Form 485APOS AMG FUNDS

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 20, 2026

1933 Act Registration No. 333-84639

1940 Act Registration No. 811-09521

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

AMG FUNDS

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

680 Washington Boulevard, Suite 500

Stamford, Connecticut 06901

(Address of principal executive offices)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (800) 548-4539

Gregory C. Davis

Ropes & Gray LLP

Three Embarcadero Center

San Francisco, CA 94111-4006

(Name and address of agent for service)

It is proposed that this filing will become effective:

If appropriate, check the following box:

The Amendment relates solely to AMG GW&K High Yield Bond SMA Shares, a series of AMG Funds (the “Trust”). The Amendment does not supersede or amend any disclosure in the Trust’s Registration Statement relating to any other series of the Trust.

The information in this Statement of Additional Information is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Statement of Additional Information is not an offer to sell these securities, and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

AMG FUNDS

AMG GW&K HIGH YIELD BOND SMA SHARES

[ ]

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

DATED [ ]

You can obtain a free copy of the prospectus for AMG GW&K High Yield Bond SMA Shares (the “Fund”), dated [ ], as supplemented from time to time (the “Prospectus”), by calling AMG Funds LLC (the “Investment Manager”) at (800) 548-4539 or by visiting the Fund’s website at wealth.amg.com. The Fund’s Prospectus provides basic information about investing in the Fund.

This Statement of Additional Information is not a Prospectus. It contains additional information regarding the activities and operations of the Fund. It should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s Prospectus.

SAI[ ]-[ ]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GENERAL INFORMATION

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) relates to AMG GW&K High Yield Bond SMA Shares (the “Fund”). The Fund is a series of shares of beneficial interest of AMG Funds, a Massachusetts business trust (the “Trust”), and part of the AMG Funds Family of Funds, a fund complex comprised of [41] different funds, each having distinct investment management objectives, strategies, risks, and policies (the “AMG Fund Complex”). The Trust was organized on June 18, 1999.

The Fund commenced operations on or following the date of this SAI, and its initial fiscal year of investment operations ends on [December 31, 2026]. The Fund currently does not offer multiple share classes.

This SAI describes the financial history, management and operation of the Fund, as well as the Fund’s investment objective and policies. It should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s current prospectus, dated [ ], as supplemented from time to time (the “Prospectus”). The Trust’s executive office is located at 680 Washington Boulevard, Suite 500, Stamford, Connecticut 06901.

AMG Funds LLC (the “Investment Manager”), a subsidiary of Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (“AMG”), serves as investment manager to the Fund and is responsible for the Fund’s overall administration. It selects and recommends, subject to the approval of the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Trustees”), an independent asset manager, or a team of independent asset managers (the “Subadviser” or “Subadvisers”) to manage the Fund’s investment portfolio. The Investment Manager also monitors the performance, security holdings and investment strategies of these Subadvisers and researches any potential new Subadvisers for the Fund. GW&K Investment Management, LLC (“GW&K”) currently serves as Subadviser to the Fund. See “Management of the Fund” for more information.

Investments in the Fund are not:

ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT POLICIES

The following is additional information regarding the investment policies used by the Fund in an attempt to achieve its investment objective as stated in its Prospectus. The Trust is an open-end management investment company, and the Fund is a diversified series of the Trust.

The table below shows the types of securities and instruments that may be purchased by the Fund to the extent such investments are permitted by applicable law. For a more complete description of the types of securities and techniques that may be utilized by the Fund, see “Investment Techniques and Associated Risks” below. The information below does not describe every type of investment, technique or risk to which the Fund may be exposed. The Fund reserves the right, without notice, to make any investment, or use any investment technique, except to the extent that such activity would require a shareholder vote, as discussed below under “Fundamental Investment Restrictions.”

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Investment Techniques and Associated Risks

(1) Asset-Backed Securities

Asset-backed securities directly or indirectly represent a participation interest in, or are secured by and are payable from, a stream of payments generated from particular assets, such as automobile and credit card receivables and home equity loans or other asset-backed securities collateralized by those assets. Asset-backed securities provide periodic payments that generally consist of both principal and interest payments and payments or distributions of payments may be supported by credit enhancements including letters of credit, insurance guarantees, reserve funds, and over collateralization.

Asset-backed securities are subject to certain risks. These risks generally arise out of the security interest in the assets collateralizing the security. For example, credit card receivables are generally unsecured and the debtors are entitled to a number of protections from the state and through federal consumer laws, many of which give the debtor the right to offset certain amounts of credit card debts thereby reducing the amounts due. In general, these types of loans have a shorter life than mortgage loans and are less likely to have substantial prepayments, although in a period of declining interest rates, pre-payments on asset-backed securities may increase and the Fund may be unable to reinvest those prepaid amounts in investments providing the same rate of interest as the pre-paid obligations. Asset-backed securities also involve the risk that borrowers may default on the obligations backing them and that the values of and interest earned on such investments will decline as a result. Loans made to lower quality borrowers, including those of sub-prime quality, involve a higher risk of default. Therefore, the values of asset-backed securities backed by lower quality loans, including those of sub-prime quality, may suffer significantly greater declines in value due to defaults, payment delays or a perceived increased risk of default, especially during periods when economic conditions worsen.

During periods of deteriorating economic conditions, such as recessions or periods of rising unemployment, delinquencies and losses generally increase, sometimes dramatically, with respect to securitizations involving loans, sales contracts, receivables and other obligations underlying asset-backed securities.

The Fund may also invest in mortgage-backed securities, which are asset-backed securities associated with mortgage loans. Mortgage-backed securities and the risks associated with them are discussed under “Mortgage Related Securities” below.

(2) Below Investment Grade Securities

In General. The Fund may invest in below investment grade securities, subject to any limitations set forth in the Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI. Below investment grade securities (also referred to as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds”) are securities rated below BBB by S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) or Baa by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), securities comparably rated by another Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (“NRSRO”), or unrated securities of equivalent quality. See Appendix A for further discussion regarding securities ratings. Below investment grade securities are deemed by the rating agencies to be predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal and may involve major risk or exposure to adverse conditions. Below investment grade securities, while generally offering higher yields than investment grade securities with similar maturities, involve greater risks, including the possibility of default or bankruptcy. The special risk considerations in connection with investments in these securities are discussed below.

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Below investment grade securities generally offer a higher yield than that available from higher-rated issues with similar maturities, as compensation for holding a security that is subject to greater risk. Lower-rated securities involve higher risks in that they are especially subject to (1) adverse changes in general economic conditions and in the industries in which the issuers are engaged, (2) adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuers, (3) price fluctuation in response to changes in interest rates and (4) limited liquidity and secondary market support.

Subsequent to purchase by the Fund, an issue of debt securities may cease to be rated or its rating may be reduced. The Fund may continue to hold such a security after its rating has been reduced.

Effect of Interest Rates and Economic Changes. All interest-bearing securities typically experience appreciation when interest rates decline and depreciation when interest rates rise. The market values of below investment grade securities tend to reflect individual corporate developments to a greater extent than do higher rated securities, which react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. Below investment grade securities also tend to be more sensitive to economic conditions than are higher-rated securities. As a result, they generally involve more credit risks than securities in the higher-rated categories. During an economic downturn or a sustained period of rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers of below investment grade securities may experience financial stress which may adversely affect their ability to service their debt obligations, meet projected business goals, and obtain additional financing. Periods of economic uncertainty and changes would also generally result in increased volatility in the market prices of these securities and thus in the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”).

Payment Expectations. Below investment grade securities may contain redemption, call or prepayment provisions which permit the issuer of such securities to, at its discretion, redeem the securities. During periods of falling interest rates, issuers of these securities are likely to redeem or prepay the securities and refinance them with debt securities with a lower interest rate. To the extent an issuer is able to refinance the securities, or otherwise redeem them, the Fund may have to replace the securities with a lower yielding security, which would result in a lower return.

Credit Ratings. Credit ratings issued by credit-rating agencies are designed to evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments of rated securities. They do not, however, evaluate the market value risk of lower-quality securities and, therefore, may not fully reflect the risks of an investment. In addition, credit rating agencies may or may not make timely changes in a rating to reflect changes in the economy or in the condition of the issuer that affect the market value of the security. With regard to an investment in below investment grade securities, the achievement of the Fund’s investment objective may be more dependent on the Subadviser’s own credit analysis than is the case for higher rated securities. Although the Subadviser considers security ratings when making investment decisions, it does not rely solely on the ratings assigned by the rating services. Rather, the Subadviser performs research and independently assesses the value of particular securities relative to the market. The Subadviser’s analysis may include consideration of the issuer’s experience and managerial strength, changing financial condition, borrowing requirements or debt maturity schedules, and the issuer’s responsiveness to changes in business conditions and interest rates. It also considers relative values based on anticipated cash flow, interest or dividend coverage, asset coverage and earnings prospects.

The Subadviser buys and sells debt securities principally in response to its evaluation of an issuer’s continuing ability to meet its obligations, the availability of better investment opportunities, and its assessment of changes in business conditions and interest rates.

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Liquidity and Valuation. Below investment grade securities may lack an established retail secondary market, and to the extent a secondary trading market does exist, it may be less liquid than the secondary market for higher rated securities. The lack of a liquid secondary market may negatively impact the Fund’s ability to dispose of particular securities. The lack of a liquid secondary market for certain securities may also make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain accurate market quotations for purposes of valuing the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of below investment grade securities, especially in a thinly traded market.

Because of the many risks involved in investing in below investment grade securities, the success of such investments is dependent upon the credit analysis of the Subadviser. Although the market for below investment grade securities is not new, and the market has previously weathered economic downturns, the past performance of the market for such securities may not be an accurate indication of its performance during future economic downturns or periods of rising interest rates. Differing yields on debt securities of the same maturity are a function of several factors, including the relative financial strength of the issuers.

(3) Borrowing

Under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), the Fund may borrow from any bank, provided that immediately after any such borrowing there is an asset coverage of at least 300% for all borrowings by the Fund and provided further, that in the event that such asset coverage shall at any time fall below 300%, the Fund shall, within three days (not including Sundays and holidays) thereafter or such longer period as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) may prescribe by rules and regulations, reduce the amount of its borrowings to such an extent that the asset coverage of such borrowings shall be at least 300%. In addition, the Fund may borrow up to 33 1/3% of its total assets through an interfund lending program with other eligible funds in the AMG Fund Complex (as further described below). The 1940 Act also permits an open-end investment company to borrow money from a bank or other person provided that such loan is for temporary purposes only and is in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of the investment company’s total assets at the time when the loan is made. A loan is presumed to be for temporary purposes if it is repaid within sixty days and is not extended or renewed. Typically, the Fund may pledge up to 33 1/3% of its total assets to secure these borrowings. The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has entered into a master interfund lending agreement that would allow the Fund to borrow, for temporary purposes only, from other eligible funds in the AMG Fund Complex, subject to the Fund’s fundamental investment restrictions and provided such borrowings do not exceed the amount permitted by Section 18 of the 1940 Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder, as modified by the below mentioned and any other applicable exemptive order or other relief. Please see “Interfund Lending” below for more information. If the Fund’s asset coverage for borrowings falls below 300%, the Fund will take prompt action to reduce its borrowings even though it may be disadvantageous at that time from an investment point of view. The Fund will incur costs when it borrows, including payment of interest and any fee necessary to maintain a line of credit, and may be required to maintain a minimum average balance. If the Fund is permitted to borrow money to take advantage of investment opportunities, if the income and appreciation on assets acquired with such borrowed funds exceed their borrowing cost, the Fund’s investment performance will increase, whereas if the income and appreciation on assets acquired with borrowed funds are less than their borrowing costs, investment performance will decrease. If the Fund borrows to invest in securities and the related gains from the investment and/or any hedging activity exceed the cost of borrowing and/or losses on hedging, the NAV of the shares will rise more than would otherwise be the case. On the other hand, if the investment performance of the additional securities purchased fails to cover their cost (including any interest paid on the money borrowed) to the Fund, the NAV of the Fund’s shares will decrease faster than would otherwise be the case. This speculative characteristic is known as “leverage.”

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(4) Cash Equivalents

The Fund may invest in cash equivalents to the extent that such investments are consistent with the Fund’s investment objective, policies and restrictions, and as discussed in the Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI. A description of the various types of cash equivalents that may be purchased by the Fund appears below.

Bank Obligations. The Fund may purchase obligations of domestic and foreign banks and foreign branches of domestic banks. Banks are subject to extensive governmental regulations. These regulations place limitations on the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments which may be made by the bank and the interest rates and fees which may be charged on these loans and commitments. The profitability of the banking industry depends on the availability and costs of capital funds for the purpose of financing loans under prevailing money market conditions. General economic conditions also play a key role in the operations of the banking industry. Exposure to credit losses arising from potential financial difficulties of borrowers may affect the ability of the bank to meet its obligations under a letter of credit.

Bankers Acceptances. Bankers acceptances are short-term credit instruments used to finance the import, export, transfer or storage of goods. These instruments become “accepted” when a bank guarantees their payment upon maturity. Eurodollar bankers acceptances are bankers acceptances denominated in U.S. dollars and are “accepted” by foreign branches of major U.S. commercial banks.

Certificates of Deposit. Certificates of deposit are issued against money deposited into a bank (including eligible foreign branches of U.S. banks) or a savings and loan association (“S&L”) for a definite period of time. They earn a specified rate of return and are normally negotiable.

Repurchase Agreements. In a repurchase agreement, the Fund buys a security from a bank or a broker-dealer that has agreed to repurchase the same security at a mutually agreed-upon date and price. The resale price normally reflects the purchase price plus a mutually agreed-upon interest rate. This interest rate is effective for the period of time the Fund is invested in the agreement and is not related to the coupon rate on the underlying security. Repurchase agreements are subject to certain risks that may adversely affect the Fund. If a seller defaults, the Fund may incur a loss if the value of the collateral securing the repurchase agreement declines and may incur disposition costs in connection with liquidating the collateral. In addition, if bankruptcy proceedings are commenced with respect to a seller of the security, the Fund’s ability to dispose of the collateral may be delayed or limited. Generally, the period of these repurchase agreements will be short, and at no time will the Fund enter into a repurchase agreement for a period of more than seven (7) days.

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In certain instances, the Fund may engage in repurchase agreement transactions that are novated to the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation (“FICC”) or another clearing house. The clearing house acts as the common counterparty to all repurchase transactions that enter its netting system and guarantees that participants will receive their cash or securities collateral (as applicable) back at the close of the repurchase transaction. While this guarantee is intended to mitigate counterparty/credit risk that exists in the case of a bilateral repurchase transaction, the Fund is exposed to risk of delays or losses in the event of a bankruptcy or other default or nonperformance by the clearing house or the clearing house sponsoring member through which the Fund acts in connection with such transactions. Currently the FICC is the only approved clearing house in the U.S. for clearing U.S. government security repurchase transactions. The SEC has finalized rules that will require certain transactions involving U.S. Treasuries, including repurchase agreements, to be centrally cleared. Compliance with these rules is expected to be required in the middle of 2027. Although the impact of these rules on the Fund is difficult to predict, they may reduce the availability or increase the costs of such transactions and may adversely affect the Fund’s performance.

Short-Term Corporate Debt Securities. Short-term corporate debt securities include bills, notes, debentures, money market instruments and similar instruments and securities, and are generally used by corporations and other issuers to borrow money from investors for such purposes as working capital or capital expenditures. The issuer pays the investor a variable or fixed rate of interest and normally must repay the amount borrowed on or before maturity. The investment return of corporate debt securities reflects interest earnings and changes in the market value of the security. The market value of a corporate debt obligation may be expected to rise and fall inversely with interest rates generally. In addition to interest rate risk, corporate debt securities also involve the risk that the issuers of the securities may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by an instrument. The rate of return or return of principal on some debt obligations may be linked or indexed to the level of exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and a foreign currency or currencies.

Time Deposits. Time deposits in banks or S&Ls are generally similar to certificates of deposit, but are uncertificated.

(5) 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.

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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 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 are 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 the 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.

(6) Commercial Paper

Commercial paper refers to promissory notes that represent an unsecured debt of a corporation or finance company. They have a maturity of less than nine (9) months. Eurodollar commercial paper refers to promissory notes payable in U.S. dollars by European issuers.

(7) Convertible Securities

The Fund may invest in convertible securities, subject to any restrictions set forth in the Prospectus and this SAI. Convertible securities include bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stock or other securities that may be converted into or exchanged for a prescribed amount of common stock of the same or a different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt or the dividend paid on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Before conversion, convertible securities ordinarily provide a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than those of common stocks of the same or similar issuers, but lower than the yield on non-convertible debt. Convertible securities are usually subordinated to comparable tier non-convertible securities but rank senior to common stock in a corporation’s capital structure.

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The value of a convertible security is a function of (1) its yield in comparison with the yields of other securities of comparable maturity and quality that do not have a conversion privilege and (2) its worth, at market value, if converted into the underlying common stock. Convertible securities are typically issued by smaller capitalized companies, whose stock prices may be volatile. The price of a convertible security often reflects such variations in the price of the underlying common stock in a way that non-convertible debt does not. A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security’s governing instrument, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

(8) Corporate and Other Debt Securities

The Fund, subject to its applicable investment policies, may invest in corporate debt securities issued by U.S. and foreign companies, banks and other corporate entities.

Corporate debt securities include bills, notes, debentures, money market instruments and similar instruments and securities, and are generally used by corporations and other issuers to borrow money from investors for such purposes as working capital or capital expenditures. The issuer pays the investor a variable or fixed rate of interest and normally must repay the amount borrowed on or before maturity. The investment return of corporate debt securities reflects interest earnings and changes in the market value of the security. The market value of a corporate debt obligation may be expected to rise and fall inversely with interest rates generally. In addition to interest rate risk, corporate debt securities also involve the risk that the issuers of the securities may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by an instrument. The rate of return or return of principal on some debt obligations may be linked or indexed to the level of exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and a foreign currency or currencies.

(9) Derivative Instruments

The following describes certain derivative instruments and products in which the Fund may invest and risks associated therewith. The use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks, such as liquidity risk, correlation risk, market risk, credit risk, leveraging risk, counterparty risk, tax risk and management risk, as well as risks arising from changes in applicable regulatory requirements.

The Fund might not employ any of the strategies described below or be permitted by applicable law to do so, and no assurance can be given that any strategy used will succeed. Also, suitable derivative and/or hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to identify or employ a desirable derivative and/or hedging transaction at any time or from time to time or that any such transactions will be successful.

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Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. To the extent permitted by applicable law or regulation, the Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts, including futures contracts on global equity and fixed-income securities, interest rate futures contracts, foreign currency futures contracts and futures contracts on security indices (including broad-based security indices), for any purpose. The Fund may invest in foreign currency futures contracts and options thereon (“options on futures”) that are traded on a U.S. or foreign exchange, board of trade, or similar entity, or quoted on an automated quotation system as an adjunct to their securities activities. The Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts on various securities indices (“Index Futures”), including indices of U.S. government securities, foreign government securities, equity securities or fixed-income securities, and related options. Through the use of Index Futures and related options, the Fund may create economic exposure in its portfolio to long and short positions in the global (U.S. and non-U.S.) equity, bond and currency markets without incurring the substantial brokerage costs which may be associated with investment in the securities of multiple issuers. The Fund may enter into futures contracts for the purchase or sale of fixed-income securities, equity securities or foreign currencies, and may also use options on securities or currency futures contracts.

A futures contract provides for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified quantity of a financial asset or the cash value of an index at a specified price and time. An Index Future is an agreement pursuant to which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount of cash equal to the difference between the value of an index (“Index”) at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the index contract was originally written. Although the value of an Index might be a function of the value of certain specified financial assets, no physical delivery of these assets is made. A unit is the value of the relevant Index from time to time. Entering into a contract to buy units is commonly referred to as buying or purchasing a contract or holding a long position in an Index. Futures contracts are traded on exchanges through futures commission merchants (each an “FCM”). As described below, the Fund will be required to post initial margin to its FCMs upon entering into a futures contract. Variation margin will be paid to and received from the FCM on a daily basis as the contracts are marked to market, as a settlement between the Fund and the FCM of the amount one would owe the other if the futures contract expired. For example, when the Fund has purchased an Index Future and the price of the relevant Index has risen, that position will have increased in value and the Fund will receive from the FCM a variation margin payment equal to that increase in value. Conversely, when the Fund has purchased an Index Future and the price of the relevant Index has declined, the position would be less valuable and the Fund would be required to make a variation margin payment to the FCM.

All positions which remain open at the close of the last business day of the contract’s life are generally required to settle on the next business day (based upon the value of the relevant asset underlying the futures contract on the expiration day), with settlement made with the appropriate clearing house. Positions in futures contracts may be closed out by the Fund only on the futures exchange upon which the futures contracts are then traded. There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist for any particular futures contract at any specific time. Thus, it may not be possible to close a futures position, and the Fund would be obligated to meet margin requirements (as discussed below) until the position is closed. Additional or different margin requirements as well as settlement procedures may be applicable to foreign futures contracts at the time the Fund purchases such instruments.

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The following example illustrates generally the manner in which Index Futures operate. The S&P 100 Index is composed of 100 selected common stocks, most of which are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). The S&P 100 Index assigns relative weightings to the common stocks included in the Index, and the Index fluctuates with changes in the market values of those common stocks. In the case of the S&P 100 Index, contracts are to buy or sell 100 units. Thus, if the value of the S&P 100 Index were $180, one contract would be worth $18,000 (100 units x $180). The Index Future specifies that no delivery of the actual stocks making up the Index will take place. Instead, settlement in cash must occur upon the termination of the contract, with the settlement being the difference between the contract price and the actual level of the Index at the expiration of the contract. For example, if the Fund enters into a futures contract to buy 100 units of the S&P 100 Index at a specified future date at a contract price of $180 and the S&P 100 Index value is $184 on that future date, the Fund will gain $400 (100 units x gain of $4). If the Fund enters into a futures contract to sell 100 units of the Index at a specified future date at a contract price of $180 and the S&P 100 Index value is $182 on that future date, the Fund will lose $200 (100 units x loss of $2). Any transaction costs must also be included in these calculations.

A public market exists in futures contracts covering a number of Indices as well as financial instruments and foreign currencies, including but not limited to: the S&P 500; the S&P Midcap 400; the Nikkei 225; the NYSE Composite; U.S. Treasury bonds; U.S. Treasury notes; Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”) Certificates; three-month U.S. Treasury bills; 90-day commercial paper; bank certificates of deposit; Eurodollar certificates of deposit; the Australian dollar; the Canadian dollar; the British pound; the Japanese yen; the Swiss franc; the Mexican peso; and certain multinational currencies, such as the euro. It is expected that other futures contracts in which the Fund may invest will be developed and traded in the future. 

The Fund may purchase and write call and put options on futures. Options on futures possess many of the same characteristics as options on securities and indices (discussed below). An option on a futures contract gives the holder the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a long position (call) or short position (put) in a futures contract at a specified exercise price and time(s) during the period of the option. Upon exercise of a call option, the holder acquires a long position in the futures contract and the writer is assigned the opposite short position. In the case of a put option, the holder acquires a short position and the writer is assigned the opposite long position. A call option is “in the money” if the value of the futures contract that is the subject of the option exceeds the exercise price. A put option is “in the money” if the exercise price exceeds the value of the futures contract that is the subject of the option.

When the Fund purchases or sells a futures contract, the Fund is required to deposit with its FCM an amount of margin set by the clearing house on which the contract is cleared and the Fund’s FCM. This amount may be modified by the exchange or the FCM during the term of the contract. Margin requirements on foreign exchanges may be different than U.S. exchanges. The initial margin is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the futures contract which is returned to the Fund upon termination of the contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. The Fund may earn interest income on its initial margin deposits. A futures contract held by the Fund is valued daily at the official settlement price of the exchange on which it is traded. Each day the Fund pays or receives cash, called “variation margin,” equal to the daily change in value of the futures contract. This process is known as “marking to market” and is generally considered a settlement between the Fund and the exchange of the amount one would owe the other if the futures contract expired. If the Fund has insufficient cash to meet daily variation margin requirements, it might need to sell assets at a time when such sales are disadvantageous. In computing daily NAV, the Fund will mark to market its open futures positions.

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The Fund is also required to deposit and maintain margin with respect to put and call options on futures contracts written by it. Such margin deposits will vary depending on the nature of the underlying futures contract (and the related initial margin requirements), the current market value of the option, and other futures positions held by the Fund.

Although some futures contracts call for making or taking delivery of the underlying assets, generally these obligations are closed out prior to delivery by offsetting purchases or sales of matching futures contracts (i.e., with the same exchange, underlying asset, and delivery month). If an offsetting purchase price is less than the original sale price, the Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is more, the Fund realizes a capital loss. Conversely, if an offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, the Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is less, the Fund realizes a capital loss. Any transaction costs must also be included in these calculations. Positions in futures and options on futures may be closed only on an exchange or board of trade that provides a market. However, there can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist for a particular contract at a particular time. In such event, it may not be possible to close a futures contract or options position, and the Fund would be obligated to meet margin requirements until the position is closed. The inability to close options and futures positions also could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s ability to effectively hedge.

Interest Rate Futures Contracts. An interest rate futures contract is an obligation traded on an exchange or board of trade that requires the purchaser to accept delivery, and the seller to make delivery, of a specified quantity of the underlying financial instrument, such as U.S. Treasury bills and bonds, in a stated delivery month at a price fixed in the contract. Interest rate futures contracts may be purchased on debt securities such as U.S. Treasury bills and bonds, Eurodollar instruments, U.S. Treasury Notes and interest rate swaps. The Fund may purchase and sell interest rate futures as a hedge against changes in interest rates that would adversely impact the value of debt instruments and other interest rate sensitive securities being held or to be purchased by the Fund. The Fund might employ a hedging strategy whereby it would purchase an interest rate futures contract when it intends to invest in long-term debt securities but wishes to defer their purchase until it can orderly invest in such securities or because short-term yields are higher than long-term yields. Such a purchase would be intended to enable the Fund to earn the income on a short-term security while at the same time minimizing the effect of all or part of an increase in the market price of the long-term debt security which the Fund intends to purchase in the future. A rise in the price of the long-term debt security prior to its purchase either would be offset by an increase in the value of the futures contract purchased by the Fund or avoided by taking delivery of the debt securities under the futures contract.

The Fund may sell an interest rate futures contract in order to continue to receive the income from a long-term debt security, while endeavoring to avoid part or all of the decline in market value of that security which would accompany an increase in interest rates. If interest rates rise, a decline in the value of the debt security held by the Fund would be substantially offset by the ability of the Fund to repurchase at a lower price the interest rate futures contract previously sold. While the Fund could sell the long-term debt security and invest in a short-term security, this would ordinarily cause the Fund to give up income on its investment since long-term rates normally exceed short-term rates.

Limitations on Use of Futures and Options on Futures. The Fund may only enter into futures contracts and options on futures which are standardized and traded on a U.S. or foreign exchange or board of trade, or similar entity, or quoted on an automated quotation system, or in the case of options on futures, for which an established over-the-counter (“OTC”) option market exists. The Fund may utilize futures contracts and related options for any purpose, including for investment purposes and for hedging

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purposes, for example, to hedge against changes in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates or securities prices. For instance, the Fund may invest to a significant degree in Index Futures on stock indices and related options (including those which may trade outside of the United States) as an alternative to purchasing such assets in order to adjust its exposure to a particular market.

Risks Associated with Futures and Options on Futures. The loss to the Fund resulting from investments in futures contracts is potentially unlimited. Futures markets can be highly volatile, and the use of futures contracts can increase the volatility of the Fund’s NAV. The Fund’s ability to establish and close out positions in futures contracts requires a liquid market. A liquid market may not exist for any particular futures contract at any particular time, and as a result the Fund may be unable when it wishes to effect closing transactions to terminate its exposure under that contract. In using futures contracts, the Fund relies on the Subadviser’s ability to predict market and price movements correctly. The skills needed to use futures contracts successfully are different from those needed for traditional portfolio management. A purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the futures contract. If the Fund uses futures contracts for hedging purposes, these risks can be exacerbated and/or certain additional risks can arise. Some of the risk may be caused by an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the futures contract and the price of the security or other investment being hedged. The hedge will not be fully effective where there is such imperfect correlation. Also, an incorrect correlation could result in a loss on both the hedged instrument in the Fund and the hedging vehicle, so that the portfolio return might have been greater had hedging not been attempted. For example, if the price of the futures contract moves more than the price of the hedged instrument, the Fund would experience either a loss or gain on the future which is not completely offset by movements in the price of the hedged instrument. In addition, there are significant differences between traditional cash markets (like the securities markets) and the futures markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between the markets, causing a given hedge not to achieve its objectives. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends on circumstances such as variations in speculative market demand for futures and options on futures contracts, including technical influences in futures trading and options on futures, and differences between the financial instruments being hedged and the instruments underlying the standard contracts available for trading in such respects as interest rate levels, maturities, and creditworthiness of issuers. To compensate for imperfect correlations, the Fund may purchase or sell futures contracts in a greater dollar amount than the hedged instruments if the volatility of the hedged instruments is historically greater than the volatility of the futures contracts. Conversely, the Fund may purchase or sell fewer contracts if the volatility of the price of the hedged instruments is historically less than that of the futures contracts. The risk of imperfect correlation generally tends to diminish as the maturity date of the futures contract approaches. A decision as to whether, when and how to hedge involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived hedge may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected interest rate trends. Also, suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances.

Additionally, the price of futures contracts may not correlate perfectly with movement in the relevant underlying instrument due to certain market distortions. First, all participants in the futures market are subject to margin deposit and maintenance requirements. Rather than meeting additional margin deposit requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions which could distort the normal relationship between the underlying instrument and futures markets. Second, the deposit requirements in the futures market are generally less onerous than margin requirements in the securities and other cash markets, and as a result, the futures market may attract more speculators. Increased participation by speculators in the futures market may also cause temporary price distortions. In addition, trading hours for foreign futures contracts may not correspond perfectly to hours of trading on the foreign exchange to which a particular foreign futures contract relates. This may result in a disparity between the price of the futures contract and the value of the relevant underlying instrument due to the lack of continuous arbitrage between the futures contract price and the value of the underlying instrument.

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Futures exchanges may limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in certain futures contract prices during a single trading day under regulations referred to as “daily price fluctuation limits” or “daily limits.” The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of the current trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a futures contract subject to the limit, no more trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit, and positions in the futures contract can be neither established nor liquidated unless traders are willing to effect trades at or within the limit. The daily limit governs only price movements during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses because the limit may work to prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. For example, futures prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of positions and subjecting some holders of futures contracts to substantial losses. Similar occurrences could prevent the Fund from promptly liquidating unfavorable positions and could subject the Fund to substantial losses that could exceed the margin committed to such trades. Daily limits may also impact the trading of related contracts, such as options on futures contracts. Exchanges may also cancel trades in limited circumstances, for example, if the exchange believes that allowing such trades to stand as executed could have an adverse impact on the stability or integrity of the market. Any such cancellation may adversely affect the performance of the Fund.

Market participants that inadvertently hold a commodity futures contract beyond the contract’s expiration date, or “First Notice Day,” may be required to physically deliver (for a seller) or accept physical delivery of (if a buyer) the underlying commodity. In the case of a seller, such seller must have the required quantity and quality of the deliverable commodity on hand. In the case of a buyer, such buyer must take physical delivery of and pay the full value for the underlying commodity. The failure to offset or otherwise settle a commodity futures contract prior to its expiration could result in unexpected costs and expenses incurred in connection with satisfying the delivery or acceptance obligations of the underlying contract.

There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist at a time including when the Fund seeks to close out a futures or a futures option position. If the Fund were unable to liquidate a futures contract or an option on a futures position due to the absence of a liquid market, the imposition of price limits or otherwise, it could incur substantial losses. The Fund would continue to be subject to market risk with respect to the position. Also, except in the case of purchased options, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily variation margin payments. In addition, with respect to contracts that are relatively new instruments without a significant trading history, the risk of a lack of liquidity is greater. In addition, the Fund’s FCM may limit the Fund’s ability to invest in certain futures contracts. Such restrictions may adversely affect the Fund’s performance and its ability to achieve its investment objective.

Utilization of futures transactions by the Fund involves the risk of loss by the Fund in the event of default or insolvency of an FCM or clearing house with whom the Fund has an open position in a futures contract or related option. See “Derivatives Counterparty Risk” and “Risks of Government Regulation of Derivatives” below.

Forward Currency Contracts. The Fund may enter into forward currency contracts for any purpose, including to attempt to hedge currency exposure or to enhance return. A forward currency contract is an obligation to purchase or sell a currency against another currency at a future date and price as agreed upon by the parties. The Fund may either accept or make delivery of the currency at the maturity of the forward contract or, prior to maturity, enter into a closing transaction involving the purchase or sale of an offsetting contract. Secondary markets generally do not exist for forward currency contracts, with the result that closing transactions generally can be made for forward currency contracts only by negotiating directly with the counterparty. Thus, there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to close out a forward currency contract at a favorable price prior to maturity.

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The Fund may engage in forward currency transactions in anticipation of, or to attempt to protect itself against, fluctuations in exchange rates. The Fund might sell a particular currency forward, for example, when it wanted to hold bonds denominated in that currency but anticipated, and sought to be protected against, a decline in the currency against the U.S. dollar. Similarly, the Fund might purchase a currency forward to “lock in” the dollar price of securities denominated in that currency which it anticipated purchasing.

Forward contracts involve a number of the same characteristics and risks as futures contracts but there also are several differences. Forward contracts are not traded on regulated exchanges and are not necessarily marked to market on a daily basis. Forward contracts settle only at the pre-determined settlement date. This can result in deviations between forward prices and futures prices, especially in circumstances where interest rates and futures prices are positively correlated. Second, in the absence of exchange trading and involvement of clearing houses, there are generally no standardized terms for forward contracts. Accordingly, the parties are free to establish such settlement times and underlying amounts of an underlying instrument as desirable, which may vary from the standardized provisions available through any futures contract. Because forward contracts are bilateral contracts, when the Fund enters into a forward contract, it incurs greater risk of default by the counterparty to the transaction. See “Derivatives Counterparty Risk” and “Risks of Government Regulation of Derivatives” below.

Options. The Fund may purchase and sell both put options and call options on a variety of underlying securities and instruments, including, but not limited to, specific securities, securities indices, futures contracts and foreign currencies. A call option gives the purchaser the right to buy, and obligates the writer to sell, the underlying security or instrument at the agreed-upon price during the option period. A put option gives the purchaser the right to sell, and obligates the writer to buy, the underlying security or instrument at the agreed-upon price during the option period. Purchasers of options pay an amount, known as a premium, to the option writer in exchange for the right under the option contract.

The Fund can use both European-style and American-style options. A European-style option is only exercisable at a specified time and date. This is in contrast to American-style options, which are exercisable at any time prior to the expiration date of the option.

The Fund may purchase call options for any purpose. For example, the Fund may purchase a call option as a long hedge. Call options also may be used as a means of participating in an anticipated price increase of a security or instrument on a more limited risk basis than would be possible if the security or instrument itself were purchased. In the event of a decline in the price of the underlying security or instrument, use of this strategy would serve to limit the Fund’s potential loss to the option premium paid; conversely, if the market price of the underlying security or instrument increases above the exercise price and the Fund either sells or exercises the option, any profit realized would be reduced by the premium. Any transaction costs must also be included in these calculations.

The Fund may purchase put options for any purpose. For example, the Fund may purchase a put option as a short hedge. The put option enables the Fund to sell the underlying security or instrument at the predetermined exercise price; thus the potential for loss to the Fund below the exercise price is limited to the option premium paid. If the market price of the underlying security or instrument is lower than the exercise price of the put option, any profit the Fund realizes on the sale of the security or instrument would be reduced by the premium paid for the put option less any amount for which the put option may be sold.

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The Fund may write call or put options for any purpose. For example, writing put or call options can enable the Fund to enhance income or yield by reason of the premiums paid by the purchasers of such options. However, the Fund may also suffer a loss as a result of writing options. For example, if the market price of the security or instrument underlying a put option declines to less than the exercise price of the option, minus the premium received, the Fund would suffer a loss.    

Writing call options can serve as a limited short hedge, because declines in the value of the hedged security or instrument would be offset to the extent of the premium received for writing the option. However, when securities prices increase, the Fund is exposed to an increased risk of loss, because if the price of the underlying security or instrument exceeds the option’s exercise price, the Fund will suffer a loss equal to the amount by which the market price exceeds the exercise price at the time the call option is exercised, minus the premium received. If the call option is an OTC option, any securities or other assets used as cover may be considered illiquid.

Writing put options can serve as a limited long hedge because declines in the value of the hedged investment would be offset to the extent of the premium received for writing the option. However, if the underlying security or instrument depreciates to a price lower than the exercise price of the put option, it can be expected that the put option will be exercised and the Fund will be obligated to purchase the underlying security or instrument at more than its market value. If the put option is an OTC option, any securities or other assets used as cover may be considered illiquid.

The value of an option position will be affected by, among other things, the current market value of the underlying security or instrument, the time remaining until expiration, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price of the underlying security or instrument, the historical price volatility of the underlying security or instrument and general market conditions.

The Fund may effectively terminate its right or obligation under an option by entering into a closing transaction. For example, the Fund may terminate its obligation under a call or put option that it had written by purchasing an identical call or put option; this is known as a closing purchase transaction. Conversely, the Fund may terminate a position in a put or call option it had purchased by writing an identical put or call option; this is known as a closing sale transaction. Closing transactions permit the Fund to realize profits or limit losses on an option position prior to its exercise or expiration.

Risks of Options. Options offer large amounts of leverage, which will result in the Fund’s NAV being more sensitive to changes in the value of the related instrument. The Fund may purchase or write both exchange-traded and OTC options. Exchange-traded options in the United States are issued by a clearing organization affiliated with the exchange on which the option is listed that, in effect, guarantees completion of every exchange-traded option transaction. In contrast, OTC options are contracts between the Fund and its counterparty (usually a securities dealer or a bank) with no clearing organization guarantee. Thus, when the Fund purchases an OTC option, it relies solely on the counterparty from whom it purchased the option to make or take delivery of the underlying investment upon exercise of the option. Failure by the counterparty to do so would result in the loss of any premium paid by the Fund as well as the loss of any expected benefit of the transaction.

The Fund’s ability to establish and close out positions in exchange-listed options depends on the existence of a liquid market. However, there can be no assurance that such a market will exist at any particular time. Closing transactions can be made for OTC options only by negotiating directly with the counterparty, or by a transaction in the secondary market if any such market exists. There can be no assurance that the Fund will in fact be able to close out an OTC option position at a favorable price prior to expiration. In the event of insolvency of the counterparty, the Fund might be unable to close out an OTC option position at any time prior to its expiration, if at all.

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If the Fund were unable to effect a closing transaction for an option it had purchased, due to the absence of a counterparty or secondary market, the imposition of price limits or otherwise, it would have to exercise the option to realize any profit. The inability to enter into a closing purchase transaction for a covered call option written by the Fund could cause material losses because the Fund would be unable to sell the investment used as cover for the written option until the option expires or is exercised.

Options have varying expiration dates. The exercise price of the options may be below, equal to or above the current market value of the underlying security or instrument. Options purchased by the Fund that expire unexercised have no value, and the Fund will realize a loss in the amount of the premium paid and any transaction costs. If an option written by the Fund expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a gain equal to the premium received at the time the option was written. Transaction costs must be included in these calculations.

Additional risks related to options are discussed below (“Risks of Government Regulation of Derivatives,” “Risks Related to OTC Options” and “Derivatives Counterparty Risk”).

Options on Indices. To the extent permitted by applicable law or regulation, the Fund may invest in options on indices, including broad-based security indices. Puts and calls on indices are similar to puts and calls on other investments except that all settlements are in cash and gain or loss depends on changes in the index in question rather than on price movements in individual securities, futures contracts or other investments. When the Fund writes a call on an index, it receives a premium and agrees that, prior to the expiration date, the purchaser of the call, upon exercise of the call, will receive from the Fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the call is based is greater than the exercise price of the call. The amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the call times a specified multiple (“multiplier”), which determines the total dollar value for each point of such difference. When the Fund buys a call on an index, it pays a premium and has the same rights as to such call as are indicated above. When the Fund buys a put on an index, it pays a premium and has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the seller of the put, upon the Fund’s exercise of the put, to deliver to the Fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the put is based is less than the exercise price of the put, which amount of cash is determined by the multiplier, as described above for calls. When the Fund writes a put on an index, it receives a premium and the purchaser of the put has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the Fund to deliver to it an amount of cash equal to the difference between the closing level of the index and exercise price times the multiplier if the closing level is less than the exercise price.

Risks of Options on Indices. The risks of investments in options on indices may be greater than options on securities, futures contracts or other investments. Because index options are settled in cash, when the Fund writes a call on an index it cannot provide in advance for its potential settlement obligations by acquiring and holding the underlying index. The Fund can offset some of the risk of writing a call index option by holding a diversified portfolio of securities or instruments similar to those on which the underlying index is based. However, the Fund cannot, as a practical matter, acquire and hold a portfolio containing exactly the same securities or instruments as those that underlie the index and, as a result, the Fund bears a risk that the value of the securities or instruments held will vary from the value of the index.

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Even if the Fund could assemble a portfolio that exactly reproduced the composition of the underlying index, it still would not be fully covered from a risk standpoint because of the “timing risk” inherent in writing index options. When an index option is exercised, the amount of cash that the holder is entitled to receive is determined by the difference between the exercise price and the closing index level on the date when the option is exercised. As with other kinds of options, the Fund as the call writer will not learn of the assignment until the next business day at the earliest. The time lag between exercise and notice of assignment poses no risk for the writer of a covered call on a specific underlying security or instrument, such as common stock, because there the writer’s obligation is to deliver the underlying security or instrument, not to pay its value as of a fixed time in the past. So long as the writer already owns the underlying security or instrument, it can satisfy its settlement obligations by simply delivering it, and the risk that its value may have declined since the exercise date is borne by the exercising holder. In contrast, even if the writer of an index call holds investments that exactly match the composition of the underlying index, it will not be able to satisfy its assignment obligations by delivering those investments against payment of the exercise price. Instead, it will be required to pay cash in an amount based on the closing index value on the exercise date. By the time it learns that it has been assigned, the index may have declined, with a corresponding decline in the value of its portfolio. This “timing risk” is an inherent limitation on the ability of index call writers to cover their risk exposure by holding security or instrument positions.

If the Fund has purchased an index option and exercises it before the closing index value for that day is available, it runs the risk that the level of the underlying index may subsequently change. If such a change causes the exercised option to fall out-of-the-money, the Fund will be required to pay the difference between the closing index value and the exercise price of the option (times the applicable multiplier) to the assigned writer.

Risks Related to OTC Options. Unlike exchange-traded options, which are standardized with respect to the underlying instrument, expiration date, contract size, and strike price, the terms of OTC options (options not traded on exchanges) generally are established through negotiation with the other party to the option contract. While this type of arrangement allows the Fund great flexibility to tailor the option to its needs, OTC options generally involve greater risk than exchange-traded options, which are guaranteed by the clearing organization of the exchanges where they are traded. In addition, OTC options are generally considered illiquid by the SEC.

Foreign Currency Options. The Fund may use currency options, for example, to cross-hedge or to increase total return when the Subadviser anticipates that the currency will appreciate or depreciate in value. The Fund may additionally buy or sell put and call options on foreign currencies as a hedge against changes in the value of the U.S. dollar (or another currency) in relation to a foreign currency in which the Fund’s securities may be denominated. A put option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell a foreign currency at the exercise price until the option expires. A call option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to purchase the currency at the exercise price until the option expires. The Fund might purchase a currency put option, for example, to attempt to protect itself during the contract period against a decline in the dollar value of a currency in which it holds or anticipates holding securities. If the currency’s value should decline against the dollar, the loss in currency value should be offset, in whole or in part, by an increase in the value of the put. If the value of the currency instead should rise against the dollar, any gain to the Fund would be reduced by the premium paid for the put option. Any transaction costs must also be included in these calculations. A currency call option might be purchased, for example, in anticipation of, or to attempt to protect against, a rise in the value against the dollar of a currency in which the Fund anticipates purchasing securities.

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The Fund may buy or sell put and call options on foreign currencies either on exchanges or in the OTC market. Currency options traded on U.S. or other exchanges may be subject to position limits which may limit the ability of the Fund to reduce foreign currency risk using such options. Listed options are third party contracts (i.e., performance of the obligations of the purchaser and seller is guaranteed by the exchange or clearing corporation), and have standardized strike prices and expiration dates. OTC options differ from listed options in that they are bilateral contracts with strike prices, expiration dates and other terms negotiated between buyer and seller, and generally do not have as much market liquidity as exchange-traded options. Under definitions adopted by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and SEC, many foreign currency options are considered swaps for certain purposes, including determination of whether such instruments need to be exchange-traded and centrally cleared, as discussed further in “Risks of Government Regulation of Derivatives” below. 

Additional Risks of Futures Contracts, Options on Futures Contracts, Options on Securities and Forward Currency Exchange Contracts and Options thereon. Options on securities, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and options on currencies may be traded on foreign exchanges. Such transactions may not be regulated as effectively as similar transactions in the United States, may not involve a clearing mechanism and related guarantees and are subject to the risk of governmental actions affecting trading in, or the prices of, foreign securities. Some foreign exchanges may be principal markets so that no common clearing facility exists and the Fund may look only to the broker with whom a position is held for performance of the contract. The value of such positions also could be adversely affected by (i) other complex foreign political, legal and economic factors, (ii) lesser availability than in the United States of data on which to make trading decisions, (iii) delays in the Fund’s ability to act upon economic events occurring in foreign markets during non-business hours in the United States, (iv) the imposition of different exercise and settlement terms and procedures and margin requirements than in the United States and (v) lesser trading volume. In addition, unless the Fund hedges against fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which trading is done on foreign exchanges, any profits that the Fund might realize in trading could be eliminated by adverse changes in the exchange rate, or the Fund could incur losses as a result of those changes.

The value of some derivative instruments 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 Subadviser to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. If the Subadviser incorrectly forecasts such factors and has taken positions in derivative instruments contrary to prevailing market trends, the Fund could be exposed to risk of loss. In addition, the Fund’s use of such instruments may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed to shareholders at ordinary income tax rates for U.S. federal income tax purposes) than if the Fund had not used such instruments.

Certain of the Fund’s investments in derivative instruments may produce a difference between its book income and its taxable income. If such a difference arises, and the Fund’s book income is less than its taxable income, the Fund could be required to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment and to avoid an entity-level tax. The Fund may be required to accrue and distribute imputed income from certain derivative investments on a current basis, even though the Fund does not receive the income currently. The Fund may have to sell other investments to obtain cash needed to make income distributions, including at times when it is not advantageous to do so, which may reduce the Fund’s assets, increase its expense ratio and decrease its rate of return. For U.S. federal income tax information regarding derivative instruments, see “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters” below.

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Swap Agreements. To the extent permitted by applicable law or regulation, the Fund may engage in swap transactions, including, but not limited to swap transactions on interest rates, security indices (including broad-based security indices), specific securities and currency exchange rates.

The Fund may enter into swap transactions for any legal purpose consistent with its investment objective and policies, such as attempting to obtain or preserve a particular return or spread at a lower cost than obtaining a return or spread through purchases and/or sales of instruments in other markets, to protect against currency fluctuations, as a duration management technique, to protect against any increase in the price of securities the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date, or to gain exposure to certain markets in a more cost-efficient manner.

Swap agreements include two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a few weeks to a number of years. Swap agreements are individually negotiated and structured to include exposure to a variety of types of investments or market factors. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” such as the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate, or in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index. The “notional amount” of a swap transaction is the agreed upon basis for calculating the payments that the parties have agreed to exchange.

Most swap agreements entered into by the Fund calculate the obligations of the parties to the agreement on a “net basis.” Consequently, the Fund’s current obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement will generally be equal only to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the “net amount”). The Fund will not enter into a swap agreement with any single party that is engaged in a securities related business if the net amount owed or to be received under existing contracts with that party, along with investments in other securities issued by such counterparty, would exceed 5% of the Fund’s assets.

Whether the Fund’s use of swap agreements will be successful in furthering its investment objective will depend on many factors, including the Subadviser’s ability to predict correctly whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments. Certain restrictions imposed on the Fund by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), may limit the Fund’s ability to use swap agreements. 

Because swap agreements are two-party contracts that may be subject to contractual restrictions on transferability and termination and because they may have terms of greater than seven calendar days, swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid. If a swap is not liquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses, and the Fund’s obligation under such agreement, together with other illiquid assets and securities, will not exceed 15% of the Fund’s net assets. 

Moreover, the Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or insolvency of a swap agreement counterparty. The Fund will enter into swap agreements only with counterparties that meet certain standards of creditworthiness. Transactions in some types of swaps (including certain interest rate swaps and credit default swaps) are required to be centrally cleared and the Fund may also elect to choose other transactions that are available for clearing. In a transaction involving cleared swaps, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than the original counterparty to the derivatives transaction (i.e., a bank or broker), so the Fund is subject to the credit risk of the clearing house and the member of the clearing house (“clearing member”) through which it holds its cleared position. See also “Derivatives Counterparty Risk” and “Risks of Government Regulation of Derivatives” below.

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Many OTC derivatives are complex and their valuation often requires modeling and judgment, which increases the risk of mispricing or incorrect valuation. The pricing models used may not produce valuations that are consistent with the values the Fund realizes when it closes or sells an OTC derivative. Valuation risk is more pronounced when the Fund enters into OTC derivatives with specialized terms because the market value of those derivatives in some cases is determined in part by reference to similar derivatives with more standardized terms. Incorrect valuations may result in increased cash payment requirements to counterparties, undercollateralization and/or errors in calculation of the Fund’s NAV.

The Fund may enter into interest rate and currency swap transactions and purchase or sell interest rate and currency caps and floors. The Fund will usually enter into interest rate swaps on a net basis (i.e. the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments).

Credit-Linked Notes. The Fund may invest in credit-linked notes, which are a type of structured note. Credit-linked notes are privately negotiated obligations whose returns are linked to the returns of one or more designated securities or other instruments that are referred to as “reference securities.” A credit-linked note typically is issued by a special purpose trust or similar entity and is a direct obligation of the issuing entity. The entity, in turn, invests in debt instruments or derivative contracts in order to provide the exposure set forth in the credit-linked note. The periodic interest payments and principal obligations payable under the terms of the note typically are conditioned upon the entity’s receipt of payments on its underlying investment. Purchasing a credit-linked note assumes the risk of the default or, in some cases, other declines in credit quality of the reference securities.

Credit-linked notes are typically privately negotiated transactions between two or more parties. The Fund bears the risk that the issuer of the credit-linked note will default or become bankrupt. The Fund bears the risk of loss of its principal investment, and the periodic interest payments expected to be received for the duration of its investment in the credit-linked note. The market for credit-linked notes may be or may become illiquid. The number of investors with sufficient understanding to support transacting in the notes may be quite limited, and may include only the parties to the original purchase/sale transaction. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the value for credit-linked notes. In certain cases, a market price for a credit-linked note may not be available and it may be difficult to determine a fair value of the note.

Derivatives Counterparty Risk. The Fund will be subject to credit risk with respect to the counterparties to derivative contracts. There can be no assurance that a counterparty will be able or willing to meet its obligations. Events that affect the ability of the Fund’s counterparties to comply with the terms of the derivative contracts may have an adverse effect on the Fund. If the counterparty defaults, the Fund will have contractual remedies, but there can be no assurance that the Fund will succeed in enforcing contractual remedies. Counterparty risk still exists even if a counterparty’s obligations are secured by collateral because the Fund’s interest in collateral may not be perfected or additional collateral may not be promptly posted as required. Counterparty risk also may be more pronounced if a counterparty’s obligations exceed the amount of collateral held by the Fund, if any, the Fund is unable to exercise its interest in collateral upon default by the counterparty, or the termination value of the instrument varies significantly from the marked-to-market value of the instrument. If a counterparty becomes insolvent, the Fund may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery under the derivative contract in a bankruptcy or other reorganization proceeding or may obtain a limited or no recovery of amounts due to it under the derivative contract.

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Transactions in certain types of derivatives including futures and options on futures as well as some types of swaps are required to be (or are capable of being) centrally cleared. In a transaction involving such derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house so the Fund is subject to the credit risk of the clearing house and the member of the clearing house (the “clearing member”) through which it holds its position. Credit risk of market participants with respect to such derivatives is concentrated in a few clearing houses and clearing members. It is not clear how an insolvency proceeding of a clearing house would be conducted and what impact an insolvency of a clearing house would have on the financial system. A clearing member is generally obligated to segregate all funds received from customers with respect to cleared derivatives transactions from the clearing member’s proprietary assets. However, all funds and other property received by a clearing broker from its customers are generally held by the clearing member on a commingled basis in an omnibus account, and the clearing member may invest those funds in certain instruments permitted under the applicable regulations. The assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the insolvency of the Fund’s clearing member, because the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member’s customers for a relevant account class. In addition, financial difficulty, fraud or misrepresentation at any of these institutions could lead to significant losses as well as impair the operational capabilities or capital position of the Fund. For example, if a clearing member does not comply with applicable regulations or its agreement with the Fund, or in the event of fraud or misappropriation of customer assets by a clearing member, the Fund could have only an unsecured creditor claim in an insolvency of the clearing member with respect to the margin held by the

clearing member.

Risks of Government Regulation of Derivatives. It is possible that government regulation of various types of derivative instruments, including futures and swap agreements, may limit or prevent the Fund from using such instruments as a part of its investment strategy, and could ultimately prevent the Fund from being able to achieve its investment objective. Rules and regulations could, among other things, restrict the Fund’s ability to engage in, or increase the cost to the Fund of derivatives transactions, for example, by making some types of derivatives no longer available to the Fund, increasing margin or capital requirements, or otherwise limiting liquidity or increasing transaction costs. It is impossible to predict fully the effects of legislation and regulation in this area, but the effects could be substantial and adverse. 

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The CFTC has adopted regulations that subject registered investment companies and their investment advisers to regulation by the CFTC if the registered investment company has exposure to futures, options on futures or commodities, swaps, or other financial instruments regulated under the Commodity Exchange Act (“commodity interests”) in an amount greater than a prescribed level of its liquidation value, or if a registered investment company markets itself as providing investment exposure to such instruments. As of the date of this SAI, the Fund is operated by a person, the Investment Manager, who has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act (the “CEA”) pursuant to Rule 4.5 thereunder (the “exclusion”) promulgated by the CFTC (with respect to the Fund). Accordingly, the Investment Manager (with respect to the Fund) is not subject to registration or regulation as a “commodity pool operator” under the CEA. To remain eligible for the exclusion, the Fund will be limited in its ability to use any commodity interests and in the manner in which it holds out its use of such commodity interests. In the event that the Fund’s investments in commodity interests are not within the thresholds set forth in the exclusion, the Investment Manager may be required to register as a “commodity pool operator” with the CFTC with respect to the Fund. The Investment Manager’s eligibility to claim the exclusion with respect to the Fund will be based upon, among other things, the level and scope of the Fund’s investment in commodity interests, the purposes of such investments and the manner in which the Fund holds out its use of commodity interests. The Fund’s ability to invest in commodity interests (including, but not limited to, futures and swaps on broad-based securities indexes and interest rates) is limited by the Investment Manager’s intention to operate the Fund in a manner that would permit the Investment Manager to continue to claim the exclusion under Rule 4.5, which may adversely affect the Fund’s total return. In the event the Investment Manager becomes unable to rely on the exclusion in Rule 4.5 and is required to register with the CFTC as a commodity pool operator with respect to the Fund, the Fund’s expenses may increase, adversely affecting the Fund’s total return.

The futures markets are subject to comprehensive statutes, regulations, and margin requirements. The CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency, including, for example, the implementation of higher margin requirements, the establishment of daily price limits and the suspension of trading.

The CFTC, certain foreign regulators and many futures exchanges have established (and continue to evaluate and revise) limits (“position limits”) on the maximum net long or net short positions which any person, or group of persons acting in concert, may hold or control in particular contracts. In addition, U.S. federal position limits apply to swaps that are economically equivalent to futures contracts on certain agricultural, metals and energy commodities. All positions owned or controlled by the same person or entity, even if in different accounts, must be aggregated for purposes of complying with position limits. It is possible that different clients managed by the Investment Manager and its affiliates may be aggregated for this purpose. Therefore, the trading decisions of the Investment Manager (acting in its capacity as investment manager of the Fund) may have to be modified and positions held by the Fund liquidated in order to avoid exceeding such limits. The modification of investment decisions or the elimination of open positions, if it occurs, may adversely affect the profitability of the Fund. A violation of position limits could also lead to regulatory action materially adverse to the Fund’s investment strategy. The Fund may also be affected by other regimes, including those of the European Union (“EU”) and United Kingdom (the “UK”), and trading venues that impose position limits on commodity derivative contracts.

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The regulation of derivatives markets in the U.S., the EU, the UK and other jurisdictions is an evolving area of law and is subject to modification by government and judicial action. Legislative and regulatory reforms, including the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), have resulted in regulation of derivatives, including clearing, margin, reporting, recordkeeping and registration requirements. Because these requirements are evolving, and certain of the rules are not yet final, their ultimate impact remains unclear. Such regulations could, among other things, restrict the Fund’s ability to engage in derivatives transactions (for example, by making certain types of derivatives transactions no longer available to the Fund) and/or increase the costs of such transactions (for example, by increasing margin or capital requirements), and the Fund may as a result be unable to execute its investment strategies in a manner the Subadviser might otherwise choose. There is a possibility of future regulatory changes altering, perhaps to a material extent, the nature of an investment in the Fund or the ability of the Fund to continue to implement its investment strategies. Rules adopted under the Dodd-Frank Act require certain OTC derivatives, including certain interest rate swaps and certain credit default swaps (and potentially other types of OTC derivatives in the future), to be executed on a regulated market and cleared through a central counterparty, which can result in increased margin requirements and costs for the Fund. See “Additional Risk Factors in Cleared Derivatives Transactions” below. It is also unclear how the regulatory changes will affect counterparty risk.

Additionally, U.S. regulators, the EU, the UK, and certain other jurisdictions have adopted minimum margin requirements for uncleared OTC derivatives transactions. These rules impose minimum margin requirements on derivatives transactions between the Fund and its derivatives counterparties. They also impose regulatory requirements on the type of permissible collateral and the timing of transferring margin. The Fund is subject to variation margin requirements under such rules and may in the future become subject to initial margin requirements under such rules. Any such requirements could increase the amount of margin the Fund needs to provide in connection with uncleared derivatives transactions and, therefore, make such transactions more expensive.

Also, as noted above, in the event of a counterparty’s (or its affiliate’s) insolvency, the Fund’s ability to exercise remedies, such as the termination of transactions, netting of obligations and realization on collateral, could be stayed or eliminated. Special resolution regimes adopted in the United States, the EU, the UK and various other jurisdictions provide government authorities with broad authority to intervene when a financial institution is experiencing financial difficulty and may prohibit the Fund from exercising termination rights based on the financial institution’s insolvency. In particular, in the EU and the UK, governmental authorities could reduce, eliminate or convert to equity the liabilities to the Fund of a counterparty experiencing financial difficulties (sometimes referred to as a “bail in”).

Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act (“Rule 18f-4”) governs registered investment companies’ use of derivatives and certain financing transactions (e.g., reverse repurchase agreements). Among other things, Rule 18f-4 limits derivatives exposure through one of two value-at-risk tests, requires funds to adopt and implement a derivatives risk management program (including the appointment of a derivatives risk manager and the implementation of certain testing requirements), and subjects funds to certain reporting requirements in respect of derivatives. Limited derivatives users (as determined by Rule 18f-4) are not, however, subject to the full requirements under the rule. In connection with the adoption of Rule 18f-4, the SEC also eliminated the asset segregation framework for covering certain derivatives instruments and certain financing transactions arising from the SEC’s Release 10666 and ensuing staff guidance. Compliance with Rule 18f-4 by the Fund could, among other things, make derivatives more costly, limit their availability or utility, or otherwise adversely affect their performance. Rule 18f-4 may limit the Fund’s ability to use derivatives as part of its investment strategy.

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Additional Risk Factors in Cleared Derivatives Transactions. Transactions in some types of derivatives (including futures, exchange-traded options, and certain interest rate swaps and credit default swaps on North American and European indices) are required to be centrally cleared (and additional types of swaps may be required to be centrally cleared in the future). In addition, the Fund may choose to centrally clear certain swap transactions that are capable of being cleared. In a transaction involving such products (“cleared derivatives”), the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house, rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of a clearing house and only clearing members can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives transactions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through its accounts at clearing members. Clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house.

In some ways, cleared derivative arrangements are less favorable to funds than bilateral arrangements. For example, the Fund may be required to provide more margin for cleared derivatives transactions than for bilateral derivatives transactions. Also, in contrast to a bilateral derivatives transaction, following a period of notice to the Fund, a clearing member generally can require termination of an existing cleared derivatives transaction at any time or an increase in margin requirements above the margin that the clearing member required at the beginning of a transaction. Exchanges and clearing houses also have broad rights to increase margin requirements for existing transactions or to limit or terminate those transactions at any time. Any increase in margin requirements or termination of existing cleared derivatives transactions by the clearing member, exchange or the clearing house could interfere with the ability of the Fund to pursue its investment strategy. Further, any increase in margin requirements by a clearing member could expose the Fund to greater credit risk to its clearing member, because margin for cleared derivatives transactions in excess of an exchange’s or clearing house’s margin requirements typically is held by the clearing member. Also, the Fund is subject to risk if it enters into a derivatives transaction that is required to be cleared (or that the Investment Manager or Subadviser expects to be cleared), and no clearing member is willing or able to clear the transaction on the Fund’s behalf. In those cases, the transaction might have to be terminated, and the Fund could lose some or all of the benefit of the transaction, including loss of an increase in the value of the transaction and/or loss of hedging protection. In addition, the documentation governing the relationship between the Fund and clearing members is drafted by the clearing members and generally is less favorable to the Fund than typical bilateral derivatives documentation. For example, documentation relating to cleared derivatives generally includes a one-way indemnity by the Fund in favor of the clearing member for losses the clearing member incurs as the Fund’s clearing member and typically does not provide the Fund any remedies if the clearing member defaults or becomes insolvent. These risks likely are more pronounced for cleared swaps than futures contracts and exchange-traded options due to their more limited liquidity and market history.

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Some types of cleared derivatives are required to be (or are capable of being voluntarily) executed on an exchange or on a swap execution facility. A swap execution facility is a trading platform where multiple market participants can execute derivatives by accepting bids and offers made by multiple other participants in the platform. While this execution on a swap execution facility can increase transparency and liquidity in the cleared derivatives market, trading on a swap execution facility can create additional costs and risks for the Fund. For example, swap execution facilities typically charge fees, and if the Fund executes derivatives on a swap execution facility through a broker intermediary, the intermediary may impose fees as well. Also, the Fund may be required to indemnify a swap execution facility, or a broker intermediary who executes cleared derivatives on a swap execution facility on the Fund’s behalf, against any losses or costs that may be incurred as a result of the Fund’s transactions on the swap execution facility. If the Fund wishes to execute a package of transactions that include a swap that is required to be executed on a swap execution facility as well as other transactions (for example, a transaction that includes both a security and an interest rate swap that hedges interest rate exposure with respect to such security), it is possible the Fund could not execute all components of the package on the swap execution facility. In that case, the Fund would need to trade certain components of the package on the swap execution facility and other components of the package in another manner, which could subject the Fund to the risk that certain of the components of the package would be executed successfully and others would not, or that the components would be executed at different times, leaving the Fund with an unhedged position for a period of time.

(10) Emerging Market Securities

The Fund may invest some of its assets in the securities of emerging market countries. Investments in securities in emerging market countries may be considered to be speculative and may have additional risks from those associated with investing in the securities of U.S. issuers. There may be limited information available to investors that is publicly available, and generally emerging market issuers are not subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial standards and requirements like those required by U.S. issuers.

Investors should be aware that the value of the Fund’s investments in emerging markets securities may be adversely affected by changes in the political, economic or social conditions, embargoes, economic sanctions, expropriation, nationalization, limitation on the removal of funds or assets, controls, tax regulations and other restrictions in emerging market countries. These risks may be more severe than those experienced in non-emerging market countries. Emerging market securities trade with less frequency and volume than domestic securities and, therefore, may have greater price volatility and lack liquidity. Furthermore, there is often no legal structure governing private or foreign investment or private property in some emerging market countries. This may adversely affect the Fund’s operations and the ability to obtain a judgment against an issuer in an emerging market country.

(11) Equity Investments

The Fund may invest in equity securities subject to any restrictions set forth in the Prospectus and this SAI. These securities may include securities listed on any domestic or foreign securities exchange and securities traded in the OTC market. More information on the various types of equity investments in which the Fund may invest appears below.

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Secondary Offerings. The Fund may invest in secondary offerings. A secondary offering is a registered offering of a large block of a security that has been previously issued to the public. A secondary offering can occur when an investor sells to the public a large block of stock or other securities it has been holding in its portfolio. In a sale of this kind, all of the profits go to the seller rather than the issuer. Secondary offerings can also originate when the issuer issues new shares of its stock over and above those sold in its IPO, usually in order to raise additional capital. However, because an increase in the number of shares devalues those that have already been issued, many companies make a secondary offering only if their stock prices are high or they are in need of capital. Secondary offerings may have a magnified impact on the performance of a fund with a small asset base. Secondary offering shares frequently are volatile in price. Therefore, the Fund may hold secondary offering shares for a very short period of time. This may increase the portfolio turnover rate of the Fund and may lead to increased expenses for the Fund, such as commissions and transaction costs. In addition, secondary offering shares can experience an immediate drop in value if the demand for the securities does not continue to support the offering price.

(12) Eurodollar Bonds and Yankeedollar Obligations

Eurodollar obligations are U.S.-dollar obligations issued outside the United States by domestic or foreign entities, while Yankeedollar obligations are U.S.-dollar obligations issued inside the United States by foreign entities. Eurodollar bonds are bonds issued outside the U.S. and are denominated in U.S. dollars.

(13) Floating Rate and Variable Rate Demand Notes

The Fund may purchase taxable or tax-exempt floating rate and variable rate demand notes and bonds in implementing its investment program. Floating rate and variable rate demand notes and bonds may have a stated maturity in excess of one year, but may have features that permit the holder to demand payment of principal plus accrued interest upon a specified number of days’ notice. Frequently, such obligations are secured by letters of credit or other credit support arrangements provided by banks. The issuer has a corresponding right, after a given period, to prepay in its discretion the outstanding principal of the obligation plus accrued interest upon a specific number of days’ notice to holders. The interest rate of a floating rate instrument may be based on a known lending rate, such as a bank’s prime rate, and is reset whenever such rate is adjusted. The interest on a variable rate demand note is reset at specified intervals at a market rate.

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(14) Foreign Securities

The Fund may invest in foreign securities, subject to any restrictions set forth in the Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI. Investment in securities of foreign entities, whether directly or indirectly in the form of ADRs, GDRs or similar instruments, and securities denominated in foreign currencies involves risks typically not present to the same degree in domestic investments. Such risks include potential future adverse political and economic developments, possible embargoes or economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, organizations, entities and/or individuals, possible imposition of withholding or other taxes on interest or other income, possible seizure, nationalization or expropriation of foreign deposits, possible establishment of exchange controls, greater fluctuations in value due to changes in exchange rates, or the adoption of other foreign governmental restrictions which might adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on such obligations. In addition, there may be less publicly available information about foreign issuers or securities than about U.S. issuers or securities, foreign investments may be effected through structures that may be complex or obfuscatory, and foreign issuers are often subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements and engage in business practices different from those of domestic issuers of similar securities or obligations. With respect to unsponsored ADRs, these programs cover securities of companies that are not required to meet either the reporting or accounting standards of the United States. Foreign issuers also are usually not subject to the same degree of regulation as domestic issuers, and many foreign financial markets, while generally growing in volume, continue to experience substantially less volume than domestic markets, and securities of many foreign companies are less liquid and their prices are more volatile than the securities of comparable U.S. companies. In addition, brokerage commissions, custodial services and other costs related to investment in foreign markets (particularly emerging markets) generally are more expensive than in the United States. Such foreign markets also may have longer settlement periods than markets in the United States as well as different settlement and clearance procedures. In certain markets, there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such transactions. The inability of the Fund to make intended securities purchases due to settlement problems could cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities. Inability to dispose of a portfolio security caused by settlement problems could result either in losses to the Fund due to subsequent declines in value of a portfolio security or, if the Fund had entered into a contract to sell the security, could result in possible liability to the purchaser. Settlement procedures in certain emerging markets also carry with them a heightened risk of loss due to the failure of the broker or other service provider to deliver cash or securities.

The value of the Fund’s portfolio securities computed in U.S. dollars will vary with increases and decreases in the exchange rate between the currencies in which the Fund has invested and the U.S. dollar. A decline in the value of any particular currency against the U.S. dollar will cause a decline in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund’s holdings of securities denominated in such currency and, therefore, will cause an overall decline in the Fund’s NAV and net investment income and capital gains, if any, to be distributed in U.S. dollars to shareholders by the Fund. The Fund may be required to liquidate other assets in order to make up the shortfall.

The rate of exchange between the U.S. dollar and other currencies is influenced by many factors, including the supply and demand for particular currencies, central bank efforts to support particular currencies, the movement of interest rates, the price of oil, the pace of activity in the industrial countries, including the United States, and other economic and financial conditions affecting the world economy. The Fund will not invest in a foreign currency or in securities denominated in a foreign currency if such currency is not at the time of investment considered by the Subadviser to be fully exchangeable into U.S. dollars without legal restriction. The Fund may purchase securities that are issued by the government, a corporation, or a financial institution of one nation but denominated in the currency of another nation. To the extent that the Fund invests in ADRs, the depositary bank generally pays cash dividends in U.S. dollars regardless of the currency in which such dividends originally are paid by the issuer of the underlying security.

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Several of the countries in which the Fund may invest restrict, to varying degrees, foreign investments in their securities markets. Governmental and private restrictions take a variety of forms, including (i) limitation on the amount of funds that may be invested into or repatriated from the country (including limitations on repatriation of investment income and capital gains), (ii) prohibitions or substantial restrictions on foreign investment in certain industries or market sectors, such as defense, energy and transportation, (iii) restrictions (whether contained in the charter of an individual company or mandated by the government) on the percentage of securities of a single issuer which may be owned by a foreign investor, (iv) limitations on the types of securities which a foreign investor may purchase and (v) restrictions on a foreign investor’s right to invest in companies whose securities are not publicly traded. In some circumstances, these restrictions may limit or preclude investment in certain countries. Investments in such countries may only be permitted through foreign government approved or authorized investment vehicles, which may include other investment companies. Therefore, the Fund may invest in such countries through the purchase of shares of investment companies organized under the laws of such countries. In addition, it may be less expensive and more expedient for the Fund to invest in a foreign investment company in a country which permits direct foreign investment. Please see “Investment Company Securities” below for more information on the risks of investing in other investment companies. The Fund’s interest and dividend income from, or proceeds from the sale or other disposition of the securities of, foreign issuers may be subject to non-U.S. withholding and other foreign taxes. The Fund also may be subject to taxes on trading profits in some countries. In addition, certain countries impose a transfer or stamp duties tax on certain securities transactions. The imposition of these taxes may decrease the net return on foreign investments as compared to dividends and interest paid to the Fund by domestic companies, and thus increase the cost to the Fund of investing in any country imposing such taxes. Shareholders generally will not be entitled separately to deduct their pro rata shares of such taxes in computing their taxable income, or to take such shares as a credit against their U.S. federal income tax. In such case, the foreign taxes paid or withheld will nonetheless reduce the Fund’s taxable income. See “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters” below.

Emerging Markets. The risks of foreign investing are of greater concern in the case of investments in emerging markets which may exhibit greater price volatility and risk of principal, have less liquidity and have settlement arrangements which are less efficient than in developed markets. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, which regulates auditors of U.S. public companies, is unable to inspect audit work papers in certain foreign countries. Investors in foreign countries often have limited rights and few practical remedies to pursue shareholder claims, including class actions or fraud claims, and the ability of the SEC, the U.S. Department of Justice and other authorities to bring and enforce actions against foreign issuers or foreign persons is limited. Furthermore, the economies of emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon international trade and, accordingly, have been and may continue to be adversely affected by trade barriers, managed adjustments in relative currency values, and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade. These emerging market economies also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade. See “Emerging Market Securities” above.

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Russia Sanctions Risk. In late February 2022, Russian military forces invaded Ukraine, significantly amplifying already existing geopolitical tensions among Russia, Ukraine, Europe, NATO and the West. Russia’s invasion, the responses of countries and political bodies to Russia’s actions, and the potential for wider conflict may increase financial market volatility and could have severe adverse effects on regional and global economic markets, including the markets for certain securities and commodities such as oil and natural gas. Following Russia’s actions, various countries, including the U.S., Canada, the UK, Germany, and France, as well as the EU, issued broad-ranging economic sanctions against Russia. Sanctions threatened or imposed by these jurisdictions, and other intergovernmental actions that have been or may be undertaken in the future, against Russia, Russian entities or Russian individuals, may result in the devaluation of Russian currency, a downgrade in the country’s credit rating, an immediate freeze of Russian assets, a decline in the value and liquidity of Russian securities, property or interests, and/or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy or the Fund. Further, due to market closures and trading restrictions, the value of Russian securities could be significantly impacted, which could lead to such securities being valued at zero. The scope and scale of sanctions in place at a particular time may be expanded or otherwise modified in a way that may have negative effects on the Fund. Sanctions, or the threat of new or modified sanctions, could impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive, deliver or otherwise transact in certain affected securities or other investment instruments. Sanctions could also result in Russia taking counter measures or other actions in response (including cyberattacks and espionage), which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. The extent and duration of the military actions associated with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the resulting sanctions, and the resulting disruption of the Russian economy are impossible to predict but may cause volatility in other regional and global markets and may negatively impact the performance of various sectors and industries, as well as companies in other countries, which could have a negative effect on the performance of a Fund, even if the Fund does not have direct exposure to securities of Russian issuers.

Central Securities Depositories Regulation. Beginning February 1, 2022, the EU adopted a settlement discipline regime pursuant to the Central Securities Depositories Regulation (“CSDR”) that introduced new measures for the authorization and supervision of European Union Central Security Depositories. CSDR aims to reduce the number of settlement fails that occur in European Economic Area (“EEA”) central securities depositories (“CSD”) and address settlement fails where they occur. Under the regime, among other things, EEA CSDs are required to impose cash penalties on participants that cause settlement fails and distribute these to receiving participants. The CSDR requirements apply to transactions in transferable securities (e.g., stocks and bonds), money market instruments, shares of funds and emission allowances that will be settled through an EEA CSD and are admitted to trading or traded on an EEA trading venue or cleared by an EEA central counterparty. The Fund may bear the net effect of any penalties and credits incurred under the CSDR in respect of its trading, which could increase the Fund’s expenses and adversely affect Fund performance. The Investment Manager may seek reimbursement from the relevant broker, agent, or Subadviser, as determined by the Investment Manager from time to time, although there can be no assurance that the Investment Manager will seek such reimbursement or that the Fund will recover or be reimbursed for any amounts at issue.

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(15) Forward Commitments

The Fund may make contracts to purchase securities on a forward commitment basis for a fixed price at a future date beyond the customary settlement period for such securities (“forward commitments”). Forward commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities to be purchased declines prior to the settlement date, which risk is in addition to the risk of decline in value of the Fund’s other assets. The Fund may dispose of a commitment prior to settlement and may realize short-term capital gains or losses upon such disposition. Purchasing securities on a forward commitment basis can also involve the risk of default by the other party on its obligation, delaying or preventing the Fund from recovering the collateral or completing the transaction.

(16) Guaranteed Investment Contracts

The Fund may enter into agreements known as guaranteed investment contracts (“GICs”) with banks and insurance companies. GICs provide to the Fund a fixed rate of return for a fixed period of time, similar to any fixed-income security. While there is no ready market for selling GICs and they typically are not assignable, the Fund will only invest in GICs if the financial institution permits a withdrawal of the principal (together with accrued interest) after the Fund gives seven days’ notice. Like any fixed-income security, if market interest rates at the time of such withdrawal have increased from the guaranteed rate, the Fund would be required to pay a premium or penalty upon such withdrawal. If market rates declined, the Fund would receive a premium on withdrawal. Since GICs are considered illiquid, the Fund will not invest more than 15% of its net assets in GICs and other illiquid assets (see “Illiquid Securities, Private Placements and Certain Unregistered Securities” below).

(17) Illiquid Securities, Private Placements and Certain Unregistered Securities

The Fund may invest in privately placed, restricted, Rule 144A or other unregistered securities. Rule 144A securities are securities that are eligible for resale without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act. The Fund may not acquire illiquid holdings if, as a result, more than 15% of its net assets would be in illiquid investments. If the Fund determines at any time that it owns illiquid securities in excess of 15% of its net assets, it will cease to undertake new commitments to acquire illiquid securities until its holdings are no longer in excess of 15% of its NAV, and, depending on circumstances, may take additional steps to reduce its holdings of illiquid securities. Subject to these limitations, the Fund may acquire investments that are illiquid or have limited liquidity, such as private placements or investments that are not registered under the 1933 Act and cannot be offered for public sale in the United States without first being registered under the 1933 Act. An investment is considered “illiquid” if the Fund reasonably expects the investment cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven (7) calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. The price the Fund’s portfolio may pay for illiquid securities or receive upon resale may be lower than the price paid or received for similar securities with a more liquid market. Accordingly, the valuation of these securities will take into account any limitations on their liquidity.

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The SEC has adopted a liquidity risk management rule (the “Liquidity Rule”) that requires the Fund to establish a liquidity risk management program (the “LRMP”). The Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees (defined infra), have designated the Investment Manager to administer the Fund’s LRMP and the Investment Manager has formed a Liquidity Risk Management Committee to which it has delegated responsibilities for the ongoing operation and management of the LRMP. Under the LRMP, the Investment Manager assesses, manages, and periodically reviews the Fund’s liquidity risk. The Liquidity Rule defines “liquidity risk” as the risk that the Fund could not meet requests to redeem shares issued by the Fund without significant dilution of remaining investors’ interests in the Fund. The liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio investments is determined based on relevant market, trading and investment-specific considerations under the LRMP. To the extent that an investment is deemed to be an illiquid investment or a less liquid investment, the Fund can expect to be exposed to greater liquidity risk.

Rule 144A securities may be determined to be liquid or illiquid in accordance with the guidelines established by the Investment Manager and approved by the Trustees. The Trustees will monitor compliance with these guidelines on a periodic basis.

Investment in these securities entails the risk to the Fund that there may not be a buyer for these securities at a price that the Fund believes represents the security’s value should the Fund wish to sell the security. If a security the Fund holds must be registered under the 1933 Act before it may be sold, the Fund may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expenses. In addition, in these circumstances, a considerable time may elapse between the time of the decision to sell and the time the Fund may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions develop, the Fund may obtain a less favorable price than when it first decided to sell the security.

(18) Inflation-Linked Bonds

To the extent it may invest in fixed-income securities, the Fund may invest in inflation-linked bonds, which are issued by the United States government and foreign governments with a nominal return indexed to the inflation rate in prices. Governments that issue inflation-indexed bonds may use different conventions for purposes of structuring their bonds and different inflation factors, with the same underlying principal of linking real returns and inflation.

For purposes of explanation, a United States TIPS bond will be used as an example of how inflation-linked bonds work. Inflation-linked bonds, like nominal bonds, pay coupons on a principal amount. For U.S. TIPS, and most inflation-linked bonds, the value of the principal is adjusted for inflation. In the United States the index used to measure inflation is the non-seasonally adjusted U.S. City Average All Items Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”). Interest payments are paid every six months, and are equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted value of the principal. The final payment of principal of the security will not be less than the original par amount of the security at issuance.

The principal of the inflation-linked security is indexed to the non-seasonally adjusted CPI-U. To calculate the inflation-adjusted principal value for a particular valuation date, the value of the principal at issuance is multiplied by the index ratio applicable to that valuation date. The index ratio for any date is the ratio of the reference CPI applicable to such date, to the reference CPI applicable to the original issue date. Semi-annual coupon interest is determined by multiplying the inflation-adjusted principal amount by one-half of the stated rate of interest on each interest payment date.

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Inflation-adjusted principal or the original par amount, whichever is larger, is paid on the maturity date as specified in the applicable offering announcement. If at maturity the inflation-adjusted principal is less than the original principal value of the security, an additional amount is paid at maturity so that the additional amount plus the inflation-adjusted principal equals the original principal amount. Some inflation-linked securities may be stripped into principal and interest components. In the case of a stripped security, the holder of the stripped principal component would receive this additional amount. The final interest payment, however, will be based on the final inflation-adjusted principal value, not the original par amount.

If the Fund invests in U.S. Treasury inflation-linked securities, it will be required to treat as original issue discount any increase in the principal amount of the securities that occurs during the course of its taxable year. If the Fund purchases such inflation-linked securities that are issued in stripped form, either as stripped bonds or coupons, it will be treated as if it had purchased a newly issued debt instrument having “original issue discount.” If the Fund holds an obligation with original issue discount, it is required to accrue as ordinary income a portion of such original issue discount even though it receives no corresponding interest payment in cash. The Fund may have to sell other investments to obtain cash needed to make income distributions, including at times when it is not advantageous to do so, which may reduce the Fund’s assets, increase its expense ratio and decrease its rate of return.

(19) Interfund Lending

To satisfy redemption requests or to cover unanticipated cash shortfalls (due to “sales fails” or other factors), the Fund has entered into a master interfund lending agreement (“Interfund Lending Agreement”) under which the Fund would lend money and borrow money for temporary purposes directly to and from another eligible fund in the AMG Fund Complex through a credit facility (each an “Interfund Loan”), subject to meeting the conditions of an SEC exemptive order granted to the Fund permitting such interfund lending. The Fund may not borrow more than the lesser of the amount permitted by Section 18 of the 1940 Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder, as modified by the above mentioned and any other applicable SEC exemptive order or other relief, or the amount permitted by its fundamental investment restrictions. All Interfund Loans will consist only of uninvested cash reserves that the Fund otherwise would invest in short-term repurchase agreements or other short-term instruments either directly or through a money market fund.

If the Fund has outstanding borrowings, any Interfund Loans to the Fund (a) will be at an interest rate equal to or lower than any outstanding bank loan, (b) will be secured at least on an equal priority basis with at least an equivalent percentage of collateral to loan value as any outstanding bank loan that requires collateral, (c) will have a maturity no longer than any outstanding bank loan (and in any event not over seven days) and (d) will provide that, if an event of default occurs under any agreement evidencing an outstanding bank loan to the Fund, the event of default will automatically (without need for action or notice by the lending fund) constitute an immediate event of default under the Interfund Lending Agreement entitling the lending fund to call the Interfund Loan (and exercise all rights with respect to any collateral) and that such call will be made if the lending bank exercises its right to call its loan under its agreement with the borrowing fund.

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The Fund may make an unsecured borrowing through the credit facility if its outstanding borrowings from all sources immediately after the interfund borrowing total 10% or less of its total assets; provided, that if the Fund has a secured loan outstanding from any other lender, including but not limited to another eligible fund in the AMG Fund Complex, the Fund’s Interfund Loan will be secured on at least an equal priority basis with at least an equivalent percentage of collateral to loan value as any outstanding loan that requires collateral. If the Fund’s total outstanding borrowings immediately after an interfund borrowing would be greater than 10% of its total assets, the Fund may borrow through the credit facility only on a secured basis. The Fund may not borrow through the credit facility nor from any other source if its total outstanding borrowings immediately after the interfund borrowing would exceed the limits imposed by Section 18 of the 1940 Act or the Fund’s fundamental investment restrictions.

The Fund may not lend to another eligible fund in the AMG Fund Complex through the interfund lending credit facility if the Interfund Loan would cause its aggregate outstanding loans through the credit facility to exceed 15% of the lending fund’s current net assets at the time of the Interfund Loan. The Fund’s Interfund Loans to any one fund shall not exceed 5% of the lending fund’s net assets. The duration of Interfund Loans is limited to the time required to receive payment for securities sold, but in no event may the duration exceed seven days. Interfund Loans effected within seven days of each other will be treated as separate loan transactions for purposes of this condition. Each Interfund Loan may be called on one business day’s notice by a lending fund and may be repaid on any day by a borrowing fund.

The limitations detailed above and the other conditions of the SEC exemptive order permitting interfund lending are designed to minimize the risks associated with interfund lending for both the lending fund and the borrowing fund. However, no borrowing or lending activity is without risk. When the Fund borrows money from another fund, there is a risk that the Interfund Loan could be called on one day’s notice or not renewed, in which case the Fund may have to borrow from a bank at higher rates if an Interfund Loan were not available from another fund. A delay in repayment to a lending fund could result in a lost opportunity or additional lending costs.

(20) Inverse Floating Obligations

Inverse floating obligations, also referred to as residual interest bonds, have interest rates that decline when market rates increase and vice versa. They are typically purchased directly from the issuing agency.

These obligations entail certain risks. They may be more volatile than fixed-rate securities, especially in periods where interest rates are fluctuating. In order to limit this risk, the Subadviser(s) may purchase inverse floaters that have a shorter maturity or contain limitations on their interest rate movements.

(21) Investment Company Securities

The Fund may invest some portion of its assets in shares of other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and money market funds, to the extent that they may facilitate achieving the investment objective of the Fund or to the extent that they afford the principal or most practical means of access to a particular market or markets or they represent attractive investments in their own right. The Fund’s purchase of shares of investment companies may result in the payment by a shareholder of duplicative management fees. The Investment Manager and Subadviser to the Fund will consider such fees in determining whether to invest in other investment companies. The Fund will invest only in investment companies, or classes thereof, that do not charge a sales load; however, the Fund may invest in such companies with distribution plans and fees, and may pay customary brokerage commissions to buy and sell shares of closed-end investment companies and ETFs.

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The return on the Fund’s investments in investment companies will be reduced by the operating expenses, including investment advisory and administrative fees, of such companies. The Fund’s investments in a closed-end investment company may require the payment of a premium above the NAV of the investment company’s shares, and the market price of the investment company thereafter may decline without any change in the value of the investment company’s assets. The Fund, however, will not invest in any investment company or trust unless it is believed that the potential benefits of such investment are sufficient to warrant the payment of any such premium.

ETFs that are linked to a specific index may not be able to replicate and maintain exactly the composition and relative weighting of investments underlying the applicable index and will incur certain expenses not incurred by their applicable index. Certain investments comprising the index tracked by an ETF may, at times, be temporarily unavailable, which may impede an ETF’s ability to track its index.

The market value of ETF shares may differ from their NAV per share. This difference in price may be due to the fact that the supply and demand in the market for ETF shares at any point in time is not always identical to the value of the underlying investments that the ETF holds. There may be times when an ETF share trades at a premium or discount to its NAV.

The provisions of the 1940 Act may impose certain limitations on the Fund’s investments in other investment companies. In particular, the Fund’s investments in investment companies are limited to, subject to certain exceptions, (i) 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any one investment company, (ii) 5% of the Fund’s total assets with respect to any one investment company, and (iii) 10% of the Fund’s total assets with respect to investment companies in the aggregate (the “Limitation”). Pursuant to rules adopted by the SEC, the Fund may invest in excess of the Limitation if the Fund and the investment company in which the Fund would like to invest comply with certain conditions, including limits on control and voting, required evaluations and findings, required fund investment agreements and limits on complex fund of funds structures. Certain of these conditions do not apply if the Fund is investing in shares issued by affiliated funds. In addition, the Fund may invest in shares issued by money market funds, including certain unregistered money market funds, in excess of the Limitation.

As an exception to the above, the Fund has the authority to invest all of its assets in the securities of a single open-end investment company with substantially the same fundamental investment objectives, restrictions, and policies as that of the Fund. The Fund will notify its shareholders prior to initiating such an arrangement.

(22) Mortgage Related Securities

Mortgage-related securities include collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”), mortgage-backed bonds and “pass-throughs.” Pass-throughs, which are certificates that are issued by governmental, government-related or private organizations, are backed by pools of mortgage loans and provide investors with monthly payments. Pools that are created by non-government issuers generally have a higher rate of interest than pools of government and government related issuers. This is because there is no express or implied government backing associated with non-government issuers.

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Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage pass-through securities may be guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (in the case of securities guaranteed by the GNMA), or guaranteed by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government (in the case of securities guaranteed by Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA” or “Fannie Mae”) or Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC” or “Freddie Mac”)). Mortgage pass-through securities created by non-governmental issuers (such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers, and other secondary market issuers) may be uninsured or 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.

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations. CMOs are obligations that are fully collateralized by a portfolio of mortgages or mortgage-related securities. CMOs are created by dividing the principal and interest payments collected on a pool of mortgages into several revenue streams (“tranches”) with different priority rights to portions of the underlying mortgage payments. Certain CMO tranches may represent a right to receive interest only (“IOs”), principal only (“POs”) or an amount that remains after floating-rate tranches are paid (an “inverse floater”). These securities are frequently referred to as “mortgage derivatives” and may be extremely sensitive to changes in interest rates. Interest rates on inverse floaters, for example, vary inversely with a short-term floating rate (which may be reset periodically). Interest rates on inverse floaters will decrease when short-term rates increase, and will increase when short-term rates decrease. These securities have the effect of providing a degree of investment leverage. In response to changes in market interest rates or other market conditions, the value of an inverse floater may increase or decrease at a multiple of the increase or decrease in the value of the underlying securities. CMOs of different classes are generally retired in sequence as the underlying mortgage loans in the mortgage pools are repaid. In the event of sufficient early prepayments on such mortgages, the class or series of CMO first to mature generally will be retired prior to its stated maturity. Thus, the early retirement of a particular class or series of a CMO held by the Fund would have the same effect as the prepayment of mortgages underlying a mortgage-backed pass through security.

If the Fund invests in CMO tranches (including CMO tranches issued by government agencies) and interest rates move in a manner not anticipated by Fund management, it is possible that the Fund could lose all or substantially all of its investment. Certain mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest may also provide a degree of investment leverage, which could cause the Fund to lose all or substantially all of its investment.

The Fund may also be subject to greater or lesser prepayment risk depending on the type of CMOs in which the Fund invests. Although the mortgage-related securities securing a CMO may be subject to a government guarantee or third-party support, the obligation itself is not so guaranteed. Therefore, if the collateral securing the obligation is insufficient to make payment on the obligation, the Fund could sustain a loss.

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Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities. Stripped mortgage-backed securities are derivative securities usually structured with two classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions from an underlying pool of mortgage assets. The Fund may purchase securities representing only the interest payment portion of the underlying mortgage pools (commonly referred to as “IOs”) or only the principal portion of the underlying mortgage pools (commonly referred to as “POs”). Stripped mortgage-backed securities are more sensitive to changes in prepayment and interest rates and the market for such securities is less liquid than is the case for traditional debt securities and mortgage-backed securities. The yield on IOs is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of repayment may have a material adverse effect on such securities’ yield to maturity. If the underlying mortgage assets experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, the Fund will fail to recoup fully its initial investment in these securities, even if they are rated high quality.

Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits (“REMICs”). REMICs are CMO vehicles that qualify for special tax treatment under the Code and invest in mortgages principally secured by interests in real property and other investments permitted by the Code.

GNMA Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates. GNMA Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates (“Ginnie Maes”) are undivided interests in a pool of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration, the Farmers Home Administration or the Veterans Administration. They entitle the holder to receive all payments of principal and interest, net of fees due to GNMA and the issuer. Payments are made to holders of Ginnie Maes whether payments are actually received on the underlying mortgages. This is because Ginnie Maes are guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the United States. GNMA has the unlimited authority to borrow funds from the U.S. Treasury to make payments to these holders.

FNMA Guaranteed Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates. FNMA Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates are undivided interests in a pool of conventional mortgages. They are secured by the first mortgages or deeds of trust on residential properties. There is no obligation to distribute monthly payments of principal and interest on the mortgages in the pool. They are guaranteed only by FNMA and are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.

FHLMC Guaranteed Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates. FHLMC, a corporate instrumentality of the U.S. Government, issues participation certificates which represent interests in pools of conventional mortgage loans. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and the ultimate collection of principal, and maintains reserves to protect holders against losses due to default, but these securities are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

Mortgage-Backed Bonds. Mortgage-backed bonds are general obligations of the issuer fully collateralized directly or indirectly by a pool of mortgages. The mortgages serve as collateral for the issuer’s payment obligations on the bonds but interest and principal payments on the mortgages are not passed through either directly (as with GNMA certificates and FNMA and FHLMC pass-through securities) or on a modified basis (as with CMOs). Accordingly, a change in the rate of prepayments on the pool of mortgages could change the effective maturity of a CMO but not that of a mortgage-backed bond (although, like many bonds, mortgage-backed bonds may be callable by the issuer prior to maturity). Although the mortgage-related securities securing these obligations may be subject to a government guarantee or third-party support, the obligation itself is not so guaranteed. Therefore, if the collateral securing the obligation is insufficient to make payment on the obligation, the Fund could sustain a loss.

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Credit Risk Transfer Securities. Credit risk transfer securities (“CRT”) securities are unguaranteed and unsecured fixed or floating rate general obligations that are commonly issued by government sponsored enterprises such as FNMA or FHLMC. CRTs are not directly linked to or backed by the underlying mortgage loans. CRTs transfer the credit risk related to certain types of mortgage-backed securities to the holder of the CRT security. In the event of an issuer default, the holder of a CRT security has no direct recourse to the underlying mortgage loans. In addition, if the underlying mortgage loans default, the principal of the holders of the CRT security is used to pay back holders of the mortgage-backed securities. As a result, all or part of the mortgage default or credit risk associated with the underlying mortgage loans is transferred to the Fund. Therefore, the Fund could lose all or part of its investments in credit risk transfer securities in the event of default by the underlying mortgage loans.

Updates Regarding FNMA and FHLMC Securities. On September 6, 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) placed FNMA and FHLMC into conservatorship. As the conservator, FHFA succeeded to all rights, titles, powers and privileges of FNMA and FHLMC and of any stockholder, officer or director of FNMA and FHLMC with respect to FNMA and FHLMC and the assets of FNMA and FHLMC. FHFA selected a new chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors for each of FNMA and FHLMC. In connection with the conservatorship, the U.S. Treasury entered into a Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with each of FNMA and FHLMC pursuant to which the U.S. Treasury will purchase up to an aggregate of $100 billion of each of FNMA and FHLMC to maintain a positive net worth in each enterprise. This agreement contains various covenants, discussed below, that severely limit each enterprise’s operations. In exchange for entering into these agreements, the U.S. Treasury received $1 billion of each enterprise’s senior preferred stock and warrants to purchase 79.9% of each enterprise’s common stock. In 2009, the U.S. Treasury announced that it was doubling the size of its commitment to each enterprise under the Senior Preferred Stock Program to $200 billion. The U.S. Treasury’s obligations under the Senior Preferred Stock Program are for an indefinite period of time for a maximum amount of $200 billion per enterprise. In 2009, the U.S. Treasury further amended the Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement to allow the cap on the U.S. Treasury’s funding commitment to increase as necessary to accommodate any cumulative reduction in FNMA’s and FHLMC’s net worth through the end of 2012. In August 2012, the Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement was further amended to, among other things, accelerate the wind down of the retained portfolio, terminate the requirement that FNMA and FHLMC each pay a 10% dividend annually on all amounts received under the funding commitment, and require the submission of an annual risk management plan to the U.S. Treasury.

FNMA and FHLMC are continuing to operate as going concerns while in conservatorship and each remain liable for all of its obligations, including its guaranty obligations, associated with its mortgage-backed securities. The Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement is intended to enhance each of FNMA’s and FHLMC’s ability to meet its obligations. The FHFA has indicated that the conservatorship of each enterprise will end when the director of FHFA determines that FHFA’s plan to restore the enterprise to a safe and solvent condition has been completed.

Under the Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008 (the “Reform Act”), which was included as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, FHFA, as conservator or receiver, has the power to repudiate any contract entered into by FNMA or FHLMC prior to FHFA’s appointment as conservator or receiver, as applicable, if FHFA determines, in its sole discretion, that performance of the contract is burdensome and that repudiation of the contract promotes the orderly administration of FNMA’s or FHLMC’s affairs. The Reform Act requires FHFA to exercise its right to repudiate any contract within a reasonable period of time after its appointment as conservator or receiver. FHFA, in its capacity as conservator, has indicated that it has no intention to repudiate the guaranty obligations of FNMA or FHLMC because FHFA views repudiation as incompatible with the goals of the conservatorship. However, in the event that FHFA, as conservator or if it is later appointed as receiver for

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FNMA or FHLMC, were to repudiate any such guaranty obligation, the conservatorship or receivership estate, as applicable, would be liable for actual direct compensatory damages in accordance with the provisions of the Reform Act. Any such liability could be satisfied only to the extent of FNMA’s or FHLMC’s assets available therefor. In the event of repudiation, the payments of interest to holders of FNMA or FHLMC mortgage-backed securities would be reduced if payments on the mortgage loans represented in the mortgage loan groups related to such mortgage-backed securities are not made by the borrowers or advanced by the servicer. Any actual direct compensatory damages for repudiating these guaranty obligations may not be sufficient to offset any shortfalls experienced by such mortgage-backed security holders. Further, in its capacity as conservator or receiver, FHFA has the right to transfer or sell any asset or liability of FNMA or FHLMC without any approval, assignment or consent. Although FHFA has stated that it has no present intention to do so, if FHFA, as conservator or receiver, were to transfer any such guaranty obligation to another party, holders of FNMA or FHLMC mortgage-backed securities would have to rely on that party for satisfaction of the guaranty obligation and would be exposed to the credit risk of that party.

In addition, certain rights provided to holders of mortgage-backed securities issued by FNMA and FHLMC under the operative documents related to such securities may not be enforced against FHFA, or enforcement of such rights may be delayed, during the conservatorship or any future receivership. The operative documents for FNMA and FHLMC mortgage-backed securities may provide (or with respect to securities issued prior to the date of the appointment of the conservator may have provided) that upon the occurrence of an event of default on the part of FNMA or FHLMC, in its capacity as guarantor, which includes the appointment of a conservator or receiver, holders of such mortgage-backed securities have the right to replace FNMA or FHLMC as trustee if the requisite percentage of mortgage-backed securities holders consent. The Reform Act prevents mortgage-backed security holders from enforcing such rights if the event of default arises solely because a conservator or receiver has been appointed. The Reform Act also provides that no person may exercise any right or power to terminate, accelerate or declare an event of default under certain contracts to which FNMA or FHLMC is a party, or obtain possession of or exercise control over any property of FNMA or FHLMC, or affect any contractual rights of FNMA or FHLMC, without the approval of FHFA, as conservator or receiver, for a period of 45 or 90 days following the appointment of FHFA as conservator or receiver, respectively.

In addition, in a February 2011 report to Congress from the Treasury Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Obama administration provided a plan to reform America’s housing finance market. The plan would reduce the role of and eventually eliminate FNMA and FHLMC. Notably, the plan does not propose similar significant changes to GNMA, which guarantees payments on mortgage-related securities backed by federally insured or guaranteed loans such as those issued by the Federal Housing Association or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The report also identified three proposals for Congress and the administration to consider for the long-term structure of the housing finance markets after the elimination of FNMA and FHLMC, including implementing: (i) a privatized system of housing finance that limits government insurance to very limited groups of creditworthy low- and moderate-income borrowers; (ii) a privatized system with a government backstop mechanism that would allow the government to insure a larger share of the housing finance market during a future housing crisis; and (iii) a privatized system where the government would offer reinsurance to holders of certain highly-rated mortgage-related securities insured by private insurers and would pay out under the reinsurance arrangements only if the private mortgage insurers were insolvent.

The conditions attached to the financial contribution made by the Treasury to FHLMC and FNMA and the issuance of senior preferred stock place significant restrictions on the activities of FHLMC and FNMA. FHLMC and FNMA must obtain the consent of the Treasury to, among other things, (i) make any payment to purchase or redeem its capital stock or pay any dividend other than in respect of the senior preferred stock, (ii) issue capital stock of any kind, (iii) terminate the conservatorship

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of the FHFA except in connection with a receivership, or (iv) increase its debt beyond certain specified levels. In addition, significant restrictions are placed on the maximum size of each of FHLMC’s and FNMA’s respective portfolios of mortgages and mortgage-backed securities, and the purchase agreements entered into by FHLMC and FNMA provide that the maximum size of their portfolios of these assets must decrease by a specified percentage each year. The future status and role of FHLMC and FNMA could be impacted by (among other things) the actions taken and restrictions placed on FHLMC and FNMA by the FHFA in its role as conservator, the restrictions placed on FHLMC’s and FNMA’s operations and activities as a result of the senior preferred stock investment made by the U.S. Treasury, market responses to developments at FHLMC and FNMA, and future legislative and regulatory action that alters the operations, ownership, structure and/or mission of these institutions, each of which may, in turn, impact the value of, and cash flows on, any mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by FHLMC and FNMA, including any such mortgage-backed securities held by the Fund.

On June 3, 2019, under the FHFA’s “Single Security Initiative,” FHLMC and FNMA entered into a joint initiative to develop a common securitization platform for the issuance of a “uniform mortgage-backed security” or “UMBS,” in place of their separate offerings of “to be announced” (TBA)-eligible mortgage-backed securities. The Single Security Initiative seeks to generally align the characteristics of FHLMC and FNMA mortgage-backed securities. The effects it may have on the market for mortgage-backed securities are uncertain and the issuance of UMBS may not achieve the intended results and may have unanticipated or adverse effects on the market for mortgage-backed securities.

The Fund’s ability to invest in UMBS to the same degree that the Fund currently invests in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities is uncertain. While Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have taken steps for a smooth transition to the issuance of UMBS, there may be factors that affect the timing of the transition to UMBS or the ability of market participants, including the Fund, to adapt to the issuance of UMBS. The Fund may need to consider the tax and accounting issues raised by investments in UMBS and/or the exchange of legacy Freddie Mac securities for UMBS. Additionally, there could be divergence in prepayment rates of UMBS issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which could lead to differences in the prices of Fannie Mae- and Freddie Mac-issued UMBS if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fail to align programs, policies and practices that affect prepayments.

Risks Associated with Mortgage-Related and other Asset-Backed Securities. There are certain risks associated with mortgage-related securities, such as prepayment risk and default risk. Although there is generally a liquid market for these investments, those certificates issued by private organizations may not be readily marketable. The value of mortgage-related securities depends primarily on the level of interest rates, the coupon rates of the certificates and the payment history of the underlying mortgages. The risk of defaults associated with mortgage-related securities is generally higher in the case of mortgage-backed investments that include so-called “sub-prime” mortgages.

Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities have yield and maturity characteristics corresponding to their underlying assets. Unlike traditional debt securities, which must pay a fixed rate of interest until maturity when the entire principal amount becomes due, payments on certain mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities include both interest and a partial payment of principal. This partial payment of principal may comprise a scheduled principal payment as well as an unscheduled payment from the voluntary prepayment, refinancing, or foreclosure of the underlying loans. As a result of these unscheduled payments of principal, or prepayments on the underlying securities, the price and yield of mortgage-backed securities can be adversely affected. For example, during periods of declining interest rates, prepayments can be expected to accelerate, and the Fund would be required to reinvest the proceeds at the lower interest rates then available.

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Prepayments of mortgages that underlie securities purchased at a premium could result in capital losses because the premium may not have been fully amortized at the time the obligation is prepaid. In addition, like other interest-bearing securities, the values of mortgage-backed securities generally fall when interest rates rise, but when interest rates fall, their potential for capital appreciation is limited due to the existence of the prepayment feature. In order to hedge against possible prepayment, the Fund may purchase certain options and options on futures contracts as described more fully above under “Derivative Instruments.”

Ongoing developments in the residential and commercial mortgage markets may have additional consequences for the market for mortgage-backed securities. During the periods of deteriorating economic conditions, such as recessions or periods of rising unemployment, delinquencies and losses generally increase, sometimes dramatically, with respect to securitizations involving mortgage loans. Many sub-prime mortgage pools have become distressed during the periods of economic distress and may trade at significant discounts to their face value during such periods.

(23) Municipal Obligations

The Fund may invest in many types of municipal bonds, including, but not limited to: general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, private activity and industrial development bonds, short-term municipal notes (including tax and revenue authorization notes), housing bonds and tax-exempt commercial paper. General obligation bonds are bonds issued by states, counties, cities towns and regional districts. The proceeds from these bonds are used to fund municipal projects. Revenue bonds are bonds that receive net revenues from a particular facility or other specific source. Private activity and industrial development bonds are considered to be municipal bonds if the interest paid on these bonds is exempt from U.S. federal income tax. They are issued by public authorities and are used to raise money to finance public and privately owned facilities for business, manufacturing and housing. Short-term municipal notes are issued with a short-term maturity in anticipation of the receipt of tax funds, the proceeds of bond placements, or other revenues, and include tax anticipation notes, revenue anticipation notes, and bond anticipation notes. Housing bonds are short- or long-term bonds issued by a local housing authority to finance short-term construction of typically low- or middle-income housing or long-term commitments for housing, plants, pollution control facilities, or similar projects. Tax-exempt (municipal) commercial paper typically consists of very short-term, unsecured, negotiable promissory notes that are sold to meet the seasonal working capital or interim construction financing needs of a municipality or agency. While these obligations are intended to be paid from general revenues or refinanced with long-term debt, they frequently are backed by letters of credit, lending agreements, note repurchase agreements or other credit facility agreements offered by banks or institutions.

Investments in municipal bonds may result in liability for U.S. federal alternative minimum tax, for shareholders subject to such tax.

Municipal issuers of securities are not usually subject to the securities registration and public reporting requirements of the SEC and state securities regulators. As a result, the amount of information available about the financial condition of an issuer of municipal obligations may not be as extensive as that which is made available by corporations whose securities are publicly traded.

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(24) Obligations of Domestic and Foreign Banks

The Fund may purchase obligations of domestic and foreign banks and foreign branches of domestic banks. Banks are subject to extensive governmental regulations. These regulations place limitations on the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments which may be made by the bank and the interest rates and fees which may be charged on these loans and commitments. The profitability of the banking industry depends on the availability and costs of capital funds for the purpose of financing loans under prevailing money market conditions. General economic conditions also play a key role in the operations of the banking industry. Exposure to credit losses arising from potential financial difficulties of borrowers may affect the ability of the bank to meet its obligations under a letter of credit.

(25) Participations

The Fund may invest in loan participations or assignments. In purchasing a loan participation or assignment, the Fund acquires some or all of the interest of a bank or other lending institution in a loan to a corporate borrower. Both the lending bank and the borrower may be deemed to be “issuers” of a loan participation. Many such loans are secured and most impose restrictive covenants which must be met by the borrower and which are generally more stringent than the covenants available in publicly traded debt securities. However, interests in some loans may not be secured, and the Fund will be exposed to a risk of loss if the borrower defaults. There is no assurance that the collateral can be liquidated in particular cases, or that its liquidation value will be equal to the value of the debt. Loan participations may also be purchased by the Fund when the borrowing company is already in default. Borrowers that are in bankruptcy may pay only a small portion of the amount owed, if they are able to pay at all. Where the Fund purchases a loan through an assignment, there is a possibility that the Fund will, in the event the borrower is unable to pay the loan, become the owner of the collateral. This involves certain risks to the Fund as a property owner.

In purchasing a loan participation, the Fund may have less protection under the federal securities laws than it has in purchasing traditional types of securities. Loans are often administered by a lead bank, which acts as agent for the lenders in dealing with the borrower. In asserting rights against the borrower, the Fund may be dependent on the willingness of the lead bank to assert these rights, or upon a vote of all the lenders to authorize the action. Assets held by the lead bank for the benefit of the Fund may be subject to claims of the lead bank’s creditors. The Fund’s ability to assert its rights against the borrower will also depend on the particular terms of the loan agreement among the parties. Many of the interests in loans purchased by the Fund will be illiquid and therefore subject to the Fund’s limit on illiquid investments.

(26) Reverse Repurchase Agreements and Dollar Roll Agreements

The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements with commercial banks and registered broker-dealers. In a reverse repurchase agreement, a Fund sells a security and agrees to repurchase the same security at a price and on a date mutually agreed-upon by the parties. The difference between the repurchase price and the original price is the reverse repurchase agreement rate, which reflects the interest rate in effect for the term of the agreement. The Fund will invest the proceeds of borrowings under reverse repurchase agreements. In addition, the Fund will enter into reverse repurchase agreements only when the interest income to be earned from the investment of the proceeds is more than the interest expense of the transaction. The Fund will not invest the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement for a period that is longer than the term of the reverse repurchase agreement itself. The SEC has finalized rules that will require certain transactions involving U.S. Treasuries, including reverse repurchase agreements, to be centrally cleared. Compliance with these rules is expected to be required in the middle of 2027. Although the impact of these rules on the Fund is difficult to predict, they may reduce the availability or increase the costs of such transactions and may adversely affect the Fund’s performance.

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The Fund may enter into dollar roll agreements with commercial banks and registered broker-dealers to seek to enhance returns. Dollar rolls are transactions in which the Fund sells securities for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contracts to repurchase substantially similar (same type and coupon) securities on a specified future date. During the roll period, the Fund forgoes principal and interest paid on the securities. The Fund is compensated by the difference between the current sales price and the forward price for the future purchase (often referred to as the “drop”) as well as by the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the initial sale.

Reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities retained by the Fund may decline below the price of the securities the Fund has sold but is obligated to repurchase under the agreement. In the event the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement or dollar roll files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the Fund’s use of the proceeds of the agreement may be restricted pending a determination by the other party, or its trustee or receiver, whether or not to enforce the Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities. For the purposes of the 1940 Act, reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls can be viewed as the borrowing of money by a Fund and, therefore, a form of leverage which may magnify any gains or losses for the Fund.

(27) Securities Lending

The Fund may lend its portfolio securities in order to realize additional income. This lending is subject to the Fund’s policies and restrictions. The Fund may lend its investment securities so long as (i) the loan is secured by collateral having a market value at all times not less than 102% (105% in the

case of certain foreign securities) of the value of the securities loaned, (ii) such collateral is marked to market on a daily basis, (iii) the loan is subject to termination by the Fund at any time, and (iv) the Fund receives reasonable interest on the loan. When cash is received as collateral, the Fund will invest the cash received in short-term instruments to earn additional income. The Fund will bear the risk of any loss on any such investment; however, the Fund’s securities lending agent has agreed to indemnify the Fund against loss on the investment of the cash collateral. The Fund may pay reasonable finders, administrative and custodial fees to persons that are unaffiliated with the Fund for services in connection with loans of portfolio securities. While voting rights may pass with the loaned portfolio securities, to the extent possible, the loan will be recalled on a reasonable efforts basis and the securities voted by the Fund. The Bank of New York Mellon serves as the Fund’s securities lending agent.

(28) Special Purpose Acquisition Companies

The Fund may invest in stock, rights, warrants, and other securities of special purpose acquisition companies (“SPACs”) or similar special purpose entities. A SPAC is a publicly traded company that raises investment capital in the form of a blind pool via an IPO for the purpose of acquiring an existing company. The shares of a SPAC are typically issued in “units” that include one share of common stock and one right or warrant (or partial right or warrant) conveying the right to purchase additional shares or partial shares. At a specified time following the SPAC’s IPO (generally 1-2 months), the rights and warrants may be separated from the common stock at the election of the holder, after which they become freely tradeable. After going public and until an acquisition is completed, a SPAC generally invests the proceeds of its IPO (less a portion retained to cover expenses), which are held in trust, in U.S. government securities, money market securities and cash. To the extent the SPAC is invested in cash or similar securities, this may impact the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. If a SPAC does not complete an acquisition within a specified period of time after going public, the SPAC is dissolved, at which point the invested funds are returned to the SPAC’s shareholders (less certain permitted expenses) and any rights or warrants issued by the SPAC expire worthless.

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Because SPACs and similar entities are in essence blank check companies without an operating history or ongoing business other than seeking acquisitions, the value of their securities is particularly dependent on the ability of the entity’s management to identify and complete a profitable acquisition. Some SPACs may pursue acquisitions only within certain industries or regions, which may increase the volatility of their prices. In addition, the securities issued by a SPAC, which are typically traded in the OTC market, may be considered illiquid and/or be subject to restrictions on resale. SPACs are subject to increasing scrutiny and potential legal challenges and/or regulatory developments may limit their effectiveness or prevalence (for example, the SEC recently adopted additional disclosure and other rules that apply to SPACs).

(29) Structured Notes and Other Hybrid Instruments

The Fund may invest in structured notes as part of its overall investment strategy. Structured notes are privately negotiated debt obligations in which the principal and/or interest is determined by reference to the performance of a benchmark asset, market or interest rate, such as selected securities, an index of securities or specified interest rates, or the differential performance of two assets or markets, such as indices reflecting bonds. Depending on the terms of the note, the Fund may forgo all or part of the interest and principal that would be payable on a comparable conventional note. The rate of return on structured notes may be determined by applying a multiplier to the performance or differential performance of the referenced index(es) or other asset(s). Application of a multiplier involves leverage which will serve to magnify the potential for gain and the risk of loss. Like other sophisticated strategies, the Fund’s use of structured notes may not work as intended; for example, by reducing the duration of the Fund’s portfolio, structured notes may limit the Fund’s return when having a longer duration would be beneficial (for instance, when interest rates decline). Structured instruments may be considered illiquid.

The Fund may invest, as part of its overall investment strategy, in other types of “hybrid” instruments that combine the characteristics of securities, futures and options. For example, the principal amount or interest rate of a hybrid could be tied (positively or negatively) to the price of some currency or securities index or another interest rate (each a “benchmark”). The interest rate or (unlike most debt obligations) the principal amount payable at maturity of a hybrid security may be increased or decreased, depending on changes in the value of the benchmark. Hybrids can be used as an efficient means of pursuing a variety of investment goals, including duration management and increased total return. Hybrids may not bear interest or pay dividends. The value of a hybrid or its interest rate may be a multiple of a benchmark and, as a result, may be leveraged and move (up or down) more steeply and rapidly than the benchmark. These benchmarks may be sensitive to economic and political events that cannot be readily foreseen by the purchaser of a hybrid. Under certain conditions, the redemption value of a hybrid could be zero. Thus, an investment in a hybrid may entail significant market risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional, U.S. dollar-denominated bond that has a fixed principal amount and pays a fixed rate or floating rate of interest. The purchase of hybrids also exposes the Fund to the credit risk of the issuer of the hybrids. These risks may cause significant fluctuations in the NAV of the Fund.

Certain issuers of structured products such as hybrid instruments may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund’s investments in these products may be subject to limits applicable to investments in investment companies and may be subject to restrictions contained in the 1940 Act.

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(30) United States Treasury and Government Securities and Securities of International Organizations

The Fund may invest in direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury. These obligations include Treasury bills, notes and bonds, all of which have their principal and interest payments backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

The Fund may invest in obligations issued by the agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government. These obligations may or may not be backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States. Securities which are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States include obligations of the GNMA (described under “Mortgage Related Securities”), the Farmers Home Administration and the Export-Import Bank. For those securities which are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the Fund must principally look to the federal agency guaranteeing or issuing the obligation for ultimate repayment and therefore may not be able to assert a claim against the United States itself for repayment in the event that the issuer does not meet its commitments. The securities in which the Fund may invest that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States include, but are not limited to: (a) obligations of the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal Home Loan Banks and the U.S. Postal Service, each of which has the right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury to meet its obligations; (b) securities issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association, which are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the agency’s obligations; and (c) obligations of the Federal Farm Credit System and the Student Loan Marketing Association, each of whose obligations may be satisfied only by the individual credits of the issuing agency. Such securities may involve increased risk, including loss of principal and interest, compared to government debt securities that are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury.

The Fund may invest in securities of international organizations. Securities issued by international organizations, such as Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian-American Development Bank and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the “World Bank”), are not U.S. Government securities. These international organizations, while not U.S. Government agencies or instrumentalities, have the ability to borrow from member countries, including the United States.

(31) Variable and Floating Rate Securities and Participation Interests

Variable rate securities provide for automatic establishment of a new interest rate at fixed intervals (i.e., daily, monthly, semi-annually, etc.). Floating rate securities provide for automatic adjustment of the interest rate whenever some specified interest rate index changes. The amount of interest to be paid to the holder is typically contingent on another rate (“contingent security”) such as the yield on 90-day Treasury bills. Variable rate securities may also include debt securities which have an interest rate which resets in the opposite direction of the rate of the contingent security.

The Fund may invest in participation interests purchased from banks in variable rate obligations owned by banks. A participation interest gives a Fund an undivided interest in the obligation in the proportion that the Fund’s participation interest bears to the total principal amount of the obligation, and provides a demand repayment feature.

Each participation is backed by an irrevocable letter of credit or guarantee of a bank (which may be the bank issuing the participation interest or another bank). The bank letter of credit or guarantee must meet the prescribed investment quality standards for the Fund. A Fund has the right to sell the participation instrument back to the issuing bank or draw on the letter of credit on demand for all or any part of the Fund’s participation interest in the underlying obligation, plus accrued interest.

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(32) When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and To-Be-Announced Securities

The Fund may purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis. The purchase price and the interest rate payable, if any, on the securities are fixed on the purchase commitment date or at the time the settlement date is fixed. The value of these securities is subject to market fluctuation. For fixed-income securities, no interest accrues to the Fund until a settlement takes place. At the time the Fund makes a commitment to purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis, it will record the transaction, reflect the daily value of the securities when determining its NAV, and if applicable, calculate the maturity for the purposes of determining its average maturity from the date of the transaction. At the time of settlement, a when-issued or delayed delivery security may be valued below the amount of its purchase price.

If the Fund chooses to dispose of the right to acquire a when-issued security prior to its acquisition, it could incur a loss or a gain due to market fluctuation. Furthermore, the Fund may be at a disadvantage if the other party to the transaction defaults. When-issued transactions may allow the Fund to hedge against changes in interest rates.

In addition, the Fund may purchase or sell securities, including mortgage-backed securities, in the to-be-announced (“TBA”) market. A TBA purchase commitment is a security that is purchased or sold for a fixed price and the underlying securities are announced at a future date. The seller does not specify the particular securities to be delivered. Instead, the Fund agrees to accept any security that meets specified terms. For example, in a TBA mortgage-backed security transaction, the Fund and the seller would agree upon the issuer, interest rate and terms of the underlying mortgages. The seller would not identify the specific underlying mortgages until it issues the security. The purchaser of TBA securities may be less

favorable than anticipated by the purchaser.

Proposed Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) rules include mandatory margin requirements for the TBA market that would, if implemented, require the Fund to post collateral in connection with its TBA transactions. There is no similar requirement applicable to the Fund’s TBA counterparties. If those rules are implemented, the required collateralization of TBA trades could increase the cost of TBA transactions to the Fund and impose added operational complexity.

(33) Zero Coupon Securities

The Fund may invest in zero coupon securities. “Zero coupon” securities are issued at a significant discount from face value and pay interest only at maturity rather than at intervals during the life of the security. Zero coupon securities tend to be more volatile than other securities with similar stated maturities, but which make regular payments of either principal or interest.

The Fund is required to accrue and distribute imputed income from zero coupon securities on a current basis, even though it does not receive the income currently. The Fund may have to sell other investments to obtain cash needed to make income distributions, including at times when it is not advantageous to do so, which may reduce the Fund’s assets, increase its expense ratio and decrease its rate of return.

Additional Risks

Market Disruption and Geopolitical Risk

The Fund is subject to the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt securities markets and adversely affect global economies and markets. War, terrorism, and related geopolitical events (and their aftermath) have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on U.S. and world economies and markets generally. Likewise, natural and

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environmental disasters, such as, for example, earthquakes, fires, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis and weather-related phenomena generally, as well as the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, including widespread epidemics or pandemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and systemic market dislocations can be highly disruptive to economies and markets. Those events as well as other changes in non-U.S. and domestic economic and political conditions also could adversely affect individual issuers or related groups of issuers, securities markets, interest rates, credit ratings, inflation, investor sentiment, and other factors affecting the value of the Fund’s investments.

The impact of COVID-19 and the effects of other infectious illness outbreaks, epidemics, or pandemics, may be short term or may continue for an extended period of time. For example, a global pandemic or other widespread health crisis could cause significant market volatility and declines in global financial markets and may affect adversely the global economy, the economies of the United States and other individual countries, the financial performance of individual issuers, borrowers and sectors, and the health of capital markets and other markets generally in potentially significant and unforeseen ways. Health crises caused by outbreaks of disease, such as the coronavirus outbreak, may also exacerbate other pre-existing political, social, and economic risks in certain countries or globally. A global pandemic or other widespread health crisis could lead to a significant economic downturn or recession, increased market volatility, a greater number of market closures, higher default rates, and adverse effects on the values and liquidity of securities or other assets. In addition, the increasing interconnectedness of markets around the world may result in many markets being affected by events or conditions in a single country or region or events affecting a single or small number of issuers. The foregoing could impair the Fund’s ability to maintain operational standards, disrupt the operations of the Fund and its service providers, adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments, and negatively impact the Fund’s performance and your investment in the Fund. Other epidemics or pandemics that arise in the future may have similar impacts.

Given the increasing interdependence between global economies and markets, conditions in one country, market, or region might adversely impact markets, issuers and/or foreign exchange rates in other countries, including the U.S. Continuing uncertainty as to the status of the Euro and the European Monetary Union (the “EMU”) has created significant volatility in currency and financial markets generally. Any partial or complete dissolution of the EMU, or any continued uncertainty as to its status, could have significant adverse effects on currency and financial markets, and on the values of the Fund’s investments. The UK left the EU on January 31, 2020 (commonly referred to as “Brexit”). During an 11-month transition period, the UK and the EU agreed to a Trade and Cooperation Agreement that sets out the agreement for certain parts of the future relationship between the EU and the UK from January 1, 2021. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement does not provide the UK with the same level of rights or access to all goods and services in the EU as the UK previously maintained as a member of the EU and during the transition period. In particular, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement does not include an agreement on financial services (and such an agreement on financial services may never be concluded). Accordingly, uncertainty remains in certain areas as to the future relationship between the UK and the EU.

Beginning on January 1, 2021, EU laws ceased to apply in the UK. Many EU laws are assimilated into UK law and continue to apply in the UK; however, the UK government has enacted legislation that will repeal, replace or otherwise make substantial amendments to the EU laws that apply in the UK, with a view to those laws being replaced by purely domestic legislation. The process of revoking EU laws and replacing them with bespoke UK laws has already begun. It is impossible to predict the consequences of these amendments on the Fund and its investments. Such changes could be materially detrimental to investors.

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Although one cannot predict the full effect of Brexit, it could have a significant adverse impact on the UK, European and global macroeconomic conditions and could lead to prolonged political, legal, regulatory, tax and economic uncertainty. This uncertainty is likely to continue to impact the global economic climate and may impact opportunities, pricing, availability and cost of bank financing; regulation; values; or exit opportunities of companies or assets based, doing business, or having service or other significant relationships in, the UK or the EU, including companies or assets held or considered for prospective investment by the Fund.

The London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) had been used extensively in the U.S. and globally as a “benchmark” or “reference rate” for various commercial and financial contracts, including corporate and municipal bonds, bank loans, asset-backed and mortgage-related securities, interest rate swaps and other derivatives. Instruments in which the Fund invests may have historically paid interest at floating rates based on LIBOR or may have been subject to interest caps or floors based on LIBOR. Issuers of instruments in which the Fund invests may have also historically obtained financing at floating rates based on LIBOR. In connection with the global transition away from LIBOR led by regulators and market participants as a result of benchmark reforms, LIBOR was last published on a representative basis at the end of June 2023. Alternative reference rates to LIBOR have been established in most major currencies and markets in these new rates are continuing to develop (e.g., the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) for USD-LIBOR). While the transition from LIBOR has been substantially completed, there remain residual risks associated with the transition that may impact markets or particular investments and, as such, the full impact of the transition on the Fund or the financial instruments in which the Fund invests cannot yet be fully determined.

SOFR is intended to be a broad measure of the cost of borrowing funds overnight in transactions that are collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities. SOFR is calculated based on transaction-level repo data collected from various sources. For each trading day, SOFR is calculated as a volume-weighted median rate derived from such data. SOFR is calculated and published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (“FRBNY”). If data from a given source required by the FRBNY to calculate SOFR is unavailable for any day, then the most recently available data for that segment will be used, with certain adjustments. If errors are discovered in the transaction data or the calculations underlying SOFR after its initial publication on a given day, SOFR may be republished at a later time that day. Rate revisions will be effected only on the day of initial publication and will be republished only if the change in the rate exceeds one basis point.

Because SOFR is a financing rate based on overnight secured funding transactions, it differs fundamentally from LIBOR. LIBOR is intended to be an unsecured rate that represents interbank funding costs for different short-term maturities or tenors. It is a forward-looking rate reflecting expectations regarding interest rates for the applicable tenor. Thus, LIBOR is intended to be sensitive, in certain respects, to bank credit risk and to term interest rate risk. In contrast, SOFR is a secured overnight rate reflecting the credit of U.S. Treasury securities as collateral. Thus, it is largely insensitive to credit-risk considerations and to short-term interest rate risks. SOFR is a transaction-based rate, and it has been more volatile than other benchmark or market rates, such as three-month LIBOR, during certain periods. For these reasons, among others, there is no assurance that SOFR, or rates derived from SOFR, will perform in the same or similar way as LIBOR would have performed at any time, and there is no assurance that SOFR-based rates will be a suitable substitute for LIBOR. SOFR has a relatively limited history, having been first published in April 2018. The future performance of SOFR, and SOFR-based reference rates, cannot be predicted based on SOFR’s history or otherwise. Levels of SOFR in the future may bear little or no relation to historical levels of SOFR, LIBOR or other rates. There can also be no assurance that SOFR will not be discontinued or fundamentally altered in a manner that is materially adverse to the interests of the Fund.

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In addition, interest rates or other types of rates and indices which are classed as “benchmarks” have been the subject of ongoing national and international regulatory reform, including under the EU regulation on indices used as benchmarks in financial instruments and financial contracts (known as the “Benchmarks Regulation”). The Benchmarks Regulation has been enacted into UK law by virtue of the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended), subject to amendments made by the Benchmarks (Amendment and Transitional Provision) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/657) and other statutory instruments. Following the implementation of these reforms, the manner of administration of benchmarks has changed and may further change in the future, with the result that relevant benchmarks may perform differently than in the past, the use of benchmarks that are not compliant with the new standards by certain supervised entities may be restricted, and certain benchmarks may be eliminated entirely. Such changes could cause increased market volatility and disruptions in liquidity for instruments that rely on or are impacted by such benchmarks. Such changes could cause increased market volatility and disruptions in liquidity for instruments that rely on or are impacted by such benchmarks. Additionally, there could be other consequences which cannot be predicted.

Unexpected political, regulatory and diplomatic events within the United States and abroad, such as the U.S.-China “trade war” that intensified in 2018, may affect investor and consumer confidence and may adversely impact financial markets and the broader economy, perhaps suddenly and to a significant degree. The current political climate and the renewal or escalation of a trade war between China and the United States may have an adverse effect on both the U.S. and Chinese economies, including as the result of one country’s imposition of tariffs on the other country’s products. In addition, sanctions or other investment restrictions could preclude the Fund from investing in certain Chinese issuers or cause the Fund to sell investments at disadvantageous times. Events such as these and their impact on the Fund are difficult to predict and it is unclear whether further tariffs may be imposed or other escalating actions may be taken in the future.

Recent technological developments in, and the increasingly widespread use of, artificial intelligence (“AI”), including machine learning technology and generative AI, may pose risks to the Funds. For instance, the economy may be significantly impacted by the advanced development and increased regulation of AI. As AI is used more widely, the profitability and growth of Fund holdings may be impacted, which could significantly impact the overall performance of a Fund. The legal and regulatory frameworks within which AI operates continue to rapidly evolve, and it is not possible to predict the full extent of current or future risks related thereto.

Russia Sanctions Risk. In late February 2022, Russian military forces invaded Ukraine, significantly amplifying already existing geopolitical tensions among Russia, Ukraine, Europe, NATO and the West. Russia’s invasion, the responses of countries and political bodies to Russia’s actions, and the potential for wider conflict may increase financial market volatility and could have severe adverse effects on regional and global economic markets, including the markets for certain securities and commodities such as oil and natural gas. Following Russia’s actions, various countries, including the U.S., Canada, the UK, Germany, and France, as well as the EU, issued broad-ranging economic sanctions against Russia. Sanctions threatened or imposed by these jurisdictions, and other intergovernmental actions that have been or may be undertaken in the future, against Russia, Russian entities or Russian individuals, may result in the devaluation of Russian currency, a downgrade in the country’s credit rating, an immediate freeze of Russian assets, a decline in the value and liquidity of Russian securities, property or interests, and/or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy or the Fund. Further, due to market closures and trading restrictions, the value of Russian securities could be significantly impacted, which could lead to such securities being valued at zero. The scope and scale of sanctions in place at a particular time may be expanded or otherwise modified in a way that may have negative effects on the Fund. Sanctions, or the threat of new or modified sanctions, could impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive, deliver or otherwise transact in certain affected securities or other investment

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instruments. Sanctions could also result in Russia taking counter measures or other actions in response (including cyberattacks and espionage), which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. The extent and duration of the military actions associated with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the resulting sanctions, and the resulting disruption of the Russian economy are impossible to predict but may cause volatility in other regional and global markets and may negatively impact the performance of various sectors and industries, as well as companies in other countries, which could have a negative effect on the performance of the Fund, even if the Fund does not have direct exposure to securities of Russian issuers.

Central Securities Depositories Regulation. Beginning February 1, 2022, the EU adopted a settlement discipline regime pursuant to the Central Securities Depositories Regulation (“CSDR”) that introduced new measures for the authorization and supervision of European Union Central Security Depositories. CSDR aims to reduce the number of settlement fails that occur in European Economic Area (“EEA”) central securities depositories (“CSD”) and address settlement fails where they occur. Under the regime, among other things, EEA CSDs are required to impose cash penalties on participants that cause settlement fails and distribute these to receiving participants. The CSDR requirements apply to transactions in transferable securities (e.g., stocks and bonds), money market instruments, shares of funds and emission allowances that will be settled through an EEA CSD and are admitted to trading or traded on an EEA trading venue or cleared by an EEA central counterparty. The Fund may bear the net effect of any penalties and credits incurred under the CSDR in respect of their trading, which could increase the Fund’s expenses and adversely affect Fund performance. The Investment Manager may seek reimbursement from the relevant broker, agent, or Subadviser, as determined by the Investment Manager from time to time, although there can be no assurance that the Investment Manager will seek such reimbursement or that the Fund will recover or be reimbursed for any amounts at issue.

Cyber Security Risk

With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet and the dependence on computer systems to perform business and operational functions, investment companies (such as the Fund) and their service providers (including the Investment Manager) may be prone to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber-attacks and/or technological malfunctions. In general, cyber-attacks are deliberate, but unintentional events may have similar effects. Cyber-attacks include, among others, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, preventing legitimate users from accessing information or services on a website, releasing confidential information without authorization, and causing operational disruption. Successful cyber-attacks against, or security breakdowns of, the Fund, the Investment Manager, the Subadviser, or a custodian, transfer agent, or other affiliated or third-party service provider may adversely affect the Fund or its shareholders. For instance, cyber-attacks may interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, affect the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential Fund information, impede trading, cause reputational damage, and subject the Fund to regulatory fines, penalties or financial losses, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and additional compliance costs. Cyber-attacks may render records of Fund assets and transactions, shareholder ownership of Fund shares, and other data integral to the functioning of the Fund inaccessible or inaccurate or incomplete. The Fund may also incur substantial costs for cyber security risk management in order to prevent cyber incidents in the future. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result. The use of AI and machine learning could exacerbate these risks or result in cyber security incidents that implicate personal data. While the Investment Manager has established business continuity plans and systems designed to prevent cyber-attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. The Fund relies on third-party service providers for many of its day-to-day operations, and is subject to the risk that the protections and protocols implemented by those service providers will be ineffective to protect the Fund from cyber-attack. Any problems relating to the performance and effectiveness of security procedures used by the

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Fund or third-party service providers to protect the Fund’s assets, such as algorithms, codes, passwords, multiple signature systems, encryption and telephone call-backs, may have an adverse impact on an investment in the Fund. The Investment Manager does not control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by third-party service providers, and such third-party service providers may have limited indemnification obligations to the Investment Manager or the Fund. Similar types of cyber security risks also are present for issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause the Fund’s investment in such securities to lose value.

Diversification Requirements for the Fund

The Fund intends to meet the diversification requirements of the 1940 Act as in effect from time to time. Currently under the 1940 Act, a “diversified” fund generally may not, with respect to 75% of its total assets, invest more than 5% of its total assets in the securities of any one issuer or own more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer (except, in each case, U.S. Government securities, cash, cash items and the securities of other investment companies). The remaining 25% of a fund’s total assets is not subject to this limitation. A fund that is non-diversified can invest a greater percentage of its assets in a single issuer or a group of issuers, and, as a result, may be subject to greater credit, market, and other risks than a diversified fund. The poor performance by a single issuer may have a greater impact on the performance of a non-diversified fund. A non-diversified fund’s shares tend to be more volatile than shares of a diversified fund and are more susceptible to the risks of focusing investments in a small number of issuers or industries, and the risks of a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence.

Quality Requirements for the Fund

Determinations of comparable quality for unrated securities are made by the Subadviser based on its own credit research. Any credit quality restrictions or standards for the Fund with respect to a particular security in which the Fund may invest must be satisfied at the time the investment is made. If the Subadviser determines that the quality of a rated or unrated investment has declined since investment by the Fund or in the event of certain ratings downgrades by NRSROs of the Fund’s rated securities, the Fund may continue to hold the applicable investment.

In addition, at the time the Fund invests in any commercial paper, bank obligation or repurchase agreement, the issuer must have outstanding debt rated A (or its equivalent) or higher by an NRSRO; the issuer’s parent corporation, if any, must have outstanding commercial paper rated Prime-2 (or its equivalent) or better by an NRSRO; or if no such ratings are available, the investment must be of comparable quality in the Subadviser’s opinion. At the time the Fund invests in any other short-term debt securities, they must be rated A-1/Prime-1 (or its equivalent) or higher by an NRSRO, or if unrated, the investment must be of comparable quality in the Subadviser’s opinion. See Appendix A for more detailed information on the various ratings categories.

Industry Concentration

The 1940 Act requires the Fund to state the extent, if any, to which it intends to concentrate investments in a particular industry. While the 1940 Act does not define what constitutes “concentration” in an industry, the staff of the SEC takes the position that, in general, investments of more than 25% of a fund’s assets in an industry constitutes concentration. The SEC staff has also taken the position that a policy relating to industry concentration does not apply to investments in “government securities” (as defined in the 1940 Act) or in tax-exempt securities issued by U.S. federal, state and municipal governments or political subdivisions of U.S. federal, state and municipal governments.

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Fundamental Investment Restrictions

The following investment restrictions have been adopted by the Trust with respect to the Fund. Except as otherwise stated, these investment restrictions are “fundamental” policies. A “fundamental” policy is defined in the 1940 Act to mean that the restriction cannot be changed without the vote of a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” of the Fund. A majority of the outstanding voting securities is defined in the 1940 Act as the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the voting securities present at a meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy, or (b) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities.

The Fund:

(1) May issue senior securities to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the rules or regulations thereunder, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time, or by regulatory guidance or interpretations of, or any exemptive order or other relief issued by the SEC or any successor organization or their staff under, such Act, rules or regulations.

(2) May borrow money to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the rules or regulations thereunder, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time, or by regulatory guidance or interpretations of, or any exemptive order or other relief issued by the SEC or any successor organization or their staff under, such Act, rules or regulations.

(3) May lend money to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the rules or regulations thereunder, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time, or by regulatory guidance or interpretations of, or any exemptive order or other relief issued by the SEC or any successor organization or their staff under, such Act, rules or regulations.

(4) May underwrite securities to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the rules or regulations thereunder, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time, or by regulatory guidance or interpretations of, or any exemptive order or other relief issued by the SEC or any successor organization or their staff under, such Act, rules or regulations.

(5) May purchase and sell commodities to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the rules or regulations thereunder, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time, or by regulatory guidance or interpretations of, or any exemptive order or other relief issued by the SEC or any successor organization or their staff under, such Act, rules or regulations.

(6) May purchase and sell real estate to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the rules or regulations thereunder, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time, or by regulatory guidance or interpretations of, or any exemptive order or other relief issued by the SEC or any successor organization or their staff under, such Act, rules or regulations.

(7) May purchase securities of any issuer only when consistent with the maintenance of its status as a diversified company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the rules or regulations thereunder, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time, or under regulatory guidance or interpretations of such Act, rules or regulations.

(8) May not concentrate investments in a particular industry or group of industries, as concentration is defined or interpreted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and the rules and regulations thereunder, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time, and under regulatory guidance or interpretations of such Act, rules or regulations.

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Any restriction on investments or use of assets, including, but not limited to, market capitalization, geographic, rating and/or any other percentage restrictions, set forth in this SAI or the Fund’s Prospectus shall be measured only at the time of investment, and any subsequent change, whether in the value, market capitalization, rating, percentage held or otherwise, will not constitute a violation of the restriction, other than with respect to investment restriction (2) above related to borrowings by the Fund.

Portfolio Turnover

Generally, the Fund purchases securities for investment purposes and not for short-term trading profits. However, the Fund may sell securities without regard to the length of time that the security is held in the portfolio when the Fund believes the sale is consistent with the Fund’s investment strategies and in the Fund’s best interest to do so. A higher degree of portfolio activity may increase brokerage costs to the Fund and may increase shareholders’ tax liability.

Because the Fund commenced operations on or following the date of this SAI, there is no information available for portfolio turnover rates for the Fund.

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

The Trust has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent selective disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to third parties, other than disclosures that are consistent with the best interests of shareholders of the Fund. The Fund will disclose its portfolio holdings on a monthly basis on or about the 10th business day of the following month by posting this information on the Fund’s website. The Chief Compliance Officer of the Trust may designate an earlier or later date for public disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. In addition, the Fund (i) may disclose the top 10 portfolio holdings at any time following the disclosure of portfolio holdings, and (ii) may disclose statistical information regarding the Fund’s portfolio allocation characteristics on or about 10 business days after each month-end, or may disclose such information if it is derived from publicly available portfolio holdings, in each case, by posting the information on the Fund’s website. Non-public portfolio holdings may also be disclosed by the Fund or its duly authorized service providers to certain third parties, including mutual fund evaluation services, rating agencies, lenders or providers of borrowing facilities, if (i) the Chief Compliance Officer of the Trust has made a determination that the disclosure of portfolio holdings information in the manner and at the time proposed is consistent with a legitimate business purpose of the Fund; and (ii) the recipient has been informed in writing that it is subject to a duty of confidentiality with respect to that information and undertakes not to trade in securities or other property on the basis of that information unless and until that information is made publicly available. The Board of Trustees receives reports of any potential exceptions to, or violations of, the Trust’s policies and procedures governing disclosure of portfolio holdings that are deemed to constitute a material compliance matter. The Chief Compliance Officer or his designee is responsible for monitoring compliance with these procedures, including requesting information from service providers.

The Trust has arrangements with the persons indicated below to make available information about the Fund’s portfolio securities. The Trust’s policies and procedures prohibit any person or entity from receiving compensation or consideration of any kind in connection with the release of information relating to the Fund’s portfolio holdings.

The Fund may regularly provide non-public portfolio holdings information, including current portfolio holdings information, to the following third parties in the normal course of their performance of services to the Fund: the Subadviser (GW&K); the independent registered public accounting firm ([ ]); the custodian and securities lending agent (The Bank of New York Mellon); financial printer (Donnelley

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Financial Solutions); counsel to the Fund (Ropes & Gray LLP) or counsel to the independent trustees of the Fund (Sullivan & Worcester LLP); regulatory authorities; and securities exchanges and other listing organizations. Disclosures of current portfolio holdings information will be made on a daily basis with respect to the Subadviser and the custodian. Disclosures of portfolio holdings information will be made to the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm on an annual basis in connection with the annual audit of the Fund’s financial statements and to the Fund’s financial printer on a quarterly basis in connection with the preparation of public filings, and from time to time in the course of Fund operations. Disclosures of portfolio holdings information, including current portfolio holdings information, may be made to counsel to the Fund or counsel to the Fund’s independent trustees in connection with periodic meetings of the Board of Trustees and otherwise from time to time in connection with the Fund’s operations. In addition, the Fund provides portfolio holdings information to the following data providers, fund ranking/rating services, independent consultants, fair valuation services and other service providers: Lipper, Inc., Morningstar, Inc., ICE Data Services, FactSet Research Systems Inc., Bloomberg L.P., Institutional Shareholder Services Inc., Davison, Dietsch & McCarthy, Inc., Seismic Professional Services, eVestment Alliance, LLC, HedgeMark Risk Analytics, LLC, Confluence Technologies, Inc., and VATIT USA Inc. (d/b/a WTax). The Fund may disclose non-public current portfolio holdings information to ICE Data Services on a monthly basis for valuation purposes, to FactSet Research Systems Inc. on a daily basis for portfolio holdings analysis, to Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. on a daily basis for proxy voting and class action processing purposes, to Davison, Dietsch & McCarthy, Inc. and Seismic Professional Services on a quarterly basis for services related to Fund marketing materials, to eVestment Alliance, LLC on a quarterly basis for services related to Fund marketing, to HedgeMark Risk Analytics, LLC on a daily basis for liquidity classification services, to Confluence Technologies, Inc. on a monthly basis in connection with regulatory filings and on a daily basis for services related to Rule 18f-4, and to VATIT USA Inc. (d/b/a WTax) on a daily basis for tax services relating to foreign securities. The Fund also provides current portfolio holdings information to Lipper, Inc., Morningstar, Inc., Bloomberg L.P. and various institutional investment consultants and other related firms, but only after such information has already been disclosed to the general public.

The entities to which the Fund voluntarily discloses portfolio holdings information are required, either by explicit agreement or by virtue of their respective duties to the Fund, to maintain the confidentiality of the information disclosed. There can be no assurance that the Trust’s policies and procedures regarding selective disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings will protect the Fund from potential misuse of that information by individuals or entities to which it is disclosed.

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

The Trustees and Officers of the Trust, their business addresses, principal occupations for the past five years and ages are listed below. The Trustees provide broad supervision over the affairs of the Trust and the Fund. The Trustees are experienced executives who meet periodically throughout the year to oversee the Fund’s activities, review contractual arrangements with companies that provide services to the Fund, and review the Fund’s performance. Unless otherwise noted, the address of each Trustee or Officer is the address of the Trust: 680 Washington Boulevard, Suite 500, Stamford, Connecticut 06901.

There is no stated term of office for Trustees. Each Trustee serves during the continued lifetime of the Trust until he or she dies, resigns or is removed, or, if sooner, until the next meeting of shareholders called for the purpose of electing Trustees and until the election and qualification of his or her successor in accordance with the Trust’s organizational documents and the Board’s policy that a Trustee retire at the end of the calendar year in which the Trustee reaches the age of 75. The Chairman of the Board, the President, the Treasurer and the Secretary and such other Officers as the Trustees may in their discretion from time to time elect each hold office until his or her successor is elected and qualified, or until he or she sooner dies, resigns, is removed or becomes disqualified. Each Officer holds office at the pleasure of the Trustees.

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Independent Trustees

The Trustees in the following table are not “interested persons” of the Trust within the meaning of the 1940 Act (“Independent Trustees”). Eric Rakowski serves as the Independent Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

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Interested Trustee

Mr. Weston is an “interested person” of the Trust within the meaning of the 1940 Act by virtue of his position with, and interest in securities of, AMG.

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Information About Each Trustee’s Experience, Qualifications, Attributes or Skills

Trustees of the Trust, together with information as to their positions with the Trust, principal occupations and other board memberships for the past five years, and experience, qualifications, attributes or skills for serving as Trustees are shown in the tables above. The summaries relating to the experience, qualifications, attributes and skills of the Trustees are required by the registration form adopted by the SEC, do not constitute holding out the Board or any Trustee as having any special expertise or experience, and do not impose any greater responsibility or liability on any such person or on the Board as a whole than would otherwise be the case. The Board believes that the significance of each Trustee’s experience, qualifications, attributes or skills is an individual matter (meaning that experience that is important for one Trustee may not have the same value for another) and that these factors are best evaluated at the Board level, with no single Trustee, or particular factor, being indicative of Board effectiveness. However, the Board believes that Trustees need to be able to critically review, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, and to interact effectively with Trust management, service providers and counsel, in order to exercise effective business judgment in the performance of their duties. The Board believes that each of its members has these abilities. Experience relevant to having these abilities may be achieved through a Trustee’s educational background; business, professional training or practice (e.g., finance or law), or academic positions; experience from service as a board member (including the Board) or as an executive of investment funds, significant private or not-for-profit entities or other organizations; and/or other life experiences. To assist them in evaluating matters under federal and state law, the Independent Trustees are counseled by their own separate, independent legal counsel, who participates in Board meetings and interacts with the Investment Manager, and also may benefit from information provided by the Trust’s and the Investment Manager’s legal counsel. Both Independent Trustee and Trust counsel have significant experience advising funds and fund board members. The Board and its committees have the ability to engage other experts, including the Fund’s independent public accounting firm, as appropriate. The Board evaluates its performance on an annual basis.

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Officers

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Trustee Share Ownership

Board Leadership Structure and Risk Oversight

The following provides an overview of the leadership structure of the Board of Trustees of AMG Funds (the “Board”) and the Board’s oversight of the Fund’s risk management process. The Board consists of six Trustees, five of whom are Independent Trustees. An Independent Trustee serves as Chairman of the Board. In addition, the Board also has two standing committees, the Audit Committee and Governance Committee (the “Committees”) (discussed below), each comprised of all of the Independent Trustees, to which the Board has delegated certain authority and oversight responsibilities.

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The Board’s role in supervising the operations of the Trust is oversight, including oversight of the Fund’s risk management process. The Board meets regularly on at least a quarterly basis and at these meetings the officers of the Fund and the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer report to the Board on a variety of matters. A portion of each regular meeting is devoted to an executive session of the Independent Trustees, the Independent Trustees’ separate, independent legal counsel, and the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer, at which no members of management are present. In a separate executive session of the Independent Trustees and the Independent Trustees’ independent legal counsel, the Independent Trustees consider a variety of matters that are required by law to be considered by the Independent Trustees, as well as matters that are scheduled to come before the full Board, including fund governance, compliance, and leadership issues. When considering these matters, the Independent Trustees are advised by their independent legal counsel. The Board reviews its leadership structure periodically and believes that its structure is appropriate to enable the Board to exercise its oversight of the Fund.

AMG Funds has retained AMG Funds LLC as the Fund’s investment adviser and administrator. The Investment Manager is responsible for the Fund’s overall administration and operations, including management of the risks that arise from the Fund’s investments and operations. Employees of the Investment Manager serve as several of the Fund’s officers, including the Fund’s President. The Board provides oversight of the services provided by the Investment Manager, the Fund’s other service providers, and the Fund’s officers, including their risk management activities. On an annual basis, the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer conducts a compliance review and risk assessment and prepares a written report relating to the review that is provided to the Board for review and discussion. The assessment includes a broad-based review of the risks inherent to the Fund, the controls designed to address those risks, and selective testing of those controls to determine whether they are operating effectively and are reasonably designed. In the course of providing oversight, the Board and the Committees receive a wide range of reports on the Fund’s activities, including regarding the Fund’s investment portfolio, the compliance of the Fund with applicable laws, and the Fund’s financial accounting and reporting. The Board receives periodic reports from the Fund’s Chief Legal Officer on the Investment Manager’s risk management activities. The Board also receives periodic reports from the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer regarding the compliance of the Fund with federal and state securities laws and the Fund’s internal compliance policies and procedures. In addition, the Board receives periodic reports from the portfolio managers of the Subadviser and the Investment Manager’s investment research team regarding the management of the Fund, including its investment risks. The Board also receives periodic reports from the Fund’s Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and other senior personnel of the Investment Manager regarding the Investment Manager’s general business operations.

Board Committees

As described below, the Board of Trustees has two standing Committees, each of which is chaired by an Independent Trustee. The Board has not established a formal risk oversight committee. However, much of the regular work of the Board and its standing Committees addresses aspects of risk oversight.

Audit Committee

The Board of Trustees has an Audit Committee consisting of all of the Independent Trustees. Kurt A. Keilhacker serves as the chairman of the Audit Committee. Under the terms of its charter, the Audit Committee: (a) acts for the Trustees in overseeing the Trust’s financial reporting and auditing processes; (b) receives and reviews communications from the independent registered public accounting firm relating to its review of the Fund’s financial statements; (c) reviews and assesses the performance, approves the compensation, and approves or ratifies the appointment, retention or termination of the

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Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm; (d) meets periodically with the independent registered public accounting firm to review the annual audits of the series of the Trust, including the audit of the Fund, and pre-approves the audit services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm; (e) considers and acts upon proposals for the independent registered public accounting firm to provide non-audit services to the Trust or the Investment Manager or its affiliates to the extent that such approval is required by applicable laws or regulations; (f) considers and reviews with the independent registered public accounting firm, periodically as the need arises, but not less frequently than annually, matters bearing upon the registered public accounting firm’s status as “independent” under applicable standards of independence established from time to time by the SEC and other regulatory authorities; and (g) reviews and reports to the full Board with respect to any material accounting, tax, valuation or recordkeeping issues of which the Audit Committee is aware that may affect the Trust, the Trust’s financial statements or the amount of any dividend or distribution right, among other matters. The chairman of the Audit Committee or his designee also may carry out the duties of the Board’s pricing oversight committee from time to time. The Audit Committee met three times during the twelve-month period from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025.

Governance Committee

The Board of Trustees has a Governance Committee consisting of all of the Independent Trustees. Eric Rakowski serves as the chairman of the Governance Committee. Under the terms of its charter, the Governance Committee is empowered to perform a variety of functions on behalf of the Board, including responsibility to make recommendations with respect to the following matters: (i) individuals to be appointed or nominated for election as Independent Trustees; (ii) the designation and responsibilities of the chairperson of the Board (who shall be an Independent Trustee) and Board committees, such other officers of the Board, if any, as the Governance Committee deems appropriate, and officers of the Fund; (iii) the compensation to be paid to Independent Trustees; and (iv) other matters the Governance Committee deems necessary or appropriate. The Governance Committee is also empowered to: (i) set any desired standards or qualifications for service as a Trustee; (ii) conduct self-evaluations of the performance of the Trustees and help facilitate the Board’s evaluation of the performance of the Board at least annually; (iii) oversee the selection of independent legal counsel to the Independent Trustees and review reports from independent legal counsel regarding potential conflicts of interest; and (iv) consider and evaluate any other matter the Governance Committee deems necessary or appropriate. It is the policy of the Governance Committee to consider nominees recommended by shareholders. Shareholders who would like to recommend nominees to the Governance Committee should submit the candidate’s name and background information in a sufficiently timely manner (and in any event, no later than the date specified for receipt of shareholder proposals in any applicable proxy statement of the Fund) and should address their recommendations to the attention of the Governance Committee, c/o the Secretary of the Fund, 680 Washington Boulevard, Suite 500, Stamford, Connecticut 06901. The Governance Committee met two times during the twelve-month period from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025.

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Trustees’ Compensation

[To be updated by amendment]

For their services as Trustees of the Trust and other funds within the AMG Fund Complex for the fiscal year ending [December 31, 2026], the Trustees are estimated to be compensated as follows:

Compensation Table:

CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES

[To be updated by amendment]

Because the Fund commenced operations on or following the date of this SAI, as of [ ], no persons or entities owned beneficially and/or of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund.

Because the Fund commenced operations on or following the date of this SAI, as of [ ], no persons or entities “controlled” (within the meaning of the 1940 Act) the Fund. A person or entity that “controls” the Fund could have effective voting control over the Fund. It may not be possible for matters subject to a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund to be approved without the affirmative vote of such “controlling” shareholders, and it may be possible for such matters to be approved by such shareholders without the affirmative vote of any other shareholders.

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Management Ownership

Because the Fund commenced operations on or following the date of this SAI, as of [ ], all management personnel (i.e., Trustees and Officers) as a group owned beneficially less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.

MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND

Investment Manager and Subadviser

The Trustees provide broad supervision over the operations and affairs of the Trust and the Fund. The Investment Manager serves as investment manager to the Fund. The Investment Manager also serves as administrator of the Fund and carries out the daily administration of the Trust and the Fund. The Investment Manager’s principal address is 680 Washington Boulevard, Suite 500, Stamford, Connecticut 06901. The Investment Manager is a subsidiary of AMG, and a subsidiary of AMG serves as the Managing Member of the Investment Manager. AMG is located at 777 South Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, Florida 33401. AMG (NYSE: AMG) is a global asset management company with equity investments in leading boutique investment management firms. AMG Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Investment Manager, serves as distributor of the Fund. The Distributor’s principal address is 680 Washington Boulevard, Suite 500, Stamford, Connecticut 06901.

The assets of the Fund are managed by a Subadviser selected by the Investment Manager, subject to the review and approval of the Trustees. The Investment Manager recommends Subadvisers for the Fund to the Trustees based upon continuing quantitative and qualitative evaluation of each Subadviser’s skills in managing assets subject to specific investment styles and strategies. Short-term investment performance, by itself, is not a significant factor in hiring or terminating a Subadviser, and the Investment Manager does not expect to make frequent changes of Subadvisers. The Investment Manager and its corporate predecessors have over 20 years of experience in evaluating subadvisers for individuals and institutional investors.

The Subadviser has discretion, subject to oversight by the Trustees and the Investment Manager, to purchase and sell portfolio assets, consistent with the Fund’s investment objective, policies and restrictions. Generally, the services that the Subadviser provides to the Fund are limited to asset management and related recordkeeping services.

The Subadviser or an affiliated broker-dealer may execute portfolio transactions for the Fund and receive brokerage commissions, or markups/markdowns, in connection with the transaction as permitted by Sections 17(a) and 17(e) of the 1940 Act, and the rules thereunder, and the terms of any exemptive order issued by the SEC. The Board of Trustees has approved procedures in conformity with Rule 10f-3 under the 1940 Act whereby the Fund may purchase securities that are offered in underwritings in which an affiliate of the Subadviser participates. For underwritings where a Subadviser affiliate participates as a principal underwriter, certain restrictions may apply that could, among other things, limit the amount of securities that the Fund could purchase in the underwritings.

The Subadviser may also serve as a discretionary or non-discretionary investment adviser to management or advisory or other accounts which are unrelated in any manner to the Fund or the Investment Manager and its affiliates.

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Investment Management and Subadvisory Agreement

The Investment Manager serves as investment manager to the Fund pursuant to an investment management agreement with the Trust (the “Investment Management Agreement”). The Investment Management Agreement permits the Investment Manager to engage, from time to time, one or more Subadvisers to assist in the performance of its services. Pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement, the Investment Manager has entered into a Subadvisory Agreement with the Subadviser (the “Subadvisory Agreement”).

The Investment Management Agreement and the Subadvisory Agreement provide for an initial term of two years and thereafter shall continue in effect from year to year so long as such continuation is specifically approved at least annually (i) by either the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, and (ii) in either event by the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to the agreements or “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of any such party, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such continuance.

The Investment Management Agreement may be terminated, without penalty, by the Board of Trustees, by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act), or by the Investment Manager on 60 days’ written notice to the other party. The Subadvisory Agreement may be terminated, without penalty, by the Board of Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund on 60 days’ prior written notice to the other parties, by the Investment Manager on 90 days’ prior written notice to the other parties, or by the Subadviser on 90 days’ prior written notice to the other parties.

The Investment Management Agreement and the Subadvisory Agreement terminate automatically in the event of assignment, as defined in the 1940 Act and the regulations thereunder.

The Investment Management Agreement provides that the Investment Manager is specifically responsible for the following advisory services:

Under the Subadvisory Agreement, the Subadviser manages all of the Fund’s portfolio, including the determination of the purchase, retention, or sale of securities, cash, and other investments for the Fund in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective, policies, and investment restrictions. The Subadviser provides these services subject to the general supervision of the Investment Manager and the Trustees. The provision of investment advisory services by the Subadviser to the Fund will not be exclusive under the terms of the Subadvisory Agreement, and the Subadviser will be free to and expects to render investment advisory services to others.

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In performing the functions set forth above and supervising the Subadviser, the Investment Manager:

The Fund pays all expenses not borne by the Investment Manager or Subadviser including, but not limited to, the charges and expenses of the Fund’s custodian and transfer agent, independent auditors and legal counsel for the Fund and the Trust’s Independent Trustees, all brokerage commissions, transfer taxes and transaction taxes in connection with portfolio transactions, all taxes and filing fees, the fees and expenses for registration or qualification of the Fund’s shares under federal and state securities laws, all expenses of shareholders’ and Trustees’ meetings and of preparing, printing and mailing reports to shareholders and the compensation of Trustees who are not directors, officers or employees of the Investment Manager, Subadviser or their affiliates, other than affiliated registered investment companies. The Investment Manager compensates all executive and clerical personnel and Trustees of the Trust if such persons are employees of the Investment Manager or its affiliates.

The Subadvisory Agreement requires the Subadviser to provide fair and equitable treatment to the Fund in the selection of portfolio investments and the allocation of investment opportunities. However, it does not obligate the Subadviser to acquire for the Fund a position in any investment that any of the Subadviser’s other clients may acquire. The Fund shall have no first refusal, co-investment or other rights in respect of any such investment, either for the Fund or otherwise.

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Although the Subadviser makes investment decisions for the Fund independent of those for its other clients, it is likely that similar investment decisions will be made from time to time. When the Fund and another client of the Subadviser are simultaneously engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security, the transactions are, to the extent feasible and practicable, averaged as to price and the amount is allocated between the Fund and the other client(s) pursuant to a formula considered equitable by the Subadviser. In specific cases, this system could have an adverse effect on the price or volume of the security to be purchased or sold by the Fund. However, the Trustees believe, over time, that coordination and the ability to participate in volume transactions should benefit the Fund.

The Investment Management Agreement provides that, in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence, or reckless disregard of its obligations or duties, the Investment Manager is not subject to liability to the Fund or any Fund shareholder for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, the matters to which the Investment Management Agreement relates. The Subadvisory Agreement provides that the Subadviser shall not be subject to any liability for any act or omission, error of judgment, or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Investment Manager or the Trust in connection with the Subadvisory Agreement, except by reason of the Subadviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, or negligence in the performance of its duties, or by reason of the Subadviser’s reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the Subadvisory Agreement.

The Trust may rely on an exemptive order from the SEC that permits the Investment Manager, subject to certain conditions and oversight by the Board of Trustees, to enter into subadvisory agreements with subadvisers approved by the Trustees but without the requirement of shareholder approval. Under the terms of this exemptive order, the Investment Manager is able, subject to certain conditions (including a 90-day notification requirement discussed below) and approval by the Board of Trustees but without shareholder approval, to hire subadvisers for the Fund, change the terms of a subadvisory agreement for a subadviser, or continue the employment of a subadviser after events that under the 1940 Act and the subadvisory agreement would be deemed to be an automatic termination of the subadvisory agreement provided that the Investment Manager provides notification to shareholders within 90 days of the hiring of such subadviser. In addition, subject to approval by the SEC of an amendment to the Fund’s exemptive order, the Fund may disclose fees paid to subadvisers on an aggregate, rather than individual, basis. The Investment Manager, subject to oversight by the Trustees, has ultimate responsibility to oversee the subadvisers and recommend their hiring, termination, and replacement. Although shareholder approval will not be required for the termination of subadvisory agreements, shareholders of the Fund will continue to have the right to terminate such subadvisory agreements for the Fund at any time by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. The Investment Manager may not change a subadviser to the Fund without approval of the Board of Trustees and, to the extent required by the 1940 Act, shareholder approval.

Compensation of the Investment Manager and the Subadviser

The Fund does not pay any fees, including an advisory or subadvisory fee, to the Investment Manager or the Subadviser under the Investment Management Agreement or Subadvisory Agreement, respectively. However, all Fund shareholders are participants in separately managed account programs where the Subadviser receives a fee from the program sponsor (the “Program Sponsor”) or from the program participant for managing or advising assets in the program participant’s managed account, including assets that may be invested in the Fund.

The Subadviser has agreed to reimburse the Investment Manager for certain fees and expenses incurred by the Investment Manager or Distributor on behalf of the Fund, by the Investment Manager, or by the Distributor, which may include, but are not limited to, shareholder servicing fees and distribution-related expenses.

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Expense Limitations

The Investment Manager has agreed to limit the Fund’s expenses by agreeing to waive fees and/or pay or reimburse the Fund’s expenses in order to limit total annual operating expenses (exclusive of taxes, interest (including interest incurred in connection with bank and custody overdrafts and in connection with securities sold short), brokerage commissions and other transaction costs, dividends payable with respect to securities sold short, acquired fund fees and expenses, and extraordinary expenses) of the Fund to the annual rate of 0.00% of the average daily net assets attributable to the Fund. The Investment Manager may waive all or a portion of its fees and/or pay or reimburse Fund expenses for a number of reasons. The Annual Fund Operating Expenses table (including footnotes thereto) located in the front of the Fund’s Prospectus reflects the impact of the Fund’s contractual expense limitation, if any, in effect during the periods shown. In general, contractual expense limitations are only terminated at the end of a term, and shareholders will generally be notified of any change on or about the time that it becomes effective. Because the Fund commenced operations on or following the date of this SAI, there have been no fees waived or expenses reimbursed to the Fund.

The Investment Manager also serves as the administrator to the Fund pursuant to an administration agreement between the Trust and the Investment Manager, but the Fund does not pay any fees, including an administration fee, to the Investment Manager under such agreement. For more information about the administration agreement, see “Administrative Services” below.

Portfolio Managers of the Fund

Unless indicated otherwise, all information below is as of December 31, 2025.

GW&K has served as Subadviser to the Fund since the Fund’s inception. AMG has a majority equity interest in GW&K. As of December 31, 2025, GW&K’s assets under management were approximately $52.8 billion.

Brett Kozlowski, Brian P. McArdle and M. Seamus Ryan serve as the portfolio managers jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.

Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers

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Potential Material Conflicts of Interest

GW&K’s portfolio managers simultaneously manage multiple types of portfolios, including separate accounts, wrap fee programs and sub advised mutual funds, according to the same or a similar investment strategy as the Fund. However, the portfolios managed by a portfolio manager may not have portfolio compositions identical to those of the Fund managed by the portfolio manager due, for example, to specific investment limitations or guidelines present in some portfolios or funds but not others. The portfolio managers may purchase securities for one portfolio and not another portfolio, and the performance of securities purchased for one portfolio may vary from the performance of securities purchased for other portfolios. A portfolio manager may place transactions on behalf of other accounts that are directly or indirectly contrary to investment decisions made on behalf of the Fund, or make investment decisions that are similar to those made for the Fund, both of which have the potential to adversely impact the Fund depending on market conditions. For example, a portfolio manager may purchase a security in one portfolio while appropriately selling that same security in another portfolio. In addition, some of these portfolios have fee structures that are or have the potential to be higher than the advisory fees paid by the Fund, which can cause potential conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities between the Fund and the other accounts. However, the compensation structure for portfolio managers (see “Portfolio Manager Compensation” below) generally does not provide any incentive to favor one account over another because that part of a manager’s bonus based on performance is not based on the performance of one account to the exclusion of others.

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While GW&K has policies and procedures to help ensure accounts are treated fairly and equitably over time not all accounts within a strategy will be managed the same at all times. Different client guidelines and/or differences within the investment strategies may lead to the use of different investment practices for accounts within the same or similar investment strategy.

Portfolio Manager Compensation

Portfolio manager compensation is a formula that balances investment management results and growth of the product. Compensation is comprised of a fixed base salary which is determined by the individual’s experience and position relative to market data, as well as a bonus that incorporates 3 components:

The bonus is not based specifically on the performance of the Fund nor is it based specifically on the assets held by the Fund.

Portfolio Managers’ Ownership of Fund Shares

Mr. Kozlowski: None

Mr. McArdle: None

Mr. Ryan: None

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

Proxies for the Fund’s portfolio securities are voted in accordance with the proxy voting policies and procedures of the Subadviser, which are attached to this SAI as Appendix B. Because the Fund commenced operations on or following the date of this SAI, there is no information available regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the past twelve months.

Codes of Ethics

The Trust, the Investment Manager, the Distributor and the Subadviser have adopted codes of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These codes of ethics, which generally permit personnel subject to the codes to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund, contain procedures that are designed to avoid the conflicts of interest that may be presented by personal securities investing.

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Administrative Services

The Investment Manager has entered into an Amended and Restated Administration Agreement (the “Fund Administration Agreement”) with the Trust on behalf of the Fund. Under the Fund Administration Agreement, the Investment Manager also serves as administrator of the Fund and is responsible for certain aspects of managing the Fund’s operations, including administration and shareholder servicing. The administrative and shareholder services to be provided include, but are not limited to, processing and/or coordinating Fund share purchases and redemptions, responding to inquiries from shareholders, providing omnibus level support for financial intermediaries who perform sub-accounting for shares held of record by financial intermediaries for the benefit of other beneficial owners and other general and administrative responsibilities for the Fund. The Fund does not pay any fees, including an administration fee, to the Investment Manager under the Fund Administration Agreement. However, all Fund shareholders are participants in separately managed account programs where the Investment Manager or the Subadviser receives a fee directly or indirectly from the Program Sponsor or from the program participant. The Fund Administration Agreement generally may be terminated by the Investment Manager upon at least 60 days’ prior written notice to the Trust, and by the Trust upon at least 60 days’ prior written notice to the Investment Manager.

Distribution Arrangements

Under a Distribution Agreement between the Trust and the Distributor (the “Distribution Agreement”), the Distributor serves as the principal distributor and underwriter for the Fund. The Distributor is a registered broker-dealer and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”). Shares of the Fund will be continuously offered and will be sold directly to prospective purchasers and through brokers, dealers or other financial intermediaries who have executed selling agreements with the Distributor. Shares of the Fund may be purchased only by or on behalf of separately managed account clients where the Subadviser has an agreement with the Program Sponsor (typically, a registered investment adviser or broker-dealer), or directly with the client, to provide management or advisory services to the managed account. Subject to the compensation arrangements discussed below, generally the Distributor bears all or a portion of the expenses of providing services pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, including the payment of the expenses relating to the distribution of the Fund’s Prospectus for sales purposes and any advertising or sales literature. Any costs and expenses not allocated to the Distributor shall be borne by the Investment Manager or an affiliate of the Investment Manager as agreed-upon between the Distributor and the Investment Manager from time to time. The Distributor is not obligated to sell any specific amount of shares of the Fund. All shares of the Fund are sold without a front end or contingent deferred sales load and are not subject to the expenses of any Rule 12b-1 distribution and service plan.

The Distribution Agreement may be terminated by either party under certain specified circumstances and will automatically terminate on assignment in the same manner as the Investment Management Agreement. The Distribution Agreement remains in effect for one year from the date of its execution and thereafter from year to year, provided that each such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (i) by vote of the Trustees of the Trust and (ii) by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Distribution Agreement or any plan adopted by the Trust under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Distribution Agreement.

With respect to sales of shares of the Fund, the Distributor may provide promotional incentives including cash compensation to certain brokers, dealers, or financial intermediaries whose representatives have sold or are expected to sell significant amounts of shares of the Fund or a managed account strategy of which the Fund is a part. Certain programs may provide, subject to certain conditions, additional compensation to brokers, dealers, or financial intermediaries based on a combination of aggregate shares sold and increases of assets under management. All of the above payments will be made only by the Distributor or its affiliates out of their own assets.

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The Distributor’s principal address is 680 Washington Boulevard, Suite 500, Stamford, Connecticut 06901.

Payments to Program Sponsors

Shares of the Fund are available only to participants in separately managed account programs where the Subadviser has an agreement with the Program Sponsor or directly with the client to provide management or advisory services with respect to the accounts.

The Subadviser may make payments to or for the benefit of Program Sponsors for marketing, promotional and related expenses; for expenses incurred in connection with training or educational seminars with personnel; or for expenses in connection with client or prospective client meetings relating to Program Sponsor investment services. In addition, the Subadviser may provide Program Sponsor personnel and clients (existing and prospective) with related items and benefits. These expenses, items and benefits may include, without limitation: training meeting costs for Program Sponsor personnel, including travel, lodging and meals for attendees; payments of costs for client/prospect meetings at which the Subadviser’s investment management services and/or other investment products and services are discussed, including meals for attendees, room rental costs and meeting-related presentation materials; occasional meals and leisure/entertainment outings; de minimis gifts; and nominal value promotional items.

Some of the Subadviser’s clients and prospective clients retain investment consultants to advise them on the selection and review of investment managers. The Subadviser may manage accounts introduced to the Subadviser through consultants, and these consultants or their affiliates may recommend the Subadviser’s investment advisory services to their clients, or otherwise place the Subadviser into searches or other selection processes on behalf of their clients. For consultants that are also broker/dealers and/or registered investment advisers, the Subadviser may also trade securities through such firms and/or provide investment management services to such firms or their clients.

The Subadviser provides consultants with information on accounts it manages for mutual clients as directed by those clients. The Subadviser also provides more general information about its investment strategies and processes to consultants that use that information for searches they conduct for their clients. The Subadviser may also respond to “Requests for Proposals” from prospective clients and/or consultants in connection with those searches. Other interactions that Subadviser may have with consultants include, but are not limited to: (i) the Subadviser may invite consultants to events hosted by the Subadviser; (ii) the Subadviser may purchase software applications, access to databases, and other products or services from consultants; (iii) the Subadviser may pay registration or other fees for the opportunity to sponsor and/or participate, in some cases along with other investment managers, in consultant-sponsored industry forums or conferences; and (iv) the Subadviser may serve as investment adviser for the proprietary accounts of consultants or their affiliates, or as adviser or subadviser for funds or programs offered by consultants or their affiliates.

The Subadviser may pay consultants or other third parties to include information about the Subadviser’s investment advisory services in databases maintained to support searches of investment managers for prospective clients.

The amount of such payments and the value of such items and benefits may or may not be substantial. These payments, items and benefits could give Program Sponsors or consultants and their personnel incentives to favor the Subadviser’s products and services over those of investment management firms that do not provide the same payments, items and benefits. However, such payments, items and benefits are subject to an internal policy that addresses and, in some cases, limits such payments, items and benefits with the overall aim to avoid compromising advice or recommendations given to clients by special incentives or compensation arrangements.

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Custodian

The Bank of New York Mellon, a subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (the “Custodian”), 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286, is the custodian for the Fund. The Custodian is responsible for holding all cash assets and all portfolio securities of the Fund, releasing and delivering such securities as directed by the Fund, maintaining bank accounts in the name of the Fund, receiving for deposit into such accounts payments for shares of the Fund, collecting income and other payments due to the Fund with respect to portfolio securities and paying out monies of the Fund.

The Custodian is authorized to deposit securities in securities depositories or to use the services of sub-custodians, including foreign sub-custodians, to the extent permitted by and subject to the regulations of the SEC.

Transfer Agent

BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc., Attn: 534426, AIM 154-0520, 500 Ross Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15262 (the “Transfer Agent”), is the transfer agent for the Fund and also serves as the dividend disbursing agent for the Fund.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

[ ], [ ], has been appointed as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund. [ ] will conduct an annual audit of the financial statements of the Fund, assists in the preparation and/or review of the Fund’s U.S. federal and state income tax returns and may provide other audit, tax and related services.

BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES

The Subadvisory Agreement provides that the Subadviser places all orders for the purchase and sale of securities that are held in the Fund’s portfolio. In executing portfolio transactions and selecting brokers or dealers, it is the policy and principal objective of the Subadviser to seek to obtain best price and execution. It is expected that securities will ordinarily be purchased in the primary markets. The Subadviser shall consider all factors that it deems relevant when assessing best price and execution for the Fund, including the breadth of the market in the security, the price of the security, the financial condition and execution capability of the broker or dealer and the reasonableness of the commission, if any (for the specific transaction and on a continuing basis).

In addition, when selecting brokers to execute transactions and in evaluating the best available net price and execution, the Subadviser is authorized by the Trustees to consider the “brokerage and research services” (as defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended), provided by the broker. The Subadviser is also authorized to cause the Fund to pay a commission to a broker who provides such brokerage and research services for executing a portfolio transaction which is in excess of the amount of commission another broker would have charged for effecting that transaction. The Subadviser must determine in good faith, however, that such commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided viewed in terms of that particular transaction or in terms of all the accounts over which the Subadviser exercises investment discretion. Brokerage and research services received from such brokers will be in addition to, and not in lieu of, the services required to be performed by the Subadviser. The Fund may purchase and sell portfolio securities through brokers who provide the Subadviser with research services. Brokerage commissions may be used for the general benefit of all other clients of the Subadviser where legally and contractually permissible.

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The revised EU Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (“MiFID II”), which became effective January 3, 2018, requires EU investment managers in the scope of the EU Markets in Financial Instruments Directive to pay for research services from brokers and dealers directly out of their own resources or by establishing “research payment accounts” for each client, rather than through client commissions. MiFID II’s research requirements present various compliance and operational considerations for investment advisers and broker-dealers serving clients in both the United States and the EU. It is possible that a subadviser subject to MiFID II will cause a fund to pay for research services with soft dollars in circumstances where the subadviser is prohibited from causing its other client accounts to do so, including where the subadviser aggregates trades on behalf of a fund and those other client accounts. In such situations, a fund would bear the additional amounts for the research services and the fund’s subadviser’s other client accounts would not, although the subadviser’s other client accounts might nonetheless benefit from those research services.

The Trustees will periodically review the total amount of commissions paid by the Fund to determine if the commissions paid over representative periods of time were reasonable in relation to commissions being charged by other brokers and the benefits to the Fund of using particular brokers or dealers. It is possible that certain of the services received by the Subadviser attributable to a particular transaction will primarily benefit one or more other accounts for which investment discretion is exercised by the Subadviser.

The fees of the Subadviser are not reduced by reason of its receipt, if any, of such brokerage and research services. Generally, the Subadviser does not provide any services to the Fund except portfolio investment management and related recordkeeping services. The Investment Manager may request that the Subadviser employ certain specific brokers who have agreed to pay certain Fund expenses. The use of such brokers is subject to best price and execution, and there is no specific amount of brokerage that is required to be placed through such brokers.

Brokerage Commissions

Because the Fund commenced operations on or following the date of this SAI, there have been no payments by the Fund for brokerage commissions.

Brokerage Recapture Arrangements

The Trust may enter into arrangements with various brokers pursuant to which a portion of the commissions paid by the Fund may be directed by the Fund to pay expenses of the Fund. Consistent with its policy and principal objective of seeking best price and execution, the Subadviser may consider these brokerage recapture arrangements in selecting brokers to execute transactions for the Fund. There is no specific amount of brokerage that is required to be placed through such brokers. In all cases, brokerage recapture arrangements relate solely to expenses of the Fund and not to expenses of the Investment Manager or the Subadviser.

PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND PRICING OF SHARES

Except for shares purchased by the Investment Manager or an affiliate as seed capital for the Fund, shares may be purchased only by or on behalf of separately managed account clients where the Subadviser has an agreement with the Program Sponsor. The Fund offers its shares to the public on a continuous basis. The public offering price for shares of the Fund is equal to the net asset value per share at the time of purchase.

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Purchasing Shares

Shares of the Fund may be purchased only by or on behalf of separately managed account clients where the Subadviser has an agreement with the Program Sponsor. Purchase orders are made based on instructions from the Subadviser or the Program Sponsor to the broker-dealer who executes trades for an investor’s account. Investors may open accounts with the Fund and purchase Fund shares in circumstances as described in the Fund’s current Prospectus. The Trust reserves the right to determine which customers and which purchase orders the Trust will accept.

The Investment Manager, the Subadviser, and/or the Distributor may pay compensation (out of their own funds and not as an expense of the Fund) to certain affiliated or unaffiliated Program Sponsors, brokers, dealers, or other financial intermediaries or service providers in connection with the sale or retention of Fund shares and/or shareholder servicing. This compensation may provide such affiliated or unaffiliated entities with an incentive to favor sales of shares of the Fund over other investment options. Any such payments will not change the NAV or the price of the Fund’s shares.

If an investor purchases or sells the Fund’s shares through a third party such as a Program Sponsor, bank, broker-dealer (including through a fund supermarket platform), trust company or other financial intermediary (each of the above, a “Financial Intermediary”), the Financial Intermediary may impose transaction fees or other charges in connection with this service. Shares purchased in this way may be treated as a single account for purposes of the minimum initial investment, if applicable. The Fund has authorized one or more Financial Intermediaries to (i) receive purchase and redemption orders on its behalf and (ii) designate other intermediaries to receive purchase and redemption orders on the Fund’s behalf. The Fund will be deemed to have received a purchase or redemption order when an authorized Financial Intermediary or an authorized Financial Intermediary’s authorized designee receives the order. These orders will be priced at the Fund’s NAV next calculated after they are so received by an authorized Financial Intermediary or such Financial Intermediary’s authorized designee and accepted by the Fund. The Fund may from time to time make payments to Financial Intermediaries for certain services, such as account maintenance, recordkeeping or sub-accounting, forwarding communications to shareholders, providing shareholders with account statements, transaction processing and customer liaison services. Certain Financial Intermediaries may receive compensation from the Investment Manager, the Subadviser and/or the Distributor out of their legitimate profits in exchange for selling shares or for recordkeeping or other shareholder related services.

Purchase orders received by the Trust by 4:00 p.m. New York time at the address listed in the Fund’s current Prospectus on any day that the NYSE is open for business will receive the NAV computed that day. Purchase orders received after 4:00 p.m. from certain processing organizations that have entered into contractual arrangements with the Fund will also receive that day’s offering price, provided that the orders the processing organization transmits to the Fund were received in proper form by the processing organization before 4:00 p.m. The broker-dealer, omnibus processor or investment professional is responsible for promptly transmitting orders and payment to the Trust. Orders transmitted to the Trust at the address indicated in the applicable Prospectus will be promptly forwarded to the Transfer Agent.

In the interest of economy and convenience, share certificates will not be issued. All share purchases are confirmed to the record holder and credited to such holder’s account on the Trust’s books maintained by the Transfer Agent.

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Redeeming Shares

Redemption orders are placed on an investor’s behalf by the Subadviser or the Program Sponsor with the broker-dealer who executes trades for such investor’s account. Any redemption orders received in proper form by the Trust before 4:00 p.m. New York time on any day that the NYSE is open for business will receive the NAV determined at the close of regular business of the NYSE on that day. Redemption orders received after 4:00 p.m. from certain processing organizations that have entered into contractual arrangements with the Fund will also be redeemed at the NAV computed that day, provided that the orders the processing organization transmits to the Fund were received in proper form by the processing organization before 4:00 p.m.

Redemption orders received after 4:00 p.m. New York time will be redeemed at the NAV determined at the close of trading on the next business day. Redemption orders transmitted to the Trust at the address indicated in the Fund’s current Prospectus will be promptly forwarded to the Transfer Agent. If you are trading through a broker-dealer or investment adviser, such investment professional is responsible for promptly transmitting orders. The Trust reserves the right to redeem a shareholder if the shareholder ceases to be a participant in an eligible managed account program or arrangement. The Trust also reserves the right to impose minimum required investment amounts.

The Fund may pay all or a portion of redemption proceeds with a distribution in kind of its portfolio securities, in lieu of cash, in conformity with applicable law, when such payment is in the best interest of the Fund. If shares are redeemed in kind, the redeeming shareholder might incur transaction costs in converting the assets to cash and the assets will be subject to market and other risks until they are sold. The method of valuing portfolio securities is described under “Net Asset Value” below, and such valuation will be made as of the same time the redemption price is determined.

Investors should be aware that redemptions from the Fund may not be processed if a redemption request is not submitted in proper form. Your redemption proceeds normally will be sent to the broker-dealer that executes trades for your managed account within two business days after your request is received in good order, regardless of the method the Fund uses to make payment (e.g., check, wire, or electronic transfer (ACH)). The Fund may delay sending out sales proceeds for up to seven days. The Trust reserves the right to suspend the right of redemption and to postpone the date of payment upon redemption beyond seven days as follows: (i) during periods when the NYSE is closed for business other than weekends and holidays or when trading on the NYSE is restricted as determined by the SEC by rule or regulation, (ii) during periods in which an emergency, as determined by the SEC, exists that causes disposal by the Fund of, or evaluation of the NAV of, portfolio securities to be unreasonable or impracticable, or (iii) for such other periods as the SEC may permit.

The Fund or the Transfer Agent may temporarily delay for more than seven days the disbursement of redemption proceeds from the account of a “Specified Adult” (as that term is defined in FINRA Rule 2165) based on a reasonable belief that financial exploitation of the Specified Adult has occurred, is occurring, has been attempted, or will be attempted, subject to certain conditions.

The Fund intends to redeem shares of any investor if the investor ceases to be a participant in an eligible managed account program or arrangement. The liquidation of Fund shares will have tax consequences for the investor. Each investor, by participating in a managed account program that purchases Fund shares, agrees to the redemption of such Fund shares upon termination of its participation in such program. Subject to applicable law, the Fund may, with prior notice, adopt other policies from time to time requiring mandatory redemption of shares in certain circumstances.

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Cost Basis Reporting

Upon the sale, redemption of the Fund’s shares, the Fund or, in the case of shares purchased through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary, may be required to provide you and the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) with cost basis and certain other related tax information about the Fund’s shares you redeemed. See the Fund’s current Prospectus for more information.

Net Asset Value

The Fund computes its NAV once daily on Monday through Friday on each day on which the NYSE is open for trading, at the close of business of the NYSE, usually 4:00 p.m. New York time. The NAV will not be computed on the day the following legal holidays are observed: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The Fund may close for purchases and redemptions at such other times as may be determined by the Board of Trustees to the extent permitted by applicable law. The time at which orders are accepted and shares are redeemed may be changed in case of an emergency or if the NYSE closes at a time other than 4:00 p.m. New York time.

The NAV per share of the Fund is equal to the value of the Fund’s net worth (assets minus liabilities) divided by the number of shares outstanding. Equity securities traded on a national securities exchange or reported on the NASDAQ national market system (“NMS”) are valued at the last quoted sales price on the primary exchange or, if applicable, the NASDAQ official closing price or the official closing price of the relevant exchange or, lacking any sales, at the last quoted bid price. Equity securities traded in the OTC market (other than NMS securities) are valued at the bid price. Foreign equity securities (securities principally traded in markets other than U.S. markets) are valued at the official closing price on the primary exchange or, for markets that either do not offer an official closing price or where the official closing price may not be representative of the overall market, the last quoted sale price as of the close of the regular trading hours of the primary market or the value obtained for the security in accordance with the Trust’s procedures for fair valuation of foreign securities. In addition, if a foreign exchange or market is closed on a day when the NYSE is open, the value of a security that is traded in the affected foreign exchange or market is the value obtained for the security in accordance with the Trust’s procedures for fair valuation of foreign securities, if available, or the last value assigned to the security on the immediately preceding valuation date (unless such value is deemed to be unreliable). Unless a foreign equity security is valued in accordance with the Trust’s procedures for fair valuation of foreign securities, a foreign equity security for which there are no reported sales on the valuation date may be valued at the last quoted bid price. Fixed-income securities purchased with a remaining maturity exceeding 60 days are valued at the evaluated bid price provided by an authorized pricing service or, if an evaluated price is not available, by reference to other securities which are considered comparable in credit rating, interest rate, due date and other features (generally referred to as “matrix pricing”) or other similar pricing methodologies. In addition, foreign fixed-income securities purchased with a remaining maturity exceeding 60 days may be valued in accordance with the Trust’s procedures for fair valuation of foreign securities. Fixed-income securities purchased with a remaining maturity of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, provided that the amortized cost value is approximately the same as the fair value of the security valued without the use of amortized cost. With respect to foreign equity securities and foreign fixed-income securities, securities held in the Fund that can be fair valued by the applicable fair value pricing service are fair valued on each business day provided that each individual price exceeds a pre-established confidence level. Notwithstanding the foregoing, foreign currency exchange contracts, subscription stock rights and other redeemable securities with predetermined values, shares of open-end registered investment companies (excluding ETFs), foreign currencies, IPOs, financial derivatives, and securities halted or delisted due to a corporate action will be valued in accordance with the Fund’s valuation procedures adopted from time to time. The Fund’s portfolio instruments are generally valued

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using third-party pricing services. In the event that the market quotation, price or market based valuation for a portfolio instrument is not readily available or otherwise not determinable pursuant to the Fund’s valuation procedures, if the Investment Manager believes the quotation, price or market based valuation to be unreliable, or in certain other circumstances, the portfolio instrument may be valued at fair value, as determined in good faith under the general supervision of the Board. All portfolio instrument valuations described above on a valuation date shall be valuations of such instruments as of or prior to the close of business of the NYSE.

Frequent Purchase and Redemption Arrangements

The Trust does not have any arrangements with any person to permit frequent purchases and redemptions of the Fund’s shares, and no compensation or other consideration is received by the Fund, the Investment Manager or any other party in this regard.

Dividends and Distributions

The Fund declares and pays dividends and distributions as described in its Prospectus.

If a shareholder has elected to receive dividends and/or distributions in cash and the postal or other delivery service is unable to deliver the checks to the shareholder’s address of record, the dividends and/or distributions will automatically be converted to having the dividends and/or distributions reinvested in additional shares. No interest will accrue on amounts represented by uncashed dividend or redemption checks.

CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX MATTERS

The following summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations is intended for general informational purposes only. This discussion is not tax advice. This discussion does not address all aspects of taxation (including U.S. federal, state and local, and foreign taxes) that may be relevant to particular shareholders in light of their own investment or tax circumstances, or to particular types of shareholders (including insurance companies, tax-advantaged retirement plans, financial institutions or broker-dealers, foreign corporations, and persons who are not citizens or residents of the United States) subject to special treatment under U.S. federal income tax laws. This summary is based on the Code, the regulations thereunder, published rulings and court decisions, in effect as of the date of this SAI. These laws are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis.

YOU ARE ADVISED TO CONSULT YOUR OWN TAX ADVISER WITH RESPECT TO THE SPECIFIC TAX CONSEQUENCES OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND IN LIGHT OF YOUR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES. THIS DISCUSSION IS NOT INTENDED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR CAREFUL TAX PLANNING.

U.S. Federal Income Taxation of the Fund—in General

The Fund intends to elect to be treated and intends to qualify and to be eligible to be treated each taxable year as a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of the Code. In order to qualify as such and to be so treated, the Fund must, among other things:

(a) derive at least 90% of its gross income in each taxable year from (i) dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures, or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies and (ii) net income derived from interests in “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (as defined below) (all such income, “Qualifying Income”);

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(b) invest the Fund’s assets in such a manner that, as of the close of each quarter of its taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. Government securities and securities of other regulated investment companies, and other securities limited in respect of any one issuer (except with regard to certain investment companies furnishing capital to development corporations) 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) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is invested, including through corporations in which the Fund owns a 20% or more voting stock interest, in (x) the securities (other than U.S. Government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies) of any one issuer, or two or more issuers each of which the Fund owns 20% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock entitled to vote, and that are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or (y) the securities of one or more “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (as defined below); and

(c) distribute with respect to each taxable year at least 90% of the sum of its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code without regard to the deduction for dividends paid—generally, taxable ordinary income and the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses) and net tax-exempt interest income, for such year.

In general, for purposes of the 90% gross income requirement described in paragraph (a) above, income derived from a partnership will be treated as Qualifying Income to the Fund only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership which would be Qualifying Income if realized by the Fund. However, 100% of the net income derived from an interest in a “qualified publicly traded partnership” (a partnership (x) the interests in which are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof, and (y) that derives less than 90% of its income from the Qualifying Income described in paragraph (a)(i) above) will be treated as Qualifying Income. In general, such entities will be treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes because they meet the passive income requirement under Section 7704(c)(2) of the Code. In addition, although in general the passive loss rules of the Code do not apply to regulated investment companies, such rules do apply to a regulated investment company with respect to items attributable to an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership. For purposes of the diversification test in paragraph (b) above, the term “outstanding voting securities of such issuer” will include the equity securities of a qualified publicly traded partnership. Also, for purposes of the diversification test in paragraph (b) above, the identification of the issuer (or, in some cases, issuers) of a particular Fund investment can depend on the terms and conditions of that investment. In some cases, identification of the issuer (or issuers) is uncertain under current law, and an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to issuer identification for a particular type of investment may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to meet the diversification test in paragraph (b) above.

Gains from foreign currencies (including foreign currency options, foreign currency futures and foreign currency forward contracts) currently constitute Qualifying Income for purposes of the 90% test. However, the U.S. Treasury Department has the authority to issue regulations (possibly retroactively) excluding from the definition of Qualifying Income the Fund’s foreign currency gains to the extent that such income is not directly related to the Fund’s principal business of investing in stock or securities (or options or futures with respect to stocks or securities). This could affect the qualification of the Fund as a regulated investment company.

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If the Fund qualifies for treatment as a regulated investment company, the Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction) and net capital gain (net long-term capital gains in excess of net short-term capital losses, in each case determined with reference to capital losses carried forward from prior years), if any, that it distributes in a timely manner to shareholders in the form of dividends (including Capital Gain Dividends, as defined below).

If the Fund were to fail to meet the income, diversification or distribution tests described above, the Fund could in some cases cure such failure, including by paying a Fund-level tax, paying interest, making additional distributions or disposing of certain assets. If the Fund were ineligible to or otherwise did not cure such failure for any taxable year, or if the Fund were otherwise to fail to qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company for such taxable year, it would lose the beneficial tax treatment accorded regulated investment companies under Subchapter M of the Code and all of its taxable income would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders. In such case, all distributions by the Fund, including any distributions of net tax-exempt income, if any, and net long-term capital gains, would be taxable to shareholders in the same manner as other regular corporate dividends to the extent of the Fund’s current or accumulated earnings and profits. Some portions of such distributions might be eligible for treatment as “qualified dividend income” for individuals and for the “dividends-received deduction” for corporate shareholders, in each case as described below. The Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial distributions before requalifying as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment.

If the Fund were to fail to distribute in a calendar year at least an amount equal to the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for such calendar year and 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending on October 31 of such calendar year (or November 30 or December 31 of that year if the Fund is permitted to elect and so elects), plus any such amounts retained from the prior year, the Fund would be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax on the undistributed amounts. For purposes of the required excise tax distribution, the Fund’s ordinary gains and losses from the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of property that would otherwise be taken into account after October 31 of a calendar year (or November 30 of that year, if the Fund is eligible to make and makes the election described above) generally are treated as arising on January 1 of the following calendar year; if the Fund has a December 31 year end and it is eligible to make and makes the election described above, no such gains or losses will be so treated. Also, for these purposes, the Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it is subject to corporate income tax for the taxable year ending within the calendar year. A dividend paid by the Fund to shareholders in January of a year generally is deemed to have been paid by the Fund on December 31 of the preceding year, if the dividend was declared and payable to shareholders of record on a date in October, November, or December of that preceding year. The Fund intends generally to make sufficient distributions to avoid the imposition of this 4% excise tax, although there can be no assurance that it will be able to do so.

In determining its net capital gain, including in connection with determining the amount available to support a Capital Gain Dividend (as defined below), its taxable income, and its earnings and profits, a regulated investment company generally may elect to treat part or all of any post-October capital loss (defined as any net capital loss attributable to the portion, if any, of the taxable year after October 31, or, if there is no such loss, the net long-term capital loss or net short-term capital loss attributable to any such portion of the taxable year) or late-year ordinary loss (generally, the sum of its (i) net ordinary loss, if any, from the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of property, attributable to the portion, if any, of the taxable year after October 31, and (ii) other net ordinary loss attributable to the portion, if any, of the taxable year after December 31) as if incurred in the succeeding taxable year.

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Capital losses in excess of capital gains (“net capital losses”) are not permitted to be deducted against the Fund’s net investment income. Instead, potentially subject to certain limitations, the Fund may carry net capital losses from any taxable year forward to subsequent taxable years to offset capital gains, if any, realized during such subsequent taxable years. Distributions from capital gains are generally made after applying any available capital loss carryforwards. Capital loss carryforwards are reduced to the extent they offset current-year net realized capital gains, whether the Fund retains or distributes such gains. The Fund may carry forward net capital losses (if any) to one or more subsequent taxable years without expiration to offset capital gains realized during such subsequent taxable years; any such carryforward losses will retain their character as short-term or long-term. The Fund must apply such carryforward losses first against gains of the same character. The Fund’s available capital loss carryforwards, if any, will be set forth in its annual shareholder report for each fiscal year.

Taxation of the Fund’s Investments

Certain Debt Obligations; Original Issue Discount; Market Discount. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, some debt obligations with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance (and zero-coupon debt obligations with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) will be treated as having original issue discount (“OID”). OID is, very generally, the excess of the stated redemption price at maturity of a debt obligation over the issue price. OID is treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as interest income earned by the Fund, which will comprise a part of the Fund’s investment company taxable income or net tax-exempt income, if any, required to be distributed to shareholders as described above, whether or not cash on the debt obligation is actually received. Generally, the amount of OID accrued each year is determined on the basis of a constant yield to maturity which takes into account the compounding of interest (as potentially reduced by any amortizable bond premium—see below).

Some debt obligations with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance that are acquired by the Fund in the secondary market may be treated as having “market discount.” Very generally, market discount is the excess of the stated redemption price of a debt obligation (or in the case of an obligation issued with OID, its “revised issue price”) over the purchase price of such obligation. Generally, any gain recognized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt obligation having market discount is treated as ordinary income to the extent the gain, or principal payment, does not exceed the “accrued market discount” on such debt obligation. Alternatively, the Fund may elect to accrue market discount currently, in which case the Fund will be required to include the accrued market discount in the Fund’s income (as ordinary income) and thus distribute it over the term of the debt obligation, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt obligation. The rate at which the market discount accrues, and thus is included in the Fund’s income, will depend upon which of the permitted accrual methods the Fund elects.

Some debt obligations with a fixed maturity date of one year or less from the date of issuance may be treated as having OID or, in certain cases, “acquisition discount” (very generally, the excess of the stated redemption price over the purchase price). Generally, the Fund will be required to include the OID or acquisition discount in income (as ordinary income) and thus distribute it over the term of the debt obligation, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt obligation. The Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt obligations having acquisition discount or OID, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income.

Pay-in-kind bonds also will give rise to income which is required to be distributed and is taxable even though a fund holding such an obligation receives no interest payment in cash on the obligation during the year.

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If the Fund holds the foregoing kinds of obligations, or other obligations subject to special rules under the Code, it may be required to pay out as an income distribution each year an amount which is greater than the total amount of cash interest the Fund actually received. Such distributions may be made from the cash assets of the Fund or, if necessary, by selling of portfolio securities including at a time when it may not be advantageous to do so. These dispositions may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed to shareholders at ordinary income tax rates for U.S. federal income tax purposes) and, in the event the Fund realizes net capital gains from such transactions, its shareholders may receive a larger Capital Gain Dividend (see “U.S. Federal Income Taxation of Shareholders” below) than if the Fund had not held such obligations.

Securities Issued or Purchased at a Premium. Very generally, where the Fund purchases a bond at a price that exceeds the stated principal amount (or revised issue price)—that is, at a premium—the premium is amortizable over the remaining term of the bond. In the case of a taxable bond, if the Fund makes an election applicable to all such bonds it purchases, which election is irrevocable without the consent of the IRS, the Fund reduces the current taxable income from the bond by the amortizable premium and reduces its tax basis in the bond (or the upward basis adjustment attributable to any OID) by the amount of such offset; upon the disposition or maturity of such bonds acquired on or after January 4, 2013, the Fund is permitted to deduct, against stated interest from other bonds, any remaining premium allocable to a prior period. In the case of a tax-exempt bond, tax rules require the Fund to reduce its tax basis by the amount of amortizable premium.

Junk Bonds. To the extent such investments are permissible, the Fund may invest in debt obligations that are in the lowest rating categories or are unrated, including debt obligations of issuers not currently paying interest or who are in default. If the Fund invests in high-yield OID obligations issued by corporations (including tax-exempt obligations), a portion of the OID accruing on the obligation may be treated as taxable dividend income. In such cases, if the issuer of the high-yield discount obligation is a domestic corporation, dividend payments by the Fund attributable to such portion of accrued OID may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders.

Investments in debt obligations that are at risk of or in default present special tax issues for the Fund. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as whether or to what extent the Fund should recognize market discount on such a debt obligation, when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, OID or market discount, when and to what extent the Fund may take deductions for bad debts or worthless securities and how the Fund should allocate payments received on obligations in default between principal and income. These and other related issues will be addressed by the Fund when, as and if it invests in such securities, in order to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its eligibility for treatment as a regulated investment company and does not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.

Issuer Deductibility of Interest. A portion of the interest paid or accrued on certain high-yield discount obligations owned by the Fund may not be deductible to (and thus, may affect the cash flow of) the issuer and will instead be treated as a dividend paid by the issuer for purposes of the dividends-received deduction (described below). In such cases, if the issuer of the high-yield discount obligations is a domestic corporation, dividend payments by the Fund may be eligible for the corporate dividends-received deduction (described below) to the extent attributable to the deemed dividend portion of such accrued interest.

REITs. Any investment by the Fund in equity securities of REITs qualifying as real estate investment trusts under Subchapter M of the Code may result in the Fund’s receipt of cash in excess of the REIT’s earnings; if the Fund distributes these amounts, these distributions could constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Dividends received by the Fund from a REIT will not qualify for the corporate dividends-received deduction and generally will not constitute qualified dividend income (see “U.S. Federal Income Taxation of Shareholders,” below).

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Distributions by the Fund to its shareholders that the Fund properly reports as “Section 199A dividends,” as defined and subject to certain conditions described below, are treated as qualified REIT dividends in the hands of non-corporate shareholders. Non-corporate shareholders are permitted a federal income tax deduction equal to 20% of qualified REIT dividends received by them, subject to certain limitations. Very generally, a “Section 199A dividend” is any dividend or portion thereof that is attributable to certain dividends received by the Fund from REITs, to the extent such dividends are properly reported as such by the Fund in a written notice to its shareholders. A Section 199A dividend is treated as a qualified REIT dividend only if the shareholder receiving such dividend holds the dividend-paying Fund shares for at least 46 days of the 91-day period beginning 45 days before the shares become ex-dividend, and is not under an obligation to make related payments with respect to a position in substantially similar or related property. The Fund is permitted to report such part of its dividends as Section 199A dividends as are eligible, but is not required to do so.

Mortgage-Related Securities. The Fund may invest directly or indirectly (e.g., through REITs) in residual interests in REMICs, including by investing in residual interests in CMOs with respect to which an election to be treated as a REMIC is in effect, or equity interests in taxable mortgage pools (“TMPs”). Under a notice issued by the IRS in October 2006 and U.S. Treasury regulations that have yet to be issued, but may apply retroactively, a portion of the Fund’s income (including income allocated to the Fund from a REIT or other pass-through entity) that is attributable to a residual interest in a REMIC or an equity interest in a TMP (referred to in the Code as an “excess inclusion”) will be subject to U.S. federal income tax in all events. This notice also provides, and the regulations are expected to provide, that excess inclusion income of a regulated investment company, such as the Fund, will be allocated to shareholders of the regulated investment company in proportion to the dividends received by such shareholders, with the same consequences as if the shareholders held the related interest directly. As a result, the Fund may not be a suitable investment for charitable remainder trusts (“CRTs”) to the extent it invests in such interests (see “Tax-Exempt Shareholders” below).

In general, excess inclusion income allocated to shareholders (i) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions), (ii) will constitute unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) to entities (including a qualified pension plan, an individual retirement account, a 401(k) plan, a Keogh plan or other tax-exempt entity) subject to tax on UBTI, thereby potentially requiring such an entity that is allocated excess inclusion income, and otherwise might not be required to file a tax return, to file a tax return and pay tax on such income, and (iii) in the case of a non-U.S. shareholder, will not qualify for any reduction in U.S. federal withholding tax. A shareholder will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on such inclusions notwithstanding any exemption from such income tax otherwise available under the Code.

Options, Futures, Foreign Currencies, Forward Contracts, Swap Agreements and Other Derivatives. The Fund’s use of options contracts, futures contracts, foreign currency forward contracts, swap agreements and other derivatives, if any, may cause the Fund to recognize taxable income in excess of the cash generated by such instruments. As a result, the Fund could be required at times to sell other investments in order to satisfy its distribution requirements under the Code. The Fund’s use of derivatives might also affect the amount, timing, or character of the Fund’s distributions. The character of the Fund’s taxable income will, in some cases, be determined on the basis of reports made to the Fund by the issuers of the securities in which it invests. In addition, because the tax rules applicable to such investments may be uncertain under current U.S. federal income tax law, an adverse determination or future IRS guidance with respect to these rules (which determination or guidance could be retroactive) may affect whether the Fund has derived its income from the proper sources, made sufficient distributions, and otherwise satisfied the relevant requirements, to maintain its qualification and eligibility for treatment as a regulated investment company and avoid a Fund-level tax.

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Certain of the Fund’s investments may be subject to provisions of the Code that (i) require inclusion of unrealized gains in the Fund’s income for purposes of the excise tax and the distribution requirements applicable to regulated investment companies; (ii) defer recognition of realized losses; (iii) cause adjustments in the holding periods of portfolio securities; (iv) convert capital gains into ordinary income; (v) characterize both realized and unrealized gains or losses as short-term or long-term, irrespective of the holding period of the investment; and (vi) require inclusion of unrealized gains or losses in the Fund’s income for purposes of determining whether 90% of the Fund’s gross income is Qualifying Income. Such provisions may apply to, among other investments, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, options on securities, options on security indices, forward contracts, swaps, credit default swaps, short sales, securities loans or other similar transactions, and foreign securities. The Fund will monitor its transactions and may make certain tax elections available to it in order to mitigate the impact of these rules and prevent disqualification of the Fund as a regulated investment company.

In general, option premiums received by the Fund are not immediately included in the income of the Fund. Instead, the premiums are recognized when the option contract expires, the option is exercised by the holder, or the Fund transfers or otherwise terminates the option (e.g., through a closing transaction). If a call option written by the Fund is exercised and the Fund sells or delivers the underlying stock, the Fund generally will recognize capital gain or loss equal to (a) the sum of the strike price and the option premium received by the Fund minus (b) the Fund’s basis in the stock. Such gain or loss generally will be short-term or long-term depending upon the holding period of the underlying stock. If securities are purchased by the Fund pursuant to the exercise of a put option written by it, the Fund generally will subtract the premium received for purposes of computing its cost basis in the securities purchased. Gain or loss arising in respect of a termination of the Fund’s obligation under an option other than through the exercise of the option will be short-term gain or loss depending on whether the premium income received by the Fund is greater or less than the amount paid by the Fund, if any, in terminating the transaction. Thus, for example, if an option written by the Fund expires unexercised, the Fund generally will recognize short-term gain equal to the premium received.

The tax treatment of certain positions entered into by the Fund (including regulated futures contracts, certain foreign currency positions and certain listed non-equity options) will be governed by Section 1256 of the Code (“Section 1256 contracts”). Gains or losses on Section 1256 contracts generally are considered to be 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gains or losses (“60/40”), although certain foreign currency gains and losses from such contracts may be treated as ordinary in character (See “Foreign Currency Transactions and Hedging” below). Also, Section 1256 contracts held by the Fund at the end of each taxable year (and, for purposes of the 4% excise tax, on certain other dates as prescribed under the Code) are “marked to market” with the result that unrealized gains or losses are treated as though they were realized and the resulting gain or loss is treated as ordinary or 60/40 gain or loss, as applicable.

The timing and character of income and losses arising in respect of swap contracts are, in many instances, unclear. In addition, the tax treatment of a payment made or received on a swap contract held by the Fund, and in particular, whether such payment is, in whole or in part, capital or ordinary in character, will vary depending upon the terms of the particular swap contract.

Transactions in options, futures and forward contracts, and swaps undertaken by the Fund may result in “straddles” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The straddle rules may affect the character of gains (or losses) realized by the Fund, and losses realized by the Fund on positions that are part of a straddle may be deferred under the straddle rules, rather than being taken into account in calculating the

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taxable income for the taxable year in which the losses are realized. In addition, certain carrying charges (including interest expenses) associated with positions in a straddle may be required to be capitalized rather than deducted currently. Certain elections that the Fund may make with respect to its straddle positions may also affect the amount, character, and timing of the recognition of gains or losses from the affected positions.

The straddle rules may increase the amount of short-term capital gain realized by the Fund, which is taxed as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders. Because application of the straddle rules may affect the character of gains or losses, defer losses and/or accelerate the recognition of gains or losses from the affected straddle positions, the amount which must be distributed to shareholders as ordinary income or long-term capital gain may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to a fund that did not engage in such transactions. The consequences to the Fund of certain transactions under the straddle rules remain unclear.

Foreign Currency Transactions and Hedging. Any transaction by the Fund in foreign currencies, foreign currency-denominated debt obligations or certain foreign currency options, futures contracts or forward contracts (or similar instruments) may give rise to ordinary income or loss to the extent such income or loss results from fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency concerned. Any such net gains could require a larger dividend toward the end of the calendar year. Any such net losses will generally reduce and potentially require the recharacterization of prior ordinary income distributions. Such ordinary income treatment may accelerate Fund distributions to shareholders and increase the distributions taxed to shareholders as ordinary income. Any net ordinary losses so created cannot be carried forward by the Fund to offset income or gains earned in subsequent taxable years. However, in certain circumstances, the Fund may elect to treat gains or losses from certain foreign currency positions as capital gains or losses.

Book-Tax Differences. Certain of the Fund’s investments in derivative instruments and foreign currency-denominated instruments, and any of the Fund’s transactions in foreign currencies and hedging activities, are likely to produce a difference between the Fund’s book income and the sum of the Fund’s taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any). If such a difference arises, and the Fund’s book income exceeds the sum of its taxable income (including realized capital gains) and net tax-exempt income (if any) the distribution (if any) of such excess generally will be treated as (i) a dividend to the extent of the Fund’s remaining earnings and profits (including earnings and profits arising from tax-exempt income), (ii) thereafter, as a return of capital to the extent of the recipient’s basis in its shares, and (iii) thereafter, as gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset. In the alternative, if the Fund’s book income is less than the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the Fund could be required to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment.

Repurchase Agreements and Securities Loans. Any distribution of income that is attributable to (i) income received by the Fund in lieu of dividends with respect to securities on loan pursuant to a securities lending transaction or (ii) dividend income received by the Fund on securities it temporarily purchased from a counterparty pursuant to a repurchase agreement that is treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a loan by the Fund, will not constitute qualified dividend income to individual shareholders and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders, in each case as described below. In addition, withholding taxes accrued on dividends during the period that such security was not directly held by the Fund will not qualify as a foreign tax paid by the Fund and therefore cannot be passed through to shareholders even if the Fund were otherwise to meet the requirements described in “Foreign Taxes,” below.

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Passive Foreign Investment Companies. Under the Code, investments in certain foreign investment companies that qualify as “passive foreign investment companies” (“PFICs”) are subject to special tax rules. A PFIC is any foreign corporation in which (i) 75% or more of the gross income for the taxable year is passive income, or (ii) the average percentage of the assets (generally by value, but by adjusted tax basis in certain cases) that produce or are held for the production of passive income is at least 50%. Generally, “passive income” for this purpose means dividends, interest (including income equivalent to interest), royalties, rents, annuities, the excess of gains over losses from certain property transactions and commodities transactions, and foreign currency gains. Passive income for this purpose does not include rents and royalties received by the foreign corporation from active business and certain income received from related persons.

Equity investments by the Fund in certain PFICs could subject the Fund to a U.S. federal income tax or other charge (including interest charges) on distributions received from the PFIC or on proceeds received from the disposition of shares in the PFIC, which tax cannot be eliminated by making distributions to the Fund’s shareholders. However, in certain circumstances, the Fund may avoid this tax treatment by electing to treat the PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” (i.e., make a “QEF” election), in which case the Fund will be required to include its share of the PFIC’s income and net capital gains annually, regardless of whether it receives any distribution from the PFIC. Alternatively, the Fund may elect to mark the gains (and to a limited extent losses) in its PFIC holdings “to the market” as though it had sold (and repurchased) its holdings in those PFICs on the last day of the Fund’s taxable year. Such gains and losses are treated as ordinary income and loss. The QEF and mark-to-market elections may have the effect of accelerating the recognition of income (without the receipt of cash) and increasing the amount required to be distributed for the Fund to avoid taxation. Making either of these elections therefore may require the Fund to sell other investments (including when it is not advantageous to do so) to meet its distribution requirement, which also may accelerate the recognition of gain and affect the Fund’s total return. If the Fund indirectly invests in PFICs by virtue of the Fund’s investment in underlying U.S. funds, it may not make such elections; rather, the underlying U.S. funds directly investing in PFICs would decide whether to make such elections.

Because it is not always possible to identify a foreign corporation as a PFIC, the Fund may incur the tax and interest charges described above in some instances. Dividends paid by PFICs will not be eligible to be treated as “qualified dividend income.” See “U.S. Federal Income Taxation of Shareholders,” below.

Investments in Other RICs. The Fund’s investments in shares of other mutual funds, ETFs or other companies that are treated as regulated investment companies (each, an “underlying RIC”), as well as certain investments in REITs, can cause the Fund to be required to distribute greater amounts of net investment income or net capital gain than the Fund would have distributed had it invested directly in the securities held by the underlying RIC, rather than in shares of the underlying RIC. Further, the amount or timing of distributions from the Fund qualifying for treatment as a particular character (e.g., long-term capital gain, exempt interest, eligibility for dividends-received deduction, etc.) will not necessarily be the same as it would have been had the Fund invested directly in the securities held by the underlying RIC.

If the Fund receives dividends from an underlying RIC, and the underlying RIC reports such dividends as “qualified dividend income,” then the Fund is permitted in turn to report a portion of its distributions as qualified dividend income, provided the Fund meets holding period and other requirements with respect to shares of the underlying RIC.

If the Fund receives dividends from an underlying RIC and the underlying RIC reports such dividends as eligible for the dividends-received deduction, then the Fund is permitted in turn to report its distributions derived from those dividends as eligible for the dividends-received deduction as well, provided the Fund meets holding period and other requirements with respect to shares of the underlying RIC. Qualified dividend income and the dividends-received deduction are described below.

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Taxation of Certain Investments. Including as described above, certain of the Fund’s investments will create taxable income in excess of the cash they generate. In such cases, the Fund may be required to sell assets (including when it is not advantageous to do so) to generate the cash necessary to distribute to its shareholders all of its income and gains and therefore to eliminate any tax liability at the Fund level. These dispositions may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed to shareholders at ordinary income tax rates for U.S. federal income tax purposes) and, in the event the Fund realizes net capital gains from such transactions, its shareholders may receive a larger Capital Gain Dividend (as defined below) than if the Fund had not held such investments. The character of the Fund’s taxable income will, in many cases, be determined on the basis of reports made to the Fund by the issuers of the securities in which it invests. The tax treatment of certain securities in which the Fund may invest is not free from doubt and it is possible that an IRS examination of the issuers of such securities could result in adjustments to the income of the Fund.

Foreign Taxes. Income, proceeds and gains received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. This will decrease the Fund’s yield on securities subject to such taxes. Tax treaties between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. It is impossible to determine the effective rate of foreign tax in advance because the amount of the Fund’s assets to be invested within various countries is not known. If more than 50% of the Fund’s assets at the end of its taxable year consists of securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may elect to permit shareholders to claim a credit or deduction on their U.S. federal income tax returns for their pro rata portions of qualified taxes paid by the Fund to foreign countries in respect of foreign securities that the Fund has held for at least the minimum period specified in the Code. In such a case, shareholders will include in gross income from foreign sources their pro rata shares of such taxes paid by the Fund. A shareholder’s ability to claim an offsetting foreign tax credit or deduction in respect of foreign taxes paid by the Fund is subject to certain limitations imposed by the Code, which may result in the shareholder’s not receiving a full credit or deduction (if any) for the amount of such taxes. Shareholders who do not itemize deductions on their U.S. federal income tax returns may claim a credit (but not a deduction) for such foreign taxes. Shareholders that are not subject to U.S. federal income tax, and those who invest in the Fund through tax-advantaged accounts (including those who invest through individual retirement accounts or other tax-advantaged retirement plans), generally will receive no benefit from any tax credit or deduction passed through by the Fund.

If the Fund is not eligible to or does not make the above election, the Fund’s taxable income will be reduced by the foreign taxes paid or withheld, and shareholders will not be entitled separately to claim a credit or deduction with respect to such taxes. Shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the treatment of foreign source income and foreign taxes under the U.S. federal income tax laws.

U.S. Federal Income Taxation of Shareholders

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, distributions of investment income other than exempt-interest dividends (defined below) are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long the Fund owned or is considered to have owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder may have owned shares in the Fund. In general, the Fund will recognize long-term capital gain or loss on investments it has owned (or is deemed to have owned) for more than one year, and short-term capital gain or loss on investments it has owned (or is deemed to have owned) for one year or less. Distributions of net capital gain (that is, the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss, in each case determined with

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reference to loss carryforwards) that are properly reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains includible in net capital gain and taxed to individuals at reduced rates relative to ordinary income. Distributions from capital gains are generally made after applying any available capital loss carryforwards. Distributions of net short-term capital gain (as reduced by any net long-term capital loss for the taxable year) will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. The IRS and the U.S. Department of the Treasury have issued final regulations that impose special rules in respect of Capital Gain Dividends received through partnership interests constituting “applicable partnership interests” under Section 1061 of the Code.

The Code generally imposes a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on the net investment income of certain individuals, trusts and estates to the extent their income exceeds certain threshold amounts. For these purposes, “net investment income” generally includes, among other things, (i) distributions paid by the Fund of net investment income and capital gains as described above, and (ii) any net gain from the sale, redemption or other taxable disposition of Fund shares. Shareholders are advised to consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of this additional tax on their investment in the Fund.

The Fund intends to distribute at least annually to its shareholders all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction) and its net tax-exempt income, if any, and may distribute its net capital gain. Taxable income that is retained by the Fund will be subject to tax at the Fund level at regular corporate rates. The Fund may also retain for investment its net capital gain. If the Fund retains any net capital gain, it will be subject to tax at the Fund level at regular corporate rates on the amount retained, but may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a timely notice to its shareholders who (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their shares of such undistributed amount, and (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Fund on such undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds on a properly filed U.S. tax return to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. If the Fund makes this designation, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will be increased by an amount equal under current law to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder under clause (ii) of the preceding sentence. The Fund is not required to, and there can be no assurance the Fund will, make this designation if it retains all or a portion of its net capital gain in a taxable year.

Distributions are taxable to shareholders as described herein whether shareholders receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional shares through a dividend reinvestment plan.

Distributions by the Fund will result in a reduction in the fair market value of the Fund’s shares. A distribution may be taxable to the shareholder, even though, from an investment standpoint, it may constitute a partial return of capital. Such distributions are likely to occur in respect of shares purchased at a time when the Fund’s net asset value reflects either unrealized gains, or realized but undistributed income or gains, that were therefore included in the price the shareholder paid. In particular, a shareholder that purchases shares of the Fund just prior to a taxable distribution will then receive a return of investment upon distribution, which may nevertheless be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income or capital gain.

“Qualified dividend income” received by an individual will be taxed at the reduced rates applicable to net capital gain. In order for some portion of the dividends received by a Fund shareholder to be qualified dividend income, the Fund must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to some portion of the dividend-paying stocks in its portfolio and the shareholder must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to the Fund’s shares.

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In general, a dividend will not be treated as qualified dividend income (at either the Fund or shareholder level) (i) if the dividend is received with respect to any share of stock held for fewer than 61 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date that is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend (or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date), (ii) to the extent that the recipient is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property, (iii) if the recipient elects to have the dividend income treated as investment income for purposes of the limitation on deductibility of investment interest, or (iv) if the dividend is received from a foreign corporation that is (a) not eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States (with the exception of dividends paid on stock of such a foreign corporation readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States) or (b) treated as a PFIC. Distributions received by the Fund from REITs generally will not constitute qualified dividend income.

In general, distributions of investment income reported by the Fund as derived from qualified dividend income will be treated as qualified dividend income by a shareholder taxed as an individual provided the shareholder meets the holding period and other requirements described above with respect to the Fund’s shares.

If the aggregate qualified dividend income received by the Fund during any taxable year is 95% or more of its “gross income,” then 100% of the Fund’s dividends (other than Capital Gain Dividends) will be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income. For this purpose, the only capital gain included in the term “gross income” is the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss. The Fund does not expect a significant portion of its distributions to be derived from qualified dividend income.

A portion of the dividends paid by the Fund to shareholders that are corporations (other than S corporations) may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction (subject to a holding period requirement imposed by the Code) to the extent such dividends are derived from dividends received from U.S. corporations. However, any distributions received by the Fund from PFICs and REITs will not qualify for the corporate dividends-received deduction. A dividend received by the Fund will not be treated as a dividend eligible for the dividends-received deduction (i) if it has been received with respect to any share of stock that the Fund has held for less than 46 days (91 days in the case of certain preferred stock) during the 91-day period beginning on the date which is 45 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend (during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date in the case of certain preferred stock) or (ii) to the extent that the Fund is under an obligation (pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property. Moreover, the dividends-received deduction may otherwise be disallowed or reduced (i) if the corporate shareholder fails to satisfy the foregoing requirements with respect to its shares of the Fund or (ii) by application of various provisions of the Code (for instance, the dividends-received deduction is reduced in the case of a dividend received on debt-financed portfolio stock (generally, stock acquired with borrowed funds)). The Fund does not expect a significant portion of its distributions to be eligible for the dividends-received deduction.

The Fund intends to pay dividends that pass through to shareholders the tax-exempt character of exempt interest earned by the Fund for U.S. federal income tax purposes (“exempt-interest dividends”). The Fund is eligible to pay exempt-interest dividends only for taxable years in which, at the end of each quarter, at least 50% of the value of its total assets consists of securities generating interest that is exempt from U.S. federal income tax under Section 103(a) of the Code. The Fund intends to satisfy this requirement. Fund distributions reported as exempt-interest dividends are not generally taxable to Fund

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shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes, but they may be subject to state and local taxes. In addition, an investment in the Fund may result in liability for U.S. federal alternative minimum tax, both for individual and corporate shareholders. For example, if the Fund invests in “private activity bonds,” certain shareholders may become subject to alternative minimum tax on the part of the Fund’s distributions derived from interest on such bonds. Further, exempt-interest dividends paid by the Fund to a corporate shareholder are, with very limited exceptions, included in the shareholder’s “adjusted current earnings” as part of its U.S. federal alternative minimum tax calculation. Individual and corporate shareholders subject to the alternative minimum tax should consult their tax advisors regarding the potential alternative minimum tax implications of holding shares of the Fund. The Fund may invest up to 50% of its net assets in bonds that generate income potentially subject to the alternative minimum tax. Interest on indebtedness incurred by a shareholder to purchase or carry shares of the Fund is not deductible for U.S. federal income tax purposes in proportion to the percentage that the Fund’s distributions of exempt-interest dividends bears to all of the Fund’s distributions, excluding Capital Gain Dividends. A shareholder who receives Social Security or railroad retirement benefits should consult his or her tax adviser to determine what effect, if any, an investment in the Fund may have on the U.S. federal taxation of such benefits. Exempt-interest dividends are generally included in income for purposes of determining the amount of benefits that are taxable.

The ultimate tax characterization of the Fund’s distributions made in a taxable year cannot be determined until after the end of that taxable year. As a result, there is a possibility that the Fund may make total distributions during a taxable year in an amount that exceeds the net investment income and net capital gains the Fund realizes that year, in which case the excess generally will be treated as a return of capital to shareholders, reducing their tax basis in the Fund’s shares, with any amounts exceeding such basis treated as gain from the sale of such shares. A return of capital is not taxable, but it reduces a shareholder’s tax basis in its Fund shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on the subsequent taxable disposition by a shareholder of those shares.

As required by federal law, detailed U.S. federal tax information with respect to each calendar year will be furnished to each shareholder early in the succeeding year.

Sale or Redemption of Shares

The sale or redemption of shares of the Fund may give rise to a gain or loss. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than 12 months. Otherwise, the gain or loss on the taxable disposition of Fund shares will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. However, any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Fund shares held by a shareholder for six months or less will be treated as long-term, rather than short-term, to the extent of any Capital Gain Dividends received (or deemed received) by the shareholder with respect to those shares. Further, all or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares of the Fund will be disallowed under the Code’s “wash sale” rule if other substantially identical shares of the Fund are purchased within 30 days before or after the disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly purchased shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. If shares of the Fund are sold at a loss after being held for six months or less, the loss will be disallowed to the extent of any exempt-interest dividends received on those shares.

Upon the sale or redemption of shares of the Fund, the Fund or, in the case of shares purchased through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary, may be required to provide a shareholder and the IRS with cost basis and certain other related tax information about the Fund shares the shareholder sold or redeemed. See the Fund’s Prospectus for more information.

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Backup Withholding

The Fund generally is required to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and redemption proceeds paid to any individual shareholder who fails to properly furnish the Fund with a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify to the Fund that he or she is not subject to such withholding.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against a shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the IRS.

Tax-Exempt Shareholders

Income of a regulated investment company, such as the Fund, that would be UBTI if earned directly by a tax-exempt entity will not generally be attributed as UBTI to a tax-exempt shareholder of the Fund. Notwithstanding this “blocking” effect, a tax-exempt shareholder could realize UBTI by virtue of its investment in the Fund if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Section 514(b) of the Code. A tax-exempt shareholder may also recognize UBTI if the Fund recognizes “excess inclusion income” derived from direct or indirect investments in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs, as described above, if the amount of such income recognized by the Fund exceeds the Fund’s investment company taxable income (after taking into account deductions for dividends paid by the Fund).

In addition, special tax consequences apply to CRTs that invest in regulated investment companies that invest directly or indirectly in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs. Under legislation enacted in December 2006, a CRT (as defined in Section 664 of the Code) that realizes UBTI for a taxable year must pay an excise tax annually of an amount equal to such UBTI. Under IRS guidance issued in October of 2006, a CRT will not recognize UBTI as a result of investing in a fund that recognizes “excess inclusion income.” Rather, if at any time during any taxable year a CRT (or one of certain other tax-exempt shareholders, such as the United States, a state or political subdivision or an agency or instrumentality thereof, and certain energy cooperatives) is a record holder of a share in a fund that recognizes “excess inclusion income,” then the fund will be subject to a tax on that portion of its “excess inclusion income” for the taxable year that is allocable to such shareholders at the highest U.S. federal corporate income tax rate. The extent to which this IRS guidance remains applicable in light of the December 2006 legislation is unclear. To the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the Fund may elect to specially allocate any such tax to the applicable CRT, or other disqualified organization shareholder, and thus reduce such shareholder’s distributions for the year by the amount of the tax that relates to such shareholder’s interest in the Fund. CRTs and other tax-exempt investors are urged to consult their tax advisors concerning the consequences of investing in the Fund.

Special tax rules apply to investments through defined contribution plans and other tax-qualified plans. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the suitability of shares of the Fund as an investment through such plans.

Foreign Shareholders

Distributions by the Fund to shareholders that are not “U.S. persons” within the meaning of the Code (“foreign shareholders”) properly reported by the Fund as (1) Capital Gain Dividends, (2) short-term capital gain dividends, and (3) interest-related dividends, each as defined and subject to certain conditions described below, generally are not subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax.

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In general, the Code defines (1) “short-term capital gain dividends” as distributions of net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses and (2) “interest-related dividends” as distributions from U.S.-source interest income of types similar to those not subject to U.S. federal income tax if earned directly by an individual foreign shareholder, in each case to the extent such distributions are properly reported as such by the Fund in a written notice to shareholders. The exceptions to withholding for Capital Gain Dividends and short-term capital gain dividends do not apply to (A) distributions to an individual foreign shareholder who is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the distribution and (B) distributions attributable to gain that is treated as effectively connected with the conduct by the foreign shareholder of a trade or business within the United States under special rules regarding the disposition of U.S. real property interests as described below. The exception to withholding for interest-related dividends does not apply to distributions to a foreign shareholder (A) that has not provided a satisfactory statement that the beneficial owner is not a U.S. person, (B) to the extent that the dividend is attributable to certain interest on an obligation if the foreign shareholder is the issuer or is a 10% shareholder of the issuer, (C) that is within certain foreign countries that have inadequate information exchange with the United States, or (D) to the extent the dividend is attributable to interest paid by a person that is a related person of the foreign shareholder and the foreign shareholder is a controlled foreign corporation. If the Fund invests in a regulated investment company that pays Capital Gain Dividends, short-term capital gain dividends or interest-related dividends to the Fund, such distributions retain their character as not subject to withholding if properly reported when paid by the Fund to foreign shareholders. The Fund is permitted to report such part of its dividends as interest-related and/or short-term capital gain dividends as are eligible, but is not required to do so. In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if the Fund reports all or a portion of a payment as an interest-related or short-term capital gain dividend to shareholders.

Distributions by the Fund to foreign shareholders other than Capital Gain Dividends, short-term capital gain dividends, and interest-related dividends (e.g., dividends attributable to foreign-source dividend and interest income or to short-term capital gains or U.S. source interest income to which the exception from withholding described above does not apply) are generally subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate).

A foreign shareholder is not, in general, subject to U.S. federal income tax on gains (and is not allowed a deduction for losses) realized on the sale of shares of the Fund unless (i) such gain is effectively connected with the conduct by the foreign shareholder of a trade or business within the United States, (ii) in the case of a foreign shareholder that is an individual, the shareholder is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the sale and certain other conditions are met, or (iii) the special rules relating to gain attributable to the sale or exchange of “U.S. real property interests” (“USRPIs”) apply to the foreign shareholder’s sale of shares of the Fund (as described below).

Special rules would apply if the Fund were a qualified investment entity (“QIE”) because it is either a “U.S. real property holding corporation” (“USRPHC”) or would be a USRPHC but for the operation of certain exceptions to the definition of USRPIs described below. Very generally, a USRPHC is a domestic corporation that holds USRPIs the fair market value of which equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market values of the corporation’s USRPIs, interests in real property located outside the United States, and other trade or business assets. USRPIs are generally defined as any interest in U.S. real property and any interest (other than solely as a creditor) in a USRPHC or, very generally, an entity that has been a USRPHC in the last five years. A regulated investment company that holds, directly or indirectly, significant interests in REITS may be a USRPHC. Interests in domestically controlled QIEs, including REITs and regulated investment companies that are QIEs, not-greater-than- 10% interests in publicly traded classes of stock in REITs and not-greater-than-5% interests in publicly traded classes of stock in regulated investment companies generally are not USRPIs, but these exceptions do not apply for purposes of determining whether the Fund is a QIE. If an interest in the Fund were a USRPI, the Fund

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would be required to withhold U.S. tax on the proceeds of a share redemption by a greater-than-5% foreign shareholder, in which case such foreign shareholder, or any foreign shareholder if shares of the Fund are not considered regularly traded on an established securities market, generally would also be required to file U.S. tax returns and pay any additional taxes due in connection with the redemption.

If the Fund were a QIE, under a special “look through” rule, any distributions by the Fund to a foreign shareholder (including, in certain cases, distributions made by the Fund in redemption of its shares) attributable directly or indirectly to (i) distributions received by the Fund from a lower-tier regulated investment company or REIT that the Fund is required to treat as USRPI gain in its hands and (ii) gains realized on the disposition of USRPIs by the Fund would retain their character as gains realized from USRPIs in the hands of the Fund’s foreign shareholders and would be subject to U.S. tax withholding. In addition, such distributions could result in the foreign shareholder being required to file a U.S. tax return and pay tax on the distributions at regular U.S. federal income tax rates. The consequences to a foreign shareholder, including the rate of such withholding and character of such distributions (e.g., as ordinary income or USRPI gain), would vary depending upon the extent of the foreign shareholder’s current and past ownership of the Fund.

Foreign shareholders of the Fund also may be subject to “wash sale” rules to prevent the avoidance of the tax-filing and -payment obligations discussed above through the sale and repurchase of Fund shares.

The Fund generally does not expect that it will be a QIE.

Foreign shareholders should consult their tax advisors and, if holding shares through intermediaries, their intermediaries, concerning the application of these rules to their investment in the Fund.

Foreign shareholders with respect to whom income from the Fund is effectively connected with a trade or business conducted by the foreign shareholder within the United States will in general be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the income derived from the Fund at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, residents or domestic corporations, whether such income is received in cash or reinvested in shares of the Fund and, in the case of a foreign corporation, may also be subject to a branch profits tax. If a foreign shareholder is eligible for the benefits of a tax treaty, any effectively connected income or gain will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis only if it is also attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by the shareholder in the United States. More generally, foreign shareholders who are residents in a country with an income tax treaty with the United States may obtain different tax results than those described herein, and are urged to consult their tax advisors.

Tax Shelter Reporting Regulations

Under U.S. Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss on a disposition of the Fund’s shares of at least $2 million in any single tax year or $4 million in any combination of tax years for an individual shareholder or at least $10 million in any single tax year or $20 million in any combination of tax years for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on IRS Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a regulated investment company are not excepted. Future guidance may extend the current exception from this reporting requirement to shareholders of most or all regulated investment companies. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

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Shareholder Reporting Obligations With Respect to Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts

Shareholders that are U.S. persons and own, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the Fund by vote or value could be required to report annually their “financial interest” in the Fund’s “foreign financial accounts,” if any, on FinCEN Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (“FBAR”). Shareholders should consult a tax adviser regarding the applicability to them of this reporting requirement.

Other Reporting and Withholding Requirements

Sections 1471-1474 of the Code and the U.S. Treasury regulations and IRS guidance issued thereunder (collectively, “FATCA”) generally require the Fund to obtain information sufficient to identify the status of each of its shareholders under FATCA or under an applicable intergovernmental agreement (an “IGA”) between the United States and a foreign government. If a shareholder of the Fund fails to provide the requested information or otherwise fails to comply with FATCA or an IGA, the Fund may be required to withhold under FATCA at a rate of 30% with respect to that shareholder on ordinary dividends it pays. The IRS and the U.S. Department of the Treasury have issued proposed regulations providing that these withholding rules will not apply to the gross proceeds of share redemptions or Capital Gain Dividends the Fund pays. If a payment by the Fund is subject to FATCA withholding, the Fund is required to withhold even if such payment would otherwise be exempt from withholding under the rules applicable to foreign shareholders described above (e.g., short-term capital gain dividends, and interest-related dividends).

Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the applicability of FATCA and any other reporting requirements with respect to the prospective investor’s own situation, including investments through an intermediary.

General Considerations

The U.S. federal income tax discussion set forth above is for general information only. Prospective shareholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the specific U.S. federal tax consequences of purchasing, holding, and disposing of shares of the Fund, as well as the effects of U.S. state and local, and foreign, and any other tax law and any proposed tax law changes.

EACH SHAREHOLDER SHOULD CONSULT A TAX ADVISER ABOUT THE APPLICATION OF U.S. FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL AND FOREIGN TAX LAWS TO AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND IN LIGHT OF THE SHAREHOLDER’S PARTICULAR TAX SITUATION.

OTHER INFORMATION

Massachusetts Business Trust

The Fund is a series of a “Massachusetts business trust.” A copy of the Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust for the Trust (the “Declaration of Trust”) is on file in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Declaration of Trust and the By-Laws of the Trust (the “By-Laws”) are designed to make the Trust similar in most respects to a Massachusetts business corporation. The principal distinction between the two forms concerns shareholder liability and is described below.

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Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of such a trust may, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for the obligations of the trust. This is not the case for a Massachusetts business corporation. However, the Declaration of Trust of the Trust provides that the shareholders shall not be subject to any personal liability for the acts or obligations of the Fund and that every note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate or undertaking made on behalf of the Fund shall contain a provision to the effect that the shareholders are not personally liable thereunder.

No personal liability will attach to the shareholders under any undertaking containing such provision when adequate notice of such provision is given, except possibly in a few jurisdictions. With respect to all types of claims in the latter jurisdictions, (i) tort claims, (ii) contract claims where the provision referred to is omitted from the undertaking, (iii) claims for taxes, and (iv) certain statutory liabilities in other jurisdictions, a shareholder may be held personally liable to the extent that claims are not satisfied by the Fund. However, upon payment of such liability, the shareholder will be entitled to reimbursement from the assets of the Fund. The Trustees of the Trust intend to conduct the operations of the Trust in a way as to avoid, as far as possible, ultimate liability of the shareholders of the Fund.

The Declaration of Trust further provides that no Trustee, officer, employee, agent or shareholder of the Fund is liable to any third persons in connection with the affairs of the Fund. Nothing in the Declaration of Trust shall protect any Trustee from any liability that arises from his own bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of the office of the Trustee. The Declaration of Trust also provides that all third persons shall look solely to the assets of the Fund for any satisfaction of claims arising in connection with the affairs of the Fund. With the exceptions stated and except with respect to any matter as to which a Trustee or officer, including a person who serves at the Trust’s request as a director, officer or trustee of another organization in which the Trust has any interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise (each such Trustee, officer or person hereinafter referred to as a “Covered Person”) shall have been finally adjudicated in a decision on the merits in any action, suit or other proceeding not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that such Covered Person’s action was in the best interests of the Trust, the Trust’s Declaration of Trust provides that a Covered Person is entitled to be indemnified against all liability in connection with the affairs of the Fund.

The Trust shall continue without limitation of time subject to the provisions in the Declaration of Trust concerning termination by action of the shareholders or by action of the Trustees upon notice to the shareholders.

Description of Shares

The Trust is an open-end management investment company organized as a Massachusetts business trust in which the Fund represents a separate series of shares of beneficial interest. See “Massachusetts Business Trust” above. The Trustees may, without shareholder approval, divide the shares of any series of the Trust into one or more classes and combine the shares of two or more classes of any series into a single class. The Fund currently does not offer multiple share classes.

The Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares (without par value) of one or more series and to divide or combine the shares of any series or class, if applicable, into a greater or lesser number without changing the proportionate beneficial interest in the series or class. Each share of the Fund represents an equal proportionate interest in the Fund with each other share. Upon liquidation of the Fund, shareholders are entitled to share pro rata in the net assets of the Fund available for distribution to such shareholders. See “Massachusetts Business Trust” above. Shares of the Fund have no preemptive or conversion rights. The rights of redemption and exchange are described in the Prospectus and in this SAI.

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The shareholders of the Trust are entitled to one vote for each whole share held of the Fund (or a class thereof, if applicable) (or a proportionate fractional vote in respect of a fractional share), on matters on which shares of the Fund (or a class thereof, if applicable) shall be entitled to vote.

Subject to the 1940 Act, the Trustees themselves have the power to alter the number and the terms of office of the Trustees, and to set the length of their own terms subject to certain removal procedures, and appoint their own successors, provided however, that immediately after such appointment the requisite majority of the Trustees have been elected by the shareholders of the Trust. The voting rights of shareholders are not cumulative in the election of Trustees so that holders of more than 50% of the shares voting can, if they choose, elect all Trustees being selected while the shareholders of the remaining shares would be unable to elect any Trustees. It is the intention of the Trust not to hold annual meetings of shareholders. The Trustees may call meetings of shareholders for action by shareholder vote as may be required or permitted by either the 1940 Act or by the Trust’s Declaration of Trust.

The Trustees have authorized the issuance and sale to the public of shares of several series of the Trust. The Trustees may authorize the issuance of shares of additional series of the Trust. The proceeds from the issuance of any additional series would be invested in separate, independently managed portfolios with distinct investment objectives, policies and restrictions, and share purchase, redemption and NAV procedures. All consideration received by the Trust for shares of any additional series, and all assets in which such consideration is invested, would belong to that series, subject only to the rights of creditors of the Trust and would be subject to the liabilities related thereto. Shareholders of any additional series will approve the adoption of any management contract, distribution agreement and any changes in the investment policies of any such additional series, to the extent required by the 1940 Act.

Conduct of the Trust’s Business

Forum for Adjudication of Disputes. The By-Laws provide that unless the Trust consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Trust or the shareholders, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any Trustee, officer, or other agent of the Trust to the Trust or the Trust’s shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Massachusetts Business Corporation Act or the Declaration of Trust or the By-Laws, (iv) any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of the Declaration of Trust or the By-Laws or any agreement contemplated by any provision of the 1940 Act, the Declaration of Trust or the By-Laws, or (v) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall be within the federal or state courts in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (each, a “Covered Action”). The By-Laws further provide that if any Covered Action is filed in a court other than in a federal or state court sitting within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (a “Foreign Action”) in the name of any shareholder, such shareholder shall be deemed to have consented to (i) the personal jurisdiction of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in connection with any action brought in any such courts to enforce the preceding sentence (an “Enforcement Action”) and (ii) having service of process made upon such shareholder in any such Enforcement Action by service upon such shareholder’s counsel in the Foreign Action as agent for such shareholder.

Any person purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in shares of beneficial interest of the Trust will be (i) deemed to have notice of and consented to the foregoing paragraph and (ii) deemed to have waived any argument relating to the inconvenience of the forum referenced above in connection with any action or proceeding described in the foregoing paragraph.

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This forum selection provision may limit a shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with Trustees, officers or other agents of the Trust and its service providers, which may discourage such lawsuits with respect to such claims. If a court were to find the forum selection provision contained in the By-Laws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, the Trust may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions.

Derivative and Direct Claims of Shareholders. The By-Laws contain provisions regarding derivative and direct claims of shareholders. As used in the By-Laws, a “direct” shareholder claim refers to (i) a claim based upon alleged violations of a shareholder’s individual rights independent of any harm to the Trust, including a shareholder’s voting rights under Article 11 of the By-Laws, rights to receive a dividend payment as may be declared from time to time, rights to inspect books and records, or other similar rights personal to the shareholder and independent of any harm to the Trust; and (ii) a claim for which a direct shareholder action is expressly provided under the U.S. federal securities laws. Any other claim asserted by a shareholder, including without limitation any claims purporting to be brought on behalf of the Trust or involving any alleged harm to the Trust, are considered a “derivative” claim as used in the By-Laws.

A shareholder may not bring or maintain any court action or other proceeding asserting a derivative claim or any claim asserted on behalf or for the benefit of the Trust or involving any alleged harm to the Trust without first making demand on the Trustees requesting the Trustees to bring or maintain such action, proceeding or claim. Such demand shall not be excused under any circumstances, including claims of alleged interest on the part of the Trustees, unless the shareholder makes a specific showing that irreparable nonmonetary injury to the Trust would otherwise result. The Trustees shall consider such demand within 90 days of its receipt by the Trust. In their sole discretion, the Trustees may submit the matter to a vote of shareholders of the Trust or any series or class of shares, as appropriate. Any decision by the Trustees to bring, maintain or settle (or not to bring, maintain or settle) such court action, proceeding or claim, or to submit the matter to a vote of shareholders, shall be binding upon the shareholders, and no suit, proceeding or other action shall be commenced or maintained after a decision to reject a demand. Any Trustee acting in connection with any demand or any proceeding relating to a claim on behalf or for the benefit of the Trust who is not an “interested person” (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) will be deemed to be independent and disinterested with respect to such demand, proceeding or claim.

A shareholder may not bring or maintain a court action or other proceeding asserting a direct claim against the Trust, the Trustees, or officers predicated upon an express or implied right of action under the Declaration of Trust or U.S. federal securities laws (excepting direct shareholder actions expressly provided by U.S. federal securities laws), unless the shareholder has obtained authorization from the Trustees to bring the action. The requirement of authorization shall not be excused under any circumstances, including claims of alleged interest on the part of the Trustees. The Trustees shall consider such request within 90 days after its receipt by the Trust. In their sole discretion, the Trustees may submit the matter to a vote of shareholders of the Trust or of any series or class of shares, as appropriate. Any decision by the Trustees to settle or to authorize (or not to settle or to authorize) such court action, proceeding or claim, or to submit the matter to a vote of shareholders, shall be binding upon the shareholder seeking authorization.

Any person purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in shares of beneficial interest of the Trust will be deemed to have notice of and consented to the foregoing provisions. These provisions may limit a shareholder’s ability to bring a claim against the Trustees, officers or other agents of the Trust and its service providers, which may discourage such lawsuits with respect to such claims.

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Additional Information

This SAI and the Fund’s Prospectus do not contain all of the information included in the Trust’s Registration Statement filed with the SEC under the 1933 Act. Pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC, certain portions have been omitted. The Trust’s Registration Statement, including the Exhibits filed therewith, may be examined on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Statements contained in this SAI and the Fund’s Prospectus concerning the contents of any contract or other document are not necessarily complete, and in each instance, reference is made to the copy of such contract or other document filed as an Exhibit to the Trust’s Registration Statement. Each such statement is qualified in all respects by such reference.

No dealer, salesman or any other person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations, other than those contained in the Fund’s Prospectus or this SAI, in connection with the offer of shares of the Fund and, if given or made, such other representations or information must not be relied upon as having been authorized by the Trust, the Fund or the Distributor. The Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI do not constitute an offer to sell or solicit an offer to buy any of the securities offered thereby in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful for the Fund or the Distributor to make such offer in such jurisdictions.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Because the Fund commenced operations on or following the date of this SAI, there are no financial statements for the Fund.

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APPENDIX A

DESCRIPTION OF BOND RATINGS ASSIGNED BY

S&P GLOBAL RATINGS AND MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC.

The Fund’s investments may range in quality from securities rated in the lowest category in which the Fund is permitted to invest to securities rated in the highest category (as rated by Moody’s or S&P or, if unrated, determined by the Subadviser to be of comparable quality). The percentage of the Fund’s assets invested in securities in a particular rating category will vary. The following is a description of Moody’s and S&P’s rating categories applicable to fixed income securities.

Moody’s Investors Service

Global Rating Scales

Credit Ratings are assigned on Moody’s global long-term and short-term rating scales and 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. Moody’s defines credit risk as the risk that an entity may not meet its contractual financial obligations as they come due and any estimated financial loss in the event of default or impairment. The contractual financial obligations addressed by Moody’s ratings are those that call for, without regard to enforceability, the payment of an ascertainable amount, which may vary based upon standard sources of variation (e.g., floating interest rates), by an ascertainable date. Moody’s rating addresses the issuer’s ability to obtain cash sufficient to service the obligation, and its willingness to pay. Moody’s ratings do not address non-standard sources of variation in the amount of the principal obligation (e.g., equity indexed), absent an express statement to the contrary in a press release accompanying an initial rating. Long-term ratings are assigned to issuers or obligations with an original maturity of eleven months 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 to 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. Moody’s issues ratings at the issuer level and instrument level on both the long-term scale and the short-term scale. Typically, ratings are made publicly available although private and unpublished ratings may also be assigned.

Moody’s differentiates structured finance ratings from fundamental ratings (i.e., ratings on nonfinancial corporate, financial institution, and public sector entities) on the global long-term scale by adding (sf ) to all structured finance ratings. The addition of (sf ) to structured finance ratings should eliminate any presumption that such ratings and fundamental ratings at the same letter grade level will behave the same. The (sf ) indicator for structured finance security ratings indicates that otherwise similarly rated structured finance and fundamental securities may have different risk characteristics. Through its current methodologies, however, Moody’s aspires to achieve broad expected equivalence in structured finance and fundamental rating performance when measured over a long period of time.

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Global Long-Term Rating Scale

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 ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a “(hyb)” indicator 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.

Global Short-Term Rating Scale

U.S. Municipal Short-Term Debt and Demand Obligation Ratings

Short-Term Obligation Ratings

Moody’s uses the global short-term Prime rating scale for commercial paper issued by U.S. municipalities and nonprofits. These commercial paper programs may be backed by external letters of credit or liquidity facilities, or by an issuer’s self-liquidity.

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For other short-term municipal obligations, Moody’s uses one of two other short-term rating scales, the Municipal Investment Grade (“MIG”) and Variable Municipal Investment Grade (“VMIG”) scales discussed below.

Moody’s uses the MIG scale for U.S. municipal cash flow notes, bond anticipation notes and certain other short-term obligations, which typically mature in three years or less.

MIG Scale

Demand Obligation Ratings

For variable rate demand obligations (“VRDOs”), Moody’s assigns both a long-term rating and a short-term payment obligation rating. The long-term rating addresses the issuer’s ability to meet scheduled principal and interest payments. The short-term payment obligation rating addresses the ability of the issuer or the liquidity provider to meet any purchase price payment obligation resulting from optional tenders (“on demand”) and/or mandatory tenders of the VRDO. The short-term payment obligation rating uses the VMIG scale. Transitions of VMIG ratings with conditional liquidity support differ from transitions of Prime ratings reflecting the risk that external liquidity support will terminate if the issuer’s long-term rating drops below investment grade.

For VRDOs, Moody’s typically assigns a VMIG rating if the frequency of the payment obligation is less than every three years. If the frequency of the payment obligation is less than three years, but the obligation is payable only with remarketing proceeds, the VMIG short-term rating is not assigned and it is denoted as “NR”.

Industrial development bonds in the U.S. where the obligor is a corporate may carry a VMIG rating that reflects Moody’s view of the relative likelihood of default and loss. In these cases, liquidity assessment is based on the liquidity of the corporate obligor.

VMIG Scale

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S&P Global Ratings

Issue Credit Rating Definitions

An S&P Global Ratings 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 Global Ratings’ 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 Global Ratings 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 Global Ratings assigns to certain instruments may diverge from these guidelines based on market practices.

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

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.

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Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings*

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* 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.

Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings

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SPUR (S&P Underlying Rating)

A SPUR is an opinion about the stand-alone capacity of an obligor to pay debt service on a credit-enhanced debt issue, without giving effect to the enhancement that applies to it. These ratings are published only at the request of the debt issuer or obligor with the designation SPUR to distinguish them from the credit-enhanced rating that applies to the debt issue. S&P Global Ratings maintains surveillance of an issue with a published SPUR.

Municipal Short-Term Note Ratings

An S&P Global Ratings U.S. municipal note rating reflects S&P Global Ratings’ 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 Global Ratings’ analysis will review the following considerations:

Municipal short-term note rating symbols are as follows:A-6

Dual Ratings

Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+’ or ‘A-1+/A-1’). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+’).

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Active Qualifiers (Currently applied and/or outstanding)

S&P Global Ratings uses the following qualifiers that limit the scope of a rating. The structure of the transaction can require the use of a qualifier such as a ‘p’ qualifier, which indicates the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only. A qualifier appears as a suffix and is part of the rating.

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Inactive Qualifiers (No longer applied or outstanding)

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Local Currency and Foreign Currency Ratings

S&P Global Ratings’ issuer credit ratings make a distinction between foreign currency ratings and local currency ratings. A foreign currency rating on an issuer can differ from the local currency rating on it when the obligor has a different capacity to meet its obligations denominated in its local currency versus obligations denominated in a foreign currency.

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APPENDIX B

GW&K INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, LLC

PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

December 2025

INTRODUCTION

As a U.S. registered investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission and a fiduciary to its clients, GW&K Investment Management, LLC (“GW&K” or “Firm”) has implemented this Proxy Voting Policy to establish and maintain internal controls and procedures governing the Firm’s voting of proxies on behalf of client accounts. To assist in the process, GW&K leverages recognized third-party service providers to facilitate the Firm’s proxy voting process.

I. Proxy Guidelines, Voting Advice and Agent

GW&K utilizes proxy voting guidelines developed by Glass Lewis & Co. (“Glass Lewis”), an independent third-party proxy voting advisory firm, which provides GW&K recommendations on ballot items for securities held in client accounts. Proxies are voted on behalf of those GW&K clients, who have delegated proxy voting authority to GW&K. GW&K generally adopts Glass Lewis’ “Investment Manager Policy” guidelines for client accounts but also may, depending on the circumstances of a client account, apply other Glass Lewis proxy voting thematic voting guidelines; such as, Socially Responsible Policy guidelines and Taft Hartley Policy guidelines. GW&K reserves the right to cast votes contrary to Glass Lewis guidelines if the Firm believes it to be in the best interest of its clients.

GW&K has contracted with Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. (“Broadridge”), an independent third-party proxy voting agent, to act as proxy voting agent and to provide certain proxy voting services to GW&K and its clients. Together, Glass Lewis and Broadridge assist GW&K with various proxy related process components including:

Additionally, GW&K may contract certain independent third-party vendors to assist GW&K with administrative filing functions.

II. Responsibility and Oversight

GW&K is responsible for maintaining and administering these policies and procedures. GW&K will:

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