria was founded in 2006 and provides investment advisory services to registered and unregistered investment companies, individuals (including high net worth individuals), pensions and charitable organizations.
Under the Management Agreement, Cambria bears all of the costs of the Fund, except for the advisory fee, payments under the Fund’s 12b-1 plan, brokerage expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses, taxes, interest (including borrowing costs and dividend expenses on securities sold short), litigation expenses and other extraordinary expenses (including litigation to which the Trust or the Fund may be a party and indemnification of the Trustees and officers with respect thereto).
The Management Agreement provides that Cambria will not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with the matters to which the Management Agreement relates, but will be liable to the Trust and its shareholders only for willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard of its obligations or duties thereunder.
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The Management Agreement also provides that Cambria may engage in other businesses, devote time and attention to any other business whether of a similar or dissimilar nature, and render investment advisory services to others.
The Management Agreement with respect to the Fund will remain in effect for two (2) years from its effective date and thereafter continue in effect for as long as its continuance is specifically approved at least annually, by (1) the vote of the Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the shareholders of the Fund, and (2) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Management Agreement or Interested Persons of any person thereto, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Management Agreement provides that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Board of Trustees or by a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund, on 60 days’ written notice to Cambria, and by Cambria upon 60 days’ written notice and that it shall be automatically terminated if it is assigned.
Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
The Sub-Adviser is an SEC-registered investment adviser and a Delaware limited liability company located at 234 W. Florida Street, Suite 203, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204. The Sub-Adviser is the parent company of Tidal ETF Services LLC. The Sub-Adviser was founded in, and has been managing investment companies, since March 2012. The Sub-Adviser is dedicated to understanding, researching and managing assets within the expanding ETF universe. As of [-], 2024, the Sub-Adviser had assets under management of approximately $[-] billion and served as the investment adviser or sub-adviser for [-] registered funds. Under a sub-advisory agreement between Cambria and Tidal Investments LLC (the “Sub-Advisory Agreement”), the Adviser pays the Sub-Adviser a portion of its fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at the following fee rate: 3 basis points on the first $2 billion of aggregate Fund assets; and 2.5 basis points on aggregate Fund assets above $2 billion.
The Fund has not commenced operations as of the end of the most recent fiscal year. Accordingly, the Adviser did not pay any fees to the Sub-Adviser during the most recently ended fiscal period.
The Sub-Advisory Agreement with respect to the Fund will remain in effect for two (2) years from its effective date and thereafter continue in effect for as long as its continuance is specifically approved at least annually, by (1) the vote of the Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the shareholders of the Fund, and (2) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Sub-Advisory Agreement or Interested Persons of any person thereto, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Sub-Advisory Agreement provides that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, (i) by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by the vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund, on sixty (60) days’ written notice to Cambria and the Sub-Adviser, or (ii) by Cambria or the Sub-Adviser on sixty (60) days’ written notice to the Trust and the other party. In addition, the Sub-Advisory Agreement shall be automatically terminated if it is assigned.
The Trust is in the process of applying for exemptive relief from the SEC, which, if obtained, will permit the Adviser, subject to certain conditions, to terminate the existing Sub-Adviser or hire new sub-advisers for the Fund, to materially amend the terms of particular agreements with sub-advisers or to continue the employment of a sub-adviser after events that would otherwise cause an automatic termination of a sub-advisory agreement. Consequently, under the exemptive order, the Adviser will have the right to hire, terminate and replace a sub-adviser to the Fund when the Board and the Adviser feel that a change would benefit the Fund. Within 90 days of retaining a new sub-adviser, shareholders of any affected Fund will receive notification of the change. This structure, known as a “manager of managers” structure, enables the Fund to operate with greater efficiency and without incurring the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approval of sub-advisory agreements. The structure does not permit investment advisory fees paid by the Fund to be increased or change the Adviser’s obligations under the investment advisory agreement, including the Adviser’s responsibility to monitor and oversee sub-advisory services furnished to the Fund, without shareholder approval. Furthermore, any sub-advisory agreements with affiliates of the Fund or the Adviser will require shareholder approval. Until the Adviser and the Trust obtain this relief, the Fund will continue to submit these matters to shareholders for their approval to the extent required by applicable law.
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Administrator
Tidal ETF Services LLC (“Tidal” or the “Administrator”), a Tidal Financial Group company and an affiliate of the Sub-Adviser, located at 234 West Florida Street, Suite 203, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204, serves as the administrator to the Fund. Pursuant to a Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Trust and Tidal, Tidal provides the Trust with, or arranges for, administrative and management services (other than investment advisory services) to be provided to the Trust and the Board, such as, but not limited to, clerical and general back office services; bookkeeping, internal accounting and secretarial services; the calculation of the dollar amounts of gross and net income from securities lending activities received and the related fees and/or compensation paid by the Fund during the most recent fiscal year. Employee of Tidal to serve as the Trust’s principal financial officer, coordinates the payment of certain Fund-related expenses, and manages the Trust’s relationships with certain of its service providers. As compensation for the services it provides, Tidal receives a fee based on the Fund’s average daily net assets. Tidal also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses for the services mentioned above.
Sub-Administrator, Fund Accountant and Transfer Agent
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, d/b/a U.S. Bank Global Fund Services (“Global Fund Services” or the “Sub-Administrator” or the “Transfer Agent”), located at 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, serves as the Fund’s sub-administrator and fund accountant as well as transfer agent to the Fund’s assets. Pursuant to a Partial Fund Administration Servicing Agreement and a Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between Global Fund Services and the Trust, Global Fund Services provides the Trust with administrative and management services (other than investment advisory services) and accounting services, including portfolio accounting services, tax accounting services and furnishing financial reports. In this capacity, Global Fund Services does not have any responsibility or authority for the management of the Fund, the determination of investment policy, or for any matter pertaining to the distribution of Shares. Pursuant to a Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement, Global Fund Services has agreed to: (1) issue and redeem shares of the Fund in Creation Units, (2) make dividend and other distributions to shareholders of the Fund, (3) maintain shareholder accounts, and (4) make periodic reports to the Fund. As compensation for each of these services, Global Fund Services receives a fee based on the Fund’s average daily net assets, subject to a minimum annual fee. Global Fund Services also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses for the services mentioned above, including pricing expenses.
Custodian
U.S. Bank National Association (“U.S. Bank” or the “Custodian”), located at 1555 N. Rivercenter Drive, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, serves as custodian to the Fund’s assets. U.S. Bank is the parent company of Global Fund Services. As custodian, U.S. Bank has agreed to: (1) make receipts and disbursements of money on behalf of the Fund, (2) collect and receive all income and other payments and distributions on account of the Fund’s portfolio investments, and (3) make periodic reports to the Fund concerning the Fund’s operations. U.S. Bank does not exercise any supervisory function over the purchase and sale of securities. As compensation for these services, the Custodian receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly by Cambria from its fees.
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Securities Lending Activities
U.S. Bank also serves as securities lending agent to the Fund (the “Securities Lending Agent”). The Securities Lending Agent is responsible for the implementation and administration of the Fund’s securities lending program pursuant to a securities lending agency agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the Securities Lending Agent (the “Securities Lending Agreement”). The Securities Lending Agent acts as agent to the Fund to lend available securities with any person on its list of approved borrowers. The Securities Lending Agent (i) determines whether a loan shall be made and negotiates and establishes the terms and conditions of the loan with the borrower; (ii) ensures that all substitute interest, dividends, and other distributions paid with respect to loan securities is credited to the Fund’s relevant account on the date such amounts are delivered by the borrower to the Securities Lending Agent; (iii) receives and holds, on the Fund’s behalf, collateral from borrowers to secure obligations of borrowers with respect to any loan of available securities; (iv) marks loaned securities and collateral to their market value each business day based upon the market value of the loaned securities and collateral at the close of business employing the most recently available pricing information and receives and delivers collateral to maintain the value of the collateral at no less than 100% of the market value of the loaned securities; (v) at the termination of a loan, returns the collateral to the borrower upon the return of the loaned securities to the Securities Lending Agent; (vi) invests cash collateral in accordance with the Securities Lending Agreement; and (viii) maintains such records as are reasonably necessary to account for loans that are made and the income derived therefrom and makes available to the Fund a monthly statement describing the loans outstanding, including an accounting of all securities lending transactions.
The dollar amounts of gross and net income from securities lending activities received and the related fees and/or compensation paid by each applicable Fund during the most recent fiscal year are set forth in the following table.
The following table provides information about the other accounts, in addition to the Fund, for which the portfolio managers have day-to-day management responsibility. None of the other accounts managed by the portfolio managers are subject to a performance-based advisory fee. The reporting information is provided as of [-], 2024:
| Type of Account | Number of Accounts Managed |
Total Assets ($ millions) | |
| Mebane Faber | Registered Investment Companies | [-] | $[-] |
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | [-] | $[-] | |
| Other Accounts | [-] | $[-] | |
| Jonathan Keetz | Registered Investment Companies | [-] | $[-] |
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | [-] | $[-] | |
| Other Accounts | [-] | $[-] |
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Potential Conflicts of Interest
Each portfolio manager’s management of “other accounts” may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in connection with his management of the Fund’s investments, on the one hand, and the investments of the other accounts, on the other. The other accounts may have the same investment objective as the Fund. Therefore, a potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the identical investment objectives, whereby a portfolio manager could favor one account over another. Another potential conflict could include a portfolio manager’s knowledge about the size, timing and possible market impact of Fund trades, whereby a portfolio manager could use this information to the advantage of other accounts and to the disadvantage of the Fund. Cambria has established policies and procedures to ensure that the purchase and sale of securities among all accounts it manages are fairly and equitably allocated. There can be no assurance, however, that these policies and procedures will be effective.
Compensation
Mr. Faber owns an equity interest in Cambria and his compensation is determined by the advisory fee revenue generated by the firm’s assets under management. Thus, portfolio manager compensation is aligned with the interests of Cambria’s clients, including the Fund and their investors, because it is in the portfolio manager’s best interests to grow the assets of its clients, including the Fund, by delivering strong performance to each. He may also earn a bonus each year based on the profitability of Cambria.
Mr. Keetz receives a base salary and may also earn a bonus each year based on the profitability of Cambria. In addition, he has an equity interest in Cambria and his compensation is determined by the advisory fee revenue generated by the firm’s assets under management. Thus, portfolio manager compensation is aligned with the interests of Cambria’s clients, including the Fund and its investors, because it is in the portfolio manager’s best interests to grow the assets of its clients, including the Fund, by delivering strong performance to each.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
Brokerage Transactions
Portfolio changes will generally be implemented through in-kind transactions for Creation Units; however, the Adviser or Sub-Adviser, as applicable, may execute brokerage transactions for the Fund and the Fund may incur brokerage commissions, particularly during the early stages of the Fund’s development or in the case of transactions involving realized losses. Also, the Fund may accept cash as part or all of an In-Kind Creation or Redemption Basket, in which case Cambria may need to execute brokerage transactions for the Fund. Generally, equity securities, including securities of underlying ETFs, are bought and sold through brokerage transactions for which commissions are payable. Purchases from underwriters will include the underwriting commission or concession, and purchases from dealers serving as market makers will include a dealer’s mark-up or reflect a dealer’s mark-down. Money market securities and other debt securities are usually bought and sold directly from the issuer or an underwriter or market maker for the securities. Generally, the Fund will not pay brokerage commissions for such purchases. When a debt security is bought from an underwriter, the purchase price will usually include an underwriting commission or concession. The purchase price for securities bought from dealers serving as market makers will similarly include the dealer’s mark-up or reflect a dealer’s mark-down. When the Fund executes transactions in the over-the-counter market, it will generally deal with primary market makers unless prices that are more favorable are otherwise obtainable.
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In addition, the Adviser or Sub-Adviser, as applicable, may place a combined order, often referred to as “bunching,” for two or more accounts it manages, including the Fund, engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security or other instrument if, in its judgment, joint execution is in the best interest of each participant and will result in best price and execution. Transactions involving commingled orders are allocated in a manner deemed equitable to each account or Fund. Although it is recognized that, in some cases, the joint execution of orders could adversely affect the price or volume of the security that a particular account or the Fund may obtain, it is the opinion of the Adviser or Sub-Adviser, as applicable, that the advantages of combined orders outweigh the possible disadvantages of separate transactions. In addition, in some instances the Fund effecting the larger portion of a combined order may not benefit to the same extent as participants effecting smaller portions of the combined order. Nonetheless, the Adviser or Sub-Adviser, as applicable, believes that the ability of the Fund to participate in higher volume transactions will generally be beneficial to the Fund.
The Fund had not commenced operations as of the end of the most recent fiscal year. Accordingly, for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2024, the Fund did not pay any brokerage commissions.
Brokerage Selection
The Trust does not expect to use one particular broker-dealer to effect the Trust’s portfolio transactions. When one or more broker-dealers is believed capable of providing the best combination of price and execution, the Adviser or Sub-Adviser may not select a broker-dealer based on the lowest commission rate available for a particular transaction. In such cases, the Adviser or Sub-Adviser may pay a higher commission than otherwise obtainable from other brokers in return for brokerage or research services provided to the Adviser or Sub-Adviser consistent with Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act, which provides that the Adviser or Sub-Adviser may cause the Fund to pay a broker-dealer a commission for effecting a transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker-dealer would have charged as long as the Adviser or Sub-Adviser makes a good faith determination that the amount of commission is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by the broker-dealer. To the extent the Adviser or Sub-Adviser obtains brokerage and research services that it otherwise would acquire at its own expense, the Adviser or Sub-Adviser may have an incentive to place a greater volume of transactions or pay higher commissions than would otherwise be the case.
The Adviser or Sub-Adviser, as applicable, will only obtain brokerage and research services from broker-dealers in arrangements that are consistent with Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act. The types of products and services that the Adviser or Sub-Adviser may obtain from broker-dealers through such arrangements will include research reports and other information on the economy, industries, sectors, groups of securities, individual companies, statistical information, political developments, technical market action, pricing and appraisal services, credit analysis, risk measurement analysis, performance and other analysis. The Adviser or Sub-Adviser may use products and services provided by brokers in servicing all of its client accounts and not all such products and services may necessarily be used in connection with the account that paid commissions to the broker-dealer providing such products and services. Any advisory or other fees paid to the Adviser or Sub-Adviser are not reduced as a result of the receipt of brokerage and research services.
In some cases, the Adviser or Sub-Adviser may receive a product or service from a broker that has both a “research” and a “non-research” use. When this occurs, the Adviser or Sub-Adviser will make a good faith allocation between the research and non-research uses of the product or service. The percentage of the service that is used for research purposes may be paid for with brokerage commissions, while the Adviser or Sub-Adviser will use its own funds to pay for the percentage of the service that is used for non-research purposes. In making this good faith allocation, the Adviser or Sub-Adviser faces a potential conflict of interest, but each of the Adviser and Sub-Adviser believes that its allocation procedures are reasonably designed to appropriately allocate the anticipated use of such products and services to research and non-research uses.
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Directed Brokerage
Because the Fund is new, for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2024, neither the Fund, nor Cambria, nor the Sub-Adviser paid any commissions on brokerage transactions directed to brokers pursuant to an agreement or understanding with a broker, or otherwise through an internal allocation procedure, whereby the broker provides research or other brokerage services to Cambria or the Sub-Adviser.
Brokerage with Fund Affiliates
Although not expected, the Fund may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through registered broker-dealer affiliates of the Fund, Cambria, the Sub-Adviser, or the Distributor for a commission in conformity with the Investment Company Act, the 1934 Act and rules promulgated by the SEC. Under the Investment Company Act and the 1934 Act, affiliated broker-dealers are permitted to receive and retain compensation for effecting portfolio transactions for the Fund on an exchange if a written contract is in effect between the affiliate and the Fund expressly permitting the affiliate to receive and retain such compensation. These rules further require that commissions paid to the affiliate by the Fund for exchange transactions not exceed “usual and customary” brokerage commissions. The rules define “usual and customary” commissions to include amounts that are “reasonable and fair compared to the commission, fee or other remuneration received or to be received by other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or sold on a securities exchange during a comparable period of time.” The Board, including those who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, has adopted procedures for evaluating the reasonableness of commissions paid to affiliates and reviews these procedures periodically.
Because the Fund is new, for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2024, the Fund did not pay any commissions to affiliated broker-dealers.
Securities of “Regular Broker-Dealers”
The Fund is required to identify any securities of their “regular brokers and dealers” (as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act) (or the parent of the regular broker-dealers) that the Fund may hold at the close of their most recent fiscal year. “Regular brokers and dealers” of the Trust are the ten brokers or dealers that, during the most recent fiscal year: (i) received the greatest dollar amounts of brokerage commissions from the Trust’s portfolio transactions; (ii) engaged as principal in the largest dollar amounts of portfolio transactions of the Trust; or (iii) sold the largest dollar amounts of the Trust’s shares.
The Fund had not commenced operations as of the end of the most recent fiscal year. Accordingly, for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2024, the Fund did not hold any securities of its “regular brokers and dealers.”
The Distributor is ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”), 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, Colorado 80203.
Shares will be continuously offered for sale by the Trust through the Distributor only in Creation Units, as described below under “Transactions in Creation Units.” Shares in less than Creation Units are not distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor also acts as agent for the Trust. The Distributor will deliver a Prospectus to persons purchasing Shares in Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the 1934 Act and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. The Distributor has no role in determining the investment policies of the Fund or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Fund.
The Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act (the “Plan”). In accordance with its Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year for certain distribution-related activities. In addition, if the payment of management fees by the Fund is deemed to be indirect financing by the Fund of the distribution of its shares, such payment is authorized by the Plan. The Plan specifically recognizes that Cambria may use its legitimate profits to pay for expenses incurred in connection with providing services intended to result in the sale of Shares. Cambria may pay amounts to third parties for distribution or marketing services on behalf of the Fund.
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The Plan was adopted in order to permit the implementation of the Fund’s method of distribution. No fees are currently paid by the Fund under the Plan, however, and there are no current plans to impose such fees. In the event such fees were to be charged, over time they would increase the cost of an investment in the Fund because they would be paid on an ongoing basis. If fees were charged under the Plan, the Trustees would receive and review at the end of each quarter a written report provided by the Distributor of the amounts expended under the Plan and the purpose for which such expenditures were made. The Plan is a compensation plan, which means that, if the Plan were activated, the Distributor would be compensated regardless of its expenses, as opposed to a reimbursement plan which would reimburse only for expenses incurred.
The Plan will remain in effect for a period of one year and is renewable from year to year with respect to the Fund, so long as its continuance is approved at least annually (1) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees and (2) by a vote of the majority of those Independent Trustees who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan (“Rule 12b-1 Trustees”), cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount of fees paid by the Fund unless such amendment is approved by an Investment Company Act majority vote of the outstanding shares and by the Fund Trustees in the manner described above. The Plan is terminable with respect to the Fund at any time by a vote of a majority of the Rule 12b-1 Trustees or by an Investment Company Act majority vote of the outstanding shares.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund, at its own expense, may pay additional compensation to financial intermediaries for shareholder-related services, including administrative, recordkeeping and shareholder communication services. In addition, pursuant to any applicable 12b-1 plan, the Fund may pay compensation to financial intermediaries for distribution-related services. For example, compensation may be paid to make Fund shares available to sales representatives and/or customers of a fund supermarket platform or a similar program sponsor or for services provided in connection with such fund supermarket platforms and programs. To the extent that the Fund pays all or a portion of such compensation, the payment is designed to compensate the financial intermediary for distribution activities and for providing services that would otherwise be provided by the Fund’s transfer agent and/or administrator.
Cambria or another affiliate of the Fund, out of its own resources and not as an expense of the Fund, may provide additional compensation to financial intermediaries. Such compensation is sometimes referred to as “revenue sharing.” Compensation received by a financial intermediary from Cambria or another Fund affiliate may include payments for shareholder servicing, marketing and/or training expenses incurred by the financial intermediary, including expenses incurred by the financial intermediary in educating its salespersons with respect to Fund shares. For example, such compensation may include reimbursements for expenses incurred in attending educational seminars regarding the Fund, including travel and lodging expenses. It may also cover costs incurred by financial intermediaries in connection with their efforts to sell Fund shares, including costs incurred in compensating registered sales representatives and preparing, printing and distributing sales literature.
The amount of compensation paid to different financial intermediaries may vary. The compensation paid to a financial intermediary may be based on a variety of factors, including average assets under management in accounts distributed and/or serviced by the financial intermediary, gross sales by the financial intermediary and/or the number of accounts serviced by the financial intermediary that invest in the Fund.
Any compensation received by a financial intermediary, whether from the Fund or its affiliates, and the prospect of receiving such compensation, may provide the financial intermediary with an incentive to recommend the shares of the Fund over other potential investments. Similarly, the compensation may cause financial intermediaries to elevate the prominence of the Fund within its organization by, for example, placing it on a list of preferred funds.
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ACCOUNTING AND LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDERS
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
[ ], [ ], serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. The independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Fund and reviewing the tax returns.
Legal Counsel
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, located at 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING SHARES
Organization and Description of Shares of Beneficial Interest
The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust and registered open-end investment company. The Trust was organized on September 9, 2011 and has authorized capital of unlimited Shares of beneficial interest of no par value that may be issued in more than one class or series. Currently, the Trust consists of twenty-three funds, sixteen of which have commenced operations, and seven of which have not commenced operations, as of the date of this SAI. Each of the funds is actively managed. The Board may designate additional series and classify Shares of a particular series into one or more classes of that series.
Under Delaware law, the Trust is not required to hold an annual shareholders meeting if the Investment Company Act does not require such a meeting. Generally, there will not be annual meetings of Trust shareholders, but if requested in writing by shareholders of at least 25% of the outstanding Shares of the Fund, the Trust will call a meeting of shareholders of the relevant Fund. Shareholders holding two-thirds of Shares outstanding of the relevant Fund may remove Trustees from office by votes cast at a meeting of Trust shareholders or by written consent.
All Shares are freely transferable. Shares will not have preemptive rights or cumulative voting rights, and none of the Shares will have any preference to conversion, exchange, dividends, retirements, liquidation, redemption, or any other feature. Shares have equal voting rights. The Trust Instrument confers upon the Board the power, by resolution, to alter the number of Shares constituting a Creation Unit or to specify that Shares of the Fund may be individually redeemable. The Trust reserves the right to adjust the stock prices of Shares to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any such adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits that would have no effect on the value of an investor’s investment in the Fund.
The Trust Instrument of the Trust disclaims liability of the shareholders or the officers of the Trust for acts or obligations of the Trust that are binding only on the assets and property of the Trust. The Trust Instrument provides for indemnification out of the Fund’s property for all loss and expense of the Fund’s shareholders being held personally liable solely by reason of his or her being or having been a shareholder and not because of his or her acts or omissions or for some other reason. The risk of a Trust shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which the Fund itself would not be able to meet the Trust’s obligations and this risk should be considered remote.
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If the Fund does not grow to a size to permit it to be economically viable, the Fund may cease operations. In such an event, shareholders may be required to liquidate or transfer their Shares at an inopportune time and shareholders may lose money on their investment.
Book Entry Only System
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Book Entry.”
DTC acts as Securities Depository for Shares. Shares of the Fund is represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.
DTC, a limited purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (the “DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by NYSE and FINRA. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (the “Indirect Participants”).
Beneficial ownership of Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in Shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial Owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase and sale of Shares.
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the Shares of the Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding Shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Fund distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all Shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall immediately credit DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in Shares of the Fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of Shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.
The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such Shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants.
DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to Shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.
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TRANSACTIONS IN CREATION UNITS
The Fund sells and redeems Shares in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at the NAV next determined after receipt of an order in proper form on any Business Day. As of the date of this SAI, the NYSE observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. The Fund will not issue fractional Creation Units. Shares of the Fund will only be issued against full payment, as further described in the Prospectus and this SAI.
A Creation Unit is an aggregation of Shares. The Board may declare a split or a consolidation in the number of Shares outstanding of the Fund or Trust, and make a corresponding change in the number of Shares in a Creation Unit.
To purchase or redeem any Creation Units from the Fund, you must be, or transact through, an Authorized Participant. In order to be an Authorized Participant, you must be either a broker-dealer or other participant (“Participating Party”) in the Continuous Net Settlement System (“Clearing Process”) of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) or a participant in DTC with access to the DTC system (“DTC Participant”), and you must execute an agreement (“Participant Agreement”) with the Distributor that governs transactions in the Fund’s Creation Units.
Transactions by an Authorized Participant that is a Participating Party using the NSCC system are referred to as transactions “through the Clearing Process.” Transactions by an Authorized Participant that is a DTC Participant using the DTC system are referred to as transactions “outside the Clearing Process.” Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust may, but is not required to, permit Orders until 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, or until the market close (in the event the Exchange closes early). In the case of custom orders (Cash, Cash in Lieu, or Negotiated), the order must be received by the Distributor no later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern time on the trade date. A custom order may be placed by an Authorized Participant in the event that the Trust permits or requires the substitution of securities or the substitution of an amount of cash to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or which may not be eligible for trading by such Authorized Participant or the investor for which it is acting or other relevant reason. The date on which an order to create Creation Unit Aggregations (or an order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations, as discussed below) is placed is referred to as the “Transmittal Date.” Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, as described below (see the “Placement of Creation Orders Using Clearing Process” and the “Placement of Creation Orders Outside Clearing Process” sections). Severe economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure may impede the ability to reach the Distributor or an Authorized Participant.
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Investors who are not Authorized Participants but want to transact in Creation Units may contact the Distributor for the names of Authorized Participants. An Authorized Participant may require investors to enter into a separate agreement to transact through it for Creation Units and may require orders for purchases of shares placed with it to be in a particular form. Investors should be aware that their broker may not be an Authorized Participant and, therefore, may need to place any order to purchase or redeem Creation Units through another broker or person that is an Authorized Participant, which may result in additional charges. There are expected to be a limited number of Authorized Participants at any one time.
Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement. Market disruptions and telephone or other communication failures may impede the transmission of orders.
Purchasing Creation Units
Fund Deposit. The consideration for a Creation Unit of the Fund is the Fund Deposit. The Fund Deposit will consist of the In-Kind Creation Basket and Cash Component, or an all cash payment (“Cash Value”), as determined by Cambria to be in the best interest of the Fund. Because any short positions in the Fund’s portfolio cannot be transferred in-kind, they will be represented by cash in the Cash Component and not in the In-Kind Creation Basket.
The Cash Component will typically include a “Balancing Amount” reflecting the difference, if any, between the NAV of a Creation Unit and the market value of the securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket. If the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the market value of the securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket, the purchaser pays the Balancing Amount to the Fund. By contrast, if the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the market value of the securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket, the Fund pays the Balancing Amount to the purchaser. The Balancing Amount ensures that the consideration paid by an investor for a Creation Unit is exactly equal to the value of the Creation Unit.
The Transfer Agent, in a portfolio composition file sent via the NSCC, generally makes available on each Business Day, immediately prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time), a list of the names and the required number of shares of each security in the In-Kind Creation Basket to be included in the current Fund Deposit for the Fund (based on information about the Fund’s portfolio at the end of the previous Business Day) (subject to amendment or correction). If applicable, the Transfer Agent, through the NSCC, also makes available on each Business Day, the estimated Cash Component or Cash Value, effective through and including the previous Business Day, per Creation Unit.
The announced Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, for purchases of Creation Units of the Fund until such time as the next-announced Fund Deposit is made available. From day to day, the composition of the In-Kind Creation Basket may change as, among other things, corporate actions and investment decisions by Cambria are implemented for the Fund’s portfolio. All questions as to the composition of the In-Kind Creation Basket and the validity, form, eligibility, and acceptance for deposit of any securities shall be determined by the Fund, and the Fund’s determination shall be final and binding. The Fund reserves the right to accept a nonconforming (i.e., custom) Fund Deposit.
Payment of any stamp duty or the like shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant purchasing a Creation Unit. The Authorized Participant must ensure that all Deposit Securities properly denote change in beneficial ownership.
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Cash in lieu. The Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash (“cash in lieu”) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any security in the In-Kind Creation Basket. The Fund may permit or require cash in lieu:
| (a) | in the case of bonds, for minor differences when it is impossible to break up bonds beyond certain minimum sizes needed for transfer and settlement; |
| (b) | for minor differences when rounding is necessary to eliminate fractional shares or lots that are not tradeable round lots; |
| (c) | TBA Transactions, short position and other positions that cannot be transferred in kind will be excluded from the Fund Deposit instruments; or |
| (d) | to the extent the Fund determines, on a given Business Day, to use a representative sampling of the Fund’s portfolio. |
In addition, purchases of Creation Units may be made in whole or in part on a cash basis, rather than in kind, under the following circumstances:
| (a) | to the extent there is a Balancing Amount; |
| (b) | if, on a given Business Day, the Fund announces before the open of trading that all purchases or all purchases and redemptions on that day will be made entirely in cash; |
| (c) | if, upon receiving a purchase order from an Authorized Participant, the Fund determines to require the purchase to be made entirely in cash; |
| (d) | if, on a given Business Day, the Fund requires all Authorized Participants purchasing Shares on that day to deposit cash in lieu of some or all of the Fund Deposit instruments solely because: |
| (i) | such instruments are not eligible for transfer either through the NSCC or DTC; or |
| (ii) | in the case of the Fund’s foreign holdings, such instruments are not eligible for trading due to local trading restrictions, local restrictions on securities transfers or other similar circumstances; |
| (e) | if the Fund permits an Authorized Participant to deposit cash in lieu of some or all of the Fund Deposit instruments because such instruments are not available in sufficient quantity; or |
| (f) | if the Fund permits a “custom” order, which is an order in which an Authorized Participant is permitted to deposit cash in lieu of some or all of the Fund Deposit instruments because such instruments are not eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant or the investor on whose behalf the Authorized Participant is acting. |
The Fund will comply with the federal securities laws in accepting securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket, including the securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket that are sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. All orders involving cash in lieu are considered to be “custom orders.”
Order Cut-Off Time. For an order involving a Creation Unit to be effectuated at the Fund’s NAV on a particular day, it must be received by the Distributor by or before the deadline for such order (“Order Cut-Off Time”). The Order Cut-Off Time for creation and redemption orders for the Fund is generally expected to be 4:00 p.m. Eastern time for In-Kind Creation and Redemption Baskets, and 3:00 p.m. Eastern time for Cash Value transactions. Accordingly, In-Kind Creation and Redemption Baskets are expected to be accepted until the close of regular trading on the Exchange on each Business Day, which is usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. On days when the Exchange or bond markets close earlier than normal (such as the day before a holiday), the Order Cut-Off Time is expected to track the Exchange closing and be similarly earlier than normal.
Custom orders typically clear outside the Clearing Process and, therefore, like other orders outside the Clearing Process, may need to be transmitted early on the relevant Business Day to be effectuated at that day’s NAV. A custom order may be placed when, for example, an Authorized Participant cannot transact in a security in the In-Kind Creation or Redemption Basket and additional cash is included in the Fund Deposit or Fund Redemption in lieu of such security. Custom orders may be required to be received by the Distributor by 3:00 p.m. Eastern time to be effectuated based on the Fund’s NAV on that Business Day.
In all cases, cash and securities should be transferred to the Fund by the “Settlement Date,” which is generally the Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date for cash and securities. However, the Fund reserves the right to settle transactions on a basis other than the Business Day after the Transmittal Date. Persons placing custom orders or orders involving Cash Value should be aware of time deadlines imposed by intermediaries, such as DTC and/or the Federal Reserve Bank wire system, which may delay the delivery of cash and securities by the Settlement Date.
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Placement of Creation Orders. All purchase orders must be placed by or through an Authorized Participant. To order a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable purchase order to the Distributor. In-kind (portions of) purchase orders will be processed through the Clearing Process when it is available. The Clearing Process is an enhanced clearing process that is available only for certain securities and only to DTC Participants that are also participants in the Clearing Process of the NSCC. In-kind (portions of) purchase orders not subject to the Clearing Process will go through a manual clearing process run by DTC. Fund Deposits that include government securities must be delivered through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system (“Federal Reserve System”). Fund Deposits that include cash may be delivered through the Clearing Process or the Federal Reserve System. Certain orders for the Fund may be made outside the Clearing Process. In-kind deposits of securities for such orders must be delivered through the Federal Reserve System (for government securities) or through DTC (for corporate securities).
Orders Using Clearing Process. In connection with creation orders made through the Clearing Process, the Distributor transmits, on behalf of the Authorized Participant, such trade instructions as are necessary to effect the creation order. Pursuant to such trade instructions, the Authorized Participant agrees to deliver the requisite Fund Deposit to the Trust, together with such additional information as may be required by the Distributor. An order to create Creation Units through the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Business Day the order is placed (“Transmittal Date”) if (i) such order is received by the Distributor by the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. Cash Components will be delivered using either the Clearing Process or the Federal Reserve System, as described below.
Orders Outside Clearing Process. Fund Deposits made outside the Clearing Process must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that the creation of Creation Units will instead be effected through a transfer of securities and cash directly through DTC. With respect to such orders, the Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the DTC Participant on the Transmittal Date in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket (whether standard or custom) through DTC to the relevant Trust account by 11:00 a.m., Eastern time, (the “DTC Cut-Off Time”) on the Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. The amount of cash equal to the Cash Component, along with any cash in lieu and Transaction Fee, must be transferred directly to the Custodian through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by the Custodian no later than 12:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. The delivery of corporate securities through DTC must occur by 3:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. The delivery of government securities through the Federal Reserve System must occur by 3:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date.
An order to create Creation Units outside the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Distributor by the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. If the Custodian does not receive both the required In-Kind Creation Basket by the DTC Cut-Off Time and the Cash Component by the appointed time, such order may be canceled. Upon written notice to the Distributor, a canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using a Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then-current In-Kind Creation Basket and Cash Component. Except as described in the section titled “Settlement of Foreign Securities and Regular Foreign Holidays,” the delivery of Creation Units so created will occur no later than the Business Day following the day on which the order is deemed received by the Distributor. Authorized Participants that submit a canceled order will be liable to the Fund for any losses resulting therefrom.
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Orders involving foreign securities are expected to be settled outside the Clearing Process. Thus, upon receipt of an irrevocable purchase order, the Distributor will notify Cambria and the Custodian of such order. The Custodian, who will have caused the appropriate local sub-custodian(s) of the Fund to maintain an account into which an Authorized Participant may deliver the Fund Deposit (or cash in lieu), with adjustments determined by the Fund, will then provide information of the order to such local sub-custodian(s). The Authorized Participant must also make available on or before the Settlement, by means satisfactory to the Fund, immediately available or same day funds in U.S. dollars estimated by the Fund to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component and Transaction Fee.
Acceptance of Orders for Creation Units. The Trust reserves the right to reject a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor in respect of the Fund if: (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s), upon obtaining the Shares, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of the Fund; (iii) the securities delivered do not conform to the In-Kind Creation Basket for the relevant date; (iv) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (v) the acceptance or receipt of the order for a Creation Unit would, in the opinion of counsel to the Trust, be unlawful; or (vi) in the event that circumstances that are outside the control of the Trust, Custodian, Distributor and Cambria make it practically impossible to process creation orders. Examples of such circumstances include acts of God; public service or utility problems resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; fires, floods or extreme weather conditions; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Trust, Cambria, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC, the Custodian or sub-custodian or any other participant in the creation process; and similar extraordinary events. The Distributor shall notify an Authorized Participant of its rejection of the order. The Fund, the Custodian, any sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits, and they shall not incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification. Given the importance of the ongoing issuance of Creation Units to maintaining a market price that is at or close to the underlying NAV of the Fund, the Trust does not intend to suspend acceptance of orders for Creation Units.
Issuance of a Creation Unit. Once the Fund has accepted a creation order, upon next determination of the Fund’s NAV, the Fund will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit, against receipt of payment, at such NAV. The Distributor will transmit a confirmation of acceptance to the Authorized Participant that placed the order.
Except as provided below, a Creation Unit will not be issued until the Fund obtains good title to the In-Kind Creation Basket securities and the Cash Component, along with any cash in lieu and Transaction Fee. Except as described in the section titled “Settlement of Foreign Securities and Regular Foreign Holidays,” the delivery of Creation Units will generally occur no later than the Business Day following the Transmittal Date for securities.
In certain cases, Authorized Participants will create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date. In these instances, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
With respect to orders involving foreign securities, when the applicable local sub-custodian(s) has confirmed to the Custodian that the In-Kind Creation Basket (or cash in lieu) has been delivered to the Fund’s account at the applicable sub-custodian(s), the Distributor and Cambria shall be notified of such delivery, and the Fund will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit.
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Creation Units may be created in advance of receipt by the Trust of all or a portion of the applicable In-Kind Creation Basket, provided the purchaser tenders an initial deposit consisting of any available securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket and cash equal to the sum of the Cash Component and at least 115% of the market value, as adjusted from time to time by Cambria, of the In-Kind Creation Basket securities not delivered (“Additional Cash Deposit”). Such initial deposit will have a value greater than the NAV of the Creation Unit on the date the order is placed. The order shall be deemed to be received on the Transmittal Date provided that it is placed in proper form prior to 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, on such date, and federal funds in the appropriate amount are deposited with the Custodian by the DTC Cut-Off Time the following Business Day. If the order is not placed in proper form by 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, or federal funds in the appropriate amount are not received by the DTC Cut-Off Time the next Business Day, then the order will be canceled or deemed unreceived and the Authorized Participant effectuating such transaction will be liable to the Fund for any losses resulting therefrom.
To the extent securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket remain undelivered, pending delivery of such securities additional cash will be required to be deposited with the Trust as necessary to maintain an Additional Cash Deposit equal to at least 115% (as adjusted by Cambria) of the daily marked-to-market value of the missing securities. To the extent that either such securities are still not received by 1:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor or a marked-to-market payment is not made within one Business Day following notification to the purchaser and/or Authorized Participant that such a payment is required, the Trust may use the cash on deposit to purchase the missing securities, and the Authorized Participant effectuating such transaction will be liable to the Fund for any costs incurred therein or losses resulting therefrom, including any Transaction Fee, any amount by which the actual purchase price of the missing securities exceeds the Additional Cash Deposit or the market value of such securities on the day the purchase order was deemed received by the Distributor, as well as brokerage and related transaction costs. The Trust will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing securities have been received by the Trust. The delivery of Creation Units so created will occur no later than the Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor.
Transaction Fees
To compensate the Trust for costs incurred in connection with creation and redemption transactions, investors will be required to pay to the Trust a Transaction Fee as follows:
| Fund | Standard Transaction Fee* |
Variable Charge |
| Cambria Fixed Income Trend ETF | $300 | [Up to 2.0%] |
| * | The Transaction Fee may be higher for transactions outside the Clearing Process. |
The Standard Transaction Fee applies to in-kind purchases of the Fund effected through the Clearing Process on any Business Day, regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased or redeemed that day (assuming, in the case of multiple orders on the same day, that the orders are received at or near the same time). A Transaction Fee of up to four times the standard fee may apply to creation and redemption transactions that occur outside the Clearing Process. As shown in the table above, certain Fund Deposits consisting of a Cash Value will be subject to a variable charge of up to 2% including the standard Transaction Fee. With cash received from the variable charge, Cambria will purchase the necessary securities for the Fund’s portfolio and return any unused portion thereof to the investor. The Transaction Fee for redemptions of Creation Units will not exceed 2% of the value of the Creation Unit(s) redeemed.
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Cambria may adjust or waive the Transaction Fee from time to time. The Standard Creation/Redemption Transaction Fee is based, in part, on the number of holdings in the Fund’s portfolio and may be adjusted on a quarterly basis if the number of holdings increase. Investors will also be responsible for the costs associated with transferring the securities in the In-Kind Creation (and Redemption) Baskets to (and from) the account of the Trust. Further, investors who, directly or indirectly, use the services of a broker or other intermediary to compose a Creation Unit in addition to an Authorized Participant to effect a transaction in Creation Units may be charged an additional fee for such services.
Cash Purchase Method. When cash purchases of Creation Units are available or specified for the Fund, they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases. In the case of a cash purchase, the investor must pay the cash equivalent of the Fund Deposit. In addition, cash purchases may be subject to Transaction Fees.
Redeeming Creation Units
Fund Redemptions. Fund Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Fund through the Transfer Agent and only on a Business Day. The redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit will consist of the In-Kind Redemption Basket and a Cash Redemption Amount, or an all cash payment (“Cash Value”), in all instances equal to the value of a Creation Unit. Because short positions cannot be transferred in kind, however, any short positions in the Fund’s portfolio will be represented by cash in the Cash Redemption Amount and not in the In-Kind Redemption Basket.
There can be no assurance that there will be sufficient liquidity in Shares in the secondary market to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. In addition, investors may incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a Creation Unit.
The Cash Redemption Amount will typically include a Balancing Amount, reflecting the difference, if any, between the NAV of a Creation Unit and the market value of the securities in the In-Kind Redemption Basket. If the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the market value of the securities in the In-Kind Redemption Basket, the Fund pays the Balancing Amount to the redeeming investor. By contrast, if the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the market value of the securities in the In-Kind Redemption Basket, the redeeming investor pays the Balancing Amount to the Fund.
The composition of the In-Kind Creation Basket will normally be the same as the composition of the In-Kind Redemption Basket. Otherwise, the In-Kind Redemption Basket will be made available by Cambria or the Transfer Agent. The Fund reserves the right to accept a nonconforming (i.e., custom) Fund Redemption.
In lieu of an In-Kind Redemption Basket and Cash Redemption Amount, Creation Units may be redeemed consisting solely of cash in an amount equal to the NAV of a Creation Unit, which amount is referred to as the Cash Value. Such redemptions for the Fund may be subject to a variable charge, as explained above. If applicable, information about the Cash Value will be made available by Cambria or the Transfer Agent.
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From day to day, the composition of the In-Kind Redemption Basket may change as, among other things, corporate actions are implemented for the Fund’s portfolio. All questions as to the composition of the In-Kind Redemption Basket and the validity, form, eligibility, and acceptance for deposit of any securities shall be determined by the Fund, and the Fund’s determination shall be final and binding.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed: (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares or determination of the Fund’s NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstances as permitted by the SEC, including as described below.
Cash in lieu. The Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash to be added to the Cash Redemption Amount to replace any security in the In-Kind Redemption Basket. The Fund may permit or require cash in lieu:
| (a) | in the case of bonds, for minor differences when it is impossible to break up bonds beyond certain minimum sizes needed for transfer and settlement; |
| (b) | for minor differences when rounding is necessary to eliminate fractional shares or lots that are not tradeable round lots; |
| (c) | TBA Transactions, short position and other positions that cannot be transferred in kind will be excluded from the Fund Redemption instruments; or |
| (d) | to the extent the Fund determines, on a given Business Day, to use a representative sampling of the Fund’s portfolio. |
In addition, redemptions of Creation Units may be made in whole or in part on a cash basis, rather than in kind, under the following circumstances:
| (a) | to the extent there is a Balancing Amount; |
| (b) | if, on a given Business Day, the Fund announces before the open of trading that all redemptions or all purchases and redemptions on that day will be made entirely in cash; |
| (c) | if, upon receiving a redemption order from an Authorized Participant, the Fund determines to require the redemption to be made entirely in cash; |
| (d) | if, on a given Business Day, the Fund requires all Authorized Participants redeeming Shares on that day to receive cash in lieu of some or all of the Fund Redemption instruments solely because: |
| (i) | such instruments are not eligible for transfer either through the NSCC or DTC; or |
| (ii) | in the case of the Fund’s foreign holdings, such instruments are not eligible for trading due to local trading restrictions, local restrictions on securities transfers or other similar circumstances; or |
| (e) | if the Fund permits a “custom” order, which is an order in which an Authorized Participant is permitted to receive cash in lieu of some or all of the Fund Redemption instruments because: |
| (i) | such instruments are not eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant or the investor on whose behalf the Authorized Participant is acting; or |
| (ii) | a holder of Shares of the Fund’s foreign holdings would be subject to unfavorable income tax treatment if the holder receives redemption proceeds in kind. |
The Fund will comply with the federal securities laws in satisfying redemptions with the applicable In-Kind Redemption Basket, including the securities in the In-Kind Redemption Basket that are sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. All redemption orders involving cash in lieu are considered to be “custom redemptions.”
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Placement of Redemption Orders. Redemptions must be placed to the Transfer Agent through the Distributor. In addition, redemption orders must be processed either through the DTC process or the Clearing Process. To redeem a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable redemption order to the Distributor.
An Authorized Participant submitting a redemption order is deemed to represent to the Fund that, as of the close of that Business Day, it (or its client) will own (within the meaning of Rule 200 of Regulation SHO) or has arranged to borrow for delivery to the Trust on or prior to the settlement date of the redemption request, the requisite number of Shares of the relevant Fund to be redeemed as a Creation Unit. In either case, the Authorized Participant is deemed to acknowledge that: (i) it (or its client) has full legal authority and legal right to tender for redemption the requisite number of Shares of the applicable Fund and to receive the entire proceeds of the redemption; and (ii) if such Shares submitted for redemption have been loaned or pledged to another party or are the subject of a repurchase agreement, securities lending agreement or any other arrangement affecting legal or beneficial ownership of such Shares being tendered, there are no restrictions precluding the tender and delivery of such Shares (including borrowed shares, if any) for redemption, free and clear of liens, on the redemption settlement date. The Fund reserves the absolute right, in its sole discretion, to verify these representations, but will typically require verification with respect to a redemption request from the Fund in connection with higher levels of redemption activity and/or short interest in the Fund. If the Authorized Participant, upon receipt of a verification report, does not provide sufficient verification of the requested representations, the redemption order will not be considered to be in proper form and may be rejected by the Fund.
In certain cases, Authorized Participants will create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date. In these instances, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
Placement of Redemption Orders Using Clearing Process. Orders to redeem Creation Units through the Clearing Process are deemed received by the Trust on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Transfer Agent not later than the Order Cut-Off Time on such Transmittal Date, and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. Orders deemed received will be effectuated based on the NAV of the Fund as next determined. An order to redeem Creation Units using the Clearing Process made in proper form but received by the Trust after the Order Cut-Off Time will be deemed received on the next Business Day and will be effected at the NAV next determined on such next Business Day. In connection with such orders, the Distributor transmits on behalf of the Authorized Participant such trade instructions as are necessary to effect the redemption. Pursuant to such trade instructions, the Authorized Participant agrees to deliver the requisite Creation Unit(s) to the Fund, together with such additional information as may be required by the Distributor. Cash Redemption Amounts will be delivered using either the Clearing Process or the Federal Reserve System. The applicable In-Kind Redemption Basket and the Cash Redemption Amount will be transferred to the investor by the second NSCC business day following the date on which such request for redemption is deemed received.
Placement of Redemption Orders Outside Clearing Process. Orders to redeem Creation Units outside the Clearing Process must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that redemption of Creation Units will instead be effected through transfer of Shares directly through DTC. Such orders are deemed received by the Trust on the Transmittal Date if: (i) such order is received by the Transfer Agent not later than the Order Cut-Off Time on the Transmittal Date; (ii) such order is accompanied or followed by the delivery of both (a) the Creation Unit(s), which delivery must be made through DTC to the Custodian no later than the DTC Cut-Off Time on the Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date and (b) the Cash Redemption Amount by 12:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date; and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. After the Trust has deemed such an order received, the Trust will initiate procedures to transfer, and expect to deliver, the requisite In-Kind Redemption Basket and/or any Cash Redemption Amount owed to the redeeming party by the Business Day following the Transmittal Date on which such redemption order is deemed received by the Trust.
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Orders involving foreign securities are expected to be settled outside the Clearing Process. Thus, upon receipt of an irrevocable redemption order, the Distributor will notify Cambria and the Custodian. The Custodian will then provide information of the redemption to the Fund’s local sub-custodian(s). The redeeming Authorized Participant, or the investor on whose behalf it is acting, will have established appropriate arrangements with a broker-dealer, bank or other custody provider in each jurisdiction in which the securities are customarily traded and to which such securities (and any cash in lieu) can be delivered from the Fund’s accounts at the applicable local sub-custodian(s).
The calculation of the value of the In-Kind Redemption Basket and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered/received upon redemption will be made by the Custodian computed on the Business Day on which a redemption order is deemed received by the Trust. Therefore, if a redemption order in proper form is submitted to the Transfer Agent by a DTC Participant or an Authorized Participant with the ability to transact through the Federal Reserve System, as applicable, not later than Closing Time on the Transmittal Date, and the requisite number of Shares of the relevant Fund are delivered to the Custodian prior to the DTC Cut-Off-Time, then the value of the In-Kind Redemption Basket and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered/received will be determined by the Custodian on such Transmittal Date. If, however, either: (i) the requisite number of Shares of the relevant Fund are not delivered by the DTC Cut-Off-Time, as described above, or (ii) the redemption order is not submitted in proper form, then the redemption order will not be deemed received as of the Transmittal Date. In such case, the value of the In-Kind Redemption Basket and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered/received will be computed on the Business Day following the Transmittal Date provided that the Fund Shares of the relevant Fund are delivered through DTC to the Custodian by 11:00 a.m., Eastern time, the following Business Day pursuant to a properly submitted redemption order.
The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming beneficial owner of the Shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment, beneficial ownership of shares or delivery instructions.
Delivery of Redemption Basket. Once the Fund has accepted a redemption order, upon next determination of the Fund’s NAV, the Fund will confirm the issuance of an In-Kind Redemption Basket, against receipt of the Creation Unit(s) at such NAV, any cash in lieu and Transaction Fee. A Creation Unit tendered for redemption and the payment of the Cash Redemption Amount, any cash in lieu and Transaction Fee will be effected through DTC. The Authorized Participant, or the investor on whose behalf it is acting, will be recorded on the book-entry system of DTC.
In certain cases, Authorized Participants will create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date. In these instances, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
Cash Redemption Method. When cash redemptions of Creation Units are available or specified for the Fund, they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind redemptions. In the case of a cash redemption, the investor will receive the cash equivalent of the In-Kind Redemption Basket minus any Transaction Fees.
Settlement of Foreign Securities and Regular Foreign Holidays
The Fund generally intend to effect deliveries of Creation Units and portfolio securities on a basis of the Transmittal Date (“T”) plus one Business Day (i.e., days on which the national securities exchange is open) (“T+1”). The Fund may effect deliveries of Creation Units and portfolio securities on a basis other than T+1 in order to accommodate local holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates or under certain other circumstances. Given that foreign securities settle in accordance with the normal rules of settlement of such securities in the applicable foreign market, coupled with foreign market holiday schedules, the Settlement Date may be up to 14 calendar days after the Transmittal Date in certain circumstances.
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The ability of the Trust to effect in-kind creations and redemptions within one Business Day of receipt of an order in good form is subject, among other things, to the condition that, within the time period from the date of the order to the date of delivery of the securities, there are no days that are holidays in the applicable foreign market. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of the local holiday periods. For every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable foreign market that are not holidays observed in the U.S. equity market, the redemption settlement cycle will be extended by the number of such intervening holidays. In addition to holidays, other unforeseeable closings in a foreign market due to emergencies may also prevent the Trust from delivering securities within normal settlement periods. The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays or changes in local securities delivery practices could affect the information set forth herein at some time in the future.
Because the Fund’s portfolio securities may trade on days that the Fund’s Exchange is closed or on days that are not Business Days for the Fund, Authorized Participants may not be able to redeem their Shares, or to purchase and sell Shares on the Exchange, on days when the NAV of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant non-U.S. markets.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
The net asset value, or NAV, of Shares is calculated each business day as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. The Fund’s NAV per Share is computed by dividing the net assets by the number of Shares outstanding. For further information, see the “Net Asset Value” section of the Prospectus, which is incorporated by reference here.
The following is only a summary of certain additional U.S. federal income tax considerations generally affecting the Fund and its shareholders that is intended to supplement the tax information contained in the Prospectus. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of the tax treatment of the Fund or its shareholders, and the discussion here does not address investors subject to special rules, such as investors who hold shares through an individual retirement account, 401(k) or other tax-advantaged account. The discussion here and in the Prospectus is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors with specific reference to their own tax situations, including their state, local, and foreign tax liabilities.
The following general discussion of certain federal income tax consequences is based on the Code and the regulations issued thereunder as in effect on the date of this SAI. New legislation, as well as administrative changes or court decisions, may significantly change the conclusions expressed herein, and may have a retroactive effect with respect to the transactions contemplated herein.
Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company. For federal income tax purposes, the Fund intends to elect and intends to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. By following such a policy, the Fund expects to eliminate or reduce to a nominal amount the federal taxes to which it may be subject. The Fund that qualifies as a RIC will generally not be subject to federal income taxes on the net investment income and net realized capital gains that the Fund timely distributes to its shareholders. The Board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund as a RIC if it determines such course of action to be beneficial to shareholders.
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In order to qualify as a RIC under the Code, the Fund must distribute annually to its shareholders at least 90% of its net investment income (which, includes dividends, taxable interest, and the excess of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses, less operating expenses) and at least 90% of its net tax exempt interest income, for each tax year, if any (the “Distribution Requirement”) and also must meet certain additional requirements. Among these requirements are the following: (i) at least 90% of the Fund’s gross income each taxable year must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities, or foreign currencies, or other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities, or currencies, and net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership (the “Qualifying Income Test”); and (ii) at the close of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year: (A) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets must be represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect to any one issuer, to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and that does not represent more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, including the equity securities of a qualified publicly traded partnership, and (B) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is invested, including through corporations in which the Fund owns a 20% or more voting stock interest in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other RICs) of any one issuer or the securities (other than the securities of another RIC) of two or more issuers that the Fund controls and which are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships (the “Asset Test”).
If the Fund fails to satisfy the Qualifying Income or Asset Tests in any taxable year, the Fund may be eligible for relief provisions if the failures are due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect and if a penalty tax is paid with respect to each failure to satisfy the applicable requirements. Additionally, relief is provided for certain de minimis failures of the Asset Test where the Fund corrects the failure within a specified period. In order to be eligible for the relief provisions with respect to a failure to meet the Asset Test, the Fund may be required to dispose of certain assets. If the Fund fails to maintain qualification as a RIC for a tax year, and the relief provisions are not available, the Fund would be subject to federal tax on all of its taxable income at the regular corporate rate (currently 21%), without any deduction for dividends to shareholders. In such event, distributions (including capital gains distributions) would be taxable as ordinary income to shareholders to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits and non-corporate shareholders may be eligible for taxation at reduced rates for qualified dividend income and corporate shareholders may benefit from the dividends received deduction available in some circumstances. In addition, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest, and make substantial distributions before requalifying as a RIC. If the Fund determines that it will not qualify for treatment as a RIC, the Fund will establish procedures to reflect the anticipated tax liability in the Fund’s NAV.
The Fund intends to distribute annually to shareholders substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction) and any realized net capital gain (after taking into account any capital loss carryovers). If the Fund failed to satisfy the Distribution Requirement for any taxable year, the Fund would be taxed as a regular corporation, with consequences generally similar to those described above. If the Fund meets the Distribution Requirement but retains some or all of its income or gains, it will be subject to federal income tax to the extent any such income or gains are not distributed.
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The Fund may elect to treat part or all of any “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund’s taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits. The effect of this election is to treat any such “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in characterizing Fund distributions for any calendar year. A “qualified late year loss” generally includes net capital loss, net long-term capital loss, or net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year (commonly referred to as “post-October losses”) and certain other late-year losses.
The treatment of capital loss carryovers for the Fund is similar to the rules that apply to capital loss carryovers of individuals, which provide that such losses are carried over indefinitely. If the Fund has a “net capital loss” (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains) the excess of the Fund’s net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year. The carryover of capital losses may be limited under the general loss limitation rules if the Fund experiences an ownership change as defined in the Code.
Federal Excise Tax. Notwithstanding the Distribution Requirement described above, which generally requires the Fund to distribute at least 90% of its annual investment company taxable income and the excess of its exempt interest income (but does not require any minimum distribution of net capital gain), a 4% non-deductible excise tax will be imposed to the extent the Fund fails to distribute by the end of the calendar year at least 98% of its ordinary taxable income and 98.2% of capital gain net income (excess of capital gains over capital losses) for the one-year period ending on October 31 of such year (including any retained amount from the prior calendar year on which the Fund paid no federal income tax). The Fund intends to make sufficient distributions to avoid liability for this excise tax but can make no assurance that such tax will be completely eliminated. For example, the Fund may receive delayed or corrected tax reporting statements from its investments that cause the Fund to accrue additional income and gains after the Fund has already made its excise tax distributions for the year. In such a situation, the Fund may incur an excise tax liability resulting from such delayed receipt of such tax information statements. In addition, the Fund may in certain circumstances be required to liquidate Fund investments in order to make sufficient distributions to avoid federal excise tax liability at a time when the investment adviser might not otherwise have chosen to do so, and liquidation of investments in such circumstances may affect the ability of the Fund to satisfy the requirement for qualification as a RIC.
Distributions to Shareholders. The Fund receives income generally in the form of dividends on investments. This income, plus net short-term capital gains, if any, less expenses incurred in the operation of the Fund, constitutes the Fund’s net investment income from which dividends may be paid to you. Any distributions by the Fund from such income will be taxable to you as ordinary income or at the lower capital gains rates that apply to individuals receiving qualified dividend income (as discussed below), whether you take them in cash or in additional shares.
Distributions by the Fund are currently eligible for the reduced maximum tax rate to individuals of 20% (lower rates apply to individuals in lower tax brackets) to the extent that the Fund receives qualified dividend income on the securities they hold and the Fund reports the distributions as qualified dividend income. Qualified dividend income is, in general, dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain foreign corporations (e.g., foreign corporations incorporated in a possession of the United States or in certain countries with a comprehensive tax treaty with the United States, or the stock of which is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States). A dividend will not be treated as qualified dividend income to the extent that: (i) the shareholder has not held the shares on which the dividend was paid for more than 60 days during the 121-day period that begins on the date that is 60 days before the date on which the shares become “ex-dividend” (which is the day on which declared distributions (dividends or capital gains) are deducted from the Fund’s assets before it calculates the net asset value) with respect to such dividend, (ii) the Fund has not satisfied similar holding period requirements with respect to the securities it holds that paid the dividends distributed to the shareholder), (iii) the shareholder is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to substantially similar or related property, or (iv) the shareholder elects to treat such dividend as investment income under section 163(d)(4)(B) of the Code. Therefore, if you lend your shares in the Fund, such as pursuant to a securities lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to treat dividends (paid while the shares are held by the borrower) as qualified dividend income. Distributions that the Fund receives from an underlying fund taxable as a RIC or from a REIT will be treated as qualified dividend income only to the extent so reported by such underlying fund or REIT. The Fund’s investment strategies may limit its ability to distribute dividends eligible for treatment as qualified dividend income.
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Distributions by the Fund of its net short-term capital gains will be taxable as ordinary income. Capital gain distributions consisting of the Fund’s net capital gains will be taxable as long-term capital gains for individual shareholders currently set at a maximum rate of 20% regardless of how long you have held your shares in the Fund.
In the case of corporate shareholders, Fund distributions (other than capital gain distributions) generally qualify for the dividends received deduction to the extent such distributions are so reported and do not exceed the gross amount of qualifying dividends received by the Fund for the year. Generally, and subject to certain limitations (including certain holding period limitations), a dividend will be treated as a qualifying dividend if it has been received from a domestic corporation. The Fund’s investment strategies may limit its ability to distribute dividends eligible for the dividends received deduction.
To the extent that the Fund makes a distribution of income received by the Fund in lieu of dividends (a “substitute payment”) with respect to securities on loan pursuant to a securities lending transaction, such income will not constitute qualified dividend income to individual shareholders and will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders.
A RIC that receives business interest income may pass through its net business interest income for purposes of the tax rules applicable to the interest expense limitations under Section 163(j) of the Code. A RIC’s total “Section 163(j) Interest Dividend” for a tax year is limited to the excess of the RIC’s business interest income over the sum of its business interest expense and its other deductions properly allocable to its business interest income. A RIC may, in its discretion, designate all or a portion of ordinary dividends as Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, which would allow the recipient shareholder to treat the designated portion of such dividends as interest income for purposes of determining such shareholder’s interest expense deduction limitation under Section 163(j) of the Code. This can potentially increase the amount of a shareholder’s interest expense deductible under Section 163(j) of the Code. In general, to be eligible to treat a Section 163(j) Interest Dividend as interest income, you must have held your shares in the Fund for more than 180 days during the 361-day period beginning on the date that is 180 days before the date on which the share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend. Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, if so designated by the Fund, will be reported to your financial intermediary or otherwise in accordance with the requirements specified by the IRS.
If, for any calendar year, the total distributions made exceed the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, the excess will, for federal income tax purposes, be treated as a tax-free return of capital to each shareholder up to the amount of the shareholder’s basis in his or her Shares, and thereafter as gain from the sale of Shares. The amount treated as a tax-free return of capital will reduce the shareholder’s adjusted basis in his or her Shares, thereby increasing his or her potential gain or reducing his or her potential loss on the subsequent sale of his or her Shares.
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A dividend or distribution received shortly after the purchase of shares reduces the NAV of the shares by the amount of the dividend or distribution and, although in effect a return of capital, will be taxable to the shareholder. If the NAV of shares were reduced below the shareholder’s cost by dividends or distributions representing gains realized on sales of securities, such dividends or distributions would be a return of investment though taxable to the shareholder in the same manner as other dividends or distributions.
The Fund (or your broker) will inform you of the amount of your ordinary income dividends, qualified dividend income and capital gain distributions, if any, and will advise you of their tax status for federal income tax purposes shortly after the close of each calendar year. Distributions may be subject to state and local taxes. If you have not held Fund shares for a full year, the Fund may report and distribute to you, as ordinary income, qualified dividend income or capital gain, a percentage of income that is not equal to the actual amount of such income earned during the period of your investment in the Fund.
Dividends declared to shareholders of record in October, November or December and actually paid in January of the following year will be treated as having been received by shareholders on December 31 of the calendar year in which declared. Under this rule, therefore, a shareholder may be taxed in one year on dividends or distributions actually received in January of the following year.
Sales, Exchanges or Redemptions. A sale or exchange of Shares or redemption of Creation Units may give rise to a gain or loss. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares by a shareholder will generally be treated as capital gain or loss if the Shares are capital assets in the shareholder’s hands, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than 12 months, and short-term capital gain or loss if the Shares are held for 12 months or less. Any loss realized on a sale or exchange of Shares of the Fund may be disallowed if other substantially identical Shares are acquired (whether through the automatic reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within a sixty-one (61) day period beginning thirty (30) days before and ending thirty (30) days after the date that the Shares are disposed of. In such a case, the basis of the Shares acquired must be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss upon the sale or exchange of Shares held for six (6) months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gain dividends received by the shareholders.
An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize gain or loss from the exchange. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Unit(s) at the time of the exchange and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus (or minus) the amount of cash paid (or received) for such Creation Unit(s). The ability of Authorized Participants to receive a full or partial cash redemption of Creation Units of the Fund may limit the tax efficiency of the Fund. A person who redeems one or more Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Unit(s) and the aggregate market value of the securities received plus (or minus) the amount of cash received (or paid) for such Creation Unit(s). The IRS, however, may assert that a loss that is realized by an Authorized Participant upon an exchange of securities for Creation Unit(s) may not be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales” (for an Authorized Participant that does not mark-to-market its holdings) or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.
The Trust on behalf of the Fund has the right to reject an order for a purchase of Shares of the Fund if the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to Section 351 of the Code, the Fund would have a basis in the securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial Share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination. If the Fund issues Creation Units to a purchaser (or a group of purchasers) who would, upon obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares of the Fund, the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) may not recognize gain or loss upon the exchange of securities for Creation Units.
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Authorized Participants purchasing or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisers with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction and whether the wash sales rule applies and when a loss may be deductible.
Cost Basis Reporting. The cost basis of Shares acquired by purchase will generally be based on the amount paid for the Shares and then may be subsequently adjusted for other applicable transactions as required by the Code. The difference between the selling price and the cost basis of Shares generally determines the amount of the capital gain or loss realized on the sale or exchange of Shares. Contact the broker through whom you purchased your Shares to obtain information with respect to the available cost basis reporting methods and elections for your account.
Net Investment Income Tax. Certain net investment income received by an individual having adjusted gross income in excess of $200,000 (or $250,000 for married individuals filing jointly) will be subject to a U.S. federal tax of 3.8 percent. Undistributed net investment income of trusts and estates in excess of a specified amount also will be subject to this tax. Any taxable dividends (including capital gain distributions) paid by the Fund, and gain realized on the sale or redemption of Fund shares, will constitute investment income of the type subject to this tax.
Foreign Taxes. Investment income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries and gains they realize on the disposition of foreign securities may be subject to foreign income taxes withheld at the source, which would reduce the yield on the Fund’s stock or securities. The U.S. has entered into tax treaties with many foreign countries that may entitle the Fund to a reduced rate of such taxes or exemption from taxes on such income. It is impossible to know the effective rate of foreign tax in advance since the amount of the Fund’s assets to be invested within various countries cannot be determined. If more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stocks or securities of foreign issuers, the Fund will be eligible and intends to file an election with the IRS that may enable shareholders, in effect, to receive either the benefit of a foreign tax credit, or a deduction from such taxes, with respect to any foreign and U.S. possessions income taxes paid by the Fund, subject to certain limitations. However, there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to do so. Pursuant to this election, you will be required to (1) include in gross income (in addition to taxable dividends actually received) your pro rata share of foreign taxes paid by the Fund, (2) treat your pro rata share of such foreign taxes as having been paid by you and (3) either deduct such pro rata share of foreign taxes in computing your taxable income or treat such foreign taxes as a credit against federal income taxes. You may be subject to rules that limit or reduce your ability to fully deduct or claim a credit for your pro rata share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund in which you invest. If the Fund makes the election, the Fund (or your broker) will report annually to its shareholders the respective amounts per share of the Fund’s income from sources within, and taxes paid to, foreign countries and U.S. possessions.
To the extent the Fund invests in an underlying fund (including an ETF) that indicates that such underlying fund intends to satisfy the tax requirements to be treated as a RIC under the Code, the Fund may be able to receive the benefits of a “qualified fund of funds” as described above. If, however, an underlying fund loses its status as a RIC under the Code, the Fund would no longer be permitted to count its investment in such underlying fund for purposes of satisfying the requirements to be a “qualified fund of funds.” In addition, an underlying fund that loses its status as a RIC would be treated as a regular corporation subject to entity level taxation prior to making any distributions to the Fund which would affect the amount, timing and character of such income distributed by an underlying fund to the Fund.
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Tax-Exempt Shareholders. Certain tax-exempt shareholders, including qualified pension plans, individual retirement accounts, salary deferral arrangements, 401(k)s, and other tax-exempt entities, generally are exempt from federal income taxation except with respect to their unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”). Tax-exempt entities are not permitted to offset losses from one trade or business against the income or gain of another trade or business. Certain net losses incurred prior to January 1, 2018 are permitted to offset gain and income created by an unrelated trade or business, if otherwise available. Under current law, the Fund generally serves to block UBTI from being realized by their tax-exempt shareholders. However, notwithstanding the foregoing, the tax-exempt shareholder could realize UBTI by virtue of an investment in the Fund where, for example: (i) the Fund invests in residual interests of Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits (“REMICs”), (ii) the Fund invests in a REIT that is a taxable mortgage pool (“TMP”) or that has a subsidiary that is a TMP or that invests in the residual interest of a REMIC, or (iii) shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of section 514(b) of the Code. Charitable remainder trusts are subject to special rules and should consult their tax advisor. The IRS has issued guidance with respect to these issues and prospective shareholders, especially charitable remainder trusts, are strongly encouraged to consult their tax advisors regarding these issues.
The Fund’s shares held in a tax-qualified retirement account will generally not be subject to federal taxation on income and capital gains distributions from the Fund until a shareholder begins receiving payments from their retirement account. Because each shareholder’s tax situation is different, shareholders should consult their tax advisor about the tax implications of an investment in the Fund.
Backup Withholding. The Fund (or financial intermediaries, such as brokers, through which a shareholder holds Shares) will be required in certain cases to impose “backup withholding” at a rate of 24% and remit to the U.S. Treasury the amount withheld on amounts paid to shareholders who have failed to provide a correct tax identification number in the manner required, who are subject to backup withholding by the IRS for failure properly to include on their return payments of taxable interest or dividends, who have failed to certify to the Fund when required to do so that they are not subject to backup withholding, or who have failed to certify to the Fund that they are a U.S. person (including a resident alien). Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amounts withheld may be credited against a shareholder’s ultimate federal income tax liability if proper documentation is provided.
Non-U.S. Investors. Any non-U.S. investors in the Fund may be subject to U.S. withholding and estate tax and are encouraged to consult their tax advisors prior to investing in the Fund. Except as described below, dividends paid by the Fund to non-U.S. Shareholders (i.e., nonresident alien individuals and foreign corporations, partnerships, trusts and estates) are generally subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate or a reduced rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty to the extent derived from taxable ordinary income. In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding, a non-U.S. Shareholder will be required to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E certifying its entitlement to benefits under a treaty. The withholding tax does not apply to regular dividends paid to a non-U.S. Shareholder who provides a Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the non-U.S. Shareholder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the non-U.S. Shareholder were a U.S. Shareholder. A non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate). A non-U.S. Shareholder who fails to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN or other applicable form may be subject to backup withholding at the appropriate rate.
In general, withholding tax will not apply to any distributions to a non-U.S. Shareholder of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital loss or upon such a shareholder’s sale or other disposition of Shares. The Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Short-term capital gain dividends received by a nonresident alien individual who is present in the U.S. for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the taxable year are not exempt from this 30% withholding tax. Gains realized by foreign shareholders from the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund generally are not subject to U.S. taxation, unless the recipient is an individual who is physically present in the U.S. for 183 days or more per year. Foreign shareholders who fail to provide an applicable IRS form may be subject to backup withholding on certain payments from the Fund. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that are subject to the 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) withholding tax described in this paragraph. Different tax consequences may result if the foreign shareholder is engaged in a trade or business within the United States. In addition, the tax consequences to a foreign shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of a tax treaty may be different than those described above.
53
Under legislation known as “FATCA” (the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act), a U.S. withholding tax of 30% will apply to payments to certain foreign entities of U.S.-source interest and dividends unless various U.S. information reporting and due diligence requirements that are different from, and in addition to, the beneficial owner certification requirements described above have been satisfied. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of the agreement. The Fund will not pay an additional amounts in respect to any amounts withheld. Non-U.S. shareholders should consult their tax advisers regarding the effect, if any, of this legislation on their ownership and sale or disposition of the Fund’s common shares.
Tax Shelter Reporting Regulations. Under U.S. Treasury regulations, generally, if a shareholder recognizes a loss of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC such as the Fund are not excepted. Future guidance may extend the current exception from this reporting requirement to shareholders of most or all RICs. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer's treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.
State Taxes. Depending upon state and local law, distributions by the Fund to its shareholders and the ownership of such shares may be subject to state and local taxes. Rules of state and local taxation of dividend and capital gains distributions from RICs often differ from the rules for federal income taxation described above. It is expected that the Fund will not be liable for any corporate excise, income or franchise tax in Delaware if it qualifies as a RIC for federal income tax purposes.
Many states grant tax-free status to dividends paid to you from interest earned on direct obligations of the U.S. government, subject in some states to minimum investment requirements that must be met by the Fund. Investment in Ginnie Mae or Fannie Mae securities, banker’s acceptances, commercial paper, and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities do not generally qualify for such tax-free treatment. The rules on exclusion of this income are different for corporate shareholders. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding state and local taxes applicable to an investment in the Fund.
General Considerations. The federal income tax discussion set forth above is for general information only. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the specific federal income tax consequences of purchasing, holding and disposing of Shares, as well as the effect of state, local and foreign tax law and any proposed tax law changes.
54
Because the Fund had not yet commenced operations as of the date of this SAI, the Fund does not have financial statements to present at this time. The Fund’s audited financial statements for the most recent fiscal period (when available) are incorporated in this SAI by reference to the Fund’s most recent Financial Statements and Other Information, which will be included as part of the Fund’s Form N-CSR.
55
Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for the Trust
Tidal Investments LLC
(the “Company” or the “Sub-Adviser”)
Proxy Voting Policies
| 1. | General |
As a fiduciary, an investment adviser with proxy voting authority has a duty to monitor corporate events and to vote proxies, as well as a duty to cast votes in the best interest of clients and not subrogate client interests to its own interests. Rule 206(4)-6 under the Advisers Act (the “Proxy Voting Rule”) places specific requirements on registered investment advisers with proxy voting authority. Because the Company has discretionary authority over the securities held by each series of Cambria ETF Trust as well as various other advisory Client accounts (together, the “Clients”), the Company is viewed as having proxy voting authority and is subject to the Proxy Voting Rule. To meet the obligations under this rule, the Company has adopted and implemented policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure the Company votes proxies in the best interest of its Clients and addresses how it will resolve any conflict of interest that may arise when voting proxies. Additionally, the Company will: (i) maintain certain records required to be maintained by the Proxy Voting Rule relating to all voted proxies; (ii) disclose its proxy voting policies and procedures to Clients and upon request providing Clients with a copy of it; and (iii) inform Clients as to how they can obtain information from the Company as to how their securities were voted.
The Company has adopted the following Proxy Voting Guidelines (the “Guidelines”) in an effort to comply with the Proxy Voting Rule.
The Portfolio Managers and the Chief Compliance Officer (or their Designated Persons) will generally adhere to the following procedures (subject to limited exception):
| a. | A written record of each proxy received by the Sub-Adviser will be maintained in the Sub-Adviser’s files; |
| b. | The Portfolio Management Team (or designee) will determine which of the Advisory Clients hold the security to which the proxy relates; |
| c. | Confirm that the proxy materials received relate to the correct number of shares, as of the record date; |
| d. | Confirm if there are any conflicts of interest related to the proxy in question in accordance with the general guidelines below. If a conflict is identified, the Portfolio Managers and the Chief Compliance Officer together will make a determination as to whether the conflict is material. |
| e. | If the conflict is not material, the Sub-Adviser will proceed to vote the proxy. The Sub-Adviser also has the flexibility to abstain from a particular proxy vote if doing so would be in the best interests of the Clients, taking into account associated costs, benefits, and interests of the Clients. |
A-1
The Company may retain a third party to assist it in coordinating and voting proxies with respect to Client securities (which may include the Client’s prime broker(s)). If so, the Chief Compliance Officer shall monitor the third party to assure that all proxies are being properly voted and appropriate records are being retained. The Company bases its voting decisions on its policy guidelines which are driven by considerations of the best interests of its Clients and mutual fund shareholders. The Company will generally vote in favor of management positions however they must coincide with the best interests of its Clients and fund shareholders.
| 2. | Conflicts of Interest |
As stated above, in evaluating how to vote a proxy, the Sub-Adviser will first determine whether there is a conflict of interest related to the proxy in question between the Sub-Adviser and the Advisory Clients. This examination will include (but will not be limited to) an evaluation of whether the Sub-Adviser (or any affiliate of the Sub-Adviser) has any relationship with the company (or an affiliate of the company) to which the proxy relates outside an investment in such company by an Advisory Client managed by the Sub-Adviser.
If a conflict is identified and deemed to be material, the Sub-Adviser will generally seek to mitigate the conflict by either appointing an independent third party to vote the proxy or disclosing the conflict to affected Advisory Clients and/or Investors.
| 3. | Recordkeeping |
Pursuant to the Proxy Voting Rule, the Company shall retain the following five (5) types of records relating to proxy voting: (i) proxy voting policy and procedures, including any proxy advisory firm’s proxy voting policy and procedures; (ii) proxy statements received for Client securities; (iii) records of votes cast on behalf of Clients; (iv) written Client requests for proxy voting information and written adviser responses to any Client request (whether oral or written) for proxy voting information; and (v) any documents prepared by the Company that were material to making a proxy voting decision or that memorialized the basis for the decision.
These records shall be maintained and preserved in an easily accessible place for a period of not less than six (6) years from the end of the Company’s fiscal year during which the last entry was made in the records, the first two (2) years in an appropriate office of the Company. The Company may rely on proxy statements filed on the SEC’s EDGAR system or on proxy statements and records of votes cast by the Company maintained by a third party, such as a proxy voting service (provided the Company had obtained an undertaking from the third party to provide a copy of the proxy statement or record promptly on request). The CCO is responsible for ensuring all Clients, who have given the Company proxy voting authority, are voted and for maintaining a record of all proxies voted.
A-2
Appendix B
Description Of Securities Ratings
Corporate and Municipal Long-Term Bond Ratings
Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) Corporate and Municipal Long-Term Bond Ratings:
The following descriptions of S&P’s long-term corporate and municipal bond ratings have been published by Standard & Poor’s Financial Service LLC.
AAA - An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.
AA - An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.
A - An obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.
BBB - An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
BB, B, CCC, CC, and C - Obligations rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’, ‘CC’, and ‘C’ are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.
BB - An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B - An obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CCC - An obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CC - An obligation rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC’ rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but Standard & Poor’s expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.
C - An obligation rated ‘C’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.
B-1
D - An obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
Plus (+) or Minus (-) - The ratings from ‘AA’ to ‘CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
NR - This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poor’s does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.
Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) Long-Term Corporate Bond Ratings:
The following descriptions of Moody’s long-term corporate bond ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.
Aaa - Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, with minimal credit risk.
Aa - Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.
A - Obligations rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.
Baa - Obligations rated Baa are subject to moderate credit risk. They are considered medium-grade and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
Ba - Obligations rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements and are subject to substantial credit risk.
B - Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.
Caa - Obligations rated Caa are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.
Ca - Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.
C - Obligations rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.
Modifiers: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.
B-2
Moody’s U.S. Municipal Long-Term Bond Ratings:
The following descriptions of Moody’s long-term municipal bond ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.
Aaa - Issuers or issues rated Aaa demonstrate the strongest creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.
Aa - Issuers or issues rated Aa demonstrate very strong creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.
A - Issuers or issues rated A present above-average creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.
Baa - Issuers or issues rated Baa represent average creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax- exempt issuers or issues.
Ba - Issuers or issues rated Ba demonstrate below-average creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.
B - Issuers or issues rated B demonstrate weak creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax- exempt issuers or issues.
Caa - Issuers or issues rated Caa demonstrate very weak creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.
Ca - Issuers or issues rated Ca demonstrate extremely weak creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.
C - Issuers or issues rated C demonstrate the weakest creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.
Modifiers: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating category from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the issuer or obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.
Fitch Ratings Ltd. (“Fitch”) Corporate Bond Ratings:
The following descriptions of Fitch’s long-term corporate bond ratings have been published by Fitch, Inc. and Fitch Ratings Ltd.
AAA - Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.
AA - Very high credit quality. ‘AA’ ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
A - High credit quality. ‘A’ ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.
B-3
BBB - Good credit quality. ‘BBB’ ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.
BB - Speculative. ‘BB’ ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.
B - Highly speculative. ‘B’ ratings indicate that material credit risk is present. For performing obligations, default risk is commensurate with the issuer being rated with an Issuer Default Risk (“IDR”) in the ranges ‘BB’ to ‘C’. For issuers with an IDR below ‘B’, the overall credit risk of this obligation is moderated by the expected level of recoveries should a default occur. For issuers with an IDR above ‘B’, the overall credit risk of this obligation is exacerbated by the expected low level of recoveries should a default occur. For non-performing obligations, the obligation or issuer is in default, or has deferred payment, but the rated obligation is expected to have extremely high recovery rates consistent with a Recovery Rating of ‘RR1’ (outstanding recovery prospects given default).
CCC - Substantial credit risk. ‘CCC’ ratings indicate that substantial credit risk is present. For performing obligations, default risk is commensurate with an IDR in the ranges ‘B’ to ‘C’. For issuers with an IDR below ‘CCC’, the overall credit risk of this obligation is moderated by the expected level of recoveries should a default occur. For issuers with an IDR above ‘CCC’, the overall credit risk of this obligation is exacerbated by the expected low level of recoveries should a default occur. For non-performing obligations, the obligation or issuer is in default, or has deferred payment, but the rated obligation is expected to have a superior recovery rate consistent with a Recovery Rating of ‘RR2’ (superior recovery prospects given default).
CC - Very high levels of credit risk. ‘CC’ ratings indicate very high levels of credit risk. For performing obligations, default risk is commensurate with an IDR in the ranges ‘B’ to ‘C’. For issuers with an IDR below ‘CC’, the overall credit risk of this obligation is moderated by the expected level of recoveries should a default occur. For issuers with an IDR above ‘CC’, the overall credit risk of this obligation is exacerbated by the expected low level of recoveries should a default occur. For non-performing obligations, the obligation or issuer is in default, or has deferred payment, but the rated obligation is expected to have a good recovery rate consistent with a Recovery Rating of ‘RR3’ (good recovery prospects given default).
C - Exceptionally high levels of credit risk. ‘C’ indicates exceptionally high levels of credit risk. For performing obligations, default risk is commensurate with an IDR in the ranges ‘B’ to ‘C’. The overall credit risk of this obligation is exacerbated by the expected low level of recoveries should a default occur. For non-performing obligations, the obligation or issuer is in default, or has deferred payment, and the rated obligation is expected to have an average, below-average or poor recovery rate consistent with a Recovery Rating of ‘RR4’ (average recovery prospects given default), ‘RR5’ (below average recovery prospects given default) or ‘RR6’ (poor recovery prospects given default).
Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned ‘RD’ or ‘D’ ratings, but are instead rated in the ‘B’ to ‘C’ rating categories, depending upon their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.
Plus (+) or Minus (-) The modifiers “+” or “-” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA’ obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below ‘B’.
B-4
The terms “investment grade” and “speculative grade” have established themselves over time as shorthand to describe the categories ‘AAA’ to ‘BBB’ (investment grade) and ‘BB’ to ‘D’ (speculative grade). The terms “investment grade” and “speculative grade” are market conventions, and do not imply any recommendation or endorsement of a specific security for investment purposes. “Investment grade” categories indicate relatively low to moderate credit risk, while ratings in the “speculative” categories either signal a higher level of credit risk or that a default has already occurred.
Fitch’s Municipal Bond Long-Term Ratings:
The following descriptions of Fitch’s long-term municipal bond ratings have been published by Fitch, Inc. and Fitch Ratings Ltd.
AAA - Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of default risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.
AA - Very high credit quality. ‘AA’ ratings denote expectations of very low default risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
A - High credit quality. ‘A’ ratings denote expectations of low default risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.
BBB - Good credit quality. ‘BBB’ ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.
BB - Speculative. ‘BB’ ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to default risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time.
B - Highly speculative. ‘B’ ratings indicate that material default risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is vulnerable to deterioration in the business and economic environment.
CCC - Substantial credit risk. ‘CCC’ ratings indicate that default is a real possibility.
CC - Very high levels of credit risk. ‘CC’ ratings indicate default of some kind appears probable.
C - Exceptionally high levels of credit risk. ‘C’ ratings indicate default appears imminent or inevitable.
D - Default. ‘D’ ratings indicate a default. Default generally is defined as one of the following:
| ● | failure to make payment of principal and/or interest under the contractual terms of the rated obligation; |
| ● | the bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other winding-up or cessation of the business of an issuer/obligor; or |
| ● | the distressed exchange of an obligation, where creditors were offered securities with diminished structural or economic terms compared with the existing obligation. |
B-5
Structured Finance Defaults - “Imminent” default, categorized under ‘C’, typically refers to the occasion where a payment default has been intimated by the issuer, and is all but inevitable. This may, for example, be where an issuer has missed a scheduled payment, but (as is typical) has a grace period during which it may cure the payment default. Another alternative would be where an issuer has formally announced a distressed debt exchange, but the date of the exchange still lies several days or weeks in the immediate future.
Additionally, in structured finance transactions, where analysis indicates that an instrument is irrevocably impaired such that it is not expected to pay interest and/or principal in full in accordance with the terms of the obligation’s documentation during the life of the transaction, but where no payment default in accordance with the terms of the documentation is imminent, the obligation will typically be rated in the ‘C’ category.
Structured Finance Writedowns - Where an instrument has experienced an involuntary and, in the agency’s opinion, irreversible “writedown” of principal (i.e. other than through amortization, and resulting in a loss to the investor), a credit rating of ‘D’ will be assigned to the instrument. Where the agency believes the “writedown” may prove to be temporary (and the loss may be “written up” again in future if and when performance improves), then a credit rating of ‘C’ will typically be assigned. Should the “writedown” then later be reversed, the credit rating will be raised to an appropriate level for that instrument. Should the “writedown” later be deemed as irreversible, the credit rating will be lowered to ‘D’.
Notes: In the case of structured and project finance, while the ratings do not address the loss severity given default of the rated liability, loss severity assumptions on the underlying assets are nonetheless typically included as part of the analysis. Loss severity assumptions are used to derive pool cash flows available to service the rated liability.
Plus (+) or Minus (-) - The modifiers “+” or “-”may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA’ Long-Term Rating category, or to Long-Term Rating categories below ‘B’.
Municipal Short-Term Bond Ratings
S&P’s Municipal Short-Term Bond Ratings:
The following descriptions of S&P’s short-term municipal ratings have been published by Standard & Poor’s Financial Service LLC.
SP-1 - Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.
SP-2 - Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.
SP-3 - Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.
B-6
Moody’s Short-Term Ratings:
The following descriptions of Moody’s short-term municipal ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.
MIG 1 - This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.
MIG 2 - This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.
MIG 3 - This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.
SG - This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.
Fitch’s Short-Term Credit Ratings:
The following descriptions of Fitch’s short-term credit ratings have been published by Fitch, Inc. and Fitch Ratings Ltd.
F1 - Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.
F2 - Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.
F3 - Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.
B - Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
C - High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.
RD - Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Applicable to entity ratings only.
D - Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a specific short-term obligation.
Short-Term Credit Ratings
S&P’s Short-Term Credit Ratings:
The following descriptions of S&P’s short-term credit ratings have been published by Standard & Poor’s Financial Service LLC.
A-1 - A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.
B-7
A-2 - A short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.
A-3 - A short-term obligation rated ‘A-3’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B - A short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.
C - A short-term obligation rated ‘C’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
D - A short-term obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
Dual Ratings - S&P assigns “dual” ratings to all debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+’ or ‘A-1+/A-1’). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+’).
Moody’s Short-Term Ratings:
The following descriptions of Moody’s short-term credit ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.
P-1 - Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-2 - Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-3 - Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.
NP - Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.
Note: Canadian issuers rated P-1 or P-2 have their short-term ratings enhanced by the senior-most long-term rating of the issuer, its guarantor or support-provider.
B-8
Fitch’s Short-Term Ratings:
The following descriptions of Fitch’s short-term credit ratings have been published by Fitch, Inc. and Fitch Ratings Ltd.
F1 - Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.
F2 - Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.
F3 - Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.
B - Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
C - High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.
RD - Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Applicable to entity ratings only.
D - Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a specific short-term obligation.
The modifiers “+” or “-” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA’ Long-term rating category, to categories below ‘CCC’, or to Short-term ratings other than ‘F1’. (The +/- modifiers are only used to denote issues within the CCC category, whereas issuers are only rated CCC without the use of modifiers.)
B-9
CAMBRIA ETF TRUST
PART C
| Item 28. | Exhibits. |
| (c) | See Articles IV, V and VI of the Registrant’s Trust Instrument and Articles V, VI, VII and VIII of the Registrant’s By-laws. |
| (d)(3) | Revised Schedule A to the Advisory Agreement, reflecting the addition of the Cambria Fixed Income Trend ETF, to be filed by amendment. |
C-1
| (d)(9) | Fifth Amendment to the Sub-Advisory Agreement, reflecting the addition of the Cambria Fixed Income Trend ETF, to be filed by amendment. |
| (e)(4) | Amendment 4 to the Distribution Agreement, reflecting the addition of the Cambria Fixed Income Trend ETF, to be filed by amendment. |
C-2
| (f) | Not applicable. |
| (g)(4) | Third Amendment to the Custody Agreement, reflecting the addition of the Cambria Fixed Income Trend ETF, to be filed by amendment. |
| (h)(4) | Third Amendment to the Fund Administration Servicing Agreement, reflecting the addition of the Cambria Fixed Income Trend ETF, to be filed by amendment. |
C-3
| (h)(8) | Third Amendment to the Partial Fund Administration Servicing Agreement, reflecting the addition of the Cambria Fixed Income Trend ETF, to be filed by amendment. |
| (h)(12) | Third Amendment to the Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement, reflecting the addition of the Cambria Fixed Income Trend ETF, to be filed by amendment. |
C-4
| (h)(16) | Third Amendment to the Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement, reflecting the addition of the Cambria Fixed Income Trend ETF, to be filed by amendment. |
C-5
| (i)(7) | Opinion and Consent of Counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the Cambria Fixed Income Trend ETF, Cambria Superinvestors ETF, Cambria Buyout ETF, and Cambria Venture ETF, to be filed by amendment. |
| (j) | Not applicable. |
| (k) | Not applicable. |
| (m)(3) | Revised Schedule A to the Distribution and Service Plan, reflecting the addition of the Cambria Fixed Income Trend ETF, to be filed by amendment. |
| (n) | Not applicable. |
| (o) | Reserved. |
C-6
| Item 29. | Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Fund. |
None.
| Item 30. | Indemnification. |
The Registrant is organized as a Delaware statutory trust and is operated pursuant to a Trust Instrument adopted as of September 9, 2011 (the “Trust Instrument”), that permits the Registrant to indemnify its trustees and officers under certain circumstances. Such indemnification, however, is subject to the limitations imposed by the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act” or the “1933 Act”), and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The Registrant’s Trust Instrument provides that officers and trustees of the Trust shall be indemnified by the Trust against liabilities and expenses of defense in proceedings against them by reason of the fact that they each serve as an officer or trustee of the Trust or as an officer or trustee of another entity at the request of the entity.
In particular, Article IX, Sections 2 and 3 of the Registrant’s Trust Instrument provide as follows:
| Section 2. | INDEMNIFICATION. |
| (a) | Subject to the exceptions and limitations contained in subsection (b) below: |
| (i) | every person who is, or has been, a Trustee or an officer, employee or agent of the Trust, including persons who act at the request of the Trust as directors, trustees, officers, employees or agents of another organization in which the Trust has an interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise (“Covered Person”) shall be indemnified by the Trust or the appropriate Series to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him or her in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he or she becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his or her being or having been a Covered Person and against amounts paid or incurred by him or her in the settlement thereof. |
| (ii) | as used herein, the words “claim,” “action,” “suit” or “proceeding” shall apply to all claims, actions, suits or proceedings (whether civil, criminal or administrative proceedings, regulatory investigations, or other proceedings, including appeals), actual or threatened, and the words “liability” and “expenses” shall include, without limitation, counsel fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties and other liabilities. |
C-7
| (b) | No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a Covered Person: |
| (i) | who shall have been adjudicated by a court or body before which the proceeding was brought (A) to be liable to the Trust or its Shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office or (B) not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his or her action was in the best interest of the Trust; or |
| (ii) | in the event of a settlement, if there has been a determination that such Covered Person engaged in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office: (A) by the court or other body approving the settlement; (B) by at least a majority of those Trustees who are neither Interested Persons of the Trust nor are parties to the matter based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry); or (C) by written opinion of independent legal counsel based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry). |
| (c) | The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not be exclusive of or affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of a Covered Person. Nothing contained herein shall affect any rights to indemnification to which Trust personnel other than Covered Persons may be entitled by contract or otherwise under law. |
| (d) | To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, expenses in connection with the preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim, action, suit or proceeding of the character described in subsection (a) of this Section shall be paid by the Trust or applicable Series from time to time prior to final disposition thereof upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such Covered Person that such amount will be paid over by him or her to the Trust or applicable Series if it is ultimately determined that he or she is not entitled to indemnification under this Section. |
| (e) | Any repeal or modification of this Article IX by the Shareholders, or adoption or modification of any other provision of this Trust Instrument or the By-laws inconsistent with this Article, shall be prospective only, to the extent that such, repeal or modification would, if applied retrospectively, adversely affect any limitation on the liability of any Covered Person or indemnification available to any Covered Person with respect to any act or omission which occurred prior to such repeal, modification or adoption. |
| Section 3. | INDEMNIFICATION OF SHAREHOLDERS. |
If any Shareholder or former Shareholder of any Series is held personally liable solely by reason of his or her being or having been a Shareholder and not because of his or her acts or omissions or for some other reason, the Shareholder or former Shareholder (or his or her heirs, executors, administrators or other legal representatives or, in the case of any entity, its general successor) shall be entitled out of the Assets belonging to the applicable Series to be held harmless from and indemnified against all loss and expense arising from such liability. The Trust, on behalf of the affected Series, shall, upon request by such Shareholder or former Shareholder, assume the defense of any claim made against him or her for any act or obligation of the Series and satisfy any judgment thereon from the Assets belonging to the Series.
C-8
Section 9 of the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Cambria Investment Management, L.P. provides:
| (a) | Adviser will give the Trust the benefit of the Adviser’s best judgment and efforts in rendering its services to the Trust. Adviser will not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by any Fund, the Trust or any of its shareholders, in connection with the matters to which this Agreement relates, except to the extent that such a loss results from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its obligations and duties under this Agreement. Any person, even though also an officer, director, employee, or agent of Adviser, who may be or become an officer, Trustee, employee or agent of the Trust shall be deemed, when rendering services to any Fund or the Trust or acting with respect to any business of such Fund or the Trust, to be rendering such service to or acting solely for the Fund or the Trust and not as an officer, director, employee, or agent or one under the control or direction of Adviser even though paid by it. |
| (b) | Adviser is expressly put on notice of, and hereby acknowledges and agrees to, the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Trust Instrument of the Trust and agrees that the obligations assumed by the Trust under this contract shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets. Adviser shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any shareholder of the Trust, nor shall Adviser seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust. Adviser understands that the rights and obligations of each series of shares of the Trust under the Trust Instrument are separate and distinct from those of any and all other series. |
| (c) | Neither party shall be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in performance of its obligations under this Agreement arising out of or caused, directly or indirectly, by circumstances beyond its reasonable control including, without limitation, acts of civil or military authority, national emergencies, labor difficulties (other than those related to the Adviser’s employees), fire, mechanical breakdowns, flood or catastrophe, acts of God, insurrection, war, riots or failure of the mails, transportation, communication or power supply. |
| (d) | Neither party to this Agreement shall be liable to the other party for consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement. |
Section 6 of the Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc. provides:
| 6. | Standard of Care; Limitation of Liability; Indemnification. |
| (a) | ALPS shall be obligated to act in good faith and to exercise commercially reasonable care and diligence in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. |
| (b) | Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, ALPS and each of its affiliates, members, shareholders, directors, officers, partners, employees, agents, successors or assigns (“ALPS Associates”) shall not be liable to the Trust for any action or inaction of any ALPS Associate except to the extent of direct Losses1 finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted solely from the gross negligence, willful misconduct, bad faith, reckless disregard or fraud of ALPS in the performance of ALPS’ duties, obligations or responsibilities, or with respect to its representations, warranties or indemnities, set forth in this Agreement or under an Authorized Participant Agreement. |
| 1 | As used in this Agreement, the term “Losses” means any and all compensatory, direct, indirect, special, incidental, consequential, punitive, exemplary, enhanced or other damages, settlement payments, attorneys’ fees, costs, damages, charges, expenses, interest, applicable taxes or other losses of any kind. |
C-9
| (c) | Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, except with respect to all amounts payable by the Trust as part of its indemnification obligations under this Section 6, under no circumstances shall either party be liable for Losses that are indirect, special, incidental, consequential, punitive, exemplary or enhanced or that represent lost profits, opportunity costs or diminution of value. |
| (d) | The Trust shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless ALPS Associates from and against Losses (including legal fees and costs to enforce this provision) that ALPS Associates suffer, incur, or pay as a result of any third-party claim or claim among the parties arising out of the subject matter of or otherwise in any way related to this Agreement or an Authorized Participant Agreement (“Claims”), except to the extent it is finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction that such Losses resulted solely from the gross negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, bad faith or reckless disregard of ALPS in the performance of ALPS’ duties or obligations under this Agreement or under an Authorized Participant Agreement. Claims include but are not limited to: |
| (i) | all actions taken by ALPS or ALPS Associates that are necessary to provide the services under this Agreement and/or an Authorized Participant Agreement, or in reliance upon any instructions, information, or requests, whether oral, written or electronic, received from the Trust or its officers; or |
| (ii) | any Claims that the registration statement, prospectus, statement of additional information, shareholder report, sales literature and advertisements approved for use by the Trust and/or the Trust’s investment adviser or other information filed or made public by the Trust (as from time to time amended) include an untrue statement of a material fact or omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein (and in the case of the prospectus and statement of additional information, in light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading under the 1933 Act, the 1940 Act, or any other statute, regulation, self-regulatory organization rule or applicable common law. |
| (e) | ALPS shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Trust, the Fund’s investment adviser and their respective officers, directors, agents, and employees (“Trust Associates”) from and against Losses (including legal fees and costs to enforce this provision) that Trust Associates suffer, incur, or pay as a result of any third-party Claims arising solely from ALPS’ gross negligence, willful misconduct, bad faith, reckless disregard or fraud in the performance of its duties, obligations, or responsibilities set forth in this Agreement. |
| (f) | Any expenses (including legal fees and costs) incurred by ALPS Associates in defending or responding to any Claims (or in enforcing this provision) shall be paid by the Trust on a quarterly basis prior to the final disposition of such matter upon receipt by the Trust of an undertaking by ALPS to repay such amount if it shall be determined that ALPS is entitled to be indemnified. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing contained in this paragraph or elsewhere in this Agreement shall constitute a waiver by the Trust of any of its legal rights available under U.S. federal securities laws or any other laws whose applicability is not permitted to be contractually waived. |
C-10
Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the 1933 Act may be permitted to Trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such Trustee, officer, or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
| Item 31. | Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser. |
Cambria Investment Management, L.P. serves as investment advisor for each series of the Trust. The principal address of Cambria is 3300 Highland Avenue, Manhattan Beach, California 90266. Cambria is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
Tidal Investments LLC, a Tidal Financial Group company, serves as sub-adviser for each series of the Trust. The principal address of Tidal Investments is 234 West Florida Street, Suite 203, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204. Tidal Investments is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
Any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature, not including positions with the Trust set forth in the Statement of Additional Information, in which each director or principal officer of Cambria or Tidal Investments is or has been, at any time during the last two fiscal years (fiscal years ended April 30, 2024 and April 30, 2023), engaged for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee are as follows:
Cambria
|
Name and Position with Adviser |
Name of Other Company |
Connection with Other Company |
| Mebane Faber – Chief Investment Officer | The Idea Farm | Founder |
| Rita Tholt – Chief Compliance Officer | ACA Group | Senior Principal Consultant |
| Foreside Financial Group, LLC | Compliance Director |
Tidal Investments
Information as to the executive officers and directors of Tidal Investments is included in its Form ADV as filed with the SEC (File No. 801- 76857) pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
| Item 32. | Principal Underwriters. |
| (a) | ALPS Distributors, Inc. acts as the distributor for the Registrant and the following investment companies*: |
1290 Funds
1WS Credit Income Fund
abrdn ETFs Accordant ODCE Index Fund
Alpha Alternative Assets Fund
C-11
ALPS Series Trust
Alternative Credit Income Fund
Apollo Diversified Credit Fund
Apollo Diversified Real Estate Fund
AQR Funds
Axonic Alternative Income Fund
Axonic Funds
BBH Trust
Bluerock High Income Institutional Credit Fund
Bluerock Total Income+ Real Estate Fund
Bridge Builder Trust
Cambria ETF Trust
Centre Funds
CION Ares Diversified Credit Fund
Columbia ETF Trust
Columbia ETF Trust I
Columbia ETF Trust II
CRM Mutual Fund Trust
DBX ETF Trust
ETF Series Solutions (Vident Series)
Financial Investors Trust
Firsthand Funds
Flat Rock Core Income Fund
Flat Rock Opportunity Fund
FS Credit Income Fund
FS Energy Total Return Fund
FS Multi-Alternative Income Fund
FS Series Trust
FS MVP Private Markets Fund
Goehring & Rozencwajg Investment Funds
Goldman Sachs ETF Trust
Goldman Sachs ETF Trust II
Graniteshares ETF Trust
Hartford Funds Exchange-Traded Trust
Heartland Group, Inc.
IndexIQ Active ETF Trust
IndexIQ ETF Trust
Investment Managers Series Trust II (AXS-Advised Funds)
Janus Detroit Street Trust
Lattice Strategies Trust
Litman Gregory Funds Trust
Manager Directed Portfolios (Spyglass Growth Fund)
Meridian Fund, Inc.
Natixis ETF Trust
Natixis ETF Trust II
Opportunistic Credit Interval Fund
PRIMECAP Odyssey Funds
Principal Exchange-Traded Funds
RiverNorth Funds
RiverNorth Opportunities Fund, Inc.
RiverNorth/DoubleLine Strategic Opportunity Fund, Inc.
C-12
RiverNorth Opportunistic Municipal Income Fund, Inc.
RiverNorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund, Inc.
RiverNorth Flexible Municipal Income Fund, Inc.
RiverNorth Capital and Income Fund, Inc.
RiverNorth Flexible Municipal Income Fund II, Inc.
RiverNorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund II, Inc.
SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust
SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust
Sprott Funds Trust
Stone Ridge Trust
Stone Ridge Trust II
Stone Ridge Trust IV
Stone Ridge Trust V
Stone Ridge Trust VIII
The Arbitrage Funds
Themes ETF Trust
Thrivent ETF Trust
USCF ETF Trust
Valkyrie ETF Trust II
Wasatch Funds
WesMark Funds
Wilmington Funds
X-Square Balanced Fund
X-Square Series Trust
| * | Information provided as of September 30, 2024. |
| (b) | To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, as of September 30, 2024, the directors and executive officers of ALPS Distributors, Inc., are as follows: |
| Name* | Position with Underwriter | Positions with Fund | ||
| Stephen J. Kyllo | President, Chief Operating Officer, Director, Chief Compliance Officer | None | ||
| Brian Schell ** | Vice President & Treasurer | None | ||
| Eric Parsons | Vice President, Controller and Assistant Treasurer | None | ||
| Jason White*** | Secretary | None | ||
| Richard C. Noyes | Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Assistant Secretary | None | ||
| Eric Theroff^ | Assistant Secretary | None | ||
| Adam Girard^^ | Tax Officer | None | ||
| Liza Price | Vice President, Managing Counsel | None | ||
| Jed Stahl | Vice President, Managing Counsel | None | ||
| Terence Digan | Vice President | None |
C-13
| Name* | Position with Underwriter | Positions with Fund | ||
| James Stegall | Vice President | None | ||
| Gary Ross | Senior Vice President | None | ||
| Hilary Quinn | Vice President | None |
| * | Except as otherwise noted, the principal business address for each of the above directors and executive officers is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, CO 80203. |
| ** | The principal business address for Mr. Schell is 100 South Wacker Drive, 19th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606. |
| *** | The principal business address for Mr. White is 4 Times Square, New York, NY 10036. |
| ^ | The principal business address for Mr. Theroff is 1055 Broadway Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64105 |
| ^^ | The principal business address for Mr. Girard is 80 Lamberton Road, Windsor, CT 06095 |
| (c) | Not applicable. |
| Item 33. | Location of Accounts and Records. |
All accounts, books, and other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder are maintained at the addresses below.
|
Registrant: Cambria Investment Management, L.P. 3300 Highland Avenue Manhattan Beach, California 90266
|
|
Adviser: Cambria Investment Management, L.P. 3300 Highland Avenue Manhattan Beach, California 90266
|
|
Sub-Adviser: Tidal Investments LLC 234 West Florida Street, Suite 203 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204
|
|
Distributor: ALPS Distributors, Inc. 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000 Denver, Colorado 80203
|
|
Administrators: Tidal ETF Services LLC 234 West Florida Street, Suite 203 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, d/b/a U.S. Bank Global Fund Services 615 East Michigan Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
|
C-14
|
Fund Accountant and Transfer Agent: U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, d/b/a U.S. Bank Global Fund Services 615 East Michigan Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
|
|
Custodian: U.S. Bank National Association 1555 N. Rivercenter Drive Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212 |
| Item 34. | Management Services. |
Not applicable.
| Item 35. | Undertakings. |
Not applicable.
C-15
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 249 to the registration statement on Form N-1A to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereto duly authorized, in the City of Manhattan Beach and State of California, on the 17th day of December 2024.
| CAMBRIA ETF TRUST | ||
| By: | /s/ Mebane Faber | |
| Mebane Faber | ||
| President | ||
Pursuant to the requirements of the 1933 Act, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| SIGNATURE | TITLE | DATE | ||
| /s/ Aaron Perkovich | Treasurer and Principal | December 17, 2024 | ||
| Aaron Perkovich* | Financial Officer (Principal | |||
| Accounting Officer) | ||||
| /s/ Mebane Faber | President and Trustee | December 17, 2024 | ||
| Mebane Faber | ||||
| /s/ Cullen Roche | Trustee | December 17, 2024 | ||
| Cullen Roche* | ||||
| /s/ Dennis G. Schmal | Trustee | December 17, 2024 | ||
| Dennis G. Schmal* | ||||
| /s/ Thomas M. Turner, Jr. | Trustee | December 17, 2024 | ||
| Thomas M. Turner, Jr.* | ||||
| */s/ Mebane Faber | ||||
| Mebane Faber Attorney-in-Fact Pursuant to Power of Attorney |
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