Form 485APOS FORUM FUNDS

March 23, 2022 1:49 PM EDT

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 23, 2022

 

File Nos. 002-67052 and 811-03023

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549

 

FORM N-1A

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

Post-Effective Amendment No. 701

 

AND

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE
INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940

 

Amendment No. 702

 

 

 

FORUM FUNDS
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 600

Portland, Maine 04101

207-347-2000

 

Stacy L. Fuller, Esq.
K&L Gates LLP
1601 K Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006

 

Copies to:
Zachary R. Tackett
Apex Fund Services
Three Canal Plaza
Portland, ME 04101

 

 

 

It is proposed that this filing will become effective:

[   ] immediately upon filing pursuant to Rule 485, paragraph (b)(1)
[   ] on   ___________, pursuant to Rule 485, paragraph (b)(1)
[   ] 60 days after filing pursuant to Rule 485, paragraph (a)(1)
[X] on June 6, 2022, pursuant to Rule 485, paragraph (a)(1)
[   ] 75 days after filing pursuant to Rule 485, paragraph (a)(2)
[   ] on                         , pursuant to Rule 485, paragraph (a)(2)
[   ] this post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.

 

Title of series being registered: Absolute Convertible Opportunities Fund

   

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON MARCH 23, 2022

 

THE INFORMATION IN THIS PROSPECTUS 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 PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.

 

 

 

PROSPECTUS

 

[June 6, 2022]

 

ABSOLUTE INVESTMENT ADVISERS LLC

ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

INSTITUTIONAL SHARES (TICKER)

 

 

 

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

 

Absolute Investment Advisers and its logo are registered service marks of Absolute Investment Advisers LLC (“Absolute”); other marks referred to herein are trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks or registered service marks of their respective owners.

 

 

 

 

 

Absolute Convertible Opportunities Fund

 

 

 

Table of Contents  
   
Summary Section 1
Investment Objective 1
Fees and Expenses 1
Principal Investment Strategies 2
Principal Investment Risks 3
Performance Information 8
Management 8
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares 8
Tax Information 9
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries 9
Details Regarding Principal Investment Strategies and Risks 10
Additional Information Regarding Principal Investment Strategies 10
Additional Information Regarding Principal Investment Risks 11
Management 21
The Adviser 21
Manager of Managers Structure 23
Portfolio Managers 23
Other Service Providers 24
Fund Expenses 24
Your Account 25
General Information 25
How to Contact the Fund 25
Buying Shares 28
Selling Shares 31
Retirement Accounts 34
Other Information 35
Financial Highlights 38

 

 

 

ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

Summary Section

 

Investment Objective

 

The Absolute Convertible Opportunities Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to achieve positive absolute returns over the long-term with low volatility when compared to traditional market indices.

 

Fees and Expenses

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses  
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 1.40%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses(1) 0.96%
Other Expenses 0.71%
Dividend and Interest Expenses on Short Sales(2) 0.25%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 2.36%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(3) (0.62)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement 1.74%

 

(1)“Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts expected to be incurred for the current fiscal year.
(2)Dividend and interest expenses on short sales occur when the Fund sells an equity or debt security short to gain the inverse exposure necessary to meet its investment objective.
(3)Absolute Investment Advisers LLC (“Absolute”) has contractually agreed to limit its fee and/or reimburse Fund expenses to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding all taxes, interest, portfolio transaction expenses, dividend and interest expense on short sales, acquired fund fees and expenses, broker charges, proxy expenses and extraordinary expenses) to 1.49% through August 1, 2023 (the “Expense Cap”). The Expense Cap may only be raised or eliminated with the consent of the Board of Trustees. Absolute may recoup from the Fund fees waived (other than advisory fees waived by Absolute related to the Fund’s investments in other pooled vehicles sponsored by Absolute) and expenses reimbursed by Absolute pursuant to the Expense Cap if such recoupment is made within three years of the fee waiver or expense reimbursement and does not cause the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement of the Fund (after the recoupment has been taken into account) to exceed the lesser of (i) any then-current expense cap, and (ii) the expense cap in place at the time the fees/expenses were waived or reimbursed. Absolute has contractually agreed to waive its investment advisory fees related to any Fund assets invested in pooled vehicles sponsored by it.

 

Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then hold or redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same, except that it reflects the Expense Cap through the time periods described above. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, whether you do or do not redeem your shares at the end of each period described below, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$177 $677

 

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Portfolio turnover rate is not provided because, as of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund had not yet completed its first fiscal year.

 1 

 

 

 

ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund invests primarily in a diversified portfolio of convertible securities issued by both U.S. and foreign companies. These convertible securities are typically debt securities or preferred stocks that can be exchanged for, or convert automatically to, common stock. Convertible arbitrage generally involves purchasing such a portfolio of convertible securities and hedging the equity and default risk inherent in such securities by selling short the common stock into which the securities may be converted. The stock short is designed to control the equity directional risk inherent in the convertible security. The Fund’s convertible arbitrage strategy differs from most convertible arbitrage strategies in that the Fund may own convertible securities outright (unhedged) or with a partial equity hedge (arbitraged), by selling the same company’s underlying common stock short. The degree of hedging with respect to a particular investment, if any, will depend on the equity sensitivity desired by the Fund's Adviser at that particular time based on market conditions. The Fund’s strategy is intended to offer investors the downside protection of convertibles, as well as the potential for yield and capital appreciation if the underlying common stock moves higher, with less risk than traditional stocks and bonds.

 

The Adviser analyzes the appreciation potential of the common stock underlying the convertible securities in the Fund’s portfolio, as well as the default risk of those convertible securities. In this regard, the Adviser generally considers an issuer’s financial soundness, ability to make interest and dividend payments, earnings and cash flow forecast, and quality of management. The Adviser also takes into account the price at which the convertible security is trading, as well as the risk/reward profile of the security in light of such valuation considerations.

 

Although the Fund may invest in securities of issuers of any market capitalization, the Fund expects to invest primarily in small- and mid-capitalization companies. For these purposes, the Fund considers small capitalization companies to be those with a market capitalization of less than $2 billion at the time of investment and mid-capitalization companies to be those with a market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion at the time of investment. The Fund may also invest in below investment grade securities with individual ratings ranging from AA to CCC. The weighted average grade of bonds in the Fund’s portfolio is typically below investment grade. Such “junk bonds” typically are rated Baa3 or below by Moody’s, BBB- or below by S&P or BBB- or below by Fitch. The Fund may purchase unrated securities if, at the time of purchase, the Adviser believes that they are of comparable quality to rated securities that the Fund may purchase.

 

The Fund may invest in equity securities of issuers of any market capitalization in the U.S. or abroad, including convertible, private placement/restricted, and Rule 144A securities, initial public offerings (“IPOs”) and frontier and emerging market securities, with certain exposures to non-U.S. issuers obtained through investments in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). The Fund may also invest in pooled investment vehicles, including other registered investment companies and ETFs.

 

The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities.

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

Principal Investment Risks

 

The Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

 

It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund prior to making an investment in the Fund.

 

Convertible Arbitrage Risk. Convertible arbitrage involves purchasing a portfolio of convertible securities, generally convertible bonds, and hedging a portion of the equity risk by selling short the underlying common stock. Employing arbitrage and alternative strategies involves the risk that anticipated opportunities may not play out as planned, resulting in potentially reduced returns or losses to the Fund as it unwinds failed trades. Convertible arbitrage is further subject to special risks, including the risk of default in interest or principal payments, which could result in a loss of income to the Fund, or a decline in the market value of the securities. Arbitrage strategies involve the risk that underlying relationships between securities in which investment positions are taken may change in an adverse or unanticipated manner.

 

Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible securities entail some of the risks of both equity and debt securities, such as credit risk, market events risk, and counterparty risk. While fixed-income securities generally have a priority claim on a corporation’s assets over that of common stock, some of the convertible securities which the Fund may hold are high-yield/high-risk securities that are subject to special risks, including the risk of default in interest or principal payments which could result in a loss of income from or a decline in the market value of, the securities. In addition, convertible securities often display a degree of market price volatility that is comparable to common stocks. The credit risk associated with convertible securities generally is reflected by their ratings by organizations such as Moody’s or S&P or a similar determination of creditworthiness by a Subadviser. The market value of convertible securities may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. The value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates rise and, because of the conversion feature, tends to vary with fluctuations in the market value of the underlying securities.

 

Contingent Convertible Securities Risk. In addition to the general risks associated with fixed-income securities and convertible securities, the risks of investing in contingent convertible securities (“CoCos”) include the risk that a CoCo may be written down, written off or converted into an equity security when the issuer’s capital ratio falls below a specified trigger level, or in a regulator’s discretion depending on the regulator’s judgment about the issuer’s solvency prospects. Due to these features, CoCos may have substantially greater risk than other securities in times of financial stress. If the trigger level is breached, the issuer’s decision to write down, write off or convert a CoCo may be outside its control, and the fund may suffer a complete loss on an investment in CoCos with no chance of recovery even if the issuer remains in existence.

 

Short Selling Risk. If the Fund buys back a security it has sold short at a higher price, the Fund will incur a loss on the transaction. Because the loss on a short sale stems from increases in the value of the security sold short, the extent of such loss is theoretically unlimited. Short sales may decrease the liquidity of the Fund and may create leverage, which may cause relatively smaller adverse market movement to have a disproportionate impact on the Fund’s performance.

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

  

Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in fixed-income (debt) securities, which are generally subject to the following risks:

 

Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause the issuer to default. A decline in an issuer’s credit rating may cause a decrease in the value of the security and an increase in investment risk and price volatility.

 

Extension Risk. If interest rates rise, repayments of principal on certain fixed-income securities may occur at a slower-than-expected rate and, as a result, the expected maturity of such securities could lengthen which could cause their value to decline.

 

Interest Rate Risk. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the value of fixed-income securities in which the Fund may invest. Given that interest rates are near historic lows, risks associated with rising rates may be heightened. Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities with shorter durations.

 

Prepayment Risk. Prepayment of fixed-income securities, which is more common when interest rates are declining, may shorten such securities’ maturity, reduce the Fund’s return and cause the Fund to reinvest in lower yielding securities.

 

Equity Risk. Equity securities, including common stocks, convertible securities, preferred stocks, warrants and sponsored and unsponsored ADRs may decline in value because of changes in the price of a particular holding or a broad stock market decline. Common stock ranks below preferred stock and debt securities in claims for dividends and for assets of the company in a liquidation or bankruptcy. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons that directly relate to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events including changes in interest rates.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund may not be able to dispose of restricted, thinly traded and/or illiquid instruments at an appropriate time or at a reasonable price, which may result in a loss to the Fund. Liquidity can decline unpredictably and investments that are illiquid are typically more difficult to value than investments with more active markets.

 

High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund’s strategy may result in high portfolio turnover rates, which may increase the Fund’s brokerage commission costs and negatively impact the Fund’s performance. Such portfolio turnover also may generate net short-term capital gains.

 

Market Events Risk. Disruptive events with geopolitical consequences, including pandemics (such as COVID-19), may destabilize various countries’ economies and markets, which may experience increased volatility and reduced liquidity. Policy changes by the Federal Reserve and/or other government actors could similarly cause increased volatility in financial markets. Globally, various governments have taken steps to support liquidity in their local markets, including by purchasing certain securities in the markets. Such activity by governments has contributed to additional demand, which may have resulted in artificial increased prices for such securities. Trade barriers and other protectionist trade policies (including those in the U.S.) may also result in market turbulence. Market volatility and reductions in market liquidity may negatively affect issuers worldwide, including issuers in which the Fund invests. Under such circumstances, the Fund may have difficulty liquidating portfolio holdings, particularly at favorable prices. To the extent that the Fund experiences higher levels of redemptions, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio holdings, even during volatile market conditions, which may negatively impact the Fund’s net asset value.

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

Management Risk. The Fund’s performance may deviate from overall market returns to a greater degree than other funds that do not employ an absolute return strategy. Alternatively, if the Fund takes a defensive posture by hedging its portfolio, then stock prices advance, the return to Fund investors may be lower than expected and lower than if the portfolio had not been hedged. Due to its active management, the Fund could underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

 

Small and Mid-Sized Capitalization Company Risk. Investments in small and mid-sized capitalization companies may be less liquid, and the prices of such securities may fluctuate more than those of larger, more established companies. These factors could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to sell such securities at a desirable time and price.

 

Derivatives Risk. Derivatives, such as options, futures, forwards and swaps, can be volatile, and a small investment in a derivative can have a large impact on the performance of the Fund as derivatives can result in losses in excess of the amount invested. Other risks of investments in derivatives include risks of default by the other party to the derivative transactions; risks that the transactions may result in losses that partially or completely offset gains in portfolio positions; and risks that the derivative transaction may not be liquid. The Fund’s use of derivatives may also expose the Fund to greater or different risks, including the following:

 

Correlation Risk is the risk of imperfect correlation between the value of these instruments and the underlying assets.

 

Credit Derivative Risk is the risk that a credit derivative position, such as a credit default swap, may correlate imperfectly with the price of the asset or liability being hedged. The Fund’s risk of loss in a credit derivative transaction varies with the form of the transaction and may be significant.

 

Hedging Risk is the risk that derivative instruments used to hedge against an opposite position may offset losses, but they also may offset gains. Hedges may not be perfect and typically involve expenses.

 

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

 

Volatility Risk is the risk that, because the Fund may use some derivatives that involve economic leverage, this economic leverage will increase the volatility of a derivative instrument, as they may increase or decrease in value more quickly than the reference asset.

 

Leverage Risk. Certain transactions, such as those involving borrowing money, selling securities short, lending portfolio securities, entering into reverse repurchase agreements and investing in certain derivatives, may give rise to leverage, causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged.

 

Money Market Risk. Although a money market fund is designed to be a relatively low risk investment, it is not free of risk. Despite the short maturities and high credit quality of a money market fund’s investments, increases in interest rates and deteriorations in the credit quality of the instruments the money market fund has purchased may reduce the money market fund’s yield and can cause the price of a money market security to decrease. In addition, a money market fund is subject to the risk that the value of an investment may be eroded over time by inflation.

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

  

 

 

Registered Investment Company and Exchange-Traded Funds Risk. The risks of investing in these securities typically reflect the risks of the types of instruments in which the investment companies or ETF invest. By investing in another investment company or ETF, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company or ETF and bears its proportionate share of the fees and expenses of the other investment company or ETF. ETF shares trade in the secondary market and may be purchased by the Fund at a premium or discount to their NAV. When selling such securities, the Fund may not sell at the same premium or discount and may lose money on the premium or discount.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund may invest in securities that trade in and/or receive revenues in foreign currencies or in derivatives that provide exposure to foreign currencies. These investments are subject to the risk that the foreign currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged. The value of foreign currencies can change rapidly and unexpectedly.

 

Foreign Investments Risk. The value of foreign investments may be affected by risks in addition to those affecting domestic investments, including the imposition of new, amended, or limited government regulations, changes in diplomatic relations between the U.S. and another country, political and economic instability, less favorable economic conditions, the imposition or tightening of exchange controls, trade barriers and other protectionist trade policies (including those in the U.S.), or other limitations on repatriation of foreign capital or nationalization and/or increased taxation or confiscation of investors’ assets. Investments in securities of foreign issuers are subject to fluctuations in the value of the issuer’s local currency relative to the U.S dollar and may be subject to foreign withholding and other taxes.

 

Frontier and Emerging Markets Risk. Frontier and emerging markets investments are subject to the same risks as foreign investments and to additional risks due to greater political and economic uncertainties as well as a relative lack of information about companies in such markets. Securities traded on frontier and emerging markets are potentially illiquid and may be subject to volatility and high transaction costs.

 

ADR Risk. The Fund may invest in ADRs. ADR risks include, but are not limited to, foreign investment risks, such as political and financial instability, less liquidity, lack of uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and increased price volatility. In addition, ADRs may not track the price of the underlying foreign securities, and their value may change materially at times when U.S. markets are not open for trading. Unsponsored ADRs may involve additional risks, and their prices may be more volatile than the prices of sponsored ADRs.

 

Sector Risk. The Fund may invest a higher percentage of its total assets in one or more sectors. Developments affecting those sectors should be expected to impact the Fund more than a fund that is more broadly diversified and/ or is not weighted in those sectors.

 

Information Technology Sector Risk. To the extent that the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the information technology sector, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The information technology sector includes, for example, internet, semiconductor, software, hardware, and technology equipment companies. This sector can be affected by, among other things, the supply and demand for specific products and services, the pace of technological development, and government regulation.

 

Healthcare Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the healthcare sector, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The profitability of companies in the healthcare sector may be affected by government regulations changing costs of medical products and services, limited product lines, and product liability claims, among other things. Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on patent protection, which may be time consuming and costly, and the expiration of a company’s patent may adversely affect that company’s profitability. Healthcare companies may be thinly capitalized and susceptible to product obsolescence. Many new products in the healthcare sector require significant research and development and may be subject to regulatory approvals, which may be time consuming and costly and with no guarantee that the product will come to market.

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the consumer discretionary sector, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Consumer discretionary products and services are non-essential products and services whose demand tends to increase as consumers’ disposable income increases, such as automobiles, apparel, electronics, home furnishings, and travel and leisure products and services. Investments in this sector can be significantly affected by the performance of the overall economy, interest rates, competition, and consumer confidence. Success can depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. Changes in demographics and consumer tastes can also affect the demand for, and success of, consumer discretionary products. The prices of raw materials fluctuate in response to a number of factors, including changes in government agricultural support programs, exchange rates, import and export controls, changes in international agricultural and trading policies and seasonal and weather conditions. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector may be subject to severe competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability.

 

Communications Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the communications sector, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Companies in the communications sector may be affected by industry competition, substantial capital requirements, government regulation, cyclicality of revenues and earnings, obsolescence of communications products and services due to technological advancement, a potential decrease in the discretionary income of targeted individuals and changing consumer tastes and interests.

 

Industrials Sector Risk. The value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Companies in the industrials sector, particularly aerospace and defense companies, may also be adversely affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this sector rely to a significant extent on government demand for their products and services.

 

Large Shareholder Risk. To the extent that a large number of shares of the Fund is held by a single shareholder (e.g., an institutional investor), the Fund is subject to the risk that a redemption by that shareholder of all or a large portion of its Fund shares will require the Fund to sell securities at disadvantageous prices or otherwise disrupt the Fund's operations.

 

High-Yield Securities Risk. Investments in “high-yield securities” or “junk bonds” are inherently speculative and have a greater risk of default than investments in investment-grade fixed-income securities. If an issuer defaults, a below investment-grade security could lose all of its value, be renegotiated at a lower interest rate or principal amount or become illiquid. Below investment-grade securities may be less liquid and more volatile than investment-grade fixed-income securities and may be more difficult to value or sell.

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

Preferred Stock Risk. Preferred stock is a class of a capital stock that typically pays dividends at a specified rate. Preferred stock is generally senior to common stock, but subordinate to debt securities, with respect to the payment of dividends and on liquidation of the issuer. The market value of preferred stock generally decreases when interest rates rise and is also affected by the issuer’s ability to make payments on the preferred stock.

 

Initial Public Offering Risk. The Fund may purchase securities in an IPO. Securities purchased in an IPO may be illiquid, and therefore more difficult to sell promptly at the most favorable price, and may be subject to substantial price volatility due to factors such as unseasoned trading, lack of investor knowledge of the company, and limited operating history.

 

Counterparty Risk. The Fund may enter into financial instruments or transactions with a counterparty. A counterparty may become bankrupt or otherwise fail to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, jeopardizing the value of the Fund’s investment.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is newly formed. Investors in the Fund bear the risk that the Adviser may not be successful in implementing the Fund’s investment strategy and the Fund may not achieve scale.

 

Performance Information

 

The Fund is newly created and does not have a full calendar year performance record. Performance information will be included after the Fund has been in operation for one calendar year. Past performance does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser. Absolute Investment Advisers LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser.

 

Portfolio Managers. Mr. Eric C. Hage and Mr. Daniel Hage have served as a Portfolio Managers of the Fund since its inception in June 2022.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

You may purchase or sell (redeem) shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) is open for business. You may purchase or redeem shares directly from the Fund by calling (888) 99-ABSOLUTE or (888) 992-2765 (toll free) or writing to the Fund at Absolute Convertible Opportunities Fund, P.O. Box 588, Portland, Maine 04112. You also may purchase or redeem shares of the Fund through your financial intermediary. The Fund accepts investments in the following minimum amounts:

 

  Minimum Initial Minimum Additional
  Investment(1)(2) Investment(1)(2)
Standard Accounts $25,000 None
Retirement Accounts $25,000 None

 

(1)If you invest through a broker or other financial intermediary, the policies and fees of the intermediary may be different than the policies and fees of the Fund. Among other things, such financial intermediaries may charge transaction fees and may set different minimum investments or limitations on buying (selling) Fund shares. You should consult your broker or other representative of your financial intermediary for more information.

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

(2)No initial or subsequent investment minimums for accounts maintained by financial institutions for the benefit of their clients who purchase shares through investment programs such as (1) fee-based advisory programs; (2) employee benefit plans like 401(k) retirement plans; (3) mutual fund platforms; and (4) consulting firms. No initial or subsequent investment minimum for Trustees or officers of the Trust, directors, officers and employees of Absolute, and employees and affiliates of the Fund, or the distributor or any of their affiliates, or the spouse, sibling, direct ancestor, or direct descendent (collectively, “relatives”) of any such person, any trust or individual retirement account or self-employed retirement plan for the benefit of any such person or relative; or the estate of any such person or relative.

 

If deemed appropriate by the Trust officers, the Fund reserves the right to waive minimum investment amounts.

 

Tax Information

 

Shareholders may receive distributions from the Fund, which may be taxed to shareholders other than tax-advantaged investors (such as tax-advantaged retirement plans and accounts) as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both. If you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, you may still be subject to taxation at ordinary income tax rates upon withdrawals from that account.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

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

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

Details Regarding Principal Investment Strategies and Risks

 

The Fund seeks to achieve positive absolute risk-adjusted returns over the long-term with low volatility when compared to traditional market indices. The Fund’s investment objective is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without a vote of shareholders. The Fund, however, will provide shareholders with at least 60 days’ notice prior to making any changes to the investment objective.

 

Additional Information Regarding Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund invests primarily in a diversified portfolio of convertible securities issued by both U.S. and foreign companies. These convertible securities are typically debt securities or preferred stocks that can be exchanged for, or converted automatically to, common stock. Although the Fund may invest in securities of issuers of any market capitalization, the Fund expects to invest primarily in small- and mid-capitalization companies. For these purposes, the Fund considers small capitalization companies to be those with a market capitalization of less than $2 billion at the time of investment and mid-capitalization companies to be those with a market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion at the time of investment.

 

Convertible arbitrage generally involves purchasing a portfolio of convertible securities and hedging the equity and default risk inherent in such securities by selling short the common stock into which the securities may be converted. The stock short is designed to control some of the equity directional risk inherent in the convertible security. This strategy is designed to take advantage of pricing inefficiencies while providing market neutral investment returns. When the convertible arbitrage strategy is not applied, or if the convertible arbitrage strategy is applied to a lesser extent, the underlying security is expected to perform in a manner that is more directional, and is not necessarily designed to be non-correlated.

 

The Fund may invest in equity securities of issuers of any market capitalization in the U.S. or abroad, including convertible, private placement/restricted, including those which may be sold only in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, initial public offerings (“IPOs”) and emerging market securities, with certain exposures to non-U.S. issuers obtained through investments in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). The Fund may also invest in pooled investment vehicles, including other registered investment companies and ETFs.

 

The Adviser analyzes the appreciation potential of the common stock underlying the convertible securities and the default risk of the convertible securities when investing the Fund’s portfolio. In this regard, the Adviser generally considers an issuer’s financial soundness, ability to make interest and dividend payments, earnings and cash flow forecast and quality of management. The Adviser also takes into account the price at which the convertible security is trading, as well as the risk/reward profile of the security in light of such valuation considerations.

 

The Fund’s strategy is intended to offer investors the downside protection of convertibles, as well as the potential for yield and capital appreciation if the underlying common stock moves higher, with less risk than traditional stocks and bonds. Consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and principal investment strategy, the Fund’s Adviser views convertible arbitrage as a low volatility strategy that is intended to achieve fixed-income-like returns with lower than equity market risk by managing a portfolio that it believes will exhibit less volatility over full market cycles. The Fund’s convertible arbitrage strategy differs from most convertible arbitrage strategies in that the Fund may own convertible securities outright (unhedged) or with a partial equity hedge (arbitraged), by selling the same company’s underlying common stock short. The degree of hedging with respect to a particular investment, if any, will depend on the equity sensitivity desired by the Fund's Adviser at that particular time based on market conditions. The Fund may also invest in below investment grade securities with individual ratings ranging from AA to CCC. The weighted average grade of bonds in the portfolio is typically below investment grade. Such “junk bonds” typically are rated Baa3 or below by Moody’s, BBB- or below by S&P or BBB- or below by Fitch. The Fund may purchase unrated securities if, at the time of purchase, the Adviser believes that they are of comparable quality to rated securities that the Fund may purchase.

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The Adviser may decide to sell a position for various reasons, including when a company’s fundamental outlook deteriorates because of valuation and price considerations, for risk management purposes, or when a company is deemed to be misallocating capital. In addition, the Adviser may sell a position in order to meet shareholder redemptions.

 

The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities.

 

Non-Principal Strategies. In addition to the principal strategies, the Fund may also invest in several other types of financial instruments that the Adviser believes are complimentary and, when combined, will produce risk-adjusted returns.

 

The Fund may invest in fixed income securities of any credit quality and maturity, including those with fixed and variable terms. These securities can be rated below investment grade (i.e., “junk bonds”) and thus rated Baa3 or below by Moody's, BBB- or below by S&P or BBB- or below by Fitch Ratings Ltd. or unrated and securities in default.

 

The Fund may invest in derivatives, which are financial instruments that have a value that depends upon, or is derived from, a reference asset, such as one or more underlying securities, pools of securities, options, futures, indexes or currencies. The most common types of derivatives in which the Fund may invest are forwards, options, futures and swaps contracts. The Fund’s forward contracts may include forward currency contracts. The Fund’s swap agreements may include equity, interest rate, index, credit default and currency rate swap agreements. The Fund’s futures contracts may include futures on securities, commodities, and securities indices. The Fund’s options contracts may include options on securities, securities indices, commodities and futures. The Fund may purchase or write options. The Fund may invest in derivatives to hedge or reduce its exposure to a portfolio asset or risk, to obtain leverage for speculative purposes, to manage cash and/or as a substitute for taking a position in the reference asset or to gain exposure to certain asset classes, in which case the derivatives may have economic characteristics similar to those of the reference asset and the Fund’s investment in the derivatives may be applied toward meeting a requirement to invest a certain percentage of its net assets in instruments with such characteristics. Leverage generally involves the use of debt by the Fund to finance the purchase of investments and results in the Fund controlling substantially more assets than it has equity in an effort to increase returns. The Fund may also obtain leverage by investing an amount equivalent to short sale proceeds.

 

Temporary Defensive Position. In order to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, the Fund may assume a temporary defensive position that is inconsistent with its principal investment objective and/or strategies and may invest, without limitation, in cash or high-quality cash equivalents (including money market instruments, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, banker’s acceptances and time deposits). A defensive position, taken at the wrong time, may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s performance. The Fund may be unable to achieve its investment objective during the employment of a temporary defensive position.

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Additional Information Regarding Principal Investment Risks

 

The Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

 

Convertible Arbitrage Risk. Convertible arbitrage involves purchasing a portfolio of convertible securities, generally convertible bonds, and hedging a portion of the equity risk by selling short the underlying common stock. Employing arbitrage and alternative strategies involves the risk that anticipated opportunities may not play out as planned, resulting in potentially reduced returns or losses to the Fund as it unwinds failed trades. Convertible arbitrage is further subject to special risks, including the risk of default in interest or principal payments, which could result in a loss of income to the Fund, or a decline in the market value of the securities.

 

Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible securities entail some of the risks of both equity and debt securities, such as credit risk, market events risk, and counterparty risk. While fixed-income securities generally have a priority claim on a corporation’s assets over that of common stock, some of the convertible securities which the Fund may hold are high-yield/high-risk securities that are subject to special risks, including the risk of default in interest or principal payments which could result in a loss of income from or a decline in the market value of, the securities. In addition, convertible securities often display a degree of market price volatility that is comparable to common stocks. The credit risk associated with convertible securities generally is reflected by their ratings by organizations such as Moody’s or S&P or a similar determination of creditworthiness by a Subadviser. The market value of convertible securities may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. The value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates rise and, because of the conversion feature, tends to vary with fluctuations in the market value of the underlying securities.

 

Contingent Convertible Securities Risk. Contingent convertible securities (“CoCos”) are hybrid debt securities that are a form of preferred securities. Cocos are intended to either convert into equity or have their principal written down upon the occurrence of certain “triggers.” The triggers are generally linked to regulatory capital thresholds or regulatory actions calling into question the issuing banking institution’s continued viability as a going-concern if the conversion trigger were not exercised. CoCos’ unique equity conversion or principal write-down features are tailored to the issuing banking institution and its regulatory requirements. Some additional risks associated with CoCos include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

The occurrence of a conversion event is inherently unpredictable and depends on many factors, some of which will be outside the issuer’s control. Because of the uncertainty regarding whether a conversion event will occur, it may be difficult to predict when, if at all, a CoCo will be converted to equity, and a fund may suffer losses as a result.

 

CoCos may have no stated maturity and fully discretionary coupons. This means coupon (i.e., interest) payments can be canceled at the banking institution’s discretion or at the request of the relevant regulatory authority in order to help the bank absorb losses, without causing a default.

 

CoCos are usually issued in the form of subordinated debt instruments to provide the appropriate regulatory capital treatment. If an issuer liquidates, dissolves or winds-up before a conversion to equity has occurred, the rights and claims of the holders of the CoCos (such as a fund) against the issuer generally rank junior to the claims of holders of unsubordinated obligations of the issuer. In addition, if the CoCos are converted into the issuer’s underlying equity securities after a conversion event (i.e., a “trigger”), each holder will be further subordinated.

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The value of CoCos is unpredictable and is influenced by many factors including, without limitation: the creditworthiness of the issuer and/or fluctuations in such issuer’s applicable capital ratios; supply and demand for CoCos; general market conditions and available liquidity; and economic, financial and political events that affect the issuer, its particular market or the financial markets in general.

 

Due to these features, CoCos may have substantially greater risk than other securities in times of financial stress. If the trigger level is breached, the issuer’s decision to write down, write off or convert a CoCo may be outside a fund’s control, and a fund may suffer a complete loss on an investment in CoCos with no chance of recovery even if the issuer remains in existence.

 

Short Selling Risk. The Fund may engage in short sales of securities by borrowing a security and then selling it. If the Fund buys back the security at a higher price, the Fund will incur a loss on the transaction. Short sales may involve additional transactions costs and other expenses that may exceed the return on the position, which may cause the Fund to lose money. Short sales may decrease the liquidity of certain securities or positions, or the Fund as a whole, and may lower the Fund’s returns or result in a loss. A short sale may create leverage and as a result, may cause relatively smaller adverse market movement to have a disproportionate impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

In addition, when the Fund is selling stocks short, it must maintain a segregated account with its custodian of cash and/or high-grade securities equal to the current market value of the stocks sold short less any collateral deposited with the Fund’s broker. As a result, the Fund may maintain high levels of cash or liquid assets (such as U.S. Treasury bills, money market accounts, repurchase agreements, certificates of deposit, high quality commercial paper and long equity positions) for collateral needs.

 

Fixed-Income Securities Risk. The value of fixed-income (debt) securities depends generally on an issuer’s credit rating and the interest rate of the security. Fixed-income securities are generally subject to the following risks:

 

Credit Risk. The financial condition or perceived financial condition of an issuer of a fixed-income security may cause the issuer to default or become unable to pay interest or principal due on the security. If an issuer defaults, a fixed-income security could lose all of its value, be renegotiated at a lower interest rate or principal amount or become illiquid. Generally, investment risk and price volatility increase as a fixed-income security’s credit rating declines, which can cause the price of fixed-income securities to go down.

 

Extension Risk. If interest rates rise, repayments of principal on certain fixed-income securities may occur at a slower-than-expected rate and, as a result, the expected maturity of such securities could lengthen which could cause their value to decline.

 

Interest Rate Risk. The value of fixed-income securities may decline due to changes in prevailing interest rates. An increase in interest rates typically causes a decrease in the value of fixed-income securities in which the Fund may invest. Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, generally making them more volatile than fixed-income securities with shorter durations. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates due to the current period of historically low rates. The longer the duration of the Fund’s debt securities, the more sensitive the Fund will be to interest rate changes. Given that interest rates are near historic lows, risks associated with rising rates may be heightened.

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Prepayment Risk. Fixed-income securities may be subject to unanticipated prepayment, shortening the effective maturity of the security. As a result, prepayments may reduce the return on investment and cause increased price volatility in fixed-income securities. Such prepayments often occur during periods of declining interest rates, and may cause the Fund to reinvest its assets in lower yielding securities.

 

Equity Risk. Equity securities, including common stocks, convertible securities, preferred stocks, warrants and sponsored and unsponsored ADRs, and REITs may decline in value because of changes in price of a particular holding or a broad stock market decline. These fluctuations could be a drastic movement or a sustained trend. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons that directly relate to the issuer of a security, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services, or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates. Common stocks in general are subject to the risk of an issuer liquidating or declaring bankruptcy, in which case the claims of owners of the issuer’s debt securities and preferred stock take precedence over the claims of common stockholders.

 

Liquidity Risk. Less liquid and restricted securities may have no active trading market, limitations on resale, and the Fund may have to register a restricted security in order to dispose of it, resulting in expense and delay. Restricted and illiquid securities are extremely difficult to value and are not subject to disclosure or other investor protection requirements. The Fund may not be able to dispose of restricted, thinly traded, or illiquid securities promptly and/ or may only be able to do so at substantial discounts. As a result, the Fund may experience difficulty satisfying redemption requests. Significant positions in other instruments, including those in which there is low trading volume, also may be difficult for the Fund to liquidate and result in losses for the Fund.

 

High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may result in high portfolio turnover rates. This may increase the Fund’s brokerage commission costs. The performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by the increased brokerage commission cost incurred by the Fund. Rapid portfolio turnover also exposes shareholders to a higher current realization of short-term capital gains, distributions of which would generally be taxed to you as ordinary income and thus cause you to pay higher taxes.

 

Market Events Risk. Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may negatively affect issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. Disruptive events with geopolitical consequences, including pandemics and natural disasters, may destabilize world economies and cause market turbulence. Trade barriers and other protectionist trade policies (including those in the U.S.) may also increase market turbulence. Similarly, policy changes by the Federal Reserve and/or other government actors, including changes in interest rates, could cause or increase volatility in the financial markets. Increases in market volatility may lead to reductions in market liquidity, which may make it more difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell portfolio holdings at favorable market prices and make the Fund’s net asset value fluctuate materially. Globally, various governments have taken steps to support liquidity in their local markets, including by purchasing certain securities in the markets. Such activity by governments has contributed to additional demand, which may have resulted in artificial increased prices for such securities. To the extent that the Fund experiences high redemptions during periods of market turbulence, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected as the Fund may not be able to sell portfolio holdings at favorable prices. In addition, the Fund may experience increased portfolio turnover, which will increase its costs and adversely impact its performance.

 

In late 2019 and early 2020, a global pandemic and policy changes implemented by the United Kingdom caused varying levels of market turbulence. Most significantly, an outbreak of severe acute respiratory disease from a novel coronavirus, COVID-19, was detected in China and spread internationally, resulting in major operational and market disruptions. Various countries closed their borders and internally imposed or recommended strict quarantines of exposed populations. Travel became restricted. Supply chains were disrupted, and consumer activity decreased. All of these changes in the world economy led to significant market uncertainty, heightened market volatility and reduced market liquidity. The final impact of COVID-19, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, cannot be known at this time and may materially adversely affect issuers in which the Fund invests and the Fund itself.

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In addition, the United Kingdom officially withdrew from the European Union (“EU”) on January 31, 2020 in an act commonly referred to as “Brexit.” The effect of Brexit on the United Kingdom and European economies will likely depend on the nature of trade relations between the United Kingdom and the EU and other major economies following Brexit, which are matters being negotiated. There is significant market uncertainty regarding Brexit’s ramifications of possible political, regulatory, economic, and market outcomes.

 

In addition, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, significantly amplifying already existing geopolitical tensions. The United States and many other countries have instituted various economic sanctions against Russian individuals and entities (including corporate and banking). The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions imposed and other punitive action taken and resulting future market disruptions in Europe and globally cannot be easily predicted, but could be significant and have a severe adverse effect on Russia and Europe in general, including significant negative impacts on the economy.

 

Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed and its performance will reflect Absolute’s ability to make investment decisions that are suited to achieving the Fund’s investment objective. Investments selected by the Adviser for the Fund may not perform to expectations. This could result in the Fund’s underperformance compared to other funds with similar investment objectives. Further, the Fund’s performance may deviate from overall market returns to a greater degree than funds that do not employ a similar strategy.

 

Small and Mid-Sized Capitalization Company Risk. Investments in small and mid-sized capitalization companies may be less liquid, and the prices of such securities may fluctuate more and have a higher degree of volatility than those of larger, more established companies. Securities of small and mid capitalization companies may be traded in lower volume. The general market may not favor the small and mid-sized companies in which the Fund invests, and as a result the Fund could underperform the general market. Small and mid-sized companies may have more limited product lines, markets and financial resources that make them more susceptible to economic and market setbacks. Additionally, information about these companies may not be readily available. The smaller the company, the greater effect these risks may have on the company’s operations and performance, which could have a significant impact on the price of the security. These factors could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to sell such securities at a desirable time and price.

 

Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that have a value which depends upon, or is derived from, a reference asset, such as one or more underlying securities, pools of securities, options, futures, indexes or currencies. Derivatives may result in investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest; in other words, a small investment in a derivative may have a large impact on the Fund’s performance. Derivatives can create leverage, which can magnify the impact of a decline in the value of the reference instrument underlying the derivative, and the Fund could lose more than the amount it invests. Derivatives can have the potential for unlimited losses, including, for example, where the Fund may be called upon to deliver a security it does not own. Derivatives can be difficult to value and may at times be highly illiquid, and the Fund may not be able to close out or sell a derivative at a particular time or at an anticipated price. Derivatives may involve fees, commissions, or other costs that may reduce the Fund’s gains (if any) from the derivatives. Derivatives that have margin requirements involve the risk that if the Fund has insufficient cash or eligible margin securities to meet daily variation margin requirements, it may have to sell securities from its portfolio at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. The Fund may remain obligated to meet margin requirements until a derivatives position is closed. In addition, the Fund’s use of derivatives may have different tax consequences for the Fund than an investment in the reference instruments, and those differences may increase the amount and affect the timing and character of taxable distributions payable to shareholders. The successful use of derivatives generally depends on the Adviser’s ability to predict market movements.

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On October 28, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act providing for the regulation of a registered investment company’s use of derivatives and certain related instruments. Compliance with Rule 18f-4 will not be required until August 19, 2022. As the Fund comes into compliance, the Fund’s approach to asset segregation and coverage requirements described in this Prospectus may be impacted. In addition, Rule 18f-4 could restrict the Fund’s ability to engage in certain derivatives transactions and/or increase the costs of such derivatives transactions, which could adversely affect the value or performance of the Fund.

 

Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this section, such as liquidity risk, interest rate risk, credit risk, and general market risks. The Fund’s use of derivatives may also expose the Fund to greater or different risks including the following:

 

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

 

Credit Derivative Risk is the risk associated with the use of credit derivatives, which is a highly specialized activity that involves strategies and risks different than those with ordinary portfolio security transactions. If Absolute is incorrect in its forecast of default risks, market spreads or other applicable factors, the Fund’s investment performance would diminish compared with what it would have been if these techniques were not used. Moreover, even if Absolute is correct in its forecast, there is a risk that a credit derivative position may correlate imperfectly with the price of the asset or liability being hedged. The Fund’s risk of loss in a credit derivative transaction varies with the form of the transaction and may be significant.

 

Hedging Risk is the risk that derivative instruments used to hedge against an opposite position may offset losses, but they also may offset gains. Hedges may not be perfect and typically include expenses.

 

Segregation Risk is the risk associated with any requirements, which may be imposed on the Fund, to segregate assets or enter into offsetting positions in connection with investments in derivatives. Such segregation will not limit the Fund’s exposure to loss, and the Fund may incur investment risk with respect to the segregated assets to the extent that, but for the applicable segregation requirement, the Fund would sell the segregated assets. If the Fund is required to segregate assets equal to only the current market value of its obligation under a derivative, the Fund may be able to use derivatives to a greater extent than if it were required to segregate assets equal to the full notional value of such derivative, which would increase the degree of leverage the Fund could undertake through derivatives and otherwise.

 

Volatility Risk is the risk that, because the Fund may use some derivatives that involve economic leverage, this economic leverage will increase the volatility of a derivative instrument, as they may increase or decrease in value more quickly than the reference asset.

 

Leverage Risk. Leverage transactions, including borrowing money, selling securities short, lending portfolio securities, entering into reverse repurchase agreements and investing in certain derivatives, create the risk of magnified capital losses. The use of leverage may increase (or decrease) the Fund’s return when the Fund earns a greater (or lesser) return on leveraged investments than the cost of the leverage. The effect of leverage on the Fund’s returns may be magnified by market movements or changes in the cost of leveraging. Changes in interest rates and similar economic factors could cause the relationship between the cost of leveraging and the yield on leveraged investments to change in a manner that is unfavorable for the Fund. The Fund’s current investment income may not be sufficient to meet the interest expense of leveraging, and it may be necessary for the Fund to liquidate certain of its investments at an inopportune time. Leverage may exaggerate the effect of a change in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities, causing the Fund to be more volatile than if leverage was not used. Leverage may also involve the creation of liability that requires the Fund to pay interest. The Fund will, where required, reduce leverage risk by either segregating an equal amount of liquid assets or “covering” the transactions that introduce such risk.

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Money Market Risk. Although a money market fund is designed to be a relatively low risk investment, it is not free of risk. Despite the short maturities and high credit quality of a money market fund’s investments, increases in interest rates and deteriorations in the credit quality of the instruments the money market fund has purchased may reduce the money market fund’s yield and can cause the price of a money market security to decrease. In addition, a money market fund is subject to the risk that the value of an investment may be eroded over time by inflation.

 

Registered Investment Company and Exchange-Traded Funds Risk. The risks of investing in these securities typically reflect the risks of the types of instruments in which the investment companies or ETFs invest. When the Fund invests in investment company or ETF securities, shareholders of the Fund bear their proportionate share of their fees and expenses, as well as their share of the Fund’s fees and expenses. As a result, an investment by the Fund in an investment company or ETF could cause the cost of investing in the Fund to be higher and, in turn, performance to be lower than if the Fund were to invest directly in the instruments underlying the investment company or ETF. To the extent that the Fund invests in any investment company or ETF sponsored by Absolute or its affiliates, Absolute may waive certain fees and expenses.

 

Because ETF shares are listed and traded on national stock exchanges, they may trade at a discount or premium to their NAV. Investments in ETFs are subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. The trading in an ETF may be halted if the trading in one or more of the ETF’s underlying securities is halted. Finally, because the value of ETF shares depends in part on the demand for them in the market, Absolute may not be able to liquidate an ETF position at the NAV of the ETF, adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.

 

Currency Risk. Because the Fund invests in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, foreign currencies, or in derivatives that provide exposure to foreign currencies, the Fund will be subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates, intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments, central banks or supranational entities such as the International Monetary Fund, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad. As a result, the Fund’s investments in foreign currency-denominated securities may reduce the returns of the Fund. The value of foreign securities can change rapidly and unexpectedly. Suitable hedging instruments may not be available for all foreign currencies.

 

Foreign Investments Risk. The value of foreign investments may be affected by risks in addition to those affecting domestic investments, including the imposition of new or amended government regulations, changes in diplomatic relations between the U.S. and another country, political and economic instability, the imposition or tightening of exchange controls or other limitations on repatriation of foreign capital or nationalization, trade barriers and other protectionist trade policies (including those in the U.S.) and/or increased taxation or confiscation of investors’ assets.

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Investments in securities of foreign issuers are subject to the risk that an issuer’s securities may not reflect the issuer's condition because there is not sufficient publicly available information about the issuer. This risk may be greater for investments in issuers in emerging or developing markets due to lower liquidity and higher likelihood of hyperinflation and currency devaluations. The Fund may have limited or no legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain foreign securities. In addition, key information about the issuer, the markets or the local government or economy may be unavailable, incomplete or inaccurate. Investments in securities of foreign issuers are subject to fluctuations in the value of the issuer’s local currency relative to the U.S dollar and may be subject to foreign withholding and other taxes. Trading in foreign markets typically involves higher expense than trading in the United States. Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets may result in delays in payment or delivery of securities.

 

Emerging Markets Risk. Investing in emerging markets present greater risks than investing in foreign issuers in general. The risk of political or social upheaval is greater in emerging markets. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and markets of certain emerging market countries. A relative lack of information about companies in emerging markets may also exist. Securities traded on emerging markets are potentially illiquid and may be subject to volatility and high transaction costs.

 

ADR Risk. Investing in ADRs may involve risks relating to political, economic or regulatory conditions in foreign countries where the underlying securities are traded. These risks include political and financial instability, less liquidity, lack of uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and increased price volatility. The underlying securities are typically denominated (or quoted) in a currency other than U.S. dollars. The securities underlying ADRs may trade on foreign exchanges at times when U.S. markets are not open for trading. As a result, the value of ADRs may not track the price of the underlying foreign securities and may change materially at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading. Unsponsored ADRs may involve additional risks, and their prices may be more volatile than the prices of sponsored ADRs.

 

Sector Risk. The Fund may invest a higher percentage of its total assets in one or more sectors. The industries that comprise a sector may react similarly to changes in market conditions such as economic, political or regulatory events. Therefore, the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments may be more sensitive to such events, which may result in greater risk to the Fund. In addition, the profitability of companies in the financial services industries can also be significantly affected by the cost of capital, changes in interest rates and price competition.

 

Information Technology Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the information technology sector, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The information technology sector includes, for example, internet, semiconductor, software, hardware, and technology equipment companies. Information technology companies face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by the loss or impairment of those rights. This sector can be affected by, among other things, the supply and demand for specific products and services, the pace of technological development, and government regulation.

 

Healthcare Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the healthcare sector, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The profitability of companies in the healthcare sector may be affected by government regulations and government healthcare programs, government reimbursement for medical expenses, increases or decreases in the cost of medical products and services, limited product lines, increased emphasis on the delivery of healthcare through outpatient services and product liability claims. Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on patent protection, which may be time consuming and costly, and the expiration of a company’s patent may adversely affect that company’s profitability. Healthcare companies are subject to competitive forces that may result in pricing pressure, including price discounting, and may be thinly capitalized and susceptible to product obsolescence. Many new products in the healthcare sector require significant research and development and may be subject to regulatory approvals, which may be time consuming and costly and with no guarantee that the product will come to market.

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Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the consumer discretionary sector, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Consumer discretionary products and services are non-essential products and services whose demand tends to increase as consumers’ disposable income increases, such as automobiles, apparel, electronics, home furnishings, and travel and leisure products and services. Investments in this sector can be significantly affected by the performance of the overall economy, interest rates, competition, and consumer confidence. Success can depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. Changes in demographics and consumer tastes can also affect the demand for, and success of, consumer discretionary products. The prices of raw materials fluctuate in response to a number of factors, including changes in government agricultural support programs, exchange rates, import and export controls, changes in international agricultural and trading policies and seasonal and weather conditions. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector may be subject to severe competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability.

 

Communications Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the communications sector, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Companies in the communications sector may be affected by industry competition, substantial capital requirements, government regulation, cyclicality of revenues and earnings, obsolescence of communications products and services due to technological advancement, a potential decrease in the discretionary income of targeted individuals and changing consumer tastes and interests.

 

Industrials Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the industrials sector, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Companies in the industrials sector, particularly aerospace and defense companies, may also be adversely affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this sector rely to a significant extent on government demand for their products and services.

 

Large Shareholder Risk. To the extent that a large number of shares of the Fund is held by a single shareholder (e.g., an institutional investor), the Fund is subject to the risk that a redemption by that shareholder of all or a large portion of its Fund shares will require the Fund to sell securities at disadvantageous prices or otherwise disrupt the Fund's operations.

 

High-Yield Securities Risk. Investments in “high-yield securities” or “junk bonds” are inherently speculative and have a greater risk of default than investments in investment-grade fixed-income securities. Issuers of below investment-grade fixed-income securities are more likely to encounter and be materially affected by financial difficulties that may cause the issuer to default or otherwise become unable to pay interest or principal due on the security. Rising interest rates may compound such difficulties and reduce an issuer’s ability to repay principal and interest. If an issuer defaults, a below investment-grade fixed-income security could lose all of its value, be renegotiated at a lower interest rate or principal amount or become illiquid. Below investment-grade fixed-income securities may be less liquid and more volatile than investment-grade fixed-income securities and may be more difficult to value or sell. Furthermore, securities rated below investment-grade frequently have redemption features that permit an issuer to repurchase the security from the Fund before it matures. If the issuer redeems the bonds, the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in bonds with lower yields and may lose income.

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

Preferred Stock Risk. If interest rates rise, the dividend on preferred stock may be less attractive, causing the price of preferred stock to decline. Preferred stock may have mandatory sinking fund provisions, as well as provisions for call or redemption prior to maturity, which can have a negative effect on prices when interest rates decline. Preferred stocks are equity securities because they do not constitute a liability of the issuer and therefore do not offer the same degree of protection of capital or continuation of income as debt securities. Unlike debt securities, preferred stock dividends are payable at the discretion of the issuer’s board of directors. The market prices of preferred stocks are generally more sensitive to actual or perceived changes in the issuer’s financial condition or prospects than are the prices of debt securities. Preferred stock also may be less liquid than common stock. The rights of preferred stock on distribution of an issuer’s assets in the event of its liquidation are generally subordinated to the rights associated with an issuer’s debt securities. Preferred stock may also be subject to the risk that the issuer is unable or unwilling, or is perceived (whether by market participants, ratings agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.

 

Initial Public Offering Risk. Special risks associated with securities purchased in IPOs may include illiquidity and substantial price volatility due to unseasoned trading, lack of investor knowledge of the company, and limited operating history. The limited number of shares available for trading in some IPOs may make it more difficult for the Fund to buy or sell significant amounts of shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing market prices. Some companies whose shares are sold through IPOs are involved in relatively new industries or lines of business, which may not be widely understood by investors. Some of these companies may be undercapitalized or regarded as developmental stage companies without revenues or operating income, or the near-term prospects of achieving them.

 

Counterparty Risk. The Fund may enter into financial instruments or transactions with a counterparty. A counterparty may become bankrupt or otherwise fail to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, jeopardizing the value of the Fund’s investment. The Fund may experience significant delays in recovering an investment in a bankruptcy or other reorganization proceeding, and recover only a limited amount or none of its investment in such circumstances.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new and there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow or maintain an economically viable size, in which case the Board may determine to liquidate the Fund at any time without shareholder approval. Such a liquidation could have negative tax consequences for shareholders.

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

Management

 

The Absolute Convertible Opportunities Fund (the “Fund”) is a series of Forum Funds (the “Trust”), an open-end, management investment company (mutual fund). The Board of Trustees (the “Board”) oversees the management of the Fund and meets periodically to review the Fund’s performance, monitor investment activities and practices and discuss other matters affecting the Fund. Additional information regarding the Board and the Trust’s executive officers may be found in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”), which is available on the Adviser’s website at www.absoluteadvisers.com.

 

The Adviser

 

The Fund’s investment adviser is Absolute Investment Advisers LLC (the “Adviser”), 4 North Street, Suite 2, Hingham, MA 02043. The Adviser is a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and provides investment advisory services to the Fund. As of March 31, 2022, Absolute had approximately $XX million of assets under management.

 

With respect to the Fund, the Adviser has claimed an exclusion from regulation with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) as a commodity pool operator (“CPO”) pursuant to CFTC Regulation 4.5 under the Commodity Exchange Act and is exempt from registration as a commodity trading adviser under CFTC Regulation 4.14(a)(8).

 

Subject to the general oversight of the Board, the Adviser makes investment decisions for the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Advisory Agreement”). Absolute receives an advisory fee from the Fund at an annual rate equal to 1.40% of the Fund’s average annual daily net assets under the terms of the Advisory Agreement. Absolute has contractually agreed to limit its fee and/or reimburse Fund expenses to limit the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement (excluding all taxes, interest, portfolio transaction expenses, dividend and interest expenses on short sales, acquired fund fees and expenses other than those attributable to the investment advisory fees incurred by the Fund as a result of the Fund’s investments in other pooled vehicles sponsored by Absolute, broker charges, proxy expenses and extraordinary expenses) to 1.49% through at least August 1, 2023 (“Expense Cap”). The Expense Cap may only be raised or eliminated with the consent of the Board of Trustees. The Adviser may recoup from the Fund fees waived (other than advisory fees waived by Absolute related to the Fund’s investments in other pooled vehicles sponsored by Absolute) and expenses reimbursed by the Adviser pursuant to the Expense Cap if such recoupment is made within three years of the fee waiver or expense reimbursement and does not cause the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement of the Fund (i.e., after the recoupment has been taken into account) to exceed the lesser of (i) any then-current expense cap and (ii) the expense cap in place at the time the fees/expenses were waived or reimbursed. Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement will increase if exclusions from the Expense Cap apply. Absolute has contractually agreed to waive its investment advisory fees related to any Fund assets invested in pooled vehicles sponsored by it.

 

A discussion summarizing the basis on which the Board approved the Advisory Agreement will be included in the Fund’s first report to shareholders.

 

The Adviser maintains policies and procedures reasonably designed to detect and minimize potential conflicts of interest inherent in circumstances when a portfolio manager has day-to-day responsibilities for managing accounts other than the Fund or Funds for which they are named portfolio manager. Other accounts managed by the Adviser may include, without limitation: separately managed accounts, registered investment companies, unregistered investment companies such as pooled investment vehicles and proprietary accounts. However, no set of policies and procedures can possibly anticipate or relieve all potential conflicts of interest. These conflicts may be real, potential, or perceived. Certain of these conflicts are described below.

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

Allocation of Limited Investment Opportunities. If a Fund’s portfolio manager identifies a limited investment opportunity (including initial public offerings and private placement securities) that may be suitable for multiple Funds and/or accounts, the investment opportunity may be allocated among these multiple Funds or accounts, which may limit a Fund’s ability to take full advantage of the investment opportunity, due to liquidity constraints or other factors. The Adviser has adopted trade aggregation and allocation procedures designed to ensure that allocations of limited investment opportunities are conducted in a fair and equitable manner among client accounts, including the Fund. Nevertheless, investment opportunities may be allocated differently among client accounts, including a Fund, due to the characteristics of an account, such as the size of the account, cash position, investment guidelines and restrictions, or risk controls.

 

Similar Investment Strategies. The Adviser and its portfolio management team may manage multiple portfolios with similar investment strategies. Investment decisions for each portfolio are generally made based on each portfolio’s investment objectives and guidelines, cash availability, current holdings, and risk controls. Purchases or sales of securities for a portfolio may be appropriate for other portfolios with like objectives and may be bought or sold in different amounts and at different times in multiple portfolios. In these cases, transactions are allocated to portfolios in a manner believed fair and equitable across client account portfolios, including a Fund, by the Adviser’s allocation methodology. Purchase and sale orders for a portfolio may be combined with those of other portfolios in the interest of achieving the most favorable net results for all portfolios.

 

Different Investment Strategies. The Adviser and its portfolio management team may manage multiple portfolios with different investment strategies. As such, the potential exists for short sales of securities in certain portfolios while the same security is held long in one or more other portfolios. In an attempt to mitigate the inherent risks of simultaneous management of portfolios with different investment strategies, the Adviser has established and implemented procedures to promote fair and equitable treatment of all portfolios. The procedures include monitoring and surveillance of trading activity and supervisory reviews of accounts. Any proposed cross trades must be reviewed and approved by the Adviser’s compliance department prior to execution and must comply with Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act.

 

Differences in Financial Incentives. A conflict of interest may arise where the financial or other benefits available to the Adviser or a portfolio manager differ among the accounts, including a Fund, under management. For example, when the structure of an investment adviser’s management fee differs among the accounts (such as where certain funds or accounts pay higher management fees), the Adviser or its portfolio managers might be motivated to favor certain funds and/or accounts over others. In addition, the desire to maintain or raise assets under management or to enhance the portfolio manager’s performance record in a particular investment strategy or to derive other rewards, financial or otherwise, could influence a portfolio manager to lend preferential treatment to those funds and/or accounts that could most significantly benefit the Adviser or portfolio manager. As described above, it is the Adviser’s policy that investment opportunities and trades are allocated fairly and equitably among client accounts, taking into consideration the objectives, restrictions, investment strategy, asset allocation and benchmarks of each client. To manage conflicts that arise from management of portfolios that may have differences in financial incentives, performance in portfolios with like strategies is regularly reviewed by the Adviser.

 

Personal Holdings and Transactions. The Adviser’s portfolio managers and other employees may have beneficial ownership of holdings in personal accounts that are the same or similar to those held in client accounts, including the Funds. Under limited circumstances, the Adviser allows its employees to trade in securities that it recommends to advisory clients, and the actions taken by such individuals on a personal basis may differ from, or be inconsistent with, the nature and timing of advice or actions taken by the Adviser for its client accounts. The Adviser and its employees may also invest in registered investment companies and other pooled investment vehicles that are managed by the Adviser. This may result in a potential conflict of interest since the Adviser’s employees have knowledge of such funds’ investment holdings, which is non-public information. The Adviser has implemented a Code of Ethics which is designed to address and mitigate the possibility that these professionals could place their own interests ahead of those of clients. The Code of Ethics addresses this potential conflict of interest by imposing preclearance and reporting requirements, trading blackout periods, a minimum holding period, supervisory oversight, and other measures designed to reduce conflicts of interest.

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Manager of Managers Structure

 

The Fund’s Board and its shareholders have approved a “Manager of Managers” structure that permits the Adviser to appoint and replace Subadvisers and enter into, materially amend and terminate sub-advisory agreements with other investment managers with respect to the Fund, subject to Board approval but without shareholder approval (the “Manager Of Managers Structure”).

 

The ability to implement the Manager Of Managers Structure with respect to the Fund is pursuant to an exemptive order from the SEC (“Exemptive Relief”). Pursuant to the Exemptive Relief, the Fund is required to notify shareholders of the retention of a new Subadviser within 90 days of the hiring of the new Subadviser. In the future, the Adviser may propose to appoint or replace one or more Subadviser subject to Board approval and applicable shareholder notice requirements.

 

The Manager Of Managers Structure enables the Fund to operate with greater efficiency and without incurring the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approval of such subadvisory agreements. Under the Manager Of Managers Structure, the Adviser maintains the ultimate responsibility, subject to the oversight of the Board, to oversee the Subadviser and recommend their hiring and replacement. The Manager Of Managers Structure provides the Adviser with the discretion to terminate any Subadviser and allocate and reallocate the Fund’s assets for management. The Manager Of Managers Structure permits disclosure of the fees paid to Subadvisers in the aggregate in its registration statement (both as a dollar amount and as a percentage of the Fund’s net assets), but does not permit investment management fees paid by the Fund to be increased without shareholder approval, nor does it change the Adviser’s responsibilities to the Fund including responsibility for all advisory services furnished by a Subadviser.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Eric Hage is a Portfolio Manager for the Fund and is responsible for managing the convertible arbitrage portfolio. Mr. Eric Hage has served as a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since its inception in June 2022.

 

Prior to joining Absolute in 2021, Mr. Eric Hage worked as Chief Investment Officer for Mohican Financial Management, LLC, a previous Subadviser for the Absolute Convertible Arbitrage Fund.

 

Prior to founding Mohican in 2002, Mr. Eric Hage spent several years trading and selling convertible securities for investment banks Citigroup, Bear Stearns and Smith Barney. Mr. Eric Hage received his BS degree from Cornell University and his MBA from Columbia Business School.

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

Daniel Hage is a Portfolio Manager for the Fund and shares responsibility for managing the convertible arbitrage portfolio. Mr. Daniel Hage has served as a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since its inception in June 2022.

 

Prior to joining Absolute in 2021, Mr. Daniel Hage worked as a Principal for Mohican Financial Management, LLC, a previous Subadviser for the Absolute Convertible Arbitrage Fund.

 

Prior to joining Mohican in 2002, Mr. Daniel Hage spent over seven years brokering and selling convertible securities for CIBC World Markets, Fahnestock & Company and Murphy & Durieu. Mr. Daniel Hage received his BS degree in Business Finance from LeMoyne College and his MBA degree from the University at Albany.

 

The SAI provides additional information about the compensation of the Portfolio Managers, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers and the ownership of Fund shares by the Portfolio Managers.

 

Other Service Providers

 

Atlantic Fund Administration, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex US Holdings LLC (d/b/a Apex Fund Services) (“Apex”), provides fund accounting, fund administration, and compliance services to the Fund and the Trust and supplies certain officers of the Trust, including a Principal Executive Officer, a Principal Financial Officer, a Chief Compliance Officer, an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer and additional compliance support personnel. Atlantic Shareholder Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex, provides transfer agency services to the Fund and the Trust.

 

Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”), the Trust’s principal underwriter, acts as the Trust’s distributor in connection with the offering of Fund shares. The Distributor may enter into arrangements with banks, broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries through which investors may purchase or redeem shares. The Distributor is not affiliated with Absolute or with Apex or their affiliates.

 

Fund Expenses

 

The Fund is charged for those expenses that are directly attributable to it, while other expenses are allocated proportionately among the Fund and other series of the Trust based upon methods approved by the Board. Absolute or other service providers may waive all or any portion of their fees and may reimburse certain expenses of the Fund. Service provider waivers may be different in dollar and percentage amount for different classes of the Fund, as applicable, may be voluntary, and do not affect Absolute’s contractual waiver. Any agreement to waive fees or to reimburse expenses increases the investment performance of the Fund for the period during which the waiver or reimbursement is in effect. Current contractual Adviser fee waiver and/or expense reimbursements are reflected in the section titled “Fees and Expenses.”

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Your Account

 

How to Contact the Fund

 

E-mail the Fund at:

[email protected]

Telephone the Fund at:

(888) 99-ABSOLUTE

(888) 992-2765 (toll free)

Website Address:

www.absoluteadvisers.com

Write the Fund:

Absolute Convertible Opportunities Fund

P.O. Box 588

Portland, Maine 04112

Overnight Address:

Absolute Convertible Opportunities Fund

c/o Apex Fund Services

Three Canal Plaza, Ground Floor

Portland, Maine 04101

Wire investments (or ACH payments):

Please contact the transfer agent at (888) 99-ABSOLUTE or (888) 992-2765 (toll free) to obtain the ABA routing number and account number for the Fund.

 

General Information

 

You may purchase or sell (redeem) shares of the Fund on any day that the NYSE is open for business. Notwithstanding this fact, the Fund may, only in the case of an emergency, calculate its NAV and accept and process shareholder orders when the NYSE is closed.

 

You may purchase or sell shares of the Fund at the next NAV calculated (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) after the transfer agent or your approved broker-dealer or other financial intermediary receives your request in good order. “Good order” means that you have provided sufficient information necessary to process your request as outlined in this Prospectus, including any required signatures, documents, payment and Medallion Signature Guarantees. All requests to purchase or sell Fund shares received in good order prior to the Fund’s close will receive that day’s NAV. Requests received in good order after the Fund’s close or on a day when the Fund does not value its shares will be processed on the next business day and will be priced at the next NAV. The Fund cannot accept orders that request a particular day or price for the transaction or any other special conditions.

 

Shares of the Fund will only be issued against full payment, as described more fully in this Prospectus and the SAI. The Fund does not issue share certificates.

 

If you purchase shares directly from the Fund, you will receive a confirmation of each transaction and quarterly statements detailing Fund balances and all transactions completed during the prior quarter. Automatic reinvestments of distributions and systematic investments and withdrawals may be confirmed only by quarterly statement. You should verify the accuracy of all transactions in your account as soon as you receive your confirmations and quarterly statements.

 

The Fund may temporarily suspend or discontinue any service or privilege, including systematic investments and withdrawals, wire redemption privileges and telephone or internet redemption privileges, if applicable. The Fund reserves the right to refuse any purchase request, including, but not limited to, requests that could adversely affect the Fund or its operations. If the Fund were to refuse any purchase request, it would notify the purchaser within two business days of receiving a purchase request in good order.

 

If your account is deemed abandoned or unclaimed by applicable state law, the Fund may be required to “escheat” or transfer the property to the appropriate state’s unclaimed property administration. Certain states have laws that allow shareholders to name a representative to receive notice of abandoned property (“escheatment”) by submitting a designation form, which generally can be found on the official state website. In such states, if a shareholder designates a representative to receive escheatment notices, any notice generally will be delivered as required by the state’s laws. A completed designation form should be mailed to the Fund (if shares are held directly with the Fund) or to the shareholder’s financial intermediary. Shareholders should check their state’s official website to get more information on escheatment law(s).

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NAV Determination. The NAV of the Fund is determined by taking the value of the assets of the Fund, subtracting the value of the liabilities of the Fund and then dividing the result (net assets) by the number of outstanding shares of the Fund. The Fund calculates its NAV as of the close of trading on the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time). The NYSE is open every weekday other than NYSE holidays and early closings, which are published at www.nyse. com and subject to change without notice.

 

To the extent that the Fund’s portfolio investments trade in markets on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares, the net asset value of the Fund’s shares may change on those days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem the Fund’s shares. In addition, trading in certain portfolio investments may not occur on days when the Fund is open for business, as markets or exchanges other than the NYSE may be closed.

 

The Fund values securities at current market value, where market quotations are available, using the last reported sales price or the official closing price, as provided by independent pricing services. In the absence of sales, securities are valued at the mean of the last bid and asked prices. Non-exchange traded investment companies are valued at their NAVs. Certain short-term securities may be valued at amortized cost.

 

Futures contracts are valued at that day’s last reported settlement price on the exchange where the contract is traded.

 

Fixed-income securities may be valued at prices supplied by the Fund’s pricing agent based on broker-supplied or dealer-supplied valuations or on matrix pricing, a method of valuing securities by reference to the value of other securities with similar characteristics, such as rating, interest rate and maturity.

 

If market quotations are not readily available or the Fund reasonably believes that they are unreliable, the Fund will seek to value such securities at fair value, as determined in good faith using procedures approved by the Board. The Board has delegated day-to-day responsibility for fair valuation determinations in accordance with these procedures to a Valuation Committee. The Valuation Committee makes such determinations under the supervision of the Board. Fair valuation may be based on subjective factors. As a result, the fair value price of a security may differ from that security’s market price and may not be the price at which the security may be sold. Fair valuation could result in a different NAV than a NAV determined by using market quotations.

 

Although the Fund generally prices its foreign securities using their closing prices from the foreign markets where they trade (typically prior to the Fund’s calculation of its NAV), these prices may be affected by events that occur after the close of the foreign market but before the Fund prices its shares. As a result, the Fund’s investments in foreign securities are more likely to require a fair value determination than investments in domestic securities. In determining fair value prices of foreign securities, the Fund may consider the performance of securities on their primary exchanges, foreign currency appreciation or depreciation, securities market movements in the U.S. and other relevant information as related to the securities.

 

Securities of smaller companies are more likely to require a fair value determination because they may be thinly traded and less liquid than securities of larger companies.

 

Transactions Through Financial Intermediaries. The Fund has authorized certain financial services companies, broker-dealers, banks and other agents, including the designees of such entities (collectively, “financial intermediaries”), to accept purchase and redemption orders on the Fund’s behalf. If you invest through a financial intermediary, the policies and fees of the financial intermediary may be different from the policies and fees you would be subject to if you had invested directly in the Fund. Among other things, financial intermediaries may charge transaction fees and may set different minimum investment restrictions or limitations on buying or selling Fund shares. You should consult your broker or another representative of your financial intermediary for more information.

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The Fund will be deemed to have received a purchase or redemption order when a financial intermediary that is an agent of the Fund for the purpose of accepting orders receives the order. All orders to purchase or sell shares are processed as of the next NAV calculated after the order has been received in good order by a financial intermediary. Orders are accepted until the close of trading on the NYSE every business day (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) and are processed, including by financial intermediaries, at that day’s NAV.

 

Payments to Financial Intermediaries. The Fund, at its own expense, may pay additional compensation to financial intermediaries for shareholder-related services, including administrative, recordkeeping and shareholder communication services. In addition, pursuant to any applicable Rule 12b-1 plan, the Fund may pay compensation to financial intermediaries for distribution-related services. For example, compensation may be paid to make Fund shares available to sales representatives and/or customers of a fund supermarket platform or a similar program sponsor or for services provided in connection with such fund supermarket platforms and programs. To the extent that the Fund pays all or a portion of such compensation, the payment is designed to compensate the financial intermediary for distribution activities or for providing services that would otherwise be provided by the Fund’s transfer agent and/or administrator.

 

Absolute or another Fund affiliate, out of its own resources and not as an expense of the Fund, may provide additional compensation to financial intermediaries. Such compensation is sometimes referred to as “revenue sharing.” Compensation received by a financial intermediary from Absolute or another Fund affiliate may include payments for shareholder servicing, marketing and/or training expenses incurred by the financial intermediary, including expenses incurred by the financial intermediary in educating its salespersons with respect to Fund shares. For example, such compensation may include reimbursements for expenses incurred in attending educational seminars regarding the Fund, including travel and lodging expenses. It may also cover costs incurred by financial intermediaries in connection with their efforts to sell Fund shares, including costs incurred in compensating registered sales representatives and preparing, printing and distributing sales literature.

 

The amount of compensation paid to different financial intermediaries may vary. The compensation paid to a financial intermediary may be based on a variety of factors, including average assets under management in accounts distributed and/or serviced by the financial intermediary, gross sales by the financial intermediary and/or the number of accounts serviced by the financial intermediary that invest in the Fund.

 

Any compensation received by a financial intermediary, whether from the Fund, the Adviser or another affiliate, and the prospect of receiving such compensation, may provide the financial intermediary with an incentive to recommend the shares of the Fund over other potential investments. Similarly, the compensation may cause financial intermediaries to elevate the prominence of the Fund within its organization by, for example, placing it on a list of preferred funds.

 

Anti-Money Laundering Program. Customer identification and verification are part of the Fund’s overall obligation to deter money laundering under federal law. The Trust’s Anti-Money Laundering Program is designed to prevent the Fund from being used for money laundering or the financing of terrorist activities. In this regard, the Fund reserves the right, to the extent permitted by law, (1) to refuse, cancel or rescind any purchase order or (2) to freeze any account and/or suspend account services. These actions will be taken when, at the sole discretion of Trust management, they are deemed to be in the best interest of the Fund or in cases when the Fund is requested or compelled to do so by governmental or law enforcement authorities or applicable law. If your account is closed at the request of governmental or law enforcement authorities, you may not receive proceeds of the redemption if the Fund is required to withhold such proceeds.

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Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings. A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of portfolio securities is available in the Fund’s SAI.

 

Buying Shares

 

How to Make Payments. Unless purchased through a financial intermediary, all investments must be made by check, Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) or wire. All checks must be payable in U.S. dollars and drawn on U.S. financial institutions. In the absence of the granting of an exception consistent with the Trust’s Anti-Money Laundering Program, the Fund does not accept purchases made by credit card check, starter check, checks with more than one endorsement (unless the check is payable to all endorsees), cash or cash equivalents (for instance, you may not pay by money order, cashier’s check, bank draft or traveler’s check). The Fund and the Adviser also reserve the right to accept in kind contributions of securities in exchange for shares of the Fund.

 

Checks. Checks must be made payable to “Absolute Convertible Opportunities Fund”. For individual, sole proprietorship, joint, Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (“UGMA”) and Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (“UTMA”) accounts, checks may be made payable to one or more owners of the account and endorsed to “Absolute Convertible Opportunities Fund”. A $20 charge may be imposed on any returned checks.

 

ACH. The Automated Clearing House system maintained by the Federal Reserve Bank allows banks to process checks, transfer funds and perform other tasks. Your U.S. financial institution may charge you a fee for this service.

 

Wires. You may instruct the U.S. financial institution with which you have an account to make a federal funds wire payment to the Fund. Your U.S. financial institution may charge you a fee for this service.

 

Minimum Investments. The Fund accepts investments in the following minimum amounts:

 

  Minimum Initial Minimum Additional
  Investment(1)(2) Investment(1)(2)
Standard Accounts $25,000 None
Retirement Accounts $25,000 None

 

(1)If you invest through a broker or other financial intermediary, the policies and fees of the intermediary may be different than the policies and fees of the Fund. Among other things, such financial intermediaries may charge transaction fees and may set different minimum investments or limitations on buying (selling) Fund shares. You should consult your broker or other representative of your financial intermediary for more information.
(2)No initial or subsequent investment minimum for Trustees or officers of the Trust, directors, officers and employees of Absolute, and employees and affiliates of the Fund, or the distributor or any of their affiliates, or the spouse, sibling, direct ancestor, or direct descendent (collectively, “relatives”) of any such person, any trust or individual retirement account or self-employed retirement plan for the benefit of any such person or relative; or the estate of any such person or relative.

 

The Fund reserves the right to waive minimum investment amounts, if deemed appropriate by an officer of the Trust.

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Registered investment advisers and financial planners may be permitted to aggregate the value of accounts in order to meet minimum investment amounts.

 

Account Requirements. The following table describes the requirements to establish certain types of accounts in the Fund.

 

Type of Account Requirement

Individual, Sole Proprietorship and Joint Accounts

•     Individual accounts and sole proprietorship accounts are owned by one person. Joint accounts have two or more owners (tenants).

•      Instructions must be signed by all persons named as account owners exactly as their names appear on the account.

Gifts or Transfers to a Minor (UGMA, UTMA)

•     These custodial accounts are owned by a minor child but controlled by an adult custodian.

•      Depending on state laws, you may set up a custodial account under the UGMA or the UTMA.

•      The custodian must sign instructions in a manner indicating custodial capacity.

Corporations/Other Entities

•     These accounts are owned by the entity, but control is exercised by its officers, partners or other management.

•       The entity should submit a certified copy of its   articles of incorporation (or a government-issued   business license or other document that reflects   the existence of the entity) and a corporate   resolution or a secretary’s certificate.

Trusts

•     These accounts are controlled by a trustee as a way to convey and control assets for the benefit of a third-party owner.

•      The trust must be established before an account may be opened.

•      The trust should provide the first and signature pages from the trust document identifying the trustees.

 

Account Application and Customer Identity Verification. To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person who opens an account.

 

When you open an account, the Fund will ask for your first and last name, U.S. taxpayer identification number (“TIN”), physical street address, date of birth and other information or documents that will allow the Fund to identify you. If you do not supply the required information, the Fund will attempt to contact you or, if applicable, your financial adviser. If the Fund cannot obtain the required information within a timeframe established in its sole discretion, your application will be rejected.

 

When your application is in good order and includes all required information, your order will normally be processed at the NAV next calculated after receipt of your application and investment amount. The Fund will attempt to verify your identity using the information that you have supplied and other information about you that is available from third parties, including information available in public and private databases, such as consumer reports from credit reporting agencies.

 

The Fund will try to verify your identity within a timeframe established in its sole discretion. If the Fund cannot do so, the Fund reserves the right to redeem your investment at the next NAV calculated after the Fund decides to close your account. If your account is closed, you may realize a gain or loss on the Fund shares in the account. You will be responsible for any related taxes.

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

Policy on Prohibition of Foreign Shareholders. The Fund requires that all shareholders be U.S. persons or U.S. resident aliens with a valid TIN (or show proof of having applied for a TIN and commit to provide a valid TIN within 60 days) in order to open an account with the Fund.

 

Investment Procedures. The following table describes the procedures for investing in the Fund.

 

How to Open an Account How to Add to Your Account

Through a Financial Intermediary

•      Contact your financial intermediary using the method that is most convenient for you.

Through a Financial Intermediary

•     Contact your financial intermediary using the method that is most convenient for you.

By Check

•      Call, write, or e-mail the Fund for an account application.

•      Complete the application (and other required documents, if applicable).

•      Mail the Fund your original application (and other required documents, if applicable) and a check.

By Check

•     Fill out an investment slip from a confirmation or write the Fund a letter.

•     Write your account number on your check.

•     Mail the Fund the investment slip or your letter and the check.

By Wire

•      Call, write, or e-mail the Fund for an account application.

•      Complete the application (and other required documents, if applicable).

•      Call the Fund to notify the transfer agent that you are faxing your completed application (and other required documents, if applicable). The transfer agent will assign you an account number.

•      Mail the Fund your original application (and other required documents, if applicable).

•      Instruct your U.S. financial institution to wire money to the Fund.

By Wire

•     Instruct your U.S. financial institution to wire money to the Fund.

By ACH Payment

•      Call, write, or e-mail the Fund for an account application.

•      Complete the application (and other required documents, if applicable).

•      Call the Fund to notify the transfer agent that you are faxing your completed application (and other required documents, if applicable). The transfer agent will assign you an account number.

•      Mail the Fund your original application (and other required documents, if applicable).

•      The transfer agent will electronically debit your purchase proceeds from the U.S. financial institution identified on your account application.

•      ACH purchases are limited to $25,000 per day.

By ACH Payment

•     Call the Fund to request a purchase by ACH payment.

•     The transfer agent will electronically debit your purchase proceeds from the U.S. financial institution account identified on your account application.

•     ACH purchases are limited to $25,000 per day.

 

Systematic Investments. You may establish a systematic investment plan to automatically invest a specific amount of money (up to $25,000 per day) into your account on a specified day and frequency not to exceed two investments per month. Payments for systematic investments are automatically debited from your designated savings or checking account via ACH. Systematic investments must be for at least $100 per occurrence. If you wish to enroll in a systematic investment plan, complete the appropriate section on the account application. Your signed account application must be received at least three business days prior to the initial transaction. The Fund may terminate or modify this privilege at any time. You may terminate your participation in a systematic investment plan by notifying the Fund at least two days in advance of the next withdrawal.

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

A systematic investment plan is a method of using dollar cost averaging as an investment strategy that involves investing a fixed amount of money at regular time intervals. However, a program of regular investment cannot ensure a profit or protect against a loss as a result of declining markets. By continually investing the same amount, you will be purchasing more shares when the price is lower and fewer shares when the price is higher. Please call (888) 99-ABSOLUTE or (888) 992-2765 (toll free) for additional information regarding systematic investment plans.

 

Frequent Trading. Frequent trading by a Fund shareholder may pose risks to other shareholders in the Fund, including (1) the dilution of the Fund’s NAV, (2) an increase in the Fund’s expenses, and (3) interference with the portfolio manager’s ability to execute efficient investment strategies. The Adviser believes, however, that the Fund’s portfolio generally will not be attractive to frequent traders or susceptible to market timing because of the lack of publicly available information about the net exposure of the Fund and the prices of the bonds in the Fund’s portfolio. Accordingly, the Board has not adopted a policy to monitor for frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares.

 

Canceled or Failed Payments. The Fund accepts checks and ACH payments at full value subject to collection. If the Fund does not receive your payment for shares or you pay with a check or ACH payment that does not clear, your purchase will be canceled within two business days of notification from your bank that your funds did not clear. You will be responsible for any actual losses and expenses incurred by the Fund or the transfer agent. The Fund and its agents have the right to reject or cancel any purchase request due to non-payment.

 

Selling Shares

 

Redemption orders received in good order will be processed at the next calculated NAV. The Fund typically expects to pay shareholder redemption requests, including during stressed market conditions, within one business day of receipt of the request in good order and may seek to meet such redemption requests through one or more of the following methods: sales of portfolio assets, use of cash or cash equivalents held in the Fund’s portfolio, and/or redemptions in kind, as permitted by applicable rules and regulations. The right of redemption may not be suspended for more than seven days after the tender of Fund shares, except for any period during which (1) the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings) or the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) determines that trading thereon is restricted, (2) an emergency (as determined by the SEC) exists as a result of which disposal by the Fund of its securities is not reasonably practicable or as a result of which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or (3) the SEC has entered a suspension order for the protection of the shareholders of the Fund.

 

The Fund will not issue shares until payment is received. If redemption is sought for shares for which payment has not been received, the Fund will delay sending redemption proceeds until payment is received, which may be up to 15 calendar days.

 

How to Sell Shares from Your Account

Through a Financial Intermediary
If you purchased shares through your financial intermediary, your redemption order must be placed through the same financial intermediary.

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

How to Sell Shares from Your Account

By Mail

•     Prepare a written request including:

•     your name(s) and signature(s);

•     your account number;

•     the Fund name and class;

•     the dollar amount or number of shares you want to sell;

•     how and where to send the redemption proceeds;

•     a Medallion Signature Guarantee (if required); and

•     other documentation (if required).

•     Mail the Fund your request and documentation.

By Telephone

•    Call the Fund with your request, unless you declined telephone redemption privileges on your account application.

•     Provide the following information:

•     your account number;

•     the exact name(s) in which the account is registered; and

•     an additional form of identification.

•     Redemption proceeds will be mailed to you by check or electronically credited to your account at the U.S. financial institution identified on your account application.

By Systematic Withdrawal

•     Complete the systematic withdrawal section of the application.

•     Attach a voided check to your application.

•     Mail the completed application to the Fund.

•     Redemption proceeds will be mailed to you by check or electronically credited to your account at the U.S. financial institution identified on your account application.

 

Wire Redemption Privileges. You may redeem your shares with proceeds payable by wire unless you declined wire redemption privileges on your account application. The minimum amount that may be redeemed by wire is $5,000.

 

Telephone Redemption Privileges. You may redeem your shares by telephone, unless you declined telephone redemption privileges on your account application. You may be responsible for an unauthorized telephone redemption order as long as the transfer agent takes reasonable measures to verify that the order is genuine. Telephone redemption orders may be difficult to complete during periods of significant economic or market activity. If you are not able to reach the Fund by telephone, you may mail us your redemption order.

 

Systematic Withdrawals. You may establish a systematic withdrawal plan to automatically redeem a specific amount of money or shares from your account on a specified day and frequency not to exceed one withdrawal per month. Payments for systematic withdrawals are sent by check to your address of record, or if you so designate, to your bank account by ACH payment. To establish a systematic withdrawal plan, complete the systematic withdrawal section of the account application. The plan may be terminated or modified by a shareholder or the Fund at any time without charge or penalty. You may terminate your participation in a systematic withdrawal plan at any time by contacting the Fund sufficiently in advance of the next withdrawal, which generally means up to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, on the date of the scheduled withdrawal if notified by phone, or two business days in advance of the withdrawal date if notified in writing.

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

A withdrawal under a systematic withdrawal plan involves a redemption of Fund shares and may result in a gain or loss for federal income tax purposes. Please call (888) 99-ABSOLUTE or (888) 992-2765 (toll free) for additional information regarding systematic withdrawal plans.

 

Signature Guarantee Requirements. To protect you and the Fund against fraud, signatures on certain requests must have a Medallion Signature Guarantee. A Medallion Signature Guarantee verifies the authenticity of your signature. You may obtain a Medallion Signature Guarantee from most banking institutions or securities brokers but not from a notary public. Written instructions signed by all registered shareholders with a Medallion Signature Guarantee for each shareholder are required for any of the following:

 

written requests to redeem $100,000 or more;
changes to a shareholder’s record name or account registration;
paying redemption proceeds from an account for which the address has changed within the last 30 days;
sending redemption and distribution proceeds to any person, address or financial institution account not on record;
sending redemption and distribution proceeds to an account with a different registration (name or ownership) from your account; and
adding or changing ACH or wire instructions, the telephone redemption or any other election in connection with your account.

 

The Fund reserves the right to require Medallion Signature Guarantees on all redemptions.

 

Small Account Balances. If the value of your account falls below the minimum account balances in the following table, the Fund may ask you to increase your balance. If the account value is still below the minimum balance after 60 days, the Fund may close your account and send you the proceeds. The Fund will not close your account if it falls below these amounts solely as a result of Fund performance.

 

  Minimum Account Balance
Standard Accounts $5,000
Retirement Accounts $5,000

 

Redemptions in Kind. Redemption proceeds normally are paid in cash. Consistent with an election filed with the SEC, under certain circumstances, the Fund may pay redemption proceeds in portfolio securities rather than in cash pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board. However, if the Fund redeems shares in this manner, the shareholder assumes the risk of, among other things, a subsequent change in the market value of those securities and the costs of liquidating the securities (such as brokerage costs and taxable gains). In kind redemptions may be satisfied using illiquid securities held in the Fund’s portfolio, in which case the shareholder will assume the risks associated with such illiquid securities, including the possibility of a lack of a liquid market for those securities. In kind redemptions may take the form of a pro rata portion of the Fund’s portfolio, individual securities, or a representative basket of securities. Please see the SAI for more details on redemptions in kind.

 

Lost Accounts. The transfer agent will consider your account lost if correspondence to your address of record is returned as undeliverable on two consecutive occasions, unless the transfer agent determines your new address. When an account is lost, all distributions on the account will be reinvested in additional shares of the Fund. In addition, the amount of any outstanding check (unpaid for six months or more) and checks that have been returned to the transfer agent may be reinvested at the current NAV, and the checks will be canceled. However, checks will not be reinvested into accounts with a zero balance but will be held in a different account. Any of your unclaimed property may be transferred to the state of your last known address if no activity occurs in your account within the time period specified by that state’s law.

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

Retirement Accounts

 

You may invest in shares of the Fund through an IRA, including traditional and Roth IRAs, also known as a “Qualified Retirement Account.” The Fund may also be appropriate for other retirement plans, such as 401(k) plans. Before investing in an IRA or other retirement account, you should consult your tax advisor. Whenever making an investment in an IRA or certain retirement plans, be sure to indicate the year to which the contribution is attributed.

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ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

Other Information

 

Distributions and Reinvestments. The Fund declares dividends from net investment income and pays them semi-annually. Any net capital gains and net foreign currency gains realized by the Fund are distributed at least annually.

 

Most investors typically have their income dividends and other distributions (each, a “distribution”) paid by the Fund reinvested in additional shares of the Fund. If you choose this option, or if you do not indicate any choice, your distributions will be reinvested. Alternatively, you may choose to have your distributions of $10 or more sent directly to your bank account or paid to you by check. However, if a distribution is less than $10, your proceeds will be reinvested. If five or more of your distribution checks remain uncashed after 180 days, all subsequent distributions may be reinvested. For federal income tax purposes, distributions to shareholders (other than qualified retirement plans and accounts and other tax-exempt investors) are taxable and are treated the same whether they are received in cash or reinvested.

 

Taxes. The Fund intends to operate in a manner such that it will continue to qualify for treatment as a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of Chapter 1, Subtitle A, of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and will not be liable for federal income or excise taxes on net income and net realized gains that it distributes.

 

The Fund’s distributions of net investment income, the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss, and certain net foreign currency gains are taxable to you as ordinary income, except as noted below. The Fund’s distributions of net capital gain (that is, the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, are taxable to you as long-term capital gain, regardless of how long you have held your shares. Distributions may also be subject to state and local income taxes. Some Fund distributions may also include a nontaxable so-called “return of capital,” which will reduce your tax basis in your Fund shares and is treated as gain from the sale of the shares to the extent that it exceeds your basis.

 

The Fund’s dividends attributable to its “qualified dividend income” (i.e., dividends received on stock of most domestic and certain foreign corporations with respect to which the Fund satisfies certain holding period and other restrictions) generally will be subject to federal income tax for individual and certain other non-corporate shareholders (each, an “individual shareholder”) who satisfy those restrictions with respect to their Fund shares at the rates for net capital gain – a maximum of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with taxable income not exceeding certain thresholds (which will be adjusted for inflation annually) and 20% for non-corporate shareholders with taxable income exceeding such thresholds. A portion of the Fund’s dividends also may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction allowed to corporations; the eligible portion may not exceed the aggregate dividends the Fund receives from domestic corporations subject to federal income tax (thus excluding, among others, real estate investment trusts) and excludes dividends from foreign corporations, subject to similar restrictions. Tax laws and rates may change over time. Please consult a tax professional for more information.

 

Generally, Fund distributions are taxable to you in the year you receive them. However, any distributions that are declared in October, November or December to shareholders of record in such a month but paid in January generally are taxable as if received on December 31.

 

A distribution reduces the NAV of the Fund’s shares by the amount of the distribution. If you purchase shares prior to a distribution, you are taxed on the full amount of the distribution even though it represents a partial return of your investment.

 35 

 

 

 

ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

A sale (redemption) of Fund shares is a taxable event for federal income tax purposes. You will recognize a gain or loss on the transaction equal to the difference, if any, between the amount of your net redemption proceeds and your tax basis in the redeemed Fund shares. The gain or loss will be capital gain or loss if you held the Fund shares as capital assets. Any capital gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if you held the Fund shares for more than one year at the time of the redemption, and any such gain will be taxed to individual shareholders at the 15% or 20% maximum federal income tax rates mentioned above. Any capital loss arising from a redemption of Fund shares held for six months or less, however, will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of the amount of net capital gain distributions received with respect to those shares. An exchange of the Fund’s shares for shares of another fund will be treated as a sale of the Fund’s shares and any gain on the transaction will be treated as described above for federal income tax purposes.

 

Withholding Tax. If an individual shareholder fails to certify that the TIN furnished to the Fund is correct or furnishes an incorrect number, the Fund must withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury Department 24% of dividends, capital gain distributions, and redemption proceeds (regardless of whether the shareholder realizes a gain or loss) otherwise payable to the shareholder (together with the withholding described in the next sentence, “backup withholding”). Withholding at that rate also is required from the Fund’s dividends and capital gain distributions otherwise payable to such a shareholder who is subject to backup withholding for any other reason. Backup withholding is not an additional tax, and any amounts so withheld may be credited against a shareholder’s federal income tax liability or refunded.

 

A Fund shareholder who wants to use the average basis method for determining basis in Fund shares that he or she acquired or acquires after December 31, 2011 (“Covered Shares”) must elect to do so in writing (which may be electronic). If a Fund shareholder fails to affirmatively elect the average basis method, the basis determination will be made in accordance with the Fund’s default method, which is first-in first-out. If, however, a Fund shareholder wishes to use a different method accepted by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) for basis determination (e.g., a specific identification method), the shareholder may elect to do so. The basis determination method that a Fund shareholder elects may not be changed with respect to a redemption (including a redemption that is part of an exchange) of Covered Shares after the settlement date of the redemption.

 

In addition to the requirement to report the gross proceeds from a redemption of shares, the Fund (or its administrative agent) must report to the IRS and furnish to its shareholders the basis information for Covered Shares and indicate whether they had a short-term (one year or less) or long-term (more than one year) holding period. Fund shareholders should consult with their tax advisors to determine the best IRS-accepted basis determination method for their tax situation and to obtain more information about how the basis reporting law applies to them.

 

An individual shareholder whose “modified adjusted gross income” exceeds a threshold amount ($250,000 for married persons filing jointly and $200,000 for single taxpayers) (“Excess”) is required to pay a 3.8% federal tax on the lesser of (1) the Excess or (2) the individual shareholder’s “net investment income,” which generally includes dividends, interest, and net gains from the disposition of investment property (including distributions the Fund pays and net gains realized on a redemption of Fund shares). This tax is in addition to any other taxes due on that income. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, this provision may have on their investment in Fund shares.

 

After December 31 of each year, the Fund will mail to its shareholders reports containing information about the federal income tax status of distributions paid during the year. For further information about the tax effects of investing in the Fund, please see the SAI and consult your tax advisor.

 36 

 

 

 

ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

Organization. The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust, and the Fund is a series thereof. The Fund does not expect to hold shareholders’ meetings unless required by federal or Delaware law. Shareholders of each series of the Trust are entitled to vote at shareholders’ meetings unless a matter relates only to a specific series (such as the approval of an advisory agreement for the Fund). From time to time, large shareholders may control the Fund or the Trust.

 

Additional Information. The Trust enters into contractual arrangements with various parties, including, among others, the Fund’s investment adviser, sub-adviser(s) if applicable, custodian, principal underwriter and transfer agent who provide services to the Fund. Shareholders are not parties to any such contractual arrangements or intended beneficiaries of those contractual arrangements, and those contractual arrangements are not intended to create in any shareholder any right to enforce them against the service providers or to seek any remedy under them against the service providers, either directly or on behalf of the Trust.

 

This Prospectus provides information concerning the Fund that you should consider in determining whether to purchase Fund shares. Neither this Prospectus, the SAI nor any other communication to shareholders is intended, or should be read, to be or give rise to an agreement or contract between the Trust, its trustees or any series of the Trust, including the Fund, and any investor, or to give rise to any rights in any shareholder or other person other than any rights under federal or state law that may not be waived.

 37 

 

 

 

ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

 

 

 

Financial Highlights

 

Financial Highlights are not provided because, as of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund had not yet completed its first fiscal year.

 38 

 

 

 

ABSOLUTE CONVERTIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FUND

INSTITUTIONAL SHARES

 

 

 

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports

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

 

Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”)

The SAI provides additional information about the Fund and is incorporated by reference into, and is legally part of, this Prospectus.

 

Contacting the Fund

You may obtain free copies of the annual and semi-annual reports and the SAI, request other information and discuss your questions about the Fund by contacting the Fund at:

 

Absolute Convertible Opportunities Fund

P.O. Box 588

Portland, Maine 04112

(888) 99-ABSOLUTE or

(888) 992-2765 (toll free)

The Fund’s Prospectus, SAI and annual and semi-annual reports are available, without charge, on the Adviser’s website at: www.absoluteadvisers.com.

 

Securities and Exchange Commission Information

Fund information, including copies of the annual and semi-annual reports and the SAI, is available on the SEC’s EDGAR database website at www.sec.gov.

 

You may also obtain copies of this information, for a duplication fee, by sending an email request to [email protected].

 

    Distributor
    Foreside Fund Services, LLC
    Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100
    Portland, Maine 04101
    www.foreside.com
212-PRU4-0522    
  Investment Company Act File No. 811-03023  

 

 

 

   

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON MARCH 23, 2022

 

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 PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.

 

Statement of Additional Information

 

[June 6, 2022]

 

Absolute Convertible Opportunities Fund

Institutional Shares (TICKER)

 

Investment Adviser:

Absolute Investment Advisers LLC

4 North Street, Suite 2

Hingham, MA 02043

www.absoluteadvisers.com

 

Account Information

and Shareholder Services:

Absolute Convertible Opportunities Fund

P.O. Box 588

Portland, Maine 04112

(888) 99-ABSOLUTE (toll free)

(888) 992-2765 (toll free)

[email protected]

 

This Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”) supplements the prospectus dated [June 6, 2022], as it may be amended from time to time (the Prospectus), offering Institutional Shares of Absolute Convertible Opportunities Fund (the “Fund”), a separate series of Forum Funds (the “Trust”). This SAI is not a prospectus and should only be read in conjunction with the Prospectus. You may obtain the Prospectus without charge by contacting Atlantic Fund Administration, LLC (d/b/a Apex Fund Services) (“Apex Fund Services”, “Apex” or “Administrator”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex US Holdings LLC, at the address, telephone number or e-mail address listed above. You may also obtain the Prospectus on the Adviser’s website listed above. This SAI is incorporated by reference into the Fund’s Prospectus. In other words, it is legally a part of the Prospectus.

 

The Fund financial statements are not yet available because, as of the date of this SAI the Fund had not yet completed its first fiscal year. In the future, copies of the Funds Annual Report may be obtained without charge and upon request, by contacting Apex Fund Services at the address, telephone number or e-mail address listed above.

   

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS  
KEY DEFINED TERMS 1
INVESTMENT POLICIES AND RISKS 2
A. Security Ratings Information 2
B. Equity Securities 2
C. Fixed-Income Securities 5
D. Foreign Securities 8
E. Foreign CurrencyTransactions 9
F. Derivatives 10
G. Illiquid and Restricted Securities 15
H. Investment Company Securities (including Exchange Traded Funds) and Exchange-Traded Products 16
I. Cash Instruments 17
J. Market Turbulence 17
K. Cyber-Security Risk 17
L. Large Shareholder Transaction Risk 18
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS 19
BOARD OF TRUSTEES, MANAGEMENT AND SERVICE PROVIDERS 21
A. Board of Trustees 21
B. Principal Officers of the Trust 24
C. Ownership of Securities of the Adviser and Related Companies 25
D. Information Concerning Trust Committees 25
E. Compensation of Trustees and Officers 25
F. Investment Adviser 25
G. Distributor 28
H. Other Fund Service Providers 29
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS 31
A. How Securities are Purchased and Sold 31
B. Commissions Paid 31
C. Adviser Responsibility for Purchases and Sales and Choosing Broker-Dealers 31
D. Counterparty Risk 31
E. Transactions through Affiliates 32
F. Other Accounts of the Adviser 32
G. Portfolio Turnover 32
H. Securities of Regular Broker-Dealers 32
I. Portfolio Holdings 32
PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION INFORMATION 34
A. General Information 34
B. Additional Purchase Information 34
C. Additional Redemption Information 34
TAXATION 37
A. Qualification for Treatment as a Regulated Investment Company 37
B. Fund Distributions 38
C. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) 39
D. Redemption of Shares 39
E. Federal Excise Tax 40
F. Certain Tax Rules Applicable to Fund Transactions 40
G. State and Local Taxes 42
H. Foreign Income Tax 42
I. Capital Loss Carryovers (CLCOs) 43
OTHER MATTERS 44
A. The Trust and Its Shareholders 44
B. Fund Ownership 45
   

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS  
C. Limitations on Shareholdersand TrusteesLiability 45
D. Proxy Voting Procedures 45
E. Code of Ethics 45
F. Registration Statement 45
G. Financial Statements 46
APPENDIX A - DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS A-1
APPENDIX B - TRUST PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES B-1
APPENDIX C - ADVISER PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES C-1
   

 

KEY DEFINED TERMS

 

As used in this SAI, the following terms have the meanings listed.

 

1933 Actmeans the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, including rules, regulations, SEC interpretations, and any exemptive orders or interpretive relief promulgated thereunder.

 

1940 Actmeans the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, including rules, regulations, SEC interpretations, and any exemptive orders or interpretive relief promulgated thereunder.

 

“Adviser” or “Absolute” means Absolute Investment Advisers LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser. “Board” means the Board of Trustees of the Trust.

 

Independent Trusteesmeans trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust, as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act.

 

IRCmeans the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. IRSmeans the Internal Revenue Service.

 

“NAV” means net asset value per share.

 

RICmeans a domestic corporation qualified as a regulated investment company(as defined in Subchapter M of Chapter 1, Subtitle A, of the IRC).

 

SECmeans the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

 1 

 

INVESTMENT POLICIES AND RISKS

 

The Fund is a diversified open-ended series of the Trust under Delaware state law. This section supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, the Prospectus. The following are descriptions of the investments and investment practices that the Fund may pursue (in addition to those described in the Prospectus) and the associated risks. Please see the Prospectus for a discussion of the Funds investment objective, principal investment strategies and principal risks.

 

A. Security Ratings Information

 

The Funds investments in fixed-income, preferred stock and convertible securities are subject to the credit risk relating to the financial condition of the issuers of the securities. The Fund may invest in investment grade securities and non-investment grade securities. The lowest ratings that are investment grade for corporate bonds, including convertible securities, are Baain the case of Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys) and BBBin the cases of Standard & Poors Financial Services, LLC, a division of the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (S&P), and Fitch, Inc. (Fitch); for preferred stock the lowest ratings are Baain the case of Moodys and BBBin the cases of S&P and Fitch. Non-investment grade fixed-income securities (commonly known as junk bonds) are inherently speculative and generally involve greater volatility of price than investment grade securities. Unrated securities may not be as actively traded as rated securities.

 

Moodys, S&P, Fitch and other organizations, together known as Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations (NRSROs), provide ratings of the credit quality of debt obligations, including convertible securities. A description of the range of ratings assigned to various types of bonds and other securities is included in Appendix A to this SAI. The Adviser or the Subadviser may use these ratings to determine whether to purchase, sell or hold a security. Ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality. Credit ratings attempt to evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments and do not evaluate the risks of fluctuations in market value. An issuers current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates.

 

B. Equity Securities

 

Common and Preferred Stock. The Fund may invest in common and preferred stock, including adjustable-rate preferred stock. Common stock represents an ownership interest in a company and usually possesses voting rights and earns dividends. Dividends on common stock are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of the issuer. Common stock generally represents the riskiest investment in a company. In addition, common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential because increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a companys common stock price. Preferred stock is a class of stock having a preference over common stock as to the payment of dividends or the recovery of investment should a company be liquidated, although preferred stock is usually junior to the debt securities of the issuer. Preferred stock typically does not possess voting rights. Preferred stock is subject to the risks associated with other types of equity securities, as well as additional risks, such as credit risk, interest rate risk, potentially greater volatility and risks related to deferral, non-cumulative dividends, subordination, liquidity, limited voting rights, and special redemption rights.

 

The Fund may purchase trust preferred securities, also known as trust preferreds, which are preferred stocks issued by a special purpose trust subsidiary backed by subordinated debt of the corporate parent. An issuer creates trust preferred securities by creating a trust and issuing debt to the trust. The trust in turn issues trust preferred securities. Trust preferred securities are hybrid securities with characteristics of both subordinated debt and preferred stock. Such characteristics include long maturities (typically 30 years or more), early redemption by the issuer, periodic fixed or variable interest payments, and maturities at face value. In addition, trust preferred securities issued by bank holding company may allow deferral of interest payments for up to 5 years. Holders of trust preferred securities have limited voting rights to control the activities of the trust, and no voting rights with respect to the parent company.

 

The fundamental risk of investing in common and preferred stock is the risk that the value of the stock might decrease. Stock values fluctuate in response to the activities of an individual company or in response to general market and/or economic conditions. Historically, common stocks have provided greater long-term returns and have entailed greater short-term risks than preferred stocks, fixed-income securities and money market investments. This may not be true currently or in the future. The market value of all securities, including common and preferred stocks, is based upon the markets perception of value and not necessarily the book value of an issuer or other objective measure of a companys worth. If you invest in the Fund, you should be willing to accept the risks of the stock market and should consider an investment in the Fund only as a part of your overall investment portfolio.

 

Convertible Securities. The Fund may invest in convertible securities. Convertible securities include fixed-income securities, preferred stock or other securities that may be converted into or exchanged for a given amount of common stock of the same or a different issuer during a specified period and at a specified price or formula in the future. Convertible securities generally have features of, and risks associated with, both equity and fixed income instruments. As such, the value of most convertible securities will vary with changes in the price of, and will be subject to the risks associated with, the underlying common stock. Additionally, convertible securities are also subject to the risk that the issuer may not be able to pay principal or interest when due and the value of the convertible security may change based on the issuer’s credit rating.

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A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest on debt or the dividend on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Before conversion, such securities ordinarily provide a stream of income with generally higher yields than common stocks of the same or similar issuers, but lower than the yield on nonconvertible debt.

 

Convertible securities rank senior to common stock in a company’s capital structure but are usually subordinated to comparable non-convertible securities. Convertible securities have unique investment characteristics in that they generally: (1) are less subject to fluctuation in value than the underlying common stock since they have fixed-income characteristics; and (2) provide the potential for capital appreciation if the market price of the underlying common stock increases.

 

A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security’s governing instrument. If a convertible security is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to permit the issuer to redeem the security, convert it into the underlying common stock or sell it to a third party.

 

The price of a convertible security may reflect variations in the price of the underlying common stock in a way that nonconvertible debt does not. Convertible securities may be issued by smaller capitalization companies whose stock prices may be more volatile than larger capitalization companies. Such risk is reduced, however, to the extent that the convertible security sells above its value as a fixed-income security.

 

Convertible Arbitrage. Convertible arbitrage involves buying convertible bonds (bonds that are convertible into common stock) or shares of convertible preferred stock (stock that is convertible into common stock) that are believed to be undervalued. In addition to taking "long" positions (i.e., owning the security) in convertible bonds or convertible preferred stock, the Fund may take "short" positions (i.e., borrowing and later selling the security) in the underlying common stock into which the convertible securities are exchangeable in order to hedge against market risk. The strategy is intended to capitalize on relative pricing inefficiencies between the related securities. This strategy may be employed with a directional bias (anticipating the direction of the market) or on a market neutral basis (the direction of the market does not have a significant impact on returns). The source of return from this strategy arises from the fact that convertible bonds may be undervalued relative to other securities due to the complexity of investing in these securities.

 

Convertible arbitrage is subject to special risks. The identification and exploitation of market opportunities involve uncertainty. No assurance can be given that the adviser will be able to locate investment opportunities or to exploit price discrepancies correctly. A material risk associated with the strategy is that, in the event of an issuer bankruptcy, the gain on any short position held by the Fund may not fully cover the loss on the convertible security. Convertible arbitrage strategies may also be adversely affected by changes in the level of interest rates, downgrades in credit ratings, credit spread fluctuations, defaults and lack of liquidity. A default in interest or principal payments by an issuer could result in a loss of income to the Fund, or a decline in the market value of the securities. Market events may cause certain investors to sell large amounts of convertible securities and adversely affect their market price. The Fund may also realize losses if a transaction is terminated or delayed. Trading for convertible arbitrage strategies may materially increase the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate and result in high transaction costs and capital gains tax liabilities. Borrowing securities to cover short positions, as required by regulations, poses additional risks of loss, particularly to the extent that a transaction is terminated or delayed.

 

Warrants and Rights. The Fund may invest in warrants and rights. Warrants are securities, typically issued with preferred stock or bonds, that give the holder the right to purchase a given number of shares of common stock at a specified price and time. The price usually represents a premium over the applicable market value of the common stock at the time of the warrants issuance. Warrants have no voting rights with respect to the common stock, receive no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer. A right is an option given to a shareholder to buy additional shares at a predetermined price during a specified time.

 

Investments in warrants and rights involve certain risks, including the possible lack of a liquid market for the resale of the warrants and rights, potential price fluctuations due to adverse market conditions or other factors and failure of the price of the common stock to rise. If the warrant or right is not exercised within the specified time period, it becomes worthless.

 

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Depositary Receipts. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts. A depositary receipt is a receipt for shares of a foreign-based company that entitles the holder to distributions on the underlying security. Depositary receipts include sponsored and unsponsored American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), European Depositary Receipts (EDRs) and other similar global instruments. In a sponsored depositary arrangement, the foreign issuer assumes the obligation to pay some or all of the depositarys transaction fees. Unsponsored depositary receipts may be created without the participation of the foreign issuer. Holders of these receipts generally bear all the costs of the depositary receipt facility, whereas foreign issuers typically bear certain costs in a sponsored depositary receipt. The bank or trust company depositary of an unsponsored depositary receipt may be under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the foreign issuer or to pass through voting rights. Accordingly, available information concerning the issuer may not be current, and the prices of unsponsored depositary receipts may be more volatile than the prices of sponsored depositary receipts.. ADRs typically are issued by a U.S. bank or trust company, evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign company, and are designed for use in U.S. securities markets. EDRs (sometimes called Continental Depositary Receipts) are receipts issued by a European financial institution evidencing an arrangement similar to that of ADRs, and are designed for use in European securities markets.

 

Depositary receipts may involve additional risks relating to political, economic or regulatory conditions in foreign countries. These risks include less stringent investor protection and disclosure standards in some foreign markets and fluctuations in foreign currencies. The securities underlying depositary receipts are typically denominated (or quoted) in a currency other than U.S. dollars. As a result, changes in foreign currency exchange rates affect the value of the Funds portfolio. Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency loses value because the currency is worth fewer U.S. dollars; conversely, when the U.S. dollar decreases in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency gains value because the currency is worth more U.S. dollars. This risk means that a strong U.S. dollar may reduce returns for U.S. investors, while a weak U.S. dollar may increase those returns. In addition, the securities underlying depositary receipts may trade on foreign exchanges at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading. As a result, the value of depositary receipts representing those underlying securities may change materially at times when U.S. markets are not open for trading.

 

Real Estate Investment Trusts and Royalty Trusts. The Fund may purchase interests in real estate investment trusts (REITs) and royalty trusts. A REIT is a company that pools investor funds to invest primarily in income producing real estate or real estate related loans or interests. A royalty trust is an entity that typically owns oil or natural gas wells or the mineral rights of wells and of property, such as mines.

 

Because REITs and royalty trusts have ongoing fees and expenses, which may include management, operating and administration expenses, REIT and royalty trust shareholders, including the Fund, will indirectly bear a proportionate share of those expenses in addition to the expenses of the Fund. However, such expenses are not considered to be Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and, therefore, are not reflected as such in the Funds fee table.

 

REITs may be affected by changes in their underlying properties and by defaults by borrowers or tenants. Mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of the credit extended. Furthermore, REITs are dependent on specialized management skills. Some REITs may have limited diversification and may be subject to risks inherent in financing a limited number of properties. REITs depend generally on their ability to generate cash flow to make distributions to shareholders or unitholders, and may be subject to defaults by borrowers and to self-liquidations. REITs are not taxed on income distributed to their shareholders if, among other things, they distribute substantially all of their taxable income (other than net capital gains) for each taxable year. The performance of a REIT would likely be affected by its failure to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the IRC, however, including regulations thereunder and IRS interpretations or similar authority upon which the Fund may rely or its failure to maintain exemption from registration under the 1940 Act.

 

Royalty trusts may be subject to certain risks associated with a decline in demand for crude oil, natural gas and refined petroleum products, which, in turn, could adversely affect income and royalty trust revenues and cash flows. Factors that could lead to a decrease in market demand include a recession or other adverse economic conditions, an increase in the market price of the underlying commodity, higher taxes or other regulatory actions that increase costs, or a shift in consumer demand for such products. A rising interest rate environment could adversely impact the performance of royalty trusts. Rising interest rates could limit the capital appreciation of royalty trusts because of the increased availability of alternative investments at more competitive yields.

 

Initial Public Offerings. The Fund may purchase securities of companies in initial public offerings. Special risks associated with initial public offerings may include a limited number of shares available for trading, unseasoned trading, lack of investor knowledge of the company and limited operating history. These factors may contribute to substantial price volatility for the shares of these companies. The limited number of shares available for trading in some initial public offerings may make it more difficult for the Fund to buy or sell significant amounts of shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing market prices. Some companies whose shares are sold through initial public offerings are involved in relatively new industries or lines of business, which may not be widely understood by investors. Some of these companies may be undercapitalized or regarded as developmental stage companies without revenues or operating income, or the near-term prospects of achieving them.

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C. Fixed-Income Securities

 

General

 

U.S. Government Securities. The Fund may invest in U.S. Government Securities. The Fund considers U.S. Government Securities to include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and by U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities. U.S. Government Securities may be supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. (such as mortgage-backed securities and certificates of the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) and securities of the Small Business Administration); by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Department of the Treasury (for example, Federal Home Loan Bank securities); by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Department of the Treasury to lend to the issuer (for example, Fannie Mae (formerly the Federal National Mortgage Association) (FNMA) securities); or solely by the creditworthiness of the issuer (for example, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC) securities).

 

U.S. Government Securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing the obligation for repayment and may not be able to assert a claim against the U.S. in the event that the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitment. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government would provide support if it were not obligated to do so by law. Neither the U.S. Government nor any of its agencies or instrumentalities guarantees the market value of the securities they issue. The range of maturities of U.S. Government Securities is usually three months to thirty years. In general, the U.S. Government Securities tend to carry more interest rate risk than corporate bonds with similar maturities.

 

In September 2008, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced that FNMA and FHLMC had been placed in conservatorship. Since that time, FNMA and FHLMC have received significant capital support through U.S. Department of the Treasury preferred stock purchases, as well as Treasury and Federal Reserve purchases of their mortgage-backed securities (MBS). The FHFA and the U.S. Department of the Treasury (through its agreement to purchase FHLMC and FNMA preferred stock) have imposed strict limits on the size of their mortgage portfolios. While the MBS purchase programs ended in 2010, the U.S. Department of the Treasury continued its support for the entities' capital as necessary to prevent a negative net worth through at least 2012. When a credit rating agency downgraded long-term U.S. Government debt in August 2011, the agency also downgraded FNMA and FHLMC's bond ratings, from AAA to AA+, based on their direct reliance on the U.S. Government (although that rating did not directly relate to their MBS). From the end of 2007 through the fourth quarter of 2017, FNMA and FHLMC required U.S. Department of the Treasury support of approximately $187.5 billion through draws under the preferred stock purchase agreements. However, FNMA and FHLMC have paid approximately $278.8 billion in aggregate cash dividends to the U.S. Department of the Treasury over the same period (although those payments do not constitute a repayment under their draws). In the first quarter of 2018, FNMA and FHLMC each reported that the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017 had resulted in a decrease in the value of their deferred tax assets. As a result, FNMA and FHLMC each reported net losses during the fourth quarter of 2017 and indicated that they would request draws from the U.S. Department of the Treasury in the amount of $3.7 billion and $0.3 billion, respectively. No assurance can be given that any Federal Reserve, U.S. Department of the Treasury, or FHFA initiatives will ensure that FHLMC and FNMA will remain successful in meeting their obligations with respect to the debt and MBS they issue.

 

In addition, the problems faced by FNMA and FHLMC, resulting in their being placed into federal conservatorship and receiving significant U.S. Government support, have sparked serious debate among federal policy makers regarding the continued role of the U.S. Government in providing liquidity for mortgage loans. In December 2011, Congress enacted the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 which, among other provisions, requires that FNMA and FHLMC increase their single-family guaranty fees by at least 10 basis points and remit this increase to the U.S. Department of the Treasury with respect to all loans acquired by FNMA or FHLMC on or after April 1, 2012 and before January 1, 2022. Serious discussions among policymakers continue, however, as to whether FNMA and FHLMC should be nationalized, privatized, restructured or eliminated altogether. FNMA reported in the second quarter of 2014 that there was "significant uncertainty regarding the future of our company, including how long the company will continue to exist in its current form, the extent of our role in the market, what form we will have, and what ownership interest, if any, our current common and preferred stockholders will hold in us after the conservatorship is terminated and whether we will continue to exist following conservatorship." FHLMC faces similar uncertainty about its future role. FNMA and FHLMC also are the subject of several continuing legal actions and investigations over certain accounting, disclosure or corporate governance matters, which (along with any resulting financial restatements) may continue to have an adverse effect on the guaranteeing entities.

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Corporate Debt Obligations. The Fund may invest in corporate debt obligations. Corporate debt obligations include corporate bonds, debentures, notes, commercial paper and other similar debt obligations, which are instruments, used by companies to borrow money from investors. The issuer pays the investor a fixed or variable rate of interest and must repay the amount borrowed at maturity.

 

Commercial paper (short-term unsecured promissory notes) is issued by companies to finance their current obligations and normally has a maturity of less than 9 months. The Fund may also invest in corporate fixed-income securities registered and sold in the U.S. by foreign issuers (Yankee bonds) and those sold outside the U.S. by foreign or U.S. issuers (Eurobonds).

 

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities. The Fund may invest in treasury inflation protected securities (“TIPS”). TIPS are income-generating instruments whose interest and principal payments are adjusted for inflation—a sustained increase in prices that erodes the purchasing power of money. The inflation adjustment, which is typically applied monthly to the bond’s principal, follows a designated inflation index, such as the consumer price index (CPI). A fixed coupon rate is applied to the inflation-adjusted principal so that as inflation rises, both the principal value and the interest payments increase. This adjustment can provide investors with a hedge against inflation, as it helps preserve the purchasing power of their investments. Because of this inflation adjustment feature, inflation-protected bonds typically have lower yields than conventional fixed-rate bonds. TIPS are subject to certain risks, including interest rate risk and deflation risk.

 

Variable Amount Master Demand Notes. Variable amount master demand notes are unsecured demand notes that permit investment of fluctuating amounts of money at variable rates of interest pursuant to arrangements with issuers who meet certain quality criteria.

 

Variable and Floating Rate Securities. The Fund may invest in variable and floating rate securities, including perpetual floaters. Fixed-income securities that have variable or floating rates of interest may, under certain limited circumstances, have varying principal amounts. These securities pay interest at rates that are adjusted periodically according to a specified formula, usually with reference to one or more interest rate indices or market interest rates (the “underlying index”). The interest paid on these securities is a function primarily of the underlying index upon which the interest rate adjustments are based. These adjustments minimize changes in the market value of the obligation. A perpetual floater is a floating rate security with no stated maturity date. Similar to fixed rate debt instruments, variable and floating rate instruments are subject to changes in value based on changes in market interest rates or changes in the issuer’s creditworthiness. The rate of interest on securities may be tied to U.S. Government Securities or indices on those securities and any other rate of interest or index.

 

Variable and floating rate demand notes of corporations are redeemable upon a specified period of notice. These obligations include master demand notes that permit investment of fluctuating amounts at varying interest rates under direct arrangements with the issuer of the instrument. The issuer of these obligations often has the right, after a given period, to prepay the outstanding principal amount of the obligations upon a specified number of days’ notice.

 

Certain variable and floating rate securities have an interest rate floor feature, which prevents the interest rate payable by the security from dropping below a specified level as compared to a reference interest rate (the reference rate), such as LIBOR. Such a floor protects the Fund from losses resulting from a decrease in the reference rate below the specified level. However, if the reference rate is below the floor, there will be a lag between a rise in the reference rate and a rise in the interest rate payable by the security, and the Fund may not benefit from increasing interest rates for a significant period of time.

 

Certain securities may have an initial principal amount that varies over time based on an interest rate index, and, accordingly, the Fund might be entitled to less than the initial principal amount of the security upon the securitys maturity. The Fund intends to purchase these securities only when Absolute or a Subadviser believes the interest income from the instrument justifies any principal risks associated with the instrument. Absolute or a Subadviser may attempt to limit any potential loss of principal by purchasing similar instruments that are intended to provide an offsetting increase in principal. There can be no assurance that Absolute or a Subadviser will be able to limit the effects of principal fluctuations and, accordingly, the Fund may incur losses on those securities even if held to maturity without issuer default.

 

The Fund may also invest in inverse floating rate debt instruments (“inverse floaters”). The interest rate on an inverse floater resets in the opposite direction from the market rate of interest to which the inverse floater is indexed. An inverse floater may have greater volatility in market value, in that, during periods of rising interest rates, the market values of inverse floaters will tend to decrease more rapidly than those of fixed rate securities.

 

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There may not be an active secondary market for any particular floating or variable rate instruments, which could make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of the instrument during periods that the Fund is not entitled to exercise any demand rights it may have. The Fund could, for this or other reasons, suffer a loss with respect to those instruments. Absolute or a Subadviser monitors the liquidity of the Fund’s investment in variable and floating rate instruments, but there can be no guarantee that an active secondary market will exist.

 

Risks

 

General. The market value of the interest-bearing debt securities held by the Fund will be affected by changes in interest rates. There is normally an inverse relationship between the market value of securities sensitive to prevailing interest rates and actual changes in interest rates. The longer the remaining maturity (and duration) of a security, the more sensitive the security is to changes in interest rates. All fixed-income securities, including U.S. Government Securities, can change in value when there is a change in interest rates.

 

Changes in the ability of an issuer to make payments of interest and principal and in the marketsperception of an issuers creditworthiness will also affect the market value of that issuers fixed-income securities. As a result, an investment in the Fund is subject to risk even if all fixed-income securities in the Funds investment portfolio are paid in full at maturity. In addition, certain fixed-income securities may be subject to extension risk, which refers to the change in total return on a security resulting from an extension or abbreviation of the securitys maturity.

 

Yields on debt securities are dependent on a variety of factors, including the general conditions of the fixed-income securities markets, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue. Under normal conditions, fixed-income securities with longer maturities tend to offer higher yields and are generally subject to greater price movements than obligations with shorter maturities.

 

The issuers of debt securities are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors that may restrict the ability of the issuer to pay, when due, the principal of and interest on its fixed-income securities. Bankruptcy, litigation or other conditions may impair an issuers ability to pay, when due, the principal of and interest on its fixed-income securities.

 

Interest Rates. The market value of the interest-bearing fixed-income securities held by the Fund will be affected by changes in interest rates. There is normally an inverse relationship between the market value of securities sensitive to prevailing interest rates and actual changes in interest rates. The longer the remaining maturity (and duration) of a security, the more sensitive the security is to changes in interest rates. All fixed-income securities, including U.S. Government Securities, can change in value when there is a change in interest rates. Changes in the ability of an issuer to make payments of interest and principal and in the marketsperception of an issuers creditworthiness will also affect the market value of that issuers fixed-income securities. As a result, an investment in the Fund is subject to risk even if all fixed-income securities in the Fund’s investment portfolio are paid in full at maturity. In certain interest rate environments, such as when real interest rates are rising faster than nominal interest rates, TIPS may experience greater losses than other fixed income securities with similar durations. In addition, certain fixed-income securities may be subject to extension risk, which refers to the change in total return on a security resulting from an extension or abbreviation of the securitys maturity. The risks associated with rising interest rates may be more pronounced due to the current period of historically low rates.

 

Credit. The Funds investment in fixed-income securities is subject to the credit risk relating to the financial condition of the issuers of the securities that the Fund holds. The Fund may invest in high yield securities that provide poor protection for payment of principal and interest but may have greater potential for capital appreciation than do higher quality securities. These securities also have greater risk of default or price changes due to changes in the issuerscreditworthiness than do higher quality securities. Changes in the actual or perceived creditworthiness of an issuer, factors affecting an issuer directly (such as management changes, labor relations, collapse of key suppliers or customers, or material changes in overhead), factors affecting the industry in which a particular issuer operates (such as competition or technological advances) and changes in general social, economic or political conditions can increase the risk of default by an issuer, which may affect a securitys credit quality or price. The market for these securities may be thinner and less active than that for higher quality securities, which may affect the price at which the lower rated securities can be sold. In addition, the market prices of these securities may fluctuate more than the market prices of higher quality securities and may decline significantly in periods of general economic difficulty or rising interest rates. Under such conditions, the Fund may have to use subjective rather than objective criteria to value its high yield/high risk securities investments accurately and may rely more heavily on the judgment of a Subadviser to do so. Entities providing credit or liquidity support also may be affected by these types of changes.

 

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Moody’s, S&P and other organizations are private services that provide ratings of the credit quality of debt obligations, including convertible securities. A description of the range of ratings assigned to various types of bonds and other securities is included in Appendix A to this SAI. Absolute or a Subadviser may use these ratings to determine whether to purchase, sell or hold a security. Ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality. Securities with the same maturity, interest rate and rating may have different market prices. If an issue of securities ceases to be rated or if its rating is reduced after it is purchased by the Fund, Absolute or a Subadviser will determine whether the Fund should continue to hold the obligation. Credit ratings attempt to evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments and do not evaluate the risks of fluctuations in market value. An issuer’s current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates.

 

D. Foreign Securities

 

The Fund may invest in foreign securities. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers may involve risks in addition to those normally associated with investments in the securities of U.S. issuers. All foreign investments are subject to risks of: (1) foreign political and economic instability; (2) adverse movements in foreign exchange rates; (3) the imposition or tightening of exchange controls or other limitations on repatriation of foreign capital; and (4) changes in foreign governmental attitudes towards private investment, including potential nationalization, increased taxation or confiscation of the Fund’s assets.

 

In addition, dividends payable on foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes, thereby reducing the income available for distribution to you. Some foreign brokerage commissions and custody fees are higher than those in the U.S.. Foreign accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards differ from those in the U.S. and therefore, less information may be available about foreign companies than is available about issuers of comparable U.S. companies. Foreign securities also may trade less frequently and with lower volume and may exhibit greater price volatility than U.S. securities.

 

Changes in foreign exchange rates will affect the U.S. dollar value of all foreign currency-denominated securities held by the Fund. Exchange rates are influenced generally by the forces of supply and demand in the foreign currency markets and by numerous other political and economic events occurring outside the U.S., many of which may be difficult, if not impossible, to predict.

 

Income from foreign securities will be received and realized in foreign currencies and the Fund is required to compute and distribute income in U.S. dollars. Accordingly, a decline in the value of a particular foreign currency against the U.S. dollar after the Funds income has been earned and computed in U.S. dollars may require the Fund to liquidate portfolio securities to acquire sufficient U.S. dollars to make a distribution. Similarly, if the exchange rate declines between the time the Fund incurs expenses in U.S. dollars and the time such expenses are paid, the Fund may be required to liquidate additional foreign securities to purchase the U.S. dollars required to meet such expenses.

 

Emerging Markets. Emerging markets can have more risk than investing in developed foreign markets, an investment in the Fund may have the following additional risks:

 

Information about the companies in these countries is not always readily available;

 

Stocks of companies traded in these countries may be less liquid and the prices of these stocks may be more volatile than the prices of the stocks in more established markets;

 

Greater political and economic uncertainties exist in emerging markets than in developed foreign markets;

 

The securities markets and legal systems in emerging markets may not be well developed and may not provide the protections and advantages of the markets and systems available in more developed countries;

 

Very high inflation rates may exist in emerging markets and could negatively impact a countrys economy and securities markets;

 

Emerging markets may impose restrictions on the Funds ability to repatriate investment income or capital and thus, may adversely effect the operations of the Fund;

 

Certain emerging markets impose constraints on currency exchange and some currencies in emerging may have been devalued significantly against the U.S. dollar;

 

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Governments of some emerging markets exercise substantial influence over the private sector and may own or control many companies. As such, governmental actions could have a significant effect on economic conditions in emerging markets, which, in turn, could effect the value of the Fund’s investments; and

 

Emerging markets may be subject to less government supervision and regulation of business and industry practices, stock exchanges, brokers and listed companies.

 

For these and other reasons, the prices of securities in emerging markets can fluctuate more significantly than the prices of securities of companies in developed countries. In times of market stress, regulatory authorities of different emerging market countries may apply varying techniques and degrees of intervention, which can have an effect on prices and may require that the Fund fair value its holdings in those countries. The less developed the country, the greater effect these risks may have on your investment in the Fund. As a result, an investment in the Fund may exhibit a higher degree of volatility than either the general domestic securities market or the securities markets of developed foreign countries.

 

Sovereign and Non-U.S. Dollar Denominated Debt Securities. The Fund may invest in foreign government securities. Foreign government securities include securities issued or guaranteed by foreign governments (including political subdivisions) or their authorities, agencies, or instrumentalities or by supra-national agencies. Certain foreign securities may be non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities, including debt obligations denominated in foreign or composite securities. Supra-national agencies are agencies whose member nations make capital contributions to support the agenciesactivities. Examples include the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank), the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, and the Inter-American Development Bank.

 

Different kinds of foreign government securities have different kinds of government support. Foreign government securities of some countries may involve varying degrees of credit risk as a result of financial or political instability in those countries or the possible inability of the Fund to enforce its rights against the foreign government. As with issuers of other fixed-income securities, sovereign issuers may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal or interest payments. Securities based on the same currency may be affected similarly by political, economic and business developments, changes and conditions relevant in the markets.

 

For purposes of the Funds concentration policies, the Fund treats each foreign government or sovereign as its own industry. Holders of U.S. Government and foreign securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. or foreign government must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing the obligation for repayment and may not be able to assert a claim against the U.S. or foreign government in the event that the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitment. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government or foreign government would provide support if it were not obligated to do so by law. Neither the U.S. Government, foreign government nor any of its agencies or instrumentalities guarantees the market value of the securities they issue.

 

The Fund may also invest in debt obligations issued by entities that the Adviser considers to be comparable to entities in the categories enumerated above or foreign corporations.

 

E. Foreign CurrencyTransactions

 

1. General

 

The Fund may invest in foreign currencies and investments in foreign companies will usually involve currencies of foreign countries. The Fund may also temporarily hold funds in bank deposits in foreign currencies during the completion of investment programs. The Fund may conduct foreign currency exchange transactions either on a spot (cash) basis at the spot rate prevailing in the foreign exchange market or by entering into a forward foreign currency contract. Such forward contracts involve an obligation to purchase or sell a specific amount of a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days (usually less than one year) from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract.

 

Forward contracts are considered “derivatives” — financial instruments whose performance is derived, at least in part, from the performance of another asset (such as a security, currency or an index of securities). The Fund may enter into forward contracts in order to lock inthe exchange rate between the currency it will deliver and the currency it will receive for the duration of the contract. In addition, the Fund may enter into forward contracts to hedge against risks arising from securities the Fund owns or anticipates purchasing, or the U.S. dollar value of interest and dividends paid on those securities. The Fund may enter into forward contracts for speculative purposes.

 

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At or before settlement of a forward currency contract, the Fund may either deliver the currency or terminate its contractual obligation to deliver the currency by purchasing an offsetting contract. If the Fund makes delivery of the foreign currency at or before the settlement of a forward contract, it may be required to obtain the currency through the conversion of assets of the Fund into the currency. The Fund may close out a forward contract obligating it to purchase currency by selling an offsetting contract, in which case, it will realize a gain or a loss.

 

2. Risks

 

Foreign currency transactions involve certain costs and risks. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the value of what the Fund owns and the price of the Fund's shares. Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, an investment in that country loses value because that currency is worth fewer U.S. dollars. Devaluation of a currency by a country's government or banking authority also will have a significant impact on the value of any investments denominated in the currency. The Fund incurs foreign exchange expenses in converting assets from one currency to another.

 

To manage currency risk, the Fund may enter into forward currency contracts. A forward currency contract involves an agreement to purchase or sell a specified currency at a specified future price set at the time of the contract. Forward contracts involve a risk of loss if Absolute or a Subadviser is inaccurate in its prediction of currency movements. The projection of short-term currency market movements is extremely difficult and the successful execution of a short-term hedging strategy is highly uncertain. The precise matching of forward contract amounts and the value of the securities involved is generally not possible. Accordingly, it may be necessary for the Fund to purchase additional foreign currency if the market value of the security is less than the amount of the foreign currency the Fund is obligated to deliver under the forward contract and the decision is made to sell the security and make delivery of the foreign currency. The use of forward contracts as a hedging technique does not eliminate fluctuations in the prices of the underlying securities the Fund owns or intends to acquire, but it does fix a rate of exchange in advance. Although forward contracts can reduce the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currencies, they also limit any potential gain that might result from an increase in the value of the currencies. There is also the risk that the other party to the transaction may fail to deliver currency when due which may result in a loss to the Fund.

 

F. Derivatives

 

Derivatives are financial instruments that have a value which depends upon, or is derived from, the value of something else, such as one or more underlying securities, pools of securities, options, futures, indexes or currencies. All derivatives can create leverage. Gains or losses involving derivative instruments may be substantial, because a relatively small price movement in the underlying securities, instrument, currency or index may result in a substantial gain or loss for a Fund.

 

Historically, an adviser of a fund trading commodity interests (such as futures contracts, options on futures contracts, nondeliverable forwards, swaps and cash-settled foreign currency contracts) has been excluded from regulation as a commodity pool operator (CPO) pursuant to CFTC Regulation 4.5. In 2012, the CFTC amended Regulation 4.5 to dramatically narrow this exclusion.

 

Under the amended Regulation 4.5 exclusion, a funds commodity interests - other than those used for bona fide hedging purposes (as defined by the CFTC) - must be limited such that the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish the positions (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions and excluding the amount by which options are in-the-moneyat the time of purchase) does not exceed 5% of the liquidation value of the funds portfolio, or alternatively, the aggregate net notional value of the positions, determined at the time the most recent position was established, does not exceed 100% of the liquidation value of the funds portfolio (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). Further, to qualify for the exclusion in amended Regulation 4.5, a fund must satisfy a marketing test, which requires, among other things, that the fund not hold itself out as a vehicle for trading commodity interests.

 

The Adviser intends to comply with one of the two alternative limitations described above with respect to the Fund and claim an exclusion from the definition of the term commodity pool operatorunder the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) with respect to the Fund. The Fund therefore will not be subject to registration or regulation as a CPO under the CEA. Complying with the limitations may restrict the Advisers ability to use derivatives as part of the Funds investment strategies. Although the Adviser expects to be able to execute the Funds strategies within the limitations, performance could be adversely affected.

 

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Transactions in futures and options by the Fund are subject to limitations established by futures and option exchanges governing the maximum number of futures and options that may be written or held by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert, regardless of whether the futures or options were written or purchased on the same or different exchanges or are held in one or more accounts or through one or more different exchanges or through one or more brokers. Thus the number of futures or options which the Fund may write or hold may be affected by futures or options written or held by other entities, including other investment companies advised by the Adviser. An exchange may order the liquidation of positions found to be in violation of those limits and may impose certain other sanctions.

 

The Fund may purchase or write put and call options, futures and options on futures to: (1) enhance the Funds performance, including by obtaining leverage; or (2) to hedge against a decline in the value of securities owned by the Fund or an increase in the price of securities that the Fund plans to purchase or in order to offset the effects of general stock market movements.

 

Specifically, the Fund may purchase or write options on securities in which it may invest, on market indices based in whole or in part on such securities or on commodities. Options purchased or written by the Fund are generally traded on an exchange or over-the-counter. The Fund may invest in futures contracts on securities in which it may invest, market indices based in whole or in part on securities in which the Fund may invest and on commodities. The Fund may also purchase or write put and call options on these futures contracts. Options and futures contracts are considered to be derivatives. No assurance can be given that any hedging or income strategy will achieve its intended result.

 

If the Fund will be financially exposed to another party due to its investments in options or futures, the Fund may, if required, maintain either: (1) offsetting (covered) positions; or (2) cash, receivables and liquid debt or equity securities equal to the value of the positions less any proceeds and/or margin on deposit. Offsetting covered positions may include holding the underlying securities or holding other offsetting liquid securities believed likely to substantially replicate the movement of the future or option investment. Offsetting covered positions also may include an offsetting option or futures contract.

 

The Fund will comply with SEC guidelines with respect to coverage of certain strategies and, if the guidelines require, it will set aside on its books and records cash, liquid securities and other permissible assets (Segregated Assets) in a segregated account in the prescribed amount. The value of the segregated assets, which is marked to market daily, will be at least equal to the Funds commitment under these transactions less any proceeds or margin on deposit. As a result, there is a possibility that the use of cover or segregation involving a large percentage of the Funds assets could impede portfolio management or the Funds ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

 

Ongoing changes to regulation of the derivatives markets and potential changes in the regulation of funds using derivative instruments could limit the Funds ability to pursue its investment strategies. The extent and impact of the regulation are not yet fully known and may not be for some time. New regulation of derivatives may make them more costly, may limit their availability, or may otherwise adversely affect their value or performance. In addition to other changes, these rules provide for central clearing of derivatives that in the past were traded exclusively OTC and may increase costs and margin requirements, but are expected to reduce certain counterparty risks.

 

On October 28, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act providing for the regulation of a registered investment company’s use of derivatives and certain related instruments. Among other things, Rule 18f-4 limits a fund’s derivatives exposure through a value-at-risk test and requires the adoption and implementation of a derivatives risk management program for certain derivatives users. Subject to certain conditions, limited derivatives users (as defined in Rule 18f-4), however, would not be subject to the full requirements of Rule 18f- 4. In connection with the adoption of Rule 18f-4, the SEC also eliminated the asset segregation framework arising from prior SEC guidance for covering derivatives and certain financial instruments. Compliance with Rule 18f-4 will not be required until August 19, 2022. As the Fund comes into compliance, the Fund’s approach to asset segregation and coverage requirements described in this SAI may be impacted. In addition, Rule 18f-4 could restrict the Fund’s ability to engage in certain derivatives transactions and/or increase the costs of such derivatives transactions, which could adversely affect the value or performance of the Fund.

 

Options on Securities. A call option is a contract under which the purchaser of the call option, in return for a premium paid, has the right to buy the security (or index) underlying the option at a specified price at any time during the term of the option. The writer of the call option, who receives the premium, has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security against payment of the exercise price. A put option gives its purchaser, in return for a premium, the right to sell the underlying security at a specified price during the term of the option. The writer of the put, who receives the premium, has the obligation to buy, upon exercise of the option, the underlying security (or a cash amount equal to the value of the index) at the exercise price. The amount of a premium received or paid for an option is based upon certain factors including the market price of the underlying security, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price, the historical price volatility of the underlying security, the option period and interest rates.

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Options on Indices. An index assigns relative values to the securities included in the index, and the index fluctuates with changes in the market values of the securities included in the index. Index cash options operate in the same way as the more traditional options on securities except that index options are settled exclusively in cash equal to the difference between the exercise price and the closing price of the index.

 

Options on Foreign Currency. Options on foreign currency operate in the same way as more traditional options on securities except that currency options are settled exclusively in the currency subject to the option. The value of a currency option is dependent upon the value of the currency relative to the U.S. dollar and has no relationship to the investment merits of a foreign security. Because foreign currency transactions occurring in the interbank market involve substantially larger amounts than those that may be involved in the use of foreign currency options, the Fund may be disadvantaged by having to deal in an odd lot market (generally consisting in transactions of less than $1 million) for the underlying currencies at prices that are less favorable than round lots. To the extent that the U.S. options markets are closed while the market for the underlying currencies are open, significant price and rate movements may take place in the underlying markets that cannot be reflected in the options markets.

 

Options on Futures. Options on futures contracts are similar to options on securities except that an option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in a futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of the option, the delivery of the futures position to the holder of the option will be accompanied by transfer to the holder of an accumulated balance representing the amount by which the market price of the futures contract exceeds, in the case of a call, or is less than, in the case of a put, the exercise price of the option on the future.

 

Futures Contracts. A futures contract is a bilateral agreement where one party agrees to accept, and the other party agrees to make, delivery of cash or underlying securities or commodities, as called for in the contract, at a specified date and at an agreed upon price. An index futures contract involves the delivery of an amount of cash equal to a specified dollar amount multiplied by the difference between the index value at the close of trading of the contract and at the price designated by the futures contract. Generally, these futures contracts are closed out prior to the expiration date of the contracts. A public market exists in futures contracts covering certain indexes, financial instruments and foreign currencies.

 

Risks of Commodities. Prices of various commodities may be affected by factors such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and other regulatory developments. The frequency, duration and magnitude of such changes cannot be predicted. The prices of commodities can also fluctuate widely due to supply and demand disruptions in major producing or consuming regions. Certain commodities may be produced in a limited number of countries and may be controlled by a small number of producers or groups of producers. As a result, political, economic and supply related events in such countries could have a disproportionate impact on the prices of such commodities. No active trading market may exist for certain commodities investments, which may impair the ability of the Fund to sell or to realize the full value of such investments in the event of the need to liquidate such investments. In addition, adverse market conditions may impair the liquidity of commodities investments. Because the Fund’s performance is linked to the performance of potentially volatile commodities, investors should be willing to assume the risks of significant fluctuations in the value of the Fund’s shares.

 

Risks of Options Transactions

 

There are certain investment risks associated with options transactions. These risks include: (1) dependence on Absolutes or a Subadvisers ability to predict movements in the prices of individual securities and fluctuations in the general securities markets; (2) imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of options and movements in the price of the securities (or indices) hedged or used for cover which may cause a given hedge not to achieve its objective; (3) the fact that the skills and techniques needed to trade these instruments are different from those needed to select the securities in which the Fund invests; and (4) lack of assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular instrument at any particular time, which, among other things, may hinder the Funds ability to limit exposures by closing its positions.

 

Other risks include the inability of the Fund, as the writer of covered call options, to benefit from any appreciation of the underlying securities above the exercise price, and the possible loss of the entire premium paid for options purchased by the Fund. There is no assurance that a counterparty in an over-the-counter option transaction will be able to perform its obligations.

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Risks of Futures Contracts and Options on Futures

 

The risk of loss in trading futures contracts and in writing options on futures contracts can be substantial, due to the low margin deposits required, the extremely high degree of leverage involved in futures and options pricing, and the potential high volatility of the futures markets. Futures prices are affected by and may respond rapidly to a variety of factors including (but not limited to) market reports, news reports, interest rates, national and international political and economic events, weather and domestic or foreign trades, monetary or fiscal policies and programs. Such rapid response might include an opening price on an affected futures contract sharply higher or lower than the previous days close. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain its required margin. In such situations, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily margin requirements (and segregation requirements, if applicable) at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so thus causing the Fund to incur a loss. In addition, on the settlement date, the Fund may be required to make delivery of the instruments underlying the futures positions it holds.

 

The Fund could suffer losses if it is unable to close out a futures contract or options on futures contract because of an illiquid secondary market. Futures contracts and options on futures contracts may be closed out only on an exchange, which provides a secondary market for such products. However, there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular futures product at any specific time. Thus, it may not be possible to close a futures or option position. Moreover, most futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous days settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movement during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses, because the limit may prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. Futures contract prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of future positions and subjecting some futures traders to substantial losses. The inability to close futures and options positions also could have an adverse impact on the ability to hedge a portfolio investment or to establish a substitute for a portfolio investment.

 

The Fund bears the risk that Absolute or the Subadvisers will incorrectly predict future market trends. If Absolute or the Subadvisers attempt to use a futures contract or an option on a futures contract as a hedge against, or as a substitute for, a portfolio investment, the Fund will be exposed to the risk that the futures position will have or will develop imperfect or no correlation with the portfolio investment. This could cause substantial losses for the Fund. While hedging strategies involving futures products can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments.

 

The Fund may use various futures contracts that are relatively new instruments without a significant trading history. As a result, there can be no assurance that an active secondary market in those contracts will develop or continue to exist. The Funds activities in the futures and options markets may result in higher portfolio turnover rates and additional brokerage costs, which could reduce the Fund’s yield.

 

Swaps. The Fund may engage in swaps, including, but not limited to, interest rate, currency and equity swaps, and the purchase or sale of related caps, floors, collars and other derivative instruments. The Fund expects to enter into these transactions to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or portion of the portfolios duration, 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 the most economical way possible.

 

Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of their respective commitments to receive or pay interest (e.g., an exchange of fixed rate payments for floating rate payments) with respect to a notional amount of principal. Currency swaps involve the exchange of cash flows on a notional amount based on changes in the values of referenced currencies.

 

The purchase of a cap entitles the purchaser to receive payments on a notional principal amount from the party selling the cap to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined interest rate or amount. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser to receive payments on a notional principal amount from the party selling the floor to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate or amount. A collar is a combination of a cap and a floor that preserves a certain return with a predetermined range of interest rates or values.

 

The use of swaps involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. If Absolute or a Subadviser is incorrect in its forecast of market values, interest rates and other applicable factors, the investment performance of the Fund will be less favorable than it would have been if this investment technique was never used. Swaps do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets or principal, and are subject to counterparty risk. If the other party to a swap defaults and fails to consummate the transaction, the Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of interest payments that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive. Under IRS rules, any lump sum payment received or due under the notional principal contract must be amortized over the life of the contract using the appropriate methodology prescribed by the IRS.

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Equity swaps or other swaps relating to securities or other instruments are based on changes in the value of the underlying securities or instruments. For example, an equity swap might involve an exchange of the value of a particular security or securities index in a certain notional amount for the value of another security or index or for the value of interest on that notional amount at a specified fixed or variable rate. The Fund will only enter into an equity swap contract on a net basis, i.e., the two partiesobligations are netted out, with the Fund paying or receiving, as the case may be, only the net amount of the payments. Payments under an equity swap contract may be made at the conclusion of the contract or periodically during its term.

 

A Subadviser may determine to enter into swap contracts exclusively through one counterparty. In such an arrangement, the Funds chosen counterparty may provide the Fund with favorable margin and collateral arrangements, but the Fund will be exposed to more risk with respect to that counterparty, including the risk that the counterparty may default.

 

If there is a default by the counterparty to a swap contract, the Fund will be limited to contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. There is no assurance that a swap contract counterparty will be able to meet its obligations pursuant to the swap contract or that, in the event of a default, the Fund will succeed in pursuing contractual remedies. The Fund thus assumes the risk that it may be delayed in or prevented from obtaining payments owed to it pursuant to a swap contract. However, the amount at risk is only the net unrealized gain, if any, on the swap, not the entire notional amount. Absolute or a Subadviser will closely monitor, subject to the oversight of the Board, the creditworthiness of swap counterparties in order to minimize the risk of swaps.

 

The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Funds obligations over its entitlements with respect to each swap contract will be segregated in accordance with SEC positions. The Fund is also required to segregate liquid assets equivalent to the Funds outstanding obligations under the contract in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act. To the extent that the Fund cannot dispose of a swap in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the value at which the Fund has valued the swap, the Fund will treat the swap as illiquid and subject to its overall limit on illiquid investments of 15% of the Funds net assets.

 

Credit Default Swaps. The Fund may invest in credit default swaps (CDS). A credit default swap gives one party (the buyer) the right to recoup the economic value of a decline in the value of debt securities of the reference issuer (including sovereign debt obligations) if the credit event (a downgrade or default) occurs. This value is obtained by delivering a debt security of the reference issuer to the party in return for a previously agreed payment from the other party (frequently, the par value of the debt security). CDS include, but are not limited to, credit default swaps, which are contracts on individual securities, and CDX, which are contracts on baskets or indices of securities. Credit default swaps may require initial premium (discount) payments and periodic payments (receipts) related to the interest leg of the swap or to the default of a reference obligation.

 

If the Fund is a seller of a CDS contract, the Fund would be required to pay the par (or other agreed upon) value of a referenced debt obligation to the counterparty in the event of a default or other credit event by the reference issuer, such as a U.S. or foreign corporate issuer, with respect to such debt obligations. In return, the Fund would receive from the counterparty a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract provided that no event of default has occurred. If no default occurs, the Fund would keep the stream of payments and would have no payment obligations. As the seller, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. The Fund is required to segregate liquid assets equal to the full notional value of any deliverable CDS contract it writes.

 

If the Fund is the buyer of a CDS contract, the Fund would have the right to deliver a referenced debt obligation and receive the par (or other agreed-upon) value of such debt obligation from the counterparty in the event of a default or other credit event (such as a credit downgrade) by the reference issuer, such as a U.S. or foreign corporation, with respect to its debt obligations. In return, the Fund would pay the counterparty a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract provided that no event of default has occurred. If no default occurs, the counterparty would keep the stream of payments and would have no further obligations to the Fund. For CDS contracts that the Fund purchases, the Fund is required to segregate liquid assets equal to the amount of any unpaid accrued premiums.

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The use of CDSs, like all swap agreements, is subject to certain risks. If a counterpartys creditworthiness declines, the value of the swap would likely decline. Moreover, there is no guarantee that the Fund could eliminate its exposure under an outstanding swap agreement by entering into an offsetting swap agreement with the same or another party.

 

Total Return Swaps. The Fund may invest in total return swaps. Total return swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in market value of the assets underlying the contract, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or securities indices during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Total return swap agreements may have the effect of adding leverage to the Funds portfolio because the Fund would become subject to investment exposure in an amount equal to the notional amount of the swap.

 

Total return swaps are subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations to the Fund thereunder. Swap agreements also bear the risk that the Fund will not be able to meet its obligation to the counterparty. Generally, the Fund will enter into total return swaps on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted against one another with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments). The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Funds obligations over its entitlements with respect to each total return swap will be accrued on a daily basis, and an amount of liquid assets having an aggregate net asset value at least equal to the accrued excess will be segregated by the Fund.

 

G. Illiquid and Restricted Securities

 

The Fund may not acquire securities or invest in repurchase agreements if, as a result, more than 15% of the Funds net assets (taken at current value) would be invested in illiquid securities. Generally, an illiquid security is any investment that may not reasonably be expected to be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Illiquid securities may be difficult for a Fund to value or dispose of due to the absence of an active trading market. Illiquid securities include unregistered and restricted securities,and repurchase agreements maturing in greater than seven days.

 

Restricted securitiesgenerally are securities that may be resold to the public pursuant to an effective registration statement under the 1933 Act or an exemption from registration. Regulation S under the 1933 Act is one exemption from registration. It permits, under certain circumstances, the resale of restricted securities in offshore transactions. Rule 144A under the 1933 Act is another exemption. It permits the resale of certain restricted securities to qualified institutional buyers.

 

Since its adoption by the SEC in 1990, Rule 144A has facilitated trading of restricted securities among qualified institutional investors. To the extent restricted securities held by a Fund qualify under Rule 144A and an institutional market develops for those securities, the Fund expects that it will be able to dispose of the securities without registering the resale of such securities under the 1933 Act. However, to the extent that a robust market for such 144A securities does not develop, or a market develops but experiences periods of illiquidity, investments in Rule 144A securities could increase the level of a Funds illiquidity.

 

Where an exemption from registration under the 1933 Act is unavailable, or where an institutional market is limited, a Fund may, in certain circumstances, be permitted to require the issuer of restricted securities held by the Fund to file a registration statement to register the resale of such securities under the 1933 Act. In such case, the Fund will typically be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expenses, and a considerable period may elapse between the decision to sell and the time the Fund may be permitted to resell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, or the value of the security were to decline, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than prevailed when it decided to sell. Restricted securities for which no market exists are priced at fair value pursuant to a methodology approved by the Board.

 

Determination of Liquidity

 

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

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H. Investment Company Securities (including Exchange Traded Funds) and Exchange-Traded Products

 

A Fund at times may invest in shares of other investment companies and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), including open-end funds, closed-end funds, business development companies (BDCs), and interests in unit investment trusts. BDCs are a specialized form of closed-end fund that invest generally in small developing companies and financially troubled businesses. BDCs invest in private companies and thinly traded securities of public companies, including debt instruments. Generally, little public information exists for private and thinly traded companies and there is a risk that investors may not be able to make fully informed investment decisions. Many debt investments in which a BDC may invest will not be rated by a credit rating agency and will be below investment grade quality. Risks faced by BDCs include: competition for limited BDC investment opportunities; the liquidity of a BDCs private investments; uncertainty as to the value of a BDCs private investments; risks associated with access to capital and leverage; and reliance on the management of a BDC. A Funds investments in BDCs are similar and include portfolio company risk, leverage risk, market and valuation risk, price volatility risk and liquidity risk.

 

A Fund may invest in investment company securities advised by the Funds adviser or sub-adviser. Investments in the securities of other investment companies may involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company, a Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly will bear a Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders directly bear in connection with a Fund’s own operations. These other fees and expenses are reflected as Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and are included in the Fees and Expenses Table for a Fund in its Prospectus, if applicable. Investment in other investment companies may involve the payment of substantial premiums above the value of such issuer’s portfolio securities.

 

An investment in an ETF generally presents the same primary risks as an investment in a conventional mutual fund (i.e., one that is not exchange-traded) that has the same investment objective, strategies, and policies. The price of an ETF can fluctuate within a wide range, and a Fund could lose money investing in an ETF if the prices of the securities owned by the ETF go down. In addition, because ETFs are traded on an exchange, ETFs are subject to the following risks that do not apply to conventional funds: (1) investments in ETPs are also subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund; (2) the market price of the ETFs shares may trade at a discount or premium to their NAV per share; (3) an active trading market for an ETFs shares may not develop or be maintained; and (4) trading of an ETFs shares may be halted if the listing exchanges officials deem such action appropriate, the shares are de-listed from the exchange, or the activation of market-wide circuit breakers(which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) halts stock trading generally.

 

Under Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act, however, the Funds investments in such securities are generally limited to 3% of the outstanding voting stock of any one company, 5% of the Funds total assets in any one company, and 10% of the Funds total assets in investment companies generally.

 

There are, however, several exceptions to these “3/5/10 limits.” For example, under Section 12(d)(1)(F) of the 1940 Act, the Fund may invest more than 5% of its total assets in another investment company and more than 10% of its total assets among multiple investment companies, provided that it and its affiliates limit their investment in an acquired fund to 3% of the acquired fund’s outstanding voting securities and the investing fund limits any sales load it charges to 1.5%. Further, the investing fund must comply with certain redemption and voting restrictions. The Fund may also rely on Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act to invest in acquired funds, and under Rule 12d1-4, acquired funds themselves may invest up to 10% of their assets in other funds.

 

In addition to investing in other funds, the Fund may invest in exchange-traded products (ETPs) other than ETFs, including exchange-traded notes (ETNs). ETNs are different from ETFs in that they are not secured by an underlying pool of assets, but rather are notes (or debt securities) secured only by the ability of the issuer to pay. As a result, ETN shares are subject to the same risks described for Corporate Debt Obligationsherein.

 

 16 

 

The Fund may also invest in ETPs that are neither ETFs nor ETNs. Such ETPs may be organized as commodity pools registered under the Commodity Exchange Act or as grantor trusts. Such ETPs are not registered under the 1940 Act because they invest in, for example, commodities or currencies rather than securities. If a Fund invests in an ETP, including an ETN, it will be subject to substantially similar risks as are discussed above regarding ETFs. Notably, however, the 3/5/10 limits only apply to ETPs that are ETFs. Other types of ETPs are not subject to the 3/5/10 limits. There are, however, other risks associated with investments in ETPs, which, are detailed below in Taxation - Certain Tax Rules Applicable to the Fund’s Transactions.”

 

I. Cash Instruments

 

Temporary Defensive Position. The Fund may invest in high quality money market instruments, pending investment of cash balances. The Fund may also assume a temporary defensive position and may invest without limit in high quality money market instruments. High quality instruments are those instruments that are rated in one of the two highest short-term rating categories by an NRSRO or, if not rated, determined by Absolute or a Subadviser to be of comparable quality.

 

Money market instruments usually have maturities of one year or less and fixed rates of return. The money market instruments in which the Fund may invest include short-term U.S. Government Securities, commercial paper, bankersacceptances, certificates of deposit, interest-bearing savings deposits of commercial banks, repurchase agreements concerning securities in which the Fund may invest and money market mutual funds.

 

Cash Management. The Fund may temporarily invest a portion of its assets in cash or cash items pending other investments or to maintain liquid assets required in connection with some of the Funds investments. These cash items may consist of money market instruments (such as securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies, bankersacceptances, commercial paper and certificates of deposit) or other cash instruments of any quality.

 

J. Market Turbulence

 

The greatest risk of investing in a mutual fund is that its returns will fluctuate, and you could lose money. Turbulence in the financial sector may result in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets. Both domestic and foreign equity markets have experienced significant volatility and turmoil, with issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets particularly affected. It is uncertain whether or for how long these conditions could occur.

 

Reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect many issuers worldwide. This reduced liquidity may result in less money being available to purchase raw materials, goods and services from emerging markets, which may, in turn, bring down the prices of these economic staples. It may also result in emerging market issuers having more difficulty obtaining financing, which may, in turn, cause a decline in their stock prices. These events and possible market turbulence may have an adverse effect on the Fund.

 

The financial markets in which the Fund invests are subject to price volatility that could cause losses in a Fund. Market volatility may result from varied predictable and unpredictable factors. The recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus, first detected in December 2019, has resulted in disruptions to the economies of many nations, individual companies and the markets in general, the impact of which cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. The impact of the novel coronavirus, and other such future infectious diseases in certain regions or countries may perform better or worse due to the nature or level of their public health response or due to other factors. Health crises caused by the recent coronavirus outbreak or future infectious diseases may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries.

 

The impact of the outbreak may be short term or may last for an extended period of time. This pandemic and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future could result in continued volatility in the financial markets and lead to increased levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund and could adversely affect a Fund’s performance, resulting in losses to your investment.

 

K. Cyber-Security Risk

 

The Fund, and its service providers, may be prone to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks include, among other behaviors, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, denial of service attacks on websites, the unauthorized release of confidential information or various other forms of cyber security breaches. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund or its third-party service providers may adversely impact the Fund. For instance, cyber-attacks may interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential business information, impede trading, subject the Fund to regulatory fines or financial losses and/or cause reputational damage. The Fund may also incur additional costs for cyber security risk management purposes. While the Fund’s service providers have established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber-attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect a Fund or its shareholders. Similar types of cyber security risks are also present for issues or securities in which the Fund may invest, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investment in such companies to lose value.

 17 

 

 

L. Large Shareholder Transaction Risk

 

The Fund may experience adverse effects when a large shareholder redeems or purchases large amounts of shares of the Fund. Such redemptions may cause the Fund to sell securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, disrupt the Fund’s operations, or borrow money (at a cost to the Fund), which may negatively impact the Fund's performance and liquidity. Similarly, large purchases may adversely affect the Funds performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase transaction costs.

 18 

 

 

INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS

 

 

The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has adopted the following investment policies which are fundamental policies that may not be changed without the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. “A majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund,” as defined by the 1940 Act, means the affirmative vote of the lesser of (1) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund, or (2) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting, if more than 50% of the outstanding shares are represented at the meeting in person or by proxy.

 

The Funds investment objective is a non-fundamental policy. Non-fundamental policies may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval.

 

For purposes of the Funds investment limitations, all percentage limitations apply immediately after an investment. Except with respect to the borrowing money policy set forth in (1) below, if a percentage limitation is adhered to at the time of an investment, a later increase or decrease in the percentage resulting from any change in value or net assets will not result in a violation of such restrictions. The Fund continuously monitors its holdings in illiquid securities. If the value of the Funds holdings of illiquid securities at any time exceeds the percentage limitation applicable at the time of acquisition (15% of net assets) due to subsequent fluctuations in value or other reasons, the Adviser will consider what actions are appropriate to maintain adequate liquidity, such as an orderly disposition of the illiquid securities, to the extent possible.

 

Fundamental Limitations. The Fund has adopted the following fundamental investment limitations.

 

The Fund may not:

 

1. Borrowing Money

 

Borrow money if, as a result, outstanding borrowings would exceed an amount equal to 33⅓% of the Fund’s total assets.

 

2. Concentration

 

Purchase a security if, as a result, 25% or more of the Funds total assets would be invested in securities of issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry. For purposes of this limitation, there is no limit on investments in U.S. Government Securities and repurchase agreements covering U.S. Government Securities or on investments in registered investment companies.

 

3. Underwriting Activities

 

Underwrite securities issued by other persons except, to the extent that in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities, the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter.

 

4. Making Loans

 

Make loans to other parties, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive or interpretive relief. For purposes of this limitation, entering into repurchase agreements, lending securities and acquiring any debt security are not deemed to be the making of loans.

 

5. Purchases and Sales of Real Estate

 

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

 

6. Purchases and Sales of Commodities

 

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

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7. Issuance of Senior Securities

 

Issue senior securities except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive or interpretive relief.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to borrowing money set forth in (1) above, the 1940 Act permits the Fund to borrow money in amounts of up to one-third of the Funds total assets, at the time of borrowing, from banks for any purpose (the Funds total assets include the amounts being borrowed). To limit the risks attendant to borrowing, the 1940 Act requires the Fund to maintain at all times an asset coverageof at least 300% of the amount of its borrowings (not including borrowings for temporary purposes in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of the Funds total assets). In the event that such asset coverage falls below this percentage, the Fund is required to reduce the amount of its borrowings within three days (not including Sundays and holidays) so that the asset coverage is restored to at least 300%. Asset coverage means the ratio that the value of the Funds total assets (including amounts borrowed), minus liabilities other than borrowings, bears to the aggregate amount of all borrowings.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to concentration set forth in (2) above, the Fund normally assesses its industry concentration by categorizing its investments by industry as identified by the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. The SIC system categorizes issuers by industry based on the issuersprimary business activities. No industry within a group of industries may individually represent greater than 25% of the Funds total assets.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to making loans set forth in (4) above, the 1940 Act does not prohibit the Fund from making loans; however, SEC staff interpretations currently prohibit registered investment companies from lending more than one-third of their total assets, except through the purchase of debt obligations.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to investing in real estate set forth in (5) above, the Fund may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, invest in securities or other instruments directly or indirectly secured by real estate and invest in securities or other instruments issued by issuers that invest in real estate. Investments in securities of issuers that are exposed to or invested in the real estate business will not be deemed to be a purchase or sale of real estate.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to issuing senior securities set forth in (7) above, senior securitiesare defined as Fund obligations that have a priority over the Funds shares with respect to the payment of dividends or the distribution of Fund assets. The 1940 Act prohibits the Fund from issuing any class of senior securities or selling any senior securities of which it is the issuer, except that the Fund is permitted to borrow from a bank if consistent with the fundamental policy set forth in (1) above. The policy in (7) above will be interpreted not to prevent collateral arrangements with respect to swaps, options, forwards or futures contracts or other derivatives, or the posting of initial or variation margin. The Fund will segregate liquid assets with respect to certain leveraged positions in accordance with requirements under Section 18 of the 1940 Act and current applicable SEC staff interpretations.

 

The Fund is diversifiedas defined in the 1940 Act. This means that at least 75% of the value of the Funds total assets is represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. government securities, securities of other investment companies, and securities of other issuers, which for purposes of this calculation, are limited in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the Funds total assets and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer.

 20 

 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES, MANAGEMENT AND SERVICE PROVIDERS

 

 

A. Board of Trustees

 

The Trust is governed by its Board of Trustees (the Boardor Trustees). The Board oversees the management and operations of the Trust and the Fund, in accordance with federal law, Delaware law and the stated policies of the Fund. The Board oversees the Trusts officers and service providers, including the Adviser, which is responsible for the management of the day-to-day operations of the Fund based on policies and agreements reviewed and approved by the Board. In carrying out these responsibilities, the Board regularly interacts with and receives reports from senior personnel of service providers and the Trusts Chief Compliance Officer (CCO). The Board also is assisted by the Trusts independent auditor (which reports directly to the Trust’s Audit Committee), independent counsel and other experts as appropriate. The Trustees serve until their respective successors have been elected and qualified or until their earlier death, resignation or removal.

 

The fund complex includes the funds advised by Absolute Investment Advisers LLC, which are the Absolute Capital Opportunities Fund, the Absolute Convertible Arbitrage Fund, the Absolute Convertible Opportunities Fund and the Absolute Strategies Fund (“Fund Complex). The Funds do not hold themselves out as related to any other series within the Trust for purposes of investment and investor services, nor do they share the same investment adviser with any other series.

 

Board Structure and Related Matters. Independent Trustees constitute at least a majority of the Board members. As of January 1, 2018, four of the Trusts Trustees retired and were replaced by four new Trustees, who were previously elected by shareholders. An existing Independent Trustee serves as Independent Chair of the Board. The Independent Chairs responsibilities include: setting an agenda for each meeting of the Board; presiding at all meetings of the Board and Independent Trustees; and serving as a liaison with other Trustees, the Trusts officers, other management personnel and counsel to the Fund. The Independent Chair also performs such other duties as the Board may from time to time determine.

 

The Trustees discharge their responsibilities collectively as a Board, as well as through Board committees, each of which operates pursuant to a charter or procedures approved by the Board that delineates the specific responsibilities of that committee. The Board has established three standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Nominating Committee and the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee. The members and responsibilities of each Board committee are summarized below.

 

The Board periodically evaluates its structure and composition as well as various aspects of its operations. The Board believes that its leadership structure, including its Independent Chair position and its committees, is appropriate for the Trust in light of, among other factors, the asset size and nature of the Fund, the number of funds overseen by the Board, the arrangements for the conduct of the Fund’s operations, the number of Trustees and the Board’s responsibilities. On an annual basis, the Board conducts a self-evaluation that considers, among other matters, whether the Board and its committees are functioning effectively and whether, given the size and composition of the Board and each of its committees, the Trustees are able to oversee effectively the number of funds.

 

The Board holds four regularly scheduled in-person meetings each year. The Board may hold special meetings, as needed, either in person or by telephone, to address matters arising between regular meetings. At least once per quarter, during a regularly scheduled in-person meeting of the Board, the Independent Trustees meet without the presence of interested Trustees.

 

The Trustees are identified in the table below, which provides information as to their principal business occupations held during the last five years and certain other information. Each Trustee serves until his or her death, resignation or removal. The address for all Trustees is c/o Apex Fund Services, Three Canal Plaza, Suite 600, Portland, Maine 04101. John Y. Keffer, a former Trustee of the Trust, has been appointed as a Trustee Emeritus by the Board. As Trustee Emeritus, Mr. Keffer will not have a vote with respect to Trust matters; however, Mr. Keffer may attend Board meetings.

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Name and Year of Birth Position with the Trust Length of Time Served Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years Number of Series in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee Other Directorships Held By Trustee During Past Five Years
Independent Trustees        
David Tucker
Born: 1958
Trustee; Chairman of the Board Since 2011 and Chairman since 2018 Director, Blue Sky Experience (a charitable endeavor) since 2008; Senior Vice President & General Counsel, American Century Companies (an investment management firm) 1998-2008. 4 Trustee, Forum Funds II and U.S. Global Investors Funds
Mark D. Moyer
Born: 1959
Trustee Since 2018 Chief Financial Officer, Freedom House (a NGO advocating political freedom and democracy) since 2017; independent consultant providing interim CFO services, principally to non-profit organizations 2011-2017. 4 Trustee, Forum Funds II and U.S. Global Investors Funds
Jennifer Brown- Strabley
Born: 1964
Trustee Since 2018 Principal, Portland Global Advisors (a registered investment adviser) 1996-2010. 4 Trustee, Forum Funds II and U.S. Global Investors Funds
Interested Trustees(1)        
Jessica Chase
Born: 1970
Trustee Since 2018 Director, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Senior Vice President, Atlantic Fund Services 2008-2019. 4 Trustee, Forum Funds II and U.S. Global Investors Funds

 

(1)Jessica Chase is currently an interested person of the Trust, as defined in the 1940 Act, due to her affiliation with Apex Fund Services and her role as President of the Trust.

 

In addition to the information set forth in the table above, each Trustee possesses other relevant qualifications, experience, attributes or skills. The following provides additional information about these qualifications and experience.

 

David Tucker: Mr. Tucker has extensive experience in the investment management industry, including experience in senior management, legal and compliance roles at two large mutual fund complexes; service on various committees of the Investment Company Institute (ICI); and director of ICI Mutual (a mutual insurance company sponsored by the investment company industry), including service as chairman of the underwriting, risk and fraud committees of ICI Mutuals board of directors. Mr. Tucker actively serves charitable organizations in the metropolitan Kansas City area.

 

Mark D. Moyer: Mr. Moyer has extensive experience with finance. He currently serves as chief financial officer for a non-governmental organization and has served as chief financial officer for an integrated media company and several not-for-profit organizations. Mr. Moyer has also served as an adjunct professor of accounting at Fairfield University.

 

Jennifer Brown-Strabley: Ms. Brown-Strabley has extensive experience in the financial services and investment management industry, including institutional sales experience in global fixed-income and related quantitative research. Ms. Brown-Strabley also has experience in business start-up and operations and as a former principal of a registered investment adviser, for which she continues to provide consulting advice from time to time.

 

Jessica Chase: Ms. Chase has extensive experience in the fund services industry, including senior management roles overseeing the mutual fund and hedge fund accounting operations for a large bank provider and business development for a fund service provider specializing in third-party mutual fund administration. Ms. Chase serves as principal executive officer for certain investment companies.

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Risk Oversight. Consistent with its responsibility for oversight of the Trust and the Fund, the Board oversees the management of risks relating to the administration and operation of the Trust and the Fund. The Adviser, as part of its responsibilities for the day-to-day operations of the Fund, is responsible for day-to-day risk management. The Board, in the exercise of its reasonable business judgment, also separately considers potential risks that may impact the Fund. The Board performs this risk management oversight directly and, as to certain matters, through its committees (described below) and through the Independent Trustees. The following provides an overview of the principal, but not all, aspects of the Boards oversight of risk management for the Trust and the Fund.

 

In general, the Fund’s risks include, among others, investment risk, valuation risk, compliance risk and operational risk. The Board has adopted, and periodically reviews, policies and procedures designed to address these and other risks to the Trust and the Fund. In addition, under the general oversight of the Board, the Adviser and other service providers have themselves adopted a variety of policies, procedures and controls designed to address particular risks. Different processes, procedures and controls are employed with respect to different types of risks. Further, the Adviser oversees and regularly monitors the investments, operations and compliance of the Fund’s investments.

 

The Board also oversees risk management for the Trust and the Fund through review of regular reports, presentations and other information from officers of the Trust and other persons. Senior officers of the Trust, senior officers of the Adviser and the CCO regularly report to the Board on a range of matters, including those relating to risk management. In this regard, the Board periodically receives reports regarding other service providers to the Trust, either directly or through the CCO. On at least a quarterly basis, the Independent Trustees meet with the CCO to discuss matters relating to the Fund’s compliance program. Further, at least annually, the Board receives a report from the CCO regarding the effectiveness of the Fund’s compliance program.

 

The Board receives regular reports from a Valuation Committee, composed of the Principal Executive Officer, the Principal Financial Officer, the CCO, a senior fund accounting member, a senior representative from the Administrators regulatory administration group and a representative of the Adviser. The Valuation Committee operates pursuant to the Trusts Valuation and Error Correction Policy (the “Valuation Policy”), as approved by the Board. The Valuation Committee reports to the Board on the pricing of the Fund’s shares and the valuation of the Funds portfolio securities; recommends, subject to approval by the Board, independent pricing services to provide a value for Fund assets; makes and monitors fair value determinations pursuant to the Valuation Policy; and carries out any other functions delegated to it by the Board relating to the valuation of Fund assets.

 

The Board also regularly receives reports from the Adviser with respect to the investments and securities trading of the Fund. For example, typically, the Board receives reports, presentations and other information from the Adviser on at least an annual basis in connection with the Board’s consideration of the renewal of the investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Trust on behalf of the Fund (the “Advisory Agreement”). Also, if applicable, the Board receives reports from the Adviser and other service providers in connection with the Board’s consideration of the renewal of any distribution plan of the Fund under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Senior officers of the Trust and senior officers of the Adviser also report regularly to the Audit Committee on valuation matters, internal controls and accounting and financial reporting policies and practices. In addition, the Audit Committee receives regular reports from the Trust’s independent auditors on internal control and financial reporting matters.

 

Trustee Ownership in the Fund and the Fund Complex. The following table sets forth each Trustees ownership of the Fund and the Fund Complex.

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Trustees Dollar Range of Beneficial Ownership in the Fund as of December 31, 2021¹ Aggregate Dollar Range of Ownership as of December 31, 2021 in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Trustee in the Fund Complex
Independent Trustees    
David Tucker None None
Mark D. Moyer None None
Jennifer Brown-Strabley None None
Interested Trustee    
Jessica Chase None None

 

1The Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI. Accordingly, no trustee owns shares of the Fund.

 

B. Principal Officers of the Trust

 

The officers of the Trust conduct and supervise its daily business. As of the date of this SAI, the officers of the Trust, their years of birth and their principal occupations during the past five calendar years are as set forth below. Each officer serves until his or her death, resignation or removal and replacement. The business address of each officer is c/o Apex Fund Services, Three Canal Plaza, Suite 600, Portland, Maine 04101.

 

Name and Year of Birth Position with the Trust Length of Time Served Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years
Jessica Chase
Born: 1970
President; Principal Executive Officer Since 2015 Director, Apex Fund Services since 2019. Senior Vice President, Atlantic Fund Services 2008-2019.
Karen Shaw
Born: 1972
Treasurer; Principal Financial Officer Since 2008 Senior Vice President, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Senior Vice President, Atlantic Fund Services 2008-2019.
Zachary Tackett
Born: 1988
Vice President; Secretary and Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer Since 2014 Senior Counsel, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Counsel, Atlantic Fund Services 2014-2019.
Michael J. McKeen
Born: 1971
Vice President Since 2009 Senior Vice President, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Senior Vice President, Atlantic Fund Services 2008-2019.
Timothy Bowden
Born: 1969
Vice President Since 2009 Manager, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Manager, Atlantic Fund Services 2008-2019.
Geoffrey Ney
Born: 1975
Vice President Since 2013 Manager, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Manager, Atlantic Fund Services 2013-2019.
Todd Proulx
Born: 1978
Vice President Since 2013 Manager, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Manager, Atlantic Fund Services 2013-2019.
Carlyn Edgar
Born: 1963
Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President Chief Compliance Officer 2008-2016 and 2021-current; Vice President since 2008 Senior Vice President, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Senior Vice President, Atlantic Fund Services 2008-2019

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C. Ownership of Securities of the Adviser and Related Companies

 

As of December 31, 2021, no Independent Trustee (or any of his or her immediate family members) owned beneficially or of record, securities of any Trust investment adviser, the Trusts principal underwriter, or any person (other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with any Trust investment adviser or principal underwriter.

 

D. Information Concerning Trust Committees

 

Audit Committee. The Trusts Audit Committee, which typically meets quarterly, consists of Messrs. Tucker and Moyer and Ms. Brown-Strabley, constituting all of the Independent Trustees. Pursuant to a charter adopted by the Board, the Audit Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its responsibility for oversight of the quality and integrity of the accounting, auditing and financial reporting practices of the Trust. It is directly responsible for the appointment, termination, compensation and oversight of work of the independent auditors to the Trust. In so doing, the Audit Committee reviews the methods, scope and results of the audits and audit fees charged, and reviews the Trusts internal accounting procedures and controls. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, the Audit Committee met four times.

 

Nominating Committee. The Trusts Nominating Committee, which meets when necessary, consists of Messrs. Tucker and Moyer and Ms. Brown-Strabley, constituting all of the Independent Trustees. Pursuant to a charter adopted by the Board, the Nominating Committee is charged with the duty of nominating all Trustees and committee members and presenting these nominations to the Board. The Nominating Committee will not consider any nominees for Trustee recommended by security holders. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, the Nominating Committee did not meet.

 

Qualified Legal Compliance Committee. The Qualified Legal Compliance Committee (the “QLCC”), which meets when necessary, consists of Messrs. Tucker and Moyer and Ms. Brown-Strabley, constituting all of the Independent Trustees. The QLCC evaluates and recommends resolutions to reports from attorneys servicing the Trust regarding evidence of material violations of applicable federal and state law or the breach of fiduciary duties under applicable federal and state law by the Trust or an employee or agent of the Trust. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, the QLCC did not meet.

 

E. Compensation of Trustees and Officers

 

Each Trustee is paid an annual fee of $31,000 for service to the Trust. The Chairman of the Board is paid an annual fee of $41,000. The Chairman of the Audit Committee is paid an additional fee of $2,000 annually. The Trustees and Chairman may receive additional fees for special Board meetings. Each Trustee is also reimbursed for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with his or her duties as a Trustee, including travel and related expenses incurred in attending Board meetings. No officer of the Trust is compensated by the Trust, but officers are reimbursed for travel and related expenses incurred in attending Board meetings held outside of Portland, Maine.

 

The following table sets forth the fees estimated to be paid to each trustee by the Fund and the Fund Complex for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023.

 

Trustee Aggregate Compensation from the Fund Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as part of Fund Expenses Total Compensation from Fund Complex
Independent Trustees      
David Tucker $1,901 N/A $1,901
Mark D. Moyer $1,624 N/A $1,624
Jennifer Brown-Strabley $1,555 N/A $1,555
Interested Trustee      
Jessica Chase $0 N/A $0

 

F. Investment Adviser

 

Services of Adviser. The Adviser serves as investment adviser to the Fund pursuant to the Advisory Agreement. Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser furnishes, at its own expense, all services, facilities, and personnel necessary in connection with managing the Funds investments and effecting portfolio transactions for the Fund. The Adviser may compensate brokers or other service providers (Financial Intermediaries) out of its own assets, and not as additional charges to the Fund, in connection with the sale and distribution of shares of the Fund and/or servicing of these shares.

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Ownership of Adviser. The following persons/entities control Absolute through equity interests.

 

Adviser Controlling Persons/Entities
Absolute Investment Advisers LLC None

 

Information Concerning Accounts Managed by Portfolio Managers. The following table provides information regarding other accounts managed by the portfolio managers as of March 31, 2022:

 

  Number of Other Accounts Managed
and Assets by Account Type
Number of Accounts and Assets for Which
Advisory Fee is Performance Based
Name of Portfolio Manager Registered Investment Companies Other Pooled Investment Vehicle Other Accounts Registered Investment Companies Other Pooled Investment Vehicles Other Accounts
Eric Hage None None None None None None
Daniel Hage None None None None None None

 

Conflicts of Interest. The Adviser maintains policies and procedures reasonably designed to detect and minimize potential conflicts of interest inherent in circumstances when a portfolio manager has day-to-day responsibilities for managing accounts other than the Fund or Funds for which they are named portfolio manager. Other accounts managed by the Adviser may include, without limitation: separately managed accounts, registered investment companies, unregistered investment companies such as pooled investment vehicles and proprietary accounts. However, no set of policies and procedures can possibly anticipate or relieve all potential conflicts of interest. These conflicts may be real, potential, or perceived. Certain of these conflicts are described below.

 

Allocation of limited Investment Opportunities. If a Fund’s portfolio manager identifies a limited investment opportunity (including initial public offerings and private placement securities) that may be suitable for multiple Funds and/or accounts, the investment opportunity may be allocated among these multiple Funds or accounts, which may limit a Fund’s ability to take full advantage of the investment opportunity, due to liquidity constraints or other factors. The Adviser has adopted trade aggregation and allocation procedures designed to ensure that allocations of limited investment opportunities are conducted in a fair and equitable manner among client accounts, including the Fund. Nevertheless, investment opportunities may be allocated differently among client accounts, including a Fund, due to the characteristics of an account, such as the size of the account, cash position, investment guidelines and restrictions, or risk controls.

 

Similar Investment Strategies. The Adviser and its portfolio management team may manage multiple portfolios with similar investment strategies. Investment decisions for each portfolio are generally made based on each portfolio’s investment objectives and guidelines, cash availability, current holdings, and risk controls. Purchases or sales of securities for a portfolio may be appropriate for other portfolios with like objectives and may be bought or sold in different amounts and at different times in multiple portfolios. In these cases, transactions are allocated to portfolios in a manner believed fair and equitable across client account portfolios, including a Fund, by the Adviser’s allocation methodology. Purchase and sale orders for a portfolio may be combined with those of other portfolios in the interest of achieving the most favorable net results for all portfolios.

 

Different Investment Strategies. The Adviser and its portfolio management team may manage multiple portfolios with different investment strategies. As such, the potential exists for short sales of securities in certain portfolios while the same security is held long in one or more other portfolios. In an attempt to mitigate the inherent risks of simultaneous management of portfolios with different investment strategies, the Adviser has established and implemented procedures to promote fair and equitable treatment of all portfolios. The procedures include monitoring and surveillance of trading activity and supervisory reviews of accounts. Any proposed cross trades must be reviewed and approved by the Adviser’s compliance department prior to execution and must comply with Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act.

 

Differences in Financial Incentives. A conflict of interest may arise where the financial or other benefits available to the Adviser or a portfolio manager differ among the accounts, including a Fund, under management. For example, when the structure of an investment adviser’s management fee differs among the accounts (such as where certain funds or accounts pay higher management fees), the Adviser or its portfolio managers might be motivated to favor certain funds and/or accounts over others. In addition, the desire to maintain or raise assets under management or to enhance the portfolio manager’s performance record in a particular investment strategy or to derive other rewards, financial or otherwise, could influence a portfolio manager to lend preferential treatment to those funds and/or accounts that could most significantly benefit the Adviser or portfolio manager. As described above, it is the Adviser’s policy that investment opportunities and trades are allocated fairly and equitably among client accounts, taking into consideration the objectives, restrictions, investment strategy, asset allocation and benchmarks of each client. To manage conflicts that arise from management of portfolios that may have differences in financial incentives, performance in portfolios with like strategies is regularly reviewed by the Adviser.

 

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Personal Holdings and Transactions. The Adviser’s portfolio managers and other employees may have beneficial ownership of holdings in personal accounts that are the same or similar to those held in client accounts, including the Funds. Under limited circumstances, the Adviser allows its employees to trade in securities that it recommends to advisory clients, and the actions taken by such individuals on a personal basis may differ from, or be inconsistent with, the nature and timing of advice or actions taken by the Adviser for its client accounts. The Adviser and its employees may also invest in registered investment companies and other pooled investment vehicles that are managed by the Adviser. This may result in a potential conflict of interest since the Adviser’s employees have knowledge of such funds’ investment holdings, which is non-public information. The Adviser has implemented a Code of Ethics which is designed to address and mitigate the possibility that these professionals could place their own interests ahead of those of clients. The Code of Ethics addresses this potential conflict of interest by imposing preclearance and reporting requirements, trading blackout periods, a minimum holding period, supervisory oversight, and other measures designed to reduce conflicts of interest.

 

Selection of Brokers/Dealers. A Fund's portfolio manager may be able to select or influence the selection of the brokers/ dealers that are used to execute securities transactions. In addition to executing trades, some brokers/dealers provide the Adviser with brokerage and research services (as those terms are defined in Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act), which may result in the payment of higher brokerage fees than might have otherwise been available. These services may be more beneficial to certain accounts than to others. To be assured of continuing to receive services considered of value to the Funds and its other client accounts, the Adviser has adopted a brokerage allocation policy embodying the concepts of Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act. A portfolio manager's decision as to the selection of brokers and dealers could yield disproportionate costs and benefits among the accounts that they manage, although the payment of brokerage commissions is always subject to the requirement that the Adviser determines in good faith that the commissions are reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services received. Firms that provide brokerage or research services to the Funds and Adviser may also promote the sale of the Funds or other investment companies or pooled investment vehicles advised by the Adviser, and the Adviser and/or its affiliates may separately compensate them for doing so. Such brokerage business is placed on the basis of the brokerage and research services provided by the firm and is not based on any sales of the Funds or other investment companies or pooled investment vehicles advised by the Adviser.

 

Compensation of the Advisers portfolio managers is not based upon performance of the Fund managed by the Adviser. Fund performance is not a factor in compensation as it might encourage investment decisions deviating from the Funds mandate. To mitigate the potential for conflict to have a team member favor one Fund over another Fund and/or other account, the Adviser has established procedures, including policies to monitor trading and best execution for all funds and/ or other accounts.

 

There is no guarantee that such procedures will detect each and every situation in which a conflict arises.

 

Information Concerning Compensation of Portfolio Manager. The following compensation information has been provided by Absolute:

 

Portfolio Manager Compensation
Eric Hage Base salary and percentage of Adviser profits. The percentages is based on equity participation in the firm.   Compensation is not based on the investment performance of the Fund or other advisory accounts.
Daniel Hage Base salary and percentage of Adviser profits. The percentages is based on equity participation in the firm.   Compensation is not based on the investment performance of the Fund or other advisory accounts.

 

Portfolio Manager Ownership in the Fund. The Portfolio Manager ownership is not provided because the Fund has not yet commenced operations as of the date of this SAI.

 

 27 

 

Fees. Absolute receives an advisory fee from the Fund at an annual rate equal to 1.40% of the Funds average annual daily net assets under the terms of the Advisory Agreement. Absolute has contractually agreed to limit its fee and/or reimburse Fund expenses to limit the Funds Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement (excluding all taxes, interest, portfolio transaction expenses, dividend and interest expenses on short sales, acquired fund fees and expenses other than those attributable to the investment advisory fees incurred by the Fund as a result of the Fund’s investments in other pooled vehicles sponsored by Absolute, broker charges, proxy expenses and extraordinary expenses) to 1.49% through at least August 1, 2023 (Expense Cap). The Expense Cap may only be raised or eliminated with the consent of the Board of Trustees. The Adviser may recoup from the Fund fees waived (other than advisory fees waived by Absolute related to the Fund’s investments in other pooled vehicles sponsored by Absolute) and expenses reimbursed by the Adviser pursuant to the Expense Cap if such recoupment is made within three years of the fee waiver or expense reimbursement and does not cause the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement of the Fund (i.e., after the recoupment has been taken into account) to exceed the lesser of (i) any then-current expense cap and (ii) the expense cap in place at the time the fees/expenses were waived or reimbursed. Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement will increase if exclusions from the Expense Cap apply. Absolute has contractually agreed to waive its investment advisory fees related to any Fund assets invested in pooled vehicles sponsored by it.

 

In addition to receiving its advisory fee from the Fund, the Adviser may also act and be compensated as an investment manager for its clients with respect to assets that such clients have invested in the Fund. If you have a separately managed account with the Adviser with assets invested in the Fund, the Adviser will not assess or receive any management fee on the portion of the separately managed account invested in the Fund.

 

The amount of advisory fees paid is not provided because, as of the date of this SAI, the Fund had not yet completed its first fiscal year.

 

Advisory Agreement. The Funds Advisory Agreement remains in effect for an initial period of two years from the date of its effectiveness, and thereafter the Advisory Agreement must be approved at least annually by the Board or by majority vote of the shareholders, and in either case by a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Advisory Agreement or interested persons of any such party (other than as Trustees of the Trust).

 

The Advisory Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust with respect to the Fund on 60 dayswritten notice when authorized either by vote of the Funds shareholders or by a majority vote of the Board, or by the Adviser on 60 dayswritten notice to the Trust. The Advisory Agreement terminates immediately upon assignment.

 

Under the Advisory Agreement, Absolute is not liable for any error of judgment, mistake of law, or in any event whatsoever except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the Advisory Agreement.

 

Absolute is not affiliated with Apex Fund Services or any company affiliated with Apex Fund Services.

 

G. Distributor

 

Distribution Services. Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the Distributor) is the distributor (also known as principal underwriter) of the shares of the Fund and is located at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101. The Distributor is a registered broker-dealer and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA). The Distributor is not affiliated with the Adviser or any other service provider for the Trust.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

H. Other Fund Service Providers

 

Administrator, Fund Accountant, Transfer Agent, and Compliance Services. Apex Fund Services and its subsidiaries provide administration, compliance, fund accounting and transfer agency services to the Fund. Apex Fund Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex US Holdings LLC.

 

Pursuant to a Services Agreement (the Services Agreement) with Atlantic Fund Administration, LLC (d/b/a Apex Fund Services), the Fund pays Apex Fund Services a bundled fee for administration, compliance, fund accounting and transfer agency services. The Fund also pays Apex Fund Services certain surcharges and shareholder account fees. The fee is accrued daily by the Fund and is paid monthly based on the average net assets, transactions and positions for the prior month.

 

The Services Agreement continues in effect until terminated, so long as its continuance is specifically approved or ratified with such frequency and in such manner as required by applicable law. After an initial three-year term, the Services Agreement is terminable with or without cause and without penalty by the Trust or by Apex Fund Services on 120 dayswritten notice to the other party. The Services Agreement is also terminable for cause by the non-breaching party on at least 60 dayswritten notice to the other party, provided that such party has not cured the breach within that notice period. Under the Services Agreement, Apex Fund Services is not liable to the Fund or the Funds shareholders for any act or omission, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the Services Agreement. The Services Agreement also provides that Apex Fund Services will not be liable to a shareholder for any loss incurred due to a NAV difference if such difference is less than or equal to 0.5% or less than or equal to $25.00 per shareholder account, and in addition, limits the amount of any loss for which Apex Fund Services would be liable. Also, Apex Fund Services is not liable for the errors and omissions of others, including the entities that supply security prices to Apex Fund Services and the Fund. Losses incurred by the Fund as a result of acts or omissions by Apex Fund Services or any other service provider for which Apex Fund Services or the service provider is not liable to the Fund would be borne through the Fund, by its shareholders.

 

As Administrator, Apex Fund Services administers the Fund’s operations except those that are the responsibility of any other service provider hired by the Trust, all in such manner and to such extent as may be authorized by the Board. The Administrator’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to: (1) overseeing the performance of administrative and professional services rendered to the Fund by others, including its custodian, transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent as well as legal, auditing, shareholder servicing and other services performed for the Fund; (2) preparing for filing and filing certain regulatory filings (i.e., registration statements and shareholder reports) subject to Trust counsel and/or independent auditor oversight; (3) overseeing the preparation and filing of the Fund’s tax returns, the preparation of financial statements and related reports to the Fund’s shareholders, the SEC and state and other securities administrators; (4) providing the Fund with adequate general office space and facilities and providing persons suitable to the Board to serve as officers of the Trust; (5) assisting the Adviser in monitoring Fund holdings for compliance with prospectus investment restrictions and assisting in preparation of periodic compliance reports; and (6) with the cooperation of the Adviser, the officers of the Trust and other relevant parties, preparing and disseminating materials for meetings of the Board.

 

Apex Fund Services provides a Principal Executive Officer, a Principal Financial Officer, a CCO, and an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer to the Fund, as well as certain additional compliance support functions.

 

Atlantic Shareholder Services, LLC, 3 Canal Plaza, Portland, Maine 04101 (the Transfer Agent), a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex US Holdings LLC (d/b/a Apex Fund Services), serves as transfer agent and distribution paying agent for the Fund. The Transfer Agent is registered as a transfer agent with the SEC. The Transfer Agent maintains an account for each shareholder of record of the Fund and is responsible for processing purchase and redemption requests and paying distributions to shareholders of record.

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As Fund accountant, Apex Fund Services provides fund accounting services to the Fund. These services include calculating the NAV of Fund Fund.

 

The fee data for the aforementioned services are not provided because, as of the date of this SAI, the Fund had not yet completed its first fiscal year.

 

Custodian. U.S. Bank, N.A. (the Custodian) is the custodian for the Fund. The Custodian safeguards and controls the Fund’s cash and securities, determines income and collects interest on Fund investments. The Custodian may employ subcustodians to provide custody of the Fund’s domestic and foreign assets. The Custodian also maintains certain books and records of the Fund that are required by applicable federal regulations. The Custodian is located at 1155 N. Rivercenter Dr., MK-WI-S302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212.

 

Legal Counsel. K&L Gates LLP, 1601 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. [ ________________ ] (“[ ________________ ]”), [ ________________ ], [ ________________ ], is the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund, providing audit and tax services. [ ________________ ] audits the annual financial statements of the Fund and provides the Fund with an audit opinion. [ ________________ ] also reviews certain regulatory filings of the Fund.

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PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS

 

 

A. How Securities are Purchased and Sold

 

Purchases and sales of portfolio securities that are fixed-income securities (for instance, money market instruments and bonds, notes and bills) usually are principal transactions. In a principal transaction, the party from which the Fund purchases or to which the Fund sells is acting on its own behalf (and not as the agent of some other party such as its customers). These securities normally are purchased directly from the issuer or from an underwriter or market maker for the securities. There usually are no brokerage commissions paid for these securities.

 

Purchases and sales of portfolio securities that are equity securities (for instance, common stock and preferred stock) are generally effected if (1) the security is traded on an exchange, through brokers that charge commissions and (2) the security is traded in the over-the-counter markets, in a principal transaction directly from a market maker. In transactions on stock exchanges, commissions are negotiated.

 

When transactions are executed in an over-the-counter market, the Adviser will seek to deal with the primary market makers, but when necessary in order to obtain best execution, the Adviser will utilize the services of others.

 

The price of securities purchased from underwriters includes a disclosed fixed commission or concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter, and prices of securities purchased from dealers serving as market makers reflect the spread between the bid and asked price.

 

In the case of fixed-income and equity securities traded in the over-the-counter markets, there is generally no stated commission, but the price usually includes an undisclosed commission, markup or markdown.

 

B. Commissions Paid

 

Brokerage commissions are not provided because, as of the date of this SAI, the Fund had not yet completed its first fiscsal year.

 

C. Adviser Responsibility for Purchases and Sales and Choosing Broker-Dealers

 

The Adviser places orders for the purchase and sale of securities with broker-dealers selected by and at the discretion of the Adviser. The Fund does not have any obligation to deal with a specific broker or dealer in the execution of portfolio transactions. Allocations of transactions to brokers and dealers and the frequency of transactions are determined by the Adviser in its best judgment and in a manner deemed to be in the best interest of the Fund rather than by any formula.

 

The Adviser seeks “best execution” for all portfolio transactions. This means that the Adviser seeks the most favorable price and execution available. The Fund may not always pay the lowest commission or spread available. Rather, in determining the amount of commissions (including certain dealer spreads) paid in connection with securities transactions, the Adviser takes into account factors such as the size of the order, the difficulty of execution, the efficiency of the executing broker’s facilities (including the research services described below) and any risk assumed by the executing broker-dealer. The Fund may pay a higher commission if, for example, the broker-dealer has specific expertise in a particular type of transaction (due to factors such as size or difficulty) or is highly efficient in trade execution.

 

The Adviser may also give consideration to brokerage and research services furnished to the Adviser by broker-dealers and may cause the Fund to pay these broker-dealers a higher commission or spread than may be charged by other broker-dealers. Research services may include reports that are common in the industry, such as research reports and periodicals, quotation systems, software for portfolio management and formal databases. Typically, the Adviser uses the research to manage all client accounts. Therefore, the commission dollars spent for research generally benefit all of the Advisers clients and the Funds investors, although a particular client may not benefit from research received on each occasion. The Adviser does not reduce its fees because the Adviser receives research.

 

The direct broker information is not provided because, as of the date of this SAI the Fund had not yet completed its first fiscal year.

 

D. Counterparty Risk

 

The Adviser monitors the creditworthiness of counterparties to the Fund’s transactions and intends to enter into a transaction only when it believes that the counterparty presents appropriate credit risks.

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E. Transactions through Affiliates

 

The Adviser may effect brokerage transactions through affiliates of the Adviser (or affiliates of those persons) pursuant to procedures adopted by the Trust and in accordance with applicable law.

 

F. Other Accounts of the Adviser

 

Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those for any other account or investment company that is or may in the future become advised by the Adviser or its affiliates. Investment decisions are the product of many factors, including basic suitability for the particular client involved. Likewise, a particular security may be bought or sold for certain clients even though it could have been bought or sold for other clients at the same time. In some instances, with any required consent, one client may sell a particular security to another client. In addition, two or more clients may simultaneously purchase or sell the same security, in which event each day’s transactions in such security are, insofar as is possible, averaged as to price and allocated between such clients in a manner which, in the Advisers opinion, is in the best interest of the affected accounts and is equitable to each and in accordance with the amount being purchased or sold by each. There may be circumstances when purchases or sales of a portfolio security for one client could have an adverse effect on another client that has a position in that security. In addition, when purchases or sales of the same security for the Fund and other client accounts managed by the Adviser occur contemporaneously, the purchase or sale orders may be aggregated in order to obtain any price advantages available to large denomination purchases or sales.

 

G. Portfolio Turnover

 

The frequency of portfolio transactions of the Fund (the portfolio turnover rate) will vary from year to year depending on many factors. From time to time, the Fund may engage in active short-term trading to take advantage of price movements affecting individual issues, groups of issues or markets. Higher portfolio turnover rates may result in increased brokerage costs to the Fund and a possible increase in short-term capital gains (taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them) or losses. An annual portfolio turnover rate of 100% would occur if all the securities in the Fund were replaced once in a period of one year.

 

Portfolio turnover rate is defined under the rules of the SEC as the value of the securities purchased or securities sold, excluding all securities whose maturities at time of acquisition were one year or less, divided by the average monthly value of such securities owned during the year. Based on this definition, instruments with remaining maturities of less than one year, including options and futures contracts in which the Fund invests, are excluded from the calculation of portfolio turnover rate. The Fund experienced variation in its portfolio turnover rate over the two most recently completed fiscal years. Increased turnover in the portfolio was due to increased equity volatility in the market during the period.

 

H. Securities of Regular Broker-Dealers

 

From time to time the Fund may acquire and hold securities issued by its regular brokers and dealersor the parents of those brokers and dealers. For this purpose, regular brokers and dealers are the ten brokers or dealers that: (1) received the greatest amount of brokerage commissions during the Funds last fiscal year; (2) engaged in the largest amount of principal transactions for portfolio transactions of the Fund during the Funds last fiscal year; or (3) sold the largest amount of the Funds shares during the Funds last fiscal year.

 

Table 5 in Appendix B lists the regular brokers and dealers of the Fund whose securities (or the securities of the parent company) were acquired during the past fiscal year and the aggregate value of the Funds holdings of those securities as of the Funds most recent fiscal year ended March 31, 2022.

 

I. Portfolio Holdings

 

Portfolio holdings as of the end of the Funds annual and semi-annual fiscal periods are reported to the SEC on Form N-CSR within 10 days of the mailing of the annual or semi-annual report (typically no later than 70 days after the end of each period). Monthly portfolio disclosures will be filed with the SEC on Form N-PORT no later than 60 days after the end of each fiscal quarter. The monthly holdings reports on Form N-PORT for the first and second months of the fiscal quarter will remain non-public and the monthly holdings report for the third month of the fiscal quarter will become publicly available upon filing (with the exception of certain items). You may request a copy of the Funds latest annual or semi-annual report to shareholders or a copy of the Funds latest Form N-PORT, when it is available, which contains the Funds portfolio holdings, by contacting the Transfer Agent at the address or phone number listed on the cover of this SAI. You may also obtain a copy of the Funds latest Form N-CSR and Form N-PORT by accessing the SECs website at www.sec.gov.

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The Funds nonpublic portfolio holdings information is received by certain service providers in advance of public release in the course of performing or enabling them to perform the contractual or fiduciary duties necessary for the Funds operations that the Fund has retained them to perform so long as the disclosure is subject to duties of confidentiality imposed by law and/or contract as determined by the Funds officers and, if applicable, the Board. The Funds portfolio holdings are available in real-time on a daily basis to the Adviser, the Administrator and the Custodian. In addition, the Distributor, the independent auditors, proxy voting services, mailing services, and financial printers and ratings or ranking organizations may have access, but not on a daily real-time basis, to the Funds nonpublic portfolio holdings information on an ongoing basis. The Trustees, Trusts officers, legal counsel to the Trust and to the Independent Trustees, and the Funds independent registered public accounting firm may receive such information on an as needed basis.

 

From time to time, nonpublic information regarding the Funds portfolio holdings may also be disclosed to certain mutual fund consultants, analysts, or other entities or persons (Recipients) that have a legitimate business purpose in receiving such information. Any disclosure of information more current than the latest publicly available portfolio holdings information will be made only if a Trust officer determines that: (1) the more current information is necessary for a Recipient to complete a specified task; (2) the Fund has legitimate business purposes for disclosing the information; and (3) the disclosure is in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. Any Recipient receiving such information shall agree in writing to: (1) keep the information confidential; (2) use it only for agreed-upon purposes; and (3) not trade or advise others to trade securities, including shares of the Fund, on the basis of the information. Such confidentiality agreements entered into for the receipt of nonpublic information shall also provide, among other things, that the Recipient: (1) will limit access to the information to its employees and agents who are obligated to keep and treat such information as confidential; (2) will assume responsibility for any breach of the terms of the confidentiality agreement by its employees; and (3) upon request from the Trust, will return or promptly destroy the information. Any Recipient that is a ratings or ranking organization receiving such information must have in place control mechanisms to reasonably ensure or otherwise agree that: (1) the holdings information will be kept confidential; (2) no employee shall use the information to effect trading or for their personal benefit; and (3) the nature and type of information that any employee, in turn, may disclose to third-parties is limited. The Trust officer shall report to the Board at its next regularly scheduled Board meeting the entering into of an agreement with a Recipient for the disclosure of nonpublic portfolio holdings information and shall include in the report the Trust officers reasons for determining to permit such disclosure.

 

Arrangements have been approved to provide a list of nonpublic portfolio holdings information to Hardin Compliance Consulting, LLC for the purpose of compliance consulting.

 

The Adviser may provide investment management for accounts of clients other than the Fund, which may result in some of those accounts having a composition substantially similar to that of the Fund. The Adviser and their affiliates may provide regular information to clients and others regarding the holdings in accounts that each manages, but no information is provided to clients or others that identifies the actual composition of the Fund’s holdings, specifies the amount of the Fund’s assets invested in a security or specifies the extent of any such similarities among accounts managed by the Adviser.

 

No compensation is received by the Fund, or, to the Funds knowledge, paid to the Adviser or any other party in connection with the disclosure of the Funds portfolio holdings. The codes of ethics of the Trust and the Adviser are intended to address, among other things, potential conflicts of interest arising from the misuse of information concerning the Funds portfolio holdings. In addition, the Funds service providers may be subject to confidentiality provisions contained within their service agreements, codes of ethics, professional codes, or other similar policies that address conflicts of interest arising from the misuse of such information.

 

The Adviser, Administrator and Distributor must inform a Trust officer if it identifies any conflict between the interests of shareholders and those of another party resulting from the disclosure of nonpublic portfolio holdings information. Such conflicts will be reported to the Board for appropriate action at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

 

There is no assurance that the Funds portfolio holdings disclosure policy will protect the Fund against potential misuse of holdings information by individuals or firms in possession of that information.

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PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION INFORMATION

 

 

A. General Information

 

You may effect purchases or redemptions or request any shareholder privilege by contacting the Transfer Agent.

 

The Fund accepts orders for the purchase or redemption of shares of the Fund on any weekday except days when the New York Stock Exchange (the NYSE) is closed. Under unusual circumstances, the Fund may accept orders when the NYSE is closed if deemed appropriate by the Trusts officers.

 

The shares of the Fund may not be available for sale in the state in which you reside. Please check with your investment professional to determine the Fund’s availability.

 

B. Additional Purchase Information

 

Shares of the Fund are offered on a continuous basis by the Distributor.

 

The Fund reserves the right to refuse any purchase request.

 

Fund shares are normally issued for cash only. In its discretion, the Fund may accept portfolio securities that meet the investment objective and policies of the Fund as payment for Fund shares. The Fund may allow an in kind purchase provided that, among other things: (i) the purchase will not dilute the interests of its shareholders; (ii) the assets accepted by the Fund consist of securities that are appropriate, in type and amount, for investment by the Fund in light of its investment objective and policies and current holdings; (iii) market quotations are readily available for the securities; (iv) in determining the value of the assets contributed and the corresponding amount of shares issued, the Trust’s Valuation Policy will be applied; (v) the transaction must comply with the Trust’s Affiliated Persons and Transactions Policy if the person investing is an affiliated person; and (vi) the Adviser to the Fund discloses to the Board the existence of, and all material facts relating to, any conflicts of interest between the Adviser and the Fund in the proposed in-kind purchase.

 

IRAs. All contributions into an individual retirement account (an IRA) through the automatic investing service are treated as IRA contributions made during the year that the contribution is received.

 

UGMAs/UTMAs. If the custodians name is not in the account registration of a gift or transfer to minor (UGMA/UTMA) account, the custodian must provide instructions in a manner indicating custodial capacity.

 

C. Additional Redemption Information

 

You may redeem Fund shares at NAV.

 

The Fund may reverse a transaction for the purchase of Fund shares within two business days of notification from your bank that your funds did not clear (1) to collect any charge relating to transactions effected for the benefit of a shareholder that is applicable to the Fund’s shares as provided in the Prospectus or (2) to recoup any actual losses incurred by the Fund or the Transfer Agent in connection with any reversed transaction.

 

Suspension of Right of Redemption. The right of redemption may not be suspended for more than seven days after the tender of Fund shares, except for any period during which: (1) the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings) or during which the SEC determines that trading thereon is restricted; (2) an emergency (as determined by the SEC) exists as a result of which disposal by the Fund of its securities is not reasonably practicable or as a result of which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund fairly to determine the value of its net assets; or (3) the SEC has entered a suspension order for the protection of the shareholders of the Fund.

 

Redemption in Kind. Redemption proceeds normally are paid in cash. The Trust has filed an election with the SEC, however, pursuant to which the Fund may effect a redemption in portfolio securities at the shareholders request or if the shareholder is redeeming more than $250,000 or 1% of the Funds total net assets, whichever is less, during any 90-day period. To the extent the Fund satisfies a redemption request by distributing portfolio securities, it will do so pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board. If the Fund pays redemption proceeds in kind, the redeeming shareholder may incur transaction costs to dispose of the securities and may receive less for them than the price at which they were valued for purposes of redemption. In addition, if the Fund redeems shares in this manner, the shareholder assumes the risk of a subsequent change in the market value of those securities, the costs of liquidating the securities (such as brokerage costs) and the possibility of a lack of a liquid market for those securities. In-kind redemptions may take the form of a pro rata portion of the Funds portfolio, individual securities, or a representative basket of securities.

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NAV Determination. The NAV of the Fund is determined by taking the market value of the total assets of the Fund, subtracting the liabilities of the Fund and then dividing the result (net assets) by the number of outstanding shares of the Fund. The Fund calculates its NAV as of the close of trading on the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each weekday that the NYSE is open, except as described below.

 

The NYSE is open every weekday, Monday through Friday, other than NYSE holidays which can be found at www.nyse. com. The NYSE may close early on the day before a holiday as well as on the day after Thanksgiving Day, and the NYSE holiday schedule is subject to change without notice.

 

Since the Fund invests in securities that trade on foreign securities markets, which may be open on days other than a Fund business day, the value of the Funds portfolio may change on days on which shareholders are not able to purchase or redeem Fund shares. In addition, trading in certain portfolio investments may not occur on days that the Fund is open for business, as the markets or exchanges on which they trade are other than the NYSE and may be closed.

 

The Fund values securities for which market quotations are readily available, including exchange-traded investment companies, at current market value, except for certain short-term securities that may be valued at amortized cost. Securities for which market quotations are readily available are valued using the last reported sales price provided by independent pricing services as of the close of trading on the NYSE on each Fund business day. In the absence of sales, such securities are valued at the mean of the last bid and asked price. Non-exchange traded securities for which quotations are readily available are generally valued using the last quoted sales price, or in the absence of a sale, at the mean between the current bid and asked price. Investments in non-exchange traded investment companies are valued at their NAVs.

 

Futures contracts are valued at that days last reported settlement price on the exchange where the contract is traded.

 

Government, corporate, asset-backed and municipal bonds and convertible securities, including high-yield or junk bonds, normally are valued on the basis of prices provided by independent pricing services. Prices provided by the pricing services may be determined without exclusive reliance on quoted prices, and may be based on broker-supplied or dealer-supplied valuations or on matrix pricing, a method of valuing securities by reference to the value of other securities with similar characteristics, such as rating, interest rate, maturity, institution-size trading in similar groups of securities, developments related to special securities, dividend rate, and other market data. If the prices provided by pricing services and independent quoted prices are unreliable, the Valuation Committee described below will fair value the security using the Trusts fair value procedures.

 

If market quotations are not readily available or the Fund reasonably believes that they are unreliable, the Fund will seek to value such securities at fair value, as determined in good faith using procedures approved by the Board. The Board has delegated day-to-day responsibility for fair valuation determinations in accordance with the procedures to a Valuation Committee composed of management members who are appointed to the Committee by the Board. The Committee makes such determinations under the supervision of the Board. Fair valuation may be based on subjective factors. As a result, the fair value price of a security may differ from that security’s market price and may not be the price at which the security may be sold. Fair valuation could result in a different NAV than a NAV determined by using market quotations. To the extent that the Fund invests in open-end investment companies, the prospectuses for those investment companies explain the circumstances under which those companies will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.

 

The Funds investments in foreign securities are more likely to require a fair value determination than investments in domestic securities because circumstances may arise between the close of the market on which the securities trade and the time that the Fund values its portfolio securities. In determining fair value prices of foreign securities, the Fund may consider the performance of securities on their primary exchanges, foreign currency appreciation or depreciation, securities market movements in the U.S. and other relevant information as related to the securities.

 

Securities of smaller companies and certain derivatives are more likely to require a fair value determination because they may be thinly traded and less liquid than securities of larger companies.

 

Distributions. Distributions of net investment income will be reinvested at the NAV of the Fund (unless you elect to receive distributions in cash) as of the last day of the period with respect to which the distribution is paid. Distributions of net realized capital gains will be reinvested at the NAV of the Fund (unless you elect to receive distributions in cash) on the payment date for the distribution. Cash payments may be made more than seven days following the date on which distributions would otherwise be reinvested.

 

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TAXATION

 

 

The tax information set forth in the Prospectus and in this section relates solely to federal tax law and assumes that the Fund qualifies for treatment as a RIC (as discussed below). This information is only a summary of certain key federal income tax considerations affecting the Fund and its shareholders and is in addition to the tax information provided in the Prospectus. No attempt has been made to present a complete explanation of the federal tax treatment of the Fund or the tax implications to shareholders. The discussions here and in the Prospectus are not intended as substitutes for careful tax planning.

 

This Taxationsection is based on the IRC, the regulations thereunder, IRS interpretations and similar authority on which the Fund may rely, all as in effect on the date hereof, as well as on court decisions publicly available through that date. Future legislative, regulatory, or administrative changes or court decisions may significantly change the tax rules applicable to the Fund and its shareholders. Any of these changes or court decisions may have a retroactive effect.

 

Each investor should consult his or her own tax advisor as to the federal, state, local, and foreign tax provisions applicable to the investor.

 

A. Qualification for Treatment as a Regulated Investment Company

 

The Fund intends, for each taxable year, to qualify or to continue to qualify for treatment as a RIC. This qualification does not involve governmental supervision of management or investment practices or policies of the Fund.

 

The taxable year-end of the Fund is March 31, which is the same as its fiscal year-end.

 

Consequences of Qualification. As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on the portion of its investment company taxable income (generally, interest, dividends, other ordinary income, the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss, and net gains and losses from certain foreign currency transactions, net of expenses, all determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid) and net capital gain (that is, the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) that it distributes to its shareholders. To qualify to be taxed as a RIC for a taxable year, the Fund must satisfy the following requirements, among others:

 

The Fund must distribute at least the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income plus 90% of its net interest income excludable from gross income under IRC Section 103(a) for the taxable year (Distribution Requirement). Certain distributions made by the Fund after the close of its taxable year are considered distributions attributable to that taxable year for purposes of satisfying this requirement.

 

The Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income for the taxable year from (1) dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived from its business of investing in securities or those currencies and (2) net income from an interest in a “qualified publicly traded partnership” (“QPTP”) (income described in (1) and (2), collectively “Qualifying Income”) (“Gross Income Requirement”). A QPTP is defined as a “publicly traded partnership” (generally, a partnership the interests in which are “traded on an established securities market” or are “readily tradable on a secondary market (or the substantial equivalent thereof)”) that derives less than 90% of its gross income from sources described in clause (1).

 

The Fund must satisfy the following asset diversification requirements (“Diversification Requirements”) at the close of each quarter of its taxable year: (1) at least 50% of the value of its total assets must consist of cash and cash items, Government securities, securities of other RICs, and securities of other issuers, with these other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount that does not exceed 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and that does not represent more than 10% of the issuer’s outstanding voting securities (equity securities of a QPTP being considered voting securities for these purposes); and (2) no more than 25% of the value of its total assets may be invested in (a) the securities of any one issuer (other than Government securities and securities of other RICs), (b) the securities (other than securities of other RICs) of two or more issuers that the Fund controls (by owning 20% or more of their voting power) and that are engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or businesses, or (c) the securities of one or more QPTPs (“25% Limitation”).

 

Failure to Qualify. If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify for treatment as a RIC, either (1) by failing to satisfy the Distribution Requirement, even if it satisfied the Gross Income Requirement and the Diversification Requirements, or (2) by failing to satisfy the Gross Income Requirement and/or either Diversification Requirement and being unable, or determining 36 not, to cure the failure in the manner described in the next two paragraphs, then for federal income tax purposes all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for dividends paid to its shareholders. In addition, for those purposes the dividends would be taxable to the shareholders as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, except that, for (a) individual and certain other non-corporate shareholders (each, an “individual shareholder”), the part thereof that is “qualified dividend income” would be subject to federal income tax at the rates for net capital gain, which are a maximum of 15% for a non-corporate shareholder with taxable income not exceeding certain thresholds (which will be adjusted for inflation annually) and 20% for non-corporate shareholders with taxable income exceeding such thresholds, and (b) those dividends would be eligible for the dividends-received deduction available to corporations under certain circumstances. Furthermore, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest, and make substantial distributions before requalifying for RIC treatment.

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If the Fund fails to satisfy the Gross Income Requirement for any taxable year, it nevertheless will be considered to have satisfied that requirement for that year if, among other things, the failure is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglectand the Fund pays a tax in an amount equal to the excess of its gross income that is not Qualifying Income over one-ninth of its gross income that is Qualifying Income.

 

If the Fund satisfies both Diversification Requirements at the close of its first quarter of its first taxable year, but fails to satisfy either Diversification Requirement at the close of any subsequent taxable year quarter by reason of a discrepancy existing immediately after its acquisition of any security that is wholly or partly the result of that acquisition during that quarter, it will not lose its status for that quarter as a RIC if the discrepancy is eliminated within 30 days after the quarter’s close. If the Fund fails to satisfy either or both Diversification Requirement(s) (other than a de minimis failure, as described in the IRC) for a quarter and the preceding sentence does not apply, it nevertheless will be considered to have satisfied those requirements for that quarter if, among other things, the failure “is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect” and the Fund disposes of the assets that caused the failure within six months after the last day of the quarter in which it identifies the failure in the manner prescribed by the IRS. In that case, the Fund will also be liable for a federal tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or the amount determined by multiplying the net income generated by those assets for the period from the date the failure occurs to the date of disposition thereof by the highest rate of federal income tax applicable to corporations (currently 21%).

 

Failure to qualify for treatment as a RIC would thus have a negative impact on the Funds after-tax performance. It is possible that the Fund will not qualify as a RIC in any given taxable year.

 

B. Fund Distributions

 

The Fund anticipates distributing substantially all of its investment company taxable income and net-exempt interest income, if any, for each taxable year. These distributions will be taxable to a shareholder as ordinary income, but, as described in the Prospectus, a portion of the distributions may be treated as qualified dividend incomeand thus eligible to be taxed to individual shareholders at the lower maximum federal income tax rates applicable to net capital gain.

 

The Fund anticipates distributing substantially all of its net capital gain (after reduction for any capital loss carryovers, i.e., unutilized realized net capital losses from prior taxable years) for each taxable year. These distributions generally will be made only once a year, usually in December, but the Fund may make a limited number of additional distributions of net capital gain at any time during the year. These distributions will be taxable to a shareholder as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long the shareholder has held his or her shares. These distributions will not qualify for the dividends-received deduction or as qualified dividend income.

 

A distribution by the Fund that does not constitute an ordinary income dividend or capital or foreign currency gain distribution will be treated as a non-taxable return of capital.A return of capital distribution will reduce a shareholders tax basis in Fund shares and will be treated as gain from the sale of the shares to the extent it exceeds the shareholders basis.

 

Non-U.S. investors not engaged in a U.S. trade or business with which their investment in the Fund is “effectively connected” will be subject to U.S. federal income tax treatment that is different from that described above. Such non-U.S. investors may be subject to withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or a lower rate under an applicable tax treaty) on amounts treated as ordinary dividends from the Fund. Capital gain distributions, if any, are not subject to the 30% withholding tax. Exemption from this withholding tax is also provided for dividends properly reported in writing by the Fund to its shareholders as “interest-related dividends” or as “short-term capital gain dividends” paid by the Fund with respect to its “qualified net interest income” or “qualified short-term gain,” respectively (all such terms as defined in the IRC). Non-U.S. investors will need to provide an effective IRS Form W-8BEN or other authorized withholding certificate to qualify for the exemption.

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Each distribution by the Fund will be treated in the manner described above regardless of whether the distribution is paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Fund (or of another fund). If a shareholder reinvests a distribution in additional shares, the shareholder will be treated as having received a distribution in an amount equal to the fair market value of the reinvested shares, determined as of the reinvestment date.

 

When a shareholder purchases shares of the Fund, the purchase price (NAV) will include any undistributed net investment income and realized net capital gains and foreign currency gains and any unrealized appreciation in the value of the assets of the Fund. A distribution of that income or gain (including net gain, if any, from realizing all or part of that appreciation) will be taxable to a shareholder in the manner described above, even if the distribution economically constitutes a partial return of invested capital to the shareholder.

 

Ordinarily, a shareholder is required to take taxable distributions by the Fund into income in the year in which they are made. A distribution declared in October, November, or December of any year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in one of those months, however, is deemed to be paid by the Fund and received by those shareholders on December 31 of that year if the distribution is paid in January of the following year.

 

The Fund will send information annually to its shareholders regarding the federal income tax status of distributions made (or deemed made) during the year.

 

C. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”)

 

Under FATCA, foreign financial institutions (“FFIs”) and non-financial foreign entities (“NFFEs”) that are Fund shareholders may be subject to a generally nonrefundable 30% withholding tax on income dividends the Fund pays. As discussed more fully below, the FATCA withholding tax generally may be avoided (a) by an FFI, if it reports certain information regarding direct and indirect ownership of financial accounts U.S. persons hold with the FFI, and (b) by an NFFE that certifies its status as such and, in certain circumstances, reports information regarding substantial U.S owners.

 

An FFI may avoid FATCA withholding by becoming a participating FFI,which requires the FFI to enter into a tax compliance agreement with the IRS under the IRC. Under such an agreement, a participating FFI agrees to (1) verify and document whether it has U.S. accountholders, (2) report certain information regarding their accounts to the IRS, and (3) meet certain other specified requirements.

 

The U.S. Treasury Department has negotiated intergovernmental agreements (each, an IGA) with certain countries and is in various stages of negotiations with other foreign countries with respect to one or more alternative approaches to implement FATCA; entities in those countries may be required to comply with the terms of the relevant IGA instead of U.S. Treasury regulations. An FFI resident in a country that has entered into a Model I IGA with the United States must report to that countrys government (pursuant to the terms of the applicable IGA and applicable law), which will, in turn, report to the IRS. An FFI resident in a Model II IGA country generally must comply with U.S. regulatory requirements, with certain exceptions, including the treatment of recalcitrant accountholders. An FFI resident in one of those countries that complies with whichever of the foregoing applies will be exempt from FATCA withholding.

 

An NFFE that is the beneficial owner of a payment from the Fund may avoid FATCA withholding generally by certifying its status as such and, in certain circumstances, either that (1) it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or (2) it does have one or more such owners and reports the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each such owner. The NFFE will report to the Fund or other applicable withholding agent, which may, in turn, report information to the IRS.

 

Those foreign shareholders also may fall into certain exempt, excepted, or deemed compliant categories established by U.S. Treasury regulations, IGAs, and other guidance regarding FATCA. An FFI or NFFE that invests in the Fund will need to provide the Fund with documentation properly certifying the entitys status under FATCA to avoid FATCA withholding. The requirements imposed by FATCA are different from, and in addition to, the tax certification rules to avoid backup withholding described in the Prospectus. Foreign investors are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of these requirements to their own situations and the impact thereof on their investment in the Fund.

 

D. Redemption of Shares

 

In general, you will realize gain or loss on redemption of Fund shares in an amount equal to the difference between the proceeds of the redemption and your adjusted tax basis in the shares. All or a portion of any loss so realized will be disallowed if you purchase Fund shares (for example, by reinvesting distributions) within 30 days before or after the redemption (i.e., a washsale); if disallowed, the loss would be reflected in an upward adjustment to the basis in the purchased shares. In general, any gain or allowed loss arising from a redemption of shares of the Fund will be considered a capital gain or loss and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares were held for longer than one year. Any capital loss arising from a redemption of shares held for six months or less, however, will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of the amount of distributions of net capital gain, if any, received on such shares. In determining the holding period of shares for this purpose, any period during which your risk of loss is offset by means of an option, short sale, or similar transaction is not counted. Capital losses in any year are deductible only to the extent of capital gains plus, in the case of a non-corporate taxpayer, $3,000 of ordinary income.

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E. Federal Excise Tax

 

A 4% non-deductible federal excise tax (Excise Tax) is imposed on a RIC that fails to distribute in each calendar year an amount equal to at least the sum of (1) 98.0% of its ordinary income for the year plus (2) 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ended on October 31 of the year plus (3) any ordinary income and capital gain net income for previous years that were not distributed during those years. The Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it is subject to income tax for any taxable year ending in the calendar year.

 

For purposes of calculating the Excise Tax, the Fund (1) reduces its capital gain net income (but not below its net capital gain) by the amount of any net ordinary loss for the calendar year and (2) excludes foreign currency gains and losses realized or sustained after October 31 of any year in determining the amount of ordinary income for that calendar year and includes them in determining the amount of ordinary income for the succeeding calendar year.

 

The Fund intends to make sufficient distributions each year of its ordinary income and capital gain net income to avoid liability for the Excise Tax. The Fund may in certain circumstances be required to liquidate portfolio investments to make distributions sufficient to avoid that liability.

 

F. Certain Tax Rules Applicable to Fund Transactions

 

Investments in Derivatives. When a put or call option purchased by the Fund expires unexercised, the premium it paid gives rise to short-term or long-term capital loss at the time of expiration (depending on the length of the exercise period for the option). When a put or call option written by the Fund expires unexercised, the premium it received gives rise to short-term capital gain at the time of expiration. When the Fund exercises a call option, the basis in the underlying security is increased by the amount of the premium it paid for the option. When the Fund exercises a put option, the gain (or loss) from the sale of the underlying security is decreased (or increased) by the premium it paid for the option. When a put or call option written by the Fund is exercised, the purchase price (or the selling price in the case of a call) of the underlying security is decreased (or increased in the case of a call) for federal income tax purposes by the amount of the premium received.

 

Some futures contracts, foreign currency contracts, and nonequityoptions (i.e., certain listed options, such as those on a broad-basedsecurities index) in which the Fund invests - except any securities futures contractthat is not a dealer securities futures contract(both as defined in the IRC) and any interest rate swap, currency swap, basis swap, interest rate cap, interest rate floor, commodity swap, equity swap, equity index swap, credit default swap, or similar agreement - may be subject to IRC section 1256 (Section 1256 contracts). Any Section 1256 contracts the Fund holds at the end of its taxable year (and generally for purposes of the Excise Tax, on October 31 of each year) must be marked to market(that is, treated as having been sold at that time for their fair market value) for federal tax purposes, with the result that unrealized gains or losses will be treated as though they were realized. Sixty percent of any net gain or loss realized on these deemed sales, and 60% of any net realized gain or loss from any actual sales of Section 1256 contracts, will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and the balance will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss; however, certain foreign currency gains or losses arising from Section 1256 contracts will be treated as ordinary income or loss. These rules may operate to increase the amount that the Fund must distribute to satisfy the Distribution Requirement (i.e., with respect to the portion treated as short-term capital gain, which will be includible in its investment company taxable income and thus taxable to its shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them), and to increase the net capital gain the Fund recognizes, even though the Fund may not have closed the transactions and received cash to pay the distributions. The Fund may elect not to have the foregoing rules apply to any mixed straddle(that is, a straddle, which the Fund clearly identifies in accordance with applicable regulations, at least one (but not all) of the positions of which are Section 1256 contracts), although doing so may have the effect of increasing the relative proportion of short-term capital gain (distributions of which are taxable to its shareholders as ordinary income) and thus increasing the amount of dividends it must distribute.

 

Any option, futures contract, forward contract or other position entered into or held by the Fund in conjunction with any other position it holds may constitute a “straddle” for federal income tax purposes. In general, straddles are subject to certain rules that may affect the amount, character, and timing of recognition of the Fund’s gains and losses with respect to the straddle positions by requiring, among other things, that (1) any loss realized on disposition of one position of a straddle not be recognized to the extent that the Fund has unrealized gains with respect to the other positions in the straddle, (2) the Fund’s holding period in straddle positions be suspended while the straddle exists (possibly resulting in a gain being treated as short-term rather than long-term capital gain), (3) the losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions that are part of a mixed straddle and are non-Section 1256 contracts be treated as 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital loss, and (4) losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions that would otherwise constitute short-term capital losses be treated as long-term capital losses. In addition, the deduction of interest and carrying charges attributable to certain straddle positions may be deferred. Various elections are available to the Fund, which may mitigate the effects of the straddle rules, particularly with respect to mixed straddles. In general, the foregoing rules do not apply to any straddles held by the Fund if all of the offsetting positions consist of Section 1256 contracts.

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Investments in Original Issue Discount (OID), Inflation-Indexed, and Payment-in-Kind Securities.

 

The Fund may acquire (1) zero-coupon or other securities (such as STRIPS and delayed-interest securities) issued with OID and/or (2) Treasury inflation indexed securities (initially known as Treasury inflation-protection securities, or “TIPS”) or other inflation-indexed securities, on which principal is adjusted based on changes in the Consumer Price Index. As a holder of those securities, the Fund must include in its gross income the OID that accrues on the securities, and the amount of any principal increases on each inflation-indexed security it holds, during the taxable year, even if it receives no corresponding payment on them during the year. Similarly, a Fund must include in its gross income securities it receives as “interest” on payment-in-kind securities. Because the Fund annually must distribute substantially all of its investment company taxable income, including any accrued OID and other non-cash income, to satisfy the Distribution Requirement and avoid imposition of the Excise Tax, the Fund may be required in a particular taxable year to distribute as a dividend an amount that is greater than the total amount of cash it actually receives. Those distributions will be made from the Fund’s cash assets or from the proceeds of sales of portfolio securities, if necessary. the Fund may realize capital gains or losses from those sales, which would increase or decrease its investment company taxable income and/or net capital gain.

 

Investments in Foreign Currencies and Securities. Gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates that occur between the time that the Fund accrues interest, dividends or other receivables or accrues expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time that the Fund actually collects such receivables or pays such liabilities are treated as ordinary income or ordinary losses. Similarly, gains or losses from the disposition of a foreign currency, or from the disposition of a fixed-income security denominated in a foreign currency that are attributable to fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency between the date of acquisition of the asset and the date of its disposition, also are treated as ordinary income or ordinary losses. These gains or losses increase or decrease the amount of the Funds investment company taxable income available to be distributed to its shareholders as ordinary income, rather than increasing or decreasing the amount of its net capital gain.

 

If the Fund owns shares in a foreign corporation that constitutes a passive foreign investment companyfor federal tax purposes (a PFIC) and the Fund does not make either of the elections described in the next two paragraphs, it will be subject to federal income tax on a portion of any excess distributionit receives from the PFIC and any gain it derives from the disposition of such shares (collectively, “PFIC Income”), even if it distributes the PFIC Income as a taxable dividend to its shareholders. The Fund will also be subject to additional interest charges in respect of deferred taxes arising from the PFIC Income. Any such tax paid by the Fund as a result of its ownership of shares in a PFIC will not give rise to any deduction or credit to the Fund or to any shareholder. A PFIC is any foreign corporation (with certain exceptions) that, in general, meets either of the following tests for a taxable year: (1) at least 75% of its gross income is derived from passive income(including interest and dividends); or (2) an average of at least 50% of the value (or adjusted tax basis, if elected) of its assets produce, or are held for the production of, “passive income.” The Fund’s distributions of PFIC Income will not be eligible for the 15% and 20% maximum federal income tax rates on individual shareholders’ “qualified dividend incomedescribed in the Prospectus.

 

The Fund may elect to mark to marketits stock in a PFIC. Under such an election, the Fund would include in gross income (and treat as ordinary income) each taxable year an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the PFIC stock as of the close of the taxable year over the Funds adjusted basis in the PFIC stock. The Fund would be allowed a deduction for the excess, if any, of that adjusted basis over that fair market value, but only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains included in gross income by the Fund for prior taxable years. The Funds adjusted basis in the PFIC stock would be adjusted to reflect the amounts included in, or deducted from, gross income under this election. Amounts so included, as well as gain realized on the disposition of the PFIC stock, would be treated as ordinary income. The deductible portion of any mark-to-market loss, as well as any loss realized on the disposition of the PFIC stock to the extent that such loss does not exceed the net mark-to-market gains previously included in gross income by the Fund, would be treated as ordinary loss. The Fund generally would not be subject to the deferred tax and interest charge provisions discussed above with respect to PFIC stock for which a mark-to-market election has been made.

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If the Fund purchases shares in a PFIC and elects to treat the PFIC as a qualified electing fund,the Fund would be required to include in its gross income each taxable year its pro rata share of the ordinary income and net capital gains of the PFIC, even if the income and gains were not distributed to the Fund. Any such income would be subject to the Distribution Requirement and the calendar year Excise Tax distribution requirement described above. In most instances it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to make this election because some of the information required to make this election may not be easily obtainable.

 

Investors should be aware that determining whether a foreign corporation is a PFIC is a fact-intensive determination that is based on various facts and circumstances and thus is subject to change, and the principles and methodology used therein are subject to interpretation. As a result, (1) the Fund may not be able, at the time it acquires a foreign corporations shares, to ascertain whether the corporation is a PFIC, and (2) a foreign corporation may become a PFIC after the Fund acquires shares therein. While the Fund generally will seek not to invest in PFIC shares to avoid the tax consequences detailed above, there are no guarantees that it will be able to do so, and it reserves the right to make such investments as a matter of its investment policy.

 

Investments in LLCs, LPs And Grantor Trusts. The Fund may invest in LLCs and LPs that are classified for federal tax purposes as partnerships. Such an LLC or LP in which the Fund invests may be (1) a “publicly traded partnership” (a “PTP) or (2) a non-PTP at least 90% of the income of which is Qualifying Income. Certain of those PTPs will be QPTPs.

 

If an LLC or LP in which the Fund invests is a QPTP, all its net income (regardless of source) would be Qualifying Income for the Fund. The value of The Funds investment in QPTPs, together with certain other investments, however, may not exceed 25% of the value of its total assets at the close of any quarter of its taxable year in order to satisfy the 25% Limitation. In addition, if the Fund holds more than 10% of a QPTPs equity securities, none of those securities will count toward its satisfying the other Diversification Requirement.

 

With respect to an LLC or LP that is a non-QPTP, (1) if the LLC or LP is treated for federal tax purposes as a corporation, distributions from it to the Fund would likely be treated as qualified dividend incomeand disposition of the Funds interest therein would be gain from the disposition of a security, or (2) if the LLC or LP is not treated for those purposes as a corporation, the Fund would be treated as having earned its proportionate share of each item of income and realized gain the LLC or LP earned. In the latter case, the Fund would be able to treat its share of the LLCs or LPs income as Qualifying Income only to the extent that income would be Qualifying Income if realized directly by the Fund in the same manner as realized by the LLC or LP.

 

Certain LLCs and LPs (e.g., private funds) in which the Fund invests may generate income and gains that are not Qualifying Income. The Fund will monitor its investments in LLCs and LPs to assure its compliance with the requirements for qualification as a RIC.

 

The Fund also may invest in grantor trusts, including ETFs that invest in commodities. Such a trust is essentially disregarded for federal tax purposes, with the result that the Fund, as an investor therein, will be treated for those purposes as owning a fractional undivided beneficial interest in the trusts assets and will be required to include its proportionate share of the trusts income, deductions, and credits in computing its taxable income and credits. Because those trusts ordinarily generate gross income that is not Qualifying Income, the Fund will monitor and limit its investments in them to the extent necessary to preserve its status as a RIC.

 

G. State and Local Taxes

 

The tax rules of the various states and their local jurisdictions with respect to an investment in the Fund may differ from the federal income tax rules described above. These state and local rules are not discussed herein. You are urged to consult your tax advisor as to the consequences of state and local tax rules with respect to an investment in the Fund.

 

H. Foreign Income Tax

 

Investment income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries and U.S. possessions and gains that the Fund realizes on the disposition of foreign securities (collectively, foreign source income) may be subject to foreign or possession income or other taxes withheld at the source (collectively, foreign taxes). The United States has entered into tax treaties with many foreign countries that may entitle the Fund to a reduced rate of foreign taxes imposed by, or exemption from taxes on foreign source income derived from, the particular country. It is impossible to know the effective rate of foreign tax in advance, since the amount of the Fund’s assets to be invested within various countries will vary.

 41 

 

I. Capital Loss Carryovers (“CLCOs”)

 

The Fund may have capital loss carryovers (CLCOs) for a taxable year. CLCOs may be used to offset any current taxable year net realized capital gain (whether short-term or long-term) and will not expire. All CLCOs are listed in the Funds financial statements. Any such losses may not be carried back.

 42 

 

OTHER MATTERS

 

 

A. The Trust and Its Shareholders

 

General Information. The Fund is a separate series of the Trust. The Trust is an open-end investment management company organized under Delaware law as a statutory trust on August 29, 1995. On January 5, 1996, the Trust succeeded to the assets and liabilities of Forum Funds, Inc. The Trusts trust instrument (the Trust Instrument) permits the Trust to offer separate series (funds) of shares of beneficial interest (shares). The Trust reserves the right to create and issue shares of additional funds. The Trust and each fund will continue indefinitely until terminated. Each fund is a separate mutual fund, and each share of each fund represents an equal proportionate interest in that fund. All consideration received by the Trust for shares of any fund and all assets of such fund belong solely to that fund and would be subject to liabilities related thereto. The other funds of the Trust are described in one or more separate Statements of Additional Information.

 

Shareholder Voting and Other Rights. Each share of a fund and each class of shares has equal dividend, distribution, liquidation and voting rights. Fractional shares have those rights proportionately, except that expenses related to the distribution of shares of each fund or class (and certain other expenses such as transfer agency, shareholder service and administration expenses) are borne solely by those shares. Each fund or class votes separately with respect to the provisions of any Rule 12b-1 plan that pertains to the fund or class and other matters for which separate fund or class voting is appropriate under applicable law. Generally, shares will be voted separately by each fund except if: (1) the 1940 Act requires shares to be voted in the aggregate and not by individual funds; or (2) the Board determines that the matter affects more than one fund and all affected funds must vote. The Board may also determine that a matter only affects certain funds or classes of the Trust and thus that only those funds or classes are entitled to vote on the matter. Delaware law does not require the Trust to hold annual meetings of shareholders, and it is anticipated that shareholder meetings will be held only when specifically required by federal or state law. There are no conversion or preemptive rights in connection with shares of the

Trust.

 

All shares, when issued in accordance with the terms of the offering, will be fully paid and non-assessable.

 

A shareholder in a fund is entitled to the shareholders pro rata share of all distributions arising from that funds assets and, upon redeeming shares, will receive the portion of the funds net assets represented by the redeemed shares.

 

Shareholders representing 10% or more of the Trusts (or a funds) shares may, as set forth in the Trust Instrument, call meetings of the Trust (or fund) for any purpose related to the Trust (or fund), including, in the case of a meeting of the Trust, the purpose of voting on removal of one or more Trustees.

 

Pursuant to Delaware law, the Trusts Trust Instrument places certain limitations on the ability of shareholders to bring derivative actions on behalf of the Trust. Such limitations include, but are not limited to, that (i) shareholders eligible to bring such derivative action must collectively hold shares representing 10% or more of the all shares issued and outstanding or of the series or classes thereof to which such action relates if it does not relate to all series and classes thereof; and (ii) the Trustees shall be entitled to retain counsel or other advisers in considering the merits of the request and shall require an undertaking by the shareholder (or shareholders) making such request to reimburse the Trust for the expense of any such advisers in the event that the Trustees determine not to bring such action.

 

The Trusts Trust Instrument also places limitations on the forum in which claims against the Trust may be heard. Unless the Board of Trustees consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, any suit, action or proceeding brought by or in the right of any shareholder or any person claiming any interest in any shares seeking to enforce any provision of, or based on any matter arising out of, related to, or in connection with, the Trusts Trust Instrument, including without limitation any claim of any nature against the Trust, any series or class, the Trustees or officers of the Trust, or a service provider shall be brought exclusively in the Delaware Court of Chancery to the extent that court has subject matter jurisdiction over the action or claims asserted and otherwise in the courts of the State of Delaware to the extent there is subject matter jurisdiction in those courts for the claims asserted. Accordingly, shareholders may have to bring suit in an inconvenient and potentially less favorable forum. Such limitations do not apply to claims asserted under the federal securities laws, to the extent that any such federal laws, rules or regulations do not permit such application.

 

Termination or Reorganization of Trust or its Series. The Board, may, without prior shareholder approval, change the form of organization of the Trust by merger, consolidation or incorporation, so long as the surviving entity is an open-end management investment company. Under the Trust Instrument, the Trustees may also, without shareholder vote, sell and convey all or substantially all of the assets of the Trust to another trust, partnership, association or corporation, or cause the Trust to incorporate in the State of Delaware, so long as the surviving entity is an open-end management investment company that will succeed to or assume the Trust’s registration statement.

 43 

 

 

Under the Trust Instrument, the Board may sell or convey the assets of a fund or reorganize such fund into another investment company registered under the 1940 Act without a shareholder vote.

 

B. Fund Ownership

 

A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund. A control person is a shareholder who owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledges the existence of control. Shareholders owning voting securities in excess of 25% may determine the outcome of any matter affecting and voted on by shareholders of the Fund.

 

The Fund is newly organized and has not yet commenced operations.

 

C. Limitations on Shareholders’ and Trustees’ Liability

 

Delaware law provides that Fund shareholders are entitled to the same limitations of personal liability extended to stockholders of private corporations for profit. In addition, the Trust Instrument contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses of the Trust. The Trust Instrument provides that if any shareholder or former shareholder of any fund is held personally liable, solely by reason of having been a shareholder (and not because of their acts or omissions or for some other reason), the shareholder or former shareholder shall be entitled out of assets belonging to the applicable fund to be held harmless from and indemnified against all losses and expenses arising from such liability. The Trust Instrument also provides that the Trust, on behalf of a fund, shall, upon request by a shareholder or former shareholder, assume the defense of any claim made against any shareholder for any act or obligation of that fund and satisfy any judgment thereon from the assets belonging to the fund. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which Delaware law does not apply, no contractual limitation of liability is in effect, and the Fund is unable to meet its obligations.

 

The Trust Instrument provides that the trustees shall not be liable to any person other than the Trust and its shareholders. In addition, the Trust Instrument provides that the trustees shall not be liable for any conduct whatsoever, provided that a trustee is not protected against any liability to which he or she would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office. All persons contracting with or having a claim against the Trust or a particular fund may only look to the Trust assets (or assets belonging to a fund) for payment under such contract or claim. Neither the trustees nor any of the Trust’s officers or employees (whether past, present or future) are personally liable for such claims.

 

D. Proxy Voting Procedures

 

The Trusts and the Advisers proxy voting procedures are included in Appendices B and C, respectively.

 

Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30 will be available: (1) without charge, upon request, by contacting the Transfer Agent at (888) 99-ABSOLUTE or (888) 992-2765 (toll free); and (2) on the SECs website at www.sec.gov.

 

E. Code of Ethics

 

The Trust and Absolute have each adopted a code of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These codes are designed to eliminate conflicts of interest between the Fund and personnel of the Trust and Absolute. The codes permit such personnel to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund, subject to certain limitations. The Distributor relies on the principal underwriters exception under Rule 17j-1(c)(3), specifically where the Distributor is not affiliated with the Trust or Absolute, and no officer, director or general partner of the Distributor serves as an officer, director or general partner of the Trust or Absolute.

 

F. Registration Statement

 

This SAI and the Prospectus do not contain all of the information included in the Trusts registration statement filed with the SEC under the 1933 Act with respect to the securities offered hereby. The registration statement, including the exhibits filed therewith, may be examined at the office of the SEC in Washington, D.C. The SEC maintains a website (www.sec.gov) that contains this SAI, any material incorporated by reference, and other information regarding the Fund.

 44 

 

G. Financial Statements

 

The Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm, [ ________________ ], audits and reports on the Fund’s annual financial statements. The financial statements include the schedule of investments, statement of assets and liabilities, statement of operations, statement of changes in net assets, financial highlights, notes and report of independent registered public accounting firm. Shareholders will receive annual audited financial statements and semi-annual unaudited financial statements.

 45 

 

APPENDIX A – DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS

 

 

Corporate and Municipal Long-Term Bond Ratings

 

Standard & Poors (S&P) Corporate and Municipal Long-Term Bond Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of S&P’s long-term corporate and municipal bond ratings have been published by Standard & Poor’s Financial Service LLC.

 

AAA - An obligation rated AAAhas the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligors capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

 

AA - An obligation rated AAdiffers from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligors capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

CC - An obligation rated CCis currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The CCrating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P Global Ratings expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default. C - An obligation rated Cis currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.

 

D - An obligation rated Dis in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the Drating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The Drating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligations rating is lowered to Dif it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.

 

Plus (+) or Minus (-) - The ratings from AAto CCCmay be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

 

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

  A-1 

 

Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys) Long-Term Corporate Bond Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Moody’s long-term corporate bond ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.

 

Aaa - Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Modifiers: 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.

 

Moodys U.S. Municipal Long-Term Bond Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Moody’s long-term municipal bond ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.

 

Aaa - Issuers or issues rated Aaa demonstrate the strongest creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

Aa - Issuers or issues rated Aa demonstrate very strong creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

A - Issuers or issues rated A present above-average creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

Baa - Issuers or issues rated Baa represent average creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

Ba - Issuers or issues rated Ba demonstrate below-average creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

B - Issuers or issues rated B demonstrate weak creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

  A-2 

 

Caa - Issuers or issues rated Caa demonstrate very weak creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

Ca - Issuers or issues rated Ca demonstrate extremely weak creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

C - Issuers or issues rated C demonstrate the weakest creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

Modifiers: Moodys appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating category from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the issuer or 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.

 

Fitch Ratings Ltd. (Fitch) Corporate Bond Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Fitch’s long-term corporate bond ratings have been published by Fitch, Inc. and Fitch Ratings Ltd.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

B - Highly speculative. Bratings indicate that material credit risk is present. For performing obligations, default risk is commensurate with the issuer being rated with an Issuer Default Rating (IDR) in the ranges BBto C. For non-performing obligations, the obligation or issuer is in default, or has deferred payment, but the rated obligation is expected to have extremely high recovery rates consistent with a Recovery Rating of RR1(outstanding recovery prospects given default).

 

CCC - Substantial credit risk. CCCratings indicate that substantial credit risk is present. For performing obligations, default risk is commensurate with an IDR in the ranges Bto C. For non-performing obligations, the obligation or issuer is in default, or has deferred payment, but the rated obligation is expected to have a superior recovery rate consistent with a Recovery Rating of RR2(superior recovery prospects given default).

 

CC - Very high levels of credit risk. CCratings indicate very high levels of credit risk. For performing obligations, default risk is commensurate with an IDR in the ranges Bto C. For non-performing obligations, the obligation or issuer is in default, or has deferred payment, but the rated obligation is expected to have a good recovery rate consistent with a Recovery Rating of RR3(good recovery prospects given default).

 

C - Exceptionally high levels of credit risk. Cindicates exceptionally high levels of credit risk. For performing obligations, default risk is commensurate with an IDR in the ranges Bto C. For non-performing obligations, the obligation or issuer is in default, or has deferred payment, and the rated obligation is expected to have an average, below-average or poor recovery rate consistent with a Recovery Rating of RR4(average recovery prospects given default), RR5(below average recovery prospects given default) or RR6(poor recovery prospects given default).

  A-3 

 

Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned RDor Dratings, but are instead rated in the Bto Crating categories, depending upon their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.

 

Plus (+) or Minus (-) The modifiers +or -” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA’ obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below ‘B’.

 

The terms investment gradeand speculative gradehave established themselves over time as shorthand to describe the categories AAAto BBB(investment grade) and BBto D(speculative grade). The terms investment gradeand speculative gradeare market conventions, and do not imply any recommendation or endorsement of a specific security for investment purposes. Investment gradecategories indicate relatively low to moderate credit risk, while ratings in the speculativecategories either signal a higher level of credit risk or that a default has already occurred.

 

Fitchs Municipal Bond Long-Term Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Fitch’s long-term municipal bond ratings have been published by Fitch, Inc. and Fitch Ratings Ltd.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

BB - Speculative. BBratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to default risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time.

 

B - Highly speculative. Bratings indicate that material default risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is vulnerable to deterioration in the business and economic environment.

 

CCC - Substantial credit risk. CCCratings indicate that default is a real possibility.

 

CC - Very high levels of credit risk. CCratings indicate default of some kind appears probable.

 

C - Exceptionally high levels of credit risk. Cratings indicate default appears imminent or inevitable.

 

D - Default. Dratings indicate a default. Default generally is defined as one of the following:

 

failure to make payment of principal and/or interest under the contractual terms of the rated obligation;

 

the bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other winding-up or cessation of the business of an issuer/obligor; or

 

the distressed exchange of an obligation, where creditors were offered securities with diminished structural or economic terms compared with the existing obligation.

 

  A-4 

 

Structured Finance Defaults –Imminentdefault, categorized under C, typically refers to the occasion where a payment default has been intimated by the issuer, and is all but inevitable. Another alternative would be where an issuer has formally announced a distressed debt exchange, but the date of the exchange still lies several days or weeks in the immediate future.

 

Additionally, in structured finance transactions, where analysis indicates that an instrument is irrevocably impaired such that it is not expected to pay interest and/or principal in full in accordance with the terms of the obligations documentation during the life of the transaction, but where no payment default in accordance with the terms of the documentation is imminent, the obligation will typically be rated in the Ccategory.

 

Structured Finance Writedowns - Where an instrument has experienced an involuntary and, in the agencys opinion, irreversible “writedown” of principal (i.e. other than through amortization, and resulting in a loss to the investor), a credit rating of Dwill be assigned to the instrument. Where the agency believes the writedownmay prove to be temporary (and the loss may be written upagain in future if and when performance improves), then a credit rating of Cwill typically be assigned. Should the writedownthen later be reversed, the credit rating will be raised to an appropriate level for that instrument. Should the writedownlater be deemed as irreversible, the credit rating will be lowered to D.

 

Notes: In the case of structured and project finance, while the ratings do not address the loss severity given default of the rated liability, loss severity assumptions on the underlying assets are nonetheless typically included as part of the analysis. Loss severity assumptions are used to derive pool cash flows available to service the rated liability.

 

Plus (+) or Minus (-) - The modifiers +or -may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the AAALong-Term Rating category, or to Long-Term Rating categories below B.

 

Municipal Short-Term Bond Ratings

 

S&Ps Municipal Short-Term Bond Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of S&P’s short-term municipal ratings have been published by Standard & Poor’s Financial Service LLC.

 

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

 

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

 

SP-3 - Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.

 

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

 

Moodys Municipal Short-Term Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Moody’s short-term municipal ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

  A-5 

 

Fitchs Municipal Short-Term Credit Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Fitch’s municipal short-term credit ratings have been published by Fitch, Inc. and Fitch Ratings Ltd.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Short-Term Credit Ratings

 

S&Ps Short-Term Credit Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of S&P’s short-term credit ratings have been published by Standard & Poor’s Financial Service LLC.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

B - A short-term obligation rated Bis regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligors inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

 

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

 

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

  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+).

 

Moodys Short-Term Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Moody’s short-term credit ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Fitchs Short-Term Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Fitch’s short-term credit ratings have been published by Fitch, Inc. and Fitch Ratings Ltd.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

The modifiers +or -” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA’ Long-term rating category, to categories below ‘CCC’, or to Short-term ratings other than ‘F1’. (The +/- modifiers are only used to denote issues within the CCC category.)

  A-7 

 

APPENDIX B – TRUST PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES

 

 

Forum Funds
Shareholder Voting Policy

 

As of December 14, 2012

 

SECTION 1. BACKGROUND

 

The Trust exercises its shareholder voting responsibilities as an investor in other issuers as a fiduciary, with the goal of maximizing the value of the Trusts and its shareholdersinvestments. This Policy details the Trusts policy with respect to shareholder voting.

 

SECTION 2. ADVISER RESPONSIBILITIES

 

(A) Delegation by Board. Each Fund has delegated to the Adviser the authority to vote as a shareholder of issuers whose securities are held in its portfolio. The Adviser shall maintain and the Board shall approve voting procedures related to the Adviser acting on behalf of the Fund in accordance with its fiduciary duties and the best interests of Fund shareholders.

 

(B) Delivery of Proxies. The Adviser is responsible for coordinating the delivery of proxies to be voted by the Custodian to the Adviser or to an agent of the Adviser selected by the Adviser to vote proxies with respect to which the Adviser has such discretion (a Proxy Voting Service). Upon request, the Adviser shall provide periodic reports to the Board as to the implementation and operation of its shareholder voting policies and procedures as they relate to the Trust.

 

(C) Conflicts of Interest. The Trust recognizes that under certain circumstances an Adviser or Proxy Voting Service may have a conflict of interest in voting on behalf of a Fund. A conflict of interest includes any circumstance when the Fund, the Adviser, the Distributor, the Proxy Voting Service or one or more of their Affiliated Persons (including officers, directors and employees) knowingly does business with, receives compensation from, or sits on the board of, a particular issuer or closely affiliated entity, and, therefore, may appear to have a conflict of interest between its own interests and the interests of Fund shareholders in how shares of that issuer are voted.

 

Each Adviser is responsible for maintaining procedures to identify and address material conflicts of interest and, when applicable, determine the adequacy of a Proxy Voting Services procedures to identify and address material conflicts of interest.

 

(D) Voting Record. The Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring a voting record is maintained that includes all instances where the Fund was entitled to vote and will coordinate the annual delivery of such record to the Administrator for purposes of preparing the Trusts annual Form N-PX filing. The voting record shall include the following information required to be reported in Form N-PX:

 

(1) The name of the issuer of the security;

 

(2) The exchange ticker symbol of the security;

 

(3) The CUSIP for the security;

 

(4) The shareholder meeting date;

 

(5) A brief identification of the matter voted on;

 

(6) Whether the matter was proposed by the issuer or by a security holder;

 

(7) Whether the Trust cast its vote on the matter;

 

(8) How the Trust cast its vote (e.g., for or against proposal, or abstain; for or withhold regarding election of directors); and

 

(9) Whether the Trust cast its vote for or against management.

  B-1 

 

The Adviser shall also be responsible for ensuring information regarding how the Fund voted relating to portfolio securities during the twelve-month period ended June 30 is available on the Funds website or other location consistent with disclosure in the Funds registration statement.

 

SECTION 3: ABSTENTION

 

The Trust and an Adviser may abstain from shareholder voting in certain circumstances. Abstaining from voting may be appropriate if voting would be unduly burdensome or expensive, or otherwise not in the best interest of a Funds shareholders.

 

SECTION 4: BOARD REPORTING AND REVIEW

 

(A) The Adviser shall submit its voting procedures to the Board for review and approval initially and at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board following any material change.

 

(B) The Adviser shall report to the Board, at least quarterly, whether any conflicts of interest arose while voting as an investor in other issuers and how such conflicts were handled.

  B-2 

 

APPENDIX C – ADVISER PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES

 

 

ABSOLUTE INVESTMENT ADVISERS LLC PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES

 

I. GENERAL STATEMENT

 

Absolute Investment Advisers LLC (the “Adviser”) has discretion to vote the proxies received by the Absolute Strategies Fund, the Absolute Capital Opportunities Fund, the Absolute Convertible Arbitrage Fund and the Absolute Convertible Opportunities Fund (the Funds), a series of Forum Funds (the Trust), a registered investment company. Proxy voting is an important right of shareholders and reasonable care and diligence must be undertaken to ensure that such rights are properly and timely exercised.

 

The authority and responsibility for voting proxies with respect to portfolio securities of the Absolute Strategies Fund and the Absolute Capital Opportunities Fund has been delegated to the Subadvisers for each portion of those Funds that hold the securities being voted, under Subadvisory Agreements between the Adviser and each Subadviser. The FundsCCO and/or Board and the Adviser review and evaluate each Subadvisers proxy voting policy as part of its initial due diligence and ongoing oversight. As such, the Adviser generally does not vote proxies, if such action would occur, the Adviser will vote those proxies in the best interest of those Funds’ shareholders and in accordance with these policies and procedures. The Adviser’s only clients are the Funds and as such the Adviser does not vote proxies for any client other than the Funds.

 

II. POLICIES FOR VOTING PROXIES

 

In its role as investment adviser to the Funds, Adviser has adopted these proxy voting policies. To the extent that these policies do not cover potential voting issues with respect to proxies received by the Funds, the Adviser shall act to promote the Fundsinvestment objectives, subject to the provisions of the Trusts policies regarding resolution of a conflict of interest with respect to the Adviser.

 

(A) Routine Matters

 

As the quality and depth of management is a primary factor considered when investing in an issuer, the recommendation of the issuers management on any issue will be given substantial weight. The position of the issuers management will not be supported in any situation where it is determined not to be in the best interests of the Funds shareholders.

 

(1) Election of Directors. Proxies should be voted for a management-proposed slate of directors unless there is a contested election of directors or there are other compelling corporate governance reasons for withholding votes for such directors. Management proposals to limit director liability consistent with state laws and director indemnification provisions should be supported because it is important for companies to be able to attract qualified candidates.

 

(2) Appointment of Auditors. Management recommendations will generally be supported.

 

(3) Changes in State of Incorporation or Capital Structure. Management recommendations about reincorporation should be supported unless the new jurisdiction in which the issuer is reincorporating has laws that would materially dilute the rights of shareholders of the issuer. Proposals to increase authorized common stock should be examined on a case-by-case basis. If the new shares will be used to implement a poison pill or another form of anti-takeover device, or if the issuance of new shares could excessively dilute the value of outstanding shares upon issuance, then such proposals should be evaluated to determine whether they are in the best interest of the Fund’s shareholders.

 

(B) Non-Routine Matters

 

(1) Corporate Restructurings, Mergers and Acquisitions. These proposals should be examined on a case-by-case basis.

 

(2) Proposals Affecting Shareholder Rights. Proposals that seek to limit shareholder rights, such as the creation of dual classes of stock, generally should not be supported.

  C-1 

 

(3) Anti-takeover Issues. Measures that impede takeovers or entrench management will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis taking into account the rights of shareholders and the potential effect on the value of the company.

 

(4) Executive Compensation. Although management recommendations should be given substantial weight, proposals relating to executive compensation plans, including stock option plans, should be examined on a case-by-case basis to ensure that the long-term interests of management and shareholders are properly aligned.

 

(5) Social and Political Issues. These types of proposals should generally not be supported if they are not supported by management unless they would have a readily-determinable, positive financial effect on shareholder value and would not be burdensome or impose unnecessary or excessive costs on the issuer.

 

(C) Conflicts of Interest

 

The Adviser recognizes that under certain circumstances it may have a conflict of interest in voting proxies on behalf of the Funds. A conflict of interest,means any circumstance when the Adviser (including officers, directors, agents and employees) knowingly does business with, receives compensation from, or sits on the board of, a particular issuer or closely affiliated entity, and, therefore, may appear to have a conflict of interest between its own interests and the interests of fund shareholders in how proxies of that issuer are voted.

 

If the Adviser determines that it has a conflict of interest with respect to voting proxies on behalf of the Funds, then the Adviser shall contact the Trusts Chairman of the Board. In the event that the Chairman determines that he has a conflict of interest, the Chairman shall submit the matter for determination to another member of the Board who is not an “interested personof the Trust, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. In making a determination, the Chairman will consider the best interests of Funds’ shareholders and may consider the recommendations of the Adviser or independent third parties that evaluate proxy proposals. The Adviser will vote the proposal according to the determination and maintain records relating to this process.

 

(D) Abstention

 

The Adviser may abstain from voting proxies in certain circumstances. The Adviser or the Chairman of the Board may determine, for example, that abstaining from voting is appropriate if voting may be unduly burdensome or expensive, or otherwise not in the best economic interest of the Fundsshareholders, such as when foreign proxy issuers impose unreasonable or expensive voting or holding requirements or when the costs to the Funds to effect a vote would be uneconomic relative to the value of the Funds’ investment in the issuer.

 

III. RECORDKEEPING

 

The Portfolio Manager or their staff will maintain files relating to the Advisers proxy voting procedures in an easily accessible place. Records will be maintained and preserved for 5 years from the end of the fiscal year during which the last entry was made on a record, with records for the first two years kept in the offices of the Adviser. Records of the following will be included in the files:

 

A. Copies of the proxy voting procedures and policies, and any amendments thereto.

 

B. A copy of each proxy statement that the Adviser receives, provided however that the Adviser may rely on obtaining a copy of proxy statements from the SECs EDGAR system for those proxy statements that are so available.

 

C. A record of each vote that the Adviser casts.

 

D. A copy of any document the Adviser created that was material to making a decision how to vote proxies, or that memorializes that decision, including the resolution of any conflict.

 

E. A copy of each written client request for information on how the Adviser voted such clients proxies, and a copy of any written response to any (written or oral) client request for information on how the Adviser voted its proxies.

 

With respect to the Subadvisers of the Fund, the Adviser does not maintain records on behalf of the Subadvisers. Each Subadviser is responsible for maintaining their proxy voting records in accordance with applicable Rules.

  C-2 

 

IV. DISCLOSURE

 

A. The Adviser will disclose in its Form ADV Part II that its clients may contact the Adviser, by toll-free telephone number in order to obtain information on how the Adviser voted such clients proxies, and to request a copy of these procedures and policies. If a client requests this information, the Compliance Officer will prepare a written response to the client that lists, with respect to each voted proxy that the client has inquired about, (1) the name of the issuer, (2) the proposal voted upon and (3) how the Adviser voted the clients proxy.

 

B. A concise summary of these Proxy Voting Procedures and Policies will be included in the Advisers Form ADV Part II, and will be updated whenever these procedures and policies are amended. The Adviser will arrange for the Form ADV to be updated and for these policies and procedures to be made available upon request.

  C-3 

 

 

PART C

OTHER INFORMATION

 

ITEM 28. EXHIBITS

 

(a)   Trust Instrument of Registrant as amended and restated on September 8, 2016 (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (a) in post-effective amendment No. 551 via EDGAR on September 29, 2016, accession number 0001435109-16-002085).
     
(b)   By-Laws of Registrant as amended (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (b) in post-effective amendment No. 604 via EDGAR on January 25, 2018, accession number 0001398344-18-000916).
     
(c)   See Sections 2.04 and 2.07 of the Trust Instrument as filed as Exhibit (a).
     
(d) (1) Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and H.M. Payson & Co. (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (5)(a) in post-effective amendment No. 62 via EDGAR on May 26, 1998, accession number 0001004402-98-000307).
     
  (2) Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and Beck, Mack & Oliver LLC dated April 10, 2009 (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (d)(2) in post-effective amendment No. 249 via EDGAR on April 30, 2009, accession number 0000315774-09-000007).
     
  (2)(A) Amended Appendix to the Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and Beck, Mack & Oliver LLC dated April 10, 2009 (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (d)(2)(A) in post-effective amendment No. 539 via EDGAR on July 27, 2016, accession number 0001435109-16-001852).
     
  (3) Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and Polaris Capital Management, Inc. (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (5)(h) in post-effective amendment No. 63 via EDGAR on June 8, 1998, accession number 0001004402-98-000339).
     
  (4) Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and D.F. Dent and Company, Inc. (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (d)(4) in post-effective amendment No. 431 via EDGAR on October 28, 2013, accession number 0001435109-13-000478).
     
  (4)(A) Appendix A to the Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and D.F. Dent and Company, Inc. (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (d)(4)(A) in post-effective amendment No. 658 via EDGAR on October 25, 2019, accession number 0001398344-19-018494).
     
  (5) Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and Lisanti Capital Growth, LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (d)(5) in post-effective amendment No. 604 via EDGAR on January 25, 2018, accession number 0001398344-18-000916).
     
  (5)(A) Appendix A to the Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and Lisanti Capital Growth, LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (d)(5) in post-effective amendment No. 607 via EDGAR on April 25, 2018, accession number 0001398344-18-005981).

 

 

 

  (6) Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and Auxier Asset Management LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (d)(7) in post-effective amendment No. 357 via EDGAR on April 16, 2012, accession number 0001435109-12-000053).
     
  (6)(A) Appendix to the Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and Auxier Asset Management, LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (d)(6)(A) in post-effective amendment No. 554 via EDGAR on October 26, 2016, accession number 0001435109-16-002143).
     
  (7) Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and Absolute Investment Advisers LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (d)(7) in post-effective amendment No. 683 via EDGAR on October 21, 2020, accession number 0001398344-20-020410).
     
  (8) Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and Merk Investments LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (d)(11) in post-effective amendment No. 326 via EDGAR on July 29, 2011, accession number 0000315774-11-000203).
     
  (8)(A) Appendix A to the Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and Merk Investments LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (d)(9) in post-effective amendment No. 643 via EDGAR on July 22, 2019, accession number 0001398344-19-012316).
     
  (9) Sub-Advisory Agreement between Absolute Investment Advisers LLC and Kovitz Investment Group, LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (d)(12) in post-effective amendment No. 683 via EDGAR on October 21, 2020, accession number 0001398344-20-020410).
     
  (10) Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and Spears Abacus Advisors LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (d)(14) in post-effective amendment No. 654 via EDGAR on August 22, 2019, accession number 0001398344-19-015047).
     
  (11) Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and MAI Capital Management, LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (d)(11) in post-effective amendment No. 699 via EDGAR on December 20, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-024167).
     
  (12) Sub-Advisory Agreement between Absolute Investment Advisers LLC and St. James Investment Company, LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (d)(23) in post-effective amendment No. 683 via EDGAR on October 21, 2020, accession number 0001398344-20-020410).
     
  (13) Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and Monongahela Capital (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (d)(30) in post-effective amendment No. 410 via EDGAR on May 15, 2013, accession number 0001435109-13-000231).
     
(e) (1) Form of Selected Dealer Agreement between Foreside Fund Services, LLC and securities brokers (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (e)(1) in post-effective amendment No. 243 via EDGAR on October 28, 2008, accession number 0001193125-08-218056).
     
  (2) Novation dated May 31, 2017 to the Distribution Agreement between Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (e)(2) in post-effective amendment No. 565 via EDGAR on April 19, 2017, accession number 0001435109-17-000209).

 

 

 

  (3) Novation dated September 30, 2021 to the Distribution Agreement between Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC dated September 30, 2021 (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (e)(3) in post-effective amendment No. 697 via EDGAR on October 22, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-020224).
     
  (3)(A) Amended Appendix dated November 1, 2021 to the Distribution Agreement between Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, as novated (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (e)(3)(A) in post-effective amendment No. 697 via EDGAR on October 22, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-020224).
     
 (f)   None.
     
 (g) (1) Custodian Agreement between Registrant and MUFG Union Bank, N.A., dated June 15, 2012 (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (g)(1) in post-effective amendment No. 697 via EDGAR on October 22, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-020224).
     
  (1)(A) Amended Appendix dated July 16, 2021 to the Custodian Agreement between Registrant and MUFG Union Bank, N.A., dated June 15, 2012 (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (g)(2)(A) in post-effective amendment No. 691 via EDGAR on July 19, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-014502).
     
  (1)(B) Assignment dated June 11, 2021 between Forum Funds, MUFG Unions Bank, N.A. and U.S. Bank, N.A., to the Custodian Agreement between Registrant and MUFG Union Bank, N.A. dated June 15, 2012 (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (g)(2)(B) in post-effective amendment No. 691 via EDGAR on July 19, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-014502).
     
  (2) Custodian Agreement between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (g)(4) in post-effective amendment No. 643 via EDGAR on July 22, 2019, accession number 0001398344-19-012316).
     
  (2)(A) Amended Schedule I to the Custodian Agreement between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (g)(4)(A) in post-effective amendment No. 643 via EDGAR on July 22, 2019, accession number 0001398344-19-012316).
     
  (3) Custodian Agreement between Registrant and Northern Trust, dated June 30, 2021 (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (g)(5) in post-effective amendment No. 691 via EDGAR on July 19, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-014502).
     
(h) (1) Services Agreement between Registrant and Atlantic Fund Administration, LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (g)(5) in post-effective amendment No. 469 via EDGAR on December 23, 2014, accession number 0001435109-14-000890).
     
  (1)(A) Amended Attachment to the Services Agreement between Registrant and Atlantic Fund Administration, LLC (d/b/a Apex Fund Services) (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (h)(1)(A) in post-effective amendment No. 683 via EDGAR on October 21, 2020, accession number 0001398344-20-020410).

 

 

 

  (2) Shareholder Service Plan of Registrant dated March 18, 1998 and amended February 12, 2009 and Form of Shareholder Service Agreement relating to Polaris Global Value Fund (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed Exhibit (h)(2) in post-effective amendment No. 247 via Edgar on February 17, 2009, accession number 0001193125-09-031402).
     
  (3) Shareholder Service Plan of Registrant dated November 24, 2003 and amended February 12, 2009 relating to Lisanti Small Cap Growth Fund (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (h)(3) in post-effective amendment No. 247 via Edgar on February 17, 2009, accession number 0001193125-09-031402).
     
  (4) Expense Limitation Agreement between Registrant and D.F. Dent and Company, Inc. (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (h)(4) in post-effective amendment No. 698 via Edgar on October 26, 2021 accession number 0001398344-21-020333).
     
  (5) Expense Limitation Agreement between Registrant and Auxier Asset Management LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (h)(5) in post-effective amendment No. 697 via EDGAR on October 22, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-020224).
     
  (6) Expense Limitation Agreement between Registrant and Beck, Mack & Oliver (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (h)(7) in post-effective amendment No. 692 via EDGAR on July 20, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-014605).
     
  (7) Expense Limitation Agreement between Registrant and Spears Abacus Advisors LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (h)(8) in post-effective amendment No. 690 via EDGAR on April 23, 2021 accession number 0001398344-21-008484).
     
  (8) Expense Limitation Agreement between Registrant and MAI Capital Management, LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (h)(13) in post-effective amendment No. 685 via EDGAR on December 21, 2020, accession number 0001398344-20-024855).
     
  (9) Expense Limitation Agreement between Registrant and Monongahela Capital Management LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (h)(15) in post-effective amendment No. 695 via EDGAR on August 24, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-016726).
     
  (10) Expense Limitation Agreement between Registrant and Polaris Capital Management, LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (h)(19) in post-effective amendment No. 689 via EDGAR on April 21, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-008370).
     
  (11) Expense Limitation Agreement between Registrant and Lisanti Capital Growth, LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (h)(21) in post-effective amendment No. 688 via EDGAR on April 20, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-08231)
     
  (12) Expense Limitation Agreement between Registrant and Absolute Investment Advisers LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (h)(12) in post-effective amendment No. 700 via EDGAR on February 24, 2022, accession number 0001398344-22-003797)
     
(i)   None.
     
(j)   None.

 

 

 

(k)   None.
     
  (1) Consent of Auditor of Mohican VCA Fund, LP (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (k)(1) in post-effective amendment No. 588 via EDGAR on August 10, 2017, accession number 0001435109-17-000562).
     
(l)   Investment Representation letter of Reich & Tang, Inc. as original purchaser of shares of Registrant (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (l)(13) in post-effective amendment No. 62 via EDGAR on May 26, 1998, accession number 0001004402-98-000307).
     
(m) (1) Registrant’s Amended and Restated Rule 12b-1 Plan dated December 12, 2012 (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (m)(1) in post-effective amendment No. 606 via EDGAR on April 20, 2018, accession number 0001398344-18-005828).
     
  (1)(A) Amended Appendix A to the Rule 12b-1 Plan adopted by Registrant (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (m)(1)(A) in post-effective amendment No. 687 via EDGAR on February 25, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-004631).
     
(n)   Registrant’s Rule 18f-3 Plan dated June 14, 2013, as most recently amended and restated on September 9, 2021 (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (n) in post-effective amendment No. 697 via EDGAR on October 22, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-020224).
     
(p) (1) Code of Ethics adopted by Registrant as amended (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (p)(1) in post-effective amendment No. 435 via EDGAR on December 23, 2013, accession number 0001435109-13-000568).
     
  (2) Code of Ethics adopted by H.M. Payson & Co. (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (p)(2) in post-effective amendment No. 606 via EDGAR on April 20, 2018, accession number 0001398344-18-005828).
     
  (3) Code of Ethics adopted by Beck, Mack & Oliver (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (p)(3) in post-effective amendment No. 692 via EDGAR on July 20, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-014605).
     
  (4) Code of Ethics adopted by Polaris Capital Management, LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (h)(19) in post-effective amendment No. 689 via EDGAR on April 21, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-008370).
     
  (5) Code of Ethics adopted by D.F. Dent and Company, Inc. (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (p)(5) in post-effective amendment No. 699 via EDGAR on December 20, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-024167).
     
  (6) Code of Ethics adopted by Lisanti Capital Growth, LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (p)(6) in post-effective amendment No. 657 via EDGAR on October 23, 2019 accession number 0001398344-19-018308).
     
  (7) Code of Ethics adopted by Auxier Asset Management LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (p)(7) in post-effective amendment No. 632 via EDGAR on December 19, 2018, accession number 0001398344-18-018174).

 

 

 

  (8) Code of Ethics adopted by Absolute Investment Advisers LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (p)(8) in post-effective amendment No. 615 via EDGAR on July 24, 2018, accession number 0001398344-18-010441).
     
  (9) Code of Ethics adopted by St. James Investment Company, LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (p)(9) in post-effective amendment No. 697 via EDGAR on October 22, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-020224).
     
  (10) Code of Ethics adopted by Merk Investments LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (p)(15) in post-effective amendment No. 685 via EDGAR on December 21, 2020, accession number 0001398344-20-024855).
     
  (11) Code of Ethics adopted by Foreside Fund Services (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (p)(17) in post-effective amendment No. 606 via EDGAR on April 20, 2018, accession number 0001398344-18-005828).
     
  (12) Code of Ethics adopted by Kovitz Investment Group Partners, LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (p)(19) in post-effective amendment No. 694 via EDGAR on July 28, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-014989).
     
  (13) Code of Ethics adopted by Spears Abacus Advisors LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (p)(13) in post-effective amendment No. 699 via EDGAR on December 20, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-024167).
     
  (14) Code of Ethics adopted by MAI Capital Management, LLC (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (p)(14) in post-effective amendment No. 699 via EDGAR on December 20, 2021, accession number 0001398344-21-024167).
     
  (15) Code of Ethics adopted by Monongahela Capital Management (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (p)(33) in post-effective amendment No. 410 via EDGAR on May 15, 2013, accession number 0001435109-13-000231).

 

Other Exhibits:

 

  (A) Powers of Attorney for Jennifer Brown-Strabley, Mark D. Moyer, and David Tucker, Trustees of Registrant (Exhibit incorporated by reference as filed as Exhibit (A) in post-effective amendment No. 640 via EDGAR on July 17, 2019, accession number 0001398344-19-012051).

 

ITEM 29. PERSONS CONTROLLED BY OR UNDER COMMON CONTROL WITH REGISTRANT

 

None.

 

ITEM 30. INDEMNIFICATION

 

In accordance with Section 3803 of the Delaware Business Trust Act, Section 10.02 of Registrant’s Trust Instrument provides as follows:

 

“10.02. INDEMNIFICATION

 

 

 

(a) Subject to the exceptions and limitations contained in Section (b) below:

 

(i) Every Person who is, or has been, a Trustee or officer of the Trust (hereinafter referred to as a “Covered Person”) shall be indemnified by the Trust to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of being or having been a Trustee or officer and against amounts paid or incurred by him in the settlement thereof);

 

(ii) The words “claim,” “action,” “suit,” or “proceeding” shall apply to all claims, actions, suits or proceedings (civil, criminal or other, including appeals), actual or threatened while in office or thereafter, and the words “liability” and “expenses” shall include, without limitation, attorneys’ fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties and other liabilities.

 

(b) No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a Covered Person:

 

(i) Who shall have been adjudicated by a court or body before which the proceeding was brought (A) to be liable to the Trust or its Holders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of the Covered Person’s office or (B) not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that Covered Person’s action was in the best interest of the Trust; or

 

(ii) In the event of a settlement, unless there has been a determination that such Trustee or officer did not engage in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of the Trustee’s or officer’s office,

 

(A) By the court or other body approving the settlement;

 

(B) By at least a majority of those Trustees who are neither Interested Persons of the Trust nor are parties to the matter based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry);

 

(C) By written opinion of independent legal counsel based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry); provided, however, that any Holder may, by appropriate legal proceedings, challenge any such determination by the Trustees or by independent counsel.

 

(c) The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not be exclusive of or affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled, shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a Covered Person and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person. Nothing contained herein shall affect any rights to indemnification to which Trust personnel, other than Covered Persons, and other persons may be entitled by contract or otherwise under law.

 

(d) Expenses in connection with the preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim, action, suit or proceeding of the character described in paragraph (a) of this Section 5.2 may be paid by the Trust or Series from time to time prior to final disposition thereof upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such Covered Person that such amount will be paid over by him to the Trust or Series if it is ultimately determined that he is not entitled to indemnification under this Section 5.2; provided, however, that either (a) such

 

Covered Person shall have provided appropriate security for such undertaking, (b) the Trust is insured against losses arising out of any such advance payments or (c) either a majority of the Trustees who are neither Interested Persons of the Trust nor parties to the matter, or independent legal counsel in a written opinion, shall have determined, based upon a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a trial-type inquiry or full investigation), that there is reason to believe that such Covered Person will be found entitled to indemnification under this Section 5.2.

 

 

 

(e) Conditional advancing of indemnification monies under this Section 5.2 for actions based upon the 1940 Act may be made only on the following conditions: (i) the advances must be limited to amounts used, or to be used, for the preparation or presentation of a defense to the action, including costs connected with the preparation of a settlement; (ii) advances may be made only upon receipt of a written promise by, or on behalf of, the recipient to repay that amount of the advance which exceeds that amount which it is ultimately determined that he is entitled to receive from the Trust by reason of indemnification; and (iii) (a) such promise must be secured by a surety bond, other suitable insurance or an equivalent form of security which assures that any repayments may be obtained by the Trust without delay or litigation, which bond, insurance or other form of security must be provided by the recipient of the advance, or (b) a majority of a quorum of the Trust’s disinterested, non-party Trustees, or an independent legal counsel in a written opinion, shall determine, based upon a review of readily available facts, that the recipient of the advance ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.

 

(f) In case any Holder or former Holder of any Series shall be held to be personally liable solely by reason of the Holder or former Holder being or having been a Holder of that Series and not because of the Holder or former Holder acts or omissions or for some other reason, the Holder or former Holder (or the Holder or former Holder’s heirs, executors, administrators or other legal representatives, or, in the case of a corporation or other entity, its corporate or other general successor) shall be entitled out of the assets belonging to the applicable Series to be held harmless from and indemnified against all loss and expense arising from such liability. The Trust, on behalf of the affected Series, shall, upon request by the Holder, assume the defense of any claim made against the Holder for any act or obligation of the Series and satisfy any judgment thereon from the assets of the Series.”

 

With respect to indemnification of an adviser to the Trust, the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Monongahela Capital Management, Inc. includes language similar to the following:

 

(a) The Trust shall expect of the Adviser, and the Adviser will give the Trust the benefit of, the Adviser’s best judgment and efforts in rendering its services to the Trust. The Adviser shall not be liable hereunder for any mistake of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss arising out of any investment or for any act or omission taken or in any event whatsoever with respect to the Trust, the Fund or any of the Fund’s shareholders in the absence of bad faith, willful misfeasance or negligence in the performance of the Adviser’s duties or obligations under this Agreement or by reason of the Adviser’s reckless disregard of its duties and obligations under this Agreement.

 

(b) Adviser shall not be liable for the errors of other service providers to the Trust, including the errors of pricing services, administrator, fund accountant, custodian or transfer agent to the Trust, unless such errors arise from the Adviser’s providing false or misleading information to other service providers. The Adviser shall not be liable to the Trust for any action taken or failure to act in good faith reliance upon:

 

(i) information, instructions or requests, whether oral or written, with respect to the Fund made to the Adviser by a duly authorized officer of the Trust; (ii) the advice of counsel to the Trust; and (iii) any written instruction or certified copy of any resolution of the Board or any agent of the Board.

 

(c) The Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, each Fund and their respective employees, agents, trustees and officers against and from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits, judgments, liabilities, losses, damages, costs, charges, reasonable counsel fees and other expenses of every nature and character arising out of or in any way related to (i) any breach of the Adviser’s obligations under this Agreement, (ii) any acts or failures to act of Adviser for which the Adviser would be liable under Section 5(a), (iii) any breach of a representation or warranty of the Adviser set forth in this Agreement and (iv) claims or demands by any employee, agent, trustee, member or manager of the Adviser in their capacity as such. The Trust is hereby authorized to deduct any amounts payable in respect of the Adviser’s indemnification obligations hereunder from any fees payable to the Adviser pursuant to Section 4(a).

 

 

 

(d) The Adviser shall not be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in performance of its obligations under this Agreement arising out of or caused, directly or indirectly, by circumstances beyond its reasonable control including, but not limited to, acts of civil or military authority, national emergencies, labor difficulties (other than those related to the Adviser’s employees), fire, mechanical breakdowns, flood or catastrophe, acts of God, insurrection, war, riots or failure of the mails, transportation, communication or power supply.

 

With respect to indemnification of an adviser to the Trust, the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Lisanti Capital Growth, LLC, Beck, Mack & Oliver LLC, DF Dent & Company, Inc., Merk Investments LLC, Polaris Capital Management, LLC and Spears Abacus Advisers LLC includes language similar to the following:

 

(a) The Trust shall expect of the Adviser, and the Adviser will give the Trust the benefit of, the Adviser’s best judgment and efforts in rendering its services to the Trust. The Adviser shall not be liable hereunder for mistake of judgment or mistake of law or in any event whatsoever, except for lack of good faith, provided that nothing herein shall be deemed to protect, or purport to protect, the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or to the Trust’s security holders to which the Adviser would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of the Adviser’s duties hereunder, or by reason of the Adviser’s reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder.

 

(b) The Adviser shall not be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in performance of its obligations under this Agreement arising out of or caused, directly or indirectly, by circumstances beyond its reasonable control including, without limitation, acts of civil or military authority, national emergencies, labor difficulties (other than those related to the Adviser’s employees), fire, mechanical breakdowns, flood or catastrophe, acts of God, insurrection, war, riots or failure of the mails, transportation, communication or power supply.

 

With respect to indemnification of an adviser to the Trust, the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Absolute Investment Advisers LLC and MAI Capital Management, LLC includes language similar to the following:

 

(a) The Trust shall expect of the Adviser, and the Adviser will give the Trust the benefit of, the Adviser’s best judgment and efforts in rendering its services to the Trust. The Adviser shall not be liable hereunder for any mistake of judgment or mistake of law for any loss arising out of any investment or for any act or omission taken or in any event whatsoever with respect to the Trust, the Fund or any of the Fund’s shareholders in the absence of bad faith, willful misfeasance or gross negligence in the performance of the Adviser’s duties or obligations and under this Agreement.

 

(b) Adviser shall not be liable for the errors of other service providers to the Trust, including the errors of pricing, services, administrator, fund accountant, custodian or transfer agent to the Trust. The Adviser shall not be liable to the Trust for any action take or failure to act in good faith reliance upon: (i) information, instructions or requests, whether oral or written, with respect to the Fund made to the Adviser by a duly authorized officer of the Trust; (ii) the advice of counsel to the Trust; and (iii) any written instruction or certified copy of any resolution of the Board or any agent of the Board.

 

 

 

(c) The Adviser shall not be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in performance of its obligations under this Agreement arising out of or caused, directly or indirectly, by circumstances beyond its reasonable control including, without limitation, acts of civil or military authority, national emergencies, labor difficulties (other than those related to the Adviser’s employees), fire, mechanical breakdowns, flood or catastrophe, acts of God, insurrection, war, riots or failure of the mails, transportation, communication or power supply.

 

With respect to indemnification of an adviser to the Trust, the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Auxier Asset Management, LLC and H.M. Payson & Co. includes language similar to the following:

 

The Adviser may rely on information reasonably believed by the Adviser to be accurate and reliable. Except as may otherwise be required by the 1940 Act or the rules thereunder, neither the Adviser nor its shareholders, members, officers, directors, employees, agents, control persons or affiliates of any thereof shall be subject to any liability for, or any damages, expenses or losses incurred by the Trust in connection with, any error of judgment, mistake of law, any act or omission connected with or arising out of any services rendered under, or payments made pursuant to, this Agreement or any other matter to which this Agreement relates, except by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of any such persons in the performance of the Adviser’s duties under this Agreement, or by reason of reckless disregard by any of such persons of the Adviser’s obligations and duties under this Agreement.

 

With respect to indemnification of the underwriter of the Trust, Section 8 of the Distribution Agreement provides:

 

(a) The Trust will indemnify, defend and hold the Distributor, its employees, agents, directors and officers and any person who controls the Distributor within the meaning of section 15 of the Securities Act or section 20 of the 1934 Act (“Distributor Indemnitees”) free and harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, actions, suits, judgments, liabilities, losses, damages, costs, charges, reasonable counsel fees and other expenses of every nature and character (including the cost of investigating or defending such claims, demands, actions, suits or liabilities and any reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) which any Distributor Indemnitee may incur, under the Securities Act, or under common law or otherwise, arising out of or based upon (i) the bad faith, willful misfeasance or gross negligence of the Trust in connection with the subject matter of this Agreement; (ii) any material breach by the Trust of its representations an warranties under this Agreement; (iii) any alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectuses or arising out of or based upon any alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated in any one thereof or necessary to make the statements in any one thereof not misleading, unless such statement or omission was made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished in writing to the Trust in connection with the preparation of the Registration Statement or exhibits to the Registration Statement by or on behalf of the Distributor (“Distributor Claims”).

 

After receipt of the Distributor’s notice of termination under Section 13(e), the Trust shall indemnify and hold each Distributor Indemnitee free and harmless from and against any Distributor Claim; provided, that the term Distributor Claim for purposes of this sentence shall mean any Distributor Claim related to the matters for which the Distributor has requested amendment to the Registration Statement and for which the Trust has not filed a Required Amendment, regardless of with respect to such matters whether any statement in or omission from the Registration Statement was made in reliance upon, or in conformity with, information furnished to the Trust by or on behalf of the Distributor.

 

 

 

(b) The Trust may assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce any Distributor Claim and may retain counsel of good standing chosen by the Trust and approved by the Distributor, which approval shall not be withheld unreasonably. The Trust shall advise the Distributor that it will assume the defense of the suit and retain counsel within ten (10) days of receipt of the notice of the claim. If the Trust assumes the defense of any such suit and retains counsel, the defendants shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel that they retain. If the Trust does not assume the defense of any such suit, or if Distributor does not approve of counsel chosen by the Trust or has been advised that it may have available defenses or claims that are not available to or conflict with those available to the Trust, the Trust will reimburse any Distributor Indemnitee named as defendant in such suit for the reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel that person retains. A Distributor Indemnitee shall not settle or confess any claim without the prior written consent of the Trust, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.

 

(c) The Distributor will indemnify, defend and hold the Trust and its several officers and trustees (collectively, the “Trust Indemnitees”), free and harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, actions, suits, judgments, liabilities, losses, damages, costs, charges, reasonable counsel fees and other expenses of every nature and character (including the cost of investigating or defending such claims, demands, actions, suits or liabilities and any reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith), but only to the extent that such claims, demands, actions, suits, judgments, liabilities, losses, damages, costs, charges, reasonable counsel fees and other expenses result from, arise out of or are based upon:

 

(i) any alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or any alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Trust in writing in connection with the preparation of the Registration Statement or Prospectus by or on behalf of the Distributor; or

 

(ii) any act of, or omission by, the Distributor or its sales representatives that does not conform to the standard of care set forth in Section 7 of this Agreement (“Trust Claims”).

 

(d) The Distributor may assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce any Trust Claim and may retain counsel of good standing chosen by the Distributor and approved by the Trust, which approval shall not be withheld unreasonably. The Distributor shall advise the Trust that it will assume the defense of the suit and retain counsel within ten (10) days of receipt of the notice of the claim. If the Distributor assumes the defense of any such suit and retains counsel, the defendants shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel that they retain. If the Distributor does not assume the defense of any such suit, or if the Trust does not approve of counsel chosen by the Distributor or has been advised that it may have available defenses or claims that are not available to or conflict with those available to the Distributor, the Distributor will reimburse any Trust Indemnitee named as defendant in such suit for the reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel that person retains. A Trust Indemnitee shall not settle or confess any claim without the prior written consent of the Distributor, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.

 

(e) The Trust’s and the Distributor’s obligations to provide indemnification under this Section is conditioned upon the Trust or the Distributor receiving notice of any action brought against a Distributor Indemnitee or Trust Indemnitee, respectively, by the person against whom such action is brought within twenty (20) days after the summons or other first legal process is served. Such notice shall refer to the person or persons against whom the action is brought. The failure to provide such notice shall not relieve the party entitled to such notice of any liability that it may have to any Distributor Indemnitee or Trust Indemnitee except to the extent that the ability of the party entitled to such notice to defend such action has been materially adversely affected by the failure to provide notice.

 

 

 

(f) The provisions of this Section and the parties’ representations and warranties in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Distributor Indemnitee or Trust Indemnitee and shall survive the sale and redemption of any Shares made pursuant to subscriptions obtained by the Distributor. The indemnification provisions of this Section will inure exclusively to the benefit of each person that may be a Distributor Indemnitee or Trust Indemnitee at any time and their respective successors and assigns (it being intended that such persons be deemed to be third party beneficiaries under this Agreement).

 

(g) Each party agrees promptly to notify the other party of the commencement of any litigation or proceeding of which it becomes aware arising out of or in any way connected with the issuance or sale of Shares.

 

(h) Nothing contained herein shall require the Trust to take any action contrary to any provision of its Organic Documents or any applicable statute or regulation or shall require the Distributor to take any action contrary to any provision of its Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws or any applicable statute or regulation; provided, however, that neither the Trust nor the Distributor may amend their Organic Documents or Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, respectively, in any manner that would result in a violation of a representation or warranty made in this Agreement.

 

(i) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to protect the Distributor against any liability to the Trust or its security holders to which the Distributor would otherwise be subject by reason of its failure to satisfy the standard of care set forth in Section 7 of this Agreement.”

 

Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that, in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a trustee, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

ITEM 31. BUSINESS AND OTHER CONNECTIONS OF INVESTMENT ADVISER

 

(a) Lisanti Capital Growth, LLC

 

With respect to Lisanti Capital Growth, LLC, the response to this Item will be incorporated by reference to the Advisor’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) on file with the SEC (File No. 801-62639). The Advisor’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

 

(b) Auxier Asset Management LLC

 

With respect to Auxier Asset Management LLC, the response to this Item will be incorporated by reference to the Advisor’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) on file with the SEC (File No. 801-55757). The Advisor’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

 

 

 

(c) Beck, Mack & Oliver LLC

 

With respect to Beck, Mack & Oliver LLC, the response to this Item will be incorporated by reference to the Advisor’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) on file with the SEC (File No. 801-482). The Advisor’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

 

(d) D.F. Dent and Company, Inc.

 

With respect to D.F. Dent and Company, Inc., the response to this Item will be incorporated by reference to the Advisor’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) on file with the SEC (File No. 801-11364). The Advisor’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

 

(e) H.M. Payson & Co.

 

With respect to H.M. Payson & Co., the response to this Item will be incorporated by reference to the Advisor’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) on file with the SEC (File No. 801-3901). The Advisor’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

 

(f) MAI Capital Management, LLC

 

With respect to MAI Capital Management, LLC (f/k/a MAI Wealth Advisors, LLC), the response to this Item will be incorporated by reference to the Advisor’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) on file with the SEC (File No. 801-58104). The Advisor’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

 

(g) Merk Investments LLC

 

With respect to Merk Investments LLC, the response to this Item will be incorporated by reference to the Advisor’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) on file with the SEC (File No. 801-60616). The Advisor’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

 

(h) Polaris Capital Management, LLC

 

With respect to Polaris Capital Management, LLC, the response to this Item will be incorporated by reference to the Advisor’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) on file with the SEC (File No. 801-43216). The Advisor’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

 

(i) Rodgers Brothers, Inc. d/b/a/ Monongahela Capital Management

 

With respect to Monongahela Capital Management, the response to this Item will be incorporated by reference to the Advisor’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) on file with the SEC (File No. 801-61034). The Advisor’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

 

 

 

(j) Spears Abacus Advisors LLC

 

With respect to Spears Abacus Advisors LLC, the response to this Item will be incorporated by reference to the Advisor’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) on file with the SEC (File No. 801-67401). The Advisor’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

 

(k) Absolute Investment Advisers LLC

 

With respect to Absolute Investment Advisers LLC, the response to this Item will be incorporated by reference to the Advisor’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) on file with the SEC (File No. 801-63488). The Advisor’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

 

(l) Kovitz Investment Group Partners, LLC

 

With respect to Kovitz Investment Group, LLC, the response to this Item will be incorporated by reference to the Advisor’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) on file with the SEC (File No. 801-62239). The Advisor’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

 

(m) St. James Investment Company, LLC

 

With respect to St. James Investment Company, LLC, the response to this Item will be incorporated by reference to the Advisor’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) on file with the SEC (File No. 801-61779). The Advisor’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

 

ITEM 32(a) Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as principal underwriter for the following investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended:

 

1. ABS Long/Short Strategies Fund 111. Overlay Shares Municipal Bond ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
2. Absolute Shares Trust 112. Overlay Shares Short Term Bond ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
3. Adaptive Core ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust 113. Overlay Shares Small Cap Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
4. AdvisorShares Trust 114. Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund
5. AFA Multi-Manager Credit Fund 115. Partners Group Private Income Opportunities, LLC
6. AGF Investments Trust 116. PENN Capital Funds Trust
7. AIM ETF Products Trust 117. Performance Trust Mutual Funds, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
8. Alexis Practical Tactical ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust 118. Perkins Discovery Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
9. Alpha Intelligent – Large Cap Growth ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust 119. Philotimo Focused Growth and Income Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
10. Alpha Intelligent – Large Cap Value ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust 120. Plan Investment Fund, Inc.

 

 

 

11. AlphaCentric Prime Meridian Income Fund 121. PMC Funds, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
12. American Century ETF Trust 122. Point Bridge GOP Stock Tracker ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
13. American Customer Satisfaction ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions 123. Putnam ETF Trust
14. Amplify ETF Trust 124. Quaker Investment Trust
15. Applied Finance Core Fund, Series of World Funds Trust 125. Rareview Dynamic Fixed Income ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
16. Applied Finance Explorer Fund, Series of World Funds Trust 126. Rareview Inflation/Deflation ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
17. Applied Finance Select Fund, Series of World Funds Trust 127. Rareview Systematic Equity ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
18. ARK ETF Trust 128. Rareview Tax Advantaged Income ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
19. ASYMmetric ETFs Trust 129. REMS Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
20. Bluestone Community Development Fund 130. Renaissance Capital Greenwich Funds
21. BondBloxx ETF Trust 131. Revere Sector Opportunity ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
22. Braddock Multi-Strategy Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust 132. Reverse Cap Weighted U.S. Large Cap ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
23. Bridgeway Funds, Inc. 133. RiverNorth Volition America Patriot ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
24. Brinker Capital Destinations Trust 134. RMB Investors Trust
25. Brookfield Real Assets Income Fund Inc. 135. Robinson Opportunistic Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
26. Build Funds Trust 136. Robinson Tax Advantaged Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
27. Calamos Convertible and High Income Fund 137. Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
28. Calamos Convertible Opportunities and Income Fund 138. Roundhill BITKRAFT Esports & Digital Entertainment ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
29. Calamos Dynamic Convertible and Income Fund 139. Roundhill IO Digital Infrastructure ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
30. Calamos Global Dynamic Income Fund 140. Roundhill MEME ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
31. Calamos Global Total Return Fund 141. Roundhill MVP ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
32. Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund 142. Roundhill Sports Betting & iGaming ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
33. Carlyle Tactical Private Credit Fund 143. Roundhill Streaming Services & Technology ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
34. Cboe Vest Bitcoin Managed Volatility Fund, Series of World Funds Trust 144. Rule One Fund, Series of World Funds Trust
35. CBOE Vest S&P 500® Buffer Strategy Fund, Series of World Funds Trust 145. Salient MF Trust

 

 

 

36. Cboe Vest S&P 500® Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund, Series of World Funds Trust 146. Securian AM Balanced Stabilization Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
37. Cboe Vest S&P 500® Enhanced Growth Strategy Fund, Series of World Funds Trust 147. Securian AM Equity Stabilization Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
38. Center Coast Brookfield MLP & Energy Infrastructure Fund 148. Securian AM Real Asset Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
39. Changebridge Capital Long/Short ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust 149. SHP ETF Trust
40. Changebridge Capital Sustainable Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust 150. Six Circles Trust
41. Clifford Capital Focused Small Cap Value Fund, Series of World Funds Trust 151. Sound Shore Fund, Inc.
42. Clifford Capital Partners Fund, Series of World Funds Trust 152. Spear Alpha ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
43. Cliffwater Corporate Lending Fund 153. Strategy Shares
44. Cliffwater Enhanced Lending Fund 154. Swan Hedged Equity US Large Cap ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
45. Cohen & Steers Infrastructure Fund, Inc. 155. Syntax ETF Trust
46. Convergence Long/Short Equity ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers 156. The B.A.D. ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
47. CornerCap Group of Funds 157. The Chartwell Funds
48. CrossingBridge Pre-Merger SPAC ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers 158. The Community Development Fund
49. Curasset Capital Management Core Bond Fund, Series of World Funds Trust 159. The De-SPAC ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
50. Curasset Capital Management Limited Term Income Fund, Series of World Funds Trust 160. The Finite Solar Finance Fund
51. Davis Fundamental ETF Trust 161. The NextGen Trend and Defend ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
52. Defiance Digital Revolution ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions 162. The Private Shares Fund (f/k/a SharesPost 100 Fund)
53. Defiance Hotel, Airline, and Cruise ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions 163. The Short De-SPAC ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
54. Defiance Nasdaq Junior Biotechnology ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions 164. The SPAC and New Issue ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
55. Defiance Next Gen Altered Experience ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions 165. Third Avenue Trust
56. Defiance Next Gen Big Data ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions 166. Third Avenue Variable Series Trust
57. Defiance Next Gen Connectivity ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions 167. Tidal ETF Trust
58. Defiance Next Gen H2 ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions 168. TIFF Investment Program
59. Defiance Next Gen SPAC Derived ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions 169. Timothy Plan High Dividend Stock Enhanced ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan

 

 

 

60. Defiance Quantum ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions 170. Timothy Plan High Dividend Stock ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
61. Direxion Shares ETF Trust 171. Timothy Plan International ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
62. DoubleLine Opportunistic Credit Fund 172. Timothy Plan US Large/Mid Cap Core ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
63. DoubleLine Yield Opportunities Fund 173. Timothy Plan US Large/Mid Core Enhanced ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
64. Eaton Vance NextShares Trust 174. Timothy Plan US Small Cap Core ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
65. Eaton Vance NextShares Trust II 175. Transamerica ETF Trust
66. EIP Investment Trust 176. TrueShares ESG Active Opportunities ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
67. Ellington Income Opportunities Fund 177. TrueShares Low Volatility Equity Income ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
68. Esoterica Thematic ETF Trust 178. TrueShares Structured Outcome (April) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
69. ETF Opportunities Trust 179. TrueShares Structured Outcome (August) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
70. Evanston Alternative Opportunities Fund 180. TrueShares Structured Outcome (December) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
71. Exchange Listed Funds Trust 181. TrueShares Structured Outcome (February) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
72. Fiera Capital Series Trust 182. TrueShares Structured Outcome (January) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
73. FlexShares Trust 183. TrueShares Structured Outcome (July) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
74. FOMO ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust 184. TrueShares Structured Outcome (June) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
75. Forum Funds 185. TrueShares Structured Outcome (March) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
76. Forum Funds II 186. TrueShares Structured Outcome (May) ETF, Listed Funds Trust
77. Friess Brandywine Blue Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series 187. TrueShares Structured Outcome (November) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
78. Friess Brandywine Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series 188. TrueShares Structured Outcome (October) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
79. Friess Small Cap Growth Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series 189. TrueShares Structured Outcome (September) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
80. Goose Hollow Tactical Allocation ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust 190. TrueShares Technology, AI & Deep Learning ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
81. Grayscale Future of Finance ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions 191. Tuttle Capital Short Innovation ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
82. Grizzle Growth ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust 192. U.S. Global Investors Funds
83. Guinness Atkinson Funds 193. Union Street Partners Value Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

 

 

 

84. Harbor ETF Trust 194. Variant Alternative Income Fund
85. Horizon Kinetics Inflation Beneficiaries ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust 195. VictoryShares Developed Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
86. Infusive US Trust 196. VictoryShares Dividend Accelerator ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
87. Innovator ETFs Trust 197. VictoryShares Emerging Market High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
88. Ironwood Institutional Multi-Strategy Fund LLC 198. VictoryShares International High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
89. Ironwood Multi-Strategy Fund LLC 199. VictoryShares International Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
90. John Hancock Exchange-Traded Fund Trust 200. VictoryShares NASDAQ Next 50 ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
91. Kelly Strategic ETF Trust 201. VictoryShares Protect America ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
92. LifeGoal Conservative Wealth Builder ETF, Series of Northern Lights Fund Trust II 202. VictoryShares Top Veteran Employers ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
93. LifeGoal Home Down Payment ETF, Series of Northern Lights Fund Trust II 203. VictoryShares US 500 Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
94. LifeGoal Wealth Builder ETF, Series of Northern Lights Fund Trust II 204. VictoryShares US 500 Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
95. Mairs & Power Funds Trust 205. VictoryShares US Discovery Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
96. Mairs & Power Minnesota Municipal Bond ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers 206.. VictoryShares US EQ Income Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
97. Manor Investment Funds 207. VictoryShares US Large Cap High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
98. Milliman Variable Insurance Trust 208. VictoryShares US Multi-Factor Minimum Volatility ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
99. Mindful Conservative ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust 209. VictoryShares US Small Cap High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
100. Moerus Worldwide Value Fund, Series of Northern Lights Fund Trust IV 210. VictoryShares US Small Cap Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
101. Mohr Growth ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust 211. VictoryShares USAA Core Intermediate-Term Bond ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
102. Morgan Creek - Exos Active SPAC Arbitrage ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust 212. VictoryShares USAA Core Short-Term Bond ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
103. Morgan Creek - Exos SPAC Originated ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust 213. VictoryShares USAA MSCI Emerging Markets Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

 

 

 

104. Morningstar Funds Trust 214. VictoryShares USAA MSCI International Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
105. OSI ETF Trust 215. VictoryShares USAA MSCI USA Small Cap Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
106. OTG Latin American Fund, Series of World Funds Trust 216. VictoryShares USAA MSCI USA Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
107. Overlay Shares Core Bond ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust 217. West Loop Realty Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
108. Overlay Shares Foreign Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust 218. WisdomTree Trust
109. Overlay Shares Hedged Large Cap Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust 219. WST Investment Trust
110. Overlay Shares Large Cap Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust 220. XAI Octagon Floating Rate & Alternative Income Term Trust

 

ITEM 32(b) The following are the Officers and Manager of the Distributor, the Registrant’s underwriter.

 

The Distributor’s main business address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.

 

Name Address Position with Underwriter Position with Registrant
Richard J. Berthy Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100,
Portland, ME 04101
President, Treasurer and Manager None
Mark A. Fairbanks Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100,
Portland, ME 04101
Vice President None
Teresa Cowan 111 E. Kilbourn Avenue, Suite
2200, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Vice President None
 Jennifer K. DiValerio 899 Cassatt Road, 400 Berwyn
Park, Suite 110,
Berwyn, PA 19312
Vice President None
Nanette K. Chern Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100,
Portland, ME 04101
Vice President and Chief
Compliance Officer
None
Kelly Whetstone Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100,
Portland, ME 04101
Secretary None

 

ITEM 32(c) Not applicable.

 

 

 

ITEM 33. LOCATION OF ACCOUNTS AND RECORDS

 

The majority of the accounts, books and other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Rules thereunder are maintained at the offices of Atlantic Fund Administration, LLC (d/b/a Apex Fund Services), Three Canal Plaza, Suite 600, Portland, Maine 04101. The records required to be maintained under Rule 31a-1(b)(1) with respect to journals of receipts and deliveries of securities and receipts and disbursements of cash are maintained at the offices of the Registrant’s custodian, as listed under “Custodian” in Part B to this Registration Statement. The records required to be maintained under Rule 31a-1(b)(5), (6) and (9) are maintained at the offices of the Registrant’s adviser or subadviser, as listed in Item 31 hereof.

 

ITEM 34. MANAGEMENT SERVICES

 

Not Applicable.

 

ITEM 35. UNDERTAKINGS

 

None.

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirement of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has met all of the requirements for effectiveness of this registration statement under Rule 485(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 and that it has duly caused this amendment to its registration statement on Form N-1A to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Portland, and State of Maine on March 23, 2022 .

 

Forum Funds  
   
/s/ Jessica Chase  
Jessica Chase, President  

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated on March 23, 2022 .

 

(a) Principal Executive Officer  
     
  /s/ Jessica Chase  
  Jessica Chase  
  Principal Executive Officer  

 

(b) Principal Financial Officer  
     
  /s/ Karen Shaw  
  Karen Shaw  
  Principal Financial Officer (Principal Accounting Officer)

 

(c) A majority of the Trustees  

 

  /s/ Jessica Chase  
  Jessica Chase, Trustee  
  Jennifer Brown-Strabley, Trustee*  

 

  Mark Moyer, Trustee*  
  David Tucker, Trustee*  

 

By: /s/ Zachary Tackett  
  Zachary Tackett  
  As Attorney-in-fact  

 

* Pursuant to powers of attorney previously filed.

 

 

 

EXHIBIT LIST

 

EXHIBITS

 

None.  

 

 



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