Form 485BPOS Elevation Series Trust

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 16, 2025

 

Securities Act Registration No. 333-265972

Investment Company Act Registration No. 811-23812

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D. C. 20549

 

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Post-Effective Amendment No. 29

 

and

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940

Amendment No. 30

 

Elevation Series Trust

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

1700 Broadway, Suite 1850
Denver, CO 80290

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: 303-226-4150

 

Chris Moore
Elevation Series Trust
1700 Broadway, Suite 1850
Denver, CO 80290

 

With copy to:

 

JoAnn M. Strasser
Thompson Hine LLP
17^th Floor
41 South High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215

 

It is proposed that this filing will become effective:

 

	☐	Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
	☒	On January 16, 2025 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.

 

 

 

PROSPECTUS

 

January 16, 2025

 

Fund Name	Ticker	Exchange
Clough Hedged Equity ETF	CBLS	NYSE Arca, Inc.
Clough Select Equity ETF	CBSE	NYSE Arca, Inc.

 

each a series of Elevation Series Trust

 

This Prospectus provides important information about the Funds that you should know before investing. Please read it carefully and keep it for future reference.

 

THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (“SEC”) HAS NOT APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF 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
Clough Hedged Equity ETF – Fund Summary	1
Clough Select Equity ETF – Fund Summary	12
Additional Information About the Funds	22
Portfolio Holdings Information	32
Management	32
How to Buy and Sell Shares	33
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes	35
Distribution	39
Premium/Discount Information	39
Other Information; Additional Notices	39
Financial Highlights	40

 

FUND Summary—CLOUGH HEDGED EQUITY ETF

 

Investment Objective

 

The Clough Hedged Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation while minimizing volatility.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“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 Fees	1.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	0.00%
Other Expenses1	1.23%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses2	0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	2.59%

1

“Other Expenses” include broker and interest expenses. Broker and interest expenses are borne by the Fund separately from the management fee paid to the Adviser.

2

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (“AFFE”) are the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies. Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not correlate to the expense ratios in the Fund’s Financial Highlights because the Financial Highlights include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Fund and exclude AFFE.

 

Expense Example

 

This 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 your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

1 Year: $262	3 Years: $805	5 Years: $1,375	10 Years: $2,925

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as 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 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024, the Predecessor Fund’s (as defined below) portfolio turnover rate was 509% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

1

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by purchasing securities that Clough Capital Partners L.P. (the “Adviser”), the Fund’s investment adviser, believes:

 

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have above-average financial characteristics such as return on invested capital, profit margins, debt-to-equity ratio, or revenue and earnings growth as identified in financial statements, relative to the broader equity market;

 

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are undervalued based on valuation metrics such as (i) enterprise value to sales, (ii) enterprise value to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, or (iii) price to earnings ratios; or

 

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have higher growth potential as indicated by sales growth, earnings growth, or free cash flow growth.

 

The Fund primarily invests in U.S.-listed equity securities and sponsored depositary receipts, including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). While the Fund’s equity exposure strategy focuses on investments in U.S. equity securities, the Fund’s strategy also includes investments in companies organized in the U.S. but deriving revenue from international markets, including emerging markets. The Fund will make investments in emerging markets, which the Fund defines as countries included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (“MSCI”), using U.S.-listed securities of companies domiciled in MSCI countries. A short sale is a transaction in which the Fund sells a security it does not own, typically in anticipation of a decline in the market price of that security based on an analysis of market expectations, valuation multiples, or the likelihood of a contraction in the stock’s valuation multiple. While the Adviser seeks companies it believes will outperform over a full market cycle (typically 5-11 years), the Fund may experience higher portfolio turnover in the short term as the Fund responds to changing market conditions or when the Adviser identifies new opportunities.

 

The Adviser's investment process is built on seeking to identify and capitalize on industry or economic trends that other investors have not yet recognized, while maintaining overall portfolio volatility that is lower than that experienced by the broader market. The Fund views the Bloomberg World Large, Mid, & Small Cap Equal Weight Total Return Index (“WLSEQT”) as a representation of the broader market because WLSEQT includes a broad spectrum of global equity securities across various market capitalizations. The Adviser believes that it can identify industry or economic trends by analyzing industry and economic related information such as capital flows that effect natural resource scarcity, technological innovations which have the potential to disrupt traditional industries, impacts of demographic shifts, and changes in profit or credit cycles. The Adviser then interprets the information analyzed to identify emerging patterns or changes in various sectors of the economy and develops a strategy for the Fund to allocate its capital into investible securities.

 

The Adviser identifies investible securities through rigorous research, including analysis of public company filings, customer preferences, relevant supply chains, and additional publicly available company information. The investment process focuses on a number of significant global investment themes identified by the Adviser through its research process. Global investment themes include industry or economic trends that the Adviser believes will significantly impact multiple sectors or regions of the global economy. The Adviser believes that the Fund can invest in companies affected by an attractive global investment theme which the Adviser anticipates will result in positive investment returns. For instance, an attractive global investment theme could be the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) as a transformative technology. The Adviser might identify this theme by observing increased investment in AI research and development, analyzing the growing demand for advanced semiconductor chips, and studying the proliferation of AI-powered applications across various industries. This theme could result in far-reaching implications for semiconductor manufacturers, companies throughout the semiconductor supply chain, consumer electronics producers, software developers, and numerous other sectors that stand to benefit from or be negatively impacted by AI technology.

 

2

 

When such a theme is identified, the Adviser then conducts bottom-up research to find specific companies that are well-positioned to benefit from this trend. In the AI example, this research might uncover potential investments in leading chip designers, manufacturers of specialized AI hardware, cloud computing providers offering AI services, or software companies developing innovative AI applications. This approach allows the Fund to invest in the global trends identified by selecting individual securities that the Adviser believes will offer the best potential for positive returns.

 

Individual security positions are selected after an evaluation of various company characteristics, such as an assessment of a company's market position compared to its competitors, which would involve analyzing company specific factors including market share, product differentiation, and brand strength. The Adviser also evaluates the quality of company management by examining its track record, strategic decisions, and ability to execute business plans effectively. The company selection assessment also includes analyzing a company’s financial performance metrics, reviewing a company’s public statements and interviews, and evaluating a company's reputation within its industry. The Adviser also analyzes a company's earnings, cash flow, and balance sheet to assess its financial stability and potential for positive investment returns. In addition, the Adviser evaluates whether a company's market share, profitability and market valuation is justified and likely to persist over time, compared to both its own and peer historical metrics. The evaluation process involves analysis of various financial ratios and metrics, including price-to-earnings, earnings per share, return on equity, and debt-to-equity ratios, to determine if a company's stock price accurately reflects its fundamental value and growth potential.

 

The Fund's portfolio construction is driven by the Adviser's bottom-up research process, which seeks to identify the most compelling investment opportunities across various sectors. The Fund’s equity stock position concentrations will be higher in sectors such as energy, technology, consumer, industrial, and healthcare at times, and the Fund does not adhere to strict sector weighting parameters. This approach allows the Fund to invest in companies that have the greatest potential for returns, regardless of sector. The Fund will typically maintain a diversified portfolio of 30 to 50 long positions and 20 to 50 short positions. This range allows for meaningful exposure to high-conviction ideas while maintaining a level of diversification to manage overall portfolio risk. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, will be invested long or short in equity securities, including common stocks and sponsored depositary receipts.

 

The Fund employs a hedging strategy that utilizes options and index futures to manage risk and enhance returns. The Fund will generally maintain a net long exposure of between 30%-70% of its net assets. The Fund will buy put options or write (sell) call options on securities it believes are overvalued, aiming to profit from potential price declines or to protect existing long positions. Conversely, the Fund will buy call options or write put options on securities identified through the Adviser’s research process as undervalued, seeking to benefit from potential price appreciation or to gain exposure to attractive investments at a lower initial cost. In addition to options, the Fund will use futures contracts on stock indices, which allow the Fund to invest in one instrument to gain exposure to a group of companies that a futures contract represents, rather than investing in each individual company. The Fund will also use futures contracts to hedge portfolio risks, such as buying or selling an index future when the broader market appears to be overbought based on evaluation of historical valuation metrics. Investments in options and futures allow the Fund to respond to changing market conditions or to implement investment views without directly buying or selling the underlying securities. The Adviser employs a flexible approach to determine the optimal duration for each option or futures instrument that the Fund invests in, and option or futures position durations are generally less than two years. The duration decision is based on careful evaluation of several factors, including transaction costs, the timing of potential catalysts that may alter the broader markets stock prices, and other relevant considerations typical in derivative transactions. The Fund’s goal of investing in options and futures is to strike a balance between hedging portfolio risks or capturing desired market exposure and managing the costs and risks associated with such instruments. This flexible approach allows the Fund to adapt its derivative strategy to changing market conditions and specific investment opportunities.

 

The use of options and futures strategies will be used to hedge and enhance the returns of the Fund’s core equity portfolio, and such strategies will not be used to replace the core equity portfolio.

 

 

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with the risks of other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objective. The following risks could affect the value of your investment in the Fund:

 

●

Market Risk. The trading prices of securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. These factors include events impacting the entire market or specific market segments, such as political, market and economic developments, as well as events that impact specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price, like security and commodity prices generally, may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years due to a number of these factors, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related public health issues, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, uncertainties regarding interest rates, trade tensions and the threat of tariffs imposed by the U.S. and other countries. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, acts of terrorism, public health issues, recessions, rising inflation, or other events could have a significant negative impact on the Fund and its investments. These developments as well as other events could result in further market volatility and negatively affect financial asset prices, the liquidity of certain securities and the normal operations of securities exchanges and other markets.

 

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Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific issuers, industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stocks and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from issuers.

 

●

Investment Themes Risk. The Fund’s investment program depends on the Adviser’s identification and development of global or regional investment themes, and the Fund’s performance may suffer if such themes, which can be inherently challenging to identify, are not well identified, or do not unfold as anticipated. Failure to correctly identify or develop the themes that will guide the Fund’s portfolio investments, or the failure of a theme to unfold in the way the Adviser anticipates, may result from many causes, including the following: governments or others may decide to oppose or delay certain economic, social or political developments that are the basis of investment themes; demographic or economic data necessary to understand correctly the way in which certain themes may unfold in some countries may be incorrect or incomplete; development of themes and their longevity may require attention to subtle cultural factors not always apparent to outside observers; or social and political changes or natural disasters in some parts of the world may alter the underlying conditions or affect the availability of natural resources necessary to an emerging theme.

 

 

●

Security Selection Risk. The success of the Fund’s investment strategies depends, in part, on the effectiveness and implementation of the Adviser’s analysis and methodology with respect to security selection. The securities in the Fund’s portfolio may decline in value. The Adviser’s analysis and portfolio management practices may not achieve the desired results.

 

●

Counterparty Risk. A financial institution or other counterparty with whom the Fund does business, or that underwrites, distributes, or guarantees any investments or contracts that the Fund owns or is otherwise exposed to, including the counterparty to an OTC derivatives contract, may decline in financial health and become unable to honor its commitments. This could cause losses for the Fund or could delay the return or delivery of collateral or other assets to the Fund.

 

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Cybersecurity Risk. Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets or proprietary information, or cause the Fund, the Adviser, and/or other service providers (including custodians and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches or data corruption. Additionally, cybersecurity failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Adviser, or the Fund’s other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants (“APs”), the Fund’s primary listing exchange, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to disrupt and negatively affect the Fund’s business operations, including the ability to purchase and sell Shares, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders.

 

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Depositary Receipts Risk. The Fund may hold the securities of non-U.S. companies in the form of depository receipts, including ADRs, EDRs and GDRs. ADRs are negotiable certificates issued by a U.S. financial institution that represent a specified number of shares in a foreign stock and trade on a U.S. national securities exchange, such as the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). ADRs are U.S. dollar denominated. EDRs and GDRs are similar to ADRs, but are shares of foreign based corporations generally issued by international banks in one or more markets around the world. EDRs and GDRs are typically U.S. dollar denominated but may be denominated in a foreign currency. Depositary receipts may be unregistered and unlisted. Depositary receipts involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities, such as changes in political or economic conditions of other countries, changes in the exchange rates of foreign currencies, and, because the underlying securities of depositary receipts trade on foreign exchanges at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, the value of the securities underlying the depositary receipts may change materially at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, regardless of whether there is an active U.S. market for shares.

 

●

Derivatives Risk. The Fund’s use of derivatives, including options, may reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase the volatility of the Fund’s net asset value. Derivatives may be difficult to value and may at times be highly illiquid, and the Fund may not be able to close out or sell a derivative position at a particular time or at an anticipated price. Derivative investments will typically increase the Fund’s exposure to principal risks to which it is otherwise exposed, and may expose the Fund to additional risks, including liquidity risk, interest rate risk, counterparty risk, equity market risk, credit risk and management risk.

 

 

●

Emerging Markets Risk. Emerging markets are subject to greater market volatility, lower trading volume, political and economic instability, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets and more governmental limitations on foreign investment than more developed markets. In addition, securities in emerging markets may be subject to greater price fluctuations than securities in more developed markets. Differences in regulatory, accounting, auditing, and financial reporting and recordkeeping standards could impede the Adviser’s ability to evaluate local companies and impact the Fund’s performance. Foreign markets ADRs and ETFs involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities, such as changes in political or economic conditions of other countries, changes in the exchange rates of foreign currencies, and, because the underlying securities of ADRs and ETFs trade on foreign exchanges at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, the value of the securities underlying the ADRs and ETFs may change materially at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, regardless of whether there is an active U.S. market for shares.

 

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ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of its structure, it is exposed to the following risks:

 

o

Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants (“APs”). 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) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs 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.

 

o

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares Risk. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

o

Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV Risk. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

o

Trading Risk. Although Shares are listed for trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”) and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. 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 the Shares.

 

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Foreign Markets Risk. Investments in ADRs and ETFs that provide exposure to non-U.S. securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. For example, the value of non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of decline due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. Investments in ADRs also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be indirectly subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments. Foreign markets ADRs and ETFs involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities, such as changes in political or economic conditions of other countries, changes in the exchange rates of foreign currencies, and, because the underlying securities of ADRs and ETFs trade on foreign exchanges at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, the value of the securities underlying the ADRs and ETFs may change materially at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, regardless of whether there is an active U.S. market for shares. This, in turn, could lead to differences in the market price of the ETF's and ADR shares and the underlying value of those shares.

 

 

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Growth Investing Risk. Growth stocks can be volatile for several reasons. Since those companies usually invest a high portion of earnings in their businesses, they may lack the dividends of value stocks that can cushion stock prices in a falling market. The prices of growth stocks are based largely on projections of the issuer’s future earnings and revenues. If a company’s earnings or revenues fall short of expectations, its stock price may fall dramatically.

 

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Hedging Risk. Options used by the Fund to reduce volatility and generate returns may not perform as intended. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s option strategy will be effective. It may expose the Fund to losses, e.g., option premiums, to which it would not have otherwise been exposed. Further, the option strategy may not fully protect the Fund against declines in the value of its portfolio securities.

 

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Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk refers to the possibility that the Fund may not be able to buy or sell a security at a favorable price or time. Consequently, the Fund may have to accept a lower price to sell a security, sell other securities to raise cash, or decline an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on the Fund’s performance. Infrequent trading of securities also may lead to an increase in their price volatility. While CLO debt tranches in which the Fund seeks to invest are expected to be supported by a secondary market, it is possible that they may be characterized as illiquid securities under adverse market conditions resulting in a limited market for the resale of CLO debt tranches or affected by the liquidity in the fixed income market, generally.

 

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Long/Short Risk. The Fund seeks long exposure to certain securities and short exposure to certain other securities. There is no guarantee that the returns on the Fund’s long or short positions will produce positive returns, and the Fund could lose money if either or both the Fund’s long and short positions produce negative returns.

 

●

Management Risk. The Adviser continuously evaluates the Fund’s holdings, purchases and sales with a view to achieving the Fund’s investment objective. However, achievement of the stated investment objective cannot be guaranteed. The Adviser’s judgment about the markets, the economy, or companies may not anticipate actual market movements, economic conditions or company performance, and these factors may affect the return on your investment.

 

●

Market Capitalization Risk.

 

o

Large-Capitalization Investing. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies may also be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes.

 

 

o

Mid-Capitalization Investing. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. The securities of midcapitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole.

o

Small-Capitalization Investing. The securities of small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large- or mid-capitalization companies. The securities of small-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large- or mid-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. There is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller-capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies.

 

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Options Risk. The prices of options may change rapidly over time and do not necessarily move in tandem with the price of the underlying securities. Selling call options reduces the Fund’s ability to profit from increases in the value of the Fund’s equity portfolio, and purchasing put options may result in the Fund’s loss of premiums paid in the event that the put options expire unexercised. To the extent that the Fund reduces its put option holdings relative to the number of call options sold by the Fund, the Fund’s ability to mitigate losses in the event of a market decline will be reduced.

 

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Portfolio Turnover Risk. Because the Fund may “turn over” some or all of its portfolio frequently, the Fund may incur high levels of transaction costs, performance that is lower than expected and potentially greater tax exposure.

 

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Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors. The Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in the following sectors and, therefore, the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting each of these sectors.

o

Consumer Sectors Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the Consumer Staples Sector, such as companies that produce or sell food, beverage, and drug retail or other household items, may be adversely impacted by changes in global and economic conditions, rising energy prices, and changes in the supply or price of commodities. Companies in the Consumer Discretionary Sector, such as automobile, textile, retail, and media companies, depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.

o

Energy Sector Risk. The Energy Sector includes companies operating in the exploration and production, refining and marketing, and storage and transportation of oil and gas and coal and consumable fuels. It also includes companies that offer oil and gas equipment and related services. The Fund is subject to the risk that the securities of such issuers will underperform the market as a whole due to legislative or regulatory changes, adverse market conditions and/or increased competition affecting the Energy Sector. The performance of companies operating in the Energy Sector is closely tied to the price and supply of energy fuels and international political events.

 

 

o

Health Care Sector Risk. Companies in the Health Care Sector are subject to extensive government regulation and their profitability can be significantly affected by restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure (including price discounting), limited product lines, an increased emphasis on the delivery of healthcare through outpatient services, loss or impairment of intellectual property rights and litigation regarding product or service liability.

o

Industrials Sector Risk. Issuers in the Industrials Sector are affected by supply and demand, both for their specific product or service and for Industrials Sector products in general. The products of such issuers may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates affect the performance of companies in the Industrials Sector. Issuers in the Industrials Sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage, product liability claims and exchange rates. The Industrials Sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors.

o

Information Technology Sector Risk. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.

 

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Short Selling Risk. Short selling involves the sale of securities borrowed from a third party. The short seller profits if the borrowed security’s price declines. If a shorted security increases in value, a higher price must be paid to buy the stock back to cover the short sale, resulting in a loss. The Fund may incur expenses related to short selling, including compensation, interest or dividends, and transaction costs payable to the security lender, whether the price of the shorted security increases or decreases. The amount the Fund could lose on a short sale is theoretically unlimited. Short selling also involves counterparty risk – the risk associated with the third-party ceasing operations or failing to sell the security back.

 

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Tax Risk. The writing of options by the Fund may significantly reduce or eliminate its ability to make distributions eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income. Options entered into by the Fund may also be subject to the federal tax rules applicable to straddles under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). If positions held by the Fund were treated as “straddles” for federal income tax purposes, or the Fund’s risk of loss with respect to a position was otherwise diminished as set forth in Treasury regulations, dividends on stocks that are a part of such positions would not constitute qualified dividend income subject to such favorable income tax treatment in the hands of non-corporate shareholders or eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders. In addition, generally, straddles are subject to certain rules that may affect the amount, character, and timing of the Fund’s recognition of gains and losses with respect to straddle positions.

 

 

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Value Investing Risk. Because the Fund may utilize a value style of investing, the Fund could suffer losses or produce poor results relative to other funds, even in a rising market, if the Adviser’s assessment of a company’s value or prospects for exceeding earnings expectations or market conditions is incorrect.

 

Performance

 

The Fund acquired all of the assets and liabilities of the Clough Hedged Equity ETF, a series of Listed Funds Trust (the “Predecessor Fund”), in a tax-free reorganization on January 17, 2025. In connection with this acquisition, shares of the Predecessor Fund were exchanged for shares of the Fund. The Predecessor Fund had an investment objective and strategies that were, in all material respects, the same as those of the Fund, and was managed in a manner that, in all material respects, complied with the investment guidelines and restrictions of the Fund. The Fund is a continuation of the Predecessor Fund, and therefore, the performance information includes the performance of the Predecessor Fund.

 

The following performance information indicates some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing how the Predecessor Fund’s performance has varied over time. The bar chart shows the Predecessor Fund’s performance for the calendar years ended December 31. The table illustrates how the Predecessor Fund’s average annual returns for the 1-year and since inception periods compare with those of the Bloomberg US Treasury 0-1 Year Maturity Index, which reflects a broad measure of market performance. The table also shows how the Predecessor Fund’s performance compares to the 50% Bloomberg US Treasury 0-1 Year Maturity Index/50% Bloomberg World Large, Mid and Small Cap Equal Weighted Blend Index and the Wilshire Liquid Alternative Equity Hedge Total Return Index, additional comparative indices that represent the asset classes in which the Fund invests. Previously, from the Predecessor Fund’s inception to August 28, 2023, the Predecessor Fund was advised by Changebridge Capital, LLC. The Predecessor Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.cloughetfs.com.

 

Calender Year Returns as of December 31

 

2021	3.01%
2022	-11.57%
2023	-2.78%

 

During the period shown in the bar chart, the best performance for a quarter was 14.01% (for the quarter ended March 31, 2021) and the worst performance was -14.07% (for the quarter ended June 30, 2022).

 

 

Average Annual Total Returns (for the Periods Ended December 31, 2023)

	One Year	Since Inception 11/12/20
Return Before Taxes	-2.78%	0.94%
Return After Taxes on Distributions	-2.88%	0.91%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	-1.58%	0.72%
Bloomberg World Large, Mid & Small Cap Equal Weight Total Return Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	13.95%	5.28%
50% Bloomberg US Treasury 0-1 Year Maturity Index/50% Bloomberg World Large, Mid and Small Cap Equal Weighted Blend Index1  (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	9.56%	3.93%
	8.62%	5.71%

 

1.

The 50% Bloomberg US Treasury 0-1 Year Maturity Index/50% Bloomberg World Large, Mid and Small Cap Equal Weighted Blend Index consists of 50% Bloomberg US Treasury 0-1 Year Maturity Index and 50% Bloomberg World Large, Mid and Small Cap Equal Weighted Index is the Fund’s secondary benchmark. The Bloomberg US Treasury 0-1 Year Maturity Index was created by Bloomberg and serves as a cash proxy. The 50% Bloomberg World Large, Mid and Small Cap Equal Weighted Index is an equal weighted equity benchmark that covers 99% market cap of the measured market.

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the periods covered by the table above and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Shares through tax deferred arrangements such as an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged accounts. In certain cases, the figure representing “Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Shares” may be higher than the other return figures for the same period. A higher after-tax return results when a capital loss occurs upon redemption and provides an assumed tax deduction that benefits the investor.

 

Management

 

Adviser:	Clough Capital Partners L.P.
Portfolio Manager:	Vincent Lorusso is the Fund’s portfolio manager and is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio. Mr. Lorusso has been the portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in November 2020.

Purchase and Sale of Shares

 

The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.

 

Shares are listed on the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker or dealer at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

 

An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. The difference in the bid and ask prices is referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”

 

Recent information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at www.cloughetfs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is held in an IRA or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts. See “Dividends, Distributions, and Taxes – Dividends and Distributions” for more information.

 

Financial Intermediary Compensation

 

If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.

 

FUND Summary— CLOUGH SELECT EQUITY ETF

 

Investment Objective

 

The Clough Select Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks capital appreciation and lower volatility than the broader market.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“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 Expenses1
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management Fees1	0.85%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	0.00%
Other Expenses2	0.00%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	0.86%

 

 

1	“Other Expenses” include broker and interest expenses. Broker and interest expenses are borne by the Fund separately from the management fee paid to the Adviser.
2	Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (“AFFE”) are the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies. Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not correlate to the expense ratios in the Fund’s Financial Highlights because the Financial Highlights include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Fund and exclude AFFE.

 

Expense Example

 

This 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 your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

	1 Year: $88	3 Years: $274	5 Years: $477	10 Years: $1,061

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as 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 Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024, the Predecessor Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 428% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

Clough Select Equity ETF

 

The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by purchasing securities that Clough Capital Partners L.P. (the “Adviser”), the Fund’s investment adviser, believes:

 

●

have above-average financial characteristics such as return on invested capital, profit margins, debt-to-equity ratio, or revenue and earnings growth as identified in financial statements, relative to the broader equity market;

 

●

are undervalued based on valuation metrics such as (i) enterprise value to sales, (ii) enterprise value to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, or (iii) price to earnings ratios; or

 

●

have higher growth potential as indicated by sales growth, earnings growth, or free cash flow growth.

 

The Fund primarily invests in U.S.-listed equity securities and sponsored depositary receipts, including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). While the Fund’s equity exposure strategy focuses on investments in U.S. equity securities, the Fund’s strategy also includes investments in companies organized in the U.S. but deriving revenue from international markets, including emerging markets. The Fund will make investments in emerging markets, which the Fund defines as countries included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (“MSCI”), using U.S.-listed securities of companies domiciled in MSCI countries. While the Adviser seeks companies it believes will outperform over a full market cycle (typically 5-11 years), the Fund may experience higher portfolio turnover in the short term as the Fund responds to changing market conditions or when the Adviser identifies new opportunities.

 

13

 

The Adviser's investment process is built on seeking to identify and capitalize on industry or economic trends that other investors have not yet recognized. The Adviser believes that it can identify industry or economic trends by analyzing industry and economic related information such as capital flows that effect natural resource scarcity, technological innovations which have the potential to disrupt traditional industries, impacts of demographic shifts, and changes in profit or credit cycles. The Adviser then interprets the information analyzed to identify emerging patterns or changes in various sectors of the economy and develops a strategy for the Fund to allocate its capital into investible securities.

 

The Adviser identifies investible securities through rigorous research, including analysis of public company filings, customer preferences, relevant supply chains, and additional publicly available company information. The investment process focuses on a number of significant global investment themes identified by the Adviser through its research process. Global investment themes include industry or economic trends that the Adviser believes will significantly impact multiple sectors or regions of the global economy. The Adviser believes that the Fund can invest in companies affected by an attractive global investment theme which the Adviser anticipates will result in positive investment returns. For instance, an attractive global investment theme could be the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) as a transformative technology. The Adviser might identify this theme by observing increased investment in AI research and development, analyzing the growing demand for advanced semiconductor chips, and studying the proliferation of AI-powered applications across various industries. This theme could result in far-reaching implications for semiconductor manufacturers, companies throughout the semiconductor supply chain, consumer electronics producers, software developers, and numerous other sectors that stand to benefit from or be negatively impacted by AI technology.

 

When such a theme is identified, the Adviser then conducts bottom-up research to find specific companies that are well-positioned to benefit from this trend. In the AI example, this research might uncover potential investments in leading chip designers, manufacturers of specialized AI hardware, cloud computing providers offering AI services, or software companies developing innovative AI applications. This approach allows the Fund to invest in the global trends identified by selecting individual securities that the Adviser believes will offer the best potential for positive returns. Individual security positions are selected after an evaluation of various company characteristics, such as an assessment of a company's market position compared to its competitors, which would involve analyzing company specific factors including market share, product differentiation, and brand strength. The Adviser also evaluates the quality of company management by examining its track record, strategic decisions, and ability to execute business plans effectively. The company selection assessment also includes analyzing a company’s financial performance metrics, reviewing a company’s public statements and interviews, and evaluating a company's reputation within its industry. The Adviser also analyzes a company's earnings, cash flow, and balance sheet to assess its financial stability and potential for positive investment returns. In addition, the Adviser evaluates whether a company's market share, profitability and market valuation is justified and likely to persist over time, compared to both its own and peer historical metrics. The evaluation process involves analysis of various financial ratios and metrics, including price-to-earnings, earnings per share, return on equity, and debt-to-equity ratios, to determine if a company's stock price accurately reflects its fundamental value and growth potential.

 

14

 

The Fund's portfolio construction is driven by the Adviser's bottom-up research process, which seeks to identify the most compelling investment opportunities across various sectors. The Fund’s equity stock position concentrations will be higher in sectors such as energy, technology, consumer, industrial, and healthcare at times, and the Fund does not adhere to strict sector weighting parameters. This approach allows the Fund to invest in companies that have the greatest potential for returns, regardless of sector. The Fund will typically maintain a diversified portfolio of 30 to 50 long positions and 20 to 50 short positions. This range allows for meaningful exposure to high-conviction ideas while maintaining a level of diversification to manage overall portfolio risk. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, will be invested in equity securities, including common stocks and sponsored depositary receipts.

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with the risks of other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objective. The following risks could affect the value of your investment in the Fund:

 

●

Market Risk. The trading prices of securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. These factors include events impacting the entire market or specific market segments, such as political, market and economic developments, as well as events that impact specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price, like security and commodity prices generally, may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years due to a number of these factors, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related public health issues, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, uncertainties regarding interest rates, trade tensions and the threat of tariffs imposed by the U.S. and other countries. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, acts of terrorism, public health issues, recessions, rising inflation, or other events could have a significant negative impact on the Fund and its investments. These developments as well as other events could result in further market volatility and negatively affect financial asset prices, the liquidity of certain securities and the normal operations of securities exchanges and other markets.

 

●

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific issuers, industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stocks and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from issuers.

 

●

Investment Themes Risk. The Fund’s investment program depends on the Adviser’s identification and development of global or regional investment themes, and the Fund’s performance may suffer if such themes, which can be inherently challenging to identify, are not well identified, or do not unfold as anticipated. Failure to correctly identify or develop the themes that will guide the Fund’s portfolio investments, or the failure of a theme to unfold in the way the Adviser anticipates, may result from many causes, including the following: governments or others may decide to oppose or delay certain economic, social or political developments that are the basis of investment themes; demographic or economic data necessary to understand correctly the way in which certain themes may unfold in some countries may be incorrect or incomplete; development of themes and their longevity may require attention to subtle cultural factors not always apparent to outside observers; or social and political changes or natural disasters in some parts of the world may alter the underlying conditions or affect the availability of natural resources necessary to an emerging theme.

 

 

●

Security Selection Risk. The success of the Fund’s investment strategies depends, in part, on the effectiveness and implementation of the Adviser’s analysis and methodology with respect to security selection. The securities in the Fund’s portfolio may decline in value. The Adviser’s analysis and portfolio management practices may not achieve the desired results.

 

●

Cybersecurity Risk. Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets or proprietary information, or cause the Fund, the Adviser, and/or other service providers (including custodians and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches or data corruption. Additionally, cybersecurity failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Adviser, or the Fund’s other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants (“APs”), the Fund’s primary listing exchange, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to disrupt and negatively affect the Fund’s business operations, including the ability to purchase and sell Shares, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders.

 

●

Depositary Receipts Risk. The Fund may hold the securities of non-U.S. companies in the form of depository receipts, including ADRs, EDRs and GDRs. ADRs are negotiable certificates issued by a U.S. financial institution that represent a specified number of shares in a foreign stock and trade on a U.S. national securities exchange, such as the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). ADRs are U.S. dollar denominated. EDRs and GDRs are similar to ADRs, but are shares of foreign-based corporations generally issued by international banks in one or more markets around the world. EDRs and GDRs are typically U.S. dollar denominated but may be denominated in a foreign currency. Depositary receipts may be unregistered and unlisted. Depositary receipts involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities, such as changes in political or economic conditions of other countries, changes in the exchange rates of foreign currencies , and, because the underlying securities of depositary receipts trade on foreign exchanges at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, the value of the securities underlying the depositary receipts may change materially at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, regardless of whether there is an active U.S. market for shares.

 

●

Emerging Markets Risk. Emerging markets are subject to greater market volatility, lower trading volume, political and economic instability, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets and more governmental limitations on foreign investment than more developed markets. In addition, securities in emerging markets may be subject to greater price fluctuations than securities in more developed markets. Differences in regulatory, accounting, auditing, and financial reporting and recordkeeping standards could impede the Adviser’s ability to evaluate local companies and impact the Fund’s performance. Foreign markets ADRs and ETFs involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities, such as changes in political or economic conditions of other countries, changes in the exchange rates of foreign currencies, and, because the underlying securities of ADRs and ETFs trade on foreign exchanges at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, the value of the securities underlying the ADRs and ETFs may change materially at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, regardless of whether there is an active U.S. market for shares.

 

 

●

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of its structure, it is exposed to the following risks:

o

Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants (“APs”). 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) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs 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.

o

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares Risk. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

o

Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV Risk. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

o

Trading Risk. Although Shares are listed for trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”) and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. 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 the Shares.

 

●

Foreign Markets Risk. Investments in ADRs and ETFs that provide exposure to non-U.S. securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. For example, the value of non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of decline due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. Investments in ADRs also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be indirectly subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments. Foreign markets ADRs and ETFs involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities, such as changes in political or economic conditions of other countries, changes in the exchange rates of foreign currencies, and, because the underlying securities of ADRs and ETFs trade on foreign exchanges at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, the value of the securities underlying the ADRs and ETFs may change materially at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, regardless of whether there is an active U.S. market for shares. This, in turn, could lead to differences in the market price of the ETF's and ADR shares and the underlying value of those shares.

 

 

●

Growth Investing Risk. Growth stocks can be volatile for several reasons. Since those companies usually invest a high portion of earnings in their businesses, they may lack the dividends of value stocks that can cushion stock prices in a falling market. The prices of growth stocks are based largely on projections of the issuer’s future earnings and revenues. If a company’s earnings or revenues fall short of expectations, its stock price may fall dramatically.

 

●

Liquidity Risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment in an orderly fashion at an acceptable price.

 

●

Management Risk. The Adviser continuously evaluates the Fund’s holdings, purchases and sales with a view to achieving the Fund’s investment objective. However, achievement of the stated investment objective cannot be guaranteed. The Adviser’s judgment about the markets, the economy, or companies may not anticipate actual market movements, economic conditions or company performance, and these factors may affect the return on your investment.

 

●

Market Capitalization Risk.

o

Large-Capitalization Investing. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies may also be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes.

o

Mid-Capitalization Investing. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. The securities of mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole.

o

Small-Capitalization Investing. The securities of small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large- or mid-capitalization companies. The securities of small-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large- or mid-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. There is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller-capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies.

 

●

Portfolio Turnover Risk. Because the Fund may “turn over” some or all of its portfolio frequently, the Fund may incur high levels of transaction costs, performance that is lower than expected and potentially greater tax exposure.

 

●

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors. The Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in the following sectors and, therefore, the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting each of these sectors.

o

Consumer Sectors Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the Consumer Staples Sector, such as companies that produce or sell food, beverage, and drug retail or other household items, may be adversely impacted by changes in global and economic conditions, rising energy prices, and changes in the supply or price of commodities. Companies in the Consumer Discretionary Sector, such as automobile, textile, retail, and media companies, depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.

 

 

o

Energy Sector Risk. The Energy Sector includes companies operating in the exploration and production, refining and marketing, and storage and transportation of oil and gas and coal and consumable fuels. It also includes companies that offer oil and gas equipment and related services. The Fund is subject to the risk that the securities of such issuers will underperform the market as a whole due to legislative or regulatory changes, adverse market conditions and/or increased competition affecting the Energy Sector. The performance of companies operating in the Energy Sector is closely tied to the price and supply of energy fuels and international political events.

o

Health Care Sector Risk. Companies in the Health Care Sector are subject to extensive government regulation and their profitability can be significantly affected by restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure (including price discounting), limited product lines, an increased emphasis on the delivery of healthcare through outpatient services, loss or impairment of intellectual property rights and litigation regarding product or service liability.

o

Industrials Sector Risk. Issuers in the Industrials Sector are affected by supply and demand, both for their specific product or service and for Industrials Sector products in general. The products of such issuers may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates affect the performance of companies in the Industrials Sector. Issuers in the Industrials Sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage, product liability claims and exchange rates. The Industrials Sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors.

o

Information Technology Sector Risk. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.

 

●

Value Investing Risk. Because the Fund may utilize a value style of investing, the Fund could suffer losses or produce poor results relative to other funds, even in a rising market, if the Adviser’s assessment of a company’s value or prospects for exceeding earnings expectations or market conditions is incorrect.

 

19

 

Performance

 

The Fund acquired all of the assets and liabilities of the Clough Select Equity ETF, a series of Listed Funds Trust (the “Predecessor Fund”), in a tax-free reorganization on January 17, 2025. In connection with this acquisition, shares of the Predecessor Fund were exchanged for shares of the Fund. The Predecessor Fund had an investment objective and strategies that were, in all material respects, the same as those of the Fund, and was managed in a manner that, in all material respects, complied with the investment guidelines and restrictions of the Fund. The Fund is a continuation of the Predecessor Fund, and therefore, the performance information includes the performance of the Predecessor Fund.

 

The following performance information indicates some of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing how the Predecessor Fund’s performance has varied over time. The bar chart shows the Predecessor Fund’s performance for the calendar years ended December 31. The table illustrates how the Predecessor Fund’s average annual returns for the 1-year and since inception periods compare with those of the primary index which is the Bloomberg World Large, Mid and Small Cap equal weighted index. The table also shows how the Predecessor Fund’s performance compares to the S&P 500® Total Return Index, another comparative index that represents the asset classes in which the Fund invests. From the Predecessor Fund’s inception to August 28, 2023, the Predecessor Fund was advised by Changebridge Capital, LLC. The Predecessor Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.cloughetfs.com.

Calender Year Returns as of December 31 

 

2021	14.72%
2022	-19.69%
2023	16.90%

 

During the period shown in the bar chart, the best performance for a quarter was 20.41% (for the quarter ended March 31, 2021) and the worst performance was -18.94% (for the quarter ended June 30, 2022).

 

Average Annual Total Returns  (for the Periods Ended December 31, 2023)

	One Year	Since Inception  (11/12/20)
Return Before Taxes	16.90%	8.26%
Return After Taxes on Distributions	16.48%	8.10%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Predecessor Fund Shares	10.29%	6.41%
Bloomberg World Large, Mid and Small Cap Equal Weighted Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	13.95%	5.28%
S&P 500® Total Return Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes)	26.29%	11.75%

 

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the periods covered by the table above and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged accounts. In certain cases, the figure representing “Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Shares” may be higher than the other return figures for the same period. A higher after-tax return results when a capital loss occurs upon redemption and provides an assumed tax deduction that benefits the investor.

 

Management

 

Adviser:	Clough Capital Partners L.P.
Portfolio Manager:	Vincent Lorusso is the Fund’s portfolio manager and is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio. Mr. Lorusso has been the portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in November 2020.

Purchase and Sale of Shares

 

The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/ or a designated amount of U.S. cash.

 

Shares are listed on the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker or dealer at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. The difference in the bid and ask prices is referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”

 

Recent information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at www.cloughetfs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is held in an IRA or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts. See “Dividends, Distributions, and Taxes - Dividends and Distributions” for more information.

 

 

Financial Intermediary Compensation

 

If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.

 

Additional Information About the FundS

 

Additional Information About Each Fund’s Investment Objective.

 

Fund	Investment Objective
Clough Hedged Equity ETF	The Clough Hedged Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation while minimizing volatility.
Clough Select Equity ETF	The Clough Select Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks capital appreciation and lower volatility than the broader market.

Each Fund’s investment objective may be changed by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) without shareholder approval upon written notice to shareholders.

 

Additional Information About Each Fund’s Investment Strategies.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

Each Fund has adopted a policy, as described below, to comply with Rule 35d-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”). Each such policy has been adopted as a non-fundamental investment policy and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.

 

Under normal circumstances, each Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities, including common stocks and depositary receipts.

 

The Clough Hedged Equity ETF intends to engage in short sales. To effect a short sale, the Fund arranges through a broker to borrow the security it does not own to be delivered to a buyer of such security. In borrowing the security to be delivered to the buyer, the Fund will become obligated to replace the security borrowed at the time of replacement, regardless of the market price at that time. A short sale results in a gain when the price of the securities sold short declines between the date of the short sale and the date on which a security is purchased to replace the borrowed security. Conversely, a short sale will result in a loss if the price of the security sold short increases. When the Fund makes a short sale, the broker effecting the short sale typically holds the proceeds as part of the collateral securing the Fund’s obligation to cover the short position.

 

 

Non-Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Clough Select Equity ETF may also purchase or sell (write) exchange-traded put or call options on stocks or stock indices for any purpose consistent with its investment objective, such as for hedging or obtaining market exposure. A put option gives the owner of the put the right, but not the obligation, to sell a security at a stated price within a specific timeframe, and a call option gives the owner of the call the right, but not the obligation, to buy a security at a stated price within a specific timeframe.

 

Additional Information About the Funds’ Principal Risks. An investment in a Fund entails risks. A Fund could lose money, or its performance could trail that of other investment alternatives. The following provides additional information about each Fund’s principal risks. It is important that investors closely review and understand these risks before making an investment in a Fund. Each risk applies to each Fund unless otherwise specified. Just as in each Fund’s summary section, the principal risks below are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with those of other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the applicable Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

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Counterparty Risk (Clough Hedged Equity ETF only). Investing in derivatives involves entering into contracts with third parties (i.e., counterparties). The use of derivatives involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund will be subject to credit risk (i.e., the risk that a counterparty is or is perceived to be unwilling or unable to make timely payments or otherwise meet its contractual obligations) with respect to the amount it expects to receive from counterparties to derivatives entered into by the Fund. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or fails to perform its obligations, or if any collateral posted by the counterparty for the benefit of the Fund is insufficient or there are delays in the Fund’s ability to access such collateral, the value of an investment in such Fund may decline. The Fund also seeks to mitigate risks by generally requiring that the counterparties agree to post collateral for the benefit of the Fund, marked to market daily, in an amount approximately equal to what the counterparty owes the Fund, subject to certain minimum thresholds. To the extent any such collateral is insufficient or there are delays in accessing the collateral, the Fund will be exposed to the risks described above, including possible delays in recovering amounts as a result of bankruptcy proceedings.

 

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Cybersecurity Risk. With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet and the dependence on computer systems to perform business and operational functions, funds (such as a Fund) and their service providers may be prone to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber-attacks and/or technological malfunctions. In general, cyber-attacks are deliberate, but unintentional events may have similar effects. Cyber-attacks include, among others, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, preventing legitimate users from accessing information or services on a website, releasing confidential information without authorization, and causing operational disruption. Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets or proprietary information, or cause a Fund, the Adviser, and/or other service providers (including custodians and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches or data corruption. Additionally, cybersecurity failures or breaches of the electronic systems of a Fund, the Adviser, or the Fund’s other service providers, market makers, APs, a Fund’s primary listing exchange, or the issuers of securities in which a Fund invests have the ability to disrupt and negatively affect the Fund’s business operations, including the ability to purchase and sell Shares, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. For instance, cyber-attacks or technical malfunctions may interfere with the processing of shareholder or other transactions, affect a Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential Fund information, impede trading, cause reputational damage, and subject the Fund to regulatory fines, penalties or financial losses, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and additional compliance costs. Cyber-attacks or technical malfunctions may render records of Fund assets and transactions, shareholder ownership of Shares, and other data integral to the functioning of a Fund inaccessible or inaccurate or incomplete. A Fund also may incur substantial costs for cybersecurity risk management to prevent cyber incidents in the future. A Fund and its respective shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

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Depositary Receipts Risk. The Funds may hold the securities of non-U.S. companies in the form of depository receipts, including ADRs, EDRs and GDRs. ADRs are negotiable certificates issued by a U.S. financial institution that represent a specified number of shares in a foreign stock and trade on a U.S. national securities exchange, such as the NYSE. ADRs are U.S. dollar denominated. EDRs and GDRs are similar to ADRs, but are shares of foreign-based corporations generally issued by international banks in one or more markets around the world. EDRs and GDRs are typically U.S. dollar denominated but may be denominated in a foreign currency. As a result, changes in foreign currency exchange rates may affect the value of a Fund’s portfolio. Depositary receipts in which the Fund invests are “sponsored” and may be unregistered and unlisted. Sponsored depositary receipts are established jointly by a depositary and the underlying issuer, whereas unsponsored depositary receipts may be established by a depositary without participation by the underlying issuer. In addition, because the underlying securities of depositary receipts trade on foreign exchanges at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, the value of the securities underlying the depositary receipts may change materially at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, regardless of whether there is an active U.S. market for shares.

 

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Derivatives Risk (Clough Hedged Equity ETF only). Derivatives are financial instruments that have a value which depends upon, or is derived from, a reference asset, such as one or more underlying securities, pools of securities, indices, rates or currencies. Derivatives may result in investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest; in other words, a small investment in a derivative may have a large impact on Fund performance. The successful use of derivatives generally depends on the ability to predict market movements. The use of these instruments requires special skills and knowledge of investment techniques that are different than those normally required for purchasing and selling securities. If the Adviser uses a derivative instrument at the wrong time or judges market conditions incorrectly, or if the derivative instrument does not perform as expected, these strategies may significantly reduce the Fund’s return. The Fund could also experience losses if it is unable to close out a position because the market for an instrument or position is or becomes illiquid. Derivatives, including options, are subject to a number of risks, some of which are described elsewhere in this Prospectus. The use of derivatives may entail risks greater than, or possibly different from, such risks to which the Fund is exposed. Certain of the different risks to which the Fund might be exposed due to the use of derivatives include the following:

 

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Correlation Risk is the risk that derivative instruments may be mispriced or improperly valued and that changes in the value of the derivatives may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset or security.

 

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Hedging Risk is the risk that derivative instruments used to hedge against an opposite position may offset losses, but they also may offset gains.

 

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Segregation Risk is the risk associated with any requirement which may be imposed to segregate assets or enter into offsetting positions in connection with investments in derivatives. Such segregation will not limit exposure to loss, and the Fund may be exposed to investment risk with respect to the segregated assets to the extent that, but for the applicable segregation requirement, the segregated assets would be sold.

 

 

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Volatility Risk is the risk that, because some derivatives involve economic leverage, this economic leverage will increase the volatility of the derivative instruments, as they may increase or decrease in value more quickly than the underlying currency, security, interest rate or other economic variable.

 

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Emerging Markets Risk. Emerging markets are subject to greater market volatility, lower trading volume, political and economic instability, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets and more governmental limitations on foreign investment than more developed markets. In addition, securities in emerging markets may be subject to greater price fluctuations than securities in more developed markets. Differences in regulatory, accounting, auditing, and financial reporting and recordkeeping standards could impede the Adviser’s ability to evaluate local companies and impact a Fund’s performance. There also may be limitations on the rights and remedies available to investors in emerging market companies compared to those associated with U.S. companies. In addition, brokerage and other transaction costs on foreign securities exchanges are often higher than in the U.S. and there is generally less government supervision and regulation of exchanges, brokers and issuers in foreign countries. Foreign markets ADRs and ETFs involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities, such as changes in political or economic conditions of other countries, changes in the exchange rates of foreign currencies, and, because the underlying securities of ADRs and ETFs trade on foreign exchanges at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, the value of the securities underlying the ADRs and ETFs may change materially at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, regardless of whether there is an active U.S. market for shares.

 

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Equity Market Risk. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors including: expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction; pandemics; and global or regional political, economic and banking crises. If you held common stock, or common stock equivalents, of any given issuer, you would generally be exposed to greater risk than if you held preferred stocks and debt obligations of the issuer because common stockholders, or holders of equivalent interests, generally have inferior rights to receive payments from issuers in comparison with the rights of preferred stockholders, bondholders, and other creditors of such issuers.

 

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ETF Risks. Each Fund is an ETF and, as a result of its structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

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Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. A Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting if either: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs 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.

 

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Costs of Buying or Selling Shares Risk. Investors buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will 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 also will incur the cost of the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares (the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread 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, a relatively small investor base in a Fund, asset swings in a Fund and/or increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

 

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Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV Risk. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate a Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. The market price of Shares during the trading day, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a “bid/ask” spread charged by the exchange specialist, market makers or other participants that trade Shares. In times of severe market disruption, the bid/ask spread can increase significantly. At those times, Shares are most likely to be traded at a discount to NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of Shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that you most want to sell your Shares. The Adviser believes that, under normal market conditions, large market price discounts or premiums to NAV will not be sustained because of arbitrage opportunities.

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Trading Risk. Although Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange and may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to Exchange “circuit breaker” rules, which temporarily halt trading on the Exchange when a decline in the S&P 500® Index during a single day reaches certain thresholds (e.g., 7%, 13%, and 20%). Additional rules applicable to the Exchange may halt trading in Shares when extraordinary volatility causes sudden, significant swings in the market price of Shares. There can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of a Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares.

 

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Foreign Markets Risk. Investments in ADRs and ETFs that provide exposure to non-U.S. companies involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. companies. For example, investments in non-U.S. companies 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 a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Securities of non-U.S. companies may be subject to different accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than those of U.S. companies. Investments tied to non-U.S. companies 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 also is 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 a 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. Each of these factors can make investments in a Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments. Foreign markets ADRs and ETFs involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities, such as changes in political or economic conditions of other countries, changes in the exchange rates of foreign currencies, and, because the underlying securities of ADRs and ETFs trade on foreign exchanges at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, the value of the securities underlying the ADRs and ETFs may change materially at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading, regardless of whether there is an active U.S. market for shares. This, in turn, could lead to differences in the market price of the ETF's and ADR shares and the underlying value of those shares.

 

 

●	Growth Investing Risk. Growth stocks can be volatile for several reasons. Since those companies usually invest a high portion of earnings in their businesses, they may lack the dividends of value stocks that can cushion stock prices in a falling market. The prices of growth stocks are based largely on projections of the issuer’s future earnings and revenues. If a company’s earnings or revenues fall short of expectations, its stock price may fall dramatically.
●	Hedging Risk (Clough Hedged Equity ETF only). Options used by the Fund to reduce volatility may not perform as intended. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s option strategy will be effective. It may expose the Fund to losses, e.g., option premiums, to which it would not have otherwise been exposed if it only invested in stocks. Further, the option strategy may not fully protect the Fund against declines in the value of its portfolio securities.

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Investment Themes Risk. Each Fund’s investment program depends on the Adviser’s identification and development of global or regional investment themes, and a Fund’s performance may suffer if such themes, which can be inherently challenging to identify, are not well identified, or do not unfold as anticipated. Failure to correctly identify or develop the themes that will guide a Fund’s portfolio investments, or the failure of a theme to unfold in the way the Adviser anticipates, may result from many causes, including the following: governments or others may decide to oppose or delay certain economic, social or political developments that are the basis of investment themes; demographic or economic data necessary to understand correctly the way in which certain themes may unfold in some countries may be incorrect or incomplete; development of themes and their longevity may require attention to subtle cultural factors not always apparent to outside observers; or social and political changes or natural disasters in some parts of the world may alter the underlying conditions or affect the availability of natural resources necessary to an emerging theme.

 

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Liquidity Risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment in an orderly fashion at an acceptable price.

 

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Long/Short Risk (Clough Hedged Equity ETF only). The Fund seeks long exposure to certain securities and short exposure to certain other securities. There is no guarantee that the returns on the Fund’s long or short positions will produce positive returns, and the Fund could lose money if either or both the Fund’s long and short positions produce negative returns.

 

 

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Management Risk. The Adviser continuously evaluates each Fund’s holdings, purchases and sales with a view to achieving each Fund’s investment objective. However, achievement of the stated investment objective cannot be guaranteed. The Adviser’s judgment about the markets, the economy, or companies may not anticipate actual market movements, economic conditions or company performance, and these factors may affect the return on your investment. In fact, no matter how good a job the Adviser does, you could lose money on your investment in a Fund, just as you could with other investments. If the Adviser is incorrect in its assessment of the income, growth or price realization potential of a Fund’s holdings or incorrect in its assessment of general market or economic conditions, then the value of each Fund’s shares may decline.

 

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Market Capitalization Risk.

 

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Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and, therefore, subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies also may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes.

 

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Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. The securities of midcapitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Some mid-capitalization companies have limited product lines, markets, financial resources, and management personnel and tend to concentrate on fewer geographical markets relative to large-capitalization companies.

 

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Small-Capitalization Investing Risk. The securities of small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large- or mid-capitalization companies. The securities of small-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large- or mid-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. There is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller-capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies.

 

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Market Risk. Market risks, including political, regulatory, market, and economic or other developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market, can affect the value of a Fund’s shares. Local, regional, or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, natural disasters, 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. Each Fund is subject to the risk that the prices of, and the income generated by, securities held by the Fund may decline significantly and/or rapidly in response to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, general economic and market conditions, or other developments, such as regional or global economic instability (including terrorism and related geopolitical risks), interest rate fluctuations, and those events directly involving the issuers that may cause broad changes in market value, public perceptions concerning these developments, and adverse investor sentiment. Such events may cause the value of securities owned by a Fund to go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Changes in the economic climate, investor perceptions and stock market volatility also can cause the prices of a Fund’s investments to decline regardless of the conditions of the issuers held by the Fund. There is also a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government and/or Federal Reserve, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on a Fund. These events may lead to periods of volatility and increased redemptions, which could cause a Fund to experience a loss when selling securities to meet redemption requests by shareholders. The risk of loss increases if the redemption requests are unusually large or frequent.

 

 

Prices may fluctuate widely over short or extended periods in response to company, market or economic news. Markets also tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. If there is a general decline in the securities and other markets, your investment in a Fund may lose value, regardless of the individual results of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests.

 

In the past several years, financial markets, such as those in the United States, Europe, Asia and elsewhere, have experienced increased volatility, depressed valuations, decreased liquidity and heightened uncertainty. Governmental and non-governmental issuers have defaulted on, or been forced to restructure, their debts. These conditions may continue, recur, worsen or spread.

 

The U.S. Government and the Federal Reserve, as well as certain foreign governments and central banks, took steps to support financial markets, including by keeping interest rates at historically low levels for an extended period. The Federal Reserve has concluded its market support activities and has raised, and may continue to raise, interest rates. Such actions, including additional interest rate hikes, could negatively affect financial markets generally, increase market volatility and reduce the value and liquidity of securities in which a Fund invests.

 

Policy and legislative changes in the United States and in other countries are affecting many aspects of financial regulation, and may in some instances contribute to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the financial markets. The impact of these changes on the markets, and the practical implications for market participants, may not be fully known for some time.

 

Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected. As a result, whether or not a Fund invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to countries experiencing economic and financial difficulties, the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected.

 

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Options Risk (Clough Hedged Equity ETF only). Options are subject to correlation risk because there may be an imperfect correlation between the prices of options and movements in the price of the underlying securities. Options may expire unexercised, causing the Fund to lose the premium paid for them. The success of the Fund’s investment in options depends upon many factors, such as the price of the options which is a function of various factors that may change rapidly over time. If a counterparty defaults, the Fund’s only recourse will be to pursue contractual remedies against the counterparty, and the Fund may be unsuccessful in its pursuit. The Fund thus assumes the risk that it may be delayed in or prevented from obtaining payments owed to it pursuant to an over-the-counter options transaction.

 

Exchange traded index options give the holder of the option the right to buy (or to sell) a position in an index of securities to the writer of the option, at a certain price. Selling index call options reduces the Fund’s ability to profit from increases in the value of the Fund’s equity portfolio, and purchasing put options may result in the Fund’s loss of premiums paid in the event that the put options expire unexercised. To the extent that the Fund reduces its put option holdings relative to the number of call options sold by the Fund, the Fund’s ability to mitigate losses in the event of a market decline will be reduced.

 

 

When the Fund sells an option, it gains the amount of the premium it receives, but also incurs a liability representing the value of the option it has sold until the option is either exercised and finishes “in the money,” meaning it has value and can be sold, or the option expires worthless, or the expiration of the option is “rolled,” or extended forward. The value of the options in which the Fund invests is based partly on the volatility used by market participants to price such options (i.e., implied volatility). Accordingly, increases in the implied volatility of such options will cause the value of such options to increase (even if the prices of the options’ underlying stocks do not change), which will result in a corresponding increase in the liabilities of the Fund under such options and thus decrease the Fund’s NAV.

 

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Portfolio Turnover Risk. Each Fund’s strategy may frequently involve buying and selling securities, which may lead to relatively high portfolio turnover. Higher portfolio turnover may result in a Fund paying increased transaction costs and generating greater tax liabilities for shareholders. Higher portfolio turnover also may cause a Fund’s performance to be less than you expect.

 

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Sector Risk. Each Fund’s investing approach may result in an emphasis on certain sectors, industries, or sub-industries of the market at any given time. To the extent a Fund invests more heavily in one sector or sub-industry of the market, it thereby presents a more concentrated risk and its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors, industries, or sub-industries. In addition, the value of a Fund’s shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of a fund with investments in a more diversified mix of sectors and industries. An individual sector, industry, or subindustry of the market may have above-average performance during particular periods but may also move up and down more than the broader market. The several industries that constitute a sector may all react in the same way to economic, political or regulatory events. A Fund’s performance could also be affected if the sectors, industries, or sub-industries do not perform as expected. Alternatively, the lack of exposure to one or more sectors, industries, or sub-industries may adversely affect performance. If such sectors underperform relative to the broader equity market, or if the sectors to which a Fund has less exposure relative to the broader equity market outperform relative to the broader equity market, the Fund’s performance may lag that of the broader equity market. Each Fund may have significant exposure to the following sectors:

 

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Consumer Sectors Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, tariffs and trade barriers, changes in demographics, and consumer preferences. Companies in consumer-oriented sectors depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.

 

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Energy Sector Risk. The energy sector includes companies operating in the exploration and production, refining and marketing, and storage and transportation of oil and gas and coal and consumable fuels. It also includes companies that offer oil and gas equipment and related services. The Fund is subject to the risk that the securities of such issuers will underperform the market as a whole due to legislative or regulatory changes, adverse market conditions and/or increased competition affecting the energy sector. The performance of companies operating in the energy sector is closely tied to the price and supply of energy fuels and international political events.

 

 

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Health Care Sector Risk. Companies in the Health Care Sector are subject to extensive government regulation and their profitability can be significantly affected by restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure (including price discounting), limited product lines and an increased emphasis on the delivery of healthcare through outpatient services. Companies in the Health Care Sector are heavily dependent on obtaining and defending patents, which may be time consuming and costly, and the expiration of patents may also adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Health care companies are also subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. In addition, their products can become obsolete due to industry innovation, changes in technologies or other market developments. Many new products in the Health Care Sector require significant research and development and may be subject to regulatory approvals, all of which may be time consuming and costly with no guarantee that any product will come to market.

 

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Industrials Sector Risk. Issuers in the Industrials Sector are affected by supply and demand, both for their specific product or service and for Industrials Sector products in general. The products of such issuers may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates affect the performance of companies in the Industrials Sector. Issuers in the Industrials Sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage, product liability claims and exchange rates. The Industrials Sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors.

 

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Information Technology Sector Risk. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Funds’ investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability. Additionally, companies in the technology sector may face dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel.

 

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Security Selection Risk. The securities in each Fund’s portfolio may decline in value. The Adviser’s analysis and portfolio management practices may not achieve the desired results.

 

●

Short Selling Risk (Clough Hedged Equity ETF only). Short selling involves the sale of securities borrowed from a third party. The short seller profits if the borrowed security’s price declines. If a shorted security increases in value, a higher price must be paid to buy the stock back to cover the short sale, resulting in a loss. The Fund may incur expenses related to short selling, including compensation, interest or dividends, and transaction costs payable to the security lender, whether the price of the shorted security increases or decreases. The amount the Fund could lose on a short sale is theoretically unlimited. Short selling also involves counterparty risk – the risk associated with the third party ceasing operations or failing to sell the security back.

 

 

●

Tax Risk (Clough Hedged Equity ETF only). The writing of call options by the Fund may significantly reduce or eliminate its ability to make distributions eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income. Covered call options may also be subject to the federal tax rules applicable to straddles under the Code. If positions held by the Fund were treated as “straddles” for federal income tax purposes, or the Fund’s risk of loss with respect to a position was otherwise diminished as set forth in Treasury regulations, dividends on stocks that are a part of such positions would not constitute qualified dividend income subject to such favorable income tax treatment in the hands of non-corporate shareholders or eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders. In addition, generally, straddles are subject to certain rules that may affect the amount, character and timing of the Fund’s recognition of gains and losses with respect to straddle positions by requiring, among other things, that: (1) any loss realized on disposition of one position of a straddle may not be recognized to the extent that the Fund has unrealized gains with respect to the other position in such straddle; (2) the Fund’s holding period in straddle positions be suspended while the straddle exists (possibly resulting in a gain being treated as short-term capital gain rather than long-term capital gain); (3) the losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions that are part of a mixed straddle and that are not subject to Section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code be treated as 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital loss; (4) losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions that would otherwise constitute short-term capital losses be treated as long-term capital losses; and (5) the deduction of interest and carrying charges attributable to certain straddle positions may be deferred.

 

●

Value Investing Risk. Because the Fund may utilize a value style of investing, the Fund could suffer losses or produce poor results relative to other funds, even in a rising market, if the Adviser’s assessment of a company’s value or prospects for exceeding earnings expectations or market conditions is incorrect.

 

Portfolio Holdings Information

 

Information about each Fund’s daily portfolio holdings is available at www.cloughetfs.com. A complete description of the Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Funds’ portfolio holdings is available in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”).

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Clough Capital Partners L.P., a Delaware limited partnership located at 53 State Street, Floor 27, Boston, MA 02109, serves as the investment adviser for each Fund. The Adviser, subject to the oversight of the Board, provides an investment management program for each Fund and manages the day-to-day operations of the Funds. The Adviser also arranges for transfer agency, custody, fund administration, distribution, and all other services necessary for each Fund to operate. The Adviser is an SEC-registered investment adviser. Previously, from each Fund’s inception to August 28, 2023, the Funds were advised by Changebridge Capital, LLC.

 

 

For the services it provides to the Funds, the Adviser is entitled to a unified management fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate based on each Fund’s average daily net assets as set forth in the table below.

 

Fund	Management Fee
Clough Hedged Equity ETF	1.35%*
Clough Select Equity ETF	0.85%

 

* The management fee for the Predecessor Fund decreased from 1.70% to 1.35% effective February 29, 2024.

 

Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Trust, on behalf of each Fund, and the Adviser (the “Advisory Agreement”), the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses of each Fund except the fee payable to the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement, interest charges on any borrowings, dividends, and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, extraordinary expenses, and distribution fees and expenses paid by the Trust, if any, under the distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

 

Portfolio Manager

 

Vincent Lorusso is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund’s portfolio.

 

Mr. Lorusso has been a portfolio manager of each Fund since its inception. He has more than 26 years of industry experience. Prior to re-joining the Adviser in 2023 as President and Chief Executive Officer, Partner, and Portfolio Manager, Mr. Lorusso was a Founder and Portfolio Manager of Changebridge Capital, LLC since 2020. Previously, he served as Partner and Portfolio Manager at the Adviser, where he worked for 16 years. Prior to that, Mr. Lorusso was a Senior Investment Consultant with Natixis Asset Management. With a global perspective, he has analyzed and invested in a broad range of equity securities over the course of his career. Mr. Lorusso holds an MS in Finance and a BS in Finance & English, both from Boston College.

 

The SAI provides additional information about the portfolio manager’s compensation structure, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager and the portfolio manager’s ownership of Shares of the Funds.

 

How to Buy and Sell Shares

 

Each Fund issues and redeems Shares only in Creation Units at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of an order from an AP. Only APs may acquire Shares directly from a Fund, and only APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to a Fund, at NAV. APs must be a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC and must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor, and that has been accepted by the Funds’ transfer agent, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Once created, Shares trade in the secondary market in quantities less than a Creation Unit.

 

 

Most investors buy and sell Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Individual Shares are listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded securities.

 

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 offer price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. In addition, because secondary market transactions occur at market prices, you may pay more than NAV when you buy Shares and receive less than NAV when you sell those Shares.

 

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 is the record owner of all outstanding Shares.

 

Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares. DTC’s participants 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 upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book entry or “street name” through your brokerage account.

 

Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Shares

 

The Funds impose no restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of Shares. In determining not to approve a written, established policy, the Board evaluated the risks of market timing activities by Fund shareholders. Purchases and redemptions by APs, who are the only parties that may purchase or redeem Shares directly from the Funds, are an essential part of the ETF process and help keep Share trading prices in line with NAV. As such, the Funds accommodate frequent purchases and redemptions by APs. However, frequent purchases and redemptions for cash may increase tracking error and portfolio transaction costs and lead to the realization of capital gains. The Funds’ fair valuation of their holdings consistent with the 1940 Act and Rule 2a-5 thereunder and their ability to impose transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Funds in effecting trades help to minimize the potential adverse consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions.

 

Determination of NAV

 

Each Fund’s NAV is calculated as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, each day the NYSE is open for business. Each NAV for a Fund is calculated by dividing the applicable Fund’s net assets by its Shares outstanding.

 

In calculating its NAV, a Fund generally values its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments. If the foregoing information is not available for a security held by a Fund or is determined to be unreliable, the security will be valued at fair value estimates under guidelines established by the Board (as described below).

 

 

Fair Value Pricing

 

The Adviser has been designated by the Board as the valuation designee for the Funds pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act. In its capacity as valuation designee, the Adviser has adopted procedures and methodologies to fair value Fund investments whose market prices are not “readily available” or are deemed to be unreliable. For example, such circumstances may arise when: (i) an investment has been de-listed or has had its trading halted or suspended; (ii) an investment’s primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; (iii) an investment’s primary trading market is closed during regular market hours; or (iv) an investment’s value is materially affected by events occurring after the close of the investment’s primary trading market. Generally, when fair valuing an investment held by a Fund, the Adviser will take into account all reasonably available information that may be relevant to a particular valuation including, but not limited to, fundamental analytical data regarding the issuer, information relating to the issuer’s business, recent trades or offers of the investment, general and/or specific market conditions and the specific facts giving rise to the need to fair value the investment. Fair value determinations are made in good faith and in accordance with the fair value methodologies established by the Adviser. Due to the subjective and variable nature of determining the fair value of a security or other investment, there can be no assurance that the Adviser’s determined fair value will match or closely correlate to any market quotation that subsequently becomes available or the price quoted or published by other sources. In addition, a Fund may not be able to obtain the fair value assigned to an investment if the Fund were to sell such investment at or near the time its fair value is determined.

 

Investments by Registered Investment Companies

 

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder limit investments by registered investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in a Fund beyond the limits set forth in section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with such Fund.

 

Delivery of Shareholder Documents – Householding

 

Householding is an option available to certain investors of the Funds. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Householding for the Funds is available through certain broker- dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.

 

Dividends, Distributions and Taxes

 

Dividends and Distributions

 

 Each Fund intends to pay out dividends in cash, if any, and distribute any net realized capital gains to its shareholders at least annually. Each Fund will declare and pay capital gain distributions in cash, if any. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.

 

Taxes

 

The following discussion is a summary of certain important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Funds. Your investment in a Fund may have other tax implications. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws. This summary does not apply to Shares held in an IRA 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. This summary is based on current tax laws, which may change.

 

 

Each Fund intends to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Code. If it meets certain minimum distribution requirements, a RIC is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, a Fund’s failure to qualify as a RIC or to meet minimum distribution requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.

 

Unless your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when a Fund makes distributions, when you sell your Shares listed on the Exchange, and when you purchase or redeem Creation Units (APs only).

 

Taxes on Distributions

 

 Each Fund intends to distribute, at least annually, substantially all of its net investment income and net capital gains. The distributions you receive may be subject to federal, state, and local taxation, depending on your tax situation. For federal income tax purposes, distributions of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income or qualified dividend income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains (if any) are determined by how long a Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Shares. Sales of assets held by a Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by a Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions of a Fund’s net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that are reported by such Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable as long-term capital gains, which for non-corporate shareholders are subject to tax at reduced rates of up to 20% (lower rates apply to individuals in lower tax brackets). Distributions of short-term capital gain will generally be taxable as ordinary income. Dividends and distributions are generally taxable to you whether you receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional Shares.

 

Distributions reported by a Fund as “qualified dividend income” are generally taxed to non-corporate shareholders at rates applicable to long-term capital gains. For such dividends to be taxed as qualified dividend income to a non-corporate shareholder, a Fund must satisfy certain holding period requirements with respect to the underlying stock and the non-corporate shareholder must satisfy holding period requirements with respect to his or her ownership of such Fund’s Shares. Holding periods may be suspended for these purposes for stock that is hedged. “Qualified dividend income” generally is income derived from dividends paid by U.S. corporations or certain foreign corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession or eligible for tax benefits under certain U.S. income tax treaties. In addition, dividends that a Fund receives in respect of stock of certain foreign corporations may be qualified dividend income if that stock is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market. Corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends received deduction for the portion of dividends they receive from a Fund that are attributable to dividends received by such Fund from U.S. corporations, subject to certain limitations. Certain of the Funds’ investment strategies may limit their ability to distribute dividends eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income or for the dividends received deduction applicable to corporate shareholders.

 

 

Shortly after the close of each calendar year, you will be informed of the amount and character of any distributions received from a Fund.

 

In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year. Distributions are generally taxable even if they are paid from income or gains earned by a Fund before your investment (and thus were included in the Shares’ NAV when you purchased your Shares).

 

You may wish to avoid investing in a Fund shortly before a dividend or other distribution, because such a distribution will generally be taxable even though it may economically represent a return of a portion of your investment.

 

If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a foreign entity, distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) paid to you by a Fund will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless a lower treaty rate applies. Gains from the sale or other disposition of your Shares from non-U.S. shareholders 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. A 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 a tax treaty applies.

 

A Fund (or a financial intermediary, such as a broker, through which a shareholder owns Shares) generally is required to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage (currently 24%) of the taxable distributions and sale proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has underreported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that the shareholder is not subject to such withholding.

 

Taxes When Fund Shares are Sold on the Exchange

 

 Provided that a shareholder holds Shares as capital assets, any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale or exchange of Shares generally is treated as a long-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for one year or less. However, any capital loss on a sale of Shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of Capital Gain Dividends paid with respect to such Shares. Any loss realized on a sale will be disallowed to the extent Shares are acquired, including through reinvestment of dividends, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition of Shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited.

 

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.

 

Taxes on Purchases and Redemptions of Creation Units

 

 An AP having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally recognizes a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the exchanging AP’s aggregate basis in the securities delivered plus the amount of any cash paid for the Creation Units. An AP who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanging AP’s basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the securities received, plus any cash received for such Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may assert, however, that a loss that is realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units may not be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales” (for an AP who does not mark-to-market their holdings) or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. APs exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.

 

 

A Fund may include a payment of cash in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities upon the redemption of Creation Units. A Fund may sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause a 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, a Fund may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment in the proceeds paid upon the redemption of Creation Units.

 

Net Investment Income Tax

 

U.S. individuals with income exceeding specified thresholds 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 (generally including capital gains 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.

 

Taxation of Fund Investments

 

If positions held by a Fund were treated as “straddles” for federal income tax purposes, or a Fund’s risk of loss with respect to a position was otherwise diminished as set forth in Treasury Regulations, dividends on stocks that are a part of such positions would not constitute qualified dividend income subject to such favorable income tax treatment and would not be eligible for the dividends-dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders. In addition, straddles are generally subject to certain rules that may affect the amount, character and timing of a Fund’s gains and losses with respect to straddle positions by requiring, among other things, that: (1) any loss realized on disposition of one position of a straddle may not be recognized to the extent that such Fund has unrealized gains with respect to the other position in such straddle; (2) such Fund’s holding period in straddle positions be suspended while the straddle exists (possibly resulting in a gain being treated as short-term capital gain rather than long-term capital gain); (3) the losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions that are part of a mixed straddle and that are not subject to Code Section 1256 be treated as 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital loss; (4) losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions that would otherwise constitute short-term capital losses be treated as long-term capital losses; and (5) the deduction of interest and carrying charges attributable to certain straddle positions may be deferred.

 

Foreign Investments by a Fund

 

The Funds invest in foreign securities. Interest and other income received by a Fund with respect to foreign securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If as of the close of a taxable year more than 50% of the value of a Fund’s assets consists of certain foreign stock or securities, each such Fund will be eligible to elect to “pass through” to investors the amount of foreign income and similar taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by such Fund during that taxable year. This means that investors would be considered to have received as additional income their respective shares of such foreign taxes, but may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating federal income tax. If a Fund does not so elect, each such Fund will be entitled to claim a deduction for certain foreign taxes incurred by such Fund. A Fund (or a financial intermediary, such as a broker, through which a shareholder owns Shares) will notify you if it makes such an election and provide you with the information necessary to reflect foreign taxes paid on your income tax return.

 

 

Foreign tax credits, if any, received by a Fund as a result of an investment in another RIC (including an ETF which is taxable as a RIC) will not be passed through to you unless the Fund qualifies as a “qualified fund-of-funds” under the Code. If a Fund is a “qualified fund-of-funds” it will be eligible to file an election with the IRS that will enable the Fund to pass along these foreign tax credits to its shareholders. A Fund will be treated as a “qualified fund-of-funds” under the Code if at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets (at the close of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year) is represented by interests in other RICs.

 

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in each Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to state and local tax on Fund distributions and sales of Shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Shares under all applicable tax laws. For more information, please see the section entitled “Federal Income Taxes” in the SAI.

 

Distribution

 

Paralel Distributors LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as the Funds’ principal underwriter. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC. The Distributor distributes Creation Units for the Funds on an agency basis and does not maintain a secondary market in Shares. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Funds or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Funds. The Distributor’s principal address is 1700 Broadway, Suite 1850, Denver, Colorado 80290.

 

The Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Plan, each Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year for certain distribution-related activities and shareholder services.

 

No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Funds, and there are no plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because the fees are paid out of Fund assets, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.

 

Premium/Discount Information

 

Information regarding how often each Fund’s Shares traded on the Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) its NAV is available on the Funds’ website at www.cloughetfs.com.

 

OTHER INFORMATION AND Additional Notices

 

Certain Conditions on Shareholder Legal Actions

 

Pursuant to the Trust’s primary governing document, the Second Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust, shareholders wishing to pursue a derivative action (a suit brought by a shareholder on behalf of a Fund) are subject to various conditions including that: (i) the Trustees must have a reasonable amount of time to assess the complaining shareholders’ request for action, (ii) at least 10% of shareholders of the Fund must participate in the action (except with respect to claims arising under federal securities laws), and (iii) complaining shareholders must undertake to pay the expenses of advisers that the Trustees engage in consideration of whether to bring an action in the event the Trustees determine not to bring an action (except with respect to claims arising under federal securities laws).

 

 

In addition, shareholders wishing to pursue a derivative action (except with respect to claims arising under federal securities law) must bring the compliant all shareholder legal complaints must be brought in the courts of the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, or if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, any other court with appropriate subject matter jurisdiction in the State of Delaware. For non-federal securities laws claims, this requirement may be inconvenient for some shareholders and may cause such claims to be made in a less favorable forum than otherwise may have been made.

 

Additional Notices

 

Shares 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, prices, or quantities of the Funds’ Shares to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which Shares are redeemable. The Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of the Funds’ Shares in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of the Funds’ Shares.

 

Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Exchange have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.

 

Financial Highlights

 

The financial highlights table below shows the financial performance information for each Predecessor Fund’s five most recent fiscal years (or the life of a Fund, if shorter). Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of a Predecessor Fund. The financial highlights for the periods from each Predecessor Fund’s inception to October 31, 2023 represent the periods during which the Predecessor Funds were advised by Changebridge Capital, LLC, which is no longer the adviser to the Predecessor Funds effective August 29, 2023. The total returns in the table represent the rate that you would have earned or lost on an investment in a Predecessor Fund (assuming you reinvested all distributions). The information through October 31, 2024 has been audited by Cohen & Company, Ltd., the independent registered public accounting firm of the Funds, whose report, along with each Predecessor Fund’s financial statements, is included in the Predecessor Funds’ Annual Report to Shareholders, which is available upon request. 

 

 

CLOUGH HEDGED EQUITY ETF

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

 

														Period Ended
		Year Ended October 31,												October 31,
		2024				2023				2022				2021(a)
PER SHARE DATA:
Net asset value, beginning of period.		$	18.80			$	23.34			$	26.21			$	20.00
INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:
Net investment income (loss)(b)			0.26				0.04				(0.41	)			(0.39	)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)			6.25				(4.58	)			(2.46	)			6.60
Total from investment operations			6.51				(4.54	)			(2.87	)			6.21
LESS DISTRIBUTIONS FROM:
Net investment income			(0.09	)			—				—				—
Total distributions			(0.09	)			—				—				—
Net asset value, end of period.		$	25.22			$	18.80			$	23.34			$	26.21
Total return(c)			34.77	%			–19.46	%			–10.95	%			31.06	%
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA AND RATIOS:
Net assets, end of period (in thousands)		$	35,056			$	6,767			$	5,602			$	7,863
Ratio of expenses to average net assets(d)			1.94	%			2.93	%			2.48	%			2.14	%
Ratio of dividends, interest and borrowing expense on securities sold short to average net assets(d)			0.54	%			1.23	%			0.78	%			0.44	%
Ratio of operational expenses to average net assets excluding dividends, interest, and borrowing expense on securities sold short(d)			1.40	%(g)			1.70	%			1.70	%			1.70	%
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets(d)			1.08	%			0.19	%			(1.80	)%			(1.58	)%
Portfolio turnover rate(c)(e)			509	%			784	%(f)			379	%			160	%

 

(a)

The Fund commenced operations on November 12, 2020.

(b)

Net investment income (loss) per share has been calculated based on average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Not annualized for periods less than one year.

(d)

Annualized for periods less than one year.

(e)

Portfolio turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions.

(f)

The change in portfolio turnover is related to the trade activity executed during the Fund’s fiscal year.

(g)

Effective February 29, 2024, the Fund’s advisory fee was reduced from 1.70% of the Fund’s average daily net assets to 1.35% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

 

 

 

CLOUGH SELECT EQUITY ETF

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

 

														Period Ended
		Year Ended October 31,												October 31,
		2024				2023				2022				2021(a)
PER SHARE DATA:
Net asset value, beginning of period.		$	21.14			$	23.94			$	29.54			$	20.00
INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:
Net investment income (loss)(b)			0.16				0.17				(0.05	)			(0.07	)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)			10.16				(2.86	)			(5.55	)			9.61
Total from investment operations			10.32				(2.69	)			(5.60	)			9.54
LESS DISTRIBUTIONS FROM:
Net investment income			(0.38	)			(0.11	)			—				—
Total distributions			(0.38	)			(0.11	)			—				—
Net asset value, end of period.		$	31.08			$	21.14			$	23.94			$	29.54
Total return(c)			49.28	%			–11.25	%			–18.97	%			47.72	%
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA AND RATIOS:
Net assets, end of period (in thousands)		$	18,961			$	5,496			$	6,465			$	10,045
Ratio of expenses to average net assets(d)			0.85	%			0.85	%			0.85	%			0.85	%
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets(d)			0.56	%			0.74	%			(0.20	)%			(0.25	)%
Portfolio turnover rate(c)(e)			428	%			465	%(f)			222	%			105	%

 

(a)

The Fund commenced operations on November 12, 2020.

(b)

Net investment income (loss) per share has been calculated based on average shares outstanding during the period.

(c)

Not annualized for periods less than one year.

(d)

Annualized for periods less than one year.

(e)

Portfolio turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions.

(f)

The change in portfolio turnover is related to the trade activity executed during the Fund’s fiscal year.

 

  

 

Adviser	Clough Capital Partners L.P. 53 State Street, Floor 27 Boston, Massachusetts 02109	Distributor	Paralel Distributors LLC  1700 Broadway, Suite 1850 Denver, Colorado 80290
Custodian, Transfer Agent	State Street  One Lincoln Street, Boston,Massachusetts 02111	Fund Accountant and Administrator	Paralel Technologies LLC  1700 Broadway, Suite 1850 Denver, Colorado 80290
Legal Counsel	Thompson Hine LLP   41 S. High Street, Suite 1700 Columbus, Ohio 43215	Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm	Cohen & Company, Ltd. 8101 East Prentice Ave., Suite 750 Greenwood Village, CO 80111

 

The Fund’s SAI provides additional details about the investments of the Funds and certain other additional information. A current SAI dated January 16, 2025 is on file with the SEC and is herein incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. It is legally considered a part of this Prospectus.

 

Annual/Semi-Annual Reports: Additional information about each Fund’s investments will be available in the applicable Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund’s performance.

 

To make shareholder inquiries, for more detailed information on a Fund, or to request the SAI or annual or semi-annual shareholder reports (once available) free of charge, please call the Funds’ Distributor at 1.877.524.9155. Free copies of a Fund’s shareholder reports, Prospectus, and the Statement of Additional Information are also available from our website at www.cloughetfs.com.

 

Shareholder reports and other information about the Funds are also available, free of charge, on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: [email protected].

 

No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about a Fund and its Shares not contained in this Prospectus and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep this Prospectus for future reference.

 

SEC Investment Company Act File No. 811-23812

 

 

Clough Hedged Equity ETF (CBLS)

 

Clough Select Equity ETF (CBSE)

 

Each a series of Elevation Series Trust

 

Listed on NYSE Arca, Inc.

 

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

January 16, 2025

 

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus and should be read in conjunction with the prospectus dated January 16, 2025, as may be supplemented from time to time (“Prospectus”), of the Clough Hedged Equity ETF and the Clough Select Equity ETF (each a “Fund”, collectively the “Funds”), each a series of Elevation Series Trust (the “Trust”). 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 calling 1.877.524.9155, visiting www.cloughetfs.com, or writing to Paralel Distributors LLC, 1700 Broadway Suite 1850, Denver, Colorado 80290.

 

Table of Contents

 

	Page
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUNDS	1
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, POLICIES, AND RELATED RISKS	1
DESCRIPTION OF PERMITTED INVESTMENTS	2
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS	12
EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING	12
MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST	12
PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS, CONTROL PERSONS, AND MANAGEMENT OWNERSHIP	18
CODES OF ETHICS	18
PROXY VOTING POLICIES	19
INVESTMENT ADVISER AND SUB-ADVISERS	19
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS	20
THE DISTRIBUTOR	21
THE ADMINISTRATOR, CUSTODIAN, AND TRANSFER AGENT	22
LEGAL COUNSEL	22
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM	22
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS DISCLOSURE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES	22
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES	23
LIMITATION OF TRUSTEE LIABILITY	23
BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS	23
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RATE	25
BOOK ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM	25
PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES IN CREATION UNITS	26
DETERMINATION OF NAV	32
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS	32
FEDERAL INCOME TAXES	33
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS	39

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUNDS

 

The Trust is an open-end management investment company, currently consisting of seven investment series. This SAI relates only to the Funds. The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on March 7, 2022. The Trust is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (together with the rules and regulations adopted thereunder, as amended, the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company, and the offering of each Fund’s shares (“Shares”) is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Trust is governed by its Board of Trustees (the “Board”). Clough Capital Partners L.P., (“Clough” or the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Funds. The investment objective of the Clough Hedged Equity ETF is long-term capital appreciation while minimizing volatility. The investment objective of the Clough Select Equity ETF is capital appreciation and lower volatility than the broader market. 

 

Each Fund offers and issues Shares at its net asset value (“NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of Shares (each, a “Creation Unit”). The Funds generally offer and issue Shares in exchange for a basket of securities (“Deposit Securities”) together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (“Cash Component”). The Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of a “cash in lieu” amount (“Deposit Cash”) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security. Shares are listed on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”) and trade on the Exchange at market prices that may differ from the Shares’ NAV. Shares are also redeemable only in Creation Unit aggregations, primarily for a basket of Deposit Securities together with a Cash Component. A Creation Unit of the Funds generally consists of 10,000 Shares, though this may change from time to time. As a practical matter, only institutions or large investors purchase or redeem Creation Units. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, Shares are not redeemable securities.

 

Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions, including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Trust cash at least equal to a specified percentage of the value of the missing Deposit Securities, as set forth in the Participant Agreement (as defined below). The Trust may impose a transaction fee for each creation or redemption. In all cases, such fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the SEC applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities. As in the case of other publicly traded securities, brokers’ commissions on transactions in the secondary market will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.

 

The Funds acquired all of the assets and liabilities of Clough Hedged Equity ETF and Clough Select Equity ETF, each a series of Listed Funds Trust (the “Predecessor Funds”), in a tax-free reorganization on January 17, 2025 (the “Reorganization”). Each of the Predecessor Funds had the same investment objectives, strategies and policies as the corresponding Fund at the time of the Reorganization.

 

Each Fund is advised by Clough Capital Partners, L.P., (the “Adviser”). The Adviser was also the investment adviser to the Predecessor Funds.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, POLICIES, AND RELATED RISKS

 

Each Fund’s investment objective and principal investment strategies are described in the Prospectus. The following information supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, the Prospectus. For a description of certain permitted investments, see “Description of Permitted Investments” in this SAI.

 

With respect to each Fund’s investments, unless otherwise noted, if a percentage limitation on investment is adhered to at the time of investment or contract, a subsequent increase or decrease as a result of market movement or redemption will not result in a violation of such investment limitation.

 

Diversification

 

Each Fund is “diversified” within the meaning of the 1940 Act. Under applicable federal laws, to qualify as a diversified fund, each 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 a 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 a Fund’s holdings is measured at the time the Fund purchases a security. However, if a 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 a Fund, the Fund may have a greater percentage of its assets invested in fewer issuers.

 

General Risks

 

The value of the Funds’ portfolio securities may fluctuate with changes in the financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic or political conditions that affect a particular security or issuer and changes in general economic or political conditions. An investor in the Funds could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

There can be no guarantee that a liquid market for the securities held by the Funds will be maintained. The existence of a liquid trading market for certain securities may depend on whether dealers will make a market in such securities. There can be no assurance that a market will be made or maintained or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of Shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for the Fund’s portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid-ask spreads are wide.

 

Cyber Security Risk. Investment companies, such as the Funds, and its service providers may be subject to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber attacks. Cyber attacks include, among other behaviors, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, denial of service attacks on websites, the unauthorized release of confidential information or various other forms of cyber security breaches. Cyber attacks affecting the Funds, the Adviser, custodian, transfer agent, intermediaries and other third-party service providers may adversely impact the Funds. For instance, cyber attacks may interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential company information, impede trading, subject the Fund to regulatory fines or financial losses, and cause reputational damage. The Funds may also incur additional costs for cyber security risk management purposes. Similar types of cyber security risks are also present for issuers of securities in which each Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Funds’ investments in such portfolio companies to lose value.

 

Recent Market Events. U.S. and international markets have experienced and may continue to experience significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including rising inflation, uncertainty regarding central banks’ interest rate increases, the possibility of a national or global recession, trade tensions, political events, the war between Russia and Ukraine and the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic. As a result of continuing political tensions and armed conflicts, including the war between Ukraine and Russia, the U.S. and the European Union imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so.

 

These developments, as well as other events, could result in further market volatility and negatively affect financial asset prices, the liquidity of certain securities and the normal operations of securities exchanges and other markets, despite government efforts to address market disruptions. As a result, the risk environment remains elevated. The Adviser will monitor developments and seek to manage the Funds in a manner consistent with achieving each Fund’s investment objective, but there can be no assurance that they will be successful in doing so.

 

DESCRIPTION OF PERMITTED INVESTMENTS

 

The following are descriptions of each Fund’s permitted investments and investment practices and the associated risk factors. The Funds will only invest in any of the following instruments or engage in any of the following investment practices if such investment or activity is consistent with each Fund’s investment objective and permitted by each Fund’s stated investment policies. Each of the permitted investments described below applies to the Funds unless otherwise noted.

 

Borrowing

 

Although the Funds do not intend to borrow money, a Fund may do so to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. Under the 1940 Act, a Fund may borrow up to one-third (1/3) of its total assets. A Fund will borrow money only for short-term or emergency purposes. Such borrowing is not for investment purposes and will be repaid by the borrowing Fund promptly. Borrowing will tend to exaggerate the effect on NAV of any increase or decrease in the market value of the borrowing Funds’ portfolio. Money borrowed will be subject to interest costs that may or may not be recovered by earnings on the securities purchased. A Fund also may be required to maintain minimum average balances in connection with a borrowing or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit; either of these requirements would increase the cost of borrowing over the stated interest rate.

 

 

Closed-End Funds

 

Closed-end funds are investment companies registered with the SEC that issue a fixed number of shares through an initial public offering, after which shares will typically be traded on an exchange such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or the Nasdaq National Market System. Unlike open-end investment companies, shares of closed-end funds are not redeemable with the fund on a daily basis. The Adviser seeks to select closed-end funds for a Fund’s portfolio whose shares are trading at a discount or premium relative to their underlying net asset values (NAV).

 

Depositary Receipts

 

To the extent a Fund invests in stocks of foreign corporations, such Fund’s investment in securities of foreign companies may be in the form of depositary receipts or other securities convertible into securities of foreign issuers. American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) are dollar-denominated receipts representing interests in the securities of a foreign issuer, which securities may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the securities into which they may be converted. ADRs are receipts typically issued by U.S. banks and trust companies which evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. Generally, ADRs in registered form are designed for use in domestic securities markets and are traded on exchanges or over-the-counter in the United States.

 

Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), and International Depositary Receipts (“IDRs”) are similar to ADRs in that they are certificates evidencing ownership of shares of a foreign issuer; however, GDRs, EDRs, and IDRs may be issued in bearer form and denominated in other currencies and are generally designed for use in specific or multiple securities markets outside the U.S. EDRs, for example, are designed for use in European securities markets, while GDRs are designed for use throughout the world. Depositary receipts will not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities.

 

The Funds will not invest in any unlisted depositary receipts or any depositary receipt that the Adviser deems to be illiquid or for which pricing information is not readily available. In addition, all depositary receipts generally must be sponsored. However, a Fund may invest in unsponsored depositary receipts under certain limited circumstances. The issuers of unsponsored depositary receipts are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States and, therefore, there may be less information available regarding such issuers and there may not be a correlation between such information and the value of the depositary receipts.

 

Derivative Instruments

 

Derivatives are financial instruments whose values are based on the value of one or more indicators, such as a security, asset, currency, interest rate, or index. Examples of derivative instruments include forward contracts, currency and interest rate swaps, currency options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and swap agreements. Each Fund’s use of derivatives involves risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. Moreover, although the value of a derivative is based on an underlying indicator, a derivative does not carry the same rights as would be the case if the Funds invested directly in the underlying securities.

 

The SEC adopted new regulations governing the use of derivatives by registered investment companies (“Rule 18f-4”). Rule 18f-4 imposes limits on the amount of derivatives the Funds can enter into, treats derivatives as senior securities, and if each Fund’s use of derivatives is more than a limited specified exposure amount, requires the Funds to establish and maintain a comprehensive derivatives risk management program and appoint a derivatives risk manager.

 

Derivative instruments may be used for “hedging,” which means that they may be used when the Adviser seeks to protect the Fund’s investments from a decline in value resulting from changes to interest rates, market prices, currency fluctuations or other market factors. Derivative instruments may also be used for other purposes, including to seek to increase liquidity, provide efficient portfolio management, broaden investment opportunities (including taking short or negative positions), implement a tax or cash management strategy, gain exposure to a particular security or segment of the market, modify the effective duration of the Fund’s portfolio investments and/or enhance total return. However derivative instruments are used, their successful use is not assured and will depend upon, among other factors, the Adviser’s ability to gauge relevant market movements.

 

Derivative instruments may be used for the purpose of direct hedging. Direct hedging means that the transaction must be intended to reduce a specific risk exposure of a portfolio security or its denominated currency and must also be directly related to such security or currency. A Fund’s use of derivative instruments may be limited from time to time by policies adopted by the Board or the Adviser.

 

 

Options. An option is a contract that gives the purchaser of the option, in return for the premium paid, the right to buy an underlying reference instrument, such as a specified security, currency, index, or other instrument, from the writer of the option (in the case of a call option), or to sell a specified reference instrument to the writer of the option (in the case of a put option) at a designated price during the term of the option. The premium paid by the buyer of an option will reflect, among other things, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price and the volatility of the underlying reference instrument, the remaining term of the option, supply, demand, interest rates and/or currency exchange rates. An American style put or call option may be exercised at any time during the option period while a European style put or call option may be exercised only upon expiration or during a fixed period prior thereto. Put and call options are traded on national securities exchanges and in the OTC market.

 

Options traded on national securities exchanges are within the jurisdiction of the SEC or other appropriate national securities regulator, as are securities traded on such exchanges. As a result, many of the protections provided to traders on organized exchanges will be available with respect to such transactions. In particular, all option positions entered into on a national securities exchange in the United States are cleared and guaranteed by the Options Clearing Corporation, thereby reducing the risk of counterparty default. Furthermore, a liquid secondary market in options traded on a national securities exchange may be more readily available than in the OTC market, potentially permitting a Fund to liquidate open positions at a profit prior to exercise or expiration, or to limit losses in the event of adverse market movements. There is no assurance, however, that higher than anticipated trading activity or other unforeseen events might not temporarily render the capabilities of the Options Clearing Corporation inadequate, and thereby result in the exchange instituting special procedures which may interfere with the timely execution of a Fund’s orders to close out open options positions.

 

Purchasing call and put options. As the buyer of a call option, a Fund has a right to buy the underlying reference instrument (e.g., a currency or security) at the exercise price at any time during the option period (for American style options). A Fund may enter into closing sale transactions with respect to call options, exercise them, or permit them to expire. For example, a Fund may buy call options on underlying reference instruments that it intends to buy with the goal of limiting the risk of a substantial increase in their market price before the purchase is effected. Unless the price of the underlying reference instrument changes sufficiently, a call option purchased by a Fund may expire without any value to the Fund, in which case the Fund would experience a loss to the extent of the premium paid for the option plus related transaction costs.

 

As the buyer of a put option, a Fund has the right to sell the underlying reference instrument at the exercise price at any time during the option period (for American style options). Like a call option, a Fund may enter into closing sale transactions with respect to put options, exercise them or permit them to expire. A Fund may buy a put option on an underlying reference instrument owned by the Fund (a protective put) as a hedging technique in an attempt to protect against an anticipated decline in the market value of the underlying reference instrument. Such hedge protection is provided only during the life of the put option when a Fund, as the buyer of the put option, is able to sell the underlying reference instrument at the put exercise price, regardless of any decline in the underlying instrument’s market price. A Fund may also seek to offset a decline in the value of the underlying reference instrument through appreciation in the value of the put option. A put option may also be purchased with the intent of protecting unrealized appreciation of an instrument when the Adviser deems it desirable to continue to hold the instrument because of tax or other considerations. The premium paid for the put option and any transaction costs would reduce any short-term capital gain that may be available for distribution when the instrument is eventually sold. Buying put options at a time when the buyer does not own the underlying reference instrument allows the buyer to benefit from a decline in the market price of the underlying reference instrument, which generally increases the value of the put option.

 

If a put option was not terminated in a closing sale transaction when it has remaining value, and if the market price of the underlying reference instrument remains equal to or greater than the exercise price during the life of the put option, the buyer would not make any gain upon exercise of the option and would experience a loss to the extent of the premium paid for the option plus related transaction costs. In order for the purchase of a put option to be profitable, the market price of the underlying reference instrument must decline sufficiently below the exercise price to cover the premium and transaction costs.

 

Writing call and put options. Writing options may permit the writer to generate additional income in the form of the premium received for writing the option. The writer of an option may have no control over when the underlying reference instruments must be sold (in the case of a call option) or purchased (in the case of a put option) because the writer may be notified of exercise at any time prior to the expiration of the option (for American style options). In general, though, options are infrequently exercised prior to expiration. Whether or not an option expires unexercised, the writer retains the amount of the premium. Writing “covered” call options means that the writer owns the underlying reference instrument that is subject to the call option. Call options may also be written on reference instruments that the writer does not own.

 

 

If a Fund writes a covered call option, any underlying reference instruments that are held by the Fund and are subject to the call option will be earmarked on the books of the Fund as segregated to satisfy its obligations under the option. A Fund will be unable to sell the underlying reference instruments that are subject to the written call option until it either effects a closing transaction with respect to the written call, or otherwise satisfies the conditions for release of the underlying reference instruments from segregation. As the writer of a covered call option, a Fund gives up the potential for capital appreciation above the exercise price of the option should the underlying reference instrument rise in value. If the value of the underlying reference instrument rises above the exercise price of the call option, the reference instrument will likely be “called away,” requiring a Fund to sell the underlying instrument at the exercise price. In that case, the Fund will sell the underlying reference instrument to the option buyer for less than its market value, and the Fund will experience a loss (which will be offset by the premium received by the Fund as the writer of such option). If a call option expires unexercised, a Fund will realize a gain in the amount of the premium received. If the market price of the underlying reference instrument decreases, the call option will not be exercised, and the Fund will be able to use the amount of the premium received to hedge against the loss in value of the underlying reference instrument. The exercise price of a call option will be chosen based upon the expected price movement of the underlying reference instrument. The exercise price of a call option may be below, equal to (at-the-money), or above the current value of the underlying reference instrument at the time the option is written.

 

As the writer of a put option, a Fund has a risk of loss should the underlying reference instrument decline in value. If the value of the underlying reference instrument declines below the exercise price of the put option and the put option is exercised, the Fund, as the writer of the put option, will be required to buy the instrument at the exercise price, which will exceed the market value of the underlying reference instrument at that time. A Fund will incur a loss to the extent that the current market value of the underlying reference instrument is less than the exercise price of the put option. However, the loss will be offset in part by the premium received from the buyer of the put. If a put option written by a Fund expires unexercised, the Fund will realize a gain in the amount of the premium received.

 

Closing out options (exchange-traded options). If the writer of an option wants to terminate its obligation, the writer may effect a “closing purchase transaction” by buying an option of the same series as the option previously written. The effect of the purchase is that the clearing corporation will cancel the option writer’s position. However, a writer may not effect a closing purchase transaction after being notified of the exercise of an option. Likewise, the buyer of an option may recover all or a portion of the premium that it paid by effecting a “closing sale transaction” by selling an option of the same series as the option previously purchased and receiving a premium on the sale. There is no guarantee that either a closing purchase or a closing sale transaction may be made at a time desired by a Fund. Closing transactions allow a Fund to terminate its positions in written and purchased options. A Fund will realize a profit from a closing transaction if the price of the transaction is less than the premium received from writing the original option (in the case of written options) or is more than the premium paid by the Fund to buy the option (in the case of purchased options). For example, increases in the market price of a call option sold by the Fund will generally reflect increases in the market price of the underlying reference instrument. As a result, any loss resulting from a closing transaction on a written call option is likely to be offset in whole or in part by appreciation of the underlying instrument owned by the Fund.

 

Risks of options. A Fund’s options investments involve certain risks, including general risks related to derivative instruments. There can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an exchange will exist for any particular option, or at any particular time, and a Fund may have difficulty effecting closing transactions in particular options. Therefore, a Fund would have to exercise the options it purchased in order to realize any profit, thus taking or making delivery of the underlying reference instrument when not desired. The Fund could then incur transaction costs upon the sale of the underlying reference instruments. Similarly, when a Fund cannot effect a closing transaction with respect to a put option it wrote, and the buyer exercises, the Fund would be required to take delivery and would incur transaction costs upon the sale of the underlying reference instruments purchased. If a Fund, as a covered call option writer, is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction in a secondary market, it will not be able to sell the underlying reference instrument until the option expires, or it delivers the underlying instrument upon exercise. When trading options on non-U.S. exchanges or in the OTC market, many of the protections afforded to exchange participants will not be available. For example, there may be no daily price fluctuation limits, and adverse market movements could therefore continue to an unlimited extent over an indefinite period of time.

 

The effectiveness of an options strategy for hedging depends on the degree to which price movements in the underlying reference instruments correlate with price movements in the relevant portion of a Fund’s portfolio that is being hedged. In addition, a Fund bears the risk that the prices of its portfolio investments will not move in the same amount as the option it has purchased or sold for hedging purposes, or that there may be a negative correlation that would result in a loss on both the investments and the option. If the Adviser is not successful in using options in managing the Fund’s investments, a Fund’s performance will be worse than if the Adviser did not employ such strategies.

 

 

Developing government regulation of derivatives. The regulation of certain derivatives is a rapidly changing area of law and is subject to modification by government and judicial action. In addition, the SEC, CFTC, and the exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency, including, for example, the implementation or reduction of speculative position limits, the implementation of higher margin requirements, the establishment of daily price limits and the suspension of trading.

 

It is not possible to predict fully the effects of current or future regulation. However, it is possible that developments in government regulation of various types of derivative instruments, such as speculative position limits on certain types of derivatives, or limits or restrictions on the counterparties with which a Fund engages in derivative transactions, may limit or prevent the Fund from using or limit the Fund’s use of these instruments effectively as a part of its investment strategy, and could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment goal(s). The Adviser will continue to monitor developments in the area, particularly to the extent regulatory changes affect a Fund’s ability to enter into desired swap agreements. New requirements, even if not directly applicable to a Fund, may increase the cost of a Fund’s investments and cost of doing business.

 

Equity Securities

 

Equity securities, such as the common stock of an issuer, are subject to stock market fluctuations and therefore may experience volatile changes in value as market conditions, consumer sentiment or the financial condition of the issuers change. A decrease in value of the equity securities in a Fund’s portfolio also may cause the value of such Fund’s Shares to decline.

 

An investment in the Funds should be made with an understanding of the risks inherent in an investment in equity securities, including the risk that the financial condition of issuers may become impaired or that the general condition of the stock market may deteriorate (either of which may cause a decrease in the value of a Fund’s portfolio securities and therefore a decrease in the value of Shares). Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence and perceptions change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction; and global or regional political, economic or banking crises.

 

Holders of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the issuer, generally have inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the rights of creditors or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Further, unlike debt securities, which typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity (whose value, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior thereto), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither a fixed principal amount nor a maturity. Common stock values are subject to market fluctuations as long as the common stock remains outstanding.

 

When-Issued Securities - A when-issued security is one whose terms are available and for which a market exists, but which has not been issued. When a Fund engages in when-issued transactions, it relies on the other party to consummate the sale. If the other party fails to complete the sale, a Fund may miss the opportunity to obtain the security at a favorable price or yield.

 

When purchasing a security on a when-issued basis, a Fund assumes the rights and risks of ownership of the security, including the risk of price and yield changes. At the time of settlement, the value of the security may be more or less than the purchase price. The yield available in the market when the delivery takes place also may be higher than those obtained in the transaction itself. Because a Fund does not pay for the security until the delivery date, these risks are in addition to the risks associated with its other investments.

 

Decisions to enter into “when-issued” transactions will be considered on a case-by-case basis when necessary to maintain continuity in a company’s index membership.

 

Types of Equity Securities:

 

Common Stocks — Common stocks represent units of ownership in a company. Common stocks usually carry voting rights and earn dividends. Unlike preferred stocks, which are described below, dividends on common stocks are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of the company’s board of directors.

 

Preferred Stocks — Preferred stocks also are units of ownership in a company. Preferred stocks normally have preference over common stock in the payment of dividends and the liquidation of the company. However, in all other respects, preferred stocks are subordinated to the liabilities of the issuer. Unlike common stocks, preferred stocks are generally not entitled to vote on corporate matters. Types of preferred stocks include adjustable-rate preferred stock, fixed dividend preferred stock, perpetual preferred stock, and sinking fund preferred stock.

 

 

Generally, the market values of preferred stock with a fixed dividend rate and no conversion element vary inversely with interest rates and perceived credit risk.

 

Rights and Warrants — A right is a privilege granted to existing shareholders of a corporation to subscribe to shares of a new issue of common stock before it is issued. Rights normally have a short life of usually two to four weeks, are freely transferable and entitle the holder to buy the new common stock at a lower price than the public offering price. Warrants are securities that are usually issued together with a debt security or preferred stock and that give the holder the right to buy proportionate amount of common stock at a specified price. Warrants are freely transferable and are traded on major exchanges. Unlike rights, warrants normally have a life that is measured in years and entitles the holder to buy common stock of a company at a price that is usually higher than the market price at the time the warrant is issued. Corporations often issue warrants to make the accompanying debt security more attractive.

 

An investment in warrants and rights may entail greater risks than certain other types of investments. Generally, rights and warrants do not carry the right to receive dividends or exercise voting rights with respect to the underlying securities, and they do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuer. In addition, their value does not necessarily change with the value of the underlying securities, and they cease to have value if they are not exercised on or before their expiration date. Investing in rights and warrants increases the potential profit or loss to be realized from the investment as compared with investing the same amount in the underlying securities.

 

Medium-Sized Companies — Investors in medium-sized companies typically take on greater risk and price volatility than they would by investing in larger, more established companies. This increased risk may be due to the greater business risks of their medium size, limited markets and financial resources, narrow product lines and frequent lack of management depth. The securities of medium-sized companies are often traded in the over-the-counter market and might not be traded in volumes typical of securities traded on a national securities exchange. Thus, the securities of medium capitalization companies are likely to be less liquid, and subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements, than securities of larger, more established companies.

 

Smaller Companies — The securities of small- and mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of larger-capitalization companies. The securities of small- and mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Some small- or mid-capitalization companies have limited product lines, markets, and financial and managerial resources and tend to concentrate on fewer geographical markets relative to larger capitalization companies. There is typically less publicly available information concerning small- and mid-capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies also may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, government regulation, borrowing costs, and earnings.

 

Tracking Stocks — A tracking stock is a separate class of common stock whose value is linked to a specific business unit or operating division within a larger company, and which is designed to “track” the performance of such business unit or division. The tracking stock may pay dividends to shareholders independent of the parent company. The parent company, rather than the business unit or division, generally is the issuer of tracking stock. However, holders of the tracking stock may not have the same rights as holders of the company’s common stock.

 

Exchange-Traded Funds

 

The Funds will invest in shares of other investment companies (including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”)). As the shareholder of another ETF, a Fund would bear, along with other shareholders, its pro rata portion of the other ETF’s expenses, including advisory fees. Such expenses are in addition to the expenses each Fund pays in connection with its own operations. A Fund’s investments in other ETFs may be limited by applicable law.

 

Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying ETFs purchased or sold by a Fund could result in losses on investments in ETFs. ETFs also carry the risk that the price a Fund pays or receives may be higher or lower than the ETF’s NAV. ETFs are also subject to certain additional risks, including the risks of illiquidity and of possible trading halts due to market conditions or other reasons, based on the policies of the relevant exchange. ETFs and other investment companies in which the Fund may invest may be leveraged, which would increase the volatility of a Fund’s NAV. The Funds also may invest in ETFs and other investment companies that seek to return the inverse of the performance of an underlying index on a daily, monthly, or other basis, including inverse leveraged ETFs.

 

 

Inverse and leveraged ETFs are subject to additional risks not generally associated with traditional ETFs. To the extent that a Fund invests in inverse ETFs, the value of the Fund’s investments will decrease when the index underlying the ETF’s benchmark rises, a result that is the opposite from traditional equity or bond funds. The NAV and market price of leveraged or inverse ETFs are usually more volatile than the value of the tracked index or of other ETFs that do not use leverage. This is because inverse and leveraged ETFs use investment techniques and financial instruments that may be considered aggressive, including the use of derivative transactions and short selling techniques. The use of these techniques may cause the inverse or leveraged ETFs to lose more money in market environments that are adverse to their investment strategies than other funds that do not use such techniques.

 

Illiquid Investments

 

The Funds may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments, as such term is defined by Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act. The Funds may not invest in illiquid investments if, as a result of such investment, more than 15% of each Fund’s net assets would be invested in illiquid investments. Illiquid investments include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets. The inability of the Funds to dispose of illiquid investments readily or at a reasonable price could impair each Fund’s ability to raise cash for redemptions or other purposes. The liquidity of securities purchased by the Funds that are eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A, except for certain 144A bonds, will be monitored by the Funds on an ongoing basis. In the event that more than 15% of each Fund’s net assets are invested in illiquid investments, the Funds, in accordance with Rule 22e-4(b)(1)(iv), will report the occurrence to both the Board and the SEC and seek to reduce its holdings of illiquid investments within a reasonable period of time.

 

Investment Company Securities

 

The Funds intend to invest in the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs and money market funds, subject to applicable limitations under Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder. Pursuant to Section 12(d)(1), a Fund may invest in the securities of another investment company (the “acquired company”) provided that such Fund, immediately after such purchase or acquisition, does not own in the aggregate: (i) more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of the acquired company; (ii) securities issued by the acquired company having an aggregate value in excess of 5% of the value of the total assets of such Fund; or (iii) securities issued by the acquired company and all other investment companies (other than treasury stock of such Fund) having an aggregate value in excess of 10% of the value of the total assets of the applicable Fund. Under certain circumstances, including in compliance with Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act, the Funds may invest its assets in securities of investment companies, including money market funds, in excess of the limits discussed above.

 

Investing in another pooled vehicle exposes a Fund to all the risks of that pooled vehicle. In addition, if a Fund invests in and, thus, is a shareholder of, another investment company, the Fund’s shareholders will indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by such other investment company, including advisory fees, in addition to both the management fees payable directly by the Fund to the Fund’s own investment adviser and the other expenses that the Fund bears directly in connection with the Fund’s own operations.

 

Money Market Instruments

 

Each Fund may invest a portion of its assets in high-quality money market instruments on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. The instruments in which a Fund may invest include: (i) short-term obligations issued by the U.S. government; (ii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), fixed time deposits and bankers’ acceptances of U.S. and foreign banks and similar institutions; (iii) commercial paper rated at the date of purchase “Prime-1” by Moody’s or “A-1+” or “A-1” by Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) or, if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the Fund; and (iv) repurchase agreements. CDs are short-term negotiable obligations of commercial banks. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Banker’s acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.

 

Other Short-Term Instruments

 

The Funds may invest in short-term instruments, including money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. Money market instruments are generally short-term investments that may include but are not limited to: (i) shares of money market funds; (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), bankers’ acceptances, fixed time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and foreign banks (including foreign branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated at the date of purchase “Prime-1” by Moody’s or “A-1” by S&P or, if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the Adviser; (v) non-convertible corporate debt securities (e.g., bonds and debentures) with remaining maturities at the date of purchase of not more than 397 days and that satisfy the rating requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; and (vi) short-term U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of foreign banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of the Adviser, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S. banks which may be purchased by a Fund. Any of these instruments may be purchased on a current or a forward-settled basis. Money market instruments also include shares of money market funds. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.

 

 

Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”)

 

A U.S. REIT is a corporation or business trust (that would otherwise be taxed as a corporation) which meets the definitional requirements of the Code. The Code permits a qualifying REIT to deduct from taxable income the dividends paid, thereby effectively eliminating corporate level federal income tax. To meet the definitional requirements of the Code, a REIT must, among other things: invest substantially all of its assets in interests in real estate (including mortgages and other REITs), cash and government securities; derive most of its income from rents from real property or interest on loans secured by mortgages on real property; and, in general, distribute annually 90% or more of its taxable income (other than net capital gains) to shareholders.

 

REITs are sometimes informally characterized as Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs. An Equity REIT invests primarily in the fee ownership or leasehold ownership of land and buildings (e.g., commercial equity REITs and residential equity REITs); a Mortgage REIT invests primarily in mortgages on real property, which may secure construction, development or long-term loans.

 

REITs may be affected by changes in underlying real estate values, which may have an exaggerated effect to the extent that REITs in which a Fund invests may concentrate investments in particular geographic regions or property types. Additionally, rising interest rates may cause investors in REITs to demand a higher annual yield from future distributions, which may in turn decrease market prices for equity securities issued by REITs. Rising interest rates also generally increase the costs of obtaining financing, which could cause the value of a Fund’s investments to decline. During periods of declining interest rates, certain Mortgage REITs may hold mortgages that the mortgagors elect to prepay, which prepayment may diminish the yield on securities issued by such Mortgage REITs. In addition, Mortgage REITs may be affected by the ability of borrowers to repay when due the debt extended by the REIT and Equity REITs may be affected by the ability of tenants to pay rent.

 

Certain REITs have relatively small market capitalization, which may tend to increase the volatility of the market price of securities issued by such REITs. Furthermore, REITs are dependent upon specialized management skills, have limited diversification and are, therefore, subject to risks inherent in operating and financing a limited number of projects. By investing in REITs indirectly through a Fund, a shareholder will bear not only his or her proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund, but also, indirectly, similar expenses of the REITs. REITs depend generally on their ability to generate cash flow to make distributions to shareholders.

 

In addition to these risks, Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, while Mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. Further, Equity and Mortgage REITs are dependent upon management skills and generally may not be diversified. Equity and Mortgage REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation. In addition, Equity and Mortgage REITs could possibly fail to qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally available to REITs under the Code or fail to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act. The above factors also may adversely affect a borrower’s or a lessee’s ability to meet its obligations to the REIT. In the event of default by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting its investments.

 

Repurchase Agreements

 

Each Fund may invest in repurchase agreements with commercial banks, brokers, or dealers to generate income from its excess cash balances and to invest in securities lending cash collateral. A repurchase agreement is an agreement under which a Fund acquires a financial instrument (e.g., a security issued by the U.S. government or an agency thereof, a banker’s acceptance or a certificate of deposit) from a seller, subject to resale to the seller at an agreed upon price and date (normally, the next Business Day). A repurchase agreement may be considered a loan collateralized by securities. The resale price reflects an agreed upon interest rate effective for the period the instrument is held by the applicable Fund and is unrelated to the interest rate on the underlying instrument.

 

 

In these repurchase agreement transactions, the securities acquired by a Fund (including accrued interest earned thereon) must have a total value in excess of the value of the repurchase agreement and are held by the Custodian until repurchased. No more than an aggregate of 15% of a Fund’s net assets will be invested in illiquid investments, including repurchase agreements having maturities longer than seven days and securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, or for which there are no readily available market quotations.

 

The use of repurchase agreements involves certain risks. For example, if the other party to the agreement defaults on its obligation to repurchase the underlying security at a time when the value of the security has declined, a Fund may incur a loss upon disposition of the security. If the other party to the agreement becomes insolvent and subject to liquidation or reorganization under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or other laws, a court may determine that the underlying security is collateral for a loan by a Fund not within the control of the Fund and, therefore, the Fund may not be able to substantiate its interest in the underlying security and may be deemed an unsecured creditor of the other party to the agreement.

 

Securities Lending

 

Each Fund may lend portfolio securities in an amount up to one-third of its total assets to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. In a portfolio securities lending transaction, a Fund receives from the borrower an amount equal to the interest paid or the dividends declared on the loaned securities during the term of the loan as well as the interest on the collateral securities, less any fees (such as finders or administrative fees) the Fund pays in arranging the loan. A Fund may share the interest it receives on the collateral securities with the borrower. The terms of each Fund’s loans permit it to reacquire loaned securities on five business days’ notice or in time to vote on any important matter. Loans are subject to termination at the option of the applicable Fund or borrower at any time, and the borrowed securities must be returned when the loan is terminated. The Funds may pay fees to arrange for securities loans.

 

The SEC currently requires that the following conditions must be met whenever a Fund’s portfolio securities are loaned: (1) the Fund must receive at least 100% cash collateral from the borrower; (2) the borrower must increase such collateral whenever the market value of the securities rises above the level of such collateral; (3) the Fund must be able to terminate the loan at any time; (4) the Fund must receive reasonable interest on the loan, as well as any dividends, interest or other distributions on the loaned securities, and any increase in market value; (5) the Fund may pay only reasonable custodian fees approved by the Board in connection with the loan; (6) while voting rights on the loaned securities may pass to the borrower, the Board must terminate the loan and regain the right to vote the securities if a material event adversely affecting the investment occurs, and (7) the Fund may not loan its portfolio securities so that the value of the loaned securities is more than one-third of its total asset value, including collateral received from such loans. These conditions may be subject to future modification. Such loans will be terminable at any time upon specified notice. A Fund might experience the risk of loss if the institution with which it has engaged in a portfolio loan transaction breaches its agreement with the Fund. In addition, the Funds will not enter into any portfolio security lending arrangement having a duration of longer than one year. The principal risk of portfolio lending is potential default or insolvency of the borrower. In either of these cases, a Fund could experience delays in recovering securities or collateral or could lose all or part of the value of the loaned securities. As part of participating in a lending program, the applicable Fund may be required to invest in collateralized debt or other securities that bear the risk of loss of principal. In addition, all investments made with the collateral received are subject to the risks associated with such investments. If such investments lose value, a Fund will have to cover the loss when repaying the collateral.

 

Any loans of portfolio securities are fully collateralized based on values that are marked-to-market daily. Any securities that a Fund may receive as collateral will not become part of a Fund’s investment portfolio at the time of the loan and, in the event of a default by the borrower, the Fund will, if permitted by law, dispose of such collateral except for such part thereof that is a security in which the Fund is permitted to invest. During the time securities are on loan, the borrower will pay a Fund any accrued income on those securities, and the Fund may invest the cash collateral and earn income or receive an agreed-upon fee from a borrower that has delivered cash-equivalent collateral.

 

Short Sales

 

The Clough Hedged Equity Fund intends to, and the Clough Select Equity Fund may engage in short sales. Short sales are transactions in which a Fund sells an instrument it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of that instrument. To complete a short sale transaction, a Fund must borrow the instrument to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund then is obligated to replace the instrument borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the instrument was sold by the Fund. Until the instrument is replaced, the Fund is required to pay to the lender amounts equal to any interest or dividends which accrue during the period of the loan. To borrow the instrument, the Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the instrument sold. There will also be other costs associated with short sales.

 

 

A Fund will incur a loss as a result of the short sale if the price of the instrument increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the borrowed instrument. Unlike taking a long position in an instrument by purchasing the instrument, where potential losses are limited to the purchase price, short sales have no cap on maximum loss. A Fund will realize a gain if the instrument declines in price between those dates. This result is the opposite of what one would expect from a cash purchase of a long position in an instrument.

 

Until a Fund replaces a borrowed instrument in connection with a short sale, the Fund will (a) designate on its records as collateral cash or liquid assets at such a level that the designated assets plus any amount deposited with the broker as collateral will equal the current value of the instrument sold short or (b) otherwise cover its short position in accordance with applicable law. The amount designated on the Fund’s records will be marked to market daily. This may limit the Fund’s investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

 

There is no guarantee that a Fund will be able to close out a short position at any particular time or at an acceptable price. During the time that a Fund is short an instrument, it is subject to the risk that the lender of the instrument will terminate the loan at a time when the Fund is unable to borrow the same instrument from another lender. If that occurs, the Fund may be “bought in” at the price required to purchase the instrument needed to close out the short position, which may be a disadvantageous price. Thus, there is a risk that the Fund may be unable to fully implement its investment strategy due to a lack of available instruments or for some other reason. It is possible that the market value of the instruments a Fund holds in long positions will decline at the same time that the market value of the instruments the Fund has sold short increases, thereby increasing the Fund’s potential volatility. Short sales also involve other costs. A Fund must normally repay to the lender an amount equal to any dividends or interest that accrues while the loan is outstanding. In addition, to borrow the instrument, a Fund may be required to pay a premium. A Fund also will incur transaction costs in effecting short sales. The amount of any ultimate gain for a Fund resulting from a short sale will be decreased, and the amount of any ultimate loss will be increased, by the amount of premiums, dividends, interest or expenses the Fund may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.

 

U.S. Government Securities

 

Each Fund may invest in U.S. government securities. Securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities include U.S. Treasury securities, which are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury and which differ only in their interest rates, maturities, and times of issuance. U.S. Treasury bills have initial maturities of one-year or less; U.S. Treasury notes have initial maturities of one to ten years; and U.S. Treasury bonds generally have initial maturities of greater than ten years. Certain U.S. government securities are issued or guaranteed by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government including, but not limited to, obligations of U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), the Small Business Administration, the Federal Farm Credit Administration, the Federal Home Loan Banks, Banks for Cooperatives (including the Central Bank for Cooperatives), the Federal Land Banks, the Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Federal Financing Bank, the Student Loan Marketing Association, the National Credit Union Administration and the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (“Farmer Mac”).

 

Some obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities, including, for example, Ginnie Mae pass- through certificates, are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. Other obligations issued by or guaranteed by federal agencies, such as those securities issued by Fannie Mae, are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the federal agency, while other obligations issued by or guaranteed by federal agencies, such as those of the Federal Home Loan Banks, are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, while the U.S. government provides financial support to such U.S. government-sponsored federal agencies, no assurance can be given that the U.S. government will always do so, since the U.S. government is not so obligated by law. U.S. Treasury notes and bonds typically pay coupon interest semi- annually and repay the principal at maturity.

 

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

 

The Trust has adopted the following investment restrictions as fundamental policies with respect to the Funds. These restrictions cannot be changed with respect to the Funds without the approval of the holders of a majority of each Fund’s outstanding voting securities. For the purposes of the 1940 Act, a “majority of outstanding shares” means the vote of the lesser of: (1) 67% or more of the voting securities of the Funds present at the meeting if the holders of more than 50% of each Fund’s outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy; or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Funds.

 

Except with the approval of a majority of the outstanding voting securities, the Funds may not:

 

1.

Purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities) if, as a result, more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of companies whose principal business activities are in the same industry or group of industries.

 

2.

Issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.

 

3.

Borrow money, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.

 

4.

Lend any security or make any other loan except as permitted under the 1940 Act. This means that no more than 33 ⅓% of its total assets would be lent to other parties. This limitation does not apply to purchases of debt securities or to repurchase agreements, or to acquisitions of loans, loan participations or other forms of debt instruments, permissible under each Fund’s investment policies.

 

5.

Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Funds from investing in securities or other instruments backed by real estate, real estate investment trusts or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business).

 

6.

Purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Funds from purchasing or selling options and futures contracts or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities).

 

7.

Act as an underwriter of another issuer’s securities, except to the extent that the Funds may be considered an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act in the disposition of portfolio securities.

 

If a percentage limitation is adhered to at the time of investment or contract, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from any change in value or total or net assets will not result in a violation of such restriction, except that the percentage limitation with respect to the borrowing of money will be observed continuously.

 

EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING

 

Shares are listed for trading and trade throughout the day on the Exchange.

 

There can be no assurance that the Funds 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, the Shares if any of the requirements set forth in the Exchange rules, including compliance with Rule 6c-11(c) under the 1940 Act, are not continuously maintained or such other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will remove the Shares of the Funds from listing and trading upon termination of the Funds.

 

The Trust reserves the right to adjust the price levels of Shares in the future to help maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Funds.

 

MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST

 

Board Responsibilities. The management and affairs of the Trust and its series are overseen by the Board, which elects the officers of the Trust who are responsible for administering the day-to-day operations of the Trust and the Funds. The Board has approved contracts, as described below, under which certain companies provide essential services to the Trust.

 

 

The day-to-day business of the Trust, including the management of risk, is performed by third-party service providers, such as the Adviser, the Distributor, and the Administrator. The Board is responsible for overseeing the Trust’s service providers and, thus, has oversight responsibility with respect to risk management performed by those service providers. Risk management seeks to identify and address risks, i.e., events or circumstances that could have material adverse effects on the business, operations, shareholder services, investment performance or reputation of the Funds. The Funds and its service providers employ a variety of processes, procedures and controls to identify such events or circumstances, to lessen the probability of their occurrence and/or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur. Each service provider is responsible for one or more discrete aspects of the Trust’s business (e.g., the Adviser is responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund’s portfolio investments) and, consequently, for managing the risks associated with that business. The Board has emphasized to the Funds’ service providers the importance of maintaining vigorous risk management.

 

The Board’s role in risk oversight begins before the inception of the Funds, at which time certain of the Funds’ service providers present the Board with information concerning the investment objective, strategies, and risks of the Fund as well as proposed investment limitations for the Fund. Additionally, the Adviser will provide the Board with an overview of, among other things, its investment philosophy, brokerage practices, and compliance infrastructure. Thereafter, the Board continues its oversight function as various personnel, including the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer and other service providers such as the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm, make periodic reports to the Audit Committee or to the Board with respect to various aspects of risk management. The Board and the Audit Committee oversee efforts by management and service providers to manage risks to which each Fund may be exposed.

 

The Board is responsible for overseeing the nature, extent, and quality of the services provided to the Funds by the Adviser receives information about those services at its regular meetings. In addition, on an annual basis (following the initial two-year period), in connection with its consideration of whether to renew the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Adviser, the Board or its designee may meet with the Adviser to review such services. Among other things, the Board regularly considers the Adviser’s adherence to each Fund’s investment restrictions and compliance with various Fund policies and procedures and with applicable securities regulations. The Board also reviews information about each Fund’s performance and each Fund’s investments, including, for example, portfolio holdings schedules.

 

The Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer reports regularly to the Board to review and discuss compliance issues and Funds and Adviser risk assessments. At least annually, the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer provides the Board with a report reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of the Trust’s policies and procedures and those of its service providers, including the Adviser. The report addresses the operation of the policies and procedures of the Trust and each service provider since the date of the last report; any material changes to the policies and procedures since the date of the last report; any recommendations for material changes to the policies and procedures; and any material compliance matters since the date of the last report.

 

The Board receives reports from each Fund’s service providers regarding operational risks and risks related to the valuation and liquidity of portfolio securities. Annually, each Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm reviews with the Audit Committee its audit of each Fund’s financial statements, focusing on major areas of risk encountered by the Funds and noting any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in each Fund’s internal controls. Additionally, in connection with its oversight function, the Board oversees each Fund management’s implementation of disclosure controls and procedures, which are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Trust in its periodic reports with the SEC are recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the required time periods. The Board also oversees the Trust’s internal controls over financial reporting, which comprise policies and procedures designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of the Trust’s financial reporting and the preparation of the Trust’s financial statements.

 

From their review of these reports and discussions with the Adviser, the Chief Compliance Officer, independent registered public accounting firm and other service providers, the Board and the Audit Committee learn in detail about the material risks of the Funds, thereby facilitating a dialogue about how management and service providers identify and mitigate those risks.

 

The Board recognizes that not all risks that may affect the Funds can be identified and/or quantified, that it may not be practical or cost- effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve each Fund’s goals, and that the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness. Moreover, reports received by the Board as to risk management matters are typically summaries of the relevant information. Most of each Fund’s investment management and business affairs are carried out by or through the Adviser and other service providers, each of which has an independent interest in risk management but whose policies and the methods by which one or more risk management functions are carried out may differ from the Funds’ and each other’s in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Board’s ability to monitor and manage risk, as a practical matter, is subject to limitations.

 

 

Members of the Board. There are three members of the Board, two of whom are not interested persons of the Trust, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act (the “Independent Trustees”). Mr. Bradley Swenson serves as Chairman of the Board and is an interested person of the Trust and Mr. Steven Norgaard serves as the Trust’s Lead Independent Trustee. As Lead Independent Trustee, Mr. Norgaard acts as a spokesperson for the Independent Trustees in between meetings of the Board, serves as a liaison for the Independent Trustees with the Trust’s service providers, officers, and legal counsel to discuss ideas informally, and participates in setting the agenda for meetings of the Board and separate meetings or executive sessions of the Independent Trustees. 

 

The Board is comprised of a super-majority (66.6 percent) of Independent Trustees. There is an Audit Committee of the Board that is chaired by an Independent Trustee and comprised solely of Independent Trustees. The Audit Committee chair presides at the Audit Committee meetings, participates in formulating agendas for Audit Committee meetings, and coordinates with management to serve as a liaison between the Independent Trustees and management on matters within the scope of responsibilities of the Audit Committee as set forth in its Board-approved charter. The Trust has determined its leadership structure is appropriate given the specific characteristics and circumstances of the Trust. The Trust made this determination in consideration of, among other things, the fact that the Independent Trustees of the Trust constitute a super-majority of the Board, the number of Independent Trustees that constitute the Board, the amount of assets under management in the Trust, and the number of funds overseen by the Board. The Board also believes that its leadership structure facilitates the orderly and efficient flow of information to the Independent Trustees from management.

 

Additional information about each Trustee of the Trust is set forth below. The address of each Trustee of the Trust is c/o Paralel Technologies LLC, 1700 Broadway, Suite 1850, Denver, Colorado 80290.

 

Name and Year of Birth	Position Held with the Trust	Term of Office and Length of Time Served	Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years	Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee(1)	Other Directorships Held by Trustee During Past 5 Years
Independent Trustees
Kimberly Storms   Birth Year: 1972	Trustee	Since 2022	Ms. Storms served at various roles at ALPS Fund Services, Inc. from 1998 through 2020, including as Senior Vice President - Director of Fund Administration (2004-2020) and Senior Vice President - Director of Fund Management (2020).  During her tenure, Ms. Storms served as an officer to certain ETF, closed-end and open-end investment companies (1998-2020) and, within the past 5 years, Principal Financial Officer of ALPS Series Trust (2012-2020), Financial Investors Trust (2013-2020), Liberty All-Star Funds (2013-2020), and Cambria ETF Trust (2020).	8	Sterling Capital Funds (Since October 2022)
Steven Norgaard   Birth Year: 1964	Trustee	Since 2022	Mr. Norgaard has been an attorney with Steven K. Norgaard, P.C. since 1994.	9(2)	Frontier Funds (6 Funds) (since 2013); SRH Total Return Fund, Inc. (Since 2011)
Interested Trustees and Officers
Bradley J. Swenson   Birth Year: 1972	Trustee, President	Since 2022	Mr. Swenson is President of Paralel Distributors LLC (May 2022 to present) and Chief Compliance Officer of Paralel Technologies LLC (January 2023 to present). He previously served as President of TruePeak Consulting, LLC (August 2021 to December 2023). Mr. Swenson joined ALPS Fund Services, Inc. (“ALPS”) in 2004 and served as its President from June 2019 until June 2021. In this role, he served as an office to certain other closed-end and open-end investment companies. He previously served as the Chief Operating Officer of ALPS (2015-2019). Mr. Swenson also previously served as Chief Compliance Officer to ALPS, its affiliated entities, and to certain ETF, closed-end and open-end investment companies (2004-2015).	8	ALPS Series Trust (March 2021 to March 2022)

 

(1)

The term “Fund Complex” means two or more registered investment companies that hold themselves out to investors as related companies for purposes of investment and investor services; or have a common investment adviser or that have an investment adviser that is an affiliated person of the investment adviser of any of the other registered investment companies. For the purposes of this table, all series of the Trust (8 funds, including the Funds) are included in the Fund Complex.

 

(2)

Mr. Norgaard also serves as a Director of the SRH Total Return Fund, Inc. whose investment adviser is the same as the investment adviser of SRH U.S. Quality ETF and SRH REIT Covered Call ETF, two series of the Trust.

 

 

Individual Trustee Qualifications. The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve on the Board because of their ability to review and understand information about the Funds provided to them by management, to identify and request other information they may deem relevant to the performance of their duties, to question management and other service providers regarding material factors bearing on the management and administration of the Funds, and to exercise their business judgment in a manner that serves the best interests of the Funds’ shareholders. The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve as a Trustee based on his or her own experience, qualifications, attributes and skills as described below.

 

Bradley Swenson. Mr. Swenson has more than 25 years experienced focused on compliance and distribution in the mutual fund industry. Prior to joining Paralel, he spent seventeen years at ALPS in various capacities including, but not limited to, Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Operating Officer and President of ALPS Fund Services and ALPS Distributors. In addition to those roles Mr. Swenson built and led the Fund CCO services division and served as Fund CCO and President to various closed-end, ETF and mutual fund trusts. Mr. Swenson also held various roles at Janus Capital Group and Oppenheimer Funds including Senior Audit Manager and Compliance Manager. Mr. Swenson graduated from the University of Minnesota-Duluth with a B.S. in Accounting. Mr. Swenson holds FINRA Series 3, 6, 7, 24, 26, and 27 licenses.

 

Steven K. Norgaard. Mr. Norgaard is lead independent trustee of the Trust and is an attorney and certified public accountant. Since 1994, he has been an attorney with the law firm Steven K. Norgaard, P.C. Prior to starting his own law firm, he was an attorney at McDermott, Will & Emery. In addition, he serves as an independent director on the Board of Directors of the SRH Total Return Fund, Inc. and currently serves as audit committee chair. He has also served on the Board of Directors of ATG Trust Company from 2007-2021; and on the Fronter Funds Board of Directors. Mr. Norgaard served on the Board of Directors of Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. from 2012 to 2022. Prior to March 2015, Mr. Norgaard served as an independent director of the Boulder Total Return Fund, Inc., the Denali Fund, Inc., and the First Opportunity Fund, Inc., each a closed-end fund, until those funds completed a merger into the Fund currently known as SRH Total Return Fund, Inc. Mr. Norgaard brings significant financial, accounting, legal, regulatory and investment experience to the Board, as well as other directorship experience.

 

Kimberly Storms. Ms. Storms is the chair of the Audit Committee of the Board of Trustees and is the Trust’s Audit Committee Financial Expert. Ms. Storms has more than 25 years of experience concentrated on mutual fund back office and accounting operations. Ms. Storms served in various roles at ALPS Fund Services from 1998 through 2020, including as Senior Vice President - Director of Fund Administration. She graduated with a B.S. in Finance from the University of Louisiana. Ms. Storms brings significant experience from her prior time serving as an executive officer of several large fund complexes, as well as her knowledge in the accounting, investment and regulatory fields.

 

In its periodic assessment of the effectiveness of the Board, the Board considers the complementary individual skills and experience of the individual Trustees primarily in the broader context of the Board’s overall composition so that the Board, as a body, possesses the appropriate (and appropriately diverse) skills and experience to oversee the business of the funds.

 

Board Committees. The Board has established the following standing committees of the Board: 

 

Audit Committee. The Board has a standing Audit Committee that is composed of each of the Independent Trustees of the Trust. The Audit Committee operates under a written charter approved by the Board. The principal responsibilities of the Audit Committee include: recommending which firm to engage as the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm and whether to terminate this relationship; reviewing the independent registered public accounting firm’s compensation, the proposed scope and terms of its engagement, and the firm’s independence; pre-approving audit and non-audit services provided by the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm to the Trust and certain other affiliated entities; serving as a channel of communication between the independent registered public accounting firm and the Trustees; reviewing the results of each external audit, including any qualifications in the independent registered public accounting firm’s opinion, any related management letter, management’s responses to recommendations made by the independent registered public accounting firm in connection with the audit, reports submitted to the Committee by the internal auditing department of the Trust’s Administrator that are material to the Trust as a whole, if any, and management’s responses to any such reports; reviewing the Funds’ audited financial statements and considering any significant disputes between the Trust’s management and the independent registered public accounting firm that arose in connection with the preparation of those financial statements; considering, in consultation with the independent registered public accounting firm and the Trust’s senior internal accounting executive, if any, the independent registered public accounting firms’ report on the adequacy of the Trust’s internal financial controls; reviewing, in consultation with the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm, major changes regarding auditing and accounting principles and practices to be followed when preparing the Funds’ financial statements; and other audit related matters.

 

 

The Audit Committee also serves as the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee (“QLCC”) for the Trust for the purpose of compliance with Rules 205.2(k) and 205.3(c) of the Code of Federal Regulations, regarding alternative reporting procedures for attorneys retained or employed by an issuer who appear and practice before the SEC on behalf of the issuer (the “issuer attorneys”). An issuer attorney who becomes aware of evidence of a material violation by the Trust, or by any officer, director, employee, or agent of the Trust, may report evidence of such material violation to the QLCC as an alternative to the reporting requirements of Rule 205.3(b) (which requires reporting to the chief legal officer and potentially “up the ladder” to other entities).

 

Nominating Committee. The Board has a standing Nominating Committee that is composed of each of the Independent Trustees of the Trust. The Nominating Committee operates under a written charter approved by the Board. The principal responsibility of the Nominating Committee is to consider, recommend and nominate candidates to fill vacancies on the Trust’s Board, if any. The Nominating Committee generally will not consider nominees recommended by shareholders. The Nominating Committee meets periodically, as necessary.

 

Principal Officers of the Trust

 

The officers of the Trust conduct and supervise its daily business. The address of each officer of the Trust is c/o Paralel Technologies LLC, 1700 Broadway, Suite 1850, Denver, Colorado 80290. Additional information about the Trust’s officers is as follows:

 

Name and Year of Birth	Position(s) Held with the Trust	Term of Office and Length of Time Served	Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years
Brenna Fudjack, 1986	Chief Compliance Officer	Indefinite term; since 2023	Ms. Fudjack joined Paralel Technologies LLC as Deputy Chief Compliance officer in 2023.  Prior to her current role, Ms. Fudjack served as Manager, Risk & Financial Advisory for Deloitte & Touche LLP from 2022-2023; Director of Compliance for Perella Weinberg Partners Capital Management LP / Agility from 2018-2022; Compliance Officer for Shelton Capital Management from 2017-2018; and Compliance Manager among other compliance roles for ALPS Fund Services, Inc. from 2010-2017.
Nicholas Austin, 1981	Treasurer	Indefinite term; since 2023	Mr. Austin joined Paralel Technologies, LLC as Senior Controller in 2022. Prior to his current role, Mr. Austin served as Vice President/Fund Controller for SS&C ALPS from 2018 until 2022, and as Chief Financial Officer of Champion Medical Center from 2016 until 2018.
Christopher Moore, 1984	Secretary	Indefinite term; since 2022	Mr. Moore is General Counsel of Paralel Technologies LLC and each of its subsidiaries (since 2021).  He is also Chief Compliance Officer of Paralel Advisors LLC since 2021. Mr. Moore served as Deputy General Counsel and Legal Operations Manager of RiverNorth Capital Management, LLC from 2020-2021; VP and Senior Counsel of ALPS Fund Services, Inc. from 2016-2020; and associate at Thompson Hine LLP (2013-2016). Mr. Moore served as a CPA for Ernst & Young (2007-2009).

 

 

Trustee Ownership of Shares. The Funds are required to show the dollar amount ranges of each Trustee’s “beneficial ownership” of Shares and each other 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 Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”).

 

As of the date of this SAI, no Trustees owned Shares of the Funds.

 

Board Compensation. The Independent Trustees each receive a fee of $2,500 per quarter and a quarterly meeting fee of $1,000, a special meeting fee of $1,000, as well as reimbursement for reasonable travel, lodging and other expenses in connection with attendance at meetings. The Trust has no pension or retirement plan.

 

Independent Trustee fees are paid by the adviser of each series of the Trust through the applicable adviser’s unitary management fee, and not by the Funds. Trustee compensation does not include reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses in connection with attendance at meetings.

 

The following table shows the compensation anticipated to be earned by each Trustee during the initial fiscal year of the Funds.

 

Name	Aggregate Compensation From Funds*	Total Compensation From Fund Complex Paid to Trustees*
Interested Trustees
Bradley J. Swenson	$0	$0
Independent Trustees
Kimberly Storms	$3,500+	$14,000++
Steven Norgaard	$3,500+	$14,000++

*

Estimated for the initial fiscal year of the Funds.

	+	Paid by the Adviser, not the Funds, from its unitary management fee.
	++	Paid by the adviser of each series, not the Funds, through their unitary management fee.

 

PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS, CONTROL PERSONS, AND MANAGEMENT OWNERSHIP

 

A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding Shares of a Fund. A control person is a shareholder that owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledges the existence of control. Shareholders owning voting securities in excess of 25% may determine the outcome of any matter affecting and voted on by shareholders of a Fund. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding shares and is recognized as the owner of all shares for all purposes. Investors owning shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. As of January 16, 2025, no Trustees and officers of the Trust owned Shares of the Funds.

 

CODES OF ETHICS

 

The Trust, the Adviser and the Distributor (as defined under “The Distributor”) have each adopted codes of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These codes of ethics are designed to prevent affiliated persons of the Trust, the Adviser and the Distributor from engaging in deceptive, manipulative or fraudulent activities in connection with securities held or to be acquired by the Funds (which may also be held by persons subject to the codes of ethics). Each Code of Ethics permits personnel subject to that Code of Ethics to invest in securities for their personal investment accounts, subject to certain limitations, including limitations related to securities that may be purchased or held by the Funds.

 

There can be no assurance that the codes of ethics will be effective in preventing such activities. Each code of ethics may be examined at the office of the SEC in Washington, D.C. or on the Internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

 

 

PROXY VOTING POLICIES

 

The Funds have delegated proxy voting responsibilities to the Adviser, subject to the Board’s oversight. In delegating proxy responsibilities, the Board has directed that proxies be voted consistent with the Funds’ and their respective shareholders’ best interests and in compliance with all applicable proxy voting rules and regulations. The Adviser has adopted the Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. Proxy Voting Guidelines as part of the Adviser’s proxy voting policies for this purpose (“Proxy Voting Policies”) and to assist with voting proxies in a timely manner and making voting recommendations under guidelines adopted by the Adviser. A copy of the Adviser’s Proxy Voting Policies are set forth in Appendix A to this SAI. The Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of the Proxy Voting Policies. The Proxy Voting Policies have been approved by the Trust as the policies and procedures that the Adviser will use when voting proxies on behalf of a Fund.

 

The Proxy Voting Policies address, among other things, material conflicts of interest that may arise between the interests of the Funds and the interests of the Adviser. The Proxy Voting Policies will ensure that all issues brought to shareholders are analyzed in light of the Adviser’s fiduciary responsibilities.

 

When available, information on how the Funds voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 will be available (1) without charge, upon request, by calling the Distributor at 1.877.524.9155 and (2) on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

INVESTMENT ADVISER

 

Investment Adviser

 

Clough Capital Partners, L.P. a Delaware limited partnership located at 53 State Street, 27th Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02109, is an SEC registered investment adviser. The Adviser is controlled by Chuck Clough, Chairman, CIO, Partner, and Portfolio Manager through several estate planning entities.

 

Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, each Fund pays the adviser a unitary management fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate of each Fund’s average daily net assets as set forth below. Out of the unitary management fee, the Adviser has agreed to pay substantially all expenses of the Funds, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, securities lending and other non-distribution related services necessary for the Funds to operate, except for: the fee paid to the Adviser pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, interest charges on any borrowings, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by a Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, litigation expenses and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses.

 

Fund	Management Fee
Clough Hedged Equity ETF	1.35%*
Clough Select Equity ETF	0.85%
*The management fee for the Predecessor Fund decreased from 1.70% to 1.35% effective February 29, 2024.

 

The table below shows the advisory fees* paid by the Predecessor Funds for the fiscal periods ended October 31, as applicable to each Fund:

 

Fund	2024	2023	2022
Predecessor Clough Hedged Equity ETF	$277,582	$90,798	$99,569
Predecessor Clough Select Equity ETF	$111,772	$50,855	$66,479

 

 

The Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to the Funds will continue in force for an initial period of two years. Thereafter, the Investment Advisory Agreement will be renewable from year to year with respect to the Funds, so long as its continuance is approved at least annually (1) by the vote, cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose, of a majority of those Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Adviser or the Trust; and (2) by the majority vote of either the full Board or the vote of a majority of the outstanding Shares of the Funds. The Investment Advisory Agreement automatically terminates on assignment and is terminable on a 60-day written notice either by the Trust or the Adviser.

 

The Adviser shall not be liable to the Trust or any shareholder for anything done or omitted by it, except acts or omissions involving willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties imposed upon it by its agreement with the Trust or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security.

 

PORTFOLIO MANAGER

 

Each Fund is managed by Vincent Lorusso, President, CEO, Partner and Portfolio Manager (the “Portfolio Manager”). This section includes information about the Portfolio Manager, including information about compensation, other accounts managed, and the dollar range of Shares owned.

 

Compensation

 

The Portfolio Manager receives a fixed base salary and a discretionary bonus that are not tied to the performance of the Funds.

 

Share Ownership

 

The Funds are required to show the dollar ranges of the Portfolio Manager’s “beneficial ownership” of Shares as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year or a more recent date for a new portfolio manager. 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 following reflects the level of investment by the Portfolio Manager in the Funds.

 

Dollar Value of Shares Owned Beneficially as of October 31, 2024
Portfolio Manager	Clough Hedged Equity ETF	Clough Select Equity ETF
Vincent Lorusso	$2,038,967	$605,361

 

Other Accounts

 

As of October 31, 2024 the Portfolio Manager did not manage any other accounts for the Adviser.

 

In addition to the Funds, the Portfolio Manager managed the following other accounts as of October 31, 2024, none of which were subject to a performance fee:

 

Portfolio Manager

 

	Registered Investment Companies		Other Pooled Investment Vehicles		Other Accounts
Portfolio Manager	Number of Accounts	Total Assets in the Accounts (in millions)	Number of Accounts	Total Assets in the Accounts	Number of Accounts	Total Assets in the Accounts
Vincent Lorusso	none	$0	0	$0	0	$0

 

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

The Portfolio Manager’s management of “other accounts” may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in connection with their 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 Funds. Therefore, a potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the identical investment objective, whereby the Portfolio Manager could favor one account over another. Another potential conflict could include the Portfolio Manager’s knowledge about the size, timing and possible market impact of Fund trades, whereby the Portfolio Manager could use this information to the advantage of other accounts and to the disadvantage of the Funds.

 

THE DISTRIBUTOR

 

The Trust and Paralel Distributors LLC (the “Distributor”) are parties to a distribution agreement (“Distribution Agreement”), whereby the Distributor acts as principal underwriter for each series of the Trust, including the Funds, and distributes Shares. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Distributor only in Creation Units. The Distributor will not distribute Shares in amounts less than a Creation Unit and does not maintain a secondary market in Shares. The principal business address of the Distributor is 1700 Broadway, Suite 1850, Denver, CO 80290.

 

Under the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor, as agent for the Trust, will review orders for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units, provided that any subscriptions and orders will not be binding on the Trust until accepted by the Trust. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Exchange Act and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”).

 

The Distributor may also enter into agreements with securities dealers (“Soliciting Dealers”) who will solicit purchases of Creation Units of Shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as discussed in “Procedures for Purchase of Creation Units” below) or DTC participants (as defined below).

 

The Distribution Agreement will continue for two years from its effective date and is renewable annually thereafter. The continuance of the Distribution Agreement must be specifically approved at least annually (i) by the vote of the Trustees or by a vote of the shareholders of the Funds and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operations of the Distribution Agreement or any related agreement, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust on 60 days’ written notice when authorized either by majority vote of its outstanding voting Shares or by a vote of a majority of its Board (including a majority of the Independent Trustees), or by the Distributor on 60 days’ written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment. The Distribution Agreement provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Distributor, or reckless disregard by it of its obligations thereunder, the Distributor shall not be liable for any action or failure to act in accordance with its duties thereunder.

 

Intermediary Compensation. The Adviser, or their affiliates, out of their own resources and not out of Fund assets (i.e., without additional cost to a Fund or its shareholders), may pay certain broker dealers, banks and other financial intermediaries (“Intermediaries”) for certain activities related to the Funds, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Funds, or for other activities, such as marketing and educational training or support. These arrangements are not financed by the Funds and, thus, do not result in increased Funds expenses. They are not reflected in the fees and expenses listed in the fees and expenses sections of the Funds’ Prospectus and they do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of Shares or the amount received by a shareholder as proceeds from the redemption of Shares.

 

Such compensation may be paid to Intermediaries that provide services to the Funds, including marketing and education support (such as through conferences, webinars and printed communications). The Adviser periodically assess the advisability of continuing to make these payments. Payments to an Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your adviser, broker or other investment professional, if any, may also be significant to such adviser, broker or investment professional. Because an Intermediary may make decisions about what investment options it will make available or recommend, and what services to provide in connection with various products, based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive, such payments create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its clients. For example, these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Funds over other investments. The same conflict of interest exists with respect to your financial adviser, broker or investment professional if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm.

 

 

Intermediary information is current only as of the date of this SAI. Please contact your adviser, broker, or other investment professional for more information regarding any payments his or her Intermediary firm may receive. Any payments made by the Adviser or their affiliates to an Intermediary may create the incentive for an Intermediary to encourage customers to buy Shares.

 

If you have any additional questions, please call 1.877.524.9155.

 

THE ADMINISTRATOR, CUSTODIAN, AND TRANSFER AGENT

 

Paralel Technologies LLC (“PTL”), located at 1700 Broadway Suite 1850, Denver, Colorado 80290 serves as the Funds’ administrator and fund accountant. PTL is the parent company of Paralel Distributors LLC, the Fund’s Distributor.

 

Pursuant to an Administration and Fund Accounting Agreement between the Trust and PTL, PTL 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, PTL does not have any responsibility or authority for the management of the Funds, the determination of investment policy, or for any matter pertaining to the distribution of Shares. As compensation for the administration, accounting and management services, the Adviser pays PTL a fee based on the Funds’ average daily net assets, subject to a minimum annual fee. PTL also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses for the services mentioned above.

 

Pursuant to a Custody Agreement, State Street Bank and Trust Company (the “Custodian” or “State Street”), serves as the Custodian of the Funds’ assets. The Custodian holds and administers the assets in each Fund’s portfolio. Pursuant to the Custody Agreement, the Custodian receives an annual fee from the Adviser based on the Funds’ total average daily net assets, subject to a minimum annual fee, and certain settlement charges. The Custodian also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses.

 

Pursuant to a Transfer Agency Agreement, State Street (in such capacity, the “Transfer Agent”) serves as Transfer Agent for the Funds. Pursuant to the Transfer Agency Agreement, the Transfer Agent receives an annual fee from the Adviser.

 

The Adviser was responsible for paying the amounts in the table below to Fund Services for administrative services for the periods ended October 31, as applicable to each Predecessor Fund:

 

Fund	2024	2023	2022
Predecessor Clough Hedged Equity ETF	$91,326.53	$88,462	$83,705
Predecessor Clough Select Equity ETF	$89,833.20	$87,232	$82,981

 

LEGAL COUNSEL

 

Thompson Hine LLP, located at 41 South High Street, Suite 1700, Columbus, Ohio 43215 serves as legal counsel for the Trust.

 

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

Cohen & Company, Ltd., located at 8101 East Prentice Ave., Suite 750, Greenwood Village, CO 80111, serves as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Funds.

 

PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS DISCLOSURE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

 

The Board has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about each Fund’s security holdings. Each Fund’s entire portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day each Fund is open for business and may be available through financial reporting and news services, including publicly available internet web sites. In addition, the composition of the Deposit Securities (as defined below) is publicly disseminated daily prior to the opening of the Exchange via the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”).

 

 

DESCRIPTION OF SHARES

 

The Declaration of Trust authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of funds and Shares. Each Share represents an equal proportionate interest in the Funds with each other Share. Shares are entitled upon liquidation to a pro rata share in the net assets of the Funds. Shareholders have no preemptive rights. The Declaration of Trust provides that the Trustees may create additional series or classes of Shares. All consideration received by the Trust for shares of any additional funds and all assets in which such consideration is invested would belong to that fund and would be subject to the liabilities related thereto. Share certificates representing Shares will not be issued. Shares, when issued, are fully paid and non-assessable.

 

Each Share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a shareholder vote is required, consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder. Shares of all funds of the Trust vote together as a single class, except that if the matter being voted on affects only a particular fund it will be voted on only by that fund and if a matter affects a particular fund differently from other funds, that fund will vote separately on such matter. As a Delaware statutory trust, the Trust is not required, and does not intend, to hold annual meetings of shareholders. Approval of shareholders will be sought, however, for certain changes in the operation of the Trust and for the election of Trustees under certain circumstances. Upon the written request of shareholders owning at least 10% of the Trust’s Shares, the Trust will call for a meeting of shareholders to consider the removal of one or more Trustees and other certain matters. In the event that such a meeting is requested, the Trust will provide appropriate assistance and information to the shareholders requesting the meeting.

 

Under the Declaration of Trust, the Trustees have the power to liquidate the Funds without shareholder approval. While the Trustees have no present intention of exercising this power, they may do so if the Funds fail to reach a viable size within a reasonable amount of time or for such other reasons as may be determined by the Board.

 

LIMITATION OF TRUSTEE LIABILITY

 

The Second Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (“Declaration of Trust”) provides that a Trustee shall be liable only for his or her own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of the office of Trustee, and shall not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law. The Trustees shall not be responsible or liable in any event for any neglect or wrong-doing of any officer, agent, employee, adviser or principal underwriter of the Trust, nor shall any Trustee be responsible for the act or omission of any other Trustee. The Declaration of Trust also provides that the Trust shall indemnify each person who is, or has been, a Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Trust, any person who is serving or has served at the Trust’s request as a Trustee, officer, trustee, employee or agent of another organization in which the Trust has any interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise to the extent and in the manner provided in the Amended and Restated By-laws. However, nothing in the Declaration of Trust shall protect or indemnify a Trustee against any liability for his or her willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of the office of Trustee. Nothing contained in this section attempts to disclaim a Trustee’s individual liability in any manner inconsistent with the federal securities laws. 

 

BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS

 

The policy of the Trust regarding purchases and sales of securities for the Funds is that primary consideration will be given to obtaining the most favorable prices and efficient executions of transactions. Consistent with this policy, when securities transactions are effected on a stock exchange, the Trust’s policy is to pay commissions which are considered fair and reasonable without necessarily determining that the lowest possible commissions are paid in all circumstances. The Trust believes that a requirement always to seek the lowest possible commission cost could impede effective portfolio management and preclude the Funds from obtaining a high quality of brokerage and research services. In seeking to determine the reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid in any transaction, the Adviser will rely upon its experience and knowledge regarding commissions generally charged by various brokers and on its judgment in evaluating the brokerage services received from the broker effecting the transaction. Such determinations are necessarily subjective and imprecise, as in most cases, an exact dollar value for those services is not ascertainable. The Trust has adopted policies and procedures that prohibit the consideration of sales of Shares as a factor in the selection of a broker or dealer to execute its portfolio transactions.

 

The Adviser owes a fiduciary duty to its clients to seek to provide best execution on trades effected. In selecting a broker-dealer for each specific transaction, the Adviser chooses the broker-dealer deemed most capable of providing the services necessary to obtain the most favorable execution. “Best execution” is generally understood to mean the most favorable cost or net proceeds reasonably obtainable under the circumstances. The full range of brokerage services applicable to a particular transaction may be considered when making this judgment, which may include, but is not limited to: liquidity, price, commission, timing, aggregated trades, capable floor brokers or traders, competent block trading coverage, ability to position, capital strength and stability, reliable and accurate communications and settlement processing, use of automation, knowledge of other buyers or sellers, arbitrage skills, administrative ability, underwriting and provision of information on a particular security or market in which the transaction is to occur. The specific criteria will vary depending upon the nature of the transaction, the market in which it is executed, and the extent to which it is possible to select from among multiple broker-dealers. The Adviser will also use electronic crossing networks (“ECNs”) when appropriate.

 

 

Subject to the foregoing policies, brokers or dealers selected to execute each Fund’s portfolio transactions may include the Funds’ Authorized Participants (as discussed in “Procedures for Purchase of Creation Units” below) or their affiliates. An Authorized Participant or its affiliates may be selected to execute each Fund’s portfolio transactions in conjunction with an all-cash creation unit order or an order including “cash-in-lieu” (as described below under “Purchase and Redemption of Shares in Creation Units”), so long as such selection is in keeping with the foregoing policies. As described below under “Purchase and Redemption of Shares in Creation Units—Creation Transaction Fee” and “Redemption Transaction Fee”, the Funds may determine to not charge a variable fee on certain orders when the Adviser has determined that doing so is in the best interests of the Funds shareholders, e.g., for creation orders that facilitate the rebalance of the Funds’ portfolio in a more tax efficient manner than could be achieved without such order, even if the decision to not charge a variable fee could be viewed as benefiting the Authorized Participant or its affiliate selected to execute the Funds’ portfolio transactions in connection with such orders.

 

The Adviser may use each Fund’s assets for, or participate in, third-party soft dollar arrangements, in addition to receiving proprietary research from various full-service brokers, the cost of which is bundled with the cost of the broker’s execution services. The Adviser does not “pay up” for the value of any such proprietary research. Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act permits the Adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause the Funds to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the transaction in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by the broker or dealer. The Adviser may receive a variety of research services and information on many topics, which it can use in connection with its management responsibilities with respect to the various accounts over which it exercises investment discretion or otherwise provides investment advice. The research services may include qualifying order management systems, portfolio attribution and monitoring services and computer software and access charges which are directly related to investment research. Accordingly, the Funds may pay a broker commission higher than the lowest available in recognition of the broker’s provision of such services to the Adviser, but only if the Adviser determines the total commission (including the soft dollar benefit) is comparable to the best commission rate that could be expected to be received from other brokers. The amount of soft dollar benefits received depends on the amount of brokerage transactions effected with the brokers. A conflict of interest exists because there is an incentive to: 1) cause clients to pay a higher commission than the firm might otherwise be able to negotiate; 2) cause clients to engage in more securities transactions than would otherwise be optimal; and 3) only recommend brokers that provide soft dollar benefits.

 

The Adviser faces a potential conflict of interest when it uses client trades to obtain brokerage or research services. This conflict exists because the Adviser is able to use the brokerage or research services to manage client accounts without paying cash for such services, which reduces the Adviser’s expenses to the extent that the Adviser would have purchased such products had they not been provided by brokers. Section 28(e) permits the Adviser to use brokerage or research services for the benefit of any account it manages. Certain accounts managed by the Adviser may generate soft dollars used to purchase brokerage or research services that ultimately benefit other accounts managed by the Adviser, effectively cross subsidizing the other accounts managed by the Adviser that benefit directly from the product. The Adviser may not necessarily use all of the brokerage or research services in connection with managing a Fund whose trades generated the soft dollars used to purchase such products.

 

The Funds may deal with affiliates in principal transactions to the extent permitted by exemptive order or applicable rule or regulation.

 

The table below shows the aggregate brokerage commissions paid by the Predecessor Funds for the fiscal periods ended October 31:

 

Fund	2024	2023	2022
Predecessor Clough Hedged Equity ETF	$360,738	$114,353	$42,859
Predecessor Clough Select Equity ETF	$165,544	$80,628	$35,570

 

The aggregate brokerage commissions paid by the Predecessor Clough Hedged Equity Fund and the Predecessor Clough Select Equity Fund increased significantly during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024, due to increased market volatility, evolving portfolio construction considerations, and ongoing analysis at the security level, which contributed to higher portfolio turnover during the period.

 

 

Directed Brokerage. Each Fund is also required to identify any brokerage transactions during its most recent fiscal year that were directed to a broker because of research services provided, along with the amount of any such transactions and any related commissions paid by the Funds. The following table shows the amount of any such transactions and related commissions paid by the Predecessor Funds for research services for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2024:

 

Fund	Commissions	Transactions
Predecessor Clough Hedged Equity ETF	$157,892	$109,446,377
Predecessor Clough Select Equity ETF	$72,616	$41,426,844

 

Brokerage with Fund Affiliates. The Funds may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through registered broker-dealer affiliates of the Fund, the Adviser or the Distributor for a commission in conformity with the 1940 Act, the Exchange Act and rules promulgated by the SEC. These rules require that commissions paid to the affiliate by the Funds for exchange transactions not exceed “usual and customary” brokerage commissions. The rules define “usual and customary” commissions to include amounts which 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 Trustees, including those who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, have adopted procedures for evaluating the reasonableness of commissions paid to affiliates and review these procedures periodically.

 

Securities of “Regular Broker-Dealers.” The Funds are required to identify any securities of its “regular brokers and dealers” (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) that it may hold at the close of its most recent fiscal year. “Regular brokers or dealers” of the Funds are the ten brokers or dealers that, during the most recent fiscal year: (i) received the greatest dollar amounts of brokerage commissions from the Funds’ portfolio transactions; (ii) engaged as principal in the largest dollar amounts of portfolio transactions of the Funds; or (iii) sold the largest dollar amounts of Shares.

 

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RATE

 

Portfolio turnover may vary from year to year, as well as within a year. High turnover rates are likely to result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses. The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions is evaluated by the Adviser based upon its knowledge of available information as to the general level of commissions paid by other institutional investors for comparable services.

 

For the fiscal periods ended October 31, the Predecessor Funds’ portfolio turnover rates were:

 

Fund	2024	2023*	2022
Predecessor Clough Hedged Equity ETF	509%	784%	379%
Predecessor Clough Select Equity ETF	428%	465%	222%

 

*The increase in each Predecessor Fund’s portfolio turnover from 2022 to 2023 was due to the global financial markets experiencing significant volatility, driven by a variety of factors including geopolitical tensions, pandemic-related disruptions, and shifts in monetary policy by central banks worldwide. These conditions necessitated a more active trading strategy to mitigate risks and capitalize on the rapidly changing market dynamics.

 

BOOK ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM

 

DTC acts as securities depositary for Shares. Shares are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC. Except in limited circumstances set forth below, certificates will not be issued for Shares.

 

 

DTC is a limited-purpose trust company that 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 the New York Stock Exchange (“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 in this SAI 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 of Shares. The Trust recognizes DTC or its nominee as the record owner of all Shares for all purposes. Beneficial Owners of Shares are not entitled to have Shares registered in their names and will not receive or be entitled to physical delivery of Share certificates. Each Beneficial Owner must rely on the procedures of DTC and any DTC Participant and/or Indirect Participant through which such Beneficial Owner holds its interests, to exercise any rights of a holder of Shares.

 

Conveyance of all notices, statements, and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. DTC will make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee a listing of Shares held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall obtain from each such DTC Participant 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.

 

Share 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 credit immediately DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in the Funds 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, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” 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 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 determine to discontinue providing its service with respect to the Funds at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Funds and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Funds shall take action either to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost or, if such replacement is unavailable, to issue and deliver printed certificates representing ownership of Shares, unless the Trust makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the Exchange.

 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES IN CREATION UNITS

 

The Trust issues and sells Shares only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load (but subject to transaction fees, if applicable), at their NAV per share next determined after receipt of an order, on any Business Day, in proper form pursuant to the terms of the Authorized Participant Agreement (“Participant Agreement”). The NAV of Shares is calculated each Business Day as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE, generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time. The Funds will not issue fractional Creation Units. A “Business Day” is any day on which the NYSE is open for business.

 

 

Fund Deposit. The consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit of the Funds generally consists of either (i) the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) per each Creation Unit and the Cash Component (defined below), computed as described below or (ii) the cash value of the Deposit Securities (“Deposit Cash”) and “Cash Component,” computed as described below. When accepting purchases of Creation Units for cash, the Funds may incur additional costs associated with the acquisition of Deposit Securities that would otherwise be provided by an in-kind purchaser.

 

Together, the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of the Funds. The “Cash Component” is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of Shares (per Creation Unit) and the value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable. If the Cash Component is a positive number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash Component shall be such positive amount. If the Cash Component is a negative number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash Component shall be such negative amount and the creator will be entitled to receive cash in an amount equal to the Cash Component. The Cash Component serves the function of compensating for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable. Computation of the Cash Component excludes any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities, if applicable, which shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant (as defined below).

 

The Funds, through NSCC, makes available on each Business Day, prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time), the list of the names and the required number of Shares of each Deposit Security or the required amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the Funds. The Fund Deposit is subject to any applicable adjustments as described below, to effect purchases of Creation Units of the Funds until such time as the next-announced composition of the Deposit Securities or the required amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, is made available.

 

The identity and number of Shares of the Deposit Securities or the amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, required for the Fund Deposit for the Fund changes as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by the Adviser with a view to the investment objective of the Funds.

 

The Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of Deposit Cash to replace any Deposit Security, which shall be added to the Cash Component, including, without limitation, in situations where the Deposit Security: (i) may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery; (ii) may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC for corporate securities and municipal securities; (iii) may not be eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant (as defined below) or the investor for which it is acting; (iv) would be restricted under the securities laws or where the delivery of the Deposit Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant becoming restricted under the securities laws; or (v) in certain other situations (collectively, “custom orders”). The Trust also reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of Deposit Securities in lieu of Deposit Cash. The adjustments described above will reflect changes, known to the Adviser on the date of announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Fund Deposit, resulting from certain corporate actions.

 

Procedures for Purchase of Creation Units. To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor to purchase a Creation Unit of the Funds, an entity must be (i) a “Participating Party” (i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC (the “Clearing Process”)), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC; or (ii) a DTC Participant (see “Book Entry Only System”). In addition, each Participating Party or DTC Participant (each, an “Authorized Participant”) must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor, and that has been accepted by the Transfer Agent, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Each Authorized Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms of a Participant Agreement, on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that it will pay to the Trust, an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component together with the creation transaction fee (described below), if applicable, and any other applicable fees and taxes.

 

All orders to purchase Shares directly from the Funds must be placed for one or more Creation Units and in the manner and by the time set forth in the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form. The order cut-off time for orders to purchase Creation Units is 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, which time may be modified by the Funds from time-to-time by amendment to the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form. In the case of custom orders, the order must be received by the Distributor no later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern time and 12:00 p.m. Eastern time for the Funds, or such earlier time as may be designated by the Funds and disclosed to Authorized Participants. The date on which an order to purchase Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units, as set forth below) is received and accepted is referred to as the “Order Placement Date.”

 

 

An Authorized Participant may require an investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order (e.g., to provide for payments of cash, when required). Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and that, therefore, orders to purchase Shares directly from the Funds in Creation Units have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement and only a small number of such Authorized Participants may have international capabilities.

 

On days when the Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Funds may require orders to create Creation Units to be placed earlier in the day. In addition, if a market or markets on which each Fund’s investments are primarily traded is closed, the Funds will also generally not accept orders on such day(s). 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 and in accordance with the applicable order form. On behalf of the Funds, the Distributor will notify the Custodian of such order. The Custodian will then provide such information to the appropriate local sub-custodian(s). Those placing orders through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order to the Distributor by the cut-off time on such Business Day. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure may impede the ability to reach the Distributor or an Authorized Participant.

 

Fund Deposits must be delivered by an Authorized Participant through the Federal Reserve System (for cash) or through DTC (for corporate securities), through a sub-custody agent (for foreign securities) and/or through such other arrangements allowed by the Trust or its agents. With respect to foreign Deposit Securities, the Custodian shall cause the sub-custodian of the Funds to maintain an account into which the Authorized Participant shall deliver, on behalf of itself or the party on whose behalf it is acting, such Deposit Securities (or Deposit Cash for all or a part of such securities, as permitted or required), with any appropriate adjustments as advised by the Trust. Foreign Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local sub-custodian. The Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the Authorized Participant in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, to the account of the Funds or its agents by no later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern time (or such other time as specified by the Trust) on the Settlement Date. If the Funds or its agents do not receive all of the Deposit Securities, or the required Deposit Cash in lieu thereof, by such time, then the order may be deemed rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Funds for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. The “Settlement Date” for the Funds is generally the Business Day immediately after the Order Placement Date. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash to be delivered, as applicable, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities or cash, as applicable, will be determined by the Trust, whose determination shall be final and binding. The amount of cash represented by the Cash Component 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 the Settlement Date. If the Cash Component and the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, are not received by the Custodian in a timely manner by the Settlement Date, the creation order may be cancelled. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using the Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then current NAV of the Funds.

 

The order shall be deemed to be received on the Business Day on which the order is placed provided that the order is placed in proper form prior to the applicable cut-off time and the federal funds in the appropriate amount are deposited with the Custodian on the Settlement Date. If the order is not placed in proper form as required, or federal funds in the appropriate amount are not received on the Settlement Date, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Funds for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. A creation request is considered to be in “proper form” if all procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, order form and this SAI are properly followed.

 

Issuance of a Creation Unit. Except as provided in this SAI, Creation Units will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Trust of the Deposit Securities or payment of Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the sub-custodian has confirmed to the Custodian that the required Deposit Securities (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian or sub-custodians, the Distributor and the Adviser shall be notified of such delivery, and the Trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Units. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the Business Day immediately following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor. The Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Funds for losses, if any, resulting from unsettled orders.

 

 

Creation Units may be purchased in advance of receipt by the Trust of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these circumstances, the initial deposit will have a value greater than the NAV of Shares on the date the order is placed in proper form since, in addition to available Deposit Securities, cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Component, plus (ii) an additional amount of cash equal to a percentage of the value as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the undelivered Deposit Securities (the “Additional Cash Deposit”), which shall be maintained in a separate non-interest bearing collateral account. The Authorized Participant must deposit with the Custodian the Additional Cash Deposit, as applicable, by 12:00 p.m. Eastern time (or such other time as specified by the Trust) on the Settlement Date. If the Funds or its agents do not receive the Additional Cash Deposit in the appropriate amount, by such time, then the order may be deemed rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Funds for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with the Trust, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with the Trust in an amount at least equal to the applicable percentage, as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the daily market value of the missing Deposit Securities. The Participant Agreement will permit the Trust to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time. Authorized Participants will be liable to the Trust for the costs incurred by the Trust in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the value of such Deposit Securities on the day the purchase order was deemed received by the Distributor plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases. The Trust will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Securities have been properly received by the Custodian or purchased by the Trust and deposited into the Trust. In addition, a transaction fee, as described below under “Creation Transaction Fee,” may be charged. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the Settlement Date.

 

Acceptance of Orders of Creation Units. The Trust reserves the right to reject an order for Creation Units transmitted to it by the Distributor with respect to the Funds including, without limitation, if (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, delivered by the Participant are not as disseminated through the facilities of the NSCC for that date by the Custodian; (c) the investor(s), upon obtaining Shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of the Funds; (d) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (e) the acceptance or receipt of the order for a Creation Unit would, in the opinion of counsel to the Trust, be unlawful; or (f) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Custodian, the Transfer Agent and/or the Adviser make it for all practical purposes not feasible to process orders for Creation Units.

 

Examples of such circumstances include acts of God or public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Trust, the Distributor, the Custodian, a sub- custodian, the Transfer Agent, DTC, NSCC, Federal Reserve System, or any other participant in the creation process, and other extraordinary events. The Distributor shall notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of the creator of a Creation Unit of its rejection of the order of such person. The Trust, the Transfer Agent, 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 nor shall either of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification. The Trust, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian and the Distributor shall not be liable for the rejection of any purchase order for Creation Units.

 

All questions as to the number of Shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.

 

Creation Transaction Fee. A fixed purchase (i.e., creation) transaction fee, payable to the Funds’ custodian, may be imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the purchase of Creation Units (“Creation Order Costs”). The standard fixed creation transaction fee for the Funds, regardless of the number of Creation Units created in the transaction, can be found in the table below. The Funds may adjust the standard fixed creation transaction fee from time to time. The fixed creation fee may be waived on certain orders if the Funds’ custodian has determined to waive some or all of the Creation Order Costs associated with the order or another party, such as the Adviser, has agreed to pay such fee.

 

In addition, a variable fee, payable to the Funds, of up to the maximum percentage listed in the table below of the value of the Creation Units subject to the transaction may be imposed for cash purchases, non-standard orders, or partial cash purchases of Creation Units. The variable charge is primarily designed to cover additional costs (e.g., brokerage, taxes, spreads, slippage costs) involved with buying the securities with cash. The Funds may determine to not charge a variable fee on certain orders when the Adviser has determined that doing so benefits the Funds and its shareholders (e.g., for creation orders that facilitate the rebalance of the Funds’ portfolio in a more tax efficient manner than could be achieved without such order).

 

 

Name of Funds	Fixed Creation Transaction Fee (In-Kind)	Fixed Creation Transaction Fee (Cash)	Maximum Variable Transaction Fee
Clough Hedged Equity ETF	$150	$100	0.02%
Clough Select Equity ETF	$150	$100	0.02%

 

Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. Investors are responsible for the fixed costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Trust to their account or on their order.

 

Risks of Purchasing Creation Units. There are certain legal risks unique to investors purchasing Creation Units directly from the Funds. Because Shares may be issued on an ongoing basis, a “distribution” of Shares could be occurring at any time. Certain activities that a shareholder performs as a dealer could, depending on the circumstances, result in the shareholder being deemed a participant in the distribution in a manner that could render the shareholder a statutory underwriter and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act. For example, a shareholder could be deemed a statutory underwriter if it purchases Creation Units from the Funds, breaks them down into the constituent Shares, and sells those Shares directly to customers, or if a shareholder chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary-market demand for Shares. Whether a person is an underwriter depends upon all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to that person’s activities, and the examples mentioned here should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could cause you to be deemed an underwriter.

 

Dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary-market transactions), and thus dealing with Shares as part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act.

 

Redemption. Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Funds through the Transfer Agent and only on a Business Day. EXCEPT UPON LIQUIDATION OF THE FUND, THE TRUST WILL NOT REDEEM SHARES IN AMOUNTS LESS THAN CREATION UNITS. Investors must accumulate enough Shares in the secondary market to constitute a Creation Unit to have such Shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.

 

With respect to the Funds, the Custodian, through the NSCC, makes available prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time) on each Business Day, the list of the names and Share quantities of the Fund’s portfolio securities that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (“Fund Securities”). Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities.

 

Redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit are paid either in-kind or in cash, or combination thereof, as determined by the Trust. With respect to in-kind redemptions of the Funds, redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit will consist of Fund Securities—as announced by the Custodian on the Business Day of the request for redemption received in proper form plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of Shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities (the “Cash Redemption Amount”), less a fixed redemption transaction fee, as applicable, as set forth below. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of Shares, a compensating cash payment equal to the differential is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at the Trust’s discretion, an Authorized Participant may receive the corresponding cash value of the securities in lieu of the in-kind securities value representing one or more Fund Securities.

 

Redemption Transaction Fee. A fixed redemption transaction fee, payable to the Funds’ custodian, may be imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the redemption of Creation Units (“Redemption Order Costs”). The standard fixed redemption transaction fee for the Fund, regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed in the transaction, can be found in the table below. The Funds may adjust the redemption transaction fee from time to time. The fixed redemption fee may be waived on certain orders if the Funds’ custodian has determined to waive some or all of the Redemption Order Costs associated with the order or another party, such as the Adviser, has agreed to pay such fee.

 

 

In addition, a variable fee, payable to the Funds, of up to the maximum percentage listed in the table below of the value of the Creation Units subject to the transaction may be imposed for cash redemptions, non-standard orders, or partial cash redemptions (when cash redemptions are available) of Creation Units. The variable charge is primarily designed to cover additional costs (e.g., brokerage, taxes, spreads, slippage costs) involved with selling portfolio securities to satisfy a cash redemption. The Funds may determine to not charge a variable fee on certain orders when the Adviser has determined that doing so benefits the Funds and its shareholders (e.g., for redemption orders that facilitate the rebalance of the Fund’s portfolio in a more tax efficient manner than could be achieved without such order).

 

Name of Funds	Fixed Redemption Transaction Fee (In-Kind)	Fixed Redemption Transaction Fee (Cash)	Maximum Variable Transaction Fee
Clough Hedged Equity ETF	$150	$100	0.02%
Clough Select Equity ETF	$150	$100	0.02%

 

Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. Investors are responsible for the fixed costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Trust to their account or on their order.

 

Procedures for Redemption of Creation Units.

 

Orders to redeem Creation Units of the Funds must be submitted in proper form to the Transfer Agent prior to 4:00 p.m. A redemption request is considered to be in “proper form” if (i) an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Trust’s Transfer Agent the Creation Unit(s) being redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the time as set forth in the Participant Agreement and (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Trust is received by the Transfer Agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified in the Participant Agreement. If the Transfer Agent does not receive the investor’s Shares through DTC’s facilities by the times and pursuant to the other terms and conditions set forth in the Participant Agreement, the redemption request shall be rejected.

 

The Authorized Participant must transmit the request for redemption, in the form required by the Trust, to the Transfer Agent in accordance with procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement, and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant who has executed an Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such Authorized Participant.

 

Investors making a request to redeem Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an Authorized Participant and transfer of the Shares to the Trust’s Transfer Agent; such investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to effect redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not Authorized Participants.

 

Additional Redemption Procedures. In connection with taking delivery of Shares of Fund Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, a redeeming shareholder or Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such shareholder must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank, or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered. Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be made within two business days of the trade date. However, due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, the different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and dividend ex-dates (that is the last date the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security sold), and in certain other circumstances, the delivery of in-kind redemption proceeds may take longer than two Business Days after the day on which the redemption request is received in proper form. If neither the redeeming Shareholder nor the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such redeeming Shareholder has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of the Fund Securities in the applicable foreign jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities in such jurisdiction, the Trust may, in its discretion, exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and the redeeming Shareholders will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.

 

 

In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that the Funds may, in its sole discretion, permit. In either case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its Shares based on the NAV of Shares of the Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee, if applicable, and additional charge for requested cash redemptions specified above, to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). The Funds may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the Fund Securities but does not differ in NAV.

 

Redemptions of Shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the Funds (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserve the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws. An Authorized Participant or an investor for which it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular security included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of Creation Units may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming investor of the Shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” (“QIB”) as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the Securities Act, will not be able to receive Fund Securities that are restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A. An Authorized Participant may be required by the Trust to provide a written confirmation with respect to QIB status to receive Fund Securities.

 

Because the portfolio securities of the Funds may trade on other exchanges on days that the Exchange is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for such Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their Shares of the Funds, or to purchase or sell Shares of the Funds on the Exchange, on days when the NAV of the Funds could be significantly affecting by events in the relevant foreign markets.

 

The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the Funds (1) for any period during which the Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the Exchange is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares of the Fund or determination of the NAV of the Shares is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.

 

DETERMINATION OF NAV

 

NAV per Share for the Funds is computed by dividing the value of the net assets of the Funds (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of Shares outstanding, rounded to the nearest cent. Expenses and fees, including the management fees, are accrued daily and taken into account for purposes of determining NAV. The NAV of the Funds is calculated by PTL and determined at the scheduled close of the regular trading session on the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day that the NYSE is open, provided that fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments on any day that the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (“SIFMA”) announces an early closing time.

 

In calculating the Funds’ NAV per Share, the Funds’ investments are generally valued using market valuations. A market valuation generally means a valuation (i) obtained from an exchange, a pricing service, or a major market maker (or dealer), (ii) based on a price quotation or other equivalent indication of value supplied by an exchange, a pricing service, or a major market maker (or dealer) or (iii) based on amortized cost. In the case of shares of other funds that are not traded on an exchange, a market valuation means such fund’s published NAV per share. The Funds may use various pricing services, or discontinue the use of any pricing service, as approved by the Board from time to time. A price obtained from a pricing service based on such pricing service’s valuation matrix may be considered a market valuation.

 

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

 

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Dividends, Distributions and Taxes.”

 

General Policies. Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid at least annually by the Funds. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Funds may make distributions on a more frequent basis to reduce or eliminate federal excise or income taxes or to comply with the distribution requirements of the Code, in all events in a manner consistent with the provisions of the 1940 Act.

 

 

Dividends and other distributions on Shares are distributed, as described below, on a pro rata basis to Beneficial Owners of such Shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants to Beneficial Owners then of record with proceeds received from the Trust.

 

The Funds makes additional distributions to the extent necessary (i) to distribute the entire annual taxable income of the Funds, plus any net capital gains and (ii) to avoid imposition of the excise tax imposed by Section 4982 of the Code. Management of the Trust reserves the right to declare special dividends if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the Funds’ eligibility for treatment as a RIC or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.

 

Dividend Reinvestment Service. The Trust will not make the DTC book-entry dividend reinvestment service available for use by Beneficial Owners for reinvestment of their cash proceeds, but certain individual broker-dealers may make available the DTC book- entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by Beneficial Owners of the Funds through DTC Participants for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Investors should contact their brokers to ascertain the availability and description of these services. Beneficial Owners should be aware that each broker may require investors to adhere to specific procedures and timetables to participate in the dividend reinvestment service and investors should ascertain from their brokers such necessary details. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole Shares issued by the Trust of the Funds at NAV per Share. Distributions reinvested in additional Shares will nevertheless be taxable to Beneficial Owners acquiring such additional Shares to the same extent as if such distributions had been received in cash.

 

FEDERAL INCOME TAXES

 

The following is only a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations generally affecting the Funds and its shareholders that supplements the discussion in the Prospectus. No attempt is made to present a comprehensive explanation of the federal, state, local or foreign tax treatment of the Funds or its shareholders, and the discussion here and in the Prospectus is not intended to be a substitute for careful tax planning.

 

The following general discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences is based on provisions of 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.

 

Shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisers regarding the application of the provisions of tax law described in this SAI in light of the particular tax situations of the shareholders and regarding specific questions as to federal, state, foreign or local taxes.

 

Taxation of the Funds. The Funds elected and intends to continue to qualify each year to be treated as a separate RIC under the Code. As such, the Funds should not be subject to federal income taxes on their net investment income and capital gains, if any, to the extent that they timely distribute such income and capital gains to their shareholders. To qualify for treatment as a RIC, the Funds must distribute annually to its shareholders at least the sum of 90% of its net investment income (generally including the excess of net short- term capital gains over net long-term capital losses) and 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income, if any (the “Distribution Requirement”) and also must meet several additional requirements. Among these requirements are the following: (i) at least 90% of the Funds’ gross income each taxable year must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or foreign currencies and net income derived from interests in qualified publicly traded partnerships (the “Qualifying Income Requirement”); and (ii) at the end of each quarter of the Funds’ taxable year, the Funds’ assets must be diversified so that (a) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is 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 in value than 5% of the value of the Funds’ total assets and to not 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 its 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 securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, the securities (other than securities of other RICs) of two or more issuers which the Funds controls and which are engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships (the “Diversification Requirement”).

 

 

To the extent the Funds makes investments that may generate income that is not qualifying income, including certain derivatives, the Funds will seek to restrict the resulting income from such investments so that the Funds’ non-qualifying income does not exceed 10% of its gross income.

 

Although the Funds intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and may distribute their capital gains for any taxable year, the Funds will be subject to federal income taxation to the extent any such income or gains are not distributed. The Funds is treated as a separate corporation for federal income tax purposes. The Funds therefore are considered to be a separate entity in determining its treatment under the rules for RICs described herein. The requirements (other than certain organizational requirements) for qualifying RIC status are determined at the fund level rather than at the Trust level.

 

If the Funds fails to satisfy the Qualifying Income Requirement or the Diversification Requirement in any taxable year, the Funds 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 Diversification Requirement where each Fund corrects the failure within a specified period of time. To be eligible for the relief provisions with respect to a failure to meet the Diversification Requirement, the Funds may be required to dispose of certain assets. If these relief provisions were not available to the Funds and it were to fail to qualify for treatment as a RIC for a taxable year, all of its taxable income would be subject to tax at the regular 21% corporate rate without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and its distributions (including capital gains distributions) generally would be taxable to the shareholders of the Funds as ordinary income dividends, subject to the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders and the lower tax rates on qualified dividend income received by non-corporate shareholders, subject to certain limitations. To requalify for treatment as a RIC in a subsequent taxable year, the Funds would be required to satisfy the RIC qualification requirements for that year and to distribute any earnings and profits from any year in which the Funds failed to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC. If the Funds failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, it would generally be required to pay a Fund-level tax on certain net built in gains recognized with respect to certain of its assets upon a disposition of such assets within five years of qualifying as a RIC in a subsequent year. The Board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Funds for treatment as a RIC if it determines such course of action to be beneficial to shareholders. If the Funds determines that it will not qualify as a RIC, the Funds will establish procedures to reflect the anticipated tax liability in the Fund’s NAV.

 

The Funds 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 each 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.

 

Capital losses in excess of capital gains (“net capital losses”) are not permitted to be deducted against a RIC’s net investment income. Instead, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, potentially subject to certain limitations, the Funds may carry a net capital loss from any taxable year forward indefinitely to offset its capital gains, if any, in years following the year of the loss. To the extent subsequent capital gains are offset by such losses, they will not result in U.S. federal income tax liability to the Funds and may not be distributed as capital gains to its shareholders. Generally, the Funds may not carry forward any losses other than net capital losses. The carryover of capital losses may be limited under the general loss limitation rules if the Funds experience an ownership change as defined in the Code.

 

The Funds will be subject to a nondeductible 4% federal excise tax on certain undistributed income if it does not distribute to its shareholders in each calendar year an amount at least equal to 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year plus 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending on October 31 of that year, subject to an increase for any shortfall in the prior year’s distribution. For this purpose, any ordinary income or capital gain net income retained by the Funds and subject to corporate income tax will be considered to have been distributed. The Funds intend to declare and distribute dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of the excise tax, but can make no assurances that all such tax liability will be eliminated. The Funds 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 Funds to satisfy the requirement for qualification as a RIC. 

 

If the Funds meet 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. The Funds may designate certain amounts retained as undistributed net capital gain in a notice to its shareholders, who (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their proportionate shares of the undistributed amount so designated, (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the income tax paid by the Funds on that undistributed amount against their federal income tax liabilities and to claim refunds to the extent such credits exceed their tax liabilities, and (iii) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for federal income tax purposes, in their Shares by an amount equal to the excess of the amount of undistributed net capital gain included in their respective income over their respective income tax credits.

 

 

Taxation of Shareholders – Distributions. The Funds intend to distribute annually to its shareholders substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the deduction for dividends paid), its net tax-exempt income, if any, and any net capital gain (net recognized long-term capital gains in excess of net recognized short-term capital losses, taking into account any capital loss carryforwards). The distribution of investment company taxable income (as so computed) and net realized capital gain will be taxable to Funds’ shareholders regardless of whether the shareholder receives these distributions in cash or reinvests them in additional Shares.

 

The Funds (or your broker) will report to shareholders annually the amounts of dividends paid from ordinary income, the amount of distributions of net capital gain, the portion of dividends which may qualify for the dividends-received deduction for corporations, and the portion of dividends which may qualify for treatment as qualified dividend income, which is taxable to non-corporate shareholders at rates of up to 20%.

 

Qualified dividend income includes, in general, subject to certain holding period and other requirements, dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain foreign corporations. Subject to certain limitations, eligible foreign corporations include those incorporated in possessions of the United States, those incorporated in certain countries with comprehensive tax treaties with the United States, and other foreign corporations if the stock with respect to which the dividends are paid is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. Dividends received by the Funds from an ETF, an underlying fund taxable as a RIC, or from a REIT may be treated as qualified dividend income generally only to the extent so reported by such ETF, underlying fund, or REIT, however, dividends received by the Fund from a REIT are generally not treated as qualified dividend income. If 95% or more of the Fund’s gross income (calculated without taking into account net capital gain derived from sales or other dispositions of stock or securities) consists of qualified dividend income, the Funds may report all distributions of such income as qualified dividend income.

 

Fund dividends will not be treated as qualified dividend income if the Fund does not meet holding period and other requirements with respect to dividend paying stocks in its portfolio, and the shareholder does not meet holding period and other requirements with respect to the Shares on which the dividends were paid.

 

Distributions by the Funds of its net short-term capital gains will be taxable as ordinary income. Distributions from the Funds’ net capital gain will be taxable to shareholders at long-term capital gains rates, regardless of how long shareholders have held their Shares. Distributions may be subject to state and local taxes.

 

In the case of corporate shareholders, certain dividends received by the Funds from U.S. corporations (generally, dividends received by the Funds in respect of any share of stock (1) with a tax holding period of at least 46 days during the 91-day period beginning on the date that is 45 days before the date on which the stock becomes ex-dividend as to that dividend and (2) that is held in an unleveraged position) and distributed and appropriately so reported by the Funds may be eligible for the 50% dividends received deduction. Certain preferred stock must have a holding period of at least 91 days during the 181-day period beginning on the date that is 90 days before the date on which the stock becomes ex-dividend as to that dividend to be eligible. Capital gain dividends distributed to the Funds from other RICs are not eligible for the dividends received deduction. To qualify for the deduction, corporate shareholders must meet the minimum holding period requirement stated above with respect to their Shares, taking into account any holding period reductions from certain hedging or other transactions or positions that diminish their risk of loss with respect to their Shares, and, if they borrow to acquire or otherwise incur debt attributable to Shares, they may be denied a portion of the dividends received deduction with respect to those Shares.

 

Under recently issued final Treasury Regulations, 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). This can potentially increase the amount of a shareholder’s interest expense deductible under Section 163(j). In general, to be eligible to treat a Section 163(j) Interest Dividend as interest income, you must have held your shares in the Funds 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 Funds, will be reported to your financial intermediary or otherwise in accordance with the requirements specified by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”).

 

 

Although dividends generally will be treated as distributed when paid, any dividend declared by the Funds in October, November or December and payable to shareholders of record in such a month that is paid during the following January will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as received by shareholders on December 31 of the calendar year in which it was declared.

 

Shareholders who have not held Shares for a full year should be aware that the Funds may report and distribute, as ordinary dividends or capital gain dividends, a percentage of income that is not equal to the percentage of each Fund’s ordinary income or net capital gain, respectively, actually earned during the applicable shareholder’s period of investment in the Funds. A taxable shareholder may wish to avoid investing in the Funds shortly before a dividend or other distribution, because the distribution will generally be taxable even though it may economically represent a return of a portion of the shareholder’s investment.

 

To the extent that the Funds make a distribution of income received by the Funds 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.

 

If the Funds’ distributions exceed its earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made for a taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder’s cost basis in the Funds and result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when the Shares on which the distribution was received are sold. After a shareholder’s basis in the Shares has been reduced to zero, distributions in excess of earnings and profits will be treated as gain from the sale of the shareholder’s Shares.

 

Taxation of Shareholders – Sale, Redemption, or Exchange of Shares. A sale, redemption, or exchange of Shares may give rise to a gain or loss. For tax purposes, an exchange of your Fund shares of a different fund is the same as a sale. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for more than 12 months. Otherwise, the gain or loss on the taxable disposition of Shares will generally be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. Any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss, rather than short-term capital loss, to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions to the shareholder of long-term capital gain (including any amounts credited to the shareholder as undistributed capital gains). All or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares may be disallowed if substantially identical Shares are acquired (through the reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly acquired Shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.

 

The cost basis of Shares acquired by purchase will generally be based on the amount paid for 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.

 

An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus the amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. A person who redeems Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of any securities received plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The ability of Authorized Participants to receive a full or partial cash redemption of Creation Units of the Funds may limit the tax efficiency of such Fund. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot currently be deducted under the rules governing “wash sales” (for a person who does not mark-to-market its portfolio) or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

 

 

Any gain or loss realized upon a creation or redemption of Creation Units will be treated as capital or ordinary gain or loss, depending on the circumstances. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the creation of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities exchanged for such Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if Shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses will generally be treated as short-term capital gains or losses. Any capital loss upon a redemption of Creation Units held for six months or less may be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions to the applicable Authorized Participant of long-term capital gain with respect to the Creation Units (including any amounts credited to the Authorized Participant as undistributed capital gains).

 

The Trust, on behalf of the Funds, has the right to reject an order for Creation Units if the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the Creation Units so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares and if, pursuant to Section 351 of the Code, the Funds would have a basis in the deposit securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Trust also has the right to require the provision of information necessary to determine beneficial Share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination. If the Funds does issue Creation Units to a purchaser (or a group of purchasers) that would, upon obtaining the Creation Units so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares, the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) will not recognize gain or loss upon the exchange of securities for Creation Units.

 

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.

 

Taxation of Shareholders – Net Investment Income Tax. U.S. individuals with adjusted gross income (subject to certain adjustments) exceeding certain threshold amounts ($250,000 if married filing jointly or if considered a “surviving spouse” for federal income tax purposes, $125,000 if married filing separately, and $200,000 in other cases) are subject to a 3.8% tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which includes taxable interest, dividends, and certain capital gains (generally including 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.

 

Taxation of Fund Investments. Certain of the Funds’ investments may be subject to complex provisions of the 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 Funds’ ability to qualify as a RIC, affect the character of gains and losses realized by the Funds (e.g., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the Funds and defer losses. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also may require the Funds to mark to market certain types of positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out) which may cause the Funds to recognize income without the Funds receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts sufficient to enable the Funds to satisfy the RIC distribution requirements for avoiding income and excise taxes. The Funds intends to monitor its transactions, intends to make appropriate tax elections, and intends to make appropriate entries in its books and records in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and preserve the Funds’ qualification for treatment as a RIC. To the extent the Funds invests in an underlying fund that is taxable as a RIC, the rules applicable to the tax treatment of complex securities will also apply to the underlying funds that also invest in such complex securities and investments.

 

Backup Withholding. The Funds will be required in certain cases to withhold (as “backup withholding”) on amounts payable to any shareholder who (1) fails to provide a correct taxpayer identification number certified under penalty of perjury; (2) is subject to backup withholding by the IRS for failure to properly report all payments of interest or dividends; (3) fails to provide a certified statement that he or she is not subject to “backup withholding”; or (4) fails to provide a certified statement that he or she is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). The backup withholding rate is currently 24%. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s ultimate U.S. tax liability. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that have been subject to the 30% withholding tax on shareholders who are neither citizens nor permanent residents of the U.S.

 

Non-U.S. Shareholders. Any non-U.S. investors in the Funds may be subject to U.S. withholding and estate tax and are encouraged to consult their tax advisers prior to investing in the Funds. Foreign shareholders (i.e., nonresident alien individuals and foreign corporations, partnerships, trusts and estates) are generally subject to U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or a lower tax treaty rate) on distributions derived from taxable ordinary income. The Funds 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 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 Funds. 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.

 

 

Under legislation generally known as “FATCA” (the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act), the Funds are required to withhold 30% of certain ordinary dividends it pays to shareholders that fail to meet prescribed information reporting or certification requirements. In general, no such withholding will be required with respect to a U.S. person or non-U.S. person that timely provides the certifications required by a fund or its agent on a valid IRS Form W-9 or applicable series of IRS Form W-8, respectively. Shareholders potentially subject to withholding include foreign financial institutions (“FFIs”), such as non-U.S. investment funds, and non-financial foreign entities (“NFFEs”). To avoid withholding under FATCA, an FFI generally must enter into an information sharing agreement with the IRS in which it agrees to report certain identifying information (including name, address, and taxpayer identification number) with respect to its U.S. account holders (which, in the case of an entity shareholder, may include its direct and indirect U.S. owners), and an NFFE generally must identify and provide other required information to the Funds or other withholding agent regarding its U.S. owners, if any. Such non-U.S. shareholders also may fall into certain exempt, excepted or deemed compliant categories as established by regulations and other guidance. A non-U.S. shareholder resident or doing business in a country that has entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the United States to implement FATCA will be exempt from FATCA withholding provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of the agreement.

 

A non-U.S. entity that invests in the Funds will need to provide the Funds with documentation properly certifying the entity’s status under FATCA in order to avoid FATCA withholding. Non-U.S. investors in the Funds should consult their tax advisors in this regard.

 

Tax-Exempt Shareholders. Certain tax-exempt shareholders, including qualified pension plans, individual retirement accounts, salary deferral arrangements, 401(k) plans, 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 unrelated trade or business against the income or gain of another unrelated 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 Funds generally serves to block UBTI from being realized by its tax-exempt shareholders with respect to their shares of Fund income. However, notwithstanding the foregoing, tax-exempt shareholders could realize UBTI by virtue of their investment in the Funds if, for example, (i) the Funds invests in residual interests of Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits (“REMICs”), (ii) the Funds 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 constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholders within the meaning of section 514(b) of the Code. Charitable remainder trusts are subject to special rules and should consult their tax advisers. The IRS has issued guidance with respect to these issues and prospective shareholders, especially charitable remainder trusts, are strongly encouraged to consult with their tax advisers regarding these issues.

 

The Funds’ shares held in a tax-qualified retirement account will generally not be subject to federal taxation on income and capital gains distributions from the Funds until a shareholder begins receiving payments from their retirement account. Because each shareholder’s tax situation is different, shareholders should consult their tax advisors with specific reference to their own tax situations, including their state, local, and foreign tax liabilities.

 

Certain Potential Tax Reporting Requirements. Under U.S. Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss on disposition of Shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder (or certain greater amounts over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on IRS Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. Significant penalties may be imposed for the failure to comply with the reporting requirements. 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 advisers to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

 

 

Other Issues. In those states which have income tax laws, the tax treatment of Funds and of Fund shareholders with respect to distributions by the Funds may differ from federal tax treatment.

 

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

The audited financial statements and report of the independent registered public accounting firm required to be included in this SAI are hereby incorporated by reference to the Annual Report for the Predecessor Funds for fiscal period ended October 31, 2024. You can obtain a copy of the Predecessor Fund’s Semi-Annual and Annual Report to Shareholders without charge by calling the Funds at 1.877.524.9155.

 

APPENDIX A

 

PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Clough Capital Partners L.P. (the “Firm” and “Advisor”)

 

GENERAL PROXY VOTING POLICIES

 

The Firm understands and appreciates the importance of proxy voting. To the extent that Firm has discretion to vote the proxies of its advisory clients, Firm will vote any such proxies in the best interests of advisory clients and investors (as applicable) and in accordance with the policies of the Proxy Service Providers¹ and ISS Governance ("Proxy Service Providers") and the procedures outlined below.

 

PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES

 

1)

All proxies sent to advisory clients that are actually received by Firm or recorded by the Proxy Service Providers (to vote on behalf of the advisory clients) will be provided to the Chief Operations Officer (“COO”) or her delegate.

 

2)

The COO will instruct the Proxy Service Providers to generally adhere to the following procedures (subject to limited exception):

 

a)

A written record of each proxy received by Firm or recorded by the Proxy Service Providers (on behalf of its advisory clients) will be kept in Firm’s files;

 

b)

The Proxy Service Providers and the COO will determine which of Firm’s advisory clients hold the security to which the proxy relates;

 

c)

The Portfolio Manager will review the proxy and, based upon the advice/recommendation from the Proxy Service Providers, determine how to vote the proxy in question in accordance with the guidelines set forth below.

 

d)

Prior to voting any proxies, the Portfolio Manager will attempt to determine if there are any conflicts of interest related to the proxy in question. If a conflict is identified, the Chief Compliance Officer will be notified so a determination can be made as to whether the conflict is material or not.

 

i)

If no material conflict is identified pursuant to these procedures, the Portfolio Manager will make a decision on how to vote the proxy in question.

 

e)

Although not presently intended to be used on a regular basis, Firm is empowered to retain an independent third party to vote proxies in certain situations (including situations where a material conflict of interest is identified).

 

HANDLING CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

 

1)

As stated above, in evaluating how to vote a proxy, the Portfolio Manager will first determine whether there is a conflict of interest related to the proxy in question between Firm and its advisory clients. This examination will include (but will not be limited to) an evaluation of whether the Firm (or any affiliate of Firm 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 of Firm.

 

¹ Before engaging a proxy provider and during the course of the relationship, the Firm will conduct appropriate due diligence/oversight. Records of this due diligence/oversight will be maintained in the Firm’s records.

 

 

2)

If a conflict is identified and deemed “material” by the Portfolio Manager after consultation with the CCO, Firm will determine whether voting in accordance with these proxy voting guidelines is in the best interests of affected advisory clients (which may include utilizing an independent third-party to vote such proxies).

 

3)

With respect to material conflicts, Firm will determine whether it is appropriate to disclose the conflict to affected advisory clients and investors and give advisory clients and investors the opportunity to vote the proxies in question themselves, if applicable. If an advisory client is subject to the requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), and the investment management agreement between Firm and the ERISA advisory client reserves the right to vote proxies when Firm has determined that a material conflict exists that does affect its best judgment as a fiduciary to the ERISA advisory client, Firm will:

 

a)

Give the ERISA advisory client the opportunity to vote the proxies in question themselves; or

 

b)

Follow designated special proxy voting procedures related to voting proxies pursuant to the terms of the investment management agreement with such ERISA Advisory Clients (if any).

 

VOTING GUIDELINES

 

In the absence of specific voting guidelines mandated by a particular advisory client, Firm will endeavor to vote proxies in the best interests of each advisory client via the Proxy Service Providers policy.

 

In some foreign markets where proxy voting demands fee payment for agent services, the Firm will balance the cost and benefit of proxy voting and may give up the proxy voting if the cost associated is greater than the benefits from voting.

 

1)

Although voting certain proxies may be subject to the discretion of the Firm, the Firm is of the view that voting proxies in accordance with the following general guidelines is in the best interests of its advisory clients:

 

a)

The Firm will generally vote in favor of routine corporate housekeeping proposals including, but not limited to, the following:

 

i)

Election of directors (where there are no related corporate governance issues);

 

ii)

Selection or reappointment of auditors; or

 

iii)

Increasing or reclassification of common stock.

 

b)

The Firm will generally vote against proposals that:

 

i)

Make it more difficult to replace members of the issuer’s board of directors or board of managers; and

 

ii)

Introduce unequal voting rights (although there may be regulatory reasons that would make such a proposal favorable to certain advisory clients of the Firm).

 

c)

The Firm will generally vote against proposals that make it more difficult for an issuer to be taken over by outsiders, and in favor of proposals to do the opposite.

 

d)

The Firm will generally vote in favor of proposals by management or shareholders concerning various compensation and stock option plans that will act to make management and employee compensation more dependent on long-term stock price performance.

 

 

e)

The Firm will generally vote against proposals to move the company to another state less favorable to shareholders’ interests, or to restructure classes of stock in such a way as to benefit one class of shareholders at the expense of another, such as dual classes (A and B shares) of stock.

 

DISCLOSURE OF PROCEDURES

 

A brief summary of these proxy voting procedures will be included in the Firm’s Form ADV Part 2A and will be updated whenever these policies and procedures are updated. For registered investment company clients, the Firm will work with the RIC to provide the necessary information for the Form N-PX and will review such information for accuracy.

 

RECORD-KEEPING REQUIREMENTS

 

The COO via the Proxy Service Providers will be responsible for maintaining files relating to the Firm’s proxy voting procedures. Records will be maintained and preserved for five (5) years from the end of the fiscal year during which the last entry was made on a record, with records for the first two years kept in the offices of the Firm. Records of the following will be included in the files:

 

1)

Copies of these proxy voting policies and procedures, and any amendments thereto;

 

2)

A copy of each proxy statement that the Firm or the Proxy Service Providers actually receives; provided, however, that the Firm may rely on obtaining a copy of proxy statements from the SEC’s EDGAR system for those proxy statements that are so available;

 

3)

A record of each vote that the Firm via the Proxy Service Providers casts;

 

4)

A copy of any document that the Firm created that was material to making a decision how to vote the proxies, or memorializes that decision (if any); and

 

5)

A copy of each written request for information on how the Firm voted such advisory client’s proxies and a copy of any written response to any request for information on how the Firm voted proxies on behalf of advisory clients.

 

 

ISS Proxy Voting Guidelines

 

PART C

OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 28. Exhibits

 

(a)	Declaration of Trust
	(1)	Certificate of Trust dated March 7, 20221
	(2)	Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Trust2
	(3)	Second Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust of Elevation Series Trust dated September 26, 20222
(b)	By-Laws
	(1)	Amended By-Laws dated September 14, 20222
(c)	Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders
	(1)	Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders incorporated by reference to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust and By-Laws
(d)	Investment Advisory Agreements
	(1)	Investment Advisory Agreement between Elevation Series Trust and Paralel Advisors LLC on behalf of the SRH U.S. Quality ETF2
	(2)	Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Elevation Series Trust, Paralel Advisors LLC and Vident Advisory, LLC on behalf of the SRH U.S. Quality ETF3
	(3)	Investment Advisory Agreement between Elevation Series Trust and Paralel Advisors LLC on behalf of the SRH REIT Covered Call ETF4
	(4)	Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Elevation Series Trust, Paralel Advisors LLC and Rocky Mountain Advisers, LLC on behalf of the SRH REIT Covered Call ETF4
	(5)	Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Elevation Series Trust, Paralel Advisors LLC and Vident Advisory, LLC on behalf of the SRH REIT Covered Call ETF4
	(6)	Investment Advisory Agreement between Elevation Series Trust and Sovereigns Capital Management, LLC on behalf of the Sovereign’s Capital Flourish Fund3
	(7)	Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Elevation Series Trust, Sovereigns Capital Management, LLC and Vident Advisory, LLC on behalf of the Sovereign’s Capital Flourish Fund3
	(8)	Investment Advisory Agreement between Elevation Series Trust and TrueMark Investments, LLC on behalf of the TrueShares Quarterly Bull Hedge ETF and TrueShares Quarterly Bear Hedge ETF5
	(9)	Investment Advisory Agreement between Elevation Series Trust and Clough Capital Partners L.P. on behalf of the Clough Hedged Equity ETF and Clough Select Equity ETF (filed herewith)
	(10)	First Amendment to Schedule A of the Investment Advisory Agreement between Elevation Series Trust and TrueMark Investments, LLC for the purpose of adding The Opal International Dividend Income ETF and TrueShares Seasonality Laddered Buffered ETF8
	(11)	Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Elevation Series Trust, TrueMark Investments, LLC and Opal Capital LLC on behalf of The Opal International Dividend Income ETF8

 

 

 

(e)	Distribution  Agreement
	(1)		Distribution Agreement between Elevation Series Trust and Paralel Distributors LLC on behalf of the SRH U.S. Quality ETF2
	(2)		Amendment to the Distribution Agreement between Elevation Series Trust and Paralel Distributors LLC to update Exhibit A, effective January 14, 2025 (filed herewith)
	(3)		Form of Authorized Participant Agreement for Paralel Distributors LLC2
(f)	Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts None
(g)	Custody Agreements
	(1)		Custody Agreement between the Elevation Series Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company, with respect to the Trust and SRH U.S. Quality ETF2
	(2)		Letter Agreement adding the Sovereign’s Capital Flourish Fund to the Custody Agreement between the Elevation Series Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company3
	(3)		Letter Agreement adding the SRH REIT Covered Call ETF to the Custody Agreement between the Elevation Series Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company4
	(4)		Letter Agreement adding the TrueShares Quarterly Bull Hedge ETF and TrueShares Quarterly Bear Hedge ETF to the Custody Agreement between the Elevation Series Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company5
	(5)		Letter Agreement adding the Clough Hedged Equity ETF and Clough Select Equity ETF to the Custody Agreement between the Elevation Series Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company (filed herewith)
	(6)		Letter Agreement adding The Opal International Dividend Income ETF and TrueShares Seasonality Laddered Buffered ETF to the Custody Agreement between the Elevation Series Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company8
(h)	Other Material Contracts
	(1)		Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the Elevation Series Trust and State Street Bank and Trust (TA Agreement), with respect to the Trust and SRH U.S. Quality ETF2
	(2)		Letter Agreement adding the Sovereign’s Capital Flourish Fund to the TA Agreement3
	(3)		Letter Agreement adding the SRH REIT Covered Call ETF to the TA Agreement4
	(4)		Letter Agreement adding the TrueShares Quarterly Bull Hedge ETF and TrueShares Quarterly Bear Hedge ETF to the TA Agreement5
	(5)		Letter Agreement adding the Clough Hedged Equity ETF and Clough Select Equity ETF to the TA Agreement (filed herewith)
	(6)	Letter Agreement adding The Opal International Dividend Income ETF and TrueShares Seasonality Laddered Buffered ETF to the TA Agreement8
	(7)	Amended and Restated Master Administration and Fund Accounting Agreement between Elevation Series Trust and Paralel Technologies LLC (Master Admin Agreement)3
	(8)	Amendment #1 to the Master Admin Agreement5

 

 

 

	(9)	Amended and Restated Fund Addendum to the Master Admin Agreement with respect to the SRH Funds, dated October 31, 20234
	(10)	Fund Addendum to the Master Admin Agreement with respect to the Sovereign’s Capital Flourish Fund3
	(11)	Amended and Restated Fund Addendum to the Master Admin Agreement with respect to the TrueMark Funds, dated December 23, 20248
	(12)	Amended and Restated Fund Addendum to the Master Admin Agreement with respect to the Clough Funds, dated January 14, 2025 (filed herewith)
	(13)	Index License Agreement between Paralel Advisors LLC and Index Provider with respect to the SRH U.S. Quality ETF2
(i)	Legal Opinions
	(1)	Opinion and Consent of Counsel (filed herewith)
	(2)	Opinion and Consent of Counsel for the TrueShares Seasonality Laddered Buffered ETF (to be filed by amendment)
	(3)	Opinion and Consent of Counsel for the Clough Short Duration ETF and Clough Flexible Income ETF (to be filed by amendment)
(j)	Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
	(1)	Consent of Cohen & Company, Ltd. (filed herewith)
(k)	Omitted Financial Statements None
(l)	Initial Capital Agreements
	(1)	Share Purchase Agreement between Elevation Series Trust and Paralel Technologies LLC with respect to the SRH U.S. Quality ETF2
(m)	Rule 12b-1 Plan (to be filed by amendment)
(n)	None
(o)	Reserved
(p)	Code of Ethics
	(1)	Code of Ethics for Registrant2
	(2)	Code of Ethics for Paralel Advisors LLC and Paralel Distributors LLC3
	(3)	Code of Ethics for Vident Advisory, LLC3
	(4)	Code of Ethics for Rocky Mountain Advisers, LLC4
	(5)	Code of Ethics for Sovereign’s Capital Management, LLC3
	(6)	Code of Ethics for TrueMark Investments, LLC5
	(7)	Code of Ethics for Clough Capital Partners L.P. (filed herewith)
	(8)	Code of Ethics for Opal Capital LLC7

 

 

 

(q)	Powers of Attorney
	(1)	Power of Attorney of Trustee, Steve Norgaard, Trustee, Kimberly Storms1
1	Incorporated by reference to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (1933 Act File No. 333-265972) filed on July 1, 2022.
2	Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A (1933 Act File No. 333-265972) filed on September 30, 2022.
3	Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A (1933 Act File No. 333-265972) filed on September 26, 2023.
4	Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A (1933 Act File No. 333-265972) filed on October 24, 2023.
5	Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A (1933 Act File No. 333-265972) filed on June 26, 2024.
6	Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A (1933 Act File No. 333-265972) filed on November 27, 2024.
7	Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A (1933 Act File No. 333-265972) filed on December 13, 2024.
8	Incorporated by reference to Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A (1933 Act File No. 333-265972) filed on December 26, 2024.

 

Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with Registrant.

 

The Registrant is not controlled by and does not control any other entity or person.

 

Item 30. Indemnification.

 

As permitted by Section 17(h) and (i) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), and pursuant to Article X of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust (Exhibit (a)(2) to the Registration Statement) and Section 6 of the Distribution Agreement (Exhibit (e)(1)) to the Registration Statement), officers, trustees, employees and agents of the Registrant will not be liable to the Registrant, any shareholder, officer, trustee, employee, agent or other control person for any action or failure to act, except for bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard of duties, and those individuals may be indemnified against liabilities in connection with the Registrant, subject to the same exceptions.

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant understands that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities 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 trustee, 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 Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

The Registrant has purchased an insurance policy insuring its officers and trustees against liabilities, and certain costs of defending claims against such officers and trustees, to the extent such officers and trustees are not found to have committed conduct constituting willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard in the performance of their duties. The insurance policy also insures the Registrant against the cost of indemnification payments to officers under certain circumstances.

 

The Registrant hereby undertakes that it will apply the indemnification provisions of its Declaration of Trust and Distribution Agreement in a manner consistent with Release No. 11330 of the Securities and Exchange Commission under the 1940 Act so long as the interpretations of Section 17(h) and 17(i) of such Act remain in effect and are consistently applied.

 

Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Advisers

 

This Item 31 incorporated by reference each investment adviser’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (“Form ADV”) on file with the SEC, as listed below. Each Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. Additional information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by each officer and director of the below-listed investment advisers is included in the Trust’s Statement of Additional Information.

 

Investment Adviser	SEC File No.
Paralel Advisors LLC	801-122468
Vident Advisory, LLC	801-114538
Rocky Mountain Advisers, LLC	801-70202
Sovereign’s Capital Management, LLC	801-126307
TrueMark Investments, LLC	801-117961
Clough Capital Partners L.P.	801-21583
Opal Capital LLC	801-126398

 

Item 32. Principal Underwriters.

 

(a)     Paralel Distributors LLC acts as the distributor for the Registrant.

 

As of the date of this Registration Statement, in addition to each series of the Trust, Paralel Distributors LLC also acts as the underwriter for:

 

Collaborative Investment Series Trust (7 series); Reaves Utility Income Fund (ATM Offering); Cullen Funds (6 series); Coller Secondaries Private Equity Opportunities Fund; Octagon XAI CLO Income Fund, XAI Octagon Floating Rate & Alternative Income Trust (ATM Offering), and Kurv ETF Trust (1 series)

 

(b)     To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, the directors and executive officers of the distributor are as follows:

 

Paralel Distributors LLC

 

Name*	Position with Underwriter	Positions with Trust
Brad Swenson	President, Chief Compliance Officer and FINOP	President, Chairman and Interested Trustee
Jeremy May	Chief Executive Officer	None
Christopher Moore	General Counsel	Secretary

 

*	Except as otherwise noted, the principal business address for each of the above directors and executive officers is 1700 Broadway, Suite 1850, Denver, CO 80290.

 

(c)     Not applicable.

 

 

Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records.

 

(a)	The Registrant maintains accounts, books and other documents required by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules thereunder (collectively, “Records”) at its offices at 1700 Broadway, Suite 1850, Denver, CO 80290.
(b)	Paralel Advisors LLC maintains all Records relating to its services as investment adviser to the Registrant at 1700 Broadway, Suite 1850, Denver, CO 80290.
(c)	Paralel Technologies LLC maintains all Records relating to its services as administrator and accounting agent of the Registrant at 1700 Broadway, Suite 1850, Denver, CO 80290.
(d)	Paralel Distributors LLC maintains all Records relating to its services as Distributor of the Registrant at 1700 Broadway, Suite 1850, Denver, CO 80290.
(e)	Vident Advisory, LLC maintains all Records relating to its services as sub-adviser to the Registrant at 1125 Sanctuary Parkway, Suite 515, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009.
(f)	State Street Bank and Trust Company maintains all Records relating to its services as Custodian and Transfer Agent of the Registrant at One Congress Street, Suite 1, Boston, Massachusetts 02114.
(g)	Rocky Mountain Advisers, LLC maintains all Records relating to its services as sub-adviser to the Registrant at 2121 E. Crawford Place, Salina, KS 67401.
(h)	Sovereign’s Capital Management, LLC maintains all Records relating to its services as adviser to the Registrant at 310 S. West Street, Suite 100, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27603.
(i)	TrueMark Investments, LLC maintains all Records relating to its services as adviser to the Registrant at 433 W Van Buren, Suite 1100-D, Chicago, Illinois 60607.
(j)	Clough Capital Partners L.P. maintains all Records relating to its services as adviser to the Registrant at 53 State Street, Floor 27, Boston, Massachusetts 02109.
(k)	Opal Capital LLC maintains all Records relating to its services as sub-adviser to the Registrant at 5200 Town Center Circle, Suite 305, Boca Raton, Florida 33486.

 

Item 34. Management Services Not Discussed in Parts A and B.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 35. Undertakings.

 

Not applicable.

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant certifies that it meets all the requirements for effectiveness of this Registration Statement under rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Denver and the State of Colorado, on the 16^th day of January, 2025.

 

	ELEVATION SERIES TRUST
	By:	/s/ Bradley Swenson
		Bradley Swenson
		President

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated.

 

Signature		Title		Date
/s/ Bradley Swenson Bradley Swenson		President, Principal Executive Officer and Trustee		January 16, 2025
/s/ Nicholas Austin Nicholas Austin		Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer (Principal Accounting Officer)		January 16, 2025
Steve Norgaard*		Trustee
Kimberly Storms*		Trustee

 

	*By:	/s/ Christopher Moore
	Name:	Christopher Moore
	Title:	Attorney-in-fact
	Date:	January 16, 2025

 

*	Attorney-in-Fact pursuant to Powers of Attorney as previously filed on July 1, 2022.

 

 

 

Exhibit Index

 

(d)(9)	Investment Advisory Agreement between Elevation Series Trust and Clough Capital Partners L.P. on behalf of the Clough Hedged Equity ETF and Clough Select Equity ETF
(e)(2)	Amendment to the Distribution Agreement between Elevation Series Trust and Paralel Distributors LLC to update Exhibit A, effective January 14, 2025
(g)(5)	Letter Agreement adding the Clough Hedged Equity ETF and Clough Select Equity ETF to the Custody Agreement between the Elevation Series Trust and State Street Bank and Trust Company
(h)(5)	Letter Agreement adding the Clough Hedged Equity ETF and Clough Select Equity ETF to the TA Agreement
(h)(12)	Amended and Restated Fund Addendum to the Master Admin Agreement with respect to the Clough Funds, dated January 14, 2025
(i)(1)	Opinion and Consent of Counsel
(j)(1)	Consent of Cohen & Company, Ltd.
(p)(7)	Code of Ethics for Clough Capital Partners L.P.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ATTACHMENTS / EXHIBITS

INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT

AMENDMENT TO THE DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT

LETTER AGREEMENT

LETTER AGREEMENT

AMENDED AND RESTATED FUND ADDENDUM TO THE MASTER ADMIN AGREEMENT

OPINION AND CONSENT OF COUNSEL

CONSENT OF COHEN & COMPANY, LTD.

CODE OF ETHICS FOR CLOUGH CAPITAL PARTNERS L.P.

XBRL SCHEMA FILE

XBRL CALCULATION FILE

XBRL DEFINITION FILE

XBRL LABEL FILE

XBRL PRESENTATION FILE

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