AkreFocusETF485A
Filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on October 01, 2024
1933 Act Registration File No. 033-12213
1940 Act File No. 811-05037
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-1A
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REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
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Pre-Effective Amendment No.
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Post-Effective Amendment No.
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878
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and
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REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
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Amendment No.
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879
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(Check appropriate box or boxes.)
PROFESSIONALLY MANAGED PORTFOLIOS
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (414) 765-4324
Jason F. Hadler
Professionally Managed Portfolios
777 East Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
Copy to:
Domenick Pugliese, Esq.
Sullivan & Worcester LLP
1633 Broadway, 32nd Floor
New York, New York 10019
It is proposed that this filing will become effective
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immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
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on __________ pursuant to paragraph (b)
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60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
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on __________ pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
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75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
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on __________ pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485.
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If appropriate, check the following box
[ ] this post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.
Explanatory Note: This Post-Effective Amendment No. 878 to the Registration Statement of Professionally Managed Portfolios (the "Trust") is being filed to add one new series to the Trust: Akre Focus ETF.
Subject to Completion - October 1, 2024
The information in this Prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
AKRE FOCUS ETF
[(_______)]
Listed on [_____________]
PROSPECTUS
[ ], 2024
The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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SUMMARY SECTION
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1
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Akre Focus ETF
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1
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND
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7
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Investment Objective
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7
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Principal Investment Strategies
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7
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Principal Investment Risks
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8
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PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION
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14
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MANAGEMENT
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14
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES
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15
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ADDITIONAL TAX INFORMATION
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18
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DISTRIBUTION
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20
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PREMIUM/DISCOUNT INFORMATION
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21
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ADDITIONAL NOTICES
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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
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Akre Focus ETF
Investment Objective
The Akre Focus ETF (the "Fund") seeks to achieve long-term capital appreciation.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund ("Shares"). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and expense example below.
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Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
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Management Fees
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[ ]%
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Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees
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[ ]%
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Other Expenses(1)(2)
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[ ]%
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
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[ ]%
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(1) Estimated for the current fiscal year.
(2) Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement (the "Investment Advisory Agreement"), Akre Capital Management, LLC (the "Adviser") has agreed to pay all expenses of the Fund except for the fee paid to the Adviser pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, interest charges on any borrowings, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, extraordinary expenses, and distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act").
Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes your investment has a 5% return each year and the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchase and sale of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
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One Year
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Three Years
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$[ ]
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$[ ]
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Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. As the Fund has not yet commenced operations, there is no portfolio turnover information to provide at this time.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is an actively-managed exchange-traded fund ("ETF") that seeks to achieve long-term capital appreciation.
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Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests primarily in securities of companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges. Investments consist primarily of common stocks of companies of any size market capitalization. The Fund may also invest in preferred stocks, warrants, options, and other equity-like instruments, such as partnership interests, limited liability company interests, business trust shares and rights, Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs"), and other securities that are convertible into equity securities. The Fund may invest up to 35% of its total assets in securities issued by foreign issuers, including in American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs"), and directly in foreign equity securities. Additionally, the Fund may participate in securities lending arrangements of up to 33 1/3% of its total asset value with brokers, dealers, and financial institutions (but not individuals) in order to increase the return on its portfolio. The Fund may, from time to time, have significant exposure to one or more sectors of the market.
Although the Fund normally holds a focused portfolio of equity securities, the Fund is not required to be fully invested in such securities and may maintain a significant portion of its total assets in cash and securities generally considered to be cash equivalents. In certain market conditions, the Adviser may determine that it is appropriate for the Fund to hold a significant cash position for an extended period of time.
The Adviser principally seeks to identify companies which may earn higher-than-average returns on shareholders' equity; are managed, in the Adviser's judgment, by individuals who have a history of treating public shareholders like partners; and have ample opportunity to reinvest excess profits at above-average rates. Once a potential investment is identified, the Adviser attempts to purchase shares at valuations the Adviser considers modest-to-reasonable, relative to the nature of the business, and the expected growth in economic value per share. The Fund is non-diversified under the 1940 Act, and may invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than diversified mutual funds.
The Adviser may sell a security for a variety of reasons, including, without limitation, when: (1) a security subsequently fails to meet the Adviser's initial investment criteria; (2) an issuer specific event, such as an acquisition or recapitalization, changes the fundamental operations of the company; (3) upon comparative analysis, a new security is judged to be more attractive than a current holding; (4) views change of the individual holdings as well as the general market; or (5) something changes for the worse in the business model, management or governance, or future opportunity for reinvestment.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
As with all ETFs, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. The following risks (in alphabetical order after the first eight) are considered principal to the Focus Strategy ETF and could affect the value of your investment.
•Equity Securities Risk - Equity Securities are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations which may result in volatile increases and decreases in value. The price of equity securities fluctuates based on changes in a company's financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. These fluctuations may cause a security to be worth less than its cost when originally purchased or less than it was worth at an earlier time.
•Large-Cap Investment Risk - Larger, more established companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges like changes in consumer tastes or innovative smaller competitors. In addition, large-cap companies are sometimes unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.
•Management Risk - The Fund may not meet its investment objective based on the Adviser's success or failure to implement investment strategies for the Fund.
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•Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Investment Risk - Securities of mid-cap and small-cap companies may possess comparatively greater price volatility and less liquidity than the securities of companies that have larger market capitalizations.
•Foreign Securities and ADR Risk - Investing in foreign securities and ADRs may involve increased risks including political and economic risks, greater volatility, currency fluctuations, higher transaction costs, delayed settlement, possible foreign controls on investment, and less stringent investor protection and disclosure standards of foreign markets.
•Non-Diversification Risk - The Fund is classified as non-diversified under the 1940 Act, which means the Fund may invest a larger percentage of its assets in the securities of a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. Investment in securities of a limited number of issuers may expose the Fund to greater market risk and potential losses than if its assets were diversified among the securities of a greater number of issuers.
•Sector Emphasis Risk - From time to time, the Fund may invest 25% or more of its assets in one or more sectors subjecting the Fund to sector emphasis risk. This is the risk that the Fund is subject to a greater risk of loss as a result of adverse economic, business, or other developments affecting a specific sector in which the Fund has invested, than if its investments were diversified across a greater number of industry sectors. Some sectors possess particular risks that may not affect other sectors.
•Cash Position Risk - To the extent that the Fund holds large positions in cash or cash equivalents, there is a risk of lower returns and potential lost opportunities to participate in market appreciation.
•Depositary Receipts Risk - Depositary receipts are subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities, including, among other things: political, social, and economic developments abroad; currency movements; and different legal, regulatory, and tax environments.
•Derivatives Risk - Any use of derivatives may reduce the Fund's returns and/or increase volatility.A risk of the Fund's use of derivatives is that the fluctuations in their values may not correlate perfectly with the overall securities markets.As a result of the structure of certain derivatives, adverse changes in the value of the underlying instrument can result in a counterparty's losses being substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself.
•ETF Risks - The Fund is an ETF, and, as a result of an ETF's structure, it is exposed to the following risks:
◦Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk- The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants ("APs"). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
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◦Costs of Buying or Selling Shares- Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
◦Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV- As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund's NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.
◦Trading- Although Shares are listed for trading on [_____________] (the "Exchange") and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the Shares and the underlying value of those Shares.
◦Listing Standards Risk - The Fund is required to comply with listing requirements adopted by the listing exchange. Non-compliance with such requirements may result in the Fund's shares being delisted by the listing exchange. Any resulting liquidation of the Fund could cause the Fund to incur elevated transaction costs and could result in negative tax consequences for its shareholders.
•General Market Risk - Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes due to a number of factors, including: inflation (or expectations for inflation); deflation (or expectations for deflation); interest rates; global demand for particular products or resources; natural disasters or events; pandemic diseases; terrorism; regulatory events; other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund's investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics.
•New Fund Risk - The Fund is a recently organized investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors have no track record or history on which to base their investment decision.
•Options Risk - Options on securities may be subject to greater fluctuations in value than an investment in the underlying securities. Purchasing and writing put and call options are highly specialized activities and entail greater than ordinary investment risks. There are significant differences between the securities and options markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between these markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objectives.
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•Real Estate Investment Trusts Risk - In addition to the risks facing real estate-related securities, such as a decline in property values due to increasing vacancies; a decline in rents resulting from unanticipated economic, legal, or technological developments; or a decline in the price of securities of real estate companies due to a failure of borrowers to pay their loans or poor management, investments in REITs involve unique risks. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in limited volume, and may be more volatile than other securities.
•Securities Lending Risk - There are certain risks associated with securities lending, including the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Fund may lose money.
Performance Information
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance information for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund's website at [www.__________.com].
Investment Adviser
Akre Capital Management, LLC.
Portfolio Manager
John H. Neff, Partner of the Adviser. Has managed the Fund since its inception in [December 2024].
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
Shares are listed on the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks of 10,000 Shares known as "Creation Units," which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Investors may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the "bid-ask spread"). Recent information about the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund's website at [www.__________.com].
Tax Information
The Fund's distributions will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an "Intermediary"), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a
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conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary's website for more information.
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INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE, PRINCIPAL STRATEGIES & RISKS
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Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to achieve long-term capital appreciation. The investment objective of the Fund is non-fundamental; that is, it can be changed by a vote of the Board of Trustees alone and without a shareholder vote upon at least 60 days' prior written notice to shareholders.
Principal Investment Strategies
Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests primarily in securities of companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges. Investments consist primarily of common stocks of companies of any size market capitalization. The Fund may also invest in preferred stocks, warrants, options, and other equity-like instruments such as partnership interests, limited liability company interests, business trust shares and rights, REITs, and other securities that are convertible into equity securities. The Fund may invest up to 35% of its total assets in securities issued by foreign issuers, including in ADRs, EDRs, GDRs, and directly in foreign equity securities. Additionally, the Fund may participate in securities lending arrangements up to 33 1/3% of its total asset value with brokers, dealers, and financial institutions (but not individuals) in order to increase the return on its portfolio. The Fund will bear any expenses associated with securities lending arrangements (such expenses are not reflected in the fee table in the section entitled "Summary Section - Fees and Expenses of the Fund" in this Prospectus). The Fund may, from time to time, have significant exposure to one or more sectors of the market.
Although the Fund normally holds a focused portfolio of equity securities, the Fund is not required to be fully invested in such securities and may maintain a significant portion of its total assets in cash and securities generally considered to be cash equivalents. In certain market conditions, the Adviser may determine that it is appropriate for the Fund to hold a significant cash position for an extended period of time.
The Adviser principally seeks to identify companies which may earn higher-than-average returns on shareholders' equity, are managed, in the Adviser's judgment, by individuals who have a history of treating public shareholders like partners, and have ample opportunity to reinvest excess profits at above-average rates. Once a potential investment is identified, the Adviser attempts to purchase shares at valuations the Adviser considers modest-to-reasonable, relative to the nature of the business, and the expected growth in economic value per share. The Fund is non-diversified under the 1940 Act and may invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than diversified funds.
Although it primarily utilizes fundamental analysis to identify potential investments, the Adviser may employ charting, technical analysis, and other forms of analysis to identify potential investments. The Adviser employs a bottom-up approach to researching and analyzing companies.
The Adviser may sell a security for a variety of reasons, including, without limitation, when: (1) a security subsequently fails to meet the Adviser's initial investment criteria; (2) an issuer specific event, such as an acquisition or recapitalization, changes the fundamental operations of the company; (3) upon comparative analysis, a new security is judged to be more attractive than a current holding; (4) views change of the individual holdings as well as the general market; or (5) something changes for the worse in the business model, management or governance, or future opportunity for reinvestment.
Typically, the Fund focuses on making long-term investments rather than engaging in short-term trading strategies. While the Fund's portfolio turnover will vary from year to year based upon market conditions
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and factors affecting the particular securities held in the portfolio, generally, it is anticipated that the Fund's portfolio turnover will not exceed 50% annually.
Temporary Defensive Position. Generally, the Adviser does not attempt to "time" the market, such as by shifting all or a significant portion of the portfolio in or out of the market in anticipation of or in response to adverse market or other conditions or atypical circumstances such as unusually large cash inflows or redemptions. However, in order to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, the Fund may assume a temporary defensive position by reducing investments in equities and/or increasing investments in short-term fixed income securities. During such a temporary defensive position, the Fund may also invest without limit in cash and high-quality cash equivalents such as investment grade commercial paper and other money market instruments. During such times, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective to the extent it makes temporary and/or cash investments. A defensive position, taken at the wrong time, may have an adverse impact on the Fund's performance.
Principal Investment Risks
Before investing in the Fund, you should carefully consider your own investment goals, the amount of time you are willing to leave your money invested and the amount of risk you are willing to take. Remember that in addition to possibly not achieving your investment goals, you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with the prices of the securities in which the Fund invests. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are discussed in more detail below in order of relevance to the Fund:
Equity Securities Risk. Equity securities are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value. Investor perceptions may impact the market and are based on various and unpredictable factors including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary, and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction; and global or regional political, economic, and banking crises. If you hold common stocks of any given issuer, you would generally be exposed to greater risk than if you hold preferred stock or debt obligations of the issuer because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payments from issuers in comparison with the rights of preferred stockholders, bondholders, and other creditors of such issuers. These fluctuations may cause a security to be worth less than its cost when originally purchased or less than it was worth at an earlier time.
Large-Cap Investment Risk. The stocks of larger companies may underperform relative to those of small and mid-sized companies. Larger, more established companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes. Many larger companies may not be able to attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.
Management Risk. Management risk describes the Fund's ability to meet its investment objective based on the Adviser's success or failure to implement investment strategies for the Fund. The value of your investment in the Fund is subject to the effectiveness of the Adviser's research, analysis, and asset allocation among portfolio securities. If the Adviser's investment strategies do not produce the expected results, your investment could be diminished or even lost.
General Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes due to a number of factors, including: inflation (or expectations for inflation); deflation (or expectations for deflation); interest rates; market instability, financial system instability, debt crises
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and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund's investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics.
The effects of any future pandemic or other global event to public health and business and market conditions may have a significant negative impact on the performance of the Fund's investments, increase the Fund's volatility, exacerbate pre-existing political, social and economic risks to the Fund, and negatively impact broad segments of businesses and populations. In addition, governments, their regulatory agencies, or self-regulatory organizations have taken or may take actions in response to a pandemic or other global event that affect the instruments in which the Fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that could have a significant negative impact on the Fund's investment performance. The ultimate impact of any pandemic or other global event and the extent to which the associated conditions and governmental responses impact the Fund will also depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain, difficult to accurately predict and subject to frequent changes.
Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Investment Risk. Investing in the securities of mid-cap and small-cap companies generally involves greater risk than investing in larger companies. This greater risk is, in part, attributable to the fact that the securities of mid-cap and small-cap companies usually have more limited marketability. Because mid-cap and small-cap companies have fewer shares outstanding than larger companies, it also may be more difficult to buy or sell significant amounts of such shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing prices. Additionally, securities of mid-cap and small-cap companies are typically subject to greater changes in earnings and business prospects than are larger companies and typically there is less publicly available information concerning mid-cap and small-cap companies than for larger companies. Although investing in securities of mid-cap and small-cap companies offers potential above-average returns if the companies are successful, there is a risk that the companies will not succeed and the prices of the companies' shares could significantly decline in value. Securities of mid-cap and small-cap companies, especially those whose business involves emerging products or concepts, may be more volatile due to their limited product lines, markets, or financial resources and may lack management depth. Securities of mid-cap and small-cap companies also may be more volatile than larger companies or the market averages in general because of their general susceptibility to economic downturns, especially in the financial services group of industries where changes in interest rates and demand for financial services are so closely tied to the economy.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is a non-diversified fund and, as such, its investments are not required to meet certain diversification requirements under federal securities law. The Fund is permitted to invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than a diversified fund. Thus, the Fund may have fewer holdings than other funds. As a result, a decline in the value of those investments would cause the Fund's overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. The Fund is still subject to certain diversification requirements for federal income tax purposes, which are less rigorous than the diversification requirements under federal securities law. See "Taxation" in the Fund's Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") for more information.
Sector Emphasis Risk. From time to time, the Fund may invest 25% or more of its assets in one or more sectors subjecting them to sector emphasis risk. This is the risk that the Fund is subject to greater risk of loss as a result of adverse economic, business, or other developments affecting a specific sector in which the Fund has invested, than if its investments were diversified across a greater number of industry sectors. Sectors possess particular risks that may not affect other sectors.
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The remaining risks are considered "principal risks" of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which they appear.
Cash Position Risk. To the extent that the Fund holds large positions in cash or cash equivalents, there is a risk of lower returns and potential lost opportunities to participate in market appreciation.
Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts involve substantially identical risks to those associated with direct investment in securities of foreign issuers. In addition, the underlying issuers of certain depositary receipts, particularly unsponsored or unregistered depositary receipts, are under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications to the holders of such receipts or to pass through to them any voting rights with respect to the deposited securities.
Derivatives Risk. Any use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks, such as liquidity risk, interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, and management risk. They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate, or index. The Fund, by investing in a derivative instrument, could lose more than the principal amount invested. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the asset, index, rate, or instrument underlying a derivative or due to failure of a counterparty. Derivatives may create leverage in the Fund, which magnifies the Fund's exposure to the underlying instrument so that small changes in the value of the underlying instruments may produce disproportionate losses to the Fund. A counterparty's loss on a derivatives transaction may substantially exceed the counterparty's initial investment.
Foreign Securities and ADR Risk. Investments in foreign securities and ADRs may involve more risks than U.S. investments. These additional risks may potentially include lower liquidity, greater price volatility, and risks related to adverse political, regulatory, market, or economic developments. Foreign companies also may be subject to significantly higher levels of taxation than U.S. companies, including potentially confiscatory levels of taxation, thereby reducing the earnings potential of such foreign companies. Amounts realized on sales of or distributions with respect to foreign securities may be subject to high and potentially confiscatory levels of foreign taxation and withholding when compared to comparable transactions in U.S. securities. Sanctions imposed by the U.S. or a foreign country may restrict the Fund's ability to purchase or sell foreign securities or may require the Fund to divest its holdings in foreign securities, which could adversely affect the value or liquidity of such holdings. The imposition of sanctions could also adversely affect global sectors and economies and thereby negatively affect the value of the Fund's investments beyond any direct exposure to the countries or regions subject to the sanctions. Investments in foreign securities involve exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. Such fluctuations may reduce the value of the investment. Foreign investments are also subject to risks including potentially higher withholding and other taxes, higher costs of custody and trading, trade settlement, custodial, and other operational risks and less stringent investor protection and disclosure standards in certain foreign markets. In addition, foreign markets can, and often do, perform differently than U.S. markets. Given the global interrelationships of today's economy, volatility, or threats to stability of any significant currency, or significant political instability, may affect other markets and affect the risk of an investment in the Fund. Changes in foreign tax laws, exchange controls, investment regulations, and policies on nationalization and expropriation, as well as political instability may affect the operations of foreign companies and the value of their securities.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors have no track record or history on which to base their investment decision.
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ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF, and, as a result of an ETF's structure, they are exposed to the following risks:
APs, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Investors buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers, as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares (the "bid" price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares (the "ask" price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the "spread" or "bid-ask spread." The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and the spread is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, a relatively small investor base in the Fund, asset swings in the Fund, and/or increased market volatility may cause increased bid-ask spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund's NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. The market price of Shares during the trading day, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a "bid-ask" spread charged by the exchange specialist, market makers or other participants that trade the Shares. In times of severe market disruption, the bid-ask spread can increase significantly. At those times, Shares are most likely to be traded at a discount to NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of Shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that you most want to sell your Shares. The Adviser believes that, under normal market conditions, large market price discounts or premiums to NAV will not be sustained because of arbitrage opportunities.
Trading. Although Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange and may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to Exchange "circuit breaker" rules, which temporarily halt trading on the Exchange when a decline in the S&P 500® Index during a single day reaches certain thresholds (e.g., 7%, 13%, and 20%). Additional rules applicable to the Exchange may halt trading in Shares when extraordinary volatility causes sudden, significant
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swings in the market price of Shares. There can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the Shares and the underlying value of those Shares.
Listing Standards Risk. The Fund is required to comply with listing requirements adopted by the listing exchange. Non-compliance with such requirements may result in the Fund's shares being delisted by the listing exchange. Any resulting liquidation of the Fund could cause the Fund to incur elevated transaction costs and could result in negative tax consequences for its shareholders.
ETF Trading Risk. To the extent that the Fund invests in ETFs, it is subject to additional risks that do not apply to conventional funds, including the risk that the market price of the ETF's shares may trade at a discount to its NAV. Also, an active secondary trading market for an ETF's shares may not develop or be maintained, or trading of an ETF's shares may be halted if the listing exchange deems such action appropriate. This could lead to a lack of market liquidity, thereby forcing the Fund to sell its shares in an underlying ETF for less than the shares' NAV. Further, an ETF's shares may be delisted from the securities exchange on which they trade. ETFs are also subject to the risks of the underlying securities or sectors the in which they invest. The price movement of an index-based ETF may not track the underlying index and may result in a loss.
Options Risk. Options on securities may be subject to greater fluctuations in value than an investment in the underlying securities. Purchasing and writing put and call options are highly specialized activities and entail greater than ordinary investment risks. The successful use of options depends in part on the ability of the Adviser to manage future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities (or currency) markets. By writing put options on equity securities, the Fund gives up the opportunity to benefit from potential increases in the value of the common stocks above the strike prices of the written put options, but continues to bear the risk of declines in the value of its common stock portfolio. The Fund will receive a premium from writing a covered call option that it retains whether or not the option is exercised. The premium received from the written options may not be sufficient to offset any losses sustained from the volatility of the underlying equity securities over time. The successful use of options depends in part on the ability of the Adviser to anticipate future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities (or currency) markets. If the Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of changes in market prices or determination of the correlation between the instruments or indices on which options are written and purchased and the instruments in the Fund's investment portfolio, the Fund may incur losses that it would not otherwise incur.
Real Estate Investment Trusts Risk. REITs are trusts that invest primarily in commercial real estate or real estate-related loans. By investing in REITs indirectly through the Fund, shareholders will not only bear the proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund, but will also indirectly bear similar expenses of the underlying REITs. The Fund may be subject to certain risks associated with the direct investments of the REITs, such as losses from casualty or condemnation, changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes, and operating expenses in addition to terrorist attacks, war, or other acts that destroy real property. REITs may be affected by changes in the value of their underlying properties and by defaults by borrowers or tenants. Some REITs may have limited diversification and may be subject to risks inherent in financing a limited number of properties. REITs generally depend on their ability to generate cash flow to make distributions to shareholders or unit holders and may be subject to defaults by borrowers and to self-liquidations. In addition, a REIT may be affected by its failure to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), or its failure to maintain exemption from registration under the 1940 Act.
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Securities Lending Risk. There are certain risks associated with securities lending, including the risk that when lending portfolio securities, the securities may not be available to the Fund on a timely basis and the Fund may, therefore, lose the opportunity to sell the securities at a desirable price. When the Fund loans its portfolio securities, it will receive collateral consisting of cash or cash equivalents, securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities, an irrevocable bank letter of credit, or any combination thereof. Nevertheless, the Fund risks a delay in the recovery of the loaned securities, or even the loss of rights in the collateral deposited by the borrower, if the borrower should fail financially. In addition, any investments made with the collateral received are subject to the risks associated with such investments. If such investments lose value, the Fund will have to cover the loss when repaying the collateral.
Additional Risks
Special Risks Related to Cybersecurity. The Fund and its service providers, including the Adviser, are susceptible to cybersecurity risks that include, among other things, theft, unauthorized monitoring, release, misuse, loss, destruction, or corruption of confidential and highly restricted data; denial of service attacks; unauthorized access to relevant systems; compromises to networks or devices that the Fund and its service providers use to service the Fund's operations; or operational disruption or failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support the Fund and its service providers. Cyber attacks against or security breakdowns of the Fund or its service providers may adversely impact the Fund and its shareholders, potentially resulting in, among other things, financial losses; the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business and the Fund to process transactions; inability to calculate the Fund's NAV; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement, or other compensation costs; and/or additional compliance costs. The Fund may incur additional costs for cybersecurity risk management and remediation purposes. In addition, cybersecurity risks may also impact issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, which may cause the Fund's investment in such issuers to lose value. While measures have been developed which are designed to reduce the risks associated with cybersecurity incidents, there can be no assurance that those measures will be effective, particularly since the Fund does not control the cybersecurity defenses or plans of its service providers, financial intermediaries and companies with which those entities do business.
Cybersecurity incidents, both intentional and unintentional, may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund or shareholder assets, Fund or customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or cause the Fund, the Adviser and/or other service providers (including, but not limited to, the fund administrator, fund accountant, custodian, transfer agent, auditors and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches or data corruption, lose operational functionality, or prevent Fund shareholders from purchasing, redeeming or exchanging shares or receiving distributions. The Fund and the Adviser have limited ability to prevent or mitigate cybersecurity incidents affecting third-party service providers. Cybersecurity incidents may result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders, and substantial costs may be incurred in seeking to prevent or minimize future cybersecurity incidents.
Who May Want to Invest in the Fund?
The Fund may be appropriate for investors who:
•Are pursuing a long-term goal such as retirement; and
•Have moderate risk tolerance.
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PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION
Information about the Fund's daily portfolio holdings will be available at [www.__________.com]. A complete description of the Fund's policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund's portfolio holdings is available in the Fund's Statement of Additional Information ("SAI").
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
Investment Adviser
The Fund, a series of Professionally Managed Portfolios (the "Trust"), has entered into an investment advisory agreement (the "Advisory Agreement") with Akre Capital Management, LLC, under which the Adviser manages the Fund's investments and business affairs subject to the supervision of the Board. The Adviser is a registered investment adviser with offices located at 2 W. Marshall Street, Middleburg, Virginia 20117. The Adviser was founded in 1999 and serves as investment adviser to other advisory clients such as high net worth individuals, institutions, private partnerships, and the Akre Focus Fund, which is another series of the Trust. As of August 31, 2024, the Adviser managed approximately $14.9 billion in assets.
The Adviser provides the Fund with advice on buying and selling securities. The Adviser also furnishes the Fund with office space and certain administrative services and provides most of the personnel needed by the Fund. For the services it provides to the Fund, the Fund pays the Adviser a unitary management fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate of [ ]% based on the Fund's average daily net assets.
Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses of the Fund except for the fee paid to the Adviser pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, interest charges on any borrowings, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, extraordinary expenses, and distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.
A discussion regarding the basis of the Board's approval of the Advisory Agreement with the Adviser will be available in the Fund's Form N-CSR for the period ended [____________].
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Portfolio Managers
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Portfolio Managers
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Bio
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John H. Neff
Since Inception [ ]
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Mr. Neff has served as Portfolio Manager of the Akre Focus ETF since [ ] and the Akre Focus Fund since 2014. Mr. Neff joined the Adviser in 2009 as a Senior Analyst and became a Partner of the Adviser in January 2013. Prior to joining the Adviser, Mr. Neff served as a Senior Equity Analyst for William Blair since 2002 after starting in its Equity Research department in 1999. He holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. from Colgate University.
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The Fund's SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Manager's compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Manager, and the Portfolio Manager's ownership of shares of the Fund.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES
HOW TO BUY AND SELL SHARES
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in Creation Units, typically large blocks of [_____] Shares. Only APs may acquire Shares directly from the Fund, and only APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV. APs must be a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC and must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor (defined below), and that has been accepted by the Fund's transfer agent, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Once created, Shares trade in the secondary market in quantities less than a Creation Unit.
Most investors buy and sell Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares are listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded securities.
When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offer price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. In addition, because secondary market transactions occur at market prices, you may pay more than NAV when you buy Shares and receive less than NAV when you sell those Shares.
Book Entry
Shares are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding Shares.
Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares. DTC's participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book entry or "street name" through your brokerage account.
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Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Shares
The Fund imposes no restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of Shares. In determining not to approve a written, established policy, the Board evaluated the risks of market timing activities by Fund shareholders. Purchases and redemptions by APs, who are the only parties that may purchase or redeem Shares directly with the Fund, are an essential part of the ETF process and help keep Share trading prices in line with NAV. As such, the Fund accommodates frequent purchases and redemptions by APs. However, the Board has also determined that frequent purchases and redemptions for cash may increase tracking error and portfolio transaction costs and may lead to the realization of capital gains. To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions, the Fund employs fair value pricing and may impose transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effecting trades. In addition, the Fund and the Adviser reserve the right to reject any purchase order at any time.
Determination of Net Asset Value
The NAV of the Shares is calculated each day the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") is open for trading as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (the "NAV Calculation Time"). If the NYSE closes before 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, as it occasionally does, the NAV Calculation Time will be the time the NYSE closes. The Fund's NAV per share is calculated by dividing the Fund's net assets by the number of Shares outstanding.
In calculating its NAV, the Fund generally values its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments. If such information is not available for a security held by the Fund or is determined to be unreliable, the security will be valued by the Adviser at fair value pursuant to procedures established by the Adviser and approved by the Board (as described below).
Fair Value Pricing
The Board has designated the Adviser as the "valuation designee" for the Fund under Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, subject to its oversight. The Adviser and the Trust have adopted procedures and methodologies to fair value the Fund's portfolio securities whose market prices are not "readily available" or are deemed to be unreliable. For example, such circumstances may arise when: (i) a security has been de-listed or has had its trading halted or suspended; (ii) a security's primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; (iii) a security's primary trading market is closed during regular market hours; or (iv) a security's value is materially affected by events occurring after the close of the security's primary trading market. The Board has designated the Adviser as its "valuation designee" pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, subject to its oversight. Fair value determinations are made in good faith in accordance with procedures adopted by the Adviser and approved by the Board. Generally, when fair valuing a security, the valuation designee will take into account all reasonably available information that may be relevant to a particular valuation including, but not limited to, fundamental analytical data regarding the issuer, information relating to the issuer's business, recent trades or offers of the security, general and/or specific market conditions and the specific facts giving rise to the need to fair value the security. Fair value determinations are made in good faith and in accordance with the fair value methodologies included in the Board-approved valuation procedures. Due to the subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, there can be no assurance that the Adviser will be able to obtain the fair value assigned to the security upon the sale of such security.
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Dividends and Distributions
The Fund intends to pay out dividends, if any, and distribute any net realized capital gains to its shareholders at least annually. The Fund will declare and pay capital gain distributions, if any, in cash. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.
Delivery of Shareholder Documents - Householding
Householding is an option available to certain investors of the Fund. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Householding for the Fund is available through certain broker-dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.
Investments by Registered Investment Companies
Section 12 of the 1940 Act restricts investments by registered investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of the Fund. However, registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12 when they comply with rules adopted by the SEC and comply with the necessary conditions.
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ADDITIONAL TAX INFORMATION
Taxes
The following discussion is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Fund. Your investment in the Fund may have other tax implications. Please consult your tax adviser about the tax consequences of an investment in Shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws. This summary does not apply to Shares held in an IRA or other tax-qualified plans, which are generally not subject to current tax. Transactions relating to Shares held in such accounts may, however, be taxable at some time in the future. This summary is based on current tax laws, which may change.
The Fund will elect and intends to continue to qualify each year for treatment as a RIC. If the Fund meets certain minimum distribution requirements, a RIC is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, the Fund's failure to qualify as a RIC or to meet minimum distribution requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.
Unless your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA plan, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions, when you sell your Shares listed on the Exchange; and when you purchase or redeem Creation Units (APs only).
Taxes on Distributions
The Fund intends to distribute, at least annually, substantially all of its net investment income and net capital gains. For federal income tax purposes, distributions of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income or qualified dividend income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains (if any) are determined by how long the Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Shares. Sales of assets held by the Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by the Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions of the Fund's net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that are reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends ("Capital Gain Dividends") will be taxable as long-term capital gains, which for non-corporate shareholders are subject to tax at reduced rates of up to 20% (lower rates apply to individuals in lower tax brackets). Distributions of short-term capital gain will generally be taxable as ordinary income. Dividends and distributions are generally taxable to you whether you receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional Shares.
Distributions reported by the Fund as "qualified dividend income" are generally taxed to non-corporate shareholders at rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided holding period and other requirements are met. "Qualified dividend income" generally is income derived from dividends paid by U.S. corporations or certain foreign corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession or eligible for tax benefits under certain U.S. income tax treaties. In addition, dividends that the Fund received in respect of stock of certain foreign corporations may be qualified dividend income if that stock is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market. Corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends received deduction for the portion of dividends they receive from the Fund that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from U.S. corporations, subject to certain limitations. The Fund's investment strategy may limit the amount of distributions eligible for treatment as qualified dividend
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income in the hands of non-corporate shareholders or eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders.
Shortly after the close of each calendar year, you will be informed of the amount and character of any distributions received from the Fund.
U.S. individuals with income exceeding specified thresholds are subject to a 3.8% tax on all or a portion of their "net investment income," which includes interest, dividends, and certain capital gains (generally including capital gains distributions and capital gains realized on the sale of Shares). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts.
In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year. Distributions are generally taxable even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the Fund before your investment (and thus were included in the Shares' NAV when you purchased your Shares).
You may wish to avoid investing in the Fund shortly before a dividend or other distribution, because such a distribution will generally be taxable even though it may economically represent a return of a portion of your investment.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a foreign entity, distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) paid to you by the Fund will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless a lower treaty rate applies. Gains from the sale or other disposition of your Shares generally are not subject to U.S. taxation, unless you are a nonresident alien individual who is physically present in the U.S. for 183 days or more per year. The Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an "interest-related dividend" or a "short-term capital gain dividend," which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Different tax consequences may result if you are a foreign shareholder engaged in a trade or business within the United States or if a tax treaty applies.
Under legislation generally known as "FATCA" (the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act), the Fund is required to withhold 30% of certain ordinary dividends it pays to shareholders that are foreign entities and that fail to meet prescribed information reporting or certification requirements.
The Fund (or a financial intermediary, such as a broker, through which a shareholder owns Shares) generally is required to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage (currently 24%) of the taxable distributions and sale proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has underreported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that the shareholder is not subject to such withholding.
Taxes When Shares Are Sold on the Exchange
Provided that a shareholder holds Shares as capital assets, any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Shares generally is treated as a long-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for one year or less. However, any capital loss on a sale of Shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of Capital Gain Dividends paid with respect to such Shares. Any loss realized on a sale will be disallowed to the extent Shares of the Fund are acquired, including through reinvestment of dividends, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition of Shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited.
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The cost basis of Shares of the Fund acquired by purchase will generally be based on the amount paid for the Shares and then may be subsequently adjusted for other applicable transactions as required by the Code. The difference between the selling price and the cost basis of Shares generally determines the amount of the capital gain or loss realized on the sale or exchange of Shares. Contact the broker through whom you purchased your Shares to obtain information with respect to the available cost basis reporting methods and elections for your account.
Taxes on Purchases and Redemptions of Creation Units
An AP having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally recognizes a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the exchanging AP's aggregate basis in the securities delivered, plus the amount of any cash paid for the Creation Units. An AP who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanging AP's basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the securities received, plus any cash received for such Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service may assert, however, that a loss that is realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units may not be currently deducted under the rules governing "wash sales" (for an AP who does not mark-to-market its holdings), or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. APs exchanging securities should consult their own tax adviser with respect to whether the wash sales rule applies and when a loss might be deductible.
The Fund may include a payment of cash in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities upon the redemption of Creation Units. The Fund may sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment in the proceeds paid upon the redemption of Creation Units.
Net Investment Income Tax
U.S. individuals with income exceeding specified thresholds are subject to a 3.8% tax on all or a portion of their "net investment income," which includes interest, dividends, and certain capital gains (generally including capital gains distributions and capital gains realized on the sale of Shares). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to state and local tax on Fund distributions and sales of Fund Shares. Consult your personal tax adviser about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Fund Sharesunder all applicable tax laws. For more information, please see the section entitled "Federal Income Taxes" in the SAI.
DISTRIBUTION
The Distributor, Quasar Distributors, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Foreside Financial Group, LLC (d/b/a ACA Group), is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC. The Distributor distributes Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis and does not maintain a secondary market in Shares. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The Distributor's principal address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.
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The Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the "Plan") pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year for certain distribution-related activities and shareholder services.
No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Fund, and there are no plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because the fees are paid out of the Fund's assets, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
The Adviser, out of its own resources and legitimate profits and without additional cost to the Fund or its shareholders, may provide cash payments to certain intermediaries, sometimes referred to as revenue sharing. These payments are in addition to or in lieu of any amounts payable to financial intermediaries under the Rule 12b-1 Plan. The Adviser may make revenue sharing payments to intermediaries for shareholder services or distribution-related services, such as: marketing support services; access to third party platforms; access to sales meetings, sales representatives and management representatives of the intermediary; and inclusion of the Fund on a sales list, including a preferred or select sales list, and in other sales programs. The Adviser may also pay cash compensation in the form of finder's fees that vary depending on the dollar amount of the Shares sold. From time to time, and in accordance with applicable rules and regulations, the Adviser may also provide non-cash compensation to representatives of various intermediaries who sell Shares or provide services to the Fund's shareholders. In addition, the Adviser has engaged and pays variable compensation to an SEC-registered broker-dealer and investment adviser for consulting services on marketing strategies and for due diligence, education, training, and support services. The Adviser pays these consulting and support service fees from its own resources and not from the assets of the Fund.
PREMIUM/DISCOUNT INFORMATION
Information about the Fund's daily market price and how often shares of the Fund traded on the Exchange are at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund can be found at [www.__________.com].
ADDITIONAL NOTICES
Shares are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by the Exchange. The Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of the Shares to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Shares are redeemable. The Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of the Shares in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of the Shares.
Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Exchange have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.
The Adviser, the Exchange, and the Fund make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Shares or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly.
Shareholder Derivative Actions
The governing instruments of the Fund state that shareholders have power to the same extent as the stockholders of a Massachusetts business corporation as to whether or not a court action, proceeding or claim should or should not be brought or maintained derivatively or as a class action on behalf of the Trust or the shareholders.
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The Trust's Declaration of Trust provides that the Business Litigation Section of the Superior Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts sitting in Suffolk County, Massachusetts shall be the exclusive forum in which certain types of litigation may be brought. Any person purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in shares of beneficial interest of the Trust shall be (i) deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of this provision, and (ii) deemed to have waived any argument relating to the inconvenience of the judicial forum referenced above in connection with any action or proceeding described in provision. This provision does not apply to federal security law claims.
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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Financial highlights are not shown for the Fund as the Fund has not yet commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus.
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Akre Focus ETF
You can find more information about the Fund in the following documents:
Statement of Additional Information ("SAI")
The Fund's SAI provides additional details about the investments and techniques of the Fund and certain other additional information. The current SAI is on file with the SEC and is incorporated into this Prospectus by reference. It is legally considered a part of this Prospectus.
Annual and Semi-Annual Reports and Form N-CSR
Additional information about the Fund's investments will be available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders and in Form N-CSR.The Fund's Annual Report will contain a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the Fund's last fiscal year. In Form N-CSR, you will find the Fund's annual and semi-annual financial statements.
You can obtain a free copy of the SAI and the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders, request other information such as the Fund's financial statements, or make general inquiries about the Fund by contacting the Fund at:
Akre Focus ETF
c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
P.O. Box 701
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701
1-800-617-0004
[www.__________.com]
Shareholder reports and other information about the Fund (including the SAI and financial statements) are also available:
•Free of charge from the Fund's website at [www.__________.com];
•Free of charge from the SEC's EDGAR database on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov; or
(The Trust's SEC Investment Company Act file number is 811-05037.)
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Subject to Completion - October 1, 2024
The information in this Statement of Additional Information is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Statement of Additional Information is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
[ ], 2024
AKRE FOCUS ETF
[(_______)]
Listed on [_____________]
2 W. Marshall Street
Middleburg, Virginia 20117
P.O. Box 998
Middleburg, Virginia 20118
1-800-617-0004
This Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") is not a prospectus and it should be read in conjunction with the prospectus dated [ ], 2024, as may be revised (the "Prospectus") for the Akre Focus ETF (the "Fund"), a series of Professionally Managed Portfolios (the "Trust"). The Fund is advised by Akre Capital Management, LLC (the "Adviser"). A copy of the Prospectus is available by calling the number listed above.
The Fund's audited financial statements for the most recent fiscal year (when available) will be included in the Fund's Form N-CSR and are incorporated by reference into this SAI. When available, you may obtain a copy of the Fund's financial statements without charge by contacting the Fund at the address or phone number listed above, or by visiting the Fund's website at [www.__________.com].
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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INVESTMENT POLICIES AND RISKS
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3
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INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
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26
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PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS DISCLOSURE
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27
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EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING
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27
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MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST
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28
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PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
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36
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CONTROL PERSONS, PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS AND MANAGEMENT OWNERSHIP
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36
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THE INVESTMENT ADVISER
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36
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THE ADMINISTRATOR, CUSTODIAN, AND TRANSFER AGENT
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38
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THE DISTRIBUTOR
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39
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LEGAL COUNSEL
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41
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INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
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41
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BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS
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42
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BOOK ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM
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44
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ADDITIONAL PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION INFORMATION
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45
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DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
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51
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DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
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52
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FEDERAL INCOME TAXES
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53
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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
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60
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APPENDIX A
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A-1
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APPENDIX B
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B-1
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1
THE TRUST
The Trust is a Massachusetts business trust organized on February 24, 1987 and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") as an open-end management investment company. Prior to May 1991, the Trust was known as the Avondale Investment Trust. The Trust's Agreement and Declaration of Trust (the "Declaration of Trust") permits the Trust's Board of Trustees (the "Board") to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of beneficial interest, without par value, which may be issued in any number of series. The Trust consists of various series that represent separate investment portfolios. The Board may, from time to time, issue other series, the assets and liabilities of which will be separate and distinct from any other series. This SAI relates only to the Fund.
The shareholders of a Massachusetts business trust could, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for its obligations. However, the Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Trust.
The Declaration of Trust also provides for indemnification and reimbursement of expenses out of the Fund's assets for any shareholder held personally liable for obligations of the Fund or the Trust. The Declaration of Trust provides that the Trust shall, upon request, assume the defense of any claim made against any shareholder for any act or obligation of the Fund or the Trust and satisfy any judgment thereon. All such rights are limited to the assets of the Fund. The Declaration of Trust further provides that the Trust may maintain appropriate insurance (for example, fidelity bonding and errors and omissions insurance) for the protection of the Trust, its shareholders, trustees, officers, employees and agents to cover possible tort and other liabilities. However, the activities of the Trust as an investment company would not likely give rise to liabilities in excess of the Trust's total assets. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which both inadequate insurance exists and the Fund itself is unable to meet its obligations.
The Fund issues and redeems shares ("Shares") at net asset value per share ("NAV") only in large blocks of Shares ("Creation Units" or "Creation Unit Aggregations"). Each Creation Unit is generally made up of 10,000 Shares, though these amounts may change from time to time. The Fund generally offers and issues Shares in exchange for a basket of securities ("Deposit Securities") together with the deposit of a specified cash payment ("Cash Component"). The Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of a "cash in lieu" amount ("Deposit Cash") to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security. Shares are also redeemable only in Creation Unit aggregations, principally for a basket of Deposit Securities together with a Cash Component. As a practical matter, only institutions or large investors (authorized participants) who have entered into agreements with the Trust's distributor, can purchase or redeem Creation Units. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, Shares are not redeemable securities.
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, [____________] (the "Exchange"), as indicated on the cover of this SAI, and trade throughout the day on the Exchange and other secondary markets at market prices that may differ from NAV.
Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions, including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Trust cash at least equal to a specified percentage of the value of the missing Deposit Securities, as set forth in the Participant Agreement (as defined below). The Trust may impose a transaction fee for each creation or redemption. In all cases, such fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the SEC applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities. As in the case of other publicly traded securities, brokers' commissions on transactions in the secondary market will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary level.
The Trust reserves the right to adjust the prices of Shares in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund.
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INVESTMENT POLICIES AND RISKS
The Fund's investment objectives and principal investment strategies are described in the Prospectus. The following information supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, the Prospectus. For a description of certain permitted investments, see "Description of Permitted Investments" in this SAI.
With respect to the Fund's investments, unless otherwise noted, if a percentage limitation on investment is adhered to at the time of investment or contract, a subsequent increase or decrease as a result of market movement or redemption will not result in a violation of such investment limitation.
Market and Regulatory Risk. Events in the financial markets and economy may cause volatility and uncertainty and affect performance. Such adverse effect on performance could include a decline in the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund, unusually high and unanticipated levels of redemptions, an increase in portfolio turnover, a decrease in net asset value ("NAV"), and an increase in Fund expenses. It may also be unusually difficult to identify both investment risks and opportunities, in which case investment objectives may not be met. Market events may affect a single issuer, industry, sector, or the market as a whole. Traditionally liquid investments may experience periods of diminished liquidity. During a general downturn in the financial markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value and the Fund may lose value, regardless of the individual results of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests. It is impossible to predict whether or for how long such market events will continue, particularly if they are unprecedented, unforeseen, or widespread events or conditions; pandemics; epidemics; and other similar circumstances in one or more countries or regions. Therefore, it is important to understand that the value of your investment may fall, sometimes sharply and for extended periods, and you could lose money.
Governmental and regulatory actions, including tax law changes, may also impair portfolio management and have unexpected or adverse consequences on particular markets, strategies, or investments. Policy and legislative changes in the United States and in other countries are affecting many aspects of financial regulation and may in some instances contribute to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the financial markets. The impact of these changes on the markets and the practical implications for market participants may not be fully known for some time. In addition, economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected. As a result, whether or not the Fund invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to countries experiencing economic and financial difficulties, the value and liquidity of the Fund's investments may be negatively affected.
Non-Diversification. The Fund is a non-diversified fund and, as such, its investments are not required to meet certain diversification requirements under federal securities law. The Fund is permitted to invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than a diversified fund. Thus, the Fund may have fewer holdings than diversified funds. As a result, a decline in the value of those holdings would cause the Fund's overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio.
Although the Fund is a non-diversified investment company, and consequently is not limited in the proportion of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer, the Fund intends to conduct its operations so as to qualify to be taxed as a "regulated investment company" for federal income tax purposes, which will relieve the Fund of any liability for federal income tax to the extent its income and capital gains are distributed to shareholders. To so qualify, among other requirements, the Fund will limit its investment so that, at the close of each quarter of the taxable year: (1) not more than 25% of the Fund's total assets will be invested in the securities of a single issuer, and (2) with respect to 50% of its total assets, not more than 5% of its total assets will be invested in the securities of a single issuer and the Fund will not own more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of a single issuer. The Fund's investments in U.S. government securities are not subject to these limitations.
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Special Risks Related to Cybersecurity. The Fund and its service providers, including the Adviser, are susceptible to cybersecurity risks that include, among other things, theft, unauthorized monitoring, release, misuse, loss, destruction, or corruption of confidential and highly restricted data; denial of service attacks; unauthorized access to relevant systems; compromises to networks or devices that the Fund and its service providers use to service the Fund's operations; or operational disruption or failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support the Fund and its service providers. Cyber attacks against or security breakdowns of the Fund or its service providers may adversely impact the Fund and its shareholders, potentially resulting in, among other things, financial losses; the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business and the Fund to process transactions; inability to calculate the Fund's NAV; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement, or other compensation costs; and/or additional compliance costs. The Fund may incur additional costs for cybersecurity risk management and remediation purposes. In addition, cybersecurity risks may also impact issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, which may cause the Fund's investment in such issuers to lose value. While measures have been developed which are designed to reduce the risks associated with cybersecurity incidents, there can be no assurance that those measures will be effective, particularly since the Fund does not control the cybersecurity defenses or plans of its service providers, financial intermediaries and companies with which those entities do business.
Cybersecurity incidents, both intentional and unintentional, may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund or shareholder assets, Fund or customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or cause the Fund, the Adviser and/or other service providers (including, but not limited to, the fund administrator, fund accountant, custodian, transfer agent, auditors and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches or data corruption, lose operational functionality, or prevent Fund shareholders from purchasing, redeeming or exchanging shares or receiving distributions. The Fund and the Adviser have limited ability to prevent or mitigate cybersecurity incidents affecting third-party service providers. Cybersecurity incidents may result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders, and substantial costs may be incurred in seeking to prevent or minimize future cybersecurity incidents.
Description of Permitted Investments.
The following are descriptions of the permitted investments and investment practices and the associated risk factors. The Funds will only invest in any of the following instruments or engage in any of the following investment practices if such investment or activity is consistent with each Fund's investment objective and permitted by a Fund's stated investment policies. The Funds may be subject to the risks described below as a result of direct investments in such instruments or indirect investments in such instruments through investments in other pooled investment vehicles, such as other ETFs.
Equity Securities. Common stocks, preferred stocks, and convertible securities are examples of equity securities in which the Fund may invest. All investments in equity securities are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles and the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may fluctuate substantially from day to day. Owning an equity security can also subject the Fund to the risk that the issuer may discontinue paying dividends.
Common Stocks. A share of common stock represents a proportionate share of the ownership of a company and its value is based on the success of the company's business, any income paid to stockholders, the value of its assets, and general market conditions. In addition to the general risks set forth above, investments in common stocks are subject to the risk that in the event a company in which the Fund invests is liquidated, the holders of preferred stock and creditors of that company will be paid in full before any payments are made to the Fund as a holder of common stock. It is possible that all assets of that company will be exhausted before any payments are made to the Fund.
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Preferred Stocks - Preferred stocks are also units of ownership in a company. Preferred stocks normally have preference over common stock in the payment of dividends and the liquidation of the company. However, in all other respects, preferred stocks are subordinated to the liabilities of the issuer. Unlike common stocks, preferred stocks are generally not entitled to vote on corporate matters. Types of preferred stocks include adjustable-rate preferred stock, fixed dividend preferred stock, perpetual preferred stock, and sinking fund preferred stock. Generally, the market values of preferred stock with a fixed dividend rate and no conversion element vary inversely with interest rates and perceived credit risk.
Rights and Warrants - A right is a privilege granted to existing shareholders of a corporation to subscribe to shares of a new issue of common stock before it is issued. Rights normally have a short life of usually two to four weeks, are freely transferable and entitle the holder to buy the new common stock at a lower price than the public offering price. Warrants are securities that are usually issued together with a debt security or preferred stock and that give the holder the right to buy proportionate amount of common stock at a specified price. Warrants are freely transferable and are traded on major exchanges. Unlike rights, warrants normally have a life that is measured in years and entitles the holder to buy common stock of a company at a price that is usually higher than the market price at the time the warrant is issued. Corporations often issue warrants to make the accompanying debt security more attractive.
An investment in warrants and rights may entail greater risks than certain other types of investments. Generally, rights and warrants do not carry the right to receive dividends or exercise voting rights with respect to the underlying securities, and they do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuer. In addition, their value does not necessarily change with the value of the underlying securities, and they cease to have value if they are not exercised on or before their expiration date. Investing in rights and warrants increases the potential profit or loss to be realized from the investment as compared with investing the same amount in the underlying securities.
Medium-Sized Companies - Investors in medium-sized companies typically take on greater risk and price volatility than they would by investing in larger, more established companies. This increased risk may be due to the greater business risks of their medium size, limited markets and financial resources, narrow product lines 5 and frequent lack of management depth. The securities of medium-sized companies are often traded in the overthe-counter market and might not be traded in volumes typical of securities traded on a national securities exchange. Thus, the securities of medium capitalization companies are likely to be less liquid, and subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements, than securities of larger, more established companies.
Smaller-Sized Companies - Investors in smaller-sized companies typically take on greater risk and price volatility than they would by investing in larger, more established companies. This increased risk may be due to the greater business risks of their smaller size, limited markets and financial resources, narrow product lines and frequent lack of management depth. The securities of smaller-sized companies are often traded in the over-the-counter market and might not be traded in volumes typical of securities traded on a national securities exchange. Thus, the securities of smaller capitalization companies are likely to be less liquid, and subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements, than securities of larger, more established companies.
Foreign Securities. The Fund may invest up to 35% of its total assets in securities issued by foreign issuers, including in American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs"), and directly in foreign equity securities. In determining whether a company is foreign, the Adviser will consider various factors including where the company is headquartered, where the company's principal operations are located, where the company's revenues are derived, where the principal trading market for the company's securities is located, and the country in which the company is legally organized. The weight given to each of these factors will vary depending upon the circumstances. Investments in foreign securities may involve a greater degree of risk than those in domestic securities.
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Depositary receipts are not usually denominated in the same currency as the securities into which they may be converted. Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in U.S. securities markets and EDRs and GDRs, in bearer form, are designed for use in European and global securities markets. ADRs are receipts typically issued by a U.S. bank or trust company evidencing ownership of the underlying securities. EDRs and GDRs are European and global receipts, respectively, evidencing a similar arrangement.
ADRs in registered form are dollar-denominated securities designed for use in the U.S. securities markets. ADRs are sponsored and issued by domestic banks, and they represent and may be converted into underlying foreign securities deposited with the domestic bank or a correspondent bank. ADRs do not eliminate the risks inherent in investing in the securities of foreign issuers. By investing in ADRs rather than directly in the foreign security, however, the Fund may avoid currency risks during the settlement period for either purchases or sales. There is a large, liquid market in the United States for most ADRs. GDRs are receipts representing an arrangement with a major foreign bank similar to that for ADRs. GDRs are not necessarily denominated in the currency of the underlying security.
Securities of foreign issuers may be subject to greater fluctuations in price than domestic securities.The price of foreign securities is affected by changes in the currency exchange rates.Potential political or economic instability of the country of the issuer, especially in emerging or developing countries, could cause rapid and extreme changes in the value of the Fund's assets to the extent it is invested in securities of foreign issuers.Foreign countries have different accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards, and foreign issuers may be subject to less governmental regulation and oversight and higher levels of taxation than U.S. issuers.Also, the Fund may invest in countries that are not as politically or economically developed as the United States.Acts of foreign governments interfering in capital markets, such as capital or currency controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets, or imposition of punitive taxes would have an adverse effect on the Fund.In addition, additional costs may be incurred in connection with the Fund's foreign investments.Foreign brokerage commissions are generally higher than those in the United States.Expenses may also be incurred on currency conversions when the Fund moves investments from one country to another.Increased custodial costs, as well as administrative difficulties, may be experienced in connection with maintaining assets in foreign jurisdictions.
The Fund may also invest in developing or emerging market securities. The considerations noted above regarding the risk of investing in foreign securities are generally more significant for investments in emerging or developing countries, such as countries in Eastern Europe, Latin America, South America, or Southeast Asia. These countries may have relatively unstable governments and securities markets in which only a small number of securities trade. Markets of developing or emerging countries may generally be more volatile than markets of developed countries. Investment in these markets may involve significantly greater risks, as well as the potential for greater gains.
Sanctions imposed by the U.S. or a foreign country may restrict the Fund's ability to purchase or sell foreign securities or may require the Fund to divest its holdings in foreign securities, which could adversely affect the value or liquidity of such holdings. The imposition of sanctions could also adversely affect global sectors and economies and thereby negatively affect the value of the Fund's investments beyond any direct exposure to the countries or regions subject to the sanctions.
Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs"). The Fund may invest in REITs. REITs are pooled investment vehicles that invest primarily in either real estate or real estate related loans. Like Regulated Investment Companies ("RICs") such as the Fund, REITs are not taxed on income distributed to shareholders provided that they comply with certain requirements under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). The Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any expenses paid by REITs in which it invests in addition to the Fund's own expenses. REITs involve certain unique risks in addition to those risks associated with investing in the real estate industry in general (such as possible declines in the value of real estate, lack of availability of
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mortgage funds, or extended vacancies of property). REITs are generally classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs, or a combination of equity and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive income primarily from the collection of rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive income from the collection of interest payments. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REITs, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the risk of borrower default. REITs, and mortgage REITs in particular, are also subject to interest rate risk.
Mortgage REITs receive principal and interest payments from the owners of the mortgaged properties. Accordingly, mortgage REITs are subject to the credit risk of the borrowers to whom they extend credit. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the borrower will be unable and/or unwilling to make timely interest payments and/or repay the principal on the loan to a mortgage REIT when due. Mortgage REITs are subject to significant interest rate risk. When the general level of interest rates goes up, the value of a mortgage REIT's investment in fixed rate obligations goes down. When the general level of interest rates goes down, the value of a mortgage REIT's investment in fixed rate obligations goes up. Mortgage REITs typically use leverage, and many are highly leveraged, which exposes them to leverage risk. Leverage risk refers to the risk that leverage created from borrowing may impair a mortgage REIT's liquidity, cause it to liquidate positions at an unfavorable time and increase the volatility of the values of securities issued by the mortgage REIT. Mortgage REITs are subject to prepayment risk, which is the risk that borrowers may prepay their mortgage loans at faster than expected rates. Prepayment rates generally increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. These faster than expected payments may adversely affect a mortgage REIT's profitability because the mortgage REIT may be forced to replace investments that have been redeemed or repaid early with other investments having a lower yield. Additionally, rising interest rates may cause the duration of a mortgage REIT's investments to be longer than anticipated and increase such investments' interest rate sensitivity.
REITs are dependent upon their operators' management skills, are generally not diversified (except to the extent the Code requires) and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency and the risk of default by borrowers. REITs are also subject to the possibility of failing to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Code or failing to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in a limited volume, and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than more widely held securities.
The Fund's investment in a REIT may result in the Fund making distributions that constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for federal income tax purposes or may require the Fund to accrue and distribute income not yet received. In addition, distributions attributable to REITs made by the Fund to Fund shareholders will not qualify for the corporate dividends-received deduction, or, generally, for treatment as qualified dividend income.
Illiquid Investments and Restricted Securities. Pursuant to Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act, the Fund may not acquire any "illiquid investment" if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments that are assets. An "illiquid investment" is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. The Fund has implemented a liquidity risk management program and related procedures to identify illiquid investments pursuant to Rule 22e-4. The 15% limit is applied as of the date the Fund purchases an illiquid investment. It is possible that the Fund's holding of illiquid investments could exceed the 15% limit, for example as a result of market developments or redemptions.
The Fund may purchase certain restricted securities that can be resold to institutional investors and which may be determined not to be illiquid investments pursuant to the Fund's liquidity risk management program. In many
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cases, those securities are traded in the institutional market pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities-Act"), and are called Rule 144A securities.
Investments in illiquid investments involve more risks than investments in similar securities that are readily marketable. Illiquid investments may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments. Investment of the Fund's assets in illiquid investments may restrict the ability of the Fund to dispose of its investments in a timely fashion and for a fair price as well as its ability to take advantage of market opportunities. The risks associated with illiquidity will be particularly acute where the Fund's operations require cash, such as when the Fund has net redemptions, and could result in the Fund borrowing to meet short-term cash requirements or incurring losses on the sale of illiquid investments.
Restricted securities sold in private placement transactions between issuers and their purchasers are neither listed on an exchange nor traded in other established markets and may be illiquid. In many cases, the privately placed securities may not be freely transferable under the laws of the applicable jurisdiction or due to contractual restrictions on resale. To the extent privately placed securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the prices realized from the sales could be less than those originally paid by the Fund or less than the fair value of the securities. A restricted security may be determined to be liquid under the Fund's liquidity risk management program established pursuant to Rule 22e-4 depending on market, trading, or investment-specific considerations related to the restricted security. 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. If any privately placed securities held by the Fund are required to be registered under the securities laws of one or more jurisdictions before being resold, the Fund may be required to bear the expenses of registration. Private placement investments may involve investments in smaller, less seasoned issuers, which may involve greater risks than investments in more established companies. 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 private placement securities, the Fund may obtain access to material non-public information about an issuer of private placement securities, which may restrict the Fund's ability to conduct transactions in those securities.
Other Investment Companies. The Fund may invest in the securities of other registered investment companies, including money market mutual funds, subject to the limitations set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act").Investments in the securities of other investment companies will likely result in the duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses.By investing in another investment company, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company.As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly will bear the Fund's proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders directly bear in connection with the Fund's own operations.
Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act generally prohibits a fund from purchasing: (1) more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of another fund; (2) securities of another fund having an aggregate value in excess of 5% of the value of the acquiring fund; and (3) securities of the other fund and all other funds having an aggregate value in excess of 10% of the value of the total assets of the acquiring fund.There are some exceptions, however, to these limitations pursuant to various rules promulgated by the SEC.
In accordance with Section 12(d)(1)(F) and Rule 12d1-3 of the 1940 Act, the provisions of Section 12(d)(1) shall not apply to securities purchased or otherwise acquired by the Fund if: (1) immediately after such purchase or acquisition not more than 3% of the total outstanding stock of such registered investment company (other than money market funds) is owned by the Fund and all affiliated persons of the Fund; and (2) the Fund is not proposing to offer or sell any security issued by it through a principal underwriter or otherwise at a public or offering price including a sales load or service fee that exceeds the limits set forth in Rule 2341 of the Conduct Rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") applicable to a fund of funds (e.g., 8.5%).
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Rule 12d1-4 permits funds to invest in other investment companies without an exemptive order, subject to certain conditions, including limits on control and voting of acquired funds' shares, evaluations, and findings by investment advisers, fund investment agreements, and limits on most three-tier fund structures.
Exchange-Traded Funds. The Fund may also invest in shares of exchange-traded funds ("ETFs").ETFs are investment companies which in many instances seek to replicate the performance, before fees and expenses, of an underlying index of securities.An ETF is similar to a traditional mutual fund but trades at different prices during the day on a securities exchange like a stock.Similar to investments in other investment companies discussed above, the Fund's investments in ETFs will involve duplication of advisory fees and other expenses since the Fund will be investing in another investment company.In addition, the Fund's investment in ETFs is also subject to the limitations on investments in investment companies discussed above.To the extent the Fund invests in ETFs which focus on a particular market segment or industry, the Fund will also be subject to the risks associated with investing in those sectors or industries.The shares of the ETFs in which the Fund will invest will be listed on a national securities exchange and the Fund will purchase and sell these shares on the secondary market at their current market price, which may be more or less than their NAV.Investors in the Fund should be aware that index-based ETFs are subject to "tracking risk," which is the risk that an ETF will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the index it tracks.
As a purchaser of ETF shares on the secondary market, the Fund will be subject to the market risk associated with owning any security whose value is based on market price.ETF shares historically have tended to trade at or near their NAV, but there is no guarantee that they will continue to do so.Unlike traditional mutual funds, shares of an ETF may be purchased and redeemed directly from the ETF only in large blocks and only through participating organizations that have entered into contractual agreements with the ETF.The Fund does not expect to enter into such agreements and therefore will not be able to purchase and redeem its ETF shares directly from the ETF, but will instead purchase and sell shares on the secondary market.
Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements. However, the Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in repurchase agreements. For purposes of the 1940 Act, a repurchase agreement may be deemed to be a loan from the Fund to the seller of the security subject to the repurchase agreement. Under such agreements, the seller of the security agrees to repurchase it at a mutually agreed upon time and price. The repurchase price may be higher than the purchase price, the difference being income to the Fund, or the purchase and repurchase prices may be the same, with interest at a stated rate due to the Fund together with the repurchase price on repurchase. In either case, the income to the Fund is unrelated to the interest rate on the security itself. Such repurchase agreements will be made only with banks with assets of $500 million or more that are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or with government securities dealers recognized by the Federal Reserve Board and registered as broker-dealers with the SEC or exempt from such registration. The Fund will generally enter into repurchase agreements of short durations, from overnight to one week, although the underlying securities generally have longer maturities. The Fund may not enter into a repurchase agreement with more than seven days to maturity if, as a result, more than 15% of the value of its net assets would be invested in illiquid securities, including such repurchase agreements.
Because a repurchase agreement may be deemed to be a loan under the 1940 Act, it is not clear whether a court would consider the security acquired by the Fund subject to a repurchase agreement as being owned by the Fund or as being collateral for a loan by the Fund to the seller. In the event of the commencement of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings with respect to the seller of the security before its repurchase under a repurchase agreement, the Fund may encounter delays and incur costs before being able to sell the security. Delays may involve loss of interest or a decline in price of the security. If a court characterizes the transaction as a loan, and the Fund has not perfected a security interest in the security, the Fund may be required to return the security to the seller's estate and be treated as an unsecured creditor of the seller. As an unsecured creditor, the Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved in the transaction. As with
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any unsecured debt instrument purchased for the Fund, the Adviser seeks to minimize the risk of loss through repurchase agreements by analyzing the creditworthiness of the other party, in this case the seller of the security.
Apart from the risk of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, there is also the risk that the seller may fail to repurchase the security. However, the Fund will always receive as collateral for any repurchase agreement to which it is a party securities acceptable to it, the market value of which is equal to at least 100% of the amount invested by the Fund plus accrued interest, and the Fund will make payment against such securities only upon physical delivery or evidence of book entry transfer to the account of its custodian. If the market value of the security subject to the repurchase agreement becomes less than the repurchase price (including interest), the Fund will direct the seller of the security to deliver additional securities so that the market value of all securities subject to the repurchase agreement will equal or exceed the repurchase price. It is possible that the Fund will be unsuccessful in seeking to impose on the seller a contractual obligation to deliver additional securities.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may borrow funds for temporary purposes by entering into reverse repurchase agreements in accordance with the Fund's investment restrictions. Pursuant to such agreements, the Fund would sell portfolio securities to financial institutions such as banks and broker-dealers and agree to repurchase the securities at the mutually agreed-upon date and price. The Fund would enter into reverse repurchase agreements only to avoid otherwise selling securities during unfavorable market conditions to meet redemptions. Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act permits the Fund to enter into reverse repurchase agreements, provided that the Fund treats the reverse repurchase agreements as either (1) borrowings subject to the asset coverage requirements under the 1940 Act (see "Borrowing and Leverage" below) or (2) derivatives transactions under Rule 18f-4 (see "Regulation of Derivatives and Certain Other Transactions" below).
The use of reverse repurchase agreements by the Fund creates leverage which increases the Fund's investment risk. If the income and gains on securities purchased with the proceeds of reverse repurchase agreements exceed the cost of the agreements, the Fund's earnings or NAV will increase faster than otherwise would be the case. Conversely, if the income and gains fail to exceed the costs, earnings or NAV would decline faster than otherwise would be the case. The Fund will seek to enter reverse repurchase agreements only when the interest income to be earned from the investment of the proceeds of the transaction is greater than the interest expense of the transaction. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities sold by the Fund may decline below the price at which the Fund is obligated to repurchase the securities.
Borrowing and Leverage. Currently, the 1940 Act permits the Fund to borrow money from banks in amounts of up to one-third of the Fund's total assets (including the amount borrowed). To the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, or the rules and regulations thereunder, the Fund may also borrow an additional 5% of its total assets without regard to the foregoing limitation for temporary purposes, such as the clearance of portfolio transactions. To limit the risks attendant to borrowing, the 1940 Act requires the Fund to maintain at all times an "asset coverage" of at least 300% of the amount of its borrowings. Asset coverage means the ratio that the value of the Fund's total assets, minus liabilities other than borrowings, bears to the aggregate amount of all borrowings. Borrowing money to increase the Fund's investment portfolio is known as "leveraging." Borrowing, especially when used for leverage, may cause the value of the Fund's shares to be more volatile than if the Fund did not borrow. This is because borrowing tends to magnify the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund's portfolio holdings. Borrowed money thus creates an opportunity for greater gains, but also greater losses. To repay borrowings, the Fund may have to sell securities at a time and at a price that is unfavorable to the Fund. There also are costs associated with borrowing money, and these costs would offset and could eliminate the net investment income of the Fund in any given period.
The use of borrowing by the Fund involves special risk considerations that may not be associated with other funds having similar objectives and policies. Since substantially all of the Fund's assets fluctuate in value, while the interest obligation resulting from a borrowing will be fixed by the terms of the Fund's agreement with its lender, the net asset value per share of the Fund will tend to increase more when its portfolio securities increase
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in value and to decrease more when its portfolio assets decrease in value than would otherwise be the case if the Fund did not borrow funds. In addition, interest costs on borrowings may fluctuate with changing market rates of interest and may partially offset or exceed the return earned on borrowed funds. Under adverse market conditions, the Fund might have to sell portfolio securities to meet interest or principal payments at a time when fundamental investment considerations would not favor such sales. The Fund will reduce its borrowing amount within three days, if the Fund's asset coverage falls below the amount required by the 1940 Act.
The Fund may engage in certain investment practices that involve a commitment by the Fund to deliver money or securities in the future, provided that the Fund complies with Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act. These investment practices include repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements, swaps, dollar rolls, options, futures, and forward contracts. The Fund's policy on borrowing will be interpreted not to prevent collateral arrangements with respect to swaps, options, forward, futures contracts, other derivatives, or the posting of initial or variation margin. See "Regulation of Derivatives and Certain Other Transactions" below.
Securities Lending. The Fund may lend up to 33 1/3% of its total asset value to brokers, dealers, and financial institutions (but not individuals) in order to increase the return on its portfolio. The SEC currently requires that the following conditions be met whenever the Fund's portfolio securities are loaned: (1) the Fund must receive at least 100% cash collateral (which may include cash, U.S. government, or agency securities, or irrevocable bank letters of credit) from the borrower; (2) the borrower must increase such collateral whenever the market value of the securities rises above the level of such collateral; (3) the Fund must be able to terminate the loan at any time; (4) the Fund must receive reasonable interest on the loan, as well as any dividends, interest, or other distributions on the loaned securities, and any increase in market value; (5) while voting rights on the loaned securities may pass to the borrower, the Board must terminate the loan and regain the right to vote the securities if a material event adversely affecting the investment occurs; and (6) the Fund may not loan its portfolio securities so that the value of the loaned securities is more than one-third of its total asset value, including collateral received from such loans.
In the case of the Fund, loans must be secured by collateral consisting of: (1) cash or cash equivalents; (2) securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities; (3) an irrevocable bank letter of credit; or (4) any combination thereof, equal to not less than (a) 102% of the market value of the securities loaned that are principally settled in the United States at the inception of the loan and (b) 105% of the market value for securities that are cleared and principally settled outside the United States at the inception of the loan.
These conditions may be subject to future modification. Such loans will be terminable at any time upon specified notice. The Fund might experience the risk of loss if the institution with which it has engaged in a portfolio loan transaction breaches its agreement with the Fund. In addition, the Fund will not enter into any portfolio security lending arrangement having a duration of longer than one year. The principal risk of portfolio lending is potential default or insolvency of the borrower. In either of these cases, the Fund could experience delays in recovering securities or collateral or could lose all or part of the value of the loaned securities. As part of participating in a lending program, the Fund may be required to invest in collateralized debt or other securities that bear the risk of loss of principal. In addition, all investments made with the collateral received are subject to the risks associated with such investments. If such investments lose value, the Fund will have to cover the loss when repaying the collateral.
Any loans of portfolio securities are fully collateralized based on values that are marked-to-market daily. Any securities that the Fund may receive as collateral will not become part of the Fund's investment portfolio at the time of the loan and, in the event of a default by the borrower, the Fund will, if permitted by law, dispose of such collateral except for such part thereof that is a security in which the Fund is permitted to invest. During the time securities are on loan, the borrower will pay the Fund any accrued income on those securities, and the Fund may invest the cash collateral and earn income or receive an agreed-upon fee from a borrower that has delivered cash-equivalent collateral.
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When-Issued Securities and Forward Commitments. The Fund may purchase securities offered on a "when-issued" basis and may purchase or sell securities on a "forward commitment" basis. When these transactions are negotiated, the price, which is generally expressed in yield terms, is fixed at the time the commitment is made, but delivery and payment for the securities take place at a later date. Normally, the settlement date occurs within two months after the transaction, but delayed settlements beyond two months may be negotiated. During the period between a commitment and settlement, no payment is made for the securities purchased by the purchaser and thus, no interest accrues to the purchaser from the transaction. At the time the Fund makes the commitment to purchase securities on a when issued or delayed delivery basis, the Fund will record the transaction as a purchase and thereafter reflect the value each day of such securities in determining its NAV.
Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act permits the Fund to invest in securities on a when-issued or forward-settling basis, or with a non-standard settlement cycle, notwithstanding the limitation on the issuance of senior securities in Section 18 of the 1940 Act, provided that the Fund intends to physically settle the transaction and the transaction will settle within 35 days of its trade date (the "Delayed-Settlement Securities Provision"). A when-issued, forward-settling, or non-standard settlement cycle security that does not satisfy the Delayed-Settlement Securities Provision is treated as a derivatives transaction under Rule 18f-4. See "Regulation of Derivatives and Certain Other Transactions" below.
Short Sales. Although not a principal strategy of the Fund, the Fund may seek to hedge investments or realize additional gains through the use of short sales with respect to 10% of its net assets. Short sales are transactions in which the Fund sells a security it does not own, in anticipation of a decline in the market value of that security. To complete such a transaction, the Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund then is obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at or prior to the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund. Until the security is replaced, the Fund is required to repay the lender any dividends or interest that accrues during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, the Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. The net proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker (or by the Fund's custodian in a special custody account), to the extent necessary to meet margin requirements, until the short position is closed out. The Fund also will incur transaction costs in effecting short sales.
The Fund will incur a loss as a result of the short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the borrowed security. The Fund will realize a gain if the security declines in price between those dates. The amount of any gain will be decreased and the amount of any loss increased by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest, or expenses the Fund may be required to pay in connection with a short sale.
The Fund is required to comply with Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act with respect to its short sale borrowings, which are considered derivatives transactions under Rule 18f-4. See "Regulation of Derivatives and Certain Other Transactions" below.
Fixed Income Securities. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in fixed income securities. Examples of such securities are described below.
Commercial Paper and Short-Term Notes. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in commercial paper and short-term notes. Commercial paper consists of unsecured promissory notes issued by companies. Issues of commercial paper will normally have maturities of less than nine (9) months and fixed rates of return, although such instruments may have maturities of up to one year. Short-term notes will normally have maturities of less than twelve (12) months.
Commercial paper and short-term notes will consist of issues rated at the time of purchase "A-2" or higher by S&P Global Ratings or "Prime-1" or "Prime-2" by Moody's Investors Service, Inc., similarly rated by another
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nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, will be determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality. These rating symbols are described in Appendix A.
Bank Money Market Instruments. The Fund may invest in Bank money market instruments, which are short-term obligations of depository institutions that provide high liquidity and a relatively risk-free way to earn interest on cash reserves. Bank deposits and CDs are insured up to specified limits per depositor by the Bank Insurance Fund and the Savings Association Insurance Fund, units of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC"), and by the National Credit Union Administration ("NCUA"). The FDIC and NCUA are federally sponsored agencies.
U.S. Treasury Securities. The Fund may invest in U.S. Treasuries. U.S. Treasury securities are direct obligations of the U.S. government and are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. U.S. Treasury securities differ only in their interest rates, maturities, and dates of issuance. Treasury Bills have maturities of one year or less. Treasury Notes have maturities of one to ten years, and Treasury Bonds generally have maturities of greater than ten years at the date of issuance. Yields on short-, intermediate-, and long-term U.S. Treasury securities are dependent on a variety of factors, including the general conditions of the money and bond markets, the size of a particular offering, and the maturity of the obligation.
Government Agency Securities. Government agency securities, often called agencies, are indirect obligations of the U.S. Government, and are issued by federal agencies and government-sponsored corporations under authority from Congress. Government agency securities may be backed by the full faith and credit of the federal government, which is the case with Government National Mortgage Association ("Ginnie Mae") and Small Business Administration certificates, but are more often issued or guaranteed by the sponsoring agency. Examples of government agency securities include Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Federal Home Loan Banks, and the Federal Farm Credit System Banks.
Government-Sponsored Enterprises. Government-sponsored enterprises are characterized as being privately owned and publicly chartered. These enterprises were created by the U.S. Government to help certain important sectors of the economy reduce their borrowing costs. The U.S. Government does not directly back government sponsored enterprise securities, although in some instances, government-sponsored enterprise securities may benefit from indirect support. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are examples of government-sponsored enterprise securities. On September 6, 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Authority ("FHFA"), an agency of the U.S. Government, placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship under its authority with the stated purpose to preserve and conserve each entity's assets and property, and to put each entity in a sound and solvent condition. The effect that this conservatorship will have on these entities' debt and equities is unclear and no assurance can be given that any steps taken by the FHFA or the U.S. Treasury or any other agency of the U.S. Government with respect to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac will succeed.
Risks Associated with Investing in U.S. Government Securities. The U.S. Government is considered to be among the best credit-rated issuers in the debt markets. Since Treasury securities are direct obligations of the U.S. government, there is minimal credit risk. While most other government-sponsored securities are not direct obligations of the U.S. Government (although some are guaranteed by the U.S. Government), they also offer little credit risk.
However, another type of risk that may affect the Fund is market and/or interest rate risk. For example, debt securities with longer maturities tend to produce higher yields and are generally subject to potentially greater capital appreciation and depreciation than obligations with shorter maturities and lower yields. The market value of U.S. government securities generally varies inversely with changes in market interest rates. An increase in interest rates, therefore, would generally reduce the market value of any U.S. government security held by the Fund, while a decline in interest rates would generally increase the market value of such investment.
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Convertible Securities. The Fund may invest in all types of common stocks and equivalents (such as convertible debt securities and warrants) and preferred stocks. The Fund may invest in convertible securities which may offer higher income than the common stocks into which they are convertible. The convertible securities in which the Fund may invest consist of bonds, notes, debentures, and preferred stocks which may be converted or exchanged at a stated or determinable exchange ratio into underlying shares of common stock. The Fund may be required to permit the issuer of a convertible security to redeem the security, convert it into the underlying common stock, or sell it to a third party. Thus, the Fund may not be able to control whether the issuer of a convertible security chooses to convert that security. If the issuer chooses to do so, this action could have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objectives.
Asset-Backed Securities. Asset-backed securities are securities backed by home equity loans, installment sale contracts, credit card receivables, or other assets. Asset-backed securities are "pass-through" securities, meaning that principal and interest payments-net of expenses-made by the borrower on the underlying assets (such as credit card receivables) are passed through to the Fund. The value of asset-backed securities, like that of traditional fixed-income securities, typically increases when interest rates fall and decreases when interest rates rise. However, asset-backed securities differ from traditional fixed-income securities because of their potential for prepayment. The price paid by the Fund for its asset-backed securities, the yield the Fund expects to receive from such securities and the average life of the securities are based on a number of factors, including the anticipated rate of prepayment of the underlying assets. 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 asset-backed securities. Moreover, when the 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. To the extent that the Fund purchases asset-backed securities at a premium, prepayments may result in a loss to the extent of the premium paid. If the Fund buys such securities at a discount, both scheduled payments and unscheduled prepayments will increase current and total returns and unscheduled prepayments will also accelerate the recognition of income which, when distributed to shareholders, will be taxable as ordinary income. 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 the Fund. When interest rates decline, the value of an asset-backed security with prepayment features may not increase as much as that of other fixed-income securities, and, as noted above, changes in market rates of interest may accelerate or retard prepayments and thus affect maturities.
Mortgage-Backed Securities. The Fund may invest in securities that directly or indirectly represent participations in, are collateralized by, or payable from mortgage loans secured by real property ("Mortgage-Backed Securities").
Mortgage-Backed Securities represent pools of mortgage loans assembled for sale to investors by various governmental agencies such as the Ginnie Mae and government-related organizations such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as by nongovernmental issuers such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, mortgage bankers, and private mortgage insurance companies. Although certain Mortgage-Backed Securities are guaranteed by a third party or otherwise similarly secured, the market value of the security, which may fluctuate, is not so secured. If the Adviser purchases a Mortgage-Backed Security at a premium, that portion may be lost if there is a decline in the market value of the security whether resulting from changes in interest rates or prepayments in the underlying mortgage collateral. As with other interest-bearing securities, the prices of such securities are inversely affected by changes in interest rates. However, though the value of a Mortgage-Backed Security may decline when interest rates rise, the converse is not necessarily true since in periods of declining interest rates the mortgages underlying the securities are prone to prepayment. For this and other reasons, a Mortgage-Backed Security's stated maturity may be shortened by unscheduled prepayments on the underlying mortgages and, therefore, it is not possible to predict accurately the securities' return to the Fund. In
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addition, regular payments received in respect of Mortgage-Backed Securities include both interest and principal. No assurance can be given as to the return the Fund will receive when these amounts are reinvested.
There are a number of important differences among the agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government that issue Mortgage-Backed Securities and among the securities that they issue. Mortgage-Backed Securities issued by Ginnie Mae include Ginnie Mae Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, which are guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest by Ginnie Mae. This guarantee is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Ginnie Mae is a wholly owned U.S.-government corporation within the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ginnie Mae certificates also are supported by the authority of Ginnie Mae to borrow funds from the U.S. Treasury to make payments under its guarantee. Mortgage-Backed Securities issued by Fannie Mae include Fannie Mae Guaranteed Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates (also known as "Fannie Maes") which are guaranteed as to timely payment of the principal and interest by Fannie Mae. Fannie Maes are solely the obligations of Fannie Mae and are not backed by or entitled to the full faith and credit of the United States. Fannie Mae is a government sponsored organization. Mortgage-Backed Securities issued by Freddie Mac include Freddie Mac Mortgage Participation Certificates (also known as "Freddie Mac PCs"). Freddie Mac is a corporate instrumentality of the United States created pursuant to an Act of Congress. Freddie Macs are not guaranteed by the United States or by any Federal Home Loan Banks and do not constitute a debt or obligation of the United States or any Federal Home Loan Bank. Freddie Macs entitle the holder to timely payment of interest, which is guaranteed by Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac guarantees either ultimate collection or timely payment of all principal payments on the underlying mortgage loans. When Freddie Mac does not guarantee timely payment of principal, Freddie Mac may remit the amount due on account of its guarantee of ultimate payment of principal at any time after default on an underlying mortgage, but in no event later than one year after it becomes payable.
The Fund may also invest in Mortgage-Backed Securities which are collateralized mortgage obligations structured on pools of mortgage pass-through certificates or mortgage loans and derivative multiple-class mortgage-backed securities.
During the financial crisis, rating agencies placed on credit watch or downgraded the ratings previously assigned to a large number of mortgage-related securities (which may include certain of the mortgage-related securities in which the Fund may invest). If a mortgage-related security in which the Fund is invested is placed on credit watch or downgraded, the value of the security may decline, and the Fund may experience losses.
A general economic downturn may lead to declines in income from, or the value of, real estate, including the real estate which secures the mortgage-related securities held by the Fund. Additionally, in recent years, a lack of credit liquidity and decreases in the value of real property have occurred and may continue to occur or worsen, and potentially prevent borrowers from refinancing their mortgages, which may increase the likelihood of default on their mortgage loans.
Economic conditions may also adversely affect the amount of proceeds the holder of a mortgage loan or mortgage-related securities would realize in the event of a foreclosure or other exercise of remedies. Moreover, even if such mortgage-related securities are performing as anticipated, their value in the secondary market may fall or continue to fall as a result of deterioration in general market conditions for such securities or other asset-backed or structured products. Trading activity associated with market indices may also drive spreads on those indices wider than spreads on mortgage-related securities, thereby resulting in a decrease in the value of such mortgage-related securities. Mortgage loans backing non-agency mortgage-related securities are more sensitive to economic factors that could affect the ability of borrowers to pay their obligations under the mortgage loans backing these securities. Economic conditions may reduce the cash flow that the Fund investing in such mortgage-related securities receives from such securities and increase the incidence and severity of credit events and losses in respect of such securities. In addition, interest rate spreads for mortgage-backed securities may widen and may become more volatile when compared to the past due to adverse changes in market conditions. In the event that interest rate spreads for mortgage-related securities continue to widen following the purchase
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of such assets by the Fund, the market value of such securities is likely to decline and, in the case of a substantial spread widening, could decline by a substantial amount. Furthermore, adverse changes in market conditions may result in a severe liquidity crisis in the market for mortgage-backed securities (including the mortgage-related securities in which the Fund may invest) and increasing unwillingness by banks, financial institutions, and investors to extend credit to servicers, originators, and other participants in the mortgage-related securities market for these securities and other asset-backed securities. As a result, the liquidity and/or the market value of any mortgage-related securities that are owned by the Fund may experience declines after they are purchased by the Fund. The recent rise in the rate of foreclosures of properties has resulted in legislative, regulatory, and enforcement actions seeking to prevent or restrict foreclosures. Actions have also been brought against issuers and underwriters of residential mortgage-backed securities collateralized by such residential mortgage loans and investors in such residential mortgage-backed securities. Future legislative or regulatory initiatives by federal, state, or local legislative bodies or administrative agencies, if enacted or adopted, could delay foreclosure or the exercise of other remedies, provide new defenses to foreclosure, or otherwise impair the ability of the loan servicer to foreclose or realize on a defaulted residential mortgage loan included in a pool of residential mortgage loans backing such residential mortgage-backed securities. The nature or extent of any future limitations on foreclosure or exercise of other remedies that may be enacted is uncertain. Governmental actions that interfere with the foreclosure process, for example, could increase the costs of such foreclosures or exercise of other remedies, delay the timing or reduce the amount of recoveries on defaulted residential mortgage loans and securities backed by such residential mortgage loans owned by the Fund, and could adversely affect the yields on the mortgage-related securities owned by the Fund and could have the effect of reducing returns to the Fund that has invested in mortgage-related securities collateralized by these residential mortgage loans.
Structured Securities. Structured securities employ a trust or other similar structure to modify the maturity, price characteristics, or quality of financial assets. For example, structural features can be used to modify the maturity of a security or interest rate adjustment features can be used to enhance price stability. If the structure does not perform as intended adverse tax, or investment consequences may result. Neither the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") nor any other regulatory authority has ruled definitively on certain legal issues presented by structured securities. Future tax or other regulatory determinations could adversely affect the value, liquidity, or tax treatment of the income received from these securities or the nature and timing of distributions made by the Fund. The payment of principal and interest on structured securities may be largely dependent on the cash flows generated by the underlying financial assets.
Variable or Floating Rate Securities. Variable or floating rate securities provide for periodic adjustments of the interest rate paid. Variable rate securities provide for a specific periodic adjustment in the interest rate, while floating rate securities have interest rates that change whenever there is a change in a designated benchmark rate. Some variable or floating rate securities have put features.
Indexed Securities. The Fund may purchase securities whose prices are indexed to the prices of other securities, securities 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. Gold-indexed securities, for example, typically provide for a maturity value that depends on the price of gold, resulting in a security whose price tends to rise and fall together with gold prices. Currency-indexed securities typically are short-term to intermediate-term debt securities whose maturity values or interest rates are determined by reference to the values of one or more specified foreign currencies and may offer higher yields than U.S. dollar-denominated securities of equivalent issuers. Currency-indexed securities may be positively or negatively indexed; that is, their maturity value may increase when the specified currency value increases, resulting in a security that performs similarly to a foreign-denominated instrument, or their maturity value may decline when foreign currencies increase, resulting in a security whose price characteristics are similar to a put on the underlying currency. Currency-indexed securities may also have prices that depend on the value of a number of different foreign currencies relative to each other.
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The performance of indexed securities depends to a great extent on the performance of the security, currency, or other instrument to which they are indexed, and may also be influenced by interest rate changes in the United States and abroad. At the same time, indexed securities 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. Recent issuers of indexed securities have included banks, corporations, and certain U.S. government agencies. Indexed securities may be more volatile than the underlying instruments.
Stripped Securities. The Fund may purchase separately traded interest and principal component parts of such obligations that are transferable through the Federal book entry system, known as Separately Traded Registered Interest and Principal Securities ("STRIPS") and Coupon Under Book Entry Safekeeping ("CUBES"). These instruments are issued by banks and brokerage firms and are created by depositing U.S. Treasury notes and U.S. Treasury bonds into a special account at a custodian bank; the custodian holds the interest and principal payments for the benefit of the registered owner of the certificates or receipts. The custodian arranges for the issuance of the certificates or receipts evidencing ownership and maintains the register. Receipts include Treasury Receipts ("TRs"), Treasury Investment Growth Receipts ("TIGRs"), and Certificates of Accrual on Treasury Securities ("CATS").
STRIPS, CUBES, TRs, TIGRs, and CATS are sold as zero-coupon securities, which mean that they are sold at a substantial discount and redeemed at face value at their maturity date without interim cash payments of interest or principal. This discount is amortized over the life of the security, and such amortization will constitute the income earned on the security for both accounting and tax purposes. Because of these features, these securities may be subject to greater interest rate volatility than interest-paying U.S. Treasury obligations. Bonds issued by the Resolution Funding Corporation ("REFCORP") can also be stripped in this fashion. REFCORP STRIPS are eligible investments for the Fund.
Zero Coupon Bonds. The Fund may purchase zero coupon bonds. Zero coupon bonds are purchased at a discount from the face amount because the buyer receives only the right to receive a fixed payment on a certain date in the future and does not receive any periodic interest payments. The effect of owning instruments which do not make current interest payments is that a fixed yield is earned not only on the original investment but also, in effect, on all discount accretion during the life of the obligations. This implicit reinvestment of earnings at the same rate eliminates the risk of being unable to reinvest distributions at a rate as high as the implicit yields on the zero coupon bond, but at the same time eliminates the holder's ability to reinvest at higher rates in the future. For this reason, zero coupon bonds are subject to substantially greater price fluctuations during periods of changing market interest rates than are comparable securities which pay interest currently, whose fluctuation increases the longer the period of maturity. Although zero coupon bonds do not pay interest to holders prior to maturity, U.S. federal income tax law requires the Fund to recognize as interest income a portion of the bond's discount each year and this income must then be distributed to shareholders along with other income earned by the Fund. To the extent that any shareholders in the Fund elect to receive their dividends in cash rather than reinvest such dividends in additional shares, cash to make these distributions will have to be provided from the assets of the Fund or other sources such as proceeds of sales of Fund shares and/or sales of portfolio securities. In such cases, the Fund will not be able to purchase additional income producing securities with cash used to make such distributions and its current income may ultimately be reduced as a result.
Corporate Debt Securities. The Fund may invest in corporate debt securities having a duration of longer than one year. Corporate debt securities include, but are not limited to, debt obligations offered by public or private corporations either registered or unregistered. The market value of such securities may fluctuate in response to interest rates and the creditworthiness of the issuer. The Fund may invest in debt securities that are non-investment grade or are in default. The ratings of debt securities are described in Appendix A.
Lower-Rated Debt Securities. The Fund may purchase lower-rated debt securities, commonly referred to as "junk bonds" (those rated below the fourth highest grade by a NRSRO and non-rated securities judged by the Adviser to be of equivalent quality), that have poor protection with respect to the payment of interest and
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repayment of principal, or that may be in default. These securities are often considered to be speculative and involve greater risk of loss or price changes due to changes in the issuer's capacity to pay. The market prices of lower-rated debt securities may fluctuate more than those of higher-rated debt securities and may decline significantly in periods of general economic difficulty, which may follow periods of rising interest rates.
The market for lower-rated debt securities may be thinner and less active than that for higher-rated debt securities, which can adversely affect the prices at which the former are sold. If market quotations are not available, lower-rated debt securities will be valued in accordance with procedures established by the Board, including the use of outside pricing services. Judgment plays a greater role in valuing high-yield corporate debt securities than is the case for securities for which more external sources for quotations and last-sale information are available. Adverse publicity and changing investor perceptions may affect the ability of outside pricing services to value lower-rated debt securities and the Fund's ability to sell these securities.
Since the risk of default is higher for lower-rated debt securities, the Adviser's research and credit analysis are an especially important part of managing securities of this type held by the Fund. In considering investments for the Fund, the Adviser will attempt to identify those issuers of high-yielding debt securities whose financial condition are adequate to meet future obligations, have improved, or is expected to improve in the future. The analysis focuses on such factors as interest or dividend coverage, asset coverage, earnings prospects, and the experience and managerial strength of the issuer.
The Fund may choose, at its expense or in conjunction with others, to pursue litigation or otherwise exercise its right as security holder to seek to protect the interests of security holders if it determines this to be in the best interest of the Fund's shareholders.
Loans and Other Debt Instruments. Loans and other direct debt instruments are interests in amounts owed by a corporate, governmental, or other borrower to another party. They may represent amounts owed to lenders or lending syndicates (loans and loan participation), to suppliers of goods or services (trade claims or other receivables), or to other parties. Direct debt instruments involve a risk of loss in case of default or insolvency of the borrower and may offer less legal protection to the Fund in the event of fraud or misrepresentation. In addition, loan participations involve a risk of insolvency of the lending bank or other financial intermediary. Direct debt instruments may also include standby financing commitments that obligate the Fund to supply additional cash to the borrower on demand.
Regulation of Derivatives and Certain Other Transactions. Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act permits the Fund to enter into "derivatives transactions" and certain other transactions notwithstanding the restrictions on the issuance of "senior securities" under Section 18 of the 1940 Act. "Derivatives transactions" include: (1) any swap, security-based swap, futures contract, forward contract, option, any combination of the foregoing, or any similar instrument, under which the Fund is or may be required to make any payment or delivery of cash or other assets during the life of the instrument or at maturity or early termination, whether as margin or settlement payment or otherwise; (2) any short sale borrowing; (3) reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions, if the Fund treats these transactions as derivatives transactions under Rule 18f-4; and (4) when-issued or forward-settling securities and non-standard settlement cycle securities, unless the Fund intends to physically settle the transaction and the transaction will settle within 35 days of its trade date.
Rule 18f-4 permits a fund to enter into derivatives transactions notwithstanding the restrictions under Section 18, provided that the fund either: (1) adopts and implements a derivatives risk management program ("DRMP"), adheres to a limit on leverage risk based on value-at-risk ("VaR") and complies with board oversight and reporting requirements or (2) satisfies the conditions of the limited derivatives user exception. A fund that is a limited derivatives user is not required to adopt a DRMP, adhere to the VaR limit or comply with the board oversight and reporting requirements. To rely on the limited derivatives user exception, a fund must adopt and
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implement policies and procedures reasonably designed to manage its derivatives risks and limit its derivatives exposure to 10% of its net assets.
Derivative Instruments. A variety of derivative investment products are available in the financial markets, including put and call options on securities, indexes, and currencies; financial and commodity futures contracts and options on futures contracts; swap agreements and options on such agreements; structured notes; and various hybrid instruments. The Fund is currently permitted to invest up to 10% of its assets in derivative instruments as further described below.
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements can be individually negotiated and structured to include exposure to a variety of different types of investments or market factors. Depending on their structure, swap agreements may increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to long- or short-term interest rates (in the United States or abroad), foreign currency values, mortgage securities, corporate borrowing rates, or other factors such as security prices or inflation rates. Swap agreements can take many different forms and are known by a variety of names. The Fund is not limited to any particular form of swap agreement if the Adviser determines it is consistent with the Fund's investment objective and policies.
In a typical cap or floor agreement, one party agrees to make payments only under specified circumstances, usually in return for payment of a fee by the other party. For example, the buyer of an interest rate cap obtains the right to receive payments to the extent that a specific interest rate exceeds an agreed-upon level, while the seller of an interest rate floor is obligated to make payments to the extent that a specified interest rate falls below an agreed-upon level. An interest rate collar combines elements of buying a cap and selling a floor.
Swap agreements will tend to shift the Fund's investment exposure from one type of investment to another. For example, if the Fund agreed to exchange payments in dollars for payments in foreign currency, the swap agreement would tend to decrease the Fund's exposure to U.S. interest rates and increase its exposure to foreign currency and interest rates. Caps and floors have an effect similar to buying or writing options. Depending on how they are used, swap agreements may increase or decrease the overall volatility of the Fund's investments and its share price.
The most significant factor in the performance of swap agreements is the change in the specific interest rate, currency, or other factors that determine the amounts of payments due to and from the Fund. If a swap agreement calls for payments by the Fund, the Fund must be prepared to make such payments when due. In addition, if the counterparty's creditworthiness declined, the value of a swap agreement would be likely to decline, potentially resulting in losses.
The Fund expects to be able to eliminate its exposure under swap agreements whether by assignment or other disposition, or by entering into an offsetting swap agreement with the same party or a similarly creditworthy party. The Fund will maintain appropriate liquid assets in a segregated custodial account to cover its current obligations under swap agreements. If the Fund enters into a swap agreement on a net basis, it will segregate assets with a daily value at least equal to the excess, if any, of the Fund's accrued obligations under the swap agreement over the accrued amount the Fund is entitled to receive under the agreement. If the Fund enters into a swap agreement on other than a net basis, it will segregate assets with a value equal to the full amount of the Fund's accrued obligations under the agreement.
Foreign Currency Transactions. The Fund may conduct foreign currency transactions on a spot (i.e., cash) basis or by entering into forward contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies at a future date and price. The Fund will convert currencies on a spot basis from time to time, and investors should be aware of the costs of currency conversion. Although foreign exchange dealers generally do not charge a fee for conversion, they do realize a profit based on the difference between the prices at which they are buying and selling various currencies. Thus, a dealer may offer to sell a foreign currency to the Fund at one rate, while offering a lesser rate of exchange should the Fund desire to resell that currency to the dealer. Forward contracts are generally
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traded in an interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. The parties to a forward contract may agree to offset or terminate the contract before its maturity or may hold the contract to maturity and complete the contemplated currency exchange.
The Fund may use currency forward contracts for any purpose consistent with its investment objective. The following discussion summarizes the principal currency management strategies involving forward contracts that could be used by the Fund. The Fund may also use swap agreements, indexed securities and options, and futures contracts relating to foreign currencies for the same purposes.
When the Fund agrees to buy or sell a security denominated in a foreign currency, it may desire to "lock in" the U.S. dollar price of the security. By entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars, of the amount of foreign currency involved in the underlying security transaction, the Fund will be able to protect itself against an adverse change in foreign currency values between the date the security is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received. This technique is sometimes referred to as a "settlement hedge" or "transaction hedge." The Fund may also enter into forward contracts to purchase or sell a foreign currency in anticipation of future purchases or sales of securities denominated in foreign currency, even if the specific investments have not yet been selected by the Adviser.
The Fund may also use forward contracts to hedge against a decline in the value of existing investments denominated in foreign currency. For example, if the Fund owned securities denominated in euros, it could enter into a forward contract to sell euros in return for U.S. dollars to hedge against possible declines in the euro's value. Such a hedge, sometimes referred to as a "position hedge," would tend to offset both positive and negative currency fluctuations but would not offset changes in security values caused by other factors. The Fund could also hedge the position by selling another currency expected to perform similarly to the euro. This type of hedge, sometimes referred to as a "proxy hedge," could offer advantages in terms of cost, yield, or efficiency, but generally would not hedge currency exposure as effectively as a simple hedge into U.S. dollars. Proxy hedges may result in losses if the currency used to hedge does not perform similarly to the currency in which the hedged securities are denominated.
The Fund may enter into forward contracts to shift its investment exposure from one currency into another. This may include shifting exposure from U.S. dollars to a foreign currency, or from one foreign currency to another foreign currency. For example, if the Fund held investments denominated in euros, the Fund could enter into forward contracts to sell euros and purchase Japanese yen. This type of strategy, sometimes known as a "cross-hedge," will tend to reduce or eliminate exposure to the currency that is sold, and increase exposure to the currency that is purchased, much as if the Fund had sold a security denominated in one currency and purchased an equivalent security denominated in another. Cross-hedges protect against losses resulting from a decline in the hedged currency but will cause the Fund to assume the risk of fluctuations in the value of the currency it purchases.
Under certain conditions, SEC guidelines require funds to set aside appropriate liquid assets in a segregated custodial account to cover currency forward contracts. As required by SEC guidelines, the Fund will segregate assets to cover currency forward contracts, if any, whose purpose is essentially speculative. The Fund will not segregate assets to cover forward contracts entered into for hedging purposes, including settlement hedges, position hedges, and proxy hedges.
Successful use of currency management strategies will depend on the Adviser's skill in analyzing and predicting currency values. Currency management strategies may substantially change the Fund's investment exposure to changes in currency exchange rates and could result in losses to the Fund if currencies do not perform as anticipated. For example, if a currency's value rose at a time when the Adviser had hedged the Fund by selling that currency in exchange for U.S. dollars, the Fund would be unable to participate in the currency's appreciation. If the Fund hedges currency exposure through proxy hedges, the Fund could realize currency losses from the hedge and the security position at the same time if the two currencies do not move in tandem.
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Similarly, if the Adviser increases the Fund's exposure to a foreign currency, and that currency's value declines, the Fund will realize a loss. There is no assurance that the use of currency management strategies will be advantageous to the Fund or that it will hedge at an appropriate time.
Futures Contracts. The Fund may enter into futures contracts, options on futures contracts and stock index futures contracts, and options thereon for bona fide hedging purposes. Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific security, class of securities, or an index at a specified future time and at a specified price. A stock index futures contract is a bilateral agreement pursuant to which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount of cash equal to a specified dollar amount times the difference between the stock index value at the close of trading of the contracts and the price at which the futures contract is originally struck. Futures contracts which are standardized as to maturity date and underlying financial instrument are traded on national futures exchanges. Futures exchanges and trading are regulated under the Commodity Exchange Act ("CEA") by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC"), a U.S. government agency.
Although futures contracts by their terms call for actual delivery and acceptance of the underlying securities, in most cases the contracts are closed out before the settlement date without the making or taking of delivery. Closing out an open futures position is done by taking an opposite position ("buying" a contract which has previously been "sold," or "selling" a contract previously "purchased") in an identical contract to terminate the position. A futures contract on a securities index is an agreement obligating either party to pay, and entitling the other party to receive, while the contract is outstanding, cash payments based on the level of a specified securities index. The acquisition of put and call options on futures contracts will, respectively, give the Fund the right (but not the obligation), for a specified price, to sell or to purchase the underlying futures contract, upon exercise of the option, at any time during the option period. Brokerage commissions are incurred when a futures contract is bought or sold.
Futures traders are required to make a good faith margin deposit in cash or U.S. government securities with a broker or custodian to initiate and maintain open positions in futures contracts. A margin deposit is intended to assure completion of the contract (delivery or acceptance of the underlying security) if it is not terminated prior to the specified delivery date. Minimal initial margin requirements are established by the futures exchange and may be changed. Brokers may establish deposit requirements that are higher than the exchange minimums. Initial margin deposits on futures contracts are customarily set at levels much lower than the prices at which the underlying securities are purchased and sold, typically ranging upward from less than 5% of the value of the contract being traded.
After a futures contract position is opened, the value of the contract is marked to market daily. If the futures contract price changes to the extent that the margin on deposit does not satisfy margin requirements, payment of additional "variation" margin will be required. Conversely, a change in the contract value may reduce the required margin, resulting in a repayment of excess margin to the contract holder. Variation margin payments are made to and from the futures broker for as long as the contract remains open. The Fund expects to earn interest income while its margin deposits are held pending performance on the futures contract.
When interest rates are expected to rise or market values of portfolio securities are expected to fall, the Fund can seek, through the sale of futures, contracts to offset a decline in the value of its portfolio securities. When interest rates are expected to fall or market values are expected to rise, the Fund, through the purchase of such contracts, can attempt to secure better rates or prices for the Fund than might later be available in the market when it affects anticipated purchases.
The Fund's ability to effectively utilize futures trading depends on several factors. First, it is possible that there will not be a perfect price correlation between the futures contracts and their underlying stock index. Second, it is possible that a lack of liquidity for futures contracts could exist in the secondary market, resulting in an
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inability to close a futures position prior to its maturity date. Third, the purchase of a futures contract involves the risk that the Fund could lose more than the original margin deposit required to initiate a futures transaction.
Restrictions on the Use of Futures Contracts. The Fund will only sell futures contracts to protect securities it owns against price declines or purchase contracts to protect against an increase in the price of securities it intends to purchase. Pursuant to amendments by the CFTC to Rule 4.5 under the CEA, the Adviser has filed a notice of exemption from registration as a "commodity pool operator" with respect to the Fund. The Fund and the Adviser are therefore not subject to registration or regulation as a pool operator under the CEA. In order to claim the Rule 4.5 exemption, the Fund is significantly limited in its ability to invest in commodity futures, options, and swaps (including securities futures, broad-based stock index futures, and financial futures contracts). These limitations may have a negative impact on the ability of the Adviser to manage the Fund, and on the Fund's performance.
In addition to the margin restrictions discussed above, transactions in futures contracts may involve the segregation of funds pursuant to requirements imposed by the SEC. Under those requirements, where the Fund has a long position in a futures contract, it may be required to establish a segregated account (not with a futures commission merchant or broker, except as may be permitted under SEC rules) containing cash or certain liquid assets equal to the purchase price of the contract (less any margin on deposit). For a short position in futures or forward contracts held by the Fund, those requirements may mandate the establishment of a segregated account (not with a futures commission merchant or broker, except as may be permitted under SEC rules) with cash or certain liquid assets that, when added to the amounts deposited as margin, equal the market value of the instruments underlying the futures contracts (but are not less than the price at which the short positions were established). However, segregation of assets is not required if the Fund "covers" a long position. For example, instead of segregating assets, the Fund, when holding a long position in a futures contract, could purchase a put option on the same futures contract with a strike price as high as or higher than the price of the contract held by the Fund. In addition, where the Fund takes short positions, or engages in sales of call options, it need not segregate assets if it "covers" these positions. For example, where the Fund holds a short position in a futures contract, it may cover by owning the instruments underlying the contract. The Fund may also cover such a position by holding a call option permitting it to purchase the same futures contract at a price no higher than the price at which the short position was established. When the Fund sells a call option on a futures contract, it may cover either by entering into a long position in the same contract at a price no higher than the strike price of the call option or by owning the instruments underlying the futures contract. The Fund could also cover this position by holding a separate call option permitting it to purchase the same futures contract at a price no higher than the strike price of the call option sold by the Fund.
In addition, the extent to which the Fund may enter into transactions involving futures contracts may be limited by the Code's requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company and the Fund's intention to qualify as such.
Risk Factors in Future Transactions. Positions in futures contracts may be closed out only on an exchange which provides a secondary market for such futures. However, there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular futures contract at any specific time. Thus, it may not be possible to close a futures position. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain the required margin. In such situations, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. In addition, the Fund may be required to make delivery of the instruments underlying futures contracts it holds. The inability to close options and futures positions also could have an adverse impact on the ability to effectively hedge them. The Fund will minimize the risk that it will be unable to close out a futures contract by only entering into
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futures contracts which are traded on national futures exchanges and for which there appears to be a liquid secondary market.
The risk of loss in trading futures contracts in some strategies can be substantial, due both to the low margin deposits required and the extremely high degree of leverage involved in futures pricing. Because the deposit requirements in the futures markets are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities market, there may be increased participation by speculators in the futures market which may also cause temporary price distortions. A relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate and substantial loss (as well as gain) to the investor. For example, if at the time of purchase, 10% of the value of the futures contract is deposited as margin, a subsequent 10% decrease in the value of the futures contract would result in a total loss of the margin deposit, before any deduction for the transaction costs, if the account were then closed out. A 15% decrease would result in a loss equal to 150% of the original margin deposit if the contract were closed out. Thus, a purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the contract. However, because the futures strategies engaged in by the Fund are only for hedging purposes, it is expected that the Fund is generally not subject to risks of loss exceeding those that would be undertaken if, instead of the futures contract, it had invested in the underlying financial instrument and sold it after the decline.
Utilization of futures transactions by the Fund involves the risk of imperfect or no correlation where the securities underlying futures contract have different maturities than the portfolio securities being hedged. It is also possible that the Fund could both lose money on futures contracts and also experience a decline in value of its portfolio securities. There is also the risk of loss by the Fund of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom the Fund has an open position in a futures contract or related option.
Options. The Fund may purchase and sell put and call options on their portfolio securities to enhance investment performance and to protect against changes in market prices.
Covered Call Options. The Fund may write covered call options on its securities to realize a greater current return through the receipt of premiums than it would realize on its securities alone. Such option transactions may also be used as a limited form of hedging against a decline in the price of securities owned by the Fund.
A call option gives the holder the right to purchase, and obligates the writer to sell, a security at the exercise price at any time before the expiration date. A call option is "covered" if the writer, at all times while obligated as a writer, either owns the underlying securities (or comparable securities satisfying the cover requirements of the securities exchanges) or has the right to acquire such securities through immediate conversion of securities.
In return for the premium received when it writes a covered call option, the Fund gives up some or all of the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market price of the securities covering the call option during the life of the option. The Fund retains the risk of loss should the price of such securities decline. If the option expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a gain equal to the premium, which may be offset by a decline in price of the underlying security. If the option is exercised, the Fund realizes a gain or loss equal to the difference between the Fund's cost for the underlying security and the proceeds of sale (exercise price minus commissions) plus the amount of the premium.
The Fund may terminate a call option that it has written before it expires by entering into a closing purchase transaction. The Fund may enter into closing purchase transactions in order to free itself to sell the underlying security or to write another call on the security, realize a profit on a previously written call option, or protect a security from being called in an unexpected market rise. Any profits from a closing purchase transaction may be offset by a decline in the value of the underlying security.
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Conversely, because increases in the market price of a call option will generally reflect increases in the market price of the underlying security, any loss resulting from a closing purchase transaction is likely to be offset in whole or in part by unrealized appreciation of the underlying security owned by the Fund.
Covered Put Options. The Fund may write covered put options in order to enhance its current return. Such options transactions may also be used as a limited form of hedging against an increase in the price of securities that the Fund plans to purchase. A put option gives the holder the right to sell, and obligates the writer to buy, a security at the exercise price at any time before the expiration date. A put option is "covered" if the writer segregates cash and high-grade short-term debt obligations or other permissible collateral equal to the price to be paid if the option is exercised.
In addition to the receipt of premiums and the potential gains from terminating such options in closing purchase transactions, the Fund also receives interest on the cash and debt securities maintained to cover the exercise price of the option. By writing a put option, the Fund assumes the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying security for an exercise price higher than its then current market value, resulting in a potential capital loss unless the security later appreciates in value.
The Fund may terminate a put option that it has written before it expires by a closing purchase transaction. Any loss from this transaction may be partially or entirely offset by the premium received on the terminated option.
Purchasing Put and Call Options. The Fund may also purchase put options to protect portfolio holdings against a decline in market value. This protection lasts for the life of the put option because the Fund, as a holder of the option, may sell the underlying security at the exercise price regardless of any decline in its market price. In order for a put option to be profitable, the market price of the underlying security must decline sufficiently below the exercise price to cover the premium and transaction costs that the Fund must pay. These costs will reduce any profit the Fund might have realized had it sold the underlying security instead of buying the put option.
The Fund may purchase call options to hedge against an increase in the price of securities that the Fund wants ultimately to buy. Such hedge protection is provided during the life of the call option since the Fund, as holder of the call option, is able to buy the underlying security at the exercise price regardless of any increase in the underlying security's market price. In order for a call option to be profitable, the market price of the underlying security must rise sufficiently above the exercise price to cover the premium and transaction costs. These costs will reduce any profit the Fund might have realized had it bought the underlying security at the time it purchased the call option.
The Fund may also purchase put and call options to attempt to enhance its current return.
Options on Foreign Securities. The Fund may purchase and sell options on foreign securities if the Adviser believes that the investment characteristics of such options, including the risks of investing in such options, are consistent with the Fund's investment objectives. It is expected that risks related to such options will not differ materially from risks related to options on U.S. securities. However, position limits and other rules of foreign exchanges may differ from those in the United States. In addition, options markets in some countries, many of which are relatively new, may be less liquid than comparable markets in the United States.
Risks Involved in the Sale of Options. Options transactions involve certain risks, including the risks that the Adviser will not forecast interest rate or market movements correctly, that the Fund may be unable at times to close out such positions, or that hedging transactions may not accomplish their purpose because of imperfect market correlations. The successful use of these strategies depends on the ability of the Adviser to forecast market and interest rate movements correctly.
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An exchange-listed option may be closed out only on an exchange which provides a secondary market for an option of the same series. There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an exchange will exist for any particular option or at any particular time. If no secondary market were to exist, it would be impossible to enter into a closing transaction to close out an option position. As a result, the Fund may be forced to continue to hold, or to purchase at a fixed price, a security on which it has sold an option at a time when the Adviser believes it is inadvisable to do so.
Higher than anticipated trading activity or order flow or other unforeseen events might cause The Options Clearing Corporation or an exchange to institute special trading procedures or restrictions that might restrict the Fund's use of options. The exchanges have established limitations on the maximum number of calls and puts of each class that may be held or written by an investor or group of investors acting in concert. It is possible that the Trust and other clients of the Adviser may be considered such a group. These position limits may restrict the Fund's ability to purchase or sell options on particular securities.
Options which are not traded on national securities exchanges may be closed out only with the other party to the option transaction. For that reason, it may be more difficult to close out unlisted options than listed options. Furthermore, unlisted options are not subject to the protection afforded purchasers of listed options by The Options Clearing Corporation.
Government regulations, particularly the requirements for qualification as a "regulated investment company" under the Code, may also restrict the Fund's use of options.
Special Expiration Price Options. The Fund may purchase over-the-counter ("OTC") puts and calls with respect to specified securities ("special expiration price options") pursuant to which the Fund in effect may create a custom index relating to a particular industry or sector that the Adviser believes will increase or decrease in value generally as a group. In exchange for a premium, the counterparty, whose performance is guaranteed by a broker-dealer, agrees to purchase (or sell) a specified number of shares of a particular stock at a specified price and further agrees to cancel the option at a specified price that decreases straight line over the term of the option. Thus, the value of the special expiration price option is comprised of the market value of the applicable underlying security relative to the option exercise price and the value of the remaining premium. However, if the value of the underlying security increases (or decreases) by a pre-negotiated amount, the special expiration price option is canceled and becomes worthless. A portion of the dividends during the term of the option are applied to reduce the exercise price if the options are exercised. Brokerage commissions and other transaction costs will reduce the Fund's profits if the special expiration price options are exercised. The Fund will not purchase special expiration price options with respect to more than 10% of the value of its net assets and will limit premiums paid for such options in accordance with state securities laws.
LEAPS. The Fund may purchase certain long-term exchange-traded equity options called Long-Term Equity Anticipation Securities ("LEAPS"). LEAPS provide a holder the opportunity to participate in the underlying securities' appreciation in excess of a fixed dollar amount. The Fund will not purchase these options with respect to more than 10% of the value of its net assets.
LEAPS are long-term call options that allow holders the opportunity to participate in the underlying securities' appreciation in excess of a specified strike price, without receiving payments equivalent to any cash dividends declared on the underlying securities. A LEAPS holder will be entitled to receive a specified number of shares of the underlying stock upon payment of the exercise price, and therefore the LEAPS will be exercisable at any time the price of the underlying stock is above the strike price. However, if at expiration the price of the underlying stock is at or below the strike price, the LEAPS will expire worthless.
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Temporary Defensive Positions. The Fund may take temporary defensive measures that are inconsistent with the Fund's normal investment policies and strategies in response to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions as determined by the Adviser. Such measures could include, but are not limited to, investments in (1) highly liquid short-term fixed income securities issued by or on behalf of municipal or corporate issuers, obligations of the U.S. government and its agencies, commercial paper, and bank certificates of deposit; (2) repurchase agreements involving any such securities; and (3) other money market instruments.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
The Trust (on behalf of the Fund) has adopted the following restrictions as fundamental policies, which may not be changed without the affirmative vote of the holders of a "majority" of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. Under the 1940 Act, the "vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" means the vote of the holders of the lesser of (1) 67% or more of the shares of the Fund represented at a meeting at which the holders of more than 50% of the Fund's outstanding shares are represented or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.
As a matter of fundamental policy, the Fund may not:
1.Borrow money or issue senior securities, except through reverse repurchase agreements or otherwise as permitted under the 1940 Act and the regulations thereunder, as interpreted, modified, or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority. Generally, issuing senior securities is prohibited under the 1940 Act; however, certain exceptions apply such as in the case of reverse repurchase agreements, borrowing, and certain other leveraging transactions. For purposes of this limitation, entering into repurchase agreements, lending securities, and acquiring any debt security are not deemed to be the making of loans;
2.Act as underwriter (except to the extent the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter in connection with the sale of securities in its investment portfolio);
3.Invest more than 25% of its net assets, calculated at the time of purchase and taken at market value, in securities of issuers in any one industry or groups of industries (other than U.S. government securities);
4.Purchase or sell real estate, unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities (although the Fund may purchase and sell securities that are secured by real estate and securities of companies that invest or deal in real estate);
5.Purchase or sell physical commodities, unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments. This limitation shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing, selling, or entering into futures contracts, or acquiring securities or other instruments and options thereon backed by, or related to, physical commodities; or
6.Make loans (except purchases of debt securities consistent with the investment policies of the Fund). For purposes of this limitation, entering into repurchase agreements, lending securities, and acquiring any debt security are not deemed to be the making of loans.
Except with respect to borrowing, if a percentage or rating restriction on investment or use of assets set forth herein or in the Prospectus is adhered to at the time a transaction is effected, later changes in the percentage or rating resulting from any cause other than actions by the Fund will not be considered a violation of the Fund's investment restrictions.
26
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS DISCLOSURE
The Board has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Fund's security holdings. The Fund's entire portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Fund is open for business and may be available through financial reporting and news services, including publicly available internet web sites. In addition, the composition of the Deposit Securities (as defined below) is publicly disseminated daily prior to the opening of the Exchange via the National Securities Clearing Corporation ("NSCC").
EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING
Shares are listed for trading and trade throughout the day on the Exchange.
There can be no assurance that the Fund will continue to meet the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares. The Exchange will consider the suspension of trading in, and will initiate delisting proceedings of, the Shares if any of the requirements set forth in the Exchange rules, including compliance with Rule 6c-11(c) under the 1940 Act, are not continuously maintained or such other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will remove the Shares from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
The Trust reserves the right to adjust the price levels of Shares in the future to help maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund.
27
MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST
The Board is responsible for the overall management of the Trust, including general supervision and review of the investment activities of the Fund. The Board, in turn, elects the officers of the Trust, who are responsible for administering the day-to-day operations of the Trust and its separate series. The current trustees and officers of the Trust, their year of birth, positions with the Trust, terms of office with the Trust and length of time served, their principal occupations for the past five years and other directorships are set forth in the table below.
|
Name, Year of Birth and Address
|
Position with
the Trust(1)
|
Term of Office(2) and Length of Time Served
|
Principal Occupation During Past Five Years
|
Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex(3)
Overseen by Trustees
|
Other Directorships Held During the Past 5 Years
|
Independent Trustees of the Trust
|
Kathleen T. Barr
(born 1955)
c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
|
Trustee
Chairperson
|
Indefinite Term;
Since November 2018.
Indefinite Term; Since February 2023.
|
Retired; Former Chair of the Governing Council, Independent Directors Council (since 2020); formerly, President, owner of a registered investment adviser, Productive Capital Management, Inc. (2010 to 2013); formerly, Chief Administrative Officer, Senior Vice President and Senior Managing Director of Allegiant Asset Management Company (merged with PNC Capital Advisors, LLC in 2009); formerly, Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Compliance Officer and Senior Vice President of PNC Funds and PNC Advantage Funds (f/k/a Allegiant Funds) (registered investment companies).
|
2
|
Independent Director, Muzinich Corporate Lending Income Fund, Inc. (2023 to present); Independent Director, Muzinich BDC, Inc. (2019 to present); Independent Trustee for the William Blair Funds (2013 to present) (18 series).
|
Eric W. Falkeis
(born 1973)
c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
|
Trustee
|
Indefinite Term;
Since September 2011.
|
Chief Operating Officer, Tidal Financial Group (2024 to present); formerly, Chief Growth Officer, Tidal Financial Group (2022 to 2023); Chief Executive Officer, Tidal ETF Services LLC (2018 to present); formerly, Chief Operating Officer, Direxion Funds (2013 to 2018); formerly, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (and other positions), U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (1997 to 2013).
|
2
|
Independent Director, Muzinich Corporate Lending Income Fund, Inc. (2023 to present); Interested Trustee, Tidal Trust II (2022 to present) (41 series); Independent Director, Muzinich BDC, Inc. (2019 to present); Interested Trustee, Tidal ETF Trust I (2018 to Present) (40 series); Former Interested Trustee, Direxion Funds (36 series), Direxion Shares ETF Trust (112 series) and Direxion Insurance Trust (2013 to 2018).
|
28
|
Name, Year of Birth and Address
|
Position with
the Trust(1)
|
Term of Office(2) and Length of Time Served
|
Principal Occupation During Past Five Years
|
Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex(3)
Overseen by Trustees
|
Other Directorships Held During the Past 5 Years
|
Steven J. Paggioli
(born 1950)
c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
|
Trustee
|
Indefinite Term;
Since May 1991.
|
Consultant; formerly, Executive Vice President, Investment Company Administration, LLC (mutual fund administrator).
|
2
|
Independent Director, Muzinich Corporate Lending Income Fund, Inc. (2023 to present); Independent Director, Muzinich BDC, Inc. (2019 to present); Independent Trustee, AMG Funds (1993 to present) (42 series).
|
Ashi S. Parikh
(born 1966)
c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
|
Trustee
|
Indefinite Term;
Since June 2020.
|
President and Chief Investment Officer, Venturi Private Wealth (investment management firm) (2022 to present); formerly, Chief Executive and Chief Investment Officer and various other positions, RidgeWorth Investments, LLC (global investment management firm) (2006 to 2017); formerly, Chief Investment Officer Institutional Growth Equities, Eagle Asset Management (investment management firm); formerly Sr. Managing Director, Growth Equities, Banc One Investment Advisors (investment management firm).
|
2
|
Board of Directors Member, Investment Working Group, The Ohio State University Endowments and Foundation (2016 to present); Board of Directors, World Methodist Council, Investment Committee (2018 to present); Independent Trustee, PNC Funds (2018 to 2019) (32 series); Interested Trustee, RidgeWorth Funds (2014 to 2017) (35 series).
|
Cynthia M. Fornelli
(born 1960)
c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
|
Trustee
|
Indefinite Term; Since January 2022.
|
Independent Director of TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC Corp. (2019 to present); Retired; formerly, Executive Director of the Center for Audit Quality (2007-2019); formerly, Senior Vice President of Regulatory Conflicts Management at Bank of America (2005-2007); formerly, Deputy Director, Division of Investment Management with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (1998-2005).
|
2
|
Independent Director, TriplePoint Private Venture Credit, Inc. (2020 to present).
|
29
|
Name, Year of Birth and Address
|
Position with
the Trust(1)
|
Term of Office(2) and Length of Time Served
|
Principal Occupation During Past Five Years
|
Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex(3)
Overseen by Trustees
|
Other Directorships Held During the Past 5 Years
|
Officers of the Trust
|
Jason F. Hadler
(born 1975)
c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
|
President & Principal Executive Officer
|
Indefinite Term; Since September 2021.
|
Senior Vice President and Head of Client Experience, U.S. Bank Global Fund Services since March 2022; Senior Vice President and Head of Fund Services Fund Administration Department, U.S. Bank Global Fund Services (December 2003-March 2022).
|
Not
Applicable.
|
Not
Applicable.
|
Elaine E. Richards
(born 1968)
c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
|
Secretary & Vice President
|
Indefinite Term;
Since September 2024.
|
Senior Vice President, U.S. Bank Global Fund Services since July 2007.
|
Not
Applicable.
|
Not
Applicable.
|
Craig Benton
(born 1985)
c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
|
Treasurer & Vice President
|
Indefinite Term;
Since December 2021.
|
Assistant Treasurer of the Trust (2016-2021); Assistant Vice President, U.S. Bank Global Fund Services since November 2007.
|
Not
Applicable.
|
Not
Applicable.
|
Kyle J. Buscemi
(born 1996)
c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI
53202
|
Assistant Treasurer
|
Indefinite Term;
Since June 2022.
|
Mutual Funds Administrator, U.S. Bank Global Fund Services since June 2018; Business Administration Student, 2014-2018.
|
Not
Applicable.
|
Not
Applicable.
|
30
|
Name, Year of Birth and Address
|
Position with
the Trust(1)
|
Term of Office(2) and Length of Time Served
|
Principal Occupation During Past Five Years
|
Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex(3)
Overseen by Trustees
|
Other Directorships Held During the Past 5 Years
|
Kathryn E. LaPlante Johnson
(born 1998)
c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
|
Assistant Treasurer
|
Indefinite Term; Since November 2023.
|
Mutual Funds Administrator, U.S. Bank Global Fund Services since June 2020; Business Administration Student, 2017-2021.
|
Not
Applicable.
|
Not
Applicable.
|
Gazala Khan
(born 1969)
c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
615 East Michigan Street Milwaukee, WI 53202
|
Chief Compliance Officer
Anti-Money Laundering Officer
|
Indefinite Term;
Since November 2022.
|
Vice President and Compliance Officer, U.S. Bank Global Fund Services since July 2022; Chief Compliance Officer Matthews Asia Fund (May 2019-July 15, 2022); Chief Compliance Officer GS Trust/VIT (June 2009-May 2019); Vice President GSAM (May 2005-June 2009); Staff Accountant, SEC Office of Compliance Inspection and Examination (1999-2005).
|
Not
Applicable.
|
Not
Applicable.
|
(1)All Trustees of the Trust who are not "interested persons" of the Trust as defined under the 1940 Act ("Independent Trustees").
(2)Under the terms of the Board's retirement policy, a Trustee shall retire at the end of the calendar year in which he or she reaches the age of 78.
(3)The Trust is comprised of numerous series managed by unaffiliated investment advisers. The term "Fund Complex" as used herein includes the Fund and the Akre Focus Fund, which are offered through separate statements of additional information. The Fund and the Akre Focus Fund do not hold themselves out as related to any other series within the Trust for investment purposes.
Additional Information Concerning the Board of Trustees
The Role of the Board
The Board oversees the management and operations of the Trust. Like all registered investment companies, the day-to-day management and operation of the Trust is the responsibility of the various service providers to the Trust, such as the Adviser, the Distributor, the Administrator, the Custodian, and the Transfer Agent, each of whom is discussed in greater detail in this Statement of Additional Information. The Board has appointed various senior employees of the Administrator as officers of the Trust, with responsibility to monitor and report to the Board on the Trust's operations. In conducting this oversight, the Board receives regular reports from these officers and the service providers. For example, the Treasurer reports as to financial reporting matters and the President reports as to matters relating to the Trust's operations. In addition, the Adviser provides regular reports on the investment strategy and performance of the Fund. The Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer who administers the Trust's compliance program and regularly reports to the Board as to compliance matters. These reports are provided as part of formal "Board Meetings" which are typically held quarterly, in person, and involve the Board's review of recent operations. In addition, various members of the Board also meet with management in less formal settings, between formal "Board Meetings," to discuss various topics. In all cases, however, the role of the Board and of any individual Trustee is one of oversight and not of
31
management of the day-to-day affairs of the Trust and its oversight role does not make the Board a guarantor of the Trust's investments, operations or activities.
Board Structure, Leadership
The Board has structured itself in a manner that it believes allows it to perform its oversight function effectively. It has established three standing committees, a Nominating and Governance Committee, an Audit Committee, and a Qualified Legal Compliance Committee, which are discussed in greater detail below under "Trust Committees." The Board is entirely comprised of Trustees who are Independent Trustees, which are Trustees that are not affiliated with the Adviser, the principal underwriter, or their affiliates. The Independent Trustees have engaged their own independent counsel to advise them on matters relating to their responsibilities in connection with the Trust. The Nominating and Governance Committee, Audit Committee and Qualified Legal Compliance Committee are comprised of all of the Independent Trustees. The Chairperson of the Board is an Independent Trustee. The Trust has appointed Kathleen Barr, an Independent Trustee, as Chairperson of the Board, and she acts as a liaison with the Trust's service providers, officers, legal counsel, and other Trustees between meetings, helps to set Board meeting agendas, and serves as Chairperson during executive sessions of the Independent Trustees. The Board has determined not to combine the Chairperson position and the principal executive officer position and has appointed a Vice President of the Administrator as the President of the Trust, who routinely interacts with the unaffiliated investment advisers of the Trust and comprehensively manages the operational aspects of the series of the Trust. The Board reviews its structure and the structure of its committees annually. The Board has determined that the structure of the Independent Chairperson, the composition of the Board, and the function and composition of its various committees are appropriate means to address any potential conflicts of interest that may arise.
Board Oversight of Risk Management
As part of its oversight function, the Board receives and reviews various risk management reports and discusses these matters with appropriate management and other personnel. Because risk management is a broad concept comprised of many elements (e.g., investment risk, issuer and counterparty risk, compliance risk, operational risks, business continuity risks, etc.), the oversight of different types of risks is handled in different ways. For example, the Audit Committee meets with the Treasurer and the Trust's independent registered public accounting firm to discuss, among other things, the internal control structure of the Trust's financial reporting function. The Board meets regularly with the Chief Compliance Officer to discuss compliance and operational risks and how they are managed. The Board also receives reports from the Adviser as to investment risks of the Fund. In addition to these reports, from time to time the Board receives reports from the Administrator and the Adviser as to enterprise risk management.
Information about Each Trustee's Qualification, Experience, Attributes or Skills
The Board believes that each of the Trustees has the qualifications, experience, attributes and skills ("Trustee Attributes") appropriate to their continued service as Trustees of the Trust in light of the Trust's business and structure. In addition to a demonstrated record of business and/or professional accomplishment, each of the Trustees has served on the Board for a number of years. They have substantial board experience and, in their service to the Trust, have gained substantial insight as to the operation of the Trust. They have demonstrated a commitment to discharging their oversight duties as trustees in the interests of shareholders. The Board annually conducts a "self-assessment" wherein the effectiveness of the Board and individual Trustees is reviewed.
In addition to the information provided in the chart above, below is certain additional information concerning each particular Trustee and his/her Trustee Attributes. The information is not all-inclusive. Many Trustee Attributes involve intangible elements, such as intelligence, integrity, work ethic, the ability to work together, the ability to communicate effectively, the ability to exercise judgment, to ask incisive questions, and commitment to shareholder interests.
32
Ms. Barr's Trustee Attributes include her substantial mutual fund experience, including her role as Chair of the Governing Council for the Independent Directors Council and member of the ICI Board of Governors. She has executive experience as the former owner of a registered investment adviser (Productive Capital Management, Inc.), as the Chief Administrative Officer, Senior Vice President and Senior Managing Director of Allegiant Asset Management Company (merged with PNC Capital Advisors LLC in 2009), and as the Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Compliance Officer and Senior Vice President of PNC Funds and PNC Advantage Funds (f/k/a Allegiant Funds). Ms. Barr also currently serves on the board of several registered investment companies. Ms. Barr has been determined to qualify as an Audit Committee financial expert for the Trust. The Board believes Ms. Barr's experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees led to the conclusion that she possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Trust.
Mr. Falkeis' Trustee Attributes include his substantial ETF and mutual fund experience and his experience with financial, accounting, investment and regulatory matters through his former position as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (and other positions) of U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, a full-service provider to ETFs, mutual funds and alternative investment products. Mr. Falkeis currently serves as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Executive Officer of Tidal ETF Services LLC, (2018 to present), formerly, Chief Growth Officer of Tidal Financial Group, and he has experience consulting with investment advisers regarding the legal structure of investment companies, distribution channel analysis, marketing and actual distribution of those funds. Mr. Falkeis also has substantial managerial, operational and risk oversight experience through his former positions as Chief Operating Officer and Trustee of the Direxion Funds and the Direxion Exchange Traded Funds. Mr. Falkeis has been determined to qualify as an Audit Committee financial expert for the Trust. The Board believes Mr. Falkeis' experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees led to the conclusion that he possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Trust.
Mr. Paggioli's Trustee Attributes include his substantial mutual fund and investment advisory experience. Mr. Paggioli is an independent consultant on investment company and investment advisory matters. He has held a number of senior positions with mutual fund and investment advisory organizations and related businesses, including Executive Vice President, Director and Principal of the Wadsworth Group (fund administration, distribution transfer agency and accounting services). He serves on the boards of several investment management companies and advisory firms. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Investment Company Institute and of the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Council. He has served on various industry association and self-regulatory committees and formerly worked on the staff of the SEC. Mr. Paggioli has been determined to qualify as an Audit Committee financial expert for the Trust. The Board believes Mr. Paggioli's experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees led to the conclusion that he possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Trust.
Mr. Parikh's Trustee Attributes include his substantial investment and executive experience in the asset management industry, including his position as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of RidgeWorth Investments (global investment management firm with over $41 billion in assets). He has also served as a Trustee of several investment trusts (including private investment trusts). Mr. Parikh has ongoing responsibility as a member of the Investment Working Group as part of the Board of Directors for the Ohio State University Endowments & Foundation, as well as an ongoing position as a member of the Investment Committee for the World Methodist Council Endowment Fund (a charitable religious foundation). Mr. Parikh has been determined to qualify as an Audit Committee financial expert for the Trust. The Board believes Mr. Parikh possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Trust.
Ms. Fornelli's Trustee Attributes include her substantial governance, legal, regulatory and business experience, including her role as an Independent Director of TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC Corp and TriplePoint Private
33
Venture Credit, Inc. She has broad leadership experience in strategy formulation, corporate governance and risk management. She has executive experience as the Executive Director of Center for Audit Quality (2007-2019), Senior Vice President of Regulatory and Conflicts Management at Bank of America (2005-2007) and Deputy Director, Division of Investment Management with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (1998-2005). Ms. Fornelli has been determined to qualify as an Audit Committee financial expert for the Trust. The Board believes Ms. Fornelli's experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees led to the conclusion that she possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Trust.
Trust Committees
The Trust has three standing committees: the Nominating and Governance Committee, and the Audit Committee, which also serves as the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee ("QLCC").
The Nominating and Governance Committee, comprised of all of the Independent Trustees, is responsible for seeking and reviewing candidates for consideration as nominees for Trustees and meets only as necessary. The Nominating and Governance Committee is also responsible for, among other things, assisting the Board in its oversight of the Trust's compliance program under Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act, reviewing and making recommendations regarding Independent Trustee compensation and the Trustees' annual "self-assessment." The Nominating and Governance Committee has appointed Independent Trustee Eric Falkeis as the Chairperson of the Committee. The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider nominees nominated by shareholders. Recommendations for consideration by shareholders by the Nominating Committee should be sent to the President of the Trust in writing together with the appropriate biographical information concerning each such proposed Nominee, and such recommendation must comply with the notice provisions set forth in the Trust By-Laws. In general, to comply with such procedures, such nominations, together with all required biographical information, must be delivered to and received by the President of the Trust at the principal executive offices of the Trust not later than 120 days and no more than 150 days prior to the shareholder meeting at which any such nominee would be voted on. Because the Fund has not commenced operations, the Nominating and Governance Committee has not met or taken any action with respect to the Fund as of the date of this SAI.
The Audit Committee is comprised of all of the Independent Trustees. The Audit Committee has appointed Independent Trustee Cynthia Fornelli as the Chairperson of the Committee. The Audit Committee generally meets on a quarterly basis with respect to the various series of the Trust, and may meet more frequently. The function of the Audit Committee, with respect to each series of the Trust, is to review the scope and results of the audit of such series' financial statements and any matters bearing on the audit or the financial statements, and to ensure the integrity of the series' pricing and financial reporting. Because the Fund has not commenced operations, the Audit Committee has not met or taken any action with respect to the Fund as of the date of this SAI.
The function of the QLCC is to receive reports from an attorney retained by the Trust of evidence of a material violation by the Trust or by any officer, director, employee or agent of the Trust. Because the Fund has not commenced operations, the QLCC has not met or taken any action with respect to the Fund as of the date of this SAI.
Trustee Ownership of Fund Shares and Other Interests
The following table shows the amount of shares in the Fund and the amount of shares in other portfolios of the Trust owned by the Trustees as of the calendar year ended December 31, 2023.
34
|
Name
|
Dollar Range of
Fund Shares
|
Aggregate Dollar Range of
Fund Shares in the Trust
|
Independent Trustees
|
Kathleen T. Barr
|
None
|
$10,001-$50,000
|
Eric W. Falkeis
|
None
|
$10,001-$50,000
|
Steven J. Paggioli
|
None
|
Over $100,000
|
Ashi S. Parikh
|
None
|
Over $100,000
|
Cynthia Fornelli
|
None
|
None
|
Furthermore, neither the Independent Trustees nor members of their immediate family own securities beneficially or of record in the Adviser, the Fund's principal underwriter, or any of their affiliates. Neither the Independent Trustees nor members of their immediate family have had a direct or indirect interest during the two most recently completed calendar years, the value of which exceeds $120,000, in the Adviser, the Fund's principal underwriter, or any of their affiliates.
Compensation
Effective January 1, 2024, the Independent Trustees were due to receive an annual retainer of $142,000 allocated among each of the various portfolios comprising the Trust, an additional $8,000 per regularly scheduled Board meeting, and an additional $3,500 per special meeting, paid by the Trust or applicable advisors/portfolios, as well as reimbursement for expenses incurred in connection with attendance at Board meetings. The Chairperson of the Audit Committee receives additional compensation of $20,000 annually, the Chairperson of the Nominating and Governance Committee receives additional compensation of $8,000 annually and the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees receives additional compensation of $21,000 annually, and such compensation is also allocated among each of the various portfolios comprising the Trust. Independent Trustees receive additional fees from the applicable portfolios for any special meetings at rates assessed by the Trustees depending on the length of the meeting and whether in-person attendance is required. All Trustees will be reimbursed for expenses in connection with each Board meeting attended, which reimbursement is allocated among applicable portfolios of the Trust. The Trust has no pension or retirement plan. No other entity affiliated with the Trust pays any compensation to the Trustees. Set forth below is the estimated compensation to be received by the Independent Trustees from the Fund for the fiscal period ending July 31, 2025:
|
Name of Person/Position
|
Aggregate
Compensation
from the Fund
|
Pension or
Retirement
Benefits Accrued
as Part of Fund
Expenses
|
Estimated
Annual Benefits
Upon
Retirement
|
Total
Compensation
from Fund and
Fund
Complex(1) Paid
to Trustees
|
Kathleen T. Barr,
Independent Trustee
|
$1,115.94
|
None
|
None
|
$9,075.48
|
Eric W. Falkeis,
Independent Trustee
|
$789.85
|
None
|
None
|
$7,118.95
|
Steve J. Paggioli,
Independent Trustee
|
$789.85
|
None
|
None
|
$7,118.95
|
Ashi S. Parikh,
Independent Trustee
|
$789.85
|
None
|
None
|
$7,118.95
|
Cynthia Fornelli,
Independent Trustee
|
$789.85
|
None
|
None
|
$7,118.95
|
(1)There are currently numerous unaffiliated portfolios comprising the Trust. The term "Fund Complex" as used herein includes the Fund and the Akre Focus Fund, which are offered through separate statements of additional information. The Fund and the Akre Focus Fund do not hold themselves out as related to any other series within the Trust for investment purposes. For the fiscal period ending July 31, 2025, estimated aggregate Independent Trustees' fees for the Trust are approximately $955,000.
35
Codes of Ethics
The Trust and the Adviser have each adopted separate Codes of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. These Codes permit, subject to certain conditions, access persons of the Adviser to invest in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund. The Distributor, as defined below, relies on the principal underwriter's exception in Rule 17j-1(c)(3) under the 1940 Act, specifically where the Distributor is not affiliated with the Trust or the Adviser, and no officer, director or general partner of the Distributor serves as an officer, director or general partner of the Trust or the Adviser.
PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
The Board has adopted Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures ("Proxy Policies") on behalf of the Trust which delegate the responsibility for voting proxies to the Adviser, subject to the Board's continuing oversight.The Proxy Policies require that the Adviser vote proxies received in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders.The Proxy Policies also require the Adviser to present to the Board, at least annually, the Adviser's Proxy Policies and a record of each proxy voted by the Adviser on behalf of the Fund, including a report on the resolution of all proxies identified by the Adviser as involving a conflict of interest.
The Adviser has adopted Proxy Policies that underscore the Adviser's concern that all proxies voting decisions be made in the best interest of the Fund's shareholders.The Adviser considers each proxy proposal individually and makes decisions on a case-by-case basis.At all times, however, the Adviser will act in a prudent and diligent manner intended to enhance the economic value of the assets of the Fund.The Adviser believes that market conditions and other economic considerations will influence how decisions are made on proxy proposals.Where a proxy proposal raises a material conflict between the Adviser's interests and the Fund's interests, the Adviser will disclose the conflict to the Board and obtain the Board's consent to vote or direct the matter to an independent third party, selected by the Board, for a vote determination.If the Board's consent or the independent third party's determination is not received in a timely manner, the Adviser will abstain from voting the proxy.The Adviser's Policy is attached as Appendix A.
The Trust is required to file a Form N-PX containing the Fund's complete proxy voting record for the 12 months ended June 30, no later than August 31 of each year.Form N-PX for the Fund will be available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free 1-888-688-1299 and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.
CONTROL PERSONS, PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS AND MANAGEMENT OWNERSHIP
A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund. A control person is any person who owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of the Fund or acknowledges the existence of control. Shareholders owning voting securities in excess of 25% may determine the outcome of any matter affecting and voted on by shareholders of the Fund. No information about ownership of the Fund by the Trustees and Officers of the Trust, as a group, is provided because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI. As of the date of this SAI, there are no outstanding shares.
INVESTMENT ADVISER
As stated in the Prospectus, investment advisory services are provided to the Fund by Akre Capital Management, LLC (the "Adviser"), located at 2 W. Marshall Street, Middleburg, Virginia 20117, pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement (the "Advisory Agreement"). Charles T. Akre, Jr., is indirectly the largest owner of the Adviser's voting interests and is the Manager and a control person of the Adviser.
After its initial two-year term, the Advisory Agreement will continue in effect from year to year only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board or by vote of a majority of the Fund's
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outstanding voting securities and by a majority of the Independent Trustees, who are not parties to the Advisory Agreement or interested persons of any such party, in each case cast at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Advisory Agreement. The Advisory Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust on behalf of the Fund on not more than 60 days', nor less than 30 days', written notice to the Adviser when authorized either by a majority vote of the Fund's shareholders or by a vote of a majority of the Trustees, or by the Adviser on not more than 60 days', nor less than 30 days', written notice to the Trust, and will automatically terminate in the event of its "assignment" (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Advisory Agreement provides that the Adviser shall not be liable under such agreement for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss arising out of any investment or for any act or omission in the execution of portfolio transactions for the Fund, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties, or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties thereunder.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser provides investment advice to the Fund and oversees the day-to-day operations of the Fund, subject to the direction and control of the Board and the officers of the Trust. The Adviser also arranges for transfer agency, custody, fund administration and all other non-distribution-related services necessary for the Fund to operate. The Adviser administers the Fund's business affairs, provides office facilities and equipment and certain clerical, bookkeeping and administrative services. The Adviser bears the costs of all advisory and non-advisory services required to operate the Fund, in exchange for a single unitary management fee from the Fund. For the services it provides to the Fund, the Fund pays the Adviser a unified management fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate based on the Fund's average daily net assets as follows:
|
Name of Fund
|
Management Fee
|
Akre Focus ETF
|
[ ]%
|
Under the Advisory Agreement, in exchange for a single unitary management fee, the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses of the Fund, except for: the fee paid to the Adviser pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, interest charges on any borrowings, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, extraordinary expenses, and distribution (12b-1) fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.
The Adviser shall not be liable to the Trust or any shareholder for anything done or omitted by it, except acts or omissions involving willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence or reckless disregard of the duties imposed upon it by its agreement with the Trust or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security.
The Fund is new and has not paid management fees to the Adviser as of the date of this SAI.
Portfolio Manager
John H. Neff serves as Portfolio Manager of the Fund, as well as the Akre Focus Fund, which is another series of the Trust. He is primarily responsible for the day to day management of the Fund.John is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer at Akre Capital Management. Prior to joining the firm in 2009, he worked for ten years at William Blair & Company in the firm's equity research department, the last seven years as a Senior Analyst. John worked at First Chicago NBD Corporation from 1996 to 1999 after beginning his career in the securities industry at Merrill Lynch in 1994. John received his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1999 and holds a B.A. in English from Colgate University.The following table provides information regarding other accounts managed by the Portfolio Manager as of July 31, 2024.
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|
Name
|
Category of Account
|
Total Number of Accounts Managed
|
Total Assets in Accounts Managed
|
Number of Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Based on Performance
|
Assets in Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Based on Performance
|
John H. Neff
|
Other Registered Investment Companies
|
1
|
$13,131.6 million
|
1
|
$13,131.6 million
|
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles
|
3
|
$1,230.5 million
|
3
|
$1,230.5 million
|
Other Accounts
|
55
|
$531.0 million
|
55
|
$531.0 million
|
The compensation package for the Portfolio Manager is comprised of a base salary, discretionary bonus, distributions based on firm profitability, and performance-based fees from the private pooled funds managed by the Adviser.
Conflicts of Interest for Portfolio Managers. Because the Adviser performs investment management services for various clients, certain conflicts of interest could arise. The Adviser may give advice and take action with respect to its other clients and/or funds that may differ from advice given or the timing or nature of action taken with respect to the Fund. The Adviser will have no obligation to purchase or sell for the Fund, or to recommend for purchase or sale by the Fund, any security that the Adviser, its principals, its affiliates, or its employees may purchase for themselves or for other clients and/or funds at the same time or the same price. Where the Adviser buys or sells the same security for two or more clients, it may place concurrent orders with a single broker, to be executed together as a single "block" in order to facilitate orderly and efficient execution.
Portfolio Manager's Ownership in the Fund. As of the date of this SAI, the Portfolio Manager does not beneficially own shares of the Fund since the Fund has not yet been seeded.
THE ADMINISTRATOR, CUSTODIAN, AND TRANSFER AGENT
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services ("Fund Services"), located at 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, serves as the Fund's transfer agent and administrator.
Pursuant to a Fund Servicing Agreement between the Trust and Fund Services, Fund Services provides the Trust with administrative and management services (other than investment advisory services) and accounting services, including portfolio accounting services, tax accounting services, and furnishing financial reports. In this capacity, Fund Services does not have any responsibility or authority for the management of the Fund, the determination of investment policy, or for any matter pertaining to the distribution of Shares. As compensation for the administration, accounting and management services, the Fund pays Fund Services a fee based on the Fund's average daily net assets, subject to a minimum annual fee. Fund Services also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses for the services mentioned above, including pricing expenses.
Pursuant to a Custody Agreement, U.S. Bank National Association (the "Custodian" or "U.S. Bank"), 1555 North RiverCenter Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, serves as the custodian of the Fund's assets. The Custodian holds and administers the assets in the Fund's portfolio. Pursuant to the Custody Agreement, the Custodian receives an annual fee from the Adviser based on the Trust's total average daily net assets, subject to a minimum annual fee, and certain settlement charges. The Custodian also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses.
The Fund is new and the Adviser has not paid Fund Services any fees for administrative services to the Fund as of the date of this SAI.
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THE DISTRIBUTOR
The Trust, the Adviser, and Quasar Distributors, LLC (the "Distributor"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Foreside Financial Group, LLC (d/b/a ACA Group), are parties to a distribution agreement (the "Distribution Agreement"), whereby the Distributor acts as principal underwriter for the Fund and distributes Shares. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Distributor only in Creation Units. The Distributor will not distribute Shares in amounts less than a Creation Unit and does not maintain a secondary market in Shares. The principal business address of the Distributor is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.
Under the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor, as agent for the Trust, will review orders for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units, provided that any subscriptions and orders will not be binding on the Trust until accepted by the Trust. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Exchange Act and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA").
The Distributor may also enter into agreements with securities dealers ("Soliciting Dealers") who will solicit purchases of Creation Units of Shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as discussed in "Procedures for Purchase of Creation Units" below) or DTC participants (as defined below).
The Distribution Agreement will continue for two years from its effective date and is renewable annually thereafter. The continuance of the Distribution Agreement must be specifically approved at least annually (i) by the vote of the Trustees or by a vote of the shareholders of the Fund and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operations of the Distribution Agreement or any related agreement, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust on 60 days' written notice when authorized either by majority vote of its outstanding voting Shares or by a vote of a majority of its Board (including a majority of the Independent Trustees), or by the Distributor on 60 days' written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment. The Distribution Agreement provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Distributor, or reckless disregard by it of its obligations thereunder, the Distributor shall not be liable for any action or failure to act in accordance with its duties thereunder.
Intermediary Compensation.The Adviser or its affiliates, out of their own resources and not out of the Fund's assets (i.e., without additional cost to the Fund or its shareholders), may pay certain broker dealers, banks and other financial intermediaries ("Intermediaries") for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing and educational training or support. These arrangements are not financed by the Fund and, thus, do not result in increased Fund expenses. They are not reflected in the fees and expenses listed in the fees and expenses sections of the Fund's Prospectus and they do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of Shares or the amount received by a shareholder as proceeds from the redemption of Shares.
Such compensation may be paid to Intermediaries that provide services to the Fund, including marketing and education support (such as through conferences, webinars and printed communications). The Adviser periodically assesses the advisability of continuing to make these payments. Payments to an Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your Adviser, broker or other investment professional, if any, may also be significant to such adviser, broker or investment professional. Because an Intermediary may make decisions about what investment options it will make available or recommend, and what services to provide in connection with various products, based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive, such payments create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its clients. For example, these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Fund over other investments. The same conflict of interest exists with respect to your financial adviser, broker or investment professionals if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm.
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Intermediary information is current only as of the date of this SAI. Please contact your adviser, broker or other investment professional for more information regarding any payments his or her Intermediary firm may receive. Any payments made by the Adviser, or their affiliates to an Intermediary may create the incentive for an Intermediary to encourage customers to buy Shares.
Distribution Plan. The Trust has adopted a Distribution Plan (the "Plan") in accordance with the provisions of Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, which regulates circumstances under which an investment company may directly or indirectly bear expenses relating to the distribution of its shares. No payments pursuant to the Plan are expected to be made during the twelve (12) month period from the date of this SAI. Rule 12b-1 fees to be paid by the Fund under the Plan may only be imposed after approval by the Board.
Continuance of the Plan must be approved annually by a majority of the Trustees of the Trust and by a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan or in any agreements related to the Plan ("Qualified Trustees"). The Plan requires that quarterly written reports of amounts spent under the Plan and the purposes of such expenditures be furnished to and reviewed by the Trustees. The Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount that may be spent thereunder without approval by a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund. All material amendments of the Plan will require approval by a majority of the Trustees of the Trust and of the Qualified Trustees.
The Plan provides that the Fund pays the Distributor an annual fee of up to a maximum of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Shares. Under the Plan, the Distributor may make payments pursuant to written agreements to financial institutions and intermediaries such as banks, savings and loan associations and insurance companies including, without limit, investment counselors, broker-dealers and the Distributor's affiliates and subsidiaries (collectively, "Agents") as compensation for services and reimbursement of expenses incurred in connection with distribution assistance. The Plan is characterized as a compensation plan since the distribution fee will be paid to the Distributor without regard to the distribution expenses incurred by the Distributor or the amount of payments made to other financial institutions and intermediaries. The Trust intends to operate the Plan in accordance with its terms and with FINRA rules concerning sales charges.
Under the Plan, subject to the limitations of applicable law and regulations, the Fund is authorized to compensate the Distributor up to the maximum amount to finance any activity primarily intended to result in the sale of Creation Units of the Fund or for providing or arranging for others to provide shareholder services and for the maintenance of shareholder accounts. Such activities may include, but are not limited to: (i) delivering copies of the Fund's then current reports, prospectuses, notices, and similar materials, to prospective purchasers of Creation Units; (ii) marketing and promotional services, including advertising; (iii) paying the costs of and compensating others, including Authorized Participants with whom the Distributor has entered into written Authorized Participant Agreements, for performing shareholder servicing on behalf of the Fund; (iv) compensating certain Authorized Participants for providing assistance in distributing the Creation Units of the Fund, including the travel and communication expenses and salaries and/or commissions of sales personnel in connection with the distribution of the Creation Units of the Fund; (v) payments to financial institutions and intermediaries such as banks, savings and loan associations, insurance companies and investment counselors, broker-dealers, mutual fund supermarkets and the affiliates and subsidiaries of the Trust's service providers as compensation for services or reimbursement of expenses incurred in connection with distribution assistance; (vi) facilitating communications with beneficial owners of Shares, including the cost of providing (or paying others to provide) services to beneficial owners of Shares, including, but not limited to, assistance in answering inquiries related to Shareholder accounts; and (vi) such other services and obligations as are set forth in the Distribution Agreement.
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LEGAL COUNSEL
Sullivan & Worcester LLP, 1251 Avenue of the Americas, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10020, serves as legal counsel to the Trust. Sullivan & Worcester also serves as independent legal counsel to the Board of Trustees.
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
[_____________________________] is the independent registered public accounting firm, providing audit services, tax services and assistance with respect to the preparation of filings with the SEC for the Fund.
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES
The Declaration of Trust authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of funds and Shares. Each Share represents an equal proportionate interest in the Fund with each other Share. Shares are entitled upon liquidation to a pro rata share in the net assets of the Fund. Shareholders have no preemptive rights. The Declaration of Trust provides that the Trustees may create additional series or classes of Shares. All consideration received by the Trust for shares of any additional funds and all assets in which such consideration is invested would belong to that fund and would be subject to the liabilities related thereto. Share certificates representing Shares will not be issued. Shares, when issued, are fully paid and non-assessable.
Each Share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a shareholder vote is required, consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder. Shares of all funds of the Trust vote together as a single class, except that if the matter being voted on affects only a particular fund it will be voted on only by that fund and if a matter affects a particular fund differently from other funds, that fund will vote separately on such matter. As a Delaware statutory trust, the Trust is not required, and does not intend, to hold annual meetings of shareholders. Approval of shareholders will be sought, however, for certain changes in the operation of the Trust and for the election of Trustees under certain circumstances. Upon the written request of shareholders owning at least 10% of the Trust's Shares, the Trust will call for a meeting of shareholders to consider the removal of one or more Trustees and other certain matters. In the event that such a meeting is requested, the Trust will provide appropriate assistance and information to the shareholders requesting the meeting.
Under the Declaration of Trust, the Trustees have the power to liquidate the Fund without shareholder approval. While the Trustees have no present intention of exercising this power, they may do so if the Fund fails to reach a viable size within a reasonable amount of time or for such other reasons as may be determined by the Board.
LIMITATION OF TRUSTEES' LIABILITY
The Declaration of Trust provides that a Trustee shall be liable only for his or her own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of the office of Trustee, and shall not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law. The Trustees shall not be responsible or liable in any event for any neglect or wrong-doing of any officer, agent, employee, adviser or principal underwriter of the Trust, nor shall any Trustee be responsible for the act or omission of any other Trustee. The Declaration of Trust also provides that the Trust shall indemnify each person who is, or has been, a Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Trust, any person who is serving or has served at the Trust's request as a Trustee, officer, trustee, employee or agent of another organization in which the Trust has any interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise to the extent and in the manner provided in the Amended and Restated By-laws. However, nothing in the Declaration of Trust shall protect or indemnify a Trustee against any liability for his or her willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of the office of Trustee. Nothing contained in this section attempts to disclaim a Trustee's individual liability in any manner inconsistent with the federal securities laws.
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BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS
The policy of the Trust regarding purchases and sales of securities for the Fund is that primary consideration will be given to obtaining the most favorable prices and efficient executions of transactions. Consistent with this policy, when securities transactions are effected on a stock exchange, the Trust's policy is to pay commissions which are considered fair and reasonable without necessarily determining that the lowest possible commissions are paid in all circumstances. The Trust believes that a requirement always to seek the lowest possible commission cost could impede effective portfolio management and preclude the Fund from obtaining a high quality of brokerage and research services. In seeking to determine the reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid in any transaction, the Adviser will rely upon its experience and knowledge regarding commissions generally charged by various brokers and on its judgment in evaluating the brokerage services received from the broker effecting the transaction. Such determinations are necessarily subjective and imprecise, as in most cases, an exact dollar value for those services is not ascertainable. The Trust has adopted policies and procedures that prohibit the consideration of sales of Fund Shares as a factor in the selection of a broker or dealer to execute its portfolio transactions.
The Adviser owes a duty to the Fund to seek best execution on trades effected. "Best execution" is generally understood to mean the most favorable cost or net proceeds reasonably obtainable under the circumstances. The full range of brokerage services applicable to a particular transaction may be considered when making this judgment, which may include, but is not limited to: liquidity, price, commission, timing, aggregated trades, capable floor brokers or traders, competent block trading coverage, ability to position, capital strength and stability, reliable and accurate communications and settlement processing, use of automation, knowledge of other buyers or sellers, arbitrage skills, administrative ability, underwriting and provision of information on a particular security or market in which the transaction is to occur. The specific criteria will vary depending upon the nature of the transaction, the market in which it is executed, and the extent to which it is possible to select from among multiple broker/dealers. The Adviser will also use electronic crossing networks ("ECNs") when appropriate.
Subject to the foregoing policies, brokers or dealers selected to execute the Fund's portfolio transactions may include the Fund's Authorized Participants (as discussed in "Procedures for Purchase of Creation Units" below) or their affiliates. An Authorized Participant or its affiliates may be selected to execute the Fund's portfolio transactions in conjunction with an all-cash creation unit order or an order including "cash-in-lieu" (as described below under "Purchase and Redemption of Shares in Creation Units"), so long as such selection is in keeping with the foregoing policies. As described below under "Purchase and Redemption of Shares in Creation Units-Creation Transaction Fee" and "-Redemption Transaction Fee",the Fund may determine to not charge a variable fee on certain orders when the Adviser have determined that doing so is in the best interests of Fund shareholders, e.g., for creation orders that facilitate the rebalance of the Fund's portfolio in a more tax efficient manner than could be achieved without such order, even if the decision to not charge a variable fee could be viewed as benefiting the Authorized Participant or its affiliate selected to execute the Fund's portfolio transactions in connection with such orders.
The Adviser may use the Fund's assets for, or participate in, third party soft dollar arrangements, in addition to receiving proprietary research from various full service brokers, the cost of which is bundled with the cost of the broker's execution services. The Adviser does not "pay up" for the value of any such proprietary research. Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") permits the Adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause the Fund to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the transaction in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by the broker or dealer. The Adviser may receive a variety of research services and information on many topics, which it can use in connection with its management responsibilities with respect to the various accounts over which it exercises investment discretion or otherwise provides investment advice. The research services may include qualifying order management systems, portfolio attribution and monitoring services and computer software and access charges which are
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directly related to investment research. Accordingly, the Fund may pay a broker commission higher than the lowest available commission in recognition of the broker's provision of such services to the Adviser. The amount of soft dollar benefits received depends on the amount of brokerage transactions effected with the brokers. A conflict of interest exists because there is an incentive to: (1) cause clients to pay a higher commission than the firm might otherwise be able to negotiate; (2) cause clients to engage in more securities transactions than would otherwise be optimal; and (3) only use brokers that provide soft dollar benefits.
The Adviser faces a potential conflict of interest when it uses client trades to obtain brokerage or research services. This conflict exists because the Adviser are able to use the brokerage or research services to manage client accounts without paying cash for such services, which reduces the Adviser's expenses to the extent that the Adviser would have purchased such products had they not been provided by brokers. Section 28(e) permits the Adviser to use brokerage or research services for the benefit of any account it manages. Certain accounts managed by the Adviser may generate soft dollars used to purchase brokerage or research services that ultimately benefit other accounts managed by the Adviser, effectively cross subsidizing the other accounts managed by the Adviser that benefit directly from the product. The Adviser may not necessarily use all of the brokerage or research services in connection with managing the Fund whose trades generated the soft dollars used to purchase such products. No soft-dollar arrangement information is provided for the Fund because the Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI.
The Adviser is responsible, subject to oversight by the Board, for placing orders on behalf of the Fund for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of the Fund and one or more other investment companies or clients supervised by the Adviser are considered at or about the same time, transactions in such securities are allocated among the several investment companies and clients in a manner deemed equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to all by the Adviser. In some cases, this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security so far as the Fund is concerned. However, in other cases, it is possible that the ability to participate in volume transactions and to negotiate lower brokerage commissions will be beneficial to the Fund. The primary consideration is prompt execution of orders at the most favorable net price.
The Fund may deal with affiliates in principal transactions to the extent permitted by exemptive order or applicable rule or regulation.
The Fund is new and has not paid any brokerage commissions as of the date of this SAI.
Brokerage with Fund Affiliates. The Fund may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through registered broker-dealer affiliates of the Fund, the Adviser, or the Distributor for a commission in conformity with the 1940 Act, the Exchange Act and rules promulgated by the SEC. These rules require that commissions paid to the affiliate by the Fund for exchange transactions not exceed "usual and customary" brokerage commissions. The rules define "usual and customary" commissions to include amounts which are "reasonable and fair compared to the commission, fee or other remuneration received or to be received by other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or sold on a securities exchange during a comparable period of time." The Trustees, including those who are not "interested persons" of the Fund, have adopted procedures for evaluating the reasonableness of commissions paid to affiliates and review these procedures periodically.
Securities of "Regular Broker-Dealers." The Fund is required to identify any securities of its "regular brokers and dealers" (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) that it may hold at the close of its most recent fiscal year. "Regular brokers or dealers" of the Fund are the ten brokers or dealers that, during the most recent fiscal year: (i) received the greatest dollar amounts of brokerage commissions from the Fund's portfolio transactions; (ii) engaged as principal in the largest dollar amounts of portfolio transactions of the Fund; or (iii) sold the largest dollar amounts of Shares. Because the Fund is new, as of the date of this SAI, the Fund did not hold any securities of "regular broker dealers."
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Portfolio Turnover. Portfolio turnover may vary from year to year, as well as within a year. High turnover rates are likely to result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses. The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions is evaluated by the Adviser based upon its knowledge of available information as to the general level of commissions paid by other institutional investors for comparable services.
BOOK ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM
The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") acts as securities depositary for Shares. Shares are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC. Except in limited circumstances set forth below, certificates will not be issued for Shares.
DTC is a limited-purpose trust company that was created to hold securities of its participants (the "DTC Participants") and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") and FINRA. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers, and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (the "Indirect Participants").
Beneficial ownership of Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants, and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in Shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to in this SAI as "Beneficial Owners") is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of Shares. The Trust recognizes DTC or its nominee as the record owner of all Shares for all purposes. Beneficial Owners of Shares are not entitled to have Shares registered in their names and will not receive or be entitled to physical delivery of Share certificates. Each Beneficial Owner must rely on the procedures of DTC and any DTC Participant and/or Indirect Participant through which such Beneficial Owner holds its interests, to exercise any rights of a holder of Shares.
Conveyance of all notices, statements, and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. DTC will make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee a listing of Shares held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall obtain from each such DTC Participant the number of Beneficial Owners holding Shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement, or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all Shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC Participants' accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in the Fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of Shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a "street name," and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.
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The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in Shares, or for maintaining, supervising, or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants.
DTC may determine to discontinue providing its service with respect to the Fund at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Fund and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Fund shall take action either to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost or, if such replacement is unavailable, to issue and deliver printed certificates representing ownership of Shares, unless the Trust makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the Exchange.
PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES IN CREATION UNITS
The Trust issues and redeems Shares only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Transfer Agent, without a sales load (but subject to transaction fees, if applicable), at their NAV per share next determined after receipt of an order, on any Business Day, in proper form pursuant to the terms of the Authorized Participant Agreement ("Participant Agreement"). The NAV of Shares is calculated each business day as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE, generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time. The Fund will not issue fractional Creation Units. A "Business Day" is any day on which the NYSE is open for business.
Fund Deposit. The consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit of the Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (the "Deposit Securities") per each Creation Unit and the Cash Component (defined below), computed as described below. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of a "cash in lieu" amount ("Deposit Cash") to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security. When accepting purchases of Creation Units for all or a portion of Deposit Cash, the Fund may incur additional costs associated with the acquisition of Deposit Securities that would otherwise be provided by an in-kind purchaser.
Together, the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the Cash Component constitute the "Fund Deposit," which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of the Fund. The "Cash Component" is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of Shares (per Creation Unit) and the value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable. If the Cash Component is a positive number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash Component shall be such positive amount. If the Cash Component is a negative number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash Component shall be such negative amount and the creator will be entitled to receive cash in an amount equal to the Cash Component. The Cash Component serves the function of compensating for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable. Computation of the Cash Component excludes any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities, if applicable, which shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant (as defined below).
The Fund, through NSCC, makes available on each Business Day, prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time), the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security or the required amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the Fund. Such Fund Deposit is subject to any applicable adjustments as described below, to effect purchases of Creation Units of the Fund until such time as the next-announced composition of the Deposit Securities or the required amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, is made available.
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The identity and number of Shares of the Deposit Securities or the applicable amount of Deposit Cash required for a Fund Deposit changes as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by the Adviser with a view to the investment objective of the Fund.
The Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of Deposit Cash to replace any Deposit Security, which shall be added to the Cash Component, including, without limitation, in situations where the Deposit Security: (i) may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery; (ii) may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC for corporate securities and municipal securities; (iii) may not be eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant (as defined below) or the investor for which it is acting; (iv) would be restricted under the securities laws or where the delivery of the Deposit Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant becoming restricted under the securities laws; or (v) in certain other situations (collectively, "custom orders"). The Trust also reserves the right to include or remove Deposit Securities from the basket in anticipation of Index rebalancing changes.
Procedures for Purchase of Creation Units. To be eligible to place orders with the Transfer Agent to purchase a Creation Unit of the Fund, an entity must be (i) a "Participating Party" (i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC (the "Clearing Process")), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC; or (ii) a DTC Participant (see "Book Entry Only System"). In addition, each Participating Party or DTC Participant (each, an "Authorized Participant") must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor, and that has been accepted by the Transfer Agent, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Each Authorized Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms of a Participant Agreement, on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that it will pay to the Trust, an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component together with the creation transaction fee (described below), if applicable, and any other applicable fees and taxes.
All orders to purchase Shares directly from the Fund must be placed for one or more Creation Units and in the manner and by the time set forth in the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form. The order cut-off time for the Fund for orders to purchase Creation Units is expected to be 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, which time may be modified by the Fund from time-to-time by amendment to the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form. The date on which an order to purchase Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units, as set forth below) is received and accepted is referred to as the "Order Placement Date."
An Authorized Participant may require an investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order (e.g., to provide for payments of cash, when required). Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and that, therefore, orders to purchase Shares directly from the Fund in Creation Units have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement and only a small number of such Authorized Participants may have international capabilities.
On days when the Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to create Creation Units to be placed earlier in the day. In addition, if a market or markets on which the Fund's investments are primarily traded is closed, the Fund will also generally not accept orders on such day(s). Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Transfer Agent pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement and in accordance with the applicable order form. On behalf of the Fund, the Transfer Agent will notify the Custodian of such order. Those placing orders through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order to the Transfer Agent by the cut-off time on such Business Day. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure may impede the ability to reach the Transfer Agent or an Authorized Participant.
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Fund Deposits must be delivered by an Authorized Participant through the Federal Reserve System (for cash) or through DTC (for corporate securities), through a subcustody agent (for foreign securities), and/or through such other arrangements allowed by the Trust or its agents. Each Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the Authorized Participant in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, to the account of the Fund or its agents by no later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern time (or such other time as specified by the Trust) on the Settlement Date. If the Fund or its agents do not receive all of the Deposit Securities, or the required Deposit Cash in lieu thereof, by such time, then the order may be deemed rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. The "Settlement Date" for the Fund is generally the second Business Day after the Order Placement Date. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash to be delivered, as applicable, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities or cash, as applicable, will be determined by the Trust, whose determination shall be final and binding. The amount of cash represented by the Cash Component must be transferred directly to the Custodian through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by the Custodian no later than the Settlement Date. If the Cash Component and the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, are not received by the Custodian in a timely manner by the Settlement Date, the creation order may be cancelled. Upon written notice to the Transfer Agent, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using a Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then current NAV of the Fund.
The order shall be deemed to be received on the Business Day on which the order is placed provided that the order is placed in proper form prior to the applicable cut-off time and the federal funds in the appropriate amount are deposited with the Custodian on the Settlement Date. If the order is not placed in proper form as required, or federal funds in the appropriate amount are not received on the Settlement Date, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. A creation request is considered to be in "proper form" if all procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, order form and this SAI are properly followed.
Issuance of a Creation Unit. Except as provided in this SAI, Creation Units will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Trust of the Deposit Securities or payment of Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the required Deposit Securities (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the Custodian (or sub-custodian, as applicable), the Transfer Agent and the Adviser shall be notified of such delivery, and the Trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Units. The typical settlement date for each transaction will be within one day of the transaction (commonly referred to as "T+1"), unless the Fund and Authorized Participant agree to a different timeline for settlement or the transaction is exempt from the requirements of Rule 15c6-1 under the Exchange Act. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the delivery of Shares may take longer than one Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is received. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of local holiday periods. The Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting from unsettled orders.
Creation Units may be purchased in advance of receipt by the Trust of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these circumstances, the initial deposit will have a value greater than the NAV of Shares on the date the order is placed in proper form since, in addition to available Deposit Securities, cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Component, plus (ii) an additional amount of cash equal to a percentage of the value as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the undelivered Deposit Securities (the "Additional Cash Deposit"), which shall be maintained in a separate non-interest bearing collateral account. The Authorized Participant must deposit with the Custodian the Additional Cash Deposit, as applicable, by 12:00 p.m. Eastern time (or such other time as specified by the Trust) on the Settlement Date. If the Fund or its agents do not receive the Additional Cash Deposit in the appropriate amount, by such time, then the order may be deemed rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with the Trust, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with
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the Trust in an amount at least equal to the applicable percentage, as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the daily market value of the missing Deposit Securities. The Participant Agreement will permit the Trust to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time. Authorized Participants will be liable to the Trust for the costs incurred by the Trust in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the value of such Deposit Securities on the day the purchase order was deemed received by the Transfer Agent plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases. The Trust will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Securities have been properly received by the Custodian or purchased by the Trust and deposited into the Trust. In addition, a transaction fee, as described below under "Creation Transaction Fee," may be charged. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the Settlement Date.
Acceptance of Orders of Creation Units. The Trust reserves the right to reject an order for Creation Units transmitted to it by the Transfer Agent with respect to the Fund including, without limitation, if (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, delivered by the Participant are not as disseminated through the facilities of the NSCC for that date by the Custodian; (c) the investor(s), upon obtaining Shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares; (d) the acceptance of each Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (e) the acceptance or receipt of the order for a Creation Unit would, in the opinion of counsel to the Trust, be unlawful; or (f) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Custodian, the Transfer Agent and/or the Adviser make it for all practical purposes not feasible to process orders for Creation Units.
Examples of such circumstances include acts of God or public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Trust, the Distributor, the Custodian, the Transfer Agent, DTC, NSCC, Federal Reserve System, or any other participant in the creation process, and other extraordinary events. The Transfer Agent shall notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of the creator of a Creation Unit of its rejection of the order of such person. The Trust, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian, and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits nor shall either of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification. The Trust, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian and the Distributor shall not be liable for the rejection of any purchase order for Creation Units.
All questions as to the number of Shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trust's determination shall be final and binding.
Creation Transaction Fee. A fixed purchase (i.e., creation) transaction fee, payable to the Fund's custodian, may be imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the purchase of Creation Units ("Creation Order Costs"). The standard fixed creation transaction fee for the Fund is $300, regardless of the number of Creation Units created in the transaction. The Fund may adjust the standard fixed creation transaction fee from time to time. The fixed creation fee may be waived on certain orders if the Fund's custodian has determined to waive some or all of the Creation Order Costs associated with the order or another party, such as the Adviser, has agreed to pay such fee.
In addition, a variable fee, payable to the Fund, of up to a maximum of 2% of the value of the Creation Units subject to the transaction may be imposed for cash purchases, non-standard orders, or partial cash purchases of Creation Units. The variable charge is primarily designed to cover additional costs (e.g., brokerage, taxes) involved with buying the securities with cash. The Fund may determine to not charge a variable fee on certain orders when the Adviser has determined that doing so is in the best interests of Fund shareholders, e.g., for
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creation orders that facilitate the rebalance of the Fund's portfolio in a more tax efficient manner than could be achieved without such order.
|
Name of Fund
|
Fixed Creation Transaction Fee
|
Maximum Variable Transaction Fee
|
Akre Focus ETF
|
[$300]
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[2%]
|
Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. Investors are responsible for the fixed costs of transferring Fund Securities from the Trust to their account or on their order.
Risks of Purchasing Creation Units. There are certain legal risks unique to investors purchasing Creation Units directly from the Fund. Because Shares may be issued on an ongoing basis, a "distribution" of Shares could be occurring at any time. Certain activities that a shareholder performs as a dealer could, depending on the circumstances, result in the shareholder being deemed a participant in the distribution in a manner that could render the shareholder a statutory underwriter and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act. For example, a shareholder could be deemed a statutory underwriter if it purchases Creation Units from the Fund, breaks them down into the constituent shares, and sells those shares directly to customers, or if a shareholder chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary-market demand for Shares. Whether a person is an underwriter depends upon all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to that person's activities, and the examples mentioned here should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could cause you to be deemed an underwriter.
Dealers who are not "underwriters" but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary-market transactions), and thus dealing with Shares as part of an "unsold allotment" within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act.
Redemption. Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Fund through the Transfer Agent and only on a Business Day. EXCEPT UPON LIQUIDATION OF THE FUND, THE TRUST WILL NOT REDEEM SHARES IN AMOUNTS LESS THAN CREATION UNITS. Investors must accumulate enough Shares in the secondary market to constitute a Creation Unit to have such Shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.
With respect to the Fund, the Custodian, through the NSCC, makes available prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time) on each Business Day, the list of the names and Share quantities of the Fund's portfolio securities that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day ("Fund Securities"). Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities.
Redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit are paid either in-kind or in cash, or combination thereof, as determined by the Trust. With respect to in-kind redemptions of the Fund, redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit will consist of Fund Securities - as announced by the Custodian on the Business Day of the request for redemption received in proper form plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of Shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities (the "Cash Redemption Amount"), less a fixed redemption transaction fee, as applicable, as set forth below. In the event that Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of Shares, a compensating cash payment equal to the differential is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the
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redeeming shareholder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at the Trust's discretion, an Authorized Participant may receive the corresponding cash value of the securities in lieu of the in-kind securities value representing one or more Fund Securities.
The typical settlement date for each redemption transaction will be within one day of the transaction (or T+1), unless the Fund and Authorized Participant agree to a different timeline for settlement or the transaction is exempt from the requirements of Rule 15c6-1 under the Exchange Act. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the receipt of redemption proceeds may take longer than one Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is received. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of local holiday periods.
Procedures for Redemption of Creation Units. Orders to redeem Creation Units must be submitted in proper form to the Transfer Agent prior to 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. A redemption request is considered to be in "proper form" if (i) an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Trust's Transfer Agent the Creation Unit(s) being redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the time as set forth in the Participant Agreement and (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Trust is received by the Transfer Agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified in the Participant Agreement. If the Transfer Agent does not receive the investor's Shares through DTC's facilities by the times and pursuant to the other terms and conditions set forth in the Participant Agreement, the redemption request shall be rejected.
The Authorized Participant must transmit the request for redemption, in the form required by the Trust, to the Transfer Agent in accordance with procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement, and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant who has executed a Participant Agreement. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such Authorized Participant. Investors making a request to redeem Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an Authorized Participant and transfer of Shares to the Trust's Transfer Agent; such investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to effect redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not Authorized Participants.
Additional Redemption Procedures. In connection with taking delivery of Shares of Fund Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, a redeeming shareholder or Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such shareholder must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered.
Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be made by the next Business Day following the trade date, as discussed above.
The Trust may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and the redeeming investor will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that the Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit. In either case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its Shares based on the NAV of Shares next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee, if applicable, and additional charge for requested cash redemptions specified above, to offset the Trust's brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). The Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the Fund Securities but does not differ in NAV.
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Redemptions of Shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws. An Authorized Participant or an investor for which it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular security included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of Creation Units may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming investor of Shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a "qualified institutional buyer," ("QIB"), as such term is defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act, will not be able to receive Fund Securities that are restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A. An Authorized Participant may be required by the Trust to provide a written confirmation with respect to QIB status to receive Fund Securities.
Because the portfolio securities of the Fund may trade on other exchanges on days that the Exchange is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for the Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their Shares, or to purchase or sell Shares on the Exchange, on days when the NAV of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant foreign markets.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the Fund (1) for any period during which the Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the Exchange is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of Shares or determination of the NAV of Shares is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
Redemption Transaction Fee. A fixed redemption transaction fee, payable to the Fund's custodian, may be imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the redemption of Creation Units ("Redemption Order Costs"). The standard fixed redemption transaction fee for the Fund is $300, regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed in the transaction. The Fund may adjust the redemption transaction fee from time to time. The fixed redemption fee may be waived on certain orders if the Fund's custodian has determined to waive some or all of the Redemption Order Costs associated with the order or another party, such as the Adviser, has agreed to pay such fee.
In addition, a variable fee, payable to the Fund, of up to a maximum of 2% of the value of the Creation Units subject to the transaction may be imposed for cash redemptions, non-standard orders, or partial cash redemptions (when cash redemptions are available) of Creation Units. The variable charge is primarily designed to cover additional costs (e.g., brokerage, taxes) involved with selling portfolio securities to satisfy a cash redemption. The Fund may determine to not charge a variable fee on certain orders when the Adviser has determined that doing so is in the best interests of Fund shareholders, e.g., for redemption orders that facilitate the rebalance of the Fund's portfolio in a more tax efficient manner than could be achieved without such order.
Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. Investors are responsible for the fixed costs of transferring Fund Securities from the Trust to their account or on their order.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
The NAV of the Fund is determined once daily as of the close of public trading on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") (normally, 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) each day that the NYSE is open for trading. The NYSE annually announces the days on which it will not be open for trading. It is expected that the Exchange will be closed on Saturdays and Sundays and on New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas.The Fund does not expect to determine the NAV on any day when the
51
Exchange is not open for trading even if there is sufficient trading in their portfolio securities on such days to materially affect the NAV per share.
NAV per Share for the Fund is computed by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of Shares outstanding, rounded to the nearest cent. Expenses and fees, including the management fees, are accrued daily and taken into account for purposes of determining NAV. The NAV is calculated by Fund Services and determined at the scheduled close of the regular trading session on the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day that the NYSE is open, provided that fixed income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed income instruments on any day that the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association ("SIFMA") announces an early closing time.
In calculating the Fund's NAV per Share, the Fund's investments are generally valued using market valuations. A market valuation generally means a valuation (i) obtained from an exchange, a pricing service, or a major market maker (or dealer), (ii) based on a price quotation or other equivalent indication of value supplied by an exchange, a pricing service, or a major market maker (or dealer) or (iii) based on amortized cost. In the case of shares of other funds that are not traded on an exchange, a market valuation means such fund's published NAV per share. The Fund may use various pricing services, or discontinue the use of any pricing service, as approved by the Adviser from time to time. A price obtained from a pricing service based on such pricing service's valuation matrix may be considered a market valuation. Any assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted into U.S. dollars at the current market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more sources.
Securities primarily traded on U.S. national securities exchanges for which market quotations are readily available shall be valued at either the last reported sale price on the day of valuation, or the exchange's official closing price, if applicable.If there has been no sale on such day, then the mean between the bid and asked prices will be used.Securities and assets for which market quotations are not readily available (including restricted securities which are subject to limitations as to their sale) are valued at fair value as determined in good faith under procedures adopted by the Adviser and approved by the Board.
Trading in foreign securities markets is normally completed well before the close of the NYSE.In addition, foreign securities trading may not take place on all days on which the NYSE is open for trading, and may occur in certain foreign markets on days on which the Fund's NAV is not calculated.Events affecting the values of portfolio securities that occur between the time their prices are determined and the close of the NYSE will not be reflected in the calculation of NAV unless the Adviser deems that the particular event would affect NAV, in which case an adjustment will be made in such manner as the Adviser in good faith deems appropriate to determine fair market value.Assets or liabilities expressed in foreign currencies are translated, in determining NAV, into U.S. dollars based on the spot exchange rates, or at such other rates as the Adviser, pursuant to fair value procedures adopted by the Adviser, may determine to be appropriate.
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled "Dividends, Distributions and Taxes."
General Policies. Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid at least annually by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Fund may make distributions on a more frequent basis for the Fund to comply with the distribution requirements of the Code to preserve the Fund's eligibility for treatment as a RIC, in all events in a manner consistent with the provisions of the 1940 Act.
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Dividends and other distributions on Shares are distributed, as described below, on a pro rata basis to Beneficial Owners of such Shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants to Beneficial Owners then of record with proceeds received from the Trust.
The Trust makes additional distributions to the extent necessary (i) to distribute the entire annual taxable income of the Fund, plus any net capital gains and (ii) to avoid imposition of the excise tax imposed by Section 4982 of the Code. Management of the Fund reserves the right to declare special dividends if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the status of the Fund as a RIC or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.
Dividend Reinvestment Service. The Trust will not make the DTC book-entry dividend reinvestment service available for use by Beneficial Owners for reinvestment of their cash proceeds, but certain individual broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by Beneficial Owners of the Fund through DTC Participants for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Investors should contact their brokers to ascertain the availability and description of these services. Beneficial Owners should be aware that each broker may require investors to adhere to specific procedures and timetables to participate in the dividend reinvestment service and investors should ascertain from their brokers such necessary details. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole Shares issued by the Trust of the Fund at NAV per Share. Distributions reinvested in additional Shares will nevertheless be taxable to Beneficial Owners acquiring such additional Shares to the same extent as if such distributions had been received in cash.
FEDERAL INCOME TAXES
The following is only a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations generally affecting the Fund and its shareholders that supplements the discussion in the Prospectus. No attempt is made to present a comprehensive explanation of the federal, state, local or foreign tax treatment of the Fund or its shareholders, and the discussion here and in the Prospectus is not intended to be a substitute for careful tax planning.
The following general discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences is based on provisions of the Code and the regulations issued thereunder as in effect on the date of this SAI. New legislation, as well as administrative changes or court decisions, may significantly change the conclusions expressed herein, and may have a retroactive effect with respect to the transactions contemplated herein.
Shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisers regarding the application of the provisions of tax law described in this SAI in light of the particular tax situations of the shareholders and regarding specific questions as to federal, state, local or foreign taxes.
Taxation of the Fund. Each series of the Trust, including the Fund, is treated as a separate corporation for federal income tax purposes. The Fund therefore is considered to be a separate entity in determining its treatment under the rules for RICs described herein. The requirements (other than certain organizational requirements) for qualifying RIC status are determined at the Fund level rather than at the Trust level. The Fund has elected and intends to continue to qualify each year to be treated as a RIC under the Code. As such, the Fund should not be subject to federal income taxes on its net investment income and capital gains, if any, to the extent that it timely distributes such income and capital gains to its shareholders. To qualify for treatment as a RIC, the Fund must distribute annually to its shareholders at least the sum of 90% of its net investment income (generally including the excess of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses) and 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income, if any (the "Distribution Requirement") and also must meet several additional requirements. Among these requirements are the following: (i) at least 90% of the Fund's gross income each taxable year must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or foreign currencies and net income derived from interests
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in qualified publicly traded partnerships (the "Qualifying Income Requirement"); and (ii) at the end of each quarter of the Fund's taxable year, the Fund's assets must be diversified so that (a) at least 50% of the value of the Fund's total assets is represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs, and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect to any one issuer, to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, including the equity securities of a qualified publicly traded partnership, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested, including through corporations in which the Fund owns a 20% or more voting stock interest, in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, the securities (other than securities of other RICs) of two or more issuers which the Fund controls and which are engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships (the "Diversification Requirement").
Although the Fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and may distribute its capital gains for any taxable year, the Fund will be subject to federal income taxation to the extent any such income or gains are not distributed.
If the Fund fails to satisfy the Qualifying Income Requirement or the Diversification Requirement in any taxable year, the Fund may be eligible for relief provisions if the failures are due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, and if a penalty tax is paid with respect to each failure to satisfy the applicable requirements. Additionally, relief is provided for certain de minimis failures of the Diversification Requirement where the Fund corrects the failure within a specified period of time. To be eligible for the relief provisions with respect to a failure to meet the Diversification Requirement, the Fund may be required to dispose of certain assets. If these relief provisions were not available to the Fund and it were to fail to qualify for treatment as a RIC for a taxable year, all of its taxable income would be subject to tax at the regular 21% corporate rate without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and its distributions (including capital gains distributions) generally would be taxable to the shareholders of the Fund as ordinary income dividends, subject to the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders and the lower tax rates on qualified dividend income received by non-corporate shareholders, subject to certain limitations. To requalify for treatment as a RIC in a subsequent taxable year, the Fund would be required to satisfy the RIC qualification requirements for that year and to distribute any earnings and profits from any year in which the Fund failed to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC. If the Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, it would generally be required to pay a Fund-level tax on certain net built in gains recognized with respect to certain of its assets upon disposition of such assets within five years of qualifying as a RIC in a subsequent year. The Board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund for treatment as a RIC if it determines such course of action to be beneficial to shareholders. If the Fund determines that it will not qualify as a RIC, the Fund will establish procedures to reflect the anticipated tax liability in the Fund's NAV.
The Fund may elect to treat part or all of any "qualified late year loss" as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund's taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits. The effect of this election is to treat any such "qualified late year loss" as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in characterizing Fund distributions for any calendar year. A "qualified late year loss" generally includes net capital loss, net long-term capital loss, or net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year (commonly referred to as "post-October losses") and certain other late-year losses.
Capital losses in excess of capital gains ("net capital losses") are not permitted to be deducted against a RIC's net investment income. Instead, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, potentially subject to certain limitations, the Fund may carry a net capital loss from any taxable year forward indefinitely to offset its capital gains, if any, in years following the year of the loss. To the extent subsequent capital gains are offset by such losses, they will not result in U.S. federal income tax liability to the Fund and may not be distributed as capital gains to its shareholders. Generally, the Fund may not carry forward any losses other than net capital losses. The carryover
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of capital losses may be limited under the general loss limitation rules if the Fund experiences an ownership change as defined in the Code.
The Fund will be subject to a nondeductible 4% federal excise tax on certain undistributed income if it does not distribute to its shareholders in each calendar year an amount at least equal to 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year plus 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending on October 31 of that year, subject to an increase for any shortfall in the prior year's distribution. For this purpose, any ordinary income or capital gain net income retained by the Fund and subject to corporate income tax will be considered to have been distributed. The Fund intends to declare and distribute dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of the excise tax, but can make no assurances that all such tax liability will be eliminated. The Fund may in certain circumstances be required to liquidate Fund investments in order to make sufficient distributions to avoid federal excise tax liability at a time when the investment adviser might not otherwise have chosen to do so, and liquidation of investments in such circumstances may affect the ability of the Fund to satisfy the requirement for qualification as a RIC.
If the Fund meets the Distribution Requirement but retains some or all of its income or gains, it will be subject to federal income tax to the extent any such income or gains are not distributed. The Fund may designate certain amounts retained as undistributed net capital gain in a notice to its shareholders, who (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their proportionate shares of the undistributed amount so designated, (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the income tax paid by the Fund on that undistributed amount against their federal income tax liabilities and to claim refunds to the extent such credits exceed their tax liabilities, and (iii) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for federal income tax purposes, in their Shares by an amount equal to the excess of the amount of undistributed net capital gain included in their respective income over their respective income tax credits.
Taxation of Shareholders - Distributions. The Fund intends to distribute, no less than annually, to its shareholders substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the deduction for dividends paid), its net tax-exempt income, if any, and any net capital gain (net recognized long-term capital gains in excess of net recognized short-term capital losses, taking into account any capital loss carryforwards). The distribution of investment company taxable income (as so computed) and net realized capital gain will be taxable to Fund shareholders regardless of whether the shareholder receives these distributions in cash or reinvests them in additional Shares.
The Fund (or your broker) will report to shareholders annually the amounts of dividends paid from ordinary income, the amount of distributions of net capital gain, the portion of dividends which may qualify for the dividends received deduction for corporations, and the portion of dividends which may qualify for treatment as qualified dividend income, which, subject certain limitations and requirements, is taxable to non-corporate shareholders at rates of up to 20%. Given the investment strategy of the Fund, it is unlikely that any dividends paid by the Fund will be "qualified dividend income" or will qualify for the corporate dividends received deduction.
Distributions from the Fund's net capital gain will be taxable to shareholders at long-term capital gains rates, regardless of how long shareholders have held their Shares.
Qualified dividend income includes, in general and, subject to certain holding period and other requirements, dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain foreign corporations. Subject to certain limitations, eligible foreign corporations include those incorporated in possessions of the United States, those incorporated in certain countries with comprehensive tax treaties with the United States, and other foreign corporations if the stock with respect to which the dividends are paid is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. Dividends received by the Fund from an ETF, an underlying fund taxable as a RIC, or a REIT may be treated as qualified dividend income generally only to the extent so reported by such ETF, underlying fund, or REIT. If 95% or more of the Fund's gross income (calculated without taking into
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account net capital gain derived from sales or other dispositions of stock or securities) consists of qualified dividend income, the Fund may report all distributions of such income as qualified dividend income.
Fund dividends will not be treated as qualified dividend income if the Fund does not meet holding period and other requirements with respect to dividend paying stocks in its portfolio, and the shareholder does not meet holding period and other requirements with respect to the Shares on which the dividends were paid. Distributions by the Fund of its net short-term capital gains will be taxable as ordinary income. Distributions from the Fund's net capital gain will be taxable to shareholders at long-term capital gains rates, regardless of how long shareholders have held their Shares. Distributions may be subject to state and local taxes.
In the case of corporate shareholders, certain dividends received by the Fund from U.S. corporations (generally, dividends received by the Fund in respect of any share of stock (1) with a tax holding period of at least 46 days during the 91-day period beginning on the date that is 45 days before the date on which the stock becomes ex-dividend as to that dividend and (2) that is held in an unleveraged position) and distributed and appropriately so reported by the Fund may be eligible for the 50% dividends received deduction. Certain preferred stock must have a holding period of at least 91 days during the 181-day period beginning on the date that is 90 days before the date on which the stock becomes ex-dividend as to that dividend to be eligible. Capital gain dividends distributed to the Fund from REITs and other RICs are not eligible for the dividends received deduction. To qualify for the deduction, corporate shareholders must meet the minimum holding period requirement stated above with respect to their Shares, taking into account any holding period reductions from certain hedging or other transactions or positions that diminish their risk of loss with respect to their Shares, and, if they borrow to acquire or otherwise incur debt attributable to Shares, they may be denied a portion of the dividends received deduction with respect to those Shares.
Although dividends generally will be treated as distributed when paid, any dividend declared by the Fund in October, November or December and payable to shareholders of record in such a month that is paid during the following January will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as received by shareholders on December 31 of the calendar year in which it was declared.
U.S. individuals with adjusted gross income (subject to certain adjustments) exceeding certain threshold amounts ($250,000 if married filing jointly or if considered a "surviving spouse" for federal income tax purposes, $125,000 if married filing separately, and $200,000 in other cases) are subject to a 3.8% tax on all or a portion of their "net investment income," which includes taxable interest, dividends, and certain capital gains (generally including capital gain distributions and capital gains realized on the sale of Shares). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts.
Shareholders who have not held Shares for a full year should be aware that the Fund may report and distribute, as ordinary dividends or capital gain dividends, a percentage of income that is not equal to the percentage of the Fund's ordinary income or net capital gain, respectively, actually earned during the applicable shareholder's period of investment in the Fund. A taxable shareholder may wish to avoid investing in the Fund shortly before a dividend or other distribution, because the distribution will generally be taxable even though it may economically represent a return of a portion of the shareholder's investment.
To the extent that the Fund makes a distribution of income received by the Fund in lieu of dividends (a "substitute payment") with respect to securities on loan pursuant to a securities lending transaction, such income will not constitute qualified dividend income to individual shareholders and will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders.
If the Fund's distributions exceed its earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made for a taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder's cost basis in the Fund and result in a higher capital gain or
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lower capital loss when the Shares on which the distribution was received are sold. After a shareholder's basis in the Shares has been reduced to zero, distributions in excess of earnings and profits will be treated as gain from the sale of the shareholder's Shares.
Taxation of Shareholders - Sale of Shares. A sale, redemption, or exchange of Shares may give rise to a gain or loss. For tax purposes, an exchange of your Fund Shares for shares of a different fund is the same as a sale. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for more than 12 months. Otherwise, the gain or loss on the taxable disposition of Shares will generally be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. Any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss, rather than short-term capital loss, to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions to the shareholder of long-term capital gain (including any amounts credited to the shareholder as undistributed capital gains). All or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares may be disallowed if substantially identical Shares are acquired (through the reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly acquired Shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.
The cost basis of Shares acquired by purchase will generally be based on the amount paid for Shares and then may be subsequently adjusted for other applicable transactions as required by the Code. The difference between the selling price and the cost basis of Shares generally determines the amount of the capital gain or loss realized on the sale or exchange of Shares. Contact the broker through whom you purchased your Shares to obtain information with respect to the available cost basis reporting methods and elections for your account.
An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and the sum of the exchanger's aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus the amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. The ability of Authorized Participants to receive a full or partial cash redemption of Creation Units of the Fund may limit the tax efficiency of the Fund. A person who redeems Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger's basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of any securities received plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot currently be deducted under the rules governing "wash sales" (for a person who does not mark-to-market its portfolio) or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.
Any capital gain or loss realized upon the creation of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities exchanged for such Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if Shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses will generally be treated as short-term capital gains or losses. Any loss upon a redemption of Creation Units held for six months or less may be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions to the applicable Authorized Participant of long-term capital gain with respect to the Creation Units (including any amounts credited to the Authorized Participant as undistributed capital gains).
The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has the right to reject an order for Creation Units if the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the Creation Units so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares and if, pursuant to Section 351 of the Code, the Fund would have a basis in the deposit securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Trust also has the right to require the provision of information necessary to determine beneficial Share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination. If the Fund does issue Creation Units to a purchaser (or a group of purchasers) that would, upon obtaining the Creation Units so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares, the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) will not recognize gain or loss upon the exchange of securities for Creation Units.
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Authorized Participants purchasing or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisers with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction and whether the wash sales rule applies and when a loss may be deductible.
Tax Treatment of Complex Securities. The Fund may invest in complex securities and these investments may be subject to numerous special and complex tax rules. These rules could affect the Fund's ability to qualify as a RIC, affect whether gains and losses recognized by the Fund are treated as ordinary income or capital gain, accelerate the recognition of income to the Fund and/or defer the Fund's ability to recognize losses, and, in limited cases, subject the Fund to U.S. federal income tax on income from certain of its foreign securities. In turn, these rules may affect the amount, timing or character of the income distributed to you by the Fund.
Some debt obligations that are acquired by the Fund may be treated as having original issue discount ("OID"). Generally, the Fund will be required to include OID in taxable income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of the OID is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. If the Fund holds such debt instruments, it may be required to pay out as distributions each year an amount that is greater than the total amount of cash interest the Fund actually received. Such distributions may be made from the cash assets of the Fund or by liquidation of portfolio securities, if necessary.
The Fund may invest in inflation-linked debt securities. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-linked debt security will be OID, which is taxable as ordinary income and is required to be distributed, even though the Fund will not receive the principal, including any increase thereto, until maturity. If the Fund invests in securities that have OID, it may be required to liquidate other investments, including at times when it is not advantageous to do so, to satisfy its distribution requirements and to eliminate any possible taxation at the Fund level. Moreover, the Fund may realize gains or losses from such liquidations. In the event the Fund realizes net gains from such transactions, its shareholders may receive larger distributions than they would have in the absence of such transactions.
Foreign Investments. Dividends and interest received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax treaties between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. The Fund does not expect to satisfy the requirements for passing through to its shareholders any share of foreign taxes paid by the Fund, with the result that shareholders will not include such taxes in their gross incomes and will not be entitled to a tax deduction or credit for such taxes on their own tax returns.
If more than 50% of the value of the Fund's assets at the close of any taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations, which for this purpose may include obligations of foreign governmental issuers, the Fund may elect, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, to treat any foreign income or withholding taxes paid by the Fund as paid by its shareholders. For any year that the Fund is eligible for and makes such an election, each shareholder of the Fund will be required to include in income an amount equal to his or her allocable share of qualified foreign income taxes paid by the Fund, and shareholders will be entitled, subject to certain holding period requirements and other limitations, to credit their portions of these amounts against their U.S. federal income tax due, if any, or to deduct their portions from their U.S. taxable income, if any. No deductions for foreign taxes paid by the Fund may be claimed, however, by non-corporate shareholders who do not itemize deductions. No deduction for such taxes will be permitted to individuals in computing their alternative minimum tax liability. Foreign taxes paid by the Fund will reduce the return from the Fund's investments.
If the Fund holds shares in a "passive foreign investment company" ("PFIC"), it may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any "excess distribution" or gain from the disposition of such shares even if such income is distributed as a taxable dividend by the Fund to its shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on the Fund in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains.
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The Fund may be eligible to treat a PFIC as a "qualified electing fund" ("QEF") under the Code in which case, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, the Fund will be required to include in income each year a portion of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the qualified electing fund, even if not distributed to the Fund, and such amounts will be subject to the 90% and excise tax distribution requirements described above. To make this election, the Fund would be required to obtain certain annual information from the PFICs in which it invests, which may be difficult or impossible to obtain. Alternatively, the Fund may make a mark-to-market election that will result in the Fund being treated as if it had sold and repurchased its PFIC stock at the end of each year. In such case, the Fund would report any gains resulting from such deemed sales as ordinary income and would deduct any losses resulting from such deemed sales as ordinary losses to the extent of previously recognized gains. The election must be made separately for each PFIC owned by the Fund and, once made, is effective for all subsequent taxable years, unless revoked with the consent of the IRS. By making the election, the Fund could potentially ameliorate the adverse tax consequences with respect to its ownership of shares in a PFIC, but in any particular year may be required to recognize income in excess of the distributions it receives from PFICs and its proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock. The Fund may have to distribute this excess income to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement and to avoid imposition of the 4% excise tax. To distribute this income and avoid a tax at the Fund level, the Fund might be required to liquidate portfolio securities that it might otherwise have continued to hold, potentially resulting in additional taxable gain or loss. Amounts included in income each year by the Fund arising from a QEF election, will be "qualifying income" under the Qualifying Income Requirement (as described above) even if not distributed to the Fund, if the Fund derives such income from its business of investing in stock, securities or currencies.
Backup Withholding. The Fund will be required in certain cases to withhold (as "backup withholding") on amounts payable to any shareholder who (1) fails to provide a correct taxpayer identification number certified under penalty of perjury; (2) is subject to backup withholding by the IRS for failure to properly report all payments of interest or dividends; (3) fails to provide a certified statement that he or she is not subject to "backup withholding;" or (4) fails to provide a certified statement that he or she is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). The backup withholding rate is currently 24%. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder's ultimate U.S. tax liability. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that have been subject to the 30% withholding tax on shareholders who are neither citizens nor permanent residents of the United States.
Non-U.S. Shareholders.Any non-U.S. investors in the Fund may be subject to U.S. withholding and estate tax and are encouraged to consult their tax advisers prior to investing in the Fund. Foreign shareholders (i.e., nonresident alien individuals and foreign corporations, partnerships, trusts and estates) are generally subject to U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or a lower tax treaty rate) on distributions derived from taxable ordinary income. The Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an "interest-related dividend" or a "short-term capital gain dividend," which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Short-term capital gain dividends received by a nonresident alien individual who is present in the U.S. for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the taxable year are not exempt from this 30% withholding tax. Gains realized by foreign shareholders from the sale or other disposition of Shares generally are not subject to U.S. taxation, unless the recipient is an individual who is physically present in the U.S. for 183 days or more per year. Foreign shareholders who fail to provide an applicable IRS form may be subject to backup withholding on certain payments from the Fund. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that are subject to the 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) withholding tax described in this paragraph. Different tax consequences may result if the foreign shareholder is engaged in a trade or business within the United States. In addition, the tax consequences to a foreign shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of a tax treaty may be different than those described above.
Unless certain non-U.S. entities that hold Shares comply with IRS requirements that will generally require them to report information regarding U.S. persons investing in, or holding accounts with, such entities, a 30% withholding tax may apply to Fund distributions payable to such entities. A non-U.S. shareholder may be
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exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of the agreement.
For foreign shareholders to qualify for an exemption from backup withholding, described above, the foreign shareholder must comply with special certification and filing requirements. Foreign shareholders in the Fund should consult their tax advisers in this regard.
Tax-Exempt Shareholders. Certain tax-exempt shareholders, including qualified pension plans, individual retirement accounts, salary deferral arrangements, 401(k) plans, and other tax-exempt entities, generally are exempt from federal income taxation except with respect to their unrelated business taxable income ("UBTI"). Tax-exempt entities are not permitted to offset losses from one unrelated trade or business against the income or gain of another unrelated trade or business. Certain net losses incurred prior to January 1, 2018 are permitted to offset gain and income created by an unrelated trade or business, if otherwise available. Under current law, the Fund generally serves to block UBTI from being realized by its tax-exempt shareholders with respect to their shares of Fund income. However, notwithstanding the foregoing, tax-exempt shareholders could realize UBTI by virtue of their investment in the Fund if, for example, (i) the Fund invests in residual interests of Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits ("REMICs"), (ii) the Fund invests in a REIT that is a taxable mortgage pool ("TMP") or that has a subsidiary that is a TMP or that invests in the residual interest of a REMIC, or (iii) Shares constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholders within the meaning of section 514(b) of the Code. Charitable remainder trusts are subject to special rules and should consult their tax advisers. The IRS has issued guidance with respect to these issues and prospective shareholders, especially charitable remainder trusts, are strongly encouraged to consult with their tax advisers regarding these issues.
Certain Potential Tax Reporting Requirements. Under U.S. Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss on disposition of Shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder (or certain greater amounts over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on IRS Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. Significant penalties may be imposed for the failure to comply with the reporting requirements. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer's treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.
General Considerations.The federal income tax discussion set forth above is for general information only. Shares of the Fund held in a tax-qualified retirement account will generally not be subject to federal taxation on income and capital gains distributions from the Fund until a shareholder begins receiving payments from their retirement account. Because each shareholder's tax situation is different, prospective investors should consult their tax advisers regarding the specific federal income tax consequences of purchasing, holding and disposing of Shares of the Fund, as well as the effect of state, local and foreign tax law and any proposed tax law changes.
State Taxes.Depending upon state and local law, distributions by the Fund to its shareholders and the ownership of Shares may be subject to state and local taxes. Rules of state and local taxation of dividend and capital gains distributions from RICs often differ from the rules for federal income taxation described above. It is expected that the Fund will not be liable for any corporate tax in Delaware if it qualifies as a RIC for federal income tax purposes.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Financial statements certified by an independent registered public accounting firm will be submitted to shareholders at least annually. The Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this SAI and does not yet have financial statements.
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APPENDIX A
AKRE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC (the "Adviser")
Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures
Amended and Restated July 12, 2013 - Revised October 27, 2023
I.STATEMENT OF POLICY
Proxy voting is an important right of shareholders and reasonable care and diligence must be undertaken by the Adviser to ensure that such rights are properly exercised in a timely manner on behalf of its clients. When the Adviser has discretion to vote the proxies of its clients, it will vote those proxies in the best interest of its clients and in accordance with these Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures.
II.PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES
The Adviser will appoint a "Proxy Voting Coordinator" who is employed by the Adviser and who receives or has access to all proxies for the Adviser's clients. The Proxy Voting Coordinator:
•Keeps a record of each proxy received;
•Notifies the investment research team of proxy deadlines; absent material conflicts (see Section IV below);
•Shall cast proxy votes as directed by the investment research team on matter(s) included in the proxy or ensure a member of the investment research team cast proxy votes for each account holding the security to which a proxy relates;
•Maintain records of each proxy vote cast;
•The Adviser may retain a third party to assist the Proxy Coordinator in coordinating and voting proxies with respect to its clients' securities. In this case, the Proxy Voting Coordinator will monitor the third party to ensure that all proxies are properly voted and appropriate records are retained.
•Perform reconciliations to seek to ensure that all proxies are voted (e.g., reconcile the list of clients for which the Adviser has proxy voting obligations against a list of votes cast by the Adviser or a third party, if applicable, for clients) or that the Adviser has determined that not voting for a particular client is appropriate.
III.VOTING GUIDELINES
In the absence of specific voting instructions or guidelines from a client, the Adviser will vote proxies in the best interests of each particular client, which may result in different voting results for proxies of the same issuer. With this in mind, the Adviser will generally vote:
•In favor of routine corporate proposals, including election of directors (where no corporate governance issues are implicated), selection of auditors, and increases in or reclassification of common stock; and
•Against proposals that make it more difficult to replace members of the issuer's board of directors, including proposals to stagger the board, cause management to be overrepresented on the board, introduce cumulative voting, introduce unequal voting rights, and create supermajority voting.
A-1
For other proposals, the Adviser shall determine whether a proposal is in the best interests of a client and may take into account the following factors, among others:
•Whether the proposal was recommended by management and the Adviser's opinion of management;
•Whether the proposal acts to entrench existing management; and
•Whether the proposal fairly compensates management for past and future performance.
Where the policies do not address the proposal presented, the Adviser will either request voting instructions or a waiver of the conflict of interest from the client, cast the vote in accordance with the recommendations of an independent proxy voting service, refrain from voting, or take other appropriate action to resolve the conflict.
IV.CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The Adviser's Compliance Officer will seek to identify any conflicts that exist between the interests of the Adviser and its clients. This examination will seek to include a review of the relationship between the Adviser and its affiliates with the issuer of each security and any of the issuer's affiliates to determine if the issuer is a client of the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser or has some other relationship with the Adviser or a client of the Adviser.
If a material conflict exists, the Adviser will determine whether voting in accordance with the voting guidelines and factors described above is in the best interests of the client. The Adviser will also determine whether it is appropriate to disclose the conflict to the affected clients and, except in the case of clients that are subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA"), give the clients the opportunity to vote their proxies themselves. In the case of an ERISA client, if the Investment Management Agreement reserves to the ERISA client the authority to vote proxies when the Adviser determines it has a material conflict that affects its best judgment as an ERISA fiduciary, the Adviser will give the ERISA client the opportunity to vote the proxies itself. Absent the client reserving voting rights, the Adviser will vote the proxies solely in accordance with the policies outlined in Section III, "Voting Guidelines" above.
V.DISCLOSURE AND REPORTING
The Adviser will disclose in its Form ADV Part 2 that clients may contact the Adviser, via e-mail or telephone, in order to obtain information on how the Adviser voted such client's proxies, and to request a copy of these Proxy Voting Policies. If a client requests this information, the Adviser will prepare a written response to the client that lists, with respect to each voted proxy about which the client has inquired, (1) the name of the issuer; (2) the proposal voted upon; and (3) how the Adviser voted the client's proxy.
A concise summary of this Proxy Voting Policies will be included in the Adviser's Form ADV Part 2 and will be updated whenever these Proxy Voting Policies are updated. The Compliance Officer will arrange for a copy of this summary to be sent to all existing clients (who will already have been sent Adviser's Form ADV Part 2A) either as a separate mailing or along with a periodic account statement or other correspondence sent to clients.
Effective for votes occurring on or after July 1, 2023, the Adviser will report how it voted proxies relating to executive compensation ("say-on-pay") matters annually on Form N-PX no later than August 31 of each year for the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, as required by Rule 14Ad-1 under the Exchange Act.
VI.RECORDKEEPING
The Proxy Voting Coordinator and Compliance Officer will maintain files relating to the Adviser's proxy voting procedures in an easily accessible place. Records will be maintained and preserved for five years from the end of the fiscal year during which the last entry was made on a record, with records for the first two years kept in the offices of the Adviser. Records of the following will be included in the files:
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•Copies of this proxy voting policy and procedures, and any amendments thereto.
•A copy of each proxy statement that the Adviser receives, provided however that the Adviser may rely on obtaining a copy of proxy statements from the SEC's EDGAR system for those proxy statements that are so available.
•A record of each vote that the Adviser casts.
•A copy of any document the Adviser created that was material to making a decision how to vote proxies, or that memorializes that decision.
•A copy of each written client request for information on how the Adviser voted such client's proxies, and a copy of any written response to any (written or oral) client request for information on how the Adviser voted its proxies.
VII.ADDITIONAL PROCEDURES
Due Diligence. The Compliance Officer will periodically review a sample of proxy votes to determine whether those votes complied with these policies and procedures.
Annual Review. The Compliance Officer shall review, no less frequently than annually, the adequacy of these policies and procedures to make sure they have been implemented effectively, including whether the policies and procedures continue to be reasonably designed to ensure that proxies are voted in the best interests of its clients.
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APPENDIX B
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS
Short-Term Credit Ratings
A Standard & Poor's short-term issue credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation having an original maturity of no more than 365 days. The following summarizes the rating categories used by Standard & Poor's for short-term issues:
"A-1" - A short-term obligation rated "A-1" is rated in the highest category and indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.
"A-2" - A short-term obligation rated "A-2" is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.
"A-3" - A short-term obligation rated "A-3" exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
"B" - A short-term obligation rated "B" is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.
"C" - A short-term obligation rated "C" is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
"D" - A short-term obligation rated "D" is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the "D" rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless Standard & Poor's believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The "D" rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to "D" if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
Local Currency and Foreign Currency Risks - Standard & Poor's issuer credit ratings make a distinction between foreign currency ratings and local currency ratings. An issuer's foreign currency rating will differ from its local currency rating when the obligor has a different capacity to meet its obligations denominated in its local currency, vs. obligations denominated in a foreign currency.
Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") short-term ratings are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations with an original maturity of thirteen months or less and reflect the likelihood
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of a default on contractually promised payments. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments.
Moody's employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:
"P-1" - Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
"P-2" - Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
"P-3" - Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.
"NP" - Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.
Fitch, Inc. / Fitch Ratings Ltd. ("Fitch") short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity or security stream and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-term ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as "short-term" based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets. The following summarizes the rating categories used by Fitch for short-term obligations:
"F1" - Securities possess the highest short-term credit quality. This designation indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added "+" to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.
"F2" - Securities possess good short-term credit quality. This designation indicates good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.
"F3" - Securities possess fair short-term credit quality. This designation indicates that the intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.
"B" - Securities possess speculative short-term credit quality. This designation indicates minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
"C" - Securities possess high short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.
"RD" - Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.
"D" - Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.
The DBRS® Ratings Limited ("DBRS") short-term debt rating scale provides an opinion on the risk that an issuer will not meet its short-term financial obligations in a timely manner. Ratings are based on quantitative and qualitative considerations relevant to the issuer and the relative ranking of claims. The R-1 and R-2 rating categories are further denoted by the sub-categories "(high)", "(middle)", and "(low)".
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The following summarizes the ratings used by DBRS for commercial paper and short-term debt:
"R-1 (high)"-Short-term debt rated "R-1 (high)" is of the highest credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is exceptionally high. Unlikely to be adversely affected by future events.
"R-1 (middle)" - Short-term debt rated "R-1 (middle)" is of superior credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is very high. Differs from "R-1 (high)" by a relatively modest degree. Unlikely to be significantly vulnerable to future events.
"R-1 (low)" - Short-term debt rated "R-1 (low)" is of good credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is substantial. Overall strength is not as favorable as higher rating categories. May be vulnerable to future events, but qualifying negative factors are considered manageable.
"R-2 (high)" - Short-term debt rated "R-2 (high)" is considered to be at the upper end of adequate credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is acceptable. May be vulnerable to future events.
"R-2 (middle)" - Short-term debt rated "R-2 (middle)" is considered to be of adequate credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is acceptable. May be vulnerable to future events or may be exposed to other factors that could reduce credit quality.
"R-2 (low)" - Short-term debt rated "R-2 (low)" is considered to be at the lower end of adequate credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is acceptable. May be vulnerable to future events. A number of challenges are present that could affect the issuer's ability to meet such obligations.
"R-3" - Short-term debt rated "R-3" is considered to be at the lowest end of adequate credit quality. There is a capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due. May be vulnerable to future events and the certainty of meeting such obligations could be impacted by a variety of developments.
"R-4" - Short-term debt rated "R-4" is considered to be of speculative credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is uncertain.
"R-5" - Short-term debt rated "R-5" is considered to be of highly speculative credit quality. There is a high level of uncertainty as to the capacity to meet short-term financial obligations as they fall due.
"D" - Short-term debt rated "D" is assigned when the issuer has filed under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or winding up statute or there is a failure to satisfy an obligation after the exhaustion of grace periods, a downgrade to "D" may occur. DBRS may also use "SD" (Selective Default) in cases where only some securities are impacted, such as the case of a "distressed exchange".
Long-Term Credit Ratings
The following summarizes the ratings used by Standard & Poor's for long-term issues:
"AAA" - An obligation rated "AAA" has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor's. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.
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"AA" - An obligation rated "AA" differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.
"A" - An obligation rated "A" is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.
"BBB" - An obligation rated "BBB" exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
"BB," "B," "CCC," "CC" and "C" - Obligations rated "BB," "B," "CCC," "CC" and "C" are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. "BB" indicates the least degree of speculation and "C" the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.
"BB" - An obligation rated "BB" is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
"B" - An obligation rated "B" is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated "BB", but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
"CCC" - An obligation rated "CCC" is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
"CC" - An obligation rated "CC" is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The "CC" rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but Standard & Poor's expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.
"C" - An obligation rated "C" is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.
"D" - An obligation rated "D" is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the "D" rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless Standard & Poor's believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The "D" rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to "D" if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
Plus (+) or minus (-) - The ratings from "AA" to "CCC" may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
"NR" - This indicates that no rating has been requested, or that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poor's does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.
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Local Currency and Foreign Currency Risks - Standard & Poor's issuer credit ratings make a distinction between foreign currency ratings and local currency ratings. An issuer's foreign currency rating will differ from its local currency rating when the obligor has a different capacity to meet its obligations denominated in its local currency, vs. obligations denominated in a foreign currency.
Moody's long-term ratings are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations with an original maturity of one year or more. Such ratings reflect both the likelihood of default on contractually promised payments and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default. The following summarizes the ratings used by Moody's for long-term debt:
"Aaa" - Obligations rated "Aaa" are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.
"Aa" - Obligations rated "Aa" are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.
"A" - Obligations rated "A" are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.
"Baa" - Obligations rated "Baa" are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
"Ba" - Obligations rated "Ba" are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.
"B" - Obligations rated "B" are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.
"Caa" - Obligations rated "Caa" are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.
"Ca" - Obligations rated "Ca" are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.
"C" - Obligations rated "C" are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.
Note: Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from "Aa" through "Caa." The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.
The following summarizes long-term ratings used by Fitch:
"AAA" - Securities considered to be of the highest credit quality. "AAA" ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.
"AA" - Securities considered to be of very high credit quality. "AA" ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
"A" - Securities considered to be of high credit quality. "A" ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.
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"BBB" - Securities considered to be of good credit quality. "BBB" ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.
"BB" - Securities considered to be speculative. "BB" ratings indicate that there is an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.
"B" - Securities considered to be highly speculative. "B" ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.
"CCC" - A "CCC" rating indicates that substantial credit risk is present.
"CC" - A "CC" rating indicates very high levels of credit risk.
"C" - A "C" rating indicates exceptionally high levels of credit risk.
Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned "RD" or "D" ratings, but are instead rated in the "B" to "C" rating categories, depending upon their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. Fitch believes that this approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.
Plus (+) or minus (-) may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the "AAA" obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below "CCC".
The DBRS long-term rating scale provides an opinion on the risk of default. That is, the risk that an issuer will fail to satisfy its financial obligations in accordance with the terms under which an obligation has been issued. Ratings are based on quantitative and qualitative considerations relevant to the issuer, and the relative ranking of claims. All rating categories other than AAA and D also contain subcategories "(high)" and "(low)". The absence of either a "(high)" or "(low)" designation indicates the rating is in the middle of the category. The following summarizes the ratings used by DBRS for long-term debt:
"AAA" - Long-term debt rated "AAA" is of the highest credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is exceptionally high and unlikely to be adversely affected by future events.
"AA" - Long-term debt rated "AA" is of superior credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is considered high. Credit quality differs from "AAA" only to a small degree. Unlikely to be significantly vulnerable to future events.
"A" - Long-term debt rated "A" is of good credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is substantial, but of lesser credit quality than "AA." May be vulnerable to future events, but qualifying negative factors are considered manageable.
"BBB" - Long-term debt rated "BBB" is of adequate credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is considered acceptable. May be vulnerable to future events.
"BB" - Long-term debt rated "BB" is of speculative, non-investment grade credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is uncertain. Vulnerable to future events.
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"B" - Long-term debt rated "B" is of highly speculative credit quality. There is a high level of uncertainty as to the capacity to meet financial obligations.
"CCC", "CC" and "C" - Long-term debt rated in any of these categories is of very highly speculative credit quality. In danger of defaulting on financial obligations. There is little difference between these three categories, although "CC" and "C" ratings are normally applied to obligations that are seen as highly likely to default, or subordinated to obligations rated in the "CCC" to "B" range. Obligations in respect of which default has not technically taken place but is considered inevitable may be rated in the "C" category.
"D" - A security rated "D" is assigned when the issuer has filed under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or winding up statute or there is a failure to satisfy an obligation after the exhaustion of grace periods, a downgrade to "D" may occur. DBRS may also use "SD" (Selective Default) in cases where only some securities are impacted, such as the case of a "distressed exchange".
Municipal Note Ratings
A Standard & Poor's U.S. municipal note rating reflects Standard & Poor's opinion about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to the notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes with an original maturity of more than three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. In determining which type of rating, if any, to assign, Standard & Poor's analysis will review the following considerations:
•Amortization schedule - the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; and
•Source of payment - the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note.
Municipal Short-Term Note rating symbols are as follows:
"SP-1" - A municipal note rated "SP-1" exhibits a strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.
"SP-2" - A municipal note rated "SP-2" exhibits a satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.
"SP-3" - A municipal note rated "SP-3" exhibits a speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.
Moody's uses the Municipal Investment Grade ("MIG") scale to rate U.S. municipal bond anticipation notes of up to three years maturity. Municipal notes rated on the MIG scale may be secured by either pledged revenues or proceeds of a take-out financing received prior to note maturity. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation, and the issuer's long-term rating is only one consideration in assigning the MIG rating. MIG ratings are divided into three levels - "MIG-1" through "MIG-3" while speculative grade short-term obligations are designated "SG". The following summarizes the ratings used by Moody's for short-term municipal obligations:
"MIG-1" - This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.
"MIG-2" - This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.
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"MIG-3" - This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.
"SG" - This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.
"NR" - Is assigned to an unrated obligation.
In the case of variable rate demand obligations ("VRDOs"), a two-component rating is assigned: a long or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moody's evaluation of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand ("demand feature"). The second element uses a rating from a variation of the MIG rating scale called the Variable Municipal Investment Grade or "VMIG" scale. The rating transitions on the VMIG scale differ from those on the Prime scale to reflect the risk that external liquidity support generally will terminate if the issuer's long-term rating drops below investment grade.
VMIG rating expirations are a function of each issue's specific structural or credit features.
"VMIG-1" - This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
"VMIG-2" - This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
"VMIG-3" - This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
"SG" - This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
"NR" - Is assigned to an unrated obligation.
About Credit Ratings
A Standard & Poor's issue credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into account the currency in which the obligation is denominated. The opinion reflects Standard & Poor's view of the obligor's capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default.
Moody's credit ratings must be construed solely as statements of opinion and not statements of fact or recommendations to purchase, sell or hold any securities.
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Fitch's credit ratings provide an opinion on the relative ability of an entity to meet financial commitments, such as interest, preferred dividends, repayment of principal, insurance claims or counterparty obligations. Fitch credit ratings are used by investors as indications of the likelihood of receiving the money owed to them in accordance with the terms on which they invested. Fitch's credit ratings cover the global spectrum of corporate, sovereign (including supranational and sub-national), financial, bank, insurance, municipal and other public finance entities and the securities or other obligations they issue, as well as structured finance securities backed by receivables or other financial assets.
DBRS credit ratings are opinions based on the quantitative and qualitative analysis of information sourced and received by DBRS, which information is not audited or verified by DBRS. Ratings are not buy, hold or sell recommendations and they do not address the market price of a security. Ratings may be upgraded, downgraded, placed under review, confirmed and discontinued.
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PART C
Akre Funds
OTHER INFORMATION
Item 28. Exhibits
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(a)
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(i)
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(ii)
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(iii)
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(b)
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(c)
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Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders are herein incorporated by reference from the Trust's Declaration of Trust and By-Laws.
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(d)
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Investment Advisory Agreements
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(i)
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(A)
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(ii)
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Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Akre Focus ETF, and Akre Capital Management, LLC - to be filed by amendment.
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(e)
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Underwriting Contracts
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(i)
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(A)
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(B)
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(ii)
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(A)
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Amendment to the ETF Distribution Agreement on behalf of the Akre Focus ETF - to be filed by amendment.
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(iii)
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(f)
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Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts - None.
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(g)
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Custodian Agreements
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(A)
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(ii)
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(A)
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Amendment to the Custody Agreement on behalf of the Akre Focus ETF - to be filed by amendment.
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(h)
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Other Material Contracts
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(i)
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(A)
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(ii)
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(A)
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Amendment to the Fund Servicing Agreement on behalf of the Akre Focus ETF - to be filed by amendment.
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(iii)
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(A)
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(iv)
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(A)
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(v)
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(vi)
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(vii)
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(A)
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(viii)
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(ix)
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(x)
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(xi)
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(xii)
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(xiii)
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(xiv)
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(i)
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Legal Opinions
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(ii)
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(iii)
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(iv)
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Opinion of Counsel by Sullivan & Worcester LLP for the Akre Focus ETF - to be filed by amendment.
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(j)
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Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Tait, Weller & Baker LLP - to be filed by amendment.
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(k)
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Omitted Financial Statements - None.
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(l)
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Initial Capital Agreements - None.
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(m)
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(i)
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Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plan for the Akre Focus ETF - to be filed by amendment.
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(n)
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(o)
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Reserved.
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(p)
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Codes of Ethics.
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(iii)
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Code of Ethics for Access Persons of Quasar Distributors, LLC - not applicable.
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Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with Registrant
No person is directly or indirectly controlled by or under common control with the Registrant.
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Item 30. Indemnification
Reference is made to Article VII of the Registrant's Declaration of Trust (previously filed with the Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-12213) on December 29, 1995), Article VI of Registrant's Amended and Restated Bylaws (previously filed with the Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-12213) on February 18, 2003), and Paragraph 6 of the Distribution Agreement (previously filed with the Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-12213 on June 15, 2009). With respect to the Registrant, the general effect of these provisions is to indemnify any person (Trustee, director, officer, employee or agent, among others) who was or is a party to any proceeding by reason of their actions performed in their official or duly authorized capacity on behalf of the Trust. With respect to the distributor, the general effect of the relevant provisions is to indemnify those entities for claims arising out of any untrue statement or material fact contained in the Funds' Registration Statement, reports to shareholders or advertising and sales literature.
Pursuant to Rule 484 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the "1933 Act") the Registrant furnishes the following undertaking: "Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the 1933 Act may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a trustee, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue."
Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser
With respect to the Adviser (Akre Capital Management, LLC), the response to this Item is incorporated by reference to the Adviser's Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration ("Form ADV") on file with the SEC (File No. 801-57156). The Adviser's Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC's website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Item 32. Principal Underwriter.
(a) Quasar Distributors, LLC, the Registrant's principal underwriter, acts as principal underwriter for the following investment companies:
1.Advisor Managed Portfolios
2.Capital Advisors Growth Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
3.Chase Growth Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
4.Davidson Multi Cap Equity Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
5.Edgar Lomax Value Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
6.First Sentier American Listed Infrastructure Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
7.First Sentier Global Listed Infrastructure Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
8.Huber Large Cap Value Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
9.Huber Mid Cap Value Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
10.Huber Select Large Cap Value Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
11.Huber Small Cap Value Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
12.Logan Capital Broad Innovative Growth ETF, Series of Advisors Series Trust
13.Medalist Partners MBS Total Return Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
14.Medalist Partners Short Duration Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
15.O'Shaughnessy Market Leaders Value Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
16.PIA BBB Bond Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
17.PIA High Yield (MACS) Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
18.PIA High Yield Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
19.PIA MBS Bond Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
20.PIA Short-Term Securities Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
21.Poplar Forest Cornerstone Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
22.Poplar Forest Partners Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
23.Pzena Emerging Markets Value Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
24.Pzena International Small Cap Value Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
25.Pzena International Value Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
26.Pzena Mid Cap Value Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
27.Pzena Small Cap Value Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
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28.Reverb ETF, Series of Advisors Series Trust
29.Scharf Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
30.Scharf Global Opportunity Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
31.Scharf Multi-Asset Opportunity Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
32.Shenkman Capital Floating Rate High Income Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
33.Shenkman Capital Short Duration High Income Fund, Series of Advisors Series Trust
34.VegTech Plant-based Innovation & Climate ETF, Series of Advisors Series Trust
35.The Aegis Funds
36.Allied Asset Advisors Funds
37.Angel Oak Funds Trust
38.Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund
39.Brookfield Infrastructure Income Fund Inc.
40.Brookfield Investment Funds
41.Buffalo Funds
42.DoubleLine Funds Trust
43.EA Series Trust (f/k/a Alpha Architect ETF Trust)
44.Ecofin Tax-Advantaged Social Impact Fund, Inc.
45.AAM Bahl & Gaynor Small/Mid Cap Income Growth ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
46.AAM Brentview Dividend Growth ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
47.AAM Low Duration Preferred and Income Securities ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
48.AAM S&P 500 Emerging Markets High Dividend Value ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
49.AAM S&P 500 High Dividend Value ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
50.AAM S&P Developed Markets High Dividend Value ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
51.AAM Sawgrass U.S. Large Cap Quality Growth ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
52.AAM Sawgrass U.S. Small Cap Quality Growth ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
53.AAM Transformers ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
54.AlphaMark Actively Managed Small Cap ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
55.Aptus Collared Investment Opportunity ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
56.Aptus Defined Risk ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
57.Aptus Drawdown Managed Equity ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
58.Aptus Enhanced Yield ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
59.Aptus International Enhanced Yield ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
60.Aptus Large Cap Enhanced Yield ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
61.Bahl & Gaynor Income Growth ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
62.Blue Horizon BNE ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
63.BTD Capital Fund, Series of ETF Series Solutions
64.Carbon Strategy ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
65.ClearShares OCIO ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
66.ClearShares Piton Intermediate Fixed Income Fund, Series of ETF Series Solutions
67.ClearShares Ultra-Short Maturity ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
68.Distillate International Fundamental Stability & Value ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
69.Distillate Small/Mid Cash Flow ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
70.Distillate U.S. Fundamental Stability & Value ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
71.ETFB Green SRI REITs ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
72.Hoya Capital High Dividend Yield ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
73.Hoya Capital Housing ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
74.LHA Market State Alpha Seeker ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
75.LHA Market State Tactical Beta ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
76.LHA Market State Tactical Q ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
77.LHA Risk-Managed Income ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
78.McElhenny Sheffield Managed Risk ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
79.Nationwide Nasdaq-100 Risk-Managed Income ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
80.NETLease Corporate Real Estate ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
81.Opus Small Cap Value ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
82.Range Cancer Therapeutics ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
83.Roundhill Acquirers Deep Value ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
84.The Acquirers Fund, Series of ETF Series Solutions
85.The Brinsmere Fund - Conservative ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
86.The Brinsmere Fund - Growth ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
87.U.S. Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
88.U.S. Global JETS ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
89.U.S. Global Sea to Sky Cargo ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
90.US Vegan Climate ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
91.Vest 10 Year Interest Rate Hedge ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
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92.Vest 2 Year Interest Rate Hedge ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
93.First American Funds Trust
94.FundX Investment Trust
95.The Glenmede Fund, Inc.
96.The GoodHaven Funds Trust
97.Harding, Loevner Funds, Inc.
98.Hennessy Funds Trust
99.Horizon Funds
100.Hotchkis & Wiley Funds
101.Intrepid Capital Management Funds Trust
102.Jacob Funds Inc.
103.The Jensen Quality Growth Fund Inc.
104.Kirr, Marbach Partners Funds, Inc.
105.Leuthold Funds, Inc.
106.Core Alternative ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
107.Wahed Dow Jones Islamic World ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
108.Wahed FTSE USA Shariah ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
109.LKCM Funds
110.LoCorr Investment Trust
111.MainGate Trust
112.ATAC Rotation Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
113.Coho Relative Value Equity Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
114.Coho Relative Value ESG Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
115.Cove Street Capital Small Cap Value Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
116.Ecofin Global Renewables Infrastructure Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
117.Jackson Square Large-Cap Growth Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
118.Jackson Square SMID-Cap Growth Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
119.Kensington Active Advantage Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
120.Kensington Defender Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
121.Kensington Dynamic Growth Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
122.Kensington Hedged Premium Income ETF, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
123.Kensington Managed Income Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
124.LK Balanced Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
125.Muhlenkamp Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
126.Nuance Concentrated Value Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
127.Nuance Mid Cap Value Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
128.Olstein All Cap Value Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
129.Olstein Strategic Opportunities Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
130.Port Street Quality Growth Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
131.Principal Street High Income Municipal Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
132.Principal Street Short Term Municipal Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
133.Reinhart Genesis PMV Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
134.Reinhart International PMV Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
135.Reinhart Mid Cap PMV Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
136.Tortoise Energy Infrastructure and Income Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
137.Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Total Return Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
138.Tortoise Global Water ESG Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
139.Tortoise North American Pipeline Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
140.Tremblant Global ETF, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
141.Greenspring Income Opportunities Fund, Series of Manager Directed Portfolios
142.Hood River International Opportunity Fund, Series of Manager Directed Portfolios
143.Hood River New Opportunities Fund, Series of Manager Directed Portfolios
144.Hood River Small-Cap Growth Fund, Series of Manager Directed Portfolios
145.Mar Vista Strategic Growth Fund, Series of Manager Directed Portfolios
146.SanJac Alpha Core Plus Bond ETF, Series of Manager Directed Portfolios
147.SanJac Alpha Low Duration ETF, Series of Manager Directed Portfolios
148.SWP Growth & Income ETF, Series of Manager Directed Portfolios
149.Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate ETF, Series of Manager Directed Portfolios
150.Mason Capital Fund Trust
151.Matrix Advisors Funds Trust
152.Matrix Advisors Value Fund, Inc.
153.Monetta Trust
154.Nicholas Equity Income Fund, Inc.
155.Nicholas Fund, Inc.
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156.Nicholas II, Inc.
157.Nicholas Limited Edition, Inc.
158.Oaktree Diversified Income Fund Inc.
159.Permanent Portfolio Family of Funds
160.Perritt Funds, Inc.
161.Procure ETF Trust II
162.Professionally Managed Portfolios
163.Prospector Funds, Inc.
164.Provident Mutual Funds, Inc.
165.Abbey Capital Futures Strategy Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
166.Abbey Capital Multi-Asset Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
167.Adara Smaller Companies Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
168.Aquarius International Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
169.Boston Partners All Cap Value Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
170.Boston Partners Emerging Markets Dynamic Equity Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
171.Boston Partners Global Equity Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
172.Boston Partners Global Long/Short Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
173.Boston Partners Global Sustainability Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
174.Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
175.Boston Partners Long/Short Research Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
176.Boston Partners Small Cap Value Fund II, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
177.Campbell Systematic Macro Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
178.F/m 10-Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
179.F/m 2-Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
180.F/m 3-Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
181.F/m Opportunistic Income ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
182.Motley Fool 100 Index ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
183.Motley Fool Capital Efficiency 100 Index ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
184.Motley Fool Global Opportunities ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
185.Motley Fool Mid-Cap Growth ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
186.Motley Fool Next Index ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
187.Motley Fool Small-Cap Growth ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
188.Optima Strategic Credit Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
189.SGI Dynamic Tactical ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
190.SGI Enhanced Core ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
191.SGI Enhanced Global Income ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
192.SGI Global Equity Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
193.SGI Peak Growth Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
194.SGI Prudent Growth Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
195.SGI Small Cap Core Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
196.SGI U.S. Large Cap Core ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
197.SGI U.S. Large Cap Equity Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
198.SGI U.S. Small Cap Equity Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
199.US Treasury 10 Year Note ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
200.US Treasury 12 Month Bill ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
201.US Treasury 2 Year Note ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
202.US Treasury 20 Year Bond ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
203.US Treasury 3 Month Bill ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
204.US Treasury 3 Year Note ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
205.US Treasury 30 Year Bond ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
206.US Treasury 5 Year Note ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
207.US Treasury 6 Month Bill ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
208.US Treasury 7 Year Note ETF, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
209.WPG Partners Select Hedged Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
210.WPG Partners Select Small Cap Value Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
211.WPG Partners Small Cap Value Diversified Fund, Series of The RBB Fund, Inc.
212.The RBB Fund Trust
213.RBC Funds Trust
214.Series Portfolios Trust
215.Thompson IM Funds, Inc.
216.TrimTabs ETF Trust
217.Bright Rock Mid Cap Growth Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
218.Bright Rock Quality Large Cap Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
219.CrossingBridge Low Duration High Yield Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
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220.CrossingBridge Responsible Credit Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
221.CrossingBridge Ultra-Short Duration Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
222.RiverPark Strategic Income Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
223.Dearborn Partners Rising Dividend Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
224.Jensen Global Quality Growth Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
225.Jensen Quality MidCap Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
226.Rockefeller Climate Solutions Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
227.Rockefeller US Small Cap Core Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
228.USQ Core Real Estate Fund
229.Wall Street EWM Funds Trust
230.Wisconsin Capital Funds, Inc.
(b) The following are the Officers and Manager of the Distributor, the Registrant's underwriter. The Distributor's main business address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.
|
Name
|
Address
|
Position with Underwriter
|
Position with Registrant
|
Teresa Cowan
|
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100,
Portland, ME 04101
|
President/Manager
|
None
|
Chris Lanza
|
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100,
Portland, ME 04101
|
Vice President
|
None
|
Kate Macchia
|
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100,
Portland, ME 04101
|
Vice President
|
None
|
Susan L. LaFond
|
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100,
Portland ME 04101
|
Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer and Treasurer
|
None
|
Kelly B. Whetstone
|
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100,
Portland, ME 04101
|
Secretary
|
None
|
Weston Sommers
|
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100,
Portland, ME 04101
|
Financial and Operations Principal and Chief Financial Officer
|
None
|
(c) Not applicable.
Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records
The books and records required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") are maintained at the following locations:
|
Records Relating to:
|
Are located at:
|
Registrant's Fund Administrator, Fund Accountant and Transfer Agent
|
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 East Michigan Street, 3rd Floor
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
|
Registrant's Custodian
|
U.S. Bank National Association
1555 N. RiverCenter Drive, Suite 302
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212
|
Registrant's Distributor
|
Quasar Distributors, LLC
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100
Portland, Maine 04101
|
Registrant's Investment Adviser
|
Akre Capital Management, LLC
2 West Marshall Street
Middleburg, Virginia 20118
|
Item 34. Management Services
Not applicable.
Item 35. Undertakings
Not applicable.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 878 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A to be signed below on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, on the 1st day of October, 2024.
Professionally Managed Portfolios
By: /s/ Jason F. Hadler
Jason F. Hadler
President
Pursuant to the requirements of the 1933 Act, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 878 to its Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
|
Signature
|
Title
|
Date
|
|
Kathleen T. Barr*
|
Trustee
|
October 1, 2024
|
Kathleen T. Barr
|
|
Eric W. Falkeis*
|
Trustee
|
October 1, 2024
|
Eric W. Falkeis
|
|
Steven J. Paggioli*
|
Trustee
|
October 1, 2024
|
Steven J. Paggioli
|
|
Ashi S. Parikh*
|
Trustee
|
October 1, 2024
|
Ashi S. Parikh
|
|
Cynthia M. Fornelli*
|
Trustee
|
October 1, 2024
|
Cynthia M. Fornelli
|
|
/s/Jason F. Hadler
|
President and Principal
|
October 1, 2024
|
Jason F. Hadler
|
Executive Officer
|
|
/s/ Craig Benton
|
Vice President, Treasurer and Principal
|
October 1, 2024
|
Craig Benton
|
Financial and Accounting Officer
|
|
*By: /s/ Jason F. Hadler
|
October 1, 2024
|
Jason F. Hadler, Attorney-In Fact pursuant to Power of Attorney
|
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