Form 485APOS USAA MUTUAL FUNDS TRUST

USAA MUTUAL FUNDS TRUST (the Trust) is an open-end management investment company offering shares of fifty-four no-load mutual funds, two of which are described in this statement of additional information (SAI): the Nasdaq-100 Index Fund and the Ultra Short-Term Bond Fund (collectively, the Funds). The Nasdaq-100 Index Fund offers two classes of shares: Fund Shares and R6 Shares. The Ultra Short-Term Bond Fund offers three classes of shares: Fund Shares, Institutional Shares, and R6 Shares. The Trust has the ability to offer additional funds or classes of shares. Each class of shares of a Fund is a separate share class of the Funds and is not a separate mutual fund. The Institutional Shares are not offered for sale directly to the general public. The Institutional Shares are available for investment through a USAA discretionary managed account program, certain advisory programs sponsored by financial intermediaries, such as brokerage firms, investment advisers, financial planners, third-party administrators, and insurance companies, and to institutional investors, which include retirement plans, endowments, foundations, and bank trusts, USAA Funds participating in a fund-of-funds investment strategy, and other persons or legal entities that the Fund may approve from time to time. R6 Shares generally are available only through employer-sponsored retirement plans where a financial intermediary provides retirement recordkeeping services to plan participants. R6 Shares also are available to endowment funds and foundations. The Ultra Short-Term Bond Fund is are classified as diversified, while the Nasdaq-100 Index Fund is classified as non-diversified.

You may obtain a free copy of a prospectus dated March 1, 2017, for any of the Funds listed above by writing to USAA Mutual Funds Trust, 9800 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, TX 78288, or by calling toll free (800) 531-USAA (8722) or (210) 531-8722. The prospectus provides the basic information you should know before investing in a Fund. This SAI is not a prospectus and contains information in addition to, and more detailed than, that set forth in each Fund's prospectus. It is intended to provide you with additional information regarding the activities and operations of the Trust and the Funds and should be read in conjunction with a Fund's prospectus.

The financial statements of the Funds and the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm's Report thereon for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, are included in the annual report to shareholders of that date and are incorporated herein by reference. The annual report to shareholders is available, without charge, by writing or calling the Trust at the above address or toll-free phone number.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

VALUATION OF SECURITIES

USAA Asset Management Company (AMCO or Manager) serves as the Manager of the Funds. Shares of each Fund are offered on a continuing, best-efforts basis through USAA Investment Management Company (IMCO or Distributor). The offering price for shares of each Fund is equal to the current net asset value (NAV) per share. The NAV per share of each Fund is calculated by adding the value of all its portfolio securities and other assets, deducting its liabilities, and dividing by the number of shares outstanding.

A Fund's NAV per share is calculated each day, Monday through Friday, except days on which the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is closed. The NYSE is currently scheduled to be closed on New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and on the preceding Friday or subsequent Monday when one of these holidays falls on a Saturday or Sunday, respectively. Each Fund reserves the right to calculate the NAV per share on a business day that the NYSE is closed.

The Trust's Board of Trustees (the Board) has established the Valuation Committee (the Committee), and subject to Board oversight, the Committee administers and oversees each Fund's valuation policies and procedures which are approved by the Board. Among other things, these policies and procedures allow a Fund to use independent pricing services, quotations from securities dealers, and a wide variety of sources and information to establish and adjust the fair value of securities as events occur and circumstances warrant.

The Committee reports to the Board on a quarterly basis and makes recommendations to the Board as to pricing methodologies and services used by each Fund and presents additional information to the Board regarding application of the pricing and fair valuation policies and procedures during the preceding quarter.

The Committee meets as often as necessary to make pricing and fair value determinations. In addition, the Committee holds regular monthly meetings to review prior actions taken by the Committee and the Manager. Among other things, these monthly meetings include a review and analysis of back testing reports, pricing service quotation comparisons, illiquid securities and fair value determinations, pricing movements, and daily stale price monitoring.

The value of securities of each Fund is determined by one or more of the following methods:

Equity securities, including exchange-traded funds (ETFs), exchange-traded notes (ETNs), and equity-linked structured notes, except as otherwise noted, traded primarily on domestic securities exchanges or the over-the-counter markets are valued at the last sales price or official closing price on the exchange or primary market on which they trade. Equity securities traded primarily on foreign securities exchanges or markets are valued at the last quoted sales price, or the most recently determined official closing price calculated according to local market convention, available at the time a Fund is valued. If no last sale or official closing price is reported or available, the average of the bid and asked prices generally is used.

Securities trading in various foreign markets may take place on days when the NYSE is closed. Further, when the NYSE is open, the foreign markets may be closed. Therefore, the calculation of a Fund's NAV may not take place at the same time the price of certain foreign securities held by a Fund is determined. In many cases, events affecting the values of foreign securities that occur between the time of their last quoted sales or official closing prices are determined and the close of normal trading on the NYSE on a day a Fund's NAV is calculated will not need to be reflected in the value of a Fund's foreign securities. However, the Manager and, if applicable, the Subadvisers will monitor for events that would materially affect the value of a Fund's foreign securities. The Subadvisers have agreed to notify the Manager of significant events they identify that may materially affect the value of a Fund's foreign securities. If the Manager determines that a particular event would materially affect the value of a Fund's foreign securities, then the Manager, under valuation procedures approved by the Board, will consider such available information that it deems relevant and will determine a fair value for the affected foreign securities. In addition, a Fund may use information from an external vendor or other sources to adjust the foreign market closing prices of foreign equity securities to reflect what the Fund believes to be the fair value of the securities as of the close of the NYSE. Fair valuation of affected foreign equity securities may occur frequently based on an assessment that events which occur on a fairly regular basis (such as U.S. market movements) are significant.

Debt securities with maturities greater than 60 days are valued each business day by a pricing service (the Service) approved by the Board. The Service uses an evaluated mean between quoted bid and asked prices or the last sales price to value a security when, in the Service's judgment, these prices are readily available and are representative of the security's market values. For many securities, such prices are not readily available. The Service generally prices those securities based on methods that include consideration of yields or prices of securities of comparable quality, coupon, maturity, and type; indications as to values from dealers in securities; and general market conditions.

Short-term securities with original or remaining maturities of 60 days or less may be valued at amortized cost, provided that it is determined that amortized cost represents the fair value of such securities. The Fund has adopted policies and procedures under which the Committee, subject to supervision by the Board, monitors the continued appropriateness of amortized cost valuations for such securities. Repurchase agreements are valued at cost.

Investments in open-end investment companies, commingled, or other funds, other than ETFs, are valued at their NAV at the end of each business day. Futures are valued at the last sale price at the close of market on the principal exchange on which they are traded or, in the absence of any transactions that day, the values are based upon the last sale on the prior trading date if it is within the spread

2

between the closing bid and asked price closest to the last reported sale price. Options are valued by a pricing service at the National Best Bid/Offer (NBBO) composite price, which is derived from the best available bid and asked prices in all participating options exchanges determined to most closely reflect market value of the options at the time of computation of Fund NAV.

In the event that price quotations or valuations are not readily available, are not reflective of market value or a significant event has been recognized in relation to a security or class of securities, the securities are valued in good faith by the Committee in accordance with valuation procedures approved by the Board. The effect of fair value pricing is that securities may not be priced on the basis of quotations from the primary market in which they are traded and the actual price realized from the sale of a security may differ materially from the fair value price. Valuing these securities at fair value is intended to cause a Fund's NAV to be more reliable than it otherwise would be.

Fair value methods used by the Manager include, but are not limited to, obtaining market quotations from secondary pricing services, broker-dealers, other pricing services, or widely used quotation systems. General factors considered in determining the fair value of securities include fundamental analytical data, the nature and duration of any restrictions on disposition of the securities, evaluation of credit quality, and an evaluation of the forces that influenced the market in which the securities are purchased and sold.

CONDITIONS OF PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION

Nonpayment

If any order to purchase shares directly from the Trust is canceled due to nonpayment or if the Trust does not receive good funds either by check or electronic funds transfer, USAA Shareholder Account Services (Transfer Agent) will treat the cancellation as a redemption of shares purchased, and you may be responsible for any resulting loss incurred by the Fund or the Manager. If you hold shares in an account with the Transfer Agent, the Transfer Agent can redeem shares from any of your account(s) with the Transfer Agent as reimbursement for all losses. In addition, you may be prohibited or restricted from making future purchases in any of the USAA family of funds (USAA Funds). A $29 fee is charged for all returned items, including checks and electronic funds transfers.

Transfer of Shares

Under certain circumstances, you may transfer Fund shares to another person by sending written instructions to the Transfer Agent. The account must be clearly identified, and you must include the number of shares to be transferred and the signatures of all registered owners. You also need to send written instructions signed by all registered owners and supporting documents to change an account registration due to events such as marriage or death. If a new account needs to be established, you must complete and return an application to the Transfer Agent.

Confirmations and Account Statements

Fund shareholders will receive a confirmation for each purchase, redemption, exchange, or share conversion transacted in their account. However, confirmations will not be sent for all dividend and capital gain distribution reinvestments, and purchases through certain automatic investment plans and certain retirement plans, as well as certain automatic exchanges and withdrawals (excluding those in money market funds). These transactions will be confirmed at least quarterly on shareholder account statements .

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING REDEMPTION OF SHARES

The value of your investment at the time of redemption of your shares may be more or less than the cost at purchase, depending on the value of the securities held in each Fund's portfolio. Requests for redemption that are subject to any special conditions or that specify an effective date other than as provided herein cannot be accepted. A gain or loss for federal income tax purposes may be realized on the redemption of shares of a Fund, depending upon their aggregate NAV when redeemed and your basis in those shares for those purposes.

Shares of a Fund may be offered to other USAA Funds that are structured as funds-of-funds, institutional investors, financial intermediaries, and other large investors ( e.g. , managed account programs offered by affiliated and unaffiliated investment advisers). These investors may, from time to time, own or control a significant percentage of a Fund's shares. Accordingly, each Fund is subject to the potential for large-scale inflows and outflows as a result of purchases and redemptions by large investors in the Fund. These inflows and outflows may be frequent and could increase a Fund's expense ratio, transaction costs, and taxable capital gain distributions (of net gains realized on the liquidation of portfolio securities to meet redemption requests), which could negatively affect a Fund's performance and could cause shareholders to be subject to higher federal income tax with respect to their investments in the Fund. These inflows and outflows also could limit the Manager's and a subadviser's ability to manage investments of a Fund in an efficient manner, which could adversely impact the Fund's performance and its ability to meet its investment objective. For example, after a large inflow, a Fund may hold a higher level of cash than it might hold under normal circumstances while the Manager or a subadviser seeks appropriate investment opportunities for the Fund. In addition, large inflows and outflows may limit the ability of a Fund to meet redemption requests and pay redemption proceeds within the time period stated in its prospectus because of unusual market conditions, an unusually high volume of redemption requests, or other reasons, and could cause a Fund to purchase

3

or sell securities when it would not normally do so, which would be particularly disadvantageous for a Fund if it needs to sell securities at a time of volatility in the markets, when values could be falling.

Shares are normally redeemed in cash, although each Fund reserves the right to redeem some or all of its shares in-kind by delivering securities from a Fund's portfolio of investments, rather than cash, under unusual circumstances or in order to protect the interests of remaining shareholders. Securities distributed in-kind would be valued for this purpose using the same method employed in calculating the Fund's NAV. If a Fund redeems your shares in-kind, you may bear transaction costs and will bear market risks until such securities are converted into cash.

Accounts held with the Transfer Agent with a balance of less than $250 may be subject to automatic redemption, provided that (1) the value of the account has been reduced, for reasons other than market action, below the minimum initial investment in such Fund at the time the account was established, (2) the account has remained below the minimum level for six months, and (3) 30 days' prior written notice of the proposed redemption has been sent to you. The Trust anticipates closing certain small accounts yearly. Shares will be redeemed at the NAV on the date fixed for redemption. Prompt payment will be made directly to your bank account on file or if none, by mail to your known last address.

The Trust reserves the right to suspend the right of redemption or postpone the date of payment (1) for any periods during which the NYSE is closed, (2) when trading in the markets the Trust normally uses is restricted, or an emergency exists as determined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) so that disposal of the Trust's investments or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable, or (3) for such other periods as the SEC by order may permit for protection of the Trust's shareholders.

For the mutual protection of the investor and the Funds, the Trust may require a signature guarantee. If required, each signature on the account registration must be guaranteed. Signature guarantees are acceptable from FDIC member banks, brokers, dealers, municipal securities dealers, municipal securities brokers, government securities dealers, government securities brokers, credit unions, national securities exchanges, registered securities associations, clearing agencies, and savings associations. A signature guarantee for active duty military personnel stationed abroad may be provided by an officer of the United States Embassy or Consulate, a staff officer of the Judge Advocate General, or an individual's commanding officer.

Excessive Short-Term Trading

The USAA Funds generally are not intended as short-term investment vehicles (except for the money market funds, Short-Term Bond Fund, Ultra Short-Term Bond Fund, and Tax Exempt Short-Term Fund). Some investors try to profit by using excessive short-term trading practices involving mutual fund shares, frequently referred to as "market timing."

Excessive short-term trading activity can disrupt the efficient management of a fund and raise its transaction costs by forcing portfolio managers to first buy and then sell portfolio securities in response to a large investment by short-term traders. While there is no assurance that the USAA Funds can deter all excessive and short-term trading, the Board of the USAA Funds has adopted the following policies (except for the money market funds, Short-Term Bond Fund, Ultra Short-Term Bond Fund, and Tax Exempt Short- Term Fund). These policies are designed to deter disruptive, excessive short-term trading without needlessly penalizing bona fide investors.

To deter such trading activities, the USAA Funds' policies and procedures include:

* Each fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order, including an exchange that it regards as disruptive to the efficient management of the particular fund.

* Each fund may use a fair value pricing service or other model to assist in establishing the current value of foreign securities held by any of the USAA Funds. Fair value pricing is used to adjust for stale pricing, which may occur between the close of certain foreign exchanges or markets and the time the USAA Funds calculate their NAV per share. Using fair value pricing is intended to deter those trying to take advantage of time-zone differences in the valuation of foreign securities and to prevent dilution to long-term investors. Fair value pricing of a foreign security can result in the USAA Funds using a price that is higher or lower than the closing price of a foreign security for purposes of calculating a fund's NAV.

Funds' Right to Reject Purchase and Exchange Orders and Limit Trading in Accounts

The USAA Funds' main safeguard against excessive short-term trading is their right to reject purchase or exchange orders if in the best interest of the affected Fund. In exercising this discretion to reject purchase and exchange orders, the USAA Funds deem that certain excessive short-term trading activities are not in the best interest of the affected Fund because such activities can hamper the efficient management of the Fund. Generally, persons who engage in an "in and out" (or "out and in") transaction within a 30-day period will violate the USAA Funds' policy if they engage in another "in and out" (or "out and in") transaction in the same Fund within 90 days. The USAA Funds also reserve the right to restrict future purchases or exchanges if an investor is classified as engaged in other patterns of excessive short-term trading, including after one large disruptive purchase and redemption or exchange. Finally,

4

the Funds reserve the right to reject any other purchase or exchange order in other situations that do not involve excessive short-term trading activities if in the best interest of the Fund.

The following transactions are exempt from the excessive short-term trading activity policies described above:

* Transactions in the money market funds, Short-Term Bond Fund, Ultra Short-Term Bond Fund, and Tax Exempt Short-Term Fund;

* Purchases and sales pursuant to automatic investment or withdrawal plans;

* Purchases and sales made through USAA Managed Portfolios – UMP ® , USAA 529 College Savings Plan TM , USAA Giving Fund, USAA Federal Savings Bank Trust Department, or other designated USAA managed investment accounts;

* Purchases and sales by the Target Retirement Funds, Cornerstone Conservative Fund and/or Cornerstone Equity Fund; and

* Other transactions that are not motivated by short-term trading considerations if they are approved by Transfer Agent management personnel and are not disruptive to the Fund.

If a person is classified as having engaged in excessive short-term trading, the remedy will depend upon the trading activities of the investor in the account and related accounts and its disruptive effect, and can include warnings to cease such USAA activity and/or restrictions or termination of trading privileges in a particular fund or all of the USAA Funds.

The USAA Funds rely on the Transfer Agent to review trading activity for excessive short-term trading. There can be no assurance, however, that its monitoring activities will successfully detect or prevent all excessive short-term trading. The USAA Funds or the Transfer Agent may exclude transactions below a certain dollar amount from monitoring and may change that dollar amount from time to time.

The USAA Funds seek to apply these policies and procedures uniformly to all investors; however, some investors purchase shares of USAA Funds through financial intermediaries that establish omnibus accounts to invest in the USAA Funds for their clients and submit net orders to purchase or redeem shares after combining their client orders. The USAA Funds subject to short-term trading policies generally treat each omnibus account as an individual investor and will apply the short-term trading policies to the net purchases and sales submitted by the omnibus account unless the USAA Funds or their Transfer Agent have entered into an agreement requiring the omnibus account to submit the underlying trading information for their clients upon our request and/or monitor for excessive trading. For those omnibus accounts for which we have entered into agreements to monitor excessive trading or provide underlying trade information, the financial intermediary or USAA Funds will review net activity in these omnibus accounts for activity that indicates potential excessive short-term trading activity. If we detect suspicious trading activity at the omnibus account level, we will request underlying trading information and review the underlying trading activity to identify individual accounts engaged in excessive short-term trading activity. We will instruct the omnibus account to restrict, limit, or terminate trading privileges in a particular fund for individual accounts identified as engaging in excessive short-term trading through these omnibus accounts.

We also may rely on the financial intermediary to review and identify underlying trading activity for individual accounts engaged in excessive short-term trading activity, and to restrict, limit, or terminate trading privileges if the intermediary's policies are determined by us to be at least as stringent as the USAA Funds' policy. For shares purchased through financial intermediaries, there may be additional or more restrictive policies. You may wish to contact your financial intermediary to determine the policies applicable to your account.

Because of the increased costs to review underlying trading information, the USAA Funds will not enter into agreements with every financial intermediary that operates an omnibus account. The USAA Funds or their Transfer Agent could decide to enter into such contracts with financial intermediaries for all funds or particular funds, and can terminate such agreements at any time.

Redemption by Check

Shareholders invested in the Ultra Short-Term Bond Fund through an account with the Transfer Agen t may request that checks be issued for their accounts. Checks must be written in amounts of at least $250 .

Checks issued to shareholders of the Ultra Short-Term Bond Fund will be sent only to the person(s) in whose name the account is registered. The checks must be signed by the registered owner(s) exactly as the account is registered. You will continue to earn dividends until the shares are redeemed by the presentation of a check.

When a check is presented to the Transfer Agent for payment, a sufficient number of full and fractional shares from your account will be redeemed to cover the amount of the check. If the account balance is not adequate to cover the amount of a check, the check will be returned unpaid. A check drawn on an account in the Ultra Short-Term Bond Fund may be returned for insufficient funds if the NAV per share of that Fund declines over the time between the date the check was written and the date it was presented for payment. Because the value of an account in the Ultra Short-Term Bond Fund changes as dividends are accrued on a daily basis, checks may not be used to close an account.

5

The checkwriting privilege is subject to the customary rules and regulations of The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon) governing checking accounts. There is no charge to you for the use of the checks or for subsequent reorders of checks.

The Trust reserves the right to assess a processing fee against your account for any redemption check not honored by a clearing or paying agent. Currently, this fee is $29 and is subject to change at any time. Some examples of such dishonor are improper endorsement, checks written for an amount less than the minimum check amount, and insufficient or uncollectible funds.

The Trust, the Transfer Agent, and BNY Melon each reserves the right to change or suspend the checkwriting privilege upon 30 days' written notice to participating shareholders.

You may request that the Transfer Agent stop payment on a check. The Transfer Agent will use its best efforts to execute stop payment instructions but does not guarantee that such efforts will be effective. The Transfer Agent will charge you $20 for each stop payment you request.

INVESTMENT PLANS

Automatic Purchase of Shares

InvesTronic ® – The regular purchase of additional shares through electronic funds transfer from a checking or savings account. You may invest as little as $50 per month.

Direct Purchase Service – The periodic purchase of shares through electronic funds transfer from a non-governmental employer, an income-producing investment, or an account with a participating financial institution.

Direct Deposit Program – The monthly transfer of certain federal benefits to directly purchase shares of a USAA mutual fund. Eligible federal benefits include: Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Veterans Compensation and Pension, Civil Service Retirement Annuity, and Civil Service Survivor Annuity.

Government Allotment – The transfer of military pay by the U.S. Government Finance Center for the purchase of USAA mutual fund shares.

Automatic Transfer Plan – The periodic transfer of funds from a USAA money market fund to purchase shares in another non- money market USAA mutual fund. There is a minimum investment required for this program of $5,000 in the money market fund, with a monthly transaction minimum of $50.

Buy/Sell Service – The intermittent purchase or redemption of shares through electronic funds transfer to or from a checking or savings account. You may initiate a "buy" or "sell" whenever you choose.

Directed Dividends – If you own shares in more than one of the funds in the USAA family of funds, you may direct that dividends and/or capital gain distributions earned in one fund be used to purchase shares automatically in another fund.

Participation in these automatic purchase plans allows you to engage in dollar-cost averaging.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan

If you own shares in a single investment account (accounts in different Funds cannot be aggregated for this purpose) you may request that enough shares to produce a fixed amount of money be liquidated from the account monthly, quarterly, or annually. The amount of each withdrawal must be at least $50. Using the electronic funds transfer service, you may choose to have withdrawals electronically deposited at your bank or other financial institution. You also may elect to have checks made payable to an entity unaffiliated with United Services Automobile Association (USAA). You also may elect to have such withdrawals invested in another USAA Fund.

This plan may be initiated on usaa.com or by completing a Systematic Withdrawal Plan application, which may be requested from the Manager. You may terminate participation in the plan at any time. You are not charged for withdrawals under the Systematic Withdrawal Plan. The Trust will not bear any expenses in administering the plan beyond the regular Transfer Agent and custodian costs of issuing and redeeming shares. The Manager will bear any additional expenses of administering the plan.

Withdrawals will be made by redeeming full and fractional shares on the date you select at the time the plan is established. Withdrawal payments made under this plan may exceed dividends and other distributions and, to that extent, would reduce the dollar value of your investment and could eventually exhaust the account. Reinvesting dividends and other distributions helps replenish the account. Because share values and net investment income can fluctuate, you should not expect withdrawals to be offset by rising income or share value gains. Withdrawals that exceed the value in your account will be processed for the amount available, and the plan will be canceled.

Each redemption of shares of a Fund may result in realization of a gain or loss, which must be reported on your federal income tax return. Therefore, you should keep an accurate record of any gain or loss realized on each withdrawal.

6

Tax-Deferred Retirement Plans

Federal tax on current income may be deferred if you qualify for certain types of retirement programs. For your convenience, the Manager offers 403(b)(7) accounts and various forms of IRAs. You may make investments in one or any combination of the funds described in the prospectuses of the Trust (excluding our Funds that distribute "tax-exempt-interest dividends").

Applications for the IRA and 403(b)(7) programs should be sent directly to USAA Shareholder Account Services, P.O. Box 659453, San Antonio, TX 78265-9825. USAA Federal Savings Bank serves as Custodian of these tax-deferred retirement accounts under the programs made available by the Manager. Applications for these retirement accounts received by the Manager will be forwarded to the Custodian for acceptance.

An administrative fee of $20 is deducted from the money sent to you after closing an account. Exceptions to the fee are: partial distributions, total transfer within USAA, and distributions due to disability or death. This charge is subject to change as provided in the various agreements. There may be additional charges, as mutually agreed upon between you and the Custodian, for further services requested of the Custodian.

You may obtain detailed information about the accounts from the Manager. Each employer or individual establishing a tax-deferred retirement account also is advised to consult with a tax adviser before establishing the account.

INVESTMENT POLICIES

The sections captioned Investment Objective and More Information on the Fund's Investment Strategy in each Fund's prospectus describe the investment objective(s) and the investment policies applicable to each Fund. There can, of course, be no assurance that each Fund will achieve its investment objective(s). Each Fund's objective(s) is not a fundamental policy and may be changed upon written notice to, but without the approval of, each Fund's shareholders. If there is a change in the investment objective(s) of a Fund, the Fund's shareholders should consider whether the Fund remains an appropriate investment in light of then-current needs. The following provides additional information about the investment policies, types of instruments, and certain risks that the Funds may be subject to. Unless described as a principal investment policy in a Fund's prospectus, these represent the non-principal investment policies of the Funds.

Borrowing

T he Funds may borrow money from a bank or another person to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (1940 Act). Such borrowings may be used for a variety of purposes, including (i) for temporary or emergency purposes, (ii) in anticipation of or in response to adverse market conditions, (iii) for cash management purposes, and (iv) for investment purposes. Borrowed money will cost a Fund interest expense and/or other fees. The costs of borrowing may reduce a Fund's return. To the extent that a Fund has outstanding borrowings, it will be leveraged. Leveraging generally exaggerates the effect on NAV of any increase or decrease in the market value of a Fund's securities. All borrowings are limited to an amount not exceeding 33 1/3% of a Fund's total assets (including the amount borrowed) less liabilities (other than borrowings). Any borrowings that exceed this amount will be reduced within three days (excluding Sundays and holidays) to the extent necessary to comply with the 33 1/3% limitation even if it is not advantageous to sell securities at that time.

Calculations of Dollar-Weighted Average Portfolio Maturity

Dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity is derived by multiplying the value of each debt instrument by the number of days remaining to its maturity, adding these calculations, and then dividing the total by the value of a Fund's debt instruments. An obligation's maturity is typically determined on a stated final maturity basis, although there are some exceptions to this rule.

With respect to obligations held by a Fund, if it is probable that the issuer of an instrument will take advantage of a maturity- shortening device, such as a call, refunding, or redemption provision, the date on which the instrument will probably be called, refunded, or redeemed may be considered to be its maturity date. Also, the maturities of mortgage-backed securities, some asset- backed securities, and securities subject to sinking fund arrangements are determined on a weighted average life basis, which is the average time for principal to be repaid. For mortgage-backed and some asset-backed securities, this average time is calculated by assuming prepayment rates of the underlying loans. These prepayment rates can vary depending upon the level and volatility of interest rates. This, in turn, can affect the weighted average life of the security. The weighted average lives of these securities will be shorter than their stated final maturities. In addition, for purposes of a Fund's investment policies, an instrument will be treated as having a maturity earlier than its stated maturity date if the instrument has technical features such as puts or demand features that, in the judgment of the Manager, will result in the instrument being valued in the market as though it has the earlier maturity.

Finally, for purposes of calculating the dollar weighted average portfolio maturity of a Fund, the maturity of a debt instrument with a periodic interest reset date will be deemed to be the next reset date, rather than the remaining stated maturity of the instrument if, in the judgment of the Manager, the periodic interest reset features will result in the instrument being valued in the market as though it has the earlier maturity.

7

Certificates of Deposit and Bankers' Acceptances

Certificates of deposit are receipts issued by a depository institution in exchange for the deposit of funds. The issuer agrees to pay the amount deposited plus interest to the bearer of the receipt on the date specified on the certificate. The certificate usually can be traded in the secondary market prior to maturity. Bankers' acceptances typically arise from short-term credit arrangements designed to enable businesses to obtain funds to finance commercial transactions. Generally, an acceptance is a time draft drawn on a bank by an exporter or an importer to obtain a stated amount of funds to pay for specific merchandise. The draft is then "accepted" by a bank that, in effect, unconditionally guarantees to pay the face value of the instrument on its maturity date. The acceptance may then be held by the accepting bank as an earning asset or it may be sold in the secondary market at the going rate of discount for a specific maturity. Although maturities for acceptances can be as long as 270 days, most acceptances have maturities of six months or less.

To the extent a Fund holds instruments of foreign banks or financial institutions, it may be subject to additional investment risks that are different in some respects from those incurred if the Fund invests only in debt obligations of U.S. domestic issuers. Such risks include future political and economic developments, the possible imposition of withholding taxes by the particular country in which the issuer is located, the possible confiscation or nationalization of foreign deposits, the possible establishment of exchange controls, or the adoption of other foreign governmental restrictions which may adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on these securities.

Domestic banks and foreign banks are subject to different governmental regulations with respect to the amount and types of loans that may be made and interest rates that may be charged. In addition, the profitability of the banking industry depends largely upon the availability and cost of funds and the interest income generated from lending operations. General economic conditions and the quality of loan portfolios affect the banking industry. Unexpected changes with respect to these factors may adversely affect the issuance of and the secondary market for these securities.

Commercial Paper

Commercial paper consists of short-term (usually from one to 270 days) unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations in order to finance their current operations. A variable amount master demand note (which is a type of commercial paper) represents a direct borrowing arrangement involving periodically fluctuating rates of interest under a letter agreement between a commercial paper issuer and an institutional lender pursuant to which the lender may determine to invest varying amounts.

Investments in commercial paper are subject to the risk the issuer cannot issue enough new commercial paper to satisfy its outstanding commercial paper, also known as rollover risk. Commercial paper may become illiquid or may suffer from reduced liquidity in certain circumstances. Like all fixed-income securities, commercial paper prices are susceptible to fluctuations in interest rates. If interest rates rise, commercial paper prices will decline. The short-term nature of a commercial paper investment makes it less susceptible to interest rate risk than many other fixed-income securities because interest rate risk typically increases as maturity lengths increase. Commercial paper tends to yield smaller returns than longer-term corporate debt because securities with shorter maturities typically have lower effective yields than those with longer maturities. As with all fixed-income securities, there is a chance that the issuer will default on its commercial paper obligation.

Cover

Transactions using certain derivative instruments, other than purchased options, expose a Fund to an obligation to another party. A Fund will not enter into any such transactions unless it owns either (1) an offsetting ("covered") position in securities, currencies or other options, futures contracts or forward contracts, or (2) cash or liquid assets with a value, marked-to-market daily, sufficient to cover its potential obligations to the extent not covered as provided in (1) above. A Fund will comply with SEC guidelines regarding cover for these instruments and will, if the guidelines so require, designate cash or liquid securities in the prescribed amount as determined daily.

Assets used as cover or held in a segregated account cannot be sold while the position in the corresponding derivative instrument is open, unless they are replaced with other appropriate assets. As a result, the commitment of a large portion of the Fund's assets to cover derivative instruments could impede portfolio management or the Fund's ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

Cybersecurity Risk

Technology, such as the internet, has become more prevalent in the course of business; and as such, each Fund and its service providers are susceptible to operational and information security risk resulting from cyber incidents. Cyber incidents refer to both intentional attacks and unintentional events including: processing errors, human errors, technical errors including computer glitches and system malfunctions, inadequate or failed internal or external processes, market-wide technical-related disruptions, unauthorized access to digital systems (through "hacking" or malicious software coding), computer viruses, and cyber-attacks which shut down, disable, slow or otherwise disrupt operations, business processes, or website access or functionality (including denial of service

8

attacks). Cyber incidents could adversely impact a Fund and its shareholders and cause the Fund to incur financial loss and expense, as well as face exposure to regulatory penalties, reputational damage, and additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures. Cyber incidents may cause a Fund or its service providers, to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption, lose operational capacity ( e.g., the loss of the ability to process transactions, calculate a Fund's NAV, or allow shareholders to transact business), and/or fail to comply with applicable privacy and other laws. Among other potentially harmful effects, cyber incidents also may result in theft, unauthorized monitoring and failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support the Fund and its service providers. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While the Funds' service providers have established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber incidents, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, each Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect each Fund or its shareholders. In certain situations, the Funds, the Manager, a subadviser, or a service provider may be required to comply with law enforcement in responding to a cybersecurity incident, which may prevent the Funds from fully implementing their cybersecurity plans and systems, and (in certain situations) may result in additional information loss or damage. Each Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

Derivatives

Each Fund may buy and sell certain types of derivatives, such as options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and swaps (each as described below) under circumstances in which such instruments are expected by the Manager or the applicable Subadviser to aid in achieving a Fund's investment objective. Derivatives also may possess the characteristics of both futures and securities ( e.g., debt instruments with interest and principal payments determined by reference to the value of a commodity or a currency at a future time) and which, therefore, possess the risks of both futures and securities investments.

Derivatives, such as futures contracts; options on currencies, securities, and securities indexes; options on futures contracts; and swaps enable a Fund to take both "short" positions (positions which anticipate a decline in the market value of a particular asset or index) and "long" positions (positions which anticipate an increase in the market value of a particular asset or index). Each Fund also may use strategies, which involve simultaneous short and long positions in response to specific market conditions, such as where the Manager or the applicable Subadviser anticipates unusually high or low market volatility.

The Manager or the applicable Subadviser may enter into derivative positions for a Fund for either hedging or non-hedging purposes. The term hedging is applied to defensive strategies designed to protect a Fund from an expected decline in the market value of an asset or group of assets that the Fund owns (in the case of a short hedge) or to protect a Fund from an expected rise in the market value of an asset or group of assets which it intends to acquire in the future (in the case of a long or "anticipatory" hedge). Non-hedging strategies include strategies designed to produce incremental income (such as the option writing strategy described below) or "speculative" strategies, which are undertaken to profit from (i) an expected decline in the market value of an asset or group of assets which a Fund does not own or (ii) expected increases in the market value of an asset which it does not plan to acquire. Information about specific types of instruments is provided below.

Equity Securities

Each Fund may invest in equity securities listed on any domestic or foreign securities exchange or traded in the over-the-counter market as well as certain restricted or unlisted securities (although the Ultra Short-Term Bond Fund's investments in equity securities are limited to preferred securities) . As used herein, "equity securities" are defined as common stock, preferred stock, trust or limited partnership interests, rights and warrants to subscribe to or purchase such securities, sponsored or unsponsored American depositary receipts (ADRs), European depositary receipts (EDRs), global depositary receipts (GDRs), and convertible securities, consisting of debt securities or preferred stock that may be converted into common stock or that carry the right to purchase common stock. Common stocks, the most familiar type, represent an equity (ownership) interest in a corporation. They may or may not pay dividends or carry voting rights. Common stock occupies the most junior position in a company's capital structure. Although equity securities have a history of long-term growth in value, their prices fluctuate based on changes in a company's financial condition and on overall market and economic conditions. Smaller companies are especially sensitive to these factors.

European Securities

The European Union's (EU) Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) requires member countries to comply with restrictions on interest rates, deficits, debt levels, and inflation rates, and other factors, each of which may significantly impact every European country. The economies of EU member countries and their trading partners may be affected adversely by changes in the euro's exchange rate, changes in EU or governmental regulations on trade, and the threat of default or default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, which could negatively impact a Fund's investments and cause it to lose money. Recently, the European financial markets have been impacted negatively by rising government debt levels; possible default on or restructuring of sovereign debt in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain; and economic downturns. A European country's default or debt restructuring would adversely affect the holders of the country's debt and sellers of credit default swaps linked to the country's

9

creditworthiness and could negatively impact global markets more generally. Recent events in Europe have adversely affected the euro's exchange rate and value and may continue to impact the economies of every European country.

A country's decision to leave the EU may cause increased volatility in global financial markets as there is uncertainty as to the exact terms of exit and its impact on different industry sectors. For example, it will take time to establish the parameters of the United Kingdom's (U.K.'s) relationship with the EU on trade, and it also will take time to establish any trade agreements with other regions because the exiting country would not benefit from free trade agreements negotiated by the EU in the future. Much depends on the extent of the withdrawal agreement and other trade agreements that the country reaches after its exit. There also is the risk that many international companies may no longer choose the U.K. as a base for their European operations. Moreover, the U.K.'s decision to withdraw from the EU may adversely affect foreign direct investments and immigration and economic regulations in that country as well as increased transition costs of implementing new policies and agreements. Furthermore, the U.K.'s vote to leave the EU may lead other member nations to follow suit .

Illiquid Securities

Each Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in securities that are illiquid. Illiquid securities are those securities which cannot be disposed of in the ordinary course of business, seven days at approximately the same value at which a Fund has valued the securities.

Historically, illiquid securities have included securities subject to contractual or legal restrictions on resale by seven days. Securities that have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (1933 Act) are referred to as private placements or restricted securities and are purchased directly from the issuer or in the secondary market. Mutual funds do not typically hold a significant amount of these restricted or other illiquid securities because of the potential for delays on resale and uncertainty in valuation. Limitations on resale may have an adverse effect on the marketability of portfolio securities and a mutual fund might be unable to dispose of restricted or other illiquid securities promptly or at reasonable prices and might thereby experience difficulty satisfying redemptions within seven days. A mutual fund also might have to register such restricted securities in order to dispose of them resulting in additional expense and delay. Adverse market conditions could impede such a public offering of securities.

A large institutional market has been developed for certain securities that are not registered under the 1933 Act, including repurchase agreements, commercial paper, foreign securities, municipal securities, and corporate bonds and notes. Institutional investors depend on an efficient institutional market in which the unregistered security can be readily resold or on an issuer's ability to honor a demand for repayment. The fact that there are contractual or legal restrictions on resale of such investments to the general public or to certain institutions may not be indicative of their liquidity.

The SEC has adopted Rule 144A, which allows a broader institutional trading market for securities otherwise subject to restriction on their resale to the general public. Rule 144A establishes a "safe harbor" from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act of resales of certain securities to qualified institutional buyers.

Each Fund may invest in Rule 144A Securities, which are securities in the United States that are not registered for sale under federal securities laws but which can be resold to institutions under Rule 144A. Provided that a dealer or institutional trading market in such securities exists, these restricted securities are treated as exempt from the 15% limit on illiquid securities. Under the supervision of the Board, a Fund's adviser or subadviser(s) determines the liquidity of restricted securities and, through reports, the Board will monitor trading activity in restricted securities. If institutional trading in restricted securities were to decline, the liquidity of a Fund could be adversely affected.

In reaching liquidity decisions, a Fund's adviser or subadviser(s) will consider, among other things, the following factors: (1) the frequency of trades and quotes for the security; (2) the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security and the number of other potential purchasers; (3) dealer undertakings to make a market in the security; and (4) the nature of the security and of the marketplace trades including the time needed to dispose of the security, the method of soliciting offers, and the mechanics of the transfer.

Lending of Securities

Each Fund may lend its securities in accordance with a lending policy that has been authorized by the Board and implemented by the Manager. Securities may be loaned only to qualified broker-dealers or other institutional investors that have been determined to be creditworthy by the Manager. When borrowing securities from a Fund, the borrower will be required to maintain cash collateral with the Trust in an amount at least equal to the fair value of the borrowed securities. During the term of each loan, each Fund will be entitled to receive payments from the borrower equal to all interest and dividends paid on the securities during the term of the loan by the issuer of the securities. In addition, each Fund will invest the cash received as collateral in high-quality short-term instruments such as obligations of the U.S. government or of its agencies or instrumentalities or in repurchase agreements or shares of money market mutual funds, thereby earning additional income. Risks to a Fund in securities-lending transactions are that the borrower may not provide additional collateral when required or return the securities when due, and that the value of the short-term instruments will be less than the amount of cash collateral required to be returned to the borrower.

10

No loan of securities will be made if, as a result, the aggregate of such loans would exceed 33 1/3% of the value of a Fund's total assets. Each Fund may terminate a loan at any time.

Letters of Credit

Certain of the debt obligations (including municipal securities, certificates of participation, commercial paper, and other short-term obligations) that the Funds may purchase may be backed by an unconditional and irrevocable letter of credit of a bank, savings and loan association, or insurance company which assumes the obligation for payment of principal and interest in the event of default by the issuer. Only banks, savings and loan associations, and insurance companies which, in the opinion of the Manager are of comparable quality to issuers of other permitted investments of a Fund, may be used for letter of credit-backed investments.

Limitations and Risks of Options and Futures Activity

Each Fund may engage in both hedging and non-hedging strategies. Although effective hedging can generally capture the bulk of a desired risk adjustment, no hedge is completely effective. A Fund's ability to hedge effectively through transactions in futures and options depends on the degree to which price movements in the hedged asset correlate with price movements of the futures and options.

Non-hedging strategies typically involve special risks. The profitability of a Fund's non-hedging strategies will depend on the ability of the Manager or the applicable Subadviser to analyze both the applicable derivatives market and the market for the underlying asset or group of assets. Derivatives markets often are more volatile than corresponding securities markets, and a relatively small change in the price of the underlying asset or group of assets can have a magnified effect upon the price of a related derivative instrument.

Derivatives markets also are often less liquid than the market for the underlying asset or group of assets. Some positions in futures and options may be closed out only on an exchange that provides a secondary market. There can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular futures contract or option at any specific time. Thus, it may not be possible to close such an option or futures position prior to maturity. The inability to close options and futures positions also could have an adverse impact on a Fund's ability to effectively carry out its derivative strategies and might, in some cases, require the Fund to deposit cash to meet applicable margin requirements.

Under certain circumstances, futures exchanges may establish daily limits on the amount that the price of a futures contract or an option on a futures contract can vary from the previous day's settlement price; once that limit is reached, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond the limit. Daily price limits do not limit potential losses because prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive days with little or no trading, thereby preventing liquidation of unfavorable positions.

If a Fund was unable to liquidate a futures contract or an option on a futures position due to the absence of a liquid secondary market or the imposition of price limits, it could incur substantial losses. A Fund would continue to be subject to market risk with respect to the position. In addition, except in the case of purchased options, a Fund would continue to be required to make daily variation margin payments and might be required to maintain the position being hedged by the future or option or to maintain cash or securities in a segregated account.

Historically, advisers of registered investment companies trading commodity interests (such as futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and swaps), including the Funds, have been excluded from regulation as Commodity Pool Operators (CPOs) pursuant to Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Regulation 4.5. In February 2012, the CFTC announced substantial amendments to the permissible exclusions, and to the conditions for reliance on the permissible exclusions, from registration as a CPO. To qualify for an exclusion under these amendments to CFTC Regulation 4.5, if a fund uses commodity interests (such as futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and swaps) other than for bona fide hedging purposes (as defined by the CFTC), the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish these positions, determined at the time the most recent position was established, may not exceed 5% of the fund's NAV (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions and excluding the amount by which options that are "in-the-money" at the time of purchase are "in-the-money") or, alternatively, the aggregate net notional value of those positions, determined at the time the most recent position was established, may not exceed 100% of the fund's NAV (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). In addition, to qualify for an exclusion, a Fund must satisfy a marketing test, which requires, among other things, that a fund not hold itself out as a vehicle for trading commodity interests. The amendments to CFTC Regulation 4.5 became effective on April 24, 2012.

The Manager currently claims an exclusion (under CFTC Regulation 4.5) from registration as a CPO with respect to the Funds and, in its management of the Funds, intends to comply with one of the two alternative trading limitations described above and the marketing limitation. Complying with the trading limitations may restrict the Manager's ability to use derivatives as part of the Funds' investment strategies. Although the Manager expects to be able to execute the Funds' investment strategies within the limitations, a Fund's performance could be adversely affected. In addition, rules under the Dodd-Frank Act may limit the availability of certain derivatives, may make the use of derivatives by portfolios more costly, and may otherwise adversely impact the performance and value of derivatives.

11

Liquidity Determinations

The Board has adopted guidelines pursuant to which municipal lease obligations, Section 4(2) Commercial Paper (Section 4(a)(2) of the 1933 Act), Rule 144A Securities, certain restricted debt securities that are subject to put or demand features exercisable within seven days (Demand Feature Securities) and other securities (whether registered or not) that may be considered illiquid before or after purchase due to issuer bankruptcy, delisting, thin or no trading, SEC guidance, or similar factors (other securities) may be determined to be liquid for purposes of complying with SEC limitation applicable to the Fund's investments in illiquid securities. In determining the liquidity of municipal lease obligations, Section 4(2) Commercial Paper, Rule 144A Securities, and other securities the Manager will, pursuant to the Board Adopted Liquidity Procedures, among other things, consider the following factors established by the Board: (1) the frequency of trades and quotes for the security, (2) the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security and the number of other potential purchasers, (3) the willingness of dealers to undertake to make a market in the security, and (4) the nature of the security and the nature of the marketplace trades, including the time needed to dispose of the security, the method of soliciting offers, and the mechanics of transfer. Additional factors considered by the Manager in determining the liquidity of a municipal lease obligation are: (1) whether the lease obligation is of a size that will be attractive to institutional investors, (2) whether the lease obligation contains a non-appropriation clause and the likelihood that the obligor will fail to make an appropriation therefor, and (3) such other factors as the Manager may determine to be relevant to such determination. In determining the liquidity of Demand Feature Securities, the Manager will evaluate the credit quality of the party (the Put Provider) issuing (or unconditionally guaranteeing performance on) the put or demand feature of the Demand Feature Securities. In evaluating the credit quality of the Put Provider, the Manager will consider all factors that it deems indicative of the capacity of the Put Provider to meet its obligations under the Demand Feature Securities based upon a review of the Put Provider's outstanding debt and financial statements and general economic conditions.

Certain foreign securities (including Eurodollar obligations) may be eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A in the United States and also may trade without restriction in one or more foreign markets. Such securities may be determined to be liquid based upon these foreign markets without regard to their eligibility for resale pursuant to Rule 144A. In such cases, these securities will not be treated as Rule 144A Securities for purposes of the liquidity guidelines established by the Board.

Private Placements

Each Fund may invest in securities that are not registered under the Securities Act ("restricted securities"). Restricted securities may be sold in private placement transactions between issuers and their purchasers and may be neither listed on an exchange nor traded in other established markets. In many cases, privately placed securities may not be freely transferable under the laws of the applicable jurisdiction or due to contractual restrictions on resale. As a result of the absence of a public trading market, privately placed securities may be less liquid and more difficult to value than publicly traded securities. To the extent that privately placed securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the prices realized from the sales, due to illiquidity, could be less than those originally paid by the Fund or less than their fair market value. In addition, issuers whose securities are not publicly traded may not be subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements that may be applicable if their securities were publicly traded. Certain of the Fund's investments in private placements may consist of direct investments and may include investments in smaller, less seasoned issuers, which may involve greater risks. These issuers may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or they may be dependent on a limited management group. In making investments in such securities, a Fund may obtain access to material nonpublic information, which may restrict the Fund's ability to conduct portfolio transactions in such securities.

Some of these securities are new and complex, and trade only among institutions; the markets for these securities are still developing, and may not function as efficiently as established markets. Because there may not be an established market price for these securities, the Fund may have to estimate their value. Transactions in restricted or illiquid securities may entail registration expense and other transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in unrestricted or liquid securities. Where registration is required for restricted or illiquid securities a considerable time period may elapse between the time the Fund decides to sell the security and the time it is actually permitted to sell the security under an effective registration statement. If during such period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the Fund might obtain less favorable pricing terms that when it decided to sell the security.

Recent Market Conditions and Regulatory Developments

The financial crisis in the U.S. and global economies over the past several years has resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, and in the net asset values of many mutual funds, including each Fund. The values of some sovereign debt and of securities of issuers that hold that sovereign debt have fallen. Conditions in the United States have resulted, and may continue to result, in fixed-income instruments experiencing unusual liquidity issues, increased price volatility and, in some cases, credit downgrades and increased likelihood of default. These events have reduced the willingness and ability of some lenders to extend credit, and have made it more difficult for borrowers to obtain financing on attractive terms, if at all. As a result, the values of many types of securities have been reduced. In addition, as of the date of this SAI, interest rates in the United States are at or near historic lows, which may increase a Fund's exposure to risks associated with rising interest rates .

12

In addition, global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the possibilities that conditions in one country might adversely impact issuers in a different country. Because the situation in the markets is widespread and largely unprecedented, it may be unusually difficult to identify both risks and opportunities using past models of the interplay of market forces, or to predict the duration of these market conditions. The severity or duration of these conditions also may be affected by policy changes made by governments or quasi-governmental organizations. These conditions could negatively impact the value of a Fund's investments.

The situation in the financial markets has resulted in calls for increased regulation. In particular, the Dodd-Frank Act has initiated a revision of the U.S. financial regulatory framework and covers a broad range of topics, including (among many others) a reorganization of federal financial regulators; new rules for derivatives trading; and the registration and additional regulation of hedge and private equity fund managers. The regulators that have been charged with the responsibility for implementing the Dodd-Frank Act ( e.g. , the SEC and the CFTC) have been active in proposing and adopting regulations and guidance on the use of derivatives by market participants, including mutual funds. Instruments in which a Fund may invest, or the issuers of such instruments, may be negatively affected by the legislation and regulation, some in ways that are still unforeseeable. Although many of the implementing regulations have been finalized, the ultimate impact of the Dodd-Frank Act is not yet certain.

In July 2014, the SEC adopted amendments to money market fund regulations (2014 Amendments). In general, the 2014 Amendments require money market funds that do not meet the definition of a "retail money market fund" or "government money market fund" to transact at a floating NAV per share (similar to all other non-money market mutual funds), instead of at a $1 stable share price, as has traditionally been the case. The 2014 Amendments also require retail money market funds and permit government money market funds to impose liquidity fees and redemption gates during times of market stress. The SEC also adopted additional diversification, stress testing, and disclosure measures. The 2014 Amendments represent significant departures from the traditional operation of money market funds and the impact that these amendments might have on the Funds that are money market funds is unclear; however, any changes to a Fund's operations, or the impact on the trading and value of money market instruments, as a result of the 20 14 Amendments may negatively affect the Fund's yield and return potential. Many of the requirements of the 2014 Amendments are not effective until October 2016.

The U.S. federal government and certain foreign central banks have taken actions to support financial markets and increase confidence in the U.S. and world economies. Certain of these entities have injected liquidity into the markets and taken other steps in an effort to stabilize the markets and grow the economy. Others have opted for austerity, which may limit growth, at least in the short to medium term. The ultimate effect of these efforts is only beginning to reveal itself. Where economic conditions are recovering, they are nevertheless perceived as still fragile. Changes in government policies may exacerbate the markets' difficulties and withdrawal of this support, or other policy changes by governments or central banks, could negatively affect the value and liquidity of a Fund's investments and cause it to lose money. In addition, political events within the United States and abroad may affect investor and consumer confidence and may adversely impact financial markets and the broader economy, perhaps suddenly and to a significant degree.

Repurchase Agreements

Each Fund may invest in repurchase agreements, which are collateralized by underlying securities. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which a security is purchased with a simultaneous commitment to sell it back to the seller (a commercial bank or recognized securities dealer) at an agreed upon price on an agreed upon date, usually not more than seven days from the date of purchase. The resale price reflects the purchase price plus an agreed upon market rate of interest, which is unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased security. A Fund maintains custody of the underlying securities prior to their repurchase, either through its regular custodian or through a special "tri-party" custodian that maintains separate accounts for both the Fund and its counterparty. Thus, the obligation of the counterparty to pay the repurchase price on the date agreed to or upon demand is, in effect, secured by the underlying securities. In these transactions, the securities purchased by a Fund will be those in which it is authorized to invest and have a total value equal to or in excess of the amount of the repurchase obligation. If the seller defaults and the value of the underlying security declines, a Fund may incur a loss and may incur expenses in selling the collateral. If the seller seeks relief under the bankruptcy laws, the disposition of the collateral may be delayed or limited. The Funds will invest in repurchase agreement transactions with parties whose creditworthiness has been reviewed and found satisfactory by the Manager.

Section 4(2) Commercial Paper

Each Fund may invest in commercial paper issued in reliance on the "private placement" exemption from registration afforded by Section 4(2) Commercial Paper. Section 4(2) Commercial Paper is restricted as to disposition under the federal securities laws; therefore, any resale of Section 4(2) Commercial Paper must be effected in a transaction exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Section 4(2) Commercial Paper is normally resold to other investors through or with the assistance of the issuer or investment dealers who make a market in Section 4(2) Commercial Paper, thus providing liquidity.

However, investing in Rule 144A Securities and Section 4(2) Commercial Paper could have the effect of increasing the level of a Fund's illiquidity to the extent that qualified institutional buyers become, for a time, uninterested in purchasing these securities.

13

Securities of Other Investment Companies

Each Fund may invest in securities issued by other investment companies that qualify as "money market funds" under applicable SEC rules. Any such investment would be made in accordance with the Fund's investment policies and applicable law. In addition, each Fund may invest in securities issued by other non-money market investment companies (including exchange-traded funds (EFTs)). As a shareholder of another investment company, a Fund would indirectly bear, along with other shareholders, its pro rata portion of the other investment company's expenses, including advisory fees. These expenses would be in addition to the advisory and other expenses that a Fund bears in connection with its own operations. The Funds may invest in securities issued by other investment companies subject to statutory limitations prescribed by the 1940 Act. Certain exceptions to these limitations are provided by the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. The Funds also may rely on certain SEC exemptive orders that permit funds meeting various conditions to invest in an ETF in amounts exceeding limits set forth in the 1940 Act that would otherwise be applicable. Investing in other investment companies involves substantially the same risks as investing directly in the underlying instruments, but the total return on such instruments at the investment company level may be reduced by the operating expenses and fees of such investment companies, including advisory fees.

Senior Securities

Pursuant to the investment restrictions that have been adopted by the Trust for each Fund, each Fund may not issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act. "Senior securities" are defined as any bond, debenture, note, or similar obligation or instrument constituting a security and evidencing indebtedness, and any Fund obligations that have a priority over the Fund's shares with respect to the payment of dividends or the distribution of Fund assets. The 1940 Act prohibits a Fund from issuing senior securities except that the Fund may borrow money in amounts of up to one-third of the Fund's total assets from banks for any purpose. Under the 1940 Act, a Fund is required to maintain continuous asset coverage (that is, total assets including borrowings, less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) of 300% of the amount borrowed. If the 300% asset coverage should decline as a result of market fluctuations or for other reasons, a Fund may be required to sell some of its portfolio holdings within three days (excluding Sundays and holidays) to reduce the debt and restore the 300% asset coverage, even though it may be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint to sell securities at that time. In addition, each Fund also may borrow up to 5% of the Fund's total assets from banks or other lenders for temporary purposes, and these borrowings are not considered senior securities. The issuance of senior securities by a Fund can increase the speculative character of the Fund's outstanding shares through leveraging. Leveraging of a Fund's portfolio through the issuance of senior securities magnifies the potential for gain or loss on monies, because even though the Fund's net assets remain the same, the total risk to investors is increased to the extent of the Fund's gross assets.

Short-Term Instruments

When a Fund experiences large cash inflows through the sale of securities and desirable equity securities that are consistent with the Fund's investment objective, which are unavailable in sufficient quantities or at attractive prices, the Fund may hold short-term investments (or shares of money market mutual funds) for a limited time pending availability of such equity securities. Short-term instruments consist of foreign and domestic: (i) short-term obligations of sovereign governments, their agencies, instrumentalities, authorities or political subdivisions; (ii) other short-term debt securities rated AA or higher by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (S&P;) or Aa or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (Moody's) or, if unrated, of comparable quality in the opinion of the Manager or the applicable subadviser(s); (iii) commercial paper; (iv) bank obligations, including negotiable certificates of deposit, time deposits and bankers' acceptances; and (v) repurchase agreements. At the time a Fund invests in commercial paper, bank obligations, or repurchase agreements, the issuer or the issuer's parent must have outstanding debt rated AA or higher by S&P; or Aa or higher by Moody's, or outstanding commercial paper or bank obligations rated A-1 by S&P; or Prime-1 by Moody's (see Appendix A ). If no such ratings are available, the instrument must be of comparable quality in the opinion of the Manager or the applicable Subadvisers.

Temporary Defensive Policy

Each Fund may, on a temporary basis because of market, economic, political, or other conditions, invest up to 100% of its assets in investment-grade, short-term debt instruments. Such securities may consist of obligations of the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities, and repurchase agreements secured by such instruments; certificates of deposit of domestic banks having capital, surplus, and undivided profits in excess of $100 million; bankers' acceptances of similar banks; commercial paper and other corporate debt obligations.

U.S. Government Obligations

Each Fund may invest in various types of U.S. government obligations. U.S. government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. government and supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. U.S. government obligations differ mainly in the length of their maturity. Treasury bills, the most frequently issued marketable government securities, have a maturity of up to one year and are issued on a discount basis. U.S. government obligations also include securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or instrumentalities, including government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). Some obligations of such agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States or U.S.

14

Treasury guarantees. Other obligations of such agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government are supported by the right of the issuer or guarantor to borrow from the U.S. Treasury. Others are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the agency or instrumentality or only by the credit of the agency or instrumentality issuing the obligation.

In the case of obligations not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including GSEs) where it is not obligated to do so. In addition, U.S. government obligations are subject to fluctuations in market value due to fluctuations in market interest rates. As a general matter, the value of debt instruments, including U.S. government obligations, declines when market interest rates increase and rises when market interest rates decrease. Certain types of U.S. government obligations are subject to fluctuations in yield or value due to their structure or contract terms.

Variable-Rate and Floating-Rate Securities

Each Fund may invest in variable-rate and floating-rate securities, which bear interest at rates that are adjusted periodically to market rates. These interest rate adjustments can both raise and lower the income generated by such securities. These changes will have the same effect on the income earned by a Fund depending on the proportion of such securities held. Because the interest rates of variable- rate and floating-rate securities are periodically adjusted to reflect current market rates, the market value of the variable-rate and floating-rate securities is less affected by changes in prevailing interest rates than the market value of securities with fixed interest rates. The market value of variable-rate and floating-rate securities usually tends toward par (100% of face value) at interest rate adjustment time.

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. In addition, variable- and floating-rate securities are subject to the risk of loss of principal and income. Although borrowers frequently provide collateral to secure repayment of these obligations, they do not always do so and these securities may be unsecured. If borrowers do provide collateral, the value of the collateral may not completely cover the borrower's obligations at the time of a default. If a borrower files for protection from its creditors under bankruptcy laws, these laws may limit a Fund's rights to its collateral. In the event of a bankruptcy, the holder of a variable- or floating-rate loan may not recover its principal, may experience a long delay in recovering its investment, and may not receive interest during the delay.

Warrants

To the extent that such investments are consistent with its investment objective, each Fund may invest in warrants. However, with respect to the Nasdaq-100 Index Fund, it may invest up to 5% of its net assets in warrants. Warrants represent rights to purchase securities at a specific price valid for a specific period of time. The prices of warrants do not necessarily correlate with the prices of the underlying securities. Each Fund may only purchase warrants on securities in which the Fund may invest directly.

When-Issued and Delayed-Delivery Securities

Each Fund may invest in debt securities offered on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis or for delayed draws of loas; that is, delivery of and payment for the securities take place after the date of the commitment to purchase, normally within 45 days. The payment obligation and the interest rate that will be received on the securities are each fixed at the time the buyer enters into the commitment. A Fund receives a commitment fee for delayed draws on loans. A Fund may sell these securities before the settlement date if it is deemed advisable.

Debt securities purchased on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis are subject to changes in value in the same way as other debt securities held in the Funds' portfolios; that is, both generally experience appreciation when interest rates decline and depreciation when interest rates rise. The value of such securities also will be affected by the public's perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and anticipated changes in the level of interest rates. Purchasing securities on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis involves a risk that the yields available in the market when the delivery takes place may actually be higher than those obtained in the transaction itself. To ensure that a Fund will be able to meet its obligation to pay for when-issued or delayed-delivery securities and delayed-draws on loan commitments at the time of settlement, it will segregate cash or liquid securities at least equal to the amount of the when-issued or delayed-delivery commitments. The segregated securities are valued at market, and any necessary adjustments are made to keep the value of the cash and/or segregated securities at least equal to the amount of such commitments by a Fund.

On the settlement date of the when-issued or delayed-delivery securities or for delayed draws on loans, a Fund will meet its obligations from then available cash, sale of segregated securities, sale of other securities, or sale of the when-issued or delayed- delivery securities themselves (which may have a value greater or less than the Fund's payment obligations). The availability of liquid assets for this purpose and the effect of asset segregation on a Fund's ability to meet its current obligations, to honor requests for redemption, and to otherwise manage its investment portfolio will limit the extent to which the Fund may purchase when-issued and delayed-delivery securities. A Fund may realize a capital gain or loss in connection with such transactions.

15

The following is provided as additional information with respect to the Nasdaq-100 Index Fund.

Index Futures Contracts

Futures contracts are contracts to purchase or sell a fixed amount of an underlying instrument, commodity, or index at a fixed time and place in the future. U.S. futures contracts have been designed by exchanges that have been designated "contracts markets" by the CFTC, and must be executed through a futures commission merchant, or brokerage firm, which is a member of the relevant contract market. Futures contracts trade on a number of exchanges and clear through their clearing corporations. Each Fund may enter into contracts for the purchase or sale for future delivery of their index.

At the same time a futures contract on the index is entered into, the Fund must allocate cash or securities as a deposit payment (initial margin). Daily thereafter, the futures contract is valued and the payment of "variation margin" may be required, since each day the Fund would provide or receive cash that reflects any decline or increase in the contract's value.

Although futures contracts (other than those that settle in cash) by their terms call for the actual delivery or acquisition of the instrument underlying the contract, in most cases the contractual obligation is fulfilled by offset before the date of the contract without having to make or take delivery of the instrument underlying the contract. The offsetting of a contractual obligation is accomplished by entering into an opposite position in the identical futures contract on a commodities exchange on which the futures contract was entered into (or a linked exchange). Such a transaction, which is effected through a member of an exchange, cancels the obligation to make or take delivery of the instrument underlying the contract. Since all transactions in the futures market are made, offset, or fulfilled through a clearinghouse associated with the exchange on which the contracts are traded, a Fund will incur brokerage fees when it purchases or sells futures contracts.

The ordinary spreads between prices in the cash and futures market, due to differences in the nature of those markets, are subject to distortions. First, all participants in the futures market are subject to initial deposit and variation margin requirements. Rather than meeting additional variation margin requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions which could distort the normal relationship between the cash and futures markets. Second, the liquidity of the futures market depends on most participants entering into offsetting transactions rather than making or taking delivery. To the extent that many participants decide to make or take delivery, liquidity in the futures market could be reduced, thus producing distortion. Third, from the point of view of speculators, the margin deposit requirements in the futures market are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities market. Therefore, increased participation by speculators in the futures market may cause temporary price distortions. Due to the possibility of distortion, a correct forecast of securities price trends by Northern Trust Investments (NTI) may still not result in a successful transaction.

In addition, futures contracts entail risks. Although NTI believes that use of such contracts will benefit each Fund, investments in futures contracts may cause a Fund to realize gains and losses for federal income tax purposes that would not otherwise be realized if the Fund invested directly in the underlying securities. As a result, this investment technique may increase the amount, or accelerate the timing of taxable distributions.

Options on Index Futures Contracts

The Fund may purchase and write options on futures contracts with respect to their Indices. The purchase of a call option on an index futures contract is similar in some respects to the purchase of a call option on such an index. For example, when a Fund is not fully invested it may purchase a call option on an index futures contract to hedge against a market advance.

The writing of a call option on a futures contract with respect to an index may constitute a partial offset against declining prices of the underlying securities that are deliverable upon exercise of the futures contract. If the futures price at expiration of the option is below the exercise price, a Fund will retain the full amount of the option premium that provides a partial offset against any decline which may have occurred in the Fund's holdings. The writing of a put option on an index futures contract may constitute a partial offset against increasing prices of the underlying securities that are deliverable upon exercise of the futures contract. If the futures price at expiration of the option is higher than the exercise price, a Fund will retain the full amount of the option premium, which provides a partial offset against any increase in the price of securities that the Fund intends to purchase. If a put or call option a Fund has written is exercised, the Fund will incur a loss that will be reduced by the amount of the premium it receives. Depending on the degree of correlation between changes in the value of its portfolio securities and changes in the value of its futures positions, a Fund's losses from existing options on futures may to some extent be reduced or increased by changes in the value of portfolio securities.

The purchase of a put option on a futures contract with respect to an index is similar in some respects to the purchase of protective put options on the Index. For example, a Fund may purchase a put option on an index futures contract to hedge against the risk of lowering securities values.

The amount of risk a Fund assumes when it purchases an option on a futures contract with respect to an index is the premium paid for the option plus related transaction costs. In addition to the correlation risks discussed above, the purchase of such an option also entails the risk that changes in the value of the underlying futures contract will not be fully reflected in the value of the option

16

purchased. The amount of risk the Fund assumes when it writes an option on a futures contract with respect to an index is theoretically unlimited, but it is reduced by the amount of the premium received for the option less related transaction costs.

Options on Securities Indexes

The Fund may write (sell) covered call and put options to a limited extent on its index ("covered options") in an attempt to increase income. Such options give the holder the right to receive a cash settlement during the term of the option based upon the difference between the exercise price and the value of the index. The Fund may forgo the benefits of appreciation on the Index or may pay more than the market price of the Index pursuant to call and put options written by the Fund.

By writing a covered call option, a Fund forgoes, in exchange for the premium less the commission (net premium), the opportunity to profit during the option period from an increase in the market value of the index above the exercise price. By writing a covered put option, the Fund, in exchange for the net premium received, accepts the risk of a decline in the market value of the index below the exercise price.

The Fund may terminate its obligation as the writer of a call or put option by purchasing an option with the same exercise price and expiration date as the option previously written.

When the Fund writes an option, an amount equal to the net premium received by the Fund is included in the liability section of the Fund's Statement of Assets and Liabilities as a deferred credit. The amount of the deferred credit will be subsequently marked to market to reflect the current market value of the option written. The current market value of a traded option is the last sale price or, in the absence of a sale, the mean between the closing bid and asked price. If an option expires on its stipulated expiration date or if a Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction, the Fund will realize a gain (or loss if the cost of a closing purchase transaction exceeds the premium received when the option was sold), and the deferred credit related to such option will be eliminated. If a call option is exercised, a Fund will realize a gain or loss from the sale of the underlying security and the proceeds of the sale will be increased by the premium originally received. The writing of covered call options may be deemed to involve the pledge of the securities against which the option is being written. Securities against which call options are written will be segregated on the books of the custodian for a Fund.

The Fund may purchase call and put options on its index. A Fund would normally purchase a call option in anticipation of an increase in the market value of the index. The purchase of a call option would entitle a Fund, in exchange for the premium paid, to purchase the underlying securities at a specified price during the option period. A Fund would ordinarily have a gain if the value of the securities increased above the exercise price sufficiently to cover the premium and would have a loss if the value of the securities remained at or below the exercise price during the option period.

The Fund would normally purchase put options in anticipation of a decline in the market value of its index (protective puts). The purchase of a put option would entitle a Fund, in exchange for the premium paid, to sell, the underlying securities at a specified price during the option period. The purchase of protective puts is designed merely to offset or hedge against a decline in the market value of the Index. A Fund would ordinarily recognize a gain if the value of the index decreased below the exercise price sufficiently to cover the premium and would recognize a loss if the value of the Index remained at or above the exercise price. Gains and losses on the purchase of protective put options would tend to be offset by countervailing changes in the value of the index.

The Fund has adopted certain other non-fundamental policies concerning index option transactions that are discussed below. Each Fund's activities in index options also may be restricted by the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, (the Code) for qualification as a "regulated investment company." See "Tax Considerations."

The hours of trading for options on an index may not conform to the hours during which the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the option markets close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and rate movements can take place in the underlying securities markets that cannot be reflected in the option markets. It is impossible to predict the volume of trading that may exist in such options, and there can be no assurance that viable exchange markets will develop or continue.

Because options on securities indices require settlement in cash, NTI "� may be forced to liquidate portfolio securities to meet settlement obligations.

Obligations of Foreign Governments, Banks, and Corporations

The Fund may invest in U.S. dollar-denominated short-term obligations issued or guaranteed by one or more foreign governments or any of their political subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities that are determined by its Manager to be of comparable quality to the other obligations in which that Fund may invest. To the extent that such investments are consistent with its investment objective, each Fund also may invest in debt obligations of supranational entities. Supranational entities include international organizations designated or supported by governmental entities to promote economic reconstruction or development and international banking institutions and related government agencies. Examples include the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank), the European Coal and Steel Community, the Asian Development Bank, and the InterAmerican Development Bank. The percentage of a

17

Fund's assets invested in obligations of foreign governments and supranational entities will vary depending on the relative yields of such securities, the economic and financial markets of the countries in which the investments are made, and the interest rate climate of such countries. Each Fund also may invest a portion of its total assets in high-quality, short-term (one year or less) debt obligations of foreign branches of U.S. banks or U.S. branches of foreign banks that are denominated in and pay interest in U.S. dollars.

Security Substitution

At times when a corporate action involving a constituent is pending, an arbitrage opportunity may exist. For example, if a constituent is acquiring another company (which may or may not be an index constituent) for stock, the target company may be trading at a discount to the acquiring company, given the conditions of the deal and the market. In this case, value may be added to a Fund by purchasing the target company stock in anticipation of the acquisition and corresponding exchange of the target company stock for the acquiring company stock. The Fund would effectively increase in weighting of the acquiring company in line with the holding's increased weighting in the index at a price lower than that of the acquiring company's stock.

The following is provided as additional information with respect to the Ultra Short-Term Bond Fund.

Adjustable-Rate Securities

The Fund may invest in adjustable-rate securities. The interest rate on an adjustable-rate security fluctuates periodically. Generally, the security's yield is based on a U.S. dollar-based interest-rate benchmark such as the Federal Funds Rate, the 90-day U.S. Treasury bill rate, or the London Interbank Offered Rate (sometimes referred to as LIBOR). The yields of these securities are reset on a periodic basis (for example, daily, weekly, or quarterly) or upon a change in the benchmark interest rate. The yields are closely correlated to changes in money market interest rates.

Asset-Backed Securities (ABS)

The Fund may invest in ABS. ABS represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, a stream of payments generated by particular assets, such as credit card, motor vehicle, or trade receivables. They may be pass-through certificates, which have characteristics very similar to mortgage-backed securities, discussed above. Such pass-through certificates may include equipment trust certificates (ETC) secured by specific equipment, such as airplanes and railroad cars. ETC securities also may be enhanced by letters of credit. An ABS also may be in the form of asset-backed commercial paper, which is issued by a special purpose entity, organized solely to issue the commercial paper and to purchase interests in the assets.

The credit quality of ABS depends primarily on the quality of the underlying assets, the rights of recourse available against the underlying assets and/or the issuer, the level of credit enhancement, if any, provided for the securities, and the credit quality of the credit-support provider, if any. To lessen the effect of failures by obligors on underlying assets to make payments, the securities may contain elements of credit support which fall into two categories: (i) liquidity protection and (ii) protection against losses resulting from ultimate default by an obligor on the underlying assets. Liquidity protection refers to the provision of advances, generally by the entity administering the pool of assets, to ensure that the receipt of payments on the underlying pool occurs in a timely fashion. Protection against losses resulting from ultimate default ensures payment through insurance policies or letters of credit obtained by the issuer or sponsor from third parties. The Fund will not pay any additional or separate fees for credit support. The degree of credit support provided for each issue is generally based on historical information respecting the level of credit risk associated with the underlying assets. Delinquency or loss in excess of that anticipated or failure of the credit support could adversely affect the return on an investment in such a security. In addition, the risk of default by borrowers is greater during times of rising interest rates and/or unemployment rates and generally is higher in the case of asset pools that include subprime assets.

On occasion, the pool of assets also may include a swap obligation, which is used to change the cash flows on the underlying assets. As an example, a swap may be used to allow floating-rate assets to back a fixed-rate obligation. Credit quality depends primarily on the quality of the underlying assets, the level of credit support, if any, provided by the structure or by a third-party insurance wrap, and the credit quality of the swap counterparty, if any.

ABS may be subject to interest rate risk and prepayment risk. In a period of declining interest rates, borrowers may prepay the underlying assets more quickly than anticipated, thereby reducing the yield to maturity and the average life of the ABS. Moreover, when a Fund reinvests the proceeds of a prepayment in these circumstances, it will likely receive a rate of interest that is lower than the rate on the security that was prepaid. In a period of rising interest rates, prepayments of the underlying assets may occur at a slower than expected rate, creating maturity extension risk. This particular risk may effectively change a security that was considered short- or intermediate-term at the time of purchase into a longer term security. Since the value of longer-term securities generally fluctuates more widely in response to changes in interest rates than does the value of shorter term securities, maturity extension risk could increase the volatility of a Fund.

The weighted average life of such securities is likely to be substantially shorter than their stated final maturity as a result of scheduled principal payments and unscheduled principal prepayments.

18

Bonds

The Fund may invest in bonds, which are fixed or variable-rate debt obligations, including bills, notes, debentures, money market instruments and similar instruments and securities. Mortgage and ABS are types of bonds, and certain types of income-producing, non-convertible preferred stocks may be treated as bonds for investment purposes. Bonds generally are used by corporations, governments and other issuers to borrow money from investors. The issuer pays the investor a fixed or variable rate of interest and normally must repay the amount borrowed on or before maturity. Many preferred stocks and some bonds are "perpetual" in that they have no maturity date. Bonds are subject to interest rate risk and credit risk. Interest rate risk generally is the risk that interest rates will rise and that, as a result, bond prices will fall, lowering the value of a fund's investments in bonds. In general, bonds having longer durations are more sensitive to interest rate changes than are bonds with shorter durations. Credit risk generally is the risk that an issuer may be unable or unwilling to pay interest and/or principal on the bond. Credit risk can be affected by many factors, including adverse changes in the issuer's own financial condition or in economic conditions.

Commodity-linked Notes

The Fund may invest in commodity-linked notes, which are a type of structured note. Commodity-linked notes are privately negotiated structured debt securities linked to the return of an index such as the Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index Total Return, which is representative of the commodities market. They are available from a limited number of approved counterparties, and all invested amounts are exposed to the dealer's credit risk. As such, commodity-linked notes also are subject to counterparty risk. Commodity-linked notes may be leveraged. For example, if a fund invests $100 in a three-times leveraged commodity-linked note, it will exchange $100 principal with the dealer to obtain $300 exposure to the commodities market because the value of the note will change by a magnitude of three for every percentage point change (positive or negative) in the value of the underlying index. This means a $100 note would be worth $70 if the commodity index decreased by 10 percent.

Investments linked to the prices of commodities, including commodity-linked notes, are considered speculative. The values of commodity-linked notes are affected by events that might have less impact on the values of stocks and bonds. Prices of commodities and related contracts may fluctuate significantly over short periods due to a variety of factors, including changes in supply and demand relationships, weather, agriculture, fiscal, and exchange control programs, disease, pestilence, and international economic, political, military and regulatory developments. In addition, the commodity markets may be subject to temporary distortions and other disruptions due to, among other factors, lack of liquidity, the participation of speculators, and government regulation and other actions. These circumstances could adversely affect the value of the commodity-linked notes and make commodity-linked notes more volatile than other types of investments. Investments in commodity-linked notes may have substantial risks, including risk of loss of a significant portion of their principal value. They also can have tax risks.

Convertible Securities

The Fund may invest in convertible securities, that is, bonds, notes, debentures, preferred stocks, and other securities which are convertible into common stock. Investments in convertible securities can provide an opportunity for capital appreciation and/or income through interest and dividend payments by virtue of their conversion or exchange features.

The convertible securities in which a Fund may invest are either fixed income or zero coupon debt securities that may be converted or exchanged at a stated or determinable exchange ratio into underlying shares of common stock. The exchange ratio for any particular convertible security may be adjusted from time to time due to stock splits, dividends, spin-offs, other corporate distributions, or scheduled changes in the exchange ratio. Convertible debt securities and convertible preferred stocks, until converted, have general characteristics similar to both debt and equity securities. Although to a lesser extent than with debt securities generally, the market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, tends to increase as interest rates decline. In addition, because of the conversion or exchange feature, the market value of convertible securities typically changes as the market value of the underlying common stocks changes, and, therefore, also tends to follow movements in the general market for equity securities. A unique feature of convertible securities is that as the market price of the underlying common stock declines, convertible securities tend to trade increasingly on a yield basis, and so may not experience market value declines to the same extent as the underlying common stock. When the market price of the underlying common stock increases, the prices of the convertible securities tend to rise as a reflection of the value of the underlying common stock, although typically not as much as the underlying common stock. While no securities investments are without risk, investments in convertible securities generally entail less risk than investments in common stock of the same issuer.

As debt securities, convertible securities are investments that provide for a stream of income (or in the case of zero coupon securities, accretion of income) with generally higher yields than common stocks. Convertible securities generally offer lower yields than non- convertible securities of similar quality because of their conversion or exchange features. Of course, like all debt securities, there can be no assurance of income or principal payments because the issuers of the convertible securities may default on their obligations.

Convertible securities generally are subordinated to other similar but non-convertible securities of the same issuer, although convertible bonds, as corporate debt obligations, enjoy seniority in right of payment to all equity securities, and convertible preferred

19

stock is senior to common stock of the same issuer. However, because of the subordination feature, convertible bonds and convertible preferred stock typically have lower ratings than similar non-convertible securities. Convertible securities may be issued as fixed income obligations that pay current income or as zero coupon notes and bonds, including Liquid Yield Option Notes (LYONs).

Equity-linked Structured Notes

The Fund may invest in equity-linked structured notes, which are derivative securities specifically designed to combine the characteristics of one or more underlying securities and their equity derivatives in a single note form. The return and/or yield or income component may be based on the performance of the underlying equity securities, an equity index, and/or option positions. Equity-linked structured notes are typically offered in limited transactions by financial institutions in either registered or non- registered form. An investment in equity-linked notes creates exposure to the credit risk of the issuing financial institution, as well as to the market risk of the underlying securities. There is no guaranteed return of principal with these securities and the appreciation potential of these securities may be limited by a maximum payment or call right. In certain cases, equity-linked notes may be more volatile and less liquid than less complex securities or other types of fixed-income securities. Such securities may exhibit price behavior that does not correlate with other fixed-income securities.

Emerging Markets Debt

The Fund may invest in Brady Bonds, which are securities created through a restructuring plan introduced by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Nicholas Brady (the Brady Plan). The Brady Plan made provisions whereby existing commercial bank loans to both public and private entities in selected developing countries are exchanged for Brady Bonds. These bonds may be denominated in other currencies, but are usually denominated in U.S. dollars. Brady Bonds are actively traded in over-the-counter markets. As the markets for these securities have from time to time been subject to disruption, the Manager and applicable Subadviser will monitor, on a continuous basis, the liquidity of Brady Bonds held in a Fund's portfolio.

Eurodollar and Yankee Obligations

The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in Eurodollar obligations or Yankee obligations. Eurodollar obligations are dollar- denominated instruments that have been issued outside the U.S. capital markets by foreign corporations and financial institutions and by foreign branches of U.S. corporations and financial institutions. Yankee obligations are dollar-denominated instruments that have been issued by foreign issuers in the U.S. capital markets.

Eurodollar and Yankee obligations are subject to the same risks that pertain to domestic issues, notably credit risk, market risk, and liquidity risk. Additionally, Eurodollar (and to a limited extent, Yankee) obligations are subject to certain sovereign risks. One such risk is the possibility that a sovereign country might prevent capital, in the form of dollars, from leaving the country. Other risks include: adverse political and economic developments; the extent and quality of government regulation of financial markets and institutions; the imposition of foreign withholding taxes; and expropriation or nationalization of foreign issuers. However, Eurodollar and Yankee obligations will undergo the same type of credit analysis as domestic issues in which a Fund invests, and will have at least the same financial strength as the domestic issuers approved for a Fund.

Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)

The Fund may invest in ETFs, which are, with a few exceptions, open-end investment companies that trade throughout the day. Almost all ETFs trade on stock exchanges and typically track a market index or specific sectors of the stock or bond markets. Because they trade like a stock, they offer trading flexibility desired by both individuals and institutions. The value of the underlying securities held by an ETF is a major factor in determining an ETF's price. However, ETFs do not necessarily trade at the net asset values of their underlying securities. The price of an ETF also is determined by supply and demand and, as a result, the share price of an ETF may trade at a premium or discount to its NAV.

To the extent a Fund invests in ETFs, it will be exposed to the same risks of the ETFs' holdings as the ETFs themselves in direct proportion to the allocation of the Fund's assets among those ETFs. You also will indirectly bear fees and expenses charged b y the ETFs in which the Fund invests in addition to the Fund's direct fees and expenses. In addition, each ETF typically is a "passive investor" and therefore invests in the securities and sectors contained in the index it seeks to track without regard for or analysis of the prospects of such securities or sectors. An ETF may invest in all of the securities in such index or in a representative sample of such securities. ETFs generally do not attempt to take defensive positions in volatile or declining markets or under other conditions. Furthermore, ETFs usually are not able to duplicate exactly the performance of the underlying indexes they track. The difference in performance between an ETF and the index it seeks to track can be due to, among other factors, the expenses that the ETF pays, regulatory constraints, investment strategies, or techniques undertaken by the ETF, and changes to an underlying index. There also may be a lack of correlation between the securities in an index and those actually held by an ETF. The performance of a fund that invests in such an ETF could be adversely impacted. In addition, although the ETFs are generally listed on securities exchanges, there can be no assurances that an active trading market for such ETFs will be maintained. Secondary market trading in the ETFs also may be halted by a national securities exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. There can be no assurances that the requirement necessary to maintain the listing of the ETFs will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.

20

Exchange-Traded Notes (ETNs)

The Fund may invest in ETNs, which are a type of unsecured, unsubordinated debt security. ETNs are generally notes representing debt of the issuer. This type of debt security differs from other types of bonds and notes because ETN returns are based upon the performance of a market index minus applicable fees, no period coupon payments are distributed, and no principal protection exist. The purpose of ETNs is to create a type of security that combines the aspects of both bonds and ETFs. Similar to ETFs, ETNs are traded on a major exchange ( i.e. NYSE) during normal trading hours. However, investors also can hold the debt security until maturity. At that time, the issuer will give the investor a cash amount that would be equal to principal amount (subject to t he day's index factor). One factor that affects the ETN's value is the credit rating of the issuer. The value of an ETN also may be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying commodities or securities markets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer's credit rating and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced commodity or security. A Fund's decision to sell its ETN holdings also may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. If a Fund must sell some or all of its ETN holdings and the secondary market is weak, it may have to sell such holdings at a discount. There may be restrictions on a Fund's right to redeem its investment in an ETN, which are generally meant to be held until maturity. ETNs are subject to counterparty credit risk and fixed income risk. ETNs also are subject to tax risk. No assurance can be given that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will accept, or a court will uphold, how a Fund characterizes and treats ETNs for federal income tax purposes. Further, the Congress and IRS may consider proposals that would change the timing of recognition and tax character of income and gains from ETNs.

Foreign Securities

The Fund may invest in foreign securities purchased in either foreign (non-dollar denominated) or U.S. markets, including ADRs, EDRs, and GDRs. Investing in foreign securities poses unique risks: currency exchange rate fluctuations; foreign market illiquidity; emerging markets risk; increased price volatility; exchange control regulations; foreign ownership limits; different accounting, reporting, and disclosure requirements; political or social instability, including policies of foreign governments which may affect their respective equity markets; foreign taxation requirements including withholding taxes; and difficulties in obtaining legal judgments. In the past, equity and debt instruments of foreign markets have been more volatile than equity and debt instruments of U.S. securities markets.

Any such investments will be made in compliance with U.S. and foreign currency restrictions, tax laws, and laws limiting the amount and types of foreign investments. Pursuit of the Funds' investment objectives will involve currencies of the United States and of foreign countries. Consequently, changes in exchange rates, currency convertibility, and repatriation requirements may favorably or adversely affect the Funds.

ADRs may be available through "sponsored" or "unsponsored" facilities. A sponsored facility is established jointly by a depositary and the issuer of the security underlying the receipt. An unsponsored facility may be established by a depositary without participation by the issuer of the security underlying the receipt. There are greater risks associated with holding unsponsored depositary receipts. For example, if the Fund holds an unsponsored depositary receipt, it will generally bear all of the costs of establishing the unsponsored facility. In addition, the depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited security. Whether a sponsored or unsponsored facility, there is no assurance that either would pass through to the holders of the receipts voting rights with respect to the deposited securities.

Forward Currency Contracts

The Fund may enter into forward currency contracts in order to protect against uncertainty in the level of future foreign exchange rates. A forward contract involves an agreement to purchase or sell a specific currency at a specified future date or over a specified time period at a price set at the time of the contract. Forward currency contracts seek to protect against uncertainty in the level of future foreign exchange rates. These contracts are usually traded directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. A forward contract generally has no deposit requirements, and no commissions are charged.

A Fund may enter into forward currency contracts under two circumstances. First, when a Fund enters into a contract for the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency, it may desire to "lock in" the U.S. dollar price of the security until settlement. By entering into such a contract, a Fund will be able to protect itself against a possible loss resulting from an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the foreign currency from the date the security is purchased or sold to the date on which payment is made or received. Second, when management of a Fund believes that the currency of a specific country may deteriorate relative to the U.S. dollar, it may enter into a forward contract to sell that currency. A Fund may not hedge with respect to a particular currency for an amount greater than the aggregate market value (determined at the time of making any sale of forward currency) of the securities held in its portfolio denominated or quoted in, or bearing a substantial correlation to, such currency.

The use of forward contracts involves certain risks. The precise matching of contract amounts and the value of securities involved generally will not be possible since the future value of such securities in currencies more than likely will change between the date the contract is entered into and the date it matures. The projection of short-term currency market movements is extremely difficult and

21

successful execution of a short-term hedging strategy is uncertain. Under normal circumstances, consideration of the prospect for currency parities will be incorporated into the longer term investment strategies. The Manager or the applicable Subadviser(s) believes it is important, however, to have the flexibility to enter into such contracts when it determines it is in the best interest of the Funds to do so. It is impossible to forecast what the market value of portfolio securities will be at the expiration of a contract. Accordingly, it may be necessary for a Fund to purchase additional currency (and bear the expense of such purchase) if the market value of the security is less than the amount of currency a Fund is obligated to deliver and if a decision is made to sell the security and make delivery of the currency. Conversely, it may be necessary to sell some of the foreign currency received on the sale of the portfolio security if its market value exceeds the amount of currency a Fund is obligated to deliver. A Fund is not required to enter into such transactions and will not do so unless deemed appropriate by the Manager or the applicable Subadviser(s).

Although the Fund values its assets each business day in terms of U.S. dollars, they do not intend to convert their foreign currencies into U.S. dollars on a daily basis. They will do so from time to time, and shareholders should be aware of currency conversion costs. Although foreign exchange dealers do not charge a fee for conversion, they do realize a profit based on the difference (spread) between the prices at which they are buying and selling various currencies. Thus, a dealer may offer to sell a foreign currency to a Fund at one rate, while offering a lesser rate of exchange should a Fund desire to resell that currency to the dealer.

Forward contracts in which a Fund may engage include foreign exchange forwards. The consummation of a foreign exchange forward may require the actual exchange of the principal amounts of the two currencies in the contract ( i.e., settlement on a physical basis); however, in some cases, a foreign exchange forward may settle on a cash basis. Because most foreign exchange forwards are physically settled through an exchange of currencies, they are traded in the interbank market directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. A foreign exchange forward generally has no deposit requirement, and no commissions are charged at any stage for trades; foreign exchange dealers realize a profit based on the difference (the spread) between the prices at which they are buying and the prices at which they are selling various currencies. When a Fund enters into a foreign exchange forward, it relies on the counterparty to make or take delivery of the underlying currency at the maturity of the contract. Failure by the counterparty to do so would result in the loss of any expected benefit of the transaction. A Fund may be required to obtain the currency that it must deliver under the foreign exchange forward through the sale of portfolio securities denominated in such currency or through conversion of other assets of a Fund into such currency.

Forward contracts in which a Fund may engage also include non-deliverable forwards (NDFs). NDFs are cash-settled, short-term forward contracts on foreign currencies (each a Reference Currency) that are non-convertible and that may be thinly traded or illiquid. NDFs involve an obligation to pay an amount (the Settlement Amount) equal to the difference between the prevailing market exchange rate for the Reference Currency and the agreed upon exchange rate (the NDF Rate), with respect to an agreed notional amount. NDFs have a fixing date and a settlement (delivery) date. The fixing date is the date and time at which the difference between the prevailing market exchange rate and the agreed upon exchange rate is calculated. The settlement (delivery) date is the date by which the payment of the Settlement Amount is due to the party receiving payment.

Although NDFs are similar to foreign exchange forwards, NDFs do not require physical delivery of the Reference Currency on the settlement date. Rather, on the settlement date, the only transfer between the counterparties is the monetary settlement amount representing the difference between the NDF Rate and the prevailing market exchange rate. NDFs typically may have terms from one month up to two years and are settled in U.S. dollars.

NDFs are subject to many of the risks associated with derivatives in general and forward currency transactions, including risks associated with fluctuations in foreign currency and the risk that the counterparty will fail to fulfill its obligations. Although NDFs historically have been traded over-the-counter, in the future, pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, they may be exchange-traded. Under such circumstances, they will be centrally cleared and a secondary market for them will exist. With respect to NDFs that are centrally- cleared, while central clearing is intended to decrease counterparty risk, an investor could lose margin payments it has deposited with the clearing organization as well as the net amount of gains not yet paid by the clearing organization if the clearing organization breaches its obligations under the NDF, becomes insolvent or goes into bankruptcy. In the event of bankruptcy of the clearing organization, the investor may be entitled to the net amount of gains the investor is entitled to receive plus the return of margin owed to it only in proportion to the amount received by the clearing organization's other customers, potentially resulting in losses to the investor. Even if some NDFs remain traded OTC, they will be subject to margin requirements for uncleared swaps and counterparty risk common to other swaps.

Futures Contracts

The Fund may use futures contracts to implement its investment strategy. Futures contracts are publicly traded contracts to buy or sell an underlying asset or group of assets, such as a currency, interest rate or an index of securities, at a future time at a specified price. A contract to buy establishes a long position while a contract to sell establishes a short position.

The purchase of a futures contract on a security or an index of securities normally enables a buyer to participate in the market movement of the underlying asset or index after paying a transaction charge and posting margin in an amount equal to a small percentage of the value of the underlying asset or index. A Fund will initially be required to deposit with the Trust's custodian or the

22

futures commission merchant (FCM) effecting the futures transaction an amount of "initial margin" in cash or securities, as permitted under applicable regulatory policies.

Initial margin in futures transactions is different from margin in securities transactions in that the former does not involve the borrowing of funds by the customer to finance the transaction. Rather, the initial margin is like a performance bond or good faith deposit on the contract. Subsequent payments (called "maintenance or variation margin") to and from the broker will be made on a daily basis as the price of the underlying asset fluctuates. This process is known as "marking to market." For example, when a Fund has taken a long position in a futures contract and the value of the underlying asset has risen, that position will have increased in value and the Fund will receive from the broker a maintenance margin payment equal to the increase in value of the underlying asset. Conversely, when a Fund has taken a long position in a futures contract and the value of the underlying instrument has declined, the position would be less valuable, and a Fund would be required to make a maintenance margin payment to the broker.

At any time prior to expiration of the futures contract, a Fund may elect to close the position by taking an opposite position that will terminate the Fund's position in the futures contract. A final determination of maintenance margin is then made, additional cash is required to be paid by or released to a Fund, and the Fund realizes a loss or a gain. While futures contracts with respect to securities do provide for the delivery and acceptance of such securities, such delivery and acceptance are seldom made.

The risk of loss in trading futures contracts can be substantial because of the low margin deposits required and the high degree of leveraging involved in futures pricing. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may cause an immediate and substantial loss or gain. The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts are: (i) imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the stocks held by a Fund and the prices of futures contracts; and (ii) possible lack of a liquid secondary market for a futures contract and the resulting inability to close a futures position prior to its maturity date. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends on circumstances such as variations in speculative market demand for futures on securities, including technical influences in futures trading, and differences between the financial instruments being hedged and the instruments underlying the standard contracts available for trading in such respects as interest rate levels, maturities, and creditworthiness of issuers.

Global Tactical Asset Allocation Overlay (GTAA) Strategy

In an attempt to enhance the Global Managed Volatility Fund's return, the Fund may employ a GTAA strategy, which is a total return strategy designed to add value by benefiting from short-term and medium-term mispricing within global equity, bond, and currency markets. This strategy will be accomplished by investing the Fund's assets in hedge or other funds that invest in short-term money market instruments and long and short positions in global equity and fixed income exchange-traded futures, currency forward contracts, and other derivative instruments such as swaps.

The GTAA strategy seeks to enhance the Fund's return by shifting investment weightings among global bond and currency markets in an effort to capture short- and medium-term market moves. The end result is a portfolio of bond and currency positions intended to generate returns for the Fund that exceed those that could be achieved without the GTAA strategy, although there can be no guarantee that such result will be achieved. Because the GTAA strategy focuses on short- and medium-term market moves, the strategy in this portfolio is expected to change frequently.

The GTAA strategy invests in options and futures based on any type of security or index, including options and futures traded on foreign exchanges. Some options and futures strategies, including selling futures, buying puts and writing calls, hedge the strategy's investments against price fluctuations. Other strategies, including buying futures, writing puts and buying calls, tend to increase and will broaden the strategy's market exposure. Options and futures may be combined with each other, or with forward contracts, in order to adjust the risk and return characteristics of an overall strategy.

A GTAA strategy also may contain forward currency exchange contracts (agreements to exchange one currency for another at a future date), may buy and sell options and futures contracts relating to foreign currencies, and may purchase securities indexed to foreign currencies. Currency management strategies allow this portion of the portfolio to shift investment exposure from one currency to another or to attempt to profit from anticipated declines in the value of a foreign currency relative to the U.S. dollar. Successful implementation of a GTAA strategy depends on the judgment of the GTAA strategy manager as to the potential risks and rewards of implementing the different types of strategies.

Leveraged Loans

The Fund may invest in leveraged loans. Leveraged loans are a type of bank loan and share many of the characteristics and risks discussed above. Leveraged loans are adjustable-rate bank loans made to companies rated below investment-grade. The interest rates on leveraged loans are reset periodically based upon the fluctuations of a base interest rate (such as the LIBOR) and a "spread" above that base interest rate that represents a risk premium to the lending banks and/or other participating investors. Many bank loans bear an adjustable rate of interest; however, leveraged loans provide for a greater "spread" over the base interest rate than other bank loans because they are considered to represent a greater credit risk. Because they are perceived to represent a greater credit risk, leveraged loans possess certain attributes that are similar to high-yield securities. However, because they are often secured by collateral of the borrower, leveraged loans possess certain attributes that are similar to other bank loans.

23

Loan Interests and Direct Debt Instruments (bank loans)

The Fund may invest in loan interests and direct debt instruments, which are interests in amounts owed by a corporate, governmental, or other borrower to lenders or lending syndicates (in the case of loans and loan participations), to suppliers of goods or services (in the case of trade claims or other receivables), or to other parties. These investments involve a risk of loss in case of the default, insolvency, or bankruptcy of the borrower.

Purchasers of loans and other forms of direct indebtedness depend primarily upon the creditworthiness of the borrower for payment of interest and repayment of principal. If scheduled interest or principal payments are not made, or are not made in a timely manner, the value of the instrument may be adversely affected. Loans that are fully secured provide more protections than unsecured loans in the event of failure to make scheduled interest or principal payments. However, there is no assurance that the liquidation of collateral from a secured loan would satisfy the borrower's obligation, or that the collateral could be liquidated. Indebtedness of borrowers whose creditworthiness is poor involves substantially greater risks and may be highly speculative. Borrowers that are in bankruptcy or restructuring may never pay off their indebtedness, or may pay only a small fraction of the amount owed. Direct indebtedness of developing countries also involves a risk that the governmental entities responsible for the repayment of the debt may be unable, or unwilling, to pay interest and repay principal when due.

Investments in loans through direct assignment of a financial institution's interests with respect to a loan may involve additional risks, such as a loan foreclosure, and costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of the collateral. In addition, it is possible that a purchaser could be held liable as a co-lender. Direct debt instruments also may involve a risk of insolvency of the lending bank or other intermediary.

A loan is often administered by a bank or other financial institution that acts as agent for all holders. The agent administers the terms of the loan, as specified in the loan agreement. Unless the purchaser has direct recourse against the borrower, the purchaser may have to rely on the agent to apply appropriate credit remedies against a borrower under the terms of the loan or other indebtedness. If assets held by the agent for the benefit of a purchaser were determined to be subject to the claims of the agent's general creditors, the purchaser might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on the loan or loan participation and could suffer a loss of principal or interest.

Direct indebtedness may include letters of credit, revolving credit facilities, or other standby financing commitments that obligate purchasers to make additional cash payments on demand. These commitments may have the effect of requiring a purchaser to increase its investment in a borrower at a time when it would not otherwise have done so, even if the borrower's condition makes it unlikely that the amount will ever be repaid.

For purposes of Fund investment limitations, a Fund generally will treat the borrower as the "issuer" of indebtedness held by the Fund. In the case of loan participations where a bank or other lending institution serves as financial intermediary between a fund and the borrower, if the participation does not shift to the Fund the direct debtor-creditor relationship with the borrower, SEC interpretations require the Fund, in some circumstances, to treat both the lending bank or other lending institution and the borrower as "issuers" for purposes of the Fund's investment policies. Treating a financial intermediary as an issuer of indebtedness may restrict a Fund's ability to invest in indebtedness related to a single financial intermediary, or a group of intermediaries engaged in the same industry, even if the underlying borrowers represent many different companies and industries.

Loans may have extended settlement periods. Accordingly, the proceeds from the sale of a loan may not be available to make additional investments or to meet redemption obligations until potentially a substantial period after the sale of the loan. The extended trade settlement periods could force a Fund to liquidate other securities to meet redemptions and may present a risk that the Fund may incur losses in order to timely honor redemptions.

Market Capitalization

Often simply referred to as market cap, is the total value of the tradable shares of a publicly traded company; it is equal to the share price times the number of shares outstanding. As outstanding stock is bought and sold in public markets, capitalization could be used as a proxy for the public opinion of a company's net worth and is a determining factor in some forms of stock valuation. .Preferred shares are not included in the calculation.

Traditionally, companies were divided into large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap. Different numbers are used by different indexes; there is no official definition of, or full consensus agreement about, the exact cutoff values. The cutoffs may be defined as percentiles rather than in nominal dollars. The definitions expressed in nominal dollars need to be adjusted over the decades due to inflation, population change, and overall market valuation (for example, $1 billion was a large market cap in 1950, but it is not very large now), and they may be different for different countries.

Master Demand Notes

The Fund may invest in master demand notes, which are obligations that permit the investment of fluctuating amounts by each Fund, at varying rates of interest using direct arrangements among the Fund, as lender, and the borrower. These notes permit daily changes

24

in the amounts borrowed. Each Fund has the right to increase the amount under the note at any time up to the full amount provided by the note agreement, or to decrease the amount, and the borrower may repay up to the full amount of the note without penalty. Frequently, such obligations are secured by letters of credit or other credit support arrangements provided by banks. Because master demand notes are direct lending arrangements between the lender and borrower, these instruments generally will not be traded, and there generally is no secondary market for these notes, although they are redeemable (and immediately repayable by the borrower) at face value, plus accrued interest, at any time. The Manager will invest a Fund's assets in master demand notes only if the Fund's Board or its delegate has determined that they are of credit quality comparable to the debt securities in which the Fund generally may invest.

Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS)

The Fund may invest in MBS. MBS include, but are not limited to, securities issued by the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae or GNMA), the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). These securities represent ownership in a pool of mortgage loans. They differ from conventional bonds in that principal is paid back to the investor as payments are made on the underlying mortgages in the pool. Accordingly, a Fund receives monthly scheduled payments of principal and interest along with any unscheduled principal prepayments on the underlying mortgages. Because these scheduled and unscheduled principal payments must be reinvested at prevailing interest rates, MBS do not provide an effective means of locking in long-term interest rates for the investor. Like other fixed income securities, when interest rates rise, the value of MBS with prepayment features will generally decline. In addition, when interest rates are declining, the value of MBS with prepayment features may not increase as much as other fixed income securities. The weighted average life of such securities is likely to be substantially shorter than the stated final maturity as a result of scheduled principal payments and unscheduled principal prepayments.

GNMA is a government-owned corporation that is an agency of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It guarantees, with the full faith and credit of the United States, full and timely payment of all monthly principal and interest on its MBS. Until recently, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were government-sponsored corporations owned entirely by private stockholders. Both issue mortgage-related securities that contain guarantees as to timely payment of interest and principal but that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. The value of the companies' securities fell sharply in 2008 due to concerns that the firms did not have sufficient capital to offset losses. The U.S. Treasury has historically had the authority to purchase obligations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In addition, in 2008, due to capitalization concerns, Congress provided the U.S. Treasury with additional authority to lend Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac emergency funds and to purchase the companies' stock, as described below. In September 2008, the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had been placed in conservatorship.

Since 2009, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have received significant capital support through U.S. Treasury preferred stock purchases and Federal Reserve (Fed) purchases of their MBS. While the Fed's purchases have terminated, the U.S. Treasury announced in December 2009 that it would continue its support for the entities' capital as necessary to prevent a negative net worth. Since being placed in conservatorship, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have required U.S. Treasury support of approximately $187.5 billion through draws under the preferred stock purchase agreements. However, they have paid approximately $225.5 billion in dividends. Although Freddie Mac reported a net loss over the third quarter of 2015 of $475 million, niether Fannie Mae nor Freddie Mac has required a draw from the U.S. Treasury since the second quarter of 2012. While Freddie Mac reported that the loss was not a significant indicator of financial weakness, the FHFA stated that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may need an injection of U.S. Treasury capital in the future. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the Fed, U.S. Treasury, or FHFA initiatives will ensure that Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac will remain successful in meeting their obligations with respect to the debt and MBS they issue. Moreover, there remains significant uncertainty as to whether (or when) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will emerge from conservatorship, which has no specified termination date. In addition, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac also are the subject of several continuing class action lawsuits and investigations by federal regulators, which (along with any resulting financial restatements) may adversely affect the guaranteeing entities. The future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is in question as the U.S. government is considering multiple options ranging on a spectrum from significant reform, nationalization, privatization, consolidation, or abolishment of the entities. The problems faced by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that resulted 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. The Obama Administration produced a report to Congress on February 11, 2011, outlining a proposal to wind down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by increasing their guarantee fees, reducing their conforming loan limits (the maximum amount of each loan they are authorized to purchase), and continuing progressive limits on the size of their investment portfolio. Congress is currently considering several pieces of legislation that would reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and possibly wind down their existence, addressing portfolio limits and guarantee fees, among other issues. The potential impact of these developments is unclear, but could cause a Fund to lose money.

Unlike MBS issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or one of the GSEs, MBS issued by private issuers do not have a government or GSE guarantee. Private issuers may purchase various forms of private insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance, to support the timely payment of principal and interest of the underlying mortgage loans.

25

However, there can be no assurance that the private insurers or guarantors can meet their obligations under the insurance policies or guarantee arrangements. In addition, privately issued mortgage-backed securities are not traded on an exchange and there may be a limited market for the securities, especially when there is a perceived weakness in the mortgage and real estate market sectors. Without an active trading market, private MBS may be particularly difficult to value because of the complexities involved in assessing the value of the underlying mortgage loans.

Each Fund also may invest in MBS that include collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs), commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBSs), stripped mortgage-backed securities (SMBSs), interest only commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS IOs), and mortgage dollar rolls.

CMOs are obligations fully collateralized by a portfolio of mortgages or mortgage-related securities. CMOs are divided into pieces (tranches) with varying maturities. The cash flow from the underlying mortgages is used to pay off each tranche separately. CMOs are designed to provide investors with more predictable maturities than regular mortgage securities, but such maturities can be difficult to predict because of the effect of prepayments. Failure to accurately predict prepayments can adversely affect a Fund's return on these investments. CMOs also may be less marketable than other securities.

CMBSs include securities that reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property, such as industrial and warehouse properties, office buildings, retail space and shopping malls, apartments, hotels and motels, nursing homes, hospitals and senior living centers. Many of the risks of investing in CMBSs reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans. These risks reflect the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payments, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants. In addition, commercial properties, particularly industrial and warehouse properties, are subject to environmental risks and the burdens and costs of compliance with environmental laws and regulations. CMBSs may be less liquid and exhibit greater price volatility than other types of mortgage- backed securities.

SMBSs are derivative multi-class mortgage securities. SMBSs may be issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government, or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks, and special purpose entities of the foregoing. SMBSs are usually structured with two classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions on a pool of mortgage assets. A common type of SMBS will have one class receiving some of the interest and most of the principal from the mortgage assets, while the other class will receive most of the interest and the remainder of the principal. In the most extreme case, one class will receive all of the interest (the interest only or "IO" class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only or "PO" class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the related underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on a Fund's yield to maturity from these securities. If the underlying mortgage assets experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, a Fund may fail to recoup some or all of its initial investment in these securities even if the security is in one of the highest rating categories. Although SMBSs are purchased and sold by institutional investors through several investment banking firms acting as brokers or dealers, established trading markets for these types of securities are not as developed and, accordingly, these securities may be deemed "illiquid" and subject to a Fund's limitations on investment in illiquid securities.

CMBS IOs are similar to the SMBS described above, but are contrasted by being backed by loans that have various forms of prepayment protection, which include lock-out provisions, yield maintenance provisions, and prepayment penalties. Therefore, they generally have less prepayment risk than SMBS, and also are less sensitive to interest rate changes. CMBS IOs are subject to default- related prepayments that may have a negative impact on yield.

In mortgage dollar roll transactions, a Fund sells mortgage-backed securities for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contracts to purchase substantially similar securities on a specified future date. While the Fund would forego principal and interest paid on the mortgage-backed securities during the roll period, the Fund would be compensated by the difference between the current sales price and the lower price for the future purchase as well as by any interest earned on the proceeds of the initial sale. At the time a Fund enters into a mortgage dollar roll, it designates on its books and records cash or liquid securities to secure its obligation for the forward commitment to buy mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage dollar roll transactions may be considered a borrowing by a Fund. The mortgage dollar rolls entered into by a Fund may be used as arbitrage transactions in which the Fund will maintain an offsetting position in investment grade debt obligations or repurchase agreements that mature on or before the settlement date on the related mortgage dollar roll. Because a Fund will receive interest on the securities or repurchase agreements in which it invests the transaction proceeds, such transactions may involve leverage.

26

Municipal Lease Obligations

The Fund may invest in municipal lease obligations, which are installment purchase contract obligations, and certificates of participation in such obligations (collectively, lease obligations). Lease obligations do not constitute general obligations of the municipality for which the municipality's taxing power is pledged, although lease obligations are ordinarily backed by a municipality's covenant to budget for the payments due under the lease obligation.

Certain lease obligations contain "non-appropriation" clauses, which provide that the municipality has no obligation to make lease obligation payments in future years unless money is appropriated for such purpose on a yearly basis. Although "non-appropriation" lease obligations are secured by the leased property, disposition of the property in the event of foreclosure might prove difficult. In evaluating a potential investment in such a lease obligation, the Manager or the applicable Subadviser(s) will consider: (1) the credit quality of the obligor; (2) whether the underlying property is essential to a governmental function; and (3) whether the lease obligation contains covenants prohibiting the obligor from substituting similar property if the obligor fails to make appropriations for the lease obligation.

Options on Securities, Securities Indexes, and Futures Contracts

The Fund may purchase and sell options on securities or securities indexes and options on futures contracts to implement its investment strategy. There are two basic types of options: "puts" and "calls." Each type of option can be used to establish either a long or a short position, depending upon whether a Fund is the purchaser or a writer of the option. A call option on a security, for example, gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy, and the writer the obligation to sell, the underlying asset at the exercise price during the option period. Conversely, a put option on a security gives the purchaser the right to sell, and the writer the obligation to buy, the underlying asset at the exercise price during the option period.

Purchased options have limited risk equal to the amount of the premium paid for the option. Such options afford the opportunity for gain corresponding to the increase or decrease in the value of the optioned asset. In general, a purchased put increases in value as the value of the underlying security falls and a purchased call increases in value as the value of the underlying security rises.

The principal reason to write options is to generate extra income (the premium paid by the buyer). Written options have varying degrees of risk. An uncovered written call option theoretically carries unlimited risk, as the market price of the underlying asset could rise far above the exercise price before its expiration. This risk is tempered when the call option is covered, that is, when the option writer owns the underlying asset. In this case, the writer runs the risk of the lost opportunity to participate in the appreciation in value of the asset rather than the risk of an out-of-pocket loss. A written put option has defined risk, that is, the difference between the agreed-upon price that a Fund must pay to the buyer upon exercise of the put and the value, which could be zero, of the asset at the time of exercise.

The obligation of the writer of an option continues until the writer effects a closing purchase transaction or until the option expires, or until the option is expired. To secure its obligation to deliver the underlying asset in the case of a call option, or to pay for the underlying asset in the case of a put option, a covered writer is required to deposit in escrow the underlying security or other assets in accordance with the rules of the applicable clearing corporation and exchanges.

Among the options that a Fund may purchase or sell are options on a securities index. In general, options on an index of securities are similar to options on the securities themselves except that delivery requirements are different. For example, a put option on an index of securities does not give the holder the right to make actual delivery of a basket of securities but instead gives the holder the right to receive an amount of cash upon exercise of the option if the value of the underlying index has fallen below the exercise price. The amount of cash received will be equal to the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the option expressed in dollars times a specified multiple. As with options on equity securities, or futures contracts, a Fund may offset its position in index options prior to expiration by entering into a closing transaction on an exchange or it may let the option expire unexercised.

A securities index assigns relative values to the securities included in the index, and the index options are based on a broad market index. In connection with the use of such options, a Fund may cover its position by identifying assets having a value equal to the aggregate face value of the option position taken.

Indexed Securities are instruments whose prices are indexed to the prices of other securities, securities indices, commodities indices, currencies, precious metals or other commodities, or other financial indicators. Indexed securities typically, but not always, are debt securities or deposits whose value at maturity or coupon rate is determined by reference to a specific instrument or statistic. Inflation- protected securities, for example, can be indexed to a measure of inflation, such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Commodity- indexed securities, for example, can be indexed to a commodities index such as the Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index Total Return.

The performance of indexed securities depends to a great extent on the performance of the security, currency, commodity, or other instrument or measure to which they are indexed, and also may be influenced by interest rate changes in the United States and abroad. Indexed securities may be more volatile than the underlying instruments or measures. Indexed securities also are subject to the credit risks associated with the issuer of the security, and their values may decline substantially if the issuer's creditworthiness deteriorates.

27

Recent issuers of indexed securities have included banks, corporations, the U.S. Treasury, and certain other U.S. government agencies. In calculating a Fund's dividends, index-based adjustments may be considered income.

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 (a long position if the option is a call and a short position if the option is a put) at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option.

Periodic Auction Reset Bonds

The Fund may invest in periodic auction reset bonds. Periodic auction reset bonds are bonds whose interest rates are reset periodically through an auction mechanism. For purposes of calculating the portfolio weighted average maturity of each Fund, the maturity of periodic auction reset bonds will be deemed to be the next interest reset date, rather than the remaining stated maturity of the instrument.

Periodic auction reset bonds, similar to short-term debt instruments, are generally subject to less interest rate risk than long-term fixed rate debt instruments because the interest rate will be periodically reset in a market auction. Periodic auction reset bonds with a long remaining stated maturity ( i.e., ten years or more), however, could have greater market risk than fixed short-term debt instruments, arising from the possibility of auction failure or insufficient demand at an auction, resulting in failure to reset the interest rate to a market rate that would support fair value that approximates par value and in greater price volatility of such instruments compared to fixed short-term bonds.

Preferred Stocks

The Fund may invest in preferred stocks. Preferred stocks represent a class of capital stock. Generally, preferred stock has a specified dividend and ranks after bonds and before common stocks in its claim on income for dividend payments and on assets should the company be liquidated. Preferred stockholders do not ordinarily enjoy any of the voting rights of common stockholders. Most preferred stock is cumulative, meaning that if dividends are passed (not paid for any reason), they accumulate and must be paid before common dividends. Typically, a preferred stock pays a fixed dividend that does not fluctuate, although the company does not have to pay this dividend if it lacks the financial ability to do so. However, an adjustable-rate preferred stock pays a dividend that is adjustable, usually quarterly, based on changes in the Treasury bill rate or other money market rates. A convertible preferred stock is exchangeable for a given number of common shares and thus tends to be more volatile than nonconvertible preferred, which behaves more like a fixed-income bond. The main benefit to owning preferred stock is that the investor has a greater claim on the company's assets than common stockholders. Preferred stockholders always receive their dividends, and in the event the company goes bankrupt are paid off, before common stockholders. A Fund may purchase preferred stock where the issuer has omitted, or is in danger of omitting, payment of its dividend. Such investments would be made primarily for their capital appreciation potential.

Put Bonds

The Fund's assets may be invested in tax-exempt securities (including securities with variable interest rates) that may be redeemed or sold back (put) to the issuer of the security or a third party prior to stated maturity (put bonds). Such securities will normally trade as if maturity is the earlier put date, even though stated maturity is longer. Under a Fund's portfolio allocation procedure, maturity for put bonds is deemed to be the date on which the put becomes exercisable.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in equity securities of REITs, and may be subject to certain risks associated with direct investments in real estate. In addition, each Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the debt and preferred securities of REITs and, therefore, may be subject to certain other risks, such as credit risk, associated with investment in these securities. REITs may be affected by changes in the value of their underlying properties and by defaults by borrowers or tenants. Furthermore, REITs are dependent upon the specialized management skills of their managers and may have limited geographic diversification, thereby subjecting them to risks inherent in financing a limited number of projects. REITs depend generally on their ability to generate cash flow to make distributions to shareholders, and certain REITs have self-liquidation provisions by which mortgages held may be paid in full and distributions of capital returns may be made at any time. A shareholder in a Fund that invests in REITs will bear not only its proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund, but also will bear, indirectly, the management expenses of the underlying REITs.

Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities (STRIPS)

The Fund may invest in STRIPS, which are U.S. Treasury securities that allow the investor to hold and trade the individual interest and principal components of eligible U.S. Treasury notes and bonds as separate securities. STRIPS can only be purchased and held through financial institutions and government securities brokers and dealers. These securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

28

Structured Notes

The Fund may invest in Structured Notes. Structured Notes are derivative debt securities, the interest rate or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator. A structured note may be positively, negatively or both positively and negatively indexed; that is, its value or interest rate may increase or decrease if the value of the reference instrument increases. Similarly, its value may increase or decrease if the value of the reference instrument decreases. Further, the change in the principal amount payable with respect to, or the interest rate of, a structured note may be a multiple of the percentage change (positive or negative) in the value of the underlying reference instrument(s). Structured or indexed securities also may be more volatile, less liquid, and more difficult to accurately price than less complex securities or more traditional debt securities.

Synthetic Instruments

The Fund may invest in tender option bonds, bond receipts, and similar synthetic municipal instruments. A synthetic instrument is a security created by combining an intermediate or long-term municipal bond with a right to sell the instrument back to the remarketer or liquidity provider for repurchase on short notice. This right to sell is commonly referred to as a tender option. Usually, the tender option is backed by a conditional guarantee or letter of credit from a bank or other financial institution. Under its terms, the guarantee may expire if the municipality defaults on payments of interest or principal on the underlying bond, if the credit rating of the municipality is downgraded, or interest on the underlying bond loses its tax-exempt status. Synthetic instruments involve structural risks that could adversely affect the value of the instrument or could result in a Fund's holding an instrument for a longer period of time than originally anticipated. For example, because of the structure of a synthetic instrument, there is a risk that a Fund will not be able to exercise its tender option.

Swap Arrangements

The Fund may enter into various forms of swap arrangements with counterparties with respect to interest rates, currency rates or indices, including purchase of caps, floors and collars as described below. Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a few weeks to more than one year. Cleared swaps are transacted through FCMs that are members of central clearinghouses with the clearinghouse serving as a central counterparty similar to transactions in futures contracts.

In an interest rate swap a Fund could agree for a specified period to pay a bank or investment banker the floating rate of interest on a so-called notional principal amount ( i.e ., an assumed figure selected by the parties for this purpose) in exchange for agreement by the bank or investment banker to pay a Fund a fixed rate of interest on the notional principal amount. In a currency swap a Fund would agree with the other party to exchange cash flows based on the relative differences in values of a notional amount of two (or more) currencies; in an index swap, a Fund would agree to exchange cash flows on a notional amount based on changes in the values of the selected indices. The purchase of a cap entitles the purchaser to receive payments from the seller on a notional amount to the extent that the selected index exceeds an agreed upon interest rate or amount whereas the purchase of a floor entitles the purchaser to receive such payments to the extent the selected index falls below an agreed upon interest rate or amount. A collar combines buying a cap and selling a floor.

Most swaps entered into by a Fund will be on a net basis. For example, in an interest rate swap, amounts generated by application of the fixed rate and floating rate to the notional principal amount would first offset one another, with a Fund either receiving or paying the difference between such amounts. In order to be in a position to meet any obligations resulting from swaps, a Fund will set up a segregated custodial account to hold liquid assets, including cash. For swaps entered into on a net basis, assets will be segregated having an NAV equal to any excess of a Fund's accrued obligations over the accrued obligations of the other party; for swaps on other than a net basis, assets will be segregated having a value equal to the total amount of a Fund's obligations. Collateral is treated as illiquid.

Swap agreements historically have been individually negotiated and most swap arrangements are currently traded over-the-counter. Certain standardized swaps currently are, and more in the future will be, centrally cleared and traded on either a swap execution facility or a designated contract market. Cleared swaps are transmitted through futures commission merchants that are members of central clearinghouses with the clearinghouse serving as a central counterparty similar to transactions in futures contracts. Central clearing is expected to decrease counterparty risk and increase liquidity compared to uncleared swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterpart to each participant's swap. However, central clearing does not eliminate counterparty risk or illiquidity risk entirely. For example, swaps that are centrally cleared are subject to the creditworthiness of the clearing organization involved in the transaction. An investor could lose margin payments it has deposited with its futures commission merchant as well as the net amount of gains not yet paid by the clearing organization if the clearing organization becomes insolvent or goes into bankruptcy. In the event of bankruptcy of the clearing organization, the investor may be entitled to the net amount of gains the investor is entitled to receive plus the return of margin owed to it only in proportion to the amount received by the clearing organization's other customers, potentially resulting in losses to the investor. In addition, depending on the size of a portfolio and other factors, the margin required under the rules of a clearinghouse and by a clearing member futures commission merchant may be in excess of the collateral required to be posted by a portfolio to support its obligations under a similar uncleared swap. It is expected,

29

however, that regulators will adopt rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on uncleared swaps in the near future, which could reduce the distinction.

These swap arrangements will be made primarily for hedging purposes, to preserve the return on an investment or on a portion of a Fund's portfolio. However, a Fund may, as noted above, enter into such arrangements for income purposes to the extent permitted by applicable law. In entering into a swap arrangement, a Fund is dependent upon the creditworthiness and good faith of the counterparty. A Fund will attempt to reduce the risk of nonperformance by the counterparty by dealing only with established, reputable institutions. The swap market has grown substantially in recent years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap documentation and in some cases transacting in swaps that are centrally cleared and exchange traded. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid. Certain swap transactions involve more recent innovations for which standardized documentation has not yet been fully developed and generally will not be centrally cleared or traded on an exchange and, accordingly, they are less liquid than traditional swap transactions.

The Fund may enter into interest rate swaps, the use of which is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. If the Manager or the applicable Subadviser(s) is incorrect in its forecasts of market values, interest rates, or other applicable factors, the investment performance of a Fund would diminish compared with what it would have been if these investment techniques were not used. Moreover, even if the Manager or the applicable Subadviser(s) is correct in its forecasts, there is a risk that the swap position may correlate imperfectly with the price of the asset or liability being hedged.

The Fund may enter into credit default swap contracts (CDSs) for investment purposes. If a 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 by a third party, such as a U.S. or foreign corporate issuer, on the debt obligation. In return, a 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, a Fund would keep the stream of payments and would have no payment obligations. As the seller, a Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap in that the Fund would have to pay the buyer the full par (or other agreed upon) value of the referenced debt obligation even though such obligation went into default. As seller, a Fund is not required to remain in the CDS contract until default or maturity and could terminate the contract and incur a realized gain or loss.

The Fund also may purchase CDS contracts in order to hedge against the risk of default of debt securities it holds, in which case the Fund would function as the counterparty referenced above. This would involve the risk that the swap may expire worthless and would only generate income in the event of an actual default by the issuer of the underlying obligation (as opposed to a credit downgrade or other indication of financial instability). It also would involve credit risk; the seller may fail to satisfy its payment obligations to the Fund in the event of a default. As buyer, a Fund is not required to remain in the CDS contract until default or maturity and could terminate the contract and incur a realized gain or loss.

The swaps market was largely unregulated prior to the enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act. The Dodd-Frank Act has changed the way the U.S. swap market is supervised and regulated. Developments in the swaps market under final implementing regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act will adversely affect a Fund's ability to enter into certain swaps in the over-the-counter market (and requires that certain of such instruments be exchange-traded and centrally cleared). Dodd-Frank Act developments also could adversely affect a Fund's ability to support swap trades with collateral, terminate new or existing swap agreements, or realize amounts to be received under such instruments. Regulations that are being developed by the CFTC and banking regulators will require a Fund to post margin on over-the-counter swaps, and clearing organizations and exchanges require minimum margin requirements for exchange-traded and cleared swaps. These changes under the Dodd-Frank Act may increase the cost of a Fund's swap investments, which could adversely affect Fund investors.

Tax-Exempt Securities

The Fund may invest in tax-exempt securities, which include the following: general obligation bonds, which are secured by the issuer's pledge of its faith, credit, and taxing power for the payment of principal and interest; revenue bonds, which are payable from the revenue derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise tax or other specific revenue source, but not from the general taxing power; and certain types of industrial development bonds issued by or on behalf of public authorities to obtain funds for privately operated facilities, provided that the interest paid on such securities qualifies as exempt from federal income tax even though it may be an item of tax preference for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax.

Treasury Inflation-Indexed Securities

The Fund may invest in Treasury inflation-indexed securities (formerly known as "Treasury inflation-protected securities" or "TIPS"), which are U.S. Treasury securities that have been designed to provide a real rate of return after being adjusted over time to reflect the impact of inflation. Their principal value periodically adjusts to account for the rate of inflation. They trade at prevailing real, or after

30

inflation, interest rates. The U.S. Treasury guarantees repayment of at least the face value of these securities in the event of sustained deflation or a drop in prices.

While these securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation (for example, due to changes in currency exchange rates), investors in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the bond's inflation measure. If inflation is lower than expected while a Fund holds TIPS, the Fund may earn less on the TIPS than it would on conventional Treasury bonds.

Variable-Rate Demand Notes (VRDNs)

The Fund may invest in VRDNs, which provide the right to sell the securities at face value on either that day or within a rate-reset period. The interest rate is adjusted at a stipulated daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or other specified time interval to a rate that reflects current market conditions. The effective maturity for these instruments is deemed to be less than 397 days in accordance with detailed SEC regulatory requirements. These interest rate adjustments can both raise and lower the income generated by such securities. These changes will have the same effect on the income earned by a Fund depending on the proportion of such securities held. VRDNs are tax-exempt securities.

Zero Coupon Bonds

The Fund may invest in zero coupon bonds. A zero coupon bond is a security that is sold at a deep discount from its face value ("original issue discount" or OID), makes no periodic interest payments, and is redeemed at face value when it matures. The lump sum payment at maturity increases the price volatility of the zero coupon bond to changes in interest rates when compared to a bond that distributes a semiannual coupon payment. In calculating its income, a Fund accrues the daily amortization of the OID.

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

Certain investment restrictions of the Funds have been adopted as fundamental policies of each Fund. A fundamental policy may not be changed without the approval of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund, as the case may be. A majority of the outstanding voting securities under the 1940 Act, and as used in this SAI and the prospectus, means, the lesser of (1) 67% or more of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund, as the case may be, present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund, as the case may be, are present or represented by proxy or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund, as the case may be. The investment restrictions of one Fund may thus be changed without affecting those of any other Fund.

As a matter of fundamental policy, the Funds:

(1) may not borrow money, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.

(2) may not (except for the Nasdaq-100 Index Fund) purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities) if, as a result, more than 25% of the Fund's total assets would be invested in the securities of companies whose principal business activities are in the same industry. The Nasdaq-100 Index Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that its underlying index concentrates in the stocks of such particular industry or group of industries.

(3) may not issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.

(4) may not underwrite securities of other issuers, except to the extent that it may be deemed to act as a statutory underwriter in the distribution of any restricted securities or not readily marketable securities.

(5) may make loans only as permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder, and any applicable exemptive relief.

(6) may not purchase or sell commodities or commodity contracts unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments issued by persons that purchase or sell commodities or commodities contracts; but this shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing, selling, and entering into financial futures contracts (including futures contracts on indices of securities, interest rates, and currencies), options on financial futures contracts (including futures contracts on indices of securities, interest rates, and currencies), warrants, swaps, forward contracts, foreign currency spot and forward contracts, or other derivative instruments that are not related to physical commodities.

(7) may not purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments, except that each Fund may invest in securities or other instruments backed by real estate or securities of companies that deal in real estate or are engaged in the real estate business.

31

With respect to the Funds' concentration policies as described above, the Manager and Subadviser(s), where applicable, determine "industry" by using various recognized industry classification services including, but not limited to industry classifications established by S&P;, Bloomberg L.P., and Frank Russell Company, with certain modifications. The Manager and Subadviser(s) also may include additional industries as separate classifications, to the extent applicable. Because the Manager has determined that certain categories within, or in addition to, those set forth by S&P; have unique investment characteristics, additional industries may be included as industry classifications. The Manager classifies municipal obligations by projects with similar characteristics, such as toll road revenue bonds, housing revenue bonds, or higher education revenue bonds. In addition, the Fund may not concentrate investments in any one industry, up to, but not including 25% of the value of its total assets in one industry.

Additional Restriction

The following restrictions are not considered to be a fundamental policy of the Funds. The Board may change this additional restriction without notice to or approval by the shareholders.

Each Fund has a policy regarding how 80% of its assets will be invested. The Nasdaq-100 Index Fund has an investment policy that requires it to invest at least 80% of its assets in the common stocks of companies composing the Nasdaq-100 Index. In addition, the Ultra Short-Term Bond Fund has an investment policy that requires it to normally invest at least 80% of its assets in investment- grade debt securities that have a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of 18 months or less. To the extent required by SEC rules, these policies may be changed upon 60 days' written notice to the applicable Fund's shareholders.

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE COMMISSIONS

Nasdaq-100 Index Fund

NTI is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities, futures contracts and options on such securities and futures for the Funds, the selection of brokers, dealers and futures commission merchants to effect transactions and the negotiation of brokerage commissions, if any. Broker-dealers may receive brokerage commissions on portfolio transactions, including options, futures and options on futures transactions and the purchase and sale of underlying securities upon the exercise of options. Orders may be directed to any broker-dealer or futures commission merchant, including to the extent and in the manner permitted by applicable law, NTI or its subsidiaries or affiliates. Purchases and sales of certain portfolio securities on behalf of the Funds are frequently placed by NTI with the issuer or a primary or secondary market-maker for these securities on a net basis, without any brokerage commission being paid by the Funds. Trading does, however, involve transaction costs. Transactions with dealers serving as market-makers reflect the spread between the bid and asked prices. Purchases of underwritten issues may be made that will include an underwriting fee paid to the underwriter.

NTI seeks to evaluate the overall reasonableness of the brokerage commissions paid (to the extent applicable) in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities for the Funds taking into account such factors as price, commission (negotiable in the case of national securities exchange transactions), if any, size of order, difficulty of execution and skill required of the executing broker-dealer through familiarity with commissions charged on comparable transactions, as well as by comparing commissions paid by the Funds to reported commissions paid by others. NTI reviews on a routine basis commission rates, execution and settlement services performed, making internal and external comparisons.

NTI is authorized, consistent with Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, when placing portfolio transactions for the Funds with a broker to pay a brokerage commission (to the extent applicable) in excess of that which another broker might have charged for effecting the same transaction on account of the receipt of research, market or statistical information. The term "research, market or statistical information" includes advice as to the value of securities; the advisability of investing in, purchasing or selling securities; the availability of securities or purchasers or sellers of securities; and furnishing analyses and reports concerning issuers, industries, securities, economic factors and trends, portfolio strategy and the performance of accounts.

Higher commissions may be paid to firms that provide research services to the extent permitted by law. NTI may use this research information in managing the Funds' assets, as well as the assets of other clients.

Except for implementing the policies stated above, there is no intention to place portfolio transactions with particular brokers or dealers or groups thereof. In effecting transactions in over-the-counter securities, orders are placed with the principal market-makers for the security being traded unless, after exercising care, it appears that more favorable results are available otherwise.

Although certain research, market and statistical information from brokers and dealers can be useful to the Funds and to NTI, it is the opinion of the management of the Funds that such information is only supplementary to NTI's own research effort, since the information must still be analyzed, weighed and reviewed by NTI's staff. Such information may be useful to NTI in providing services to clients other than the Funds, and not all such information is used by NTI in connection with the Fund. Conversely, such information provided to NTI by brokers and dealers through whom other clients of NTI effect securities transactions may be useful to NTI in providing services to the Fund.

32

In certain instances there may be securities that are suitable for the Fund as well as for one or more of NTI's other clients. Investment decisions for the Funds and for NTI's other clients are made with a view to achieving their respective investment objectives. It may develop that a particular security is bought or sold for only one client even though it might be held by, or bought or sold for, other clients. Likewise, a particular security may be bought for one or more clients when one or more clients are selling that same security. Some simultaneous transactions are inevitable when several clients receive investment advice from the same investment adviser, particularly when the same security is suitable for the investment objectives of more than one client. When two or more clients are simultaneously engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security, the securities are allocated among clients in a manner believed to be equitable to each. It is recognized that in some cases this system could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security as far as the Funds are concerned. However, it is believed that the ability of the Funds to participate in volume transactions will produce better executions for the Funds.

During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, the Nasdaq-100 Index Fund paid no brokerage fees to the regular broker-dealers (the ten largest broker-dealers through whom the Fund purchased securities) or the parents of the regular broker-dealers.

JP Morgan Chase & Co.

Bank of America Corp

Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

Morgan Stanley & Company Inc.

State Street Bank & Trust Company

Brokerage Commissions

During the last three fiscal years ended December 31, the funds paid the following aggregate brokerage fees:

During the last three fiscal years ended December 31, the Funds paid no affiliated brokerage fees to USAA Brokerage Services, an affiliated discount brokerage service of the Manager. The Manager or NTI directed a portion of the Nasdaq-100 Index Fund's brokerage transactions to certain broker-dealers that provided the Manager or NTI with research, analysis, advice, and similar services.

During fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, the Nasdaq-100 Index Fund did not direct brokerage transactions to obtain research, analysis, advice, and similar services.

Portfolio Turnover Rates

The rate of portfolio turnover of a Fund will not be a limiting factor when the Manager or NTI deems changes in the Fund's portfolio appropriate in view of its investment objective. Ordinarily, a Fund will not sell portfolio securities solely to achieve short-term profits, although a Fund may sell portfolio securities without regard to the length of time held if consistent with the Fund's investment objective.

The portfolio turnover rate is computed by dividing the dollar amount of securities purchased or sold (whichever is smaller) by the average value of securities owned during the year. Options transactions whose maturities or expiration dates at the time of acquisition were one year or less and short-term investments such as, but not limited to, commercial paper, short-term U.S. government securities, and variable rate demand notes (those securities with put date intervals of less than one year) are not considered when computing the portfolio turnover rate.

For the last two fiscal years ended December 31, the Funds' portfolio turnover rates were as follows:

Ultra Short-Term Bond Fund

The Manager (or the applicable Subadviser), subject to the general control of the Board, places all orders for the purchase and sale of Fund's securities. In executing portfolio transactions and selecting brokers and dealers, it is the Trust's policy to seek the best overall terms available. The Manager or the applicable Subadviser shall consider such factors as it deems relevant, including the breadth of the market in the security, the financial condition and execution capability of the broker or dealer, and the reasonableness of the commission, if any, for the specific transaction or on a continuing basis. Securities purchased or sold in the over-the-counter market will be executed through principal market makers, except when, in the opinion of the Manager or the applicable Subadviser, better

33

prices and execution are available elsewhere. In addition, the Manager or the applicable Subadviser may affect certain "riskless principal" transactions through certain dealers in over-the-counter markets under which mark-ups or mark-downs (which in this context may be deemed the equivalent of commissions) are paid on such transactions.

The Fund will have no obligation to deal with any particular broker or group of brokers in the execution of portfolio transactions. The Fund contemplates that, consistent with obtaining the best overall terms available, brokerage transactions may be effected through USAA Brokerage Services, an affiliated discount brokerage service of the Manager and through affiliated brokers of the applicable Subadviser. The Board has adopted procedures in conformity with the requirements of Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act designed to ensure that all brokerage commissions paid to USAA Brokerage Services or any broker affiliated directly or indirectly with the Funds or the Manager or the applicable Subadviser are reasonable and fair. The Board has authorized the Manager or the applicable Subadviser for the Fund to effect portfolio transactions for the Fund on any exchange of which the Manager (or any entity or person associated with the Manager or the Subadviser) is a member and to retain compensation in connection with such transactions. Any such transactions will be effected and related compensation paid only in accordance with applicable SEC regulations.

The Board has approved procedures in conformity with the requirements of Rule 10f-3 under the 1940 Act whereby the Fund may purchase securities that are offered in underwritings in which an affiliate of the Manager and/or a Subadviser participates. These procedures prohibit the Funds from directly or indirectly benefiting an affiliate of the Manager and/or a Subadviser in connection with such underwritings. In addition, for underwritings where the Manager and/or a Subadviser participates as a principal underwriter, certain restrictions may apply that could, among other things, limit the amount of securities that the Funds could purchase in the underwritings.

In the allocation of brokerage business used to purchase securities for the Funds, preference may be given to those broker-dealers who provide research and brokerage services to the Manager or the applicable Subadviser as long as there is no sacrifice in obtaining the best overall terms available. Payment for such services also may be generated through fixed price public offering underwriting concessions from purchases of new issue fixed-income securities. Such research and brokerage services may include, for example: advice concerning the value of securities; the advisability of investing in, purchasing, or selling securities, and the availability of securities or the purchasers or sellers of securities; analyses and reports concerning issuers, industries, securities, economic factors and trends, portfolio strategy, and performance of accounts; and various functions incidental to effecting securities transactions, such as clearance and settlement. These research services also may include access to research on third party databases, such as historical data on companies, financial statements, earnings history and estimates, and corporate releases; real-time quotes and financial news; research on specific fixed income securities; research on international market news and securities; and rating services on companies and industries. Thus, the Manager or the applicable Subadviser may be able to supplement its own information and to consider the views and information of other research organizations in arriving at its investment decisions. If such information is received and it is in fact useful to the Manager or the applicable Subadviser, it may tend to reduce the Manager's or the applicable Subadviser's costs.

In return for such services, the Fund may pay to a broker a "higher commission" (as such term may be interpreted by the SEC) than may be charged by other brokers, provided that the Manager or the applicable Subadviser determines in good faith that such commission is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such broker, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or of the overall responsibility of the Manager or the applicable Subadviser to the Funds and its other clients. The receipt of research from broker-dealers that execute transactions on behalf of the Trust may be useful to the Manager or the applicable Subadviser in rendering investment management services to other clients (including affiliates of the Manager or the applicable Subadviser); and conversely, such research provided by broker-dealers who have executed transaction orders on behalf of other clients (including affiliates of the Manager) may be useful to the Manager or the applicable Subadviser in carrying out its obligations to the Trust. Such research is available to and may be used by the Manager in providing investment advice to all clients (including affiliates of the Manager or the applicable Subadviser); however, such research need not always be used by the Manager or the applicable Subadviser for the benefit of the Trust. Such research and services will be in addition to and not in lieu of research and services provided by the Manager or the applicable Subadviser, and the expenses of the Manager or the applicable Subadviser will not necessarily be reduced by the receipt of such supplemental research. See the section entitled Investment Adviser .

The Manager or the applicable Subadviser continuously reviews the performance of the broker-dealers with whom it places orders for transactions. A periodic evaluation is made of brokerage transaction costs and services. In evaluating the performance of brokers and dealers, the Manager or the applicable Subadviser considers whether the broker-dealer has generally provided the Manager or the applicable Subadviser with the best overall terms available, which includes obtaining the best available price and most favorable execution.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, and in all instances subject to the Funds' policies regarding best execution, the Manager or the applicable Subadviser may allocate brokerage transactions to broker-dealers that have entered into commission recapture arrangements in which the broker-dealer allocates a portion of the commissions paid by the Fund toward the reduction of the Fund's expenses. Securities of the same issuer may be purchased, held, or sold at the same time by the Trust for any or all of its Fund or other accounts or companies for which the Manager acts as the investment adviser (including affiliates of the Manager). On occasions when the Manager or the applicable Subadviser deems the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interest of the Trust, as well as the

34

19, 2000, and commenced public offering of its shares on October 30, 2000. The Nasdaq-100 Index Fund offers two classes of shares: Fund Shares and R6 Shares. The Ultra Short-Term Bond Fund offers three classes of shares: Fund Shares, Institutional Shares, and R6 Shares. The Fund Shares currently are available for investment through a USAA member account with the Manager, USAA Brokerage Services, or certain other financial intermediaries the Fund may approve from time to time. The Institutional Shares currently are available for investment through a USAA managed account program, other persons or legal entities that the Fund may approve from time to time, or for purchase by a USAA Fund participating in a USAA fund-of-funds investment strategy. The Ultra Short-Term Bond was established June 25, 2010, and commenced offering shares on October 18, 2010, and the Ultra Short-Term Bond Fund commenced offering Institutional Shares on July 12, 2013, and both the Nadaq-100 Index Fund and Ultra Short-Term Bond Fund commenced offering R6 Shares on March 1, 2017. R6 Shares generally are available only through employer-sponsored retirement plans where a financial intermediary provides retirement recordkeeping services to plan participants. R6 Shares also are available to endowment funds and foundations. Shares of each class of a Fund represent an identical interest in that Fund's investment portfolio and have the same rights, privileges and preferences. However, each class may differ with respect to expenses allocable exclusively to that class, voting rights on matters exclusively affecting that class, and its exchange privilege, if any.

Each Fund's assets and all income, earnings, profits, and proceeds thereof, subject only to the rights of creditors, are specifically allocated solely to such Fund. They constitute the underlying assets of such Fund, are required to be segregated on the books of account, and are to be charged with the expenses of such Fund. The assets of each Fund are charged with the liabilities and expenses attributable to such Fund, except that liabilities and expenses may be allocated to a particular class of shares of a Fund. Any general expenses of the Trust not readily identifiable as belonging to a particular Fund are allocated on the basis of the Funds' relative net assets during the fiscal year or in such other manner as the Trustees determine to be fair and equitable.

Shares of each class of a Fund represent an equal proportionate interest in that Fund with every other share of that class and are entitled to dividends and other distributions out of the net income and realized net capital gains belonging to that Fund when declared by the Board and generally will have identical voting, dividend, liquidation, and other rights, preferences, powers, restrictions, limitations, qualifications and terms and conditions, except that each class of shares: (a) has a different designation; (b) bears its "Class Expenses"; (c) has exclusive voting rights on any matter submitted to shareholders that relates solely to its arrangement; (d) has separate voting rights on any matter submitted to shareholders in which the interests of one class differ from the interests of any other class; (e) may have separate exchange privileges; and (f) may have different conversion features. Expenses currently designated as "Class Expenses" by the Trust's Board under the Multiple Class Plan Pursuant to Rule 18f-3 under the 1940 Act include: legal, printing and postage expenses related to preparing and distributing materials such as shareholder reports, prospectuses, and proxies to current shareholders of a specific class; blue sky fees incurred by a specific class of shares; transfer agency expenses relating to a specific class of shares; expenses of administrative personnel and services required to support the shareholders of a specific class of shares; litigation expenses or other legal expenses relating to a specific class of shares; shareholder servicing expenses identified as being attributable to a specific class; and such other expenses actually incurred in a different amount by a class or related to a class's receipt of services of a different kind or to a different degree than another class. In addition, each class of a Fund may pay a different advisory fee to the extent that any difference in amount paid is the result of the application of the same performance fee provisions in the advisory contract with respect to the Fund to the different investment performance of each class of the Fund. Upon liquidation of a Fund, shareholders are entitled to share pro rata in the net assets belonging to such Fund available for distribution. However, due to the differing expenses of the classes, dividends and liquidation proceeds on the different classes of shares will differ.

Under the Trust's Master Trust Agreement, no annual meeting of shareholders is required. Thus, there will ordinarily be no shareholder meeting unless required by the 1940 Act. Under certain circumstances, however, shareholders may apply to the Trustees for shareholder information to obtain signatures to request a special shareholder meeting. The Trust may fill vacancies on the Board or appoint new Trustees if the result is that at least two-thirds of the Trustees have been elected by shareholders. Moreover, pursuant to the Master Trust Agreement, any Trustee may be removed by the vote of two-thirds of the outstanding Trust shares and holders of 10% or more of the outstanding shares of the Trust can require Trustees to call a meeting of shareholders for the purpose of voting on the removal of one or more Trustees. The Trust will assist in communicating to other shareholders about the meeting. On any matter submitted to the shareholders, the holder of any share class of the Fund is entitled to one vote per share (with proportionate voting for fractional shares) regardless of the relative NAVs of the Fund's shares. However, on matters affecting an individual Fund, a separate vote of the shareholders of that Fund is required. For example, the Advisory Agreement must be approved separately by each Fund and only becomes effective with respect to a Fund when a majority of the outstanding voting securities of that Fund approves it. Shareholders of the Fund are not entitled to vote on any matter that does not affect that Fund but which requires a separate vote of another Fund.

Shares do not have cumulative voting rights, which means that holders of more than 50% of the shares voting for the election of Trustees can elect 100% of the Trust's Board, and the holders of less than 50% of the shares voting for the election of Trustees will not be able to elect any person as a Trustee.

36

Shareholders of a particular Fund might have the power to elect all of the Trustees of the Trust because that Fund has a majority of the total outstanding shares of the Trust. When issued, each Fund's shares are fully paid and nonassessable, have no pre-emptive or subscription rights, and are fully transferable. There are no conversion rights.

Converting from Institutional Shares to Fund Shares: If you no longer meet the eligibility requirements to invest in Institutional Shares of a Fund ( e.g., you terminate participation in a USAA discretionary managed account program), we may convert your Institutional Shares of a Fund to Fund Shares. The Fund will notify you before any mandatory conversion into Fund Shares occurs.

Pricing : When a conversion occurs, you receive shares of one class of a Fund for shares of another class of a Fund. At the time of conversion, the dollar value of the "new" shares you receive equals the dollar value of the "old" shares that were converted. In other words, the conversion has no effect on the value of your investment in a Fund at the time of the conversion. However, the number of shares you own after the conversion may be greater than or less than the number of shares you owned before the conversion, depending on the NAVs per share of the two share classes. A conversion between share classes of the same Fund is a nontaxable event.

TAX CONSIDERATIONS

Taxation of the Funds

Each Fund, which is treated as a separate corporation for federal tax purposes, intends to continue to qualify each taxable year for treatment as a "regulated investment company" (RIC) under Subchapter M of Chapter 1 of Subtitle A of the Code. If a Fund so qualifies, it will not be liable for federal income tax on its net investment income and net capital gain ( i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) that it distributes to its shareholders.

To continue to qualify for treatment as a RIC, a Fund must, among other things, (1) derive at least 90% of its gross income each taxable year from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities, or foreign currencies, or other income (including gains from options, futures, or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities, or currencies (income requirement) (2) distribute at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (generally consisting of net investment income, the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss, and net gains and losses from certain foreign currency transactions) for the taxable year ("distribution requirement"), and (3) satisfy certain diversifications requirements at the close of each quarter of the Fund's taxable year (diversification requirements).

If a Fund failed to qualify for RIC treatment for any taxable year -- either (1) by failing to satisfy the distribution requirement, even if it satisfied the income and diversification requirements (collectively, Other Qualification Requirements), or (2) by failing to satisfy any of the Other Qualification Requirements and was unable to, or determined not to, avail itself of Code provisions that enable a RIC to cure a failure to satisfy any of the Other Qualification Requirements as long as the failure "is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect" and the RIC pays a deductible tax calculated in accordance with those provisions and meets certain other requirements

-- then for federal income tax purposes it would be taxed as an ordinary corporation on the full amount of its taxable income for that year without being able to deduct the distributions it makes to its shareholders. In addition, for those purposes all those distributions, including distributions of net capital gain, would be taxable to its shareholders as dividends to the extent of the Fund's earnings and profits. For individual and certain other non-corporate shareholders (each, an "individual shareholder"), those dividends would be taxable as "qualified dividend income" (QDI) (as described in each Fund's prospectus) and thus subject to federal income tax at the lower rates for net capital gain. In the case of corporate shareholders that meet certain holding period and other requirements regarding their shares of the Fund, all or part of those dividends would be eligible for the dividends-received deduction. Furthermore, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest, and make substantial distributions before requalifying for RIC treatment.

The Code imposes a nondeductible 4% excise tax (Excise Tax) on a RIC that fails to distribute during a calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of its ordinary (taxable) income for that year, (2) 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the twelve- month period ending on October 31 of that year, plus (3) any prior undistributed income and gains. Each Fund intends to continue to make distributions necessary to avoid imposition of the Excise Tax.

The use of hedging strategies, such as writing (selling) and purchasing options and futures contracts and entering into forward currency contracts, involves complex rules that will determine for federal income tax purposes the amount, character, and timing of recognition of the gains and losses a Fund realizes in connection therewith. Gains from the disposition of foreign currencies (except certain gains that may be excluded by future regulations), and gains from options, futures, and forward currency contracts a Fund derives with respect to its business of investing in securities or foreign currencies, will be treated as "qualifying income" under the income requirement.

Certain futures contracts, foreign currency contracts, and "nonequity" options ( i.e ., certain listed options, such as those on a "broad- based" securities index) -- excluding any "securities futures contract" that is not a "dealer securities futures contract" (both as defined

37

in the Code) 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 -- in which a Fund invests will be subject to section 1256 of the Code (collectively, section 1256 contracts). Any section 1256 contracts a Fund holds at the end of its taxable year generally must be "marked-to-market" (that is, treated as having been sold at that time for their fair market value) for federal income 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 recognized 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. These rules may operate to increase the amount that a Fund must distribute to satisfy the distribution requirement ( i.e ., with respect to the portion treated as short-term capital gain, which will be taxable to its shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them) and to increase the net capital gain a Fund recognizes, without in either case increasing the cash available to it.

Section 988 of the Code also may apply to forward contracts and options, and futures contracts on foreign currencies. Under that section, each foreign currency gain or loss generally is computed separately and treated as ordinary income or loss. These gains or losses will increase or decrease the amount of a Fund's investment company taxable income to be distributed to its shareholders as ordinary income, rather than affecting the amount of its net capital gain. In the case of overlap between sections 1256 and 988, special provisions determine the character and timing of any income, gain, or loss.

Section 1092 of the Code (dealing with straddles) also may affect the taxation of certain options, futures contracts, and forward currency contracts in which a Fund may invest. That section defines a "straddle" as offsetting positions with respect to actively traded personal property; for these purposes, options, futures contracts, and forward currency contracts are positions in personal property. Under that section, any loss from the disposition of a position in a straddle generally may be deducted only to the extent the loss exceeds the unrealized gain on the offsetting position(s) of the straddle. In addition, these rules may postpone the recognition of loss that otherwise would be recognized under the mark-to-market rules discussed above. The regulations under section 1092 also provide certain "wash sale" rules, which apply to transactions where a position is sold at a loss and a new offsetting position is acquired within a prescribed period, and "short sale" rules applicable to straddles. If a Fund makes certain elections, the amount, character, and timing of recognition of gains and losses from the affected straddle positions would be determined under rules that vary according to the elections made. Because only a few of the regulations implementing the straddle rules have been promulgated, the tax consequences to a Fund of straddle transactions are not entirely clear.

Each Fund will monitor its transactions, make appropriate tax elections, and make appropriate entries in its books and records when it acquires any option, futures contract, forward currency contract, foreign currency, or hedged investment to mitigate the effect of the foregoing rules, prevent its disqualification as a RIC, and minimize the imposition of federal income tax and the Excise Tax.

Certain Funds may invest in the stock of "passive foreign investment companies" (PFICs). 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 passive or (2) an average of at least 50% of its assets produce, or are held for the production of, passive income. Under certain circumstances, a Fund will be subject to federal income tax on a portion of any "excess distribution" it receives on the stock of a PFIC and of any gain on its disposition of that stock (collectively, PFIC income), plus interest thereon, even if the Fund distributes the PFIC income as a dividend to its shareholders. The balance of the PFIC income will be included in the Fund's investment company taxable income and, accordingly, will not be taxable to it to the extent it distributes that income to its shareholders. Fund distributions thereof will not be eligible for the reduced maximum federal income tax rates on individual shareholders' QDI.

If a Fund invests in a PFIC and elects to treat the PFIC as a "qualified electing fund" (QEF), then in lieu of the foregoing tax and interest obligation, the Fund would be required to include in income each taxable year its pro rata share of the QEF's annual ordinary earnings and net capital gain -- which the Fund likely would have to distribute to satisfy the distribution requirement and avoid imposition of the Excise Tax -- even if the QEF did not distribute those earnings and gain to the Fund. 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.

Each Fund may elect to "mark to market" any stock in a PFIC it owns at the end of its taxable year, in which event it would be required to distribute to its shareholders any resulting gains in accordance with the distribution requirement. "Marking-to-market," in this context, means including in gross income each taxable year (and treating as ordinary income) the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the stock over a Fund's adjusted basis therein (including mark-to-market gain for each prior year for which an election was in effect) as of the end of that year. Pursuant to the election, a Fund also would be allowed to deduct (as an ordinary, not a capital, loss) the excess, if any, of its adjusted basis in PFIC stock over the fair market value thereof as of the taxable year-end, but only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains with respect to that stock the Fund included in income for prior taxable years under the election. A Fund's adjusted basis in each PFIC's stock subject to the election would be adjusted to reflect the amounts of income included and deductions taken thereunder.

Investors should note that a Fund's determination 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 in determining whether a foreign corporation is a PFIC are subject to interpretation. It is possible that a Fund could invest in a foreign corporation that becomes, or is determined to be, a PFIC after the Fund invests therein. It is anticipated that any federal income tax imposed on a Fund with respect to investments in PFICs would be insignificant.

38

For federal income tax purposes, debt securities purchased by a Fund, including zero coupon bonds, may be treated as having original issue discount (generally, the excess of the stated redemption price at maturity of a debt obligation over its issue price) (OID). OID is treated for those purposes as earned by a Fund as it accrues, whether or not any payment is actually received, and therefore is subject to the distribution requirement. Accrual of OID is determined on the basis of a constant yield to maturity, which takes into account the compounding of accrued interest. Because each Fund annually must distribute substantially all of its investment company taxable income (determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid), including any accrued OID, to satisfy the distribution requirement and to avoid imposition of the Excise Tax, a 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 a Fund's cash assets or from the proceeds of sales of its portfolio securities, if necessary. A 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.

A Fund may purchase debt securities at a market discount. A market discount exists when a security is purchased at a price less than its original issue price adjusted for accrued OID, if any. Each Fund intends to defer recognition of accrued market discount on a security until maturity or other disposition of the security. For a security purchased at a market discount, the gain realized on disposition will be treated as ordinary income to the extent of accrued market discount on the security.

A Fund also may purchase debt securities at a premium, i.e. , at a purchase price in excess of face amount. The premium on tax-exempt securities must be amortized to the maturity date, but no deduction is allowed for the premium amortization. For taxable securities, the premium may be amortized if a Fund so elects. The amortized premium on taxable securities is first offset against interest received on the securities and then allowed as a deduction and generally must be amortized under an economic accrual method. The amortized bond premium on a security will reduce a Fund's adjusted tax basis in the security.

Although income from direct investments in commodities and certain types of derivative contracts regarding commodities, such as certain swaps on commodity indices, is not "qualifying income" for purposes of the income requirement, the IRS issued a large number of private letter rulings (PLRs) (which the Funds may not cite as precedent) beginning in 2006 concluding that income a RIC derives from certain "structured notes that create a commodity exposure" (so-called "commodity-linked notes") do constitute qualifying income. However, the IRS suspended the issuance of those rulings in July 2011 pending its re-examination of the policies underlying them, which was still ongoing at the date hereof. There can be no assurance that the IRS will resume issuing those PLRs or that there will not be changes in tax or other federal law that might adversely affect the Funds' ability to invest in commodity-linked notes. If a Fund invests in those notes and the IRS changes its position expressed in the PLRs, the Fund may be unable to qualify as a RIC for one or more years.

Taxation of the Shareholders

Distributions are generally included in a shareholder's gross income for the taxable year in which they are received. However, distributions a Fund declares in October, November, or December, that are payable to shareholders of record in such a month are deemed to have been received on December 31, if the Fund pays the distributions during the following January.

Any gain or loss a shareholder realizes on the redemption or exchange of shares of a Fund, or on receipt of a distribution in complete liquidation of a Fund, generally will be a capital gain or loss, which will be long-term or short-term, depending upon the shareholder's holding period for the shares. Any such gain an individual shareholder recognizes on a redemption or exchange of Fund shares that he or she has held for more than one year will qualify for the 15% or 20% maximum federal income tax rates mentioned in each Fund's prospectus. Any loss realized on a redemption or exchange of Fund shares will be disallowed to the extent the shares are replaced (including shares acquired pursuant to a dividend reinvestment plan) within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after disposition of the shares; in such a case, the basis in the acquired shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss a shareholder realizes on a disposition of shares held for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions of net capital gain the shareholder received with respect to such shares.

If a Fund's distributions in a taxable year exceed its current and accumulated earnings and profits -- a Fund's capital loss carryovers, if any, carried from taxable years beginning before 2011 do not reduce current earnings and profits, even if such carryovers offset current year realized gains -- the excess distributed to each shareholder will be treated as a "return of capital" to the extent of the shareholder's basis in its shares and thereafter as capital gain. A return of capital distribution is not taxable, but it reduces a shareholder's basis in its shares and thus results in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when the shares are redeemed. Distributions in excess of a Fund's distribution requirement, but not in excess of its earnings and profits, will be taxable to its shareholders and will not constitute non-taxable returns of capital.

If a Fund engages in securities lending, the borrower generally will be obligated to pay the Fund an amount equal to ("in lieu of") any dividend paid on the loaned securities during the loan term. Even if the dividend otherwise would be QDI, distributions to the Fund's shareholders of such "in lieu of" payments will not be treated as such and instead will be taxed at the shareholders' marginal federal income tax rates.

In addition to the requirement to report the gross proceeds from redemptions of Fund shares, each Fund (or its administrative agent) must report to the IRS the basis information for shares purchased after December 31, 2011 (Covered Shares), that are redeemed or

39

exchanged and indicate whether they had a short-term (one year or less) or long-term (more than one year) holding period. In addition, each Fund will indicate whether the lot has been adjusted for a wash sale. The requirement to report only the gross proceeds from a redemption or exchange of Fund shares will continue to apply to all non-Covered Shares.

Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), "foreign financial institutions" (FFIs) and "non-financial foreign entities" (NFFEs) that are shareholders of a Fund may be subject to a generally nonrefundable 30% withholding tax on (1) income dividends the Fund pays and (2) certain capital gain distributions and the proceeds of redemptions of Fund shares it pays after December 31, 2018. As discussed more fully below, the FATCA withholding tax generally can 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, information regarding substantial U.S. owners.

An FFI can avoid FATCA withholding by becoming a "participating FFI," which requires the FFI to enter into a tax compliance agreement with the IRS under the Code. 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 has negotiated intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) 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. An entity in one of those countries may be required to comply with the terms of the 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 country's 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 a Fund can 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 will, 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 a Fund will need to provide the Fund with documentation properly certifying the entity's 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 Funds' prospectuses. Foreign investors are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding the application of these requirements to their own situation and the impact thereof on their investment in a Fund.

The foregoing discussion of certain federal tax considerations affecting each Fund and its shareholders is only a summary and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of Fund shares should consult their own tax advisers as to the tax consequences of investing in shares, including under federal, state, local, and other tax laws. Finally, the foregoing discussion is based on applicable provisions of the Code, regulations, judicial authority, and administrative interpretations in effect on the date hereof; changes in any applicable authority could materially affect the conclusions discussed above, possibly retroactively, and such changes often occur.

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS OF THE TRUST

The Board consists of seven Trustees who supervise the business affairs of the Trust. The Board is responsible for the general oversight of the Funds' business and for assuring that the Funds are managed in the best interests of each Fund's respective shareholders. The Board periodically reviews the Funds' investment performance as well as the quality of other services provided to the Funds and their shareholders by each of the Funds' service providers, including AMCO and its affiliates.

Board Leadership Structure

The Board is comprised of a super-majority (80% or more) of Trustees who are not "interested persons" (as defined under the 1940 Act) of the Funds (the "Independent Trustees") and one Trustee who is an "interested person" of the Funds (Interested Trustee). In addition, the Chairman of the Board is an Independent Trustee. The Chairman presides at meetings of the Trustees, and may call meetings of the Board and any Board committee whenever he deems it necessary. The Chairman participates in the preparation of the agenda for meetings of the Board and the identification of information to be presented to the Board with respect to matters to be acted upon by the Board. The Chairman also acts as a liaison with the Funds' management, officers, and other Trustees generally between meetings. The Chairman may perform such other functions as may be requested by the Board from time to time. Except for any duties

40

specified in this SAI or pursuant to the Trust's Master Trust Agreement or By-laws, or as assigned by the Board, the designation of a Trustee as Chairman does not impose on that Trustee any duties, obligations or liability that are greater than the duties, obligations or liability imposed on any other Trustee, generally. The Board has designated a number of standing committees as further described below, each of which has a Chairman. The Board also may designate working groups or ad hoc committees as it deems appropriate.

The Board believes that this leadership structure is appropriate because it allows the Board to exercise informed and independent judgment over matters under its purview, and it allocates areas of responsibility among committees or working groups of Trustees and the full Board in a manner that enhances effective oversight. The Board considers leadership by an Independent Trustee as Chairman to be integral to promoting effective independent oversight of the Funds' operations and meaningful representation of the shareholders' interests, given the number of Funds offered by the Trust and the amount of assets that these Funds represent. The Board also believes that having a super-majority of Independent Trustees is appropriate and in the best interest of the Funds' shareholders. Nevertheless, the Board also believes that having an interested person serve on the Board brings corporate and financial viewpoints that are, in the Board's view, important elements in its decision-making process. In addition, the Board believes that the Interested Trustee provides the Board with the Manager's perspective in managing and sponsoring the Funds. The leadership structure of the Board may be changed, at any time and in the discretion of the Board, including in response to changes in circumstances or the characteristics of the Trust.

Board Oversight of Risk Management

As series of a registered investment company, the Funds are subject to a variety of risks, including investment risks (such as, among others, market risk, credit risk and interest rate risk), financial risks (such as, among others, settlement risk, liquidity risk and valuation risk), compliance risks, and operational risks. The Trustees play an active role, as a full board and at the committee level, in overseeing risk management for the Funds. The Trustees delegate the day-to-day risk management of the Funds to various groups, including but not limited to, portfolio management, risk management, compliance, legal, fund accounting, and various committees discussed herein. These groups provide the Trustees with regular reports regarding investment, valuation, liquidity, and compliance, as well as the risks associated with each. The Trustees also oversee risk management for the Funds through regular interactions with the Funds' external auditors and periodic presentations from USAA Operational Risk Management.

The Board also participates in the Funds' risk oversight, in part, through the Funds' compliance program, which covers the following broad areas of compliance: portfolio management, trading practices, investment code of ethics and protection of non-public information, accuracy of disclosures, safeguarding of fund assets, recordkeeping, marketing, fees, privacy, anti-money laundering, business continuity, valuation and pricing of funds shares, processing of fund shares, affiliated transactions, fund governance and market timing. The Board also receives periodic updates regarding cyber security matters. The program seeks to identify and assess risk through various methods, including through regular interdisciplinary communications between compliance professionals, operational risk management and business personnel who participate on a daily basis in risk management on behalf of the Funds. The Funds' chief compliance officer provides an annual compliance report and other compliance related briefings to the Board in writing and in person.

AMCO seeks to identify for the Board the risks that it believes may affect the Funds and develops processes and controls regarding such risks. However, risk management is a complex and dynamic undertaking and it is not always possible to comprehensively identify and/or mitigate all such risks at all times since risks are at times impacted by external events. In discharging its oversight responsibilities, the Board considers risk management issues throughout the year with the assistance of its various committees as described below. Each committee presents reports to the Board after its meeting, which may prompt further discussion of issues concerning the oversight of the Funds' risk management. The Board as a whole also reviews written reports or presentations on a variety of risk issues as needed and may discuss particular risks that are not addressed in the committee process.

Among other committees, the Board has established an Audit Committee, which is composed solely of Independent Trustees and which oversees management of financial risks and controls. The Audit and Compliance Committee serves as the channel of communication between the independent auditors of the Funds and the Board with respect to financial statements and financial reporting processes, systems of internal control, and the audit process. Although the Audit and Compliance Committee is responsible for overseeing the management of financial risks, the Board is regularly informed of these risks through committee reports.

Trustee Qualifications

The Board believes that all of the Trustees bring to the Board a wealth of executive leadership experience derived from their service as executives, board members, and leaders of diverse companies, academic institutions, and community and other organizations. The Board also believes that the different perspectives, viewpoints, professional experience, education, and individual qualities of each Trustee represent a diversity of experiences and a variety of complementary skills. In determining whether an individual is qualified to serve as a Trustee of the Funds, the Board considers a wide variety of information about the Trustee, and multiple factors contribute to the Board's decision. However, there are no specific required qualifications for Board membership. Each Trustee is determined to have the experience, skills, and attributes necessary to serve the Funds and their shareholders because each Trustee demonstrates an exceptional ability to consider complex business and financial matters, evaluate the relative importance and priority of issues, make

41

decisions, and contribute effectively to the deliberations of the Board. The Board also considers the individual experience of each Trustee and determines that the Trustee's professional experience, education, and background contribute to the diversity of perspectives on the Board. The business experience and objective thinking of the Trustees are considered invaluable assets for AMCO management and, ultimately, the Funds' shareholders.

Set forth below are the Independent Trustees, the Interested Trustee, officers, and each of their respective offices and principal occupations during the last five years, length of time served, and information relating to any other directorships held, and the specific roles and experience of each Board member that factor into the determination that the Trustee should serve on the Board.

* The address for each Independent Trustee is USAA Asset Management Company, P.O. Box 659430, San Antonio, Texas 78265-9430.

** Under the Trust's organizational documents, each Trustee serves as a Trustee of the Trust during the lifetime of the Trust and until its termination except as such Trustee sooner dies, resigns, retires, or is removed. However, pursuant to a policy adopted by the Board, each elected or appointed Independent Trustee may serve as a Trustee until the Trustee either reaches age 72 or has served 20 years, and the Interested Trustee may serve as a Trustee until the Trustee either reaches age 65 or has served 20 years. The Board may change or grant exceptions from this policy at any time without shareholder approval. A Trustee may resign or be removed by a vote of the other Trustees or the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Trust at any time. Vacancies on the Board can be filled by the action of a majority of the Trustees, provided that as a result at least two-thirds of the Trustees have been elected by the shareholders.

43

Trustees and officers of the Trust who are employees of the Manager or affiliated companies are considered "interested persons" under the 1940 Act.