Form 497 Total Fund Solution

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August 10, 2022 3:03 PM EDT

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Statement of Additional Information

Dated: August 8, 2022

Cromwell Tran Sustainable Focus Fund

Investor Class Shares (LIMAX)

Institutional Class Shares (LIMIX)

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) provides general information about the Cromwell Tran Sustainable Focus Fund (the “Fund”), a series of Total Fund Solution Trust (the “Trust”). This SAI is not a prospectus and should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s current prospectus dated for its Investor Class shares and Institutional Class shares (the “Prospectus”), as supplemented and amended from time to time, which is incorporated herein by reference. The audited financial statements for the most recently completed fiscal year for the Predecessor Fund (defined herein) are also incorporated by reference herein. A copy of the Fund’s annual report and semi-annual report (when available) may be obtained without charge by writing the Fund at the address or toll-free telephone number below, or visit the Fund’s website at www.thecromwellfunds.com.

Cromwell Tran Sustainable Focus Fund

c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services

P.O. Box 701

Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701

1-855-625-7333

TABLE OF CONTENTS


THE TRUST			1
INVESTMENT POLICIES, STRATEGIES AND ASSOCIATED RISKS			2
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS			55
FUNDAMENTAL INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS			55
NON-FUNDAMENTAL INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS			56
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND			56
BOARD OF TRUSTEES			56
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS			58
BOARD OVERSIGHT OF RISK MANAGEMENT			59
TRUSTEE QUALIFICATIONS			59
TRUSTEE OWNERSHIP OF FUND SHARES			60
BOARD COMMITTEES			61
TRUSTEE COMPENSATION			62
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS			62
INVESTMENT ADVISER			63
MANAGER-OF-MANAGERS ARRANGEMENTS			64
INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISER			65
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS			66
SERVICE PROVIDERS			68
FUND ADMINISTRATOR, TRANSFER AGENT AND FUND ACCOUNTANT			68
CUSTODIAN			68
LEGAL COUNSEL			69
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM			69
DISTRIBUTION AND SERVICING OF FUND SHARES			69
DISTRIBUTION (RULE 12b-1) AND SHAREHOLDER SERVICING PLAN			69
RULE 12b-1 DISTRIBUTION FEE			71
SUB-ACCOUNTING SERVICE FEES			71
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE			72
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER			73
CODE OF ETHICS			74
PROXY-VOTING PROCEDURES			74
ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING COMPLIANCE PROGRAM			74
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION			75
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE			76
ADDITIONAL PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION INFORMATION			77
FEDERAL INCOME TAX MATTERS			79
DISTRIBUTIONS			84
COST BASIS REPORTING			85
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS			86
APPENDIX A - PROXY VOTING POLICY			A-1

The Trust

Total Fund Solution (the “Trust”) is a Delaware statutory trust organized on July 29, 2021 and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an open-end management investment company. The Cromwell Tran Sustainable Focus Fund (the “Fund”) is one series, or mutual fund, formed by the Trust. The Fund is a non-diversified series and has its own investment objective and policies. Shares of other series of the Trust are offered in separate prospectuses and SAIs. The Trust may register additional series and offer shares of a new fund or share class under the Trust at any time.

The Trust is authorized to issue an unlimited number of interests (or shares). Interests in the Fund are represented by shares of beneficial interest each with no par value. Each share of the Trust has equal voting rights and liquidation rights, and is voted in the aggregate and not by the series or class of shares except in matters where a separate vote is required by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), or when the matters affect only the interests of a particular series or class of shares. When matters are submitted to shareholders for a vote, each shareholder is entitled to one vote for each full share owned and fractional votes for fractional shares owned. Shares of each series or class generally vote together, except when required under federal securities laws to vote separately on matters that only affect a particular class. The Trust does not normally hold annual meetings of shareholders. The Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board” or the “Board of Trustees”) shall promptly call and give notice of a meeting of shareholders for the purpose of voting upon removal of any trustee when requested to do so in writing by shareholders holding 10% or more of the Trust’s outstanding shares.

Each share of the Fund represents an equal proportionate interest in the assets and liabilities belonging to the Fund and is entitled to such distributions out of the income belonging to the Fund as are declared by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees has the authority from time to time to divide or combine the shares of any series into a greater or lesser number of shares of that series so long as the proportionate beneficial interests in the assets belonging to that series and the rights of shares of any other series are in no way affected. Additionally, in case of any liquidation of a series, the shareholders of the series being liquidated are entitled to receive a distribution out of the assets, net of the liabilities, belonging to that series. Expenses attributable to any series or class are borne by that series or class. Any general expenses of the Trust not readily identifiable as belonging to a particular series or class are allocated by, or under the direction of, the Board of Trustees on the basis of relative net assets, the number of shareholders or another equitable method. No shareholder is liable to further calls or to assessment by the Trust without his or her express consent.

With respect to the Fund, the Trust may offer more than one class of shares. The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has adopted a multiple class plan under Rule 18f-3 under the 1940 Act, detailing the attributes of each Fund’s share classes. Each share of a series or class represents an equal proportionate interest in that series or class with each other share of that series or class. Currently, the Fund offers the following classes of shares: Investor Class and Institutional Class.

The assets of the Fund received for the issue or sale of its shares, and all income, earnings, profits and proceeds thereof, subject only to the rights of creditors, shall constitute the underlying assets of the Fund. In the event of the dissolution or liquidation of the Fund, the shareholders of the Fund are entitled to share pro rata in the net assets of the Fund available for distribution to shareholders.

Cromwell Investment Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. The Fund is the successor to the Tran Capital Sustainable Focused Fund, a series of FundVantage Trust (the “Predecessor Fund”). Pursuant to a reorganization effective after the close of business on August 5, 2022 (the “Reorganization”). From the Predecessor Fund’s inception to September 15, 2017, the Fund’s name

was the “Lateef Fund.” From September 16, 2017 to February 6, 2020, the Predecessor Fund’s name was the “Lateef Focused Growth Fund.” From February 7, 2020 to April 14, 2021 the Predecessor Fund’s name was “Lateef Focused Sustainable Growth Fund.”

Class A, Class C and Institutional Class shares commenced operations (through the Predecessor Fund) on September 6, 2007. Effective August 30, 2019, Class C shares were converted to Class A shares.

Investment Policies, Strategies and Associated Risks

Investment Objective

The investment objective of the Fund is to provide principal preservation and long-term capital appreciation.

There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The following discussion supplements the description of the Fund’s investment objective and principal investment strategies set forth in the Prospectus. Except for the fundamental investment restrictions listed below (see “Investment Restrictions - Fundamental Investment Restrictions” below), the Fund’s investment strategies and policies are not fundamental and may be changed by the sole action of the Board of Trustees, without shareholder approval. The Fund’s investment objective and strategies may be changed without the approval of the Fund’s shareholders upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders. While the Fund is permitted to hold securities and to engage in various strategies as described hereafter, it is not obligated to do so.

Whenever an investment policy or limitation states a maximum percentage of the Fund’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding quality standards, the standard or percentage limitation is determined immediately after and as a result of the Fund’s acquisition or sale of the security or other asset. Accordingly, except with respect to borrowing and illiquid securities, any subsequent changes in values, net assets or other circumstances are not considered when determining whether an investment complies with the Fund’s investment policies and limitations. In addition, if a bankruptcy or other extraordinary event occurs concerning a particular investment by the Fund, the Fund may receive securities, real estate or other investments that the Fund would not, or could not, buy. If this happens, the Fund will sell these investments as soon as reasonably practicable while trying to maximize the return to Fund shareholders.

Diversification

The Fund is a non-diversified, open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). As a non-diversified fund, the Fund is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the portion of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer. The Fund, however, intends to maintain the required level of diversification and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “IRC”), to relieve the Fund of any liability for federal income tax to the extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders. The IRC test applies at the end of each fiscal quarter and generally requires that at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets be represented by the types of assets that satisfy the asset diversification requirement imposed by the 1940 Act. In addition, no more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s assets may be invested in the securities of any one issuer. Stocks of particular issuers, or issuers in particular industries, may dominate the investment portfolio of the Fund, which may adversely affect the performance of the Fund or subject it to greater price volatility than that experienced by more diversified investment companies.

General Market Risks

Global economies and financial markets are increasingly interconnected, which increases the probabilities that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact issuers in a different country or region. In some cases, the stock prices of individual companies have been negatively impacted even though there may be little or no apparent degradation in the financial condition or prospects of that company. As a result of this volatility, many of the risks associated with an investment in the Fund may be increased. Continuing market problems may have adverse effects on the Fund.

Cyber Security

With the increasing use of the Internet and technology in connection with the Fund’s operations, the Fund is susceptible to greater operational and information security risks through breaches in cyber security. Cyber security breaches include, without limitation, infection by computer viruses and unauthorized access to the Fund’s systems through “hacking” or other means for the purpose of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operations to be disrupted. Cyber security breaches may also occur in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as denial-of-service attacks or situations where authorized individuals intentionally or unintentionally release confidential information stored on the Fund’s systems. A cyber security breach may cause disruptions and impact the Fund’s business operations, which could potentially result in financial losses, inability to determine the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), violation of applicable law, regulatory penalties and/or fines, compliance and other costs. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result. In addition, because the Fund works closely with third-party service providers (e.g., custodians), indirect cyber security breaches at such third-party service providers may subject Fund shareholders to the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Further, indirect cyber security breaches at an issuer of securities in which the Fund invests may similarly negatively impact Fund shareholders because of a decrease in the value of these securities. While the Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security breaches, there can be no assurances that such measures will be successful particularly since the Fund does not control the cyber security systems of issuers or third-party service providers.

Arbitrage

The Fund may sell a security that it owns in one market and simultaneously purchase the same security in another market, or it may buy a security in one market and simultaneously sell it in another market, in order to take advantage of differences in the price of the security in the different markets. The Fund does not actively engage in arbitrage. Such transactions are generally entered into with respect to debt securities and occur in a dealer’s market where the buying and selling dealers involved confirm their prices to the Fund at the time of the transaction, thus eliminating any risk to the assets of the Fund. Such transactions, which involve costs to the Fund, may be limited by the policy of the Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).

Bank Obligations

The Fund may invest in certificates of deposit (“CDs”), time deposits, bankers’ acceptances, and other short-term debt obligations issued by commercial banks or savings and loan institutions (“S&Ls”).

CDs are certificates evidencing the obligation of a bank or S&L to repay funds deposited with it for a specified period of time at a specified rate of return. If a CD is non-negotiable, it may be considered illiquid and will be subject to the Fund’s restriction on investments in illiquid securities.

Time deposits in banking institutions are generally similar to CDs, but are uncertificated. Time deposits that may be held by the Fund will not benefit from insurance administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”). Bank time deposits are monies kept on deposit with U.S. or foreign banks (and their subsidiaries and branches) or U.S. S&Ls for a stated period of time at a fixed rate of interest. There may be penalties for the early withdrawal of such time deposits, in which case the yields of these investments will be reduced. Time deposits maturing in more than seven days and/or subject to withdrawal penalties will be subject to the Fund’s restriction on investments in illiquid securities.

Fixed time deposits are bank obligations payable at a stated maturity date and bearing interest at a fixed rate. Fixed time deposits may be withdrawn on demand by the investor, but may be subject to early withdrawal penalties that vary depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligation. These instruments reflect the obligation both of the bank and of the drawer to pay the full amount of the instrument upon maturity. There are no contractual restrictions on the right to transfer a beneficial interest in a fixed time deposit to a third party, although there generally is no market for such deposits.

Bankers’ acceptances are credit instruments evidencing the obligation of a bank or S&L to pay a draft drawn on it by a customer, usually in connection with international commercial transactions. Bankers’ acceptances are short-term credit instruments used to finance commercial transactions. Generally, an acceptance is a time draft drawn on a bank by an exporter or an importer to obtain a stated amount of funds to pay for specific merchandise. The draft is then “accepted” by a bank that, in effect, unconditionally guarantees to pay the face value of the instrument on its maturity date. The acceptance may then be held by the accepting bank as an asset, or it may be sold in the secondary market at the going rate of interest for a specific maturity.

As a result of governmental regulations, U.S. branches of U.S. banks, among other things, generally are required to maintain specified levels of reserves, and are subject to other supervision and regulation designed to promote financial soundness. U.S. S&Ls are supervised and subject to examination by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. U.S. S&Ls are insured by the Deposit Insurance Fund, which is administered by the FDIC and backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

Obligations of foreign banks involve somewhat different investment risks than those affecting obligations of U.S. banks, including: (i) the possibilities that their liquidity could be impaired because of future political and economic developments; (ii) their obligations may be less marketable than comparable obligations of U.S. banks; (iii) a foreign jurisdiction might impose withholding taxes on interest income payable on those obligations; (iv) foreign deposits may be seized or nationalized; (v) foreign governmental restrictions, such as exchange controls, may be adopted which might adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on those obligations; and (vi) the selection of those obligations may be more difficult because there may be less publicly available information concerning foreign banks or the accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements applicable to foreign banks may differ from those applicable to U.S. banks. Foreign banks are not generally subject to examination by any U.S. government agency or instrumentality.

See “Cash Equivalents” for more information.

Borrowing

The Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, or otherwise limited herein, as such may be interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time. This borrowing may be unsecured. The 1940 Act precludes the Fund from borrowing if, as a result of such borrowing, the total amount of all money borrowed by the Fund exceeds 33 1/3% of the value of its total

assets (that is, total assets including borrowings, less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) at the time of such borrowings. This means that the 1940 Act requires the Fund to maintain continuous asset coverage of 300% of the amount borrowed. 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 to sell securities at that time, and could cause the Fund to be unable to meet certain requirements for qualification as a RIC under the Code.

Borrowing tends to exaggerate the effect on the Fund’s NAV per share of any changes in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. Money borrowed will be subject to interest costs, which may or may not be recovered by earnings on the securities purchased. The Fund also may be required to maintain minimum average balances in connection with a borrowing or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit. Either of these requirements would increase the cost of borrowing over the stated interest rate.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) takes the position that other transactions that have a leveraging effect on the capital structure of the Fund or are economically equivalent to borrowing can be viewed as constituting a form of borrowing by the Fund for purposes of the 1940 Act. These transactions can include entering into reverse repurchase agreements, engaging in mortgage dollar roll transactions, selling securities short (other than short sales “against the box”), buying and selling certain derivatives (such as futures contracts), selling (or writing) put and call options, engaging in sale-buybacks, entering into firm-commitment and standby-commitment agreements, engaging in when-issued, delayed-delivery, to-be-announced securities, or forward-commitment transactions, and other trading practices that have a leveraging effect on the capital structure of the Fund or are economically equivalent to borrowing. A borrowing transaction will not be considered to constitute the issuance of a “senior security” by the Fund, and therefore such transaction will not be subject to the 300% asset coverage requirement otherwise applicable to borrowings by the Fund, if the Fund (1) maintains an offsetting financial position, (2) maintains liquid assets equal (as determined on a daily marked-to-market basis) in value to the Fund’s potential economic exposure under the borrowing transaction, or (3) otherwise “covers” the transaction in accordance with applicable SEC guidance (collectively, “covers” the transaction). Liquid assets are maintained to cover “senior securities transactions.” The value of the Fund’s “senior securities” holdings are marked-to-market daily to ensure proper coverage. The Fund may have to buy or sell a security at a disadvantageous time or price in order to cover a borrowing transaction. In addition, assets being maintained to cover “senior securities” transactions may not be available to satisfy redemptions or for other purposes.

Brady Bonds

The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in Brady Bonds. Brady Bonds are sovereign bonds issued under the framework of the Brady Plan, an initiative announced by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Nicholas F. Brady in 1989 as a mechanism for debtor nations to restructure their outstanding external commercial bank indebtedness. In restructuring its external debt under the Brady Plan framework, a debtor nation negotiates with its existing bank lenders as well as multilateral institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (the “IMF”). The Brady Plan framework, as it has developed, contemplates the exchange of commercial bank debt for newly issued Brady Bonds. Brady Bonds may also be issued in respect of new money being advanced by existing lenders in connection with the debt restructuring. The World Bank and the IMF support the restructuring by providing funds pursuant to loan agreements or other arrangements, which enable the debtor nation to collateralize the new Brady Bonds or to repurchase outstanding bank debt at a discount. Brady Bonds are not considered U.S. government securities.

Brady Bonds may be collateralized or uncollateralized and are issued in various currencies (primarily the U.S. dollar). U.S. dollar-denominated, collateralized Brady Bonds, which may be fixed rate par bonds or floating rate discount bonds, are generally collateralized in full as to principal by U.S. Treasury zero coupon bonds having the same maturity as the Brady Bonds. Interest payments on these Brady Bonds generally are collateralized on a one-year or longer rolling-forward basis by cash or securities in an amount that, in the case of fixed rate bonds, is equal to at least one year of interest payments or, in the case of floating rate bonds, initially is equal to at least one year’s interest payments based on the applicable interest rate at that time and is adjusted at regular intervals thereafter. Certain Brady Bonds are entitled to “value recovery payments” in certain circumstances, which in effect constitute supplemental interest payments but generally are not collateralized. Brady Bonds are often viewed as having three or four valuation components: (1) the collateralized repayment of principal at final maturity; (2) the collateralized interest payments; (3) the uncollateralized interest payments; and (4) any uncollateralized repayment of principal at maturity (these uncollateralized amounts constitute the “residual risk”).

Brady Bonds involve various risk factors, including the history of defaults with respect to commercial bank loans by public and private entities of countries issuing Brady Bonds. Investments in Brady Bonds are to be viewed as speculative. There can be no assurance that Brady Bonds in which the Fund may invest will not be subject to restructuring arrangements or to requests for new credit, which may cause the Fund to suffer a loss of interest or principal on any of its holdings.

Cash Equivalents

To the extent permitted by its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in cash equivalents. Cash equivalents include U.S. government securities, CDs, bank time deposits, bankers’ acceptances, repurchase agreements and commercial paper, each of which is discussed in more detail herein. Cash equivalents may include short-term fixed-income securities issued by private and governmental institutions. Repurchase agreements may be considered cash equivalents if the collateral pledged is an obligation of the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities.

Closed-End Funds

The Fund may invest in shares of closed-end funds. Closed-end funds are investment companies that generally do not continuously offer their shares for sale. Rather, closed-end funds typically trade on a secondary market, such as the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) or the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. (“NASDAQ”). Closed-end funds are subject to management risk because the adviser to the closed-end fund may be unsuccessful in meeting the fund’s investment objective. Moreover, an investment in a closed-end fund generally reflects the risks of the closed-end fund’s underlying portfolio securities. Closed-end funds may also trade at a discount or premium to their NAV and may trade at a larger discount or smaller premium subsequent to purchase by the Fund. Closed-end funds may trade infrequently and with small volume, which may make it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell shares. Closed-end funds are subject to management fees and other expenses that may increase their cost versus the costs of owning the underlying securities. Since closed-end funds trade on exchanges, the Fund may also incur brokerage expenses and commissions when it buys or sells closed-end fund shares.

Collateralized Debt Obligations

The Fund may invest in each of collateralized bond obligations (“CBOs”), collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”), other collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) and other similarly structured securities. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is often backed by a diversified pool of high risk, below investment grade fixed-income securities. The collateral can be from many different types of fixed-income securities, such as high yield debt, residential privately issued mortgage-related securities, commercial privately issued mortgage-related securities, trust

preferred securities and emerging market debt. 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. Other CDOs are trusts backed by other types of assets representing obligations of various parties. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs may charge management fees and administrative expenses.

For CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs, 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 from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Since they are partially protected from defaults, senior tranches from a CBO trust, CLO trust or trust of another CDO typically have higher ratings and lower yields than their underlying securities, and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CBO, CLO or other CDO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CBO, CLO or other CDO securities as a class.

The risks of an investment in a CBO, CLO or other CDO depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the instrument in which the Fund invests. Normally, CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities, however an active dealer market may exist for CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs allowing them to qualify for Rule 144A transactions. In addition to the normal risks associated with debt or fixed-income securities discussed elsewhere in this SAI and the Fund’s Prospectus (e.g., interest rate risk and default risk), CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs carry additional risks including, but not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the risk that Fund may invest in CBOs, CLOs or other CDOs that are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.

Combined Transactions

Combined transactions involve entering into multiple derivatives transactions (such as multiple options transactions, including purchasing and writing options in combination with each other; multiple futures transactions; and combinations of options, futures, forward and swap transactions) instead of a single derivatives transaction in order to customize the risk and return characteristics of the overall position. Combined transactions typically contain elements of risk that are present in each of the component transactions. The Fund may enter into a combined transaction instead of a single derivatives transaction when, in the opinion of the Adviser, it is in the best interest of the Fund to do so. Because combined transactions involve multiple transactions, they may result in higher transaction costs and may be more difficult to close out.

Commercial Paper

The Fund may invest in commercial paper if it is rated at the time of investment in the highest ratings category by a nationally recognized statistical ratings organization (“NRSRO”), such as Prime-1 by Moody’s Investor Services, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or A-1 by Standard & Poor’s Rating Services (“S&P”), or, if not rated by an NRSRO, if the Adviser or Sub-Adviser determines that the commercial paper is of comparable quality.

In addition, unless otherwise stated in the Prospectus or this SAI, the Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in commercial paper if it is rated in the second highest ratings category by an NRSRO, or, if unrated, the Adviser or Sub-Adviser determines that the commercial paper is of comparable quality.

Generally, commercial paper represents short-term (nine months or less) unsecured promissory notes issued (in bearer form) by banks or bank holding companies, corporations and finance companies. A commercial paper rating is not a recommendation to purchase, sell or hold a security inasmuch as it does not comment as to market price or suitability for a particular investor. The ratings are based on current information furnished to rating agencies by the issuer or obtained from other sources the rating agencies consider reliable. The rating agencies do not perform an audit in connection with any rating and may, on occasion, rely on unaudited financial information. The ratings may be changed, suspended, or withdrawn as a result of changes in or unavailability of such information.

See “Cash Equivalents” for more information.

Convertible Securities

The Fund may invest in securities convertible into common stock or the cash value of a single equity security or a basket or index of equity securities. Such investments may be made, for example, if the Sub-Adviser believes that a company’s convertible securities are undervalued in the market. Convertible securities eligible for inclusion in the Fund’s portfolios include convertible bonds, convertible preferred stocks, warrants or notes or other instruments that may be exchanged for cash payable in an amount that is linked to the value of a particular security, basket of securities, index or indices of securities or currencies.

Convertible debt securities, until converted, have the same general characteristics as other fixed-income securities insofar as they generally provide a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than those of equity securities of the same or similar issuers. By permitting the holder to exchange his investment for common stock or the cash value of a security or a basket or index of securities, convertible securities may also enable the investor to benefit from increases in the market price of the underlying securities. Therefore, convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality.

As with all fixed-income securities, the market value of convertible debt securities tends to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, tends to increase as interest rates decline. The unique feature of the convertible security is that as the market price of the underlying common stock declines, a convertible security tends to trade increasingly on a yield basis, and so may not experience market value declines to the same extent as the underlying common stock. When the market price of the underlying common stock increases, the price of a convertible security increasingly reflects the value of the underlying common stock and may rise accordingly. While no securities investment is without some risk, investments in convertible securities generally entail less risk than investments in the common stock of the same issuer. At any given time, investment value is dependent upon such factors as the general level of interest rates, the yield of similar nonconvertible securities, the financial strength of the issuer, and the seniority of the security in the issuer’s capital structure.

Holders of fixed-income securities (including convertible securities) have a claim on the assets of the issuer prior to the holders of common stock in case of liquidation. However, convertible securities are typically subordinated to similar non-convertible securities of the same issuer. Accordingly, convertible securities have unique investment characteristics because: (1) they have relatively high yields as compared to common stocks; (2) they have defensive characteristics since they provide a fixed return

even if the market price of the underlying common stock declines; and (3) they provide the potential for capital appreciation if the market price of the underlying common stock increases.

A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the charter provision or indenture pursuant to which the convertible security is issued. If a convertible security held by the Fund is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to surrender the security for redemption, convert it into the underlying common stock or cash or sell it to a third party.

The Fund may invest in “synthetic” convertible securities. A synthetic convertible security is a derivative position composed of two or more securities whose investment characteristics, taken together, resemble those of traditional convertible securities. Synthetic convertibles are typically offered by financial institutions or investment banks in private placement transactions and are typically sold back to the offering institution. Unlike traditional convertible securities whose conversion values are based on the common stock of the issuer of the convertible security, “synthetic” and “exchangeable” convertible securities are preferred stocks or debt obligations of an issuer which are structured with an embedded equity component whose conversion value is based on the value of the common stocks of two or more different issuers or a particular benchmark (which may include indices, baskets of domestic stocks, commodities, a foreign issuer or basket of foreign stocks, or a company whose stock is not yet publicly traded). The value of a synthetic convertible is the sum of the values of its preferred stock or debt obligation component and its convertible component. Therefore, the values of a synthetic convertible and a true convertible security may respond differently to market fluctuations. In addition, the Fund purchasing a synthetic convertible security may have counterparty (including credit) risk with respect to the financial institution or investment bank that offers the instrument. Purchasing a synthetic convertible security may provide greater flexibility than purchasing a traditional convertible security. Synthetic convertible securities are considered convertible securities for compliance testing purposes.

Credit and Liquidity Enhancements

Issuers may employ various forms of credit and liquidity enhancements, including letters of credit, guarantees, puts, and demand features, and insurance provided by domestic or foreign entities such as banks and other financial institutions. The Sub-Adviser may rely on its evaluation of the credit of the liquidity or credit enhancement provider in determining whether to purchase a security supported by such enhancement. In evaluating the credit of a foreign bank or other foreign entities, the Sub-Adviser will consider whether adequate public information about the entity is available and whether the entity may be subject to unfavorable political or economic developments, currency controls, or other government restrictions that might affect its ability to honor its commitment. Changes in the credit quality of the entity providing the enhancement could affect the value of the security or the Fund’s share price.

Debt Securities

Debt securities may have fixed, variable or floating (including inverse floating) rates of interest. To the extent that the Fund invests in debt securities, it will be subject to certain risks. The value of the debt securities held by the Fund, and thus the NAV of the shares of the Fund, generally will fluctuate depending on a number of factors, including, among others, changes in the perceived creditworthiness of the issuers of those securities, movements in interest rates, the maturity of the Fund’s investments, changes in relative values of the currencies in which the Fund’s investments are denominated relative to the U.S. dollar, and the extent to which the Fund hedges its interest rate, credit and currency exchange rate risks. Generally, a rise in interest rates will reduce the value of fixed-income securities held by the Fund, and a decline in interest rates will increase the value of fixed-income securities held by the Fund. Longer term debt securities generally pay higher interest rates than do shorter term debt securities but also may experience greater price volatility as interest rates change.

The Fund’s investments in U.S. dollar- or foreign currency-denominated corporate debt securities of domestic or foreign issuers are limited to corporate debt securities (corporate bonds, debentures, notes and other similar corporate debt instruments) which meet the credit quality and maturity criteria set forth for the Fund. The rate of return or return of principal on some debt obligations may be linked to indices or stock prices or indexed to the level of exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currency or currencies. Differing yields on corporate fixed-income securities of the same maturity are a function of several factors, including the relative financial strength of the issuers. Higher yields are generally available from securities in the lower rating categories.

Since shares of the Fund represent an investment in securities with fluctuating market prices, the value of shares of the Fund will vary as the aggregate value of the Fund’s portfolio securities increases or decreases. Moreover, the value of lower-rated debt securities that the Fund purchases may fluctuate more than the value of higher-rated debt securities. Lower-rated debt securities generally carry greater risk that the issuer will default on the payment of interest and principal. Lower-rated fixed-income securities generally tend to reflect short term corporate and market developments to a greater extent than higher-rated securities that react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. Changes in the value of securities subsequent to their acquisition will not affect cash income or yields to maturity to the Fund but will be reflected in the NAV of the Fund’s shares.

Corporate debt securities may bear fixed, contingent, or variable rates of interest and may involve equity features, such as conversion or exchange rights or warrants for the acquisition of stock of the same or a different issuer, participations based on revenues, sales or profits, or the purchase of common stock in a unit transaction (where corporate debt securities and common stock are offered as a unit).

When and if available, debt securities may be purchased at a discount from face value. From time to time, the Fund may purchase securities not paying interest or dividends at the time acquired if, in the opinion of the Sub-Adviser, such securities have the potential for future income (or capital appreciation, if any).

Investment grade securities are generally securities rated at the time of purchase Baa3 or better by Moody’s or BBB- or better by S&P or comparable non-rated securities. Non-rated securities will be considered for investment by the Fund when the Sub-Adviser believes that the financial condition of the issuers of such obligations and the protection afforded by the terms of the obligations themselves limit the risk to the Fund to a degree comparable to that of rated securities which are consistent with the Fund’s objective and policies.

Corporate debt securities with a below investment grade rating have speculative characteristics, and changes in economic conditions or individual corporate developments are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to make principal and interest payments than in the case of high grade bonds. If a credit rating agency changes the rating of a portfolio security held by the Fund, the Fund may retain the portfolio security if the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser, where applicable, deems it in the best interest of the Fund’s shareholders.

The ratings of fixed-income securities by an NRSRO are a generally accepted barometer of credit risk. They are, however, subject to certain limitations from an investor’s standpoint. The rating of an issuer is heavily weighted by past developments and does not necessarily reflect future conditions. There is frequently a lag between the time a rating is assigned and the time it is updated. In addition, there may be varying degrees of difference in credit risk of securities in each rating category. The Sub-Adviser will

attempt to reduce the overall portfolio credit risk through diversification and selection of portfolio securities based on considerations mentioned above.

Depositary Receipts and Registered Depositary Certificates

The Fund may invest in securities of non-U.S. issuers directly or in the form of American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) and International Depositary Receipts (“IDRs”), Non-Voting Depositary Receipts (“NVDRs”) or other similar securities representing ownership of securities of non-U.S. issuers held in trust by a bank, exchange or similar financial institution. These securities may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the securities they represent. Designed for use in U.S., European and international securities markets, as applicable, ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, IDRs and NVDRs are alternatives to the purchase of the underlying securities in their national markets and currencies, but are subject to the same risks as the non-U.S. securities to which they relate.

ADRs are receipts typically issued by a U.S. bank or trust company which evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. EDRs and IDRs are receipts issued in Europe typically by non-U.S. banking and trust companies that evidence ownership of either foreign or U.S. securities. GDRs are receipts issued by either a U.S. or non-U.S. banking institution evidencing ownership of the underlying non-U.S. securities. NVDRs are typically issued by an exchange or its affiliate. Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in U.S. securities markets, and EDRs, GDRs, IDRs and NVDRs are designed for use in European and international securities markets. An ADR, EDR, GDR, IDR or NVDR may be denominated in a currency different from the currency in which the underlying foreign security is denominated.

Direct Investments

Direct investments include (i) the private purchase from an enterprise of an equity interest in the enterprise in the form of shares of common stock or equity interests in trusts, partnerships, joint ventures or similar enterprises, and (ii) the purchase of such an equity interest in an enterprise from a principal investor in the enterprise.

Certain direct investments may include investments in smaller, less seasoned companies. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or they may be dependent on a limited management group. Direct investments may also fund new operations for an enterprise which itself is engaged in similar operations or is affiliated with an organization that is engaged in similar operations.

Direct investments may involve a high degree of business and financial risk that can result in substantial losses. Because of the absence of any public trading market for these investments, the direct investments may take longer to liquidate than would be the case for publicly traded securities. Although these securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the prices on these sales could be less than those originally paid. Furthermore, issuers whose securities are not publicly traded may not be subject to public disclosure and other investor protection requirements applicable to publicly traded securities. If such securities are required to be registered under the securities laws of one or more jurisdictions before being resold, the Fund may be required to bear the expense of the registration. Direct investments may be considered illiquid and, in that case, would be aggregated with other illiquid investments for purposes of the limitation on illiquid investments. Direct investments can be difficult to price and may be valued at “fair value” in accordance with valuation policies established by the Board. The pricing of direct investments may not be reflective of the price at which these assets could be liquidated.

Effective Maturity

The Fund may use an effective maturity for determining the maturity of its portfolio. Effective maturity means the average expected repayment date of the portfolio taking into account prospective calls, puts and mortgage pre-payments, in addition to the maturity dates of the securities in the portfolio.

Equity Securities

Common Stock. Common stock represents an equity or ownership interest in an issuer. Common stock typically entitles the owner to vote on the election of directors and other important matters as well as to receive dividends on such stock. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds, other debt holders, and owners of preferred stock take precedence over the claims of those who own common stock.

Preferred Stock. Preferred stock represents an equity or ownership interest in an issuer. Preferred stock normally pays dividends at a specified rate and has precedence over common stock in the event the issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy. However, in the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds take precedence over the claims of those who own preferred and common stock. Preferred stock, unlike common stock, often has a stated dividend rate payable from the issuer’s earnings. Preferred stock dividends may be cumulative or noncumulative, participating or auction rate. “Cumulative” dividend provisions require all or a portion of prior unpaid dividends to be paid before dividends can be paid to the issuer’s common stock. “Participating” preferred stock may be entitled to a dividend exceeding the stated dividend in certain cases. In some cases, preferred stock dividends are not paid at a stated rate and may vary depending on an issuer’s financial performance. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred stocks may be less attractive, causing the price of such stocks to decline. Preferred stock may have mandatory sinking fund provisions, as well as provisions allowing the stock to be called or redeemed, which can limit the benefit of a decline in interest rates. Preferred stock is subject to many of the risks to which common stock and debt securities are subject.

Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Stocks. The general risks associated with equity securities and liquidity risk are particularly pronounced for stocks of companies with market capitalizations that are small compared to other publicly traded companies. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources or they may depend on a few key employees. Stocks of mid-capitalization and small-capitalization companies may trade less frequently and in lesser volume than more widely held securities, and their values may fluctuate more sharply than other securities. They may also trade in the OTC market or on a regional exchange, or may otherwise have limited liquidity. Generally, the smaller the company, the greater these risks become.

Value Stocks. The Fund may invest in companies that may not be expected to experience significant earnings growth, but whose securities the portfolio managers believe are selling at a price lower than their true value. Companies that issue such “value stocks” may have experienced adverse business developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused their securities to be out of favor. The principal risk of investing in value stocks is that they may never reach what the Fund’s portfolio managers believe is their full value or that they may go down in value. If the portfolio managers’ assessment of a company’s prospects is wrong, or if the market does not recognize the value of the company, the price of that company’s stocks may decline or may not approach the value that the portfolio managers anticipate.

Eurocurrency Instruments

The Fund may make investments in Eurocurrency instruments. Eurocurrency instruments are futures contracts or options thereon which are linked to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) or to the

interbank rates offered in other financial centers. Eurocurrency futures contracts enable purchasers to obtain a fixed rate for the lending of funds and sellers to obtain a fixed rate for borrowings. The Fund may use Eurocurrency futures contracts and options thereon to hedge against changes in SOFR and other interbank rates, to which many interest rate swaps and fixed-income instruments are linked. To the extent SOFR is no longer available, the Fund will seek alternative rates. It is possible that the FCA may compel the IBA to publish a subset of SOFR settings after these dates on a “synthetic” basis, but any such publications would be considered non-representative of the underlying market. The transition away from SOFR may result in, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments based on SOFR and changes in the value of some SOFR-based investments or the effectiveness of new hedges existing SOFR-based investments, particularly insofar as the documentation governing such instruments does not include “fall back” provisions addressing the transition from SOFR. Uncertainty and volatility arising from the transition may result in a reduction in the value of certain SOFR-based instruments held by the Fund or reduce the effectiveness of related transactions. Any such effects of the transition away from SOFR, as well as other unforeseen effects, could result in losses to the Fund and may adversely affect the Fund’s performance or net asset value.

Exchange-Traded Funds

The Fund may invest in shares of exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). ETFs are investment companies that trade like stocks. (See also “Investment Companies.”) Like stocks, shares of ETFs are not traded at NAV, but may trade at prices above or below the value of their underlying portfolios. The price of an ETF is derived from and based upon the securities held by the ETF. Accordingly, the level of risk involved in the purchase or sale of an ETF is similar to the risk involved in the purchase or sale of a traditional common stock, except that the pricing mechanism for an ETF is based on a basket of stocks. Thus, the risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities it is designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in its being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying ETFs purchased or sold by the Fund could result in losses on the Fund’s investment in ETFs. ETFs also have management fees that increase their costs versus the costs of owning the underlying securities directly. A portfolio manager may from time to time invest in ETFs, primarily as a means of gaining exposure for the Fund to the equity market without investing in individual common stocks, particularly in the context of managing cash flows into the Fund or where access to a local market is restricted or not cost-effective. The Fund may invest in certain ETFs that have obtained exemptive orders from the SEC that permit registered investment companies such as the Fund to invest in those ETFs beyond the limits of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act, subject to certain terms and conditions. Ordinarily, Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act limits a Fund’s investments in a single ETF to 5% of its total assets and in all ETFs to 10% of its total assets. In reliance on such exemptive orders, the Fund may generally invest in excess of these 5% and 10% limitations in a single ETF or in multiple ETFs, respectively. The Fund may also rely on Rule 12d1-4 of the 1940 Act, which provides am exemption from section 12(d)(1) that allows a Fund to invest all of its assets in other registered investment companies, including ETFs, if the Fund satisfies certain conditions specified in the Rule. For additional information, see “Investment Companies” below.

The Fund may invest its net assets in ETFs that invest in securities similar to those in which the Fund may invest directly, and count such holdings towards various guideline tests.

The Fund may invest in ETFs to gain broad market, sector or asset class exposure, including during periods when it has large amounts of uninvested cash or when the Sub-Adviser believes share prices of ETFs offer attractive values, subject to any applicable investment restrictions in the Prospectus and this SAI.

ETFs generally do not sell or redeem their shares for cash, and most investors do not purchase or redeem shares directly from an ETF at all. Instead, an ETF issues and redeems its shares in large blocks called “creation units.” Creation units are issued to anyone who deposits a specified portfolio of the ETF’s underlying securities, as well as a cash payment generally equal to accumulated dividends on the securities (net of expenses) up to the time of deposit. Creation units are redeemed in kind for a portfolio of the underlying securities (based on the ETF’s NAV) together with a cash payment generally equal to accumulated dividends on the date of redemption. Most ETF investors purchase and sell ETF shares in the secondary trading market on a securities exchange in lots of any size, at any time during the trading day. ETF investors generally pay a brokerage fee for each purchase or sale of ETF shares, including purchases made to reinvest dividends.

Because ETF shares are created from the securities of an underlying portfolio and may be redeemed for the securities of an underlying portfolio on any day, arbitrage traders may move to profit from any price discrepancies between the shares and the ETF’s portfolio, which in turn helps to close the price gap between the two. Because of supply and demand and other market factors, there may be times during which an ETF share trades at a premium or discount to its NAV.

The Fund intends to be a long-term investor in ETFs and does not intend to purchase and redeem creation units to take advantage of short-term arbitrage opportunities. However, the Fund may redeem creation units for the underlying securities (and any applicable cash) and may assemble a portfolio of the underlying securities to be used (with any required cash) to purchase creation units, if the Sub-Adviser believes that it is in the Fund’s best interest to do so. The Fund’s ability to redeem creation units may be limited by the 1940 Act, which provides that ETFs are not obligated to redeem shares held by the Fund in an amount exceeding 1% of their total outstanding securities during any period of less than 30 days.

The Fund will invest in ETF shares only if the ETF is registered as an investment company under the 1940 Act (see “Investment Companies” below). If an ETF in which the Fund invests ceases to be a registered investment company, the Fund will dispose of the securities of the ETF. Furthermore, in connection with its investment in ETF shares, the Fund incurs various costs. The Fund may also realize capital gains or losses when ETF shares are sold, and the purchase and sale of the ETF shares may generate a brokerage commission that may result in costs. In addition, the Fund will be subject to other fees as an investor in ETFs. Generally, those fees include, but are not limited to, trustee fees, operating expenses, licensing fees, registration fees and marketing expenses, each of which will be reflected in the NAV of the ETF and therefore its shares.

There is a risk that an ETF in which the Fund invests may terminate due to extraordinary events that may cause service providers to the ETF, such as the trustee or sponsor, to close or otherwise fail to perform their obligations to the ETF. Also, because the ETFs in which the Fund may principally invest are granted licenses to use the relevant indices as a basis for determining their compositions and otherwise to use certain trade names, the ETFs may terminate if the license agreements are terminated. In addition, an ETF may terminate if its NAV falls below a certain amount.

Aggressive ETF Investment Technique Risk. ETFs may use investment techniques and financial instruments that could be considered aggressive, including the use of futures contracts, options on futures contracts, securities and indices, forward contracts, swap agreements and similar instruments. An ETF’s investment in financial instruments may involve a small investment relative to the amount of investment exposure assumed and may result in losses exceeding the amounts invested in those instruments. Such instruments, particularly when used to create leverage, may expose the ETF to potentially dramatic changes (losses or gains) in the value of the instruments and imperfect correlation between the value of

the instruments and the relevant security or index. The use of aggressive investment techniques also exposes an ETF to risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities contained in an index underlying the ETF’s benchmark, including: (1) the risk that an instrument is temporarily mispriced; (2) credit, performance or documentation risk on the amount each ETF expects to receive from a counterparty; (3) the risk that securities prices, interest rates and currency markets will move adversely and an ETF will incur significant losses; (4) imperfect correlation between the price of financial instruments and movements in the prices of the underlying securities; (5) the risk that the cost of holding a financial instrument may exceed its total return; and (6) the possible absence of a liquid secondary market for any particular instrument and possible exchange-imposed price fluctuation limits, both of which may make it difficult or impossible to adjust an ETF’s position in a particular instrument when desired.

Inverse Correlation ETF Risk. ETFs benchmarked to an inverse multiple of an index generally lose value as the index or security underlying such ETF’s benchmark is increasing (gaining value), a result that is the opposite from conventional mutual funds.

Leveraged ETF Risk. Leverage offers a means of magnifying market movements into larger changes in an investment’s value and provides greater investment exposure than an unleveraged investment. While only certain ETFs employ leverage, many may use leveraged investment techniques for investment purposes. The ETFs that employ leverage will normally lose more money in adverse market environments than ETFs that do not employ leverage.

Firm or Standby Commitments — Obligations with Puts Attached

The Fund may from time to time purchase securities on a “firm commitment” or “standby commitment” basis. Such transactions might be entered into, for example, when the Sub-Adviser of the Fund anticipates a decline in the yield of securities of a given issuer and is able to obtain a more advantageous yield by committing currently to purchase securities to be issued or delivered later.

Securities purchased on a firm commitment basis are purchased for delivery beyond the normal settlement date at a stated price and yield. Delivery of and payment for these securities can take place a month or more after the date of the purchase commitment. No income accrues to the purchaser of a security on a firm commitment basis prior to delivery. Such securities are recorded as an asset and are subject to changes in value based upon changes in the general level of interest rates. Purchasing a security on a firm commitment basis can involve a risk that the market price at the time of delivery may be lower than the agreed upon purchase price, in which case there could be an unrealized loss at the time of delivery. The Fund will generally make commitments to purchase securities on a firm commitment basis with the intention of actually acquiring the securities, but may sell them before the settlement date if it is deemed advisable. Liquid assets are maintained to cover “senior securities” transactions which may include, but are not limited to, the Fund’s commitments to purchase securities on a firm commitment basis. The value of the Fund’s “senior securities” holdings are marked-to-market daily to ensure proper coverage.

The Fund may purchase securities together with the right to resell the securities to the seller at an agreed-upon price or yield within a specified period prior to the maturity date of the securities. Although it is not a put option in the usual sense, such a right to resell is commonly known as a “put” and is also referred to as a “standby commitment.” The Fund may pay for a standby commitment either separately in cash, or in the form of a higher price for the securities that are acquired subject to the standby commitment, thus increasing the cost of securities and reducing the yield otherwise available from the same security. The Sub-Adviser understands that the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) has issued a revenue ruling to the effect that, under specified circumstances, a RIC will be the owner of municipal obligations acquired

subject to a put option. The IRS has subsequently announced that it will not ordinarily issue advance ruling letters as to the identity of the true owner of property in cases involving the sale of securities or participation interests therein if the purchaser has the right to cause the security, or the participation interest therein, to be purchased by either the seller or a third party. The Fund intends to take the position that it is the owner of any debt securities acquired subject to a standby commitment; however, no assurance can be given that this position would prevail if challenged. In addition, there is no assurance that firm or standby commitments will be available to the Fund, nor will the Fund assume that such commitments would continue to be available under all market conditions.

A standby commitment may not be used to affect the Fund’s valuation of the security underlying the commitment. Any consideration paid by the Fund for the standby commitment, whether paid in cash or by paying a premium for the underlying security, which increases the cost of the security and reduces the yield otherwise available from the same security, will be accounted for by the Fund as unrealized depreciation until the standby commitment is exercised or has expired.

Firm and standby transactions are entered into in order to secure what is considered to be an advantageous price and yield to the Fund and not for purposes of leveraging the Fund’s assets. However, the Fund will not accrue any income on these securities prior to delivery. The value of firm and standby commitment agreements may vary prior to and after delivery depending on market conditions and changes in interest rate levels. If the other party to a delayed delivery transaction fails to deliver or pay for the securities, the Fund could miss a favorable price or yield opportunity or could suffer a loss. The Fund may dispose of or renegotiate a delayed delivery transaction after it is entered into.

The Fund does not believe that its NAV per share or income will be exposed to additional risk by the purchase of securities on a firm or standby commitment basis. At the time the Fund makes the commitment to purchase a security on a firm or standby commitment basis, it will record the transaction and reflect the amount due and the value of the security in determining its NAV per share. The market value of the firm or standby commitment securities may be more or less than the purchase price payable at the settlement date. The Board does not believe that the Fund’s NAV or income will be exposed to additional risk by the purchase of securities on a firm or standby commitment basis.

Floating and Variable Rate Securities

The Fund may invest in floating and variable rate debt instruments. Floating and variable rate securities provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the obligations. The terms of such obligations must provide that interest rates are adjusted periodically based upon an interest rate adjustment index as provided in the respective obligations. The adjustment intervals may be regular and range from daily up to annually, or may be based on an event, such as a change in the prime rate.

Some variable or floating rate securities are structured with liquidity features such as (1) put options or tender options that permit holders (sometimes subject to conditions) to demand payment of the unpaid principal balance plus accrued interest from the issuers or certain financial intermediaries or (2) auction rate features, remarketing provisions, or other maturity-shortening devices designed to enable the issuer to refinance or redeem outstanding debt securities (market-dependent liquidity features). Variable or floating rate securities that include market-dependent liquidity features may have greater liquidity risk than other securities, due to (for example) the failure of a market-dependent liquidity feature to operate as intended (as a result of the issuer’s declining creditworthiness, adverse market conditions, or other factors) or the inability or unwillingness of a participating broker-dealer to make a secondary market for such securities. As a result, variable or floating rate securities that include market-dependent liquidity

features may lose value, and the holders of such securities may be required to retain them until the later of the repurchase date, the resale date, or maturity.

The interest rate on a floating rate debt instrument (“floater”) is a variable rate that is tied to another interest rate, such as a money-market index or a Treasury bill rate. The interest rate on a floater may reset periodically, typically every three to six months, or whenever a specified interest rate changes. While, because of the interest rate reset feature, floaters may provide the Fund with a certain degree of protection against rises in interest rates, the Fund will participate in any declines in interest rates as well.

The Fund may invest in leveraged inverse floating rate debt instruments (“inverse floaters”). The interest rate on an inverse floater resets in the opposite direction from the market rate of interest to which the inverse floater is indexed. An inverse floater may be considered to be leveraged to the extent that its interest rate varies by a magnitude that exceeds the magnitude of the change in the index rate of interest. The higher degree of leverage inherent in inverse floaters is associated with greater volatility in their market values. Accordingly, the duration of an inverse floater may exceed its stated final maturity. Certain inverse floaters may be determined to be illiquid securities for purposes of the Fund’s limitation on investments in such securities.

Foreign Currency Transactions (Forward Contracts)

A foreign currency forward exchange contract (a “forward contract”) involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days (usually less than one year) from the contract date, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts may be used to gain exposure to a particular currency or to hedge against the risk of loss due to changing currency exchange rates. Forward contracts to purchase or sell a foreign currency may also be used by the Fund in anticipation of future purchases (or in settlement of such purchases) or sales of securities denominated in foreign currency, even if the specific investments have not yet been selected. Forward currency contracts may also be used to exchange one currency for another, including to repatriate foreign currency. A forward contract generally has no deposit requirement and no commissions are charged at any stage for trades. Although foreign exchange dealers do not charge a fee for conversion, they do realize a profit based on the difference (the spread) between the price at which they are buying and selling various currencies. Although these contracts are intended, when used for hedging purposes, to minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currencies, they also tend to limit any potential gain which might result should the value of such currencies increase. Liquid assets are maintained to cover “senior securities transactions” which may include, but are not limited to, the Fund’s foreign currency transactions. The value of the Fund’s “senior securities” holdings are marked-to-market daily to ensure proper coverage.

Foreign currency transactions in which the Fund may engage include foreign currency forward contracts, currency exchange transactions on a spot (i.e., cash) basis, put and call options on foreign currencies, and foreign exchange futures contracts. The Fund also may use foreign currency transactions to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one country to another.

To the extent that the Fund invests in foreign securities, it may enter into foreign currency forward contracts in order to increase its return by trading in foreign currencies and/or protect against uncertainty in the level of future foreign currency exchange rates. The Fund may also enter into contracts to purchase foreign currencies to protect against an anticipated rise in the U.S. dollar price of securities it intends to purchase and may enter into contracts to sell foreign currencies to protect against the decline in value of its foreign currency-denominated portfolio securities due to a decline in the value of the foreign

currencies against the U.S. dollar. In addition, the Fund may use one currency (or a basket of currencies) to hedge against adverse changes in the value of another currency (or a basket of currencies) when exchange rates between the two currencies are correlated.

Normally, consideration of fair value exchange rates will be incorporated in a longer-term investment decision made with regard to overall diversification strategies. However, the Sub-Adviser believes that it is important to have the flexibility to enter into such forward contracts when they determine that the best interest of the Fund will be served by entering into such a contract. Set forth below are examples of some circumstances in which the Fund might employ a foreign currency transaction. When the Fund enters into, or anticipates entering into, a contract for the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency, it may desire to “lock in” the U.S. dollar price of the security. By entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars, of the amount of foreign currency involved in the underlying security transaction, the Fund will be able to insulate itself from a possible loss resulting from a change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the subject foreign currency during the period between the date on which the security is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received, although the Fund would also forego any gain it might have realized had rates moved in the opposite direction. This technique is sometimes referred to as a “settlement” hedge or “transaction” hedge.

When the Sub-Adviser believes that the currency of a particular foreign country may suffer a substantial decline against the U.S. dollar, it may enter into a forward contract to sell, for a fixed amount of dollars, an amount of foreign currency approximating the value of some or all of the Fund’s portfolio securities denominated in such foreign currency. Such a hedge (sometimes referred to as a “position” hedge) will tend to offset both positive and negative currency fluctuations, but will not offset changes in security values caused by other factors. The Fund also may hedge the same position by using another currency (or a basket of currencies) expected to perform in a manner substantially similar to the hedged currency, which may be less costly than a direct hedge. This type of hedge, sometimes referred to as a “proxy hedge,” could offer advantages in terms of cost, yield, or efficiency, but generally would not hedge currency exposure as effectively as a direct hedge into U.S. dollars. Proxy hedges may result in losses if the currency used to hedge does not perform similarly to the currency in which the hedged securities are denominated. A proxy hedge entails greater risk than a direct hedge because it is dependent on a stable relationship between the two currencies paired, as proxies, and the relationship can be very unstable at times. The precise matching of the forward contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be possible since the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of those securities between the date the forward contract is entered into and the date it matures. With respect to positions that constitute “transaction” or “position” hedges (including “proxy” hedges), the Fund will not enter into forward contracts to sell currency or maintain a net exposure to such contracts if the consummation of such contracts would obligate the Fund to deliver an amount of foreign currency in excess of the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities or other assets denominated in that currency (or the related currency, in the case of a “proxy” hedge).

The Fund also may enter into forward contracts to shift its investment exposure from one currency into another currency that is expected to perform inversely with respect to the hedged currency relative to the U.S. dollar. This type of strategy, sometimes known as a “cross-currency” hedge, will tend to reduce or eliminate exposure to the currency that is sold, and increase exposure to the currency that is purchased, much as if the Fund had sold a security denominated in one currency and purchased an equivalent security denominated in another. “Cross-currency” hedges protect against losses resulting from a decline in the hedged currency but will cause the Fund to assume the risk of fluctuations in the value of the currency it purchases.

The Fund may also enter into currency transactions to profit from changing exchange rates based upon the Sub-Adviser’s assessment of likely exchange rate movements. These transactions will not necessarily hedge existing or anticipated holdings of foreign securities and may result in a loss if the Sub-Adviser’s currency assessment is incorrect.

At the consummation of the forward contract, the Fund may either make delivery of the foreign currency or terminate its contractual obligation to deliver the foreign currency by purchasing an offsetting contract obligating it to purchase at the same maturity date the same amount of such foreign currency. If the Fund chooses to make delivery of the foreign currency, it may be required to obtain such currency for delivery through the sale of portfolio securities denominated in such currency or through conversion of other assets of the Fund into such currency. If the Fund engages in an offsetting transaction, the Fund will realize a gain or a loss to the extent that there has been a change in forward contract prices. Closing purchase transactions with respect to forward contracts are usually effected with the currency trader who is a party to the original forward contract. The Fund will only enter into such a forward contract if it is expected that there will be a liquid market in which to close out the contract. However, there can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist in which to close a forward contract, in which case the Fund may suffer a loss.

When the Fund has sold a foreign currency, a similar process would be followed at the consummation of the forward contract. Of course, the Fund is not required to enter into such transactions with regard to its foreign currency-denominated securities and will not do so unless deemed appropriate by the Sub-Adviser.

In cases of transactions which constitute “transaction” or “settlement” hedges or “position” hedges (including “proxy” hedges) or “cross-currency” hedges that involve the purchase and sale of two different foreign currencies directly through the same foreign currency contract, the Fund may deem its forward currency hedge position to be covered by underlying portfolio securities or may maintain liquid assets in an amount at least equal in value to the Fund’s sum of the unrealized gain and loss for each contract. As with forward contracts, liquid assets are maintained to cover “senior securities transactions” which may include, but are not limited to, the Fund’s forward contracts. The value of the Fund’s “senior securities” holdings are marked-to-market daily to ensure proper coverage. In the case of “anticipatory” hedges and “cross-currency” hedges that involve the purchase and sale of two different foreign currencies indirectly through separate forward currency contracts, the Fund will maintain liquid assets as described above.

With respect to futures contracts and forwards contracts that are contractually required to cash-settle, the Fund is permitted to set aside liquid assets in an amount equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market net obligations (i.e., the Fund’s daily net liability) under the contracts, if any, rather than such contracts’ full notional value, for senior security purposes. The portion of the Fund’s assets invested in futures and forward contracts that are required to cash-settle and in those that are not will vary from time to time, so the Fund’s asset segregation requirements will vary accordingly. The Fund reserves the right to modify its asset segregation policies in the future, including modifications to comply with any changes in the positions from time to time articulated by the SEC or its staff regarding asset segregation.

The Sub-Adviser believes that active currency management strategies can be employed as an overall portfolio risk management tool. For example, in their view, foreign currency management can provide overall portfolio risk diversification when combined with a portfolio of foreign securities, and the market risks of investing in specific foreign markets can at times be reduced by currency strategies that may not involve the currency in which the foreign security is denominated. However, the use of currency

management strategies to protect the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities against a decline in the value of a currency does not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of the securities.

While the Fund may enter into forward contracts to reduce currency exchange risks, changes in currency exchange rates may result in poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not engaged in such transactions. Exchange rate movements can be large, depending on the currency, and can last for extended periods of time, affecting the value of the Fund’s assets. Moreover, there may be an imperfect correlation between the Fund’s portfolio holdings of securities denominated in a particular currency and forward contracts entered into by the Fund. Such imperfect correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving the intended hedge or expose the Fund to the risk of currency exchange loss.

The Fund cannot assure that its use of currency management will always be successful. Successful use of currency management strategies will depend on the Sub-Adviser’s skill in analyzing currency values. Currency management strategies may substantially change the Fund’s investment exposure to changes in currency exchange rates and could result in losses to the Fund if currencies do not perform as the Sub-Adviser anticipates. For example, if a currency’s value rose at a time when the Sub-Adviser had hedged the Fund by selling that currency in exchange for dollars, the Fund would not participate in the currency’s appreciation. If the Sub-Adviser hedges currency exposure through proxy hedges, the Fund could realize currency losses from both the hedge and the security position if the two currencies do not move in tandem. Similarly, if the Sub-Adviser increases the Fund’s exposure to a foreign currency and that currency’s value declines, the Fund will realize a loss. There is no assurance that the Sub-Adviser’s use of currency management strategies will be advantageous to the Fund or that they will hedge at appropriate times. The forecasting of currency market movement is extremely difficult, and whether any hedging strategy will be successful is highly uncertain. Moreover, it is impossible to forecast with precision the market value of portfolio securities at the expiration of a foreign currency forward contract. Accordingly, the Fund may be required to buy or sell additional currency on the spot market (and bear the expense of such transaction) if the Sub-Adviser’s predictions regarding the movement of foreign currency or securities markets prove inaccurate. In addition, the use of cross-hedging transactions may involve special risks, and may leave the Fund in a less advantageous position than if such a hedge had not been established. Because foreign currency forward contracts are privately negotiated transactions, there can be no assurance that the Fund will have flexibility to roll- over a foreign currency forward contract upon its expiration if it desires to do so. Additionally, these contracts are subject to counterparty risks as there can be no assurance that the other party to the contract will perform its services thereunder. Certain foreign currency forwards may eventually be exchange-traded and cleared. Although these changes are expected to decrease the credit risk involved in bilaterally negotiated contracts, exchange-trading and clearing would not make the contracts risk-free. The Fund may hold a portion of its assets in bank deposits denominated in foreign currencies, so as to facilitate investment in foreign securities as well as protect against currency fluctuations and the need to convert such assets into U.S. dollars (thereby also reducing transaction costs). To the extent these monies are converted back into U.S. dollars, the value of the assets so maintained will be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in foreign currency exchange rates and exchange control regulations.

Foreign Government and Supranational Entity Securities

The Fund may invest in debt securities or obligations of foreign governments, agencies, and supranational organizations (“Sovereign Debt”). The Fund’s portfolio may include government securities of a number of foreign countries or, depending upon market conditions, those of a single country. Investments in Sovereign Debt can involve greater risks than investing in U.S. government securities. The issuer of the debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to

repay principal or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt, and the Fund may have limited legal recourse in the event of default.

The Sub-Adviser’s determination that a particular country should be considered stable depends on its evaluation of political and economic developments affecting the country as well as recent experience in the markets for government securities of the country. Examples of foreign governments which the Sub-Adviser currently considers to be stable, among others, are the governments of Canada, Germany, Japan, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The Sub-Adviser does not believe that the credit risk inherent in the Sovereign Debt of such stable foreign governments is significantly greater than that of U.S. government securities. The percentage of the Fund’s assets invested in foreign government securities will vary depending on the relative yields of such securities, the economies of the countries in which the investments are made and such countries’ financial markets, the interest rate climate of such countries and the relationship of such countries’ currencies to the U.S. dollar. Currency is judged on the basis of fundamental economic criteria (e.g., relative inflation levels and trends, growth rate forecasts, balance of payments status and economic policies) as well as technical and political data.

Debt securities of “quasi-governmental entities” are issued by entities owned by either a national, state or equivalent government or are obligations of a political unit that is not backed by the national government’s full faith and credit and general taxing powers. Examples of quasi-governmental issuers include, among others, the Province of Ontario and the City of Stockholm. The Fund’s portfolio may also include debt securities denominated in European Currency Units of an issuer in a country in which the Fund may invest. A European Currency Unit represents specified amounts of the currencies of certain member states of the European Union.

A “supranational entity” is an entity established or financially supported by the governments of several countries to promote reconstruction, economic development or trade. Examples of supranational entities include the World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development), the European Investment Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank and the European Coal and Steel Community. Typically, the governmental members, or “stockholders,” make initial capital contributions to the supranational entity and may be committed to make additional contributions if the supranational entity is unable to repay its borrowings. There is no guarantee that one or more stockholders of a supranational entity will continue to make any necessary additional capital contributions or otherwise provide continued financial backing to the supranational entity. If such contributions or financial backing are not made, the entity may be unable to pay interest or repay principal on its debt securities. As a result, the Fund might lose money on such investments. In addition, if the securities of a supranational entity are denominated in a foreign currency, the obligations also will bear the risks of foreign currency investments. Securities issued by supranational entities may (or may not) constitute foreign securities for purposes of the Fund, depending on a number of factors, including the countries that are members of the entity, the location of the primary office of the entity, the obligations of the members, the markets in which the securities trade, and whether, and to what extent, the performance of the securities is tied closely to the political or economic developments of a particular country or geographic region.

The occurrence of political, social or diplomatic changes in one or more of the countries issuing Sovereign Debt could adversely affect the Fund’s investments. Political changes or a deterioration of a country’s domestic economy or balance of trade may affect the willingness of countries to service their Sovereign Debt. While the Sub-Adviser intend to manage the Fund’s portfolios in a manner that will minimize the exposure to such risks, there can be no assurance that adverse political changes will not cause the Fund to suffer a loss of interest or principal on any of its holdings.

Foreign Index-Linked Instruments

The Fund may invest, subject to compliance with its limitations applicable to its investment in debt securities, in instruments which have the investment characteristics of particular securities, securities indices, futures contracts or currencies. Such instruments may take a variety of forms, such as debt instruments with interest or principal payments determined by reference to the value of a currency or commodity at a future point in time. For example, the Fund may invest in instruments issued by the U.S. or a foreign government or by private issuers that return principal and/or pay interest to investors in amounts which are linked to the level of a particular foreign index (“foreign index-linked instruments”). Foreign index-linked instruments have the investment characteristics of particular securities, securities indices, futures contracts or currencies. Such instruments may take a variety of forms, such as debt instruments with interest or principal payments determined by reference to the value of a currency or commodity at a future point in time.

A foreign index-linked instrument may be based upon the exchange rate of a particular currency or currencies or the differential between two currencies, or the level of interest rates in a particular country or countries, or the differential in interest rates between particular countries. In the case of foreign index-linked instruments linking the interest component to a foreign index, the amount of interest payable will adjust periodically in response to changes in the level of the foreign index during the term of the foreign index-linked instrument. The risks of such investments would reflect the risks of investing in the index or other instrument, the performance of which determines the return for the instrument. Currency-indexed securities may be positively or negatively indexed, meaning their maturity value may increase when the specified currency value increases, resulting in a security that performs similarly to a foreign-denominated instrument, or their maturity value may decline when foreign currencies increase, resulting in a security whose price characteristics are similar to a put on the underlying currency. Currency-indexed securities may also have prices that depend on the values of a number of different foreign currencies relative to each other.

Foreign Securities

The Fund may invest in U.S. dollar-denominated and non-U.S. dollar-denominated foreign debt and equity securities and in CDs issued by foreign banks and foreign branches of U.S. banks. Securities of issuers within a given country may be denominated in the currency of another country. The foreign securities are generally those securities issued by companies organized outside the U.S. and, in the case of equity securities, that trade primarily in markets outside the U.S., have their primary markets outside of the U.S., or are otherwise deemed to be non-U.S. securities by the Sub-Adviser. These foreign securities are subject to most, if not all, of the risks of foreign investing.

Investors should carefully consider the appropriateness of foreign investing in light of their financial objectives and goals. While foreign markets may present unique investment opportunities, foreign investing involves risks not associated with domestic investing. In many foreign countries, there is less government supervision and regulation of business and industry practices, stock exchanges, brokers and listed companies than in the United States. Foreign investments involve risks relating to local political, economic, regulatory, or social instability, military action or unrest, or adverse diplomatic developments, and may be affected by actions of foreign governments adverse to the interests of U.S. investors. Securities denominated in foreign currencies may gain or lose value as a result of fluctuating currency exchange rates. Securities markets in other countries are not always as efficient as those in the U.S. and are sometimes less liquid and more volatile. If foreign securities are determined to be illiquid, then the Fund will limit its investment in these securities subject to its limitation on investments in illiquid

securities. Foreign securities transactions may be subject to higher brokerage and custodial costs than domestic securities transactions.

The Fund may invest in securities of issuers in emerging markets, including issuers in Asia (including Russia), Eastern Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East and Africa. Securities markets of emerging countries may also have less efficient clearance and settlement procedures than U.S. markets, making it difficult to conduct and complete transactions. Delays in the settlement could result in temporary periods when a portion of the Fund’s assets is uninvested and no return is earned thereon. Inability to make intended security purchases could cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities. Inability to dispose of portfolio securities could result either in losses to the Fund due to subsequent declines in value of the portfolio security or, if the Fund has entered into a contract to sell the security, could result in possible liability of the Fund to the purchaser. Other risks involved in investing in the securities of foreign issuers include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; limited publicly available information; the difficulty of assessing economic trends in foreign countries; generally higher commission rates on foreign portfolio transactions; the possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation; adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations (which may include suspension of the ability to transfer currency from a country); government interference, including government ownership of companies in certain sectors, wage and price controls, or imposition of trade barriers and other protectionist measures; difficulties in invoking legal process abroad and enforcing contractual obligations; political, social or economic instability which could affect U.S. investments in foreign countries; and potential restrictions on the flow of international capital. Additionally, foreign securities and dividends and interest payable on those securities may be subject to foreign taxes, including foreign withholding taxes, and other foreign taxes may apply with respect to securities transactions. Additional costs associated with an investment in foreign securities may include higher transaction, custody and foreign currency conversion costs. In the event of litigation relating to a portfolio investment, the Fund may encounter substantial difficulties in obtaining and enforcing judgments against non-U.S. resident individuals and companies.

Some securities are issued by companies organized outside the United States but are traded in U.S. securities markets and are denominated in U.S. dollars. Other securities are not traded in the United States but are denominated in U.S. dollars. These securities may be exposed to many, if not all, of the risks of foreign investing. For example, foreign trading market or currency risks will not apply to U.S. dollar-denominated securities traded in U.S. securities markets.

Investment in countries with emerging markets presents risks in greater degree than, and in addition to, those presented by investment in foreign issuers in general. Countries with developing markets have economic structures that are less mature. Furthermore, countries with developing markets have less stable political systems and may have high inflation, rapidly changing interest and currency exchange rates, and their securities markets are substantially less developed. The economies of countries with developing markets generally are heavily dependent upon international trade, and, accordingly, have been and may continue to be adversely affected by barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures in the countries with which they trade. These economies also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade.

High Yield Securities

Typically, high yield debt securities (sometimes called “junk bonds”) are rated below investment grade by one or more of the rating agencies or, if not rated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the Sub-Adviser and are generally considered to be speculative. Investment in lower rated corporate debt securities provides greater income and increased opportunity for capital appreciation than investments in

higher quality securities, but they also typically entail greater price volatility and principal and income risk. These high yield securities are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments.

Investors should be willing to accept the risk associated with investment in high yield/high risk securities. Investment in high yield/high risk bonds involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher rated debt securities. High yield/high risk bonds may be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher grade bonds. The prices of high yield/high risk bonds have been found to be less sensitive to interest-rate changes than more highly rated investments, but more sensitive to adverse economic downturns or individual corporate developments.

The secondary market on which high yield/high risk bonds are traded may be less liquid than the market for higher grade bonds. Less liquidity in the secondary trading market could adversely affect the price at which the Fund could sell a high yield/high risk bond, and could adversely affect and cause large fluctuations in the Fund’s daily NAV. A projection of an economic downturn or of a period of rising interest rates, for example, could cause a decline in high yield/high risk bond prices because the advent of a recession could lessen the ability of a highly leveraged company to make principal and interest payments on its debt securities. If such securities are determined to be illiquid, then the Fund will limit its investment in these securities subject to its limitation on investments in illiquid securities.

Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of high yield/high risk bonds, especially in a thinly traded market.

Some high yield securities are issued by smaller, less-seasoned companies, while others are issued as part of a corporate restructuring, such as an acquisition, merger, or leveraged buyout. Companies that issue high yield securities are often highly leveraged and may not have available to them more traditional methods of financing. Therefore, the risk associated with acquiring the securities of such issuers generally is greater than is the case with investment-grade securities. Some high yield securities were once rated as investment-grade but have been downgraded to junk bond status because of financial difficulties experienced by their issuers.

If the issuer of high yield/high risk bonds defaults, the Fund may incur additional expenses to seek recovery. In the case of high yield/high risk bonds structured as zero coupon or payment-in-kind securities, the market prices of such securities are affected to a greater extent by interest rate changes, and therefore tend to be more volatile than securities that pay interest periodically and in cash.

Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield/high risk bonds may be more complex than for issuers of higher quality debt securities, and the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective may, to the extent of its investment in high yield/high risk bonds, be more dependent upon such creditworthiness analysis than would be the case if the Fund were investing in higher quality bonds. When secondary markets for high yield securities are less liquid than the market for higher grade securities, it may be more difficult to value the securities because such valuation may require more research, and elements of judgment may play a greater role in the valuation because there is less reliable, objective data available.

The use of credit ratings as the sole method for evaluating high yield/high risk bonds also involves certain risks. For example, credit ratings evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments, not the market value risk of high yield/high risk bonds. Also, credit rating agencies may fail to change credit ratings on a

timely basis to reflect subsequent events. If a credit rating agency changes the rating of a portfolio security held by the Fund, the Fund may retain the portfolio security if the Sub-Adviser, where applicable, deems it in the best interest of the Fund’s shareholders. Legislation designed to limit the use of high yield/high risk bonds in corporate transactions may have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s NAV per share and investment practices.

In addition, there may be special tax considerations associated with investing in high yield/high risk bonds structured as zero coupon or payment-in-kind securities. The Fund records the interest on these securities annually as income even though it receives no cash interest until the security’s maturity or payment date. As a result, the amounts that have accrued each year are required to be distributed to shareholders and such amounts will be taxable to shareholders. Therefore, the Fund may have to sell some of its assets to distribute cash to shareholders. These actions are likely to reduce the Fund’s assets and may thereby increase its expense ratios and decrease its rate of return.

Other Capital Securities. Other capital securities give issuers flexibility in managing their capital structure. The features associated with these securities are predominately debt like in that they have coupons, pay interest and in most cases have a final stated maturity. There are certain features that give the companies flexibility not commonly found in fixed-income securities, which include, but are not limited to, deferral of interest payments under certain conditions and subordination to debt securities in the event of default. However, it should be noted that in an event of default the securities would typically be expected to rank senior to common equity. The deferral of interest payments is generally not an event of default for an extended period of time and the ability of the holders of such instruments to accelerate payment under terms of these instruments is generally more limited than other debt securities.

Trust Preferred Securities. Trust preferred securities are typically issued by corporations, generally in the form of interest bearing notes with preferred securities characteristics, or by an affiliated business trust of a corporation, generally in the form of beneficial interests in subordinated debentures or similarly structured securities. The trust preferred securities market consists of both fixed and adjustable coupon rate securities that are either perpetual in nature or have stated maturity dates.

Trust preferred securities are typically junior and fully subordinated liabilities of an issuer or the beneficiary of a guarantee that is junior and fully subordinated to the other liabilities of the guarantor. Trust preferred securities have many of the key characteristics of equity due to their subordinated position in an issuer’s capital structure and because their quality and value are heavily dependent on the profitability of the issuer rather than on any legal claims to specific assets or cash flows.

Illiquid Securities

The Fund may invest in illiquid securities if such purchases at the time thereof would not cause more than 15% of the value of the Fund’s net assets to be invested in such illiquid or not readily marketable assets.

The term “illiquid security” is defined as a security which 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 security. The lack of an established secondary market may make it more difficult to value illiquid securities, requiring the Fund to rely on judgments that may be somewhat subjective in determining value, which could vary from the amount that the Fund could realize upon disposition. Difficulty in selling illiquid securities may result in a loss or may be costly to the Fund. Under the supervision of the Board, the Adviser determines the liquidity of the Fund’s investments subject to guidelines as set forth in the Fund’s liquidity risk management program. Illiquid securities will

generally be valued in such manner as the Board in good faith deems appropriate to reflect their fair market value.

If market conditions make it difficult to value securities, the Fund may value these securities using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for a security could be different than the value realized upon such security’s sale. As a result, an investor could pay more than the market value when buying Fund shares or receive less than the market value when selling Fund shares.

Industrial Development and Pollution Control Bonds

Industrial Development Bonds that pay tax-exempt interest are, in most cases, revenue bonds and are issued by, or on behalf of, public authorities to raise money to finance various privately operated facilities for business, manufacturing, housing, sports, and pollution control. These bonds are also used to finance public facilities such as airports, mass transit systems, ports, and parking. Consequently, the credit quality of these securities depends upon the ability of the user of the facilities financed by the bonds and any guarantor to meet its financial obligations. These bonds are generally not secured by the taxing power of the municipality but are secured by the revenues of the authority derived from payments by the industrial user.

Industrial Development and Pollution Control Bonds, although nominally issued by municipal authorities, are generally not secured by the taxing power of the municipality but are secured by the revenues of the authority derived from payments by the industrial user. Industrial Development Bonds issued after the effective date of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (“TRA”), as well as certain other bonds, are now classified as “private activity bonds.”

Initial Public Offerings (“IPOs”)

IPOs occur when a company first offers its securities to the public. Although companies can be any age or size at the time of their IPOs, they are often smaller and have limited operating histories, which may involve a greater potential for the value of their securities to be impaired following the IPO.

Investors in IPOs can be adversely affected by substantial dilution in the value of their shares, by the issuance of additional shares and by concentration of control in existing management and principal shareholders. In addition, all of the factors that affect stock market performance may have a greater impact on the shares of IPO companies.

The price of a company’s securities may be highly unstable at the time of its IPO and for a period thereafter due to market psychology prevailing at the time of the IPO, the absence of a prior public market, the small number of shares available and the limited availability of investor information. As a result of this or other factors, the Sub-Adviser might decide to sell an IPO security more quickly than it would otherwise, which may result in a significant gain or loss and greater transaction costs to the Fund. Any gains from shares held for one year or less may be treated as short-term gains, and be taxable as ordinary income to the Fund’s shareholders. In addition, IPO securities may be subject to varying patterns of trading volume and may, at times, be difficult to sell without an unfavorable impact on prevailing prices.

The effect of an IPO investment can have a magnified impact on the Fund’s performance if the Fund’s asset base is small. Consequently, IPOs may constitute a significant portion of the Fund’s returns particularly when the Fund is small. Since the number of securities issued in an IPO is limited, it is likely that IPO securities will represent a small component of the Fund’s assets as it increases in size and therefore have a more limited effect on the Fund’s performance.

There can be no assurance that IPOs will continue to be available for the Fund to purchase. The number or quality of IPOs available for purchase by the Fund may vary, decrease or entirely disappear. In some cases, the Fund may not be able to purchase IPOs at the offering price, but may have to purchase the shares in the after-market at a price greatly exceeding the offering price, making it more difficult for the Fund to realize a profit.

Investment Companies

The Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, including closed-end investment companies, ETFs and business development companies, subject to limitations prescribed by the 1940 Act and any applicable investment restrictions described in the Fund’s Prospectus and SAI. Among other things, the 1940 Act limitations prohibit the Fund from: (1) acquiring more than 3% of the voting shares of an investment company; (2) investing more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets in securities of any one investment company; and (3) investing more than 10% of the Fund’s total assets in securities of all investment companies. These restrictions may not apply to certain investments in money market funds. The Fund indirectly will bear its proportionate share of any management fees and other expenses paid by the investment companies in which the Fund invests in addition to the fees and expenses the Fund bears directly in connection with its own operations. These securities represent interests in professionally managed portfolios that may invest in various types of instruments pursuant to a wide range of investment styles. Investing in other investment companies involves substantially the same risks as investing directly in the underlying instruments, but may involve duplicative management and advisory fees and operating expenses. Certain types of investment companies, such as closed-end investment companies, issue a fixed number of shares that trade on a stock exchange or OTC at a premium or a discount to their NAV per share. Others are continuously offered at NAV per share but may also be traded in the secondary market. In addition, the Fund may not acquire the securities of registered open-end investment companies or registered unit investment trusts in reliance on Sections 12(d)(1)(F) or 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act. For purposes of determining compliance with the Fund’s policy on concentrating its investments in any one industry, the Fund generally does not look through investments in underlying investment companies for purposes of applying its concentration limitations, unless the underlying investment company would be counted for purposes of calculating the Fund’s concentration limitation.

However, the SEC has granted orders for exemptive relief to certain ETFs that permit investments in those ETFs by other investment companies (such as the Fund) in excess of these limits. The Fund may invest in ETFs that have received such exemptive orders from the SEC, pursuant to the conditions specified in such orders. For more information, please see the section entitled “Exchange-Traded Funds.”

Lending of Portfolio Securities

Although there is no immediate intent to do so, the Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain broker/dealers and institutions to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, as modified or interpreted by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time, in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board. By lending its securities, the Fund attempts to increase its net investment income through the receipt of interest on the loan. Any gain or loss in the market price of the securities loaned that might occur during the term of the loan would belong to the Fund. Such loans must be secured by collateral in cash or U.S. government securities maintained on a current basis in an amount at least equal to 100% of the current market value of the securities loaned. The Fund may call a loan and obtain the securities loaned at any time generally on less than five days’ notice. For the duration of a loan, the Fund would continue to receive the equivalent of the interest or dividends paid by the issuer on the securities loaned and would also receive compensation from the investment of the collateral. The Fund would not, however, have the right to vote any securities having voting rights during the existence of the loan, but the Fund would call

the loan in anticipation of an important vote to be taken among holders of the securities or of the giving or withholding of their consent on a material matter affecting the investment.

As with other extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery of, or even loss of rights in, the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially or breach its agreement with the Fund. The Fund also bears the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all, either because the borrower fails financially or for other reasons. The Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the loaned securities or in gaining access to and liquidating the collateral, which could result in actual financial loss and which could interfere with portfolio management decisions or the exercise of ownership rights in the loaned securities. However, the loans would be made only to firms deemed by the Sub-Adviser or their agent to be creditworthy and when the consideration that can be earned currently from securities loans of this type, justifies the attendant risk. If the Sub-Adviser, as the case may be, determines to make securities loans, it is intended that the value of the securities loaned will not exceed 33 1/3% of the value of the total assets of the lending Fund.

While securities are on loan, the Fund is subject to: the risk that the borrower may default on the loan and that the collateral could be inadequate in the event the borrower defaults; the risk that the earnings on the collateral invested may not be sufficient to pay fees incurred in connection with the loan; the risk that the principal value of the collateral invested may decline and may not be sufficient to pay back the borrower for amount of the collateral posted; the risk that the borrower may use the loaned securities to cover a short sale which may place downward pressure on the market prices of the loaned securities; the risk that return of loaned securities could be delayed and could interfere with portfolio management decisions; and the risk that any efforts to recall the securities for purposes of voting may not be effective.

Subject to exemptive relief granted to the Fund from certain provisions of the 1940 Act, the Fund, subject to certain conditions and limitations, is permitted to invest cash collateral and uninvested cash in one or more money market funds that are affiliated with the Fund.

Loan Participation Interests

The Fund may invest in participation interests in loans. The Fund’s investment in loan participation interests may take the form of participation interests in, or assignments or novations of a corporate loan (“Participation Interests”). The Participation Interests may be acquired from an agent bank, co-lenders or other holders of Participation Interests (“Participants”). In a novation, the Fund would assume all of the rights of the lender in a corporate loan, including the right to receive payments of principal and interest and other amounts directly from the borrower and to enforce its rights as a lender directly against the borrower. As an alternative, the Fund may purchase an assignment of all or a portion of a lender’s interest in a corporate loan, in which case, the Fund may be required generally to rely on the assigning lender to demand payment and enforce its rights against the borrower, but would otherwise be entitled to all of such lender’s rights in the corporate loan.

The Fund also may purchase Participation Interests in a portion of the rights of a lender in a corporate loan. In such a case, the Fund will be entitled to receive payments of principal, interest and fees, if any, but generally will not be entitled to enforce its rights directly against the agent bank or the borrower; rather the Fund must rely on the lending institution for that purpose. The Fund will not act as an agent bank, guarantor or sole negotiator of a structure with respect to a corporate loan.

In a typical corporate loan involving the sale of Participation Interests, the agent bank administers the terms of the corporate loan agreement and is responsible for the collection of principal and interest and fee payments to the credit of all lenders that are parties to the corporate loan agreement. The agent bank in such cases will be qualified under the 1940 Act to serve as a custodian for registered investment

companies. The Fund generally will rely on the agent bank or an intermediate Participant to collect its portion of the payments on the corporate loan. The agent bank may monitor the value of the collateral and, if the value of the collateral declines, may take certain action, including accelerating the corporate loan, giving the borrower an opportunity to provide additional collateral or seeking other protection for the benefit of the Participants in the corporate loan, depending on the terms of the corporate loan agreement. Furthermore, unless under the terms of a participation agreement the Fund has direct recourse against the borrower (which is unlikely), the Fund will rely on the agent bank to use appropriate creditor remedies against the borrower. The agent bank also is responsible for monitoring compliance with covenants contained in the corporate loan agreement and for notifying holders of corporate loans of any failures of compliance. Typically, under corporate loan agreements, the agent bank is given discretion in enforcing the corporate loan agreement, and is obligated to follow the terms of the loan agreements and use only the same care it would use in the management of its own property. For these services, the borrower compensates the agent bank. Such compensation may include special fees paid on structuring and funding the corporate loan and other fees paid on a continuing basis.

A financial institution’s employment as an agent bank may be terminated in the event that it fails to observe the requisite standard of care, becomes insolvent, has a receiver, conservator, or similar official appointed for it by the appropriate bank regulatory authority or becomes a debtor in a bankruptcy proceeding. Generally, a successor agent bank will be appointed to replace the terminated bank, and assets held by the agent bank under the corporate loan agreement should remain available to holders of corporate loans. If, however, assets held by the agent bank for the benefit of the Fund were determined by an appropriate regulatory authority or court to be subject to the claims of the agent bank’s general or secured creditors, the Fund might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on a corporate loan, or suffer a loss of principal and/or interest. In situations involving intermediate participants, similar risks may arise.

When the Fund acts as co-lender in connection with Participation Interests or when the Fund acquires a Participation Interest the terms of which provide that the Fund will be in privity of contract with the corporate borrower, the Fund will have direct recourse against the borrower in the event the borrower fails to pay scheduled principal and interest. In all other cases, the Fund will look to the agent bank to enforce appropriate credit remedies against the borrower. In acquiring Participation Interests the Sub-Adviser will conduct analysis and evaluation of the financial condition of each such co-lender and participant to ensure that the Participation Interest meets the Fund’s qualitative standards. There is a risk that there may not be a readily available market for Participation Interests and, in some cases, this could result in the Fund disposing of such securities at a substantial discount from face value or holding such security until maturity. When the Fund is required to rely upon a lending institution to pay the Fund principal, interest, and other amounts received by the lending institution for the loan participation, the Fund will treat both the borrower and the lending institution as an “issuer” of the loan participation for purposes of certain investment restrictions pertaining to the diversification and concentration of the Fund’s portfolio.

Purchasers of loans and other forms of direct indebtedness depend primarily upon the creditworthiness of the corporate borrower for payment of principal and interest. If the Fund does not receive scheduled interest or principal payments on such indebtedness, the Fund’s share price and yield could be adversely affected. Loans that are fully secured offer the Fund more protection than an unsecured loan in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal. However, there is no assurance that the liquidation of collateral from a secured loan would satisfy the corporate borrower’s obligation, or that the collateral can be liquidated.

The Fund may invest in loan participations with credit quality comparable to that of issuers of its portfolio investments. Indebtedness of companies whose creditworthiness is poor involves substantially greater risks, and may be highly speculative. Some companies may never pay off their indebtedness or may pay only a small fraction of the amount owed. Consequently, when investing in indebtedness of companies with poor credit, the Fund bears a substantial risk of losing the entire amount invested.

Loans and other types of direct indebtedness may not be readily marketable and may be subject to restrictions on resale. In some cases, negotiations involved in disposing of indebtedness may require weeks to complete. Consequently, some indebtedness may be difficult or impossible to dispose of readily at what the Sub-Adviser believes to be a fair price. In addition, valuation of illiquid indebtedness involves a greater degree of judgment in determining the Fund’s NAV than if that value were based on available market quotations and could result in significant variations in the Fund’s daily share price. At the same time, some loan interests are traded among certain financial institutions and accordingly may be deemed liquid. As the market for different types of indebtedness develops, the liquidity of these instruments is expected to improve.

Investment in loans through a direct assignment of the financial institution’s interests with respect to the loan may involve additional risks to the Fund. For example, if a loan is foreclosed, the Fund could become part owner of any collateral, and would bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of the collateral. In addition, it is conceivable that under emerging legal theories of lender liability, the Fund could be held liable as co-lender. It is unclear whether loans and other forms of direct indebtedness offer securities law protections against fraud and misrepresentation. In the absence of definitive regulatory guidance, the Fund will rely on the Sub-Adviser’s research in an attempt to avoid situations where fraud or misrepresentation could adversely affect the Fund.

Under the 1940 Act, repurchase agreements are considered to be loans by the purchaser collateralized by the underlying securities. The Adviser and Sub-Adviser monitor the value of the underlying securities at the time the repurchase agreement is entered into and at all times during the term of the agreement to ensure that this value always equals or exceeds the agreed upon repurchase price to be paid to the Fund. The Adviser and Sub-Adviser, in accordance with procedures established by the Board, also evaluate the creditworthiness and financial responsibility of the banks and brokers or dealers with which the Fund may enter into repurchase agreements.

Floating Rate Loans. Floating rate loans are provided by banks and other financial institutions to large corporate customers. Companies undertake these loans to finance acquisitions, buy-outs, recapitalizations or other leveraged transactions. Typically, these loans are the most senior source of capital in a borrower’s capital structure and have certain of the borrower’s assets pledged as collateral. The corporation pays interest and principal to the lenders.

A senior loan in which the Fund may invest typically is structured by a group of lenders. This means that the lenders participate in the negotiations with the borrower and in the drafting of the terms of the loan. The group of lenders often consists of commercial and investment banks, thrift institutions, insurance companies, finance companies, mutual funds and other institutional investment vehicles or other financial institutions. One or more of the lenders, referred to as the agent bank, usually administers the loan on behalf of all the lenders.

The Fund may invest in a floating rate loan in one of three ways: (1) it may make a direct investment in the loan by participating as one of the lenders; (2) it may purchase a participation interest; or (3) it may purchase an assignment. Participation interests are interests issued by a lender or other financial

institution, which represent a fractional interest in a loan. The Fund may acquire participation interests from a lender or other holders of participation interests. Holders of participation interests are referred to as participants. An assignment represents a portion of a loan previously attributable to a different lender. Unlike a participation interest, the Fund will become a lender for the purposes of the relevant loan agreement by purchasing an assignment.

The Fund may make a direct investment in a floating rate loan pursuant to a primary syndication and initial allocation process (i.e., buying an unseasoned loan issue). A purchase can be effected by signing as a direct lender under the loan document or by the purchase of an assignment interest from the underwriting agent shortly after the initial funding on a basis which is consistent with the initial allocation under the syndication process. This is known as buying in the “primary” market. Such an investment is typically made at or about a floating rate loan’s “par” value, which is its face value. From time to time, lenders in the primary market will receive an up-front fee for committing to purchase a floating rate loan that is being originated. In such instances, the fee received is reflected on the books of the Fund as a discount to the loan’s par value. The discount is then amortized over the life of the loan, which would effectively increase the yield the Fund receives on the investment.

If the Fund purchases an existing assignment of a floating rate loan, or purchases a participation interest in a floating rate loan, it is said to be purchasing in the “secondary” market. Purchases of floating rate loans in the secondary market may take place at, above, or below the par value of a floating rate loan. Purchases above par will effectively reduce the amount of interest being received by the Fund through the amortization of the purchase price premium, whereas purchases below par will effectively increase the amount of interest being received by the Fund through the amortization of the purchase price discount. The Fund may be able to invest in floating rate loans only through participation interests or assignments at certain times when reduced primary investment opportunities in floating rate loans may exist. If the Fund purchases an assignment from a lender, the Fund will generally have direct contractual rights against the borrower in favor of the lenders. On the other hand, if the Fund purchases a participation interest either from a lender or a participant, the Fund typically will have established a direct contractual relationship with the seller of the participation interest, but not with the borrower. Consequently, the Fund is subject to the credit risk of the lender or participant who sold the participation interest to the Fund, in addition to the usual credit risk of the borrower. Therefore, when the Fund invests in floating rate loans through the purchase of participation interests, the Sub-Adviser must consider the creditworthiness of the agent bank and any lenders and participants interposed between the Fund and a borrower. This secondary market is private and unregulated, and there is no organized exchange or board of trade on which floating rate loans are traded. Floating rate loans often trade in large denominations. Trades can be infrequent, and the market may be volatile.

Floating rate loans generally are subject to extended settlement periods and may require the consent of the borrower and/or agent prior to their sale or assignment. These factors may impair the Fund’s ability to generate cash through the liquidation of floating rate loans to repay debts, fund redemptions, or for any other purpose.

Typically, floating rate loans are secured by collateral. However, the value of the collateral may not be sufficient to repay the loan. The collateral may consist of various types of assets or interests including intangible assets. It may include working capital assets, such as accounts receivable or inventory, or tangible fixed assets, such as real property, buildings and equipment. It may include intangible assets, such as trademarks, copyrights and patent rights, or security interests in securities of subsidiaries or affiliates. The borrower’s owners may provide additional collateral, typically by pledging their ownership interest in the borrower as collateral for the loan. The borrower under a floating rate loan must

comply with various restrictive covenants contained in any floating rate loan agreement between the borrower and the syndicate of lenders. A restrictive covenant is a promise by the borrower not to take certain action that may impair the rights of lenders. These covenants, in addition to requiring the scheduled payment of interest and principal, may include restrictions on dividend payments and other distributions to shareholders, provisions requiring the borrower to maintain specific financial ratios or relationships and limits on total debt. In addition, a covenant may require the borrower to prepay the floating rate loan with any excess cash flow. Excess cash flow generally includes net cash flow after scheduled debt service payments and permitted capital expenditures, among other things, as well as the proceeds from asset dispositions or sales of securities. A breach of a covenant (after giving effect to any cure period) in a floating rate loan agreement, which is not waived by the agent bank and the lending syndicate normally, is an event of acceleration. This means that the agent bank has the right to demand immediate repayment in full of the outstanding floating rate loan.

The Sub-Adviser must determine that the investment is suitable for the Fund based on the Sub-Adviser’s independent credit analysis and industry research. Generally, this means that the Sub-Adviser has determined that the likelihood that the corporation will meet its obligations is acceptable. In considering investment opportunities, the Sub-Adviser will conduct extensive due diligence, which may include, without limitation, management meetings, financial analysis, industry research and reference verification from customers, suppliers and rating agencies.

Floating rate loans feature rates that reset regularly, maintaining a fixed spread over SOFR or the prime rates of large money-center banks. The interest rate on the Fund’s investment securities will generally reset quarterly. During periods in which short-term rates rapidly increase, the Fund’s NAV may be affected. Investment in floating rate loans with longer interest rate reset periods or loans with fixed interest rates may also increase fluctuations in the Fund’s NAV as a result of changes in interest rates. However, the Fund may attempt to hedge its fixed rate loans against interest rate fluctuations by entering into interest rate swap or other derivative transactions.

Unfunded Loan Commitments. The Fund may enter into loan commitments that are unfunded at the time of investment. A loan commitment is a written agreement under which the lender (such as the Fund) commits itself to make a loan or loans up to a specified amount within a specified time period. The loan commitment sets out the terms and conditions of the lender’s obligation to make the loans. Loan commitments are made pursuant to a term loan, a revolving credit line or a combination thereof. A term loan is typically a loan in a fixed amount that borrowers repay in a scheduled series of repayments or a lump-sum payment at maturity. A revolving credit line allows borrowers to draw down, repay, and reborrow specified amounts on demand. The portion of the amount committed by a lender under a loan commitment that the borrower has not drawn down is referred to as “unfunded.” Loan commitments may be traded in the secondary market through dealer desks at large commercial and investment banks. Typically, the Fund will enter into fixed commitments on term loans as opposed to revolving credit line arrangements.

Borrowers pay various fees in connection with loans and related commitments. In particular, borrowers may pay a commitment fee to lenders on unfunded portions of loan commitments and/or facility and usage fees, which are designed to compensate lenders in part for having an unfunded loan commitment.

Unfunded loan commitments expose lenders to credit risk—the possibility of loss due to a borrower’s inability to meet contractual payment terms. A lender typically is obligated to advance the unfunded amount of a loan commitment at the borrower’s request, subject to certain conditions regarding the creditworthiness of the borrower. Borrowers with deteriorating creditworthiness may continue to satisfy

their contractual conditions and therefore be eligible to borrow at times when the lender might prefer not to lend. In addition, a lender may have assumptions as to when a borrower may draw on an unfunded loan commitment when the lender enters into the commitment. If the borrower does not draw as expected, the commitment may not prove as attractive an investment as originally anticipated.

Since the Fund with an unfunded loan commitment has a contractual obligation to lend money on short notice, it will maintain liquid assets in an amount at least equal in value to the amount of the unfunded commitments. Liquid assets are maintained to cover “senior securities transactions” which may include, but are not limited to, the Fund’s unfunded loan commitments. The value of the Fund’s “senior securities” holdings are marked-to-market daily to ensure proper coverage.

The Fund records an investment when the borrower draws down the money and records interest as earned.

Master Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”)

MLPs are formed as limited partnerships or limited liability companies under state law and are generally treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The equity securities issued by many MLPs are publicly traded and listed and traded on a U.S. exchange. An MLP typically issues general partner and limited partner interests. The general partner manages and often controls, has an ownership stake in, and is normally eligible to receive incentive distribution payments from, the MLP. To be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, an MLP must derive at least 90% of its gross income for each taxable year from certain qualifying sources as described in the Code. These qualifying sources include natural resources-based activities such as the exploration, development, mining, production, processing, refining, transportation, storage and certain marketing of mineral or natural resources. The general partner may be structured as a private or publicly-traded corporation or other entity. The general partner typically controls the operations and management of the entity through an up to 2% general partner interest in the entity plus, in many cases, ownership of some percentage of the outstanding limited partner interests. The limited partners, through their ownership of limited partner interests, provide capital to the entity, are intended to have no role in the operation and management of the entity and receive cash distributions. Due to their structure as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes and the expected character of their income, MLPs generally do not pay U.S. federal income taxes. Thus, unlike investors in corporate securities, direct MLP investors are generally not subject to double federal income taxation (i.e., corporate level tax and tax on corporate dividends).

While most MLPs are currently subject to U.S. federal tax as partnerships, a change in current tax law, or a change in the underlying business of a given MLP could result in the MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which would result in such MLP being required to pay U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income. Such treatment also would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the affected MLP. Thus, if any MLP owned by the Fund were treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, such treatment could result in a reduction in the value of the Fund’s investment in such MLP. Certain MLPs are dependent on their parents or sponsors for a majority of their revenues. Any failure by an MLP’s parents or sponsors to satisfy their payments or obligations would impact the MLP’s revenues and cash flows and ability to make distributions. Moreover, the terms of an MLP’s transactions with its parent or sponsor are typically not arrived at on an arm’s-length basis, and may not be as favorable to the MLP as a transaction with a non-affiliate.

MLP Equity Securities. Equity securities issued by MLPs typically consist of common units, subordinated units and a general partner interests.

•Common Units. The common units of many MLPs are listed and traded on national securities exchanges, including the NYSE, the NYSE MKT and the NASDAQ. Holders of MLP common units typically have very limited control and voting rights. Holders of such common units are typically entitled to receive the minimum quarterly distribution (the “MQD”), including arrearage rights, from the issuer. In the event of a liquidation, common unit holders are intended to have a preference to the remaining assets of the issuer over holders of subordinated units. The Fund may invest in different classes of common units that may have different voting, trading, and distribution rights.

•Subordinated Units. Subordinated units, which, like common units, represent limited partner interests, are not typically listed on an exchange or publicly traded. Holders of such subordinated units are generally entitled to receive a distribution only after the MQD and any arrearages from prior quarters have been paid to holders of common units. Holders of subordinated units typically have the right to receive distributions before any incentive distributions are payable to the general partner. Subordinated units generally do not provide arrearage rights. Most MLP subordinated units are convertible into common units after the passage of a specified period of time or upon the achievement by the issuer of specified financial goals. The Fund may invest in different classes of subordinated units that may have different voting, trading, and distribution rights.

•General Partner Interests. The general partner interest in MLPs is typically retained by the original sponsors of an MLP, such as its founders, corporate partners and entities that sell assets to the MLP. The holder of the general partner interest can be liable in certain circumstances for amounts greater than the amount of the holder’s investment. General partner interests often confer direct board participation rights in, and in many cases control over the operations of, the MLP. General partner or managing member interests receive cash distributions, typically in an amount of up to 2% of available cash, which is contractually defined in the partnership or limited liability company agreement. In addition, holders of general partner or managing member interests typically receive incentive distribution rights, which provide them with an increasing share of the entity’s aggregate cash distributions upon the payment of per common unit distributions that exceed specified threshold levels above the MQD. Due to the incentive distribution rights, GP MLPs have higher distribution growth prospects than their underlying MLPs, but quarterly incentive distribution payments would also decline at a greater rate than the decline rate in quarterly distributions to common and subordinated unit holders in the event of a reduction in the MLP’s quarterly distribution.

I-Shares. I-Shares represent an ownership interest issued by an MLP affiliate. The MLP affiliate uses the proceeds from the sale of I-Shares to purchase limited partnership interests in the MLP in the form of I-units. Thus, I-Shares represent an indirect limited partner interest in the MLP. I-units have features similar to MLP common units in terms of voting rights, liquidation preference and distribution. I-Shares differ from MLP common units primarily in that instead of receiving cash distributions, holders of I-Shares will receive distributions of additional I-Shares in an amount equal to the cash distributions received by common unit holders. I-Shares are traded on the NYSE.

Mortgage Dollar Rolls

A mortgage dollar roll (“MDR”) is a transaction in which the Fund sells mortgage-related securities (“MBS”) from its portfolio to a counterparty from whom it simultaneously agrees to buy a similar

security on a delayed delivery basis. The Fund will maintain liquid assets having a value not less than the repurchase price. MDR transactions involve certain risks, including the risk that the MBS returned to the Fund at the end of the roll, while substantially similar, could be inferior to what was initially sold to the counterparty.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities

The Fund may buy mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities. Typically, mortgage-related securities are interests in pools of residential or commercial mortgage loans or leases, including mortgage loans made by S&L institutions, mortgage bankers, commercial banks and others. Pools of mortgage loans are assembled as securities for sale to investors by various governmental, government-related and private organizations (see “Mortgage Pass-Through Securities”).

Like other fixed-income securities, when interest rates rise, the value of a mortgage-related security generally will decline. However, when interest rates are declining, the value of a mortgage-related security with prepayment features may not increase as much as other fixed-income securities. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the market’s perception of issuers and the creditworthiness of the parties involved. The ability of the Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend in part upon the ability of the Sub-Adviser to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. Some securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile. These securities may also be subject to prepayment risk and, if the security has been purchased at a premium, the amount of the premium would be lost in the event of prepayment.

The Fund, to the extent permitted in the Prospectus, or otherwise limited herein, may also invest in debt securities that are secured with collateral consisting of mortgage-related securities (see “Collateralized Mortgage Obligations”), and in other types of mortgage-related securities. While principal and interest payments on some mortgage-related securities may be guaranteed by the U.S. government, government agencies or other guarantors, the market value of such securities is not guaranteed.

Generally, the Fund will invest in mortgage-related (or other asset-backed) securities either (1) issued by U.S. government-sponsored corporations such as GNMA, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”), and FNMA, or (2) privately issued securities rated Baa3 or better by Moody’s or BBB- or better by S&P or, if not rated, of comparable investment quality as determined by the Adviser or Sub-Adviser. In addition, if any mortgage-related (or other asset-backed) security is determined to be illiquid, the Fund will limit its investments in these and other illiquid instruments subject to the Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid securities.

During past market disruptions, rating agencies have placed on credit watch or downgraded the ratings previously assigned to a large number of mortgage-related securities (which may include certain of the mortgage-related securities in which the Fund may invest) and may do so in the future. If a mortgage-related security in which the Fund is invested is placed on credit watch or downgraded, the value of the security may decline, and the Fund may experience losses.

Further, such disruptions in the residential mortgage-related securities market (and in particular, the “sub-prime” residential mortgage market), the broader mortgage-related securities market and the asset-backed securities market have in the past resulted in downward price pressures and increasing foreclosures and defaults in residential and commercial real estate. Concerns over inflation, energy costs, geopolitical issues, the availability and cost of credit, the mortgage market and a declining real estate market have in the past contributed to increased volatility and diminished expectations for the economy and markets, and contributed to dramatic declines in the housing market, with falling home prices and increasing

foreclosures and unemployment, and significant asset write-downs by financial institutions. Additionally, a lack of credit liquidity and decreases in the value of real property may prevent borrowers from refinancing their mortgages, which may increase the likelihood of default on their mortgage loans.

Poor economic conditions may reduce the cash flow that the Fund receives from such securities and increase the incidence and severity of credit events and losses in respect of such securities. In the event that interest rate spreads for mortgage-related securities widen following the purchase of such assets by the Fund, the market value of such securities is likely to decline and, in the case of a substantial spread widening, could decline by a substantial amount. Furthermore, adverse changes in market conditions could result in a severe liquidity crisis in the market for mortgage-backed securities (including the mortgage-related securities in which the Fund may invest) and increasing unwillingness by banks, financial institutions and investors to extend credit to servicers, originators and other participants in the mortgage-related securities market for these securities and other asset-backed securities. As a result, the liquidity and/or the market value of any mortgage-related securities that are owned by the Fund may experience declines after they are purchased by the Fund.

In addition, the U.S. government, including the Federal Reserve, the Treasury, and other governmental and regulatory bodies may take actions to address financial or health crises, including initiatives to limit large-scale losses associated with mortgage-related securities held on the books of certain U.S. financial institutions and to support the credit markets generally. The impact such actions could have on any of the mortgage-related securities that may be held by the Fund is unknown.

Mortgage Pass-Through Securities. The Fund may invest in mortgage pass-through securities. Mortgage pass-through securities are interests in pools of mortgage-related securities. Unlike interests in other forms of debt securities, which normally provide for periodic payment of interest in fixed amounts with the payment of principal being made at maturity or specified call dates, these securities provide a monthly payment that consists of both interest and principal payments. In effect, these payments are a “pass-through” of the monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on their residential mortgage loans, net of any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of such securities. Additional payments are caused by repayments of principal resulting from the sale of the underlying residential property, refinancing or foreclosure, net of fees or costs that may be incurred. Some mortgage-related securities (such as securities issued by GNMA) are described as “modified pass-through.” These securities entitle the holder to receive all interest and principal payments owed on the mortgage pool, net of certain fees, at the scheduled payment dates, regardless of whether or not the mortgagor actually makes the payment. Some mortgage pass-through certificates may include securities backed by adjustable-rate mortgages that bear interest at a rate that will be adjusted periodically.

Early repayment of principal on mortgage pass-through securities (arising from prepayments of principal due to sale of the underlying property, refinancing, or foreclosure, net of fees and costs that may be incurred) may expose the Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. Also, if a security subject to prepayment has been purchased at a premium, in the event of prepayment, the value of the premium would be lost. Reinvestments of prepayments may occur at lower interest rates than the original investment, thus adversely affecting the Fund’s yield. Prepayments may cause the yield of a mortgage-backed security to differ from what was assumed when the Fund purchased the security. Prepayments at a slower rate than expected may lengthen the effective life of a mortgage-backed security. The value of securities with longer effective lives generally fluctuates more widely in response to changes in interest rates than the value of securities with shorter effective lives.

Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage pass-through securities (but not the market value of the securities themselves) may be guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government (in the case of securities guaranteed by GNMA); or guaranteed by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government (in the case of securities guaranteed by FNMA or FHLMC), which are supported only by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase the agency’s obligations. Mortgage pass-through securities created by nongovernmental issuers (such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers, and other secondary market issuers) may be supported by various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance and letters of credit, which may be issued by governmental entities, private insurers, or the mortgage poolers.

Historically, FNMA and FHLMC were government-sponsored corporations owned entirely by private stockholders. However, in September 2008, in response to concerns regarding the safety and soundness of FNMA and FHLMC, the U.S. Treasury announced that FNMA and FHLMC had been placed in conservatorship by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”), a newly created independent regulator. While FNMA and FHLMC continue to be owned entirely by private shareholders, under the conservatorship, the FHFA has taken over powers formerly held by each entity’s shareholders, directors, and officers. In addition to placing the companies in conservatorship, the U.S. Treasury announced additional steps that it intended to take with respect to FNMA and FHLMC in order to support the conservatorship, although some steps have since ended. No assurance can be given that these initiatives will be successful in preserving the safety and soundness of FNMA and FHLMC or ensuring their continued viability.

GNMA Certificates. The principal governmental guarantor of mortgage-related securities is GNMA. GNMA is a wholly owned U.S. government corporation within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”). GNMA is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA (such as S&Ls, commercial banks and mortgage bankers) and backed by pools of FHA-insured or Veterans Administration-guaranteed mortgages. In order to meet its obligations under such guarantee, GNMA is authorized to borrow from the U.S. Treasury with no limitations as to amount. GNMA certificates differ from typical bonds because principal is repaid monthly over the term of the loan rather than returned in a lump sum at maturity. Although GNMA guarantees timely payment even if homeowners delay or default, tracking the pass-through” payments may, at times, be difficult. Expected payments may be delayed due to the delays in registering the newly traded paper securities. The custodian’s policies for crediting missed payments while errant receipts are tracked down may vary.

Government-related guarantors (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government) include FNMA and FHLMC. FNMA is a government-sponsored corporation owned entirely by private stockholders. It is subject to general regulation by HUD and acts as a government instrumentality under authority granted by Congress. FNMA purchases conventional (i.e., not insured or guaranteed by any government agency) residential mortgages from a list of approved seller/servicers that includes state and federally chartered S&Ls, mutual savings banks, commercial banks, credit unions and mortgage bankers. Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. FNMA is authorized to borrow from the U.S. Treasury to meet its obligations.

FHLMC was created by Congress in 1970 for the purpose of increasing the availability of mortgage credit for residential housing. It is a government-sponsored corporation formerly owned by the twelve Federal Home Loan Banks and is now owned entirely by private stockholders. FHLMC issues Participation

Certificates (“PCs”) that represent interests in conventional mortgages from FHLMC’s national portfolio. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and collection of principal, but PCs are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

If either fixed or variable rate pass-through securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities are developed in the future, the Fund reserves the right to invest in them.

Although the mortgage loans in the pool underlying a GNMA certificate will have maturities of up to 30 years, the actual average life of a GNMA certificate typically will be substantially less because the mortgages will be subject to normal principal amortization and may be prepaid prior to maturity.

Private Mortgage Pass-Through Securities. Commercial banks, S&Ls, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers also create pass-through pools of conventional residential mortgage loans. Such issuers may, in addition, be the originators and/or servicers of the underlying mortgage loans as well as the guarantors of the mortgage-related securities. Pools created by such non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in the former pools. However, timely payment of interest and principal of these pools may be supported by various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance and letters of credit. The insurance and guarantees are issued by governmental entities, private insurers and the mortgage poolers. Such insurance and guarantees and the creditworthiness of the issuers thereof will be considered in determining whether a mortgage-related security meets the Fund’s investment quality standards. There can be no assurance that the private insurers or guarantors can meet their obligations under the insurance policies or guarantee arrangements. The Fund may buy mortgage-related securities without insurance or guarantees if, through an examination of the loan experience and practices of the originator/servicers and poolers, the Sub-Adviser determines that the securities meet the Fund’s quality standards. Although the market for such securities is becoming increasingly liquid, securities issued by certain private organizations may not be readily marketable. The Fund may purchase mortgage-related securities or any other assets that, in the opinion of the Sub-Adviser, are illiquid, subject to the Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid securities.

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”). A CMO is a hybrid between a mortgage-backed bond and a mortgage pass-through security. Similar to a bond, interest and prepaid principal is paid, in most cases, semiannually. CMOs may be collateralized by whole mortgage loans, but are more typically collateralized by portfolios of mortgage pass-through securities guaranteed by GNMA, FHLMC or FNMA, and their income streams. CMOs may offer a higher yield than U.S. government securities, but they may also be subject to greater price fluctuation and credit risk. In addition, CMOs typically will be issued in a variety of classes or series, which have different maturities and are retired in sequence. Privately issued CMOs are not government securities, nor are they supported in any way by any governmental agency or instrumentality. In the event of a default by an issuer of a CMO, there is no assurance that the collateral securing such CMO will be sufficient to pay principal and interest. It is possible that there will be limited opportunities for trading CMOs in the OTC market, the depth and liquidity of which will vary from time to time.

CMOs are typically structured into multiple classes or series, each bearing a different stated maturity. Actual maturity and average life will depend upon the prepayment experience of the collateral. CMOs provide for a modified form of call protection through a de facto breakdown of the underlying pool of mortgages according to how quickly the loans are repaid. Monthly payment of principal received from the pool of underlying mortgages, including prepayments, is first returned to investors holding the

shortest maturity class. Investors holding the longer maturity classes receive principal only after the first class has been retired. An investor is partially guarded against a sooner than desired return of principal because of the sequential payments.

For example, if it is probable that the issuer of an instrument will take advantage of a maturity-shortening device, such as a call, refunding, or redemption provision, the date on which the instrument will probably be called, refunded, or redeemed may be considered to be its maturity date. Also, the maturities of mortgage securities, including collateralized mortgage obligations, and some asset-backed securities are determined on a weighted average life basis, which is the average time for principal to be repaid. For a mortgage security, this average time is calculated by estimating the timing of principal payments, including unscheduled prepayments, during the life of the mortgage. The weighted average life of these securities is likely to be substantially shorter than their stated final maturity.

An obligation’s maturity is typically determined on a stated final maturity basis, although there are some exceptions to this rule. Dollar-weighted average maturity is derived by multiplying the value of each investment by the time remaining to its maturity, adding these calculations, and then dividing the total by the value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. In a typical CMO transaction, a corporation (“issuer”) issues multiple series (e.g., A, B, C, Z) of CMO bonds (“Bonds”). Proceeds of the Bond offering are used to purchase mortgages or mortgage pass-through certificates (“Collateral”). The Collateral is pledged to a third-party trustee as security for the Bonds. Principal and interest payments from the Collateral are used to pay principal on the Bonds in the order A, B, C, Z. The Series A, B, and C Bonds all bear current interest. Interest on the Series Z Bond is accrued and added to principal and a like amount is paid as principal on the Series A, B, or C Bonds currently being paid off. When the Series A, B, and C Bonds are paid in full, interest and principal on the Series Z Bond begins to be paid currently. With some CMOs, the issuer serves as a conduit to allow loan originators (primarily builders or S&Ls) to borrow against their loan portfolios.

The primary risk of CMOs is the uncertainty of the timing of cash flows that results from the rate of prepayments on the underlying mortgages serving as collateral and from the structure of the particular CMO transaction (that is, the priority of the individual tranches). An increase or decrease in prepayment rates (resulting from a decrease or increase in mortgage interest rates) will affect the yield, average life, and price of CMOs. The prices of certain CMOs, depending on their structure and the rate of prepayments, can be volatile. Some CMOs may also not be as liquid as other securities.

FHLMC Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“FHLMC CMOs”). FHLMC CMOs are debt obligations of FHLMC issued in multiple classes having different maturity dates that are secured by the pledge of a pool of conventional mortgage loans purchased by FHLMC. Unlike FHLMC PCs, payments of principal and interest on the FHLMC CMOs are made semiannually, as opposed to monthly. The amount of principal payable on each semiannual payment date is determined in accordance with FHLMC’s mandatory sinking fund schedule, which, in turn, is equal to approximately 100% of FHA prepayment experience applied to the mortgage collateral pool. All sinking fund payments in the CMOs are allocated to the retirement of the individual classes of bonds in the order of their stated maturities. Payment of principal on the mortgage loans in the collateral pool in excess of the amount of FHLMC’s minimum sinking fund obligation for any payment date are paid to the holders of the CMOs as additional sinking fund payments. Because of the “pass-through” nature of all principal payments received on the collateral pool in excess of FHLMC’s minimum sinking fund requirement, the rate at which principal of the CMOs is actually repaid is likely to be such that each class of bonds will be retired in advance of its scheduled maturity date.

If collection of principal (including prepayments) on the mortgage loans during any semi-annual payment period is not sufficient to meet FHLMC’s minimum sinking fund obligation on the next sinking fund payment date, FHLMC agrees to make up the deficiency from its general funds.

Criteria for the mortgage loans in the pool backing the CMOs are identical to those of FHLMC PCs. FHLMC has the right to substitute collateral in the event of delinquencies and/or defaults.

Other Mortgage-Related Securities. Other mortgage-related securities include securities other than those described above that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property, including CMO residuals or stripped mortgage-backed securities, and may be structured in classes with rights to receive varying proportions of principal and interest. Other mortgage-related securities may be equity or debt securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including S&Ls, homebuilders, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks, partnerships, trusts and special purpose entities of the foregoing.

The Sub-Adviser expects that governmental, government-related or private entities may create mortgage loan pools and other mortgage-related securities offering mortgage pass-through and mortgage-collateralized investments in addition to those described above. The mortgages underlying these securities may include alternative mortgage instruments, that is, mortgage instruments whose principal or interest payments may vary or whose terms to maturity may differ from customary long-term fixed rate mortgages. As new types of mortgage-related securities are developed and offered to investors, the Sub-Adviser will, consistent with the Fund’s investment objectives, policies and quality standards, consider making investments in such new types of mortgage-related securities.

CMO Residuals. CMO residuals are derivative mortgage securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including S&Ls, homebuilders, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose entities of the foregoing.

The cash flow generated by the mortgage assets underlying a series of CMOs is applied first to make required payments of principal and interest on the CMOs and second to pay the related administrative expenses of the issuer. The residual in a CMO structure generally represents the interest in any excess cash flow remaining after making the foregoing payments. Each payment of such excess cash flow to a holder of the related CMO residual represents income and/or a return of capital. The amount of residual cash flow resulting from a CMO will depend on, among other things, the characteristics of the mortgage assets, the coupon rate of each class of CMO, prevailing interest rates, the amount of administrative expenses and the prepayment experience on the mortgage assets. In particular, the yield to maturity on CMO residuals is extremely sensitive to prepayments on the related underlying mortgage assets, in the same manner as an interest-only class of stripped mortgage-backed securities. See “Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities.” In addition, if a series of a CMO includes a class that bears interest at an adjustable rate, the yield to maturity on the related CMO residual will also be extremely sensitive to changes in the level of the index upon which interest rate adjustments are based. As described below with respect to stripped mortgage-backed securities, in certain circumstances, a portfolio may fail to recoup fully its initial investment in a CMO residual.

CMO residuals are generally purchased and sold by institutional investors through several investment banking firms acting as brokers or dealers. The CMO residual market has only very recently developed and CMO residuals currently may not have the liquidity of other more established securities trading in

other markets. Transactions in CMO residuals are generally completed only after careful review of the characteristics of the securities in question. In addition, CMO residuals may or, pursuant to an exemption therefrom, may not have been registered under the 1933 Act. CMO residuals, whether or not registered under the 1933 Act, may be subject to certain restrictions on transferability, and may be deemed “illiquid” and subject to the Fund’s limitations on investment in illiquid securities.

Under certain circumstances, the Fund’s investment in residual interests in “real estate mortgage investment conduits” (“REMICs”) may cause shareholders of the Fund to be deemed to have taxable income in addition to their Fund dividends and distributions, and such income may not be eligible to be reduced for tax purposes by certain deductible amounts, including net operating loss deductions. In addition, in some cases, the Fund may be required to pay taxes on certain amounts deemed to be earned from a REMIC residual interest. Prospective investors may wish to consult their tax advisors regarding REMIC residual investments by the Fund.

CMOs and REMICs may offer a higher yield than U.S. government securities, but they may also be subject to greater price fluctuation and credit risk. In addition, CMOs and REMICs typically will be issued in a variety of classes or series, which have different maturities and are retired in sequence. Privately issued CMOs and REMICs are not government securities, nor are they supported in any way by any governmental agency or instrumentality. In the event of a default by an issuer of a CMO or a REMIC, there is no assurance that the collateral securing such CMO or REMIC will be sufficient to pay principal and interest. It is possible that there will be limited opportunities for trading CMOs and REMICs in the OTC market, the depth and liquidity of which will vary from time to time. Holders of “residual” interests in REMICs (including the Fund) could be required to recognize potential phantom income, as could shareholders (including unrelated business taxable income for tax-exempt shareholders). The Fund will consider this rule in determining whether to invest in residual interests.

Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities (“SMBS”). SMBS are derivative multi-class mortgage securities. SMBS may be issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government, or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including S&Ls, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose entities of the foregoing.

SMBS are usually structured with two classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions on a pool of mortgage assets. A common type of SMBS will have one class receiving some of the interest and most of the principal from the mortgage assets, while the other class will receive most of the interest and the remainder of the principal. In the most extreme case, one class will receive all of the interest (the interest-only or “IO” class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only or “PO” class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the related underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s yield to maturity from these securities. If the underlying mortgage assets experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, the Fund may fail to fully recoup its initial investment in these securities even if the security is in one of the highest rating categories.

Although SMBS are purchased and sold by institutional investors through several investment banking firms acting as brokers or dealers, these securities were only recently developed. As a result, established trading markets have not yet developed and, accordingly, these securities may be deemed “illiquid” and subject to the Fund’s limitations on investment in illiquid securities.

Risks Associated with Mortgage-Backed Securities. As in the case with other fixed-income securities, when interest rates rise, the value of a mortgage-backed security generally will decline; however, when interest rates are declining, the value of mortgage-backed securities with prepayment features may not increase as much as other fixed-income securities. The value of some mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates, and, like the other investments of the Fund, the ability of the Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend in part upon the ability of the Sub-Adviser to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. If the Sub-Adviser incorrectly forecasts such factors and has taken a position in mortgage-backed securities that is or becomes contrary to prevailing market trends, the Fund could be exposed to the risk of a loss.

Investment in mortgage-backed securities poses several risks, including prepayment, extension market, and credit risk. Prepayment risk reflects the chance that borrowers may prepay their mortgages faster than expected, thereby affecting the investment’s average life and perhaps its yield. Whether or not a mortgage loan is prepaid is almost entirely controlled by the borrower. Borrowers are most likely to exercise their prepayment options at a time when it is least advantageous to investors, generally prepaying mortgages as interest rates fall, and slowing payments as interest rates rise. Conversely, when interest rates are rising, the rate of prepayment tends to decrease, thereby lengthening the average life of the mortgage-backed security. Besides the effect of prevailing interest rates, the rate of prepayment and refinancing of mortgages may also be affected by changes in home values, ease of the refinancing process and local economic conditions.

Market risk reflects the chance that the price of the security may fluctuate over time. The price of mortgage-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to prevailing interest rates, the length of time the security is expected to be outstanding, and the liquidity of the issue. In a period of unstable interest rates, there may be decreased demand for certain types of mortgage-backed securities, and the Fund may find it difficult to find a buyer, which may in turn decrease the price at which the securities may be sold.

Credit risk reflects the chance that the Fund may not receive all or part of its principal because the issuer or credit enhancer has defaulted on its obligations. Obligations issued by U.S. government-related entities are guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. The performance of private label mortgage-backed securities issued by private institutions is based on the financial health of those institutions.

To the extent that mortgages underlying a mortgage-related security are so-called “subprime mortgages” (i.e., mortgages granted to borrowers whose credit history is not sufficient to obtain a conventional mortgage), the risk of default is higher. Subprime mortgages also have higher serious delinquency rates than prime loans.

Other Asset-Backed Securities. The Sub-Adviser expects that other asset-backed securities (unrelated to mortgage loans) will be offered to investors in the future. Several types of asset-backed securities have already been offered to investors, including credit card receivables and Certificates for Automobile Receivables(SM) (“CARs”). CARs represent undivided fractional interests in a trust whose assets consist of a pool of motor vehicle retail installment sales contracts and security interests in the vehicles securing the contracts. Payments of principal and interest on CARs are passed-through monthly to certificate holders, and are guaranteed up to certain amounts and for a certain time period by a letter of credit issued by a financial institution unaffiliated with the trustee or originator of the trust.

An investor’s return on CARs may be affected by early prepayment of principal on the underlying vehicle sales contracts. If the letter of credit is exhausted, the trust may be prevented from realizing the full amount due on a sales contract because of state law requirements and restrictions relating to foreclosure sales of vehicles and the obtaining of deficiency judgments following such sales or because of depreciation, damage or loss of a vehicle, the application of federal and state bankruptcy and insolvency laws, or other factors. As a result, certificate holders may experience delays in payments or losses if the letter of credit is exhausted.

If consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and policies, the Fund also may invest in other types of asset-backed securities. Certain asset-backed securities may present the same types of risks that may be associated with mortgage-backed securities.

Municipal Securities

The Fund may purchase municipal securities. Municipal securities generally are understood to include debt obligations of state and local governments, agencies and authorities. Municipal securities, which may be issued in various forms, including bonds and notes, are issued to obtain funds for various public purposes.

Municipal bonds are debt obligations issued by states, municipalities and other political subdivisions, agencies, authorities and instrumentalities of states and multi-state agencies or authorities (collectively, “municipalities”).

Municipal bonds include securities from a variety of sectors, each of which has unique risks. They include, but are not limited to, general obligation bonds, limited obligation bonds, and revenue bonds (including industrial development bonds, now referred to as “private activity bonds,” issued pursuant to federal tax law). General obligation bonds are obligations involving the credit of an issuer possessing taxing power and are payable from such issuer’s general revenues and not from any particular source. Limited obligation bonds are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other specific revenue source. Revenue bonds are issued for either project or enterprise financings in which the bond issuer pledges to the bondholders the revenues generated by the operating projects financed from the proceeds of the bond issuance. Revenue bonds involve the credit risk of the underlying project or enterprise (or its corporate user) rather than the credit risk of the issuing municipality. Under the Code, interest paid on private activity bonds is treated as an item of tax preference for purposes of calculating federal alternative minimum tax liability. Tax-exempt private activity bonds and industrial development bonds generally are also classified as revenue bonds and thus are not payable from the issuer’s general revenues. The credit and quality of private activity bonds and industrial development bonds are usually related to the credit of the corporate user of the facilities. Payment of interest on and repayment of principal of such bonds are the responsibility of the corporate user (and/or any guarantor).

Some municipal bonds may be issued as variable or floating rate securities and may incorporate market-dependent liquidity features. Some longer-term municipal bonds give the investor the right to “put” or sell the security at par (face value) within a specified number of days following the investor’s request—usually one to seven days. This demand feature enhances a security’s liquidity by shortening its effective maturity and enables it to trade at a price equal to or very close to par. If a demand feature terminates prior to being exercised, the Fund would hold the longer-term security, which could experience substantially more volatility. Municipal bonds that are issued as variable or floating rate securities incorporating market-dependent liquidity features may have greater liquidity risk than other municipal bonds.

Some municipal bonds feature credit enhancements, such as lines of credit, letters of credit, municipal bond insurance, and standby bond purchase agreements (“SBPAs”). SBPAs include lines of credit that are issued by a third party, usually a bank, to enhance liquidity and ensure repayment of principal and any accrued interest if the underlying municipal bond should default. Municipal bond insurance, which is usually purchased by the bond issuer from a private, non-governmental insurance company, provides an unconditional and irrevocable assurance that the insured bond’s principal and interest will be paid when due. Insurance does not guarantee the price of the bond or the share price of the Fund.

The credit rating of an insured bond may reflect the credit rating of the insurer, based on its claims-paying ability. The obligation of a municipal bond insurance company to pay a claim extends over the life of each insured bond. Although defaults on insured municipal bonds have historically been low and municipal bond insurers historically have met their claims, there is no assurance this will continue. A higher-than-expected default rate could strain the insurer’s loss reserves and adversely affect its ability to pay claims to bondholders. The number of municipal bond insurers is relatively small, and not all of them have the highest credit rating. An SBPA can include a liquidity facility that is provided to pay the purchase price of any bonds that cannot be remarketed. The obligation of the liquidity provider (usually a bank) is only to advance funds to purchase tendered bonds that cannot be remarketed and does not cover principal or interest under any other circumstances. The liquidity provider’s obligations under the SBPA are usually subject to numerous conditions, including the continued creditworthiness of the underlying borrower or bond issuer.

Municipal bonds also include tender option bonds, which are municipal derivatives created by dividing the income stream provided by an underlying municipal bond to create two securities issued by a special-purpose trust, one short-term and one long-term. The interest rate on the short-term component is periodically reset. The short-term component has negligible interest rate risk, while the long-term component has all of the interest rate risk of the original bond. After income is paid on the short-term securities at current rates, the residual income goes to the long-term securities.

Therefore, rising short-term interest rates result in lower income for the longer-term portion, and vice versa. The longer-term components can be very volatile and may be less liquid than other municipal bonds of comparable maturity. These securities have been developed in the secondary market to meet the demand for short-term, tax-exempt securities.

Although most municipal bonds are exempt from federal income tax, some are not. Taxable municipal bonds include Build America Bonds (“BABs”), the borrowing costs of which are subsidized by the federal government, but which are subject to state and federal income tax. BABs were created pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (“ARRA”) to offer an alternative form of financing to state and local governments whose primary means for accessing the capital markets had been through the issuance of tax-free municipal bonds. BABs include Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds, which are subsidized more heavily by the U.S. government than other BABs, and are designed to finance certain types of projects in distressed geographic areas. Regulators recently finalized rules which implement Section 619 and Section 941 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (commonly referred to as the “Volcker Rule” and the “Credit Risk Retention Rules”). Both rules apply to tender option bond programs and may require certain such programs to be restructured. The effects of these rules are uncertain and there can be no assurance that appropriate restructuring of existing programs will be possible or that the creation of new programs will continue. As a consequence, the municipal securities market may experience reduced demand or liquidity and increased financing costs.

Under ARRA, an issuer of a BAB is entitled to receive payments from the U.S. Treasury Department over the life of the BAB equal to 35% of the interest paid (or 45% of the interest paid in the case of a Recovery Zone Economic Development Bond). For example, if a state or local government were to issue a BAB at a 10% taxable interest rate, the U.S. Treasury Department would make a payment directly to the issuing government of 3.5% of that interest (or 4.5% in the case of a Recovery Zone Economic Development Bond). Thus, the state or local government’s net borrowing cost would be 6.5% or 5.5%, respectively, on a bond that pays 10% interest. In other cases, holders of a BAB receive a 35% or 45% tax credit, respectively. Pursuant to ARRA, the issuance of BABs ceased on December 31, 2010. The BABs outstanding at such time will continue to be eligible for the federal interest rate subsidy or tax credit, which continues for the life of the BABs; however, no bonds issued following expiration of the program will be eligible for federal payment or tax credit. Pursuant to the requirements of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended, subsidy payments to issuers processed on or after October 1, 2020, and on or before September 30, 2020, will be reduced 5.7%, unless Congress otherwise acts. In addition to BABs, the Fund may invest in other municipal bonds that pay taxable interest.

Prices and yields on municipal bonds are dependent on a variety of factors, including general money-market conditions, the financial condition of the issuer, general conditions of the municipal bond market, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue. A number of these factors, including the ratings of particular issues, are subject to change from time to time. Information about the financial condition of an issuer of municipal bonds may not be as extensive as that which is made available by corporations whose securities are publicly traded. Tax Anticipation Notes are used to finance working capital needs of municipalities and are issued in anticipation of various seasonal tax revenues, to be payable from these specific future taxes. They are usually general obligations of the issuer, secured by the taxing power for the payment of principal and interest.

Municipal securities also include various forms of notes. These notes include, but are not limited to, the following types:

•Revenue anticipation notes which are issued in expectation of receipt of other kinds of revenue, such as federal revenues. They, also, are usually general obligations of the issuer.

•Bond anticipation notes which are normally issued to provide interim financial assistance until long-term financing can be arranged. The long-term bonds then provide funds for the repayment of the notes.

•Construction loan notes which are sold to provide construction financing for specific projects. After successful completion and acceptance, many projects receive permanent financing through the Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”) under the FNMA or GNMA.

•Project notes which are instruments sold by HUD but issued by a state or local housing agency to provide financing for a variety of programs. They are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, and generally carry a term of one year or less.

•Short-term discount notes (tax-exempt commercial paper), which are short-term (365 days or less) promissory notes issued by municipalities to supplement their cash flow.

An entire issue of municipal securities may be purchased by one or a small number of institutional investors such as the Fund. Thus, the issue may not be said to be publicly offered. Unlike securities that must be registered under the 1933 Act prior to offer and sale, unless an exemption from such registration is available, municipal securities that are not publicly offered may nevertheless be readily marketable. A secondary market may exist for municipal securities that were not publicly offered initially.

Municipal securities are subject to credit risk. Information about the financial condition of an issuer of municipal securities may not be as extensive as that which is made available by corporations whose securities are publicly traded. Obligations of issuers of municipal securities are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency, and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors. Congress or state legislatures may seek to extend the time for payment of principal or interest, or both, or to impose other constraints upon enforcement of such obligations. There is also the possibility that, as a result of litigation or other conditions, the power or ability of issuers to meet their obligations for the payment of interest and principal on their municipal securities may be materially affected or their obligations may be found to be invalid or unenforceable. Such litigation or conditions may from time to time have the effect of introducing uncertainties in the market for municipal securities or certain segments thereof, or of materially affecting the credit risk with respect to particular bonds. Adverse economic, business, legal, or political developments might affect all or a substantial portion of the Fund’s municipal securities in the same manner.

Municipal securities are subject to interest rate risk. Interest rate risk is the chance that security prices overall will decline over short or even long periods because of rising interest rates. Interest rate risk is higher for long-term bonds, whose prices are more sensitive to interest rate changes than are the prices of shorter-term bonds. Generally, prices of longer maturity issues tend to fluctuate more than prices of shorter maturity issues. Prices and yields on municipal securities are dependent on a variety of factors, such as the financial condition of the issuer, general conditions of the municipal securities market, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue. A number of these factors, including the ratings of particular issues, are subject to change from time to time.

Municipal bonds are subject to call risk. Call risk is the chance that during periods of falling interest rates, a bond issuer will call—or repay—a higher-yielding bond before its maturity date. Forced to reinvest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates, the Fund would experience a decline in income and lose the opportunity for additional price appreciation associated with falling rates. Call risk is generally high for long-term bonds. Municipal bonds may be deemed to be illiquid as determined by or in accordance with methods adopted by the Board.

High yield municipal bonds are subject to increased liquidity and valuation risk as compared to other municipal bonds and to high yield debt securities generally. There may be no active market for a high yield municipal bond, or it may trade in secondary markets on an infrequent basis. High yield municipal bonds may be more likely than other municipal bonds to be considered illiquid and therefore to be subject to the Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid securities. It may be difficult for the Fund to obtain an accurate or recent market quotation for a high yield municipal bond, which may cause the security to be “fair valued” in accordance with the fair valuation policies established by the Board. For a more general discussion of the risks associated with high yield securities, which generally also are applicable to high yield municipal bonds, see “High Yield Securities.”

There are, in addition, a variety of hybrid and special types of municipal obligations, such as municipal lease obligations, as well as numerous differences in the security of municipal securities both within and between the two principal classifications described above. Municipal lease obligations are municipal securities that may be supported by a lease or an installment purchase contract issued by state and local government authorities to acquire funds to obtain the use of a wide variety of equipment and facilities, such as fire and sanitation vehicles, computer equipment and other capital assets. These obligations, which may be secured or unsecured, are not general obligations and have evolved to make it possible for state and local governments to obtain the use of property and equipment without meeting constitutional and statutory requirements for the issuance of debt. Thus, municipal lease obligations have special risks

not normally associated with municipal securities. These obligations frequently contain “non-appropriation” clauses that provide that the governmental issuer of the obligation has no obligation to make future payments under the lease or contract unless money is appropriated for such purposes by the legislative body on a yearly or other periodic basis. In addition to the “non-appropriation” risk, many municipal lease obligations have not yet developed the depth of marketability associated with municipal bonds; moreover, although the obligations may be secured by the leased equipment, the disposition of the equipment in the event of foreclosure might prove difficult. For the purpose of the Fund’s investment restrictions, the identification of the “issuer” of municipal securities that are not general obligation bonds is made by the Sub-Adviser on the basis of the characteristics of the municipal securities as described above, the most significant of which is the source of funds for the payment of principal of and interest on such securities.

The liquidity of municipal lease obligations purchased by the Fund will be determined pursuant to guidelines approved by the Board. Factors considered in making such determinations may include: the frequency of trades and quotes for the obligation; the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security and the number of other potential buyers; the willingness of dealers to undertake to make a market in the security; the nature of marketplace trades; the obligation’s rating; and, if the security is unrated, the factors generally considered by a rating agency. If municipal lease obligations are determined to be illiquid, then the Fund will limit its investment in these securities subject to its limitation on investments in illiquid securities.

The TRA limited the types and volume of municipal securities qualifying for the federal income tax exemption for interest, and the Code treats tax-exempt interest on certain municipal securities as a tax preference item included in the alternative minimum tax base for non-corporate shareholders. The Fund intends to monitor developments in the municipal bond market to determine whether any defensive action should be taken.

Private Investments in Public Equity

The Fund may purchase equity securities in a private placement that are issued by issuers who have outstanding, publicly-traded equity securities of the same class (“private investments in public equity” or “PIPES”). Shares in PIPES generally are not registered with the SEC until after a certain time period from the date the private sale is completed. This restricted period can last many months. Until the public registration process is completed, PIPES are restricted as to resale and the Fund cannot freely trade the securities. Generally, such restrictions cause the PIPES to be illiquid during this time. PIPES may contain provisions that the issuer will pay specified financial penalties to the holder if the issuer does not publicly register the restricted equity securities within a specified period of time, but there is no assurance that the restricted equity securities will be publicly registered, or that the registration will remain in effect.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”)

The Fund may invest in REITs. REITs are pooled investment vehicles that invest primarily in either real estate or real estate related loans. A REIT is not taxed on income distributed to its shareholders or unitholders if it complies with a regulatory requirement to distribute at least 90% of its taxable income for each taxable year. Generally, REITs can be classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs or hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest a majority of their assets directly in real property and derive their income primarily from rents and capital gains from appreciation realized through property sales. Equity REITs are further categorized according to the types of real estate securities they own, e.g., apartment properties, retail shopping centers, office and industrial properties, hotels, health-care facilities, manufactured housing and mixed-property types. Mortgage REITs invest a majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and

derive their income primarily from income payments. Hybrid REITs combine the characteristics of both equity and mortgage REITs.

The Fund will not invest in real estate directly, but only in securities issued by real estate companies. However, to the extent that the Fund invests in REITs, the Fund is also subject to the risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate, including but not limited to: declines in the value of real estate; risks related to general and local economic conditions; possible lack of availability of mortgage funds; overbuilding; extended vacancies of properties; increased competition; increases in property taxes and operating expenses; changes in zoning laws; losses due to costs resulting from the clean-up of environmental problems; liability to third parties for damages resulting from environmental problems; casualty or condemnation losses; limitations on rents; changes in neighborhood values and the appeal of properties to tenants; and changes in interest rates. Thus, the value of the Fund’s shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of a mutual fund with investments in a mix of different industries.

REITs are dependent upon management skills and generally may not be diversified. REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation. In addition, REITs could possibly fail to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Code, or to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act. The above factors may also adversely affect a borrower’s or a lessee’s ability to meet its obligations to the REIT. In the event of a default by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting its investments. In addition, even the larger REITs in the industry tend to be small to medium-sized companies in relation to the equity markets as a whole. Accordingly, REIT shares can be more volatile than — and at times will perform differently from — larger capitalization stocks such as those found in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Some REITs may have limited diversification and may be subject to risks inherent to investments in a limited number of properties, in a narrow geographic area, or in a single property type. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in underlying property values. Mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of the credit extended. REITs also involve risks such as refinancing, interest rate fluctuations, changes in property values, general or specific economic risk on the real estate industry, dependency on management skills, and other risks similar to small company investing. Although the Fund is not allowed to invest in real estate directly, it may acquire real estate as a result of a default on the REIT securities it owns. The Fund, therefore, may be subject to certain risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate, including difficulties in valuing and trading real estate, declines in the value of real estate, risks related to general and local economic conditions, adverse changes in the climate for real estate, environmental liability risks, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, limitation on rents, changes in neighborhood values, the appeal of properties to tenants and increases in interest rates.

In addition, because smaller-capitalization stocks are typically less liquid than larger capitalization stocks, REIT shares may sometimes experience greater share-price fluctuations than the stocks of larger companies.

In general, qualified REIT dividends that an investor receives directly from a REIT are automatically eligible for the 20% qualified business income deduction. The IRS has issued final Treasury Regulations that permit a dividend or part of a dividend paid by a RIC and reported as a “section 199A dividend” to be treated by the recipient as a qualified REIT dividend for purposes of the 20% qualified business income deduction, if certain holding period and other requirements have been satisfied by the recipient with

respect to its Fund shares. The final Treasury Regulations do not extend such conduit treatment to qualified publicly traded partnership income, as defined under Section 199A of the Code, earned by a RIC. Therefore, non-corporate shareholders may not include any qualified publicly traded partnership income earned through the Fund in their qualified business income deduction. The IRS and Treasury Department are continuing to evaluate whether it is appropriate to provide such conduit treatment.

Regulatory Matters

As described herein, the Fund may be required to cover its potential economic exposure to certain derivatives transactions by holding an offsetting financial position and/or segregating liquid assets equal in value to the Fund’s potential economic exposure under the transaction. The Fund will cover such transactions as described herein or in such other manner as may be in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Assets used to cover derivatives transactions cannot be sold while the derivatives position is open, unless they are replaced by other appropriate assets. Segregated liquid assets and assets held in margin accounts are not otherwise available to the Fund for investment purposes. If a large portion of the Fund’s assets are used to cover derivatives transactions or are otherwise segregated, it could affect portfolio management or the Fund’s ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations. With respect to derivatives which are cash settled (i.e., have no physical delivery requirement), the Fund is permitted to segregate cash and/or liquid securities in an amount equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market net obligations (i.e., the daily net liability) under the derivative, if any, rather than the derivative’s full notional value or the market value of the instrument underlying the derivative, as applicable. By segregating cash and/or liquid securities equal to only its net obligations under cash-settled derivatives, the Fund will have the ability to employ a form of leverage through the use of certain derivative transactions to a greater extent than if the Fund were required to segregate assets equal to the full notional amount of the derivative or the market value of the underlying instrument, as applicable.

Each of the exchanges and other trading facilitates on which options are traded has established limitations on the maximum number of put or call options on a given underlying security that may be written by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert, regardless of whether the options are written on different exchanges or through one or more brokers. These position limits may restrict the number of listed options which the Fund may write. Option positions of all investment companies advised by the Sub-Adviser are combined for purposes of these limits. An exchange may order the liquidation of positions found to be in excess of these limits and may impose certain other sanctions or restrictions.

Repurchase Agreements

The Fund may enter into domestic or foreign repurchase agreements with certain sellers pursuant to guidelines adopted by the Board.

A repurchase agreement, which provides a means for the Fund to earn income on uninvested cash for periods as short as overnight, is an arrangement under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) purchases a security, usually in the form of a debt obligation (the “Obligation”) and the seller agrees, at the time of sale, to repurchase the Obligation at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements with foreign banks may be available with respect to government securities of the particular foreign jurisdiction. The custody of the Obligation will be maintained by a custodian appointed by the Fund. The Fund attempts to assure that the value of the purchased securities, including any accrued interest, will at all times exceed the value of the repurchase agreement. The repurchase price may be higher than the purchase price, the difference being income to the Fund, or the purchase and repurchase prices may be the same, with interest at a stated rate due to the Fund together with the repurchase price upon repurchase. In either case, the income to the Fund is unrelated to the interest rate on the Obligation subject to the repurchase agreement.

The Fund will limit its investment in repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days subject to the Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid securities.

In the event of the commencement of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings with respect to the seller of the Obligation before repurchase of the Obligation under a repurchase agreement, the Fund may encounter delays and incur costs before being able to sell the security. Delays may involve loss of interest or decline in price of the Obligation. If the court characterizes the transaction as a loan and the Fund has not perfected a security interest in the Obligation, the Fund may be required to return the Obligation to the seller’s estate and be treated as an unsecured creditor of the seller. As an unsecured creditor, the Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved in the transaction. Apart from the risk of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, there is also the risk that the seller may fail to repurchase the security. In the event of the bankruptcy of the seller or the failure of the seller to repurchase the securities as agreed, the Fund could suffer losses, including loss of interest on or principal of the security and costs associated with delay and enforcement of the repurchase agreement. In addition, if the market value of the Obligation subject to the repurchase agreement becomes less than the repurchase price (including accrued interest), the Fund will direct the seller of the Obligation to deliver additional securities so that the market value of all securities subject to the repurchase agreement equals or exceeds the repurchase price.

The Board has delegated to the Adviser and Sub-Adviser the authority and responsibility to monitor and evaluate the Fund’s use of repurchase agreements, which includes: (i) the identification of sellers whom they believe to be creditworthy; (ii) the authority to enter into repurchase agreements with such sellers; and (iii) the responsibility to determine, at the time the repurchase agreement is entered into, that the collateral, other than cash or government securities are issued by an issuer that has an “exceptionally strong capacity” to meet its financial obligations on the securities collateralizing the repurchase agreement, and are sufficiently liquid that they can be sold by the Fund at approximately their carrying value in the ordinary course of business within seven calendar days. As with any unsecured debt instrument purchased for the Fund, the Adviser and Sub-Adviser seek to minimize the risk of loss from repurchase agreements by analyzing, among other things, sufficiency of the collateral.

For purposes of the 1940 Act, a repurchase agreement has been deemed to be a loan from the Fund to the seller of the Obligation. It is not clear whether a court would consider the Obligation purchased by the Fund subject to a repurchase agreement as being owned by the Fund or as being collateral for a loan by the Fund to the seller.

See “Cash Equivalents” for more information.

Restricted Securities – Rule 144A Securities and Section 4(a)(2) Commercial Paper

Restricted securities have no ready market and are subject to legal restrictions on their sale (other than those eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under Section 4(a)(2) of the 1933 Act determined to be liquid pursuant to guidelines adopted by the Board). Difficulty in selling securities may result in a loss or be costly to the Fund. Restricted securities generally can be sold only in privately negotiated transactions, pursuant to an exemption from registration under the 1933 Act, or in a registered public offering. Where registration is required, the holder of an unregistered security may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expense, and a considerable period may elapse between the time a holder decides to seek registration and the time when the holder can sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the holder of a restricted security (e.g.,

the Fund) might obtain a less favorable price than prevailed when it decided to seek registration of the security.

The Fund may invest in Rule 144A securities and in 4(a)(2) commercial paper. Certain securities may only be sold subject to limitations imposed under federal securities laws. Among others, two categories of such securities are (1) restricted securities that may be sold only to certain types of purchasers pursuant to the limitations of Rule 144A under the 1933 Act (“Rule 144A securities”) and (2) commercial debt securities that are not sold in a public offering and therefore exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the 1933 Act (“4(a)(2) commercial paper”). The resale limitations on these types of securities may affect their liquidity. The Trustees have the ultimate responsibility for determining whether specific securities are liquid or illiquid.

The Trustees have delegated the function of making day-to-day determinations of liquidity to the Adviser, pursuant to guidelines approved by the Trustees.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements

The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements with banks or broker-dealers, which involve the sale of a security by the Fund and its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price. Under a reverse repurchase agreement, the Fund continues to receive any principal and interest payments on the underlying security during the term of the agreement. These agreements involve the sale of debt securities, or Obligations, held by the Fund, with an agreement to repurchase the Obligations at an agreed upon price, date and interest payment. The proceeds will be used to purchase other debt securities either maturing, or under an agreement to resell, at a date simultaneous with or prior to the expiration of the reverse repurchase agreement. Reverse repurchase agreements will be utilized, when permitted by law, only when the interest income to be earned from the investment of the proceeds from the transaction is greater than the interest expense of the reverse repurchase transaction.

The Fund will limit its investments in reverse repurchase agreements and other borrowing to no more than 33 1/3%, or as otherwise limited herein, of its total assets. While a reverse repurchase agreement is outstanding, the Fund will maintain liquid assets in an amount at least equal in value to the Fund’s commitments to cover its obligations under the agreement.

The use of reverse repurchase agreements by the Fund creates leverage that increases the Fund’s investment risk. If the income and gains on securities purchased with the proceeds of reverse repurchase agreements exceed the cost of the agreements, the Fund’s earnings or NAV will increase faster than otherwise would be the case; conversely, if the income and gains fail to exceed the costs, earnings or NAV would decline faster than otherwise would be the case.

If the buyer of the Obligation subject to the reverse repurchase agreement becomes bankrupt, realization upon the underlying securities may be delayed, and there is a risk of loss due to any decline in their value.

Stripped Securities

Stripped securities are the separate income or principal components of a debt security. The risks associated with stripped securities are similar to those of other debt securities, although stripped securities may be more volatile, and the value of certain types of stripped securities may move in the same direction as interest rates. U.S. Treasury securities that have been stripped by a Federal Reserve Bank are obligations issued by the U.S. Treasury.

Privately stripped government securities are created when a dealer deposits a U.S. Treasury security or other U.S. government security with a custodian for safekeeping. The custodian issues separate receipts for the coupon payments and the principal payment, which the dealer then sells.

A number of banks and brokerage firms have separated (“stripped”) the principal portions (“corpus”) from the coupon portions of the U.S. Treasury bonds and notes and sold them separately in the form of receipts or certificates representing undivided interests in these instruments (which instruments are generally held by a bank in a custodial or trust account). The investment and risk characteristics of “zero coupon” Treasury securities described below under “U.S. Government Securities” are shared by such receipts or certificates. The staff of the SEC has indicated that receipts or certificates representing stripped corpus interests in U.S. Treasury securities sold by banks and brokerage firms should not be deemed U.S. government securities but rather securities issued by the bank or brokerage firm involved.

Temporary Defensive Positions; Cash Equivalents

In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, for temporary defensive purposes, the Fund may invest outside the scope of its principal investment focus. Under such conditions, the Fund may not invest in accordance with its investment objective or investment strategies, including substantially reducing or eliminating its short positions, and, as a result, there is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Under such conditions, the Fund may invest without limit in cash and cash equivalents. These include, but are not limited to: short-term obligations issued or guaranteed as to interest and principal by the U.S. government or any agency or instrumentality thereof (including repurchase agreements collateralized by such securities; see “Repurchase Agreements” and “Reverse Repurchase Agreements” for a description of the characteristics and risks of repurchase agreements and reverse repurchase agreements); obligations of banks CDs, bankers’ acceptances and time deposits) and obligations of other banks or S&Ls if such obligations are federally insured; commercial paper (as described in this SAI); investment grade corporate debt securities or money market instruments, for this purpose including U.S. government securities having remaining maturities of one year or less; and other debt instruments not specifically described above if such instruments are deemed by the Adviser or Sub-Adviser to be of comparable high quality and liquidity.

Also, a portion of the Fund’s assets may be maintained in money market instruments as described above in such amount as the Adviser or Sub-Adviser deem appropriate for cash reserves.

To-Be-Announced (“TBA”) Purchase Commitments

TBA purchase commitments are commitments to purchase mortgage-backed securities for a fixed price at a future date. At the time of purchase, the seller does not specify the particular mortgage-backed securities to be delivered. Instead, the Fund agrees to accept any mortgage-backed security that meets specified terms. Thus, the Fund and the seller would agree upon the issuer, interest rate and terms of the underlying mortgages, but the seller would not identify the specific underlying mortgages until shortly before it issues the mortgage-backed security.

Unsettled TBA purchase commitments are valued at the current market value of the underlying securities. The Fund will set aside cash or other liquid assets in an amount equal to 100% of its commitment to purchase securities on a to-be-announced basis. These assets will be marked-to-market daily, and the Fund will increase the aggregate value of the assets, as necessary, to ensure that the assets are at least equal to 100% of the amount of the Fund’s commitments. On delivery for such transactions, the Fund will meet its obligations from maturities or sales of the segregated securities and/or from cash flow.

TBA purchase commitments may be considered securities in themselves, and purchasing a security on a to be announced basis can involve the risk that the market price at the time of delivery may be lower than

the agreed-upon purchase price, in which case there could be an unrealized loss at the time of delivery. Default by or bankruptcy of the counterparty to a TBA transaction would expose the Fund to possible loss because of adverse market action and expenses or delays in connection with the purchase of the mortgage-backed securities specified in the TBA transaction. Mortgage-backed securities purchased on a to-be-announced basis increase interest rate risks to the Fund because the underlying mortgages may be less favorable than anticipated. No interest or dividends accrue to the purchaser prior to the settlement date.

U.S. Government Securities

Securities issued or guaranteed by the United States government or its agencies or instrumentalities include various U.S. Treasury securities, which differ only in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance. U.S. Treasury bills have initial maturities of one year or less; U.S. Treasury notes have initial maturities of one to ten years; and U.S. Treasury bonds generally have initial maturities of greater than ten years. Some obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities, such as GNMA pass-through certificates, are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Other securities, such as those of the Federal Home Loan Banks, are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury. Additionally, other securities, such as those issued by FNMA, are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the agency or instrumentality, while others, such as those issued by the Student Loan Marketing Association, are supported only by the credit of the agency or instrumentality. U.S. government securities also include government-guaranteed mortgage-backed securities.

While the U.S. government provides financial support to U.S. government-sponsored agencies or instrumentalities, no assurance can be given that it will always do so, and it is not so obligated by law. Because the U.S. government is not obligated by law to provide support to an instrumentality it sponsors, the Fund will invest in obligations issued by such an instrumentality only if the Sub-Adviser determines that the credit risk with respect to the instrumentality does not make its securities unsuitable for investment by the Fund.

U.S. government securities do not generally involve the credit risks associated with other types of interest bearing securities. As a result, the yields available from U.S. government securities are generally lower than the yields available from other interest bearing securities. Like other fixed-income securities, the values of U.S. government securities change as interest rates fluctuate. When interest rates decline, the values of U.S. government securities can be expected to increase, and when interest rates rise, the values of U.S. government securities can be expected to decrease.

See “Cash Equivalents” for more information.

Warrants

To the extent that the Fund invests in equity securities, the Fund may invest in warrants. The holder of a warrant has the right to purchase a given number of shares of a particular issuer at a specified price until expiration of the warrant. Such investments can provide a greater potential for profit or loss than an equivalent investment in the underlying security. Prices of warrants do not necessarily move in tandem with the prices of the underlying securities, and are speculative investments. Warrants pay no dividends and confer no rights other than a purchase option. If a warrant is not exercised by the date of its expiration, the Fund will lose its entire investment in such warrant.

When-Issued Securities

The Fund may from time to time purchase securities on a “when-issued” basis. 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 fluctuations, and takes such fluctuations into account when determining its NAV. Debt securities, including municipal securities, are often issued in this manner. The price of such securities, which may be expressed in yield terms, is fixed at the time a commitment to purchase is made, but delivery of and payment for the when-issued securities take place at a later date. Normally, the settlement date occurs within one month of the purchase (60 days for municipal bonds and notes). During the period between purchase and settlement, no payment is made by the Fund, and no interest accrues to the Fund. To the extent that assets of the Fund are held in cash pending the settlement of a purchase of securities, the Fund would earn no income; however, it is the Fund’s intention that the Fund will be fully invested to the extent practicable and subject to the policies stated herein and in the Prospectus. Although when-issued securities may be sold prior to the settlement date, the Fund intends to purchase such securities with the purpose of actually acquiring them unless a sale appears desirable for investment reasons.

When-issued transactions are entered into in order to secure what is considered to be an advantageous price and yield to the Fund and not for purposes of leveraging the Fund’s assets. However, the Fund will not accrue any income on these securities prior to delivery. The value of when-issued securities may vary prior to and after delivery depending on market conditions and changes in interest rate levels. There is a risk that a party with whom the Fund has entered into such transactions will not perform its commitment, which could result in a gain or loss to the Fund.

The Fund does not believe that the Fund’s NAV per share or income will be exposed to additional risk by the purchase of securities on a when-issued basis. At the time the Fund makes the commitment to purchase a security on a when-issued basis, it will record the transaction and reflect the amount due and the value of the security in determining the Fund’s NAV per share. The market value of the when-issued security may be more or less than the purchase price payable at the settlement date. Liquid assets are maintained to cover “senior securities transactions” which may include, but are not limited to, the Fund’s commitments to purchase securities on a when-issued basis. The value of the Fund’s “senior securities” holdings are marked-to-market daily to ensure proper coverage. Such securities either will mature or, if necessary, be sold on or before the settlement date.

Zero-Coupon Bonds

The Fund may purchase zero coupon bonds, which are debt obligations issued without any requirement for the periodic payment of interest. Zero coupon bonds are issued at a significant discount from their face value. The discount approximates the total amount of interest the bonds would accrue and compound over the period until maturity at a rate of interest reflecting the market rate at the time of issuance. Because interest on zero coupon obligations is not paid to the Fund on a current basis but is, in effect, compounded, the value of the securities of this type is subject to greater fluctuations in response to changing interest rates than the value of debt obligations that distribute income regularly. Zero coupon bonds tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest paying securities of similar maturities. The discount represents income, a portion of which the Fund must accrue and distribute every year even though the Fund receives no payment on the investment in that year. Zero coupon bonds tend to be more volatile than conventional debt securities.

Investment Restrictions

Fundamental Investment Restrictions

The Trust (on behalf of the Fund) has adopted the following restrictions as fundamental policies, which may not be changed without the affirmative vote of the holders of a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” of the Fund, as defined under the 1940 Act. Under the 1940 Act, the vote of the holders of a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” means the vote of the holders of the lesser of (i) 67% of the shares of the Fund represented at a meeting at which the holders of more than 50% of its outstanding shares are represented; or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.

1.Issue senior securities or borrow money, except as permitted under the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, and then not in excess of 33-1/3% of the Fund’s total assets (including the amount of the senior securities issued but reduced by any liabilities not constituting senior securities) at the time of the issuance or borrowing, except that the Fund may borrow up to an additional 5% of its total assets (not including the amount borrowed) for temporary purposes such as clearance of portfolio transactions and share redemptions. For purposes of these restrictions, the purchase or sale of securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis, the purchase and sale of options and futures contracts and collateral arrangements with respect thereto are not deemed to be the issuance of a senior security, a borrowing or a pledge of assets.;

2.Invest 25% or more of the value of the Fund’s assets in securities of issuers in any one industry. This restriction does not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities or to securities issued by other investment companies.;

3.Pledge, mortgage or hypothecate its assets except to secure indebtedness permitted to be incurred by the Fund. (For the purpose of this restriction, the deposit in escrow of securities in connection with the writing of put and call options, collateralized loans of securities by and collateral arrangements with respect to margin for future contracts by the Fund are not deemed to be pledges or hypothecations).

4.Underwrite any issue of securities, except to the extent that the Fund may be considered to be acting as underwriter in connection with the disposition of any portfolio security;

5.Purchase or sell real estate or interests therein, although the Fund may purchase securities of issuers which engage in real estate operations and securities secured by real estate or interests therein, including real estate investment trusts;

6.Purchase or sell physical commodities, unless acquired as a result of owning securities or other instruments, but the Fund may purchase, sell or enter into financial options and futures, forward and spot currency contracts, swap transactions and other financial contracts or derivative instruments;

7.Make loans, except loans of portfolio securities or through repurchase agreements, provided that for purposes of this restriction, the acquisition of bonds, debentures, other debt securities or instruments, or participations or other interests therein and investments in government obligations, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances or similar instruments will not be considered the making of a loan;

8.Engage in short sales of securities or maintain a short position, except that the Fund may (a) sell short “against the box” and (b) maintain short positions in connection with its use of financial options and futures, forward and spot currency contracts, swap transactions and other financial contracts or derivative instruments; or

9.Purchase securities on margin except for the use of short-term credit necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of portfolio securities, provided that the Fund may make initial and variation margin deposits in connection with permitted transactions in options and futures, forward and spot currency contracts, swap transactions and other financial contracts or derivative instruments.

10.When engaging in options, futures and forward currency contract strategies, the Fund will either: (1) earmark or set aside cash or liquid securities in a segregated account with the custodian in the prescribed amount; or (2) hold securities or other options or futures contracts whose values are expected to offset (“cover”) its obligations thereunder. Securities, currencies or other options or futures contracts used for cover cannot be sold or closed out while the strategy is outstanding, unless they are replaced with similar assets.

Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions

The following non-fundamental investment restriction is applicable to the Fund. This restriction can be changed by the Board of Trustees, but the change will only be effective after 60 days prior written notice is given to shareholders of the Fund.

The Fund may not acquire any illiquid investment if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments that are assets. Except with respect to the limitations on borrowing and acquisitions of illiquid investments, if the Fund is in compliance with a percentage or rating restriction on investment or use of assets set forth herein or in the Prospectus at the time that a transaction is effected, later changes in percentage resulting from any cause other than actions by the Fund will not be considered a violation.

Investments in any other investment companies in which the Fund may invest have adopted their own investment policies, which may be more or less restrictive than those listed above, thereby allowing the Fund to participate in certain investment strategies indirectly that are prohibited under the fundamental and non-fundamental investment policies listed above.

Management of the Fund

Board of Trustees

The management and affairs of the Fund are supervised by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees consists of four individuals. The Trustees are fiduciaries for the Fund’s shareholders and are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware in this regard. The Board of Trustees establishes policies for the operation of the Fund and appoints the officers who conduct the daily business of the Fund.

Trustees and Officers

The Trustees and the officers of the Trust are listed below with their addresses, present positions with the Trust and principal occupations over at least the last five years.

Name, Address and Year of Birth

Position(s) Held with the Trust

Term of Office and Length of Time Served

Number of Portfolios in Trust Overseen by Trustee

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years

Other Directorships Held by Trustee During the Past Five Years

Independent Trustees

R. Alastair Short
615 E. Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Year of Birth: 1953

Trustee and Lead Independent

Indefinite Term; Since September 2021

President, Apex Capital Corporation (personal investment vehicle).

Trustee (2004 to present) and Audit Committee Chairman (2004 to 2019), VanEck Funds (mutual fund, 13 series); Trustee and Audit Committee Chairman, VanEck Vectors ETF Trust (mutual fund, 98 series) from 2006 to present; Trustee, VanEck VIP Trust (mutual fund, 7 series) from 2004 to present; Chairman and Independent Director, EULAV Asset Management; Trustee, Kenyon Review; Trustee, Children's Village.

Thomas F. Mann
615 E. Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Year of Birth: 1950

Trustee

Indefinite Term; Since September 2021

Private Investor (2012 to present).

Director, Virtus Global Multi‑Sector Income Fund from 2011 to 2016; Director, Virtus Total Return Fund and Virtus Alternative Solutions Fund from 2012 to 2016; Trustee, Trust for Advisor Solutions/ Hatteras Alternative Mutual Funds Trust (mutual fund) from 2002 to 2019.

Julie T. Thomas, CPA
615 E. Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Year of Birth: 1962

Trustee

Indefinite Term; Since September 2021

Chief Compliance Officer, Fund Evaluation Group, LLC (investment advisory firm) from 2015 to present.

None.

Interested Trustee and Officers

Michael Weckwerth
615 E. Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Year of Birth: 1973

Trustee. Chairman, and President

Indefinite Term; Since September 2021

N/A

Senior Vice President, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (1996 - present).

N/A

Name, Address and Year of Birth

Position(s) Held with the Trust

Term of Office and Length of Time Served

Number of Portfolios in Trust Overseen by Trustee

Principal Occupation(s) During the Past Five Years

Other Directorships Held by Trustee During the Past Five Years

Elaine E. Richards
615 E. Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Year of Birth: 1968

Secretary and Vice President

Indefinite Term; Since September 2021

N/A

Senior Vice President, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (2007 - present).

N/A

Michael J. Cyr II, CPA
615 E. Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Year of Birth: 1992

Treasurer and Vice President

Indefinite Term; Since September 2021

N/A

Assistant Vice President, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (2013-present).

N/A

Michael L. Ceccato
615 E. Michigan St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Year of Birth: 1957

Chief Compliance Officer, Anti-Money Laundering Officer and Vice President

Indefinite Term; Since September 2021

N/A

Senior Vice President, U.S. Bank Global Fund Services and Vice President, U.S. Bank N.A. (2008 to present).

N/A

Role of the Board

The Board of Trustees provides oversight of the management and operations of the Trust. Like all mutual funds, the day-to-day responsibility for the management and operation of the Trust is the responsibility of various service providers to the Trust and its individual series, such as the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, and the Funds’ distributor, administrator, custodian, and transfer agent, each of whom are discussed in greater detail in this SAI. The Board approves all significant agreements with the Adviser, Sub-Adviser and the Funds’ distributor, administrator, custodian and transfer agent. The Board has appointed various individuals of certain of these service providers as officers of the Trust, with responsibility to monitor and report to the Board on the Trust’s day-to-day operations. In conducting this oversight, the Board receives regular reports from these officers and service providers regarding the Trust’s operations. The Board has appointed a CCO who reports directly to the Board and who administers the Trust’s compliance program and regularly reports to the Board as to compliance matters, including an annual compliance review. Some of these reports are provided as part of formal board meetings, which are generally held four times per year, and such other times as the Board determines is necessary, and involve the Board’s review of recent Trust operations. From time to time one or more members of the Board may also meet with Trust officers in less formal settings, between formal Board Meetings, to discuss various topics. In all cases, however, the role of the Board and of any individual Trustee is one of oversight and not of management of the day-to-day affairs of the Trust, and its oversight role does not make the Board a guarantor of the Trust’s investments, operations or activities.

Board Leadership Structure

The Board has structured itself in a manner that it believes allows it to perform its oversight function effectively. It has established three standing committees, a Nominating and Governance Committee, an Audit Committee, which also serves as the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee, and the Valuation Committee, which are discussed in greater detail below under “Trust Committees.” The Board is comprised of four Trustees, three of whom are Independent Trustees, which are Trustees that are not

affiliated with the Adviser, the principal underwriter, or their affiliates. The Nominating and Governance Committee, Audit Committee and Qualified Legal Compliance Committee are comprised of all of the Independent Trustees. The Chairperson of the Board is an Interested Trustee. The Board has also appointed a Lead Independent Trustee. The Board has determined to combine the Chairperson position with the President/Principal Executive Officer position, who is also a Senior Vice President of U.S. Bank Global Fund Services. The Board reviews its structure and the structure of its committees annually. The Board has determined that the structure and composition of the Board, and the function and composition of its various committees are appropriate means to address any potential conflicts of interest that may arise.

Board Oversight of Risk Management

As part of its oversight function, the Board receives and reviews various risk management reports and assessments and discusses these matters with appropriate management and other personnel, including personnel of the Trust’s service providers. Because risk management is a broad concept composed of many elements (such as, for example, investment risk, issuer and counterparty risk, compliance risk, operational risks, business continuity risks, etc.) the oversight of different types of risks is handled in different ways. For example, the CCO regularly reports to the Board during Board Meetings and meets in executive session with the Independent Trustees and their legal counsel to discuss compliance and operational risks. In addition, the Independent Trustee designated as the Audit Committee’s “audit committee financial expert” meets with the Treasurer and the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm to discuss, among other things, the internal control structure of the Trust’s financial reporting function. The full Board receives reports from the investment advisers to the underlying funds and the portfolio managers as to investment risks as well as other risks that may be discussed during Audit Committee meetings.

Trustee Qualifications

The Board believes that each of the Trustees has the qualifications, experience, attributes and skills appropriate to his continued service as a Trustee of the Trust in light of the Trust’s business and structure. The Trustees have substantial business and professional backgrounds that indicate they have the ability to critically review, evaluate and assess information provided to them. Certain of these business and professional experiences are set forth in detail in the table above. In addition, the Trustees have substantial board experience and, in their service to the Trust, have gained substantial insight as to the operation of the Trust. The Board annually conducts a “self-assessment” wherein the effectiveness of the Board and the individual Trustees is reviewed.

In addition to the information provided in the table above, below is certain additional information concerning each individual Trustee. The information provided below, and in the table above, is not all-inclusive. Many of the Trustees’ qualifications to serve on the Board involve intangible elements, such as intelligence, integrity, work ethic, the ability to work together, the ability to communicate effectively, the ability to exercise judgment, the ability to ask incisive questions, and commitment to shareholder interests. In conducting its annual self-assessment, the Board has determined that the Trustees have the appropriate attributes and experience to continue to serve effectively as Trustees of the Trust.

R. Alastair Short. Mr. Short’s Trustee Attributes include his experience as an investor in structured, negotiated deals. He is a co-founder of two private equity investment firms and has financial, operational, and transactional experience with a legal background. He is an experienced director, executive and investor, with strong strategic, financial and analytical skills and substantial asset management and Board industry experience. He currently serves on the Board of Van Eck Global Fund and ETFs. The Board believes Mr. Short’s experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in

combination with those of the other Trustees led to the conclusion that he possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Trust.

Thomas F. Mann. Mr. Mann’s Trustee Attributes include 45 years of experience in various senior strategic and operational management positions in large, global, financial institutions and small, entrepreneurial environments. He was the Founder of MannMaxx Management, LLC, providing Institutional Asset Solutions as a director and banker to a broad range of asset managers, global banks and Fintech companies. He is an experienced, independent director of diversified mutual fund complexes; chaired the valuation committee with for Hatteras Funds; chaired the nominating and governance committee for VIRTUS; and served on two audit committees qualifying as a “financial expert” under the SEC definition. He has also served as an advisory board member of a boutique asset management M&A advisory firm as well as Amundi North America, AnchorPath Financial Wavelength Capital Management. He has prior experience serving as a director of multiple, privately owned asset management and technology companies; trustee of a corporate pension and 401(k) plans and multiple non-profits organizations. The Board believes Mr. Mann’s experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees led to the conclusion that he possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Trust.

Julie T. Thomas, CPA. Ms. Thomas’ Trustee Attributes include has approximately 15 years of compliance experience, including Chief Compliance Officer experience for a registered fund and investment adviser. She is knowledgeable of regulatory requirements and securities laws, including the Investment Advisers Act and the Investment Company Act. Her prior background consists of 15 years of accounting experience including, four years in the public accounting arena (specializing in insurance and retail) and nearly 20 years within the life insurance industry with a broad spectrum of responsibilities. Ms. Thomas has been determined to qualify as an Audit Committee financial expert for the Trust. The Board believes Ms. Thomas’ experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees led to the conclusion that she possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Trust.

Michael J. Weckwerth. Mr. Weckwerth’s Trustee Attributes include his 25 years of experience in servicing registered and private investment companies, including more than 15 years as a senior vice president of U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (“Fund Services”). The Board believes Mr. Weckwerth’s experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees led to the conclusion that he possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Trust.

Trustee Ownership of Fund Shares

The following table shows the amount of shares in the Predecessor Fund and the amount of shares in other portfolios of the Trust owned by the Trustees as of the calendar year ended December 31, 2021.


Name	Dollar Range of Fund Shares	Aggregate Dollar Range of Fund and other portfolio Shares in the Trust
Independent Trustees
R. Alastair Short	None	None
Thomas F. Mann	None	None
Julie T. Thomas	None	None
Interested Trustee
Michael J. Weckwerth	None	None

As of the date of this SAI, no Trustee or officer of the Trust beneficially owned shares of the Fund or any other series of the Trust.

Furthermore, as of the date of this SAI, neither the Trustees who are not “interested” persons of the Fund, nor members of their immediate families, own securities beneficially, or of record, in the Adviser, the Distributor or any of their affiliates. Accordingly, neither the Trustees who are not “interested” persons of the Fund nor members of their immediate families, have a direct or indirect interest, the value of which exceeds $120,000, in the Adviser, the Distributor or any of their affiliates. In addition, during the two most recently completed years, neither the Independent Trustees nor members of their immediate families have had a direct or indirect interest, the value of which exceeds $120,000 in (i) the Adviser, the Distributor or any of their affiliates, or (ii) any transaction or relationship in which such entity, the Fund, any officer of the Trust, or any of their affiliates was a party.

Board Committees

Audit Committee. The Trust has an Audit Committee, which is composed of all of the Independent Trustees. The Audit Committee reviews financial statements and other audit-related matters for the Fund. The Audit Committee also holds discussions with management and with the Fund’s independent auditor concerning the scope of the audit and the auditor’s independence. Ms. Thomas is designated as the Audit Committee chairperson and serves as the Audit Committee’s “audit committee financial expert,” as stated in the annual reports relating to the series of the Trust.

Nominating and Governance Committee. The Trust has a Nominating and Governance Committee, which is composed of all of the Independent Trustees. Mr. Mann is designated as the Nominating and Governance Committee chairperson. The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for seeking and reviewing candidates for consideration as nominees for the position of trustee and meets only as necessary. As part of this process, the Nominating and Governance Committee considers criteria for selecting candidates sufficient to identify a diverse group of qualified individuals to serve as trustees.

The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider nominees recommended by shareholders for vacancies on the Board of Trustees. Recommendations for consideration by the Nominating and Governance Committee should be sent to the President of the Trust in writing together with the appropriate biographical information concerning each such proposed nominee, and such recommendation must comply with the notice provisions set forth in the Trust’s Nominating and Governance Committee Charter. To comply with such procedures, such nominations, together with all required information, must be delivered to and received by the President of the Trust at the principal executive office of the Trust not later than 60 days prior to the shareholder meeting at which any such nominee would be voted on. Shareholder recommendations for nominations to the Board of Trustees will be accepted on an ongoing basis and such recommendations will be kept on file for consideration when there is a vacancy on the Board of Trustees.

Valuation Committee. The Trust has a Valuation Committee that is not comprised of Trustees, but rather is comprised of officers of the Adviser. The Valuation Committee is responsible for the following: (1) monitoring the valuation of Fund securities and other investments; and (2) as required, when the Board of Trustees is not in session, for determining the fair value of illiquid securities and other holdings after consideration of all relevant factors, which determinations are reported to the Board. The Valuation Committee meets as necessary when a price for a portfolio security is not readily available.

Trustee Compensation

The Independent Trustees receive from the Trust a retainer fee of $40,000 per year, $1,500 for each regular Board meeting of the Trust attended and $500 for each special Board meeting attended telephonically, as well as reimbursement for expenses incurred in connection with attendance at Board meetings. Members of the Audit Committee receive $1,500 for each meeting of the Audit Committee attended. The chairman of the Audit Committee receives an annual retainer of $2,500. Interested Trustees do not receive any compensation for their service as Trustee. Because the Fund has recently commenced operations, the following compensation figures represent estimates for the current fiscal year:

Name of Person/Position

Aggregate Compensation From the Fund(1)

Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as Part of Fund Expenses

Estimated Annual Benefits Upon Retirement

Total Compensation from the Fund and the Trust(2) Paid to Trustees

R. Alastair Short

Independent Trustee(3)

$16,167

None

$48,500

Thomas F. Mann

Independent Trustee(3)

$15,333

None

$46,000

Julie Thomas

Independent Trustee(3)(4)

$15,833

None

$47,500

Michael J. Weckwerth
Interested Trustee

None

(1)Trustees’ fees and expenses are allocated among the Fund and the other series comprising the Trust.

(2)There are currently two other series comprising the Trust.

(3)Audit Committee member.

(4)Audit Committee chairman.

Control Persons and Principal Shareholders

A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund. A control person is one who owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledges the existence of control. A controlling person possesses the ability to control the outcome of matters submitted for shareholder vote by the Fund. The Fund commenced operations following the completion of the Reorganization of the Predecessor Fund on August 5, 2022. As of May 26, 2022, the following shareholders were considered to be principal shareholders of the Predecessor Fund:

Investor Class Shares

Name and Address

% Ownership

Type of Ownership

Parent Company

Jurisdiction

Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith Inc.
For the Sole Benefit of its Customers
4800 Deer Lake Dr. E
Jacksonville, FL 32246-6486

16.28%

Record

Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC
For the Exclusive Benefit of its Customers
1 New York Plaza, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10004-1901

16.12%

Record

Morgan Stanley

Investor Class Shares

Raymond James & Assoc Inc.
FBO Aleph Holdings Of Nevada LLC LL
333 Stanley Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11207-7609331

6.86%

Record

Raymond James & Associates, Inc.

UBS WM USA
Special Custody Account
1000 Harbor Blvd.
Weehawken, NJ 07086

5.43%

Record

UBS Americas Inc.

Institutional Class Shares

Name and Address

% Ownership

Type of Ownership

Parent Company

Jurisdiction

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Special Custody A/C FBO Customers
Attn: Mutual Funds
101 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94104-4122

20.97%

Record

The Charles Schwab Corporation

DCGT AS TTEE AND/OR CUST
FBO PLIC Various Retirement Plans
Omnibus
711 High Street
Des Moines, IA 50392

13.03%

Record

The Principal Financial Group

UBS WM USA
Special Custody Account
1000 Harbor Blvd.
Weehawken, NJ 07086

11.47%

Record

UBS Americas Inc.

Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC
Special Custody Account for the Exclusive Benefit of Customers
2801 Market Street
St Louis, MO 63103

5.34%

Record

Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC

Investment Adviser

As stated in the Prospectus, investment advisory services are provided to the Fund by Cromwell Investment Advisors, LLC, located at 810 Gleneagles Court, Suite 106, Baltimore, Maryland 21286, pursuant to an investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”). Brian Nelson is a control person of the Adviser. Subject to such policies as the Board of Trustees may determine, the Adviser is ultimately responsible for investment decisions for the Fund and performing oversight of the Fund’s sub-adviser as described below. Pursuant to the terms of the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser provides the Fund with such investment advice and supervision as it deems necessary for the proper supervision of the Fund’s investments.

After an initial two-year period, the Advisory Agreement continues in effect from year to year with respect to the Fund, only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by: (i) the Board of Trustees or the vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities; and (ii) the vote of a majority of the trustees 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 Fund, upon 60 days’ written notice to the Adviser when authorized by either: (i) a majority vote of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund; or (ii) by a vote of a majority of the Board of Trustees, or by the Adviser upon 60 days’ written

notice to the Trust. The Advisory Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment” under the 1940 Act. The Advisory Agreement provides that the Adviser under such agreement shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss arising out of any investment or for any act or omission in the execution of portfolio transactions for the Fund, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties, or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties thereunder.

In consideration of the services provided by the Adviser pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is entitled to receive from the Fund a management fee which is calculated daily and paid monthly. For its services, the Fund will pay the Adviser a management fee that is calculated at the annual rate of 0.85% of its average daily net assets, to be paid monthly.

The Adviser may voluntarily agree to waive a portion of the management fees payable to it.

For the fiscal years indicated below, the Predecessor Fund paid the Sub-Adviser the following amounts of advisory fees pursuant to a previous advisory agreement between the Sub-Adviser and FundVantage Trust, on behalf of the Predecessor Fund.


Fiscal Year Ended	Advisory Fee	Recoupment / (Waiver)*	Advisory Fee After Recoupment / (Waiver)
April 30, 2022	$529,497	$(428,844)	$100,653
April 30, 2021	$421,884	$(360,045)	$61,839
April 30, 2020	$409,069	$(397,634)	$11,435

Fund Expenses. The Fund is responsible for its own operating expenses. Pursuant to an operating expense limitation agreement, the Adviser has agreed to waive its management fees and/or reimburse Fund expenses to ensure that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (exclusive of contingent deferred sales loads, taxes, leverage, interest, brokerage commissions, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, dividends or interest expenses on short positions, acquired fund fees and expenses, and extraordinary expenses) do not exceed 1.10% and 0.85% of the Fund’s average daily net assets for Investor Class shares and Institutional Class shares, respectively, through at least August 8, 2024. The operating expense limitation agreement can be terminated only by, or with the consent of, the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board of Trustees”). The Adviser may request recoupment of previously waived fees and paid expenses from the Fund for up to 36 months from the date such fees and expenses were waived or paid, subject to the operating expense limitation agreement, if such reimbursement will not cause the Fund’s expense ratio, after recoupment has been taken into account, to exceed the lesser of: (1) the expense limitation in place at the time of the waiver and/or expense payment; or (2) the expense limitation in place at the time of the recoupment.

Manager-of-Managers Arrangement

Section 15(a) of the 1940 Act requires that all contracts pursuant to which persons serve as investment advisers to investment companies be approved by shareholders. This requirement also applies to the appointment of sub-advisers to the Fund. The Trust and the Adviser will apply for exemptive relief from the SEC (the “Order”), which permits the Adviser, on behalf of the Fund and subject to the approval of the Board, including a majority of the independent members of the Board, to hire, and to modify any existing or future sub-advisory agreement with, unaffiliated sub-advisers and affiliated sub-advisers, including sub-advisers that are wholly-owned subsidiaries (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Adviser or its parent company and sub-advisers that are partially-owned by, or otherwise affiliated with, the Adviser or its parent company (the “Manager-of-Managers Structure”). The Adviser has the ultimate

responsibility for overseeing the Fund’s sub-advisers and recommending their hiring, termination and replacement, subject to oversight by the Board. Assuming the Order is granted, it will also provide relief from certain disclosure obligations with regard to sub-advisory fees. With this relief, a Fund may elect to disclose the aggregate fees payable to the Adviser and wholly-owned sub-advisers and the aggregate fees payable to unaffiliated sub-advisers and sub-advisers affiliated with Adviser or its parent company, other than wholly-owned sub-advisers. The Order is subject to various conditions, including that a Fund will notify shareholders and provide them with certain information required by the exemptive order within 90 days of hiring a new sub-adviser. The Fund may also rely on any other current or future laws, rules or regulatory guidance from the SEC or its staff applicable to the Manager-of-Managers Structure. The sole initial shareholder of the Fund has approved the operation of the Fund under a Manager-of-Managers Structure with respect to any affiliated or unaffiliated sub-adviser, including in the manner that is permitted by the Order.

The Manager-of-Managers Structure will enable the Trust to operate with greater efficiency by not incurring the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approvals for matters relating sub-advisers or sub-advisory agreements. Operation of the Funds under the Manager-of-Managers Structure will not permit management fees paid by the Fund to the Adviser to be increased without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be notified of any changes made to sub-advisers or material changes to sub-advisory agreements within 90 days of the change. There is no assurance the Order will be granted.

The Adviser and its affiliates may have other relationships, including significant financial relationships, with current or potential sub-advisers or their affiliates, which may create a conflict of interest. However, in making recommendations to the Board to appoint or to change a sub-adviser, or to change the terms of a sub-advisory agreement, the Adviser considers the sub-adviser’s investment process, risk management, and historical performance with the goal of retaining sub-advisers for the Fund that the Adviser believes are skilled and can deliver appropriate risk-adjusted returns over a full market cycle. The Adviser does not consider any other relationship it or its affiliates may have with a sub-adviser or its affiliates, and the Adviser discloses to the Board the nature of any material relationships it has with a sub-adviser or its affiliates when making recommendations to the Board to appoint or to change a sub-adviser, or to change the terms of a sub-advisory agreement.

Investment Sub-Adviser

Tran Capital Management, L.P. (“Tran Capital Management” or the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as the sub-adviser to the Fund. Tran Capital Management is a registered investment adviser located at 1000 Fourth Street, Suite 800, San Rafael, California 94901. Tran Capital Management was founded in 1974 and, in addition to serving as the sub-adviser to the Fund, provides portfolio management services to individuals, corporate pension plans, charitable foundations and academic endowments. As of December 31, 2021, Tran Capital Management had approximately $1.44 billion in assets under management (consisting of approximately $1.34 billion in discretionary assets and $94 million in non-discretionary assets).

The Adviser provides investment management evaluation services by performing initial due diligence on the Sub-Adviser and thereafter monitoring the Sub-Adviser’s performance for compliance with the Fund’s investment objective and strategies, as well as adherence to its investment style. The Adviser also conducts performance evaluations through in-person, telephonic and written consultations. In evaluating the Sub-Adviser, the Adviser considers, among other factors: their level of expertise; relative performance and consistency of performance over a minimum period of time; level of adherence to investment discipline or philosophy; personnel, facilities and financial strength; and quality of service and client communications.

The Adviser has the responsibility for communicating performance expectations and evaluations to the Sub-Adviser and ultimately recommending to the Board of Trustees whether its sub-advisory agreement should be renewed, modified or terminated. The Adviser provides written reports to the Board of Trustees regarding the results of its evaluation and monitoring functions. The Trust will apply for an exemptive order with respect to the Fund that will permit the Adviser, subject to certain conditions, to hire new sub-advisers or to continue the employment of the existing Sub-Adviser after events that would otherwise cause an automatic termination of a sub-advisory agreement. This arrangement has been approved by the Board of Trustees and the Fund’s initial shareholder. Within 90 days of retaining a new sub-adviser, shareholders of the Fund will receive notification of the change.

The Adviser pays the Sub-Adviser out of the advisory fee paid by the Fund to the Adviser pursuant to the Advisory Agreement. The Sub-Adviser is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies. For its services, the Adviser will pay the Sub-Adviser a management fee. The management fee paid to the Sub-Adviser is paid by the Adviser and not the Fund. The Fund is not responsible for the payment of the sub-advisory fees.

The Adviser is also responsible for conducting all operations of the Fund, except those operations contracted to the Sub-Adviser, the Custodian, the Administrator or the Fund’s transfer agent. Although the Sub-Adviser’s activities are subject to oversight by the Board of Trustees and the officers of the Trust, the Board of Trustees, the officers and the Adviser do not evaluate the investment merits of the Sub-Adviser’s individual security selections. The Sub-Adviser has complete discretion to purchase, manage and sell portfolio securities for the portions of the Fund’s portfolios that it manages, subject to the Fund’s investment objective, policies and limitations. The Fund’s portfolio is managed by several portfolio managers (each, a “Portfolio Manager”) as discussed in the Fund’s prospectus.

The manager of managers exemptive order, if received by the Trust, will permit the Fund to disclose, in aggregate, the sub-advisory fees paid to the Sub-Adviser by the Adviser. The exemptive order will apply to Sub-Advisers that are affiliated persons of the Trust or the Adviser (“Affiliated Sub-Advisers”).

Control Persons of the Sub-Adviser

Tran Capital Management. Lateef General Partners, LLC may be deemed to control Tran Capital Management by virtue of its holding of 100% of the voting interest in Tran Capital Management. Lateef General Partners, LLC is owned by Lateef Management LLC and Lateef MGL, LLC. Subject to such policies as the Board of Trustees may determine, the Sub-Adviser is ultimately responsible for investment decisions for the Fund. Pursuant to the terms of the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Sub-Adviser provides the Fund with such investment advice and supervision as it deems necessary for the proper supervision of the Fund’s investments.

Portfolio Managers

As disclosed in the Prospectus, Quoc Tran and Michael Im (the “Portfolio Managers”) are the portfolio managers for the Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio.

Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers

The table below identifies, for each Portfolio Manager of the Fund, the number of accounts managed (excluding the Fund) and the total assets in such accounts, within each of the following categories: registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles, and other accounts. To the extent that any of these accounts are subject to an advisory fee which is based on account performance, this information is reflected in a separate table below. Asset amounts have been rounded as of April 30, 2022:


Category of Account	Total Number of Accounts Managed	Total Assets in Accounts Managed	Number of Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Based on Performance	Assets in Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Based on Performance

Quoc Tran
Registered Investment Companies	0	$0	0	$0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles	0	$0	0	$0
Other Accounts	386	$1.1 billion	0	$0

Michael Im
Registered Investment Companies	0	$0	0	$0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles	0	$0	0	$0
Other Accounts	0	$0	0	$0

Portfolio Manager Compensation

Tran Capital Management compensates the Fund’s portfolio managers for management of the Fund. Messrs. Tran and Im are compensated with a base salary and a discretionary bonus. The bonus is determined by the Managing Partners of Tran Capital Management’s General Partner and is based on, firm, fund and individual performance. The Sub-Adviser’s compensation strategy is to provide reasonable base salaries commensurate with an individual’s responsibilities. Tran Capital Management also makes an annual contribution to the firm’s retirement plan and benefit plan for Messrs. Tran and Im. In addition, a portfolio manager who is an owner of the firm receives a partnership distribution based on ownership share at the end of each year.

Material Conflicts of Interest

Tran Capital Management provides advisory services to other clients which invest in securities of the same type in which the Fund invests. The Sub-Adviser is aware of its obligation to ensure that when orders for the same securities are entered on behalf of the Fund and other accounts, the Fund receives fair and equitable allocation of these orders, particularly where affiliated accounts may participate. The Sub-Adviser attempts to mitigate potential conflicts of interest by adopting policies and procedures regarding trade execution, brokerage allocation and order aggregation which provide a methodology for ensuring fair treatment for all clients in situations where orders cannot be completely filled or filled at different prices.

Ownership of Securities in the Fund by the Portfolio Managers

As of April 30, 2022, the Portfolio Managers beneficially owned shares of the Predecessor Fund as shown below:


Name of Portfolio Manager			Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Predecessor Fund
Quoc Tran			Over $1,000,000
Michael Im			Between $100,001 to $500,000

Service Providers

Fund Administrator, Transfer Agent and Fund Accountant

Pursuant to a fund administration agreement (the “Administration Agreement”) between the Trust and Fund Services, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53202, Fund Services acts as the Fund’s administrator. Fund Services provides certain administrative services to the Fund, including, among other responsibilities, coordinating the negotiation of contracts and fees with, and the monitoring of performance and billing of, the Fund’s independent contractors and agents; preparation for signature by an officer of the Trust all of the documents required to be filed for compliance by the Trust and the Fund with applicable laws and regulations excluding those of the securities laws of various states; arranging for the computation of performance data, including NAV and yield; responding to shareholder inquiries; and arranging for the maintenance of books and records of the Fund, and providing, at its own expense, office facilities, equipment and personnel necessary to carry out its duties. In this capacity, Fund Services does not have any responsibility or authority for the management of the Fund, the determination of investment policy, or for any matter pertaining to the distribution of Fund shares.

Pursuant to the Administration Agreement, as compensation for its services, Fund Services receives from the Fund a combined fee for fund administration and fund accounting services based on the Fund’s current average daily net assets. Fund Services is also entitled to be reimbursed for certain out-of-pocket expenses. In addition to its role as administrator, Fund Services also acts as fund accountant, transfer agent (“Transfer Agent”) and dividend disbursing agent under separate agreements with the Trust.

For the fiscal years indicated below, the Predecessor Fund paid the following fees to Predecessor Fund’s administrator, The Bank of New York Mellon:


Administration and Accounting Fees Paid During Fiscal Years Ended April 30,
2022	2021	2020
$59,597	$64,859	$63,913

Custodian

U.S. Bank National Association, an affiliate of Fund Services (the “Custodian”), serves as the custodian of the assets of the Fund pursuant to a custody agreement between the Custodian and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, whereby the Custodian charges fees on a transactional basis plus out-of-pocket expenses. The Custodian has custody of all assets and securities of the Fund, delivers and receives payments for securities sold, receives and pays for securities purchased, collects income from investments and performs other duties, all as directed by the officers of the Trust. The Custodian’s address is 1555 North River Center Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53212. The Custodian does not participate in decisions relating to the purchase and sale of securities by the Fund. The Custodian and its affiliates may participate in revenue sharing arrangements with the service providers of mutual funds in which the Fund may invest.

Legal Counsel

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP, 2600 One Commerce Square, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, serves as the Funds’ legal counsel.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

BBD, LLP, 1835 Market Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19103, serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm.

Distribution and Servicing of Fund Shares

The Trust has entered into a distribution agreement (the “Distribution Agreement”) with the Distributor, Foreside Fund Services, LLC, Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101, pursuant to which the Distributor acts as the Fund’s principal underwriter, provides certain administration services and promotes and arranges for the sale of the Fund’s shares. The offering of the Fund’s shares is continuous, and the Distributor distributes the Fund’s shares on a best efforts basis. The Distributor is not obligated to sell any certain number of shares of the Fund. The Distributor is a registered broker-dealer and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).

After an initial two-year period, the Distribution Agreement continues in effect only if its continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board of Trustees or by vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities and, in either case, by a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Distribution Agreement or “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of any such party. The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust on behalf of the Fund on 60 days’ written notice when authorized either by a majority vote of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund or by vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Distributor upon 60 days’ written notice to the Trust. The Distribution Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act).

The Predecessor Fund utilized Foreside Funds Distributor, LLC (an affiliate of the Fund’s Distributor) as its distributor. For the fiscal years indicated below, the Foreside Funds Distributor, LLC received the following underwriting commissions for Investor Class (formerly Class A shares) shares of the Predecessor Fund:


Underwriting Commissions Paid During Fiscal Years Ended April 30,
	2022	2021	2020
Investor Class Shares	$77,437	$68,676	$96,792

Distribution and Shareholder Service (Rule 12b-1) Plan

The Trust has adopted a distribution plan pursuant to Rule 12b‑1 under the 1940 Act (the “Distribution Plan”) on behalf of the Fund. Under the Distribution Plan, the Fund pays a fee to the Fund’s Distributor for distribution and shareholder services (the “Distribution Fee”). The fee for Investor Class shares represents a 0.25% Rule 12b-1 distribution fee. The Rule 12b-1 distribution fee is discussed in greater detail below. The Distribution Plan provides that the Distributor may use all or any portion of such Distribution Fee to finance any activity that is principally intended to result in the sale of Fund shares, subject to the terms of the Distribution Plan, or to provide certain shareholder services. Institutional Class shares are not subject to a Distribution Fee.

The Distribution Fee is payable to the Distributor regardless of the distribution-related expenses actually incurred. Because the Distribution Fee is not directly tied to expenses, the amount of Distribution Fees paid by the Fund during any year may be more or less than actual expenses incurred pursuant to the Distribution Plan. For this reason, this type of distribution fee arrangement is characterized by the staff of the SEC as a “compensation” plan.

The Distribution Plan provides that it will continue from year to year upon approval by the majority vote of the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act, and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operations of the Distribution Plan or in any agreement related to such plan (the “Qualified Trustees”), as required by the 1940 Act, cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose. It is also required that the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, select and nominate all other Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund. The Distribution Plan and any related agreements may not be amended to materially increase the amounts to be spent for distribution expenses without approval of shareholders holding a majority of the Fund’s shares outstanding. All material amendments to the Distribution Plan or any related agreements must be approved by a vote of a majority of the Board of Trustees and the Qualified Trustees, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on any such amendment.

The Distribution Plan requires that the Distributor provide to the Board of Trustees, at least quarterly, a written report on the amounts and purpose of any payment made under the Distribution Plan. The Distributor is also required to furnish the Board of Trustees with such other information as may reasonably be requested in order to enable the Board of Trustees to make an informed determination of whether the Distribution Plan should be continued. With the exception of the Adviser and Sub-Adviser, no “interested person” of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act, and no Qualified Trustee of the Fund has or had a direct or indirect financial interest in the Distribution Plan or any related agreement.

As noted above, the Distribution Plan provides for the ability to use Fund assets to pay financial intermediaries (including those that sponsor mutual fund supermarkets), plan administrators and other service providers to finance any activity that is principally intended to result in the sale of Fund shares (distribution services). The payments made by the Fund to these financial intermediaries are based primarily on the dollar amount of assets invested in the Fund through the financial intermediaries. These financial intermediaries may pay a portion of the payments that they receive from the Fund to their investment professionals. In addition to the ongoing asset-based fees paid to these financial intermediaries under the Distribution Plan, the Fund may, from time to time, make payments under the Distribution Plan that help defray the expenses incurred by these intermediaries for conducting training and educational meetings about various aspects of the Fund for their employees. In addition, the Fund may make payments under the Distribution Plan for exhibition space and otherwise help defray the expenses these financial intermediaries incur in hosting client seminars where the Fund is discussed.

To the extent these asset-based fees and other payments made under the Distribution Plan to these financial intermediaries for the distribution services they provide to the Fund’s shareholders exceed the Distribution Fees available, these payments are made by the Sub-Adviser from its own resources, which may include its profits from the advisory fee it receives from the Fund. In addition, the Fund may participate in various “fund supermarkets” in which a mutual fund supermarket sponsor (usually a broker-dealer) offers many mutual funds to the sponsor’s customers without charging the customers a sales charge. In connection with its participation in such platforms, the Sub-Adviser may use all or a portion of the Distribution Fee to pay one or more supermarket sponsors a negotiated fee for distributing the Fund’s

shares. In addition, in its discretion, the Sub-Adviser may pay additional fees to such intermediaries from its own assets.

Rule 12b-1 Distribution Fee

The Distributor may use the Rule 12b-1 Distribution Fee to pay for services covered by the Distribution Plan including, but not limited to, advertising, compensating underwriters, dealers and selling personnel engaged in the distribution of Fund shares, the printing and mailing of prospectuses, statements of additional information and reports to other than current Fund shareholders, the printing and mailing of sales literature pertaining to the Fund, and obtaining whatever information, analyses and reports with respect to marketing and promotional activities that the Fund may, from time to time, deem advisable.

The table below shows the amount of Rule 12b-1 Distribution Fees incurred and the allocation of such fees by the Predecessor Fund for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022. For the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022, the Distributor collected $77,437 in distribution fees from the Predecessor Fund. The Investor Class shares were formerly Class A shares.


Actual Rule 12b-1 Expenses Incurred by the Distributor to the Predecessor Fund Investor Class Shares During the Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2022
			Total Dollars Allocated
Advertising/Marketing			$0
Printing/Postage			$0
Payment to Distributor			$15,960
Payment to dealers			$54,865
Compensation to sales personnel			$0
Other			$0
Total			$70,825

Sub-Accounting Service Fees

In addition to the fees that the Fund may pay to its Transfer Agent, the Board of Trustees has authorized the Fund to pay service fees to certain intermediaries such as banks, broker-dealers, financial advisers or other financial institutions for sub‑administration, sub-transfer agency, recordkeeping (collectively, “sub-accounting services”) and other shareholder services associated with shareholders whose shares are held of record in omnibus, networked, or other group accounts or accounts traded through registered securities clearing agents, up to the following annual limits:

•0.15% of applicable average net assets or $20 per account for Omnibus Non-Institutional Accounts

•0.10% of applicable average net assets or $10 per account for Omnibus Institutional Accounts

•0.10% of applicable average net assets or $7 per account for Networked Accounts

Unless the Fund has adopted a specific shareholder servicing plan which is broken out as a separate expense, a sub-accounting fee paid by the Fund is included in the total amount of “Other Expenses” listed in the Fund’s Fees and Expenses table in the Prospectus.

Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage

Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser, together with the Sub-Adviser. determines which securities are to be purchased and sold by the Fund and which broker-dealers are eligible to execute the Fund’s portfolio transactions. Purchases and sales of securities in the OTC market will generally be executed directly with a “market-maker” unless, in the opinion of the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser, a better price and execution can otherwise be obtained by using a broker for the transaction.

Purchases of portfolio securities for the Fund will be effected through broker-dealers (including banks) that specialize in the types of securities that the Fund will be holding, unless the Adviser believes that better executions are available elsewhere. Dealers usually act as principal for their own accounts. Purchases from dealers will include a spread between the bid and the asked price. If the execution and price offered by more than one dealer are comparable, the order may be allocated to a dealer that has provided research or other services as discussed below.

In placing portfolio transactions, the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser will use reasonable efforts to choose broker-dealers capable of providing the services necessary to obtain the most favorable price and execution available. The full range and quality of services available will be considered in making these determinations, such as the size of the order, the difficulty of execution, the operational facilities of the firm involved, the firm’s risk in positioning a block of securities and other factors. In those instances where it is reasonably determined that more than one broker-dealer can offer the services needed to obtain the most favorable price and execution available, consideration may be given to those broker-dealers that furnish or supply research and statistical information to the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser that it may lawfully and appropriately use in its investment advisory capacities, as well as provide other brokerage services in addition to execution services. The Adviser considers such information, which is in addition to and not in lieu of the services required to be performed by it under its Advisory Agreement with the Fund, to be useful in varying degrees, but of indeterminable value. Portfolio transactions may be placed with broker-dealers who sell shares of the Fund subject to rules adopted by FINRA and the SEC. Portfolio transactions may also be placed with broker-dealers in which the Adviser has invested on behalf of the Fund and/or client accounts.

While it is the Fund’s general policy to first seek to obtain the most favorable price and execution available in selecting a broker-dealer to execute portfolio transactions for the Fund, weight is also given to the ability of a broker-dealer to furnish brokerage and research services to the Fund or to the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser, even if the specific services are not directly useful to the Fund and may be useful to the Adviser in advising other clients. In negotiating commissions with a broker or evaluating the spread to be paid to a dealer, the Fund may therefore pay a higher commission or spread than would be the case if no weight were given to the furnishing of these supplemental services, provided that the amount of such commission or spread has been determined in good faith by the Adviser to be reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and/or research services provided by such broker-dealer. The standard of reasonableness is to be measured in light of the Adviser’s overall responsibilities to the Fund.

Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those of other client accounts. Nevertheless, it is possible that at times identical securities will be acceptable for the Fund and one or more of such client accounts. In such event, the position of the Fund and such client account(s) in the same issuer may vary and the length of time that each may choose to hold its investment in the same issuer may likewise vary. However, to the extent any of these client accounts seek to acquire the same security as the Fund at the same time, the Fund may not be able to acquire as large a portion of such security as it desires, or it may have to pay a higher price or obtain a lower yield for such security. Similarly, the Fund may not be able to obtain as high a price for, or as large an execution of, an order to

sell any particular security at the same time. If one or more of such client accounts simultaneously purchases or sells the same security that the Fund is purchasing or selling, each day’s transactions in such security will be allocated between the Fund and all such client accounts in a manner deemed equitable by the Adviser, taking into account the respective sizes of the accounts and the amount being purchased or sold. It is recognized that in some cases this system could have a detrimental effect on the price or value of the security insofar as the Fund is concerned. In other cases, however, it is believed that the ability of the Fund to participate in volume transactions may produce better executions for the Fund. Notwithstanding the above, the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser may execute buy and sell orders for accounts and take action in performance of its duties with respect to any of its accounts that may differ from actions taken with respect to another account, so long as the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser shall, to the extent practicable, allocate investment opportunities to accounts, including the Fund, over a period of time on a fair and equitable basis and in accordance with applicable law.

The Fund is required to identify any securities of its regular broker-dealers that the Fund has acquired during its most recent fiscal year. During the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022, the Predecessor Fund did not acquire any such securities.

The Fund is also required to identify any brokerage transactions during its most recent fiscal year that were directed to a broker-dealer because of research services provided, along with the amount of any such transactions and any related commissions paid by the Fund. During the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022, the Predecessor Fund had no such transactions.

The following table shows the amounts paid by the Predecessor Fund in brokerage commissions for the fiscal years indicated below:


Brokerage Commissions Paid During Fiscal Year Ended April 30,
2022	2021	2020
$22,024*	$36,530	$50,293

* The difference in brokerage commissions between 2022 and 2020 is attributable to higher trading volumes in 2020 due to more activity in the portfolio through the Covid drawdown and recovery.

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 Adviser and the Sub-Adviser, investment considerations warrant such action. Portfolio turnover rate is calculated by dividing (1) the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the fiscal year by (2) the monthly average of the value of portfolio securities owned during the fiscal year. A 100% turnover rate would occur if all the securities in the Fund’s portfolio, with the exception of securities whose maturities at the time of acquisition were one year or less, were sold and either repurchased or replaced within one year. A high rate of portfolio turnover (100% or more) generally leads to above-average transaction and brokerage commission costs and may generate capital gains, including short-term capital gains taxable to shareholders at ordinary income rates. To the extent that the Fund experiences an increase in brokerage commissions due to a higher portfolio turnover rate, the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by the increased expenses incurred by the Fund. Furthermore, a high portfolio turnover rate may result in a greater number of taxable transactions. There has been a variation in the Predecessor Fund’s portfolio turnover rates over the two most recently completed fiscal years, as the Sub-Adviser harvested some long-held investments whose thesis played out and repositioned the portfolio for the next

three to five years. The Sub-Adviser expects the portfolio turnover rate to return to the Predecessor Fund’s historical range.

The following table shows the portfolio turnover rates for the Predecessor Fund for the fiscal years indicated below:


Portfolio Turnover During Fiscal Year Ended April 30,
2022			2021
38%			66%

Code of Ethics

The Trust, the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser have each adopted a Code of Ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. The Adviser’s Code of Ethics permits, subject to certain conditions, personnel of the Adviser to invest in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund. The Distributor relies on the principal underwriters exception under Rule 17j-1(c)(3) from the requirement to adopt a code of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 because the Distributor is not affiliated with the Trust or the Adviser, and no officer, director, or general partner of the Distributor serves as an officer or director of the Trust or the Adviser.

Proxy-Voting Procedures

The Board of Trustees has adopted Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (the “Proxy Policies”) on behalf of the Trust which has delegated to the Sub-Adviser, subject to the Board of Trustee’s continuing oversight the responsibility for voting proxies. The Proxy Policies require that the Sub-Adviser vote proxies received in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. The Proxy Policies also require the Sub-Adviser to present to the Board of Trustees, at least annually, the Sub-Adviser’s Proxy Policies and a record of each proxy voted by the Sub-Adviser on behalf of the Fund, including a report on the resolution of all proxies identified by the Sub-Adviser as involving a conflict of interest.

In the event of a conflict between the interests of the Sub-Adviser and the Fund, the Proxy Policies provide that the conflict may be disclosed to the Board of Trustees or its delegate, who shall provide direction on how to vote the proxy. The Board of Trustees has delegated this authority to the Independent Trustees, and the proxy voting direction in such a case shall be determined by a majority of the Independent Trustees.

The Fund’s actual voting records relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 will be available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free, 1-855-625-7333 or by accessing the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Program

The Trust has established an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Program (the “Program”) as required by the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (the “USA PATRIOT Act”) and related anti-money laundering laws and regulations. To ensure compliance with these laws, the Program provides for the development of internal practices, procedures and controls, designation of anti-money laundering compliance officers, an ongoing training program and an independent audit function to determine the effectiveness of the Program. Michael L. Ceccato has been designated as the Trust’s Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer.

Procedures to implement the Program include, but are not limited to: determining that the Distributor and the Transfer Agent have established proper anti-money laundering procedures; reporting suspicious and/or fraudulent activity; and a complete and thorough review of all new account applications. The Fund will not transact business with any person or legal entity whose identity and beneficial owners, if applicable, cannot be adequately verified under the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act.

As a result of the Program, the Fund may be required to “freeze” the account of a shareholder if the shareholder appears to be involved in suspicious activity or if certain account information matches information on government lists of known terrorists or other suspicious persons, or the Fund may be required to transfer the account or proceeds of the account to a governmental agency.

Portfolio Holdings Information

The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has adopted portfolio holdings disclosure policies (the “Disclosure Policies”) that govern the timing and circumstances of disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Fund. Information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings will not be distributed to any third party except in accordance with these Disclosure Policies. The Board of Trustees considered the circumstances under which the Fund’s portfolio holdings may be disclosed under the Disclosure Policies, considering actual and potential material conflicts that could arise in such circumstances between the interests of the Fund’s shareholders and the interests of the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, Distributor or any other affiliated person of the Fund. After due consideration, the Board determined that the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for disclosing portfolio holdings to persons described in these Disclosure Policies.

Information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings will not be distributed to any third party except as described below:

•the disclosure is required to respond to a regulatory request, court order or other legal proceeding;

•the disclosure is to a mutual fund rating or evaluation services organization (such as Morningstar, Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters), or statistical agency or person performing similar functions, or due diligence department of a broker-dealer or wirehouse, who has, if necessary, signed a confidentiality agreement, or is bound by applicable duties of confidentiality imposed by law, with the Fund;

•the disclosure is made to the Fund’s service providers who generally need access to such information in the performance of their contractual duties and responsibilities, and who are subject to duties of confidentiality imposed by law and/or contract, such as the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, the Board of Trustees, the Fund’s independent registered public accountants, regulatory authorities, counsel to the Fund or the Board of Trustees, proxy voting service providers, financial printers involved in the reporting process, the fund administrator, fund accountant, transfer agent, or custodian of the Fund;

•the disclosure is made by the Sub-Adviser’s trading desk to broker-dealers in connection with the purchase or sale of securities or requests for price quotations or bids on one or more securities or so that such brokers can provide the Sub-Adviser with natural order flow;

•the disclosure is made to institutional consultants evaluating the Fund on behalf of potential investors;

•the disclosure is (a) in connection with a quarterly, semi-annual or annual report that is available to the public or (b) relates to information that is otherwise available to the public; or

•the disclosure is made pursuant to prior written approval of the Trust’s CCO, or other person so authorized, is for a legitimate business purpose and is in the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders.

For purposes of the Disclosure Policies, portfolio holdings information does not include descriptive information if that information does not present material risks of dilution, arbitrage, market timing, insider trading or other inappropriate trading for the Fund. Information excluded from the definition of portfolio holdings information generally includes, without limitation: (i) descriptions of allocations among asset classes, regions, countries or industries/sectors; (ii) aggregated data such as average or median ratios, or market capitalization, performance attributions by industry, sector or country; or (iii) aggregated risk statistics. It is the policy of the Trust to prohibit any person or entity from receiving any direct or indirect compensation or consideration of any kind in connection with the disclosure of information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings.

The Trust’s CCO must document any decisions regarding non-public disclosure of portfolio holdings and the rationale therefor. In connection with the oversight responsibilities by the Board of Trustees, any documentation regarding decisions involving the non-public disclosure of portfolio holdings of the Fund to third parties must be provided to the full Board of Trustees or its authorized committee.

Determination of Net Asset Value

The NAV of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate and is determined as of the close of trading on the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) each business day. The NYSE annually announces the days on which it will not be open for trading. The most recent announcement indicates that the NYSE will not be open on the following days: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. However, the NYSE may close on days not included in that announcement. If the NYSE closes early, the Fund will calculate the NAV as of the close of trading on the NYSE on that day. If an emergency exists as permitted by the SEC, the NAV may be calculated at a different time.

The NAV per share is computed by dividing the value of the securities held by the Fund plus any cash or other assets (including interest and dividends accrued but not yet received) minus all liabilities (including accrued expenses) by the total number of shares in the Fund outstanding at such time.


Net Assets	=	Net Asset Value Per Share
Shares Outstanding

Generally, the Fund’s investments are valued at market value or, in the absence of a market value, at fair value as determined in good faith by the Sub-Adviser and the Valuation Committee pursuant to procedures approved by or under the direction of the Board of Trustees.

Each equity security owned by the Fund, including depositary receipts, that is traded on a national securities exchange, except for securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (“NASDAQ”), is valued at its last sale price on the exchange on which such security is traded, as of the close of business on the day the security is being valued or, lacking any reported sales, at the mean between the most recent bid and asked price. All equity securities that are not traded on a listed exchange are valued at the last sales price at the close of the OTC market. If a non-exchange listed security does not trade on a particular day, then the mean between the last quoted bid and the asked prices will be used as long as it continues to reflect the value of the security.

Securities that are traded on more than one exchange are valued using the price of the exchange that the Fund generally considers to be the principal exchange on which the security is traded. Fund securities listed on NASDAQ will be valued using the NASDAQ Official Closing Price, which may not necessarily represent the last sales price. If there has been no sale on such exchange or on NASDAQ on such day, the

security will be valued at the mean between the most recent quoted bid and asked prices at the close of the exchange on such day, or the security shall be valued at the latest sales price on the “composite market” for the day such security is being valued. The composite market is defined as a consolidation of the trade information provided by a national securities and foreign exchange and OTC markets as published by an approved pricing service (“Pricing Service”).

Money market funds, demand notes and repurchase agreements are valued at cost. If cost does not represent current market value the securities will be priced at fair value.

Debt securities, including short-term instruments having a maturity of 60 days or less, are valued at the mean in accordance with prices provided by a Pricing Service. Pricing Services may use various valuation methodologies such as the mean between the bid and ask prices, matrix pricing method or other analytical pricing models as well as market transactions and dealer quotations. If a price is not available from a Pricing Service, the most recent quotation obtained from one or more broker-dealers known to follow the issue will be obtained. Fixed income securities purchased on a delayed-delivery basis are typically marked to market daily until settlement at the forward settlement date. Quotations will be valued at the mean between the bid and the offer. Fixed income securities purchased on a delayed-delivery basis are typically marked to market daily until settlement at the forward settlement date. Any discount or premium is accrued or amortized using the constant yield method until maturity.

Exchange traded options are valued at the composite price, using the National Best Bid and Offer quotes (“NBBO”). NBBO consists of the highest bid price and lowest ask price across any of the exchanges on which an option is quoted, thus providing a view across the entire U.S. options marketplace. Specifically, composite pricing looks at the last trades on the exchanges where the options are traded. If there are no trades for the option on a given business day composite option pricing calculates the mean of the highest bid price and lowest ask price across the exchanges where the option is traded.

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

Additional Purchase and Redemption Information

The information provided below supplements the information contained in the Prospectus regarding the purchase and redemption of Fund shares.

How to Purchase Shares

You may purchase shares of the Fund directly from the Fund, or from securities brokers, dealers or other financial intermediaries (collectively, “Financial Intermediaries”). Investors should contact their Financial Intermediary directly for appropriate instructions, as well as information pertaining to accounts and any service or transaction fees that may be charged. The Fund may enter into arrangements with certain Financial Intermediaries whereby such Financial Intermediaries (and their authorized designees) are authorized to accept your order on behalf of the Fund (each an “Authorized Intermediary”). If you transmit your purchase request to an Authorized Intermediary before the close of regular trading (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on a day that the NYSE is open for business, shares will be purchased at the next calculated NAV, after the Financial Intermediary receives the request. Investors should check with their Financial Intermediary to determine if it is an Authorized Intermediary.

Investors wishing to purchase Fund shares should contact the Fund toll free at 1-855-625-7333. If you are purchasing shares through a Financial Intermediary, you must follow the procedures established by your Financial Intermediary. Your Financial Intermediary is responsible for sending your purchase order and

wiring payment to the Transfer Agent. Your Financial Intermediary holds the shares in your name and receives all confirmations of purchases and sales.

Shares are purchased at the next calculated NAV, after the Transfer Agent or Authorized Intermediary receives your purchase request in good order. In most cases, in order to receive that day’s NAV, the Transfer Agent must receive your order in good order before the close of regular trading on the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time).

The Trust reserves the right in its sole discretion: (i) to suspend the continued offering of the Fund’s shares; (ii) to reject purchase orders in whole or in part when in the judgment of the Adviser or the Distributor such rejection is in the best interest of the Fund; and (iii) to reduce or waive the minimum for initial and subsequent investments for certain fiduciary accounts or under circumstances where certain economies can be achieved in sales of the Fund’s shares.

The Adviser reserves the right to reject any initial or additional investments.

How to Redeem Shares and Delivery of Redemption Proceeds

You may redeem your Fund shares any day the NYSE is open for regular trading, either directly with the Fund or through your Financial Intermediary.

Payments to shareholders for shares of the Fund redeemed directly from the Fund will be made as promptly as possible, but no later than seven days after receipt by the Transfer Agent of the written request in proper form, with the appropriate documentation as stated in the Prospectus, except that the Fund may suspend the right of redemption or postpone the date of payment during any period when: (a) trading on the NYSE is restricted as determined by the SEC or the NYSE is closed for other than weekends and holidays; (b) an emergency exists as determined by the SEC making disposal of portfolio securities or valuation of net assets of the Fund not reasonably practicable; or (c) for such other period as the SEC may permit for the protection of the Fund’s shareholders.

The value of shares on redemption or repurchase may be more or less than the investor’s cost, depending upon the market value of the Fund’s portfolio securities at the time of redemption or repurchase.

Telephone Redemptions

Shareholders with telephone transaction privileges established on their account may redeem Fund shares by telephone. Upon receipt of any instructions or inquiries by telephone from the shareholder, the Fund or its authorized agents may carry out the instructions and/or respond to the inquiry consistent with the shareholder’s previously established account service options. For joint accounts, instructions or inquiries from either party will be carried out without prior notice to the other account owners. In acting upon telephone instructions, the Fund and its agents use procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that such instructions are genuine. These include recording all telephone calls, requiring pertinent information about the account and sending written confirmation of each transaction to the registered owner.

The Transfer Agent will employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine. If the Transfer Agent fails to employ reasonable procedures, the Fund and the Transfer Agent may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent instructions. If these procedures are followed, however, to the extent permitted by applicable law, neither the Fund nor its agents will be liable for any loss, liability, cost or expense arising out of any redemption request, including any fraudulent or unauthorized request. For additional information, contact the Transfer Agent.

Redemption in Kind

The Fund does not intend to redeem shares in any form except cash. The Trust, however, has filed a notice of election under Rule 18f-1 of the 1940 Act that allows the Fund to redeem in-kind redemption requests of a certain amount. Specifically, if the amount you are redeeming during any 90-day period is in excess of the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net assets of the Fund, valued at the beginning of such period, the Fund has the right to redeem your shares by giving you the amount that exceeds $250,000 or 1% of the net assets of the Fund in securities instead of cash. If the Fund pays your redemption proceeds by a distribution of securities, you could incur brokerage or other charges in converting the securities to cash, and you will bear any market risks associated with such securities until they are converted into cash. For federal income tax purposes, redemptions made in-kind are taxed in the same manner to a redeeming shareholder as redemptions made in cash. In addition, sales of securities received in kind may generate taxable gains.

Federal Income Tax Matters

This section is not intended to be a full discussion of federal income tax laws and the effect of such laws on you.

This section is based on the Code, Treasury Regulations, judicial decisions, and IRS guidance on the date hereof, all of which are subject to change, and possibly with retroactive effect. These changes could impact the Fund’s investments or the tax consequences to you of investing in the Fund. Some of the changes could affect the timing, amount and tax treatment of Fund distributions made to shareholders. There may be other federal, state, foreign or local tax considerations to a particular shareholder. No assurance can be given that legislative, judicial, or administrative changes will not be forthcoming which could affect the accuracy of any statements made in this section. Please consult your tax advisor before investing.

Each series of the Trust is treated as a separate entity for federal income tax purposes. The Fund, as a series of the Trust, intends to qualify and elect to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code, provided it complies with all applicable requirements regarding the source of its income, diversification of its assets and timing and amount of its distributions. The Fund’s policy is to distribute to its shareholders all of its investment company taxable income and any net capital gain for each taxable 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 on amounts distributed. However, the Fund can give no assurances that its anticipated distributions will be sufficient to eliminate all Fund level taxes. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC and is unable to obtain relief from such failure, it would be taxed as a regular corporation and, in such case, it would be more beneficial for a shareholder to directly own the Fund’s underlying investments rather than indirectly owning them through the Fund.

To qualify as a RIC, the Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income from “good income,” which includes: (1) dividends, interest, certain payments with respect to securities loans and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies; (2) other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to the Fund’s business of investing in such stock, securities or foreign currencies; and (3) net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership. Although Code Section 851(b) authorizes the U.S. Treasury Department to issue Treasury Regulations excluding “foreign currency gains” that are not directly related to a RIC’s principal business of investing in stock or securities from qualifying income, Treasury Regulations currently provide that gains from the sale or other disposition of foreign currencies is qualifying income. Nevertheless, there can be no assurance that future Treasury Regulations will not come to a different conclusion or that the Fund will satisfy all requirements to be taxed as a RIC.

Furthermore, the Fund must diversify its holdings such that at the end of each fiscal quarter, (i) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets consists of cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs, and other acceptable securities, with such other securities limited, in respect to any one issuer, to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer; and (ii) no more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s assets may be invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other RICs), or of any two or more issuers that are controlled, as determined under applicable Code rules, by the Fund and that are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or of certain qualified publicly traded partnerships.

The Fund will be subject to a nondeductible 4% federal excise tax on certain undistributed income if it does not distribute to its shareholders in each calendar year an amount at least equal to 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year plus 98.2% of its capital gain net income for either the one-year period ending on October 31 of that year, or, if the Fund makes an election under Section 4982(e)(4) of the Code, the Fund’s fiscal year end, subject to an increase for any shortfall in the prior year’s distribution. The Fund has a Section 4982(e)(4) election currently in effect. The Fund intends to declare and distribute dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of the excise tax, but can make no assurances that all such tax liability will be eliminated.

Investment company taxable income generally consists of interest, dividends, net short-term capital gain, and net gain from foreign currency transactions, less expenses. Net capital gain is the excess of the net long-term gain from the Fund’s sales or exchanges of capital assets over the net short-term loss from such sales or exchanges, taking into account any capital loss carryforward of the Fund. Net capital losses not used during any year may be carried forward indefinitely until used, and will retain their character as short-term or long-term. The Fund may also elect to defer certain losses for tax purposes.

This section is not intended to be a full discussion of federal income tax laws and the effect of such laws on you.

corporation and, in such case, it would be more beneficial for a shareholder to directly own the Fund’s underlying investments rather than indirectly owning them through the Fund.

Distributions of investment company taxable income are taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. For a non-corporate shareholder, a portion of the Fund’s distributions of investment company taxable income may consist of “qualified dividend income” eligible for taxation at the reduced federal income tax rates applicable to long-term capital gains to the extent that the amount distributed is attributable to and reported as “qualified dividend income” and the shareholder meets certain holding period requirements with respect to its Fund shares. For a corporate shareholder, a portion of the Fund’s distributions of investment company taxable income may qualify for the intercorporate dividends received deduction to the extent the Fund receives dividends directly or indirectly from U.S. corporations, reports the amount

distributed as eligible for deduction and the shareholder meets certain holding period requirements with respect to its shares. The aggregate amount so reported to either non-corporate or corporate shareholders as applicable, cannot, however, exceed the aggregate amount of such dividends received by the Fund for its taxable year.

Distributions of net capital gain are taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gain regardless of the length of time that a shareholder has owned Fund shares. Distributions of net capital gain are not eligible for “qualified dividend income” treatment or the dividends-received deduction referred to in the previous paragraph.

Distributions of investment company taxable income and net capital gain will be taxable as described above whether received in additional Fund shares or in cash. Shareholders who choose to receive distributions in the form of additional Fund shares will have a cost basis for federal income tax purposes in each share so received equal to the NAV of a share on the reinvestment date. Distributions are generally taxable when received. However, distributions declared in October, November or December to shareholders of record and paid the following January are taxable as if received on December 31. Distributions are generally includable in alternative minimum taxable income in computing a non-corporate shareholder’s liability for the alternative minimum tax.

Certain individuals, trusts and estates may be subject to a Net Investment Income (“NII”) tax of 3.8% (in addition to the regular income tax). The NII tax is imposed on the lesser of: (i) a taxpayer’s investment income, net of deductions properly allocable to such income; or (ii) the amount by which such taxpayer’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds certain thresholds ($250,000 for married individuals filing jointly, $200,000 for unmarried individuals and $125,000 for married individuals filing separately). The Fund’s distributions are includable in a shareholder’s investment income for purposes of this NII tax. In addition, any capital gain realized by a shareholder upon the sale or redemption of Fund shares is includable in such shareholder’s investment income for purposes of this NII tax.

A sale or redemption of Fund shares, whether for cash or in kind proceeds, may result in recognition of a taxable capital gain or loss. Gain or loss realized upon a sale or redemption of Fund shares will generally be treated as a long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year, and, if held for one year or less, as a short-term capital gain or loss. However, any loss realized upon a sale or redemption of shares held for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions of net capital gain received or deemed to be received with respect to such shares. In determining the holding period of such shares for this purpose, any period during which your risk of loss is offset by means of options, short sales, or similar transactions is not counted. Any loss realized upon a sale or redemption of Fund shares may be disallowed under certain wash sale rules to the extent shares of the Fund are purchased (through reinvestment of distributions or otherwise) within 30 days before or after the sale or redemption. If a shareholder’s loss is disallowed under the wash sale rules, the basis of the new shares will be increased to preserve the loss until a future sale or redemption of the shares.

The Fund may invest in MLPs that are treated as qualified publicly traded partnerships for federal income tax purposes. The income derived from such investments constitutes “good income” for purposes of satisfying the source of income requirement for the Fund to maintain its status as a RIC. However, no more than 25% of the value of a RIC’s total assets at the end of each fiscal quarter may be invested in securities of qualified publicly traded partnerships. If an MLP in which the Fund invests does not qualify as a qualified publicly traded partnership (and the MLP is not otherwise taxed as a corporation for federal income tax purposes), the Fund must look through to the character of the income generated by the MLP. Such income may not qualify as “good income” and could adversely affect the Fund’s status as a RIC.

If an MLP in which the Fund invests is taxed as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, the cash distributions received by the Fund from the MLP may not correspond to the amount of income allocated to the Fund by the MLP in any given taxable year. If the amount of income allocated to the Fund by an MLP exceeds the amount of cash received by the Fund from such MLP, the Fund may have difficulty making distributions to its shareholders in the amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements for maintaining the Fund’s status as a RIC and avoiding any federal income and excise taxes at the Fund level. Accordingly, the Fund may have to dispose of its portfolio investments under disadvantageous circumstances in order to generate sufficient cash to satisfy the distribution requirements. Distributions to the Fund from an MLP that is taxed as a partnership for federal income tax purposes will constitute a return of capital to the extent of the Fund’s basis in its interest in the MLP. If the Fund’s basis is reduced to zero, distributions in excess of basis will generally constitute capital gain for federal income tax purposes.

If more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stock and securities in foreign corporations, the Fund will be eligible to, and may, file an election with the IRS that would enable the Fund’s shareholders, in effect, to receive the benefit of the foreign tax credit with respect to any income taxes paid by the Fund to foreign countries and U.S. possessions. Pursuant to the election, the Fund would treat those foreign taxes as distributions paid to its shareholders, and each shareholder would be required to (i) include in gross income, and treat as paid by him, his proportionate share of those taxes, (ii) treat his share of those taxes and of any distribution paid by the Fund that represents income from foreign countries or U.S. possessions as his own income from those sources, and (iii) either deduct the taxes deemed paid by him in computing his taxable income or, alternatively, claim the foreign tax credit against his federal income tax. If the Fund makes this election, it will report to its shareholders shortly after each taxable year their respective share of income from sources within, and taxes paid to, foreign countries and U.S. possessions. The Code may limit a shareholder’s ability to claim a foreign tax credit. Shareholders who elect to deduct their portion of the Fund’s foreign taxes rather than take the foreign tax credit must itemize deductions on their income tax returns.

Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), the Fund may be required to withhold a generally nonrefundable 30% tax on (i) distributions of investment company taxable income, and (ii) distributions of net capital gain and the gross proceeds of a sale or redemption of Fund shares paid to (A) certain “foreign financial institutions” unless such foreign financial institution agrees to verify, monitor, and report to the IRS the identity of certain of its accountholders, among other items (unless such entity is otherwise deemed compliant under the terms of an intergovernmental agreement with the United States), and (B) certain “non-financial foreign entities” unless such entity certifies to the Fund that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or provides the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner, among other items. In December 2018, the IRS and Treasury Department released proposed Treasury Regulations that would eliminate FATCA withholding on Fund distributions of net capital gain and the gross proceeds from a sale or redemption of Fund shares. Although taxpayers are entitled to rely on these proposed Treasury Regulations until final Treasury Regulations are issued, these proposed Treasury Regulations have not been finalized, may not be finalized in their proposed form, and are potentially subject to change. This FATCA withholding tax could also affect the Fund’s return on its investments in foreign securities or affect a shareholder’s return if the shareholder holds its Fund shares through a foreign intermediary. You are urged to consult your tax adviser regarding the application of this FATCA withholding tax to your investment in the Fund and the potential certification, compliance, due diligence, reporting, and withholding obligations to which you may become subject in order to avoid this withholding tax.

The Fund’s transactions, if any, in forward contracts, options, futures contracts, swaps and other investments may be subject to special provisions of the Code that, among other things, may accelerate recognition of income to the Fund, defer the Fund’s losses, and affect whether capital gain and loss is characterized as long-term or short-term. These provisions could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also may require the Fund to “mark-to-market” certain positions (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out). This “mark-to-market” requirement may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash, and the Fund may have difficulty making distributions to its shareholders in the amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements for maintaining the Fund’s status as a RIC and avoiding any income and excise taxes at the Fund level. Accordingly, the Fund may have to dispose of its investments under disadvantageous circumstances in order to generate sufficient cash to satisfy the distribution requirements of the Code.

Except in the case of certain exempt shareholders, if a shareholder does not furnish the Fund with its correct Social Security Number or other taxpayer identification number and certain certifications or the Fund receives notification from the IRS requiring backup withholding, the Fund is required by federal law to withhold federal income tax from the shareholder’s distributions and redemption proceeds at a rate set under Section 3406 of the Code for U.S. residents.

Foreign taxpayers (including nonresident aliens) are generally subject to a tax withholding at a flat rate of 30% on U.S.-source income that is not effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States. This withholding rate may be lower under the terms of a tax treaty or convention.

Foreign Income Tax. Investment income received, and gains realized, by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to foreign income tax withholding at the source, and the amount of tax withheld generally will be treated as an expense of the Fund. The United States has entered into tax treaties with many foreign countries that entitle the Fund to a reduced rate of, or exemption from, tax on such income. Some countries require the filing of a tax reclaim or other form(s) to receive the benefit of the reduced tax rate; whether or when the Fund will receive a tax reclaim is within the control of the individual country. Information required on those forms may not be available, such as certain shareholder information; therefore, the Fund may not receive one or more reduced treaty rates or potential reclaims. Other countries have conflicting and changing instructions and restrictive timing requirements that also may cause the Fund to not receive one or more reduced treaty rates or potential reclaims. Other countries may subject capital gains realized by the Fund on the sale or other disposition of securities of that country to taxation. It is impossible to determine the effective rate of foreign tax in advance, since the amount of the Fund’s assets to be invested in various countries is not known.

The Fund may elect to pass through to you your pro rata share of foreign income taxes paid by the Fund if more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of foreign stocks and securities. The Fund will notify you if it is eligible to and makes such an election.

Distributions

The Fund will receive income primarily in the form of dividends and interest earned on the Fund’s investments in securities. This income, less the expenses incurred in its operations, is the Fund’s net investment income, substantially all of which will be distributed to the Fund’s shareholders.

The amount of the Fund’s distributions is dependent upon the amount of net investment income received by the Fund from its portfolio holdings, is not guaranteed and is subject to the discretion of the Board of Trustees. The Fund does not pay “interest” or guarantee any fixed rate of return on an investment in its shares.

The Fund may realize capital gains or losses in connection with sales or other dispositions of its portfolio securities. Any net gain that the Fund may realize from transactions involving investments held less than the period required for long‑term capital gain or loss recognition or otherwise producing short‑term capital gains and losses (taking into account any capital loss carryforward), will comprise part of net investment income. If during any year the Fund realizes a net gain on transactions involving investments held for the period required for long‑term capital gain or loss recognition or otherwise producing long-term capital gains and losses, the Fund will generally have a net long‑term capital gain. After deduction of the amount of any net short-term capital loss, the balance (to the extent not offset by any capital loss carryforward) will be distributed and treated as long-term capital gains in the hands of the shareholders regardless of the length of time that the Fund shares may have been held by the shareholder. Net capital losses realized by the Fund may be carried forward indefinitely, and will generally retain their character as short-term or long-term capital losses. For more information concerning applicable capital gains tax rates, please consult your tax adviser.

Any distribution paid by the Fund reduces the Fund’s NAV per share on the date paid by the amount of the distribution per share. Accordingly, a distribution paid shortly after a purchase of shares by a shareholder would represent, in substance, a partial return of capital (to the extent it is paid on the shares so purchased), even though it would be subject to federal income taxes.

Distributions will be reinvested in additional Fund shares unless the shareholder has otherwise indicated. Shareholders have the right to change their elections with respect to the reinvestment of distributions by notifying the Transfer Agent in writing, by telephone at 1-855-625-7333 (toll-free) or by contacting an Authorized Intermediary. However, any such change will be effective only as to distributions for which the record date is five or more calendar days after the Transfer Agent has received the written request.

Cost Basis Reporting

The Fund is required to report to certain shareholders and the IRS the cost basis of Fund shares acquired on or after January 1, 2012, by such shareholders (“covered shares”) when the shareholder sells or redeems such shares. This reporting requirement does not apply to shares acquired prior to January 1, 2012 or to shares held through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, or to shares held by tax-exempt organizations, financial institutions, corporations (other than S corporations), banks, credit unions and certain other entities and governmental bodies (“non-covered shares”). The Fund is not required to determine or report a shareholder’s cost basis in non-covered shares and is not responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any information provided for non-covered shares.

The cost basis of a share is generally its purchase price adjusted for distributions, returns of capital, and other corporate actions. Cost basis is used to determine whether the sale or redemption of a share results in a capital gain or loss. If you sell or redeem covered shares during any year, then the Fund will report the gain or loss, cost basis, and holding period of such covered shares to the IRS and you on Form 1099.

A cost basis method is the method by which the Fund determines which specific covered shares are deemed to be sold or redeemed when a shareholder sells or redeems less than its entire holding of covered shares and has made multiple purchases of covered shares on different dates at differing NAVs. If a shareholder does not affirmatively elect a cost basis method, the Fund will use the average cost method, which averages the basis of all Fund shares in an account regardless of holding period, and shares sold or redeemed are deemed to be those with the longest holding period first. Each shareholder may elect in writing (and not over the telephone) any alternate IRS-approved cost basis method to calculate the cost basis in its covered shares. The default cost basis method applied by the Fund or the alternate method

elected by a shareholder may not be changed after the settlement date of a sale or redemption of Fund shares.

If you hold Fund shares through a broker (or another nominee), please contact that broker or nominee with respect to the reporting of cost basis and available elections for your account.

You are encouraged to consult your tax adviser regarding the application of these cost basis reporting rules and, in particular, which cost basis calculation method you should elect.

Financial Statements

The financial statements of the Predecessor Fund and the Predecessor Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm’s report appearing in the Predecessor Fund’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022 are hereby incorporated by reference.

APPENDIX A

DESCRIPTION OF RATINGS

Description of Ratings

The following descriptions of securities ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Services, Inc. (“Moody’s”), S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”),and Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”), respectively.

Description of Moody’s Global Ratings

Ratings assigned on Moody’s global long-term and short-term rating scales are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entities. Long-term ratings a re assigned to issuers or obligations with an original maturity of one year or more and reflect both on the likelihood of a default or impairment on contractual financial obligations and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default or impairment. Short-term ratings are assigned for obligations with an original maturity of thirteen months or less and reflect both on the likelihood of a default or impairment on contractual financial obligations and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default or impairment.

Description of Moody’s Global Long-Term Ratings

Aaa Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of 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 judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

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

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

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

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

Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation rank sin 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.

Hybrid Indicator (hyb)

The hybrid indicator (hyb) is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms. By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.

Description of Moody’s Global Short-Term Ratings

P-1 Issuers (or supporting institutions)rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-2 Issuers (or supporting institutions)rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-3 Issuers (or supporting institutions)rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

NP Issuers (or supporting institutions)rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

Description of Moody’s U.S. Municipal Short-Term Obligation Ratings

The Municipal Investment Grade (“MIG”)scale is used to rate U.S. municipal cash flow notes, bond anticipation notes and certain other short-term obligations, which typically mature in three years or less. Under certain circumstances, the MIG scale is used to rate bond anticipation notes with maturities of up to five years.

Moody’s U.S. municipal short-term obligation ratings are as follows:

MIG 1 This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

MIG 2 This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

MIG 3 This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

SG This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

Description of Moody’s Demand Obligation Ratings

In the case of variable rate demand obligations(“VRDOs”), a two-component rating is assigned. The components are a long-term rating and a short-term demand obligation rating. The long-term rating addresses the issuer’s ability to meet scheduled principal and interest payments. The short-term demand obligation rating addresses the ability of the issuer or the liquidity provider to make payments associated with the purchase-price-upon-demand feature (“demand feature”) of the VRDO. The short-term demand obligation rating uses the Variable Municipal Investment Grade(“VMIG”) scale. VMIG ratings with liquidity support use as an input the short-term counterparty risk assessment of the support provider, or the long-term rating of the underlying obligor in the absence of third party liquidity support. Transitions of VMIG ratings of demand obligations with conditional liquidity support differ from transitions on the Prime scale to reflect the risk that external liquidity support will terminate if the issuer’s long-term rating drops below investment grade. The VMIG short-term demand obligation rating is typically assigned if the frequency of the demand feature is less than every three years. If the frequency of the demand feature is less than three years but the purchase price is payable only with remarketing proceeds, the short-term demand obligation rating is “NR”.

Moody’s demand obligation ratings are as follows:

VMIG 1 This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

VMIG 2 This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

VMIG 3 This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

SG This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have a sufficiently strong short-term rating or may lack the structural or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

Description of S&P’s Issue Credit Ratings

An S&P issue credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into account the currency in which the obligation is denominated. The opinion reflects S&P’s view of the obligor’s capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and this opinion may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default.

Issue credit ratings can be either long-term or short-term. Short-term issue credit ratings are generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market, typically with an original maturity of no more than 365 days. Short-term issue credit ratings are also used to indicate the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to put features on long-term obligations. S&P would typically assign a long-term issue credit rating to an obligation with an original maturity of greater than 365 days. However, the ratings S&P assigns to certain instruments may diverge from these guidelines based on market practices. Medium-term notes are assigned long-term ratings.

Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P’s analysis of the following considerations:

a.The likelihood of payment—the capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitments on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

b.The nature and provisions of the financial obligation, and the promise S&P imputes; and

c.The protection afforded by, and relative position of, the financial obligation in the event of a bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors’ rights.

An issue rating is an assessment of default risk but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

NR indicates that a rating has not been assigned or is no longer assigned.

Description of S&P’s Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings*

AAA An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is extremely strong.

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

A An obligation rated ‘A’ is some what 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 commitments 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 weaken the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

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

BB An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions that could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments 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 commitments on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitments 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 commitments 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 commitments on the obligation.

CC An obligation rated ‘CC ’is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC’ rating is used when a default has not yet occurred but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

C An obligation rated ‘C’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared with obligations that are rated higher.

D An obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. A rating on an obligation is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed debt restructuring. *Ratings from ‘AA’ to ‘CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+)or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the rating categories.

Description of S&P’s Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings

A-1 A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments 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 commitments 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 commitments 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 weaken an obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

B A short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it

faces major ongoing uncertainties that could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

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

D A short-term obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. A rating on an obligation is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed debt restructuring.

Description of S&P’s Municipal Short-Term Note Ratings

An S&P U.S. municipal note rating reflects S&P’s opinion about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to the notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes with an original maturity of more than three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. In determining which type of rating, if any, to assign, S&P’s analysis will review the following considerations:

•Amortization schedule—the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; and

•Source of payment—the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note.

S&P’s municipal short-term note ratings are as follows:

SP-1 Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.

SP-2 Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.

SP-3 Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.

D ‘D’ is assigned upon failure to pay the note when due, completion of a distressed debt restructuring, or the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions.

Description of Fitch’s Credit Ratings

Fitch’s credit ratings relating to issuers are an opinion on the relative ability of an entity to meet financial commitments, such as interest, preferred dividends, repayment of principal, insurance claims or counterparty obligations. Credit ratings relating to securities and obligations of an issuer can include a recovery expectation. Credit ratings are used by investors as indications of the likelihood of receiving the money owed to them in accordance with the terms on which they invested.

The terms “investment grade” and “speculative grade” have established themselves over time as shorthand to describe the categories ‘AAA’ to ‘BBB’ (investment grade) and ‘BB’ to ‘D’ (speculative grade). The terms investment grade and speculative grade are market conventions and do not imply any recommendation or endorsement of a specific security for investment purposes. Investment grade categories indicate relatively low to moderate credit risk, while ratings in the speculative categories either signal a higher level of credit risk or that a default has already occurred.

For the convenience of investors, Fitch may also include issues relating to a rated issuer that are not and have not been rated on its web page. Such issues are also denoted as ‘NR’.

Fitch’s credit ratings do not directly address any risk other than credit risk. In particular, ratings do not deal with the risk of a market value loss on a rated security due to changes in interest rates, liquidity and other market considerations. However, in terms of payment obligation on the rated liability, market risk may be considered to the extent that it influences the ability of an issuer to pay upon a commitment.

Ratings nonetheless do not reflect market risk to the extent that they influence the size or other conditionality of the obligation to pay upon a commitment (for example, in the case of index-linked bonds).

In the default components of ratings assigned to individual obligations or instruments, the agency typically rates to the likelihood of non-payment or default in accordance with the terms of that instrument’s documentation. In limited cases, Fitch may include additional considerations (i.e. rate to a higher or lower standard than that implied in the obligation’s documentation).

Note: The modifiers “+” or “-” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA’ ratings and ratings below the ‘CCC’ category. For the short-term rating category of ‘F1’, a ‘+’ may be appended.

Description of Fitch’s Long-Term Corporate Finance Obligations Ratings

AAA Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

AA Very high credit quality. ‘AA’ ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

A High credit quality. ‘A’ ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

BBB Good credit quality. ‘BBB’ ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

BB Speculative. ‘BB’ ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.

B Highly speculative. ‘B’ ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.

CCC Substantial credit risk. ‘CCC’ ratings indicate that substantial credit risk is present.

CC Very high levels of credit risk. ‘CC’ ratings indicate very high levels of credit risk.

C Exceptionally high levels of credit risk. ‘C’ ratings indicate exceptionally high levels of credit risk.

Ratings in the categories of ‘CCC’, ‘CC’ and ‘C’ can also relate to obligations or issuers that are in default. In this case, the rating does not opine on default risk but reflects the recovery expectation only.

Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned ‘RD’ or ‘D’ ratings, but are instead rated in the ‘CCC’ to ‘C’ rating categories, depending on their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.

Description of Fitch’s Short-Term Ratings

A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-term deposit ratings may be adjusted for loss severity. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as “short term” based on market convention. A long-term rating can also be used to rate an issue with short maturity. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.

Fitch’s short-term ratings are as follows:

F1 Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

F2 Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

F3 Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

C High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

RD Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically, applicable to entity ratings only.

D Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.

Appendix B

Tran Capital Management

PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES

I.PROXY VOTING

A.General Policy. TCM typically does not vote proxies as part of its discretionary authority to manage accounts, unless the client has requested TCM to do so in writing. When voting proxies, TCM primary objective is to make voting decisions solely in the best economic interests of its clients. TCM will act in a manner that it deems prudent and diligent and which is intended to enhance the economic value of the underlying securities held in its clients’ accounts. As applicable, the best economic interests of clients factors in TCM's view that sustainable investing better positions its clients to perform over the long term and through market cycles.

1.TCM has adopted written Proxy Policy Guidelines and Procedures (the “Proxy Guidelines”) that are reasonably designed to ensure that TCM is voting in the best interest of its clients. The Proxy Guidelines reflect TCM’s general voting positions on specific corporate governance issues and corporate actions. In determining how to vote positions, TCM will vote consistent with their sustainability framework as detailed in the Proxy Guidelines. Some issues may require a case-by- case analysis prior to voting and may result in a vote being cast that will deviate from the Proxy Guidelines. Upon receipt of a client’s written request, TCM may also vote proxies for that client’s account in a particular manner that may differ from the Proxy Guidelines. Deviation from the Proxy Guidelines will be documented and maintained in accordance with Rule 204-2 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

2.In accordance with the Proxy Guidelines, TCM may review additional criteria associated with voting proxies and evaluate the expected benefit to its clients when making an overall determination on how or whether to vote the proxy. TCM may vote proxies individually for an account or aggregate and record votes across a group of accounts, strategy or product. In addition, TCM may refrain from voting a proxy on behalf of its clients’ accounts due to de-minimis holdings, impact on the portfolio, items related to foreign issuers, timing issues related to the opening/ closing of accounts and contractual arrangements with clients and/or their authorized delegate.

3.To assist in the proxy voting process, TCM may retain an independent third-party services provider to assist in providing research, analysis and voting recommendations on corporate governance issues and corporate actions, as well as assist in the administrative process. TCM currently uses ISS as a third-party service provider for proxy voting.

4.TCM may have conflicts of interest that can affect how it votes its clients’ proxies. For example, TCM may manage a pension plan whose management is sponsoring a proxy proposal. The Proxy Guidelines are designed to prevent material conflicts of interest from affecting the manner in which TCM votes its clients’ proxies. In order to ensure that all material conflicts of interest are addressed appropriately while carrying out its obligation to vote proxies, TCM has designated a Managing Partner, who is not on the investment team, to be responsible for addressing how TCM resolves such material conflicts of interest with its clients. Resolutions of all material conflicts of interest will be documented.

B.Records to be maintained. In accordance with Rule 206(4)-6, TCM's recordkeeping requirements are as follows:

A-1

1.Copies of TCM’s Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures;

2.Copies or records of each proxy statement received with respect to clients’ securities for whom TCM exercises voting authority;

3.Records of each vote cast on behalf of clients, as well as certain records pertaining to TCM’s decision on the vote;

4.Records of written client request for proxy voting information; and

5.Records of written responses from TCM to either written or oral client requests;

6.Records are kept for at least five (5) years following the date that the last vote was cast. TCM may maintain the records electronically. Third party service providers may be used to maintain proxy statements and proxy votes.

C.Client Communications and Disclosure. Generally, TCM’s clients have the right, and shall be afforded the opportunity to have access to records of voting actions taken with respect to securities held in their respective account or strategy. TCM shall provide clients with a summary of this policy in the form of a general Proxy Voting Policy Statement. The delivery of this statement can be made in Part 2 of Form ADV or under separate cover. Voting actions are confidential and may not be disclosed to any third party, except as may be required by law or explicitly authorized by client.

D.Testing. The Vice President of Operations shall conduct periodic testing to confirm proxies are voted in accordance with TCM’s guidelines, all proxies TCM is responsible for voting are being voted, and the third-party service provider is able to provide voting records for clients in a timely manner if requested. The Vice President of Operations shall document these tests.

A-2

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