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Form 497 Investment Managers Seri

December 5, 2022 5:13 PM EST
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PROSPECTUS

 

AXS Change Finance ESG ETF
(Ticker: CHGX)

 

AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF
(Ticker: AAA)

 

(graphic)

 

December 1, 2022

 

Each of the above funds (each a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”), is a series of Investment Managers Series Trust II, and each intends to list and principally trade its shares on NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”). Shares of the Funds trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above the respective Fund’s net asset value.

 

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

AXS Change Finance ESG ETF

AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF

 

Each a series of Investment Managers Series Trust II (the “Trust”)

 

SUMMARY INFORMATION 2
AXS Change Finance ESG ETF 2
AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF 11
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS’ PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES 19
ADDITIONAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND 22
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND 31
BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES 33
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES 34
DISTRIBUTOR 36
FUND SERVICE PROVIDERS 37
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 37
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 39
FOR MORE INFORMATION 42

 

  SUMMARY SECTION  AXS Change Finance ESG ETF  

 

Investment Objective 

The AXS Change Finance ESG ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Change Finance Diversified Impact U.S. Large Cap Fossil Fuel Free Index (the “Index”).

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example set forth below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

   
Management Fees 0.49%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses(1) 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.49%
(1)“Other Expenses” are estimates based on the expenses the Fund expects to incur for the current fiscal year.

 

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.

 

This example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain at current levels. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that investors may pay to buy and sell Shares.

 

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, your costs, based on these assumptions, would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
$50 $157 $274 $616

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when 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. As a result of a reorganization (the “Reorganization”), the Fund acquired all of the assets, and assumed all of the liabilities, of Change Finance U.S. Large Cap Fossil Fuel Free ETF, a series of ETF Series Solutions (the “Predecessor Fund”). During the most recent fiscal year ended July 31, 2022, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 162% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies 

The Fund uses a “passive management” (or indexing) approach to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index.

 

Change Finance Diversified Impact U.S. Large Cap Fossil Fuel Free Index

 

The Index was developed in 2017 by Change Finance, PBC, the Fund’s index provider (“Change Finance” or the “Index Provider”), and measures the performance of an equal-weighted portfolio of approximately 100 large-, mid-capitalization equity securities of U.S.-listed companies. The Index excludes companies involved in the fossil fuel industry, fossil-fired utilities and companies which fail to meet a diverse set of environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) standards.

 

  SUMMARY SECTION  AXS Change Finance ESG ETF  

 

 

Construction of the Index begins with the constituents of the Solactive US Large & Mid Cap Index (the “Solactive Universe”), generally the 1,000 largest U.S.-listed common stocks and real estate investment trusts.

 

To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, companies must meet the ESG standards determined by Change Finance, which relies on ESG indicators provided by ISS ESG, a division of Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”), a global provider of investment data and analytics. The ISS ESG indicators measure the degree to which a company performs its business in accordance with specified ESG factors. Such factors include (i) whether a company’s primary business is in a prohibited industry (e.g., oil, gas, coal, tobacco); (ii) whether a company is involved in producing goods in a controversial business area (e.g., fossil fuels, nuclear power, genetically modified organisms (“GMOs”), military weapons, pesticides); (iii) whether a company has a history of controversial business practices relating to human rights, labor rights, environmental protection, or business malpractice (e.g., corruption, extreme tax avoidance); as well as (iv) standards and performance criteria related to environmental impacts (e.g., emissions, harmful chemicals in product portfolio, biodiversity management) and human impacts (e.g., hiring practices related to diversity, supply chain standards, health risk in product portfolio). Each factor may be evaluated using one or more indicators. Indicators generally take one of three forms: (A) a percentage of revenue derived from a particular business activity; (B) an analyst rating from 1-4 (with 1 being the lowest score and 4 the highest); or (C) for controversy indicators, the severity of the controversy (e.g., human rights).

 

ISS ESG assigns a score, with respect to each applicable indicator, to each company. To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a company must meet the minimum threshold score established by the Index methodology with respect to each indicator. At its discretion and from time to time, Change Finance may supplement ISS ESG data with data from additional sources to further refine eligibility. The companies eligible for inclusion in the Index (the “Eligible Companies”) are then sorted by sector (e.g., healthcare, technology, consumer services) and ranked within each sector by their free-float market capitalization.

 

The Index contains approximately 100 equally-weighted Eligible Companies, and the weight of each sector in the Index reflects the weight of such sector in the Solactive Universe. For example, if the technology sector makes up 13.27% of the Solactive Universe, the 13 largest Eligible Companies in the technology sector will be included in the Index with a total weight of 13%.

 

At the time of each reconstitution of the Index, 100 companies are selected for inclusion in the Index and equally-weighted (i.e., each of the 100 companies receives a weight of 1%). The Index is reconstituted quarterly after the close of trading on the 10th business day of each March, June, September, and December, utilizing data from the last business day of the month preceding the reconstitution. The Index’s exposure may change significantly with each reconstitution or based on market movements between reconstitutions.

 

The Index was developed by Change Finance in 2017 in anticipation of the commencement of operations of the Predecessor Fund.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, will be invested in the equity securities of Eligible Companies (i.e., companies that meet the ESG criteria described above) that do not derive any revenue from fossil fuel production, fossil fuel power generation, tobacco production, production of GMOs, nuclear power generation, weapons production, or hazardous pesticide production. Such policy has been adopted as a non-fundamental investment policy and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders. With respect to this policy, the Fund defines “equity securities” to mean common and preferred stocks, rights, warrants, depositary receipts, equity interests in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and master limited partnerships (“MLPs”). The Fund attempts to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the component securities that make up the Index. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of any collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in the component securities of the Index. The Advisor expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better.

 

  SUMMARY SECTION  AXS Change Finance ESG ETF  

 

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in approximately the same proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may use a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning it may invest in a sample of the securities in the Index the risk, return and other characteristics of which closely resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole, when the Fund’s sub-advisor believes it is in the best interests of the Fund (e.g., when replicating the Index involves practical difficulties or substantial costs, an Index constituent becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable, or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations that apply to the Fund but not to the Index).

 

To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds more than 25% of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of related industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.

 

Principal Risks

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s investment objective will be achieved.

 

Market Risk. The market price of a security or instrument may decline, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic or political conditions throughout the world, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, or adverse investor sentiment generally. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, or other events could have a significant impact on a security or instrument. The market value of a security or instrument also may decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.

 

Equity Risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to specific companies in which the Fund invests.

 

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

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that act as authorized participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to create or redeem, in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to the Funds’ net asset value and possibly face delisting.

 

Market Maker Risk. If the Fund has lower average daily trading volumes, it may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Fund shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Funds’ NAV and the price at which the Fund shares are trading on the Exchange, which could result in a decrease in value of the Fund shares. In addition, decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of the Funds’ portfolio securities and the Funds’ market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Fund shares trading at a discount to NAV and also in greater than normal intra-day bid-ask spreads for Fund shares.

 

  SUMMARY SECTION  AXS Change Finance ESG ETF  

 

 

Fluctuation of Net Asset Value Risk. As with all ETFs, shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market prices of shares will approximate the Funds’ NAV, there may be times when the market prices of shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). Differences in market price and NAV may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. These differences can be especially pronounced during times of market volatility or stress. During these periods, the demand for Fund shares may decrease considerably and cause the market price of Fund shares to deviate significantly from the Funds’ NAV.

 

Trading Issues Risk. Although the Fund shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Fund shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Fund shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Fund shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Fund shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. Market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Fund shares, and authorized participants are not obligated to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. Initially, due to the small asset size of the Fund, it may have difficulty maintaining its listings on the Exchange.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Investors buying or selling shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers, as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares (the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid-ask spread.” The bid-ask spread varies over time for shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and the spread is generally lower if shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, a relatively small investor base in the Fund, asset swings in the Fund, and/or increased market volatility may cause increased bid-ask spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares, including bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

REIT Risk. The Funds’ investment in REITs will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses.

 

Risk of Investing in ESG Companies. The universe of acceptable investments for the Fund may be limited as compared to other funds due to the Index methodology’s ESG investment screening. This may affect the Funds’ exposure to certain companies or industries and may adversely impact the Funds’ performance depending on whether such companies or industries are in or out of favor in the market. The Funds’ performance may be lower than other funds that do not seek to invest in companies based on ESG factors and/or remove certain companies or industries from its selection process. The Index methodology seeks to identify companies that meet certain ESG standards and scores, but investors may differ in their views of ESG characteristics. As a result, the Fund may invest in companies that do not reflect the beliefs and values of any particular investor. Additionally, the Index methodology incorporates ESG information provided by third-party data providers, which may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable for certain issuers.  In addition, ESG information across third-party data providers, indexes and other funds may differ and/or be incomplete.

 

Preferred Stock Risk. Preferred stock represents an equity interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other stocks such as common stock, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. The market value of preferred stock is subject to company-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities and is also sensitive to changes in the company’s creditworthiness, the ability of the company to make payments on the preferred stock, and changes in interest rates, typically declining in value if interest rates rise.

 

  SUMMARY SECTION  AXS Change Finance ESG ETF  

 

 

Warrants and Rights Risk.  Warrants and rights may lack a liquid secondary market for resale.  The prices of warrants and rights may fluctuate as a result of speculation or other factors.  Warrants and rights can provide a greater potential for profit or loss than an equivalent investment in the underlying security.  Prices of warrants and rights do not necessarily move in tandem with the prices of their underlying securities and are highly volatile and speculative investments.  If a warrant or right expires without being exercised, the Fund will lose any amount paid for the warrant or right.

 

MLP Risk. Investment in securities of an MLP involves risks that differ from investments in common stock, including risks related to limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP, risks related to potential conflicts of interest between the MLP and the MLP’s general partner, cash flow risks, dilution risks and risks related to the general partner’s right to require unit-holders to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price. Certain MLP securities may trade in low volumes due to their small capitalizations. Accordingly, those MLPs may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable the Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price. MLPs are generally considered interest-rate sensitive investments. During periods of interest rate volatility, these investments may not provide attractive returns. MLPs may incur environmental costs and liabilities due to the nature of their businesses and the substances they handle. Changes in existing laws, regulations or enforcement policies governing the energy sector could significantly increase the compliance costs of MLPs. The Fund will select its investments in MLPs from the current small pool of issuers. Demand for investment opportunities in MLPs that operate energy-related businesses may exceed supply, which could make it difficult to operate the Fund.

 

Concentration Risk. The Fund will be concentrated (i.e., invest more than 25% of Fund assets) in the industries or group of industries within a single sector to the extent that the Index is so concentrated. A portfolio concentrated in one or more sectors may present more risks than a portfolio broadly diversified over several sectors.

 

Market Capitalization Risk. Larger, more established companies may be unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies during periods of economic expansion. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements and may have lower trading volumes or more erratic trading than securities of larger, more established companies or market averages in general. In addition, such companies typically are more likely to be adversely affected than large-capitalization companies by changes in earning results, business prospects, investor expectations or poor economic or market conditions.

 

Consumer Discretionary Companies Risk. Consumer discretionary companies, such as retailers, media companies and consumer services companies, provide non-essential goods and services. These companies manufacture products and provide discretionary services directly to the consumer, and the success of these companies is tied closely to the performance of the overall domestic and international economy, interest rates, competition and consumer confidence. Success depends heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. Changes in demographics and consumer tastes can also affect the demand for, and success of, consumer discretionary products in the marketplace.

 

Consumer Staples Companies Risk. Consumer staples companies provide products directly to the consumer that are typically considered non-discretionary items based on consumer purchasing habits. Such products include food, beverages, household items and tobacco. Companies providing these products may be affected by the regulation of various product components and production methods, new laws, regulations or litigation, marketing campaigns, competitive pricing and other factors affecting consumer demand. Changes in the worldwide economy, demographics, consumer preferences, consumer spending, exploration and production spending may adversely affect these companies, as well as natural and man-made disasters, political, social or labor unrest, world events and economic conditions.

 

  SUMMARY SECTION  AXS Change Finance ESG ETF  

 

 

Financial Companies Risk.  Financial companies are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or future regulation in various countries on any individual financial company or on the financial sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Companies in the financial sector may be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. Insurance companies are subject to extensive government regulation in some countries and can be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, general economic conditions, price and marketing competition, the imposition of premium rate caps, or other changes in government regulation or tax law. Different segments of the insurance industry can be significantly affected by mortality and morbidity rates, environmental clean-up costs and catastrophic events such as earthquakes, hurricanes and terrorist acts. Financial companies are also a target for cyber attacks and may experience technology malfunctions and disruptions. In recent years, cyber attacks and technology failures have become increasingly frequent and have caused significant losses.

 

Health Care Companies Risk. Health care companies, such as companies providing medical and healthcare goods and services, companies engaged in manufacturing medical equipment, supplies and pharmaceuticals, as well as operating health care facilities and the provision of managed health care, may be affected by government regulations and government health care programs, increases or decreases in the cost of medical products and services and product liability claims, among other factors. Many health care companies are heavily dependent on patent protection, and the expiration of a company’s patent may adversely affect that company’s profitability. Health care companies are also subject to competitive forces that may result in price discounting, may be thinly capitalized and susceptible to product obsolescence.

 

Information Technology Companies Risk. Information technology companies produce and provide hardware, software and information technology systems and services. These companies may be adversely affected by rapidly changing technologies, short product life cycles, fierce competition, aggressive pricing and reduced profit margins, the loss of patent, copyright and trademark protections, cyclical market patterns, evolving industry standards and frequent new product introductions. In addition, information technology companies are particularly vulnerable to federal, state and local government regulation, and competition and consolidation, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Information technology companies also heavily rely on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by the loss or impairment of those rights.

 

Index Provider Risk. There is no assurance that the Index Provider, or any agents that act on its behalf, will compile the Index accurately, or that the Index will be determined, maintained, constructed, reconstituted, rebalanced, composed, calculated or disseminated accurately. The Index Provider relies on an independent calculation agent to calculate and disseminate the Index accurately. Any losses or costs associated with errors made by the Index Provider or its agents generally will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.

 

Third Party Data Risk. The composition of the Index is heavily dependent on proprietary information and data supplied by a third party (“Third Party Data”). When Third Party Data prove to be incorrect or incomplete, any decisions made in reliance thereon may lead to the inclusion or exclusion of securities from the Index that would have been excluded or included had the Third Party Data been correct and complete. If the composition of the Index reflects such errors, the Funds’ portfolio can be expected to reflect the errors, too.

 

Tracking Error Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and the Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Funds’ service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks.

 

  SUMMARY SECTION  AXS Change Finance ESG ETF  

 

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed. The Fund invests in securities included in or representative of the Index regardless of investment merit. The Fund generally will not attempt to take defensive positions in declining markets. In the event that the Index is no longer calculated, the Index license is terminated or the identity or character of the Index is materially changed, the Fund will seek to engage a replacement index.

 

Portfolio Turnover Risk. Active and frequent trading of the Funds’ portfolio securities may lead to higher transaction costs and may result in a greater number of taxable transactions than would otherwise be the case, which could negatively affect the Funds’ performance. A high rate of portfolio turnover is 100% or more.

 

COVID-19 Related Market Events. The pandemic of the novel coronavirus respiratory disease designated COVID-19 has resulted in extreme volatility in the financial markets, a domestic and global economic downturn, severe losses, particularly to some sectors of the economy and individual issuers, and reduced liquidity of many instruments. There have also been significant disruptions to business operations, including business closures; strained healthcare systems; disruptions to supply chains and employee availability; large fluctuations in consumer demand; and widespread uncertainty regarding the duration and long-term effects of the pandemic. The pandemic may result in domestic and foreign political and social instability, damage to diplomatic and international trade relations, and continued volatility and/or decreased liquidity in the securities markets. Governments and central banks, including the Federal Reserve in the United States, took extraordinary and unprecedented actions to support local and global economies and the financial markets. This and other government intervention into the economy and financial markets to address the pandemic may not work as intended, particularly if the efforts are perceived by investors as being unlikely to achieve the desired results. Rates of inflation have also recently risen, which could adversely affect economies and markets. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic, and measures taken to mitigate its effects, could result in disruptions to the services provided to the Fund by its service providers. Other market events like the COVID-19 pandemic may cause similar disruptions and effects.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets, customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or cause the Fund, the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and/or other service providers (including custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or loss of operational functionality. In an extreme case, a shareholder’s ability to exchange or redeem Fund shares may be affected. Issuers of securities in which the Fund invests are also subject to cybersecurity risks, and the value of those securities could decline if the issuers experience cybersecurity incidents.

 

The Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective.

 

Performance

The Fund adopted the performance of the Predecessor Fund following the Reorganization of the Predecessor Fund on March 18, 2022. The Predecessor Fund had substantially similar investment objectives, strategies and policies, portfolio management team and contractual arrangements, including the same contractual fees and expenses, as the Fund as of the date of the Reorganization. As a result of the Reorganization, the Fund is the accounting successor of the Predecessor Fund. Performance results shown in the bar chart and the performance table below for periods prior to March 18, 2022, reflect the performance of the Predecessor Fund.

 

The bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Predecessor Fund’s performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Predecessor Fund’s average annual total returns based on net asset value compared to those of the Index and other market indices. For the relevant periods, the bar chart and the performance table below reflect the performance of the Predecessor Fund prior to the commencement of the Fund’s operations on March 18, 2022. The Predecessor Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. The Fund’s performance information is accessible on the Fund’s website at www.axsinvestments.com.

 

  SUMMARY SECTION  AXS Change Finance ESG ETF  

 

 

Calendar-Year Total Return (before taxes) for Predecessor Fund

For each calendar year at NAV

                 

 

              (graphic)

 

 

The calendar year-to-date return as of September 30, 2022, was (29.15)%.

 

Best and Worst Calendar Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in the bar chart above)
Highest Return 24.15% Quarter Ended 06/30/20
Lowest Return (19.94)% Quarter Ended 03/31/20

 

Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2021)

1 Year

Since Inception

(10/9/2017)

Return Before Taxes1  22.60% 18.02%
Return After Taxes on Distributions1  22.43% 17.79%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1 13.49% 14.44%
Change Finance Diversified Impact U.S. Large Cap Fossil Fuel Free Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
23.31% 18.77%
S&P 500® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 28.71% 18.12%

Change Finance Diversified Impact U.S. Large Cap Fossil Fuel Free Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 

 

1Returns before taxes do not reflect the effects of any income or capital gains taxes. All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income taxes and do not reflect the impact of any state or local tax. Returns after taxes on distributions reflect the taxed return on the payment of dividends and capital gains.

 

Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Shares in tax-deferred accounts such as individual retirement accounts (IRAs) or employee-sponsored retirement plans.

 

  SUMMARY SECTION  AXS Change Finance ESG ETF  

 

 

Management

 

Investment Advisor

 

AXS Investments LLC (“AXS” or the “Advisor”)

 

Investment Sub-Advisor

 

Change Finance, PBC (“Change Finance” or the “Sub-Advisor”)

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Andrew Rodriguez, Chief Investment Officer of Change Finance, and Travis Trampe, Portfolio Manager of AXS, are the portfolio managers jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio. Mr. Rodriguez has overseen the Fund and Predecessor Fund since its inception on October 9, 2017. Mr. Trampe has managed the Fund since November 2022.

 

Purchase and Sale of Shares 

The Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis, at net asset value, only in large blocks of shares called “Creation Units.” Each Creation Unit is 25,000 Shares. The Fund may issue and redeem Shares in exchange for cash at a later date but has no current intention of doing so. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the Shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.

 

Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold on the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Since Shares of the Fund trade on securities exchanges in the secondary market at their market price rather than their net asset value, the Funds’ Shares may trade at a price greater than (premium) or less than (discount) the Funds’ net asset value. An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information, including the Funds’ net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at www.axsinvestments.com.

 

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions will generally be taxable as ordinary income, returns of capital or capital gains. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), AXS and IMST Distributors, LLC, the Fund’s distributor, may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

10 

 

  SUMMARY SECTION

AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF

 

 

Investment Objective 

AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF (the “Fund”) seeks capital preservation and income.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example set forth below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

   
Management Fees 0.25%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses1 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.25%
1“Other Expenses” for the Fund have been estimated for the current fiscal year. Actual expenses may differ from estimates.

 

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. This example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain at current levels. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that investors may pay to buy and sell Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, your costs, based on these assumptions, would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
$26 $80 $141 $318

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. As a result of a reorganization (the “Reorganization”), the Fund acquired all of the assets, and assumed all of the liabilities, of AAF First Priority CLO Bond ETF, a series of Listed Funds Trust (the “Predecessor Fund”). During the most recent fiscal year ended July 31, 2022, the Predecessor Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 73% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies 

The Fund is an actively-managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”). Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in AAA rated first priority debt tranches of U.S. dollar-dominated collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”).

 

CLOs are trusts that are typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. The Fund may invest in CLOs of any maturity. The Fund is actively managed and does not seek to track the performance of any particular index.

 

The Fund principally invests in CLOs with the following criteria:

11 

 

  SUMMARY SECTION

AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF

 

 

Rated AAA

 

No CLO, at the time of purchase by the Fund, will have a rating that is below AAA (or equivalent by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”)). An NRSRO is a credit rating agency such as Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), Standard & Poor’s, a division of McGraw Hill Companies Inc. (“S&P”), or Fitch Ratings Ltd. (“Fitch”), that issues credit ratings that the SEC permits other financial firms to use for certain regulatory purposes. After purchase, a CLO’s rating may decline below the minimum rating required by the Fund for purchase. In such cases, Alternative Access Funds, LLC (“AAF” or the “Sub-Advisor”) will consider whether continuing to hold the CLO is in the best interest of the Fund.

 

Broadly Syndicated Senior-Secured Loans

 

The underlying collateral pool for each CLO must be comprised primarily (typically 90%) of broadly syndicated senior-secured first lien loans. A Broadly Syndicated Loan CLO (“BSL CLO”) is a CLO that limits the amount of loan collateral whose offering size is typically less than $250 million to a maximum of approximately 5% of the portfolio. No investments will be made in middle market CLOs, collateralized bond obligations (“CBOs”), asset-backed securities (“ABS”), collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) and synthetic CLOs. 

 

First Priority Tranches Only

 

The Fund will invest only in the senior-most tranches of CLOs. The cash flows from a CLO trust are generally split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. Senior tranches are paid from the cash flows of the underlying assets before the junior tranches and equity, or “first loss,” tranches. Losses are first borne by the equity tranches, then by the junior tranches, and finally by the senior tranches. Senior tranches pay the lowest interest rates but are generally safer investments than more junior tranches because, should there be any default, senior tranches are typically paid first. For the avoidance of doubt, the CLOs that the Fund purchases will be the senior-most tranches, consisting of floating rate bonds that rank first in priority of payments, at the time the CLO is issued. The Fund will not purchase CLO tranches that have subsequently become the senior-most tranches due to amortization of previously more senior tranches.

 

Minimum Offering and Tranche Size

 

The Fund will only invest in a CLO with a minimum initial total deal size of $300 million and minimum initial AAA tranche size of $150 million.

 

Maximum Positions Size

 

The Fund will not invest more than 5% of its total assets in any single security.

 

Maximum CLO Manager Exposure

 

The Fund will not invest more than 10% of its total assets in any single CLO manager.

 

Maximum Weighted Average Rating Factor

 

Each CLO will have a maximum Weighted Average Rating Factor (the “WARF”) (the “Maximum WARF”), at the time of purchase, of less than the greater of: a) 3,000, and b) the median WARF value of all outstanding broadly syndicated CLOs (as determined by the Sub-Advisor). WARF is a measure that is used by credit rating companies to indicate the quality of a CLO by aggregating the credit ratings of the CLO’s holdings into a single numerical value. If no WARF is calculated by the trustee of a particular CLO, the Sub-Advisor will at its discretion invest only in a CLO that it believes would not exceed the Maximum WARF. After purchase, a CLO’s WARF may exceed the Maximum WARF. In such cases, the Sub-Advisor will consider whether to continue to hold the CLO. Additional information about the WARF is located in the “Additional Information About the Funds’ Investment Strategies” section.

 

12 

 

  SUMMARY SECTION

AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF

 

 

Principal Risks

 

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s investment objective will be achieved. The order of the risk factors set forth below does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.

 

Market Risk. The market price of a security or instrument may decline, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic or political conditions throughout the world, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, or adverse investor sentiment generally. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, or other events could have a significant impact on a security or instrument. The market value of a security or instrument also may decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.

 

Collateralized Loan Obligations Risk. A CLO is a trust collateralized by a pool of credit-related assets. Accordingly, CLO securities present risks similar to those of other types of credit investments, including default (credit), interest rate and prepayment risks. The extent of these risks depend largely on the type of securities used as collateral and the class of the CLOs in which the Fund invests. In addition, CLOs are often governed by a complex series of legal documents and contracts, which increases the risk of dispute over the interpretation and enforceability of such documents relative to other types of investments. There is also a risk that the trustee of a CLO does not properly carry out its duties to the CLO, potentially resulting in loss to the CLO.

 

Collateralized Loan Obligations Leveraging Risk. CLOs are typically leveraged, and such leverage will magnify the loss on CLO investments, which may in turn magnify the loss experienced by the Fund. The cumulative effect of the use of leverage with respect to any investments in a market that moves adversely to such investments could result in a substantial loss that would be greater than if the Funds’ investments were not leveraged. The Fund intends to invest only in the most senior tranches of CLOs (those that are also AAA-rated), which generally are less affected by the effects of leverage than more junior tranches.

 

Fixed Income Securities Risk. The prices of fixed income securities respond to economic developments, particularly interest rate changes, as well as to changes in an issuer’s credit rating or market perceptions about the creditworthiness of an issuer. Generally fixed income securities decrease in value if interest rates rise and increase in value if interest rates fall, and longer-term and lower rated securities are more volatile than shorter-term and higher rated securities.

 

Prepayment or Call Risk. If the Fund holds a fixed income security subject to prepayment or call risk, it may not benefit fully from the increase in value that other fixed income securities generally experience when interest rates fall. Upon prepayment of the security, the Fund may be forced to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower yields. In addition, the Fund may lose the amount of the premium paid in the event of prepayment.

 

Extension Risk. When interest rates rise, repayments of fixed income securities may occur more slowly than anticipated, extending the effective duration of these fixed income securities at below market interest rates and causing their market prices to decline more than they would have declined due to the rise in interest rates alone.

 

Credit Risk. Debt securities, even investment-grade debt securities, are subject to credit risk. Credit risk is the risk that the inability or perceived inability of the issuer to make interest and principal payments will cause the value of the securities to decrease. As a result the Funds’ NAV could also decrease. Changes in the credit rating of a debt security held by the Fund could have a similar effect.

 

Interest Rate Risk. Changes in interest rates may adversely affect the value of the Funds’ investments in fixed income securities. Generally, the value of debt securities decline as interest rates rise. Falling interest rates also create the potential for a decline in the Funds’ income. Changes in governmental policy, rising inflation rates, and general economic developments, among other factors, could cause interest rates to increase and could have a substantial and immediate effect on the values of the Funds’ investments. These risks are greater during periods of rising inflation. Variable and floating rate securities 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. When the Fund holds floating or adjustable rate debt securities, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and the Funds’ NAV.

13 

 

  SUMMARY SECTION

AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF

 

 

Floating Rate Notes Risk. Securities with floating or variable interest rates can be less sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates, 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 securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. A decline in interest rates may result in a reduction of income received from floating rate securities held by the Fund and may adversely affect the value of the Funds’ shares. Generally, floating rate securities carry lower yields than fixed notes of the same maturity. The interest rate for a floating rate note resets or adjusts periodically by reference to a benchmark interest rate. The impact of interest rate changes on floating rate investments is typically mitigated by the periodic interest rate reset of the investments. Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, usually making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations. Floating rate notes generally are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, may trade infrequently, and their value may be impaired when the Fund needs to liquidate such loans. Benchmark interest rates, such as the LIBOR, may not accurately track market interest rates.

 

Private Placements and Restricted Securities Risk. Private placement securities are securities that have been privately placed and are not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. They are eligible for sale only to certain eligible investors. Private placements often may offer attractive opportunities for investment not otherwise available on the open market. Private placement and other “restricted” securities often cannot be sold to the public without registration under the Securities Act or an exemption from registration (such as Rules 144 or 144A). Private placements and other restricted securities may be considered illiquid securities.

 

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

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that act as authorized participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to create or redeem, shares may trade at a discount to the Funds’ net asset value and possibly face delisting.

 

Market Maker Risk. If the Fund has lower average daily trading volumes, it may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Fund shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Funds’ NAV and the price at which the Fund shares are trading on the Exchange, which could result in a decrease in value of the Fund shares. In addition, decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the Funds’ NAV and the Funds’ market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Fund shares trading at a discount to NAV and also in greater than normal intra-day bid-ask spreads for Fund shares.

 

Fluctuation of Net Asset Value Risk. As with all ETFs, shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market prices of shares will approximate the Funds’ NAV, there may be times when the market prices of shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). Differences in market price and NAV may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. These differences can be especially pronounced during times of market volatility or stress. During these periods, the demand for Fund shares may decrease considerably and cause the market price of Fund shares to deviate significantly from the Funds’ NAV.

14 

 

  SUMMARY SECTION

AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF

 

 

Trading Issues Risk. Although the Fund shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Fund shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Fund shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Fund shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Fund shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. Market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Fund shares, and authorized participants are not obligated to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. Initially, due to the small asset size of the Fund, it may have difficulty maintaining its listings on the Exchange.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Investors buying or selling shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers, as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares (the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid-ask spread.” The bid-ask spread varies over time for shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and the spread is generally lower if shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, a relatively small investor base in the Fund, asset swings in the Fund, and/or increased market volatility may cause increased bid-ask spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares, including bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Transactions in Cash Risk. The Fund intends to effect its creations and redemptions primarily for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in- kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio investments at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to pay redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to incur certain costs such as brokerage costs, and to recognize gains or losses that it might not have incurred if it had paid redemption proceeds in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. In addition, the costs imposed on the Fund will decrease the Funds’ NAV unless the costs are offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund may not be able to sell some or all of the investments that it holds due to a lack of demand in the marketplace or other factors such as market turmoil, or if the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid asset to meet redemption requests or other cash needs it may only be able to sell those investments at a loss. In addition, the reduction in dealer market-making capacity in the fixed income markets that has occurred in recent years has the potential to decrease the liquidity of the Funds’ investments. Illiquid assets may also be difficult to value.

 

LIBOR Risk. Many financial instruments, financings or other transactions to which the Fund may be a party use or may use a floating rate based on the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”). In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority, the United Kingdom’s financial regulatory body, announced that after 2021 it would cease its active encouragement of banks to provide quotations needed to sustain LIBOR. The publication of LIBOR on a representative basis ceased for the one-week and two-month U.S. dollar LIBOR settings immediately after December 31, 2021, and it is expected to cease for the remaining U.S. dollar LIBOR settings immediately after June 30, 2023. Any potential effects of the transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or on certain instruments in which the Fund invests can be difficult to determine, and they may vary depending on factors that include, but are not limited to, (i) existing fallback or termination provisions in individual contracts and (ii) whether, how, and when industry participants develop and adopt new reference rates and fallbacks for both legacy and new products and instruments. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR, and there may be a reduction in the value of certain instruments held by the Fund.

 

Limited Operating History. The Fund is recently organized and has a limited operating history. As a result, prospective investors have a limited track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.

15 

 

  SUMMARY SECTION

AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF

 

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Funds’ service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Sub-Advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks.

 

Management and Strategy Risk. The value of your investment depends on the judgment of the Funds’ Advisor and Sub-Advisor about the quality, relative yield, value or market trends affecting a particular security, industry, sector or region, which may prove to be incorrect.

 

COVID-19 Related Market Events. The pandemic of the novel coronavirus respiratory disease designated COVID-19 has resulted in extreme volatility in the financial markets, a domestic and global economic downturn, severe losses, particularly to some sectors of the economy and individual issuers, and reduced liquidity of many instruments. There have also been significant disruptions to business operations, including business closures; strained healthcare systems; disruptions to supply chains and employee availability; large fluctuations in consumer demand; and widespread uncertainty regarding the duration and long-term effects of the pandemic. The pandemic may result in domestic and foreign political and social instability, damage to diplomatic and international trade relations, and continued volatility and/or decreased liquidity in the securities markets. Governments and central banks, including the Federal Reserve in the United States, took extraordinary and unprecedented actions to support local and global economies and the financial markets. This and other government intervention into the economy and financial markets to address the pandemic may not work as intended, particularly if the efforts are perceived by investors as being unlikely to achieve the desired results. Rates of inflation have also recently risen, which could adversely affect economies and markets. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic, and measures taken to mitigate its effects, could result in disruptions to the services provided to the Fund by its service providers. Other market events like the COVID-19 pandemic may cause similar disruptions and effects.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets, customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or cause the Fund, the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and/or other service providers (including custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or loss of operational functionality. In an extreme case, a shareholder’s ability to exchange or redeem Fund shares may be affected. Issuers of securities in which the Fund invests are also subject to cybersecurity risks, and the value of those securities could decline if the issuers experience cybersecurity incidents.

 

The Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective.

 

Performance

The Fund adopted the performance of the Predecessor Fund following the Reorganization of the Predecessor Fund on October 14, 2022. As a result of the acquisition, the Fund is the accounting successor of the Predecessor Fund. Performance results shown in the bar chart and the performance table below for periods prior to October 14, 2022, reflect the performance of the Predecessor Fund.

 

The bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Predecessor Fund’s performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Predecessor Fund’s average annual total returns based on net asset value compared to those of the Bloomberg Floating Rate Note <5 Years Index. The Fund’s performance information is accessible on the Fund’s website at www.axsinvestments.com.

16 

 

  SUMMARY SECTION

AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF

 

 

Calendar-Year Total Return (before taxes) for Predecessor Fund

For each calendar year at NAV

 

(graphic) 

 

The year-to-date total return for the Predecessor Fund as of September 30, 2022, was (1.94)%.

 

Average Annual Total Returns
(for periods ended December 31, 2021)

1 Year Since
Inception
(9/8/2020)
Return Before Taxes1 1.14% 1.10%
Return After Taxes on Distributions1 0.71% 0.67%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1   0.67% 0.66%
Bloomberg Floating Rate Note <5 Years Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 0.45% 0.59%

 

1The Predecessor Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Returns before taxes do not reflect the effects of any income or capital gains taxes. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Returns after taxes on distributions reflect the taxed return on the payment of dividends and capital gains. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After–tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

 

Management

 

Investment Advisor

 

AXS Investments LLC (“AXS” or the “Advisor”)

 

Sub-Advisor

 

Alternative Access Funds, LLC (“AAF” or the “Sub-Advisor”)

 

Portfolio Manager

Peter Coppa, Managing Partner of AAF, is the portfolio manager and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Mr. Coppa has served as portfolio manager of the Fund and the Predecessor Fund since its inception in September 2020.

17 

 

  SUMMARY SECTION

AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF

 

 

Purchase and Sale of Shares

The Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis, at net asset value, only in large blocks of shares called “Creation Units.” Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the Shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.

 

Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold on the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Since Shares of the Fund trade on securities exchanges in the secondary market at their market price rather than their net asset value, the Funds’ Shares may trade at a price greater than (premium) or less than (discount) the Funds’ net asset value. An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”).  Recent information, including the Funds’ net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at www.axsinvestments.com.

 

Tax Information

The Funds’ distributions will generally be taxable as ordinary income, returns of capital or capital gains. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Advisor and IMST Distributors, LLC, the Funds’ distributor, may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

18 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS’ PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

 

Each Fund is a series of Investment Managers Series Trust II (the “Trust”) and is regulated as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Funds’ investment objectives are non-fundamental and may be changed without approval by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the respective Fund. Unless an investment policy is identified as being fundamental, all investment policies included in this prospectus and the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) are non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) without shareholder approval. If there is a material change to the Funds’ investment objectives or principal investment strategies, you should consider whether the respective Fund remains an appropriate investment for you. There is no guarantee that the Funds will achieve its investment objective.

 

AXS Change Finance ESG ETF

 

The Fund seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index.

 

Change Finance provides the Index to the Fund. Change Finance created and is responsible for maintaining and applying the rules-based methodology of the Index. The Index is calculated by an independent third-party (the “Index Calculation Agent”) that is not affiliated with the Fund, the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, the Funds’ distributor, or any of their respective affiliates. The Index Calculation Agent provides information to the Fund about the Index constituents and does not provide investment advice with respect to the desirability of investing in, purchasing, or selling securities.

 

Construction of the Index begins with the constituents of the Solactive Universe generally the 1,000 largest U.S.-listed common stocks and REITs.

 

To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, companies must meet the ESG standards determined by Change Finance, which relies on ESG indicators provided by ISS ESG. The ISS ESG indicators measure the degree to which a company performs its business in accordance with specified ESG factors. Such factors include (i) whether a company’s primary business is in a prohibited industry (e.g., oil, gas, coal, tobacco); (ii) whether a company is involved in producing goods in a controversial business area (e.g., fossil fuels, nuclear power, GMOs, military weapons, pesticides); (iii) whether a company has a history of controversial business practices relating to human rights, labor rights, environmental protection, or business malpractice (e.g., corruption, extreme tax avoidance); as well as (iv) standards and performance criteria related to environmental impacts (e.g., emissions, harmful chemicals in product portfolio, biodiversity management) and human impacts (e.g., hiring practices related to diversity, supply chain standards, health risk in product portfolio). Each factor may be evaluated using one or more indicators. Indicators generally take one of three forms: (A) a percentage of revenue derived from a particular business activity; (B) an analyst rating from 1-4 (with 1 being the lowest score and 4 the highest); or (C) for controversy indicators, the severity of the controversy (e.g., human rights).

 

ISS ESG assigns a score, with respect to each applicable indicator, to each company. To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a company must meet the minimum threshold score established by the Index methodology with respect to each indicator. The Eligible Companies are then sorted by sector (e.g., healthcare, technology, consumer services) and ranked within each sector by their free-float market capitalization.

 

The Index contains approximately 100 equally-weighted Eligible Companies, and the weight of each sector in the Index reflects the weight of such sector in the Solactive Universe For example, if the technology sector makes up 13.27% of the Solactive Universe, the 13 largest Eligible Companies in the technology sector will be included in the Index with a total weight of 13%.

 

Index Reconstitution. The Index is reconstituted quarterly after the close of trading on the 10th business day of each March, June, September and December, utilizing data from the last business day of the month preceding the reconstitution. If at the time of a reconstitution of the Index there are not a sufficient number of Eligible Companies in a particular sector, the target weight of the remaining sectors will be increased proportionally to include additional companies in such other sector(s). Additionally, if due to rounding, 100 stocks are not selected for the Index at the time of its reconstitution, the largest Eligible Company not otherwise included in the Index will be added to the Index.

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If at the time of a reconstitution of the Index, more than 20% of the Index’s weight would be in companies that are not included in the Solactive Universe, the weight of each such company is reduced in proportion to its original weighting until all such companies have an aggregate weight of 20% and the excess weight is reallocated proportionately to all of the Index constituents included in the Solactive Universe.

 

Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Funds’ net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, will be invested in the Eligible Company that do not derive any revenue from fossil fuel productions, fossil fuel power generation, tobacco production, production of GMOs, nuclear power generation, weapons production, or hazardous pesticide production. Such policy has been adopted as a non-fundamental investment policy and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders. With respect to this policy, the Fund defines “equity securities” to mean common and preferred stocks, rights, warrants, depositary receipts, equity interests in REITs, and MLPs.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in approximately the same proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may use a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning it may invest in a sample of the securities in the Index, the risk, return and other characteristics of which closely resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole, when the Sub-Advisor believes it is in the best interests of the Fund (e.g., when replicating the Index involves practical difficulties or substantial costs, an Index constituent becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable, or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations that apply to the Fund but not to the Index).

 

To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds more than 25% of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of related industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.

 

AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in AAA rated first priority debt tranches of U.S. dollar-dominated CLOs. The Fund will not change this investment policy unless it gives shareholders at least 60 days’ advance written notice.

 

The Fund principally invests in CLOs with the following criteria:

 

Rated AAA or equivalent, at the time of purchase by the Fund, by a NRSRO such as Moody’s, S&P, or Fitch, After purchase, a CLO’s rating may decline below the minimum rating required by the Fund for purchase. In such cases, the Fund’s Sub-Advisor, will consider whether continuing to hold the CLO is in the best interest of the Fund.
  
The Fund will invest in BSL CLOs. A BSL CLO is a CLO that limits the amount of loan collateral whose offering size is typically less than $250 million to a maximum of approximately 5% of the portfolio. The underlying collateral pool for each CLO must be comprised primarily (typically 90%) of broadly syndicated senior-secured first lien loans.
  
The Fund will invest only in the senior-most tranches of CLOs. Senior tranches are paid from the cash flows of the underlying assets before the junior tranches and equity, or “first loss,” tranches. Senior tranches pay the lowest interest rates but are generally safer investments than more junior tranches because, should there be any default, senior tranches are typically paid first. For the avoidance of doubt, the CLOs that the Fund purchases will be the senior-most tranches, consisting of floating rate bonds that rank first in priority of payments, at the time the CLO is issued. The Fund will not purchase CLO tranches that have subsequently become the senior-most tranches due to amortization of previously more senior tranches.
  
The Fund will only invest in a CLO with a minimum initial total deal size of $300 million and minimum initial AAA tranche size of $150 million.

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The Fund will not invest more than 5% of its total assets in any single security.

 

The Fund will not invest more than 10% of its total assets in any single CLO manager.

 

Each CLO will have a maximum WARF (the “Maximum WARF”), at the time of purchase, of less than the greater of: a) 3,000, and b) the median WARF value of all outstanding broadly syndicated CLOs (as determined by the Sub-Advisor).

 

WARF is calculated by the trustee of a CLO on a monthly basis. It is a numerical representation of the aggregate credit risk of the underlying portfolio of loans. It is calculated as a weighted average of the Moody’s Rating Factor values for each of the individual loans in the CLO portfolio. The table below provides a mapping between Moody’s Rating Factors and Moody’s credit ratings of each loan.

 

Moody’s Rating Moody’s Rating Factor
Aaa 1
Aa1 10
Aa2 20
Aa3 40
A1 70
A2 120
A3 180
Baa1 260
Baa2 360
Baa3 610
Ba1 940
Ba2 1350
Ba3 1766
B1 2220
B2 2720
B3 3490
Caa1 4770
Caa2 6500
Caa3 8070
Ca-C 10000

 

The Fund’s Maximum WARF constraint effectively imposes credit quality limitations on the CLOs that are eligible for inclusion in the Fund’s portfolio. While the Maximum WARF seeks to limit the Fund’s exposure to the risks of investing in lower-rated CLOs, such as CLOs with exceedingly large balances of low-rated (B3, Caa, Ca-C) loans, whether by design or due to credit migration, it also may limit the upside performance potential of the Fund’s investments in CLOs.

 

Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments

 

For temporary defensive purposes and during periods of high cash inflows or outflows, the Fund may depart from its principal investment strategies and invest part or all of its assets in fixed income securities with maturities of less than two years, cash equivalents and/or cash. During such periods, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective. The Fund may adopt a defensive strategy when the portfolio manager believes instruments in which the Fund normally invests have elevated risks due to political or economic factors and in other extraordinary circumstances.

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Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

 

Information about the Fund’s daily portfolio holdings is available at www.axsinvestments.com. A description of the Trust’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Funds’ portfolio holdings is available in the Funds’ SAI, which is available at www.axsinvestments.com.

 

ADDITIONAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUNDS

 

 

Risk is inherent in all investing and you could lose money by investing in the Funds. A summary description of certain principal risks of investing in the Funds is set forth below. Before you decide whether to invest in the Funds, carefully consider these risk factors associated with investing in the Funds, which may cause investors to lose money. There can be no assurance that the Funds will achieve their respective investment objective.

 

Principal Risks

 

Market Risk. The market price of a security or instrument may decline, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic or political conditions throughout the world, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, or adverse investor sentiment generally. The market value of a security or instrument also may decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, or other events could have a significant impact on a security or instrument. For example, the financial crisis that began in 2007 caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of many securities; in particular, the values of some sovereign debt and of securities of issuers that invest in sovereign debt and related investments fell, credit became more scarce worldwide and there was significant uncertainty in the markets. More recently, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic have negatively affected the worldwide economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial health of individual companies and the market in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Such environments could make identifying investment risks and opportunities especially difficult for the Advisor. In response to the crises, the United States and other governments have taken steps to support financial markets. The withdrawal of this support or failure of efforts in response to a crisis could negatively affect financial markets generally as well as the value and liquidity of certain securities. In addition, policy and legislative changes in the United States and in other countries are changing many aspects of financial regulation. The impact of these changes on the markets, and the practical implications for market participants, may not be fully known for some time.

 

Equity Risk (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). The value of equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to specific companies in which the Fund invests. The price of common stock of an issuer in the Funds’ portfolio may decline if the issuer fails to make anticipated dividend payments because, among other reasons, the financial condition of the issuer declines. Common stock is subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure in terms of priority with respect to corporate income, and therefore will be subject to greater dividend risk than preferred stocks or debt instruments of such issuers. In addition, while broad market measures of common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, common stocks have also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns.

 

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

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that act as authorized participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to create or redeem, in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to the Funds’ net asset value and possibly face delisting.

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Market Maker Risk. If the Fund has lower average daily trading volumes, it may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Fund shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Funds’ NAV and the price at which the Fund shares are trading on the Exchange, which could result in a decrease in value of the Fund shares. In addition, decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of the Funds’ portfolio securities and the Funds’ market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Fund shares trading at a discount to NAV and also in greater than normal intra-day bid-ask spreads for Fund shares.

 

Fluctuation of Net Asset Value Risk. As with all ETFs, shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market prices of shares will approximate the Funds’ NAV, there may be times when the market prices of shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). Differences in market price and NAV may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. These differences can be especially pronounced during times of market volatility or stress. During these periods, the demand for Fund shares may decrease considerably and cause the market price of Fund shares to deviate significantly from the Funds’ NAV.

 

Trading Issues Risk. Although the Fund shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Fund shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Fund shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Fund shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Fund shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. Market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Acquiring Fund shares, and authorized participants are not obligated to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. Initially, due to the small asset size of the Fund, it may have difficulty maintaining its listings on the Exchange.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Investors buying or selling shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers, as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares (the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid-ask spread.” The bid-ask spread varies over time for shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and the spread is generally lower if shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, a relatively small investor base in the Fund, asset swings in the Fund, and/or increased market volatility may cause increased bid-ask spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares, including bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

REIT Risk (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). The Funds’ investments in REITs will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. Investment in REITs is subject to additional risks, such as poor performance by the manager of the REIT, adverse changes to the tax laws or failure by the REIT to qualify for the favorable tax treatment generally available to REITs under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. In addition, some REITs have limited diversification because they invest in a limited number of properties, a narrow geographic area, or a single type of property.

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Risk of Investing in ESG Companies (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). The universe of acceptable investments for the Fund may be limited as compared to other funds due to the Index methodology’s ESG investment screening. This may affect the Funds’ exposure to certain companies or industries and may adversely impact the Funds’ performance depending on whether such companies or industries are in or out of favor in the market. The Funds’ performance may be lower than other funds that do not seek to invest in companies based on ESG factors and/or remove certain companies or industries from its selection process. The Index methodology seeks to identify companies that meet certain ESG standards and scores, but investors may differ in their views of ESG characteristics. As a result, the Fund may invest in companies that do not reflect the beliefs and values of any particular investor. Additionally, the Index methodology incorporates ESG information provided by third-party data providers, which may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable for certain issuers. In addition, ESG information across third-party data providers, indexes and other funds may differ and/or be incomplete.

 

Preferred Stock Risk (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). Preferred stock represents an equity interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other stocks such as common stock, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. The market value of preferred stock is subject to company-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities and is also sensitive to changes in the company’s creditworthiness, the ability of the company to make payments on the preferred stock, and changes in interest rates, typically declining in value if interest rates rise.

 

Warrants and Rights Risk (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). Warrants and rights may lack a liquid secondary market for resale. The prices of warrants and rights may fluctuate as a result of speculation or other factors. Warrants and rights can provide a greater potential for profit or loss than an equivalent investment in the underlying security. Prices of warrants and rights do not necessarily move in tandem with the prices of their underlying securities and are highly volatile and speculative investments. If a warrant or right expires without being exercised, the Fund will lose any amount paid for the warrant or right.

 

MLP Risk (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). Investment in securities of an MLP involves risks that differ from investments in common stock, including risks related to limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP, risks related to potential conflicts of interest between the MLP and the MLP’s general partner, cash flow risks, dilution risks and risks related to the general partner’s right to require unit-holders to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price. Certain MLP securities may trade in low volumes due to their small capitalizations. Accordingly, those MLPs may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable the Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price. MLPs are generally considered interest-rate sensitive investments. During periods of interest rate volatility, these investments may not provide attractive returns. MLPs may incur environmental costs and liabilities due to the nature of their businesses and the substances they handle. Changes in existing laws, regulations or enforcement policies governing the energy sector could significantly increase the compliance costs of MLPs. The Fund will select its investments in MLPs from the current small pool of issuers. Demand for investment opportunities in MLPs that operate energy-related businesses may exceed supply, which could make it difficult to operate the Fund.

 

Concentration Risk (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or a sector. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or sector, the Fund will also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or sector, the Fund faces more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or sectors. Such industry-based risks, any of which may adversely affect the companies in which the Fund invests, may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand in a particular industry; competition for resources, adverse labor relations, political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in an industry. In addition, at times, such industry or sector may be out of favor and underperform other industries or the market as a whole.

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Market Capitalization Risk (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). Larger, more established companies may be unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies during periods of economic expansion. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements and may have lower trading volumes or more erratic trading than securities of larger, more established companies or market averages in general. In addition, such companies typically are more likely to be adversely affected than large-capitalization companies by changes in earning results, business prospects, investor expectations or poor economic or market conditions.

 

Consumer Discretionary Companies Risk (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). Consumer discretionary companies, such as retailers, media companies and consumer services companies, provide non-essential goods and services. These companies manufacture products and provide discretionary services directly to the consumer, and the success of these companies is tied closely to the performance of the overall domestic and international economy, interest rates, competition and consumer confidence. Success depends heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. Consumer discretionary companies may also be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. Changes in demographics and consumer tastes can also affect the demand for, and success of, consumer discretionary products in the marketplace. Consumer discretionary companies have historically been characterized as relatively cyclical and therefore more volatile in times of change.

 

Consumer Staples Companies Risk (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). Consumer staples companies provide products directly to the consumer that are typically considered non-discretionary items based on consumer purchasing habits. Such products include food, beverages, household items and tobacco. Companies providing these products may be affected by the regulation of various product components and production methods, new laws, regulations or litigation, marketing campaigns, competitive pricing, enumerated factors, consumer confidence, materials costs and other factors affecting consumer demand. Changes in the worldwide economy, demographics, consumer preferences, consumer spending, exploration and production spending may adversely affect these companies, as well as natural and manmade disasters, political, social or labor unrest, world events and economic conditions. Historically, the demand for consumer staples goods has remained fairly constant regardless of the state of the economy. With some products, such as food, alcohol and tobacco, demand sometimes increases during economic downturns. However, price competition among suppliers may be very challenging, which can drive prices lower and impact returns.

 

Financial Companies Risk (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). Financial companies are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or future regulation in various countries on any individual financial company or on the financial sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Companies in the financial sector may be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. Insurance companies are subject to extensive government regulation in some countries and can be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, general economic conditions, price and marketing competition, the imposition of premium rate caps, or other changes in government regulation or tax law. Different segments of the insurance industry can be significantly affected by mortality and morbidity rates, environmental clean-up costs and catastrophic events such as earthquakes, hurricanes and terrorist acts. Financial companies are also a target for cyber attacks and may experience technology malfunctions and disruptions. In recent years, cyber attacks and technology failures have become increasingly frequent and have caused significant losses.

 

Health Care Companies Risk (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). Health care companies, such as companies providing medical and health care goods and services, companies engaged in manufacturing medical equipment, supplies and pharmaceuticals, as well as operating healthcare facilities and the provision of managed healthcare, may be affected by government regulations and government health care programs, increases or decreases in the cost of medical products and services and product liability claims, among other factors. Many health care companies are heavily dependent on patent protection, and the expiration of a company’s patent may adversely affect that company’s profitability. Research and development costs of bringing new drugs to market are substantial, and there is no guarantee that a proposed product will ever come to market. Health care companies are also subject to competitive forces that may result in price discounting, may be thinly capitalized and susceptible to product obsolescence.

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Information Technology Companies Risk (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). Information technology companies produce and provide hardware, software and information technology systems and services. Information technology companies are generally subject to the following risks: rapidly changing technologies and existing product obsolescence; short product life cycles; fierce competition; aggressive pricing and reduced profit margins; the loss of patent, copyright and trademark protections; cyclical market patterns; evolving industry standards; and frequent new product introductions and new market entrants. Information technology companies may be smaller and less experienced companies, with limited product lines, markets or financial resources and fewer experienced management or marketing personnel. Information technology company stocks, particularly those involved with the internet, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that are often unrelated to their operating performance. In addition, information technology companies are particularly vulnerable to federal, state and local government regulation, and competition and consolidation, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Information technology companies also face competition for services of qualified personnel and heavily rely on patents and intellectual property rights and the ability to enforce such rights to maintain a competitive advantage.

 

Index Provider Risk (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). There is no assurance that the Index Provider, or any agents that act on its behalf, will compile the Index accurately, or that the Index will be determined, maintained, constructed, reconstituted, rebalanced, composed, calculated or disseminated accurately. The Index Provider and its agents do not provide any representation or warranty in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in the Index, and do not guarantee that the Index will be calculated in accordance with its stated methodology. The Advisor’s mandate as described in this prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Index provided by the Index Provider. The Advisor relies upon the Index provider and its agents to accurately compile, maintain, construct, reconstitute, rebalance, compose, calculate and disseminate the Index accurately. Therefore, losses or costs associated with any Index Provider or agent errors generally will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. To correct any such error, the Index Provider or its agents may carry out an unscheduled rebalance of the Index or other modification of Index constituents or weightings. When the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled rebalances also expose the Fund to additional tracking error risk. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data used to compile the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, particularly where the Index is less commonly used as a benchmark by funds or advisors. For example, during a period where the Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund tracking the Index would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively impact the Fund and its shareholders. The Index Provider and its agents rely on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund nor the Advisor can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers. Unusual market conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. The postponement of a scheduled rebalance in a time of market volatility could mean that constituents that would otherwise be removed at rebalance due to changes in market capitalizations, issuer credit ratings, or other reasons may remain, causing the performance and constituents of the Index to vary from those expected under normal conditions. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Index due to unusual market conditions or in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents.

 

Third Party Data Risk (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). The composition of the Index is heavily dependent on Third Party Data. When Third Party Data prove to be incorrect or incomplete, any decisions made in reliance thereon may lead to the inclusion or exclusion of securities from the Index that would have been excluded or included had the Third Party Data been correct and complete. If the composition of the Index reflects such errors, the Funds’ portfolio can be expected to reflect the errors, too.

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Tracking Error Risk (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and the Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Funds’ service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks.

 

Passive Investment Risk (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). The Fund is not actively managed. The Fund invests in securities included in or representative of its Index regardless of investment merit. The Fund generally will not attempt to take defensive positions in declining markets. In the event that the Index is no longer calculated, the Index license is terminated or the identity or character of the Index is materially changed, the Fund will seek to engage a replacement index.

 

Collateralized Loan Obligations Risk (AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF). A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of credit-related assets, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. The cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the “equity” tranche, which bears the bulk of defaults from the bonds or loans in the trust and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches, including those in which the Fund intends to invest, from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Because it is partially protected from defaults, a senior tranche from a CLO trust typically has higher ratings and lower yields than its underlying securities, and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CLO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, and market anticipation of defaults. CLO securities present risks similar to those of other types of credit investments, including default (credit), interest rate and prepayment risks, and the extent of these risks largely depends on the type of securities used as collateral and the class of the CLO in which the Fund invests. In addition, CLOs are often governed by a complex series of legal documents and contracts, which increases the risk of dispute over the interpretation and enforceability of such documents relative to other types of investments. There is also a risk that the trustee of a CLO does not properly carry out its duties to the CLO, potentially resulting in loss to the CLO. CLOs are also inherently leveraged vehicles and are subject to leverage risk. A CLO may be characterized as an illiquid security due to a limited market for the resale of such CLO or adverse market conditions affecting CLOs, generally.

 

Collateralized Loan Obligations Leveraging Risk (AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF). CLOs are typically leveraged, and such leverage will magnify the loss on CLO investments, which may in turn magnify the loss experienced by the Fund. The cumulative effect of leverage with respect to any investments in a market that moves adversely to such investments could result in a substantial loss that would be greater than if the Fund’s investments were not leveraged. For example, a liquidity crisis in the global credit markets could cause substantial fluctuations in prices for leveraged loans and high-yield debt securities and limited liquidity for such instruments. In addition, loans underlying the CLOs in which the Fund may invest may be made to finance highly leveraged corporate transactions. The highly leveraged capital structure of the borrowers in such transactions may make such loans especially vulnerable to adverse changes in economic or market conditions.

 

A CLO is subject to a “waterfall” or a set of rules that dictates how the principal and interest proceeds from the underlying portfolio of corporate loans will be allocated among the tranches. These proceeds are allocated first to the most senior tranches, then sequentially lower through the other tranches, and finally to the equity. Any potential losses in the underlying loan portfolio will be realized in reverse sequential order and absorbed first by the equity tranche, then the non-senior debt tranches, and finally the most senior bonds. In this sense, the non-senior tranches can be viewed as inherently leveraged since they are not first in priority of payments; in the same vein, the most senior tranche of a CLO (the target assets for the Fund) can be view as unlevered.

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The Fund will invest in the most senior tranches of CLOs (those that are also AAA rated), floating rate bonds that rank first in priority of payments, only. So, while certain junior tranches of CLOs may be viewed as inherently leveraged, the Fund’s holdings generally will be less affected by the effects of leverage as they are protected from losses to some extent by the presence of junior tranches.

 

Fixed Income Securities Risk (AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF). The prices of fixed income securities respond to economic developments, particularly interest rate changes, as well as to changes in an issuer’s credit rating or market perceptions about the creditworthiness of an issuer. Prices of fixed income securities tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates. Generally fixed income securities decrease in value if interest rates rise and increase in value if interest rates fall, with lower rated securities more volatile than higher rated securities. The longer the effective maturity and duration of the Fund’s portfolio, the more the Fund’s share price is likely to react to changes in interest rates. (Duration is a weighted measure of the length of time required to receive the present value of future payments, both interest and principal, from a fixed income security.) Some fixed income securities give the issuer the option to call, or redeem, the securities before their maturity dates. If an issuer calls its security during a time of declining interest rates, the Fund might have to reinvest the proceeds in an investment offering a lower yield, and therefore might not benefit from any increase in value of the security as a result of declining interest rates. During periods of market illiquidity or rising interest rates, prices of callable issues are subject to increased price fluctuation. In addition, the Fund may be subject to extension risk, which occurs during a rising interest rate environment because certain obligations may be paid off by an issuer more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of those securities held by the Fund to fall.

 

Prepayment or Call Risk (AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF). Many fixed income securities give the issuer the option to repay or call the security prior to its maturity date. Issuers often exercise this right when interest rates fall. Accordingly, if the Fund holds a fixed income security subject to prepayment or call risk, it may not benefit fully from the increase in value that other fixed income securities generally experience when interest rates fall. Upon prepayment of the security, the Fund would also be forced to reinvest the proceeds at then current yields, which would be lower than the yield of the security that was paid off. In addition, if the Fund purchases a fixed income security at a premium (at a price that exceeds its stated par or principal value), the Fund may lose the amount of the premium paid in the event of prepayment.

 

Extension Risk (AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF). When interest rates rise, repayments of fixed income securities, particularly asset- and mortgage-backed securities, may occur more slowly than anticipated, extending the effective duration of these fixed income securities at below market interest rates and causing their market prices to decline more than they would have declined due to the rise in interest rates alone. This may cause the Fund’s share price to be more volatile.

 

Credit Risk (AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF). If an obligor (such as the issuer itself or a party offering credit enhancement) for a security held by the Fund fails to pay amounts due when required by the terms of the security, otherwise defaults, is perceived to be less creditworthy, becomes insolvent or files for bankruptcy, a security’s credit rating is downgraded or the credit quality or value of any underlying assets declines, the value of the Fund’s investment could decline. If the Fund enters into financial contracts (such as certain derivatives, repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, and when-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions), the Fund will be subject to the credit risk presented by the counterparties.

 

Interest Rate Risk (AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF). Prices of fixed income securities tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates. Generally fixed income securities decrease in value if interest rates rise and increase in value if interest rates fall, with longer-term securities being more sensitive than shorter-term securities. For example, the price of a security with a three-year duration would be expected to drop by approximately 3% in response to a 1% increase in interest rates. Duration is a weighted measure of the length of time required to receive the present value of future payments, both interest and principal, from a fixed income security. Generally, the longer the maturity and duration of a bond or fixed rate loan, the more sensitive it is to this risk. Falling interest rates also create the potential for a decline in the Fund’s income. Changes in governmental policy, rising inflation rates, and general economic developments, among other factors, could cause interest rates to increase and could have a substantial and immediate effect on the values of the Fund’s investments. These risks are greater during periods of rising inflation. In addition, a potential rise in interest rates may result in periods of volatility and increased redemptions that might require the Fund to liquidate portfolio securities at disadvantageous prices and times.

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Floating Rate Notes Risk (AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF). Securities with floating or variable interest rates can be less sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates, 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 securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. A decline in interest rates may result in a reduction of income received from floating rate securities held by the Fund and may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s shares. Generally, floating rate securities carry lower yields than fixed notes of the same maturity. The interest rate for a floating rate note resets or adjusts periodically by reference to a benchmark interest rate. The impact of interest rate changes on floating rate investments is typically mitigated by the periodic interest rate reset of the investments. Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, usually making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations. Floating rate notes generally are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, may trade infrequently, and their value may be impaired when the Fund needs to liquidate such loans. Benchmark interest rates, such as the LIBOR, may not accurately track market interest rates.

 

Private Placements and Restricted Securities Risk (AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF). Private placement securities are securities that have been privately placed and are not registered under the Securities Act. They are eligible for sale only to certain eligible investors. Private placements often may offer attractive opportunities for investment not otherwise available on the open market. Private placement and other “restricted” securities often cannot be sold to the public without registration under the Securities Act or an exemption from registration (such as Rules 144 or 144A).

 

Investing in private placements and other restricted securities is subject to certain risks. Private placements may be considered illiquid securities. Private placements typically are subject to restrictions on resale as a matter of contract or under federal securities laws. Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held. At times, it also may be more difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the Fund’s net asset value due to the absence of a trading market. Also, the Fund may get only limited information about the issuer of a restricted security, so it may be less able to predict a loss.

 

Transactions in Cash Risk (AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF). The Fund intends to effect its creations and redemptions primarily for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio investments at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to pay redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to incur certain costs such as brokerage costs, and to recognize gains or losses that it might not have incurred if it had paid redemption proceeds in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. In addition, the costs imposed on the Fund will decrease the Fund’s NAV unless the costs are offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant.

 

Liquidity Risk (AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF). In certain circumstances, it may be difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell particular portfolio investments due to infrequent trading in such investments. The prices of such securities may experience significant volatility, make it more difficult for the Fund to transact significant amounts of such securities without an unfavorable impact on prevailing market prices, or make it difficult for a sub-advisor to dispose of such securities at a fair price at the time the sub- advisor believes it is desirable to do so. The Fund’s investments in such securities may restrict the Fund’s ability to take advantage of other market opportunities and adversely affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. The Fund’s investments also may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules.

 

LIBOR Risk (AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF). Many financial instruments, financings or other transactions to which the Fund may be a party use or may use a floating rate based on LIBOR. In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority, the United Kingdom’s financial regulatory body, announced that after 2021 it would cease its active encouragement of banks to provide the quotations needed to sustain LIBOR. The publication of LIBOR on a representative basis ceased for the one-week and two-month U.S. dollar LIBOR settings immediately after December 31, 2021, and it is expected to cease for the remaining U.S. dollar LIBOR settings immediately after June 30, 2023. Actions by regulators have resulted in the establishment of alternative reference rates to LIBOR in most major currencies. The U.S. Federal Reserve, based on the recommendations of the New York Federal Reserve’s Alternative Reference Rate Committee, is now publishing the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), which is intended to replace U.S. dollar LIBOR. Alternative reference rates for other currencies have also been announced or have begun publication. Markets are slowly developing in response to these new rates. Any potential effects of the transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or on certain instruments in which the Fund invests can be difficult to determine, and they may vary depending on factors that include, but are not limited to, (i) existing fallback or termination provisions in individual contracts and (ii) whether, how, and when industry participants develop and adopt new reference rates and fallback provisions for both legacy and new products and instruments. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR, and there may be a reduction in the value of certain instruments held by the Fund.

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Limited Operating History (AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF). The Fund is a recently organized investment company with a limited operating history. As a result, prospective investors have a limited track record or history on which to base their investment decision.

 

Management and Strategy Risk (AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF). The value of your investment depends on the judgment of the Fund’s Sub-Advisor about the quality, relative yield, value or market trends affecting a particular security, industry, sector or region, which may prove to be incorrect.

 

Portfolio Turnover Risk (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF). Active and frequent trading of the Funds’ securities may lead to higher transaction costs and may result in a greater number of taxable transactions, which could negatively affect the Funds’ performance. A high rate of portfolio turnover is 100% or more.

 

COVID-19 Related Market Events. The pandemic of the novel coronavirus respiratory disease designated COVID-19 has resulted in extreme volatility in the financial markets, a domestic and global economic downturn, severe losses, particularly to some sectors of the economy and individual issuers, and reduced liquidity of many instruments. There have also been significant disruptions to business operations, including business closures; strained healthcare systems; disruptions to supply chains and employee availability; large fluctuations in consumer demand; restrictions on travel; and widespread uncertainty regarding the duration and long-term effects of the pandemic. The pandemic may result in domestic and foreign political and social instability, damage to diplomatic and international trade relations, and continued volatility and/or decreased liquidity in the securities markets. These conditions may continue for an extended period of time, or worsen. The pandemic may result in a sustained domestic or global economic downturn or recession. Health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social, and economic risks. Developing or emerging market countries may be more adversely impacted. The ultimate economic fallout from the pandemic, and the long-term impact on economies, markets, industries and individual issuers, are not yet fully known. Governments and central banks, including the Federal Reserve in the United States, took extraordinary and unprecedented actions to support local and global economies and the financial markets in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including by pushing interest rates to very low levels. This and other government intervention into the economy and financial markets to address the pandemic may not work as intended, particularly if the efforts are perceived by investors as being unlikely to achieve the desired results. Government actions to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic have resulted in large expansion of government deficits and debt, the long-term consequences of which are not known. Rates of inflation have also recently risen, which could adversely affect economies and markets. The COVID-19 pandemic could continue to adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments, impair the Fund’s ability to satisfy redemption requests, and negatively impact the Fund’s performance. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic, and measures taken to mitigate its effects, could result in disruptions to the services provided to the Fund by its service providers. Other market events like the COVID-19 pandemic may cause similar disruptions and effects.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets, customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or cause the Fund, the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and/or other service providers (including custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or loss of operational functionality. A cybersecurity incident may disrupt the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the Funds’ ability to calculate its net asset value, and prevent shareholders from redeeming their shares. Issuers of securities in which the Fund invests are also subject to cybersecurity risks, and the value of those securities could decline if the issuers experience cybersecurity incidents

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MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND

 

 

Each Fund is a series of Investment Managers Series Trust II, an investment company registered under the 1940 Act. The Funds are treated as separate funds with their own investment objectives and policies. The Trust is organized as a Delaware statutory trust. The Board is responsible for the overall management and direction of the Trust. The Board elects the Trust’s officers and approves all significant agreements, including those with the Advisor, Sub-Advisor, custodian and fund administrative and accounting agent.

 

Investment Advisor

 

AXS Investments LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, serves as the Funds’ investment advisor pursuant to an investment management agreement (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”). The principal office of the Advisor is located at 181 Westchester Avenue, Suite 402, Port Chester, New York 10573. The Advisor is an investment advisor registered with the SEC and provides investment advice to open-end funds. The Advisor has approximately $1.1 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2022.

 

In its capacity as Advisor, AXS Investments LLC manages the Funds’ investments subject to the supervision of the Board. The Advisor also arranges for sub-advisory, transfer agency, custody, fund administration, distribution and all other services necessary for the Funds to operate. Further, the Advisor continuously reviews, supervises, and administers the Funds’ investment program. AXS is responsible for trading portfolio securities for the Funds, including selecting broker-dealers to execute purchase and sale transactions or in connection with any rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index.

 

Investment Sub-Advisors

 

Change Finance, PBC, located at 705 Grand View Drive, Alexandria, Virginia 22305, serves as the investment sub-advisor and index provider for the AXS Change Finance ESG ETF. Change Finance is a registered investment adviser and provides investment sub-advisory services to ETFs. Change Finance is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Index’s portfolio, selection of the Index portfolio constituents and supervision of the Fund’s portfolio with respect to the Index, subject to the general oversight of the Board and the Advisor. Change Finance is responsible for proxy voting and shareholder engagement for the Fund. For its services, Change Finance is paid a fee by the Advisor. As of July 31, 2022, Change Finance had $103 million in assets under management.

 

Alternative Access Funds, LLC, located at 840 Apollo Street, Suite 100, El Segundo, California 90245, serves as the investment sub-advisor to the AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF. AAF is responsible for managing the day-to-day investment of the Fund’s assets, subject to the supervision of the Advisor and the Board. For its services, the Sub-Advisor is paid a fee by the Advisor from the fees the Advisor earns as investment advisor to the Fund. As of July 31, 2022, AAF had $7.5 million in assets under management.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

AXS (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF) 

Travis Trampe. Mr. Trampe joined AXS in 2022. Prior to joining AXS, Mr. Trampe was a portfolio manager with ETF issuers and asset management firms for over 15 years, where he was responsible for managing ETFs, mutual funds, UCITS and other fund vehicles. Mr. Trampe’s asset management tenure includes longtime experience in portfolio management, trade execution and fund operations in U.S. and global securities markets. Mr. Trampe holds a B.S. in finance and mathematics from Nebraska Wesleyan University.

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Change Finance (AXS Change Finance ESG ETF) 

Andrew Rodriguez, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer at Change Finance, is the AXS Change Finance ESG ETF’s index manager and a longtime asset management and portfolio management executive focused on sustainability investment portfolios. Prior to co-founding Change Finance in 2016, Mr. Rodriguez was responsible for ESG research and analysis for the Highwater Global Fund, designed clean investment portfolios for the Keel Asset Management, and developed and managed ESG portfolios at Principium. Mr. Rodriguez is widely regarded as an expert in ESG, SRI, and fossil fuel free portfolios available to the broader investing public. Mr. Rodriguez holds an MBA in Sustainable Systems and Impact Investing from Bainbridge Graduate Institute, the first “Green MBA” program.

 

AAF (AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF) 

Peter Coppa, Managing Partner and Chief Compliance Officer of AAF, has more than 19 years of experience in the asset management business, running corporate debt hedge funds and CLOs. Prior to joining the AAF, Mr. Coppa spent 14 years as Managing Director at Marathon Asset Management (“MAM”). He has experience in value and event-driven distressed investing, dynamic hedging and portfolio management, corporate financial analysis, and macro-economic research. From 2009 to 2017, Mr. Coppa was a portfolio manager for MAM’s distressed and credit opportunities fund. He has invested in dozens of special credit opportunities throughout his career, in sectors including, but not limited to, airlines, telecommunications, metals and mining, energy and power, and a variety of sovereigns. Prior to 2009, Mr. Coppa was an analyst and trader for MAM’s credit opportunities, structured credit and convertible arbitrage funds. He began his career as a credit analyst at Delaware Investments. Mr. Coppa received a B.S. in economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

 

For additional information concerning AXS, including a description of the services provided to the Funds, please see the Funds’ statement of additional information. Additional information regarding the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager and the portfolio manager’s ownership of Shares may also be found in the statement of additional information.

 

Manager of Managers Structure

 

AXS and the Trust have received an exemptive order from the SEC for the Funds which allows AXS to operate the Fund under a “manager of managers” structure (the “Order”). Pursuant to the Order, AXS may, subject to the approval of the Board, hire or replace sub-advisors and modify any existing or future agreement with such sub-advisors without obtaining shareholder approval.

 

Pursuant to the Order, AXS, with the approval of the Board, has the discretion to terminate any sub-advisor and allocate and reallocate the Funds’ assets among AXS and any other sub-advisor. AXS has the ultimate responsibility, subject to the oversight and supervision by the Board, to oversee any sub-advisor for the Fund and to recommend, for approval by the Board, the hiring, termination and replacement of sub-advisors for the Fund. In evaluating a prospective sub-advisor, AXS will consider, among other things, the proposed sub-advisor’s experience, investment philosophy and historical performance. AXS remains ultimately responsible for supervising, monitoring and evaluating the performance of any sub-advisor retained to manage the Fund. Within 90 days after hiring any new sub-advisor, the Funds’ shareholders will receive information about any new sub-advisory relationships.

 

Use of the “manager of managers” structure does not diminish AXS’s responsibilities to the Fund under its Advisory Agreement. AXS has overall responsibility, subject to oversight by the Board, to oversee the sub-advisors and recommend their hiring, termination and replacement. Specifically, AXS will, subject to the review and approval of the Board: (a) set the Funds’ overall investment strategy; (b) evaluate, select and recommend sub-advisors to manage all or a portion of the Funds’ assets; and (c) implement procedures reasonably designed to ensure that each sub-advisor complies with the Funds’ investment goal, policies and restrictions. Subject to the review by the Board, AXS will: (a) when appropriate, allocate and reallocate the Funds’ assets among multiple sub-advisors; and (b) monitor and evaluate the performance of the sub-advisors. Replacement of AXS or the imposition of material changes to the Advisory Agreement would continue to require prior shareholder approval.

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Management Fee

 

Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between AXS and the Trust, on behalf of the Funds (the “Advisory Agreement”), each of the AXS Change Finance ESG ETF and AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF has agreed to pay an annual unitary management fee to AXS in an amount equal to 0.49% and 0.25%, respectively, of the respective Fund’s average daily net assets. This unitary management fee is designed to pay the Funds’ expenses and to compensate AXS for the services it provides to the Fund. Out of the unitary management fee, AXS pays substantially all expenses of the Fund, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other service and license fees. However, AXS is not responsible for interest, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions, and other expenses incurred in placing or settlement of 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 Funds under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Investment Management Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement on behalf of the AXS Change Finance ESG ETF is available in the Fund’s Annual Report to shareholders dated July 31, 2022. A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Investment Management Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement on behalf of the AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF will be available in the Fund’s Semi-Annual Report to shareholders dated January 31, 2023.

 

BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES

 

 

Fund shares are listed for trading on the Exchange. When you buy or sell the Funds’ shares on the secondary market, you will pay or receive the market price. You may incur customary brokerage commissions and charges and may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. The shares of the Fund will trade on the Exchange at prices that may differ to varying degrees from the daily NAV of such shares. A “Business Day” with respect to the Fund is any day on which the Exchange is open for business. The Exchange is generally open Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and the following holidays: 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.

 

The Funds’ NAV is calculated as of 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the normal close of regular trading on the NYSE, on each day the NYSE is open for trading. If for example, the NYSE closes at 1:00 p.m. New York time, the Funds’ NAVs would still be determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time. In this example, portfolio securities traded on the NYSE would be valued at their closing prices unless the Advisor determines that a “fair value” adjustment is appropriate due to subsequent events. The NAV is determined by dividing the value of the Funds’ portfolio securities, cash and other assets (including accrued interest), less all liabilities (including accrued expenses), by the total number of outstanding shares. The Funds’ NAV may be calculated earlier if permitted by the SEC. The NYSE is closed on weekends and most U.S. national holidays. However, foreign securities listed primarily on non-U.S. markets may trade on weekends or other days on which the Fund does not value its shares, which may significantly affect the Funds’ NAV on those days.

 

The Funds’ securities generally are valued at market price. Securities are valued at fair value when market quotations are not readily available. The Board has designated the Advisor as each Fund’s valuation designee (the “Valuation Designee”) to make all fair value determinations with respect to the Fund’s portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s oversight. As the Valuation Designee, the Advisor has adopted and implemented policies and procedures to be followed when the Funds must utilize fair value pricing, including when reliable market quotations are not readily available, when the Funds’ pricing service does not provide a valuation (or provides a valuation that, in the judgment of the Advisor, does not represent the security’s fair value), or when, in the judgment of the Advisor, events have rendered the market value unreliable (see, for example, the discussion of fair value pricing of foreign securities in the paragraph below). Valuing securities at fair value involves reliance on the judgment of the Advisor, and may result in a different price being used in the calculation of the Funds’ NAV from quoted or published prices for the same securities. Fair value determinations are made by the Advisor, in good faith, in accordance with procedures approved by the Board. There can be no assurance that the Funds will obtain the fair value assigned to a security if it sells the security.

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In certain circumstances, the Advisor employs fair value pricing to ensure greater accuracy in determining each Fund’s daily NAV and to prevent dilution by frequent traders or market timers who seek to exploit temporary market anomalies. Fair value pricing may be applied to foreign securities held by the Funds upon the occurrence of an event after the close of trading on non-U.S. markets but before the close of trading on the NYSE when the Funds’ NAV is determined. If the event may result in a material adjustment to the price of the Funds’ foreign securities once non-U.S. markets open on the following business day (such as, for example, a significant surge or decline in the U.S. market), the Advisor may value such foreign securities at fair value, taking into account the effect of such event, in order to calculate the Funds’ NAV.

 

Other types of portfolio securities that the Advisor may fair value include, but are not limited to: (1) investments that are illiquid or traded infrequently, including “restricted” securities and private placements for which there is no public market; (2) investments for which, in the judgment of the Advisor, the market price is stale; (3) securities of an issuer that has entered into a restructuring; (4) securities for which trading has been halted or suspended; and (5) fixed income securities for which there is not a current market value quotation.

 

Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares 

The Funds do not impose any restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of Creation Units; however, the Funds reserve the right to reject or limit purchases at any time as described in the SAI. When considering that no restriction or policy was necessary, the Board evaluated the risks posed by arbitrage and market timing activities, such as whether frequent purchases and redemptions would interfere with the efficient implementation of the Funds’ investment strategy, or whether they would cause the Funds to experience increased transaction costs. The Board considered that, unlike traditional mutual funds, shares of the Funds are issued and redeemed only in large quantities of shares known as Creation Units available only from the Funds directly to Authorized Participants, and that most trading in the Funds occur on the Exchange at prevailing market prices and does not involve the Funds directly. Given this structure, the Board determined that it is unlikely that trading due to arbitrage opportunities or market timing by shareholders would result in negative impact to the Funds or its shareholders. In addition, frequent trading of shares of the Funds done by Authorized Participants and arbitrageurs is critical to ensuring that the market price remains at or close to NAV.

 

Availability of Information 

Each Business Day, the following information will be available at www.axsinvestments.com with respect to the Funds: (i) information for each portfolio holding that will form the basis of the next calculation of the Funds’ net asset value per share; (ii) the Funds’ net asset value per share, market price, and premium or discount, each as of the end of the prior Business Day; (iii) a table showing the number of days the Funds’ shares traded at a premium or discount during the most recently completed calendar year and the most recently completed calendar quarter since that year; (iv) a line graph showing Fund share premiums or discounts for the most recently completed calendar year and the most recently completed calendar quarter since that year; (v) the Funds’ median bid-ask spread over the last thirty calendar days; and (vi) if during the past year the Funds’ premium or discount was greater than 2% for more than seven consecutive trading days, a statement that the Funds’ premium or discount, as applicable, was greater than 2% and a discussion of the factors that are reasonably believed to have materially contributed to the premium or discount.

 

DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES

 

 

Fund Distributions 

The AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF will make distributions of net investment income monthly. The AXS Change Finance ESG ETF will make distributions of net investment income annually. Each Fund distributes its net capital gains, if any, to investors at least annually, typically in December.

 

Dividend Reinvestment Service 

Brokers may make available to their customers who own shares of the Funds the Depository Trust Company book-entry dividend reinvestment service. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and capital gains will automatically be reinvested in additional whole shares of the Funds purchased on the secondary market. Without this service, investors would receive their distributions in cash. To determine whether the dividend reinvestment service is available and whether there is a commission or other charge for using this service, consult your broker. Brokers may require the Funds’ shareholders to adhere to specific procedures and timetables.

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Federal Income Tax Consequences 

The following discussion is very general and does not address investors subject to special rules, such as investors who hold Funds shares through an IRA, 401(k) plan or other tax-advantaged account. The Statement of Information contains further information about taxes. Because each Shareholder’s circumstances are different and special tax rules may apply, you should consult your tax advisor about your investment in the Funds.

 

You will generally have to pay federal income taxes, as well as any state or local taxes, on distributions received from the Funds, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares. If you sell Fund shares, it is generally considered a taxable event. Distributions of net investment income, other than distributions the Funds reports as “qualified dividend income,” are taxable for federal income tax purposes at ordinary income tax rates. Distributions of net short-term capital gains are also generally taxable at ordinary income tax rates. Distributions from the Funds’ net capital gain (i.e., the excess of its net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss) are taxable for federal income tax purposes as long-term capital gain, regardless of how long the shareholder has held Fund shares.

 

Dividends paid by the Funds (but none of the Funds’ capital gain distributions) may qualify in part for the dividends-received deduction available to corporate shareholders, provided certain holding period and other requirements are satisfied. Dividends received by the Funds from REITs generally are not expected to qualify for treatment as qualified dividend income or for the dividends-received deduction. Distributions that the Funds reports as “qualified dividend income” may be eligible to be taxed to non-corporate shareholders at the reduced rates applicable to long-term capital gain if derived from the Funds’ qualified dividend income and/or if certain other requirements are satisfied. “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 Funds receive 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.

 

You may want to avoid buying shares of each Fund just before it declares a distribution (on or before the record date), because such a distribution will be taxable to you even though it may effectively be a return of a portion of your investment.

 

Although distributions are generally taxable when received, dividends declared in October, November or December to shareholders of record as of a date in such month and paid during the following January are treated as if received on December 31 of the calendar year when the dividends were declared.

 

Information on the federal income tax status of dividends and distributions is provided annually.

 

Dividends and distributions from the Funds and net gain from sales of Fund shares will generally be taken into account in determining a shareholder’s “net investment income” for purposes of the Medicare contribution tax applicable to certain individuals, estates and trusts.

 

If you do not provide the Funds with your correct taxpayer identification number and any required certifications, you will be subject to backup withholding on your dividends and other distributions. The backup withholding rate is currently 24%.

 

Dividends and certain other payments made by the Fund to a non-U.S. shareholder are subject to withholding of federal income tax at the rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be determined in accordance with any applicable treaty). Dividends that are reported by the Fund as “interest-related dividends” or “short-term capital gain dividends” are generally exempt from such withholding. In general, the Fund may report interest-related dividends to the extent of its net income derived from U.S.-source interest and the Fund may report short-term capital gain dividends to the extent its net short-term capital gain for the taxable year exceeds its net long-term capital loss. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that have been subject to the 30% withholding tax described in this paragraph.

 35

 

Under legislation commonly referred to as “FATCA,” unless certain non-U.S. entities that hold shares comply with IRS requirements that will generally require them to report information regarding U.S. persons investing in, or holding accounts with, such entities, a 30% withholding tax may apply to Fund distributions payable to such entities. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the United States and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of the agreement.

 

Some of the Funds’ investment income may be subject to foreign income taxes that are withheld at the country of origin. Tax treaties between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes, but there can be no assurance that the Fund will qualify for treaty benefits.

 

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 any 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 be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

 

Any gain or loss realized upon a creation of Creation Units will be treated as capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the securities exchanged therefor as capital assets, and otherwise will be ordinary income or loss. Similarly, any gain or loss realized upon a redemption of Creation Units will be treated as capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the shares of the Fund comprising the Creation Units as capital assets, and otherwise will be ordinary income or loss. 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, and otherwise will be short-term capital gain or loss. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares of the Fund comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year, and otherwise, will generally be short-term capital gain or loss. Any capital loss realized upon a redemption of Creation Units held for 6 months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions to the applicable Authorized Participant of long-term capital gains with respect to the Creation Units (including any amounts credited to the Authorized Participant as undistributed capital gains).

 

The Fund has the right to reject an order for Creation Units if the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the shares of the Fund so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to Section 351 of the Code, the Fund would have a basis in any securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Fund also has the right to require 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 shares of the Fund so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund, the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) may not recognize gain or loss upon the exchange of securities for Creation Units.

 

Persons purchasing or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction.

 

DISTRIBUTOR

 

 

IMST Distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as the distributor of Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Shares.

 

The Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with its Rule 12b-1 plan, the Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year to reimburse the Distributor for amounts expended to finance activities primarily intended to result in the sale of Creation Units or the provision of investor services. The Distributor may also use this amount to compensate securities dealers or other persons that are APs for providing distribution assistance, including broker-dealer and shareholder support and educational and promotional services. The Fund does not and has no current intention of paying 12b-1 fees. However, in the event 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because these fees are paid out of the Funds’ assets, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.

 36

 

FUND SERVICE PROVIDERS

 

 

Co-Administrators. UMB Fund Services, Inc. (“UMBFS”), 235 West Galena Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, and Mutual Fund Administration, LLC (“MFAC”), 2220 E. Route 66, Suite 226, Glendora, California 91740 (collectively the “Co-Administrators”), act as co-administrators for the Fund. Pursuant to the Co-Administration Agreement, the Co-Administrators receive a fee for administration services based on the Funds’ average daily net assets, which is paid by the Advisor.

 

Transfer Agent. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., located at 50 Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, serves as the Funds’ transfer agent. The transfer agent provides record keeping and shareholder services.

 

Custodian. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., located at 50 Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, serves as the Funds’ custodian. The custodian holds the securities, cash and other assets of the Fund.

 

Fund Accounting Agent. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., located at 50 Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, serves as the fund accounting agent for the Fund. The fund accounting agent calculates the Funds’ daily NAV.

 

Legal Counsel. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, 600 Anton Boulevard, Suite 1800, Costa Mesa, California 92626, serves as legal counsel to the Trust and the Independent Trustees.

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. Tait, Weller & Baker LLP, Two Liberty Place, 50 South 16th Street, Suite 2900, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102-2529, serves as the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm and is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Fund.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

 

Investments by Other Registered Investment Companies 

For purposes of the 1940 Act, each Fund is treated as a registered investment company. Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of the Funds. Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act permits registered investment companies to invest in exchange-traded funds offered by the Trust, including the Funds, beyond the limits of Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions, including that such registered investment companies enter into an agreement with the Trust.

 

Continuous Offering 

The method by which Creation Units are purchased and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the Prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act.

 

For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the transfer agent, breaks them down into individual shares, and sells such shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to categorization as an underwriter.

 37

 

Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in shares of the Fund, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares of the Fund, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act is not available with respect to such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker dealer-firms should note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted with ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with shares of the Fund that are part of an unsold allotment within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to shares of the Fund are reminded that under Rule 153 under the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on the Exchange is satisfied by the fact that the Funds’ Prospectus is available on the SEC’s electronic filing system. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.

 

 38

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

 

 

The following tables are intended to help you understand each Fund’s financial performance, including each Predecessor Fund’s financial performance. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share or a single Predecessor Fund share, as applicable. The total return figures represent the percentage that an investor in each Fund and each Predecessor Fund would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the Fund and Predecessor Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). The AXS Change Finance ESG ETF’s financial information for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022, has been audited by Tait, Weller & Baker LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Fund’s financial statements, is included in the Fund’s annual report, which is available upon request (see back cover). The financial information for the AXS Change Finance ESG ETF for the period October 9, 2017, through July 31, 2018, and the past three fiscal years has been audited by the Predecessor Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Predecessor Fund’s financial statements, is included in the Predecessor Fund’s annual report, which is available upon request (see back cover). The financial information for the AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF for the period September 8, 2020, through July 31, 2022, has been audited by the Predecessor Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Predecessor Fund’s financial statements, is included in the Predecessor Fund’s annual report, which is available upon request (see back cover). 

 39

 

AXS Change Finance ESG ETF*

 

Per share operating performance. 

For a capital share outstanding throughout the period.

 

    For the Year Ended July 31,    

For the Period 

October 9, 2017** 

through 

 
    2022     2021     2020     2019     July 31, 2018  
Net asset value, beginning of period   $ 34.06     $ 24.44     $ 21.88     $ 19.66     $ 18.00  
Income from Investment Operations:                                        
Net investment income (loss)1     0.29       0.25       0.29       0.30       0.17  
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments     (5.46 )     9.54       2.47       2.13       1.55  
Total from investment operations     (5.17 )     9.79       2.76       2.43       1.72  
                                         
Less Distributions:                                        
From net investment income     (0.20 )     (0.17 )     (0.20 )     (0.21 )     (0.06 )
Total distributions     (0.20 )     (0.17 )     (0.20 )     (0.21 )     (0.06 )
                                         
Net asset value, end of period   $ 28.69     $ 34.06     $ 24.44     $ 21.88     $ 19.66  
                                         
Total return2     (15.29 )%     40.19 %     12.69 %     12.63 %     9.53%  3
                                         
Ratios and Supplemental Data:                                        
Net assets, end of period (in thousands)   $ 103,281     $ 80,042     $ 19,551     $ 8,750     $ 3,932  
                                         
Ratio of expenses to average net assets     0.49 %     0.49 %     0.49 %     0.49 %     0.64%  4,6
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets     0.94 %     0.82 %     1.33 %     1.48 %     1.14%  4
                                         
Portfolio turnover rate5     162 %     85 %     120 %     46 %     70%  3

 

* Financial information from October 9, 2017 through March 18, 2022 is for the Change Finance U.S. Large Cap Fossil Fuel Free ETF, which was reorganized into the AXS Change Finance ESG ETF as of the close of business on March 18, 2022.
** Commencement of operations.
1 Based on average shares outstanding during the period.
2 Net asset value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, if any, and redemption on the last day of the period at net asset value. This percentage is not an indication of the performance of a shareholder's investment in the Fund based on market value due to the differences between the market price of the shares and the net asset value per share of the Fund.
3 Not annualized.
4 Annualized.
5 Excludes the impact of in-kind transactions related to the processing of capital share transactions in Creation Units.
6 Effective April 13, 2018, the adviser reduced its management fee from 0.75% to 0.49%.

 40

 

AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF

For a capital share outstanding throughout each period.

 

   For the
Year Ended
July 31,
2022
  

For the 

Period
July 31, 

2021

 
Net asset value, beginning of period   $25.08   $25.00 
Income from Investment Operations:          
Net investment income 2   0.32    0.25 
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments   (0.74)   0.027
Total from investment operations   (0.42)   0.27 
           
Less Distributions paid:          
From net investment income   (0.29)   (0.22)
From net realized gains   (0.00)8   -- 
 Total distributions paid   (0.29)   (0.22)
           
Capital share transactions:          
 Transaction fees   0.02    0.03 
 Total transaction fees   0.02    0.03 
           
Net asset value, end of period  $24.39   $25.08 
Total return, at NAV3,4   (1.60)%   1.21%
Total return, at Market3,4   (1.73)%   0.98%
           
Supplemental Data and Ratios:          
Net assets, end of period (000’s)  $7,317   $10,033 
           
Ratio of expenses to average net assets5   0.25%   0.25%
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets5   1.29%   1.11%
Portfolio turnover rate4,6   73%   34%

 

(1) The Fund commenced investment operations on September 8, 2020.
(2) Per share net investment income was calculated using average shares outstanding.
(3) Total return in the table represents the rate that the investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of distributions.
(4) Not annualized for periods less than one year.
(5) Annualized for periods less than one year.
(6) Excludes in-kind transactions associated with creations and redemptions of the Fund.
(7) Due to timing of capital share transactions, the per share amount of net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments varies from the amounts shown in the Statement of Operations.
(8) Amount is less than $(0.005).

 41

 

 

 

AXS Change Finance ESG ETF 

AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF
Each a series of Investment Managers Series Trust II

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

 

 

Statement of Additional Information (SAI) 

The SAI provides additional details about the investments and techniques of the Funds and certain other additional information. The SAI 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.

 

Shareholder Reports 

Additional information about the Funds’ investments will be available in the Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the Funds’ annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Funds’ performance during its most recent fiscal year.

 

The Funds’ SAI is available and annual and semi-annual reports will be available, free of charge, on the Funds’ website at www.axsinvestments.com. You can also obtain a free copy of the Funds’ SAI or annual and semi-annual reports, request other information, or inquire about the Funds by contacting a broker that sells shares of the Funds, by calling the Fund (toll-free) at 1-866-984-2510 or by writing to the Funds’ distributor, IMST Distributors, LLC at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.

 

Reports and other information about the Fund are also available: 

Free of charge, on the SEC’s EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov; or

For a duplication fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: [email protected].

 

SEC File Nos. 333-191476 

811-22894

 42

 

 

 

Statement of Additional Information 

December 1, 2022

 

AXS Change Finance ESG ETF 

AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF  

 

Each a series of Investment Managers Series Trust II

 

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus, and it should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus dated December 1, 2022, of the above funds (each a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”), each a series of Investment Managers Series Trust II (the “Trust”). AXS Investments LLC (the “Advisor”) is the investment advisor to the Funds. Set forth below is a table of the sub-advisors (each a “Sub-Advisor” and together the “Sub-Advisors”) of the Funds.

 

Fund Sub-Advisors
AXS Change Finance ESG ETF   Change Finance, PBC (“Change Finance”)
AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF Alternative Access Funds, LLC (“AAF”)

 

A copy of the Funds’ Prospectus may be obtained by contacting the Funds’ distributor, IMST Distributors, LLC at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101, by visiting the Fund’s website at www.axsinvestments.com or by calling toll free 1-866-984-2510. The Annual reports to shareholders for the AXS Change Finance ESG ETF and the AAF First Priority CLO Bond ETF, the predecessor fund to the AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF, for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022, are incorporated by reference herein. A copy of the Funds’ Annual Reports can be obtained by contacting the Funds at the address or telephone number specified above.

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

The Trust and The Fund 1
Investment Strategies, Policies and Risks 1
Investment Restrictions 15
Management of the Fund 16
Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage 29
Portfolio Turnover 29
Proxy Voting Policy 29
Portfolio Holdings Information 30
Determination of Net Asset Value 30
BOOK ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM 31
PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES IN CREATION UNITS 32
Federal Income Tax Matters 40
Dividends and Distributions 47
General Information 47
Financial Statements 49
Appendix A Description of Securities Ratings 50
APPENDIX B PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES 55

 

 

The Trust and The Funds

 

The Trust is an open-end management investment company organized as a Delaware statutory trust under the laws of the State of Delaware on August 20, 2013. The Trust currently consists of several other series of shares of beneficial interest. This SAI relates only to the Fund and not to the other series of the Trust.

 

The Trust is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an open-end management investment company. Such a registration does not involve supervision of the management or policies of the Fund. The Prospectus of the Fund and this SAI omit certain of the information contained in the Registration Statement filed with the SEC. Copies of such information may be obtained from the SEC upon payment of the prescribed fee.

 

Each of the Funds acquired all the assets, and assumed all of the liabilities, of the following funds (each a “Predecessor Fund”) as of the date listed below. Each Fund adopted the prior performance and financial history of its corresponding Predecessor Fund.

 

Fund Predecessor Fund

Acquisition 

Date

AXS Change Finance ESG ETF Change Finance U.S. Large Cap Fossil Fuel Free ETF 1 March 18, 2022
AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF AAF First Priority CLO Bond ETF 2 October 14, 2022

 

1The Change Finance U.S. Large Cap Fossil Fuel Free ETF was a series of ETF Series Solutions.

2The AAF First Priority CLO Bond ETF was a series of Listed Funds Trust.

 

Each Fund is a diversified fund, which means it is subject to the diversification requirements under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). Under the 1940 Act, a diversified fund may not, with respect to 75% of its total assets, invest more than 5% of its total assets in the securities of one issuer (and in not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of an issuer), excluding cash, Government securities, and securities of other investment companies. In addition, each Fund intends to diversify its assets to the extent necessary to qualify for tax treatment as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).

 

Each Fund offers and issues shares at their net asset value (“NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (each, a “Creation Unit”). Each Fund generally offers and issues shares in exchange for a basket of securities designated by the Fund (“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. The shares of the Funds are listed on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”) and trade on the Exchange at market prices. These prices may differ from the shares’ NAV per share. The shares of the Funds are also redeemable only in Creation Unit aggregations, and generally in exchange for portfolio securities designated by the Fund and a specified cash payment.

 

Investment Strategies, Policies and Risks

 

The discussion below supplements information contained in the Funds’ Prospectus pertaining to the investment policies of the Funds.

 

Securities and Investment Techniques

AXS Change

Finance ESG ETF

AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF
Equity Securities X  
Common Stock X  

B-1

 

Securities and Investment Techniques

AXS Change

Finance ESG ETF

AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF
Preferred Stock X  
Small and Mid-Capitalization Stock X  
Tracking Stocks X  
Warrants and Rights X  
Depositary Receipts X  
Debt Securities   X
Collateralized Loan Obligations   X
U.S. Government Securities X* X*
Real Estate Investment Trusts X  
Master Limited Partnerships X  
Investment Company Securities  X X*
Exchange-Traded Funds  X X*
When-Issued Securities X X
Tracking and Correlation Risk X  
Lending Portfolio Securities X* X*
Borrowing  X*  X*
Repurchase Agreements X* X*
Temporary Investments X* X*
Short Term Investments  X* X*
Certificates of Deposit, Bankers’ Acceptances and Time Deposits  X* X*
Commercial Paper, Short-Term Notes and Other Corporate Obligations  X* X*
Illiquid and Restricted Securities  X* X*
*Non-principal investment strategy for the Fund.

 

Market Conditions 

Events in certain sectors historically have resulted, and may in the future result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. These events have included, but are not limited to: bankruptcies, corporate restructurings, and other events related to the sub-prime mortgage crisis in 2008; governmental efforts to limit short selling and high frequency trading; measures to address U.S. federal and state budget deficits; social, political, and economic instability in Europe; economic stimulus by the Japanese central bank; steep declines in oil prices; dramatic changes in currency exchange rates; China’s economic slowdown; and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Interconnected global economies and financial markets increase the possibility that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact issuers in a different country or region. Such events may cause significant declines in the values and liquidity of many securities and other instruments. It is impossible to predict whether such conditions will recur. Because such situations may be widespread, it may be difficult to identify both risks and opportunities using past models of the interplay of market forces, or to predict the duration of such events.

B-2

 

An outbreak of an infectious respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 was first detected in China in December 2019 and then was detected globally. This coronavirus has resulted in certain travel restrictions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, and lower consumer demand, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of COVID-19, and other infectious illness outbreaks that may arise in the future, could adversely affect the economies of many nations or the entire global economy, individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. In addition, the impact of infectious illnesses in emerging market countries may be greater due to generally less established healthcare systems. Public health crises caused by the COVID-19 outbreak may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally. The duration of the COVID-19 outbreak and its effects cannot be determined with certainty.

 

Equity Securities

 

Common Stock  

The Fund may invest in common stock. Common stock represents an equity (ownership) interest in a company, and usually possesses voting rights and earns dividends. Dividends on common stock are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of the issuer. Common stock generally represents the riskiest investment in a company. In addition, common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential because increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a company’s stock price.

 

The fundamental risk of investing in common stock is that the value of the stock might decrease. Stock values fluctuate in response to the activities of an individual company or in response to general market and/or economic conditions. While common stocks have historically provided greater long-term returns than preferred stocks, fixed-income and money market investments, common stocks have also experienced significantly more volatility than the returns from those other investments.

 

Preferred Stock  

The Fund may invest in preferred stock. Preferred stock is a class of stock having a preference over common stock as to the payment of dividends and a share of the proceeds resulting from the issuer’s liquidation although preferred stock is usually subordinate to the debt securities of the issuer. Some preferred stocks also entitle their holders to receive additional liquidation proceeds on the same basis as the holders of the issuer’s common stock. Preferred stock typically does not possess voting rights and its market value may change based on changes in interest rates. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred stocks may be less attractive, causing the price of preferred stocks to decline. Preferred stock may have mandatory sinking fund provisions, as well as call/redemption provisions prior to maturity, a negative feature when interest rates decline. In addition, a fund may receive stocks or warrants as a result of an exchange or tender of fixed income securities. Preference stock, which is more common in emerging markets than in developed markets, is a special type of common stock that shares in the earnings of an issuer, has limited voting rights, may have a dividend preference, and may also have a liquidation preference. Depending on the features of the particular security, holders of preferred and preference stock may bear the risks regarding common stock or fixed income securities.

 

Small- and Mid-Cap Stocks 

The Fund may invest in stock of companies with market capitalizations that are small compared to other publicly traded companies. Investments in larger companies present certain advantages in that such companies generally have greater financial resources, more extensive research and development, manufacturing, marketing and service capabilities, and more stability and greater depth of management and personnel. Investments in smaller, less seasoned companies may present greater opportunities for growth but also may involve greater risks than customarily are associated with more established companies. The securities of smaller companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than larger, more established companies. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or they may be dependent upon a limited management group. Their securities may be traded in the over-the-counter market or on a regional exchange, or may otherwise have limited liquidity. As a result of owning large positions in this type of security, the Fund is subject to the additional risk of possibly having to sell portfolio securities at disadvantageous times and prices if redemptions require the Fund to liquidate its securities positions. In addition, it may be prudent for the Fund, as its asset size grows, to limit the number of relatively small positions it holds in securities having limited liquidity in order to minimize its exposure to such risks, to minimize transaction costs, and to maximize the benefits of research. As a consequence, as the Fund’s asset size increases, the Fund may reduce its exposure to illiquid small capitalization securities, which could adversely affect performance.

B-3

 

The Fund may also invest in stocks of companies with medium market capitalizations (i.e., mid-cap companies). Such investments share some of the risk characteristics of investments in stocks of companies with small market capitalizations described above, although mid cap companies tend to have longer operating histories, broader product lines and greater financial resources and their stocks tend to be more liquid and less volatile than those of smaller capitalization issuers.

 

Tracking Stocks 

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

 

Warrants and Rights 

The Fund may invest in warrants or rights (including those acquired in units or attached to other securities) that entitle (but do not obligate) the holder to buy equity securities at a specific price for a specific period of time but will do so only if such equity securities are deemed appropriate by the Sub-Advisor. Rights are similar to warrants but typically have a shorter duration and are issued by a company to existing stockholders to provide those holders the right to purchase additional shares of stock at a later date. Warrants and rights do not have voting rights, do not earn dividends, and do not entitle the holder to any rights with respect to the assets of the company that has issued them. They do not represent ownership of the underlying companies but only the right to purchase shares of those companies at a specified price on or before a specified exercise date. Warrants and rights tend to be more volatile than the underlying stock, and if at a warrant’s expiration date the stock is trading at a price below the price set in the warrant, the warrant will expire worthless. Conversely, if at the expiration date the stock is trading at a price higher than the price set in the warrant or right, the Fund can acquire the stock at a price below its market value. The prices of warrants and rights do not necessarily parallel the prices of the underlying securities. An investment in warrants or rights may be considered speculative.

 

Depositary Receipts 

The Fund may invest in depositary receipts. American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) are negotiable receipts issued by a U.S. bank or trust company that evidence ownership of securities in a foreign company which have been deposited with such bank or trust company’s office or agent in a foreign country. European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) are negotiable certificates held in the bank of one country representing a specific number of shares of a stock traded on an exchange of another country. Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) are negotiable certificates held in the bank of one country representing a specific number of shares of a stock traded on an exchange of another country. Canadian Depositary Receipts (“CDRs”) are negotiable receipts issued by a Canadian bank or trust company that evidence ownership of securities in a foreign company which have been deposited with such bank or trust company’s office or agent in a foreign country.

B-4

 

Investing in ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, and CDRs presents risks that may not be equal to the risk inherent in holding the equivalent shares of the same companies that are traded in the local markets even though the Fund will purchase, sell and be paid dividends on ADRs in U.S. dollars. These risks include fluctuations in currency exchange rates, which are affected by international balances of payments and other economic and financial conditions; government intervention; speculation; and other factors. With respect to certain foreign countries, there is the possibility of expropriation or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, political and social upheaval, and economic instability. The Fund may be required to pay foreign withholding or other taxes on certain ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, or CDRs that it owns, but investors may or may not be able to deduct their pro-rata share of such taxes in computing their taxable income, or take such shares as a credit against their U.S. federal income tax. See “Federal Income Tax Matters.” ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, and CDRs may be sponsored by the foreign issuer or may be unsponsored. Unsponsored ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, and CDRs are organized independently and without the cooperation of the foreign issuer of the underlying securities. Unsponsored ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, and CDRs are offered by companies which are not prepared to meet either the reporting or accounting standards of the United States. While readily exchangeable with stock in local markets, unsponsored ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, and CDRs may be less liquid than sponsored ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, and CDRs. Additionally, there generally is less publicly available information with respect to unsponsored ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, and CDRs.

 

Debt Securities 

The Funds may invest in debt securities. Debt securities are used by issuers to borrow money. Generally, issuers pay investors periodic interest and repay the amount borrowed either periodically during the life of the security and/or at maturity. Some debt securities, such as zero coupon bonds, do not pay current interest, but are purchased at a discount from their face values and accrue interest at the applicable coupon rate over a specified time period. Some debt securities pay a periodic coupon that is not fixed; instead payments “float” relative to a reference rate, such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”). This “floating rate” debt may pay interest at levels above or below the previous interest payment. The market prices of debt securities fluctuate depending on such factors as interest rates, credit quality and maturity. In general, market prices of debt securities decline when interest rates rise and increase when interest rates fall.

 

Certain additional risk factors related to debt securities are discussed below:

 

Sensitivity to interest rate and economic changes. Debt securities may be sensitive to economic changes, political and corporate developments, and interest rate changes. In addition, during an economic downturn or periods of rising interest rates, issuers that are highly leveraged may experience increased financial stress that could adversely affect their ability to meet projected business goals, obtain additional financing, and service their principal and interest payment obligations. Furthermore, periods of economic change and uncertainty can be expected to result in increased volatility of market prices and yields of certain debt securities. For example, prices of these securities can be affected by financial contracts held by the issuer or third parties (such as derivatives) related to the security or other assets or indices.

 

Payment expectations. Debt securities may contain redemption or call provisions. If an issuer exercises these provisions in a lower interest rate environment, the Funds would have to replace the security with a lower yielding security, resulting in decreased income to investors. If the issuer of a debt security defaults on its obligations to pay interest or principal or is the subject of bankruptcy proceedings, the Funds may incur losses or expenses in seeking recovery of amounts owed to it.

 

Liquidity. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, or reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity. In such cases, the Funds, due to limitations on investments in illiquid securities and the difficulty in purchasing and selling such securities or instruments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. To the extent that the Funds’ principal investment strategies involve investments in securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations, foreign non-U.S. securities, Rule 144A securities, illiquid sectors of fixed income securities, derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Funds will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Further, fixed income securities with longer durations until maturity face heightened levels of liquidity risk as compared to fixed income securities with shorter durations until maturity. Finally, liquidity risk also refers to the risk of unusually high redemption requests or other unusual market conditions that may make it difficult for the Funds to fully honor redemption requests within the allowable time period. Meeting such redemption requests could require the Funds to sell securities at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions, which would reduce the value of the Funds. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate fixed income holdings at the same time as the Funds, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure.

B-5

 

The Advisor or Sub-advisor, as applicable, attempts to reduce the risks described above through diversification of the Funds’ portfolio, credit analysis of each issuer, and by monitoring broad economic trends as well as corporate and legislative developments, but there can be no assurance that it will be successful in doing so. Credit ratings of debt securities provided by rating agencies indicate a measure of the safety of principal and interest payments, not market value risk. The rating of an issuer is a rating agency’s view of past and future potential developments related to the issuer and may not necessarily reflect actual outcomes. There can be a lag between corporate developments and the time a rating is assigned and updated.

 

Changing Fixed Income Market Conditions. Following the financial crisis that began in 2007, the U.S. government and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”) as well as certain foreign governments and central banks, took steps to support the financial markets, including by keeping interest rates at historically low levels and by purchasing large quantities of securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities on the open market (“Quantitative Easing”). Similar steps were taken again in 2020 in an effort to support the economy during the coronavirus pandemic. In 2022, the Federal Reserve began to unwind its balance sheet by not replacing existing bond holdings as they mature (“Quantitative Tightening”). Also in 2022, the Federal Reserve began raising the federal funds rate in an effort to help fight inflation. Such policy changes may expose fixed-income and related markets to heightened volatility and may reduce liquidity for certain Fund investments, which could cause the value of the Funds’ investments and share price to decline. If a Fund invests in derivatives tied to fixed income markets it may be more substantially exposed to these risks than a fund that does not invest in derivatives. Government interventions such as those described above may not work as intended, particularly if the efforts are perceived by investors as being unlikely to achieve the desired results.

 

Bond markets have consistently grown over the past three decades while the capacity for traditional dealer counterparties to engage in fixed income trading has not kept pace and in some cases has decreased. As a result, dealer inventories of corporate bonds, which provide a core indication of the ability of financial intermediaries to “make markets,” are at or near historic lows in relation to market size. Because market makers provide stability to a market through their intermediary services, the significant reduction in dealer inventories could potentially lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed income markets. Such issues may be exacerbated during periods of economic uncertainty.

 

Bond Ratings. Bond rating agencies may assign modifiers (such as +/–) to ratings categories to signify the relative position of a credit within the rating category. Investment policies that are based on ratings categories should be read to include any security within that category, without considering the modifier. Please refer to Appendix A for more information about credit ratings.

 

Collateralized Loan Obligations 

The Fund may invest in CLOs. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. The loans generate cash flow that is allocated among one or more classes of securities (“tranches”) that vary in risk and yield. The most senior tranche has the best credit quality and the lowest yield compared to the other tranches. The equity tranche has the highest potential yield but also has the greatest risk, as it bears the bulk of defaults from the underlying loans and helps to protect the more senior tranches from risk of these defaults. However, despite the protection from the equity and other more junior tranches, more senior tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults and decreased market value due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CLO securities as a class.

B-6

 

Normally, CLOs are privately offered and sold and are not registered under state or federal securities laws. Therefore, investments in CLOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities. However, an active dealer market may exist for CLOs allowing a CLO to qualify for transactions pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act and to be deemed liquid.

 

The riskiness of investing in CLOs depends largely on the quality and type of the collateral loans and the tranche of the CLO in which the Fund invests. In addition to the normal risks associated with fixed-income securities (such as interest rate risk and credit risk) and the risks associated with investing in CDOs, CLOs carry additional risks including that interest on certain tranches of a CLO may be paid in-kind (meaning that unpaid interest is effectively added to principal), which involves continued exposure to default risk with respect to such payments. Certain CLOs may receive credit enhancement in the form of a senior-subordinate structure, over-collateralization or bond insurance, but such enhancement may not always be present and may fail to protect the Fund against the risk of loss due to defaults on the collateral. Certain CLOs may not hold loans directly, but rather, use derivatives such as swaps to create “synthetic” exposure to the collateral pool of loans. Such CLOs entail the risks of derivative instruments.

 

U.S. Government Securities  

The Fund may invest in U.S. Government obligations. Such obligations include Treasury bills, certificates of indebtedness, notes and bonds. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities. Treasury bills, the most frequently issued marketable government securities, have a maturity of up to one year and are issued on a discount basis. U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed by government-sponsored enterprises.

 

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, including government-sponsored enterprises, where it is not obligated to do so. In addition, U.S. Government obligations are subject to fluctuations in market value due to fluctuations in market interest rates. As a general matter, the value of debt instruments, including U.S. Government obligations, declines when market interest rates increase and rises when market interest rates decrease. Certain types of U.S. Government obligations are subject to fluctuations in yield or value due to their structure or contract terms.

 

Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”) 

The Fund may invest in REITs. REITs are pooled investment vehicles that invest primarily in income producing real estate or real estate related loans or interests. REITs are generally classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs, or a combination of equity and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive income primarily from the collection of rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive income from the collection of principal and interest payments. Similar to regulated investment companies such as the Fund, REITs are not taxed on income distributed to shareholders provided they comply with certain requirements of the Code. The Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of expenses incurred by REITs in which the Fund invests in addition to the expenses incurred directly by the Fund.

 

Investing in REITs involves certain unique risks in addition to those risks associated with investing in the real estate industry in general. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REITs, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. REITs are dependent upon management skills, are not diversified, and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, default by borrowers and self-liquidation.

B-7

 

Investing in REITs involves risks similar to those associated with investing in small capitalization companies. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in a limited volume and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than larger company securities. Historically, small capitalization stocks, such as REITs, have had more price volatility than larger capitalization stocks.

 

REITs may fail to qualify for the favorable federal income tax treatment generally available to them under the Code and may fail to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act. REITs (especially mortgage REITs) also are subject to interest rate risks. When interest rates decline, the value of a REIT’s investment in fixed-rate obligations can be expected to rise. Conversely, when interest rates rise, the value of a REIT’s investment in fixed-rate obligations can be expected to decline. In contrast, as interest rates on adjustable rate mortgage loans are reset periodically, yields on a REIT’s investments in such loans will gradually align themselves to reflect changes in market interest rates, causing the value of such investments to fluctuate less dramatically in response to interest rate fluctuations than would investments in fixed-rate obligations.

 

Master Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”) 

The Fund may invest in MLPs. An MLP is an entity eligible for partnership taxation treatment under the Code, the interests or “units” of which are traded on securities exchanges like shares of corporate stock. A typical MLP consists of a general partner and limited partners; however, some entities treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes are established as limited liability companies. The general partner manages the partnership; has an ownership stake in the partnership, typically a 2% general partner equity interest and usually additional common units and subordinated units; and is typically eligible to receive an incentive distribution. The limited partners provide capital to the partnership, have a limited (if any) role in the operation and management of the partnership, and receive cash distributions. An MLP typically pays an established minimum quarterly distribution to common unit holders, as provided under the terms of its partnership agreement. Common units have arrearage rights in distributions to the extent that the MLP fails to make minimum quarterly distributions. Once the MLP distributes the minimum quarterly distribution to common units, subordinated units then are entitled to receive distributions of up to the minimum quarterly distribution, but have no arrearage rights. At the discretion of the general partners’ board of directors, any distributable cash that exceeds the minimum quarterly distribution that the MLP distributed to the common and subordinated units is then distributed to both common and subordinated units, typically on a pro rata basis. Incentive distributions are often paid to the general partner such that as the distribution to limited partnership interests increases, the general partner may receive a proportionately larger share of the total distribution. Incentive distributions are designed to encourage the general partner, who controls and operates the partnership, to maximize the partnership’s cash flow and increase distributions to the limited partners.

 

Generally speaking, MLP investment returns are enhanced during periods of declining or low interest rates and tend to be negatively influenced when interest rates are rising. As an income vehicle, the unit price can be influenced by general interest rate trends independent of specific underlying fundamentals. In addition, most MLPs are leveraged and typically carry a portion of a “floating” rate debt, and a significant upward swing in interest rates would also drive interest expense higher. Furthermore, most MLPs grow by acquisitions partly financed by debt, and higher interest rates could make it more difficult to make acquisitions.

 

Investment Company Securities  

The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies (each, an “Underlying Fund”), including open-end funds, closed-end funds, unit investment trusts (“UITs”) and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), to the extent permitted by applicable law and subject to certain restrictions set forth in this SAI.

 

Under Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act, the Fund may acquire securities of an Underlying Fund in amounts which, as determined immediately after the acquisition is made, do not exceed (i) 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of such Underlying Fund, (ii) 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets, and (iii) 10% of the value of the Fund’s total assets when combined with all other Underlying Fund securities held by the Fund. The Fund may exceed these statutory limits when permitted by SEC order or other applicable law or regulatory guidance, such as is the case with many ETFs. In October 2020, the SEC adopted certain regulatory changes and took other actions related to the ability of an investment company to invest in the securities of another investment company. These changes include, in part, the rescission of certain SEC exemptive orders permitting investments in excess of the statutory limits, the withdrawal of certain related SEC staff no-action letters, and the adoption of Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act, which permits the Funds to invest in other investment companies beyond the statutory limits, subject to certain conditions. Rule 12d1-4, among other things, (1) applies to both “acquired funds” and “acquiring funds,” each as defined under the rule; (2) includes limits on control and voting of acquired funds’ shares; (3) requires that the investment advisers of acquired funds and acquiring funds relying on the rule make certain specified findings based on their evaluation of the relevant fund of funds structure; (4) requires funds that are relying on the rule, and which do not have the same investment adviser, to enter into fund of funds investment agreements, which must include specific terms; and (5) includes certain limits on complex fund of funds structures.

B-8

 

Generally, under Sections 12(d)(1)(F) and 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act and SEC rules adopted pursuant to the 1940 Act, the Fund may acquire the securities of affiliated and unaffiliated Underlying Funds subject to the following guidelines and restrictions:

 

The Fund may own an unlimited amount of the securities of any registered open-end fund or registered unit investment trust that is affiliated with the Fund, so long as any such Underlying Fund has a policy that prohibits it from acquiring any securities of registered open-end funds or registered UITs in reliance on certain sections of the 1940 Act.

 

The Fund and its “affiliated persons” may own up to 3% of the outstanding stock of any fund, subject to the following restrictions:

 

i.the Fund and each Underlying Fund, in the aggregate, may not charge a sales load greater than the limits set forth in Rule 2830(d)(3) of the Conduct Rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) applicable to funds of funds

ii.each Underlying Fund is not obligated to redeem more than 1% of its total outstanding securities during any period less than 30 days; and

iii.the Fund is obligated either to (i) seek instructions from its shareholders with regard to the voting of all proxies with respect to the Underlying Fund and to vote in accordance with such instructions, or (ii) to vote the shares of the Underlying Fund held by the Fund in the same proportion as the vote of all other shareholders of the Underlying Fund.

Underlying Funds typically incur fees that are separate from those fees incurred directly by the Fund. The Fund’s purchase of such investment company securities results in the layering of expenses as Fund shareholders would indirectly bear a proportionate share of the operating expenses of such investment companies, including advisory fees, in addition to paying Fund expenses. In addition, the securities of other investment companies may also be leveraged and will therefore be subject to certain leverage risks. The net asset value and market value of leveraged securities will be more volatile and the yield to shareholders will tend to fluctuate more than the yield generated by unleveraged securities. Investment companies may have investment policies that differ from those of the Fund.

 

Under certain circumstances an open-end investment company in which the Fund invests may determine to make payment of a redemption by the Fund wholly or in part by a distribution in kind of securities from its portfolio, instead of in cash. As a result, the Fund may hold such securities until the Sub-Advisor determines it is appropriate to dispose of them. Such disposition will impose additional costs on the Fund.

 

Investment decisions by the investment advisors to the registered investment companies in which the Fund invests are made independently of the Fund. At any particular time, one Underlying Fund may be purchasing shares of an issuer whose shares are being sold by another Underlying Fund. As a result, under these circumstances the Fund indirectly would incur certain transactional costs without accomplishing any investment purpose.

B-9

 

Exchange-Traded Funds  

The Fund may invest in ETFs. ETFs are pooled investment vehicles that generally seek to track the performance of specific indices. ETFs may be organized as open-end funds or as UITs. Their shares are listed on stock exchanges and can be traded throughout the day at market-determined prices.

 

An ETF generally issues index-based investments in large aggregations of shares known as “Creation Units” in exchange for a “Portfolio Deposit” consisting of (a) a portfolio of securities designated by the ETF, (b) a cash payment equal to a pro rata portion of the dividends accrued on the ETF’s portfolio securities since the last dividend payment by the ETF, net of expenses and liabilities, and (c) a cash payment or credit (“Balancing Amount”) designed to equalize the net asset value of the shares and the net asset value of a Portfolio Deposit.

 

Shares of ETFs are not individually redeemable, except upon the reorganization, merger, conversion or liquidation of the ETF. To redeem shares of an ETF, an investor must accumulate enough shares of the ETF to reconstitute a Creation Unit. The liquidity of small holdings of ETF shares, therefore, will depend upon the existence of a secondary market for such shares. Upon redemption of a Creation Unit, the investor will receive securities designated by the ETF (“Redemption Securities”) and a cash payment in an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of the shares being redeemed and the net asset value of the Redemption Securities.

 

The price of ETF shares is based upon (but not necessarily identical to) the value of the securities held by the ETF. Accordingly, the level of risk involved in the purchase or sale of ETF shares is similar to the risk involved in the purchase or sale of traditional common stock, with the exception that the pricing mechanism for ETF shares is based on a basket of stocks. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying ETF shares purchased or sold by the Fund could result in losses on such shares. There is no assurance that the requirements of the national securities exchanges necessary to maintain the listing of shares of any ETF will continue to be met.

 

When-Issued Securities 

A when-issued security is one whose terms are available and for which a market exists, but which has not been issued. When the Fund engages in when-issued transactions, it relies on the other party to consummate the sale. If the other party fails to complete the sale, the Fund may miss the opportunity to obtain the security at a favorable price or yield. When purchasing a security on a when-issued basis, the Fund assumes the rights and risks of ownership of the security, including the risk of price and yield changes. At the time of settlement, the market value of the security may be more or less than the purchase price. The yield available in the market when the delivery takes place also may be higher than those obtained in the transaction itself. Because the Fund does not pay for the security until the delivery date, these risks are in addition to the risks associated with its other investments. Decisions to enter into “when-issued” transactions will be considered on a case-by-case basis when necessary to maintain continuity in a company’s index membership.

 

A transaction in when-issued securities would be deemed not to involve a senior security (i.e., it will not be considered a derivatives transaction or subject to asset segregation requirements), provided that (i) the Fund intends to physically settle the transaction, and (ii) the transaction will settle within 35 days of its trade date. If such a transaction were considered to be a derivatives transaction, it would be subject to the requirements of Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act.

 

Tracking and Correlation Risk  

The Fund seeks investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of its Index, although several factors may affect their ability to achieve this correlation, including, but not limited to: (1) the Fund’s expenses, including brokerage (which may be increased by high portfolio turnover) and the cost of the investment techniques employed by the Fund; (2) the Fund’s holding of less than all of the securities included in its Index, including as part of a “representative sampling” strategy, and holding securities not included in the Index; (3) an imperfect correlation between the performance of the Fund’s investments and those of its Index; (4) bid-ask spreads (the effect of which may be increased by portfolio turnover); (5) holding instruments traded in a market that has become illiquid or disrupted; (6) Share prices being rounded to the nearest cent; (7) changes to an Index that are not disseminated in advance; (8) the need to conform the Fund’s portfolio holdings to comply with investment restrictions or policies, or regulatory or tax law requirements; (9) early and unanticipated closings of the markets on which the holdings of the Fund trades, resulting in the inability of the Fund to execute intended portfolio transactions; and (10) the Fund’s holdings of cash or cash equivalents, or otherwise not being fully invested in securities of its Index. While close tracking of the Fund to its Index may be achieved on any single trading day, over time the cumulative percentage increase or decrease in the NAV of Shares may diverge significantly from the cumulative percentage decrease or increase in the benchmark due to a compounding effect.

B-10

 

Lending Portfolio Securities 

Consistent with applicable regulatory requirements and the Fund’s investment restrictions, the Fund may lend portfolio securities to securities broker-dealers or financial institutions, provided that such loans are callable at any time by the Fund (subject to notice provisions described below), and are at all times secured by cash or cash equivalents, which are maintained in a segregated account pursuant to applicable regulations and that are at least equal to the market value, determined daily, of the loaned securities. The advantage of such loans is that the Fund continues to receive the income on the loaned securities while at the same time earns interest on the cash amounts deposited as collateral, which will be invested in short-term obligations. The Fund will not lend portfolio securities if such loans are not permitted by the laws or regulations of any state in which its shares are qualified for sale. The Fund’s loans of portfolio securities will be collateralized in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements and no loan will cause the value of all loaned securities to exceed 33 1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets.

 

A loan may generally be terminated by the borrower on one business day’s notice, or by the Fund on five business days’ notice. If the borrower fails to deliver the loaned securities within five days after receipt of notice or fails to maintain the requisite amount of collateral, the Fund could use the collateral to replace the securities while holding the borrower liable for any excess of replacement cost over collateral. As with any extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery and in some cases even loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially. However, these loans of portfolio securities will only be made to firms deemed by the Fund’s management to be creditworthy and when the income that can be earned from such loans justifies the attendant risks. Upon termination of the loan, the borrower is required to return the securities to the Fund. Any gain or loss in the market price during the loan period would inure to the Fund. The risks associated with loans of portfolio securities are substantially similar to those associated with repurchase agreements. Thus, if the counterparty to the loan petitions for bankruptcy or becomes subject to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, the law regarding the rights of the Fund is unsettled. As a result, under extreme circumstances, there may be a restriction on the Fund’s ability to sell the collateral, and the Fund would suffer a loss. When voting or consent rights that accompany loaned securities pass to the borrower, the Fund will follow the policy of calling the loaned securities, to be delivered within one day after notice, to permit the exercise of such rights if the matters involved would have a material effect on the Fund’s investment in such loaned securities. The Fund will pay reasonable finder’s, administrative and custodial fees in connection with a loan of its securities.

 

Borrowing  

The Fund may engage in limited borrowing activities. Borrowing creates an opportunity for increased return, but, at the same time, creates special risks. Furthermore, if a Fund were to engage in borrowing, an increase in interest rates could reduce the value of the Fund’s shares by increasing the Fund’s interest expense. Subject to the limitations described under “Investment Limitations” below, the Fund may be permitted to borrow for temporary purposes and/or for investment purposes. Such a practice will result in leveraging of the Fund’s assets and may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so. This borrowing may be secured or unsecured. Provisions of the 1940 Act require the Fund to maintain continuous asset coverage (that is, total assets including borrowings, less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) of 300% of the amount borrowed, with an exception for borrowings not in excess of 5% of the Fund’s total assets made for temporary administrative purposes. Any borrowings for temporary administrative purposes in excess of 5% of the Fund’s total assets will count against this asset coverage requirement. If the 300% asset coverage should decline as a result of market fluctuations or other reasons, the Fund may be required to sell some of its portfolio holdings within three days to reduce the debt and restore the 300% asset coverage, even though it may be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint if the Fund sells securities at that time. Borrowing will tend to exaggerate the effect on net asset value of any increase or decrease in the market value of the Fund’s portfolios. Money borrowed will be subject to interest charges which may or may not be recovered by appreciation of the securities purchased, if any. The Fund also may be required to maintain minimum average balances in connection with such borrowings or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit; either of these requirements would increase the cost of borrowing over the stated interest rate.

B-11

 

Repurchase Agreements  

The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with respect to its portfolio securities. Pursuant to such agreements, the Fund acquires securities from financial institutions such as banks and broker-dealers deemed to be creditworthy by the Advisor or a Sub-Advisor, subject to the seller’s agreement to repurchase and the Fund’s agreement to resell such securities at a mutually agreed upon date and price. The repurchase price generally equals the price paid by the Fund plus interest negotiated on the basis of current short-term rates (which may be more or less than the rate on the underlying portfolio security). Securities subject to repurchase agreements will be held by the custodian or in the Federal Reserve/Treasury Book-Entry System or an equivalent foreign system. The seller under a repurchase agreement will be required to maintain the value of the underlying securities at not less than 102% of the repurchase price under the agreement. If the seller defaults on its repurchase obligation, the Fund will suffer a loss to the extent that the proceeds from a sale of the underlying securities are less than the repurchase price under the agreement. Bankruptcy or insolvency of such a defaulting seller may cause the Fund’s rights with respect to such securities to be delayed or limited. Repurchase agreements are considered to be loans under the 1940 Act.

 

Temporary Investments  

The Fund may take temporary defensive measures that are inconsistent with the Fund’s normal fundamental or non- fundamental investment policies and strategies in response to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions as determined by the Advisor. Such measures could include, but are not limited to, 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) repurchase agreements involving any such securities; and (3) other money market instruments. The Fund also may invest in shares of money market mutual funds to the extent permitted under applicable law. Money market mutual funds are investment companies, and the investments in those companies by the Fund are in some cases subject to certain fundamental investment restrictions. As a shareholder in a mutual fund, the Fund will bear its ratable share of its expenses, including management fees, and will remain subject to payment of the fees to the Advisor, with respect to assets so invested. The Fund may not achieve its investment objectives during temporary defensive periods.

 

Short-term investments 

The Fund may invest in any of the following securities and instruments:

 

Certificates of Deposit, Bankers’ Acceptances and Time Deposits 

The Fund may acquire certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and time deposits in U.S. dollar or foreign currencies. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against monies deposited in a commercial bank, or savings and loan association for a definite period of time that earn 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. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained at a banking institution for a specified period of time at a specified interest rate. The Fund may only acquire certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, and time deposits issued by commercial banks or savings and loan associations that, at the time of the Fund’s investment, 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 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 if the Fund invests only in debt obligations of U.S. domestic issuers. Such risks include future political and economic developments, the possible imposition of withholding taxes by the particular country in which the issuer is located, the possible confiscation or nationalization of foreign deposits, the possible establishment of exchange controls, or the adoption of other foreign governmental restrictions which may 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 that may be made and interest rates that may be charged. In addition, the profitability of the banking industry depends largely upon the availability and cost of funds and the interest income generated from lending operations. General economic conditions and the quality of loan portfolios affect the banking industry.

B-12

 

As a result of federal and state laws and regulations, domestic banks are required to maintain specified levels of reserves, are limited in the amount that they can loan to a single borrower, and are subject to regulations designed to promote financial soundness. However, such laws and regulations may not necessarily apply to foreign banks, thereby affecting the risk involved in bank obligations that the Fund may acquire.

 

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.

 

The Fund’s investment in 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” or “Prime-2” by Moody’s, or similarly rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, will be determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. These rating symbols are described in Appendix A.

 

Corporate debt obligations are subject to the risk of an issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligations, i.e., credit risk. The Advisor may actively expose the Fund to credit risk. However, there can be no guarantee that the Advisor will be successful in making the right selections and thus fully mitigate the impact of credit risk changes on the Fund.

 

Illiquid and Restricted Securities  

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. Illiquid securities are securities 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 disposition significantly changing the market value of the securities. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, and the Fund may have difficulty or be unable to dispose of such securities promptly or at reasonable prices.

 

The Fund may invest in restricted securities. Restricted securities are securities that may not be sold freely to the public absent registration under the 1933 Act, or an exemption from registration. While restricted securities are generally presumed to be illiquid, it may be determined that a particular restricted security is liquid. Rule 144A under the 1933 Act establishes a safe harbor from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act for resales of certain securities to qualified institutional buyers. Institutional markets for restricted securities sold pursuant to Rule 144A in many cases provide both readily ascertainable values for restricted securities and the ability to liquidate an investment to satisfy share redemption orders. Such markets might include automated systems for the trading, clearance and settlement of unregistered securities of domestic and foreign issuers, such as the PORTAL System sponsored by NASDAQ. An insufficient number of qualified buyers interested in purchasing Rule 144A eligible restricted securities, however, could adversely affect the marketability of such portfolio securities and result in the Fund’s inability to dispose of such securities promptly or at favorable prices.

 

The Fund may purchase commercial paper issued pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the 1933 Act. 4(a)(2) commercial paper has substantially the same price and liquidity characteristics as commercial paper, except that the resale of 4(a)(2) commercial paper is limited to the institutional investor marketplace. Such a restriction on resale makes 4(a)(2) commercial paper technically a restricted security under the 1933 Act. In practice, however, 4(a)(2) commercial paper can be resold as easily as any other unrestricted security held by the Fund.

 

Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act requires, among other things, that the Fund establish a liquidity risk management program (“LRMP”) that is reasonably designed to assess and manage liquidity risk. Rule 22e-4 defines “liquidity risk” as the risk that the Fund could not meet requests to redeem shares issued by the fund without significant dilution of the remaining investors’ interests in the fund. The Fund has implemented a LRMP to meet the relevant requirements. Additionally, the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, approved the designation of the Advisor as the Fund’s LRMP administrator to administer such program, and will review no less frequently than annually a written report prepared by the Advisor that addresses the operation of the LRMP and assesses its adequacy and effectiveness of implementation. Among other things, the LRMP provides for the classification of the Fund investment as a “highly liquid investment,” “moderately liquid investment,” “less liquid investment” or “illiquid investment.” The liquidity risk classifications of the Fund’s investments are determined after reasonable inquiry and taking into account relevant market, trading and investment-specific considerations. To the extent that the Fund investment is deemed to be an “illiquid investment” or a “less liquid investment,” the Fund can expect to be exposed to greater liquidity risk. There is no guarantee the LRMP will be effective in its operations, and complying with Rule 22e-4, including bearing related costs, could impact the Fund’s performance and its ability to seek its investment objective.

B-13

 

The Fund will not purchase illiquid securities if, as a result of the purchase, more than 15% of the Fund’s net assets are invested in such securities. If at any time a portfolio manager and/or the Advisor or Sub-Advisor determines that the value of illiquid securities held by the Fund exceeds 15% of the Fund’s net assets, the Fund’s portfolio managers and the Advisor or Sub-Advisor will take such steps as they consider appropriate to reduce the percentage as soon as reasonably practicable.

 

LIBOR Risk 

Many financial instruments, financings or other transactions to which the Fund may be a party use or may use a floating rate based on LIBOR. In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority, the United Kingdom’s financial regulatory body, announced that after 2021 it would cease its active encouragement of banks to provide the quotations needed to sustain LIBOR. The publication of LIBOR on a representative basis ceased for the one-week and two-month U.S. dollar LIBOR settings immediately after December 31, 2021, and it is expected to cease for the remaining U.S. dollar LIBOR settings immediately after June 30, 2023. Actions by regulators have resulted in the establishment of alternative reference rates to LIBOR in most major currencies. The U.S. Federal Reserve, based on the recommendations of the New York Federal Reserve’s Alternative Reference Rate Committee, is now publishing SOFR, which is intended to replace U.S. dollar LIBOR. Alternative reference rates for other currencies have also been announced or have begun publication. Markets are slowly developing in response to these new rates. Any potential effects of the transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or on certain instruments in which the Fund invests can be difficult to determine, and they may vary depending on factors that include, but are not limited to, (i) existing fallback or termination provisions in individual contracts and (ii) whether, how, and when industry participants develop and adopt new reference rates and fallbacks for both legacy and new products and instruments. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR, and there may be a reduction in the value of certain instruments held by the Fund.

 

In March 2022, the Adjustable Interest Rate (LIBOR) Act (the “LIBOR Act”) was signed into law. The LIBOR Act provides a statutory fallback mechanism on a nationwide basis to replace LIBOR with a benchmark rate that is selected by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and based on SOFR for certain contracts that reference LIBOR and contain no, or insufficient, fallback provisions. The LIBOR Act is not self-executing, and thus implementing regulations are expected soon.

 

Cybersecurity Risk  

Investment companies, such as the Fund, and its service providers may be subject to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber attacks. Cyber attacks include, among other behaviors, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, denial of service attacks on websites, the unauthorized release of confidential information or various other forms of cybersecurity breaches. Cyber attacks affecting the Fund, the Advisor or Sub-Advisor, the Fund’s custodian or transfer agent, or intermediaries or other third-party service providers may adversely impact the Fund. For instance, cyber attacks may interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the Fund’s ability to calculate its net asset value, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential company information, impede trading, subject the Fund to regulatory fines or financial losses, and cause reputational damage. The Fund may also incur additional costs for cybersecurity risk management purposes. While the Fund and its service providers have established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to prevent or reduce the impact of cybersecurity attacks, such plans and systems have inherent limitations due in part to the ever-changing nature of technology and cybersecurity attack tactics, and there is a possibility that certain risks have not been adequately identified or prepared for. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control any cybersecurity plans or systems implemented by its service providers.

B-14

 

Similar types of cybersecurity risks are also present for issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause the Fund’s investment in such portfolio companies to lose value.

 

Investment Restrictions

 

Each Fund has adopted the following restrictions as fundamental policies, which may not be changed without the favorable “vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act. Under the 1940 Act, the “vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” of the Fund 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. Each Fund’s investment objective is a non-fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval.

 

Each Fund may not:

 

1.Issue senior securities, borrow money or pledge its assets, except that (i) the Fund may borrow from banks in amounts not exceeding one-third of its net assets (including the amount borrowed); and (ii) this restriction shall not prohibit the Fund from engaging in options transactions or short sales or investing in financial futures, swaps, when-issued or delayed delivery securities, or reverse repurchase agreements;

 

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.Invest 25% or more of its total assets, calculated at the time of purchase in any one industry (other than securities issued by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities) except that with respect to the AXS Change Finance ESG ETF, the Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of a particular industry;

 

4.Purchase or sell real estate or interests in real estate or real estate limited partnerships (although the Fund may purchase and sell securities which are secured by real estate and securities of companies which invest or deal in real estate, such as REITs);

 

5.Make loans of money, except (a) for purchases of debt securities consistent with the investment policies of the Fund, (b) by engaging in repurchase agreements or, (c) through the loan of portfolio securities in an amount up to 33 1/3% of the Fund’s net assets; or

 

6.Purchase or sell physical commodities, unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments. This limitation shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing, selling or entering into futures contracts, or acquiring securities or other instruments and options thereon backed by, or related to, physical commodities.

 

7.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).

 

The Fund observes the following restriction as a matter of operating but not fundamental policy, pursuant to positions taken by federal regulatory authorities:

B-15

 

The Fund may not invest, in the aggregate, more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities 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 disposition significantly changing the market value of the securities.

 

With respect to the AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF, to the extent the Fund is an “acquired fund” in a fund of funds arrangement relying on Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act, the Fund will limit its acquisition of securities of investment companies and companies that would be investment companies under the 1940 Act but for the exclusion from the definition of investment company in Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act to an aggregate amount that does not exceed 10% of the Fund’s total assets (measured immediately after acquisition); provided that such limitation shall not apply to investments by the Fund in: (a) another fund as part of a master-feeder structure in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(E) of the 1940 Act (master feeder arrangements); (b) money market funds in reliance on Rule 12d1-1; (c) a wholly owned and controlled subsidiary of the Fund; (d) securities received as a dividend or as a result of a plan of reorganization of a company; or (e) securities of another fund received pursuant to an interfund lending arrangement permitted by an exemptive order issued by the SEC.

 

Except with respect to borrowing, if a percentage or rating restriction on investment or use of assets set forth herein or in the Prospectus is adhered to at the time a transaction is effected, later changes in percentage resulting from any cause other than actions by the Fund will not be considered a violation.

 

Management of the Fund

 

Trustees and Officers  

 

The overall management of the business and affairs of the Trust is vested with its Board of Trustees. The Board approves all significant agreements between the Trust and persons or companies furnishing services to it, including the agreements with the Advisor, Sub-Advisor, co-administrators, distributor, custodian and transfer agent. The day-to-day operations of the Trust are delegated to its officers, except that the Advisor and Sub-Advisor are responsible for making day-to-day investment decisions in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives, strategies, and policies, all of which are subject to general supervision by the Board.

 

The Trustees and officers of the Trust, their years of birth and positions with the Trust, term of office with the Trust and length of time served, their business addresses and principal occupations during the past five years and other directorships held during the past five years are listed in the table below. Unless noted otherwise, each person has held the position listed for a minimum of five years. Thomas Knipper, Kathleen K. Shkuda, Larry D. Tashjian and John P. Zader are all of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act (collectively, the “Independent Trustees”).

 

Name, Address, Year of Birth and Position(s) held with Trust Term of Officec and Length of Time Served Principal Occupation During the Past Five Years and Other Affiliations

Number of Portfolios in the Fund Complex 

Overseen by Trusteed

Other Directorships Held by Trustee e
“Independent” Trustees:        

Thomas Knipper, CPA a  

(born 1957) 

Trustee

Since September 2013 Retired (April 2022 – present); Independent Consulting, financial services organizations (March 2021 – March 2022); Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, Ameritas Investment Partners, a registered investment advisor (1995 – March 2022). 47 Monachil Credit Income Fund, a closed-end investment company.

Kathleen K. Shkuda a 

(born 1951) 

Trustee 

Since September 2013 Zigzag Consulting, a financial services consulting firm (2008 – present); Director, Managed Accounts, Merrill Lynch (2007 – 2008). 47 None.

Larry D. Tashjian a 

(born 1953) 

Trustee and Chairman of the Board 

Since September 2013 Principal, CAM Capital Advisors, a family office (2001 – present). 47 General Finance Corporation.

John P. Zader a  

(born 1961) 

Trustee 

Since September 2013 Retired (June 2014 – present); CEO, UMB Fund Services, Inc., a mutual fund and hedge fund service provider, and the transfer agent, fund accountant, and co-administrator for the Funds (December 2006 – June 2014); President, Investment Managers Series Trust (December 2007 – June 2014). 47 Investment Managers Series Trust, a registered investment company (includes 53 portfolios).
Interested Trustees:        

Eric M. Banhazl b† 

(born 1957) 

Trustee 

Since September 2013

 

Chairman, Foothill Capital Management, LLC, a registered investment advisor (2018 – present); Chairman (2016 – present), and President (2006 – 2015), Mutual Fund Administration, LLC, co-administrator for the Fund. 47 Investment Managers Series Trust, a registered investment company (includes 53 portfolios).

B-16

 

Name, Address, Year of Birth and Position(s) held with Trust Term of Officec and Length of Time Served Principal Occupation During the Past Five Years and Other Affiliations

Number of Portfolios in the Fund Complex 

Overseen by Trusteed

Other Directorships Held by Trustee e

Terrance P. Gallagher a* 

(born 1958) 

Trustee and President

 

Since July 2019 President, Investment Managers Series Trust II (September 2013 – present); Executive Vice President, UMB Fund Services, Inc. (2007 – present); and Director of Compliance, Unified Fund Services Inc. (now Huntington Fund Services), a mutual fund service provider (2004 – 2007). 47 Cliffwater Corporate Lending Fund, Agility Multi-Asset Income Fund, Corbin Multi-Strategy Fund, LLC, Aspiriant Risk-Managed Real Asset Fund, Aspiriant Risk-Managed Capital Appreciation Fund, AFA Multi-Manager Credit Fund, The Optima Dynamic Alternatives Fund, Infinity Core Alternative Fund, Infinity Long/Short Equity Fund, LLC, Keystone Private Income Fund, Relative Value Fund, Variant Alternative Income Fund, Variant Impact Fund, First Trust Private Assets Fund, First Trust Private Credit Fund, First Trust Real Assets Fund, Destiny Alternative Fund LLC, Destiny Alternative Fund (Tax Exempt) LLC, and Pender Real Estate Credit Fund, each a closed-end investment company.  
Officers of the Trust:        

Rita Dam b 

(born 1966) 

Treasurer and Assistant Secretary 

Since September 2013 Co-Chief Executive Officer (2016 – present), and Vice President (2006 – 2015), Mutual Fund Administration, LLC (2018 – present); Co-President, Foothill Capital Management, LLC, a registered investment advisor (2018 – 2022). N/A N/A

Joy Ausili b 

(born 1966) 

Vice President and Assistant Secretary 

Since January 2016 Co-Chief Executive Officer (2016 – present), and Vice President (2006 – 2015), Mutual Fund Administration, LLC (2018 – present); Secretary and Assistant Treasurer, Investment Managers Series Trust (September 2013 – present); Co-President, Foothill Capital Management, LLC, a registered investment advisor (2018 – 2022). N/A N/A

Diane Drake b 

(born 1967) 

Secretary 

Since January 2016 Senior Counsel, Mutual Fund Administration, LLC (October 2015 – present); Chief Compliance Officer, Foothill Capital Management, LLC, a registered investment advisor (2018 – 2019). N/A N/A

Martin Dziura b 

(born 1959) 

Chief Compliance Officer 

Since September 2013

Principal, Dziura Compliance Consulting, LLC (October 2014 - present); Managing Director, Cipperman Compliance Services (2010 – September 2014); Chief Compliance Officer, Hanlon Investment Management (2009 – 2010); Vice President − Compliance, Morgan Stanley Investment Management (2000 − 2009). 

N/A N/A

B-17

 

aAddress for certain Trustees and certain officers: 235 West Galena Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212.

bAddress for Mr. Banhazl, Ms. Ausili, Ms. Dam and Ms. Drake: 2220 E. Route 66, Suite 226, Glendora, California 91740.

Address for Mr. Dziura: 309 Woodridge Lane, Media, Pennsylvania 19063. 

cTrustees and officers serve until their successors have been duly elected.

dThe Trust is comprised of 58 series managed by unaffiliated investment advisors. Each Trustee serves as Trustee of each series of the Trust. The term “Fund Complex” applies only to the series managed by the same investment advisor. The Funds’ investment advisor also serves as investment advisor to the AXS Astoria Inflation Sensitive ETF, AXS Adaptive Plus Fund, AXS All Terrain Opportunity Fund, AXS Alternative Growth Fund, AXS Alternative Value Fund, AXS Chesapeake Strategy Fund, AXS Income Opportunities Fund, AXS Managed Futures Strategy Fund, AXS Market Neutral Fund, AXS Merger Fund, AXS Multi-Strategy Alternatives Fund, AXS Sustainable Income Fund, AXS Thomson Reuters Private Equity Return Tracker Fund, AXS Thomson Reuters Venture Capital Return Tracker Fund, AXS 2X Innovation ETF, AXS 1.25X BA Bear ETF, AXS 1.25X BA Bull ETF, AXS 2X COP Bear ETF, AXS 2X COP Bull ETF, AXS 1.5X CRM Bear ETF, AXS 1.5X CRM Bull ETF, AXS 2X NKE Bear ETF, AXS 2X NKE Bull ETF, AXS 1.25X NVDA Bear ETF, AXS 1.25X NVDA Bull ETF, AXS 2X PFE Bear ETF, AXS 2X PFE Bull ETF, AXS 1.5X PYPL Bear ETF, AXS 1.5X PYPL Bull ETF, AXS TSLA Bear ETF, AXS TSLA Bull ETF, AXS 1.25X WFC Bear ETF, AXS 1.25X WFC Bull ETF, AXS Astoria Inflation Sensitive ETF, AXS Change Finance ESG ETF, AXS De-SPAC ETF, AXS Short De-SPAC Daily ETF, AXS FOMO ETF, AXS Short Innovation Daily ETF, AXS SPAC and New Issue ETF, and AXS Short China Internet ETF (collectively, the “AXS Funds”), which are offered in separate prospectuses. The AXS Funds do not hold themselves out as related to any other series within the Trust, for purposes of investment and investor services.

e“Other Directorships Held” includes only directorships of companies required to register or file reports with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (that is, “public companies”), or other investment companies registered under the 1940 Act.

Mr. Banhazl is an “interested person” of the Trust by virtue of his position with Mutual Fund Administration, LLC.

*Mr. Gallagher is an “interested person” of the Trust by virtue of his position with UMB Fund Services, Inc.

 

Compensation  

Each Independent Trustee receives a quarterly retainer of $19,000; $4,000 for each special in-person meeting attended, or any special meeting attended by videoconference or teleconference in lieu of in-person attendance in accordance with SEC exemptive relief or to address particularly complex matters or matters requiring review of significant materials in advance of the meeting; and $1,500 for any other special meetings attended by videoconference or teleconference at which Board action is taken or materials are prepared. The Trust has no pension or retirement plan. No other entity affiliated with the Trust pays any compensation to the Trustees. The Advisor, and not the Funds, pay the Independent Trustees’ compensation.

 

The Trustees may elect to defer payment of their compensation pursuant to the Trust’s non-qualified Deferred Compensation Plan for Trustees which permits the Trustees to defer receipt of all or part of their compensation from the Trust. Amounts deferred are deemed invested in shares of one or more series of the Trust, as selected by the Trustee from time to time. A Trustee’s deferred compensation account will be paid in cash at such times as elected by the Trustee, subject to certain mandatory payment provisions in the Deferred Compensation Plan. Deferral and payment elections under the Deferred Compensation Plan are subject to strict requirements for modification.

B-18

 

  Independent Trustees
  Thomas Knipper, Independent Trustee and Audit Committee Chair Kathleen K. Shkuda, Independent Trustee Larry D. Tashjian, Independent Trustee, Chairman

John P Zader, Independent Trustee and

Nominating Committee Chair

AXS Change Finance ESG ETF1,2,4 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000
AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF1,2,4 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000
Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as Part of Fund’s Expenses4 None None None None
Estimated Annual Benefits Upon Retirement None None None None
Total Compensation from Fund and Fund Complex Paid to Trustees1,2,3,4 $58,000 $58,000 $58,000 $58,000
1For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022. Estimated annual compensation for the fiscal year.

2Fees paid to the Independent Trustees are paid by the Advisor and not by the Funds.

3There are currently numerous portfolios comprising the Trust. The term “Fund Complex” applies only to the series managed by the same investment advisor. The Funds’ investment advisor also serves as investment advisor to the AXS Astoria Inflation Sensitive ETF, AXS Adaptive Plus Fund, AXS All Terrain Opportunity Fund, AXS Alternative Growth Fund, AXS Alternative Value Fund, AXS Chesapeake Strategy Fund, AXS Income Opportunities Fund, AXS Managed Futures Strategy Fund, AXS Market Neutral Fund, AXS Merger Fund, AXS Multi-Strategy Alternatives Fund, AXS Sustainable Income Fund, AXS Thomson Reuters Private Equity Return Tracker Fund, AXS Thomson Reuters Venture Capital Return Tracker Fund, AXS 2X Innovation ETF, AXS 1.25X BA Bear ETF, AXS 1.25X BA Bull ETF, AXS 2X COP Bear ETF, AXS 2X COP Bull ETF, AXS 1.5X CRM Bear ETF, AXS 1.5X CRM Bull ETF, AXS 2X NKE Bear ETF, AXS 2X NKE Bull ETF, AXS 1.25X NVDA Bear ETF, AXS 1.25X NVDA Bull ETF, AXS 2X PFE Bear ETF, AXS 2X PFE Bull ETF, AXS 1.5X PYPL Bear ETF, AXS 1.5X PYPL Bull ETF, AXS TSLA Bear ETF, AXS TSLA Bull ETF, AXS 1.25X WFC Bear ETF, AXS 1.25X WFC Bull ETF, AXS Astoria Inflation Sensitive ETF, AXS Change Finance ESG ETF, AXS De-SPAC ETF, AXS Short De-SPAC Daily ETF, AXS FOMO ETF, AXS Short Innovation Daily ETF, AXS SPAC and New Issue ETF, and AXS Short China Internet ETF, which are offered in separate prospectuses. The AXS Funds do not hold themselves out as related to any other series within the Trust, for purposes of investment and investor services. For the Funds’ fiscal year ended July 31, 2022, the aggregate Independent Trustees’ fees for the Trust were $250,000.

4Messrs. Knipper, Tashjian, and Zader elected to defer payment of their compensation from the Fund under the Fund’s non-qualified Deferred Compensation Plan for Trustee under which trustees may defer receipt of all part of their compensation from the Fund. As of the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022, the total amount of deferred compensation payable to Messrs. Knipper, Tashjian, and Zader was $43,912, $113,461, and $38,748, respectively.

 

Messrs. Banhazl and Gallagher are not compensated for their services as Trustees because of their affiliation with the Trust. Officers of the Trust are not compensated by the Fund for their services.

 

Additional Information Concerning the Board and the Trustees 

The current Trustees were selected in September 2013 (July 2019 for Mr. Gallagher) with a view towards establishing a Board that would have the broad experience needed to oversee a registered investment company comprised of multiple series employing a variety of different investment strategies. As a group, the Board has extensive experience in many different aspects of the financial services and asset management industries.

 

The Trustees were selected to join the Board based upon the following factors, among others: character and integrity; willingness to serve and willingness and ability to commit the time necessary to perform the duties of a Trustee; as to each Trustee other than Mr. Banhazl, Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Zader, satisfying the criteria for not being classified as an “interested person” of the Trust as defined in the 1940 Act; as to Mr. Banhazl and Mr. Gallagher, their positions with Mutual Fund Administration, LLC, and UMB Fund Services, Inc., respectively, the Trust’s co-administrators. In addition, the Trustees have the following specific experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills relevant to the operations of the Trust:

 

Mr. Knipper has substantial experience with respect to the operation, administration and compliance programs of mutual funds and as a senior executive with a registered investment advisor.

B-19

 

Ms. Shkuda has substantial experience in the investment management industry, including as a consultant with respect to operations and marketing of investment managers and distribution of mutual funds and other investment products.

 

Mr. Tashjian has extensive leadership experience in the investment management industry, including as a principal and a chief executive officer of a registered investment advisor.

 

Mr. Banhazl has significant experience serving in senior executive and board positions for mutual funds and with respect to the organization and operation of mutual funds and multiple series trusts similar to the Trust.

 

Mr. Zader has substantial experience serving in senior executive positions at mutual fund administrative service providers.

 

Mr. Gallagher has substantial experience serving in senior executive positions at mutual fund administrative service providers.

 

In its periodic self-assessment of the effectiveness of the Board, the Board considers the complementary individual skills and experience of the individual Trustees primarily in the broader context of the Board’s overall composition so that the Board, as a body, possesses the appropriate (and appropriately diverse) skills and experience to oversee the business of the Fund. The summaries set forth above as to the qualifications, attributes and skills of the Trustees are required by the registration form adopted by the SEC, do not constitute holding out the Board or any Trustee as having any special expertise or experience, and do not impose any greater responsibility or liability on any such person or on the Board as a whole than would otherwise be the case.

 

The Board of Trustees has two standing committees: the Audit Committee and the Nominating, Governance and Regulatory Review Committee (the “Nominating Committee”).

 

The function of the Audit Committee, with respect to each series of the Trust, is to review the scope and results of the series’ annual audit and any matters bearing on the audit or the series’ financial statements and to assist the Board’s oversight of the integrity of the series’ pricing and financial reporting. The Audit Committee is comprised of all of the Independent Trustees and is chaired by Mr. Knipper. It does not include any Interested Trustees. The Audit Committee is expected to meet at least twice a year with respect to each series of the Trust. The Audit Committee met once during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022, with respect to the Funds.

 

The Audit Committee also serves as the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee (“QLCC”) for the Trust for the purpose of compliance with Rules 205.2(k) and 205.3(c) of the Code of Federal Regulations regarding alternative reporting procedures for attorneys retained or employed by an issuer who appear and practice before the SEC on behalf of the issuer.

 

The Nominating Committee is responsible for reviewing matters pertaining to composition, committees, and operations of the Board, as well as assisting the Board in overseeing matters related to certain regulatory issues. The Nominating Committee meets from time to time as needed. The Nominating Committee will consider trustee nominees properly recommended by the Trust’s shareholders. Shareholders who wish to recommend a nominee should send nominations that include, among other things, biographical data and the qualifications of the proposed nominee to the Trust’s Secretary. The Independent Trustees comprise the Nominating Committee, and the Committee is chaired by Mr. Zader. The Nominating Committee met once during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022.

 

Independent Trustees comprise 67% of the Board and Larry Tashjian, an Independent Trustee, serves as Chairperson of the Board. The Chairperson serves as a key point person for dealings between the Trust’s management and the other Independent Trustees. As noted above, through the committees of the Board the Independent Trustees consider and address important matters involving each series of the Trust, including those presenting conflicts or potential conflicts of interest. The Independent Trustees also regularly meet outside the presence of management and are advised by independent legal counsel. The Board has determined that its organization and leadership structure are appropriate in light of its fiduciary and oversight obligations, the special obligations of the Independent Trustees, and the relationship between the Interested Trustees and the Trust’s co-administrators. The Board also believes that its structure facilitates the orderly and efficient flow of information to the Independent Trustees from management.

B-20

 

Consistent with its responsibility for oversight of the Fund in the interests of shareholders, the Board among other things oversees risk management of the Fund’s investment programs and business affairs directly and through the Audit Committee. The Board has emphasized to the Advisor the importance of maintaining vigorous risk management programs and procedures.

 

The Fund faces a number of risks, such as investment risk, valuation risk, reputational risk, risk of operational failure or lack of business continuity, and legal, compliance and regulatory risk. Risk management seeks to identify and address risks, i.e., events or circumstances that could have material adverse effects on the business, operations, shareholder services, investment performance or reputation of the Fund. Under the overall supervision of the Board, the Advisor, Sub-Advisor and other service providers to the Fund employ a variety of processes, procedures and controls to identify various of those possible events or circumstances, to lessen the probability of their occurrence and/or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur. Different processes, procedures and controls are employed with respect to different types of risks. Various personnel, including the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (the “CCO”), the Advisor’s management, and other service providers (such as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm) make periodic reports to the Board or to the Audit Committee with respect to various aspects of risk management. The Board recognizes that not all risks that may affect the Fund can be identified, that it may not be practical or cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s investment objective, and that the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness. Moreover, reports received by the Trustees as to risk management matters are typically summaries of the relevant information. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Board’s risk management oversight is subject to substantial limitations.

 

Fund Shares Beneficially Owned by Trustees  

Certain information regarding ownership by the Trustees of the Funds and other series of the Trust, as of December 31, 2021, is set forth in the following table.

 

Name of Trustee

Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund(s) (None, $1-$10,000, $10,001-$50,000, $50,001-$100,000, Over $100,000) ($) 

Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Trustee in Family of Investment Companies ($)
Larry Tashjian, Independent Trustee None None
Kathy Shkuda, Independent Trustee None None
Thomas Knipper, Independent Trustee None None
John P. Zader, Independent Trustee None $10,001 - $50,000
Eric M. Banhazl, Interested Trustee None Over $100,000
Terrance P. Gallagher, Interested Trustee None None

 

Control Persons, Principal Shareholders, and Management Ownership  

The following table lists the control persons of each Fund as of November 1, 2022. 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.1 Shareholders with a controlling interest could affect the outcome of voting or the direction of management of the applicable Fund.

B-21

 

Control Persons

% of Total Outstanding Shares of the Fund  

as of November 1, 2022 

AXS Change Finance ESG ETF  

Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. 

San Francisco, CA 94105 

25.21%
AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF  

Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. 

San Francisco, CA 94105 

33.95%

J.P. Morgan Securities, LLC 

New York, NY 10179 

30.99%

 

1The Fund has no information regarding the beneficial owners of Fund shares owned through accounts with financial intermediaries.

 

The following table lists the principal shareholders of each Fund as of November 1, 2022. The principal shareholders are holders of record of more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Fund, including the listed shareholders that are financial intermediaries.1

 

Principal Shareholders

% of Total Outstanding Shares 

as of November 1, 2022

AXS Change Finance ESG ETF  

Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. 

San Francisco, CA 94105 

25.21%

National Financial Services LLC 

Jersey City, NJ 07399 

20.59%

TD Ameritrade, Inc. 

Omaha, NE 68103 

17.89%

LPL Financial LLC 

Fort Mill, SC 29715 

7.96%

Bank of New York Mellon 

New York, NY 10286 

6.44%

Pershing LLC 

Jersey City, NJ 07399 

6.04%

Raymond James Financial, Inc. 

St. Petersburg, FL 33716 

5.13%
AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF  

Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. 

San Francisco, CA 94105 

33.95%

J.P. Morgan Securities, LLC 

New York, NY 10179 

30.99%

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC 

New York, NY 10036 

13.33%

National Financial Services LLC 

Jersey City, NJ 07399 

7.67%

TD Ameritrade, Inc. 

Omaha, NE 68103 

6.11%

B-22

 

As of December 31, 2021, the Trustees and officers of the Trust as a group did not own more than 1% of the outstanding shares of either Fund. Furthermore, neither the Independent Trustees, nor members of their immediate families, own securities beneficially or of record in the Advisor, the Fund’s distributor, IMST Distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”), or any of their respective affiliates.

 

The Advisor 

AXS Investments LLC (the “Advisor” or “AXS”), located at 181 Westchester Avenue, Suite 402, Port Chester, New York 10573, acts as investment advisor to the Fund pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”). Pursuant to the terms of the Advisory Agreement, the Advisor provides the Funds with investment advice, makes recommendations with respect to the selection and continued employment of the Sub-Advisors to manage the Funds’ assets, performs diligence on and monitors the Sub-Advisors, investment performance and adherence to compliance procedures, and oversees the investments made by the Sub-Advisors. The Advisor also continuously monitors the Sub-Advisors’ compliance with each respective Fund’s investment objectives, policies and restrictions. Subject to such policies as the Board of Trustees may determine, the Advisor is ultimately responsible for investment decisions for the Funds. AXS Investments LLC is wholly owned by AXS Holdings LLC. AXS Holdings LLC is ultimately controlled by Gregory Bassuk.

 

Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, AXS oversees the investment of Fund assets and is responsible for paying all expenses of the Funds, excluding fee payments under the Investment Advisory Agreement, interest, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing or settlement of 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 payable by the Funds under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

 

The Advisory Agreement will remain in effect for an initial two-year period. After the initial two-year period, the Advisory Agreement will continue in effect with respect to the Funds from year to year only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board or by vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities and by a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Advisory Agreement or interested persons of any such party, 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 Funds, upon giving the Advisor 60 days’ notice when authorized either by a majority vote of the Funds’ shareholders or by a vote of a majority of the Board, or by the Advisor on 60 days’ written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Advisory Agreement provides that the Advisor shall not be liable for any error of judgment or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with the Advisory Agreement, except for a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty, or for a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties, or from reckless disregard by the Advisor of its duties under the Advisory Agreement.

 

In consideration of the services to be provided by the Advisor pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Advisor is entitled to receive from the Funds an investment advisory fee computed daily and paid twice a month based on an annual rate equal to a percentage of the Funds’ average daily net assets specified in the Prospectus.

 

Each Fund and Predecessor Fund paid the following fees to the Advisor and Predecessor Fund’s investment advisor, as applicable, for the fiscal years ended July 31:

B-23

 

  2022 2021 2020
AXS Change Finance ESG ETF $515,0752 $211,019 $66,412
AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF3 $24,697 $21,7271 n/a
1For the period September 8, 2020 (commencement of operations) through July 31, 2021.
2For the period prior to the Fund’s reorganization on March 19, 2022, fees were paid to the Predecessor Fund’s investment advisor.
3Fees were paid to the Predecessor Fund’s investment advisor.

 

Sub-Advisor for AXS Change Finance ESG ETF  

The Advisor has entered into a sub-advisory agreement with Change Finance with respect to the AXS Change Finance ESG ETF (the “Change Finance Sub-Advisory Agreement”). Change Finance serves as the investment sub-advisor and index provider for the Fund. The Sub-Advisor is a registered investment adviser with offices located at 705 Grand View Drive, Alexandria, Virginia 22305, and provides investment sub-advisory services to ETFs. Change Finance is controlled by Andrew Rodriguez and Donna Morton, by virtue of a voting agreement; however, no individual owns more than 25% of the Sub-Advisor.

 

Sub-Advisor for AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF  

The Advisor has entered into a sub-advisory agreement with AAF with respect to the AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF (the “AAF Sub-Advisory Agreement”, and together with the Change Finance Sub-Advisory agreement, the “Sub-Advisory Agreements”). AAF serves as the investment sub-advisor for the Fund. The Sub-Advisor is a registered investment adviser with offices located at 840 Apollo Street, Suite 100, El Segundo, California 90245, and provides investment advisory services to ETFs. AAF is controlled by its founding member, Peter Coppa.

 

The Advisor compensates each Sub-Advisor out of the investment advisory fees the Advisor receives from the Funds. AAF makes investment decisions for the assets it has been allocated to manage of the AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF, subject to the overall supervision of the Advisor. Change Finance selects and supervises the AXS Change Finance ESG ETF’s portfolio with respect to the Index, subject to the overall supervision of the Advisor.

 

Each Sub-Advisory Agreement will remain in effect for an initial two-year period. After the initial two-year period, each Sub-Advisory Agreement will continue in effect from year to year only as long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by (i) the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting shares of the respective Fund, and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to each Sub-Advisory Agreement or interested persons of the Advisor, each Sub-Advisor or the Trust. Each Sub-Advisory Agreement may be terminated at any time without the payment of any penalty by the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting shares of the relevant Fund, or by the Sub-Advisor or the Advisor, upon 60 days’ written notice to the other party. Additionally, the Sub-Advisory Agreement automatically terminates in the event of its assignment. Each Sub-Advisory Agreement provides that the Sub-Advisors shall not be liable for any error of judgment or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with each Sub-Advisory Agreement, except for a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty, or for a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties, or from reckless disregard by the Sub-Advisor of its duties under each Sub-Advisory Agreement.

 

Portfolio Managers 

 

Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers. As of July 31, 2022, information on other accounts managed by the Funds’ portfolio managers is as follows.

 

  Registered Investment Companies Other Pooled Investment Vehicles Other Accounts
Portfolio Managers Number of Accounts

Total Assets

(in millions)

Number of Accounts

Total Assets

(in millions)

Number of Accounts

Total Assets

(in millions)

Andrew Rodriguez 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0
Peter Coppa 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0
Travis Trampe 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0

B-24

 

  Number of Accounts with Advisory Fee Based on Performance
  Registered Investment Companies Other Pooled Investment Vehicles Other Accounts
Portfolio Managers Number of Accounts

Total Assets 

(in millions) 

Number of Accounts

Total Assets 

(in millions) 

Number of Accounts

Total Assets 

(in millions)

Andrew Rodriguez 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0
Peter Coppa 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0
Travis Trampe 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0

 

Material Conflicts of Interest. Actual or apparent conflicts of interest may arise when a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to more than one fund or other account. Where conflicts of interest arise between the Fund and other accounts managed by a portfolio manager, the Advisor and/or Sub-Advisor will proceed in a manner that ensures that the Fund will not be treated less favorably than the other accounts. There may be instances where similar portfolio transactions may be executed for the same security for numerous accounts managed by the portfolio manager. In such instances, securities will be allocated in accordance with the Advisor’s and/or Sub-Advisor’s trade allocation policy.

 

Compensation. Mr. Rodriguez receives a fixed salary and participates in the overall profitability of Change Finance. Mr. Coppa, as the owner of AAF, only receives compensation when AAF is profitable, in the form of dividends from ownership of the firm. Mr. Trampe receives a fixed base salary and discretionary bonus from AXS. Mr. Trampe’s compensation arrangements are not determined on the basis of specific funds or accounts managed.

 

Ownership of the Funds by Portfolio Managers. The following chart sets forth the dollar range of Fund shares owned by each portfolio manager in the Fund as of July 31, 2022.

 

 

Dollar Range of Securities in the Funds 

(A: None, B: $1-$10,000, C: $10,001-$50,000, D: $50,001-$100,000, E: $100,001 - $500,000, F: $500,001 - $1,000,000, G: Over $1,000,000) 

  AXS Funds
  AXS Change Finance ESG ETF AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF
Andrew Rodriguez B n/a
Peter Coppa n/a G
Travis Trampe A n/a

 

Manager of Managers Structure  

AXS and the Trust have received an exemptive order from the SEC which allows AXS to operate the Funds under a “manager of managers” structure (the “Order”). The Order permits AXS, subject to the approval of the Board, to hire or replace sub-advisors and modify any existing or future agreement with such sub-advisors without obtaining shareholder approval.

 

Service Providers  

Pursuant to a Co-Administration Agreement (the “Co-Administration Agreement”), UMB Fund Services, Inc. (“UMBFS”), 235 West Galena Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, and Mutual Fund Administration, LLC (“MFAC”), 2220 E. Route 66, Suite 226, Glendora, California 91740 (collectively the “Co-Administrators”), act as co-administrators for the Fund. The Co-Administrators provide 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 of all documents required to be filed for compliance with applicable laws and regulations including those of the securities laws of various states; arranging for the computation of performance data, including net asset value and yield; arranging for the maintenance of books and records of the Fund; and providing, at their own expense, office facilities, equipment and personnel necessary to carry out their duties. In this capacity, the Co-Administrators do 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. The Co-Administration Agreement provides that neither Co-Administrator shall be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust or its series, except for losses resulting from a Co-Administrator’s willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its obligations and duties under the Agreement.

B-25

 

The Advisor pays the Co-Administrators a fee for administration services. The fee is payable monthly based on the Fund’s average daily net assets.

 

Transfer Agent. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., located at 50 Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, serves as the Fund’s transfer agent. The transfer agent provides record keeping and shareholder services.

 

Custodian. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., located at 50 Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, serves as the Fund’s custodian. The custodian holds the securities, cash and other assets of the Fund.

 

Fund Accounting Agent. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., located at 50 Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, serves as the fund accounting agent for the Fund. The fund accounting agent calculates the Fund’s daily NAV.

 

Legal Counsel. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (“Morgan Lewis”), 600 Anton Boulevard, Suite 1800, Costa Mesa, California 92626, serves as legal counsel to the Trust and the Independent Trustees.

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. Tait, Weller & Baker LLP (“Tait Weller”), Two Liberty Place, 50 South 16th Street, Suite 2900, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19102-2529, is the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund. Its services include auditing the Fund’s financial statements and the performance of related tax services.

 

Distributor and the Distribution Agreement 

IMST Distributors, LLC is the distributor (also known as the principal underwriter) of the shares of the Fund and is located at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101. The Distributor is a registered broker-dealer and is a member of FINRA. The Distributor is not affiliated with the Trust, the Advisor, or any other service provider for the Fund.

 

Under a Distribution Agreement with the Trust dated September 30, 2021 (the “Distribution Agreement”), the Distributor acts as the agent of the Trust in connection with the continuous offering of shares of the Fund. The Distributor continually distributes shares of the Fund on a best efforts basis. The Distributor has no obligation to sell any specific quantity of Fund shares. The Distributor and its officers have no role in determining the investment policies or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Trust.

 

The Distributor may enter into agreements with selected broker-dealers, banks or other financial intermediaries for distribution of shares of the Fund. With respect to certain financial intermediaries and related fund “supermarket” platform arrangements, the Fund and/or the Advisor, rather than the Distributor, typically enter into such agreements. These financial intermediaries may charge a fee for their services and may receive shareholder service or other fees from parties other than the Distributor. These financial intermediaries may otherwise act as processing agents and are responsible for transmitting purchase, redemption and other requests to the Fund.

 

Investors who purchase shares through financial intermediaries will be subject to the procedures of those intermediaries through which they purchase shares, which may include charges, investment minimums, cutoff times and other restrictions in addition to, or different from, those listed herein. Information concerning any charges or services will be provided to customers by the financial intermediary through which they purchase shares. Investors purchasing shares of the Fund through financial intermediaries should acquaint themselves with their financial intermediary’s procedures and should read the Prospectus in conjunction with any materials and information provided by their financial intermediary. The financial intermediary, and not its customers, will be the shareholder of record, although customers may have the right to vote shares depending upon their arrangement with the financial intermediary. The Distributor does not receive compensation from the Fund for its distribution services except the distribution/service fees with respect to the shares of those classes for which a Rule 12b-1 distribution plan is effective. The Advisor pays the Distributor a fee for certain distribution-related services.

B-26

 

The Distribution Agreement will continue in effect with respect to the Fund only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board or by vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities in accordance with the 1940 Act. The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust on behalf of the Fund on no less than 60 days’ written notice when authorized either by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund or by vote of a majority of the members of the Board who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Distribution Agreement, or by the Distributor, and will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Distribution Agreement provides that the Distributor shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with the performance of the Distributor’s obligations and duties under the Distribution Agreement, except a loss resulting from the Distributor’s willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of such duties and obligations, or by reason of its reckless disregard thereof.

 

Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, should any amounts be retained by the Distributor, such amounts would not be held for profit by the Distributor, but instead would be used solely for distribution-related expenditures.

 

Rule 12b-1 Plan  

The Trust has adopted a plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the “12b-1 Plan”) that provides for Fund assets to be used for the payment for distribution services. The Fund may reimburse the Distributor up to a maximum annual rate of 0.25% of its average daily net assets. The Fund does not currently pay, and the Fund has no current intention to pay, 12b-1 fees.

 

In the event 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, under the 12b-1 Plan, and as required by Rule 12b-1, the Trustees will receive and review after the end of each calendar quarter a written report provided by the Distributor of the amounts expended under the 12b-1 Plan and the purpose for which such expenditures were made. With the exception of the Distributor and its affiliates, no “interested person” of the Trust (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) and no Trustee of the Trust has a direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the 12b-1 Plan or any related agreement.

 

Marketing and Support Payments  

The Advisor, out of its own resources and without additional cost to the Funds or its shareholders, may provide cash payments or other compensation to certain financial intermediaries who sell shares of the Funds. These payments are in addition to other fees described in the Funds’ Prospectus and this SAI, and are generally provided for shareholder services or marketing support. Payments for marketing support are typically for inclusion of the Funds on sales lists, including electronic sales platforms. Investors may wish to take these payments into account when considering and evaluating recommendations to purchase shares of the Funds.

 

Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage

 

Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement or each Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Advisor or Sub-Advisors determine which securities are to be purchased and sold by the Funds and which broker-dealers are eligible to execute the Fund’s portfolio transactions. The purchases and sales of securities in the over-the-counter market will generally be executed by using a broker for the transaction.

 

Purchases of portfolio securities for the Fund also may be made directly from issuers or from underwriters. Where possible, purchase and sale transactions will be effected through dealers (including banks) that specialize in the types of securities which the Fund will be holding unless better executions are available elsewhere. Dealers and underwriters usually act as principals for their own accounts. Purchases from underwriters will include a concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter and purchases from dealers will include the spread between the bid and the asked price. If the execution and price offered by more than one dealer or underwriter are comparable, the order may be allocated to a dealer or underwriter that has provided research or other services as discussed below.

B-27

 

In placing portfolio transactions, the Advisor or Sub-Advisor 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 will be considered in making these determinations, such as the size of the order, the difficulty of execution, the operational facilities of the broker-dealer involved, the risk in positioning the block of securities, and other factors. 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 which furnish or supply research and statistical information to the Advisor or Sub-Advisor that they may lawfully and appropriately use in their investment advisory capacities, as well as provide other services in addition to execution services. The Advisor or Sub-Advisor 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 or Sub-Advisory Agreement with the Fund, to be useful in varying degrees, but of indeterminable value.

 

While it is the Fund’s general policy to 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 as defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, to the Fund or to the Advisor or Sub-Advisor, even if the specific services are not directly useful to the Fund and may be useful to the Advisor or Sub-Advisor 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 Advisor or Sub-Advisor 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 Advisor’s or Sub-Advisor’s overall responsibilities to the Fund.

 

Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those of other client accounts that may be managed or advised by the Advisor or Sub-Advisor. 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 accounts in the same issuer may vary and the holding period may likewise vary. However, to the extent any of these client accounts seek to acquire the same security as a Fund at the same time, the Fund may not be able to acquire as large a position in 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 as the Advisor’s or Sub-Advisor’s other client accounts.

 

The Fund does not effect securities transactions through brokers in accordance with any formula, nor do they effect securities transactions through brokers for selling shares of the Fund. However, broker-dealers who execute brokerage transactions may effect purchase of shares of the Fund for their customers. The brokers may also supply the Fund with research, statistical and other services.

 

The Funds and Predecessor Funds paid the following brokerage commissions for the fiscal years ended July 31:

 

  20223 2021 2020
AXS Change Finance ESG ETF1 $36,454 $17,581 $9,200
AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF2 n/a n/a n/a

 

1For the period prior to the Fund’s reorganization on March 19, 2022, fees were paid by the Predecessor Fund.

2The Fund reorganized into the Trust on October 14, 2022. The Predecessor Fund did not pay any brokerage commissions for the periods shown.

3Fluctuations in brokerage commissions from year to year were due to increases or decreases in Fund assets resulting in increased trading.

 

Holdings of Securities of the Fund’s Regular Brokers and Dealers 

From time to time, the Fund may acquire and hold securities issued by its “regular brokers or dealers” or the parents of those brokers or dealers. “Regular brokers or dealers” (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund are the ten brokers or dealers that, during the most recent fiscal year, (i) received the greatest dollar amounts of brokerage commissions from the Fund’s portfolio transactions, (ii) engaged as principal in the largest dollar amounts of the portfolio transactions of the Fund, or (iii) sold the largest dollar amounts of the Fund’s shares. The Each Fund and Predecessor Fund, as applicable, did not hold any securities of its “regular broker-dealers” during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022.

 B-28

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

Although the Fund generally will not invest for short-term trading purposes, portfolio securities may be sold without regard to the length of time they have been held when, in the opinion of the Advisor, as applicable, 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 of portfolio turnover (100% or more) generally leads to higher transaction costs and may result in a greater number of taxable transactions. To the extent net short-term capital gains are realized, any distributions resulting from such gains will generally be taxed at ordinary income tax rates for federal income tax purposes.

 

Each Fund’s and/or Predecessor Fund’s portfolio turnover rates were as follows for the years indicated.

 

  Fiscal Year Ended
  July 31, 2022 July 31, 2021
AXS Change Finance ESG ETF 162% 85%1
AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF 73%1, 2 34%1
1Reflects the portfolio turnover rates for the Predecessor Fund.

2The portfolio turnover rate increased as a result of increased sales needed to meet shareholder redemptions and reinvestments due to refinancings.

 

Proxy Voting Policy

 

The Board has adopted Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (the “Trust Policies”) on behalf of the Trust, which delegates the responsibility for voting the Fund’s proxies to the Sub-Advisors, as applicable, subject to the Board’s continuing oversight. The Trust Policies require that the Sub-Advisors vote proxies received in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Fund. The Trust Policies also require the Sub-Advisors to present to the Board, at least annually, the Sub-Advisors’ Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (each a “Sub-Advisor’s Policies”) and a record of each proxy voted by the Sub-Advisors on behalf of each respective Fund, including a report on the resolution of all proxies identified by the Sub-Advisors as involving a conflict of interest. See Appendix B for the respective Sub-Advisor’s Proxy Policies and Procedures and the Trust Policies. The Trust Policies and respective Sub-Advisor’s Policies are intended to serve as guidelines and to further the economic value of each security held by the Fund. The Trust’s CCO will review the Trust Policies and the Sub-Advisor Policies annually. Each proxy will be considered individually, taking into account the relevant circumstances at the time of each vote.

 

The Change Finance’s environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) process extends to its proxy voting practices in that it will utilize recommendations from Glass Lewis and data available from ISS ESG and other sources to assess the likely impact of proposals on the ESG indicators that underpin the Index, and will vote against proposals that are likely to lower scores on any of those indicators, while supporting proposals that are likely to increase scores. In addition to considering the effects of a proposal on the indicators that make up the AXS Change Finance ESG ETF’s Index, Change Finance may also consider effects that are in keeping with the principles of the index, even if they are not specifically measured. For example, the Change Finance will likely vote in favor of proposals that increase diversity on the Board of Directors or in senior leadership and against proposals that would allow the gap between executive pay and pay for low-level employees to grow too large.

 

If a proxy proposal raises a material conflict between a Sub-Advisor’s interests and the respective Fund’s interests, the Sub-Advisors will resolve the conflict by following the policy guidelines or the recommendation of an independent third party.

 B-29

 

The Funds are required to annually file Form N-PX, which lists the Funds’ complete proxy voting record for the 12-month period ended June 30 of each year. Once filed, the Funds’ proxy voting record will be available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free 1-866-984-2510 and on the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov.

 

Portfolio Holdings Information

 

The Trust’s Board has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Funds’ security holdings. The Funds’ entire portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Funds are open for business through financial reporting and news services including publicly available internet web sites. In addition, the composition of the in-kind creation basket and the in-kind redemption basket is publicly disseminated daily prior to the opening of the Exchange via the NSCC.

 

Greater than daily access to information concerning the Funds’ portfolio holdings will be permitted (i) to certain personnel of service providers to the Funds involved in portfolio management and providing administrative, operational, risk management, or other support to portfolio management, and (ii) to other personnel of the Fund’s service providers who deal directly with, or assist in, functions related to investment management, administration, custody and fund accounting, as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course, agreements with the Fund, and the terms of the Trust’s current registration statement. From time to time, and in the ordinary course of business, such information may also be disclosed (i) to other entities that provide services to the Fund, including pricing information vendors, and third parties that deliver analytical, statistical or consulting services to the Fund and (ii) generally after it has been disseminated to the NSCC.

 

The Fund will disclose its complete portfolio holdings in public filings with the SEC on a quarterly basis, based on the Fund’s fiscal year-end, within 60 days of the end of the quarter, and will provide that information to shareholders, as required by federal securities laws and regulations thereunder.

 

No person is authorized to disclose any of the Fund’s portfolio holdings or other investment positions (whether in writing, by fax, by e-mail, orally, or by other means) except in accordance with this policy. The Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer may authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings. The Board reviews the implementation of this policy on a periodic basis.

 

Determination of Net Asset Value

 

The NAVs of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate and are determined as of 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the normal close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) on each day the NYSE is open for trading. The NAVs may be calculated earlier if permitted by the SEC. 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 for the following holidays: 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.

 

The NAV of each Fund is computed by dividing (a) the difference between the value of the Fund’s securities, cash and other assets and the amount of the Fund’s expenses and liabilities by (b) the number of shares outstanding (assets – liabilities / # of shares = NAV). Each NAV takes into account all of the expenses and fees of the Fund, including management fees and administration fees, which are accrued daily.

 

Net Assets = NAV
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 Advisor pursuant to procedures approved by or under the direction of the Board. Pursuant to those procedures, the Board has designated the Advisor as each Fund’s valuation designee (the “Valuation Designee”) responsible for determining whether market quotations are readily available and reliable, and making good faith determinations of fair value when appropriate. The Valuation Designee carries out its responsibilities with respect to fair value determinations through its Valuation Committee. As the Valuation Designee, the Advisor is responsible for the establishment and application, in a consistent manner, of appropriate methodologies for determining the fair value of investments, periodically reviewing the selected methodologies used for continuing appropriateness and accuracy, and making any changes or adjustments to the methodologies as appropriate. The Valuation Designee is also responsible for the identification, periodic assessment, and management of material risks, including material conflicts of interest, associated with fair value determinations, taking into account the Fund’s investments, significant changes in the Fund’s investment strategies or policies, market events, and other relevant factors. The Valuation Designee is subject to the general oversight of the Board.

 B-30

 

The Fund’s securities which are traded on securities exchanges are valued at the last sale price on the exchange on which such securities are traded, as of the close of business on the day the securities are being valued or, lacking any reported sales, at the mean between the last available bid and ask prices.

 

Pricing services generally value debt securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but such securities may be held or transactions may be conducted in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots often trade at lower prices than institutional round lots.

 

Securities that are traded on more than one exchange are valued on the exchange determined by the Sub-Advisor to be the primary market. Securities primarily traded in the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation (“NASDAQ”), National Market System for which market quotations are readily available shall be valued using the NASDAQ Official Closing Price (“NOCP”). If the NOCP is not available, such securities shall be valued at the last sale price on the day of valuation, or if there has not been any sale on such day, at the mean between the bid and ask prices. Over-the-counter (“OTC”) securities which are not traded in the NASDAQ National Market System shall be valued at the most recent trade price.

 

Stocks that are “thinly traded” or events occurring when a foreign market is closed but the NYSE is open (for example, the value of a security held by the Fund has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the exchange or market on which the security is principally traded) may create a situation in which a market quote would not be readily available. When a market quote is not readily available, the security’s value is based on “fair value” as determined by the Advisor’s procedures, which have been approved by the Board. The Advisor will periodically test the appropriateness and accuracy of the fair value methodologies that have been selected for the Fund. The Fund may hold portfolio securities such as those traded on foreign securities exchanges that trade on weekends or other days when the Fund’s shares are not priced. Therefore, the value of the Fund’s shares may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem shares.

 

Short-term debt obligations with remaining maturities in excess of 60 days are valued at current market prices, as discussed above. Short-term securities with 60 days or less remaining to maturity are, unless conditions indicate otherwise, are amortized to maturity based on their cost to the Fund if acquired within 60 days of maturity or, if already held by the Fund on the 60th day, based on the value determined on the 61st day.

 

All other assets of the Fund are valued in such manner as the Advisor, in good faith, deems appropriate to reflect as their fair value.

 

BOOK ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM

 

Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) acts as securities depositary for the Fund’s shares. Shares of the Fund 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 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”).

 B-31

 

Beneficial ownership of shares of the Fund is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants, and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in shares of the Fund (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial Owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of shares of the Fund. The Trust recognizes DTC or its nominee as the record owner of all shares of the Fund for all purposes. Beneficial Owners of shares of the Fund are not entitled to have such 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 of the Fund.

 

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 of the Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall obtain from each such DTC Participant the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares of the Fund, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement, or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

 

Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all shares of the Fund. 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 of the Fund 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 the Fund’s 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 of the Fund, unless the Trust makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the Exchange.

 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES IN CREATION UNITS

 

The Fund issues and redeems its shares on a continuous basis, at NAV, only in a large specified number of shares called a “Creation Unit,” either principally in-kind for securities designated by the Fund together with the deposit of a specified cash payment or in cash for the value of such securities. The NAV of the Fund’s shares is determined once each Business Day (defined below), as described below under “Determination of Net Asset Value.” The Creation Unit size may change. Authorized Participants will be notified of such change.

 B-32

 

Purchase (Creation)

The Trust issues and sells shares of the Fund only: (i) in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load (but subject to transaction fees), 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”); or (ii) pursuant to the Dividend Reinvestment Service (defined below). The Fund will not issue fractional Creation Units. A Business Day is, generally, any day on which the Exchange is open for business.

 

Fund Deposit

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

 

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 the shares of the Fund (per Creation Unit) and the market 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 market 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 market value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash Component shall be such negative amount and the creator will be entitled to receive cash in an amount equal to the Cash Component. The Cash Component serves the function of compensating for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the market 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 standard Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the Fund. Such standard Fund Deposit is subject to any applicable adjustments as described below, in order 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 may be changed from time to time with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to corporate action events and adjustments to the weighting or composition of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

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 or the Federal Reserve System for U.S. Treasury securities; (iii) may not be eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant (as defined below) or the investor for which it is acting; (iv) would be restricted under the securities laws or where the delivery of the Deposit Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant becoming restricted under the securities laws; or (v) in certain other situations (collectively, “custom orders”). The Trust also reserves the right to (i) permit or require the substitution of Deposit Securities in lieu of Deposit Cash; and (ii) include or remove Deposit Securities from the basket in anticipation of or implementation of changes to the Fund’s portfolio.

 B-33

 

Cash Purchase Method

The Trust may at its discretion permit full or partial cash purchases of Creation Units of the Fund. When full or partial cash purchases of Creation Units are available or specified for the Fund, they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases thereof. In the case of a full or partial cash purchase, the Authorized Participant must pay the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser together with a creation transaction fee and non-standard charges, as may be applicable.

 

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 “Participating Party”, i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC (the “Clearing Process”), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC; or (ii) a DTC Participant (see “Book Entry Only System”). In addition, each Participating Party or DTC Participant (each, an “Authorized Participant”) must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor, and that has been accepted by the Transfer Agent and the Trust, 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 (defined below) and any other applicable fees, taxes, and additional variable charge. The Adviser may retain all or a portion of the creation transaction fee to the extent the Adviser bears the expenses that otherwise would be borne by the Trust in connection with the purchase of a Creation Unit, which the creation transaction fee is designed to cover.

 

All orders to purchase shares of the Fund directly from the Fund, including custom orders, must be placed for one or more Creation Units in the manner and by the time set forth in the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form. 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 have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement and only a small number of such Authorized Participants may have international capabilities.

 

On days when the Exchange closes earlier than normal, the 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 and in accordance with the AP Handbook or applicable order form. 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 applicable 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 Transfer Agent or an Authorized Participant.

 

Fund Deposits must be delivered by an Authorized Participant through the Federal Reserve System (for cash and U.S. government securities) 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. The Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the Authorized Participant in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, to the account of the Fund or its agents by no later than the Settlement Date. The “Settlement Date” for the Fund is generally the second Business Day after the Order Placement Date. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash to be delivered, as applicable, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities or cash, as applicable, will be determined by the Trust, whose determination shall be final and binding. The amount of cash represented by the Cash Component must be transferred directly to the Custodian through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by the Custodian no later than the Settlement Date. If the Cash Component and the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, are not received by the Custodian in a timely manner by the Settlement Date, the creation order may be cancelled and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using the Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then current NAV of the Fund.

 B-34

 

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 by 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, 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 by 4:00 p.m. Eastern time 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, resulting therefrom. A creation request is considered to be in “proper form” if all procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, AP Handbook, order form, and this SAI are properly followed.

 

Issuance of a Creation Unit

Except as provided herein, 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 Advisor 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 second Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Transfer Agent. However, the Fund reserves the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than the second Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Transfer Agent in order to accommodate foreign market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates (that is the last day the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security), and in certain other circumstances. 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 of the Fund 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 market 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 the time set forth in the Participant Agreement 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 marked to market value of the missing Deposit Securities. The Trust may use such Additional Cash Deposit to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time. Authorized Participants will be liable to the Trust for all costs, expenses, dividends, income, and taxes associated with missing Deposit Securities, including 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 creation transaction fee as set forth below under “Creation Transaction Fee” may be charged and an additional variable charge may also apply. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the Settlement Date.

 B-35

 

Acceptance of Orders of Creation Units

The Trust reserves the right to reject an order for Creation Units transmitted to it by the Transfer Agent in respect of the Fund including, without limitation, if (a) the order is not in proper form or the Deposit Securities delivered do not consist of the securities that the Custodian specified; (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 the shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the Fund; (d) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (e) the acceptance or receipt of the order for a Creation Unit would, in the opinion of counsel to the Trust, be unlawful; or (f) circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Custodian, the Transfer Agent, the Distributor and/or the Advisor make it for all practical purposes not feasible to process orders for Creation Units.

 

Examples of such circumstances include acts of God or public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Trust, the Distributor, the Custodian, a sub-custodian, the Transfer Agent, DTC, NSCC, Federal Reserve System, or any other participant in the creation process, and other extraordinary events. The Distributor shall notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of the creator of a Creation Unit of its rejection of the order of such person. The Trust, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian, any sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits nor shall either of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification. The Trust, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian and the Distributor shall not be liable for the rejection of any purchase order for Creation Units.

 

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

 

Creation Transaction Fee

A fixed purchase (i.e., creation) transaction fee may be imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the purchase of Creation Units (“Creation Order Costs”). The standard creation transaction fee is currently $350 with respect to the AXS Change Finance ESG ETF and $100 with respect to the AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF, regardless of the number of Creation Units created in the transaction. The Fund may adjust the creation transaction fee from time to time. The creation transaction fee may be waived on certain orders if the Custodian has determined to waive some or all of the Creation Order Costs associated with the order or another party, such as the Advisor, has agreed to pay such fee.

 

In addition, a variable fee may be imposed for cash purchases, non-standard orders, or partial cash purchases of Creation Units. The variable fee is primarily designed to cover non-standard charges, e.g., brokerage, taxes, foreign exchange, execution, market impact, and other costs and expenses, related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction. In all cases, such fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the SEC applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities. The Fund may determine not to 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 efficient manner than could have been achieved without such order.

 B-36

 

Investors who use the services of an Authorized Participant, broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services which may include an amount for the creation transaction fee and non-standard charges. Investors are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities constituting the Deposit Securities to the account of the Trust. The Adviser may retain all or a portion of the Transaction Fee to the extent the Adviser bears the expenses that otherwise would be borne by the Trust in connection with the issuance of a Creation Unit, which the Transaction Fee is designed to cover.

 

Risks of Purchasing Creation Units

There are certain legal risks unique to investors purchasing Creation Units directly from the Fund. Because the Fund’s 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 of 1933. 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 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 the Fund’s 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 of the Fund 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 REORGANIZATION, MERGER, CONVERSION OR LIQUIDATION OF THE FUND, THE TRUST WILL NOT REDEEM SHARES IN AMOUNTS LESS THAN CREATION UNITS. Investors must accumulate enough shares of the Fund in the secondary market to constitute a Creation Unit in order 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 securities designated by the Fund that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (“Redemption Securities”). Redemption Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities. The identity and number of shares of the Redemption Securities or the Cash Redemption Amount (defined below) may be changed from time to time with a view to the investment objective of the Fund.

 

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 Redemption Securities plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares of the Fund being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Redemption Securities (the “Cash Redemption Amount”), less any fixed redemption transaction fee as set forth below and any applicable additional variable charge as set forth below. In the event that the Redemption Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the shares of the Fund, 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 Redemption Securities.

 B-37

 

Cash Redemption Method

Although the Trust does not ordinarily permit full or partial cash redemptions of Creation Units of the Fund, when full or partial cash redemptions of Creation Units are available or specified for the Fund, they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind redemptions thereof. In the case of full or partial cash redemptions, the Authorized Participant receives the cash equivalent of the Redemption Securities it would otherwise receive through an in-kind redemption, plus the same Cash Redemption Amount to be paid to an in-kind redeemer.

 

Redemption Transaction Fee

A fixed redemption transaction fee may be imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the redemption of Creation Units (“Redemption Order Costs”). Currently, there is no transaction fee for the redemption of Creation Units. The Fund may adjust the redemption transaction fee from time to time. The redemption transaction fee may be waived on certain orders if the Custodian has determined to waive some or all of the Redemption Order Costs associated with the order or another party, such as the Advisor, has agreed to pay such fee.

 

In addition, a variable fee, payable to the Fund, may be imposed for cash redemptions, non-standard orders, or partial cash redemptions for the Fund. The variable fee is primarily designed to cover non-standard charges, e.g., brokerage, taxes, foreign exchange, execution, market impact, and other costs and expenses, related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction. In all cases, such fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the SEC applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities. The Fund may determine not to charge a variable fee on certain orders when the Advisor 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 an Authorized Participant, broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services, which may include an amount for the redemption transaction fees and non-standard charges. Investors are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities constituting the Redemption Securities to the account of the Trust. The non-standard charges are payable to the Fund as it incurs costs in connection with the redemption of Creation Units, the receipt of Redemption Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount and other transactions costs. The Advisor may retain all or a portion of the redemption transaction fee to the extent the Advisor bears the expenses that otherwise would be borne by the Trust in connection with the redemption of a Creation Unit, which the redemption transaction fee is designed to cover.

 

Procedures for Redemption of Creation Units

Orders to redeem Creation Units must be submitted in proper form to the Transfer Agent prior to the time as set forth in the Participant Agreement. 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 of the Fund 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, unless, to the extent contemplated by the Participant Agreement, collateral is posted in an amount equal to a percentage of the value of the missing shares of the Fund as specified in the Participant Agreement (and marked to market daily).

 

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 Participant Agreement. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a 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 a 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 of the Fund 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.

 B-38

 

Additional Redemption Procedures

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

 

If it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Redemption Securities, 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 and additional charge for requested cash redemptions specified above, to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Redemption Securities). The Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the Redemption Securities but does not differ in NAV.

 

Pursuant to the Participant Agreement, an Authorized Participant submitting a redemption request is deemed to make certain representations to the Trust regarding the Authorized Participant’s ability to tender for redemption the requisite number of shares of the Fund. The Trust reserves the right to verify these representations at its discretion, but will typically require verification with respect to a redemption request from the Fund in connection with higher levels of redemption activity and/or short interest in the Fund. If the Authorized Participant, upon receipt of a verification request, does not provide sufficient verification of its representations as determined by the Trust, the redemption request will not be considered to have been received in proper form and may be rejected by the Trust.

 

Redemptions of shares for Redemption Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver specific Redemption Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Redemption 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 Redemption 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 of the Fund to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” (“QIB”) as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the Securities Act, will not be able to receive Redemption 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 in order to receive Redemption Securities.

 

Because the portfolio securities of the Fund may trade on the relevant exchange(s) 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.

 B-39

 

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 New York Stock Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the New York Stock Exchange is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the securities owned by the Fund or determination of the NAV of the shares of the Fund is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.

 

Federal Income Tax Matters

 

The following is a summary of certain material U.S. federal (and, where noted, state and local) income tax considerations affecting the Fund and its shareholders. The discussion is very general. Current and prospective shareholders are therefore urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the specific federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of investing in the Fund. The summary is based on the laws in effect on the date of this SAI and existing judicial and administrative interpretations thereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect.

 

The Fund is treated as a separate entity from other series of the Trust for federal income tax purposes. The Fund has elected to be, and intends to qualify each year for treatment as, a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of the Code by complying with all applicable requirements of the Code, including, among other things, requirements as to the sources of the Fund’s income, diversification of the Fund’s assets and timing of Fund distributions. To so qualify, the Fund must, among other things: (a) derive at least 90% of its gross income in each taxable year from dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or foreign currencies, or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and net income derived from interests in “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (i.e., partnerships that are traded on an established securities market or tradable on a secondary market, other than partnerships that derive 90% of their income from interest, dividends, capital gains, and other traditionally permitted mutual fund income) (collectively, “qualifying income”); (b) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash, securities of other regulated investment companies, U.S. government securities and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount not greater than 5% of the Fund’s assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of its assets is invested, including through corporations in which the Fund owns a 20% or more voting stock interest, in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other regulated investment companies) of any one issuer, in the securities (other than the securities of other regulated investment companies) of any two or more issuers that the Fund controls and that are determined to be engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses, or in the securities of one or more “qualified publicly traded partnerships”; and (c) distribute an amount equal to the sum of at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction) and 90% of its net tax-exempt income, if any, for the tax year (including, for purposes of satisfying this distribution requirement, certain distributions made by the Fund after the close of its taxable year that are treated as made during such taxable year).

 

As a regulated investment company, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its taxable investment income and capital gains that it distributes to its shareholders provided that it satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. In order to also avoid liability for a non-deductible federal excise tax, the Fund must distribute (or be deemed to have distributed) by December 31 of each calendar year at least the sum of (i) 98% of its ordinary income for such year, (ii) 98.2% of the excess of its realized capital gains over its realized capital losses for the 12-month period generally ending on October 31 during such year and (iii) any amounts from the prior calendar year that were not distributed and on which the Fund paid no federal income tax. The Fund will be subject to income tax at the applicable corporate tax rate on any taxable income or gains that it does not distribute to its shareholders. The Fund’s policy is to distribute to its shareholders all investment company taxable income (determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and any net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) for each fiscal year in a manner that complies with the distribution requirements of the Code, so that the Fund will not be subject to any federal income or excise taxes.

 B-40

 

If, for any taxable year, the Fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company or were to fail to meet certain minimum distribution requirements under the Code, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. In addition, in the event of a failure to qualify, the Fund’s distributions, to the extent derived from the Fund’s current or accumulated earnings and profits, including any distributions of net capital gain, would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividend income for federal income tax purposes. However, such dividends would be eligible, subject to any generally applicable limitations, (i) to be treated as qualified dividend income in the case of shareholders taxed as individuals and (ii) for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders. Moreover, if the Fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company in any year, it would be required to pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify again as a regulated investment company. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may be able to cure a failure to qualify as a regulated investment company, but in order to do so the Fund might incur significant Fund-level taxes and might be forced to dispose of certain assets. If the Fund failed to qualify as a regulated investment company for a period greater than two taxable years, the Fund would generally be required to recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets upon a disposition of such assets within five years of qualifying as a regulated investment company in a subsequent year.

 

Shareholders generally will be subject to federal income taxes on distributions made by the Fund whether paid in cash or additional shares. Distributions of net investment income (including interest, dividend income and net short-term capital gain in excess of any net long-term capital loss, less certain expenses), other than qualified dividend income, will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. Distributions of qualified dividend income, generally will be taxed to non-corporate shareholders at the federal income tax rates applicable to net capital gain, provided the Fund reports the amount distributed as qualified dividend income.

 

In general, dividends may be reported by the Fund as qualified dividend income if they are attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Qualified dividend income generally means dividend income received from the Fund’s investments in common and preferred stock of U.S. companies and stock of certain qualified foreign corporations, provided that certain holding period and other requirements are met by both the Fund and its shareholders. 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.

 

A foreign corporation is treated as a qualified foreign corporation for this purpose if it is incorporated in a possession of the United States or it is eligible for the benefits of certain income tax treaties with the United States and meets certain additional requirements. Certain foreign corporations that are not otherwise qualified foreign corporations will be treated as qualified foreign corporations with respect to dividends paid by them if the stock with respect to which the dividends are paid is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. Passive foreign investment companies are not qualified foreign corporations for this purpose. Dividends received by the Fund from REITs generally do not qualify for treatment as qualified dividend income.

 

Dividends paid by the Fund may qualify in part for the dividends-received deduction available to corporate shareholders, provided the Fund reports the amount distributed as a qualifying dividend and certain holding period and other requirements under the Code are satisfied. The reported amount, however, cannot exceed the aggregate amount of qualifying dividends received by the Fund for its taxable year. Eligibility for qualified dividend income treatment and the dividends-received deduction may be reduced or eliminated if, among other things, (i) the shareholder is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property or (ii) certain holding period requirements are not satisfied at both the Fund and shareholder levels. In addition, qualified dividend income treatment is not available if a shareholder elects to have the dividend income treated as investment income for purposes of the limitation on deductibility of investment interest.

 B-41

 

If the Fund receives a dividend (other than a capital gain dividend) in respect of any share of REIT stock 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, then Fund dividends attributable to that REIT dividend income (as reduced by certain Fund expenses) may be reported by the Fund as eligible for the 20% deduction for “qualified REIT dividends” generally available to noncorporate shareholders under the Code. In order to qualify for this deduction, noncorporate shareholders must meet minimum holding period requirements with respect to their Fund shares.

 

Under Section 163(j) of the Code, a taxpayer’s business interest expense is generally deductible to the extent of the taxpayer’s business interest income plus certain other amounts. If the Fund earns business interest income, it may report a portion of its dividends as “Section 163(j) interest dividends,” which its shareholders may be able to treat as business interest income for purposes of Section 163(j) of the Code. The Fund’s “Section 163(j) interest dividend” for a tax year will be limited to the excess of its business interest income over the sum of its business interest expense and other deductions properly allocable to its business interest income. In general, the Fund’s shareholders may treat a distribution reported as a Section 163(j) interest dividend as interest income only to the extent the distribution exceeds the sum of the portions of the distribution reported as other types of tax-favored income. To be eligible to treat a Section 163(j) interest dividend as interest income, a shareholder may need to meet certain holding period requirements in respect of the Fund shares and must not have hedged its position in the Fund shares in certain ways.

 

Distributions of net capital gain, if any, that the Fund reports as capital gain dividends will be taxable to non-corporate shareholders as long-term capital gain without regard to how long a shareholder has held shares of the Fund. The Fund may retain certain amounts of capital gains and designate them as undistributed net capital gain in a notice to its shareholders, who (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their proportionate shares of the undistributed amounts so designated, (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the income tax paid by the Fund on those undistributed amounts against their federal income tax liabilities and to claim refunds to the extent such credits exceed their liabilities and (iii) will be entitled to increase their federal income tax basis in their shares by an amount equal to the excess of the amounts of undistributed net capital gain included in their respective income over their respective income tax credits.

 

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Fund is permitted to carry forward indefinitely a net capital loss from any taxable year 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 shareholders. Generally, the Fund may not carry forward any losses other than net capital losses. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may elect to treat certain losses as though they were incurred on the first day of the taxable year immediately following the taxable year in which they were actually incurred.

 

Distributions in excess of earnings and profits will, as to each shareholder, be treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of the shareholder’s basis in his or her Fund shares. A distribution treated as a return of capital will reduce the shareholder’s basis in his or her shares, which will result in an increase in the amount of gain (or a decrease in the amount of loss) that will be recognized by the shareholder for tax purposes on a later sale of such shares. After the shareholder’s basis is reduced to zero, any distributions in excess of earnings and profits will be treated as a capital gain, assuming the shareholder holds his or her shares as capital assets.

 

A 3.8% Medicare contribution tax generally applies to all or a portion of the net investment income of a shareholder who is an individual and not a nonresident alien for federal income tax purposes and who has adjusted gross income (subject to certain adjustments) that exceeds a threshold amount ($250,000 if married filing jointly or if considered a “surviving spouse” for federal income tax purposes, $125,000 if married filing separately, and $200,000 in other cases). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts. For these purposes, interest, dividends and certain capital gains (among other categories of income) are generally taken into account in computing a shareholder’s net investment income.

 B-42

 

Certain tax-exempt educational institutions are subject to a 1.4% tax on net investment income. For these purposes, certain dividends and capital gain distributions, and certain gains from the disposition of Fund shares (among other categories of income), are generally taken into account in computing a shareholder’s net investment income.

 

Distributions are generally taxable when received. However, distributions declared in October, November or December to shareholders of record on a date in such a month and paid the following January are taxable for federal income tax purposes as if received on December 31 of the calendar year in which declared. In addition, certain distributions made after the close of a taxable year of the Fund may be “spilled back” and treated for certain purposes as paid by the Fund during such taxable year. In such case, shareholders generally will be treated as having received such dividends in the taxable year in which the distributions were actually made. For purposes of calculating the amount of a regulated investment company’s undistributed income and gain subject to the 4% excise tax described above, such “spilled back” dividends are treated as paid by the regulated investment company when they are actually paid.

 

A sale of Fund shares may result in recognition of a taxable gain or loss. The gain or loss will generally be treated as a long-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for more than one year, and as a short-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for one year or less. Any loss realized upon a sale or exchange of shares held for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions of long-term capital gains during such six-month period. Any loss realized upon a sale may be disallowed under certain wash sale rules to the extent shares of a Fund or substantially identical stock or securities are purchased (through reinvestment of distributions or otherwise) within 30 days before or after the sale.

 

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

 

Any gain or loss realized upon a creation of Creation Units will be treated as capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the securities exchanged therefor as capital assets, and otherwise will be ordinary income or loss. Similarly, any gain or loss realized upon a redemption of Creation Units will be treated as capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the shares comprising the Creation Units as capital assets, and otherwise will be ordinary income or loss. 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, and otherwise will be short-term capital gain or loss. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year, and otherwise will generally be short-term capital gain or loss. Any capital loss realized upon a redemption of Creation Units held for six months or less should be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions to the applicable Authorized Participant of long-term capital gains with respect to the shares included in the Creation Units (including any amounts credited to the Authorized Participant as undistributed capital gains).

 

The Trust on behalf of a Fund has the right to reject an order for a purchase of shares of the Fund if the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of that Fund and if, pursuant to Section 351 of the Internal Revenue Code, that Fund would have a basis in the securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination. If a Fund does issue Creation Units to a purchaser (or a group of purchasers) that would, upon obtaining the shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund, the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) may not recognize gain or loss upon the exchange of securities for Creation Units. Persons purchasing or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisers with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction.

 B-43

 

If a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to the Fund’s shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder (or certain greater amounts over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on IRS Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases exempted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a regulated investment company are not exempted. The fact that a loss is so reportable does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper.

 

The Fund’s entry into a short sale transaction could be treated as the constructive sale of an appreciated financial position, causing the Fund to realize gain, but not loss, on the position.

 

If the Fund invests in certain pay-in-kind securities, zero coupon securities, deferred interest securities or, in general, any other securities with original issue discount (or with market discount if the Fund elects to include market discount in income currently), the Fund must accrue income on such investments for each taxable year, which generally will be prior to the receipt of the corresponding cash payments. However, the Fund must distribute, at least annually, all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income (determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid), including such accrued income to shareholders to avoid federal income and excise taxes. Therefore, the Fund may have to sell portfolio securities (potentially under disadvantageous circumstances) to generate cash, or may have to undertake leverage by borrowing cash, to satisfy these distribution requirements. Dispositions of portfolio securities may result in additional gains and additional distribution requirements.

 

If the Fund invests in a market discount bond, it will be required to treat any gain recognized on the disposition of such market discount bond as ordinary income (instead of capital gain) to the extent of the accrued market discount, unless the Fund elects to include the market discount in income as it accrues as discussed above. A market discount bond is a security acquired in the secondary market at a price below its redemption value (or its adjusted issue price if it is also an original issue discount bond).

 

The Fund may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries, including taxes on interest, dividends and capital gains with respect to its investments in those countries, which would, if imposed, reduce the yield on or return from those investments. Tax treaties between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes in some cases. So long as the Fund qualifies for treatment as a regulated investment company and incurs “qualified foreign taxes,” if more than 50% of its net assets at the close of its taxable year consist of stock or securities of foreign corporations, which for this purpose may include obligations of foreign governmental issuers, the Fund may elect to “pass through” to its shareholders the amount of such foreign taxes paid. If this election is made, information with respect to the amount of the foreign income taxes that are allocated to the Fund’s shareholders will be provided to them and any shareholder subject to tax on dividends will be required (i) to include in ordinary gross income (in addition to the amount of the taxable dividends actually received) his/her proportionate share of the foreign taxes paid that are attributable to such dividends; and (ii) either to deduct his/her proportionate share of such foreign taxes in computing his/her taxable income or to claim that amount as a foreign tax credit (subject to applicable limitations) against U.S. income taxes.

 

Shareholders who do not itemize deductions for U.S. federal income tax purposes will not be able to deduct their pro rata portion of qualified foreign taxes paid by the Fund, although such shareholders will be required to include their shares of such taxes in gross income if the Fund makes the election described above. Qualified foreign taxes generally include taxes that would be treated as income taxes under U.S. tax regulations but do not include most other taxes, such as stamp taxes, securities transaction taxes, and similar taxes. No deduction for such taxes will be permitted to individuals in computing their alternative minimum tax liability.

 

If the Fund makes the election to pass through qualified foreign taxes and a shareholder chooses to take a credit for the foreign taxes deemed paid by such shareholder, the amount of the credit that may be claimed in any year may not exceed the same proportion of the U.S. tax against which such credit is taken that the shareholder’s taxable income from foreign sources (but not in excess of the shareholder’s entire taxable income) bears to his entire taxable income. For this purpose, long-term and short-term capital gains the Fund realizes and distributes to shareholders will generally not be treated as income from foreign sources in their hands, nor will distributions of certain foreign currency gains subject to Section 988 of the Code or of any other income realized by the Fund that is deemed, under the Code, to be U.S. source income in the hands of the Fund. This foreign tax credit limitation may also be applied separately to certain specific categories of foreign-source income and the related foreign taxes. As a result of these rules, which may have different effects depending upon each shareholder’s particular tax situation, certain shareholders may not be able to claim a credit for the full amount of their proportionate share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund. Shareholders who are not liable for U.S. federal income taxes, including tax-exempt shareholders, will ordinarily not benefit from this election. If the Fund does make the election, it will provide required tax information to shareholders. The Fund generally may deduct any foreign taxes that are not passed through to its shareholders in computing its income available for distribution to shareholders to satisfy applicable tax distribution requirements. Under certain circumstances, if the Fund receives a refund of foreign taxes paid in respect of a prior year, the value of the Fund’s shares could be affected, or any foreign tax credits or deductions passed through to shareholders in respect of the Fund’s foreign taxes for the current year could be reduced.

 B-44

 

Foreign exchange gains or losses realized by the Fund in connection with certain transactions involving foreign currency-denominated debt securities, foreign currencies, or payables or receivables denominated in a foreign currency are subject to Section 988 of the Code, which generally causes such gains or losses to be treated as ordinary gain or loss and may affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders.

 

The Fund may purchase the securities of certain foreign companies treated as passive foreign investment companies for federal income tax purposes (“PFICs”). PFICs may be the only or primary means by which the Fund may invest in some countries. If the Fund invests in equity securities of PFICs, it may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” or gain from the disposition of such securities even if such income is distributed as a taxable dividend to shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on the Fund with respect to deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains. Capital gains on the sale of such holdings will be deemed to be ordinary income regardless of how long such PFICs are held. A “qualified electing fund” election or a “mark to market” election may generally be available that would ameliorate these adverse tax consequences, but such elections could require the Fund to recognize taxable income or gain (subject to the distribution requirements applicable to regulated investment companies, as described above) without the concurrent receipt of cash. In order to satisfy the distribution requirements and avoid a tax on the Fund, the Fund may be required to liquidate portfolio securities that it might otherwise have continued to hold, potentially resulting in additional taxable gain or loss to the Fund. In order for the Fund to make a qualified electing fund election with respect to a PFIC, the PFIC would have to agree to provide certain tax information to the Fund on an annual basis, which it might not agree to do. The Fund may limit and/or manage its holdings in PFICs to limit its tax liability or maximize its return from these investments. The Fund may limit and/or manage its holdings in PFICs to limit its tax liability or maximize its return from these investments.

 

If a sufficient percentage of the equity interests in a foreign issuer that is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes are held by the Fund, independently or together with certain other U.S. persons, that issuer may be treated as a “controlled foreign corporation” (a “CFC”) with respect to the Fund, in which case the Fund will be required to take into account each year, as ordinary income, its share of certain portions of that issuer’s income, whether or not such amounts are distributed. The Fund may have to dispose of its portfolio securities (potentially resulting in the recognition of taxable gain or loss, and potentially under disadvantageous circumstances) to generate cash, or may have to borrow the cash, to meet its distribution requirements and avoid Fund-level taxes. In addition, some Fund gains on the disposition of interests in such an issuer may be treated as ordinary income. The Fund may limit and/or manage its holdings in issuers that could be treated as CFCs in order to limit its tax liability or maximize its after-tax return from these investments.

 

In addition, if the Fund owned 10% or more of the voting power of a foreign entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes for the last tax year of the foreign entity beginning before January 1, 2018, the Fund may have been required to include in its income its share of certain deferred foreign income of that foreign entity. Under those circumstances, the Fund may be able to make an election for such amounts to be included in income over eight years. Any income included under this rule may have to be distributed to satisfy the distribution requirements referred to above even though the Fund may receive no corresponding cash amounts, and even though shareholders derived no economic benefit from the foreign entity’s deferred income.

 B-45

 

Non-U.S. persons are subject to U.S. tax on disposition of a “United States real property interest” (a “USRPI”). Gain on such a disposition is sometimes referred to as “FIRPTA gain.” The Code provides a look-through rule for distributions of “FIRPTA gain” if certain requirements are met. If the look-through rule applies, certain distributions attributable to income received by the Fund, e.g., from REITs, may be treated as gain from the disposition of a USRPI, causing distributions to be subject to U.S. withholding tax at rates of up to 21%, and require non-U.S. shareholders to file nonresident U.S. income tax returns.

 

The Fund is required to withhold (as “backup withholding”) a portion of reportable payments, including dividends, capital gain distributions and the proceeds of redemptions and exchanges or repurchases of Fund shares, paid to shareholders who have not complied with certain IRS regulations. The backup withholding rate is currently 24%. In order to avoid this withholding requirement, shareholders, other than certain exempt entities, must certify on IRS Forms W-9 or on certain other documents, that the Social Security Numbers or other Taxpayer Identification Numbers they provide are their correct numbers and that they are not currently subject to backup withholding, or that they are exempt from backup withholding. The Fund may nevertheless be required to backup withhold if it receives notice from the IRS or a broker that a number provided is incorrect or that backup withholding is applicable as a result of previous underreporting of interest or dividend income.

 

Ordinary dividends and certain other payments made by the Fund to non-U.S. shareholders are generally subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate (or a lower rate as may be determined in accordance with any applicable treaty). In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will be required to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN or similar form certifying its entitlement to benefits under a treaty. The withholding tax does not apply to regular dividends paid to a non-U.S. shareholder who provides an IRS Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the non-U.S. shareholder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the non-U.S. shareholder were a U.S. shareholder. A non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or a lower treaty rate).

 

The 30% withholding tax described in the preceding paragraph generally will not apply to distributions of net capital gain, to redemption proceeds, or to dividends that the Fund reports as (a) interest-related dividends, to the extent such dividends are derived from the Fund’s “qualified net interest income,” or (b) short-term capital gain dividends, to the extent such dividends are derived from the Fund’s “qualified short-term gain.” “Qualified net interest income” is the Fund’s net income derived from U.S.-source interest and original issue discount, subject to certain exceptions and limitations. “Qualified short-term gain” generally means the excess of the net short-term capital gain of the Fund for the taxable year over its net long-term capital loss, if any. In order to qualify for an exemption from withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will need to comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its non-U.S. status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN or other applicable form). Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that are subject to this 30% withholding tax.

 

Unless certain non-U.S. entities that hold Fund shares comply with IRS requirements that will generally require them to report information regarding U.S. persons investing in, or holding accounts with, such entities, a 30% withholding tax may apply to the Fund’s dividends payable to such entities. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the United States and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.

 

This discussion and the related discussion in the Prospectus have been prepared by management of the Fund, and counsel to the Trust has expressed no opinion in respect thereof.

 B-46

 

Shareholders and prospective shareholders of the Fund should consult their own tax advisors concerning the effect of owning shares of the Fund in light of their particular tax situations.

 

Dividends and Distributions

 

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

 

General Policies

 

Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid annually by AXS Change Finance ESG ETF. Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid monthly by AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF. Distributions of remaining net realized capital gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but a Fund may make distributions on a more frequent basis for the Fund to comply with the distribution requirements of the Internal Revenue Code, in all events in a manner consistent with the provisions of the 1940 Act.

 

Dividends and other distributions on shares of a Fund 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.

 

A Fund will make 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 Internal Revenue 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 a Fund’s eligibility for treatment as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.

 

Dividend Reinvestment Service

 

The Trust will not make the DTC book-entry dividend reinvestment service available for use by Beneficial Owners for reinvestment of their cash proceeds, but certain individual broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by Beneficial Owners of a 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 in order 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 same Fund at NAV per share. Distributions reinvested in additional shares of a Fund will nevertheless be taxable to Beneficial Owners acquiring such additional shares to the same extent as if such distributions had been received in cash.

 

General Information

 

Investment Managers Series Trust II is an open-end management investment company organized as a Delaware statutory trust under the laws of the State of Delaware on August 20, 2013. The Trust has a number of outstanding series of shares of beneficial interest, each of which represents interests in a separate portfolio of securities.

 

The Trust’s Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees to create additional series of shares, to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of beneficial interest of each series, including the Fund, and to divide or combine the shares of any series into a greater or lesser number of shares without thereby changing the proportionate beneficial interest in the series. The assets belonging to a series are charged with the liabilities in respect of that series and all expenses, costs, charges and reserves attributable to that series only. Therefore, any creditor of any series may look only to the assets belonging to that series to satisfy the creditor’s debt. Any general liabilities, expenses, costs, charges or reserves of the Trust which are not readily identifiable as pertaining to any particular series are allocated and charged by the Trustees to and among the existing series in the sole discretion of the Trustees. Each share of the Fund represents an interest in the Fund proportionately equal to the interest of each other share. Upon the Fund’s liquidation, all shareholders would share pro rata in the net assets of the Fund available for distribution to shareholders.

 B-47

 

Each share of a series represents an equal proportionate interest in that series with each other share of that series or class.

 

The shares of each series participate equally in the earnings, dividends and assets of the particular series. Expenses of the Trust which are not attributable to a specific series are allocated among all the series in a manner believed by management of the Trust to be fair and equitable. Shares issued do not have pre-emptive or conversion rights. Shares when issued are fully paid and non-assessable, except as set forth below. Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each share held. Shares of each series generally vote together, except when required under federal securities laws to vote separately on matters that only affect a particular series.

 

The Trust is not required to hold annual meetings of shareholders but will hold special meetings of shareholders of a series when, in the judgment of the Board, it is necessary or desirable to submit matters for a shareholder vote. Shareholders have, under certain circumstances, the right to communicate with other shareholders in connection with requesting a meeting of shareholders for the purpose of removing one or more trustees. Shareholders also have, in certain circumstances, the right to remove one or more trustees without a meeting. No material amendment may be made to the Trust’s Declaration of Trust without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of each portfolio affected by the amendment.

 

The Trust’s Declaration of Trust provides that, at any meeting of shareholders of the Trust or of any series, a shareholder servicing agent may vote any shares as to which such shareholder servicing agent is the agent of record for shareholders who are not represented in person or by proxy at the meeting, proportionately in accordance with the votes cast by holders of all shares of that portfolio otherwise represented at the meeting in person or by proxy as to which such shareholder servicing agent is the agent of record. Any shares so voted by a shareholder servicing agent will be deemed represented at the meeting for purposes of quorum requirements. Any series may be terminated (i) upon the merger or consolidation with, or the sale or disposition of all or substantially all of its assets to, another entity, if approved by the vote of the holders of two-thirds of its outstanding shares, except that if the Board recommends such merger, consolidation or sale or disposition of assets, the approval by vote of the holders of a majority of the series’ outstanding shares will be sufficient, or (ii) by the vote of the holders of a majority of its outstanding shares, or (iii) by the Board by written notice to the series’ shareholders. Unless each series is so terminated, the Trust will continue indefinitely.

 

Shareholders may send communications to the Board. Shareholders should send communications intended for the Board by addressing the communications to the Board, in care of the Secretary of the Trust and sending the communication to 2220 E. Route 66, Suite 226, Glendora, California 91740. A shareholder communication must (i) be in writing and be signed by the shareholder, (ii) provide contact information for the shareholder, (iii) identify the Fund to which it relates, and (iv) identify the number of shares held by the shareholder. The Secretary of the Trust may, in good faith, determine that a shareholder communication should not be provided to the Board because it does not reasonably relate to the Trust or its operations, management, activities, policies, service providers, Board, officers, shareholders or other matters relating to an investment in the Fund or is otherwise immaterial in nature. Other shareholder communications received by the Fund not directly addressed and sent to the Board will be reviewed and generally responded to by management, and will be forwarded to the Board only at management’s discretion based on the matters contained therein.

 

The Declaration of Trust provides that no Trustee or officer of the Trust shall be subject to any personal liability in connection with the assets or affairs of the Trust or any of its series except for losses in connection with his or her willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of his or her duties. The Trust has also entered into an indemnification agreement with each Trustee which provides that the Trust shall advance expenses and indemnify and hold harmless the Trustee in certain circumstances against any expenses incurred by the Trustee in any proceeding arising out of or in connection with the Trustee’s service to the Trust, to the maximum extent permitted by the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act, and which provides for certain procedures in connection with such advancement of expenses and indemnification.

 B-48

 

The Trust’s Declaration of Trust also provides that the Trust shall maintain appropriate insurance (for example, fidelity bonding and errors and omissions insurance) for the protection of the Trust, its shareholders, trustees, officers, employees and agents covering possible tort and other liabilities.

 

The Declaration of Trust does not require the issuance of stock certificates. If stock certificates are issued, they must be returned by the registered owners prior to the transfer or redemption of shares represented by such certificates.

 

Rule 18f-2 under the 1940 Act provides that as to any investment company which has two or more series outstanding and as to any matter required to be submitted to shareholder vote, such matter is not deemed to have been effectively acted upon unless approved by the holders of a “majority” (as defined in the rule) of the voting securities of each series affected by the matter. Such separate voting requirements do not apply to the election of Trustees or the ratification of the selection of accountants. The Rule contains special provisions for cases in which an advisory contract is approved by one or more, but not all, series. A change in investment policy may go into effect as to one or more series whose holders so approve the change even though the required vote is not obtained as to the holders of other affected series.

 

The Trust, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor each have adopted Codes of Ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These codes of ethics permit, subject to certain conditions, personnel of each of those entities to invest in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund.

 

Financial Statements

 

The Annual Reports to shareholders for the AXS Change Finance ESG ETF and for the AXS First Priority CLO Bond ETF’s Predecessor Fund for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022, are incorporated by reference herein, which includes the “Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm”, “Schedule of Investments”, “Statement of Assets and Liabilities”, “Statement of Operations”, “Statements of Changes in Net Assets”, “Financial Highlights” and “Notes to Financial Statements”. A copy of the Funds’ Annual Reports can be obtained at no charge by calling 1-866-984-2510 or writing the Funds.

 B-49

 

Appendix A
Description of Securities Ratings

 

Corporate Bonds (Including Convertible Bonds)

 

Moody’s

 

Aaa Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, with minimal credit risk.

 

Aa Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

 

A Obligations rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

 

Baa Obligations rated Baa are subject to moderate credit risk. They are considered medium-grade and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

 

Ba Obligations rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements and are subject to substantial credit risk.

 

B Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

 

Caa Obligations rated Caa are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

 

Ca Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery.

 

C Obligations rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

 

Note Moody’s applies numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 in each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.

 

S&P

 

AAA An obligation rated AAA has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

 

AA An obligation rated AA differs from the highest-rated obligations only in small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

 

A An obligation rated A is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

 

BBB An obligation rated BBB exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

Note Obligations rated BB, B, CCC, CC, and C are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. BB indicates the least degree of speculation and C the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

 B-50

 

BB An obligation rated BB is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial or economic conditions, which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

B An obligation rated B is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated BB, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

CCC An obligation rated CCC is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

CC An obligation rated CC is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment.

 

C The C rating may be used to cover a situation where a bankruptcy petition has been filed or similar action has been taken, but payments on this obligation are being continued.

 

D An obligation rated D is in payment default. The D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

 

Note Plus (+) or minus (-). The ratings from AA to CCC may be modified by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories. The “r” symbol is attached to the ratings of instruments with significant noncredit risks. It highlights risks to principal or volatility of expected returns, which are not addressed in the credit rating. Examples include: obligations linked or indexed to equities, currencies, or commodities; obligations exposed to severe prepayment risk-such as interest-only or principal-only mortgage securities; and obligations with unusually risky interest terms, such as inverse floaters.

 

Preferred Stock

 

Moody’s

 

Aaa An issue that is rated “Aaa” is considered to be a top-quality preferred stock. This rating indicates good asset protection and the least risk of dividend impairment within the universe of preferred stocks.

 

Aa An issue that is rated “Aa” is considered a high-grade preferred stock. This rating indicates that there is a reasonable assurance the earnings and asset protection will remain relatively well maintained in the foreseeable future.

 

A An issue that is rated “A” is considered to be an upper-medium grade preferred stock. While risks are judged to be somewhat greater than in the “Aaa” and “Aa” classification, earnings and asset protection are, nevertheless, expected to be maintained at adequate levels.

 

Baa An issue that is rated “Baa” is considered to be a medium-grade preferred stock, neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Earnings and asset protection appear adequate at present but may be questionable over any great length of time.

 

Ba An issue that is rated “Ba” is considered to have speculative elements and its future cannot be considered well assured. Earnings and asset protection may be very moderate and not well safeguarded during adverse periods. Uncertainty of position characterizes preferred stocks in this class.

B An issue that is rated “B” generally lacks the characteristics of a desirable investment. Assurance of dividend payments and maintenance of other terms of the issue over any long period of time may be small.

 B-51

 

Caa An issue that is rated “Caa” is likely to be in arrears on dividend payments. This rating designation does not purport to indicate the future status of payments.

 

Ca An issue that is rated “Ca” is speculative in a high degree and is likely to be in arrears on dividends with little likelihood of eventual payments.

 

C This is the lowest rated class of preferred or preference stock. Issues so rated can thus be regarded as having extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing.

 

Note Moody’s applies numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 in each rating classification: the modifier 1 indicates that the security ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking and the modifier 3 indicates that the issue ranks in the lower end of its generic rating category.

 

S&P

 

AAA This is the highest rating that may be assigned by Standard & Poor’s to a preferred stock issue and indicates an extremely strong capacity to pay the preferred stock obligations.

 

AA A preferred stock issue rated AA also qualifies as a high-quality, fixed-income security. The capacity to pay preferred stock obligations is very strong, although not as overwhelming as for issues rated AAA.

 

A An issue rated A is backed by a sound capacity to pay the preferred stock obligations, although it is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions.

 

BBB An issue rated BBB is regarded as backed by an adequate capacity to pay the preferred stock obligations. Whereas it normally exhibits adequate protection parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to make payments for a preferred stock in this category than for issues in the A category.

 

BB, B, CCC Preferred stock rated BB, B, and CCC is regarded, on balance, as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay preferred stock obligations. BB indicates the lowest degree of speculation and CCC the highest. While such issues will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these are outweighed by large uncertainties or major risk exposures to adverse conditions.

 

CC The rating CC is reserved for a preferred stock issue that is in arrears on dividends or sinking fund payments, but that is currently paying.

 

C A preferred stock rated C is a nonpaying issue.

 

D A preferred stock rated D is a nonpaying issue with the issuer in default on debt instruments.

 

N.R. This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poor’s does not rate a particular type of obligation as a matter of policy.

 

Note Plus (+) or minus (-). To provide more detailed indications of preferred stock quality, ratings from AA to CCC may be modified by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

 B-52

 

Short Term Ratings

 

Moody’s

 

Moody’s employs the following three designations, all judged to be investment grade, to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:

 

Prime-1 Issuers rated Prime-1 (or supporting institutions) have a superior ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. Prime-1 repayment ability will often be evidenced by many of the following characteristics:

 

Leading market positions in well-established industries.

 

High rates of return on funds employed.

 

Conservative capitalization structure with moderate reliance on debt and ample asset protection.

 

Broad margins in earnings coverage of fixed financial charges and high internal cash generation.

 

Well-established access to a range of financial markets and assured sources of alternate liquidity.

 

Prime-2 Issuers rated Prime-2 (or supporting institutions) have a strong ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. This will normally be evidenced by many of the characteristics cited above but to a lesser degree. Earnings trends and coverage ratios, while sound, may be more subject to variation. Capitalization characteristics, while still appropriate, may be more affected by external conditions. Ample alternate liquidity is maintained.

 

Prime-3 Issuers rated Prime-3 (or supporting institutions) have an acceptable ability for repayment of senior short-term obligations. The effect of industry characteristics and market compositions may be more pronounced. Variability in earnings and profitability may result in changes in the level of debt protection measurements and may require relatively high financial leverage. Adequate alternate liquidity is maintained.

 

Not Prime Issuers rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

 

S&P

 

A-1 A short-term obligation rated A-1 is rated in the highest category by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

 

A-2 A short-term obligation rated A-2 is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

 

A-3 A short-term obligation rated A-3 exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

B A short-term obligation rated B is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties, which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 B-53

 

C A short-term obligation rated C is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

D A short-term obligation rated D is in payment default. The D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

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APPENDIX B
PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

 

INVESTMENT MANAGERS SERIES TRUST II 

PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

 

 

 

Investment Managers Series Trust II (the “Trust”) is registered as an open-end investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”). The Trust offers multiple series (each, a “Fund” and, collectively, the “Funds”). Consistent with its fiduciary duties and pursuant to Rule 30b1-4 under the 1940 Act (the “Proxy Rule”), the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) has adopted this proxy voting policy on behalf of the Trust (the “Policy”) to reflect its commitment to ensure that proxies are voted in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders.

 

Delegation of Proxy Voting Authority to Fund Advisors

The Board believes that the investment advisor of each Fund (each, an “Advisor” and, collectively, the “Advisors”), as the entity that selects the individual securities that comprise its Fund’s portfolio, is the most knowledgeable and best-suited to make decisions on how to vote proxies of portfolio companies held by that Fund. The Trust will therefore defer to, and rely on, the Advisor of each Fund to make decisions on how to cast proxy votes on behalf of such Fund. An Advisor may delegate this responsibility to a Fund’s sub-advisor.

 

The Trust hereby designates the Advisor of each Fund as the entity responsible for exercising proxy voting authority with regard to securities held in the Fund’s investment portfolio. Consistent with its duties under this Policy, each Advisor shall monitor and review corporate transactions of corporations in which the Fund has invested, obtain all information sufficient to allow an informed vote on all proxy solicitations, ensure that all proxy votes are cast in a timely fashion, and maintain all records required to be maintained by the Fund under the Proxy Rule and the 1940 Act. Each Advisor will perform these duties in accordance with the Advisor’s proxy voting policy, a copy of which will be presented to the Board for its review. Each Advisor will promptly provide to the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) updates to its proxy voting policy as they are adopted and implemented, and the Trust’s CCO will then report such updates to the Board.

 

Availability of Proxy Voting Policy and Records Available to Fund Shareholders

If a Fund or an Advisor has a website, a copy of the Advisor’s proxy voting policy and this Policy may be posted on such website. A copy of such policies and of each Fund’s proxy voting record shall also be made available, without charge, upon request of any shareholder of the Fund, by calling the applicable Fund’s toll-free telephone number as printed in the Fund’s prospectus. The Trust’s transfer agent will notify the Advisor of any such request of proxy voting procedures. The Advisor shall reply to any Fund shareholder request within three (3) business days of receipt of the request, by first-class mail or other means designed to ensure equally prompt delivery.

 

Each Advisor will provide a complete annual voting record, as required by the Proxy Rule, for each series of the Trust for which it acts as advisor, to the Trust’s co-administrator no later than July 31st of each year. The Trust’s co-administrator, MFAC, will file a report based on such record on Form N-PX on an annual basis with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than August 31st of each year.

 

Each Advisor is responsible for providing its current proxy voting policies and procedures and any subsequent amendments to the Trust’s CCO. SEC Form N-PX is filed with respect to each Fund by MFAC (acting as filing agent), by no later than August 31st of each year. Each such filing details all proxies voted on behalf of the Fund for the prior twelve months ended June 30th. In connection with each filing on behalf of the Fund, the Advisor’s CCO must sign and return to MFAC no later than July 30th a Form N-PX Certification stating that the advisor has adopted proxy voting policies and procedures in compliance with the SEC’s Proxy Voting Rule.

 B-55

 

AXS INVESTMENTS LLC

PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

 

 

 

A.PURPOSE AND GENERAL STATEMENT

 

The purpose of these proxy voting policies and procedures (the “Policy”) is to set forth the principles and procedures by which AXS votes with respect to securities held in Fund portfolios for which AXS exercises voting authority (generally where AXS has not delegated proxy voting discretion to a Fund’s sub-adviser). For purposes of this Policy, a “Vote” includes any proxy and any shareholder vote or consent for any security held by a client account for which AXS exercises voting authority.

 

This Policy been designed to help ensure that Votes are voted in the best interests of the applicable Fund in accordance with AXS’s fiduciary duties and Rule 206(4)-6 under the Act.

 

B.POLICY

 

Votes must be cast in the best interests of each Fund. AXS’s guiding principle in this regard is that it is generally in the best interest of the client to cast Votes in a manner designed to maximize the economic value of the Fund’s holdings, taking into account the Fund’s investment goals and objectives (as set forth in its current registration statement) and all other relevant circumstances at the time of the vote. AXS does not permit voting decisions to be influenced in any manner that is contrary to this principle. AXS recognizes that, in rare instances, the interest of one Fund with respect to a Vote may conflict with the interests of AXS or another Fund. Any conflicts of interest relating to the casting of Votes, regardless of whether actual or perceived, will be addressed in accordance with this Policy.

 

It is AXS’s general policy to vote or give consent on all matters presented to shareholders in any Vote, and these policies and procedures have been designed with this in mind. However, AXS reserves the right to abstain from any particular Vote or otherwise withhold its Vote or consent on any matter if, in the judgement of AXS’s CCO or the relevant AXS investment professional, the costs associated with voting such Vote outweigh the benefits to the applicable Fund, or if the circumstances make such an abstention or withholding otherwise advisable and in the best interests of the Fund.

 

C.GUIDELINES

 

The voting guidelines below summarize AXS’s general positions on various common issues, and provides a general indication of how Fund portfolio securities for which AXS has voting discretion will be voted on proposals dealing with particular issues.

 

These voting guidelines are just that – guidelines. The guidelines are not exhaustive and do not address all potential voting issues. Because the circumstances of individual companies are so varied, there may be instances when AXS does not cast Fund Votes in strict adherence to these guidelines.

 

1.Management Proposals

 

The majority of matters presented to shareholders are proposals made by an issuer’s management, which have usually been approved and recommended by the issuer’s board of directors. For routine matters (which generally means that such matter will not measurably change the structure, management, control or operation of the company and are consistent with customary industry standards and practices), AXS will typically vote in accordance with the recommendation of the company’s management; unless, in AXS’s opinion, such recommendation is not in the best interests of the Fund.

 

Generally, in the absence of any unusual or non-routine circumstances, the AXS supports the following items:

[  ]Ratification of appointment of independent auditors;

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[  ]General updating/corrective amendments to charter;

[  ]Increase in common share authorization for a stock split or share dividend;

[  ]Stock option plans that are incentive based and not excessive; and

[  ]Regular, uncontested elections of directors and payment of fees (unless such fees exceed market standards).

 

Non-routine matters may involve a variety of issues. Therefore, AXS will typically cast Votes on non-routine matters on a case-by-case basis, in each case casting Votes in a manner that AXS believes is in the best interests of the applicable client based on the considerations described above. The following will typically be considered “non-routine” matters requiring case-by-case analysis:

[  ]Directors’ liability and indemnity proposals;

[  ]Executive compensation plans;

[  ]Contested elections of directors;

[  ]Mergers, acquisitions, and other restructurings submitted to a shareholder vote;

[  ]Anti-takeover and related provisions.

 

AXS will generally Vote against proposals to classify a board, absent special circumstances indicating that shareholder interests would be better served by this structure.

 

2.Shareholder Proposals

 

In general, AXS casts Votes in accordance with the recommendation of the company’s board of directors on all shareholder proposals. However, AXS will support shareholder proposals that it believes are in the best interests of the Fund based on the considerations described above. In addition:

 

Generally, shareholder proposals related to the following items are supported:

[  ]Confidential voting;

[  ]Declassifying a board, absent special circumstances indicating that shareholder interests would be better served by a classified board structure;

[  ]Requiring director nominees to receive support from holders of a majority of votes cast or a majority of shares outstanding in order to be (re)elected.

[  ]Bylaw and charter amendments only with shareholder approval;

[  ]Eliminating supermajority vote requirements in the company’s bylaws and charter documents; and

[  ]Requiring a majority of independent directors on a board.

 

Generally, shareholder proposals related to the following items are not supported:

[  ]Limitations on the tenure of directors;

[  ]Cumulative voting;

[  ]Restrictions related to social, political, or special interest issues that impact the ability of the company to do business or be competitive and that have a significant financial or vested interest impact; and

[  ]Reports that are costly to provide or expenditures that are of a non-business in nature or would provide no pertinent information from a shareholder perspective.

 

D.CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

 

Due to the nature of AXS’s business and its ownership, AXS believes it is unlikely that conflicts of interest will arise when casting Votes. Each Fund’s investment team, however, is responsible for monitoring Votes for any actual or perceived conflicts of interest. If at any time any Supervised Person becomes aware of any potential, actual, or perceived conflict of interest regarding any particular Vote(s) to be case, he or she is required to contact AXS’s CCO immediately, who will review the Vote(s) in advance to ensure that AXS proposed Vote(s) is consistent with this Policy and AXS’s duties to the applicable Fund.

 

If a conflict of interest is evident, the CCO will:

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[  ]advise IMST II’s Chief Compliance Officer (or other relevant IMST II officer) of the conflict in advance of casting the Vote;

[  ]use his or her best judgement to address the conflict and ensure that it is resolved in accordance with his or her independent assessment of the best interests of the Fund.

Where the CCO deems appropriate in his or her sole discretion, unaffiliated third parties (such as prosy voting services) may be used to help resolve conflicts. In this regard, the CCO shall have the power to retain independent fiduciaries, consultants, or professionals to assist with Voting decisions and/or to delegate voting or consent powers to such fiduciaries, consultants, or professionals.

 

E.VOTING PROCEDURES

 

All AXS personnel are responsible for promptly forwarding all proxy materials, consents or voting requests or notices, or materials related thereto, to the CCO and to the applicable investment professional(s) primarily responsible for managing the applicable Fund’s portfolio. The CCO shall be responsible for ensuring that each Vote is voted in a timely manner and as otherwise required by the terms of such Vote.

 

All Voting decisions initially are to be referred to the appropriate investment professional for determination. In most cases, the most senior Portfolio Manager of the applicable Fund, or his or her designee, will make the decision as to the appropriate vote for any particular Vote.

 

The Portfolio Manager will inform the CCO of any such Voting decision, and if the CCO does not object to such decision as a result of his or her conflict of interest review, the Vote will be voted in such manner. If the Portfolio Manager and the CCO are unable to arrive at an agreement as to how to vote, then the CCO may consult with independent third-parties (including a proxy voting service) as to the appropriate vote.

 

F.RECORDKEEPING

 

In accordance with Rule 204-2 under the Act, AXS must retain (i) its proxy voting policies and procedures; (ii) proxy statements received regarding Fund/client securities; (iii) records of its votes on behalf of the Fund; (iv) records of Fund requests for proxy voting information; and (v) any documents prepared by AXS that were material to making a decision how to vote, or that memorialized the basis for the decision. AXS may rely on proxy statements filed on the SEC’s EDGAR system (instead of keeping its own copies), and may rely on proxy statements and records of its votes cast that are maintained by a proxy voting service provider.

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CHANGE FINANCE, PBC

 

PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

 

As an ETF issuer, we serve as advocates for the interests of our shareholders, and it is our responsibility to make investment decisions that are in our shareholders’ best interests, and that are consistent with the environmental, social, and governance standards laid forth in our funds’ prospectuses. Proxy voting is integral to carrying out this responsibility, and we take seriously our obligation to vote our proxies in a timely fashion and in a manner consistent with the principles outlined in this policy.

 

While we believe that Boards of Directors and senior management know their businesses best and should hold authority for setting corporate strategy, policy, and goals, we also believe that it is essential to have strong shareholder advocates to hold them accountable not only for the fiscal best interests of shareholders, but also, more broadly, for the best interests of people and planet. Accordingly, we assess each proposal for its likely environmental, social, and governance impacts. We generally will support proposals which are technical or administrative in nature and have no discernable impact either on shareholder value or on environmental, social, or governance issues. We will generally vote against proposals which weaken the ability of shareholders to hold the Board of Directors and/or senior management accountable for their decisions.

 

We will utilize recommendations available from Glass Lewis as well as data available from ISS ESG and other sources to assess the likely impact of proposals on the environmental, social, and governance indicators that underpin our index, and will vote against proposals that are likely to lower scores on any of those indicators, while supporting proposals that are likely to increase scores. We will decide on a case-by-case basis for any proposal which may simultaneously raise some scores and lower others. In addition to considering the effects of a proposal on the indicators that make up our index, we may also consider effects that are in keeping with the principles of the index, even if they are not specifically measured. For example, we will likely vote in favor of proposals that increase diversity on the Board of Directors or in senior leadership and against proposals that would allow the gap between executive pay and pay for low-level employees to grow too large.

 

We reserve the right to utilize additional data sources as necessary to analyze proposals and may outsource some or all proxy voting responsibilities to a Proxy Manager. We will preserve sufficient oversight to ensure that proxies are voted in a manner consistent with the ESG principles to which we adhere.

 

Because we believe that transparency is essential to good governance and helps ensure accountability, we intend to make our proxy record publicly available on our website.

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ALTERNATIVE ACCESS FUNDS, LLC

 

PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

 

Alternative Access Funds, LLC (“AAF”) has adopted policies and procedures (the “Proxy Policy”) to address how the Firm will vote when provided proxies to do so by entities in which the Firm has invested on behalf of Clients, as applicable, for each Client investment, including each Fund’s portfolio investments. The Proxy Policy seeks to ensure that the Firm votes proxies or similar corporate actions in the best interests of the Firm’s Clients, taking into account such factors as it deems relevant in its sole discretion. The Proxy Policy is coordinated by the CCO of AAF, who is also responsible for a quarterly review of the Policy to ensure accuracy and completeness.

 

Proxy Policy

The Proxy Policy is designed to 1) identify any material conflicts of interest connected with a particular proxy vote, and 2) ensure that any vote where such conflicts are identified is not improperly influenced by the conflict. The Firm generally believes that its interests are aligned with those of Fund investors through the existence of principal beneficial ownership interests in the Fund. The Firm will generally not seek Fund investor approval or direction when voting proxies. In the event that a potential conflict of interest in voting proxies is identified, this Proxy Policy provides that AAF may address the conflict by bringing it to the attention of the Committee, a Fund’s Directors, or by taking other action deemed appropriate including by seeking the approval of the Client. For Investment Managers Series Trust II (“IMST II”), the CCO will work with IMST II co-administrators in the preparation and filing of Form N-PX.

 

Record-Keeping Requirements

The CCO, or his designee, is responsible for maintaining files relating to proxies voted by AAF. Records will be maintained and preserved as described in the Maintenance of Books and Records section of this Manual. Clients and Fund investors who would like a copy of the Firm’s Proxy Policy or information regarding how the Firm voted proxies should contact the CCO. Such information will be provided free of charge.

 

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ATTACHMENTS / EXHIBITS

XBRL SCHEMA FILE

XBRL CALCULATION FILE

XBRL DEFINITION FILE

XBRL LABEL FILE

XBRL PRESENTATION FILE

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IDEA: R6.htm

IDEA: fp0080925-3_497ixbrl_htm.xml

IDEA: FilingSummary.xml

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