Form 485BPOS TRUST FOR PROFESSIONAL
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E-mailAs filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 27, 2026
1933 Act Registration File No. 333-62298
1940 Act File No. 811-10401
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-1A
| REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 | [X] | ||||||||||
| Pre-Effective Amendment No. | [ ] | ||||||||||
| Post-Effective Amendment No. | 892 | [X] | |||||||||
and/or
| REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 | [X] | ||||||||||
| Amendment No. | 894 | [X] | |||||||||
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code) (513) 520-5925
Jay S. Fitton, Secretary
Trust for Professional Managers
c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
Copies to:
Carol A. Gehl, Esq.
Godfrey & Kahn, S.C.
833 East Michigan Street, Suite 1800
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
(414) 273-3500
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box)
| [ ] | Immediately upon filing pursuant to Rule 485(b). | |||||||
| [X] | on January 28, 2026 pursuant to Rule 485(b). | |||||||
| [ ] | 60 days after filing pursuant to Rule 485 (a)(1). | |||||||
| [ ] | on (date) pursuant to Rule 485 (a)(1). | |||||||
| [ ] | 75 days after filing pursuant to Rule 485 (a)(2). | |||||||
| [ ] | on (date) pursuant to Rule 485 (a)(2). | |||||||
If appropriate, check the following box:
| [ ] | This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment. | |||||||
Explanatory Note: This Post-Effective Amendment No. 892 to the Registration Statement of Trust for Professional Managers is being filed to add the audited financial statements and certain related financial information for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 for the CrossingBridge Ultra-Short Duration ETF and to make other permissible changes under Rule 485(b).
(formerly CrossingBridge Pre-Merger SPAC ETF)
Listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC
Prospectus
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has not approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
CrossingBridge Ultra-Short Duration ETF
A Series of Trust for Professional Managers (the “Trust”)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Book Entry | |||||
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Shares | |||||
Determination of Net Asset Value | |||||
Fair Value Pricing | |||||
| Summary Section | ||
The CrossingBridge Ultra-Short Duration ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to offer a higher yield than cash instruments while maintaining a low duration.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |||||
Management Fees | |||||
Other Expenses(1) | |||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) | |||||
(1)Other Expenses includes acquired fund fees and expenses (“AFFE”), which are indirect fees and expenses that the Fund incurs from investing in the shares of other funds. Please note that the amount of Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses shown in the above table will differ from the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets figures found within the “Financial Highlights” section of the Prospectus, which reflects the direct operating expenses of the Fund and does not include indirect expenses, such as AFFE.
One Year | Three Years | Five Years | Ten Years | ||||||||
| $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to offer a higher yield than cash instruments while maintaining a low duration by investing primarily in fixed income securities consistent with capital preservation. The Fund defines fixed income securities to include: bills, notes, bonds, debentures, convertible bonds, loan participations, syndicated loan assignments, mortgage- and asset-backed securities, Rule 144A fixed income securities, zero coupon securities, sovereign debt and other evidence of indebtedness issued by U.S. or foreign corporations, governments, government agencies or government instrumentalities, including floating-rate securities, preferred stock and fixed income-like equities. Convertible bonds, preferred
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stocks, and fixed income-like equities (e.g., special purpose acquisition companies (“SPACs”)) provide interest income and/or the potential for capital appreciation while having an effective maturity. Floating-rate securities provide interest income that can increase or decrease with interest rates. The Fund invests in individual fixed income securities without restriction as to issuer credit quality, capitalization or security maturity. Though the Fund can invest in securities domiciled in foreign countries and denominated in foreign currencies, the Fund invests primarily in securities denominated in U.S. dollars issued by issuers domiciled in developed markets. The Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in lower-quality fixed income securities — commonly known as “high yield” or “junk” bonds. Junk bonds are generally rated lower than Baa3 by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or lower than BBB- by S&P Global Ratings Services (“S&P”) (“S&P”). The Adviser believes these investments are consistent with the preservation of capital. The Fund may invest in companies that are in default, subject to bankruptcy or reorganization.
The Adviser seeks to manage interest rate, default and currency risks. The Adviser manages interest rate risk by maintaining, under normal market conditions, an average portfolio duration of 1.0 or less by investing in short-term, medium-term and floating rate securities. The stated maturity for a fixed income security may be longer than its expected maturity used for the portfolio duration calculation. The stated maturity may differ from the expected maturity as a result of market conditions or corporate actions (such as provisions that give investors the right to require early repayment if the issuer is acquired or otherwise experiences a change in control). Duration is a measure of sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. For example, a security with a duration of 1.0 would be expected to decrease in price 1% for every 1% rise in interest rates (the inverse is true as well).
The Adviser manages default risk by selecting securities of issuers that it believes will pay interest and principal regardless of their credit rating, based upon the Adviser’s credit analysis of each issuer. The Adviser may also select securities that are in default, subject to bankruptcy or reorganization where the Adviser believes the risks to be consistent with capital preservation, based on the Adviser’s analysis of an issuer’s liquidation value or post-bankruptcy or post-reorganization value.
The Adviser may engage in active and frequent trading, resulting in a high portfolio turnover rate, to achieve the Fund’s investment objective.
There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Principal Risks
Before investing in the Fund, you should carefully consider your own investment goals, the amount of time you are willing to leave your money invested, and the amount of risk you are willing to take. Remember, in addition to possibly not achieving your investment goals, you could lose money by investing in the Fund . The Fund’s principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are:
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Convertible Securities Risk. A convertible security is a fixed income security (a debt instrument or a preferred stock) which may be converted at a stated price within a specified period of time into a certain
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ETF Risk. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, it is exposed to the following risks:
•Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants (“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.
•Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. The Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to realize a capital gain that it might not have realized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. To the extent that the transaction fees charged for redemptions of creation units is insufficient to cover the Fund’s transaction costs of selling portfolio securities, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
•Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. 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.
•Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. As a result, investors in the Fund may pay significantly more or receive significantly less for Shares than the Fund’s NAV. 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.
•Trading. Although Shares are listed for trading on the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (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
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holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares. This could lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a price that is higher or lower than the Fund’s NAV.
Fixed Income Securities Market Risk. Difficult conditions in the broader financial markets have in the past resulted in a temporary but significant contraction in liquidity for fixed income securities. Liquidity relates to the ability of the Fund to sell its investments in a timely manner at a price approximately equal to its value on the Fund’s books. To the extent that the market for fixed income securities suffers such a contraction, securities that were considered liquid at the time of investment could become temporarily illiquid, and the Adviser may experience delays or difficulty in selling assets at the prices at which the Fund carries such assets, which may result in a loss to the Fund. There is no way to predict reliably when such market conditions could re-occur or how long such conditions could persist.
In the event of a severe market contraction precipitated by general market turmoil, economic conditions, changes in prevailing interest rates or otherwise, coupled with extraordinary levels of Fund shareholder redemption requests, the Fund may have to consider selling its holdings at a loss including at prices below the current value on the Fund’s books, borrowing money to satisfy redemption requests in accordance with the Fund’s borrowing policy or postponing payment of redemption requests for up to seven days or longer, as permitted by applicable law, or other extraordinary measures. In addition, if the Fund needed to sell large blocks of investments to meet shareholder redemption requests or to raise cash, those sales could further reduce prices, particularly for lower-rated and unrated securities.
Interest rate changes may have adverse effects on investment, volatility and liquidity in the market for fixed income securities. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities.
Forward Currency Contracts Risk. The Fund may enter into forward currency contracts. A forward currency
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Recent Market Events Risk. 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 uncertainty regarding inflation and central banks’ interest rate changes, the possibility of a national or global recession, trade tensions and tariffs, political events and geopolitical conflicts. As a result of continuing political tensions and armed conflicts, including the wars in Europe and the Middle East,
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Zero Coupon Securities Risk. While interest payments are not made on such securities, holders of such securities are deemed to have received income annually, notwithstanding that cash may not be received currently. Some of these securities may be subject to substantially greater price fluctuations during periods of changing market interest rates than are comparable securities that pay interest currently. Longer term zero coupon bonds are more exposed to interest rate risk than shorter term zero coupon bonds.
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| CrossingBridge Ultra-Short Duration ETF | One Year | Since Inception ( | ||||||
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index | - | |||||||
ICE BofA 0-1 Year U.S. Corporate Bond Index1 (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) | ||||||||
ICE BofA 0-1 Year U.S. Treasury Index1 (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) | ||||||||
ICE BofA 0-3 Year U.S. Fixed Rate Asset Backed Securities Index1 (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) | ||||||||
1 Effective January 28, 2026, the Fund replaced its secondary benchmark index with each of the ICE BofA 0-1 Year U.S. Corporate Bond Index, ICE BofA 0-1 Year U.S. Treasury Index and ICE BofA 0-3 Year U.S. Fixed Rate Asset Backed Securities Index to reflect the changes in the Fund’s investment strategies described above.
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Management
Investment Adviser. CrossingBridge Advisors, LLC, located at 427 Bedford Road, Suite 220, Pleasantville, New York, 10570, is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio Managers. David K. Sherman, Chief Investment Officer (“CIO”) of the Adviser, has served as a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since its inception in 2021. T. Kirk Whitney, CFA®, Senior Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since January 2025. Previously, Mr. Whitney served as the Fund’s Assistant Portfolio Manager since its inception in 2021. Michael De Kler, Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since January 2025.
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 closely approximating the holdings of the Fund (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Shares are listed on the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be purchased 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. This difference in bid and asked prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread”.
Recent information about the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, can also be found on the Fund’s website at www.crossingbridgefunds.com.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions will be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred or other tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA. You may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from tax-deferred arrangements.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (a “Financial Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Financial Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Financial 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 Financial Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund
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over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Financial Intermediary’s website for more information.
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| Fund Details | ||
| Investment Objective | ||
The Fund seeks to offer a higher yield than cash instruments while maintaining a low duration. The Fund’s investment objective is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
| Principal Investment Strategies | ||
The Fund seeks to offer a higher yield than cash instruments while maintaining a low duration by investing primarily in fixed income securities consistent with capital preservation. The Fund defines fixed income securities to include: bills, notes, bonds, debentures, convertible bonds, loan participations, syndicated loan assignments, mortgage- and asset-backed securities, Rule 144A fixed income securities, zero coupon securities, sovereign debt and other evidence of indebtedness issued by U.S. or foreign corporations, governments, government agencies or government instrumentalities, including floating-rate securities, preferred stock and fixed income-like equities. Convertible bonds, preferred stocks, and fixed income-like equities (e.g., SPACs) provide interest income and/or the potential for capital appreciation while having an effective maturity. Floating-rate securities provide interest income that can increase or decrease with interest rates. The Fund invests in individual fixed income securities without restriction as to issuer credit quality, capitalization or security maturity. Though the Fund can invest in securities domiciled in foreign countries and denominated in foreign currencies, the Fund invests primarily in securities denominated in U.S. dollars issued by issuers domiciled in developed markets. The Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in lower-quality fixed income securities — commonly known as “high yield” or “junk” bonds. Junk bonds are generally rated lower than Baa3 by Moody’s or lower than BBB- by S&P. The Adviser believes these investments are consistent with the preservation of capital. The Fund may invest in companies that are in default, subject to bankruptcy or reorganization.
The Adviser seeks to manage interest rate, default and currency risks. The Adviser manages interest rate risk by maintaining, under normal market conditions, an average portfolio duration of 1.0 or less by investing in short-term, medium-term and floating rate securities. The stated maturity for a fixed income security may be longer than its expected maturity used for the portfolio duration calculation. The stated maturity may differ from the expected maturity as a result of market conditions or corporate actions (such as provisions that give investors the right to require early repayment if the issuer is acquired or otherwise experiences a change in control). Duration is a measure of sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. For example, a security with a duration of 1.0 would be expected to decrease in price 1% for every 1% rise in interest rates (the inverse is true as well).
The Adviser manages default risk by selecting securities of issuers that it believes will pay interest and principal regardless of their credit rating, based upon the Adviser’s credit analysis of each issuer. The Adviser may also select securities that are in default, subject to bankruptcy or reorganization where the Adviser believes the risks to be consistent with capital preservation, based on the Adviser’s analysis of an issuer’s liquidation value or post-bankruptcy or post-reorganization value.
The Adviser manages foreign currency risk by investing primarily in securities denominated in U.S. dollars, such as Yankee bonds. If the Fund was to invest in foreign currency denominated securities, the Fund restricts such activity to less than 35% of the Fund’s total assets. When deemed appropriate, the Adviser may hedge the foreign currency exposure typically, and primarily, with forward currency contracts. A forward currency
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contract is an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties.
The Adviser applies a “bottom up” approach in selecting investments for the Fund. The Adviser looks at each security to determine whether that security is an attractive investment opportunity, consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. The Adviser may choose to sell securities as it deems appropriate. For example, the Adviser monitors Fund investments for both market movements as well as for changes in operations and/or credit quality and investments will be sold if they meet price targets or if the Adviser’s initial investment thesis has changed. To the extent it is determined that a position is deteriorating with uncertainty of recovery, the Adviser will take proactive steps to limit losses.
Due to the nature of securities in which the Fund invests, the Fund is expected to have relatively high portfolio turnover compared to other types of funds.
Fixed Income Securities. The Fund intends to invest primarily in fixed income securities. Such securities are subject to the risk of default by the issuer with respect to principal and interest payments on its obligations (i.e. credit risk) as well as price volatility due to such factors as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity (i.e. market risk). Bonds and similar fixed income securities generally are either secured or unsecured. Although secured bonds entitle holders to an interest in the assets of the issuer that are pledged as collateral for the bonds, the proceeds from the sale of such collateral may not fully repay the creditors in the event of a default. Holders of unsecured bonds represent the most junior position of an issuer’s creditors.
Bank Loans. The Fund may invest up to 35% of its net assets in bank loans. Bank loans generally take longer to settle than other domestic fixed income securities.
Below Investment Grade Securities. The Fund may invest without limitation in fixed income instruments which are or are deemed to be the equivalent in terms of quality to securities rated below investment grade by nationally recognized statistical rating agencies and accordingly involve greater risk. These securities have a higher risk of default. Such securities are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligations and involve major risk to adverse conditions.
Foreign Securities. The Fund may invest up to 35% of its net assets in foreign fixed income securities. Such investments may include direct investments in securities of foreign issuers and investments in depositary receipts (such as ADRs) that represent indirect interests in securities of foreign issuers. The Fund will not invest in the debt of companies located in emerging markets. A company will be deemed to be located in an emerging market for this purpose when both its headquarters and principal place of business are located in an emerging market.
Asset-Backed Securities. The Fund may invest in asset-backed securities that are equipment trust certificates.
Other Information about the Fund and its Non-Principal Investment Strategies
Illiquid Investments. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. Illiquid investments include any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or dispositions significantly changing the market value of the investment.
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Short Sales. As a non-principal strategy, the Fund may effect short sales of securities. Loans in the aggregate, to cover overdrafts and for investment purposes, may not exceed the maximum amount that the borrower is permitted under the 1940 Act. The Fund may not sell a security short if, as a result of that sale, the current value of securities sold short by the Fund would exceed 15% of the value of the Fund’s net assets. However, short sales effected “against the box” to hedge against a decline in the value of a security owned by the Fund are not subject to this 15% limitation.
Temporary or Defensive Positions. During periods of adverse market, political or economic conditions, or when, in the opinion of the Adviser, certain abnormal or extraordinary circumstances exist, including periodic episodes where certain issuers call a portion of the Fund’s portfolio and the Adviser is unable to locate eligible portfolio securities in which to invest, the Fund may, as a temporary or defensive measure, invest all or a substantial portion of its assets in high quality, fixed income securities, money market instruments, or cash or cash equivalents, including investment grade short-term obligations. Investment grade obligations include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, as well as securities rated in one of the four highest rating categories by at least two NRSROs rating that security. To the extent that the Fund invests in money market funds for its cash positions, there will be some duplication of expenses because the Fund will bear its pro rata portion of such money market funds’ management fees and operational expenses. The Fund will not be pursuing its investment objectives in these circumstances.
| Principal Risks | ||
All investments have risks. The Fund is designed for long-term investors. You should be prepared to accept fluctuations in portfolio value as the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective. The Fund cannot provide assurance that it will achieve its objective. Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. The following information is in addition to, and should be read along with, the description of the Fund’s principal investment risks in the section titled “Summary Section— Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund” above. The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with those of other funds. The following additional risks could affect the value of your investment, and are ordered alphabetically rather than by importance. You should understand these risks before investing. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are:
Asset-Backed and Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk. Asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities are subject to risk of prepayment. This is more likely to occur when interest rates fall because many borrowers refinance mortgages to take advantage of more favorable rates. Prepayments on mortgage- backed securities are also affected by other factors, such as the volume of home sales. The Fund’s yield will be reduced if cash from prepaid securities is reinvested in securities with lower interest rates. The risk of prepayment may also decrease the value of mortgage-backed securities. Asset-backed securities may have a higher level of default and recovery risk than mortgage-backed securities. However, both of these types of securities may decline in value because of mortgage foreclosures or defaults on the underlying obligations. Enforcing rights against the underlying assets or collateral may be difficult, or the underlying assets or collateral may be insufficient if the issuer defaults. The values of certain types of mortgage-backed securities, such as inverse floaters and interest-only and principal-only securities, may be extremely sensitive to changes in interest rates and prepayment rates. Asset-backed and mortgage- backed securities are also subject to extension risk, the risk that rising interest rates could cause prepayments to decrease, extending the life of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities with lower payment rates. Mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) generally are classified as either commercial MBS (“CMBS”) or residential MBS (“RMBS”), each of which are subject to certain specific risks. RMBS are subject to the risks generally associated with fixed income securities and mortgage-backed securities. Delinquencies and defaults by borrowers in payments on the underlying mortgages, and the related losses, are affected by general economic conditions, the borrower’s equity in the
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mortgaged property and the borrower’s financial circumstances. The market for CMBS developed more recently and is relatively small compared to the market for RMBS. CMBS may lack standardized terms, have shorter maturities than residential mortgage loans and may provide for payment of all or substantially all of the principal only at maturity rather than regular amortization of principal. Adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances are more likely to have an adverse impact on MBS secured by loans on commercial properties than on those secured by loans on residential properties.
Bank Loans Risk. The Fund may invest in bank loans. The secondary market for bank loans is a private, unregulated inter-dealer or inter-bank resale market. Bank loans are usually rated below investment grade. The market for bank loans may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. Purchases and sales of loans are generally subject to contractual restrictions that must be satisfied before a loan can be bought or sold. These restrictions may impede the Fund’s ability to buy or sell loans and may negatively impact the transaction price. It may take longer than seven days for transactions in loans to settle. The Fund may hold cash, sell investments or temporarily borrow from banks or other lenders to meet short-term liquidity needs due to the extended loan settlement process, such as to satisfy redemption requests from Fund shareholders.
Investments in bank loans are typically in the form of an assignment or participation. Investors in a loan participation assume the credit risk associated with the borrower and may assume the credit risk associated with an interposed financial intermediary. Accordingly, if a lead lender becomes insolvent or a loan is foreclosed, the Fund could experience delays in receiving payments or suffer a loss. In an assignment, the Fund effectively becomes a lender under the loan agreement with the same rights and obligations as the assigning bank or other financial intermediary. Accordingly, if the loan is foreclosed, the Fund could become part owner of any collateral, and would bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of the collateral. Due to their lower place in the borrower’s capital structure and possible unsecured status, junior loans involve a higher degree of overall risk than senior loans of the same borrower. In addition, the floating rate feature of loans means that bank loans will not generally experience capital appreciation in a declining interest rate environment. Declines in interest rates may also increase prepayments of debt obligations and require the Fund to invest assets at lower yields.
A significant portion of bank loans may be “covenant lite” loans that may contain fewer or less restrictive constraints on the borrower and fewer or no financial maintenance covenants and restrictions. A covenant lite loan typically contains fewer clauses which allow an investor to proactively enforce financial covenants. Covenant lite loans also generally provide fewer investor protections if certain criteria are breached. The Fund may experience losses or delays in enforcing their rights on its holdings of covenant lite loans.
U.S. federal securities laws afford certain protections against fraud and misrepresentation in connection with the offering or sale of a security, as well as against manipulation of trading markets for securities. The typical practice of a lender in relying exclusively or primarily on reports from the borrower may involve the risk of fraud, misrepresentation, or market manipulation by the borrower. It is unclear whether U.S. federal securities law protections are available to an investment in a loan. In certain circumstances, loans may not be deemed to be securities, and in the event of fraud or misrepresentation by a borrower, lenders may not have the protection of the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws. However, contractual provisions in the loan documents may offer some protections, and lenders may also avail themselves of common-law fraud protections under applicable state law.
Below Investment Grade Securities Risks (commonly referred to as “junk” bonds). Fixed income instruments that are or are deemed to be the equivalent in terms of quality to securities rated below investment grade by NRSROs are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and
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repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligations and involve major risk to adverse conditions. These securities offer higher returns than bonds with higher ratings as compensation for holding an obligation of an issuer perceived to be less creditworthy. The market prices of such securities are also subject to abrupt and erratic market movements and above-average price volatility, and the spread between the bid and asked prices of such securities may be greater than those prevailing in other securities markets. Changes in economic conditions or developments regarding issuers of non-investment grade debt securities are more likely to cause price volatility and weaken the capacity of such issuers to make principal and interest payments than is the case for higher grade debt securities. In addition, the market for lower grade debt securities may be thinner and less active than for higher grade debt securities.
Convertible Securities Risk. A convertible security is a fixed income security (a debt instrument or a preferred stock) that may be converted at a stated price within a specified period of time into a certain quantity of the common stock of the same or a different issuer. The market value of a convertible security will perform the same as a regular fixed income security; that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of the convertible security falls. Convertible securities are senior to common stock in an issuer’s capital structure, but are subordinated to any senior debt securities. As a result, in the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities generally would be paid after the company’s creditors but before the company’s common shareholders. Consequently, an issuer’s convertible securities generally may be viewed as having more risk than its debt securities but less risk than its common stock. While providing a fixed income stream (generally higher in yield than the income derivable from common stock but lower than that afforded by a similar non-convertible security), a convertible security also gives an investor the opportunity, through its conversion feature, to participate in the capital appreciation of the issuing company depending upon a market price advance in the convertible security’s underlying common stock. If a convertible security held by the Fund is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to surrender the security for redemption, convert it into the issuing company’s common stock or cash at a time that may be unfavorable to the Fund.
Corporate Events Risks. Corporate event risk is the risk that a corporate transaction or opportunity will not occur, or a natural disaster or regulatory change will cause an abrupt downgrade in a corporate bond which may lower the Fund’s performance.
Credit-Related Instruments Risk. Credit-Related Instruments held by the Fund may be subject to interest rate risk, call risk, prepayment and extension risk, credit risk, and liquidity risk, which are more fully described below.
•Call Risk. During periods of declining interest rates, a bond issuer may “call,” or repay, its high yielding bonds before their maturity dates. The Fund would then be forced to invest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in its income.
•Credit Risk. Credit-Related Instruments are generally subject to the risk that the issuer may be unable to make principal and interest payments when they are due. There is also the risk that the investments could lose value because of a loss of confidence in the ability of the borrower to pay back debt. Lower rated Credit-Related Instruments involve greater credit risk, including the possibility of default or bankruptcy.
•Interest Rate Risk. Credit-Related Instruments are subject to the risk that the investments could lose value because of interest rate changes. For example, bonds tend to decrease in value if interest rates rise. Credit-Related Instruments with longer maturities sometimes offer higher yields, but are subject
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to greater price shifts as a result of interest rate changes than fixed income investments with shorter maturities.
•Liquidity Risk. Trading opportunities are more limited for Credit-Related Instruments that have not received any credit ratings, have received ratings below investment grade or are not widely held. These features make it more difficult to sell or buy an investment at a favorable price or time. Consequently, the Fund may have to accept a lower price to sell an investment, sell other securities to raise cash or give up an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on its performance. Infrequent trading of securities may also lead to an increase in their price volatility. Liquidity risk also refers to the possibility that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment or close out an investment contract when it wants to. If this happens, the Fund will be required to hold the investment or keep the position open, and it could incur losses.
•Prepayment and Extension Risk. Many types of Credit-Related Instruments are subject to prepayment risk. Prepayment occurs when the issuer of a fixed income investment can repay principal prior to the security’s maturity. Credit-Related Instruments subject to prepayment can offer less potential for gains during a declining interest rate environment and similar or greater potential for loss in a rising interest rate environment. In addition, the potential impact of prepayment features on the price of a fixed income security can be difficult to predict and result in greater volatility. On the other hand, rising interest rates could cause prepayments of the obligations to decrease, extending the life of mortgage- and asset-backed securities with lower payment rates. This is known as extension risk and may increase the Fund’s sensitivity to rising rates and its potential for price declines.
Credit Risk. Debt portfolios are subject to credit risk. Credit risk refers to the likelihood that an issuer will default in the payment of principal and/or interest on an instrument. Financial strength and solvency of an issuer are the primary factors influencing credit risk. In addition, lack or inadequacy of collateral or credit enhancement for a debt instrument may affect its credit risk. Credit risk may change over the life of an instrument, and debt obligations which are rated by rating agencies are often reviewed and may be subject to downgrade.
Cybersecurity Risk. With the Internet and other technologies being essential to conducting business, the Funds are susceptible to operational, information security, and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cyber incidents affecting the Fund or its service providers have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. Similar adverse consequences could result from cyber incidents affecting issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, counterparties with which the Fund engages in transactions, governmental and other regulatory authorities, exchange and other financial market operators, banks, brokers, dealers, insurance companies and other financial institutions (including financial intermediaries and service providers for shareholders) and other parties. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While the Fund’s service providers have established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber incidents, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks
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have not been identified. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect the Fund or its shareholders. As a result, the Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted.
Distressed Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in securities of companies that are experiencing significant financial or business difficulties, including companies involved in bankruptcy or other reorganization and liquidation proceedings. Although such investments may result in significant returns to the Fund, they involve a substantial degree of risk. Any one or all of the issuers of the securities in which the Fund may invest may be unsuccessful or not show any return for a considerable period of time. The level of analytical sophistication, both financial and legal, necessary for successful investment in companies experiencing significant business and financial difficulties is unusually high. There is no assurance that the Adviser will correctly evaluate the value of the assets collateralizing the Fund’s loans or the prospects for a successful reorganization or similar action. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a company in which the Fund invests, the Fund may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than the Fund’s original investment. Under such circumstances, the returns generated from the Fund’s investments may not adequately compensate for the risks assumed. In addition, there is no minimum credit standard that is a prerequisite to the Fund’s investments in any instrument, and a significant portion of the obligations and preferred stock in which the Fund invests may be less than investment grade.
Equity Securities Risk. The Fund will be exposed to equity market risk through direct investments in equity securities, and its investment in other equity-linked instruments. 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. Preferred stocks are subject to the risk that the dividend on the stock may be changed or omitted by the issuer, and participation in the growth of an issuer may be limited.
ETF Risk. The Fund is an ETF, and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, it is exposed to the following risks:
•Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as 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.
•Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. The Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to realize a capital gain that it might not have realized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. To the extent that the transaction fees charged for redemptions of creation units is insufficient to cover the Fund’s transaction costs of selling portfolio securities, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
•Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. 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
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reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
•Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. As a result, investors in the Fund may pay significantly more or receive significantly less for Shares than the Fund’s NAV. 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.
•Trading. Although Shares are listed for trading on 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 Shares. This could lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a price that is higher or lower than the Fund’s NAV.
Fixed Income Securities Market Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed income securities. Difficult conditions in the broader financial markets have in the past resulted in a temporary but significant contraction in liquidity for fixed income securities. Liquidity relates to the ability of the Fund to sell its investments in a timely manner at a price approximately equal to its value on the Fund’s books. To the extent that the market for fixed income securities suffers such a contraction, securities that were considered liquid at the time of investment could become temporarily illiquid, and the Adviser may experience delays or difficulty in selling assets at the prices at which the Fund carries such assets, which may result in a loss to the Fund. There is no way to predict reliably when such market conditions could re-occur or how long such conditions could persist.
In the event of a severe market contraction precipitated by general market turmoil, economic conditions, changes in prevailing interest rates or otherwise, coupled with extraordinary levels of Fund shareholder redemption requests, the Fund may have to consider selling its holdings at a loss including at prices below the current value on the Fund’s books, borrowing money to satisfy redemption requests in accordance with the Fund’s borrowing policy or postponing payment of redemption requests for up to seven days or longer, as permitted by applicable law, or other extraordinary measures. In addition, if the Fund needed to sell large blocks of investments to meet shareholder redemption requests or to raise cash, those sales could further reduce prices, particularly for lower-rated and unrated securities.
Interest rate changes may have adverse effects on investments, volatility and liquidity in the market for fixed income securities. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in fixed income securities. Fixed income securities are subject to credit risk and market risk, including interest rate risk. Credit risk is the risk of the issuer’s inability to meet its principal and interest payment obligations. Market risk is the risk of price volatility due to such factors as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. There is no limitation on the maturities of fixed income securities in which the Fund invests. Securities having longer maturities generally involve greater risk of fluctuations in value resulting from changes in interest rates.
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Floating Rate Risk. Securities with floating interest rates generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate instruments will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. Changes in interest rates will also affect the amount of interest income the Fund earns on its floating rate investments.
Foreign Investments Risk. The Fund’s performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting the non-US countries and companies in which the Fund invests. Non-US securities carry special risks, such as less developed or less efficient trading markets, political instability, a lack of company information, differing auditing and legal standards, and, potentially, less liquidity. Additionally, certain non- US markets may rely heavily on particular industries and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, organizations, entities and/or individuals, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers, and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. International trade barriers or economic sanctions against foreign countries, organizations, entities and/or individuals may adversely affect the Fund’s foreign holdings or exposures.
Investments in non-US companies include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and similar investments, including European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), dollar-denominated foreign securities and securities purchased directly on foreign exchanges. ADRs, EDRs and GDRs are depositary receipts for non-US company stocks that are not themselves listed on a U.S. exchange, and are issued by a bank and held in trust at that bank, and that entitle the owner of such depositary receipts to any capital gains or dividends from the foreign company stocks underlying the depositary receipts. ADRs are U.S. dollar denominated. EDRs and GDRs are typically U.S. dollar denominated but may be denominated in a foreign currency.
Forward Currency Contracts Risk. The Fund may enter into forward currency contracts. A forward currency contract is an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. For example, the Fund might purchase a particular currency or enter into a forward currency contract to preserve the U.S. dollar price of securities it intends to or has contracted to purchase. Alternatively, it might sell a particular currency on either a spot or forward basis to hedge against an anticipated decline in the dollar value of securities it intends to or has contracted to sell. Although this strategy could minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency, it could also limit any potential gain from an increase in the value of the currency.
General Market Risk. The market value of a security may move up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. These fluctuations may cause a security to be worth less than the price originally paid for it, or less than it was worth at an earlier time. Market risk may affect a single issuer, industry, sector of the economy or the market as a whole. The securities markets may experience substantially lower valuations, reduced liquidity, price volatility, credit downgrades, increased likelihood of default, and valuation difficulties, all of which may increase the risks of investing in securities held by the Fund.
Government Securities Risk. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities
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(including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so. As a result, there is a risk that these entities will default on a financial obligation. For instance, securities issued by Ginnie Mae are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. Securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are supported only by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government. However, the obligations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been placed into conservatorship until the entities are restored to a solvent financial condition. Securities issued by the Student Loan Marketing Association or “Sallie Mae” are supported only by the credit of that agency.
High Portfolio Turnover Rate Risk. The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” their portfolios). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance.
Illiquid Investments Risk. As a non-principal strategy, the Fund may invest in illiquid investments. Illiquid investments include any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or dispositions significantly changing the market value of the investment, and include repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days. Illiquid investments involve the risk that the securities will not be able to be sold at the time desired by the Adviser or at prices approximating the value at which the Fund is carrying the securities.
Insolvency Risk. The Fund’s investments in fixed income securities may be subject to various laws enacted in the jurisdiction or state of the borrower for the protection of creditors. If an unpaid creditor files a lawsuit seeking payment, the court may invalidate all or part of the borrower’s debt as a fraudulent conveyance, subordinate such indebtedness to existing or future creditors of the borrower or recover amounts previously paid by the borrower in satisfaction of such indebtedness, based on certain tests for borrower insolvency and other facts and circumstances, which may vary by jurisdiction. There can be no assurance as to what standard a court would apply in order to determine whether the borrower was “insolvent” after giving effect to the incurrence of the indebtedness, or that regardless of the method of valuation, a court would not determine that the borrower was “insolvent” after giving effect to such incurrence. In addition, in the event of the insolvency of a borrower, payments made on fixed income securities could be subject to avoidance as a “preference” if made within a certain period of time (which may be as long as one year and one day) before insolvency.
Interest Rate Risk. The prices of securities in general and fixed income securities in particular tend to be sensitive to interest rate fluctuations. Increases in interest rates can result in significant declines in the prices of fixed income securities. Securities with floating interest rates generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. The negative impact on fixed income securities generally from rate increases, regardless of the cause, could be swift and significant, which could result in losses by the Fund, even if anticipated by the Adviser.
Liquidity Risk. Certain securities, including Credit-Risk Related Instruments in which the Fund invests, and markets can become illiquid at times and negatively impact the price of an investment if the Fund was to sell during times of illiquidity. The Fund may have to lower the price, sell other securities or forego an investment opportunity, any of which may have a negative effect on the management or performance of the Fund.
Management Risk. The ability of the Fund to meet its investment objective is directly related to the Adviser’s investment strategies for the Fund. The value of your investment in the Fund may vary with the effectiveness
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of the Adviser’s research, analysis and asset allocation among portfolio securities. If the Adviser’s investment strategies do not produce the expected results, your investment could be diminished or even lost.
Preferred Stock Risk. The value of preferred stocks may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Preferred stocks may be more volatile than fixed income securities and are more correlated with the issuer’s underlying common stock than fixed income securities. While most preferred stocks pay a dividend, the Fund may purchase preferred stock where the issuer has omitted, or is in danger of omitting, payment of its dividend.
Prepayment Risk. Many types of debt securities, including floating rate loans and mortgage-related securities, may reflect an interest in periodic payments made by borrowers. Although debt securities and other obligations typically mature after a specified period of time, borrowers may pay them off sooner. When a prepayment happens, all or a portion of the obligation will be prepaid. A borrower is more likely to prepay an obligation which bears a relatively high rate of interest. This means that in times of declining interest rates, there is a greater likelihood that the Fund’s higher yielding securities will be pre-paid and the Fund will probably be unable to re-invest those proceeds in an investment with as great a yield, causing the Fund’s yield to decline. Securities subject to prepayment risk generally offer less potential for gains when prevailing interest rates fall. If the Fund buys those investments at a premium, accelerated prepayments on those investments could cause the Fund to lose a portion of its principal investment and result in lower yields to shareholders. The increased likelihood of prepayment when interest rates decline also limits market price appreciation, especially certain loans and mortgage-backed securities. The effect of prepayments on the price of a security may be difficult to predict and may increase the security’s price volatility. Interest-only and principal-only securities are especially sensitive to interest rate changes, which can affect not only their prices but can also change the income flows and repayment assumptions about those investments.
Recent Market Events Risk. 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 uncertainty regarding inflation and central banks’ interest rate changes, the possibility of a national or global recession, trade tensions and tariffs, political events and geopolitical conflicts. As a result of continuing political tensions and armed conflicts, including the wars in Europe and the Middle East, markets have experienced increased volatility. Continuing market volatility as a result of recent market conditions or other events may have an adverse effect on the performance of the Fund.
Geopolitical economies and financial markets are increasingly interconnected. These developments listed above, as well as other events, could result in further market volatility and may negatively affect financial asset prices, the liquidity of certain securities and the normal operations of securities exchanges and other markets, despite efforts to address market disruptions. As a result, the risk environment remains elevated. The Adviser will monitor developments and seek to manage the Fund in a manner consistent with achieving the Fund’s investment objective, but there can be no assurance that they will be successful in doing so.
Redemption Risk. The Fund may experience periods of heavy redemptions that could cause the Fund to liquidate its assets at inopportune times or at a loss or depressed value, particularly during periods of declining or illiquid markets. Redemption risk is greater to the extent that the Fund has investors with large shareholdings, short investment horizons, or unpredictable cash flow needs. In addition, redemption risk is heightened during periods of overall market turmoil. If the Fund is forced to liquidate its assets under unfavorable conditions or at inopportune times, the value of your investment could decline.
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Rule 144A Securities Risk. Rule 144A securities are purchased in transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”) pursuant to Rule 144A of the Securities Act. Rule 144A securities may only be sold to qualified institutional buyers, such as the Fund. The market for Rule 144A securities typically is less active than the market for public securities. Rule 144A securities carry the risk that the trading market may not continue and the Fund might be unable to dispose of these securities promptly or at reasonable prices and might thereby experience difficulty satisfying redemption requirements.
Securities Lending Risk. The Fund may make secured loans of its portfolio securities. Borrowers of the Fund’s securities may provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities. The securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the return collateral payments owed to borrowers. In addition, delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to these risks.
Short Sales Risk. As a non-principal strategy, the Fund may effect short sales of securities. A short sale is the sale by the Fund of a security which it does not own in anticipation of purchasing the same security in the future at a lower price to close the short position. A short sale will be successful if the price of the shorted security decreases. However, if the underlying security goes up in price during the period in which the short position is outstanding, the Fund will realize a loss. The risk on a short sale is unlimited because the Fund must buy the shorted security at the higher price to complete the transaction. Therefore, short sales may be subject to greater risks than investments in long positions. With a long position, the maximum sustainable loss is limited to the amount paid for the security plus the transaction costs, whereas there is no maximum attainable price of the shorted security. The Fund would also incur increased transaction costs associated with selling securities short. In addition, if the Fund sells securities short, it must maintain a segregated account with its custodian containing cash or high-grade securities equal to (i) the greater of the current market value of the securities sold short or the market value of such securities at the time they were sold short, less (ii) any collateral deposited with the Fund’s broker (not including the proceeds from the short sales).
Sovereign Debt Risk. The Fund may invest in securities issued or guaranteed by foreign governmental entities (known as sovereign debt securities). These investments are subject to the risk of payment delays or defaults, due, for example, to cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, political considerations, large debt positions relative to the country’s economy, or failure to implement economic reforms. There is no legal or bankruptcy process for collecting sovereign debt.
Certain issuers of sovereign debt may be dependent on disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and others abroad to reduce principal and interest liabilities on their debt. Such disbursements may be conditioned upon a debtor’s implementation of economic reforms and/or economic performance and the timely service of such debtor’s obligations. A failure on the part of the debtor to implement such reforms, achieve such levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of such third parties’ commitments to lend funds to the debtor, which may impair the debtor’s ability to service its debts on a timely basis. As a holder of sovereign debt, the Fund may be requested to participate in the restructuring of such sovereign indebtedness, including the rescheduling of payments and the extension of further loans to debtors, which may adversely affect the Funds. There can be no assurance that such restructuring will result in the repayment of all or part of the debt.
SPACs Risk. The Fund invests in equity securities of SPACs, which raise assets to seek potential business combination opportunities. Unless and until a business combination is completed, a SPAC generally invests its assets in U.S. government securities, money market securities, and cash. If a business combination that
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meets the requirements for the SPAC is not completed within a pre-established period of time (e.g., two years), the invested funds are returned to the entity’s shareholders. Because SPACs have no operating history or ongoing business other than seeking a business combination, the value of their securities is particularly dependent on the ability of the entity’s management to identify and complete a profitable acquisition. Public stockholders of SPACs may not be afforded a meaningful opportunity to vote on a proposed initial business combination because certain stockholders, including stockholders affiliated with the management of the SPAC, may have sufficient voting power, and a financial incentive, to approve such a transaction without support from public stockholders. As a result, a SPAC may complete a business combination even though a majority of its public stockholders do not support such a combination. There is no guarantee that the SPACs in which the Fund invests will complete a business combination or that any business combination that is completed will be profitable. Some SPACs may pursue a business combination only within certain industries or regions, which may increase the volatility of their prices. SPACs may also encounter intense competition from other entities having a similar business objective, such as private investors or investment vehicles and other SPACs, competing for the same acquisition targets, which could make completing an attractive business combination more difficult. To the extent a SPAC is invested in cash or cash equivalents, this may impact the ability of the Fund to meet its investment objectives. Investments in a SPAC may be considered illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on resale.
The economic terms of the investments made by a SPAC’s sponsors, directors, officers and their affiliates usually differ from those of the public shareholders such as the Funds. Sponsors, directors, officers and their affiliates may have financial incentives that differ from public shareholders which may result from securities ownership, compensation arrangements or relationships with affiliated entities that may lead to conflicts of interest when evaluating potential business combination opportunities. The compensation arrangement of a SPAC’s sponsors, directors, officers or affiliates may create financial incentives to complete a business combination transaction even if the transaction may not be in the best interest of other shareholders.
Trade Versus Settlement Risk. The Fund may invest in securities that have varied settlement terms and dates. The longer the amount of time between trade date and settlement date the greater the risk that settlement will occur on a timely basis.
Yankee Bond Risk. Yankee bonds are subject to the same risks as other debt issues, notably credit risk, market risk, currency and liquidity risk. Other risks include adverse political and economic developments; the extent and quality of government regulations of financial markets and institutions; the imposition of foreign withholding taxes; and the expropriation or nationalization of foreign issuers.
Zero Coupon Securities Risk. While interest payments are not made on such securities, holders of such securities are deemed to have received income (“phantom income”) annually, notwithstanding that cash may not be received currently. The effect of owning instruments that do not make current interest payments is that a fixed yield is earned not only on the original investment but also, in effect, on all discount accretion during the life of the obligations. This implicit reinvestment of earnings at a fixed rate eliminates the risk of being unable to invest distributions at a rate as high as the implicit yield on the zero coupon bond, but at the same time eliminates the holder’s ability to reinvest at higher rates in the future. For this reason, some of these securities may be subject to substantially greater price fluctuations during periods of changing market interest rates than are comparable securities that pay interest currently. Longer term zero coupon bonds are more exposed to interest rate risk than shorter term zero coupon bonds. Zero coupon securities may be subject to greater fluctuation in value and less liquidity in the event of adverse market conditions than comparably rated securities that pay cash interest at regular intervals. Further, to maintain its qualification for pass-through treatment under the U.S. federal tax laws, the Fund is required to distribute income to its shareholders and, consequently, may have to dispose of other, more liquid portfolio securities under disadvantageous
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circumstances or may have to leverage itself by borrowing in order to generate the cash to satisfy these distributions. The required distributions may result in an increase in the Fund’s exposure to zero coupon securities. During a period of severe market conditions, the market for such securities may become even less liquid. In addition, as these securities do not pay cash interest, the Fund’s investment exposure to these securities and their risks, including credit risk, will increase during the time these securities are held in the Fund’s portfolio.
| Portfolio Holdings Information | ||
Information about the Fund’s daily portfolio holdings is available at www.crossingbridgefunds.com. A complete description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Fund’s SAI.
| Management and Organization of the Fund | ||
| Investment Adviser | ||
CrossingBridge Advisors, LLC, located at 427 Bedford Road, Suite 220, Pleasantville, New York 10570, manages the Fund’s investments subject to the general supervision of the Board of Trustees. The Adviser is registered as an investment adviser with the SEC and was formed in December 2016. CrossingBridge Advisors, LLC is a majority-owned subsidiary of ENDI Corp. The Adviser and its affiliates have managed a variety of credit-related investment vehicles and/or accounts since 1996. As of September 30, 2025, the Adviser had approximately $4.2 billion in assets under management.
Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the Adviser, the Adviser is responsible for managing the Fund in accordance with its investment objective and policies and for making decisions with respect to and placing orders for all purchases and sales of portfolio securities. The Adviser also maintains related records for the Fund.
For the services it provides to the Fund, the Fund pays the Adviser a unitary management fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate of 0.80% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, the Adviser received a management fee of 0.80% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.
Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses of the Fund except 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, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and the unitary management fee payable to the Adviser.
A discussion regarding the basis of the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Advisory Agreement is available in the Fund’s Annual Report to Shareholders on Form N-CSR for the period ended September 30, 2025.
The Adviser also serves as investment adviser to the CrossingBridge Low Duration High Income Fund, the CrossingBridge Ultra-Short Duration Fund, the CrossingBridge Responsible Credit Fund, the CrossingBridge Nordic High Income Bond Fund, and the RiverPark Strategic Income Fund, each an open-end mutual fund, which are currently offered in a separate prospectus and SAI.
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| Portfolio Managers | ||
Unless stated otherwise, each of the following Portfolio Managers is jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
David K. Sherman David Sherman founded Cohanzick Management, LLC in 1996 and CrossingBridge Advisors, LLC in 2016. Mr. Sherman currently serves as the CIO of CrossingBridge Advisers, LLC and is a Portfolio Manager of the Fund and every other fund in the CrossingBridge Fund family. Mr. Sherman has 35+ years of investment management experience. Earlier in his career, Mr. Sherman was actively involved as a senior executive in Leucadia National Corporation’s corporate investments and acquisitions and was Treasurer of the holding company’s insurance operations. Mr. Sherman holds a B.S. from Washington University.
T. Kirk Whitney, CFA® is a Senior Portfolio Manager of the Adviser and serves as Portfolio Manager of the Fund. T. Kirk Whitney joined Cohanzick Management, LLC in 2014 and has been an employee of Crossing Bridge since its inception in 2016 where he currently serves as a Portfolio Manager. Mr. Whitney has 20+ years of experience having worked at the Solaris Group, Concordia Advisors, Alliance Capital and Bloomberg. Mr. Whitney holds a B.S. from Pennsylvania State University.
Michael De Kler is a Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, and serves as a Portfolio Manager of the Fund. Michael De Kler joined Cohanzick Management, LLC in 1999 and has been an employee of CrossingBridge since 2024 where he serves as a Portfolio Manager. Mr. De Kler holds a B.S. and a M.B.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Additional information about each Portfolio Manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers and the Portfolio Managers’ ownership of shares in the Fund is available in the Fund’s SAI.
CFA® is a registered trademark owned by the CFA Institute.
| Other Service Providers | ||
Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”), the Fund’s distributor, is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC. The Distributor’s principal address is 190 Middle Street, Suite 301, Portland, Maine 04101. Generally, the Distributor will not distribute Shares in aggregations less than a Creation Unit, and the Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in the shares. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”). The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund and is not affiliated with the Adviser or any of their respective affiliates.
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, located at 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, serves as the administrator, fund accountant, and transfer agent for the Fund.
U.S. Bank National Association, located at 1555 N. Rivercenter Drive, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, serves as the custodian for the Fund.
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| Derivative Actions | ||
Pursuant to the Trust’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration of Trust”), and subject to the limitations disclosed in the Declaration of Trust, a Fund shareholder may only bring a derivative action if (i) the shareholder or shareholders make a pre-suit demand upon the Board of Trustees to bring the subject action unless an effort to cause the Board of Trustees to bring such an action is not likely to succeed (as defined in the Declaration of Trust); (ii) shareholders eligible to bring such derivative action under the Delaware Statutory Trust Act who hold at least 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust, or 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the series or class to which such action relates, shall join in the request for the Board of Trustees to commence such action; and (iii) the Board of Trustees is afforded a reasonable amount of time to consider such shareholder request and to investigate the basis of such claim. The Board of Trustees shall be entitled to retain counsel or other advisors in considering the merits of the request and shall require an undertaking by the shareholders making such request to reimburse the Trust for the expense of any such advisors in the event that the Trustees determine not to bring such action. The provision requiring at least 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust, applicable series or class to join in the request to bring the derivative action and the provision requiring an undertaking by the requesting shareholders to reimburse the Trust for the expense of any advisors retained by the Board in the event that the Trustees determine not to bring such action, do not apply to claims brought under federal securities laws.
| Shareholder Information | ||
| How to Buy and Sell Shares | ||
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in Creation Units. Only APs may acquire Shares directly from the Fund, and only APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV. Each AP must be (i) 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 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 individual Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. 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. 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.
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. The commission is frequently a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of Shares. The spread with respect to shares of the Fund varies over time based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity.
Because of the costs of buying and selling Fund shares, frequent trading may reduce investment return and an investment in the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
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| 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 Fund imposes no restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of Shares. In determining not to adopt a written policy restricting frequent trading in the Fund, 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 with the Fund, are an essential part of the ETF process and help keep Share trading prices in line with NAV. As such, the Fund accommodates frequent purchases and redemptions by APs. However, frequent purchases and redemptions for cash may increase portfolio transaction costs and may lead to the realization of capital gains. To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions, the Fund employs fair value pricing and may impose transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effecting trades. In addition, the Fund and the Adviser reserve the right to reject any purchase order at any time.
| Determination of Net Asset Value | ||
The Fund’s NAV is calculated by dividing the value of the Fund’s total assets, less its liabilities, by the number of its Shares outstanding. In calculating the Fund’s NAV, portfolio securities are valued using current market values or official closing prices, if available. If such information is not available for a security held by the 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). The Fund’s NAV is calculated at the close of regular trading of the NYSE (which is generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time). The Fund’s NAV will not be calculated on days on which the NYSE is closed for trading. If the NYSE closes early, the Fund will calculate its NAV as of the close of trading on the NYSE on that day. If an emergency exists as permitted by the SEC, the NAV may be calculated at a different time.
| Fair Value Pricing | ||
The Board of Trustees has adopted procedures and methodologies to fair value Fund securities whose market prices are not “readily available” or are deemed to be unreliable. For example, such circumstances may arise when: (i) a security has been de-listed or has had its trading halted or suspended; (ii) a security’s primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; (iii) a security’s primary trading market is closed during regular market hours; or (iv) a security’s value is materially affected by events occurring after the close of the security’s primary trading market. Generally, when fair valuing a security, the Fund 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 security, general and/or specific market conditions and the specific facts giving
27
rise to the need to fair value the security. Fair value determinations are made in good faith and in accordance with the fair value methodologies included in the Board-adopted valuation procedures. Due to the subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, there can be no assurance that the Adviser will be able to obtain the fair value assigned to the security upon the sale of such security.
| Dividends, Distributions, and Taxes | ||||||||||||||
| Dividends and Distributions | ||
The Fund intends to pay out dividends and interest income, if any, monthly and distribute any net realized capital gains to its shareholders at least annually. The Fund will declare and pay income and capital gain distributions in cash. 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 some important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Fund. Your investment in the 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.
The Fund intends to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subtitle A, Chapter 1, Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. 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, the 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 plan, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions, when you sell your Shares listed on the Exchange, and when you purchase or redeem Creation Units (institutional investors only).
| Taxes on Distributions | ||
For U.S. federal income tax purposes, distributions of net investment income are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income or qualified dividend income. Taxes on distributions of net capital gains (if any) are determined by how long the Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned their Shares. Sales of assets held by the Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by the Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions of the Fund’s net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that are reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains. Distributions of short-term capital gain will generally be taxable to shareholders 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 the Fund as “qualified dividend income” are generally taxed to non-corporate shareholders at rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided certain holding period and other
28
requirements are met. “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 the 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 the Fund that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from U.S. corporations, subject to certain limitations.
Shortly after the close of each calendar year, you will be informed of the character of any distributions received from the Fund.
In addition to U.S. federal income tax, certain individuals, trusts, and estates with income exceeding the specified thresholds may be subject to a Net Investment Income (“NII”) tax of 3.8%. The NII tax is imposed on the lesser of: (i) a taxpayer’s investment income, net of deductions properly allocable to such income; or (ii) the amount by which such taxpayer’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds certain thresholds ($250,000 for married individuals filing jointly, $200,000 for unmarried individuals and $125,000 for married individuals filing separately). The Fund’s distributions are includable in a shareholder’s investment income for purposes of this NII tax. In addition, any capital gain realized by a shareholder upon a sale or redemption of Fund Shares is includable in such shareholder’s investment income for purposes of this NII tax.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 to you even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the Fund before your investment (and thus were included in the Shares’ NAV when you purchased your Shares).
You may wish to avoid investing in the Fund shortly before a dividend or other distribution, because such a distribution will generally be taxable to you 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 the Fund will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless a lower treaty rate applies. The Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met.
Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), the Fund may be required to withhold a generally nonrefundable 30% tax on (i) distributions of investment company taxable income and (ii) distributions of net capital gain and the gross proceeds of a sale or redemption of Fund Shares paid to (A) certain “foreign financial institutions” unless such foreign financial institution agrees to verify, monitor, and report to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) the identity of certain of its account-holders, among other items (or unless such entity is otherwise deemed compliant under the terms of an intergovernmental agreement between the United States and the foreign financial institution’s country of residence), and (B) certain “non-financial foreign entities” unless such entity certifies to the Fund that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or provides the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner, among other items. In December 2018, the IRS and Treasury Department released proposed Treasury Regulations that would eliminate FATCA withholding on Fund distributions of net capital gain and the gross proceeds from a sale or redemption of Fund Shares. Although taxpayers are entitled to rely on these proposed Treasury Regulations until final Treasury Regulations are issued, these proposed Treasury Regulations have not been finalized, may not be finalized in their proposed form, and are potentially subject
29
to change. This FATCA withholding tax could also affect the Fund’s return on its investments in foreign securities or affect a shareholder’s return if the shareholder holds its Fund Shares through a foreign intermediary. You are urged to consult your tax adviser regarding the application of this FATCA withholding tax to your investment in the Fund and the potential certification, compliance, due diligence, reporting, and withholding obligations to which you may become subject in order to avoid this withholding tax.
The 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 of the taxable distributions and sale or redemption 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 they are not subject to such withholding.
| Taxes When Shares are Sold on the Exchange | ||
Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale 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 received or deemed to be received with respect to such Shares and disallowed to the extent of the amount of exempt-interest dividends, if any, received by the shareholder with respect to such Shares. Further, any loss realized on a sale of Shares 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 sale of substantially identical Shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited.
| 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 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. Persons exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.
Any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if Shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if such Shares have been held for one year or less.
The 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. The Fund may sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to realize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have realized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment in the proceeds paid upon the redemption of Creation Units.
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| Tax Considerations | ||
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to foreign, 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 Tax Matters” in the SAI.
| Premium/Discount Information | ||
Information regarding how often Shares are traded on the Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund can be found on the Fund’s website at www.crossingbridgefunds.com.
| 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 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 Shares in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of 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.
The Adviser and the Fund make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Shares or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly.
| Financial Highlights | ||
The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the Fund’s financial performance for the periods indicated. The following financial highlights table shows the financial performance of the Fund’s shares from September 20, 2021 (commencement of operations) to the fiscal period ended September 30, 2021, and for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that you would have earned or lost on an investment in the Fund (assuming you reinvested all distributions). This information has been audited by Cohen & Company, Ltd., the independent registered public accounting firm of the Fund, whose report, along with the Fund’s financial statements, are included in the Fund’s 2025 Annual Report to Shareholders, which is available upon request.
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| Per Share Data: | |||||||||||||||||
| Year Ended September 30, | Period Ended September 30, 2021(a) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||||||||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $21.54 | $21.69 | $20.56 | $20.01 | $20.00 | ||||||||||||
| INVESTMENT OPERATIONS: | |||||||||||||||||
Net investment loss(b) | (0.10) | (0.12) | (0.03) | (0.16) | (0.00)(c) | ||||||||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain on investments(d) | 1.39 | 1.08 | 1.38 | 0.73 | 0.01 | ||||||||||||
| Total from investment operations | 1.29 | 0.96 | 1.35 | 0.57 | 0.01 | ||||||||||||
| LESS DISTRIBUTIONS FROM: | |||||||||||||||||
| Net investment income | (0.78) | (0.79) | (0.19) | (0.02) | — | ||||||||||||
| Net realized gains | (0.35) | (0.32) | (0.03) | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Total distributions | (1.13) | (1.11) | (0.22) | (0.02) | — | ||||||||||||
| Net Asset Value, End of Period | $21.70 | $21.54 | $21.69 | $20.56 | $20.01 | ||||||||||||
Total Return(e) | 6.23% | 4.54% | 6.63% | 2.85% | 0.03% | ||||||||||||
| SUPPLEMENTAL DATA AND RATIOS: | |||||||||||||||||
| Net assets, end of period (in thousands) | $22,137 | $68,933 | $68,982 | $63,312 | $5,802 | ||||||||||||
Ratio of expenses to average net assets(f) | 0.80% | 0.87% | 0.80% | 0.81% | 0.80% | ||||||||||||
Ratio of net investment loss to average net assets(f) | (0.46) % | (0.57) % | (0.14) % | (0.77) % | (0.80) % | ||||||||||||
Portfolio turnover rate(e)(g) | 203% | 93% | 146% | 191% | 4% | ||||||||||||
(a) Commencement of operations of the Fund was September 20, 2021.
(b) Net investment income per share has been calculated based on average shares outstanding during the periods.
(c) Amount represents less than $0.005 per share.
(d) Realized and unrealized gains and losses per share in the caption are balancing amounts necessary to reconcile the change in net asset value per share for the periods, and may not reconcile with the aggregate gains and losses in the Statement of Operations due to share transactions for the periods.
(e) Not annualized for periods less than one year.
(f) Annualized for periods less than one year.
(g) Portfolio turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions.
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Investment Adviser
CrossingBridge Advisors, LLC
427 Bedford Road, Suite 220
Pleasantville, New York 10570
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Cohen & Company, Ltd.
342 North Water Street, Suite 830
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Legal Counsel
Godfrey & Kahn, S.C.
833 East Michigan Street, Suite 1800
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
Custodian
U.S. Bank National Association
Custody Operations
1555 North River Center Drive, Suite 302
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212
Transfer Agent, Fund Accountant and Fund Administrator
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
Distributor
Foreside Fund Services, LLC
190 Middle Street, Suite 301
Portland, ME 04101
CrossingBridge Ultra-Short Duration ETF
(formerly CrossingBridge Pre-Merger SPAC ETF)
A Series of Trust for Professional Managers
| FOR MORE INFORMATION | ||
You may find additional information about the Fund in the following documents:
Statement of Additional Information
The SAI provides additional details about the investments and techniques of the Fund and certain other additional information. A current SAI dated January 28, 2026 is on file with the SEC and is incorporated into this Prospectus by reference. This means that the SAI is legally considered a part of this Prospectus even though it is not physically within this Prospectus.
Annual and Semi-Annual Reports
Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders and in Form N-CSR. In the Fund’s annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year. In Form N-CSR, you will find the Fund’s annual and semi-annual financial statements.
You may obtain a free copy of these documents, request other information, such as the Fund’s financial statements, or make general inquiries about the Fund by calling the Fund at 800-617-0004 (toll-free), or by visiting the Fund’s website at www.crossingbridgefunds.com.
Shareholder reports and other information about the Fund are also available:
•free of charge from the SEC’s EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov; or
•for a fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: [email protected].
_______________________________________________
(The Trust’s SEC Investment Company Act of 1940 file number is 811‑10401.)
CrossingBridge Ultra-Short Duration ETF (CUSD)
(formerly CrossingBridge Pre-Merger SPAC ETF)
Listed on: The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC
Statement of Additional Information
January 28, 2026
This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) provides general information about the CrossingBridge Ultra-Short Duration ETF (the “Fund”), a series of Trust for Professional Managers (the “Trust”). This SAI is not a prospectus and should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s current prospectus dated January 28, 2026 (the “Prospectus”), as supplemented and amended from time to time, which is incorporated herein by reference. The audited financial statements of the Fund for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 are incorporated herein by reference from the Fund’s 2025 Annual Report to Shareholders on Form N-CSR. To obtain a copy of the Prospectus and/or the Fund’s 2025 Annual Report to Shareholders, free of charge, please call the Fund at 800-617-0004, or visit the Fund’s website at www.crossingbridgefunds.com.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INVESTMENT ADVISER | |||||
The Trust
The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust organized on May 29, 2001, and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an open-end management investment company. The Fund is one series of the Trust. The Fund is a diversified series of the Trust and has its own investment objective and policies. Shares of other series of the Trust are offered in separate prospectuses and SAIs. The Trust may register additional series and offer shares of a new fund or share class under the Trust at any time.
The Fund commenced operations in 2021. Prior to January 28, 2026, the Fund was named the CrossingBridge Pre-Merger SPAC ETF, and the Fund pursued a different investment objective and principal investment strategies.
The Trust is authorized to issue an unlimited number of interests (or shares). Interests in the Fund are represented by shares of beneficial interest (“Shares”) each with a par value of $0.001. Each share of the Trust has equal voting rights and liquidation rights, and is voted in the aggregate and not by the series or class of shares, except in matters where a separate vote is required by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), or when the matters affect only the interests of a particular series or class of shares. When matters are submitted to shareholders for a vote, each shareholder is entitled to one vote for each full share owned and fractional votes for fractional shares owned. Shares of each series or class generally vote together, except when required under federal securities laws to vote separately on matters that only affect a particular class. The Trust does not normally hold annual meetings of shareholders. The Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board” or the “Board of Trustees”) shall promptly call and give notice of a meeting of shareholders for the purpose of voting upon removal of any trustee when requested to do so in writing by shareholders holding 10% or more of the Trust’s outstanding shares.
The 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 Fund generally offers and issues 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 NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (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 Fund 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.
Each share of the Fund represents an equal proportionate interest in the assets and liabilities belonging to the Fund and is entitled to such distributions out of the income belonging to the Fund as are declared by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees has the authority from time to time to divide or combine the shares of any series into a greater or lesser number of shares of that series so long as the proportionate beneficial interests in the assets belonging to that series and the rights of shares of any other series are in no way affected. In the event of the dissolution or liquidation of the Fund, the shareholders of the Fund are entitled to share pro rata in the net assets of the Fund available for distribution to shareholders. Expenses attributable to any series or class are borne solely by that series or class. Any general expenses of the Trust not readily identifiable as belonging to a particular series or class are allocated by, or under the direction of, the Board of Trustees on the basis of relative net assets, the number of shareholders or another equitable method. No shareholder is liable to further calls or to assessment by the Trust without his or her express consent.
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
1
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 is the case with other publicly traded securities, brokers’ commissions on transactions in the secondary market will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.
The assets of the Fund received for the issue or sale of its shares, and all income, earnings, profits and proceeds thereof, subject only to the rights of creditors, shall constitute the underlying assets of the Fund.
CrossingBridge Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. The Adviser also serves as investment adviser to the CrossingBridge Low Duration High Income Fund, the CrossingBridge Ultra-Short Duration Fund, the CrossingBridge Responsible Credit Fund, the CrossingBridge Nordic High Income Bond Fund, and the RiverPark Strategic Income Fund, each separate series of the Trust. The Fund pursues substantially similar principal investment strategies to the CrossingBridge Ultra-Short Duration Fund.
Investment Policies, Strategies and Associated Risks
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to offer higher yields than cash instruments while maintaining a low duration.
There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The following discussion supplements the description of the Fund’s investment objective and principal investment strategies set forth in the Prospectus. Except for the fundamental investment restrictions listed below (see “Investment Restrictions - Fundamental Investment Restrictions” below), the Fund’s investment strategies and policies are not fundamental and may be changed by the sole action of the Board of Trustees, without shareholder approval. The Fund’s investment objective and strategies may be changed without the approval of the Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees and 60 days’ written notice to shareholders. While the Fund is permitted to hold securities and to engage in various strategies as described hereafter, it is not obligated to do so.
Whenever an investment policy or limitation states a maximum percentage of the Fund’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding quality standards, the standard or percentage limitation is determined immediately after and as a result of the Fund’s acquisition or sale of the security or other asset. Accordingly, except with respect to borrowing and illiquid investments, any subsequent changes in values, net assets or other circumstances are not considered when determining whether an investment complies with the Fund’s investment policies and limitations. In addition, if a bankruptcy or other extraordinary event occurs concerning a particular investment by the Fund, the Fund may receive securities, real estate or other investments that the Fund would not, or could not, buy. If this happens, the Fund will sell these investments as soon as reasonably practicable while trying to maximize the return to Fund shareholders.
Diversification
The Fund is diversified. Under applicable federal laws, to qualify as a diversified fund, the Fund, with respect to at least 75% of its total assets, may not invest more than 5% of its assets in any one issuer and may not hold more than 10% of the securities of one issuer. The remaining 25% of the Fund’s total assets does not need to be “diversified” and may be invested in the securities of a single issuer, subject to other applicable laws. The diversification of the Fund’s holdings is measured at the time the Fund purchases a security. However, if the Fund purchases a security and holds it for a period of time, the security may become a larger percentage of the Fund’s total assets due to movements in the financial markets. If the market affects several securities held by the Fund, the Fund may have a greater percentage of its assets invested in securities of fewer issuers. Because
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the Fund is diversified, the Fund is less subject to the risk that its performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few securities.
The Fund commenced operations as a “non-diversified” fund; however, the Fund continuously operated as a diversified fund for three years and effective September 21, 2024, is now classified as diversified.
General Market Risks
Global economies and financial markets are increasingly interconnected, which increases the probabilities that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact issues in a different country or region. In some cases, the stock prices of individual companies have been negatively impacted even though there may be little or no apparent degradation in the financial condition or prospects of that company. As a result of this volatility, many of the risks associated with an investment in the Fund may be increased. Continuing market problems may have adverse effects on the Fund.
Investment Strategies and Related Risks
There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The following discussion supplements the description of the Fund’s investment objectives and principal investment strategies set forth in the Prospectus. Except for the fundamental investment restrictions listed below (see “Investment Restrictions”), the Fund’s investment strategies and policies are not fundamental and may be changed by sole action of the Board of Trustees, without shareholder approval. While the Fund is permitted to hold securities and engage in various strategies as described hereafter, they are not obligated to do so, except as otherwise provided in the Prospectus.
Whenever an investment policy or investment restriction states a maximum percentage of the Fund’s assets that may be invested in any security, or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding quality standards, such standard or percentage limitation will be determined immediately after and as a result of the Fund’s acquisition or sale of such security or other asset. Accordingly, except with respect to borrowing or illiquid investments, any subsequent change in values, net assets or other circumstances will not be considered when determining whether an investment complies with the Fund’s investment policies and investment restrictions set forth herein or in the Prospectus. In addition, if a bankruptcy or other extraordinary event occurs concerning a particular investment by the Fund, the Fund may receive stock, real estate or other investments that the Fund would not, or could not, buy. If this happens, the Fund will sell such investments as soon as practicable while trying to maximize the return to its shareholders.
Equity Securities
The Fund may invest in equity securities. Equity securities represent ownership interests, or the rights to acquire ownership interests, in an issuer and include common stocks, preferred stocks, convertible securities, rights and warrants, with different types of equity securities providing different voting and dividend rights and priority if the issuer becomes bankrupt. The value of equity securities varies in response to many factors, including the activities and financial condition of individual companies, the business market in which individual companies compete and general market and economic conditions. Equity securities fluctuate in value, often based on factors unrelated to the value of the issuer of the securities, and such fluctuations can be significant.
Common Stocks. Common stock represents a proportionate share of the ownership of a company and its value is based on the success of the company’s business, any income paid to stockholders, the value of its assets, and general market conditions. In addition to the general risks set forth above, investments in common stocks are subject to the risk that in the event a company in which the Fund invests is liquidated, the holders of preferred stock and creditors of that company will be paid in full before any payments are made to the
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Fund as a holder of common stock. It is possible that all assets of that company will be exhausted before any payments are made to the Fund.
Convertible Securities. Convertible securities include fixed income securities that may be exchanged or converted into a predetermined number of shares of the issuer’s underlying common stock or other equity security at the option of the holder during a specified period. Convertible securities may take the form of convertible preferred stock, convertible bonds or debentures, units consisting of “usable” bonds and warrants or a combination of the features of several of these securities. The investment characteristics of each convertible security vary widely, which allows convertible securities to be employed for a variety of investment strategies. The Fund will exchange or convert convertible securities into shares of underlying common stock when, in the opinion of the Adviser, the investment characteristics of the underlying common stock or other equity security will assist the Fund in achieving its investment objectives. The Fund may also elect to hold or trade convertible securities. In selecting convertible securities, the Adviser evaluates the investment characteristics of the convertible security as a fixed income instrument, and the investment potential of the underlying equity security for capital appreciation. In evaluating these matters with respect to a particular convertible security, the Adviser considers numerous factors, including the economic and political outlook, the value of the security relative to other investment alternatives, trends in the determinants of the issuer’s profits, and the issuer’s management capability and practices. Convertible securities are senior to common stock in an issuer’s capital structure, but are subordinated to any senior debt securities. Consequently, the issuer’s convertible securities generally may be viewed as having more risk than its senior debt securities but less risk than its common stock.
Preferred Stocks. Preferred stocks pay fixed or floating dividends to investors and have “preference” over common stock in the payment of dividends and the liquidation of an issuer’s assets. This means that an issuer must pay dividends on preferred stocks before paying any dividends on its common stock. Some preferred stocks offer a fixed rate of return with no maturity date. Because those preferred stocks never mature, they trade like long-term bonds, can be more volatile than other types of preferred stocks and may have heightened sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Other preferred stocks have variable dividends, generally determined on a quarterly or other periodic basis, either according to a formula based upon a specified premium or discount to the yield on particular U.S. Treasury securities or based on an auction process involving bids submitted by holders and prospective purchasers of such securities. Because preferred stocks represent an equity ownership interest in an issuer, their value usually will react more strongly than bonds and other debt instruments to actual or perceived changes in an issuer’s financial condition or prospects or to fluctuations in the equity markets. Preferred stockholders usually have no voting rights or their voting rights are limited to certain extraordinary transactions or events.
Rights and Warrants. The Fund may invest in 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 and it is issued at a predetermined price in proportion to the number of shares already owned. Rights normally have a short life, usually two to four weeks, are freely transferable and entitle the holder to buy the new common stock at a lower price than the current market. Warrants are options to purchase equity securities at a specific price for a specific period of time. They do not represent ownership of the securities, but only the right to buy them. Hence, warrants have no voting rights, pay no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the corporation issuing them. The value of warrants is derived solely from capital appreciation of the underlying equity securities. Warrants differ from call options in that the underlying corporation issues warrants, whereas call options may be written by anyone.
An investment in rights and warrants 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
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to the underlying securities, and they do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuer. In addition, although their value is influenced by the value of the underlying security, 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.
Large-Sized Companies. To the extent the Fund invests in the equity securities of large-sized companies, it will be exposed to the risks of larger-sized companies. Larger, more established companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges such as changes in consumer tastes or innovative smaller competitors. Also, large-sized companies are sometimes unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.
Small- and Medium-Sized Companies. To the extent the Fund invests in the equity securities of small- and medium-sized companies, it will be exposed to the risks of smaller-sized companies. Small- and medium-sized companies may have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and may have more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. Furthermore, such companies may have limited product lines, services, markets, or financial resources or may be dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks may not be well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership or are typically followed by fewer security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies
The Fund may invest in blank check companies, such as special purpose acquisition companies (“SPACs”) or similar special purpose entities that pool funds to seek potential acquisition opportunities. A SPAC is a publicly-traded company that raises funds from public investors in an initial public offering (“IPO”) in order to pursue the acquisition of an unspecified company. Unless and until an acquisition meeting the SPAC’s requirements is completed, a SPAC generally invests its assets (less a portion retained to cover expenses) in U.S. Government securities, money market securities and cash; if an acquisition that meets the requirements for the SPAC is not completed within a pre-established period of time, the invested funds are returned to the entity’s shareholders. If an acquisition is proposed, investors have the choice of holding their shares or redeeming them for their pro rata share of the SPAC’s assets. Because SPACs and similar entities have no operating history or ongoing business other than seeking acquisitions, the value of their securities is particularly dependent on the ability of the entity’s management to identify and complete a profitable acquisition. Some SPACs may pursue acquisitions only within certain industries or regions, which may increase the volatility of their securities’ prices. In addition, these securities, which are typically traded in the OTC market, may be considered illiquid and/or be subject to restrictions on resale.
Forward Currency Contracts
The Fund may enter into forward currency contracts. A forward currency contract is an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. For example, the Fund might purchase a particular currency or enter into a forward currency contract to preserve the U.S. dollar price of securities it intends to or has contracted to purchase. Alternatively, it might sell a particular currency on either a spot or forward basis to hedge against an anticipated decline in the dollar value of securities it intends to or
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has contracted to sell. Although this strategy could minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency, it could also limit any potential gain from an increase in the value of the currency.
Foreign Investments and Currencies
The Fund may make investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers (“foreign securities”), including U.S. dollar-denominated securities, foreign securities and securities of companies incorporated outside the U.S.
Risks of Investing in Foreign Securities. Investments in foreign securities involve certain inherent risks, including the following:
Political and Economic Factors. Individual foreign economies of certain countries may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, diversification and balance of payments position. Governments in certain foreign countries also continue to participate to a significant degree, through ownership interest or regulation, in their respective economies. Action by these governments could include restrictions on foreign investment, nationalization, expropriation of goods or imposition of taxes, and could have a significant effect on market prices of securities and payment of interest. The economies of many foreign countries are heavily dependent upon international trade and are accordingly affected by the trade policies and economic conditions of their trading partners. Enactment by these trading partners of protectionist trade legislation could have a significant adverse effect upon the securities markets of such countries.
There is significant market uncertainty regarding the long-term ramifications of “Brexit” (the United Kingdom’s (UK) withdrawal from the European Union (EU)). The range of possible political, regulatory, economic and market outcomes are difficult to predict. The uncertainty surrounding the UK’s economy, and its legal, political, and economic relationship with the remaining member states of the EU, may cause considerable disruption in securities markets, including increased volatility and illiquidity, as well as currency fluctuations in the British pound’s exchange rate against the U.S. dollar.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in an ongoing military conflict and economic sanctions against certain Russian individuals and companies; this conflict may expand and military attacks could occur elsewhere in Europe. This conflict could also drive a rise in traditional and cyber terrorism in Europe and other parts of the world. Further, sanctions against Russian individuals and companies could adversely affect the price and availability of certain commodities.
Currency Fluctuations. The Funds may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Accordingly, a change in the value of any such currency against the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding change in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund’s assets denominated in that currency. Such changes will also affect the Fund’s income. The value of the Fund’s assets may also be affected significantly by currency restrictions and exchange control regulations enacted from time to time.
Market Characteristics. Foreign securities in which the Fund invests will be purchased in over-the-counter (“OTC”) markets or on exchanges located in the countries in which the principal offices of the issuers of the various securities are located, if that is the best available market. Foreign exchanges and markets may be more volatile than those in the United States. While growing in volume, they usually have substantially less volume than U.S. markets, and the Fund’s foreign securities may be less liquid and more volatile than U.S. securities. Moreover, settlement practices for transactions in foreign markets may differ from those in United States markets, and may include delays beyond periods customary in the United States. Foreign security trading practices, including those involving securities settlement where Fund assets may be released prior to
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receipt of payment or securities, may expose the Funds to increased risk in the event of a failed trade or the insolvency of a foreign broker-dealer.
Legal and Regulatory Matters. Certain foreign countries may have less supervision of securities markets, brokers and issuers of securities, and less financial information available from issuers, than is available in the United States. Additionally, issuers of foreign securities may not be required to provide operational or financial information that is as timely or reliable as those required for issuers of U.S. securities.
Taxes. The interest and dividends payable on certain of the Fund’s foreign portfolio securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes, thus reducing the net amount of income available for distribution to Fund shareholders.
Costs. To the extent that the Fund invests in foreign securities, its expense ratio is likely to be higher than those of investment companies investing only in domestic securities, since the cost of maintaining the custody of foreign securities is higher.
Emerging Markets. Some of the securities in which the Fund may invest may be located in developing or emerging markets, which entail additional risks, including less social, political and economic stability; smaller securities markets and lower trading volume, which may result in less liquidity and greater price volatility; national policies that may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including restrictions on investments in issuers or industries, or expropriation or confiscation of assets or property; and less developed legal structures governing private or foreign investment.
In considering whether to invest in the securities of a foreign company, the Adviser may consider such factors as the characteristics of the particular company, differences between economic trends and the performance of securities markets within the U.S. and those within other countries, and also factors relating to the general economic, governmental and social conditions of the country or countries where the company is located. The extent to which the Fund will be invested in foreign companies and countries and depositary receipts will fluctuate from time to time, depending on the Adviser’s assessment of prevailing market, economic and other conditions.
Illiquid Investments
In accordance with Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act, the Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in “illiquid investments.” Pursuant to the liquidity risk management programs of the Trust and the Adviser applicable to the Fund, the term “illiquid investment” is defined as an investment that a Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Illiquid investments are those securities or other investments without readily available market quotations, including repurchase agreements having a maturity of more than seven days. Illiquid investments may include restricted securities or other investments not determined by the Board of Trustees to be liquid, non-negotiable time deposits, over-the-counter options, and repurchase agreements providing for settlement in more than seven days after notice. Factors considered in determining whether an investment is illiquid may include, but are not limited to: the frequency of trades and quotes for the investment; the number of dealers willing to purchase and sell the investment and the number of potential purchasers; the number of dealers who undertake to make a market in the investment; the nature of the investment, including whether it is registered or unregistered, and the market place; whether the investment has been rated by a nationally recognized statistical ratings organization (“NRSRO”); the period of time remaining until the maturity of a debt instrument or until the principal amount of a demand instrument can be recovered through demand; the nature of any restrictions on resale; and with respect to municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation, there is reasonable assurance that the obligation will remain liquid
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throughout the time the obligation is held and, if unrated, an analysis similar to that which would be performed by a NRSRO is performed. The Fund will not invest more than 15% of the value of its net assets, taken at the time of investment, in illiquid investments, including repurchase agreements providing for settlement in more than seven days after notice, non-negotiable fixed time deposits with maturities over seven days, over-the-counter options and certain restricted securities or other investments not determined by the Board of Trustees to be liquid.
Master Limited Partnerships
The Fund may invest in master limited partnerships (“MLPs”). MLPs are limited partnerships or limited liability companies whose partnership units or limited liability interests are listed and traded on a U.S. securities exchange, and are treated as publicly traded partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Publicly traded partnerships could be treated as corporations to the extent they do not satisfy the gross income test. To satisfy the gross income test and thus qualify to be treated as a partnership for tax purposes, an MLP must receive at least 90% of its income from qualifying sources as set forth in Section 7704(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). These qualifying sources include activities such as the exploration, development, mining, production, processing, refining, transportation, storage and marketing of mineral or natural resources. MLPs generally have two classes of owners, the general partner and limited partners. MLPs that are formed as limited liability companies generally have two analogous classes of owners, the managing member and the members. For purposes of this section, references to general partners also apply to managing members and references to limited partners also apply to members. The general partner is typically owned by a major energy company, an investment fund, the direct management of the MLP or is an entity owned by one or more of such parties. The general partner may be structured as a private or publicly traded corporation or other entity. The general partner typically controls the operations and management of the MLP through an equity interest of as much as 2% in the MLP plus, in many cases, ownership of common units and subordinated units. Limited partners own the remainder of the MLP through ownership of common units and have a limited role in the MLP’s operations and management.
An investment in MLP units involves certain risks which differ from an investment in the securities of a corporation. Holders of MLP units have limited control and voting rights on matters affecting the partnership. In addition, there are certain tax risks associated with an investment in MLP units and conflicts of interest exist between common unit holders and the general partner, including those arising from incentive distribution payments. An MLP that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes is not liable for federal income tax at the entity level. If, as a result of a change in current law or a change in an MLP’s business, an MLP were treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, such MLP would be obligated to pay federal income tax on its income at the corporate tax rate. If an MLP were classified as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, the amount of cash available for distribution by the MLP would be reduced and distributions received by investors would be taxed under federal income tax laws applicable to corporate dividends (as dividend income, return of capital, or capital gain). Therefore, treatment of an MLP as a corporation for federal income tax purposes would result in a reduction in the after-tax return to investors, likely causing a reduction in the value of the Fund’s Shares.
Mortgage-Backed Securities and Asset-Backed Securities
The Fund may invest in mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities represent direct or indirect participations in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans secured by real property, and include single- and multi-class pass-through securities and collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”). Such securities may be issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies or instrumentalities, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”) or by private
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issuers, generally originators and investors in mortgage loans, including savings associations, mortgage bankers, commercial banks, investment bankers and special purpose entities (collectively, “private lenders”).
Mortgage-backed securities issued by private lenders may be supported by pools of mortgage loans or other mortgage-backed securities that are guaranteed, directly or indirectly, by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities, or they may be issued without any governmental guarantee of the underlying mortgage assets but with some form of non- governmental credit enhancement. FNMA and FHLMC were formerly government-sponsored corporations owned entirely by private stockholders. In September 2008, at the direction of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, FNMA and FHLMC were placed into conservatorship under the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”). The U.S. Government also took steps to provide additional financial support to FNMA and FHLMC. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Treasury initiatives with respect to FNMA and FHLMC will be successful.
Residential mortgage loans are generally classified into three categories based on the risk profile of the borrower and the property: (i) Prime, (ii) Alternative-A (“Alt-A”), and (iii) Subprime. Prime residential mortgage loans are extended to borrowers who represent a relatively low risk profile through a strong credit history. Subprime loans are made to borrowers who display poor credit histories and other characteristics that correlate with a higher default risk. Alt-A loans are made to borrowers whose risk profile falls between Prime and Subprime. Asset-backed debt obligations represent direct or indirect participation in, or are secured by and payable from, assets such as motor vehicle installment sales contracts, other installment loan contracts, home equity loans, leases of various types of property and receivables from credit card or other revolving credit arrangements. The credit quality of most asset-backed securities depends primarily on the credit quality of the assets underlying such securities, how well the entity issuing the security is insulated from the credit risk and bankruptcy of the originator or any other affiliated entities and the amount and quality of any credit enhancement of the securities. Payments or distributions of principal and interest on asset-backed debt obligations may be supported by non-governmental credit enhancements including letters of credit, reserve funds, over-collateralization and guarantees by third parties.
Commercial mortgage loans reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property. Many of the risks of investing in commercial mortgage-backed securities reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans. These risks reflect the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payments, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants. Commercial mortgage-backed securities may be less liquid and exhibit greater price volatility than other types of mortgage- or asset-backed securities.
The rate of principal payment on mortgage- and asset-backed securities generally depends on the rate of principal payments received on the underlying assets, which in turn may be affected by a variety of economic and other factors. As a result, the yield on any mortgage- or asset- backed security is difficult to predict with precision and actual yield to maturity may be more or less than the anticipated yield to maturity. The yield characteristics of mortgage- and asset-backed debt obligations differ from those of traditional debt obligations. Among the principal differences are that interest and principal payments are made more frequently on mortgage- and asset-backed debt obligations, usually monthly, and that principal may be prepaid at any time because the underlying assets generally may be prepaid at any time. As a result, if these debt obligations or securities are purchased at a premium, a prepayment rate that is faster than expected will reduce yield to maturity, while a prepayment rate that is slower than expected will have the opposite effect of increasing the yield to maturity. Conversely, if these debt obligations or securities are purchased at a discount, a prepayment rate that is faster than expected will increase yield to maturity, while a prepayment rate that is slower than expected will reduce yield to maturity. Accelerated prepayments on debt obligations or securities purchased at a premium also impose a risk of loss of principal because the premium may not have been fully
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amortized at the time the principal is prepaid in full. The market for privately issued mortgage-backed securities is smaller and less liquid than the market for government-sponsored mortgage-backed securities.
While asset-backed securities may be issued with only one class of security, many asset-backed securities are issued in more than one class, each with different payment terms. Mortgage-backed securities may be issued with either a single class of security or multiple classes, which are commonly referred to as a CMO. Multiple class mortgage- and asset-backed securities are issued for two main reasons. First, multiple classes may be used as a method of providing selective credit support. This is accomplished typically through creation of one or more classes whose right to payments on the asset-backed security is made subordinate to the right to such payments of the remaining class or classes. Second, multiple classes may permit the issuance of securities with payment terms, interest rates or other characteristics differing both from those of each other and from those of the underlying assets. Examples include separate trading of registered interest and principal of securities (“STRIPS”) (mortgage- and asset-backed securities entitling the holder to disproportionate interests with respect to the allocation of interest and principal of the assets backing the security), and securities with class or classes having characteristics that mimic the characteristics of non-asset-backed securities, such as floating interest rates (i.e., interest rates that adjust as a specified benchmark changes) or scheduled amortization of principal.
Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”)
The Fund may invest in REITs. REITs invest primarily in real property and earn rental income from leasing those properties.
The Fund also may realize gains or losses from the sale of properties. REITs generally exercise some degree of control over the operational aspects of their real estate investments, lease terms and property maintenance and repair.
Mortgage REITs invest primarily in mortgages and similar real estate interests and receive interest payments from the owners of the mortgaged properties and are paid interest by the owners of the financed properties. Hybrid REITs invest both in real property and in mortgages.
A REIT generally is not taxed on income distributed to its shareholders if it complies with certain U.S. federal income tax requirements relating primarily to its organization, ownership, assets and income and, further, if it distributes substantially all of its taxable income to shareholders each year. Consequently, REITs tend to focus on income-producing real estate investments.
The Fund’s investments in REITs may be adversely affected by deteriorations of the real estate rental market, in the case of REITs that primarily own real estate, or by deteriorations in the creditworthiness of property owners and changes in interest rates in the case of REITs that primarily hold mortgages. REITs also are dependent upon specialized management skills, may not be diversified in their holdings and are subject to the risks of financing projects. REITs also may be subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and self- liquidation. Under certain circumstances, an entity may fail to qualify for the special tax treatment available to REITs, which would subject the entity to federal income taxes and adversely affect the value of its securities.
In general, qualified REIT dividends that an investor receives directly from a REIT are automatically eligible for the 20% qualified business income deduction. The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) has issued final Treasury Regulations that permit a dividend or part of a dividend paid by a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) and reported as a “section 199A dividend” to be treated by the recipient as a qualified REIT dividend
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for purposes of the 20% qualified business income deduction, if certain holding period and other requirements have been satisfied by the recipient with respect to its Fund Shares.
The final Treasury Regulations do not extend such conduit treatment to qualified publicly traded partnership income, as defined under Section 199A of the Code, earned by a RIC. Therefore, non-corporate shareholders may not include any qualified publicly traded partnership income earned through the Fund, potentially including the Fund's income from MLPs, in their qualified business income deduction. The IRS and Treasury Department may be continuing to evaluate whether it is appropriate to provide such conduit treatment.
Restricted Securities
The Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board” or “Trustees”) has adopted procedures to determine the liquidity of certain restricted securities, as permitted under an SEC Staff position set forth in the adopting release for Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Rule 144A (the “Rule”) is a non-exclusive, safe-harbor for certain secondary market transactions involving securities subject to restrictions on resale under federal securities laws. The Rule provides an exemption from registration for resales of otherwise restricted securities to qualified institutional buyers. The Rule was expected to further enhance the liquidity of the secondary market for securities eligible for sale under the Rule. The SEC Staff has left the question of determining the liquidity of restricted securities eligible for resale under the Rule for determination by the Trustees. The Trustees consider the following criteria in determining the liquidity of these restricted securities:
(i) the frequency of trades and quotes for the security;
(ii) the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security and the number of other potential buyers;
(iii) dealer undertakings to make a market in the security; and
(iv) the nature of the security and the nature of the marketplace trades.
When-Issued and Delayed and Early Delivery Securities
These transactions are made to secure what is considered to be an advantageous price or yield for the Fund. No fees or other expenses, other than normal transaction costs, are incurred. However, liquid assets of the Fund sufficient to make payment for the securities to be purchased are segregated on the Fund’s records at the trade date. These assets are marked to market and are maintained until the transaction has been settled.
Lending of Portfolio Securities
The collateral received when the Fund lends portfolio securities must be valued daily and, should the market value of the loaned securities increase, the borrower must furnish additional collateral to the lending Fund. During the time portfolio securities are on loan, the borrower pays the Fund any dividends or interest paid on such securities. Loans are subject to termination at the option of the Fund or the borrower. The Fund may pay reasonable administrative and custodial fees in connection with a loan and may pay a negotiated portion of the interest earned on the cash or equivalent collateral to the borrower or placing broker. The Fund does not have the right to vote securities on loan, but would terminate the loan and regain the right to vote if that were considered important with respect to the investment.
Investment grade short-term obligations include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, as well as securities rated in one of the four highest rating categories by at least two nationally recognized statistical rating organizations rating that security.
Fixed income securities will be deemed to be of high quality if they are rated “A” or better by nationally recognized statistical rating agencies or, if unrated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the Adviser.
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Money market instruments are high quality, short-term fixed income obligations (which generally have remaining maturities of one year or less), and may include:
•Government securities;
•commercial paper;
•certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances issued by domestic branches of United States banks that are members of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation;
•short-term obligations of foreign issuers denominated in U.S. dollars and traded in the U.S.; and
•repurchase agreements.
Repurchase agreements are agreements under which the Fund purchases securities from a bank or a securities dealer that agrees to repurchase the securities from the Fund at a higher price on a designated future date. If the seller under a repurchase agreement becomes insolvent, the Fund’s right to dispose of the securities may be restricted, or the value of the securities may decline before the Fund is able to dispose of them. In the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the seller, the Fund may encounter delay and incur costs, including a decline in the value of the securities, before being able to sell the securities. If the seller defaults, the value of the securities may decline before the Fund is able to dispose of them. If the Fund enters into a repurchase agreement that is subject to foreign law and the other party defaults, the Fund may not enjoy protections comparable to those provided to most repurchase agreements under U.S. bankruptcy law, and may suffer delays and losses in disposing of the collateral. The Fund has adopted procedures designed to minimize the risks of loss from repurchase agreements.
The Fund’s custodian or a sub-custodian will take possession of the securities subject to repurchase agreements, and these securities will be marked to market daily. To the extent that the original seller does not repurchase the securities from the Fund, the Fund could receive less than the repurchase price on any sale of such securities. In the event that such a defaulting seller filed for bankruptcy or became insolvent, disposition of such securities by the Fund might be delayed pending court action. The Fund believes that under the regular procedures normally in effect for custody of the Fund’s portfolio securities subject to repurchase agreements, a court of competent jurisdiction would rule in favor of the Fund and allow retention or disposition of such securities. The Fund will only enter into repurchase agreements with banks and other recognized financial institutions, such as broker-dealers, which are deemed by the Adviser to be creditworthy pursuant to guidelines established by the Trustees.
Short Sales
The Fund may effect short sales of securities. A short sale involves the sale of a security that the Fund does not own in anticipation of purchasing the same security (or a security exchangeable therefore) at a later date at a lower price. When selling short, the Fund must borrow the security sold short and will be obligated to return the security to the lender. This is accomplished by a later purchase of the security by the Fund to close its short position. When the Fund effects a short sale, it must maintain collateral in a segregated account consisting of cash or liquid securities with a value equal to the current market value of the securities sold short less any cash deposited with its broker. Other than as noted below, the Fund may not sell a security short if, as a result of that sale, the current value of securities sold short by the Fund would exceed 10% of the value of the Fund’s net assets. The Fund may sell securities short so long as, as a result of that sale, the current value of securities sold short by the Fund would not exceed 15% of the value of the Fund’s net assets.
The use of short sales is considered a speculative investment practice. The limited use of this practice, however, permits the Fund to pursue opportunities to profit from anticipated declines in the prices of
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particular securities which in the view of the Adviser are overvalued or are likely to be adversely affected by particular trends or events.
Options on Stock Indices
Certain options on stock indices provide the holder with the right to make or receive a cash settlement upon exercise of the option, rather than the right to purchase or sell a security. The amount of this settlement is equal to (i) the amount, if any, by which the fixed exercise price of the option exceeds (in the case of a call) or is below (in the case of a put) the closing value of the underlying index on the date of exercise, multiplied by (ii) a fixed “index multiplier.” The purchaser of the option receives this cash settlement amount if the closing level of the stock index on the day of exercise is greater than, in the case of a call, or less than, in the case of a put, the exercise price of the option. The writer of the option is obligated, in return for the premium received, to make delivery of this amount if the option is exercised. As in the case of non cash-settled options, the writer or holder may liquidate positions in stock index options prior to exercise or expiration by entering into closing transactions on the exchange on which such positions were established, subject to the availability of a liquid secondary market.
The index underlying a stock index option may be a “broad-based” index, such as the Standard & Poor’s 500® Index or the NYSE Composite Index, the changes in value of which ordinarily will reflect movements in the stock market in general. In contrast, certain options may be based on narrower market indices, such as the Standard & Poor’s 100® Index, or on indices of securities of particular industry groups, such as those of oil and gas or technology companies. A stock index assigns relative values to the stock included in the index and the index fluctuates with changes in the market values of the stocks so included.
The purchase and sale of options on stock indices will be subject to risks applicable to options transactions generally. In addition, the distinctive characteristics of options on indices create certain risks that are not present with stock options. Index prices may be distorted if trading of certain stocks included in the index is interrupted. Trading in index options also may be interrupted in certain circumstances such as if trading were halted in a substantial number of stocks included in the index or if dissemination of the current level of an underlying index is interrupted. If this occurred, the Fund would not be able to close out options which it had purchased and, if restrictions on exercise were imposed, may be unable to exercise an option it holds, which could result in losses if the underlying index moves adversely before trading resumes. However, it is a policy to purchase and sell options only on indices that include a sufficient number of stocks so that the likelihood of a trading halt in the index is minimized.
Cybersecurity Risk
With the Internet and other technologies being essential to conducting business, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security, and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cyber incidents affecting the Fund or its service providers may cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. Similar adverse consequences could result from cyber incidents affecting issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, counterparties with which the Fund engages in transactions, governmental and other regulatory authorities, exchange and other financial market operators, banks, brokers, dealers, insurance companies and
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other financial institutions (including financial intermediaries and service providers for shareholders) and other parties. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While the Fund’s service providers have established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber incidents, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect the Fund or its shareholders. As a result, the Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted.
Investment Companies and Exchange Traded Funds
The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies, including money market mutual funds, other mutual funds or exchange traded funds (“ETFs”). The Fund’s investments in money market mutual funds may be used for cash management purposes and to maintain liquidity in order to satisfy redemption requests or pay unanticipated expenses. The Fund limits its investments in securities issued by other investment companies in accordance with the 1940 Act. With certain exceptions, Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act precludes the Fund from acquiring (i) more than 3% of the total outstanding shares of another investment company; (ii) shares of another investment company having an aggregate value in excess of 5% of the value of the total assets of the Fund; or (iii) shares of another registered investment company and all other investment companies having an aggregate value in excess of 10% of the value of the total assets of the Fund (such limits do not apply to investments in money market funds). However, Section 12(d)(1)(F) of the 1940 Act provides that the provisions of paragraph 12(d)(1) shall not apply to securities purchased or otherwise acquired by the Fund if: (i) immediately after such purchase or acquisition not more than 3% of the total outstanding shares of such investment company is owned by the Fund and all affiliated persons of the Fund; and (ii) the Fund has not offered or sold, and is not proposing to offer or sell its shares through a principal underwriter or otherwise at a public offering price that includes a sales load of more than 1 1/2%. Rule 12d1-3 under the 1940 Act provides, however, that the Fund may rely on the Section 12(d)(1)(F) exemption and charge a sales load in excess of 1 1/2% provided the sales load and any service fee charged does not exceed limits set forth in applicable rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).
If the Fund invests in investment companies, including ETFs, pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(F), it must comply with the following voting restrictions: when the Fund exercises voting rights, by proxy or otherwise, with respect to investment companies owned by the Fund, the Fund will either seek instruction from the Fund’s shareholders with regard to the voting of all proxies and vote in accordance with such instructions, or vote the shares held by the Fund in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of the securities of the investment company. In addition, an investment company purchased by the Fund pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(F) shall not be required to redeem its shares in an amount exceeding 1% of such investment company’s total outstanding shares in any period of less than thirty days. To the extent the Fund is unable to redeem such shares within 7 days of a redemption request, the shares will be deemed illiquid and subject to the limitation that the Fund may not invest more than 15% of the value of its net assets, computed at the time of investment, in illiquid investments. In addition to the advisory and operational fees the Fund bears directly in connection with its own operation, the Fund will also bear its pro rata portion of the advisory and operational expenses incurred indirectly through its investments in other investment companies.
The Fund may also rely on Rule 12d1-4 of the 1940 Act, which provides an exemption from Section 12(d)(1) that allows the Fund to invest all of its assets in other registered funds, including ETFs, if the Fund satisfies certain conditions specified in the Rule, including, among other conditions, that the Fund and its advisory group will not control (individually or in the aggregate) an acquired fund (e.g., hold more than 25% of the outstanding voting securities of an acquired fund that is a registered open-end management investment company).
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Exchange-Traded Funds. ETFs are open-end investment companies whose shares are listed on a national securities exchange. An ETF is similar to a traditional mutual fund, but trades at different prices during the day on a security exchange like a stock. Similar to investments in other investment companies discussed above, investments in ETFs will involve duplication of advisory fees and other expenses since the Fund will be investing in another investment company. In addition, the Fund’s investment in ETFs is also subject to its limitations on investments in investment companies discussed above. To the extent the Fund invests in ETFs which focus on a particular market segment or industry, the Fund will also be subject to the risks associated with investing in those sectors or industries. To the extent the Fund invests in inverse ETFs, such investments are subject to the risk that their performance will decline as the value of their benchmark indices rises. The shares of the ETFs in which the Fund will invest will be listed on a national securities exchange and the Fund will purchase or sell these shares on the secondary market at its current market price, which may be more or less than its net asset value (“NAV”) per share.
As a purchaser of ETF shares on the secondary market, the Fund will be subject to the market risk associated with owning any security whose value is based on market price. ETF shares historically have tended to trade at or near their NAV, but there is no guarantee that they will continue to do so. Unlike traditional mutual funds, shares of an ETF may be purchased and redeemed directly from the ETFs only in large blocks (typically 50,000 shares or more) and only through participating organizations that have entered into contractual agreements with the ETF. The Fund does not expect to enter into such agreements and therefore will not be able to purchase and redeem its ETF shares directly from the ETF.
Bonds, Debt and Fixed Income Investments
The Fund may invest in fixed income securities of U.S. and foreign issuers (including issuers located in emerging markets), and derivative instruments that are linked to fixed income securities (collectively, “Fixed Income Investments”). These securities may pay fixed, variable, adjustable or floating rates of interest, and may include zero coupon obligations that do not pay interest until maturity.
The Fund may invest in investment grade and non-investment grade bonds, debt and fixed income obligations. Investment grade debt securities have received a rating from a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (“NRSRO”), like S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) or Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), in one of the four highest rating categories or, if not rated, have been determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality to such rated securities. Non-investment grade debt securities (typically called “junk bonds”) have received a rating from S&P or Moody’s of below investment grade, or have been given no rating and are determined by the Adviser to be of a quality below investment grade. There are no limitations on the maturity or duration of debt securities that may be purchased by the Fund.
Corporate Debt Securities. Corporate debt securities are fixed income securities issued by businesses to finance their operations, although corporate debt instruments may also include bank loans to companies. Notes, bonds, debentures and commercial paper are the most common types of corporate debt securities, with the primary difference being their maturities and secured or unsecured status. Commercial paper has the shortest term and is usually unsecured.
The broad category of corporate debt securities includes debt issued by domestic or foreign companies of all kinds, including those with small-, medium- and large-capitalizations. Corporate debt may be rated investment grade or below investment grade and may carry variable or floating rates of interest.
Because of the wide range of types, and maturities, of corporate debt securities, as well as the range of creditworthiness of its issuers, corporate debt securities have widely varying potentials for return and varying
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risk profiles. For example, commercial paper issued by a large established domestic corporation that is rated investment grade may have a modest return on principal, but carries relatively limited risk. On the other hand, a long-term corporate note issued by a small foreign corporation from an emerging market country that has not been rated may have the potential for relatively large returns on principal, but carries a relatively high degree of risk.
Corporate debt securities carry both credit risk and interest rate risk. Credit risk is the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer of a corporate debt security is unable to pay interest or repay principal when it is due. Some corporate debt securities that are rated below investment grade are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. The credit risk of a particular issuer’s debt security may vary based on its priority for repayment. For example, higher ranking (senior) debt securities have a higher priority than lower ranking (subordinated) securities. This means that the issuer might not make payments on subordinated securities while continuing to make payments on senior securities. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy, holders of higher-ranking senior securities may receive amounts otherwise payable to the holders of more junior securities. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of certain corporate debt securities will tend to fall when interest rates rise. In general, corporate debt securities with longer terms tend to fall more in value when interest rates rise than corporate debt securities with shorter terms.
Unrated Debt Securities. Unrated debt, while not necessarily lower in quality than rated securities, may not have as broad a market. Because of the size and perceived demand for the issue, among other factors, certain issuers may decide not to pay the cost of getting a rating for their debt securities. The creditworthiness of the issuer, as well as any financial institution or other party responsible for payments on the security, will be analyzed by the Adviser to determine whether to purchase unrated bonds for the Fund.
U.S. Government Obligations. The Fund may invest in various types of U.S. Government obligations. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so. As a result, there is a risk that these entities will default on a financial obligation. For instance, securities issued by the Government National Mortgage Association are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. Securities issued by the FNMA and the FHLMC are supported only by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government. In September 2008, at the direction of the U.S. Treasury, FNMA and FHLMC were placed into conservatorship under the FHFA, a newly created independent regulator. The U.S. government also took steps to provide additional financial support to FNMA and FHLMC. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Treasury initiatives with respect to FNMA and FHLMC will be successful. Securities issued by the Student Loan Marketing Association are supported only by the credit of that agency.
Money Market Instruments. The Fund may invest in cash and money market securities. The Fund may do so to “cover” investment techniques, when taking a temporary defensive position or to have assets available to pay expenses, satisfy redemption requests or take advantage of investment opportunities. The money market securities in which the Fund invests may include U.S. Treasury Bills, commercial paper, and commercial paper master notes.
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The Fund may invest in commercial paper or commercial paper master notes rated, at the time of purchase, A-1 or A-2 by Standard & Poor’s Corporation or Prime-1 or Prime-2 by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. Commercial paper master notes are demand instruments without a fixed maturity bearing interest at rates that are fixed to known lending rates and automatically adjusted when such lending rates change.
The Fund may also invest in securities issued by other investment companies that invest in high quality, short-term debt securities (namely, money market instruments). In addition to the advisory fees and other expenses the Fund bears directly in connection with their own operations, as a shareholder of another investment company, the Fund would bear their pro rata portion of the other investment company’s advisory fees and other expenses, and such fees and other expenses will be borne indirectly by the Funds’ shareholders.
High Yield and Other Securities and Loans
The Fund may invest in high yield, high risk, lower-rated debt securities, including convertible securities. Investments in such securities are subject to greater credit risks than higher rated securities. Debt securities rated below investment grade have greater risks of default than investment grade debt securities, including medium grade debt securities, and may in fact, be in default. Issuers of “junk bonds” must offer higher yields to compensate for the greater risk of default on the payment of principal and interest.
The market for high yield securities is subject to substantial volatility. For example, an economic downturn may have a more significant effect on high yield securities and their markets, as well as on the ability of securities issuers to repay principal and interest, than on higher-rated securities and their issuers. Issuers of high yield securities may be of low creditworthiness and the high yield securities may be subordinated to the claims of senior lenders. During periods of economic downturn or rising interest rates the issuers of high yield securities may have greater potential for insolvency and a higher incidence of high yield bond defaults may be experienced.
The prices of high yield securities have been found to be less sensitive to interest rate changes than higher-rated investments but are more sensitive to adverse economic changes or individual corporate developments because of their lower credit quality. During an economic downturn or substantial period of rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers may experience financial stress which would adversely affect their ability to service their principal and interest payment obligations, to meet projected business goals, and to obtain additional financing. Periods of economic uncertainty and changes can be expected to result in increased volatility of market prices of high yield securities and the Fund’s NAV. Yields on high yield securities will fluctuate over time. Furthermore, in the case of high yield securities structured as zero coupon or pay-in-kind securities, their market prices are affected to a greater extent by interest rate changes and thereby tend to be more volatile than market prices of securities which pay interest periodically and in cash.
The secondary market for high yield securities may at times become less liquid or respond to adverse publicity or investor perceptions making it more difficult for the Fund to value accurately high yield securities or dispose of them. To the extent the Fund owns or may acquire illiquid or restricted high yield securities, these securities may involve special registration responsibilities, liabilities and costs, and liquidity difficulties and judgment will play a greater role in valuation because there is less reliable and objective data available.
Special tax considerations are associated with investing in high yield bonds structured as zero coupon or pay-in-kind securities. The Fund will annually report the interest on these securities as income even though it receives no cash interest until the security’s maturity or payment date. Further, the Fund must distribute substantially all of its income to its shareholders to qualify as a RIC under Section 851(a) of the Code. Accordingly, the Fund may have to dispose of its portfolio securities under disadvantageous circumstances to generate cash or may have to borrow to satisfy distribution requirements.
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Credit ratings evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments, not the market value risk of high yield securities. Since credit rating agencies may fail to timely change the credit ratings to reflect subsequent events the Adviser monitors the issuers of high yield convertible securities in the portfolio to determine if the issuers will have sufficient cash flow and profits to meet required principal and interest payments, and to attempt to assure the securities’ liquidity so the Fund can meet redemption requests. To the extent that the Fund invests in high yield securities, the achievement of its investment objective may be more dependent, on the Adviser’s own credit analysis than is the case for higher quality bonds. The Fund may retain a portfolio security whose rating has been changed.
Distressed Securities. The Fund may invest in distressed securities. Distressed investment strategies involve investing in the securities and loans of companies that are in weak financial condition, are experiencing poor operating results, need substantial capital investment, perhaps have a negative net worth, are experiencing special competitive or products obsolescence problems, or are involved in bankruptcy or reorganization proceedings. These investments which involve loans, loan participations, bonds, notes, non-performing and sub-performing mortgage loans typically are unrated, lower-rated, in default or close to default. The securities of highly leveraged companies or companies that have fallen into distress are often mispriced. In an attempt to capture such mispricing, the Fund may take partially offsetting positions in the securities of the distressed issuer. For example, the Fund may take partially offsetting positions in the securities of the distressed issuer. This would involve the Fund purchasing a company’s senior debt securities, while selling short its subordinated debt and/or equity if the Adviser determines that the junior securities are significantly overvalued relative to the senior securities.
Bank Loan Risk
The Fund’s investments in secured and unsecured participations in bank loans and assignments of such loans may create substantial risk. In making investments in such loans, which banks or other financial intermediaries make to borrowers, the Fund will depend primarily upon the creditworthiness of the borrower for payment of principal and interest. If the Fund does not receive scheduled interest or principal payments on such indebtedness, the Fund’s share price could be adversely affected. The Fund may invest in loan participations that are rated by a NRSRO or are unrated, and may invest in loan participations of any credit quality, including “distressed” companies with respect to which there is a substantial risk of losing the entire amount invested. In addition, certain bank loans in which the Fund may invest may have extended settlement periods or may be illiquid and, therefore, difficult to value and/or sell at a price that is beneficial to the Fund.
When the Fund invests in a loan through a purchase of an assignment, the Fund generally assumes all the rights and obligations under the loan agreement and will generally become a “lender” for purposes of the particular loan agreement, however, the rights and obligations acquired by the Fund may be different, and more limited, than those held by the assigning lender. If a secured loan is foreclosed, the Fund may become part owner of any collateral securing the loan and may bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of such collateral. In addition, the liquidation of collateral from a secured loan may not be possible or satisfy the borrower’s obligations under the loan agreement. The Fund could also be subject to liability as a co-lender.
If the Fund purchases a participation interest in a loan, it generally will not have a direct right to enforce compliance with the loan terms by the borrower and must do so through the lender selling the participation. The Fund may also not benefit directly from the collateral, if any, supporting the loan in which it has purchased the participation interest. As a result, the Fund will be exposed to the credit risk of both the borrower and the lender selling the participation.
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Options, Futures and Related Strategies
General. The Fund may use certain options (both traded on an exchange and OTC), futures contracts (sometimes referred to as “futures”), options on futures contracts and swap agreements (collectively, “Financial Instruments”) as a substitute for a comparable market position in the underlying security, to attempt to hedge or limit the exposure of the Fund’s position, to create a synthetic money market position, for certain tax-related purposes and to effect closing transactions.
The use of Financial Instruments is subject to applicable regulations of the SEC, the several exchanges upon which they are traded and the CFTC. In addition, the Fund’s ability to use Financial Instruments will be limited by tax considerations. Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act governs the use of derivatives by registered investment companies. Rule 18f-4 imposes limits on the amount of derivatives a fund can enter into, eliminates the asset segregation and cover framework arising from prior SEC guidance for covering derivatives and certain financial instruments currently used by funds to comply with Section 18 of the 1940 Act and treats derivatives as senior securities. Under Rule 18f-4 a fund’s derivatives exposure is limited through a value-at-risk test. Funds whose use of derivatives is more than a limited specified exposure amount are required to establish and maintain a comprehensive derivatives risk management program, subject to oversight by a fund’s board of trustees, and appoint a derivatives risk manager for purposes of Rule 18f-4.
If the Fund invests in commodity interests, the Adviser will operate the Fund in compliance with the requirements of Rule 4.5 under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”). As a result, the Fund is not deemed to be a “commodity pool” under the CEA and will be limited in its ability to use futures and options on futures or commodities or engage in swap transactions for other than bona fide hedging purposes. Provided the Fund operates within the limits of Rule 4.5 under the CEA, the Adviser will be excluded from the definition of a commodity pool operator (“CPO”) and is thus not required to be registered as a CPO under the CEA. If the Fund was no longer able to claim the exclusion, the Fund, the Adviser, to the extent trading in commodity interests, would be subject to registration and regulation under the CEA.
To the extent the Adviser can no longer rely on the Rule 4.5 exclusion, the impact on the Fund of CFTC requirements is uncertain. CFTC-mandated disclosure, reporting and recordkeeping obligations would apply with respect to the Fund under the CFTC’s harmonization rules for CPOs adopted on August 13, 2013, which seeks to “harmonize” these obligations with overlapping SEC regulations. The effects of these regulatory changes could reduce investment returns or limit the Fund’s ability to implement its investment strategy. Investors in the Fund and its financial advisers should consider whether the Fund’s potential status as a “commodity pool” impacts its operations or status under the CEA in deciding whether to invest in the Fund.
In addition to the instruments, strategies and risks described below and in the Prospectus, the Adviser may discover additional opportunities in connection with Financial Instruments and other similar or related techniques. These new opportunities may become available as the Adviser develops new techniques, as regulatory authorities broaden the range of permitted transactions and as new Financial Instruments or other techniques are developed. The Adviser may utilize these opportunities to the extent that they are consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and permitted by the Fund’s investment limitations and applicable regulatory authorities.
Special Risks. The use of Financial Instruments involves special considerations and risks, certain of which are described below. Risks pertaining to particular Financial Instruments are described in the sections that follow.
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1.Successful use of most Financial Instruments depends upon the Adviser’s ability to predict movements of the overall securities markets, which requires different skills than predicting changes in the prices of individual securities. The ordinary spreads between prices in the cash and futures markets, due to the differences in the natures of those markets, are subject to distortion. Due to the possibility of distortion, a correct forecast of stock market trends by the Adviser may still not result in a successful transaction. The Adviser may be incorrect in its expectations as to the extent of market movements or the time span within which the movements take place, which, thus, may result in the strategy being unsuccessful.
2.Options and futures prices can diverge from the prices of their underlying instruments. Options and futures prices are affected by such factors as current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument and the time remaining until expiration of the contract, which may not affect security prices the same way. Imperfect or no correlation also may result from differing levels of demand in the options and futures markets and the securities markets, from structural differences in how options and futures and securities are traded, and from imposition of daily price fluctuation limits or trading halts.
3.As described below, the Fund might be required to maintain assets as “cover,” maintain segregated accounts or make margin payments when it takes positions in Financial Instruments involving obligations to third parties (e.g., Financial Instruments other than purchased options). If a Fund is unable to close out its positions in such Financial Instruments, it might be required to continue to maintain such assets or accounts or make such payments until the position expired or matured. These requirements might impair the Fund’s ability to sell a portfolio security or make an investment when it would otherwise be favorable to do so or require that the Fund sell a portfolio security at a disadvantageous time. The Fund’s ability to close out a position in a Financial Instrument prior to expiration or maturity depends on the existence of a liquid secondary market or, in the absence of such a market, the ability and willingness of the other party to the transaction (the “counter-party”) to enter into a transaction closing out the position. Therefore, there is no assurance that any position can be closed out at a time and price that is favorable to the Fund.
Losses may arise due to unanticipated market price movements, lack of a liquid secondary market for any particular instrument at a particular time or due to losses from premiums paid by the Fund on options transactions.
Cover. Transactions using Financial Instruments, other than purchased options, expose a Fund to an obligation to another party. The Fund will not enter into any such transactions unless it owns either (1) an offsetting (“covered”) position in securities or other options or futures contracts or (2) cash and liquid assets with a value, marked-to-market daily, sufficient to cover its potential obligations to the extent not covered as provided in (1) above. The Fund will set aside cash or liquid assets in an account with an approved custodian, in the prescribed amount as determined daily to provide cover for these instruments if obligated contractually or otherwise to do so.
Assets used as cover or held in an account cannot be sold while the position in the corresponding Financial Instrument is open, unless they are replaced with other appropriate assets. As a result, the commitment of a large portion of the Fund’s assets to cover accounts could impede portfolio management or the Fund’s ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.
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Options. The value of an option position will reflect, among other things, the current market value of the underlying investment, the time remaining until expiration, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price of the underlying investment and general market conditions. Options that expire unexercised have no value. Options currently are traded on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (“CBOE”), the NYSE Amex and other exchanges, as well as the OTC markets.
By buying a call option on a security, the Fund has the right, in return for the premium paid, to buy the security underlying the option at the exercise price. By writing (selling) a call option and receiving a premium, the Fund becomes obligated during the term of the option to deliver securities underlying the option at the exercise price if the option is exercised. By buying a put option, the Fund has the right, in return for the premium, to sell the security underlying the option at the exercise price. By writing a put option, the Fund becomes obligated during the term of the option to purchase the securities underlying the option at the exercise price.
Because options premiums paid or received by the Fund are small in relation to the market value of the investments underlying the options, buying and selling put and call options can be more speculative than investing directly in securities.
The Fund may effectively terminate its right or obligation under an option by entering into a closing transaction. For example, the Fund may terminate its obligation under a call or put option that it had written by purchasing an identical call or put option. This is known as a closing purchase transaction. Conversely, the Fund may terminate a position in a put or call option it had purchased by writing an identical put or call option. This is known as a closing sale transaction. Closing transactions permit the Fund to realize profits or limit losses on an option position prior to its exercise or expiration.
Risks of Options on Commodities, Currencies and Securities. Exchange-traded options in the United States are issued by a clearing organization affiliated with the exchange on which the option is listed that, in effect, guarantees completion of every exchange-traded option transaction. In contrast, OTC options are contracts between the Fund and its counter-party (usually a securities dealer or a bank) with no clearing organization guarantee. Thus, when the Fund purchases an OTC option, it relies on the counter-party from whom it purchased the option to make or take delivery of the underlying investment upon exercise of the option. Failure by the counter-party to do so would result in the loss of any premium paid by the Fund as well as the loss of any expected benefit of the transaction.
The Fund’s ability to establish and close out positions in exchange-traded options depends on the existence of a liquid market. However, there can be no assurance that such a market will exist at any particular time. Closing transactions can be made for OTC options only by negotiating directly with the counter-party or by a transaction in the secondary market if any such market exists. There can be no assurance that the Fund will in fact be able to close out an OTC option position at a favorable price prior to expiration. In the event of insolvency of the counter-party, the Fund might be unable to close out an OTC option position at any time prior to its expiration.
If the Fund were unable to effect a closing transaction for an option it had purchased, it would have to exercise the option to realize any profit. The inability to enter into a closing purchase transaction for a covered call option written by the Fund could cause material losses because the Fund would be unable to sell the investment used as cover for the written option until the option expires or is exercised.
Options on Indices. An index fluctuates with changes in the market values of the securities included in the index. Options on indices give the holder the right to receive an amount of cash upon exercise of the option.
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Receipt of this cash amount will depend upon the closing level of the index upon which the option is based being greater than (in the case of a call) or less than (in the case of put) the exercise price of the option. Some stock index options are based on a broad market index such as the S&P 500® Index, the NYSE Composite Index or the NYSE Arca Index or on a narrower index such as the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Over-the-Counter Index.
Each of the exchanges has established limitations governing the maximum number of call or put options on the same index that may be bought or written by a single investor, whether acting alone or in concert with others (regardless of whether such options are written on the same or different exchanges or are held or written on one or more accounts or through one or more brokers). Under these limitations, option positions of all investment companies advised by the Adviser are combined for purposes of these limits. Pursuant to these limitations, an exchange may order the liquidation of positions and may impose other sanctions or restrictions. These position limits may restrict the number of listed options that the Fund may buy or sell.
Puts and calls on indices are similar to puts and calls on securities or futures contracts except that all settlements are in cash and gain or loss depends on changes in the index in question rather than on price movements in individual securities or futures contracts. When the Fund writes a call on an index, it receives a premium and agrees that, prior to the expiration date, the purchaser of the call, upon exercise of the call, will receive from the Fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the call is based is greater than the exercise price of the call. The amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the call times a specified multiple (“multiplier”), which determines the total value for each point of such difference. When the Fund buys a call on an index, it pays a premium and has the same rights to such call as are indicated above. When the Fund buys a put on an index, it pays a premium and has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the seller of the put, upon the Fund’s exercise of the put, to deliver to the Fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the put is based is less than the exercise price of the put, which amount of cash is determined by the multiplier, as described above for calls. When the Fund writes a put on an index, it receives a premium and the purchaser of the put has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the Fund to deliver to it an amount of cash equal to the difference between the closing level of the index and the exercise price times the multiplier if the closing level is less than the exercise price.
Risks of Options on Indices. If the Fund has purchased an index option and exercises it before the closing index value for that day is available, it runs the risk that the level of the underlying index may subsequently change. If such a change causes the exercised option to fall out-of-the-money, the Fund will be required to pay the difference between the closing index value and the exercise price of the option (times the applicable multiplier) to the assigned writer.
OTC Options. Unlike exchange-traded options, which are standardized with respect to the underlying instrument, expiration date, contract size and strike price, the terms of OTC options (options not traded on exchanges) generally are established through negotiation with the other party to the option contract. While this type of arrangement allows a Fund great flexibility to tailor the option to its needs, OTC options generally involve greater risk than exchange-traded options, which are guaranteed by the clearing organization of the exchanges where they are traded.
Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. A futures contract obligates the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to take delivery of) the specified security on the expiration date of the contract. An index futures contract obligates the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to take) an amount of cash equal to a specific dollar amount times the difference between the value of a specific index at the close of the last trading day of
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the contract and the price at which the agreement is made. No physical delivery of the underlying securities in the index is made.
When the Fund writes an option on a futures contract, it becomes obligated, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in the futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option. If the Fund writes a call, it assumes a short futures position. If it writes a put, it assumes a long futures position. When the Fund purchases an option on a futures contract, it acquires the right in return for the premium it pays to assume a position in a futures contract (a long position if the option is a call and a short position if the option is a put).
Whether the Fund realizes a gain or loss from futures activities depends upon movements in the underlying security or index. The extent of the Fund’s loss from an unhedged short position in futures contracts or from writing unhedged call options on futures contracts is potentially unlimited. The Fund only purchases and sells futures contracts and options on futures contracts that are traded on a U.S. exchange or board of trade.
No price is paid upon entering into a futures contract. Instead, at the inception of a futures contract the Fund is required to deposit “initial margin” in an amount generally equal to 10% or less of the contract value. Margin also must be deposited when writing a call or put option on a futures contract, in accordance with applicable exchange rules. Unlike margin in securities transactions, initial margin does not represent a borrowing, but rather is in the nature of a performance bond or good-faith deposit that is returned to the Fund at the termination of the transaction if all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Under certain circumstances, such as periods of high volatility, the Fund may be required by an exchange to increase the level of its initial margin payment, and initial margin requirements might be increased generally in the future by regulatory action.
Subsequent “variation margin” payments are made to and from the futures commission merchant daily as the value of the futures position varies, a process known as “marking-to-market.” Variation margin does not involve borrowing, but rather represents a daily settlement of the Fund’s obligations to or from a futures commission merchant. When the Fund purchases an option on a futures contract, the premium paid plus transaction costs is all that is at risk. In contrast, when the Fund purchases or sells a futures contract or writes a call or put option thereon, it is subject to daily variation margin calls that could be substantial in the event of adverse price movements. If the Fund has insufficient cash to meet daily variation margin requirements, it might need to sell securities at a time when such sales are disadvantageous.
Purchasers and sellers of futures contracts and options on futures can enter into offsetting closing transactions, similar to closing transactions in options, by selling or purchasing, respectively, an instrument identical to the instrument purchased or sold. Positions in futures and options on futures contracts may be closed only on an exchange or board of trade that provides a secondary market. However, there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for a particular contract at a particular time. In such event, it may not be possible to close a futures contract or options position.
Under certain circumstances, futures exchanges may establish daily limits on the amount that the price of a futures contract or an option on a futures contract can vary from the previous day’s settlement price. Once that limit is reached, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond the limit. Daily price limits do not limit potential losses because prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive days with little or no trading, thereby preventing liquidation of unfavorable positions.
If a Fund were unable to liquidate a futures contract or an option on a futures position due to the absence of a liquid secondary market or the imposition of price limits, it could incur substantial losses. The Fund would
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continue to be subject to market risk with respect to the position. In addition, except in the case of purchased options, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily variation margin payments and might be required to maintain cash or liquid assets in an account.
Risks of Futures Contracts and Options Thereon. The ordinary spreads between prices in the cash and futures markets (including the options on futures markets), due to differences in the natures of those markets, are subject to the following factors, which may create distortions. First, all participants in the futures market are subject to margin deposit and maintenance requirements. Rather than meeting additional margin deposit requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions, which could distort the normal relationships between the cash and futures markets. Second, the liquidity of the futures market depends on participants entering into offsetting transactions rather than making or taking delivery. To the extent participants decide to make or take delivery, liquidity in the futures market could be reduced, thus producing distortion. Third, from the point of view of speculators, the deposit requirements in the futures market are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities market. Therefore, increased participation by speculators in the futures market may cause temporary price distortions.
Combined Positions. The Fund may purchase and write options in combination with each other. For example, the Fund may purchase a put option and write a call option on the same underlying instrument in order to construct a combined position whose risk and return characteristics are similar to selling a futures contract. Another possible combined position would involve writing a call option at one strike price and buying a call option at a lower price, in order to reduce the risk of the written call option in the event of a substantial price increase. Because combined options positions involve multiple trades, they result in higher transaction costs and may be more difficult to open and close out.
Swap Agreements
The Fund may enter into swap agreements. Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a day to more than one year. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index.
Most swap agreements entered into by the Fund calculate the obligations of the parties to the agreement on a “net basis.” Consequently, the Fund’s current obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement will generally be equal only to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the “net amount”). Payments may be made at the conclusion of a swap agreement or periodically during its term.
Swap agreements do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets. Accordingly, if a swap is entered into on a net basis, if the other party to a swap agreement defaults, the Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any.
The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to a swap agreement entered into on a net basis will be accrued daily and an amount of cash or liquid asset having an aggregate NAV at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained in an account with the Fund’s custodian that satisfies the 1940 Act. The Fund will also establish and maintain such accounts with respect to its total obligations under any swaps that are not entered into on a net basis. Obligations under swap agreements so covered will not be construed to be “senior securities” for purposes of the Fund’s investment restriction concerning senior securities.
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Because they are two-party contracts and may have terms of greater than seven days, swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid for the Fund’s illiquid investment limitations. The Fund will not enter into any swap agreement unless the Adviser believes that the other party to the transaction is creditworthy. The Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty.
The Fund may enter into a swap agreement in circumstances where the Adviser believes that it may be more cost effective or practical than buying the underlying securities or a futures contract or an option on such securities. The counterparty to any swap agreement will typically be a bank, investment banking firm or broker/dealer. The counterparty will generally agree to pay the Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the swap agreement would have increased in value had it been invested in the particular stocks represented in the index, plus the dividends that would have been received on those stocks. The Fund will agree to pay to the counterparty a floating rate of interest on the notional amount of the swap agreement plus the amount, if any, by which the notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in such stocks. Therefore, the return to the Fund on any swap agreement should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends on the stocks less the interest paid by the Fund on the notional amount.
The swap market has grown substantially in recent years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap documentation. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid in comparison with the markets for other similar instruments that are traded in the OTC market. The Adviser, under the supervision of the Board, is responsible for determining and monitoring the liquidity of Fund transactions in swap agreements.
The use of equity swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions.
Fixed Income Securities
The Fund may invest in bonds and other types of debt obligations of U.S. and foreign issuers. These securities, whether of U.S. or foreign issuers, may pay fixed, variable or floating rates of interest, and may include zero coupon obligations, which do not pay interest until maturity. Fixed income securities may include:
•bonds, notes and debentures issued by corporations;
•debt securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities (“U.S. Government Securities”);
•municipal securities;
•mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities; or
•debt securities issued or guaranteed by foreign corporations and foreign governments, their agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions, or by government owned, controlled or sponsored entities, including central banks.
Subject to certain limitations, the Fund may invest in both investment grade and non-investment grade debt securities. Investment grade debt securities have received a rating from nationally recognized statistical rating agencies in one of the four highest rating categories or, if not rated, have been determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality to such rated securities. Non-investment grade debt securities (typically called “junk bonds”) have received a rating from nationally recognized statistical rating agencies of below investment grade, or have been given no rating and are determined by the Adviser to be of a quality below investment grade. The Fund may invest without restriction as to issuer credit quality, capitalization or security maturity.
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Sovereign Debt Obligations
The Fund may purchase sovereign debt instruments issued or guaranteed by foreign governments or their agencies, including debt of developing countries. Sovereign debt may be in the form of conventional securities or other types of debt instruments such as loans or loan participations. Sovereign debt of developing countries may involve a high degree of risk, and may present the risk of default. Governmental entities responsible for repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal and interest when due, and may require renegotiation or rescheduling of debt payments. In addition, prospects for repayment of principal and interest may depend on political as well as economic factors.
Equity-Linked Securities
The Fund may invest in equity-linked securities, including, but not limited to, participation notes, certificates, and equity swaps. Equity-linked securities are privately issued securities whose investment results are designed to correspond generally to the performance of a specified stock index or “basket” of stocks, or a single stock. To the extent that the Fund invests in equity-linked securities whose return corresponds to the performance of a foreign security index or one or more foreign stocks, investing in equity-linked securities will involve risks similar to the risks of investing in foreign securities and subject to the Fund’s restrictions on investments in foreign securities. See “Foreign Securities” and “Foreign Securities Risk” above. In addition, the Fund bears the risk that the counterparty of an equity-linked security may default on its obligations under the security. If the underlying security is determined to be illiquid, the equity-linked security would also be considered illiquid and thus subject to the Fund’s restrictions on investments in illiquid investments.
Participation notes, also known as participation certificates, are issued by banks or broker-dealers and are designed to replicate the performance of foreign companies or foreign securities markets and can be used by a Fund as an alternative means to access the securities market of a country. The performance results of participation notes will not replicate exactly the performance of the foreign companies or foreign securities markets that they seek to replicate due to transaction and other expenses. Investments in participation notes involve the same risks associated with a direct investment in the underlying foreign companies or foreign securities markets that they seek to replicate. There can be no assurance that the trading price of participation notes will equal the underlying value of the foreign companies or foreign securities markets that they seek to replicate. Participation notes are generally traded OTC. Participation notes are subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the broker-dealer or bank that issues them will not fulfill its contractual obligation to complete the transaction with the Fund. Participation notes constitute general unsecured contractual obligations of the banks or broker-dealers that issue them, the counterparty, and the Fund is relying on the creditworthiness of such counterparty and has no rights under a participation note against the issuer of the underlying security. Participation notes involve transaction cost. If the underlying security is determined to be illiquid, participation notes may be illiquid and therefore subject to a Fund’s percentage limitation for investments in illiquid investments. Participation notes offer a return linked to a particular underlying equity, debt or currency.
Equity swaps allow the parties to a swap agreement to exchange the dividend income or other components of return on an equity investment (for example, a group of equity securities or an index) for a component of return on another non-equity or equity investment. An equity swap may be used by the Fund to invest in a market without owning or taking physical custody of securities in circumstances in which direct investment may be restricted for legal reasons or is otherwise deemed impractical or disadvantageous. Equity swaps may also be used for hedging purposes or to seek to increase total return. The Fund’s ability to enter into certain swap transactions may be limited by tax considerations. The counterparty to an equity swap contract will typically be a bank, investment banking firm or broker/dealer.
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Equity swap contracts may be structured in different ways. For example, a counterparty may agree to pay a Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the equity swap contract would have increased in value had it been invested in particular stocks (or an index of stocks), plus the dividends that would have been received on those stocks. In these cases, the Fund may agree to pay to the counterparty a floating rate of interest on the notional amount of the equity swap contract plus the amount, if any, by which that notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in such stocks. Therefore, the return to the Fund on the equity swap contract should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends on the stocks less the interest paid by the Fund on the notional amount. In other cases, the counterparty and the Fund may each agree to pay the other the difference between the relative investment performances that would have been achieved if the notional amount of the equity swap contract had been invested in different stocks (or indices of stocks). The Fund will generally enter into equity swaps on a net basis, which means that the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Payments may be made at the conclusion of an equity swap contract or periodically during its term.
Equity swaps are derivatives and their value can be very volatile. Equity swaps normally do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to equity swaps is normally limited to the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the counterparty to an equity swap defaults, the Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive. Due to the fact that some swap agreements have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate, or index can result in a loss substantially greater than the cost of the underlying asset without the use of leverage. In addition, the value of some components of an equity swap (such as the dividends on a common stock) may also be sensitive to changes in interest rates. To the extent that the Adviser does not accurately analyze and predict the potential relative fluctuation of the components swapped with another party, the Fund may suffer a loss. Since equity swaps are normally illiquid, the Fund may be unable to terminate its obligations when desired. When entering into swap contracts, the Fund must “set aside” liquid assets, or engage in other appropriate measures to “cover” its obligation under the swap contract.
Inasmuch as these transactions are entered into for hedging purposes or are offset by segregated cash or liquid assets to cover the Fund’s exposure, the Fund and the Adviser believe that transactions do not constitute senior securities under the 1940 Act and, accordingly, will not treat them as being subject to the Fund’s borrowing restrictions.
Use of Options
The Fund may purchase call and put options on securities to seek capital growth or for hedging purposes. The Fund may also write and sell covered call and put options and purchase and write options on stock indices (such as the S&P 500® Index) listed on domestic or foreign securities exchanges or traded in the OTC market for hedging purposes.
An option on a security provides the purchaser, or “holder,” with the right, but not the obligation, to purchase, in the case of a “call” option, or sell, in the case of a “put” option, the security or securities underlying the option, for a fixed exercise price up to a stated expiration date. The holder pays a non-refundable purchase price for the option, known as the “premium.” The maximum amount of risk the purchaser of the option assumes is equal to the premium plus related transaction costs, although the entire amount may be lost. The risk of the seller, or “writer,” however, is potentially unlimited, unless the option is “covered,” which is generally accomplished through the writer’s ownership of the underlying security, in the case of a call option, or the writer’s segregation of an amount of cash or securities equal to the exercise price, in the case of a put option. If the writer’s obligation is not covered, it is subject to the risk of the full change in value of the underlying security from the time the option is written until exercise.
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Options on securities which have been purchased or written may be closed out prior to exercise or expiration by entering into an offsetting transaction on the exchange on which the initial position was established, subject to the availability of a liquid secondary market.
Options on securities and options on indices of securities, discussed below, are traded on national securities exchanges, such as the Chicago Board Options Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”), which are regulated by the SEC. The Options Clearing Corporation guarantees the performance of each party to an exchange-traded option, by in effect taking the opposite side of each such option. Options on securities and indices purchased and written by the Fund may be traded on NASDAQ rather than on an exchange. Any options not traded on an exchange must be effected with primary government securities dealers recognized by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
An option position in an exchange-traded option may be closed out only on an exchange which provides a secondary market for an option of the same series. Although the Fund will generally purchase or write only those options for which there appears to be an active secondary market, there is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an exchange will exist for any particular option at any particular time.
Reasons for the potential absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options or underlying securities; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or a clearing corporation may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume or (vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options) in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in the class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options on that exchange which had been issued by a clearing corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms. There is no assurance that higher than anticipated trading activity or other unforeseen events might not, at a particular time, render certain of the facilities of any of the clearing corporations inadequate and thereby result in the institution by an exchange of special procedures which may interfere with the timely execution of customers’ orders. However, the Options Clearing Corporation, based on forecasts provided by the U.S. exchanges, believes that its facilities are adequate to handle the volume of reasonably anticipated options transactions, and such exchanges have advised such clearing corporation that they believe their facilities will also be adequate to handle reasonably anticipated volume.
The Fund may also invest in so-called “synthetic” options or other options and derivative instruments written by broker-dealers, including options on baskets of specified securities. Synthetic options transactions involve the use of two financial instruments that, together, have the economic effect of an options transaction. The risks of synthetic options are generally similar to the risks of actual options, with the addition of increased market risk, liquidity risk, counterparty credit risk, legal risk and operations risk.
Options transactions may be effected on domestic and foreign securities exchanges or in the OTC market. Options positions may be of the American or the European variety. An American style option may be exercised by the holder at any time after it is purchased until it expires. A European style option may be exercised only on its expiration date. When options are purchased OTC, the Fund bears the risk that the counterparty that wrote the option will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the option contract. In addition, the Fund may have difficulty closing out its positions in OTC and synthetic options,
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which could result in losses to the Fund. OTC option positions and various derivative instruments may be illiquid and, in such cases are subject to the limitations on the purchase of illiquid investments by the Fund.
Temporary Strategies; Cash or Similar Investments
During periods of adverse market or economic conditions, or when, in the opinion of the Adviser, certain abnormal or extraordinary circumstances exist, including periodic episodes where certain issuers call a portion of the Fund’s portfolio and the Adviser is unable to locate eligible portfolio securities in which to invest, the Fund may, as a temporary or defensive measure, invest all or a substantial portion of its assets in high quality, fixed income securities, money market instruments, or cash or cash equivalents, including investment grade short-term obligations. Investment grade obligations include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, as well as securities rated in one of the four highest rating categories by at least two nationally recognized statistical rating organizations rating that security. The Fund will not be pursuing its investment objectives in these circumstances. Furthermore, to the extent that the Fund invests in money market mutual funds for its cash position, there will be some duplication of expenses because the Fund would bear its pro rata portion of such money market funds’ management fees and operational expenses.
For longer periods of time, the Fund may hold a substantial cash position. If the market advances during periods when the Fund is holding a large cash position, that Fund may not participate to the extent it would have if the Fund had been more fully invested, and this may result in the Fund not achieving its investment objective during that period. To the extent that the Fund uses a money market fund for its cash position, there will be some duplication of expenses because the Fund would bear its pro rata portion of such money market fund’s advisory fees and operational expenses.
The Fund may experience periods of heavy redemptions that could cause the Fund to liquidate its assets at inopportune times or at a loss or depressed value, particularly during periods of declining or illiquid markets. This risk is greater to the extent that the Fund has investors with large shareholdings, short investment horizons, or unpredictable cash flow needs. In addition, redemption risk is heightened during periods of overall market turmoil. If the Fund is forced to liquidate its assets under unfavorable conditions or at inopportune times, the Fund’s value could decline.
The Fund may invest in any of the following securities and instruments:
Bank Certificates of Deposit, Bankers’ Acceptances and Time Deposits. The Fund may acquire certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and time deposits. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return. Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are “accepted” by a bank, meaning in effect that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity. Certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances acquired by the Fund will be dollar denominated obligations of domestic or foreign banks or financial institutions which at the time of purchase have capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100 million (including assets of both domestic and foreign branches), based on latest published reports, or less than $100 million if the principal amount of such bank obligations are fully insured by the U.S. Government. If the Fund holds instruments of foreign banks or financial institutions, it may be subject to additional investment risks that are different in some respects from those incurred by a fund that invests only in debt obligations of U.S. domestic issuers. See “Foreign Investments” above. Such risks include future political and economic developments, the possible imposition of withholding taxes by the particular country in which the issuer is located on interest income payable on the securities, the possible seizure or nationalization of foreign
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deposits, the possible establishment of exchange controls or the adoption of other foreign governmental restrictions which might adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on these securities.
Domestic banks and foreign banks are subject to different governmental regulations with respect to the amount and types of loans which may be made and interest rates which may be charged. In addition, the profitability of the banking industry depends largely upon the availability and cost of funds for the purpose of financing lending operations under prevailing money market conditions. General economic conditions as well as exposure to credit losses arising from possible financial difficulties of borrowers play an important part in the operations of the banking industry.
As a result of federal and state laws and regulations, domestic banks are, among other things, required to maintain specified levels of reserves, limited in the amount which they can loan to a single borrower, and subject to other regulations designed to promote financial soundness. However, such laws and regulations do not necessarily apply to foreign bank obligations that the Fund may acquire.
In addition to purchasing certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances, to the extent permitted under the Fund’s investment objective and policies stated above and in its Prospectus, the Fund may make interest bearing time or other interest bearing deposits in commercial or savings banks. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained at a banking institution for a specified period of time at a specified interest rate.
Savings Association Obligations. The Fund may invest in certificates of deposit (interest bearing time deposits) issued by savings banks or savings and loan associations that have capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100 million, based on latest published reports, or less than $100 million if the principal amount of such obligations is fully insured by the U.S. Government.
Commercial Paper, Short Term Notes and Other Corporate Obligations. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in commercial paper and short term notes. Commercial paper consists of unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations. Issues of commercial paper and short term notes will normally have maturities of less than nine months and fixed rates of return, although such instruments may have maturities of up to one year.
Commercial paper and short term notes will consist of issues rated at the time of purchase “A-2” or higher by S&P, “Prime-1” by Moody’s, or similarly rated by another NRSRO or, if unrated, will be determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality.
Temporary Investments
The Fund may take temporary defensive measures that are inconsistent with the Fund’s normal fundamental or non-fundamental investment limitations and strategies in response to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions as determined by the Adviser. Such measures include investments in (1) highly liquid short-term fixed income securities issued by or on behalf of municipal or corporate issuers, obligations of the U.S. Government and its agencies, commercial paper and bank certificates of deposit; (2) shares of other investment companies which have investment objectives consistent with those of the Fund; (3) repurchase agreements involving any such securities; and (4) money market funds or other money market instruments. There is no limit on the extent to which the Fund may take temporary defensive measures. In taking such measures, the Fund may fail to achieve its investment objective.
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Investment Restrictions
Fundamental Investment Restrictions
The Trust (on behalf of the Fund) has adopted the following restrictions as fundamental policies, which may not be changed without the affirmative vote of the holders of a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” of the Fund, as defined under the 1940 Act. Under the 1940 Act, the vote of the holders of a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” means the vote of the holders of the lesser of (i) 67% of the shares of the Fund represented at a meeting at which the holders of more than 50% of its outstanding shares are represented; or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.
The Fund may not:
1.Borrow money or issue senior securities (as defined under the 1940 Act), except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act;
2.Act as underwriter (except to the extent the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter in connection with the sale of securities in its investment portfolio);
3.Concentrate its investments (i.e., invest 25% or more of its net assets, calculated at the time of purchase and taken at market value), in securities of issuers in any one industry. For purposes of this limitation, (i) securities of other investment companies; (ii) securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and/or interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities and tax-exempt securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities, (iii) repurchase agreements collateralized by the instruments described in clause (ii) and (iv) securities of SPACs, are not considered to be issued by members of any industry;
4.Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities (although the Fund may purchase and sell securities that are secured by real estate and securities of companies that invest or deal in real estate);
5.Purchase or sell commodities, unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments and provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from engaging in transactions involving currencies and futures contracts and options thereon or investing in securities or other instruments that are secured by commodities; or
6.Make loans, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act.
In determining its compliance with the fundamental investment restriction on concentration, the Fund will look through to the underlying holdings of any affiliated investment company and will consider its entire investment in any investment company with a policy to concentrate, or having otherwise disclosed that it is concentrated, in a particular industry or group of related industries as being invested in such industry or group of related industries. In determining its compliance with the fundamental investment restriction on concentration, the Fund will also look through to the user or use of private activity municipal bonds to determine their industry.
Except with respect to the limitation on borrowing, if the Fund is in compliance with a percentage or rating
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restriction on investment or use of assets set forth herein or in the Prospectus at the time that a transaction is effected, later changes in percentage resulting from any cause other than actions by the Fund will not be considered a violation.
In addition, the Fund is a “diversified” investment company within the meaning of the 1940 Act. The Fund commenced operations as a non-diversified fund, but is now classified as diversified. Therefore, in addition to the fundamental investment restrictions above, except with the approval of a majority of the outstanding voting securities, the Fund may not, with respect to 75% of its total assets, purchase the securities of any one issuer if, immediately after and as a result of such purchase, (a) the value of the Fund’s holdings in the securities of such issuer exceeds 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets, or (b) the Fund owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer (with the exception that this restriction does not apply to the Fund’s investments in the securities of the U.S. government, or its agencies or instrumentalities, or other investment companies).
Exchange Listing and Trading
Shares are listed for trading and trade throughout the day on the Exchange.
There can be no assurance that the Fund will continue to meet the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove Shares from the listing under any of the following circumstances: (i) the Exchange becomes aware that the Fund is no longer eligible to operate in reliance on Rule 6c-11 of the 1940 Act; (ii) the Fund no longer complies with the Exchange’s requirements for Shares; or (iii) 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 Shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
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 Fund.
Management of the Fund
Board of Trustees
The management and affairs of the Fund are supervised by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees consists of six individual Trustees (each, a “Trustee,” and collectively, the “Trustees”). The Trustees are fiduciaries for the Fund’s shareholders and are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware in this regard. The Board of Trustees establishes policies for the operation of the Fund and appoints the officers who conduct the daily business of the Fund.
Trustees and Officers
The Trustees and the officers of the Trust are listed below with their addresses, present positions with the Trust and principal occupations over at least the last five years.
| Name, Address and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with the Trust | Term of Office and Year Service Began | Number of Portfolios in the Trust Overseen by Trustee | Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years | Other Directorships Held by Trustee During the Past Five Years | ||||||||||||
| Independent Trustees | |||||||||||||||||
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| Name, Address and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with the Trust | Term of Office and Year Service Began | Number of Portfolios in the Trust Overseen by Trustee | Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years | Other Directorships Held by Trustee During the Past Five Years | ||||||||||||
| Michael D. Akers, Ph.D. 615 E. Michigan St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 Year of Birth: 1955 | Trustee | Indefinite Term; Since August 22, 2001 | 31 | Professor Emeritus, Department of Accounting (June 2019-present), Marquette University. | Independent Trustee, USA MUTUALS (an open-end investment company) (2001-2021). | ||||||||||||
| Gary A. Drska 615 E. Michigan St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 Year of Birth: 1956 | Trustee | Indefinite Term; Since August 22, 2001 | 31 | Retired; Former Pilot, Frontier/Midwest Airlines, Inc. (airline company) (1986-2021). | Independent Trustee, USA MUTUALS (an open-end investment company) (2001-2021). | ||||||||||||
| Vincent P. Lyles 615 E. Michigan St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 Year of Birth: 1961 | Trustee | Indefinite Term; Since April 6, 2022 | 31 | Executive Director, Milwaukee Succeeds (education advocacy organization) (2023-present); System Vice President of Community Relations, Advocate Aurora Health Care (health care provider) (2019-2022). | Independent Director, BMO Funds, Inc. (an open-end investment company) (2017-2022). | ||||||||||||
| Erik K. Olstein 615 E. Michigan St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 Year of Birth: 1967 | Trustee Chairperson | Indefinite Term; Since April 6, 2022 Three Year Term; Since April 18, 2025 | 31 | Retired; President and Chief Operating Officer, Olstein Capital Management, L.P. (asset management firm) (2000-2020). | N/A | ||||||||||||
| Lisa Zúñiga Ramírez 615 E. Michigan St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 Year of Birth: 1969 | Trustee | Indefinite Term; Since April 6, 2022 | 31 | Retired; Principal and Senior Portfolio Manager, Segall, Bryant & Hamill, LLC (asset management firm) (2018-2020). | Director, Peoples Financial Services Corp. (a publicly-traded bank holding company) (2022-present); Director, Century Communities, Inc. (a publicly-traded homebuilding company) (2023-present). | ||||||||||||
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| Name, Address and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with the Trust | Term of Office and Year Service Began | Number of Portfolios in the Trust Overseen by Trustee | Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years | Other Directorships Held by Trustee During the Past Five Years | ||||||||||||
| Gregory M. Wesley 615 E. Michigan St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 Year of Birth: 1969 | Trustee | Indefinite Term; Since April 6, 2022 | 31 | President and Chief Executive Officer, Greater Milwaukee Foundation (2024-present); Senior Vice President of Strategic Alliances and Business Development, Medical College of Wisconsin (2016-2024). | N/A | ||||||||||||
| Officers | |||||||||||||||||
| Jennifer A. Lima 615 E. Michigan St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 Year of Birth: 1974 | President and Principal Executive Officer | Indefinite Term; Since April 18, 2025 | N/A | Vice President, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (2002-present). | N/A | ||||||||||||
| Kelly A. Strauss 615 E. Michigan St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 Year of Birth: 1987 | Vice President, Treasurer, Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer | Indefinite Term; Since April 18, 2025 | N/A | Assistant Vice President, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (2011-present). | N/A | ||||||||||||
| Deanna B. Marotz 615 E. Michigan St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 Year of Birth: 1965 | Chief Compliance Officer, Vice President and Anti-Money Laundering Officer | Indefinite Term; Since October 21, 2021 | N/A | Senior Vice President, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (2021-present); Chief Compliance Officer, Keeley-Teton Advisors, LLC and Teton Advisors, Inc (2017-2021). | N/A | ||||||||||||
| Jay S. Fitton 615 E. Michigan St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 Year of Birth: 1970 | Secretary | Indefinite Term; Since July 22, 2019 | N/A | Vice President, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (2019-present). | N/A | ||||||||||||
| Laura A. Carroll 615 E. Michigan St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 Year of Birth: 1985 | Assistant Treasurer | Indefinite Term; Since August 20, 2018 | N/A | Assistant Vice President, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (2007-present). | N/A | ||||||||||||
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| Name, Address and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with the Trust | Term of Office and Year Service Began | Number of Portfolios in the Trust Overseen by Trustee | Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years | Other Directorships Held by Trustee During the Past Five Years | ||||||||||||
| Julie A. Keller 615 E. Michigan St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 Year of Birth: 1966 | Assistant Treasurer | Indefinite Term; Since February 28, 2025 | N/A | Assistant Vice President, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (2004-present). | N/A | ||||||||||||
| Marissa J. Pawlinski 615 E. Michigan St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 Year of Birth: 1996 | Assistant Secretary | Indefinite Term; Since January 18, 2024 | N/A | Assistant Vice President, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (since 2023); Regulatory Administration Attorney, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (since 2022); Judicial Law Clerk, Milwaukee County Circuit Court (2021-2022) | N/A | ||||||||||||
Role of the Board
The Board of Trustees provides oversight of the management and operations of the Trust. Like all funds, the day-to-day responsibility for the management and operation of the Trust is the responsibility of various service providers to the Trust and its individual series, such as the Adviser, Distributor (defined below), Custodian (defined below), and the Fund’s administrator and transfer agent, each of which are discussed in greater detail in this SAI. The Board approves all significant agreements with the Adviser, Distributor, Custodian, and the Fund’s administrator and transfer agent. The Board has appointed various individuals of certain of these service providers as officers of the Trust, with responsibility to monitor and report to the Board on the Trust’s day-to-day operations. In conducting this oversight, the Board receives regular reports from these officers and service providers regarding the Trust’s operations. The Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) who reports directly to the Board and who administers the Trust’s compliance program and regularly reports to the Board as to compliance matters, including an annual compliance review. Some of these reports are provided as part of formal Board meetings, which are generally held five times per year, and at such other times as the Board determines is necessary, and involve the Board’s review of recent Trust operations. From time to time, one or more members of the Board may also meet with Trust officers in less formal settings, between formal Board meetings, to discuss various topics. In all cases, however, the role of the Board and of any individual Trustee is one of oversight and not of management of the day-to-day affairs of the Trust and its oversight role does not make the Board a guarantor of the Trust’s investments, operations or activities.
Board Leadership Structure
The Board has structured itself in a manner that it believes allows it to perform its oversight function effectively. The Board is composed of six Independent Trustees – Dr. Michael D. Akers, Gary A. Drska, Vincent P. Lyles, Erik K. Olstein, Lisa Zúñiga Ramírez and Gregory M. Wesley. The Trust does not have a
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Trustee that is an “interested person” (as defined by the 1940 Act) of the Trust (the “Interested Trustee”). Accordingly, all of the members of the Board are Independent Trustees, Trustees who are not affiliated with the Adviser or its affiliates, or any other investment adviser or service provider to the Trust or any underlying fund. The Board of Trustees has established two standing committees, an Audit Committee and a Nominating Committee, which are discussed in greater detail under “Board Committees” below. Each of the Audit Committee and the Nominating Committee is composed entirely of Independent Trustees. The Independent Trustees have engaged their own independent counsel to advise them on matters relating to their responsibilities in connection with the Trust.
The Trust’s Chairperson, Erik K. Olstein, is an Independent Trustee.
In accordance with the fund governance standards prescribed under the 1940 Act, the Independent Trustees on the Nominating Committee select and nominate all candidates for Independent Trustee positions. Each Trustee was appointed to serve on the Board of Trustees because of his or her experience, qualifications, attributes and skills as set forth in the subsection “Trustee Qualifications” below.
The Board reviews its structure regularly in light of the characteristics and circumstances of the Trust, including the unaffiliated nature of each investment adviser and the funds managed by such adviser; the number of funds that comprise the Trust; the variety of asset classes that those funds reflect; the net assets of the Trust; the committee structure of the Trust; and the independent distribution arrangements of each of the Trust’s underlying funds.
The Board has determined that the function and composition of the Audit Committee and the Nominating Committee are appropriate to address any potential conflicts of interest that may arise. In addition, the inclusion of all Independent Trustees as members of the Audit Committee and the Nominating Committee allows these Trustees to participate in the full range of the Board’s oversight duties, including oversight of risk management processes discussed below. Given the specific characteristics and circumstances of the Trust as described above, the Trust has determined that the Board’s leadership structure is appropriate.
Board Oversight of Risk Management
As part of its oversight function, the Board receives and reviews various risk management reports and assessments and discusses these matters with appropriate management and other personnel, including personnel of the Trust’s service providers. Because risk management is a broad concept composed of many elements (such as, for example, investment risk, issuer and counterparty risk, compliance risk, operational risk, business continuity risk, etc.) the oversight of different types of risks is handled in different ways. For example, the CCO regularly reports to the Board during Board meetings and meets in executive session with the Independent Trustees and their legal counsel to discuss compliance and operational risks. In addition, the Independent Trustees designated as the Audit Committee’s “audit committee financial experts” meet with the Treasurer and the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm to discuss, among other things, the internal control structure of the Trust’s financial reporting function. The full Board receives reports from the investment advisers to the underlying funds and the portfolio managers as to investment risks as well as other risks that may be discussed during Audit Committee meetings.
Trustee Qualifications
The Board believes that each of the Trustees has the qualifications, experience, attributes and skills appropriate to his or her continued service as a Trustee of the Trust in light of the Trust’s business and structure. The Trustees have substantial business and professional backgrounds that indicate they have the ability to critically review, evaluate and assess information provided to them. Certain of these business and
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professional experiences are set forth in detail in the table above. In addition, the Trustees have substantial board experience and, in their service to the Trust, have gained substantial insight as to the operation of the Trust. The Board annually conducts a “self-assessment” wherein the effectiveness of the Board and the individual Trustees is reviewed.
In addition to the information provided in the table above, below is certain additional information concerning each individual Trustee. The information provided below, and in the table above, is not all-inclusive. Many of the Trustees’ qualifications to serve on the Board involve intangible elements, such as intelligence, integrity, work ethic, the ability to work together, the ability to communicate effectively, the ability to exercise judgment, the ability to ask incisive questions, and commitment to shareholder interests. In conducting its annual self-assessment, the Board has determined that the Trustees have the appropriate attributes and experience to continue to serve effectively as Trustees of the Trust.
Michael D. Akers, Ph.D., CPA. Dr. Akers has served as an Independent Trustee of the Trust since 2001. Dr. Akers previously served as an independent trustee of USA Mutuals, an open-end investment company, from 2001 to June 2021. Dr. Akers has been a Professor Emeritus, Department of Accounting at Marquette University since June 2019, was Professor, Department of Accounting at Marquette University from 2004 to May 2019, was Chair of the Department of Accounting at Marquette University from 2004 to 2017, and was Associate Professor, Department of Accounting at Marquette University from 1996 to 2004. Dr. Akers is a certified public accountant, a certified fraud examiner, a certified internal auditor and a certified management accountant. Through his experience as an investment company trustee and his employment experience, Dr. Akers is experienced with financial, accounting, regulatory and investment matters.
Gary A. Drska. Mr. Drska has served as an Independent Trustee of the Trust since 2001. Mr. Drska previously served as an independent trustee of USA Mutuals from 2001 to June 2021. Mr. Drska previously served as a Pilot of Frontier/Midwest Airlines, Inc., an airline company, from 1986 to September 2021. Through his experience as an investment company trustee, Mr. Drska is experienced with financial, accounting, regulatory and investment matters.
Vincent P. Lyles. Mr. Lyles has served as an Independent Trustee of the Trust since 2022. Mr. Lyles has served as Executive Director of Milwaukee Succeeds since January 2023. He previously served as System Vice President of Community Relations at Advocate Aurora Health Care from 2019 to 2022. He served as an Independent Director of BMO Funds, Inc., an open-end investment company, from 2017 to 2022. Mr. Lyles is a board member and finance committee member of Badger Mutual Insurance Company and a Trustee and member of the Committee of Student Experience & Mission on the Board of Trustees at Marquette University. Mr. Lyles previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee from 2012 to 2018, President of M&I Community Development Corporation from 2006 to 2011, and as a Director of Public Finance of Robert W. Baird & Co. from 1995 to 2006. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School in 1987. Through his experience as an investment company trustee and his employment experience, Mr. Lyles is experienced with legal, financial, accounting, regulatory and investment matters.
Erik K. Olstein. Mr. Olstein has served as an Independent Trustee of the Trust since 2022 and Chairperson since 2025. Mr. Olstein served as President and Chief Operating Officer from 2000 to 2020 and Vice President of Sales and Chief Operating Officer from 1995 to 2000 at Olstein Capital Management, L.P., an asset management firm he co-founded. During his time at Olstein Capital Management, L.P., Mr. Olstein was responsible for fiduciary oversight and management of The Olstein Funds, an open-end investment company, where he served as Trustee, Secretary and Assistant Treasurer from 1995 to 2018. Mr. Olstein currently serves as President and Trustee of the Board of Trustees of the Trinity-Pawling School and has previously
37
held Board positions with the American Friends of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, National Maritime Historical Society and U.S. Naval Service Personal Education Assistance Fund. Through his experience as an investment company trustee and his employment experience, Mr. Olstein is experienced with financial, accounting, regulatory and investment matters.
Lisa Zúñiga Ramírez, CFA®, FSA. Ms. Ramírez has served as an Independent Trustee of the Trust since 2022. Ms. Ramírez has served on the Board of Directors of Peoples Financial Services Corp., a publicly-traded bank holding company, since 2022, and on the Board of Directors of Century Communities, Inc., a publicly-traded homebuilding company, since 2023. Ms. Ramírez served as Senior Portfolio Manager at Segall Bryant & Hamill, LLC, an asset management firm, from 2018 to 2020. She served as Partner and Senior Portfolio Manager from 2009 to 2018, Partner and Senior Equity Analyst from 2002 to 2009 and Equity Analyst from 1997 to 2002 at Denver Investments, LLC, an asset management firm that was acquired by Segall Bryant & Hamill, LLC in 2018. Ms. Ramírez currently serves as an Independent Director on the Bow River Capital Advisory Board, an asset management firm, and is a Director of the Denver Employees Retirement Plan. In addition, she serves on the boards of The Denver Foundation, NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors) Colorado Chapter, the Boettcher Foundation and Vuela for Health. Ms. Ramírez is a CFA® charterholder (CFA® is a registered trademark owned by the CFA Institute) and holds the Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting (FSA) credential from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board. Through her employment experience, Ms. Ramírez is experienced with financial, accounting, ESG (environmental, social and governance), regulatory and investment matters.
Gregory M. Wesley. Mr. Wesley has served as an Independent Trustee of the Trust since 2022. Mr. Wesley has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation since 2024. Prior to his current role at the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, he was Senior Vice President of Strategic Alliances and Business Development at the Medical College of Wisconsin from 2016 to 2024. Prior to his role at the Medical College of Wisconsin, he was a Partner at MWH Law Group LLP, a law firm during 2016, and a Partner at Gonzalez, Saggio & Harlan LLP, a law firm from 2002 to 2016. Mr. Wesley serves on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, MHS Health Wisconsin, Versiti, Inc., and the Greater Milwaukee Committee. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Johnson Foundation at Wingspread. He previously sat on the Board of Trustees of the Medical College of Wisconsin from 2009 to 2016, the Board of Directors of Park Bank Milwaukee from 2015 to 2020, and the Board of Trustees of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation from 2016 to 2024. Mr. Wesley received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School in 1997. Through his sustained employment and board experience, Mr. Wesley is experienced with legal, financial, accounting, regulatory and investment matters.
Trustee Ownership of Shares
As of December 31, 2025, the following Trustees beneficially owned shares of certain series of the Trust as follows. No other Trustee or officer of the Trust beneficially owned shares of the Fund or any other series of the Trust.
| Trustee | Dollar Range of Shares Owned in the Fund | Aggregate Dollar Range of Shares Owned of Series in the Trust | ||||||
| Lisa Zúñiga Ramírez | None | Over $100,000 | ||||||
| Gregory M. Wesley | None | $10,001–$50,000 | ||||||
Furthermore, as of December 31, 2025, neither the Independent Trustees nor members of their immediate families, owned securities beneficially or of record in the Adviser, the Distributor, or an affiliate of the Adviser or the Distributor. Accordingly, neither the Independent Trustees nor members of their immediate
38
families, have a direct or indirect interest, the value of which exceeds $120,000, in the Adviser, the Distributor or any of their affiliates. In addition, during the two most recently completed calendar years, neither the Independent Trustees nor members of their immediate families had a direct or indirect interest, the value of which exceeds $120,000 in (i) the Adviser, the Distributor or any of their affiliates; (ii) any transaction or relationship in which such entity, the Fund, the Trust, any officer of the Trust, the Adviser, the Distributor, or any of their affiliates was a party; or (iii) any other relationship related to payments for property or services to the Fund, the Trust, any officer of the Trust, the Adviser, the Distributor, or any of their affiliates.
Board Committees
Audit Committee. The Trust has an Audit Committee, which is composed of the Independent Trustees, Dr. Michael D. Akers, Mr. Gary A. Drska, Mr. Vincent P. Lyles, Mr. Erik K. Olstein, Ms. Lisa Zúñiga Ramírez and Mr. Gregory M. Wesley. The Audit Committee reviews financial statements and other audit-related matters for the Fund. The Audit Committee also holds discussions with management and with the Fund’s independent auditor concerning the scope of the audit and the auditor’s independence. Ms. Ramírez, the designated Audit Committee chair, and Dr. Akers serve as the Audit Committee’s “audit committee financial experts,” as stated in the annual reports relating to the series of the Trust. During the Fund’s past fiscal year, the Audit Committee met two times with respect to the Fund.
Nominating Committee. The Trust has a Nominating Committee, which is composed of the Independent Trustees, Dr. Michael D. Akers, Mr. Gary A. Drska, Mr. Vincent P. Lyles, Mr. Erik K. Olstein, Ms. Lisa Zúñiga Ramírez and Mr. Gregory M. Wesley. The Nominating Committee is responsible for seeking and reviewing candidates for consideration as nominees for the position of trustee and meets only as necessary. As part of this process, the Nominating Committee considers criteria for selecting candidates sufficient to identify a diverse group of qualified individuals to serve as trustees.
The Nominating Committee will consider nominees recommended by shareholders for vacancies on the Board of Trustees. Recommendations for consideration by the Nominating Committee should be sent to the President of the Trust in writing together with the appropriate biographical information concerning each such proposed nominee, and such recommendation must comply with the notice provisions set forth in the Trust’s Nominating Committee Charter. In general, to comply with such procedures, such nominations, together with all required information, must be delivered to and received by the President of the Trust at the principal executive office of the Trust not later than 60 days prior to the shareholder meeting at which any such nominee would be voted on. Shareholder recommendations for nominations to the Board of Trustees will be accepted on an ongoing basis and such recommendations will be kept on file for consideration when there is a vacancy on the Board of Trustees. During the Fund’s past fiscal year, the Nominating Committee met once.
Trustee Compensation
The Independent Trustee fees are paid to the Trust by the Adviser under the Fund’s unitary fee structure. These fees are not paid by the Fund. Effective January 1, 2026, the Independent Trustees receive from the Trust an annual retainer of $120,000(1), $7,500(1) for each regular Board meeting attended and $1,000 for each special Board meeting attended, as well as reimbursement for expenses incurred in connection with attendance at Board meetings. Members of the Audit Committee receive $2,000 for each meeting of the Audit Committee attended. The chair of the Audit Committee receives an annual retainer of $10,000(1). Effective April 18, 2025, the chair of the Trust receives an annual retainer of $10,000. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, the Trustees received the following compensation from the Adviser:
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Name of Person/Position | Aggregate Compensation paid by the Adviser(2) | Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as Part of Fund Expenses | Estimated Annual Benefits Upon Retirement | Total Compensation from the Fund and the Trust(3) Paid to Trustees | ||||||||||
Dr. Michael D. Akers, Independent Trustee(4)(5) | $5,349 | None | None | $162,500 | ||||||||||
Gary A. Drska, Independent Trustee(4) | $5,065 | None | None | $153,750 | ||||||||||
Vincent P. Lyles Independent Trustee(4) | $5,065 | None | None | $153,750 | ||||||||||
Erik K. Olstein Independent Trustee and Chairperson(4)(7) | $5,146 | None | None | $156,250 | ||||||||||
Lisa Zúñiga Ramírez Independent Trustee(4)(6) | $5,065 | None | None | $153,750 | ||||||||||
Gregory M. Wesley Independent Trustee(4) | $5,065 | None | None | $153,750 | ||||||||||
John P. Buckel Interested Trustee(8) | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||
(1) Prior to January 1, 2026, the Independent Trustees received an annual retainer of $115,000 and $6,500 for each regular Board meeting attended. Prior to January 1, 2025, the Independent Trustees received an annual retainer of $100,000, $4,500 for each regular Board meeting attended, and the chair of the Audit Committee received an annual retainer of $5,000.
(2) Trustees’ fees and expenses are allocated between the Fund and any other series comprising the Trust.
(3) There are currently thirty other series comprising the Trust.
(4) Audit Committee member.
(5) Dr. Akers served as Audit Committee chair of the Trust until December 31, 2025.
(6) Appointed as Audit Committee chair of the Trust effective January 1, 2026.
(7) Appointed as Board chair of the Trust effective April 18, 2025.
(8) Mr. Buckel served as an Interested Trustee and Chairman of the Trust until April 17, 2025.
Control Persons and Principal Shareholders
A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund. A control person is one who owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of the Fund or acknowledges the existence of control. A controlling person possesses the ability to control the outcome of matters submitted for shareholder vote by the Fund. As of December 31, 2025, to the best of the Trust’s knowledge, no person was a control person of the Fund, and all Trustees and officers as a group owned beneficially (as the term is defined in Section 13(d) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. As of December 31, 2025, the following shareholders were considered to be principal shareholders of the Fund:
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Name and Address | % Ownership | Type of Ownership | Parent Company | Jurisdiction | ||||||||||
| Charles Schwab & Company, Inc. Special Custody A/C FBO Customers Attn: Mutual Funds 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA 94105-1905 | 67.20% | Record | The Charles Schwab Corporation | DE | ||||||||||
| Merrill Lynch Pierce, Fenner & Smith (a/k/a MLPF&S) 4800 Deer Lake Dr E Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 | 11.41% | Record | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||
| Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC 200 West Street New York, NY 10010-3643 | 7.90% | Record | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||
Investment Adviser
As stated in the Prospectus, investment advisory services are provided to the Fund by the Adviser, CrossingBridge Advisors, LLC, pursuant to an investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) between the Adviser and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund. The Adviser is a majority-owned subsidiary of ENDI Corp.
The Advisory Agreement is renewable from year to year, only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by: (i) the Board of Trustees or the vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities; and (ii) the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to the Advisory Agreement nor interested persons thereof, cast in-person (or in another manner permitted by the 1940 Act or pursuant to exemptive relief therefrom) at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Advisory Agreement. The Advisory Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, upon 60 days’ written notice to the Adviser when authorized by either: (i) a majority vote of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund; or (ii) by a vote of a majority of the Board of Trustees, or by the Adviser upon 60 days’ written notice to the Trust. The Advisory Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment” (as defined under the 1940 Act). The Advisory Agreement provides that the Adviser under such agreement shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss arising out of any investment or for any act or omission in the execution of portfolio transactions for the Fund, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties, or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties thereunder.
In consideration of the services provided by the Adviser pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is entitled to receive from the Fund a unitary management fee, which is computed daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate of 0.80% of the Fund’s average daily net assets, as specified in the Prospectus. However, the Adviser may voluntarily agree to waive a portion of the management fees payable to it on a month-to-month basis, including additional fees above and beyond any contractual agreement the Adviser may have to waive management fees and/or reimburse Fund expenses.
Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses of the Fund except 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, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and the unitary management fee payable to the Adviser.
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The table below sets forth the advisory fees paid by the Fund to the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement, for the fiscal years indicated.
| Fiscal Year | Advisory Fee | ||||
| September 30, 2025 | $344,057 | ||||
| September 30, 2024 | $559,345 | ||||
| September 30, 2023 | $521,078 | ||||
Portfolio Managers
As disclosed in the Prospectus, David K. Sherman, T. Kirk Whitney and Michael De Kler (each, a “Portfolio Manager” and collectively, the “Portfolio Managers”) are each a portfolio manager of the Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio.
Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers
The table below identifies, for each Portfolio Manager of the Fund, the number of accounts managed (excluding the Fund) and the total assets in such accounts, within each of the following categories: registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles, and other accounts. Asset amounts have been rounded as of September 30, 2025:
Category of Account | Total Number of Accounts Managed | Total Assets in Accounts Managed | Number of Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Based on Performance | Total Assets in Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Based on Performance | ||||||||||
David K. Sherman | ||||||||||||||
Other Registered Investment Companies | 4 | $1,166.9 million | 0 | $0 | ||||||||||
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 1 | $136.8 million | 0 | $0 | ||||||||||
Other Accounts | 8 | $215.4 million | 0 | $0 | ||||||||||
T. Kirk Whitney | ||||||||||||||
Other Registered Investment Companies | 1 | $127.0 million | 0 | $0 | ||||||||||
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 1 | $136.8 million | 0 | $0 | ||||||||||
Other Accounts | 3 | $177.6 million | 0 | $0 | ||||||||||
| Michael De Kler | ||||||||||||||
Other Registered Investment Companies | 1 | $739.1 million | 0 | $0 | ||||||||||
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 | ||||||||||
Other Accounts | 1 | $6.3 million | 0 | $0 | ||||||||||
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Material Conflicts of Interest
Potential conflicts of interest may arise in connection with the Portfolio Managers’ management of the Fund’s investments and the management of the investments of “other accounts”. The other accounts may have the same investment objective as the Fund but may be subject to different management fee structures than the Fund. Therefore, a potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the similarities in investment objectives and strategies, whereby the Portfolio Managers could favor one account over another. Another potential conflict could include the Portfolio Managers’ knowledge about the size, timing and possible market impact of Fund trades, whereby the Portfolio Managers could use this information to the advantage of other accounts and to the disadvantage of the Fund. The Adviser has established policies and procedures to ensure that the purchase and sale of securities among all accounts it manages are fairly and equitably allocated.
Conflicts of Interest Relating to Accounts Investing in the same Portfolio Company
Conflicts may arise in cases where different CrossingBridge clients as well as affiliate clients invest in different parts of an issuer’s capital structure, including circumstances in which one or more CrossingBridge clients as well as affiliate clients may own private securities of an issuer and other CrossingBridge clients as well as affiliate clients may own public securities of the same issuer. For example, a CrossingBridge client or an affiliate client may acquire a loan assignment or fixed income security of a particular borrower in which one or more CrossingBridge clients or affiliate clients have an equity investment. In negotiating the terms and conditions of any such investments, or any subsequent amendments, CrossingBridge may find that the interests of some clients may conflict with other CrossingBridge as well as affiliate clients. If an issuer in which a CrossingBridge client and one or more other CrossingBridge as well as affiliate clients hold different classes of securities (or other assets, instruments, obligations issued by such issuer) encounters financial problems, decisions over the terms of any workout may raise conflicts of interest (including conflicts over proposed waivers and amendments to debt covenants). For example, a debt holder may be better served by a liquidation of the issuer in which it may be paid in full, whereas an equity holder might prefer a reorganization that holds the potential to create or retain value for the equity holders. Further, investing in different parts of the capital structure may also result in a conflict between clients with regards to corporate events and proxy voting. CrossingBridge clients that invest in different rankings within the capital structure may have different economic outcomes than originally expected.
CrossingBridge has adopted policies and procedures intended to prevent and mitigate such potential conflicts of interest. This includes, but is not limited to, the review of transactions by CrossingBridge’s compliance department. While CrossingBridge will attempt to resolve such matters fairly, shareholders should be aware that conflicts will not necessarily be resolved in favor of the Fund or their interests.
Portfolio Manager Compensation
As of September 30, 2025, Messrs. Sherman, Whitney and De Kler each receive a fixed base salary and incentive awards based on the profitability of the Adviser and the satisfaction of the account objectives. Further, Mr. Sherman participates in the overall profitability of the firm and may receive distributions. The Portfolio Managers also participate in a retirement plan.
Ownership of Securities in the Fund by the Portfolio Managers
As of September 30, 2025, the Portfolio Managers of the Fund beneficially owned shares of the Fund as shown below:
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| Name of Portfolio Manager | Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund | ||||
| David K. Sherman | $100,001 - $500,000 | ||||
| T. Kirk Whitney | $1 - $10,000 | ||||
| Michael De Kler | None | ||||
Service Providers
Fund Administrator, Transfer Agent and Fund Accountant
Pursuant to a fund administration and servicing agreement (the “Administration Agreement”) between the Trust and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services (“Fund Services”), 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53202, Fund Services acts as the Fund’s administrator. Fund Services provides certain administrative services to the Fund, including, among other responsibilities, coordinating the negotiation of contracts and fees with, and the monitoring of performance and billing of, the Fund’s independent contractors and agents; preparing for signature by an officer of the Trust all of the documents required to be filed for compliance by the Trust and the Fund with applicable laws and regulations excluding those of the securities laws of various states; arranging for the computation of performance data, including NAV and yield; responding to shareholder inquiries; and arranging for the maintenance of books and records of the Fund, and providing, at its own expense, office facilities, equipment and personnel necessary to carry out its duties. In this capacity, Fund Services does not have any responsibility or authority for the management of the Fund, the determination of investment policy, or for any matter pertaining to the distribution of Fund Shares.
Pursuant to the Administration Agreement, as compensation for its services, Fund Services receives a combined fee for fund administration and fund accounting services based on the Fund’s current average daily net assets. Fund Services is also entitled to be reimbursed for certain out-of-pocket expenses. In addition to its role as Administrator, Fund Services also acts as fund accountant (“Fund Accountant”), transfer agent (“Transfer Agent”) and dividend disbursing agent under separate agreements with the Trust.
For the fiscal years indicated below, the Adviser paid the following in fund administration and fund accounting fees to Fund Services:
| Administration and Accounting Fees Paid During Fiscal Years Ended September 30, | ||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | ||||||
| $88,650 | $86,818 | $91,100 | ||||||
Custodian
U.S. Bank National Association (the “Custodian”), an affiliate of Fund Services, serves as the custodian of the assets of the Fund pursuant to a custody agreement between the Custodian and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, whereby the Custodian charges fees on a transactional basis plus out-of-pocket expenses. The Custodian has custody of all assets and securities of the Fund, delivers and receives payments for securities sold, receives and pays for securities purchased, collects income from investments and performs other duties, all as directed by the officers of the Trust. The Custodian’s address is 1555 North River Center Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212. The Custodian does not participate in decisions relating to the purchase and sale of securities by the Fund. The Custodian and its affiliates may participate in revenue sharing arrangements with service providers of funds in which the Fund may invest.
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Legal Counsel
Godfrey & Kahn, S.C., 833 East Michigan Street, Suite 1800, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, serves as legal counsel to the Fund and the Independent Trustees.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Cohen & Company, Ltd., 342 North Water St., Suite 830, Milwaukee, WI 53202, serves as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund. Its services include auditing the Fund’s annual financial statements and reviewing certain regulatory reports. Cohen & Co Advisory, LLC, an affiliate of Cohen & Company, Ltd., provides tax services as requested.
Distribution and Servicing of Shares
The Trust and Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) are parties to a distribution agreement (“Distribution Agreement”), whereby the Distributor acts as principal underwriter for the Fund and distributes Shares on a best efforts basis. 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 190 Middle Street, Suite 301 Portland, ME 04101.
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 1934 Act and a member of 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 by the Board of Trustees or by vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities and, in either case, by a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Distribution Agreement or “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of any such party. The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust on behalf of the Fund on 60 days’ written notice when authorized either by a majority vote of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund or by vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Distributor upon 60 days’ written notice to the Trust. The Distribution Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act), or by the Distributor on 60 days’ written notice.
During the last three fiscal years, the Distributor did not receive any net underwriting commissions on the sale of the Fund’s shares.
Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage
Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser determines which securities are to be purchased and sold by the Fund and which broker-dealers are eligible to execute the Fund’s portfolio transactions. Purchases and sales of securities in the over-the-counter market will generally be executed directly with a “market-maker” unless, in the opinion of the Adviser, a better price or execution can otherwise be obtained by using a broker for the transaction.
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Purchases of portfolio securities for the Fund will be effected through broker-dealers (including banks) that specialize in the types of securities that the Fund will be holding, unless the Adviser believes that better executions are available elsewhere. Dealers usually act as principal for their own accounts. Purchases from dealers will include a spread between the bid and the asked price. If the execution and price offered by more than one dealer are comparable, the order may be allocated to a dealer that has provided research or other services as discussed below.
In placing portfolio transactions, the Adviser will use reasonable efforts to choose broker-dealers capable of providing the services necessary to obtain the most favorable price and execution available. The full range and quality of services available, such as the size of the order, the difficulty of execution, the operational facilities of the firm involved, the firm’s risk in positioning a block of securities and other factors will be considered in making these determinations. In those instances where it is reasonably determined that more than one broker-dealer can offer the services needed to obtain the most favorable price and execution available, consideration may be given to those broker-dealers that furnish or supply research and statistical information to the Adviser that it may lawfully and appropriately use in its investment advisory capacities, as well as provide other brokerage services in addition to execution services. The Adviser considers such information, which is in addition to and not in lieu of the services required to be performed by it under its Advisory Agreement with the Fund, to be useful in varying degrees, but of indeterminable value. Portfolio transactions may be placed with broker-dealers who sell shares of the Fund subject to rules adopted by FINRA and the SEC. Portfolio transactions may also be placed with broker-dealers in which the Adviser has invested on behalf of the Fund and/or client accounts.
While it is the Fund’s general policy to first seek to obtain the most favorable price and execution available in selecting a broker-dealer to execute portfolio transactions for the Fund, weight is also given to the ability of a broker-dealer to furnish brokerage and research services to the Fund or to the Adviser, even if the specific services are not directly useful to the Fund and may be useful to the Adviser in advising other clients. In negotiating commissions with a broker or evaluating the spread to be paid to a dealer, the Fund may therefore pay a higher commission or spread than would be the case if no weight were given to the furnishing of these supplemental services, provided that the amount of such commission or spread has been determined in good faith by the Adviser to be reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and/or research services provided by such broker-dealer. The standard of reasonableness is to be measured in light of the Adviser’s overall responsibilities to the Fund.
Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those of other client accounts. Nevertheless, it is possible that at times identical securities will be acceptable for both the Fund and one or more of such client accounts. In such event, the position of the Fund and such client account(s) in the same issuer may vary and the length of time that each may choose to hold its investment in the same issuer may likewise vary. However, to the extent any of these client accounts seek to acquire the same security as the Fund at the same time, the Fund may not be able to acquire as large a portion of such security as it desires, or it may have to pay a higher price or obtain a lower yield for such security. Similarly, the Fund may not be able to obtain as high a price for, or as large an execution of, an order to sell any particular security at the same time. If one or more of such client accounts simultaneously purchases or sells the same security that the Fund is purchasing or selling, each day’s transactions in such security will be allocated between the Fund and all such client accounts in a manner deemed equitable by the Adviser, taking into account the respective sizes of the accounts and the amount being purchased or sold. It is recognized that in some cases this system could have a detrimental effect on the price or value of the security insofar as the Fund is concerned. In other cases, however, it is believed that the ability of the Fund to participate in volume transactions may produce better executions for the Fund. Notwithstanding the above, the Adviser may execute buy and sell orders for
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accounts and take action in performance of its duties with respect to any of its accounts that may differ from actions taken with respect to another account, so long as the Adviser shall, to the extent practicable, allocate investment opportunities to accounts, including the Fund, over a period of time on a fair and equitable basis and in accordance with applicable law.
When buying or selling securities, the Adviser may, although does not currently, execute trades for the Fund with broker-dealers that are affiliated with the Trust, the Adviser or their affiliates, and the Fund may pay commissions to such broker-dealers in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board. The Trust has adopted procedures to monitor and control such affiliated brokerage transactions, which are reported to and reviewed by the Board at least quarterly.
The Fund is required to identify any securities of its “regular brokers or dealers” that the Fund has acquired during its most recent fiscal year. The Fund did not acquire any securities of its “regular brokers or dealers” during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025.
The 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 Fund. The following table shows the amount of any such transactions and related commissions paid for research services for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025:
| Commissions | Transactions | ||||
| $5,179 | $9,124,621 | ||||
Brokers or dealers selected to execute the Fund’s portfolio transactions may include the Fund’s Authorized Participants or their affiliates. An Authorized Participant or its affiliates may be selected to execute the 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—Creation Transaction Fee” and “—Redemption Transaction Fee,” the Fund 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 Fund shareholders, 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 Fund’s portfolio transactions in connection with such orders.
Brokerage Commissions
For the fiscal years indicated below, the Fund paid the following brokerage commissions:
| Brokerage Commissions Paid During Fiscal Years Ended September 30 | ||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | ||||||
| $134,857 | $69,407 | $87,353 | ||||||
Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio securities may be sold without regard to the length of time they have been held when, in the opinion of the Adviser, investment considerations warrant such action. Portfolio turnover rate is calculated by dividing (1) the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the fiscal year by (2) the monthly average of the value of portfolio securities owned during the fiscal year. A 100% turnover rate would occur if all the securities in the Fund’s portfolio, with the exception of securities whose maturities at the time of acquisition were one year or less, were sold and either repurchased or replaced within one year. A high rate
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of portfolio turnover (100% or more) generally leads to above-average transaction and brokerage commission costs and may generate capital gains, including short-term capital gains taxable to shareholders at ordinary income rates. To the extent that the Fund experiences an increase in brokerage commissions due to a higher portfolio turnover rate, the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by the increased expenses incurred by the Fund. Furthermore, a high portfolio turnover rate may result in a greater number of taxable transactions.
For the fiscal years indicated below, the portfolio turnover rates for the Fund were as follows:
| Portfolio Turnover During Fiscal Years Ended September 30, | |||||
| 2025 | 2024 | ||||
203%(1) | 93% | ||||
(1)The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate increased during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, with increased trading opportunities due to a robust SPAC new issuance market, coupled with a decrease in Fund assets which necessitated increased trading of the Fund’s portfolio holdings.
Code of Ethics
The Trust and the Adviser have each adopted a Code of Ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These Codes of Ethics permit, subject to certain conditions, personnel of the Trust and the Adviser to invest in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund. The Distributor relies on the principal underwriter’s exception under Rule 17j-1(c)(3) of the 1940 Act from the requirement to adopt a code of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 because the Distributor is not affiliated with the Trust or the Adviser, and no officer, director, or general partner of the Distributor serves as an officer, director or general partner of the Trust or the Adviser.
Proxy-Voting Procedures
The Board has adopted Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (the “Proxy Policies”) on behalf of the Trust which delegate the responsibility for voting proxies to the Adviser, subject to the Board’s continuing oversight. The Proxy Policies require that the Adviser vote proxies received in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. The Proxy Policies also require the Adviser to present to the Board, at least annually, the Adviser’s Proxy Policies and a record of each proxy voted by the Adviser on behalf of the Fund, including a report on the resolution of all proxies identified by the Adviser as involving a conflict of interest.
The Adviser seeks to vote proxies in a manner reasonably believed to be in the best interests of shareholders and not affected by any material conflict of interest. The Adviser considers shareholders’ best economic interests over that long term, that is, the common interest of all shareholders over time. Unless instructed by a client to follow its own proxy voting policies and procedures, the Adviser generally will not consider a client’s individual characteristics or circumstances (including any social or political concerns) when determining how to vote proxies. Consequently, the Adviser typically votes solicited proxies identically for all client accounts for which they have discretionary authority. The Adviser’s general philosophy is to support management recommendations on routine matters such as approval of financial statements, director/trustee elections, and appointment of auditors.
The Adviser’s Proxy Voting Guidelines
The Adviser has adopted proxy voting guidelines to assist in making voting decisions on common issues. The guidelines are designed to address those securities in which the Fund generally invest and may be revised in the Adviser’s discretion. Any non-routine matters not addressed by the proxy voting guidelines are addressed
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on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all relevant facts and circumstances at the time of the vote, particularly where such matters have a potential for major economic impact on the issuer’s structure or operations. In making voting determinations, the Adviser may conduct research internally and/or use the resources of an independent research consultant. The Adviser may also consider other materials such as studies of corporate governance and/or analyses of shareholder and management proposals by a certain sector of companies and may engage in dialogue with an issuer’s management. To the extent that a client may direct the Adviser to vote according to its own proxy voting policies, the Adviser may vote that client’s securities differently than the same securities voted for other clients including the Fund.
In some cases, the cost of voting a proxy may outweigh the expected benefits. For example, casting a vote on a foreign security may involve additional costs such as hiring a translator or traveling to the foreign country to vote the security in person. The Adviser may abstain from voting a proxy if the effect on shareholders’ economic interests or the value of the portfolio holding is indeterminable or insignificant.
In certain cases, securities on loan as part of a securities lending program may not be voted. Nothing in the proxy voting policies shall obligate the Adviser to exercise voting rights with respect to a portfolio security if it is prohibited by the terms of the security or by applicable law or otherwise. The Adviser will not discuss with members of the public how they intend to vote on any particular proxy proposal.
In the event of a conflict between the interests of the Adviser and the Fund, the Proxy Policies provide that the conflict may be disclosed to the Board of Trustees or its delegate, who shall provide direction on how to vote the proxy. The Board of Trustees has delegated this authority to the Independent Trustees, and the proxy voting direction in such a case shall be determined by a majority of the Independent Trustees.
The actual voting records relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 are available without charge, upon request, (1) by calling toll-free, 800-617-0004, (2) on the Fund’s website at www.crossingbridgefunds.com, or (3) by accessing the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Program
The Trust has established an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Program (the “Program”) as required by the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (the “USA PATRIOT Act”) and related anti-money laundering laws and regulations. To ensure compliance with these laws, the Trust’s Program provides for the development of internal practices, procedures and controls, designation of anti-money laundering compliance officers, an ongoing training program and an independent audit function to determine the effectiveness of the Program. Ms. Deanna B. Marotz has been designated as the Trust’s Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer.
Procedures to implement the Program include, but are not limited to: determining that the Distributor and the Transfer Agent have established proper anti-money laundering procedures; and reporting suspicious and/or fraudulent activity.
Portfolio Holdings Information
The Trust’s Board of Trustees has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Fund’s security holdings. The Fund’s entire portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the 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 is publicly disseminated daily prior to the opening of the Exchange via the facilities of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”).
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Determination of Net Asset Value
The NAV of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate and is determined as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) each business day. The NYSE annually announces the days on which it will not be open for trading. The most recent announcement indicates that the NYSE will not be open on the following days: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. However, the NYSE may close on days not included in that announcement. If the NYSE closes early, the Fund will calculate the NAV as of the close of trading on the NYSE on that day. If an emergency exists as permitted by the SEC, the NAV may be calculated at a different time.
The NAV per share is computed by dividing the value of the securities held by the Fund plus any cash or other assets (including interest and dividends accrued but not yet received) minus all liabilities (including accrued expenses) by the total number of shares in the Fund outstanding at such time.
Net Assets | = | Net Asset Value Per Share | ||||||
Shares Outstanding | ||||||||
Generally, the Fund’s investments are valued at market value or, in the absence of a market value, at fair value as determined in good faith by the Adviser pursuant to the Adviser’s procedures subject to oversight by the Board of Trustees.
Each equity security owned by the Fund, including depositary receipts, that is traded on a national securities exchange, except for securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (“NASDAQ”), is valued at its last sale price on the exchange on which such security is traded, as of the close of business on the day the security is being valued or, lacking any reported sales, at the mean between the most recent bid and asked price. All equity securities that are not traded on a listed exchange are valued at the last sales price at the close of the OTC market. If a non-exchange listed security does not trade on a particular day, then the mean between the last quoted bid and asked price will be used as long as it continues to reflect the value of the security.
Securities that are traded on more than one exchange are valued using the price of the exchange that the Fund generally considers to be the principal exchange on which the security is traded. Fund securities listed on NASDAQ shall be valued using the NASDAQ Official Closing Price, which may not necessarily represent the last sales price. If there has been no sale on such exchange or on NASDAQ on such day, the security will be valued at the mean between the most recent quoted bid and the asked prices at the close of the exchange on such day, or the security shall be valued at the latest sales price on the “composite market” for the day such security is being valued. The composite market is defined as a consolidation of the trade information provided by a national securities and foreign exchange and OTC markets as published by an approved independent pricing service (“Pricing Service”).
Money market funds, demand notes and repurchase agreements are valued at cost. If cost does not represent current market value the securities will be priced at fair value.
Debt securities, including short-term debt instruments having a maturity of 60 days or less, are valued at the mean in accordance with prices provided by a Pricing Service. Pricing Services may use various valuation methodologies such as the mean between the bid and the asked prices, matrix pricing method or other analytical pricing models as well as market transactions and dealer quotations. If a price is not available from a Pricing Service, the most recent quotation obtained from one or more broker-dealers known to follow the issue will be obtained. Pricing Service quotations will be valued at the mean between the bid and the offer.
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Fixed income securities purchased on a delayed-delivery basis are typically marked to market daily until settlement at the forward settlement date. Any discount or premium is accreted or amortized using the constant yield 2 method until maturity. In the absence of available quotations, the securities will be priced at fair value.
Exchange traded options are valued at the composite price, using the National Best Bid and Offer quotes (“NBBO”). NBBO consists of the highest bid price and lowest ask price across any of the exchanges on which an option is quoted, thus providing a view across the entire U.S. options marketplace. Specifically, composite pricing looks at the last trades on the exchanges where the options are traded. If there are no trades for the option on a given business day composite option pricing calculates the mean of the highest bid price and lowest ask price across the exchanges where the option is traded.
Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 of the 1940 Act, all other assets of the Fund are valued in such manner as the Adviser in good faith deems appropriate to reflect their fair value.
Book-Entry Only System
The Depository Trust Company (“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
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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 Fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of Shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, 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 Fund at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Fund and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Fund 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 Fund 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 Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component, computed as described below. Notwithstanding the foregoing, 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 or all of the Deposit Securities. When accepting purchases of Creation Units for all or a portion of Deposit Cash, the Fund may incur additional costs associated with the acquisition of Deposit Securities that would otherwise be provided by an in-kind purchaser. Pursuant to Rule 6c-11 of the 1940 Act, the Fund may utilize baskets that are not representative of the Fund’s portfolio referred to as custom baskets.
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 Fund. 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
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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 Fund, 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 Fund. Such Fund Deposit is subject to any applicable adjustments as described below, to effect purchases of Creation Units of the Fund 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 from time to time.
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”).
Procedures for Purchase of Creation Units. To be eligible to place orders with the Transfer Agent to purchase a Creation Unit of the Fund, an entity must be (i) 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 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 Fund must be placed for one or more Creation Units and in the manner and by the time set forth in the Participant Agreement. With respect to the Fund, 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 Fund from time-to-time by amendment to the Participant Agreement. 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 Fund in Creation Units must 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
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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 Fund may require orders to create Creation Units to be placed earlier in the day. In addition, if a market or markets on which the Fund’s investments are primarily traded is closed, the Fund 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 Transfer Agent pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement. On behalf of the Fund, the Transfer Agent 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 Transfer Agent 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 Fund 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. A Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the Authorized Participant in a timely fashion to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, to the account of the Fund 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 (the “Settlement Date”). If the Fund 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 Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. The typical Settlement Date for each purchase transaction will be within one day of the Order Placement Date (commonly referred to as “T+1”), unless the Fund and Authorized Participant agree to a different timeline for settlement or the transaction is exempt from the requirements of Rule 15c6-1 under the 1934 Act. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the delivery of Shares may take longer than one Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is received. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of local holiday periods. 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 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 Transfer Agent, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using a Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then current NAV of the Fund.
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 Fund for losses, if any,
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resulting therefrom. A creation request is in “proper form” if all procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement 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 Transfer Agent 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 next Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Transfer Agent, as discussed above. The Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund 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 the 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 Fund 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 Fund 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 Transfer Agent 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 absolute right to reject an order for Creation Units transmitted to it by the Transfer Agent with respect to the Fund 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 Fund; (d) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (e) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (f) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Trust or the Adviser, have an adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of beneficial owners; (g) the acceptance or receipt of the order for a Creation Unit would, in the opinion of counsel to the Trust, be unlawful; or (h) 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.
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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 Transfer Agent 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 Fund’s 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 Fund is $300, regardless of the number of Creation Units created in the transaction. The Fund may adjust the standard fixed creation transaction fee from time to time. The fixed creation fee may be waived on certain orders if the Fund’s 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 Fund, of up to a maximum percentage of 2% 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. For orders comprised entirely of cash, a variable fee of 0.03% of the value of the order will be charged by the Fund. The variable charge is primarily designed to cover additional costs (e.g., brokerage, taxes) involved with buying the securities with cash. The Fund 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 Fund shareholders, e.g., for creation orders that facilitate the rebalance of the Fund’s portfolio in a more tax efficient manner than could be achieved without such order.
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 Fund 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 Fund. 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 Fund, 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
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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 Fund through the Transfer Agent and only on a Business Day. EXCEPT UPON LIQUIDATION OF THE FUND, THE FUND 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 Fund, 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 Fund, 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. If 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 Fund’s 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 is $300, regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed in the transaction. The Fund may adjust the redemption transaction fee from time to time. The fixed redemption fee may be waived on certain orders if the Fund’s 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 Fund, of up to a maximum percentage of 2% 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) involved with selling portfolio securities to satisfy a cash redemption. For orders comprised entirely of cash, a variable fee of 0.25% of the value of the order will be charged by the Fund. The Fund may determine to not charge a variable fee on certain orders when the
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Adviser has determined that doing so is in the best interests of Fund 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.
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 Fund to their account or on their order.
Procedures for Redemption of Creation Units. Orders to redeem Creation Units of the Fund must be submitted in proper form to the Transfer Agent prior to 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. 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. The typical Settlement Date for each redemption transaction will be within one day of the Order Placement Date (or T+1), unless the Fund and Authorized Participant agree to a different timeline for settlement or the transaction is exempt from the requirements of Rule 15c6-1 under the 1934 Act. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the receipt of redemption proceeds may take longer than one Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is received. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of local holiday periods.
The Trust may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and the redeeming investor will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that the Fund 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 Fund may also, in its sole discretion,
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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 Fund (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 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 Fund may trade on other exchanges on days that the Exchange is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for the Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their Shares, or to purchase or sell Shares on the Exchange, on days when the NAV of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant foreign markets.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the Fund (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 Shares or determination of the NAV of the Shares is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
Federal Income Tax Matters
This section is not intended to be a full discussion of federal income tax laws and the effect of such laws on you.
The following is only a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations generally affecting the Fund 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 Fund 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 advisors 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 Fund. The Fund will elect and intends to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under the Code. As such, the Fund should not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes on its net investment income and capital gains, if any, to the extent that it timely distributes such income and capital gains to its shareholders. Generally, to qualify for treatment as a RIC, the Fund must distribute in each taxable year at least 90% of its
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“investment company taxable income” for the taxable year, which includes, among other items, dividends, interest, net short-term capital gain and net foreign currency gain, less expenses, as well as 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income, if any (the “Distribution Requirement”) and must meet several additional requirements. Among these requirements are the following: (i) at least 90% of the Fund’s gross income each taxable year must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, 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 Fund’s taxable year, the Fund’s 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 Fund’s total assets and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested 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 Fund 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 Fund makes investments that may generate income that is not qualifying income, including certain derivatives, the Fund will seek to restrict the resulting income from such investments so that the Fund’s non-qualifying income does not exceed 10% of its gross income.
Although the Fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and may distribute its capital gains for any taxable year, the Fund will be subject to federal income taxation to the extent any such income or gains are not distributed. The Fund is treated as a separate corporation for federal income tax purposes. The Fund therefore is considered 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 Fund fails to satisfy the Qualifying Income Requirement or the Diversification Requirement in any taxable year, the Fund may be eligible for relief provisions if the failures are due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect and if a penalty tax is paid with respect to each failure to satisfy the applicable requirements. Additionally, relief is provided for certain de minimis failures of the Diversification Requirement where the 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 Fund may be required to dispose of certain assets. If these relief provisions were not available to the Fund 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 regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and its distributions (including capital gains distributions) generally would be taxable to the shareholders of the Fund 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 Fund 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 Fund failed to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC. If the Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, it would generally be required to pay the 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 Fund for treatment as a RIC if it determines such course of action to be beneficial to shareholders. If the Fund determines that it will not qualify as a RIC, the Fund will establish procedures to reflect the anticipated tax liability in the Fund’s NAV.
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The Fund may elect to treat part or all of any “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund’s taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits. The effect of this election is to treat any such “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in characterizing Fund distributions for any calendar year. A “qualified late year loss” generally includes net capital loss, net long-term capital loss, or net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year (commonly referred to as “post-October losses”) and certain other late-year losses.
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 Fund 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 Fund and may not be distributed as capital gains to its shareholders. Generally, the Fund 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 Fund experiences an ownership change as defined in the Code.
The Fund 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 generally ending on October 31 of that year, subject to an increase for any shortfall in the prior year’s distribution. The Fund intends 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.
If the Fund meets the Distribution Requirement but retains some or all of its income or gains, it will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates to the extent any such income or gains are not distributed. The Fund may elect to designate certain amounts retained as undistributed net capital gain as deemed distributions 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 Fund 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 Fund intends to distribute to its shareholders substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and its net tax-exempt income, if any, monthly, and any net capital gain (net long-term capital gains in excess of net short-term capital losses, taking into account any capital loss carryforwards) at least annually. The distribution of investment company taxable income (as so computed) and net realized capital gain will be taxable to Fund shareholders regardless of whether the shareholder receives these distributions in cash or reinvests them in additional Shares. At September 30, 2025, the Fund had no capital loss carryovers.
The Fund (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 corporate shareholders, and the portion of dividends which may qualify for treatment as qualified dividend income, which is taxable to non-corporate shareholders at long-term capital gain rates.
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Qualified dividend income includes, in general, subject to certain holding period and other requirements, dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain “qualified foreign corporations.” Subject to certain limitations, “qualified 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 Fund from an ETF or an underlying fund taxable as a RIC or a REIT may be treated as qualified dividend income generally only to the extent so reported by such ETF, underlying fund or REIT. 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 Fund 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 certain holding periods and other requirements with respect to dividend-paying stocks in its portfolio, or the shareholder does not meet holding period and other requirements with respect to the Shares on which the dividends were paid. Distributions by the Fund of its net short-term capital gains will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. Distributions from the Fund’s 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 Fund from U.S. corporations (generally, dividends received by the Fund 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 Fund 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 Fund 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.
Although dividends generally will be treated as distributed when paid, any dividend declared by the Fund 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.
In addition to U.S. federal income tax, certain individuals, trusts and estates may be subject to a Net Investment Income (“NII”) tax of 3.8%. The NII tax is imposed on the lesser of: (i) a taxpayer’s investment income, net of deductions properly allocable to such income; or (ii) the amount by which such taxpayer’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds certain thresholds ($250,000 for married individuals filing jointly, $200,000 for unmarried individuals and $125,000 for married individuals filing separately). The Fund’s distributions are includable in a shareholder’s investment income for purposes of this NII tax. In addition, any capital gain realized by a shareholder upon a sale or redemption of Fund Shares is includable in such shareholder’s investment income for purposes of this NII tax.
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Shareholders who have not held Shares for a full year should be aware that the Fund may report and distribute, as ordinary dividends or capital gain dividends, a percentage of income that is not equal to the percentage of the Fund’s ordinary income or net capital gain, respectively, actually earned during the applicable shareholder’s period of investment in the Fund. A taxable shareholder may wish to avoid investing in the Fund shortly before a dividend or other distribution, because the distribution will generally be taxable to the shareholders even though it may economically represent a return of a portion of the shareholder’s investment.
To the extent that the Fund makes a distribution of income received by the Fund in lieu of dividends (a “substitute payment”) with respect to securities on loan pursuant to a securities lending transaction, such income will not constitute qualified dividend income to individual shareholders and will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders.
If the Fund’s 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 Fund 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 of Shares. A sale or redemption of Shares may give rise to a gain or loss. 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 with respect to such Shares (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 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 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.
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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 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 Fund, 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 and 362 of the Code, the Fund 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 Fund 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.
Persons 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.
Backup Withholding. The Fund 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 at a rate set under Section 3406 of the Code. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s ultimate U.S. federal income 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 United States.
Non-U.S. Shareholders. Any non-U.S. investors in the Fund may be subject to U.S. withholding and estate tax and are encouraged to consult their tax advisors prior to investing in the Fund. 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 Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Short-term capital gain dividends received by a nonresident alien individual who is present in the U.S. for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the taxable year are not exempt from this 30% withholding tax. Gains realized by foreign shareholders from the sale or other disposition of Shares 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 (based on a formula that factors in presence in the U.S. during the two preceding years as well). Foreign shareholders who fail to provide an applicable IRS form may be subject to backup withholding on certain payments from the Fund. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that are subject to the 30% (or lower applicable
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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 the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), the Fund may be required to withhold a generally nonrefundable 30% tax on (i) distributions of investment company taxable income and (ii) distributions of net capital gain and the gross proceeds of a sale or redemption of Fund Shares paid to (A) certain “foreign financial institutions” unless such foreign financial institution agrees to verify, monitor, and report to the IRS the identity of certain of its accountholders, among other items (or unless such entity is otherwise deemed compliant under the terms of an intergovernmental agreement between the United States and the foreign financial institution’s country of residence), and (B) certain “non-financial foreign entities” unless such entity certifies to the Fund that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or provides the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner, among other items. In December 2018, the IRS and Treasury Department released proposed Treasury Regulations that would eliminate FATCA withholding on Fund distributions of net capital gain and the gross proceeds from a sale or redemption of Fund Shares. Although taxpayers are entitled to rely on these proposed Treasury Regulations until final Treasury Regulations are issued, these proposed Treasury Regulations have not been finalized, may not be finalized in their proposed form, and are potentially subject to change. This FATCA withholding tax could also affect the Fund’s return on its investments in foreign securities or affect a shareholder’s return if the shareholder holds its Fund Shares through a foreign intermediary. You are urged to consult your tax adviser regarding the application of this FATCA withholding tax to your investment in the Fund and the potential certification, compliance, due diligence, reporting, and withholding obligations to which you may become subject in order to avoid this withholding tax.
For foreign shareholders to qualify for an exemption from backup withholding, described above, the foreign shareholder must comply with special certification and filing requirements. Foreign shareholders in the Fund 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 U.S. federal income taxation except with respect to their unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”). Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, tax-exempt entities are generally 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 Fund 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 Fund if, for example, (1) the Fund invests in residual interests of Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits (“REMICs”); (2) the Fund invests in a REIT that is a taxable mortgage pool (“TMP”), or that has a subsidiary that is a TMP, or the Fund invests in the residual interest of a REMIC; or (3) Shares in the Fund 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.
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
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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 the Fund and of Fund shareholders with respect to distributions by the Fund may differ from federal tax treatment.
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 monthly by the Fund. Distributions of net realized capital gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Fund may make distributions on a more frequent basis 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 Fund makes additional distributions to the extent necessary (i) to distribute the entire annual taxable income of the Fund, 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 Fund’s eligibility for treatment as a RIC or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income at the Fund level.
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 Fund 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 Fund 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.
Financial Statements
The audited financial statements, accompanying notes and report of the independent registered public accounting firm appearing in the Fund’s 2025 Annual Report to Shareholders on Form N-CSR, are incorporated herein by reference.
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TRUST FOR PROFESSIONAL MANAGERS
PART C
CROSSINGBRIDGE ULTRA-SHORT DURATION ETF
OTHER INFORMATION
Item 28. Exhibits.
(a) | Declaration of Trust. | ||||||||||
| (1) | (i) | ||||||||||
(ii) | |||||||||||
(b) | |||||||||||
(c) | Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders are incorporated by reference to the Declaration of Trust and Bylaws. | ||||||||||
(d) | |||||||||||
| (e) | (1) | (i) | |||||||||
(ii) | |||||||||||
| (iii) | |||||||||||
| (iv) | |||||||||||
| (v) | |||||||||||
| (vi) | |||||||||||
| (vii) | |||||||||||
| (2) | (i) | ||||||||||
(f) | Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts – Not Applicable. | ||||||||||
(g) | (1) | (i) | |||||||||
(ii) | |||||||||||
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| (iii) | |||||||||||
| (iv) | |||||||||||
| (v) | |||||||||||
| (vi) | |||||||||||
| (vii) | |||||||||||
| (viii) | |||||||||||
(h) | Other Material Contracts. | ||||||||||
| (1) | (i) | ||||||||||
(ii) | |||||||||||
| (iii) | |||||||||||
| (iv) | |||||||||||
| (v) | |||||||||||
| (vi) | |||||||||||
| (vii) | |||||||||||
| (viii) | |||||||||||
| (2) | Power of Attorney — Filed Herewith. | ||||||||||
(i) | Legal Opinions. | ||||||||||
| (1) | |||||||||||
| (2) | Consent of Counsel — Filed Herewith. | ||||||||||
(j) | Other Opinions. | ||||||||||
| (1) | |||||||||||
(k) | Omitted Financial Statements — Not Applicable. | ||||||||||
(l) | |||||||||||
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(m) | Rule 12b-1 Plan — Not Applicable. | ||||||||||
(n) | Rule 18f-3 Plan — Not Applicable. | ||||||||||
(o) | Reserved. | ||||||||||
(p) | Code of Ethics. | ||||||||||
| (1) | |||||||||||
| (2) | |||||||||||
| (3) | Code of Ethics for Principal Underwriter - not applicable per Rule 17j-1(c)(3). | ||||||||||
Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with Registrant
No person is directly or indirectly controlled by or under common control with the Registrant.
Item 30. Indemnification
Reference is made to Article X of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust.
Pursuant to Rule 484 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant furnishes the following undertaking: “Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Act”) may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that, in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.”
Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser
CrossingBridge Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as the investment adviser for the CrossingBridge Ultra-Short Duration ETF (the “Fund”). The principal business address of the Adviser is 427 Bedford Road, Suite 220, Pleasantville, NY 10570. With respect to the Adviser, the response to this Item is incorporated by reference to the Adviser’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) currently on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The Adviser’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Item 32. Principal Underwriter.
(a)Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as principal underwriter for the following investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended:
1.AB Active ETFs, Inc.
2.ABS Long/Short Strategies Fund
3.ActivePassive Core Bond ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
4.ActivePassive Intermediate Municipal Bond ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
5.ActivePassive International Equity ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
6.ActivePassive U.S. Equity ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
7.AdvisorShares Trust
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8.AFA Private Credit Fund
9.AGF Investments Trust
10.AIM ETF Products Trust
11.Alexis Practical Tactical ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
12.AlphaCentric Prime Meridian Income Fund
13.American Century ETF Trust
14.AMG ETF Trust
15.Amplify ETF Trust
16.Applied Finance Dividend Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
17.Applied Finance Explorer Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
18.Applied Finance Select Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
19.Ardian Access LLC
20.ARK ETF Trust
21.ARK Venture Fund
22.Bitwise Funds Trust
23.BondBloxx ETF Trust
24.Bramshill Multi-Strategy Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
25.Bridgeway Funds, Inc.
26.Brinker Capital Destinations Trust
27.Brookfield Real Assets Income Fund Inc.
28.Build Funds Trust
29.Calamos Convertible and High Income Fund
30.Calamos Convertible Opportunities and Income Fund
31.Calamos Dynamic Convertible and Income Fund
32.Calamos Global Dynamic Income Fund
33.Calamos Global Total Return Fund
34.Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund
35.Carlyle Tactical Private Credit Fund
36.Cascade Private Capital Fund
37.Catalyst Strategic Income Opportunities Fund
38.CBRE Global Real Estate Income Fund
39.Center Coast Brookfield MLP & Energy Infrastructure Fund
40.Clifford Capital Partners Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
41.Cliffwater Corporate Lending Fund
42.Cliffwater Enhanced Lending Fund
43.Coatue Innovative Strategies Fund
44.Cohen & Steers ETF Trust
45.Convergence Long/Short Equity ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
46.CornerCap Small-Cap Value Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
47.CrossingBridge Ultra-Short Duration ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
48.Curasset Capital Management Core Bond Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
49.Curasset Capital Management Limited Term Income Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
50.CYBER HORNET S&P 500® and Bitcoin 75/25 Strategy ETF, Series of ONEFUND Trust
51.Davis Fundamental ETF Trust
52.Defiance Connective Technologies ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
53.Defiance Drone and Modern Warfare ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
54.Defiance Quantum ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
55.Denali Structured Return Strategy Fund
56.Dodge & Cox Funds
57.DoubleLine ETF Trust
58.DoubleLine Income Solutions Fund
59.DoubleLine Opportunistic Credit Fund
60.DoubleLine Yield Opportunities Fund
61.DriveWealth ETF Trust
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62.EIP Investment Trust
63.Ellington Income Opportunities Fund
64.ETF Opportunities Trust
65.Exchange Listed Funds Trust
66.Exchange Place Advisors Trust
67.FlexShares Trust
68.Fortuna Hedged Bitcoin Fund, Series of Listed Funds Trust
69.Forum Funds
70.Forum Funds II
71.Forum Real Estate Income Fund
72.Fundrise Growth Tech Fund, LLC
73.GoldenTree Opportunistic Credit Fund
74.Gramercy Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
75.Grayscale Funds Trust
76.Guinness Atkinson Funds
77.Harbor ETF Trust
78.Harris Oakmark ETF Trust
79.Hawaiian Tax-Free Trust
80.Horizon Kinetics Blockchain Development ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
81.Horizon Kinetics Energy and Remediation ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
82.Horizon Kinetics Inflation Beneficiaries ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
83.Horizon Kinetics Japan Owner Operator ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
84.Horizon Kinetics Medical ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
85.Horizon Kinetics SPAC Active ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
86.Innovator ETFs Trust
87.Ironwood Institutional Multi-Strategy Fund LLC
88.Ironwood Multi-Strategy Fund LLC
89.Jensen Quality Growth ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
90.John Hancock Exchange-Traded Fund Trust
91.Kurv ETF Trust
92.Lazard Active ETF Trust
93.LDR Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
94.Mairs & Power Balanced Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
95.Mairs & Power Growth Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
96.Mairs & Power Minnesota Municipal Bond ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
97.Mairs & Power Small Cap Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
98.Manor Investment Funds
99.MoA Funds Corporation
100.Moerus Worldwide Value Fund, Series of Northern Lights Fund Trust IV
101.Morgan Stanley ETF Trust
102.Morgan Stanley Pathway Large Cap Equity ETF, Series of Morgan Stanley Pathway Funds
103.Morgan Stanley Pathway Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF, Series of Morgan Stanley Pathway Funds
104.Morningstar Funds Trust
105.NEOS ETF Trust
106.Niagara Income Opportunities Fund
107.North Square Evanston Multi-Alpha Fund
108.NXG Cushing® Midstream Energy Fund
109.NXG NextGen Infrastructure Income Fund
110.OTG Latin American Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
111.Overlay Shares Core Bond ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
112.Overlay Shares Foreign Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
113.Overlay Shares Hedged Large Cap Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
114.Overlay Shares Large Cap Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
115.Overlay Shares Municipal Bond ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
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116.Overlay Shares Short Term Bond ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
117.Overlay Shares Small Cap Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
118.Palmer Square Funds Trust
119.Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund
120.Partners Group Private Income Opportunities, LLC
121.Perkins Discovery Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
122.Philotimo Focused Growth and Income Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
123.Plan Investment Fund, Inc.
124.Point Bridge America First ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
125.Precidian ETFs Trust
126.Rareview 2x Bull Cryptocurrency & Precious Metals ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
127.Rareview Dynamic Fixed Income ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
128.Rareview Systematic Equity ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
129.Rareview Tax Advantaged Income ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
130.Rareview Total Return Bond ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
131.Renaissance Capital Greenwich Funds
132.REX ETF Trust
133.Reynolds Funds, Inc.
134.RMB Investors Trust
135.Robinson Opportunistic Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
136.Robinson Tax Advantaged Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
137.Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
138.Roundhill Cannabis ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
139.Roundhill ETF Trust
140.Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
141.Roundhill Sports Betting & iGaming ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
142.Roundhill Video Games ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
143.Rule One Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
144.Russell Investments Exchange Traded Funds
145.Securian AM Real Asset Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
146.Six Circles Trust
147.Sound Shore Fund, Inc.
148.SP Funds Trust
149.Sparrow Funds
150.Spear Alpha ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
151.STF Tactical Growth & Income ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
152.STF Tactical Growth ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
153.Strategic Trust
154.Strategy Shares
155.Swan Hedged Equity US Large Cap ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
156.Tekla World Healthcare Fund
157.Tema ETF Trust
158.The 2023 ETF Series Trust
159.The 2023 ETF Series Trust II
160.The Community Development Fund
161.The Cook & Bynum Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
162.The Finite Solar Finance Fund
163.The Private Shares Fund
164.The SPAC and New Issue ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
165.Third Avenue Trust
166.Third Avenue Variable Series Trust
167.Tidal Trust I
168.Tidal Trust II
169.Tidal Trust III
6
170.TIFF Investment Program
171.Timothy Plan High Dividend Stock Enhanced ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
172.Timothy Plan High Dividend Stock ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
173.Timothy Plan International ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
174.Timothy Plan Market Neutral ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
175.Timothy Plan US Small Cap Core ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
176.Total Fund Solution
177.Touchstone ETF Trust
178.Trailmark Series Trust
179.T-Rex 2X Inverse Bitcoin Daily Target ETF, Series of World Funds Trust
180.T-Rex 2x Inverse Ether Daily Target ETF, Series of World Funds Trust
181.T-Rex 2X Long Bitcoin Daily Target ETF, Series of World Funds Trust
182.T-Rex 2x Long Ether Daily Target ETF
183.U.S. Global Investors Funds
184.Union Street Partners Value Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
185.Vest Bitcoin Strategy Managed Volatility Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
186.Vest S&P 500® Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
187.Vest US Large Cap 10% Buffer Strategies Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
188.Vest US Large Cap 10% Buffer Strategies VI Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
189.Vest US Large Cap 20% Buffer Strategies Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
190.Vest US Large Cap 20% Buffer Strategies VI Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
191.Virtus Stone Harbor Emerging Markets Income Fund
192.Volatility Shares Trust
193.WEBs ETF Trust
194.Wedbush Series Trust
195.Wellington Global Multi-Strategy Fund
196.Wilshire Mutual Funds, Inc.
197.Wilshire Variable Insurance Trust
198.WisdomTree Digital Trust
199.WisdomTree Trust
200.XAI Octagon Floating Rate & Alternative Income Term Trust
(b) The following are the Officers and Manager of the Distributor, the Registrant’s underwriter. The Distributor’s main business address is 190 Middle Street, Suite 301, Portland, Maine 04101.
| Name | Address | Position with Underwriter | Position with Registrant | ||||||||
| Teresa Cowan | 190 Middle Street, Suite 301, Portland, Maine 04101 | President/Manager | None | ||||||||
| Chris Lanza | 190 Middle Street, Suite 301, Portland, Maine 04101 | Vice President | None | ||||||||
| Kate Macchia | 190 Middle Street, Suite 301, Portland, Maine 04101 | Vice President | None | ||||||||
| Alicia Strout | 190 Middle Street, Suite 301, Portland, Maine 04101 | Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer | None | ||||||||
| Gabriel E. Edelman | 190 Middle Street, Suite 301, Portland, Maine 04101 | Secretary | None | ||||||||
| Susan L. LaFond | 190 Middle Street, Suite 301, Portland, Maine 04101 | Treasurer | None | ||||||||
| Weston Sommers | 190 Middle Street, Suite 301, Portland, Maine 04101 | Financial and Operations Principal and Chief Financial Officer | None | ||||||||
7
(c) Not applicable.
Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records.
The books and records required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, are maintained at the following locations:
Records Relating to: | Are located at: | ||||
| Registrant’s Fund Administrator, Fund Accountant, and Transfer Agent | U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC 615 East Michigan Street Milwaukee, WI 53202 | ||||
| Registrant’s Investment Adviser | CrossingBridge Advisors, LLC 427 Bedford Road, Suite 220 Pleasantville, NY 10570 | ||||
| Registrant’s Custodian | U.S. Bank, National Association 1555 North River Center Drive, Suite 302 Milwaukee, WI 53212 | ||||
| Registrant’s Distributor | Foreside Fund Services, LLC 190 Middle Street, Suite 301 Portland, ME 04101 | ||||
Item 34. Management Services
All management-related service contracts entered into by Registrant are discussed in Parts A and B of this Registration Statement.
Item 35. Undertakings
The Registrant hereby undertakes to furnish each person to whom a Prospectus for one or more of the series of the Registrant is delivered with a copy of the relevant latest annual report to shareholders, upon request and without charge.
8
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant certifies that this Post-Effective Amendment No. 892 to its Registration Statement meets all of the requirements for effectiveness pursuant to Rule 485(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Registrant has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 892 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, on the 27th day of January, 2026.
TRUST FOR PROFESSIONAL MANAGERS
By: /s/ Jennifer A. Lima
Jennifer A. Lima
President and Principal Executive Officer
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 892 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement has been signed below on January 27, 2026, by the following persons in the capacities indicated.
| Signature | Title | ||||
/s/ Jennifer A. Lima Jennifer A. Lima | President and Principal Executive Officer | ||||
Michael D. Akers* Michael D. Akers | Independent Trustee | ||||
Gary A. Drska* Gary A. Drska | Independent Trustee | ||||
Vincent P. Lyles* Vincent P. Lyles | Independent Trustee | ||||
Erik K. Olstein* Erik K. Olstein | Chairperson and Independent Trustee | ||||
Lisa Zúñiga Ramírez* Lisa Zúñiga Ramírez | Independent Trustee | ||||
Gregory M. Wesley* Gregory M. Wesley | Independent Trustee | ||||
Kelly A. Strauss* Kelly A. Strauss | Vice President, Treasurer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer | ||||
* By: /s/ Jennifer A. Lima Jennifer A. Lima | |||||
9
INDEX TO EXHIBITS
INDEX TO EXHIBITS
Exhibit No. | Description of Exhibit | ||||
| (h)(2) | |||||
| (i)(2) | |||||
| (j)(1) | |||||
ATTACHMENTS / EXHIBITS
EX-99.(H)(2) POWER OF ATTORNEY
EX-99.(I)(2) CONSENT OF COUNSEL
EX-99.(J)(1) CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION SCHEMA DOCUMENT
XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION DEFINITION LINKBASE DOCUMENT
XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION LABEL LINKBASE DOCUMENT
XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION PRESENTATION LINKBASE DOCUMENT
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