Form 485BPOS
Prospectus
(Share
Class – Ticker Symbol)
Institutional
Class – MSEFX
iMGP International Fund
Institutional
Class – MSILX
iMGP Alternative Strategies Fund
Institutional
Class – MASFX
Investor
Class – MASNX
Institutional
Class – MAHIX
iMGP Small Company Fund (formerly, iMGP SBH Focused Small
Value Fund)
Institutional
Class – PFSVX
iMGP Oldfield International Value Fund
Institutional
Class – POIVX
iMGP Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund
Institutional
Class – IDMIX
As
with all mutual funds, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has
not approved or disapproved these securities, nor has the SEC judged whether the
information in this Prospectus is accurate or adequate. Any representation
to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Table
of Contents
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iMGP
Global Select Fund
Summary
Section
Investment
Objective
The
iMGP Global Select Fund (the “Global Select Fund”) seeks long-term growth of
capital; that is, the increase in the value of your investment over the long
term.
Fees
and Expenses of the Global Select Fund
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell
shares of the Global Select Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage
commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected
in the table and example below.
Annual
Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value
of your investment)
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Institutional Class |
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Management
Fees(1) |
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0.85% |
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Other
Expenses |
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0.32% |
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Interest
and Dividend Expenses |
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0.04% |
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Total
Other Expenses |
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0.36% |
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Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) |
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1.21% |
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Fee
Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)(3) |
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(0.20)% |
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Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense
Reimbursement(1)(2)(3) |
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1.01% |
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(1) |
“Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses”
and “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense
Reimbursement” do not correlate to the corresponding ratios included in
the Global Select Fund’s Financial Highlights because the management fees
for the Fund were reduced effective April 29, 2024 and were not in effect
for the previous fiscal year. |
(2) |
iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC
(formerly, Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC) (“iM Global” or the
“Advisor”), the advisor to the Global Select Fund, has contractually
agreed to limit the Fund’s operating expenses (excluding any taxes,
interest, brokerage commissions, borrowing costs, dividend expenses,
acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses such as but not
limited to litigation costs) through April 30,
2025 to an annual rate of 0.98% on the first $750 million
of the Global Select Fund’s assets (the “Operating Expense Limitation”).
This agreement may be renewed for additional periods not exceeding one (1)
year and may be terminated by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of
Litman Gregory Funds Trust (the “Trust”) upon sixty (60) days’ written
notice to iM Global. iM Global may also decline to renew this agreement by
written notice to the Trust at least thirty (30) days before the renewal
date. Pursuant to this agreement, iM Global may recoup reduced fees and
expenses only within three years from the end of the month in which the
reimbursement took place, provided that the recoupment does not cause the
Fund’s annual expense ratio to exceed the lesser of (i) the expense
limitation applicable at the time of that fee waiver and/or expense
reimbursement or (ii) the expense limitation in effect at the time of
recoupment. |
(3) |
iM Global has separately contractually
agreed through April 30, 2025 to waive a portion of its advisory fees so
that after paying all of the sub-advisory fees, the net advisory fee as a
percentage of the Fund’s daily net assets retained by iM Global is 0.40%
on the first $750 million of assets and 0.30% on assets over $750 million.
This agreement may be terminated at any time by the Board of the Trust
upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to iM Global, and iM Global may
decline to renew this agreement by written notice to the Trust at least
thirty (30) days before the agreement’s annual expiration date. iM Global
has waived its right to receive reimbursement of the portion of its
advisory fees waived pursuant to this
agreement. |
Example
This
example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Global
Select Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Global Select Fund for the time periods
indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those
periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each
year and that the Global Select Fund’s operating expenses remain the
same. The cost for the Global Select Fund reflects the net expenses of the
Fund that result from the contractual expense
limitation
in the first year only. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based
on these assumptions your costs would be:
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One Year |
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Three Years |
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Five Years |
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Ten Years |
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Institutional
Class |
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$ |
103 |
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$ |
357 |
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$ |
639 |
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$ |
1,442 |
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Portfolio
Turnover
The
Global Select 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 of the Global Select Fund are held in a taxable account as compared to
shares of investment companies that hold investments for a longer period. These
costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the
example, affect the Global Select Fund’s performance. During the most recent
fiscal year, the Global Select Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was
55.74% of the average value of its
portfolio.
Principal
Strategies
The
Global Select Fund invests in the securities of companies that the sub-advisors
to the Global Select Fund (each, a “manager” or “sub-advisor”) believe have
strong appreciation potential. The Advisor believes that giving highly
disciplined managers latitude in the types of stocks they can own can confer an
advantage over managers who are more tightly constrained to an arbitrary “style
box.” This belief underlays the premise of the Global Select Fund to seek
skilled managers, give them broad flexibility, limit them to their
highest-conviction ideas and create diversification at the overall fund level by
choosing managers with complementary styles, which the Advisor believes also
should reduce risk. The Advisor is responsible for recommending which
sub-advisors to hire or remove. Before hiring a sub-advisor, the Advisor
performs extensive due diligence. This includes quantitative and qualitative
analysis, including (but not limited to) an evaluation of the investment
process, the consistency of its execution and discipline; individual holdings;
strategies employed, past mistakes, risk controls, team depth and quality;
operations and compliance; and business focus and vision. The Advisor’s
evaluation process includes review of literature and documents, quantitative
historical performance evaluation, extensive discussions with members of the
investment team and firm management and background checks through industry
contacts.
There
is no minimum or maximum allocation of the Global Select Fund’s portfolio assets
to each sub-advisor. The Advisor is responsible for establishing the target
allocation of the Global Select Fund’s assets to each manager based on the
Advisor’s goal of maintaining a balance of investment styles (growth, value, and
blend) and market capitalization exposure (large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap
companies) and may adjust the target allocations at its discretion. Market
performance may result in allocation drift among the managers of the Global
Select Fund. The Advisor is responsible for periodically rebalancing the
portfolios, the timing and degree of which will be determined by the Advisor
based on the amount of deviation from pre-established target allocation
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Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
ranges
and the Advisor’s assessment of market conditions and investment opportunities
available to each sub-advisor. The Advisor monitors the individual portfolios
managed by the sub-advisors to ensure that the overall portfolio does not
include any unintentional over-weights to market capitalization levels, sectors,
industries or individual securities. Under normal conditions, each sub-advisor
manages a portion of the Global Select Fund’s assets by independently managing a
portfolio typically composed of at least 10, but not more than 35 stocks
(resulting in total Fund holdings of 45 to 85 different stocks).
Under
normal market conditions, the Global Select Fund invests at least 80% of its net
assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity
securities. Typically, the Fund invests between 25%-75% in equity securities of
U.S. companies and between 25-75% of its net assets in equity securities of
non-U.S. companies. The specific allocation to U.S. and non-U.S. securities will
vary from time to time based on the sub-advisors’ assessment of domestic and
international market conditions. An issuer is considered to be “located” in a
particular country on the basis of its domicile, its principal place of business
or headquarters, its primary stock exchange listing, and/or the primary source
of its revenues (i.e., at least 50% of its revenues are generated in that
country). There is no minimum portion of the Global Select Fund’s assets
required to be invested in any single country, but the Global Select Fund will
invest more than 25% of its assets, and typically a much higher percentage, in
non-U.S. countries. The Global Select Fund may invest in emerging
markets.
iM Global defines an emerging market country as any country that is included in
the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. Each sub-advisor may, at its discretion, invest
in foreign currencies or use currency futures or forwards to hedge the currency
risk of holding non-U.S. Dollar denominated securities.
Securities
in which the Global Select Fund may invest include predominantly equity
securities (common stocks). The Global Select Fund may focus its investments in
certain sectors – including, but not limited to, the finance, healthcare and
technology sectors – from time to time as a result of the implementation of the
Global Select Fund’s investment strategy by the sub-advisors, but sector focus
is not a principal strategy of the Fund. Investment in a sector typically
includes investment in multiple industries within a sector. The Fund invests in
securities of all sizes, but typically focuses on the securities of large- and
mid-sized companies, as measured by market capitalization at the time of
acquisition.
The
Global Select Fund’s three sub-advisors (four portfolio segments) emphasize
different stock-picking styles and invest in stocks spanning a range of market
capitalizations. The Fund’s four sub-advised portfolios can generally be
described as: (1) global mid cap value, (2) global large cap growth, (3) global
small/mid cap growth, and (4) global large cap value, with target allocations to
each portfolio as indicated in the following table:
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SUB‑ ADVISOR |
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TARGET ASSET ALLOCATION |
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MARKET CAPITALIZATION OF COMPANIES IN
PORTFOLIO |
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STOCK-PICKING STYLE |
Nuance
Investments, LLC (“Nuance”) |
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30% |
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All
sizes, but mostly mid‑sized companies |
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Value |
Polen
Capital Management, LLC (“Polen Capital”) |
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20% |
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Large‑sized
companies |
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Growth |
Polen
Capital |
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20% |
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Small-
and mid‑sized companies |
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Growth |
Scharf
Investments, LLC (“Scharf”) |
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30% |
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All
sizes, but mostly large‑sized companies |
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Value |
The
Global Select Fund’s global mid‑cap value strategy managed by Nuance focuses on
the belief that the ability to outperform the broad stock market requires a
consistent and disciplined value investing approach. Nuance seeks to generate
investment returns by diligently reviewing one company at a time on its own
investment merits. Through long-term study of each company and thorough analysis
of financial statements, management strategy and competitive position, using
both fundamental research and interviews of management teams to help evaluate
the sustainability of leading businesses, Nuance seeks to identify companies it
considers to be best in class and having a long-term competitive advantage. With
respect to valuation, Nuance seeks to identify potential holdings that are
undervalued in the marketplace for transitory reasons because of a period of
lower earnings that in Nuance’s view is not unusual in the context of typical
industry cycles or a specific company’s approach to the competitive landscape.
The
Global Select Fund’s large cap growth strategy managed by Polen Capital focuses
on investments in large capitalization
companies
(market capitalizations greater than $10 billion at the time of purchase)
that are located anywhere in the world, including companies in both developed
and emerging markets, and, in Polen Capital’s opinion, have a sustainable
competitive advantage. Polen Capital uses an intensive fundamental research
process to identify companies that it believes have certain attractive
characteristics, which typically reflect an underlying competitive advantage,
focusing on five principal “guardrails”, including (i) return on equity,
(ii) strong earnings growth and free cash flow generation,
(iii) strong balance sheets, (iv) stable or growing profit margins,
and (v) organic revenue growth, to narrow down the broad universe to the
types of businesses in which the Global Select Fund will invest. The Global
Select Fund’s large cap growth strategy invests in high-quality large
capitalization growth companies that Polen Capital believes have a competitive
advantage within an industry and can deliver sustainable, above-average earnings
growth.
The
Global Select Fund’s global small/mid cap growth strategy is also managed by
Polen Capital and focuses investments in small
iMGP Global Select Fund — (Continued)
and
mid‑cap companies that, at the time of purchase, are within the range of the
market capitalizations of companies in the MSCI ACWI SMID Index. As of
December 31, 2023, the average weighted market capitalization of the
issuers in the MSCI ACWI SMID Index was approximately $6.9 billion. Polen
Capital’s investment process and philosophy with respect to the small/mid cap
growth strategy follows the same fundamental principles as described above for
the large cap growth strategy to identify companies with a
competitive advantage, including an assessment of the management team, business
model and performance against competitors, among other factors.
In
addition, the small/mid cap strategy focuses on five investment criteria that
must be satisfied by each company in which the Fund invests: each company must
(i) be uniquely positioned, (ii) have a repeatable sales process,
(iii) have a robust business model, (iv) have an effective management
team, and (v) have value-creating reinvestment opportunities. Polen Capital
may sell an existing holding of the Global Select Fund’s small/mid cap growth
portfolio if a company ceases to meet one of these criteria.
The
Global Select Fund’s global large cap value strategy managed by Scharf invests
in equity securities of companies of all size market capitalizations, with a
focus on large capitalization companies. Scharf utilizes five key elements in
its equity investment philosophy: (i) low valuation, (ii) discount to
fair value, (iii) investment flexibility, (iv) focus and
(v) long-term perspective. Through a proprietary screening process, Scharf
seeks to identify investments with low valuations combined with growing
earnings, cash flow and/or book value, which Scharf describes as “growth stocks
at value prices.” Scharf targets companies it can purchase at a 30% discount due
to temporary market mispricing and considers certain factors, including, among
others, a company’s market conditions and earnings stream, to determine whether
a low valuation is temporary and therefore a candidate for investment, or
structural and reflecting a larger underlying issue that would make an
investment unattractive.
Each
sub‑advisor applies its investment process when determining when a security may
be sold. Generally, a security may be sold: (1) if the sub‑advisor believes
the security’s market price exceeds the its estimate of intrinsic value;
(2) if the sub‑advisor’s view of the business fundamentals (profitability,
balance sheet stability, product acceptance, competitive advantages) or
management of the underlying company changes; (3) if a more attractive
investment in terms of long-term growth potential is found; (4) if general
market conditions that may include changes in employment rates, interest rate
fluctuations, changes in fiscal policies, changes in regulations and other
factors trigger a change in the manager’s assessment criteria; or (5) for
other portfolio management reasons.
Principal
Risks
Investment in stocks exposes shareholders of the Global Select
Fund to the risk of losing money if the value of the stocks held by the Fund
declines during the period an investor owns shares in the Global Select
Fund. An
investment in the Global Select Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not
insured or guaranteed by the
Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation or any other government agency. The following
risks could affect the value of your investment. Some or all of these risks may
adversely affect the Global Select Fund’s net asset value per share, total
return and/or ability to meet its objective.
• |
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Equity Securities Risk. This is the risk
that the value of equity securities may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and
unpredictably, due to factors affecting the general market, an entire
industry or sector, or particular companies. These factors include,
without limitation, adverse changes in economic conditions, the general
outlook for corporate earnings, interest rates or investor sentiment;
increases in production costs; and significant management decisions. This
risk is greater for small- and medium‑sized companies, which tend to be
more vulnerable to adverse developments than larger companies.
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Foreign Investment Risk. This is the risk
that an investment in foreign (non‑U.S.) securities may cause the Global
Select Fund to experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a
fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to,
among other factors, less publicly available information, less stringent
and less uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards,
less liquid and more volatile markets, higher transaction and custody
costs, additional taxes, less investor protection, delayed or less
frequent settlement, political or social instability, civil unrest, acts
of terrorism, regional economic volatility, and the imposition of
sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other
government restrictions by the United States and/or other
governments. ‘ |
• |
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Emerging Markets Risk. This is the risk
that the value of the Global Select Fund’s emerging markets investments
will decline due to the greater degree of economic, political and social
instability of emerging or developing countries as compared to developed
countries. Investments in emerging market countries are subject to
substantial risks due to, among other factors, different accounting
standards and thinner trading markets as compared to those in developed
countries; less publicly available and reliable information about issuers
as compared to developed markets; the possibility of currency transfer
restrictions; and the risk of expropriation, nationalization or other
adverse political, economic or social developments.
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Currency Risk. This is the risk that
foreign currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and
affect the Global Select Fund’s investments in foreign (non‑U.S.)
currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in
derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non‑U.S.) currencies.
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Convertible Securities Risk. This is the
risk that the market value of convertible securities may fluctuate due to
changes in, among other things, interest rates; other general economic
conditions; industry fundamentals; market sentiment; the issuer’s
operating results, financial statements, and credit ratings; and the
market value of the underlying common or preferred stock.
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Market Risk. The value of the Global
Select Fund’s shares will fluctuate based on the performance of the Global
Select Fund’s investments and other factors affecting the securities
markets |
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4 |
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Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
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generally.
Certain investments selected for the Global Select Fund’s portfolio may be
worth less than the price originally paid for them, or less than they were
worth at an earlier time. The value of the Global Select Fund’s
investments may go up or down, sometimes dramatically and unpredictably,
based on current market conditions, such as real or perceived adverse
political or economic conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates,
lack of liquidity in the fixed income markets or adverse investor
sentiment. |
• |
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Geopolitical Events Risk. The
interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases
the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market
may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial
market. Securities in the Global Select Fund’s portfolio may underperform
due to inflation (or expectations for inflation), interest rates, global
demand for particular products or resources, natural disasters, climate
change and climate-related events, pandemics, epidemics, terrorism,
international conflicts, regulatory events and governmental or
quasi-governmental actions. The occurrence of global events similar to
those in recent years may result in market volatility and may have
long-term effects on both the U.S. and global financial markets.
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Mid‑Sized Companies Risk. Securities of
companies with mid‑sized market capitalizations are generally more
volatile and less liquid than the securities of large-capitalization
companies. Mid‑sized companies may be more reliant on a few products,
services or key personnel, which can make it riskier than investing in
larger companies with more diverse product lines and structured
management. Mid‑sized companies may have relatively short operating
histories or may be newer public companies.
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Smaller Companies Risk. The Global Select
Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the securities of small- and
mid‑sized companies. Securities of small and mid‑cap companies are
generally more volatile and less liquid than the securities of large‑cap
companies. This is because smaller companies may be more reliant on a
few products, services or key personnel, which can make it riskier than
investing in larger companies with more diverse product lines and
structured management. |
• |
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Multi-Management Risk. Because portions
of the Global Select Fund’s assets are managed by different portfolio
managers using different styles, the Global Select Fund could experience
overlapping security transactions that could lead to unintended
concentration in certain securities. Certain portfolio managers may be
purchasing securities at the same time other portfolio managers may be
selling those same securities, which may lead to higher transaction
expenses and tax inefficiencies compared to using a single investment
manager. |
• |
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Large Shareholder Purchase and Redemption
Risk. The Global Select
Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders
purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Global Select Fund. Such
large shareholder redemptions may cause the Global Select Fund to sell its
securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may
negatively impact the Global Select Fund’s net asset value and liquidity.
Similarly, large share purchases may adversely affect the Global Select
Fund’s |
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performance
to the extent that the Global Select Fund is delayed in investing new cash
and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily
would. In addition, a large redemption could result in the Global Select
Fund’s current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading
to an increase in the Global Select Fund’s expense ratio.
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Europe Investing Risk. The Global Select
Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in issuers based in
Western Europe and the United Kingdom (“UK”). The economies of countries
in Europe are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in
one country in Europe can have an adverse impact on other European
countries. Efforts by the member countries of the European Union (“EU”) to
continue to unify their economic and monetary policies may increase the
potential for similarities in the movements of European markets and reduce
the potential investment benefits of diversification within the region.
However, the substance of these policies may not address the needs of all
European economies. European financial markets have in recent years
experienced increased volatility due to concerns with some countries’ high
levels of sovereign debt, budget deficits and unemployment. Markets have
also been affected by the decision by the UK to withdraw from the EU (an
event commonly known as “Brexit”). There continues to be uncertainty
surrounding the ultimate impact of Brexit on the UK, the EU and the
broader global economy. An exit by any member countries from the EU or the
Economic and Monetary Union of the EU, or even the prospect of such an
exit, could lead to increased volatility in European markets and
negatively affect investments both in issuers in the exiting country and
throughout Europe. |
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Sector Weightings Risk. Although sector
focus is not a principal strategy of the Global Select Fund, the Global
Select Fund may from time to time emphasize investments in a particular
sector as a result of the implementation of its principal investment
strategies. To the extent that the Global Select Fund emphasizes
investments in a particular sector, the Global Select Fund has the
potential to be subject to a greater degree to the risks particular to
that sector, including the sectors described below. Market conditions,
interest rates, and economic, regulatory, or financial developments could
significantly affect a single sector. By focusing its investments in a
particular sector, the Global Select Fund may potentially face more risks
than if it were diversified broadly over numerous sectors.
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Financial Sector Risk. The Global Select
Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the financial sector and,
therefore, the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by
events affecting this sector, including changes in interest rates,
government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and
government debt and the availability and cost of capital.
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¡ |
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Healthcare Sector Risk. The Global
Select Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the healthcare sector.
The profitability of companies in the healthcare sector may be adversely
affected by government regulations and government healthcare programs,
increases or decreases in the cost of medical products and services and
product liability claims, among other factors. Many healthcare companies
are heavily |
iMGP Global Select Fund — (Continued)
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dependent on patent protection, and the
expiration of a company’s patent may adversely affect that company’s
profitability. Healthcare companies are subject to competitive forces that
may result in price discounting, and may be thinly capitalized and
susceptible to product obsolescence.
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Technology Sector Risk. The Global
Select Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the technology sector,
which is a very volatile segment of the market. The nature of technology
is that it is rapidly changing. Therefore, products or services that may
initially look promising may subsequently fail or become obsolete. In
addition, many technology companies are younger, smaller and unseasoned
companies which may not have established products, an experienced
management team, or earnings history.
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Investment Selection Risk. The
sub‑advisors’ portfolio managers may select investments that underperform
and investors’ Fund shares may decline in value. This risk may be more
significant when sub‑advisors concentrate their holdings in a limited
number of securities as may be the case in the Global Select Fund because
concentration can magnify the potential for gains and losses from
individual securities. This risk may be greater for multi-manager funds
compared to funds with a single manager.
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Cybersecurity Risk. With the increased
use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the Global
Select Fund is susceptible to operational, information security, and
related risks. Cyber incidents affecting the Global Select Fund or its
service providers may cause disruptions and impact business operations,
potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with the Global
Select Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the
inability of shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable
privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage,
reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs.
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Operational Risk. Operational risks
include human error, changes in personnel, system changes, faults in
communication, and failures in systems, technology, or processes. Various
operational events or circumstances are outside the Advisor’s or a
sub‑advisor’s control, including instances at third parties. The Global
Select Fund, the Advisor and each sub‑advisor seek to reduce these
operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures
do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these
risks. |
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Value Stock Risk. Value stocks are stocks
of companies that may have experienced adverse business or industry
developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the
stocks to be out of favor and, in the opinion of the manager, undervalued.
The value of a security believed by the manager to be undervalued may
never reach what is believed to be its full (intrinsic) value, or that
security’s value may decrease. |
• |
|
Growth
Investing Risk. Growth stocks, as a group, may be out of favor with
the market and underperform value stocks or the overall equity market.
Growth stocks are generally more sensitive to market movements than other
types of stocks primarily because their prices are based heavily on the
future expectations of the economy and the stock’s issuing company.
|
• |
|
Securities Lending Risk: The Fund may
engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves possible delay
in recovery of the securities or possible loss of rights in the collateral
should the borrower fail financially. The Fund could also lose money if
the value of the collateral decreases. As a result, the value of the Fund
shares may fall. |
Performance
The following
performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in
the Global Select Fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of
the Global Select Fund’s Institutional Class shares from year to
year. The table below shows how the Global Select Fund’s average annual
total returns of the Institutional Class for the 1‑, 5‑ and 10‑year periods
compare to those of a broad-based market index and an index of peer group mutual
funds. Past performance, before and
after taxes, does not necessarily indicate how the Global Select Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available on the Global Select Fund’s website at www.imgpfunds.com.
Global
Select Fund
Institutional
Class Calendar Year Total Returns
as
of December 31
During
the period shown above, the highest and lowest quarterly returns earned by the
Fund were:
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Highest: |
|
|
22.68% |
|
|
Quarter ended June 30,
2020 |
Lowest: |
|
|
-24.62% |
|
|
Quarter ended March 31,
2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
6 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Average
Annual Total Returns
(for
the periods ended December 31, 2023) |
|
|
|
One
Year |
|
|
Five Years |
|
|
Ten Years |
|
Global
Select Fund |
|
Institutional
Class |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Return
Before Taxes |
|
|
17.26% |
|
|
|
9.41% |
|
|
|
7.64% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions |
|
|
16.16% |
|
|
|
6.19% |
|
|
|
4.88% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares |
|
|
10.99% |
|
|
|
7.30% |
|
|
|
5.72% |
|
MSCI
World Index |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
|
|
23.79% |
|
|
|
12.80% |
|
|
|
8.60% |
|
Morningstar
US Global Large Blend Category |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
(reflects net performance of funds in this
group) |
|
|
17.81% |
|
|
|
10.27% |
|
|
|
7.02% |
|
The Global Select Fund’s
after‑tax returns as shown in the above table are calculated using the
historical highest applicable individual federal marginal income tax rates for
the period and do not reflect the impact of state and local
taxes. Your actual after‑tax returns
depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown. If you own
shares of the Global Select Fund in a tax‑deferred account, such as a 401(k)
plan or an individual retirement account, after‑tax returns shown are not
relevant to your investment. The after‑tax returns on
distributions and sale of Fund shares may be higher than returns before taxes
due to the effect of a tax benefit an investor may receive from the realization
of capital losses that would have been incurred on the sale of Fund
shares.
Management
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
INVESTMENT ADVISOR |
|
PORTFOLIO MANAGER |
|
MANAGED THE GLOBAL
SELECT FUND SINCE: |
|
| |
iM Global
Partner Fund Management, LLC |
|
Jack Chee, CIO Asset Management US,
Managing Director and Co‑Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2014 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Kiko
Vallarta, CFA, Senior Vice President, Co‑Head of Equity Strategies and
Co‑Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2022 |
|
|
| |
SUB‑ADVISOR |
|
PORTFOLIO MANAGER |
|
|
|
| |
Nuance
Investments, LLC |
|
Scott Moore, CFA, President, Co‑Chief
Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2014 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Chad
Baumler, CFA, Vice President, Co‑Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio
Manager |
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
| |
Polen
Capital Management, LLC |
|
Damon Ficklin, Head of Team, Portfolio
Manager and Analyst, Large Company Growth |
|
|
|
2022 |
|
|
| |
| |
Rayna Lesser Hannaway, CFA, Head of
Team, Portfolio Manager and Analyst, Small Company Growth |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
| |
| |
Shane Smith, CFA, Portfolio Manager and
Analyst, Small Company Growth |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
| |
| |
Greg McIntire, CFA, Head of Portfolio
Insights and Portfolio Manager, Small Company Growth |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
| |
| |
Bryan Power, CFA, Director of Research,
Portfolio Manager and Analyst, Large Company Growth |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Angel
Ortiz, Portfolio Manager & Analyst, Emerging Markets |
|
|
|
2024 |
|
|
| |
Scharf
Investments, LLC |
|
Brian A. Krawez, President, Investment
Committee Chairman and Lead Equity Manager |
|
|
|
2022 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Gabe
Houston, Investment Committee Member, Senior Research Analyst |
|
|
|
2022 |
|
For
important information about the purchase and sale of fund shares, tax
information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the “Summary
of Other Important Information Regarding the Funds” section on page 41 of
this Prospectus.
iMGP
International Fund
Summary
Section
Investment
Objective
The
iMGP International Fund (the “International Fund”) seeks long-term growth of
capital; that is, the increase in the value of your investment over the long
term.
Fees
and Expenses of the International Fund
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell
shares of the International Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage
commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected
in the table and example below.
Annual
Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value
of your investment)
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Institutional
Class |
|
Management
Fees(1) |
|
|
0.90% |
|
Other
Expenses |
|
|
0.19% |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) |
|
|
1.09% |
|
Fee
Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2) |
|
|
(0.02)% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense
Reimbursement(1)(2) |
|
|
1.07% |
|
| |
|
|
|
(1) |
“Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses”
and “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense
Reimbursement” do not correlate to the corresponding ratios included in
the International Fund’s Financial Highlights because the management fees
for the Fund were reduced effective April 29, 2024 and were not in effect
for the previous fiscal year. |
(2) |
iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC
(formerly, Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC (“iM Global” or the
“Advisor”), the advisor to the International Fund, has contractually
agreed, through April 30,
2025, to waive a portion of its advisory fees so that
after paying all of the sub-advisory fees, the net advisory fee as a
percentage of the International Fund’s daily net assets retained by iM
Global is 0.40% on the first $1 billion of the International Fund’s assets
and 0.30% on assets over $1 billion. This agreement may be terminated at
any time by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of the Litman Gregory
Funds Trust (the “Trust”) upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to iM
Global, and iM Global may decline to renew this agreement by written
notice to the Trust at least thirty (30) days before the agreement’s
annual expiration date. iM Global has waived its right to receive
reimbursement of the portion of its advisory fees waived pursuant to this
agreement. |
Example
This
example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the
International Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The
example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the International Fund for the time
periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those
periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each
year and that the International Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The
cost for the International Fund reflects the net expenses of the International
Fund that result from the contractual expense limitation in the first year only.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions
your costs would be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
One Year |
|
|
Three Years |
|
|
Five Years |
|
|
Ten Years |
|
Institutional
Class |
|
$ |
109 |
|
|
$ |
344 |
|
|
$ |
598 |
|
|
$ |
1,326 |
|
Portfolio
Turnover
The
International 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 of the International Fund are held in a taxable account as
compared to shares in investment companies that hold investments for a longer
period. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating
expenses or in the example, affect the International Fund’s performance. During
the most recent fiscal year, the International Fund’s portfolio turnover rate
was 40.55% of the average value of its
portfolio.
Principal
Strategies
The
International Fund invests in the securities of companies that the sub‑advisors
to the International Fund (each, a “manager” or “sub‑advisor”) believe have
strong appreciation potential. The Advisor believes that giving highly
disciplined managers latitude in the types of stocks they can own can confer an
advantage over managers who are more tightly constrained to an arbitrary “style
box.” This belief underlays the premise of the International Fund to seek
skilled managers, give them broad flexibility, limit them to their
highest-conviction ideas and create diversification at the overall fund level by
choosing managers with complementary styles, which the Advisor believes also
should reduce risk. The Advisor is responsible for recommending which
sub‑advisors to hire or remove. Before hiring a sub‑advisor, the Advisor
performs extensive due diligence. This includes quantitative and qualitative
analysis, including (but not limited to) an evaluation of the investment
process, the consistency of its execution and discipline; individual holdings;
strategies employed, past mistakes, risk controls, team depth and quality;
operations and compliance; and business focus and vision. The Advisor’s
evaluation process includes review of literature and documents, quantitative
historical performance evaluation, extensive discussions with members of the
investment team and firm management and background checks through industry
contacts.
There
is no minimum or maximum allocation of the International Fund’s portfolio assets
to each sub‑advisor. The Advisor is responsible for establishing the target
allocation of International Fund assets to each manager based on the Advisor’s
goal of maintaining a balance of investment styles (growth, value, and blend)
and market capitalization exposure (large‑cap, mid‑cap and small‑cap companies)
and may adjust the target allocations at its discretion. Market performance may
result in allocation drift among the managers of the International Fund. The
Advisor is responsible for periodically rebalancing the portfolios, the timing
and degree of which will be determined by the Advisor based on the amount of
deviation from pre‑established target allocation ranges and the Advisor’s
assessment of market conditions and investment opportunities available to each
sub‑advisor. The Advisor monitors the individual portfolios managed by the
sub‑advisors to ensure that the overall portfolio does not include any
unintentional over-weights to market capitalization levels, sectors, industries
or individual securities. Under normal
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
8 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
conditions,
each sub‑advisor manages a portion of the International Fund’s assets by
independently managing a portfolio typically composed of between 8 and 15 stocks
(resulting in total International Fund holdings of 24 to 45 different stocks).
Under
normal market conditions, the International Fund will invest at least 80% of its
net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the
securities of companies organized or located outside of the United States,
including large-, mid‑, and small-capitalization companies, as measured by
market capitalization at the time of acquisition, and companies located in
emerging markets. iM Global defines an emerging market country as any
country that is included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. The International
Fund ordinarily invests in the securities markets of at least five countries
outside of the United States. The International Fund may focus its
investments in certain sectors – including, but not limited to, the financial
and healthcare sectors – from time to time as a result of the implementation of
the International Fund’s investment strategy by the sub‑advisors, but sector
focus is not a principal strategy of the International Fund.
Each
sub‑advisor uses its own discretion to invest in any sized company it deems
appropriate. The managers have limited flexibility to invest in the
securities of U.S. companies. By executing its investment strategy, the
International Fund seeks to:
• |
|
combine the efforts of
several experienced, high quality international managers;
|
• |
|
access the highest
conviction stock-picking ideas of each manager at any point in time;
|
• |
|
deliver a portfolio that
is prudently diversified in terms of stocks (typically 24 to 45) and
industries while still allowing each manager to run portfolio segments
focused on only its highest conviction stocks; and
|
• |
|
further diversify across
different sized companies, countries, and stock-picking styles by
including managers with a variety of stock-picking disciplines.
|
Generally,
a security may be sold: (1) if the manager believes the security’s market
price exceeds the manager’s estimate of intrinsic value; (2) if the
manager’s view of the business fundamentals or management of the underlying
company changes; (3) if a more attractive investment opportunity is found;
(4) if general market conditions trigger a change in the manager’s
assessment criteria; or (5) for other portfolio management
reasons. The International Fund’s managers may trade its portfolio
frequently.
|
|
|
| |
SUB‑ ADVISOR |
|
TARGET
ASSET
ALLOCATION |
|
MARKET
CAPITALIZATION
OF
COMPANIES IN PORTFOLIO |
|
| |
Harris
Associates L.P. (“Harris”) |
|
33.3% |
|
All
sizes |
|
| |
Lazard
Asset Management (“Lazard”) |
|
33.3% |
|
All
sizes |
|
| |
Polen
Capital Management, LLC (“Polen Capital”) |
|
33.3% |
|
All
sizes, but mostly large- and mid‑sized
companies |
Principal
Risks
Investment in stocks exposes shareholders of the International
Fund to the risk of losing money if the value of the stocks held by the
International Fund declines during the period an investor owns shares in the
International Fund. An investment in the International Fund is
not a deposit in the bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
The following risks could affect the value of your investment. The following
risks could affect the value of your investment. Some or all of these risks may
adversely affect the International Fund’s net asset value per share, total
return and/or ability to meet its objective.
• |
|
Equity Securities Risk. This is the risk
that the value of equity securities may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and
unpredictably, due to factors affecting the general market, an entire
industry or sector, or particular companies. These factors include,
without limitation, adverse changes in economic conditions, the general
outlook for corporate earnings, interest rates or investor sentiment;
increases in production costs; and significant management decisions. This
risk is greater for small-and |
|
|
medium‑sized
companies, which tend to be more vulnerable to adverse developments than
larger companies. |
• |
|
Foreign Investment Risk. This is the risk
that an investment in foreign (non‑U.S.) securities may cause the
International Fund to experience more rapid and extreme changes in value
than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due
to, among other factors, less publicly available information, less
stringent and less uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting
standards, less liquid and more volatile markets, higher transaction and
custody costs, additional taxes, less investor protection, delayed or less
frequent settlement, political or social instability, civil unrest, acts
of terrorism, regional economic volatility, and the imposition of
sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other
government restrictions by the United States and/or other governments.
|
• |
|
Country/Regional Risk. This is the risk
that world events – such as political upheaval, financial troubles, or
natural disasters – will adversely affect the value of securities issued
by companies in foreign countries or regions. Because the International
Fund may invest a large portion of its assets in securities of
|
iMGP International Fund — (Continued)
|
|
companies located in any one country or
region, including emerging markets, the International Fund’s performance
may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of its investments
in that area. Country/regional risk is heightened in emerging markets.
|
• |
|
Europe Investing Risk. The International
Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in issuers based in
Western Europe and the United Kingdom (“UK”). The economies of countries
in Europe are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in
one country in Europe can have an adverse impact on other European
countries. Efforts by the member countries of the European Union (“EU”) to
continue to unify their economic and monetary policies may increase the
potential for similarities in the movements of European markets and reduce
the potential investment benefits of diversification within the region.
However, the substance of these policies may not address the needs of all
European economies. European financial markets have in recent years
experienced increased volatility due to concerns with some countries’ high
levels of sovereign debt, budget deficits and unemployment. Markets have
also been affected by the decision by the UK to withdraw from the EU (an
event commonly known as “Brexit”). There continues to be uncertainty
surrounding the ultimate impact of Brexit on the UK, the EU and the
broader global economy. An exit by any member countries from the EU or the
Economic and Monetary Union of the EU, or even the prospect of such an
exit, could lead to increased volatility in European markets and
negatively affect investments both in issuers in the exiting country and
throughout Europe. |
• |
|
Currency Risk. This is the risk that
foreign currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and
affect the International Fund’s investments in foreign (non‑U.S.)
currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in
derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non‑U.S.) currencies.
|
• |
|
Market Risk. The value of the
International Fund’s shares will fluctuate based on the performance of the
International Fund’s investments and other factors affecting the
securities markets generally. Certain investments selected for the
International Fund’s portfolio may be worth less than the price originally
paid for them, or less than they were worth at an earlier time. The value
of the International Fund’s investments may go up or down, sometimes
dramatically and unpredictably, based on current market conditions, such
as real or perceived adverse political or economic conditions, inflation,
changes in interest rates, lack of liquidity in the fixed income markets
or adverse investor sentiment. |
• |
|
Geopolitical Events Risk. The
interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases
the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market
may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial
market. Securities in the International Fund’s portfolio may underperform
due to inflation (or expectations for inflation), interest rates, global
demand for particular products or resources, natural disasters, climate
change and climate-related events, pandemics, epidemics, terrorism,
international conflicts, regulatory events and governmental or
quasi- |
|
|
governmental
actions. The occurrence of global events similar to those in recent years
may result in market volatility and may have long-term effects on both the
U.S. and global financial markets.
|
• |
|
Mid‑Size Companies Risk. Securities of
companies with mid‑sized market capitalizations are generally more
volatile and less liquid than the securities of large-capitalization
companies. Mid‑sized companies may be more reliant on a few products,
services or key personnel, which can make it riskier than investing in
larger companies with more diverse product lines and structured
management. Mid‑sized companies may have relatively short operating
histories or may be newer public companies. Some of these companies have
more aggressive capital structures, including higher debt levels, than
large‑cap companies, or are involved in rapidly growing or changing
industries and/or new technologies, which pose additional risks.
|
• |
|
Smaller Companies Risk. The International
Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the securities of small- and
mid‑sized companies. Securities of small- and mid‑cap companies are
generally more volatile and less liquid than the securities of large‑cap
companies. This is because smaller companies may be more reliant on a
few products, services or key personnel, which can make it riskier than
investing in larger companies with more diverse product lines and
structured management. |
• |
|
Multi-Management Risk. Because portions of the
International Fund’s assets are managed by different portfolio managers
using different styles, the International Fund could experience
overlapping security transactions that could lead to unintended
concentration in certain securities. Certain portfolio managers may be
purchasing securities at the same time other portfolio managers may be
selling those same securities, which may lead to higher transaction
expenses and tax inefficiencies compared to using a single investment
manager. |
• |
|
Large Shareholder Purchase and Redemption
Risk. The International
Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders
purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the International Fund. Such
large shareholder redemptions may cause the International Fund to sell its
securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may
negatively impact the International Fund’s net asset value and liquidity.
Similarly, large share purchases may adversely affect the International
Fund’s performance to the extent that the International Fund is delayed in
investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than
it ordinarily would. In addition, a large redemption could result in the
International Fund’s current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset
base, leading to an increase in the International Fund’s expense ratio.
|
• |
|
Special Situations Risk. Investments in special situations
(undervalued equities, merger arbitrage situations, distressed companies,
etc.) may involve greater risks when compared to other investments the
International Fund may make due to a variety of factors. For example,
mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, liquidations or recapitalizations
may fail or not be completed on the terms originally contemplated, and
expected developments may not occur in a timely manner, if at all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
10 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
• |
|
Sector Weightings Risk. Although sector
focus is not a principal strategy of the International Fund, the
International Fund may from time to time emphasize investments in a
particular sector as a result of the implementation of its principal
investment strategies. To the extent that the International Fund
emphasizes investments in a particular sector, the International Fund has
the potential to be subject to a greater degree to the risks particular to
that sector, including the sectors described below. Market conditions,
interest rates, and economic, regulatory, or financial developments could
significantly affect a single sector. By focusing its investments in a
particular sector, the International Fund may potentially face more risks
than if it were diversified broadly over numerous sectors.
|
|
¡ |
|
Financial Sector Risk. The International
Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the financial services sector
and, therefore, the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted
by events affecting this sector, including changes in interest rates,
government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and
government debt and the availability and cost of capital.
|
|
¡ |
|
Healthcare Sector Risk.
The International Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the
healthcare sector. The profitability of companies in the healthcare sector
may be adversely affected by government regulations and government
healthcare programs, increases or decreases in the cost of medical
products and services and product liability claims, among other factors.
Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on patent protection, and
the expiration of a company’s patent may adversely affect that company’s
profitability. Healthcare companies are subject to competitive forces that
may result in price discounting, and may be thinly capitalized and
susceptible to product obsolescence.
|
• |
|
Investment Selection Risk. The
sub‑advisors’ portfolio managers may select investments that underperform
and investors’ Fund shares may decline in value. This risk may be more
significant when sub‑advisors concentrate their holdings in a limited
number of securities as may be the case in the International Fund because
concentration can magnify the potential for gains and losses from
individual securities. This risk may be greater for multi-manager funds
compared to funds with a single manager.
|
• |
|
Cybersecurity Risk. With the increased
use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the
International Fund is susceptible to operational, information security,
and related risks. Cyber incidents affecting the International Fund or its
service providers may cause disruptions and impact business operations,
potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with the
International Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading,
the inability of shareholders to transact business, violations of
applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties,
reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or
additional compliance costs. |
• |
|
Operational Risk. Operational risks
include human error, changes in personnel, system changes, faults in
communication, and failures in systems, technology, or processes. Various
operational events or circumstances are outside the Advisor’s or
|
|
|
a
sub‑advisor’s control, including instances at third parties. The
International Fund, the Advisor and each sub‑advisor seek to reduce these
operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures
do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these
risks. |
• |
|
Value Stock Risk. Value stocks are stocks
of companies that may have experienced adverse business or industry
developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the
stocks to be out of favor and, in the opinion of the manager, undervalued.
The value of a security believed by the manager to be undervalued may
never reach what is believed to be its full (intrinsic) value, or that
security’s value may decrease. |
• |
|
Growth Investing Risk. Growth stocks, as
a group, may be out of favor with the market and underperform value stocks
or the overall equity market. Growth stocks are generally more sensitive
to market movements than other types of stocks primarily because their
prices are based heavily on the future expectations of the economy and the
stock’s issuing company. |
• |
|
Emerging Markets Risk. This is the risk
that the value of the International Fund’s emerging markets investments
will decline due to the greater degree of economic, political and social
instability of emerging or developing countries as compared to developed
countries. Investments in emerging market countries are subject to
substantial risks due to, among other factors, different accounting
standards and thinner trading markets as compared to those in developed
countries; less publicly available and reliable information about issuers
as compared to developed markets; the possibility of currency transfer
restrictions; and the risk of expropriation, nationalization or other
adverse political, economic or social developments.
|
• |
|
Securities Lending Risk: The Fund may
engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves possible delay
in recovery of the securities or possible loss of rights in the collateral
should the borrower fail financially. The Fund could also lose money if
the value of the collateral decreases. As a result, the value of the Fund
shares may fall. |
Performance
The following
performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in
the International Fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of
the International Fund’s Institutional Class shares from year to
year. The table below shows how the International Fund’s average annual
total returns of the Institutional Class for the 1‑, 5‑ and 10‑year periods
compare to those of a broad-based market index, as well as an index of peer
group mutual funds. Past performance, before and
after taxes, does not necessarily indicate how the International Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available on the International Fund’s website at www.imgpfunds.com.
iMGP International Fund — (Continued)
International
Fund
Institutional
Class Calendar Year Total Returns
as
of December 31
During
the period shown above, the highest and lowest quarterly returns earned by the
International Fund were:
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Highest: |
|
|
29.96% |
|
|
Quarter ended December 31,
2020 |
Lowest: |
|
|
-32.92% |
|
|
Quarter ended March 31,
2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Average
Annual Total Returns
(for
the periods ended December 31, 2023) |
|
|
|
One
Year |
|
|
Five Years |
|
|
Ten Years |
|
International
Fund |
|
Institutional
Class |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Return
Before Taxes |
|
|
17.40% |
|
|
|
7.11% |
|
|
|
1.92% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions |
|
|
17.38% |
|
|
|
6.82% |
|
|
|
1.56% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares |
|
|
10.76% |
|
|
|
5.84% |
|
|
|
1.60% |
|
MSCI
EAFE Index |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
(reflects no deduction of fees, expenses or
taxes) |
|
|
18.24% |
|
|
|
8.16% |
|
|
|
4.28% |
|
Morningstar
Foreign Large Blend Category |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
(reflects net performance of funds in this
group) |
|
|
16.31% |
|
|
|
7.29% |
|
|
|
3.64% |
|
The International Fund’s
after‑tax returns as shown in the above table are calculated using the
historical highest applicable individual federal marginal income tax rates for
the period and do not reflect the impact of state and local
taxes. Your actual after‑tax returns
depend on your tax situation and may differ from those
shown. If you own shares of the International Fund in a tax‑deferred
account, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, after‑tax
returns shown are not relevant to your
investment. The after‑tax returns on
distributions and sale of Fund shares may be higher than returns before taxes
due to the effect of a tax benefit an investor may receive from the realization
of capital losses that would have been incurred on the sale of Fund
shares.
Management
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
INVESTMENT ADVISOR |
|
PORTFOLIO MANAGER |
|
MANAGED
THE
INTERNATIONAL
FUND
SINCE: |
|
| |
iM Global
Partner Fund Management, LLC |
|
Jack Chee, CIO Asset Management US,
Managing Director and Co‑Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Kiko
Vallarta, CFA, Senior Vice President, Co‑Head of Equity Strategies and
Co‑Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2022 |
|
|
| |
SUB‑ADVISOR |
|
PORTFOLIO MANAGER |
|
MANAGED
THE
INTERNATIONAL
FUND
SINCE: |
|
| |
Harris Associates L.P. |
|
David
G. Herro, CFA, Deputy Chairman, Portfolio Manager and Chief Investment
Officer, International Equity |
|
|
|
1997 |
|
|
| |
Lazard Asset Management LLC |
|
Mark
Little, Portfolio Manager/Analyst
Robin
O. Jones, Managing Director, Portfolio Manager/Analyst |
|
|
|
2013
2023 |
|
|
| |
Polen Capital Management, LLC |
|
Todd
Morris, Portfolio Manager and Analyst
Daniel
Fields, CFA, Portfolio Manager and Analyst |
|
|
|
2021 |
|
For
important information about the purchase and sale of fund shares, tax
information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the “Summary
of Other Important Information Regarding the Funds” section on
page 41 of this Prospectus.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
12 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
iMGP
Alternative Strategies Fund
Summary
Section
Investment
Objective
The
iMGP Alternative Strategies Fund (the “Alternative Strategies Fund”) seeks to
achieve long-term returns with lower risk and lower volatility than the stock
market, and with relatively low correlation to stock and bond market
indexes.
Fees
and Expenses of the Alternative Strategies Fund
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell
shares of the Alternative Strategies Fund. You may pay other fees, such as
brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not
reflected in the table and example below.
Annual
Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value
of your investment)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Institutional
Class |
|
|
Investor
Class |
|
Management
Fees(1) |
|
|
1.23% |
|
|
|
1.23% |
|
Distribution
and or Service (12b‑1) Fees |
|
|
None |
|
|
|
0.25% |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
Expenses |
|
|
0.21% |
|
|
|
0.21% |
|
Interest
and Dividend Expenses |
|
|
0.01% |
|
|
|
0.01% |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Other Expenses |
|
|
0.22% |
|
|
|
0.22% |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) |
|
|
1.45% |
|
|
|
1.70% |
|
Fee
Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2) |
|
|
(0.08)% |
|
|
|
(0.08)% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense
Reimbursement(1)(2) |
|
|
1.37% |
|
|
|
1.62% |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
“Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses”
and “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense
Reimbursement” do not correlate to the corresponding ratios included in
the Alternative Strategies Fund’s Financial Highlights because the
management fees for the Fund were reduced effective April 29, 2024 and
were not in effect for the previous fiscal
year. |
(2) |
iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC
(formerly, Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC) (“iM Global” or the
“Advisor”), the advisor to the Alternative Strategies Fund, has
contractually agreed, through April 30,
2025, to waive a portion of its advisory fees so that
after paying all of the sub-advisory fees, the net advisory fee as a
percentage of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s daily net assets retained
by iM Global is 0.50% on the first $2 billion of the Alternative
Strategies Fund’s assets, 0.40% of the next $1 billion of the Alternative
Strategies Fund’s assets, 0.35% of the next $1 billion of the Alternative
Strategies Fund’s assets and 0.30% on assets over $4 billion. This
agreement may be terminated at any time by the Board of Trustees (the
“Board”) of the Litman Gregory Funds Trust (the “Trust”) upon sixty (60)
days’ written notice to iM Global, and iM Global may decline to renew this
agreement by written notice to the Trust at least thirty (30) days before
the agreement’s annual expiration date. iM Global has waived its right to
receive reimbursement of the portion of its advisory fees waived pursuant
to this agreement. |
Example
This
example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Alternative
Strategies Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The
example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Alternative Strategies Fund for
the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of
those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5%
return each year and that the Alternative Strategies Fund’s operating expenses
remain the same. The cost for the Alternative Strategies Fund reflects the
net expenses of the Alternative Strategies Fund that result from the contractual
expense limitation in the first year only. Although your
actual
costs
may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would
be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
One Year |
|
|
Three Years |
|
|
Five Years |
|
|
Ten Years |
|
Institutional
Class |
|
$ |
139 |
|
|
$ |
448 |
|
|
$ |
782 |
|
|
$ |
1,726 |
|
Investor
Class |
|
$ |
165 |
|
|
$ |
525 |
|
|
$ |
913 |
|
|
$ |
2,000 |
|
Portfolio
Turnover
The
Alternative Strategies 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 of the Alternative Strategies Fund are held in a
taxable account as compared to shares in investment companies that hold
investments for a longer period. These costs, which are not reflected in
the annual fund operating expenses or in the example, will affect the
Alternative Strategies Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal
year, the Alternative Strategies Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was
100.76% of the average value of its
portfolio.
Principal
Strategies
The
Advisor believes that giving highly disciplined sub‑advisors (each, a “manager”
or “sub‑advisor”) latitude in the types of stocks they can own can confer an
advantage over managers who are more tightly constrained to an arbitrary “style
box.” This belief underlays the premise of the Alternative Strategies Fund to
seek skilled managers, give them broad flexibility, limit them to their
highest-conviction ideas and create diversification at the overall fund level by
choosing managers with complementary styles, which the Advisor believes also
should reduce risk. The Advisor is responsible for recommending which
sub‑advisors to hire or remove. Before hiring a sub‑advisor, the Advisor
performs extensive due diligence. This includes quantitative and qualitative
analysis, including (but not limited to) an evaluation of the investment
process, the consistency of its execution and discipline; individual holdings;
strategies employed, past mistakes, risk controls, team depth and quality;
operations and compliance; and business focus and vision. The Advisor’s
evaluation process includes review of literature and documents, quantitative
historical performance evaluation, extensive discussions with members of the
investment team and firm management and background checks through industry
contacts.
There
is no minimum or maximum allocation of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s
portfolio assets to each sub‑advisor. Allocations among sub‑advisors are
based on a number of factors, including iM Global’s expectation for the
risk-adjusted return potential of each sub‑advisor’s strategy and the impact on
overall portfolio risk, with the objective of maximizing return subject to the
goals of low volatility and relatively low correlation with broad financial
markets, especially the stock market. iM Global may at times adjust the
allocations of capital to sub‑advisors if it believes there is a highly
compelling tactical opportunity in a particular sub‑advisor’s strategy. A
tactical opportunity could represent the potential for an exceptional
risk-adjusted return opportunity
iMGP Alternative Strategies Fund — (Continued)
relative
to the other strategies, or it may represent a superior risk reduction
opportunity that could benefit the Alternative Strategies Fund’s overall
portfolio.
The
Alternative Strategies Fund invests in a mix of strategies that iM
Global believes offer risk-return characteristics that are attractive
individually and even more compelling collectively. The Alternative
Strategies Fund is intended to be used by investors as a source of
diversification for traditional stock and bond portfolios to reduce volatility
and potentially enhance returns relative to various measures of
risk.
Sub‑advisor
strategies may seek to benefit from: opportunities to combine securities with
differing risk characteristics; market inefficiencies; arbitrage opportunities;
opportunities to provide liquidity; tactical opportunities in asset classes or
securities; special situations such as spin offs; as well as other opportunities
in areas such as real estate or managed futures and equity hedge
strategies. In the aggregate, the managers can invest globally in stocks of
companies of any size, domicile or market capitalization, government and
corporate bonds and other fixed income securities and currencies, including
short positions of any of the foregoing, within their respective segments of the
Alternative Strategies Fund. The Alternative Strategies Fund may also
invest in derivatives, including, without limitation, options, futures
contracts, including Treasury futures, participatory notes (“P‑Notes”) and
swaps, to manage risk or enhance return and can also borrow amounts up to one
third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (except that the Alternative
Strategies Fund may exceed this limit to satisfy redemption requests or for
other
temporary
purposes). Each of the managers may invest in illiquid securities; however,
the Alternative Strategies Fund as a whole may not hold more than 15% of its net
assets in illiquid securities. In some cases, the sub‑advisors may seek to
replicate strategies they employ in their private (hedge) funds. In other
cases, the sub‑advisors may seek to enhance strategies they run in other public
funds by focusing on their highest conviction ideas to a greater extent or by
pursuing certain aspects of their strategies with greater
flexibility. However, the Alternative Strategies Fund will only invest
directly in portfolio securities selected by the sub‑advisors and will not
invest in any pooled investment vehicles or accounts managed by the
sub‑advisors.
Each
sub‑advisor will have an investment approach that generally focuses on a
particular asset class or specific strategies. Currently, the strategies the
sub‑advisors focus on are as follows: (1) an arbitrage oriented strategy,
(2) an opportunistic income strategy which will often focus on mortgage
related securities, (3) a contrarian opportunity strategy that allows
tactical investments throughout the capital structure (stocks and bonds), asset
classes, market capitalization, industries and geographies, (4) a
long/short credit strategy, (5) a strategic alpha strategy that focuses on
the tactical allocation of long and short global fixed income opportunities and
currencies, and (6) an “enhanced trend strategy” that focuses on a blend of
managed futures and equity hedge strategies. iM Global may hire
sub‑advisors that focus on other strategies in the future, and not all
strategies that may be appropriate will be represented in the Alternative
Strategies Fund’s portfolio at all times.
|
|
|
| |
SUB‑ ADVISOR |
|
TARGET
ASSET
ALLOCATION |
|
STOCK-PICKING STYLE |
|
| |
Blackstone
Credit Systematic Strategies LLC (“BXCSS”) |
|
15% |
|
Long-Short
Credit |
|
| |
DoubleLine Capital,
LP (“DoubleLine”) |
|
20% |
|
Opportunistic
Income |
|
| |
Dynamic
Beta investments, LLC (“DBi”) |
|
20% |
|
Enhanced
Trend |
|
| |
First
Pacific Advisors, LP (“FPA”) |
|
12% |
|
Contrarian
Opportunity |
|
| |
Loomis
Sayles and Company, LP (“Loomis”) |
|
15% |
|
Strategic
Alpha Fixed Income |
|
| |
Water
Island Capital, LLC |
|
18% |
|
Arbitrage |
The
sub‑advisor that manages the arbitrage strategy seeks to generate long-term
returns of at least mid‑single‑digits with low correlation to the equity and
bond markets and may follow merger arbitrage, convertible arbitrage and capital
structure arbitrage strategies. This objective is pursued by investing in
equity and debt securities of U.S. and non‑U.S. companies that are impacted by
corporate events such as mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, refinancings,
recapitalizations, reorganizations or other special
situations.
The
sub‑advisor that manages the opportunistic income strategy allocates investments
to fixed income instruments and other investments with no limit on the duration
of the portfolio. The sub‑advisor may invest in, without limitation,
asset-backed securities; domestic and foreign corporate bonds, including
high-yield bonds; municipal bonds; bonds or other obligations
issued
by
domestic or foreign governments, including emerging markets countries; real
estate investment trust (“REIT”) debt securities; and mortgage related
securities. iM Global defines an emerging market country as any country
that is included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. When investing in
mortgage-related securities, the sub‑advisor may invest in obligations issued or
guaranteed by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government;
collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”) issued by domestic or foreign
private issuers that represent an interest in or are collateralized by mortgage
related securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S.
Government; commercial mortgage backed securities (“CMBS”); obligations issued
by private issuers that represent an interest in or are collateralized by whole
mortgage loans or mortgage related securities without a government guarantee but
typically with some form of private credit enhancement; “interest only” and
“principal only” stripped
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
14 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
mortgage
securities; inverse floating rate securities; and debt or equity tranches of
collateralized debt obligations collateralized by mortgage related securities.
The sub‑advisor may purchase or sell mortgage-backed securities on a delayed
delivery or forward commitment basis through the “to‑be‑announced” (TBA) market.
With TBA transactions, the particular securities to be delivered are not
identified at the trade date but the delivered securities must meet specified
terms and standards. The sub‑advisor will generally enter into TBA transactions
with the intention of taking possession of the underlying mortgage-backed
securities. However, in an effort to obtain underlying mortgage-backed
securities on more preferable terms or to enhance returns, the sub‑advisor may
extend the settlement by entering into
“dollar
roll”
transactions in which the sub‑advisor sells mortgage-backed securities and
simultaneously agrees to purchase substantially similar securities on a future
date. The sub‑advisor also expects to engage in short sales of TBA mortgages,
including short sales on TBA mortgages the Alternative Strategies Fund does not
own, to potentially enhance returns or manage risk.
The
sub‑advisor that manages the contrarian opportunity strategy focuses on
investments that offer absolute rather than relative value. The goal is to
provide equity-like returns over longer periods (i.e., five to seven years) while limiting the
permanent loss of capital. Attention is directed toward those companies
offering the best combination of such quality criteria as strong market share,
good management, and high normalized return on
capital.
The
sub‑advisor that manages the long-short credit strategy employs a systematic
portfolio construction process underpinned by a proprietary, fundamental model
of credit risk and valuation. The sub‑advisor’s investment process is designed
to exploit information gaps between credit and equity markets and other market
inefficiencies to identify and capture mispricing at the individual asset level.
The portfolio is managed with the intention that the sensitivity of the long
portfolio to market-wide credit spread movements will be offset in part by the
sensitivities of the short portfolio to such market-wide movements. The
sub‑advisor may invest in corporate bonds issued by domestic and non‑U.S. based
companies, U.S. Treasury securities and long (sold protection) single name
credit default swaps (CDS), interest rate futures and swaps and foreign exchange
forwards (for hedging and currency conversion purposes). The short portfolio may
be invested in short (bought protection) single name Credit Default Swap (CDS),
short positions in Credit Default Indices (CDX Indices), and short positions in
Total Return Swaps (TRS).
The
sub‑advisor that manages the strategic alpha strategy seeks to achieve positive
total returns over a full market cycle with relatively low volatility. The
sub‑advisor intends to pursue its objective by utilizing a flexible investment
approach that allocates investments across a global range of investment
opportunities related to credit, currencies and interest rates, while employing
risk management strategies designed to mitigate downside risk. Under normal
market conditions, the sub‑advisor may invest (1) up to 75% of the total
assets allocated to it in below investment-grade fixed income securities and
related derivatives; (2) up to 75% of the total assets allocated to it in
investments denominated in non‑U.S. currencies and related derivatives,
including up to 50% in investments denominated in
emerging
market
currencies and related derivatives; and (3) up to 20% of the total assets
allocated to it in equity related securities and derivatives as measured at time
of allocation. A “related derivative” of a financial instrument means any
derivative whose value is based upon or derived from that financial instrument
or a related derivative of that financial
instrument.
The
sub‑advisor incorporates systematic and quantitative models into its investment
process.
The
sub‑advisor that manages the enhanced trend strategy seeks to generate
attractive absolute and risk-adjusted returns over multi-year periods with low
average correlation to traditional assets, while providing strong
diversification benefits during periods of extended losses for stocks and/or
bonds. The sub‑advisor may also allocate a portion of the Alternative Strategies
Fund’s assets that it manages to a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Alternative
Strategies Fund (the “Subsidiary”), which is organized under the laws of the
Cayman Islands, is advised by that sub‑advisor, and will comply with the
Alternative Strategies Fund’s investment objective and investment
policies.
Principal
Risks
As with all mutual funds, it is possible to lose money on an
investment in the Alternative Strategies Fund. An investment in the Alternative
Strategies Fund is not a deposit of any bank and is not guaranteed, endorsed or
insured by any financial institution, government authority or the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The principal risks of
investing in the Alternative Strategies Fund are:
• |
|
Equity Securities Risk. This is the risk
that the value of equity securities may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and
unpredictably, due to factors affecting the general market, an entire
industry or sector, or particular companies. These factors include,
without limitation, adverse changes in economic conditions, the general
outlook for corporate earnings, interest rates or investor sentiment;
increases in production costs; and significant management decisions. This
risk is greater for small- and medium‑sized companies, which tend to be
more vulnerable to adverse developments than larger
companies. |
• |
|
Fixed Income Securities Risk. Interest
rates may go up resulting in a decrease in value of the securities held by
the Alternative Strategies Fund. Fixed income securities held by the
Alternative Strategies Fund are also subject to interest rate risk, credit
risk, call risk and liquidity risk, which are more fully described
below. |
|
¡ |
|
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk
that an issuer will not make timely payments of principal and interest. A
credit rating assigned to a particular debt security is essentially an
opinion as to the credit quality of an issuer and may prove to be
inaccurate. There is also the risk that a bond issuer may “call,” or
repay, its high yielding bonds before their maturity
dates. |
|
¡ |
|
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rates may
go up resulting in a decrease in the value of the securities held by the
Alternative Strategies Fund. Until the Federal Reserve raised interest
rates several times beginning in March 2022, interest rates had been
historically low, so the Alternative Strategies
Fund |
iMGP Alternative Strategies Fund — (Continued)
|
|
faces a
heightened risk should interest rates continue to rise. Debt securities
subject to prepayment can offer less potential for gains during a
declining interest rate environment and similar or greater potential for
loss in a rising interest rate environment. A fund with a longer average
portfolio duration will be more sensitive
to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio
duration. |
|
¡ |
|
Call Risk. During periods of declining
interest rates, a bond issuer may “call” or repay its high yielding bonds
before their maturity dates. |
|
¡ |
|
Liquidity Risk. Certain securities may
be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that the
Alternative Strategies Fund would like. Trading opportunities are more
limited for fixed income securities that have not received any credit
ratings, have received ratings below investment grade or are not widely
held. The values of these securities may fluctuate more sharply than those
of other securities, and the Alternative Strategies Fund may experience
some difficulty in closing out positions in these securities at prevailing
market prices. |
|
¡ |
|
Prepayment and Extension Risk. In times
of declining interest rates, the Alternative Strategies Fund’s higher
yielding securities will be prepaid, and the Alternative Strategies Fund
will have to replace them with securities having a lower yield. Rising
interest rates could extend the life of securities with lower payment
rates. This is known as extension risk and may increase the Alternative
Strategies Fund’s sensitivity to rising rates and its potential for price
declines. |
• |
|
Market Risk. The value of the Alternative
Strategies Fund’s shares will fluctuate based on the performance of the
Alternative Strategies Fund’s investments and other factors affecting the
securities markets generally. Certain investments selected for the
Alternative Strategies Fund’s portfolio may be worth less than the price
originally paid for them, or less than they were worth at an earlier time.
The value of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s investments may go up or
down, sometimes dramatically and unpredictably, based on current market
conditions, such as real or perceived adverse political or economic
conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates, lack of liquidity in the
fixed income markets or adverse investor
sentiment. |
• |
|
Geopolitical Events Risk. The
interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases
the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market
may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial
market. Securities in the Alternative Strategy Fund’s portfolio may
underperform due to inflation (or expectations for inflation), interest
rates, global demand for particular products or resources, natural
disasters, climate change and climate-related events, pandemics,
epidemics, terrorism, international conflicts, regulatory events and
governmental or quasi-governmental actions. The occurrence of global
events similar to those in recent years may result in market volatility
and may have long-term effects on both the U.S. and global financial
markets. |
• |
|
Below Investment-Grade Fixed Income Securities
Risk. This is the risk of investing in below investment-grade
fixed income |
|
|
securities
(also known as “junk bonds”), which may be greater than that of higher
rated fixed income securities. These securities are rated Ba1 through
C by Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) or BB+ through D by
Standard & Poor’s Rating Group (“S&P”) (or comparably rated
by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization), or, if
not rated by Moody’s or S&P, are considered by the sub‑advisors to be
of similar quality. These securities have greater risk of default
than higher rated securities. The market value of these securities is
more sensitive to corporate developments and economic conditions and can
be volatile. Market conditions can diminish liquidity and make accurate
valuations difficult to obtain. There is no limit to the Alternative
Strategies Fund’s ability to invest in below investment-grade fixed income
securities; however, under normal market conditions, it does not expect to
invest more than 50% of its total assets in below investment-grade fixed
income securities. |
• |
|
Convertible Securities Risk. This is
the risk that the market value of convertible securities may fluctuate due
to changes in, among other things, interest rates; other general economic
conditions; industry fundamentals; market sentiment; the issuer’s
operating results, financial statements, and credit ratings; and the
market value of the underlying common or preferred
stock. |
• |
|
Capital Structure Arbitrage
Risk. The perceived mispricing identified by the sub‑advisor
may not disappear or may even increase, in which case losses may be
realized. |
• |
|
Convertible Arbitrage
Risk. Arbitrage strategies involve engaging in transactions
that attempt to exploit price differences of identical, related or similar
securities on different markets or in different forms. The Alternative
Strategies Fund may realize losses or reduced rate of return if underlying
relationships among securities in which investment positions are taken
change in an adverse manner or a transaction is unexpectedly terminated or
delayed. Trading to seek short-term capital appreciation can be expected
to cause the Alternative Strategies Fund’s portfolio turnover rate to be
substantially higher than that of the average equity-oriented investment
company, resulting in higher transaction costs and additional capital
gains tax liabilities. |
• |
|
Special Situations Risk. The
Alternative Strategies Fund may seek to benefit from “special situations,”
such as mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, bankruptcies, liquidations,
reorganizations, restructurings, tender or exchange offers, or other
unusual events expected to affect a particular issuer. Investing in
special situations carries the risk that certain of such situations may
not happen as anticipated or the market may react differently than
expected to such situations. The securities of companies involved in
special situations may be more volatile than other securities, may at
times be illiquid, or may be difficult to value. Certain special
situations carry the additional risks inherent in difficult corporate
transitions and the securities of such companies may be more likely to
lose value than the securities of more stable
companies. |
• |
|
Event-Driven Risk. Event-driven
investments involve the risk that certain of the events driving the
investment may not happen or the market may react differently than
expected to the |
|
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| |
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16 |
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Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
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anticipated
transaction. In addition, although an event may occur or is announced, it
may be renegotiated, terminated or involve a longer time frame than
originally contemplated. Event-driven investment transactions are also
subject to the risk of overall market movements. Any one of these risks
could cause the Alternative Strategies Fund to experience investment
losses, impacting its shares
negatively. |
• |
|
Asset-Backed Securities Risk. This
is the risk that the impairment of the value of the collateral underlying
a security in which the Alternative Strategies Fund invests, such as the
non‑payment of loans, will result in a reduction in the value of the
security. The value of these securities may also fluctuate in response to
the market’s perception of the value of issuers or
collateral. |
• |
|
Mortgage-Backed Securities
Risk. This is the risk of investing in mortgaged-backed
securities, which includes interest rate risk, prepayment risk and the
risk of defaults on the mortgage loans underlying these
securities. |
• |
|
TBAs and Dollar Rolls Risk. This is the
risk that, although the securities that are delivered in TBA transactions
must meet certain standards, the actual securities received by the
Alternative Strategies Fund may be less favorable than what was
anticipated when entering into the transaction. TBA transactions are
collateralized but they still involve the risk that a counterparty will
fail to deliver the security, exposing the Alternative Strategies Fund to
potential losses. Whether or not the Alternative Strategies Fund takes
delivery of the securities at the termination date of a TBA transaction,
it will nonetheless be exposed to changes in the value of the underlying
investments during the term of the agreement. Forward settling securities,
such as TBAs, involve leverage which may magnify investment risks and can
cause losses to be realized more
quickly. |
• |
|
Collateralized Loan Obligations and
Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk. Collateralized loan
obligations (“CLOs”) bear many of the same risks as other forms of
asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, credit risk and
default risk. As they are backed by pools of loans, CLOs also bear similar
risks to investing in loans directly. CLOs issue classes or “tranches”
that vary in risk and yield. CLOs may experience substantial losses
attributable to loan defaults. Losses caused by defaults on underlying
assets are borne first by the holders of subordinate tranches. The
Alternative Strategies Fund’s investment in CLOs may decrease in market
value when the CLO experiences loan defaults or credit impairment, the
disappearance of a subordinate tranche, or market anticipation of defaults
and investor aversion to CLO securities as a class. Collateralized debt
obligations (“CDOs”) are structured similarly to CLOs and bear the same
risks as CLOs including interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk.
CDOs are subject to additional risks because they are backed by pools of
assets other than loans including securities (such as other asset-backed
securities), synthetic instruments or bonds and may be highly leveraged.
Like CLOs, losses incurred by a CDO are borne first by holders of
subordinate tranches. Accordingly, the risks of CDOs depend largely on the
type of underlying collateral and the tranche of CDOs in which the
Alternative Strategies
Fund |
|
|
invests.
For example, CDOs that obtain their exposure through synthetic investments
entail the risks associated with derivative
instruments. |
• |
|
Foreign Investment Risk. This is the risk
that an investment in foreign (non‑U.S.) securities may cause the
Alternative Strategies Fund to experience more rapid and extreme changes
in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S.
companies, due to, among other factors, less publicly available
information, less stringent and less uniform accounting, auditing and
financial reporting standards, less liquid and more volatile markets,
higher transaction and custody costs, additional taxes, less investor
protection, delayed or less frequent settlement, political or social
instability, civil unrest, acts of terrorism, regional economic
volatility, and the imposition of sanctions, confiscations, trade
restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the
United States and/or other
governments. |
• |
|
Emerging Markets Risk. This is the risk
that the value of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s emerging markets
investments will decline due to the greater degree of economic, political
and social instability of emerging or developing countries as compared to
developed countries. Investments in emerging market countries are subject
to substantial risks due to, among other factors, different accounting
standards and thinner trading markets as compared to those in developed
countries; less publicly available and reliable information about issuers
as compared to developed markets; the possibility of currency transfer
restrictions; and the risk of expropriation, nationalization or other
adverse political, economic or social
developments. |
• |
|
Currency Risk. This is the risk that
foreign currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and
affect the Alternative Strategies Fund’s investments in foreign (non‑U.S.)
currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in
derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non‑U.S.)
currencies. |
• |
|
Leverage Risk. This is the risk that
leverage may cause the effect of an increase or decrease in the value of
the Alternative Strategies Fund’s portfolio securities to be magnified and
the Alternative Strategies Fund to be more volatile than if leverage was
not used. Leverage may result from certain transactions, including
the use of derivatives and borrowing. |
• |
|
Derivatives Risk. This is the risk
that an investment in derivatives may not correlate completely to the
performance of the underlying securities and may be volatile and that the
insolvency of the counterparty to a derivative instrument could cause the
Alternative Strategies Fund to lose all or substantially all of its
investment in the derivative instrument, as well as the benefits derived
therefrom. |
|
¡ |
|
Options Risk. This is the risk that an
investment in options may be subject to greater fluctuation than an
investment in the underlying instruments themselves and may be subject to
a complete loss of the amounts paid as premiums to purchase the
options. |
|
¡ |
|
Futures Contracts Risk. This is the risk
that an investment in futures contracts may be subject to losses that
exceed the |
iMGP Alternative Strategies Fund — (Continued)
|
|
amount
of the premiums paid and may subject the Alternative Strategies Fund’s net
asset value to greater volatility. |
|
¡ |
|
P‑Notes Risk. This is the risk that the
performance results of P‑Notes will not replicate exactly the performance
of the issuers or markets that the P‑Notes seek to replicate. Investments
in P‑Notes involve risks normally associated with a direct investment in
the underlying securities as well as additional risks, such as
counterparty risk. |
|
¡ |
|
Swaps Risk. Risks inherent in the use of
swaps include: (1) swap contracts may not be assigned without the
consent of the counterparty; (2) potential default of the
counterparty to the swap; (3) absence of a liquid secondary market
for any particular swap at any time; and (4) possible inability of
the Alternative Strategies Fund to close out the swap transaction at a
time that otherwise would be favorable for it to do
so. |
• |
|
Short Sale Risk. This is the risk
that the value of a security the Alternative Strategies Fund sells short
does not go down as expected. The risk of loss is theoretically unlimited
if the value of the security sold short continues to increase. In
addition, short sales may cause the Alternative Strategies Fund to be
compelled, at a time disadvantageous to it, to buy the security previously
sold short, thus resulting in a loss. To meet current margin requirements,
the Alternative Strategies Fund is required to deposit with the broker
additional cash or securities so that the total deposit with the broker is
maintained daily at 150% of the current market value of the securities
sold short. |
• |
|
Merger Arbitrage Risk. This is the
risk that a proposed reorganization in which the Alternative Strategies
Fund invests may be renegotiated or
terminated. |
• |
|
Models and Data Risk. This is the
risk that that one or all of the proprietary systematic and quantitative
models may fail to identify profitable opportunities at any time.
Furthermore, the models may incorrectly identify opportunities and these
misidentified opportunities may lead to substantial losses for the
Alternative Strategies Fund. Models may be predictive in nature and such
models may result in an incorrect assessment of future events. Data used
in the construction of models may prove to be inaccurate or stale, which
may result in losses for the Alternative Strategies
Fund. |
• |
|
Managed Futures Strategy Risk. In seeking
to achieve its investment objective, the Alternative Strategies Fund will
utilize various investment strategies that involve the use of complex
investment techniques, and there is no guarantee that these strategies
will succeed. The use of such strategies and techniques may subject the
Alternative Strategies Fund to greater volatility and loss. There can be
no assurance that utilizing a certain approach or model will achieve a
particular level of return or reduce volatility and
loss. |
• |
|
Commodities Risk. Exposure to the
commodities markets (including financial futures markets) may subject the
Alternative Strategies Fund, through its investment in the Subsidiary, to
greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. Prices of
commodities and related contracts may fluctuate significantly over short
periods for a variety of reasons, including changes in interest rates,
supply and demand relationships and balances of payments and trade;
weather and |
|
|
natural
disasters; governmental, agricultural, trade, fiscal, monetary and
exchange control programs and policies, public health crises and trade or
price wars among commodity producers or buyers. The commodity markets are
subject to temporary distortions and other disruptions. U.S. futures
exchanges and some foreign exchanges have regulations that limit the
amount of fluctuation in futures contract prices which may occur during a
single business day. Limit prices have the effect of precluding trading in
a particular contract or forcing the liquidation of contracts at
disadvantageous times or
prices. |
• |
|
Subsidiary Risk. By investing in the
Subsidiary, the Alternative Strategies Fund is indirectly exposed to the
risks associated with the Subsidiary’s investments. The derivatives and
other investments held by the Subsidiary are generally similar to those
that are permitted to be held by the Alternative Strategies Fund and are
subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held
directly by the Alternative Strategies Fund. The Subsidiary is not
registered under the 1940 Act, and, unless otherwise noted in this
Prospectus, is not subject to all the investor protections of the 1940
Act. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands
could result in the inability of the Alternative Strategies Fund and/or
the Subsidiary to continue to operate as it does currently and could
adversely affect the Alternative Strategies
Fund. |
• |
|
Equity Hedge Strategy Risk. The
Alternative Strategies Fund uses various investment strategies that seek
to identify the main drivers of performance of a diversified portfolio of
the largest long/short equity hedge funds. These investment strategies
involve the use to complex derivatives techniques, and there is no
guarantee that these strategies will succeed. The use of such strategies
and techniques may subject the Alternative Strategies Fund to greater
volatility and loss than investing in individual equity securities. There
can be no assurance that utilizing a certain approach or model will
achieve a particular level of return or reduce volatility and
loss. |
• |
|
Multi-Management Risk. Because portions of the Alternative
Strategies Fund assets are managed by different portfolio managers using
different styles, the Alternatives Strategies Fund could experience
overlapping security transactions that could lead to unintended
concentration in certain securities. Certain portfolio managers may
be purchasing securities at the same time other portfolio managers may be
selling those same securities, which may lead to higher transaction
expenses and tax inefficiencies compared to using a single investment
manager. |
• |
|
Investment Selection Risk. The
sub‑advisors’ portfolio managers may select investments that underperform
and investors’ Fund shares may decline in value. This risk may be more
significant when sub‑advisors concentrate their holdings in a limited
number of securities as may be the case in the Alternative Strategies Fund
because concentration can magnify the potential for gains and losses from
individual securities. This risk may be greater for multi-manager funds
compared to funds with a single
manager. |
• |
|
Portfolio Turnover Risk. This is the risk that the
Alternative Strategies Fund may experience high portfolio turnover rates
as a result of its investment strategies. High portfolio
turnover |
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18 |
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| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
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rates
may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when
shares of the Alternative Strategies Fund are held in a taxable account as
compared to shares in investment companies that hold investments for a
longer period. |
• |
|
Unfavorable Tax Treatment Risk. This is
the risk that a material portion of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s
return could be in the form of net investment income or short-term capital
gains, some of which may be distributed to shareholders and taxed at
ordinary income tax rates. Therefore, shareholders may have a greater
need to pay regular taxes than compared to other investment strategies
that hold investments longer. Due to this investment strategy, it may
be preferable for certain shareholders to invest in the Alternative
Strategies Fund through pre‑tax or tax‑deferred accounts as compared to
investment through currently taxable accounts. Potential shareholders
are encouraged to consult their tax advisors in this
regard. |
• |
|
Cybersecurity Risk. With the increased
use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the
Alternative Strategies Fund is susceptible to operational, information
security, and related risks. Cyber incidents affecting the Alternative
Strategies Fund or its service providers may cause disruptions and impact
business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses,
interference with the Alternative Strategies Fund’s ability to calculate
its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of shareholders to transact
business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory
fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation
costs, or additional compliance
costs. |
• |
|
Operational Risk. Operational risks
include human error, changes in personnel, system changes, faults in
communication, and failures in systems, technology, or processes. Various
operational events or circumstances are outside the Advisor’s or a
sub‑advisor’s control, including instances at third parties. The
Alternative Strategies Fund, the Advisor and each sub‑advisor seek to
reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However,
these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to
address these risks. |
• |
|
Securities Lending Risk: The Alternative
Strategies Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending
involves possible delay in recovery of the securities or possible loss of
rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially. The
Alternative Strategies Fund could also lose money if the value of the
collateral decreases. As a result, the value of the Alternative Strategies
Fund’s shares may
fall. |
Performance
The following
performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in
the Alternative Strategies Fund. The bar chart shows changes in the
performance of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s Institutional Class shares
from year to year. The table below shows how the Alternative Strategies
Fund’s average annual total returns of the Institutional Class and Investor
Class for the 1‑, 5‑and 10‑year periods compare to those of a broad-based
market index, a secondary market index and an index of peer group mutual
funds. Past performance,
before and
after taxes, does not
necessarily indicate how the Alternative Strategies Fund will perform in the
future. Updated performance information is available on
the Alternative Strategies Fund’s website at www.imgpfunds.com.
Alternative
Strategies Fund
Institutional
Class Calendar Year Total Returns
as
of December 31
During
the period shown above, the highest and lowest quarterly returns earned by the
Alternative Strategies Fund were:
|
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|
|
|
| |
Highest: |
|
|
7.64% |
|
|
Quarter ended June 30,
2020 |
Lowest: |
|
|
-9.36% |
|
|
Quarter ended March 31,
2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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| |
Average
Annual Total Returns
(for
the periods ended December 31, 2023) |
|
|
|
One Year |
|
|
Five Years |
|
|
Ten Years |
|
Alternative
Strategies Fund |
|
Institutional
Class |
|
|
|
| |
|
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| |
|
| |
Return
Before Taxes |
|
|
5.91% |
|
|
|
2.80% |
|
|
|
2.58% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions |
|
|
4.30% |
|
|
|
1.28% |
|
|
|
1.24% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares |
|
|
3.52% |
|
|
|
1.59% |
|
|
|
1.45% |
|
Investor
Class |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Return
Before Taxes |
|
|
5.61% |
|
|
|
2.55% |
|
|
|
2.33% |
|
Bloomberg
U.S. Aggregate Bond Index* |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
|
|
5.53% |
|
|
|
1.10% |
|
|
|
1.81% |
|
ICE
BofAML U.S. 3‑Month Treasury Index* |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
|
|
5.01% |
|
|
|
1.88% |
|
|
|
1.25% |
|
Morningstar
Multistrategy Category |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
(reflects net performance of funds in this
group) |
|
|
6.51% |
|
|
|
3.76% |
|
|
|
2.35% |
|
* |
Effective April 29, 2024, the
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index became the Fund’s primary benchmark
and the ICE BofAML U.S. 3-Month Treasury Index became the Fund’s secondary
benchmark. |
iMGP Alternative Strategies Fund — (Continued)
The Alternative Strategies
Fund’s after‑tax returns as shown in the above table are calculated using the
historical highest applicable individual federal marginal income tax rates for
the period and do not reflect the impact of state and local
taxes. Your actual after‑tax
returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown. If
you own shares of the Alternative Strategies Fund in a tax‑deferred account,
such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account after‑tax returns
shown are not relevant to
your
investment. After‑tax returns are shown
for only the Alternative Strategies Fund’s Institutional Class, and after‑tax
returns for the Alternative Strategies Fund’s Investor Class will
vary. The after‑tax returns on
distributions and sale of Fund shares may be higher than returns before taxes
due to the effect of a tax benefit an investor may receive from the realization
of capital losses that would have been incurred on the sale of Fund
shares.
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INVESTMENT ADVISOR |
|
PORTFOLIO MANAGER |
|
MANAGED
THE ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND SINCE: |
|
| |
iM Global
Partner Fund Management, LLC |
|
Jack Chee, CIO Asset Management US,
Managing Director and Co-Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
| |
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|
Jason
Steuerwalt, CFA, Director, Head of Alternatives US and Co‑Portfolio
Manager |
|
|
|
2019 |
|
|
| |
SUB‑ADVISOR |
|
PORTFOLIO MANAGER |
|
|
|
| |
Blackstone
Credit Systematic Strategies LLC |
|
Paul Harrison, Chief Investment Officer
and Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2017 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Adam
Dwinells, Head of Portfolio Management and Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2017 |
|
|
| |
DoubleLine
Capital LP |
|
Jeffrey Gundlach, Chief Executive
Officer, Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2011 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Jeffrey
Sherman, CFA, Deputy Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2017 |
|
|
| |
Dynamic
Beta investments, LLC |
|
Andrew Beer, Managing Member and
Co‑Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2022 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Mathias
Mamou-Mani, Managing Member and Co‑Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2022 |
|
|
| |
First
Pacific Advisors, LP |
|
Steven Romick, CFA, Managing Partner
and Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2011 |
|
|
| |
| |
Brian Selmo, CFA, Partner, Portfolio
Manager and Director of Research |
|
|
|
2011 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Mark
Landecker, CFA, Partner and Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2011 |
|
|
| |
Loomis,
Sayles & Company, L.P. |
|
Matthew J. Eagan, CFA, Director and
Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2011 |
|
|
| |
| |
Todd P. Vandam, CFA, Portfolio
Manager |
|
|
|
2011 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Brian
P. Kennedy, Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2021 |
|
|
| |
Water
Island Capital, LLC |
|
John Orrico, CFA, Managing Member,
Co-Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2011 |
|
|
| |
| |
Roger Foltynowicz, CFA, CAIA, Portfolio
Manager |
|
|
|
2011 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Gregg
Loprete, Portfolio Manager
Matthew
Osowiecki, Portfolio Manager and Co‑Chief Investment Officer |
|
|
|
2011
2024 |
|
For
important information about the purchase and sale of fund shares, tax
information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the “Summary
of Other Important Information Regarding the Funds” section on
page 41 of this Prospectus.
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20 |
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Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
iMGP
High Income Fund
Summary
Section
Investment
Objectives
The iMGP High Income Fund (the
“High Income Fund”) seeks to generate a high level of current income from
diverse sources, consistent with the goal of capital preservation over
time. Capital appreciation is a
secondary objective.
Fees
and Expenses of the High Income Fund
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell
shares of the High Income Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage
commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected
in the table and example below.
Annual
Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value
of your investment)
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Institutional
Class |
|
Management
Fees(1) |
|
|
0.85% |
|
Distribution
and or Service (12b‑1) Fees |
|
|
None |
|
Other
Expenses |
|
|
0.53% |
|
Interest
and Dividend Expenses |
|
|
0.03% |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
Other Expenses |
|
|
0.56% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) |
|
|
1.41% |
|
Fee
Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(1)(2)(3) |
|
|
(0.40)% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense
Reimbursement(1)(2) |
|
|
1.01% |
|
| |
|
|
|
(1) |
“Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses”
and “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense
Reimbursement” do not correlate to the corresponding ratios included in
the High Income Fund’s Financial Highlights because the management fees
for the Fund were reduced effective April 29, 2024 and were not in effect
for the previous fiscal year. |
(2) |
iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC
(formerly, Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC) (“iM Global” or the
“Advisor”), the advisor to the High Income Fund, has contractually agreed
to limit the High Income Fund’s operating expenses (excluding any taxes,
interest, brokerage commissions, borrowing costs, dividend expenses,
acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses such as but not
limited to litigation costs) through April 30,
2025 to an annual rate of 0.98% for the Institutional
Class (the “Operating Expense Limitation”). This agreement may be renewed
for additional periods not exceeding one (1) year and may be terminated by
the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Litman Gregory Funds Trust (the
“Trust”) upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to iM Global. iM Global may
also decline to renew this agreement by written notice to the Trust at
least thirty (30) days before the renewal date. Pursuant to this
agreement, iM Global may recoup reduced fees and expenses only within
three years from the end of the month in which the reimbursement took
place, provided that the recoupment does not cause the High Income Fund’s
annual expense ratio to exceed the lesser of (i) the expense limitation
applicable at the time of that fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement or
(ii) the expense limitation in effect at the time of
recoupment. |
(3) |
iM Global has separately contractually
agreed through April 30, 2025, to waive a portion of its advisory fees so
that after paying all of the sub-advisory fees, the net advisory fee as a
percentage of the High Income Fund’s daily net assets retained by iM
Global is 0.40% on the first $1 billion of assets, 0.375% on the next $1
billion of assets, 0.35% on the next $1 billion of assets, 0.325% on the
next $1 billion of assets and 0.30% on assets in excess of $4 billion.
This agreement may be terminated at any time by the Board of the Trust
upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to iM Global, and iM Global may
decline to renew this agreement at its expiration on April 30, 2025 by
written notice to the Trust at least thirty (30) days before the
agreement’s annual expiration date. iM Global has waived its right to
receive reimbursement of the portion of its advisory fees waived pursuant
to this advisory fee waiver
agreement. |
Example
This
example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the High Income
Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes
that you invest $10,000 in the High Income Fund for the time periods indicated
and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example
also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and
that
the High Income Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The cost for the
High Income Fund reflects the net expenses of the High Income Fund that result
from the contractual expense limitation in the first year only. Although your
actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would
be:
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| |
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One Year |
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Three Years |
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Five Years |
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Ten Years |
|
Institutional
Class |
|
$ |
103 |
|
|
$ |
393 |
|
|
$ |
720 |
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$ |
1,644 |
|
Portfolio
Turnover
The
High Income 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 of the High Income Fund are held in a taxable account as
compared to shares in investment companies that hold investments for a longer
period. These costs, which are not reflected in the annual fund operating
expenses or in the example, will affect the High Income Fund’s
performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the High Income Fund’s
portfolio turnover rate was 38.78%.
Principal
Strategies
The
High Income Fund invests in a mix of strategies that iM Global believes offer
risk-return characteristics that are attractive individually and even more
compelling collectively. The High Income Fund is intended to be used by
investors seeking high current income consistent with capital preservation over
time, and with long-term capital appreciation a secondary objective.
The
Advisor believes that giving highly disciplined sub‑advisors (each, a “manager”
or “sub‑advisor”) latitude in the types of stocks they can own can confer an
advantage over managers who are more tightly constrained to an arbitrary “style
box.” This belief underlays the premise of the High Income Fund to seek skilled
managers, give them broad flexibility, limit them to their highest-conviction
ideas and create diversification at the overall fund level by choosing managers
with complementary styles, which the Advisor believes also should reduce risk.
The Advisor is responsible for recommending which sub‑advisors to hire or
remove. Before hiring a sub‑advisor, the Advisor performs extensive due
diligence. This includes quantitative and qualitative analysis, including (but
not limited to) an evaluation of the investment process, the consistency of its
execution and discipline; individual holdings; strategies employed, past
mistakes, risk controls, team depth and quality; operations and compliance; and
business focus and vision. The Advisor’s evaluation process includes review of
literature and documents, quantitative historical performance evaluation,
extensive discussions with members of the investment team and firm management
and background checks through industry contacts.
There
is no minimum or maximum allocation of the High Income Fund’s portfolio assets
to each sub‑advisor, but it is expected that no one strategy will be allocated
less than 10% of portfolio assets or more than 60% of portfolio assets as
measured at the time of allocation. It is possible that additional managers and
strategies
iMGP High Income Fund — (Continued)
will
be added to (or removed from) the High Income Fund in the future and/or there
may be adjustments in the allocation ranges. The Advisor is responsible for
establishing the target allocation of High Income Fund assets to each manager
based on the Advisor’s goal of maintaining a balance of investment styles
(growth, value, and blend) and market capitalization exposure (large‑cap,
mid‑cap and small‑cap companies) and may adjust the target allocations at its
discretion. Market performance may result in allocation drift among the managers
of the High Income Fund. The Advisor is responsible for periodically rebalancing
the portfolios, the timing and degree of which will be determined by the Advisor
based on the amount of deviation from pre‑established target allocation ranges
and the Advisor’s assessment of market conditions and investment opportunities
available to each sub‑advisor. The Advisor monitors the individual portfolios
managed by the sub‑advisors to ensure that the overall portfolio does not
include any unintentional over-weights to market capitalization levels, sectors,
industries or individual securities.
Sub‑advisor
strategies may seek to benefit from: opportunities to combine securities with
differing risk characteristics; market inefficiencies; opportunities to provide
liquidity; tactical opportunities in asset classes or securities; special
situations such as spin-offs; as well as other opportunities in other
areas. In the aggregate, the managers can invest globally in debt and
equity securities of companies of any size, domicile or market capitalization,
government and corporate bonds, loans, loan participation interests, mortgage or
other asset-backed securities
and
other fixed income securities and currencies, including short positions of any
of the foregoing, within their respective segments of the High Income
Fund. The managers may invest without limitation in below investment grade
fixed income securities. Under normal market conditions, the High Income Fund
does not expect to invest more than 25% of its total assets in emerging market
securities. iM Global defines an emerging market country as any country that is
included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.
The
managers may also write options, invest in derivatives, including, without
limitation, options, futures contracts, participatory notes (“P‑Notes”) and
swaps, to manage risk or enhance return and can also borrow amounts up to one
third of the value of the High Income Fund’s total assets (except that the High
Income Fund may exceed this limit to satisfy redemption requests or for other
temporary purposes). Each of the managers may invest in illiquid
securities; however, the High Income Fund as a whole may not hold more than 15%
of its net assets in illiquid securities.
Each
sub‑advisor will have an investment approach that generally focuses on a
particular asset class or specific strategies. Currently, the strategies the
sub‑advisors focus on are as follows: (1) a credit value strategy,
(2) a multi-credit strategy, and (3) an option income strategy. iM
Global may hire sub‑advisors that focus on other strategies in the future, and
not all strategies that may be appropriate will be represented in the High
Income Fund’s portfolio at all times.
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SUB‑ ADVISOR |
|
TARGET ASSET
ALLOCATION |
|
STOCK-PICKING STYLE |
|
| |
Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co. (“BBH”) |
|
40% |
|
Credit
Value |
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| |
Guggenheim
Partners Investment Management, LLC (“Guggenheim”) |
|
40% |
|
Multi-Credit |
|
| |
Neuberger
Berman Investment Advisers LLC (“Neuberger”) |
|
20% |
|
Option Income |
The
sub‑advisor that manages the credit value strategy primarily invests its segment
of the High Income Fund in fixed income securities it believes have the
potential for excess return. The sub‑advisor invests in fixed income securities
from a wide variety of sectors, asset-backed securities, commercial
mortgage-backed securities, corporate bonds, floating-rate loans and municipal
bonds. The sub‑advisor expects to invest in structured and corporate securities.
The sub‑advisor’s emphasizes A/BBB‑rated asset backed securities and
BBB/BB‑rated corporate securities, as these ratings segments have historically
offered attractive risk-adjusted returns, along with low default rates. The
sub‑advisor also invests in U.S. Treasury futures to manage duration of the
portfolio, which allows individual security selection to be managed without
regard to portfolio duration. Duration is a measure of the expected life of a
fixed income security that is used to determine the sensitivity of a security to
changes in interest rates. Fixed income securities and portfolios with longer
durations are subject to more volatility than those with shorter durations. The
sub‑advisor will not typically own CCC‑rated or distressed securities.
The
sub‑advisor that manages the multi-credit strategy seeks to preserve invested
capital and maximize total return through a
combination
of current income and capital appreciation. The team invests in a wide range of
fixed income and other instruments selected from a variety of credit qualities,
and sectors, including, but not limited to, corporate bonds, loans and loan
participations, structured finance investments, U.S. government and agency,
mezzanine and preferred securities and convertible securities. The team seeks
opportunities across fixed income market sectors and aims to take advantage of
downturns/inefficiencies that occur during times of uncertainty. The
multi-credit strategy is flexible and is not constrained by duration, sector,
issuer, or credit quality.
The
sub‑advisor that manages the option income strategy writes collateralized put
options on both U.S. indices, including the S&P 500® Index and the Russell
2000® Index, and exchange
traded funds (“ETFs”). The manager seeks to generate returns through the receipt
of option premiums from selling puts, as well as through investments in fixed
income instruments, which collectively are intended to reduce volatility
relative to the level of volatility the strategy would experience if the High
Income Fund held the underlying equity index on which the options are written.
The portfolio’s investments in fixed income instruments may be of any
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22 |
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Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
duration,
may include variable and floating rate instruments, and may include U.S.
Treasury securities and other securities issued by the U.S. government and its
agencies and instrumentalities, debt securities issued by corporations or trust
entities, cash and cash equivalents, mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed
securities. The manager also may invest in money market mutual funds and ETFs.
Principal
Risks
As with all mutual funds, it is possible to lose money on an
investment in the High Income Fund. An investment in the High Income Fund is
not a deposit of any bank and is not guaranteed, endorsed or insured by any
financial institution, government authority or the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation (FDIC). The following risks could affect the value
of your investment. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the High
Income Fund’s net asset value per share, total return and/or ability to meet its
objective.
• |
|
Asset-Backed Securities Risk. This is the
risk that the impairment of the value of the collateral underlying a
security in which the High Income Fund invests, such as the non‑payment of
loans, will result in a reduction in the value of the security. The value
of these securities may also fluctuate in response to the market’s
perception of the value of issuers or collateral.
|
• |
|
Below Investment-Grade Fixed Income Securities
Risk. This is the risk of investing in below investment-grade
fixed income securities (also known as “junk bonds”), which may be greater
than that of higher rated fixed income securities. These securities
are rated Ba1 through C by Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) or BB+
through D by Standard & Poor’s Rating Group (“S&P”) (or
comparably rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating
organization), or, if not rated by Moody’s or S&P, are considered by
the sub‑advisors to be of similar quality. These securities are
regarded by the rating organizations as predominantly speculative with
respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with
the terms of the obligation and therefore have greater risk of default
than higher rated securities. The market value of these securities is
more sensitive to corporate developments and economic conditions and can
be volatile. Market conditions can diminish liquidity and make accurate
valuations difficult to obtain. |
• |
|
Investments in Loans Risk. Investments in
loans, including loan syndicates and other direct lending opportunities,
involve special types of risks, including credit risk, interest rate risk,
counterparty risk and prepayment risk. Loans may offer a fixed or floating
interest rate. Loans are often generally below investment grade and may be
unrated. The High Income Fund’s investments in loans can also be difficult
to value accurately and may be more susceptible to liquidity risk than
fixed-income instruments of similar credit quality and/or maturity. The
High Income Fund is also subject to the risk that the value of the
collateral for the loan may be insufficient or unavailable to cover the
borrower’s obligations should the borrower fail to make payments or become
insolvent. Participations in loans may subject the High Income Fund to the
credit risk of both the borrower and the issuer of the participation and
may make |
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|
enforcement
of loan covenants, if any, more difficult for the High Income Fund as
legal action may have to go through the issuer of the participations.
Transactions in loans are often subject to long settlement periods, thus
potentially limiting the ability of the High Income Fund to invest sale
proceeds in other investments and to use proceeds to meet its current
redemption obligations. In addition, many banks have been weakened by the
recent financial crisis, and it may be difficult for the High Income Fund
to obtain an accurate picture of a lending bank’s financial condition.
|
• |
|
Collateral Risk. If the High Income
Fund’s financial instruments are secured by collateral, the issuer may
have difficulty liquidating the collateral and/or the High Income Fund may
have difficulty enforcing its rights under the terms of the securities if
an issuer defaults. Collateral may be insufficient or the High Income
Fund’s right to the collateral may be set aside by a court. Collateral
will generally consist of assets that may not be readily liquidated,
including for example, equipment, inventory, work in the process of
manufacture, real property and payments to become due under contracts or
other receivable obligations. There is no assurance that the liquidation
of those assets would satisfy an issuer’s obligations under a financial
instrument. Non‑affiliates and affiliates of issuers of financial
instruments may provide collateral in the form of secured and unsecured
guarantees and/or security interests in assets that they own, which may
also be insufficient to satisfy an issuer’s obligations under a financial
instrument. |
• |
|
Collateralized Loan Obligations and
Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk. Collateralized loan
obligations (“CLOs”) bear many of the same risks as other forms of
asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, credit risk and
default risk. As they are backed by pools of loans, CLOs also bear similar
risks to investing in loans directly. CLOs issue classes or “tranches”
that vary in risk and yield. CLOs may experience substantial losses
attributable to loan defaults. Losses caused by defaults on underlying
assets are borne first by the holders of subordinate tranches. The High
Income Fund’s investment in CLOs may decrease in market value when the CLO
experiences loan defaults or credit impairment, the disappearance of a
subordinate tranche, or market anticipation of defaults and investor
aversion to CLO securities as a class.
|
|
Collateralized
debt obligations (“CDOs”) are structured similarly to CLOs and bear the
same risks as CLOs including interest rate risk, credit risk and default
risk. CDOs are subject to additional risks because they are backed by
pools of assets other than loans including securities (such as other
asset-backed securities), synthetic instruments or bonds and may be highly
leveraged. Like CLOs, losses incurred by a CDO are borne first by holders
of subordinate tranches. Accordingly, the risks of CDOs depend largely on
the type of underlying collateral and the tranche of CDOs in which the
High Income Fund invests. For example, CDOs that obtain their exposure
through synthetic investments entail the risks associated with derivative
instruments. |
• |
|
Convertible Securities Risk. This is the
risk that the market value of convertible securities may fluctuate due to
changes in, among other things, interest rates; other general economic
conditions; industry fundamentals; market sentiment; the
|
iMGP High Income Fund — (Continued)
|
|
issuer’s operating results, financial
statements, and credit ratings; and the market value of the underlying
common or preferred stock. |
• |
|
Currency Risk. This is the risk that
investing in foreign currencies may expose the High Income Fund to
fluctuations in currency exchange rates and that such fluctuations in the
exchange rates may negatively affect an investment related to a currency
or denominated in a foreign currency. |
• |
|
Fixed Income Securities Risk. Interest
rates may go up resulting in a decrease in value of the securities held by
the High Income Fund. Fixed income securities held by the High Income Fund
are also subject to interest rate risk, credit risk, call risk and
liquidity risk, which are more fully described below.
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¡ |
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Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk
that an issuer will not make timely payments of principal and interest. A
credit rating assigned to a particular debt security is essentially an
opinion as to the credit quality of an issuer and may prove to be
inaccurate. There is also the risk that a bond issuer may “call,” or
repay, its high yielding bonds before their maturity dates.
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¡ |
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Interest Rate Risk. Interest rates may
go up resulting in a decrease in the value of the securities held by the
High Income Fund. Interest rates have been historically low, so the High
Income Fund faces a heightened risk that interest rates may rise. Debt
securities subject to prepayment can offer less potential for gains during
a declining interest rate environment and similar or greater potential for
loss in a rising interest rate environment. A fund with a longer average
portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates
than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration.
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¡ |
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Call Risk. During periods of declining
interest rates, a bond issuer may “call” or repay its high yielding bonds
before their maturity dates. |
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¡ |
|
Liquidity Risk. Certain securities may
be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that the High
Income Fund would like. Trading opportunities are more limited for fixed
income securities that have not received any credit ratings, have received
ratings below investment grade or are not widely held. The values of these
securities may fluctuate more sharply than those of other securities, and
the High Income Fund may experience some difficulty in closing out
positions in these securities at prevailing market prices.
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|
¡ |
|
Prepayment and Extension Risk. In times
of declining interest rates, the High Income Fund’s higher yielding
securities will be prepaid, and the High Income Fund will have to replace
them with securities having a lower yield. Rising interest rates could
extend the life of securities with lower payment rates. This is known as
extension risk and may increase the High Income Fund’s sensitivity to
rising rates and its potential for price declines.
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• |
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Corporate Debt Obligations Risk.
Corporate debt obligations are subject to the risk of an issuer’s
inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligations.
Therefore, the High Income Fund may be indirectly exposed to such risks
associated with corporate debt obligations.
|
• |
|
Derivatives Risk. This is the risk that
an investment in derivatives may not correlate completely to the
performance of |
|
|
the
underlying securities and may be volatile and that the insolvency of the
counterparty to a derivative instrument could cause the Alternative
Strategies Fund to lose all or substantially all of its investment in the
derivative instrument, as well as the benefits derived therefrom.
|
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¡ |
|
Options Risk. This is the risk that an
investment in options may be subject to greater fluctuation than an
investment in the underlying instruments themselves and may be subject to
a complete loss of the amounts paid as premiums to purchase the options.
|
|
¡ |
|
Futures Contracts Risk. This is the
risk that an investment in futures contracts may be subject to losses that
exceed the amount of the premiums paid and may subject the High Income
Fund’s net asset value to greater volatility.
|
|
¡ |
|
Forward Contracts Risk. There are no
limitations on daily price movements of forward contracts. Changes in
foreign exchange regulations by governmental authorities might limit the
trading of forward contracts. To the extent the High Income Fund enters
into non‑U.S. currency forward contracts with banks, the High Income Fund
is subject to the risk of bank failure or the inability of or refusal by a
bank to perform such contracts. There have been periods during which
certain banks have refused to continue to quote prices for forward
contracts or have quoted prices with an unusually wide spread (the
difference between the price at which the bank is prepared to buy and the
price at which it is prepared to sell).
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¡ |
|
P‑Notes Risk. This is the risk that the
performance results of P‑Notes will not replicate exactly the performance
of the issuers or markets that the P‑Notes seek to replicate. Investments
in P‑Notes involve risks normally associated with a direct investment in
the underlying securities as well as additional risks, such as
counterparty risk. |
|
¡ |
|
Swaps Risk. Risks inherent in the
use of swaps include: (1) swap contracts may not be assigned without
the consent of the counterparty; (2) potential default of the
counterparty to the swap; (3) absence of a liquid secondary market
for any particular swap at any time; and (4) possible inability of
the High Income Fund to close out the swap transaction at a time that
otherwise would be favorable for it to do so.
|
• |
|
Equity Securities Risk. This is the risk
that the value of equity securities may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and
unpredictably, due to factors affecting the general market, an entire
industry or sector, or particular companies. These factors include,
without limitation, adverse changes in economic conditions, the general
outlook for corporate earnings, interest rates or investor sentiment;
increases in production costs; and significant management decisions. This
risk is greater for small- and medium‑sized companies, which tend to be
more vulnerable to adverse developments than larger companies.
|
|
¡ |
|
Preferred Stock Risk. In the event an
issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds
take precedence over the claims of those who own preferred and common
stock. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred stocks may
be less attractive, causing the price of preferred stocks to decline.
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24 |
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Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
• |
|
Foreign Investment Risk. This is the risk
that an investment in foreign (non‑U.S.) securities may cause the High
Income Fund to experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a
fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to,
among other factors, less publicly available information, less stringent
and less uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards,
less liquid and more volatile markets, higher transaction and custody
costs, additional taxes, less investor protection, delayed or less
frequent settlement, political or social instability, civil unrest, acts
of terrorism, regional economic volatility, and the imposition of
sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other
government restrictions by the United States and/or other governments.
|
• |
|
Emerging Markets Risk. This is the
risk that the value of the High Income Fund’s emerging markets investments
will decline due to the greater degree of economic, political and social
instability of emerging or developing countries as compared to developed
countries. Investments in emerging market countries are subject to
substantial risks due to, among other factors, different accounting
standards and thinner trading markets as compared to those in developed
countries; less publicly available and reliable information about issuers
as compared to developed markets; the possibility of currency transfer
restrictions; and the risk of expropriation, nationalization or other
adverse political, economic or social developments.
|
• |
|
Currency Risk. This is the risk that
foreign currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and
affect the High Income Fund’s investments in foreign (non‑U.S.) currencies
or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives
that provide exposure to, foreign (non‑U.S.) currencies.
|
• |
|
Investment Companies Risk. This is
the risk that investing in other investment companies, including ETFs,
closed‑end funds (“CEFs”), business development companies (“BDCs”), unit
investment trusts and open‑end funds, subjects the High Income Fund to
those risks affecting the investment vehicle, including the possibility
that the value of the underlying securities held by the investment vehicle
could decrease or the portfolio becomes illiquid. Moreover, the High
Income Fund and its shareholders will incur its pro rata share of the
underlying vehicles’ expenses, which will reduce the High Income Fund’s
performance. In addition, investments in an ETF are subject to, among
other risks, the risk that the ETF’s shares may trade at a discount or
premium relative to the net asset value of the shares and the listing
exchange may halt trading of the ETF’s shares. BDCs may carry risks
similar to those of a private equity or venture capital fund. BDC company
securities are not redeemable at the option of the shareholder and they
may trade in the market at a discount to their net asset value. BDCs
usually trade at a discount to their net asset value because they invest
in unlisted securities and have limited access to capital markets. Shares
of CEFs also frequently trade at a discount to their net asset value for
those and other reasons. |
• |
|
Large Shareholder Purchase and Redemption
Risk. The High Income Fund may experience adverse effects when
certain large shareholders purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of
the High Income Fund. Such large shareholder redemptions may
|
|
|
cause
the High Income Fund to sell its securities at times when it would not
otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the High Income Fund Fund’s
net asset value and liquidity. Similarly, large share purchases may
adversely affect the High Income Fund’s performance to the extent that the
High Income Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to
maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. In addition, a
large redemption could result in the High Income Fund’s current expenses
being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the
High Income Fund’s expense ratio.
|
• |
|
Leverage Risk. This is the risk that
leverage may cause the effect of an increase or decrease in the value of
the High Income Fund’s portfolio securities to be magnified and the High
Income Fund to be more volatile than if leverage was not
used. Leverage may result from certain transactions, including the
use of derivatives and borrowing. |
• |
|
Market Risk. The value of the High Income Fund’s
shares will fluctuate based on the performance of the High Income Fund’s
investments and other factors affecting the securities markets generally.
Certain investments selected for the High Income Fund’s portfolio may be
worth less than the price originally paid for them, or less than they were
worth at an earlier time. The value of the High Income Fund’s investments
may go up or down, sometimes dramatically and unpredictably, based on
current market conditions, such as real or perceived adverse political or
economic conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates, lack of
liquidity in the fixed income markets or adverse investor sentiment.
|
• |
|
Geopolitical Events Risk. The interconnectivity between global
economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or
conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers
in a different country, region or financial market. Securities in the High
Income Fund’s portfolio may underperform due to inflation (or expectations
for inflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or
resources, natural disasters, climate change and climate-related events,
pandemics, epidemics, terrorism, international conflicts, regulatory
events and governmental or quasi-governmental actions. The occurrence of
global events similar to those in recent years may result in market
volatility and may have long-term effects on both the U.S. and global
financial markets. |
• |
|
Liquidity and Valuation Risk. It may be
difficult for the High Income Fund to purchase and sell particular
investments within a reasonable time at a fair price, or the price at
which it has been valued by iM Global for purposes of the High Income
Fund’s net asset value, causing the High Income Fund to be less liquid and
unable to realize what iM Global believes should be the price of the
investment. Valuation of portfolio investments may be difficult, such as
during periods of market turmoil or reduced liquidity, and for investments
that may, for example, trade infrequently or irregularly. In these and
other circumstances, an investment may be valued using fair value
methodologies, which are inherently subjective, reflect good faith
judgments based on available information and may not accurately estimate
the price at which the High Income Fund could sell the investment at that
time. These risks may be |
iMGP High Income Fund — (Continued)
|
|
heightened for fixed-income instruments
because of the near historically low interest rate
environment as of the date of this prospectus. Based on its investment
strategies, a significant portion of the High Income Fund’s investments
can be difficult to value and potentially less liquid and thus
particularly prone to the foregoing risks.
|
• |
|
Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk. This is
the risk of investing in mortgaged-backed securities, which includes
interest rate risk, prepayment risk and the risk of defaults on the
mortgage loans underlying these securities.
|
• |
|
Multi-Management Risk. Because portions of the High Income
Fund are managed by different portfolio managers using different styles,
the High Income Fund could experience overlapping security transactions
that could lead to unintended concentration in certain securities. Certain
portfolio managers may be purchasing securities at the same time other
portfolio managers may be selling those same securities, which may lead to
higher transaction expenses and tax inefficiencies compared to using a
single investment manager. |
• |
|
Investment Selection Risk. The sub‑advisors’ portfolio
managers may select investments that underperform and investors’ Fund
shares may decline in value. This risk may be more significant when
sub‑advisors concentrate their holdings in a limited number of securities
as may be the case in the High Income Fund because concentration can
magnify the potential for gains and losses from individual securities.
This risk may be greater for multi-manager funds compared to funds with a
single manager. |
• |
|
Short Sale Risk. This is the risk
that the value of a security the High Income Fund sells short does not go
down as expected. The risk of loss is theoretically unlimited if the value
of the security sold short continues to increase. In addition, short sales
may cause the High Income Fund to be compelled, at a time disadvantageous
to it, to buy the security previously sold short, thus resulting in a
loss. To meet current margin requirements, the High Income Fund is
required to deposit with the broker additional cash or securities so that
the total deposit with the broker is maintained daily at 150% of the
current market value of the securities sold short.
|
• |
|
Unfavorable Tax Treatment Risk. This is
the risk that a material portion of the High Income Fund’s return could be
in the form of net investment income or short-term capital gains, some of
which may be distributed to shareholders and taxed at ordinary income tax
rates. Therefore, shareholders may have a greater need to pay regular
taxes than compared to other investment strategies that hold investments
longer. Due to this investment strategy, it may be preferable for
certain shareholders to invest in the High Income Fund through pre‑tax or
tax‑deferred accounts as compared to investment through currently taxable
accounts. Potential shareholders are encouraged to consult their tax
advisors in this regard. |
• |
|
Cybersecurity Risk. With the increased
use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the High
Income Fund is susceptible to operational, information security, and
related risks. Cyber incidents affecting the High Income Fund or its
service providers may cause disruptions and impact business operations,
potentially resulting in financial losses, interference
|
|
|
with
the High Income Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to
trading, the inability of shareholders to transact business, violations of
applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties,
reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or
additional compliance costs. |
• |
|
Operational Risk. Operational risks
include human error, changes in personnel, system changes, faults in
communication, and failures in systems, technology, or processes. Various
operational events or circumstances are outside the Advisor’s or a
sub‑advisor’s control, including instances at third parties. The High
Income Fund, the Advisor and each sub‑advisor seek to reduce these
operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures
do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these
risks. |
• |
|
Securities Lending Risk: The Fund may
engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves possible delay
in recovery of the securities or possible loss of rights in the collateral
should the borrower fail financially. The Fund could also lose money if
the value of the collateral decreases. As a result, the value of the Fund
shares may fall. |
Performance
The following
performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in
the High Income Fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the
High Income Fund’s Institutional Class shares from year to year. The
table below shows how the High Income Fund’s average annual total returns of the
Institutional Class for the 1- and 5-year and since inception periods
compare to those of a broad-based market index and a secondary market
index. Past performance, before and
after taxes, does not necessarily indicate how the High Income Fund will perform
in the future. Updated performance information is available
on the High Income Fund’s website at www.imgp.com.
High
Income Fund
Institutional
Class Calendar Year Total Returns
as
of December 31
During
the period shown above, the highest and lowest quarterly returns earned by the
High Income Fund were:
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Highest: |
|
|
10.14% |
|
|
Quarter ended June 30,
2020 |
Lowest: |
|
|
-13.79% |
|
|
Quarter ended March 31,
2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
26 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Average
Annual Total Returns
(for
the periods ended December 31, 2023) |
|
|
|
One
Year |
|
|
Five Years |
|
|
Since Fund Inception (9/28/2018) |
|
High
Income Fund |
|
Institutional
Class |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Return
Before Taxes |
|
|
12.32% |
|
|
|
4.97% |
|
|
|
4.10% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions |
|
|
9.45% |
|
|
|
2.97% |
|
|
|
2.16% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares |
|
|
7.22% |
|
|
|
2.96% |
|
|
|
2.31% |
|
Bloomberg
U.S. Aggregate Bond Index |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
|
|
5.53% |
|
|
|
1.10% |
|
|
|
1.36% |
|
ICE
BofAML U.S. High Yield TR USD Index |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
|
|
13.46% |
|
|
|
5.21% |
|
|
|
4.01% |
|
Management
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
INVESTMENT ADVISOR |
|
PORTFOLIO MANAGER |
|
MANAGED THE HIGH
INCOME FUND SINCE: |
|
| |
iM Global
Partner Fund Management, LLC |
|
Jack Chee, CIO Asset Management US,
Managing Director and Co‑Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Jason
Steuerwalt, CFA, Director, Head of Alternatives US and Co‑Portfolio
Manager |
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
| |
SUB‑ADVISOR |
|
PORTFOLIO MANAGER |
|
|
|
| |
Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co. |
|
Andrew P. Hofer, Principal, Portfolio
Manager and Head of Taxable Portfolio Management |
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
| |
| |
Neil Hohmann, Partner, Head of
Structured Products and Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Paul
Kunz, CFA, Principal, Head of Corporate Credit and Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
| |
Guggenheim
Partners Investment Management, LLC |
|
Anne Walsh, CFA, Chief Investment
Officer, Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
| |
| |
Steven Brown, CFA, Chief Investment
Officer – Fixed Income, Senior Managing Director and Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
| |
| |
Adam Bloch, Managing Director and
Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Evan
L. Serdensky, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
| |
Neuberger
Berman Investment Advisers LLC |
|
Derek Devens, CFA, Managing Director
and Senior Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
| |
| |
Rory Ewing, Managing Director and
Senior Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2021 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Eric
Zhou, Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2022 |
|
For
important information about the purchase and sale of fund shares, tax
information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the “Summary
of Other Important Information Regarding the Funds” section on
page 41 of this Prospectus.
Summary
Section
Investment
Objective
The
iMGP Small Company Fund (the “Small Company Fund”) seeks long-term growth of
capital; that is, the increase in the value of your investment over the long
term.
Fees
and Expenses of the Small Company Fund
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell
shares of the Small Company Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage
commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected
in the table and example below.
Annual
Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value
of your investment)
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Institutional
Class |
|
Management
Fees(1) |
|
|
0.80% |
|
Distribution
and or Service (12b‑1) Fees |
|
|
None |
|
| |
|
|
|
Other
Expenses |
|
|
0.43% |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) |
|
|
1.23% |
|
Fee
Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2) |
|
|
(0.08)% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense
Reimbursement(1)(2) |
|
|
1.15% |
|
| |
|
|
|
(1) |
“Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses” and “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement” do not correlate to the
corresponding ratios included in the Small Company Fund’s Financial
Highlights because the management fees for the Fund were reduced effective
April 29, 2024 and were not in effect for the previous fiscal
year. |
(2) |
iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC,
(formerly, Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC) (“iM Global” or the
“Advisor”), the advisor to the Small Company Fund, has contractually
agreed to limit the Small Company Fund’s operating expenses (excluding any
taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, borrowing costs, dividend
expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses)
through April 30,
2025 to an annual rate of 1.15% for the Institutional
Class (the “Operating Expense Limitation”). This agreement may be renewed
for additional periods not exceeding one (1) year and may be terminated by
the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Litman Gregory Funds Trust (the
“Trust”) upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to iM Global. iM Global may
also decline to renew this agreement by written notice to the Trust at
least thirty (30) days before the renewal date. Pursuant to this
agreement, iM Global may recoup reduced fees and expenses only within
three (3) years from the end of the month in which the reimbursement took
place, provided that the recoupment does not cause the Fund’s annual
expense ratio to exceed the lesser of (i) the expense limitation
applicable at the time of that fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement or
(ii) the expense limitation in effect at the time of
recoupment. |
Example
This
example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Small
Company Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Small Company Fund for the time periods
indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those
periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each
year and that the Small Company Fund’s operating expenses remain the
same. The cost for the Small Company Fund reflects the net expenses of the
Small Company Fund that result from the contractual expense limitation in the
first year only. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on
these assumptions your costs would be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
One Year |
|
|
Three Years |
|
|
Five Years |
|
|
Ten Years |
|
Institutional
Class |
|
$ |
117 |
|
|
$ |
380 |
|
|
$ |
665 |
|
|
$ |
1,479 |
|
Portfolio
Turnover
The
Small Company 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 of the Small Company Fund are held in a taxable account as
compared to shares in investment companies that hold investments for a longer
period. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating
expenses or in the example, affect the Small Company Fund’s
performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Small Company Fund’s
portfolio turnover rate was 56.46%.
Principal
Strategies
The
Small Company Fund invests in the securities of smaller companies that the
sub-advisors to the Fund (each a “manager” or “sub‑advisor”) believe have strong
appreciation potential. The Advisor believes that giving highly disciplined
managers latitude in the types of stocks they can own can confer an advantage
over managers who are more tightly constrained to an arbitrary “style box.” This
belief underlays the premise of the Small Company Fund to give its sub-advisors
broad flexibility but limit the sub-advisors to their highest-conviction ideas.
The Advisor is responsible for recommending which sub‑advisors to hire or
remove. Before hiring a sub‑advisor, the Advisor performs extensive due
diligence. This includes quantitative and qualitative analysis, including (but
not limited to) an evaluation of the investment process, the consistency of its
execution and discipline; individual holdings; strategies employed, past
mistakes, risk controls, team depth and quality; operations and compliance; and
business focus and vision. The Advisor’s evaluation process includes review of
literature and documents, quantitative historical performance evaluation,
extensive discussions with members of the investment team and firm management
and background checks through industry
contacts.
There
is no minimum or maximum allocation of the Small Company Fund’s portfolio assets
to each sub‑advisor. The Advisor is responsible for establishing the target
allocation of Small Company Fund assets to each manager based on the Advisor’s
goal of maintaining a balance of investment styles (growth, value, and blend)
and may adjust the target allocations at its discretion. A “growth investing”
style involves identifying securities for the Fund that the sub‑advisor expects
to have above-average potential for growth in revenue and earnings. A
“value investing” style involves identifying securities for the Fund that the
sub‑advisor believes are underpriced relative to comparable securities,
determined by price/earnings ratios, cash flows or other measures. Market
performance may result in allocation drift among the managers of the Small
Company Fund. The Advisor is responsible for periodically rebalancing the
portfolios, the timing and degree of which will be determined by the Advisor
based on the amount of deviation from pre‑established target allocation ranges
and the Advisor’s assessment of market conditions and investment opportunities
available to each sub‑advisor. The Advisor monitors the individual portfolios
managed by the sub‑advisors to ensure that the overall portfolio does not
include any unintentional over-weights to sectors, industries or individual
securities. Under normal conditions, each sub‑advisor manages a portion of the
Small Company Fund’s assets by independently managing a portfolio typically
composed
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
28 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
of
between 15 and 30 stocks (resulting in total Small Company Fund holdings of
30 to 60 different stocks). The target allocations to each sub‑adviser are
indicated in the following table:
|
|
|
| |
SUB‑ADVISOR |
|
TARGET ASSET ALLOCATION |
|
INVESTMENT STYLE |
|
| |
Polen
Capital Management, LLC |
|
50% |
|
Growth |
|
| |
Segall
Bryant & Hamill, LLC |
|
50% |
|
Value |
Under
normal market conditions, the Small Company Fund invests at least 80% of its net
assets, in securities of small‑sized U.S. companies, as measured by market
capitalization at the time of acquisition. The Small Company Fund may focus
its investments in certain sectors – including, but not limited to, the
industrial sector – from time to time as a result of the implementation of the
Small Company Fund’s investment strategy by the managers, but sector focus is
not a principal strategy of the Small Company Fund. The extent of the Fund’s
focus on certain sectors will change over time and may shift to other sectors,
based on the managers’ ongoing evaluation of the Fund’s holdings and of
potential investments that meet the Fund’s investment
mandate.
The
Advisor defines a “small company” as one whose market capitalization is within
the range of the market capitalizations of companies in the Russell 2000 Index.
As of March 31, 2024, the range of market capitalizations of companies in
the Russell 2000 Index was from approximately $12.2 million to $
56.5 billion.
Up
to 15% of the Small Company Fund’s net assets may be invested in the securities
of foreign companies, including those located in emerging markets. The
Advisor defines an emerging market country as any country that is included in
the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.
Generally,
a security may be sold: (1) if the sub‑advisor believes the security is
overvalued; (2) if the sub‑advisor’s view of the business fundamentals or
management of the underlying company changes; (3) if a more attractive
investment opportunity is found; (4) if general market conditions trigger a
change in the sub‑advisor’s assessment criteria; or (5) for other portfolio
management reasons.
The
Small Company Fund’s sub‑advisors may trade their portfolios
frequently.
Principal
Risks
Investment in stocks exposes shareholders of the Small Company
Fund to the risk of losing money if the value of the stocks held by the Small
Company Fund declines during the period an investor owns shares in the Small
Company Fund. An investment in the Small Company Fund is
not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The
following risks could affect the value of your investment. Some or all of these
risks may adversely affect the Small Company Fund’s net asset value per share,
total return and/or ability to meet its objective.
• |
|
Smaller Companies Risk. The Small Company
Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the securities of small-and, at
times, mid‑sized companies. Securities of small‑cap companies are
generally more volatile and less liquid than the securities of large‑cap
companies. This is because small companies may be more reliant on a
few products, services or key personnel, which can make it riskier than
investing in larger companies with more diverse product lines and
structured management. |
• |
|
Market Risk. The value of the Small
Company Fund’s shares will fluctuate based on the performance of the Small
Company Fund’s investments and other factors affecting the securities
markets generally. Certain investments selected for the Small Company
Fund’s portfolio may be worth less than the price originally paid for
them, or less than they were worth at an earlier time. The value of the
Small Company Fund’s investments may go up or down, sometimes dramatically
and unpredictably, based on current market conditions, such as real or
perceived adverse political or economic conditions, inflation, changes in
interest rates, lack of liquidity in the fixed income markets or adverse
investor sentiment. |
• |
|
Geopolitical Events Risk. The
interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases
the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market
may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial
market. Securities in the Small Company Fund’s portfolio may underperform
due to inflation (or expectations for inflation), interest rates, global
demand for particular products or resources, natural disasters, climate
change and climate-related events, pandemics, epidemics, terrorism,
international conflicts, regulatory events and governmental or
quasi-governmental actions. The occurrence of global events similar to
those in recent years may result in market volatility and may have
long-term effects on both the U.S. and global financial
markets. |
• |
|
Multi-Management Risk. Because portions
of the Small Company Fund’s assets are managed by different portfolio
managers using different styles, the Small Company Fund could experience
overlapping security transactions that could lead to unintended
concentration in certain securities. Certain portfolio managers may be
purchasing securities at the same time other portfolio managers may be
selling those same securities, which may lead to higher transaction
expenses and tax inefficiencies compared to using a single investment
manager. |
• |
|
Growth
Investing Risk. Growth stocks, as a group, may be out of favor with
the market and underperform value stocks or the overall equity market.
Growth stocks are generally more sensitive to market movements than other
types of stocks |
iMGP Small Company Fund — (Continued)
|
|
primarily
because their prices are based heavily on the future expectations of the
economy and the stock’s issuing
company. |
• |
|
Value Stock Risk. Value stocks are stocks
of companies that may have experienced adverse business or industry
developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the
stocks to be out of favor and, in the opinion of the manager, undervalued.
The value of a security believed by the manager to be undervalued may
never reach what is believed to be its full (intrinsic) value, or such
security’s value may decrease. |
• |
|
Equity Securities Risk. This is the risk
that the value of equity securities may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and
unpredictably, due to factors affecting the general market, an entire
industry or sector, or particular companies. These factors include,
without limitation, adverse changes in economic conditions, the general
outlook for corporate earnings, interest rates or investor sentiment;
increases in production costs; and significant management decisions. This
risk is greater for small- and medium‑sized companies, which tend to be
more vulnerable to adverse developments than larger companies. |
• |
|
Emerging Markets Risk. This is the risk
that the value of the Small Company Fund’s emerging markets investments
will decline due to the greater degree of economic, political and social
instability of emerging or developing countries as compared to developed
countries. Investments in emerging market countries are subject to
substantial risks due to, among other factors, different accounting
standards and thinner trading markets as compared to those in developed
countries; less publicly available and reliable information about issuers
as compared to developed markets; the possibility of currency transfer
restrictions; and the risk of expropriation, nationalization or other
adverse political, economic or social
developments. |
• |
|
Foreign Investment Risk. This is the risk
that an investment in foreign (non‑U.S.) securities may cause the Small
Company Fund to experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a
fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to,
among other factors, less publicly available information, less stringent
and less uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards,
less liquid and more volatile markets, higher transaction and custody
costs, additional taxes, less investor protection, delayed or less
frequent settlement, political or social instability, civil unrest, acts
of terrorism, regional economic volatility, and the imposition of
sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other
government restrictions by the United States and/or other
governments. |
• |
|
Sector Weightings Risk. Although sector
focus is not a principal strategy of the Small Company Fund, the Small
Company Fund may from time to time emphasize investments in a particular
sector as a result of the implementation of its principal investment
strategies. To the extent that the Small Company Fund emphasizes
investments in a particular sector, the Small Company Fund has the
potential to be subject to a greater degree to the risks particular to
that sector. Market conditions, interest rates, and economic, regulatory,
or financial developments could significantly affect a single sector.
By |
|
|
focusing
its investments in a particular sector, the Small Company Fund may
potentially face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over
numerous sectors. |
|
¡ |
|
Financial Sector Risk. The Small Company
Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the financial services sector
and, therefore, the performance of the Small Company Fund could be
negatively impacted by events affecting this sector, including changes in
interest rates, government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate,
consumer and government debt and the availability and cost of
capital. |
|
¡ |
|
Industrial Sector Risk. The Small
Company Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the industrial sector.
Companies in the industrial sector could be affected by, among other
things, government regulation, world events and global economic
conditions, insurance costs, and labor relations
issues. |
• |
|
Investment Selection Risk. The specific
investments held in the Small Company Fund’s investment portfolio may
underperform other funds in the same asset class or benchmarks that are
representative of the general performance of the asset class because of a
portfolio manager’s choice of
securities. |
• |
|
Cybersecurity Risk. With the increased
use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the Small
Company Fund is susceptible to operational, information security, and
related risks. Cyber incidents affecting the Small Company Fund or its
service providers may cause disruptions and impact business operations,
potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with the Small
Company Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the
inability of shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable
privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage,
reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance
costs. |
• |
|
Operational Risk. Operational risks
include human error, changes in personnel, system changes, faults in
communication, and failures in systems, technology, or processes. Various
operational events or circumstances are outside the Advisor’s or
sub‑advisor’s control, including instances at third parties. The Small
Company Fund, the Advisor and the sub‑advisor seek to reduce these
operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures
do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these
risks. |
• |
|
Securities Lending Risk: The Fund may
engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves possible delay
in recovery of the securities or possible loss of rights in the collateral
should the borrower fail financially. The Fund could also lose money if
the value of the collateral decreases. As a result, the value of the Fund
shares may fall. |
Performance
The following
performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in
the Small Company Fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of
the Small Company Fund’s Institutional Class shares from year to
year. The table below shows how the Small Company Fund’s average annual
total returns of the Institutional Class for the 1‑year and since
inception
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
30 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
periods compare to those of a
broad-based market index, a secondary market index and an index of peer group
mutual funds. Before April 29, 2024, the Fund was
managed with the same investment objective but with a different investment
strategy and may achieve different performance results under its current
investment strategy from the performance shown for periods before that date.
Past performance, before and
after taxes, does not necessarily indicate how the Small Company Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available on the Small Company Fund’s website at www.imgpfunds.com.
Small
Company Fund
Institutional
Class Calendar Year Total Returns
as
of December 31
During
the period shown above, the highest and lowest quarterly returns earned by the
Small Company Fund were:
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Highest: |
|
|
17.55% |
|
|
Quarter ended March 31,
2021 |
Lowest: |
|
|
-15.88% |
|
|
Quarter ended June 30,
2022 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Average
Annual Total Returns
(for
the periods ended December 31, 2023) |
|
|
|
One Year |
|
|
Since
Fund Inception (7/31/2020) |
|
Small
Company Fund |
|
Institutional
Class |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
Return
Before Taxes |
|
|
24.74 |
% |
|
|
15.62 |
% |
Return
After Taxes on Distributions |
|
|
22.59 |
% |
|
|
14.78 |
% |
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares |
|
|
16.18 |
% |
|
|
12.27 |
% |
Russell
2000 Index* |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
|
|
16.93 |
% |
|
|
11.10 |
% |
MSCI
USA Small Cap Value Index* |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
|
|
13.34 |
% |
|
|
17.01 |
% |
Morningstar
US Small Blend Category |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
|
|
16.02 |
% |
|
|
13.60 |
% |
* |
Effective April 29, 2024, the
Small Company Fund’s primary benchmark changed from the MSCI USA Small Cap
Value Index to the Russell 2000 Index. The Adviser believes this benchmark
more closely aligns with the change of investment strategy of the
Fund. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
INVESTMENT ADVISOR |
|
PORTFOLIO MANAGER |
|
MANAGED THE SMALL COMPANY
FUND SINCE: |
|
| |
iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC |
|
Jack
Chee, CIO Asset Management US, Managing Director and Co‑Portfolio
Manager |
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
| |
SUB‑ADVISOR |
|
PORTFOLIO MANAGER |
|
|
|
| |
Polen
Capital Management, LLC |
|
Rayna Lesser Hannaway, CFA, Head of
Team, Portfolio Manager and Analyst, Small Company Growth |
|
|
|
2024 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Whitney
Young Crawford, Portfolio Manager and Analyst |
|
|
|
2024 |
|
|
| |
Segall
Bryant & Hamill, LLC |
|
Mark T. Dickherber, CFA, CPA, Senior
Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Shaun
P. Nicholson, Senior Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2020 |
|
For
important information about the purchase and sale of fund shares, tax
information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the “Summary
of Other Important Information Regarding the Funds” section on
page 41 of this Prospectus.
iMGP Oldfield International Value Fund
Summary
Section
Investment
Objective
The
iMGP Oldfield International Value Fund (the “Oldfield International Value Fund”)
seeks long-term growth of capital; that is, the increase in the value of your
investment over the long term.
Fees
and Expenses of the Oldfield International Value Fund
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell
shares of the Oldfield International Value Fund. You may pay other fees, such as
brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not
reflected in the table and example below.
Annual
Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value
of your investment)
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Institutional
Class |
|
Management
Fees |
|
|
0.70% |
|
Distribution
and or Service (12b‑1) Fees |
|
|
None |
|
| |
|
|
|
Other
Expenses |
|
|
0.64% |
|
Interest
and Dividend Expenses |
|
|
0.01% |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
Other Expenses |
|
|
0.65% |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
|
|
1.35% |
|
Fee
Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(1) |
|
|
(0.41)% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense
Reimbursement(1) |
|
|
0.94% |
|
| |
|
|
|
(1) |
iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC
(formerly, Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC) (“iM Global” or the
“Advisor”), the advisor to the Oldfield International Value Fund, has
contractually agreed to limit the Oldfield International Value Fund’s
operating expenses (excluding any taxes, interest, brokerage commissions,
borrowing costs, dividend expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses and
extraordinary expenses) through April 30,
2025 to an annual rate of 0.94% for the Institutional
Class (the “Operating Expense Limitation”). This agreement may be renewed
for additional periods not exceeding one (1) year and may be terminated by
the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Litman Gregory Funds Trust (the
“Trust”) upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to iM Global. iM Global may
also decline to renew this agreement by written notice to the Trust at
least thirty (30) days before the renewal date. Pursuant to this
agreement, iM Global may recoup reduced fees and expenses only within
three years from the end of the month in which the reimbursement took
place, provided that the recoupment does not cause the Fund’s annual
expense ratio to exceed the lesser of (i) the expense limitation
applicable at the time of that fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement or
(ii) the expense limitation in effect at the time of
recoupment. |
Example
This
example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Oldfield
International Value Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual
funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Oldfield
International Value Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of
your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your
investment has a 5% return each year and that the Oldfield International Value
Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The cost for the Oldfield
International Value Fund reflects the net expenses of the Oldfield International
Value Fund that result from the contractual expense limitation in the first year
only. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these
assumptions your costs would be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
One Year |
|
|
Three Years |
|
|
Five Years |
|
|
Ten Years |
|
Institutional
Class |
|
$ |
96 |
|
|
$ |
373 |
|
|
$ |
686 |
|
|
$ |
1,576 |
|
Portfolio
Turnover
The
Oldfield International Value 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 of the Oldfield International Value Fund are held in a
taxable account as compared to shares in investment companies that hold
investments for a longer period. These costs, which are not reflected in
annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Oldfield
International Value Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year,
the Oldfield International Value Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was
27.70%.
Principal
Strategies
The
Oldfield International Value Fund invests in the securities of companies with
market capitalization of $10 billion or greater that the sub‑advisor to the
Fund (the “manager” or “sub‑advisor”) believes have strong appreciation
potential. The Advisor believes that giving highly disciplined managers
latitude in the types of stocks they can own can confer an advantage over
managers who are more tightly constrained to an arbitrary “style box.” This
belief underlays the premise of the Oldfield International Value Fund to give
its sub‑advisor broad flexibility but limit the sub‑advisor to its
highest-conviction ideas. The Advisor is responsible for recommending which
sub‑advisors to hire or remove. Before hiring a sub‑advisor, the Advisor
performs extensive due diligence. This includes quantitative and qualitative
analysis, including (but not limited to) an evaluation of the investment
process, the consistency of its execution and discipline; individual holdings;
strategies employed, past mistakes, risk controls, team depth and quality;
operations and compliance; and business focus and vision. The Advisor’s
evaluation process includes review of literature and documents, quantitative
historical performance evaluation, extensive discussions with members of the
investment team and firm management and background checks through industry
contacts.
Under
normal market conditions, the Oldfield International Value Fund’s portfolio is
typically composed of between 25 to 30 stocks. Under normal market
conditions, the Oldfield International Value Fund invests at least 80% of its
net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in
securities of value companies domiciled outside the United States, or having the
majority of their assets located in or deriving a majority of their operating
income from countries outside the United States, mostly mid‑to large‑sized companies (i.e., companies with a market capitalization
of greater than $10 billion at the time of acquisition). Investments in
companies located in emerging market countries are expected to be 20% or less of
the Oldfield International Value Fund’s net assets. iM Global defines an
emerging market country as any country that is included in the MSCI Emerging
Markets Index. Value stocks are those that are believed to be undervalued in
comparison to their peers due to temporary adverse market or industry or
business developments that result in a stock trading at a discount to estimated
long-term intrinsic value, which is determined by the sub‑advisor and
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
32 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
measured
using traditional financial metrics such as low price‑to‑earnings,
price‑to‑cash‑flow, and/or price‑to‑book ratios.
The
Oldfield International Value Fund may focus its investments in certain sectors –
including, but not limited to, the consumer staples, financial and industrial
sectors – from time to time as a result of the implementation of the Oldfield
International Value Fund’s investment strategy by the manager, but sector focus
is not a principal strategy of the Oldfield International Value Fund.
Principal
Risks
Investment in stocks exposes shareholders of the Oldfield
International Value Fund to the risk of losing money if the value of the stocks
held by the Oldfield International Value Fund declines during the period an
investor owns shares in the Oldfield International Value
Fund. An investment in the Oldfield
International Value Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or
guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government
agency. The following risks could affect the value of your
investment. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Oldfield
International Value Fund’s net asset value per share, total return and/or
ability to meet its objective.
• |
|
Foreign Investment Risk. This is the risk that an investment in
foreign (non‑U.S.) securities may cause the Oldfield International Value
Fund to experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund
that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to, among
other factors, less publicly available information, less stringent and
less uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, less
liquid and more volatile markets, higher transaction and custody costs,
additional taxes, less investor protection, delayed or less frequent
settlement, political or social instability, civil unrest, acts of
terrorism, regional economic volatility, and the imposition of sanctions,
confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government
restrictions by the United States and/or other governments.
|
• |
|
Country/Regional Risk. This is the risk that world events –
such as political upheaval, financial troubles, or natural disasters –
will adversely affect the value of securities issued by companies in
foreign countries or regions. Because the Oldfield International Value
Fund may invest a large portion of its assets in securities of companies
located in any one country or region, including emerging markets, the
Oldfield International Value Fund’s performance may be hurt
disproportionately by the poor performance of its investments in that
area. Country/regional risk is heightened in emerging markets.
|
• |
|
Europe Investing Risk. The Oldfield
International Value Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in
issuers based in Western Europe and the United Kingdom (“UK”). The
economies of countries in Europe are often closely connected and
interdependent, and events in one country in Europe can have an adverse
impact on other European countries. Efforts by the member countries of the
European Union (“EU”) to continue to unify their economic and monetary
policies may increase the potential for similarities in the movements of
European markets |
|
|
and
reduce the potential investment benefits of diversification within the
region. However, the substance of these policies may not address the needs
of all European economies. European financial markets have in recent years
experienced increased volatility due to concerns with some countries’ high
levels of sovereign debt, budget deficits and unemployment. Markets have
also been affected by the decision by the UK to withdraw from the EU (an
event commonly known as “Brexit”). There continues to be uncertainty
surrounding the ultimate impact of Brexit on the UK, the EU and the
broader global economy. An exit by any member countries from the EU or the
Economic and Monetary Union of the EU, or even the prospect of such an
exit, could lead to increased volatility in European markets and
negatively affect investments both in issuers in the exiting country and
throughout Europe. |
• |
|
Asia Investing Risk. The value of the
Oldfield International Fund’s assets may be adversely affected by
political, economic, social and religious instability; inadequate investor
protection; changes in laws or regulations of countries within the Asian
region (including countries in which the Oldfield International Fund
invests, as well as the broader region); international relations with
other nations; natural disasters; corruption and military activity. The
economies of many Asian countries differ from the economies of more
developed countries in many respects, such as rate of growth, inflation,
capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, financial system
stability, the national balance of payments position and sensitivity to
changes in global trade. |
• |
|
Value Stock Risk. Value stocks are stocks of
companies that may have experienced adverse business or industry
developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the
stocks to be out of favor and, in the opinion of the manager, undervalued.
The value of a security believed by the manager to be undervalued may
never reach what is believed to be its full (intrinsic) value.
|
• |
|
Emerging Markets Risk. This is the risk
that the value of the Oldfield International Value Fund’s emerging markets
investments will decline due to the greater degree of economic, political
and social instability of emerging or developing countries as compared to
developed countries. Investments in emerging market countries are subject
to substantial risks due to, among other factors, different accounting
standards and thinner trading markets as compared to those in developed
countries; less publicly available and reliable information about issuers
as compared to developed markets; the possibility of currency transfer
restrictions; and the risk of expropriation, nationalization or other
adverse political, economic or social developments.
|
• |
|
Currency Risk. This is the risk that
foreign currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and
affect the Oldfield International Value Fund’s investments in foreign
(non‑U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues
in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non‑U.S.)
currencies. |
• |
|
Market Risk. The value of the Oldfield
International Value Fund’s shares will fluctuate based on the performance
of the Oldfield International Value Fund’s investments and other
|
iMGP Oldfield International Value Fund — (Continued)
|
|
factors affecting the securities markets
generally. Certain investments selected for the Oldfield International
Value Fund’s portfolio may be worth less than the price originally paid
for them, or less than they were worth at an earlier time. The value of
the Oldfield International Value Fund’s investments may go up or down,
sometimes dramatically and unpredictably, based on current market
conditions, such as real or perceived adverse political or economic
conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates, lack of liquidity in the
fixed income markets or adverse investor sentiment.
|
• |
|
Geopolitical Events Risk. The
interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases
the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market
may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial
market. Securities in the Oldfield International Value Fund’s portfolio
may underperform due to inflation (or expectations for inflation),
interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources,
natural disasters, climate change and climate-related events, pandemics,
epidemics, terrorism, international conflicts, regulatory events and
governmental or quasi-governmental actions. The occurrence of global
events similar to those in recent years may result in market volatility
and may have long-term effects on both the U.S. and global financial
markets. |
• |
|
Equity Securities Risk. This is the risk that the value of
equity securities may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, due
to factors affecting the general market, an entire industry or sector, or
particular companies. These factors include, without limitation,
adverse changes in economic conditions, the general outlook for corporate
earnings, interest rates or investor sentiment; increases in production
costs; and significant management decisions. This risk is greater for
small- and medium‑sized companies, which tend to be more vulnerable to
adverse developments than larger companies.
|
• |
|
Large Shareholder Purchase and Redemption
Risk. The Oldfield
International Value Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large
shareholders purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Oldfield
International Value Fund. Such large shareholder redemptions may cause the
Oldfield International Value Fund to sell its securities at times when it
would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Oldfield
International Value Fund’s net asset value and liquidity. Similarly, large
share purchases may adversely affect the Oldfield International Value
Fund’s performance to the extent that the Oldfield International Value
Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger
cash position than it ordinarily would. In addition, a large redemption
could result in the Oldfield International Value Fund’s current expenses
being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the
Oldfield International Value Fund’s expense ratio.
|
• |
|
Mid‑Sized Companies Risk. The Oldfield
International Value Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the
securities of mid‑sized companies. Securities of these companies are
generally more volatile and less liquid than the securities of large‑cap
companies. This is because mid‑cap companies may be more reliant on a
few products, services or key personnel
|
|
|
than
large‑cap companies, which can make it riskier than investing in larger
companies with more diverse product lines and structured management.
|
• |
|
Sector Weightings Risk. Although sector
focus is not a principal strategy of the Oldfield International Value
Fund, the Oldfield International Value Fund may from time to time
emphasize investments in a particular sector as a result of the
implementation of its principal investment strategies. To the extent that
the Oldfield International Value Fund emphasizes investments in a
particular sector, the Oldfield International Value Fund has the potential
to be subject to a greater degree to the risks particular to that sector.
Market conditions, interest rates, and economic, regulatory, or financial
developments could significantly affect a single sector. By focusing its
investments in a particular sector, the Oldfield international Value Fund
may potentially face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over
numerous sectors. |
|
¡ |
|
Consumer Staples Sector Risk. The
Oldfield International Value Fund may invest a portion of its assets in
the consumer staples sector. The success of companies in this sector may
be affected by, among other things, marketing campaigns, changes in
consumer demands, government regulations and changes in commodity prices.
|
|
¡ |
|
Financial Sector Risk. The Oldfield
International Value Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the
financial services sector and, therefore, the performance of the Oldfield
International Value Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting
this sector, including changes in interest rates, government regulation,
the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and government debt and the
availability and cost of capital. |
|
¡ |
|
Industrial Sector Risk. The Oldfield
International Value Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the
industrial sector. Companies in the industrial sector could be affected
by, among other things, government regulation, world events and global
economic conditions, insurance costs, and labor relations issues.
|
• |
|
Investment Selection Risk. The specific
investments held in the Oldfield International Value Fund’s investment
portfolio may underperform other funds in the same asset class or
benchmarks that are representative of the general performance of the asset
class because of a portfolio manager’s choice of securities.
|
• |
|
Cybersecurity Risk. With the increased
use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the Oldfield
International Value Fund is susceptible to operational, information
security, and related risks. Cyber incidents affecting the Oldfield
International Value Fund or its service providers may cause disruptions
and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses,
interference with the Oldfield International Value Fund’s ability to
calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of shareholders
to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws,
regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other
compensation costs, or additional compliance costs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
34 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
• |
|
Operational Risk. Operational risks
include human error, changes in personnel, system changes, faults in
communication, and failures in systems, technology, or processes. Various
operational events or circumstances are outside the Advisor’s or
sub‑advisor’s control, including instances at third parties.
The Oldfield International Value Fund, the Advisor and the
sub‑advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and
procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and
may be inadequate to address these risks.
|
• |
|
Securities Lending Risk: The Fund may
engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves possible delay
in recovery of the securities or possible loss of rights in the collateral
should the borrower fail financially. The Fund could also lose money if
the value of the collateral decreases. As a result, the value of the Fund
shares may fall. |
Performance
The following
performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in
the Oldfield International Value Fund. The bar chart shows changes in the
performance of the Oldfield International Value Fund’s Institutional
Class shares from year to year. The table below shows how the Oldfield
International Value Fund’s average annual total returns of the Institutional
Class for the 1‑year and since inception periods compare to those of a
broad-based market index, a secondary market index and an index of peer group
mutual funds. Past performance, before and
after taxes, does not necessarily indicate how the Oldfield International Value
Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance
information is available on the Oldfield International Value Fund’s website at
www.imgpfunds.com.
Oldfield
International Value Fund
Institutional
Class Calendar Year Total Returns
as
of December 31
During
the period shown above, the highest and lowest quarterly returns earned by the
Oldfield International Value Fund were:
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Highest: |
|
|
20.58% |
|
|
Quarter ended December 31,
2022 |
Lowest: |
|
|
-15.24% |
|
|
Quarter ended September 30,
2022 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Average
Annual Total Returns
(for
the periods ended December 31, 2023) |
|
|
|
One Year |
|
|
Since
Fund Inception (11/30/2020) |
|
Oldfield
International Value Fund |
|
Institutional
Class |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
Return
Before Taxes |
|
|
17.74 |
% |
|
|
6.15 |
% |
Return
After Taxes on Distributions |
|
|
17.33 |
% |
|
|
5.83 |
% |
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares |
|
|
11.30 |
% |
|
|
4.95 |
% |
MSCI
EAFE Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes)* |
|
|
18.24 |
% |
|
|
5.45 |
% |
MSCI
EAFE Value Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes)* |
|
|
18.95 |
% |
|
|
8.90 |
% |
Morningstar
Foreign Large Value Category
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
|
|
17.49 |
% |
|
|
7.60 |
% |
* |
Effective April 29, 2024, the
MSCI EAFE Index became the Fund’s primary benchmark and the MSCI EAFE
Value Index became the Fund’s secondary
benchmark. |
Management
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
INVESTMENT ADVISOR |
|
PORTFOLIO MANAGER |
|
MANAGED THE OLDFIELD
INTERNATIONAL VALUE
FUND
SINCE: |
|
| |
iM Global
Partner Fund Management, LLC |
|
Jack Chee, CIO Asset Management US,
Managing Director and Co‑Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Kiko
Vallarta, CFA, Senior Vice President, Co‑Head of Equity Strategies and
Co‑Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2022 |
|
|
| |
SUB‑ADVISOR |
|
PORTFOLIO MANAGER |
|
MANAGED
THE OLDFIELD
INTERNATIONAL
VALUE
FUND
SINCE: |
|
| |
Oldfield
Partners LLP |
|
Nigel Waller, Chief Investment Officer,
Co‑Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2020 |
|
|
| |
|
|
Andrew
Goodwin, Partner, Co‑Portfolio Manager |
|
|
|
2020 |
|
For
important information about the purchase and sale of fund shares, tax
information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the “Summary
of Other Important Information Regarding the Funds” section on
page 41 of this Prospectus.
iMGP Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund
Summary
Section
Investment
Objective
The iMGP Dolan McEniry
Corporate Bond Fund (the “Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund”) seeks to provide
investors with total return, with a secondary investment
objective of preserving capital.
Fees
and Expenses of the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell
shares of the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund. You may pay other fees, such as
brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not
reflected in the table and example below.
Annual
Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value
of your investment)
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Institutional Class |
|
Management
Fees |
|
|
0.50% |
|
Distribution
and/or Service (12b‑1) Fees |
|
|
None |
|
Other
Expenses |
|
|
0.33% |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
|
|
0.83% |
|
Less
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(1) |
|
|
(0.13)% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense
Reimbursement(1) |
|
|
0.70% |
|
| |
|
|
|
(1) |
Pursuant
to a contractual operating expense limitation between iM Global Partner
Fund Management, LLC (formerly, Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC) (“iM
Global” or the “Advisor”), the advisor to the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond
Fund, and the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund, iM Global has agreed to
waive its management fees and/or reimburse the Dolan McEniry Corporate
Bond Fund to ensure that the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(excluding any front-end or contingent deferred loads, Rule 12b-1 plan
fees, shareholder servicing plan fees, taxes, leverage (i.e., any expenses
incurred in connection with borrowings made by the Fund), interest
(including interest incurred in connection with bank and custody
overdrafts), brokerage commissions and other transactional expenses
incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, dividends or
interest on short positions, acquired fund fees and expenses or
extraordinary expenses such as litigation (collectively, “Excludable
Expenses”)) do not exceed 0.70% of the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s
average daily net assets through April 30,
2025 for the Institutional Class shares. To the extent the
Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund incurs Excludable Expenses, Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement will
exceed 0.70%. This agreement may be renewed for additional periods of one
(1) year and may be terminated by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of
Litman Gregory Funds Trust (the “Trust”) upon sixty (60) days’ written
notice to iM Global. iM Global may also decline to renew this agreement by
written notice to the Trust at least thirty (30) days before the renewal
date. Pursuant to this agreement, iM Global may recoup reduced fees and
expenses only within three years from the end of the month in which the
reimbursement took place, provided that the recoupment does not cause the
Fund’s annual expense ratio to exceed the lesser of: (1) the expense
limitation in place at the time of the waiver and/or expense
reimbursement; or (2) the expense limitation in place at the time of the
recoupment. |
Example
This
example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Dolan
McEniry Corporate Bond Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual
funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Dolan McEniry
Corporate Bond Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your
shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your
investment has a 5% return each year and that the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond
Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The cost for the Dolan McEniry
Corporate Bond Fund reflects the net expenses of the Fund that result from the
contractual expense
limitation
in the first year only. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based
on these assumptions your costs would be:
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One Year |
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Three Years |
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Five Years |
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Ten Years |
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Institutional
Class |
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$ |
72 |
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$ |
247 |
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$ |
443 |
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$ |
1,009 |
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Portfolio
Turnover
The
Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond 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 of the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund are held in a
taxable account as compared to shares in investment companies that hold
investments for a longer period. These costs, which are not reflected in
annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Dolan McEniry
Corporate Bond Fund’s performance. During the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2023, the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s portfolio
turnover rate was 21.22% of the average value of its
portfolio.
Principal
Strategies
The
Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of
corporate investment grade bonds, corporate high yield bonds, and U.S.
Government and Treasury securities maturing within 10 years or less. The Advisor
believes that giving a highly disciplined manager latitude in the types of bonds
it can own can confer an advantage over managers who are more tightly
constrained to an arbitrary “style box.” This belief underlays the premise of
the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund to give its sub‑advisor (the “sub‑advisor”
or “manager”) broad flexibility but limit the sub‑advisor to its
highest-conviction ideas. The Advisor is responsible for recommending which
sub‑advisors to hire or remove. Before hiring a sub‑advisor, the Advisor
performs extensive due diligence. This includes quantitative and qualitative
analysis, including (but not limited to) an evaluation of the investment
process, the consistency of its execution and discipline; individual holdings;
strategies employed, past mistakes, risk controls, team depth and quality;
operations and compliance; and business focus and vision. The Advisor’s
evaluation process includes review of literature and documents, quantitative
historical performance evaluation, extensive discussions with members of the
investment team and firm management and background checks through industry
contacts.
All
securities will be U.S. dollar denominated, although they may be issued by a
foreign corporation or a U.S. affiliate of a foreign corporation. Under normal
market conditions, the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund will invest at least
80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowing for investment purposes)
in corporate bonds. In addition to investments in corporate bonds issued by U.S.
issuers, the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund may invest in corporate bonds
issued by foreign corporations. With respect to the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond
Fund’s net assets allocated to investments in corporate bonds, the Dolan McEniry
Corporate Bond Fund invests approximately 75% in corporate bonds that are
determined by the sub‑advisor to be
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36 |
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Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
investment
grade, and approximately 25% in high yield bonds (also known as “junk bonds”).
The Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s investments in investment grade
corporate bonds will be rated investment grade (BBB‑by Standard &
Poor’s or equivalent) by at least one major credit rating agency identified as a
nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”), or if unrated,
determined to be of comparable quality by the sub‑advisor. The Dolan McEniry
Corporate Bond Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in U.S. Government
and Treasury securities. The Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund will not make any
change in its investment policy of investing at least 80% of its net assets in
corporate bonds without first providing shareholders with at least 60 days’
prior written notice.
The
sub‑advisor anticipates that the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s duration
will reflect that of the Bloomberg U.S. Intermediate Credit Index, plus or minus
50%. For example, if the duration of the Bloomberg U.S. Intermediate Credit
Index is 5 years, the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s duration may be
2.5–7.5 years. As of March 31, 2024, the duration of the Bloomberg U.S.
Intermediate Credit Index was 3.99 years. Duration measures a bond or fund’s
sensitivity to interest rate or other changes (such as changes in a bond’s
yield) and is expressed as a number of years. The higher the number, the greater
the risk. Under normal circumstances, for example, if a portfolio has a duration
of five years, its value will change by 5% if yields change by 1%. Shorter
duration bonds generally result in lower expected volatility.
The
Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s investment universe consists of corporate
investment grade bonds, high yield bonds, and U.S. Government and Treasury
securities maturing within 10 years or less. When making decisions to buy
or sell an investment for the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund, the sub‑advisor
utilizes bottom‑up investment analysis which focuses on credit analysis and
selection of undervalued bonds. The sub‑advisor analyzes companies’ financial
statements and creates financial models to assess trends in revenue, margins,
earnings, cash earnings, investments in working capital and fixed assets, debt
levels and cash balances, and other items, ranking each company by risk and
return. The sub‑advisor then applies qualitative diligence reviews of each
company, taking into consideration pricing, liquidity, event risk and duration
to select specific investments for the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s
portfolio. The sub‑advisor’s investment process is designed to identify
undervalued corporate bonds – those that trade at wide spreads to U.S. Treasury
securities yet are issued by companies that, in the sub‑advisor’s assessment,
generate sufficient cash flow to meet their debt obligations. The sub‑advisor
ranks securities with equal weighting given to risk (cash flow coverage of debt
obligations) and return (spread to U.S. Treasuries). The process identifies what
the sub‑advisor deems to be the most undervalued bonds. The sub‑advisor will
consider selling a security if the company’s fundamentals deteriorate to an
unacceptable degree according to the sub‑advisor’s free cash flow credit
analysis; the security has appreciated in price to a level that makes it no
longer attractive in the sub‑advisor’s ranking system; or if the sub‑advisor
identifies a more attractive investment opportunity. Concentration of
investments in certain sectors – including, but not limited to, the consumer
staples and industrial
sectors
– may occur from time to time as a result of the implementation of the Dolan
McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s investment strategy by the manager, but sector
focus is not a principal strategy of the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund.
Principal
Risks
As with all mutual funds, it is possible to lose money on an
investment in the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund.
An investment in the Dolan McEniry
Corporate Bond Fund is not a deposit of any bank and is not guaranteed, endorsed
or insured by any financial institution, government authority or the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The following risks
could affect the value of your investment. Some or all of these risks may
adversely affect the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s net asset value per
share (“NAV”), total return and/or ability to meet its objective.
• |
|
Corporate Debt Obligations Risk.
Corporate debt obligations are subject to the risk of an issuer’s
inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligations.
Therefore, the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund may be indirectly exposed
to such risks associated with corporate debt obligations.
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• |
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Market Risk. The value of the Dolan
McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s shares will fluctuate based on the
performance of the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s investments and
other factors affecting the securities markets generally. Certain
investments selected for the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s portfolio
may be worth less than the price originally paid for them, or less than
they were worth at an earlier time. The value of the Dolan McEniry
Corporate Bond Fund’s investments may go up or down, sometimes
dramatically and unpredictably, based on current market conditions, such
as real or perceived adverse political or economic conditions, inflation,
changes in interest rates, lack of liquidity in the fixed income markets
or adverse investor sentiment. |
• |
|
Geopolitical Events Risk. The
interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases
the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market
may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial
market. Securities in the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s portfolio
may underperform due to inflation (or expectations for inflation),
interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources,
natural disasters, climate change and climate-related events, pandemics,
epidemics, terrorism, international conflicts, regulatory events and
governmental or quasi-governmental actions. The occurrence of global
events similar to those in recent years may result in market volatility
and may have long-term effects on both the U.S. and global financial
markets. |
• |
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Fixed Income Securities Risk. Interest rates may go up resulting in a
decrease in value of the securities held by the Dolan McEniry Corporate
Bond Fund. Fixed income securities held by the Dolan McEniry Corporate
Bond Fund are also subject to interest rate risk, credit risk, call risk
and liquidity risk, which are more fully described below.
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¡ |
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Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk
that an issuer will not make timely payments of principal and interest. A
credit rating |
iMGP Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund — (Continued)
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assigned to a particular debt security is
essentially an opinion as to the credit quality of an issuer and may prove
to be inaccurate. There is also the risk that a bond issuer may “call,” or
repay, its high yielding bonds before their maturity dates.
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¡ |
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Interest Rate Risk. Interest rates may
go up resulting in a decrease in the value of the securities held by the
Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund. Interest rates have been historically
low, so the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund faces a heightened risk that
interest rates may rise. Debt securities subject to prepayment can offer
less potential for gains during a declining interest rate environment and
similar or greater potential for loss in a rising interest rate
environment. A fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more
sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average
portfolio duration. |
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¡ |
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Call Risk. During periods of declining
interest rates, a bond issuer may “call” or repay its high yielding bonds
before their maturity dates. |
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¡ |
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Liquidity Risk. Certain securities may
be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that the
Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund would like. Trading opportunities are
more limited for fixed income securities that have not received any credit
ratings, have received ratings below investment grade or are not widely
held. The values of these securities may fluctuate more sharply than those
of other securities, and the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund may
experience some difficulty in closing out positions in these securities at
prevailing market prices. |
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¡ |
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Prepayment and Extension Risk. In times
of declining interest rates, the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s
higher yielding securities will be prepaid, and the Dolan McEniry
Corporate Bond Fund will have to replace them with securities having a
lower yield. Rising interest rates could extend the life of securities
with lower payment rates. This is known as extension risk and may increase
the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s sensitivity to rising rates and
its potential for price declines. |
• |
|
Below Investment-Grade Fixed Income Securities
Risk. This is the risk
of investing in below investment-grade fixed income securities (also known
as “junk bonds”), which may be greater than that of higher rated fixed
income securities. These securities are rated Ba1 through C by
Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) or BB+ through D by
Standard & Poor’s Rating Group (“S&P”) (or comparably rated
by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization), or, if
not rated by Moody’s or S&P, are considered by the sub‑advisors to be
of similar quality. These securities have greater risk of default
than higher rated securities. The market value of these securities is
more sensitive to corporate developments and economic conditions and can
be volatile. Market conditions can diminish liquidity and make accurate
valuations difficult to obtain. The Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund
expects to invest approximately 25% of its total assets in below
investment-grade fixed income securities.
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• |
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Sector Weightings Risk. Although sector
focus is not a principal strategy of the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond
Fund, the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund may from time to time
emphasize |
|
investments
in a particular sector as a result of the implementation of its principal
investment strategies. To the extent that the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond
Fund emphasizes investments in a particular sector, the Dolan McEniry
Corporate Bond Fund has the potential to be subject to a greater degree to
the risks particular to that sector. Market conditions, interest rates,
and economic, regulatory, or financial developments could significantly
affect a single sector. By focusing its investments in a particular
sector, the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund may potentially face more
risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous sectors.
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¡ |
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Consumer Staples Sector Risk. The Dolan
McEniry Corporate Bond Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the
consumer staples sector. The success of companies in this sector may be
affected by, among other things, marketing campaigns, changes in consumer
demands, government regulations and changes in commodity prices.
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Industrial Sector Risk. The Dolan
McEniry Corporate Bond Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the
industrial sector. Companies in the industrial sector could be affected
by, among other things, government regulation, world events and global
economic conditions, insurance costs, and labor relations issues.
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• |
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U.S. Government and U.S. Agency Obligations
Risk. Securities issued by U.S. Government agencies and
instrumentalities have different levels of U.S. Government credit support.
Some are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, while
others are supported by only the discretionary authority of the U.S.
Government or only by the credit of the agency or instrumentality. No
assurance can be given that the U.S. Government will provide financial
support to U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities because they are
not obligated to do so by law. Guarantees of timely prepayment of
principal and interest do not assure that the market prices and yields of
the securities are guaranteed nor do they guarantee the NAV or performance
of the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund, which will vary with changes in
interest rates, the sub‑advisor’s performance and other market conditions.
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• |
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Foreign Investment Risk. This is the risk that an investment in
foreign (non‑U.S.) securities may cause the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond
Fund to experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund
that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to, among
other factors, less publicly available information, less stringent and
less uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, less
liquid and more volatile markets, higher transaction and custody costs,
additional taxes, less investor protection, delayed or less frequent
settlement, political or social instability, civil unrest, acts of
terrorism, regional economic volatility, and the imposition of sanctions,
confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government
restrictions by the United States and/or other governments.
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Currency Risk. This is the risk that foreign
currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect
the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s investments in foreign (non‑U.S.)
currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive
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38 |
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Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
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revenues
in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non‑U.S.)
currencies. |
• |
|
Investment Selection Risk. The specific
investments held in the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s investment
portfolio may underperform other funds in the same asset class or
benchmarks that are representative of the general performance of the asset
class because of a portfolio manager’s choice of securities.
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• |
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Cybersecurity Risk. With the increased
use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the Dolan
McEniry Corporate Bond Fund is susceptible to operational, information
security, and related risks. Cyber incidents affecting the Dolan McEniry
Corporate Bond Fund or its service providers may cause disruptions and
impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses,
interference with the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s ability to
calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of shareholders
to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws,
regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other
compensation costs, or additional compliance costs.
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• |
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Operational Risk. Operational risks
include human error, changes in personnel, system changes, faults in
communication, and failures in systems, technology, or processes. Various
operational events or circumstances are outside the Advisor’s or
sub‑advisor’s control, including instances at third parties. The Dolan
McEniry Corporate Bond Fund, the Advisor and the sub‑advisor seek to
reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However,
these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to
address these risks. |
• |
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Securities Lending Risk: The Fund may
engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves possible delay
in recovery of the securities or possible loss of rights in the collateral
should the borrower fail financially. The Fund could also lose money if
the value of the collateral decreases. As a result, the value of the Fund
shares may fall. |
Performance
Simultaneous
with the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s commencement of operation on
September 20, 2021, the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund acquired the
assets and assumed the liabilities of the iM Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund,
a series of Manager Directed Portfolios (the “Predecessor Fund”), in a
reorganization (the “Reorganization”). The Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund
assumed the performance and accounting history of the Predecessor Fund on the
date of the Reorganization. Performance prior to September 20, 2021 is that
of the Predecessor Fund.
The following
performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in
the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund. The bar chart shows changes in the
performance of the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s Institutional
Class shares from year to year. The table below shows how the Dolan
McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s average annual total returns of the Institutional
Class for the 1‑year, 5‑year and since inception periods compare to those
of a broad-based market index and a secondary market
index. Past performance,
before and after
taxes, does not necessarily
indicate how the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund will perform in the
future. Updated performance information is available on
the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s website at www.imgpfunds.com.
Dolan
McEniry Corporate Bond Fund
Institutional
Class Calendar Year Total Returns
as
of December 31
During
the period shown above, the highest and lowest quarterly returns earned by the
Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund were:
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Highest: |
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7.70% |
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Quarter ended June 30,
2020 |
Lowest: |
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-5.56% |
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Quarter ended March 31,
2020 |
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Average
Annual Total Returns
(for
the periods ended December 31, 2023) |
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One Year |
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Five Years |
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Since Fund Inception (9/28/2018) |
|
Dolan
McEniry Corporate Bond Fund |
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Institutional
Class* |
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Return
Before Taxes |
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7.38 |
% |
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2.81 |
% |
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2.52 |
% |
Return
After Taxes on Distributions |
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5.72 |
% |
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1.69 |
% |
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1.39 |
% |
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares |
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|
4.33 |
% |
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|
1.69 |
% |
|
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1.46 |
% |
Bloomberg
U.S. Aggregate Bond Index **
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
|
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5.53 |
% |
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1.10 |
% |
|
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1.36 |
% |
Bloomberg
U.S. Intermediate Credit Index**
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
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6.94 |
% |
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2.44 |
% |
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2.47 |
% |
* |
Returns
of the Institutional Class are those of the Institutional Class of the
Predecessor Fund, for periods prior to September 20, 2021.
|
** |
Effective April 29, 2024, the
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index became the Fund’s primary benchmark
and the Bloomberg U.S. Intermediate Credit Index became the Fund’s
secondary
benchmark. |
The Dolan McEniry Corporate
Bond Fund’s after‑tax returns as shown in the above table are calculated using
the historical highest applicable individual federal marginal income tax rates
for the period and do not reflect the impact of state and local
taxes. Your actual after‑tax
returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown. If
you own shares of the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund in a tax‑deferred
account, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, after‑tax
returns
iMGP Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund — (Continued)
shown are not relevant to your
investment. The after‑tax returns on
distributions and sale of Fund shares may be higher than returns before taxes
due to the effect of a tax benefit an investor may receive from the realization
of capital losses that would have been incurred on the sale of Fund
shares.
Management
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SUB‑ADVISOR |
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PORTFOLIO MANAGER |
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MANAGED THE FUND SINCE: |
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| |
Dolan
McEniry Capital Management, LLC |
|
Daniel D. Dolan, Jr., Managing Member,
Portfolio Management and Security Selection |
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2018 |
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Roger S. McEniry, Managing Member,
Portfolio Management and Security Selection |
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2018 |
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Stephen M. Schubert, Managing
Director |
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2018 |
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C. Schaffer Degen, CFA, Managing
Director, Portfolio Management and Trading |
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2018 |
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Robert
W. Greber, III, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager |
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2018 |
|
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax
information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the “Summary
of Other Important Information Regarding the Fund” section on
page 41 of this Prospectus .
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40 |
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Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
Summary
of Other Important Information Regarding the Funds
Transaction Policies – All Funds
You
may purchase, redeem or exchange Fund shares on any business day by written
request via mail (Litman Gregory Funds Trust, c/o SS&C Global
Investor & Distribution Solutions, Inc., P.O. Box 219922, Kansas City,
MO 64121-9922), by wire transfer, by telephone at 1‑800‑960‑0188, or through a
financial intermediary. The minimum initial and subsequent investment amounts
for each Fund are shown below.
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Fund/Type of Account |
|
Minimum Initial Investment(1) |
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Minimum Additional Investment |
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Minimum Account Balance |
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Global
Select Fund, International Fund, High Income Fund, Small Company Fund and
Oldfield International Value Fund |
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Regular |
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-
Institutional Class |
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$ |
10,000 |
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$ |
250 |
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$ |
2,500 |
|
Retirement
Account |
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| |
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| |
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-
Institutional Class |
|
$ |
1,000 |
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$ |
100 |
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$ |
250 |
|
Automatic
Investment Account |
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| |
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| |
|
| |
-
Institutional Class |
|
$ |
2,500 |
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$ |
250 |
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$ |
2,500 |
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Alternative
Strategies Fund |
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Regular |
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| |
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-
Institutional Class |
|
$ |
100,000 |
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$ |
250 |
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$ |
2,500 |
|
-
Investor Class |
|
$ |
1,000 |
|
|
$ |
100 |
|
|
$ |
250 |
|
Retirement
Account |
|
|
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| |
|
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| |
|
| |
-
Institutional Class |
|
$ |
5,000 |
|
|
$ |
100 |
|
|
$ |
250 |
|
-
Investor Class |
|
$ |
500 |
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|
$ |
100 |
|
|
$ |
250 |
|
Automatic
Investment Account |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
-
Institutional Class |
|
$ |
2,500 |
|
|
$ |
250 |
|
|
$ |
2,500 |
|
-
Investor Class |
|
$ |
2,500 |
|
|
$ |
250 |
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$ |
2,500 |
|
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| |
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| |
|
| |
Dolan
McEniry Corporate Bond Fund |
|
Regular |
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| |
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|
| |
-
Institutional Class |
|
$ |
10,000 |
|
|
$ |
250 |
|
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$ |
2,500 |
|
Retirement
Account |
|
|
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| |
|
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| |
|
| |
-
Institutional Class |
|
$ |
5,000 |
|
|
$ |
100 |
|
|
$ |
250 |
|
Automatic
Investment Account |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
-
Institutional Class |
|
$ |
2,500 |
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$ |
250 |
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$ |
2,500 |
|
(1) |
The
minimum investment amounts may be waived or lowered for investments
effected through banks and other institutions that have entered into
arrangements with a Fund or the distributor of the Fund and for
investments effected on a group basis by certain other entities and their
employees, such as investments pursuant to a payroll deduction plan and
asset-based or wrap programs. Please consult your financial intermediary
for information about minimum investment requirements. Each Fund reserves
the right to change or waive the minimum initial and subsequent investment
requirements at any time. Each Fund reserves the right to close purchases
to new investors at any time. |
Tax
Information – All Funds
Depending
on the character of income distributed, the Funds’ 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. Such tax‑deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal from
those accounts.
Payments
to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries – All Funds
If
you purchase shares of a Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial
intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and/or iM Global may pay the
intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments
may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other
intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment.
Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more
information.
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Summary of Other Important Information Regarding
the Funds |
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41 |
Investment
Objectives and Principal Investment Strategies
Global
Select Fund
The
Global Select Fund’s investment objective is to seek the long-term growth of
capital; that is, the increase in the value of your investment over the long
term. This investment objective is fundamental, which means that it may be
changed only if approved by the favorable vote of the holders of a majority of
the Global Select Fund’s outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940
Act).
Under
normal market conditions, the Global Select Fund invests at least 80% of its net
assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity
securities. This investment policy may be changed by the Board without
shareholder approval, but shareholders would be given at least 60 days’ notice
if any change occurs. Typically, the Global Select Fund invests between 25%‑75%
in equity securities of U.S. companies and between 25‑75% of its net assets in
equity securities of non‑U.S. companies.
The
specific allocation to U.S. and non‑U.S. securities will vary from time to time
based on the sub‑advisors’ assessment of domestic and international market
conditions. An issuer is considered to be “located” in a particular country
on the basis of its domicile, its principal place of business or headquarters,
its primary stock exchange listing, and/or the primary source of its revenues
(i.e., at least 50% of its revenues are
generated in that country). There is no minimum portion of the Global Select
Fund’s assets required to be invested in any single country, but the Global
Select Fund will invest more than 25% of its assets, and typically a much higher
percentage, in non‑U.S. countries. The Global Select Fund may invest in emerging
markets. iM Global defines an emerging market country as any country that
is included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. Each sub‑advisor may, at its
discretion, invest in foreign currencies or use currency futures or forwards to
hedge the currency risk of holding non‑U.S. Dollar denominated
securities.
Securities
in which the Global Select Fund may invest include predominantly equity
securities (common stocks). The Global Select Fund may focus its
investments in certain sectors – including, but not limited to, the finance,
healthcare and technology sectors – from time to time as a result of the
implementation of the Global Select Fund’s investment strategy by the
sub‑advisors, but sector focus is not a principal strategy of the Global Select
Fund. Investment in a sector typically includes investment in multiple
industries within a sector. The Global Select Fund invests in securities of all
sizes, but typically focuses on the securities of large- and mid‑sized
companies, as measured by market capitalization at the time of
acquisition.
Under
normal conditions, each portfolio segment typically includes a minimum of 10 and
a maximum of 35 securities. A portfolio segment may occasionally hold more than
35 securities. Though the total number of securities the Global Select Fund may
hold at any point in time will vary, it is generally expected that the Global
Select Fund will hold between 45 and 85 securities. The target allocation of
assets to the portfolio segments was designed with the specific objective of
maintaining significant exposure to stocks of large- and mid‑sized companies
with a greater emphasis on U.S. domiciled companies.
The
Global Select Fund’s three sub‑advisors (four portfolio segments) emphasize
different stock-picking styles and invest in stocks spanning a range of market
capitalizations. iM Global believes that during any given year certain
stock-picking styles will generate higher returns than comparable market
indexes, while others will lag. By including a variety of stock-picking styles
in this single mutual fund, iM Global believes that the variability and
volatility of returns can be lessened. The Global Select Fund’s four sub‑advised
portfolios can generally be described as: (1) global mid cap value,
(2) global large cap growth, (3) global small/mid cap growth, and
(4) global large cap value, with target allocations to each portfolio as
indicated in the following table:
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SUB‑ ADVISOR |
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TARGET ASSET ALLOCATION |
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MARKET CAPITALIZATION OF
COMPANIES IN PORTFOLIO |
|
STOCK-PICKING
STYLE |
Nuance
Investments, LLC (“Nuance”) |
|
30% |
|
All sizes, but mostly mid‑sized
companies |
|
Value |
Polen
Capital Management, LLC (“Polen Capital”) |
|
20% |
|
Large‑sized companies |
|
Growth |
Polen
Capital |
|
20% |
|
Small‑ and mid‑sized companies |
|
Growth |
Scharf
Investments, LLC (“Scharf”) |
|
30% |
|
All sizes, but mostly large‑sized companies |
|
Value |
The
Global Select Fund’s global mid‑cap value strategy managed by Nuance focuses on
the belief that the ability to outperform the broad stock market requires a
consistent and disciplined value investing approach. Nuance seeks to generate
investment returns by diligently reviewing one company at a time on its own
investment merits. Through long-term study of each company and thorough analysis
of financial statements, management strategy and competitive position, using
both fundamental research and interviews of management teams to help evaluate
the
sustainability
of leading businesses, Nuance seeks to identify companies it considers to be
best in class and having a long-term competitive advantage. With respect to
valuation, Nuance seeks to identify potential holdings that are undervalued in
the marketplace for transitory reasons because of a period of lower earnings
that in Nuance’s view is not unusual in the context of typical industry cycles
or a specific company’s approach to the competitive landscape.
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Gregory Funds Trust |
The
Global Select Fund’s large cap growth strategy managed by Polen Capital focuses
on investments in large capitalization companies (market capitalizations greater
than $10 billion at the time of purchase) that are located anywhere in the
world, including companies in both developed and emerging markets, and, in Polen
Capital’s opinion, have a sustainable competitive advantage. Polen Capital uses
an intensive fundamental research process to identify companies that it believes
have certain attractive characteristics, which typically reflect an underlying
competitive advantage, focusing on five principal “guardrails”, including
(i) return on equity, (ii) strong earnings growth and free cash flow
generation, (iii) strong balance sheets, (iv) stable or growing profit
margins, and (v) organic revenue growth, to narrow down the broad universe
to the types of businesses in which the Global Select Fund will invest. The
Global Select Fund’s large cap growth strategy invests in high-quality large
capitalization growth companies that Polen Capital believes have a competitive
advantage within an industry and can deliver sustainable, above-average earnings
growth.
The
Global Select Fund’s global small/mid cap growth strategy is also managed by
Polen Capital and focuses investments in small and mid‑cap companies that, at
the time of purchase, are within the range of the market capitalizations of
companies in the MSCI ACWI SMID Index. As of December 31, 2023, the average
weighted market capitalization of the issuers in the MSCI ACWI SMID Index was
approximately $6.9 billion. Polen Capital’s investment process and
philosophy with respect to the small/mid cap growth strategy follows the same
fundamental principles as described above for the large cap growth strategy to
identify companies with a competitive advantage, including an assessment of the
management team, business model and performance against competitors, among other
factors. In addition, the small/mid cap strategy focuses on five investment
criteria that must be satisfied by each company in which the Global Select Fund
invests: each company must (i) be uniquely positioned, (ii) have a
repeatable sales process, (iii) have a robust business model,
(iv) have an effective management team, and (v) have value-creating
reinvestment opportunities. Polen Capital may sell an existing holding of the
Global Select Fund’s small/mid cap growth portfolio if a company ceases to meet
one of these criteria.
The
Global Select Fund’s global large cap value strategy managed by Scharf invests
in equity securities of companies of all size market capitalizations, with a
focus on large capitalization companies. Scharf utilizes five key elements in
its equity investment philosophy: (i) low valuation, (ii) discount to
fair value, (iii) investment flexibility, (iv) focus and
(v) long-term perspective. Through a proprietary screening process, Scharf
seeks to identify investments with low valuations combined with growing
earnings, cash flow and/or book value, which Scharf describes as “growth stocks
at value prices.” Scharf targets companies it can purchase at a 30% discount due
to temporary market mispricing and considers certain factors, including, among
others, a company’s market conditions and earnings stream, to determine whether
a low valuation is temporary and therefore a candidate for investment, or
structural and reflecting a larger underlying issue that would make an
investment unattractive.
Each
sub‑advisor applies its investment process when determining when a security may
be sold. Generally, a security may be sold: (1) if the sub‑advisor believes
the security’s market price exceeds the its estimate of intrinsic value;
(2) if the sub‑advisor’s view of the business fundamentals (profitability,
balance sheet stability, product acceptance, competitive advantages) or
management of the underlying company changes; (3) if a more attractive
investment in terms of long-term growth potential is found; (4) if general
market conditions that may include changes in employment rates, interest rate
fluctuations, changes in fiscal policies, changes in regulations and other
factors trigger a change in the manager’s assessment criteria; or (5) for
other portfolio management reasons.
International
Fund
The
International Fund’s investment objective is to seek long-term growth of
capital; that is, the increase in the value of your investment over the long
term.
The
International Fund invests in the securities of companies that the sub‑advisors
to the International Fund (each, a “manager” or “sub‑advisor”) believe have
strong appreciation potential. The International Fund’s three sub‑advisors
pursue the International Fund’s objective primarily through investments in
common stocks of issuers located outside of the United States. Under normal
market conditions, the International Fund will invest at least 80% of its net
assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the
securities of companies organized or located outside of the United States,
including large-, mid‑, and small‑cap companies and companies located in
emerging markets. This investment policy may be changed by the Board without
shareholder approval, but shareholders would be given at least 60 days’ notice
if any change occurs.
iM
Global’s strategy is to allocate the portfolio’s assets among the managers who,
based on iM Global’s research, are judged to be among the best relative to their
respective peer groups. There is no minimum or maximum allocation of the
International Fund’s portfolio assets to each sub‑advisor. With respect to
managers for the International Fund, iM Global has focused exclusively on stock
pickers who emphasize bottom‑up stock-picking rather than macro-driven, top‑down
country picking.
iM
Global believes that bottom‑up stock pickers have an advantage in foreign
markets because:
• |
|
It
is iM Global’s opinion that the dynamics that influence individual
countries’ markets, including currencies, inflation, economic growth,
political factors, regulation and the like, are much more difficult to
assess than the prospects and valuation characteristics of individual
companies. |
• |
|
iM
Global believes that some individual stocks in foreign markets are less
closely analyzed (the markets are less “efficient”) than those in the
United States. iM Global believes that this will result in greater
opportunities for skilled stock pickers to add value through pure stock
selection. |
• |
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Based
on iM Global’s observations, bottom‑up stock pickers in foreign markets,
on average, seem to perform better than top‑down‑oriented
managers. |
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Investment Objectives and Principal Investment
Strategies |
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43 |
Investment Objectives and Principal Investment
Strategies —
(Continued)
Though
bottom‑up stock picking is emphasized, each manager also monitors specific
macro-factors that it believes are relevant in specific countries.
The
sub‑advisors manage their individual portfolio segments by building a focused
portfolio representing their highest-confidence stocks. Under normal conditions,
each manager’s portfolio segment typically includes a minimum of 8 and a maximum
of 15 securities. A manager may occasionally hold more than 15 securities.
Though the total number of securities the International Fund may hold at any
point in time will vary, it is generally expected that the International Fund
will hold between 32 and 60 securities.
Each
manager may invest in securities traded in both developed and emerging markets.
iM Global defines an emerging market country as any country that is included in
the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. Though there is no limit on emerging market
exposure, it is not expected to be a primary focus, and the majority of the
International Fund’s assets is expected to be invested in stocks of companies
listed and domiciled in foreign developed countries. There are no limits on the
International Fund’s geographic asset distribution but, to provide adequate
diversification, the International Fund ordinarily invests in the securities
markets of at least five countries outside of the United States. In most periods
it is expected that the International Fund will hold securities in more than
five countries. Although the International Fund intends to invest substantially
all of its assets in issuers located outside of the United States, it may invest
in U.S. issues on a limited basis, and at times of abnormal market conditions it
may invest all of its assets in fewer than five countries.
The
International Fund may focus its investments in certain sectors – including, but
not limited to, the financial and healthcare sectors –from time to time as a
result of the implementation of the International Fund’s investment strategy by
the sub‑advisors.
By
executing its investment strategy, the International Fund seeks to:
• |
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combine
the efforts of several experienced, high quality international
managers; |
• |
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access
the highest conviction stock-picking ideas of each manager at any point in
time; |
• |
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deliver
a portfolio that is prudently diversified in terms of stocks (typically 32
to 60) and industries while still allowing each manager to run portfolio
segments focused on only its highest-conviction stocks;
and |
• |
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further
diversify across different sized companies, countries, and stock-picking
styles by including managers with a variety of stock-picking
disciplines. |
Generally,
a security may be sold: (1) if the manager believes the security’s market
price exceeds the manager’s estimate of intrinsic value; (2) if the
manager’s view of the business fundamentals or management of the underlying
company changes; (3) if a more attractive investment opportunity is found;
(4) if general market conditions trigger a change in the manager’s
assessment criteria; or (5) for other portfolio management
reasons. The International Fund’s managers may trade its portfolio
frequently.
The
International Fund’s managers emphasize different stock-picking styles and
invest in stocks spanning a range of market capitalization. iM Global believes
that during any given year certain stock-picking styles will generate higher
returns than comparable market indexes, while others will lag. By including a
variety of stock-picking styles in this single mutual fund, iM Global believes
that the variability and volatility of returns can be lessened. Although each
manager has the flexibility to invest on a worldwide basis in non‑U.S. companies
with market capitalization of any size, it is expected that the International
Fund will have significant exposure to large- and mid‑sized foreign companies
under normal market conditions. The target allocations to each sub‑adviser are
as indicated in the following table:
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SUB‑ ADVISOR |
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TARGET ASSET
ALLOCATION |
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MARKET CAPITALIZATION OF
COMPANIES IN PORTFOLIO |
|
| |
Harris
Associates L.P. (“Harris”) |
|
33.3% |
|
All
size |
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Lazard
Asset Management (“Lazard”) |
|
33.3% |
|
All
sizes |
|
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Polen
Capital Management, LLC (“Polen Capital”) |
|
33.3% |
|
All
sizes, but mostly large- and mid‑sized companies |
Alternative
Strategies Fund
The
Alternative Strategies Fund’s investment objective is to seeks to achieve
long-term returns with lower risk and lower volatility than the stock market,
and with relatively low correlation to stock and bond market
indexes.
The
Alternative Strategies Fund invests in a mix of strategies that iM Global
believes offer risk-return characteristics that are attractive individually and
even more compelling collectively. The Alternative Strategies Fund is
intended to be used by investors as a source of diversification for traditional
stock and bond portfolios
to
reduce volatility and potentially enhance returns relative to various measures
of risk.
Allocations
among the Alternative Strategies Fund’s sub‑advisors are based on a number of
factors, including iM Global’s expectation for the risk-adjusted return
potential of each sub‑advisor’s strategy and the impact on overall portfolio
risk, with the objective of maximizing return subject to the goals of low
volatility and relatively low correlation with broad financial markets,
especially the stock market. iM Global may at times adjust the allocations
of capital to sub‑advisors if it believes there is a highly compelling tactical
opportunity in a particular
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44 |
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Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
sub‑advisor’s
strategy. A tactical opportunity could represent the potential for an
exceptional risk-adjusted return opportunity relative to the other strategies,
or it may represent a superior risk reduction opportunity that could benefit the
Alternative Strategies Fund’s overall portfolio. Portfolio assets will be
tactically allocated to the sub‑advisors in accordance with the target
allocation range for each sub‑advisor as measured at the time of allocation. It
is possible that additional managers and strategies will be added to the
Alternative Strategies Fund in the future.
Sub‑advisor
strategies may seek to benefit from: opportunities to combine securities with
differing risk characteristics; market inefficiencies; arbitrage opportunities;
opportunities to provide liquidity; tactical opportunities in asset classes or
securities; special situations such as spin offs; as well as other opportunities
in areas such as real estate or managed futures and equity hedge
strategies. In the aggregate, the managers can invest globally in stocks of
companies of any size, domicile or market capitalization, government and
corporate bonds and other fixed income securities and currencies, including
short positions of any of the foregoing, within their respective segments of the
Alternative Strategies Fund. They may also invest in derivatives,
including, without limitation, options, futures contracts, participatory notes
(“P‑Notes”) and swaps, to manage risk or enhance return and can also borrow
amounts up to one third of the value of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s total
assets (except that the Alternative Strategies Fund may exceed this limit to
satisfy redemption requests or for other temporary purposes). Each
of
the
managers may invest in illiquid securities; however, the Alternative Strategies
Fund as a whole may not hold more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid
securities. In some cases, the sub‑advisors may seek to replicate
strategies they employ in their private (hedge) funds. In other cases, the
sub‑advisors may seek to enhance strategies they run in other public funds by
focusing on their highest conviction ideas to a greater extent or by pursuing
certain aspects of their strategies with greater flexibility. However, the
Alternative Strategies Fund will only invest directly in portfolio securities
selected by the sub‑advisors and will not invest in any pooled investment
vehicles or accounts managed by the sub‑advisors.
Each
sub‑advisor will have an investment approach that generally focuses on a
particular asset class or specific strategies. Currently, the strategies the
sub‑advisors focus on are as follows: (1) an arbitrage oriented strategy,
(2) an opportunistic income strategy which will often focus on mortgage
related securities, (3) a contrarian opportunity strategy that allows
tactical investments throughout the capital structure (stocks and bonds), asset
classes, market capitalization, industries and geographies, (4) a
long/short credit strategy, (5) a strategic alpha strategy that focuses on
the tactical allocation of long and short global fixed income opportunities and
currencies, and (6) an “enhanced trend strategy” that focuses on a blend of
managed futures and equity hedge strategies. iM Global may hire
sub‑advisors that focus on other strategies in the future, and not all
strategies that may be appropriate will be represented in the Alternative
Strategies Fund’s portfolio at all times.
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SUB‑ ADVISOR |
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TARGET ASSET
ALLOCATION |
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STOCK-PICKING STYLE |
|
| |
Blackstone
Credit Systematic Strategies LLC (“BXCSS”) |
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15% |
|
Long-Short
Credit |
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DoubleLine Capital,
LP (“DoubleLine”) |
|
20% |
|
Opportunistic
Income |
|
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Dynamic
Beta investments, LLC (“DBi”) |
|
20% |
|
Enhanced
Trend Strategy |
|
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First
Pacific Advisors, LP (“FPA”) |
|
12% |
|
Contrarian
Opportunity |
|
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Loomis
Sayles and Company, LP (“Loomis”) |
|
15% |
|
Strategic
Alpha Fixed Income |
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Water
Island Capital, LLC |
|
18% |
|
Arbitrage |
The
sub‑advisor that manages the arbitrage strategy seeks to generate long-term
returns of at least mid‑single‑digits with low correlation to the equity and
bond markets and may follow merger arbitrage, convertible arbitrage and capital
structure arbitrage strategies. This objective is pursued by investing in
equity and debt securities of U.S. and non‑U.S. companies that are impacted by
corporate events such as mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, refinancings,
recapitalizations, reorganizations or other special situations.
The
sub‑advisor that manages the opportunistic income strategy allocates investments
to fixed income instruments and other investments with no limit on the duration
of the portfolio. The sub‑advisor may invest in, without limitation,
asset-backed
securities;
domestic and foreign corporate bonds, including high-yield bonds; municipal
bonds; bonds or other obligations issued by domestic or foreign governments,
including emerging markets countries; real estate investment trust (“REIT”) debt
securities; and mortgage related securities. iM Global defines an emerging
market country as any country that is included in the MSCI Emerging Markets
Index. When investing in mortgage-related securities, the sub‑advisor may invest
in obligations issued or guaranteed by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S.
Government; collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”) issued by domestic or
foreign private issuers that represent an interest in or are collateralized by
mortgage related securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S.
Government; commercial mortgage backed securities (“CMBS”); obligations issued
by
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Investment Objectives and Principal Investment
Strategies |
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45 |
Investment Objectives and Principal Investment
Strategies —
(Continued)
private
issuers that represent an interest in or are collateralized by whole mortgage
loans or mortgage related securities without a government guarantee but
typically with some form of private credit enhancement; “interest only” and
“principal only” stripped mortgage securities; inverse floating rate securities;
and debt or equity tranches of collateralized debt obligations collateralized by
mortgage related securities. The sub‑advisor may purchase or sell
mortgage-backed securities on a delayed delivery or forward commitment basis
through the “to‑be‑announced” (TBA) market. With TBA transactions, the
particular securities to be delivered are not identified at the trade date but
the delivered securities must meet specified terms and standards. The
sub‑advisor will generally enter into TBA transactions with the intention of
taking possession of the underlying mortgage-backed securities. However, in an
effort to obtain underlying mortgage-backed securities on more preferable terms
or to enhance returns, the sub‑advisor may extend the settlement by entering
into “dollar roll” transactions in which the sub‑advisor sells mortgage-backed
securities and simultaneously agrees to purchase substantially similar
securities on a future date. The sub‑advisor also expects to engage in short
sales of TBA mortgages, including short sales on TBA mortgages the Alternative
Strategies Fund does not own, to potentially enhance returns or manage
risk.
The
sub‑advisor that manages the contrarian opportunity strategy focuses on
investments that offer absolute rather than relative value. The goal is to
provide equity-like returns over longer periods (i.e., five to seven years) while protecting
against the permanent loss of capital. Attention is directed toward those
companies offering the best combination of such quality criteria as strong
market share, good management, and high normalized return on capital.
The
sub‑advisor that manages the long-short credit strategy employs a systematic
portfolio construction process underpinned by a proprietary, fundamental model
of credit risk and valuation. The sub‑advisor’s investment process is designed
to exploit information gaps between credit and equity markets and other market
inefficiencies to identify and capture mispricing at the individual asset level.
The strategy is expected to generate returns from idiosyncratic credit
selection, as the strategy systematically curtails rate duration and credit beta
exposure. Correlations to systematic market risks including high yield and
equity market returns are expected to be minimal, and strategy returns are not
expected to be correlated to the returns of other active strategies. The
portfolio is managed with the intention that the sensitivity of the long
portfolio to market-wide credit spread movements will be offset in part by the
sensitivities of the short portfolio to such market-wide movements. The
sub‑advisor may invest in corporate bonds issued by domestic and non‑U.S. based
companies, U.S. Treasury securities and long (sold protection) single name
credit default swaps (CDS), interest rate futures and swaps and foreign exchange
forwards (for hedging and currency conversion purposes). The short portfolio may
be invested in short (bought protection) single name Credit Default Swap (CDS),
short positions in Credit Default Indices (CDX Indices), and short positions in
Total Return Swaps (TRS).
The
sub‑advisor that manages the strategic alpha strategy seeks to achieve positive
total returns over a full market cycle with relatively low volatility. The
sub‑advisor intends to pursue its objective by utilizing a flexible investment
approach that allocates investments across a global range of investment
opportunities related to credit, currencies and interest rates, while employing
risk management strategies designed to mitigate downside risk. Under normal
market conditions, the sub‑advisor may invest (1) up to 75% of the total
assets allocated to it in below investment-grade fixed income securities and
related derivatives; (2) up to 75% of the total assets allocated to it in
investments denominated in non‑U.S. currencies and related derivatives,
including up to 50% in investments denominated in emerging market currencies and
related derivatives; and (3) up to 20% of the total assets allocated to it
in equity related securities and derivatives as measured at time of
allocation. A “related derivative” of a financial instrument means any
derivative whose value is based upon or derived from that financial instrument
or a related derivative of that financial instrument. The sub‑advisor
incorporates systematic and quantitative models into its investment
process.
The
sub‑advisor that manages the enhanced trend strategy seeks to generate
attractive absolute and risk-adjusted returns over multi-year periods with low
average correlation to traditional assets, while providing strong
diversification benefits during periods of extended losses for stocks and/or
bonds. The sub‑advisor that manages the advanced trend strategy may also
allocate a portion of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s assets that it manages
in a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Alternative Strategies Fund (the
“Subsidiary”), which is organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, is
advised by that sub‑advisor, and will comply with the Alternative Strategies
Fund’s investment objective and investment policies.
High
Income Fund
The
High Income Fund’s investment objective is to seeks to generate a high level of
current income from diverse sources, consistent with the goal of capital
preservation over time. Capital appreciation is a secondary objective.
The
High Income Fund invests in a mix of strategies that iM Global believes offer
risk-return characteristics that are attractive individually and even more
compelling collectively. The High Income Fund is intended to be used by
investors seeking high current income consistent with capital preservation over
time, and with long-term capital appreciation a secondary objective.
No
one strategy within the High Income Fund will be allocated less than 10% of
portfolio assets or more than 60% of portfolio assets as measured at the time of
allocation. It is possible that additional
managers
and strategies will be added to (or removed from) the High Income Fund in the
future and/or there may be adjustments in the allocation ranges.
Sub‑advisor
strategies may seek to benefit from: opportunities to combine securities with
differing risk characteristics; market inefficiencies; opportunities to provide
liquidity; tactical opportunities in asset classes or securities; special
situations such
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46 |
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Gregory Funds Trust |
as
spin-offs; as well as other opportunities in other areas. In the aggregate,
the managers can invest globally in debt and equity securities of companies of
any size, domicile or market capitalization, government and corporate bonds,
loans, loan participation interests, mortgage or other asset-backed securities
and other fixed income securities and currencies, including short positions of
any of the foregoing, within their respective segments of the High Income
Fund. The managers may invest without limitation in below investment grade
fixed income securities. Under normal market conditions, the High Income Fund
does not expect to invest more than 25% of its total assets in emerging market
securities iM Global defines an emerging market country as any country that is
included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.
The
managers may also write options, invest in derivatives, including, without
limitation, options, futures contracts,
participatory
notes (“P‑Notes”) and swaps, to manage risk or enhance return and can also
borrow amounts up to one third of the value of the High Income Fund’s total
assets (except that the High Income Fund may exceed this limit to satisfy
redemption requests or for other temporary purposes). Each of the managers
may invest in illiquid securities; however, the High Income Fund as a whole may
not hold more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities.
Each
sub‑advisor will have an investment approach that generally focuses on a
particular asset class or specific strategies. Currently, the strategies the
sub‑advisors focus on are as follows: (1) a credit value strategy,
(2) a multi credit strategy, and (3) an option income strategy. iM
Global may hire sub‑advisors that focus on other strategies in the future, and
not all strategies that may be appropriate will be represented in the High
Income Fund’s portfolio at all times.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
SUB‑ ADVISOR |
|
TARGET
ASSET
ALLOCATION |
|
STOCK-PICKING
STYLE |
|
| |
Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co. (“BBH”) |
|
40% |
|
Credit Value |
|
| |
Guggenheim
Partners Investment Management, LLC (“Guggenheim”) |
|
40% |
|
Multi-Credit |
|
| |
Neuberger
Berman Investment Advisers LLC (“Neuberger”) |
|
20% |
|
Option Income |
The
sub‑advisor that manages the credit value strategy seeks to achieve the fund’s
investment objectives by primarily investing its segment of the High Income Fund
in fixed income securities it believes to have the potential for excess return.
The sub‑advisor’s investment strategy will be to invest in fixed income
securities from a wide variety of sectors, asset-backed securities, commercial
mortgage-backed securities, corporate bonds, floating-rate loans and municipal
bonds. The sub‑advisor expects to invest in structured and corporate securities.
The sub‑advisor’s emphasis is expected to be on A/BBB‑rated asset backed
securities and BBB/BB‑rated corporate securities, as these ratings segments have
historically offered attractive risk-adjusted returns, along with low default
rates. The sub‑advisor will also invest in U.S. Treasury futures to manage
duration of the portfolio, which allows individual security selection to be
managed without regard to portfolio duration. Duration is a measure of the
expected life of a fixed income security that is used to determine the
sensitivity of a security to changes in interest rates. Fixed income securities
and portfolios with longer durations are subject to more volatility than those
with shorter durations. The sub‑advisor will not typically own CCC rated or
distressed securities.
The
sub‑advisor that manages the multi credit strategy seeks to preserve invested
capital and maximize total return through a combination of current income and
capital appreciation. The team seeks to achieve its investment objective by
investing in a wide range of fixed income and other instruments selected from a
variety of credit qualities, and sectors, including, but not limited to,
corporate bonds, loans and loan participations, structured finance investments,
U.S. government and agency, mezzanine and
preferred
securities and convertible securities. The team seeks opportunities across fixed
income market sectors – especially in non‑index‑eligible securities – and they
aim to take advantage of downturns/inefficiencies that occur during times of
uncertainty. The strategy is flexible and is not constrained by duration,
sector, issuer, or credit quality.
The
sub‑advisor that manages the option income strategy seeks to achieve its goal
primarily through a strategy of writing collateralized put options on both U.S.
indices, including the S&P 500® Index and the Russell
2000® Index, and exchange
traded funds (“ETFs”). The manager attempts to generate returns through the
receipt of option premiums from selling puts, as well as through investments in
fixed income instruments, which collectively are intended to reduce volatility
relative to what it would be if the High Income Fund held the underlying equity
index on which the options are written. The portfolio’s investments in fixed
income instruments may be of any duration, may include variable and floating
rate instruments, and may include U.S. Treasury securities and other securities
issued by the U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities, debt
securities issued by corporations or trust entities, cash and cash equivalents,
mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities. The manager also may
invest in money market mutual funds and ETFs.
Small
Company Fund
The
Small Company Fund’s investment objective is to seek long-term growth of
capital; that is, the increase in the value of your investment over the long
term.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
Investment Objectives and Principal Investment
Strategies |
|
|
|
| |
47 |
Investment Objectives and Principal Investment
Strategies —
(Continued)
The
Small Company Fund invests in the securities of smaller companies that the
sub-advisors to the Small Company Fund (the “managers” or “sub-advisors”)
believe have strong appreciation potential. Under normal market conditions,
the Small Company Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, in securities of
small‑sized U.S. companies, as measured by market capitalization at the time of
acquisition. This investment policy may be changed by the Board without
shareholder approval, but shareholders would be given at least 60 days’ notice
if any change occurs. The Fund may focus its investments in certain sectors –
including, but not limited to, the industrial sector from time to time as a
result of the implementation of the Small Company Fund’s investment strategy by
the managers. The industrial sector consists of companies that produce capital
goods used in manufacturing, resource extraction and construction. The extent of
the Fund’s focus on certain sectors will change over time and may shift to other
sectors, based on the sub‑advisor’s ongoing evaluation of the Fund’s holdings
and of potential investments that meet the Fund’s investment mandate.
There
is no minimum or maximum allocation of the Small Company Fund’s portfolio assets
to each sub‑advisor. The Advisor is responsible for establishing the target
allocation of Small Company Fund assets to each manager based on the
Advisor’s
goal
of maintaining a balance of investment styles (growth, value, and blend) and may
adjust the target allocations at its discretion. A “growth investing” style
involves identifying securities for the Fund that the sub‑advisor expects to
have above-average potential for growth in revenue and earnings. A “value
investing” style involves identifying securities for the Fund that the
sub‑advisor believes are underpriced relative to comparable securities,
determined by price/earnings ratios, cash flows or other measures. Market
performance may result in allocation drift among the managers of the Small
Company Fund. The Advisor is responsible for periodically rebalancing the
portfolios, the timing and degree of which will be determined by the Advisor
based on the amount of deviation from pre‑established target allocation ranges
and the Advisor’s assessment of market conditions and investment opportunities
available to each sub‑advisor. The Advisor monitors the individual portfolios
managed by the sub‑advisors to ensure that the overall portfolio does not
include any unintentional over-weights to sectors, industries or individual
securities. Under normal conditions, each sub‑advisor manages a portion of the
Small Company Fund’s assets by independently managing a portfolio typically
composed of between 15 and 30 stocks (resulting in total Small Company Fund
holdings of 30 to 60 different stocks). The target allocations to each
sub‑adviser are indicated in the following table:
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
SUB‑ADVISOR |
|
TARGET
ASSET
ALLOCATION |
|
INVESTMENT
STYLE |
|
| |
Polen
Capital Management, LLC |
|
50% |
|
Growth |
|
| |
Segall
Bryant & Hamill, LLC |
|
50% |
|
Value |
The
Small Company Fund may invest up to 15% its net assets in the securities of
foreign companies, including those located in emerging markets. iM Global
defines an emerging market country as any country that is included in the MSCI
Emerging Markets Index.
As
used in this Prospectus, iM Global defines a “Small‑Cap Company” as one whose
market capitalization is within the range of the market capitalizations of
companies in the Russell 2000 Index. As of March 31, 2024, the range of
market capitalization of the companies in the Russell 2000 Index was from
approximately $12.2 million to $56.5 billion.
Though
the primary capitalization focus of the Small Company Fund is in the small‑cap
sector, iM Global does not believe that small‑cap investors should be forced to
sell a stock that appreciates beyond the upper thresholds of the small‑cap range
if a manager continues to maintain a high level of conviction with respect to
the holding. This has been a problem with many small‑cap funds, as they have, at
times, been forced to sell some of their most compelling holdings. Overall, iM
Global expects the majority of the Small Company Fund’s holdings at any point in
time to meet the definition of a Small‑Cap Company; however, the Small Company
Fund will not be required to sell any company if its market capitalization grows
and exceeds the market capitalization of the largest company in the Russell 2000
Index.
Generally,
a security may be sold: (1) if the sub‑advisor believes the security is
overvalued; (2) if the sub‑advisor’s view of the business fundamentals or
management of the underlying company changes; (3) if a more attractive
investment opportunity is found; (4) if general market conditions trigger a
change in the sub‑advisor’s assessment criteria; or (5) for other portfolio
management reasons. The Small Company Fund’s investment manager may trade
its portfolio frequently.
Oldfield
International Value Fund
The
Oldfield International Value Fund’s investment objective is to seeks long-term
growth of capital; that is, the increase in the value of your investment over
the long term.
iM
Global’s strategy is to allocate the portfolio’s assets to the Oldfield
International Value Fund’s sub‑advisor who, based on iM Global’s research, is
judged to be among the best in its style group. The sub‑advisor manages the
portfolio by building a select portfolio representing its highest-confidence
stocks. The Oldfield International Value Fund invests in the securities of
companies with market capitalization of $10 billion or greater that the
sub‑advisor to the Oldfield International Value Fund (the “manager” or
“sub‑advisor”) believes have strong appreciation potential. Under normal
market conditions, the Oldfield International Value Fund’s portfolio is
typically composed of between 25 to 30 stocks. Under normal market
conditions, the
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
48 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
Oldfield
International Value Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount
of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of value companies
domiciled outside the United States, or having the majority of their assets
located in or deriving a majority of their operating income from countries
outside the United States, mostly
mid‑ to large‑sized companies (i.e.,
companies with a market capitalization of greater than $10 billion at the
time of acquisition), including companies located in emerging markets. This
investment policy may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval, but
shareholders would be given at least 60 days’ notice if any change occurs.
Investments in companies located in emerging market countries are expected to be
20% or less of the Oldfield International Value Fund’s net assets. Value
stocks are those that are believed to be undervalued in comparison to their
peers due to temporary adverse market or industry or business developments that
result in a stock trading at a discount to estimated long-term intrinsic value,
which is determined by the sub‑advisor and measured using traditional financial
metrics such as low price‑to‑earnings, price‑to‑cash‑flow, and/or price‑to‑book
ratios. iM Global defines an emerging market country as any country that is
included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. The Oldfield International Value
Fund may focus its investments in certain sectors – including, but not limited
to, the consumer staples, financial and industrial sectors – from time to time
as a result of the implementation of the Oldfield International Value Fund’s
investment strategy by the manager.
Dolan
McEniry Corporate Bond Fund
The
Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s investment objective is to seeks to provide
investors with total return, with a secondary investment objective of preserving
capital.
The
Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of
corporate investment grade bonds, corporate high yield bonds, and U.S.
Government and Treasury securities maturing within 10 years or less. All
securities will be U.S. dollar denominated, although they may be issued by a
foreign corporation or a U.S. affiliate of a foreign corporation. Under normal
market conditions, the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund will invest at least
80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowing for investment purposes)
in corporate bonds. This investment policy may be changed by the Board without
shareholder approval, but shareholders would be given at least 60 days’ notice
if any change occurs. In addition to investments in corporate bonds issued by
U.S. issuers, the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund may invest in corporate
bonds issued by foreign corporations. With respect to the Dolan McEniry
Corporate Bond Fund’s net assets allocated to investments in corporate bonds,
the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund invests approximately 75% in corporate
bonds that are determined by the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s sub‑advisor
(the “manager” or “sub‑advisor”), to be investment grade, and approximately 25%
in high yield bonds (also known as “junk bonds”). The Dolan McEniry Corporate
Bond Fund’s investments in investment grade corporate bonds will be rated
investment grade (BBB‑ by Standard & Poor’s or equivalent) by at least
one major credit
rating
agency identified as a nationally recognized statistical rating organization
(“NRSRO”), or if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality by the
sub‑advisor. The Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund may invest up to 20% of its
net assets in U.S. Government and Treasury securities.
The
sub‑advisor anticipates that the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s duration
will reflect that of the Bloomberg U.S. Intermediate Credit Index, plus or minus
50%. For example, if the duration of the Bloomberg U.S. Intermediate Credit
Index is 5 years, the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s duration may be
2.5–7.5 years. As of March 31, 2024, the duration of the Bloomberg U.S.
Intermediate Credit Index was 3.99 years.
Duration
measures a bond or fund’s sensitivity to interest rate or other changes (such as
changes in a bond’s yield) and is expressed as a number of years. The higher the
number, the greater the risk. Under normal circumstances, for example, if a
portfolio has a duration of five years, its value will change by 5% if yields
change by 1%. Shorter duration bonds generally result in lower expected
volatility.
The
Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s investment universe consists of corporate
investment grade bonds, high yield bonds, and U.S. Government and Treasury
securities maturing within 10 years or less. When making decisions to buy or
sell an investment for the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund, the sub‑advisor
utilizes bottom‑up investment analysis which focuses on credit analysis and
selection of undervalued bonds. The sub‑advisor analyzes companies’ financial
statements and creates financial models to assess trends in revenue, margins,
earnings, cash earnings, investments in working capital and fixed assets, debt
levels and cash balances, and other items, ranking each company by risk and
return. The Sub‑Advisor then applies qualitative diligence reviews of each
company, taking into consideration pricing, liquidity, event risk and duration
to select specific investments for the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s
portfolio. The sub‑advisor’s investment process is designed to identify
undervalued corporate bonds – those that trade at wide spreads to U.S. Treasury
securities yet are issued by companies that, in the sub‑advisor’s assessment,
generate sufficient cash flow to meet their debt obligations. The sub‑advisor
ranks securities with equal weighting given to risk (cash flow coverage of debt
obligations) and return (spread to U.S. Treasuries). The process identifies what
the sub‑advisor deems to be the most undervalued bonds. The sub‑advisor will
consider selling a security if the company’s fundamentals deteriorate to an
unacceptable degree according to the sub‑advisor’s free cash flow credit
analysis; the security has appreciated in price to a level that makes it no
longer attractive in the sub‑advisor’s ranking system; or if the sub‑advisor
identifies a more attractive investment opportunity. Concentration of
investments in certain sectors – including, but not limited to, the consumer
staples and industrial sectors – may occur from time to time as a result of the
implementation of the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s investment strategy by
the manager.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
Investment Objectives and Principal Investment
Strategies |
|
|
|
| |
49 |
Evaluation
and Selection of Sub‑Advisors by the Advisor
iM
Global, as the Funds’ investment adviser, is responsible for hiring and removing
sub‑advisors. Before hiring a sub‑advisor, iM Global performs extensive due
diligence. This includes quantitative and qualitative analysis, including (but
not limited to) an evaluation of: the investment process, the consistency of its
execution and discipline; individual holdings; strategies employed, past
mistakes, risk controls, team depth and quality; operations and compliance; and
business focus and vision. iM Global’s evaluation process includes review of
literature and documents, quantitative historical performance evaluation,
extensive discussions with members of the investment team and firm management
and background checks through industry contacts. Each of the sub‑advisor’s
management fee is also an important consideration. It is iM Global’s objective
to hire sub‑advisors who it believes are skilled and can deliver strong market
cycle returns when taking risk into account. iM Global defines a “market cycle”
as the movement from a period of increasing prices and strong performance, or
bull market, through a period of weak performance and falling prices, or bear
market, and back again to new strength. A full market cycle is usually three to
five years, but can vary considerably. The top of a cycle is called a peak and
the bottom a trough. iM Global generally assesses the
long-term
growth of an investment by considering the increase in the value of the
investment over a period greater than five years. iM Global is responsible for
the general overall supervision of the sub‑advisors along with allocating the
portfolio’s assets for their investment decisions as well as rebalancing the
portfolio as necessary from time to time. Generally, iM Global seeks to make
tactical allocations to securities, markets or strategies at times when it
believes such allocations are compelling from a risk/return perspective and
prefers managers who it believes will be able to add value through security
selection.
In
the event a manager ceases to manage a Fund’s portfolio, iM Global will select a
replacement manager. The securities that were held in the departing manager’s
portfolio may be retained by the replacement manager of the Fund or will be
liquidated in an orderly manner, taking into account various factors, which may
include but are not limited to the market for the security and the potential tax
consequences.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
50 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
Description
of Principal Investment Risks
All
mutual funds carry a certain amount of risk. The Funds’ returns will vary, and
you could lose money on your investment in the Funds. An investment in a Fund is
not a deposit of a bank and is not insured, endorsed or guaranteed by any
financial institution, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any
other government agency. The principal risks for each Fund are identified in the
Funds’ Summary Sections and are described in further detail below. Additional
information about the principal risks is included in the Funds’ Statement of
Additional Information (the “SAI”).
Investors
should be aware that in light of the current uncertainty, volatility and
distress in economies, financial markets, and labor and health conditions around
the world, the risks described below are heightened significantly compared to
normal conditions and therefore subject a Fund’s investments and a shareholder’s
investment in a Fund to sudden and substantial losses.
The
following table summarizes the principal risks of investing in each Fund. Your
investment may be subject (in varying degrees) to these risks as well as other
risks. Each Fund may be more susceptible to some of these risks than others.
Risks not marked for a particular Fund may, however, still apply to some extent
to that Fund at various times.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Global Select Fund |
|
International Fund |
|
Alternative Strategies Fund |
|
High Income Fund |
|
Small Company Fund |
|
Oldfield International Value Fund |
|
Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund |
Asia
Investing Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
Asset-Backed
Securities Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Below
Investment-Grade Fixed Income Securities Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
Capital
Structure Arbitrage Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Collateralized
Loan Obligations and Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Collateral
Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commodities
Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Consumer
Staples Sector Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
Convertible
Arbitrage Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Convertible
Securities Risk |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Corporate
Debt Obligations Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
Country/Regional
Risk |
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
Currency
Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
Cybersecurity
Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
Derivatives
Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Emerging
Markets Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
Equity
Hedge Strategy Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity
Securities Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
Europe
Investing Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
Event-Driven
Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Financial
Sector Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
Fixed
Income Securities Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
Foreign
Investment Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
Geopolitical
Events Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
Growth
Investing Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
Healthcare
Sector Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Industrial
Sector Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
Description of Principal Investment Risks |
|
|
|
| |
51 |
Description of Principal Investment Risks — (Continued)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Global Select Fund |
|
International Fund |
|
Alternative Strategies Fund |
|
High Income Fund |
|
Small
Company
Fund |
|
Oldfield International Value Fund |
|
Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund |
Investment
in Investment Companies Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Investment
in Loans Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Investment
Selection Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
Large Shareholder Purchase and Redemption
Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
Leverage
Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liquidity
and Valuation Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Managed
Futures Strategy Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Market
Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
Merger
Arbitrage Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mid‑Sized
Companies Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
Models
and Data Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mortgage-Backed
Securities Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Multi
Management Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
Operational
Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
Portfolio Turnover Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sector
Weightings Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
Securities
Lending Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
Short
Sale Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Smaller
Companies Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
Special
Situations Risk |
|
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Subsidiary
Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Technology Sector Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TBAs and
Dollar Rolls Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unfavorable
Tax Treatment Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
U.S.
Government and U.S. Agency Obligations Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
Value
Stock Risk |
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
✓ |
|
✓ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
52 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
|
| |
Asia Investing Risks |
|
The
value of the Oldfield International Fund’s assets may be adversely
affected by political, economic, social and religious factors, inadequate
investor protection, changes in the laws or regulations of the countries
in which it invests and the status of these countries’ relations with
other countries. In addition, the economies of these countries may differ
favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in respects such as the
rate of growth of gross domestic product, the rate of inflation, capital
reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, balance of payments position and
sensitivity to changes in global trade. Deflationary factors could also
reemerge in certain Asian markets, the potential effects of which are
difficult to forecast. While certain Asian governments will have the
ability to offset deflationary conditions through fiscal or budgetary
measures, others will lack the capacity to do so. Some countries have
limited natural resources (such as oil and natural gas), resulting in
dependence on foreign sources for certain raw materials and vulnerability
to global fluctuations of price and supply.
In
many other countries, the government has exercised and continues to
exercise significant influence over many aspects of the economy, and the
number of public sector enterprises in these countries is substantial.
Accordingly, future government actions in these countries could have a
significant effect on the economy of these countries, which could affect
private sector companies and the Funds, market conditions, and prices and
yields of securities in a Fund’s portfolio.
In
addition, the political reunification of China and Taiwan, over which
China continues to claim sovereignty, is a highly complex issue that has
included threats of invasion by China. Political or economic disturbances
(including an attempted unification of Taiwan by force), as well as any
economic sanctions implemented in response, may have an adverse impact on
the values of investments in either China or Taiwan, or make investments
in China and Taiwan impractical or impossible. Any escalation of hostility
between China and/or Taiwan would likely have a significant adverse impact
on the value of investments in both countries and on economies, markets
and individual securities globally. |
Asset-Backed Securities Risk |
|
The
Alternative Strategies Fund and the High Income Fund may invest in
asset-backed securities (“ABS”), which are debt obligations or debt
securities that entitle the holders thereof to receive payments that
depend primarily on the cash flow from underlying financial assets,
together with rights or other assets designed to assure the servicing or
timely distribution of proceeds to holders of such securities. An ABS is
typically created by the sale of assets or collateral to a conduit,
generally a bankruptcy-remote vehicle such as a grantor trust or other
special-purpose entity, which becomes the legal issuer of the ABS.
Interests in or other securities issued by the trust or special-purpose
entity, which give the holder thereof the right to certain cash flows
arising from the underlying assets, are then sold to investors through an
investment bank or other securities underwriter.
The
structure of an ABS and the terms of the investors’ interest in the
collateral can vary widely depending on the type of collateral, the
desires of investors and the use of credit enhancements. Although the
basic elements of all ABS are similar, individual transactions can differ
markedly in both structure and execution. Holders of ABS bear various
risks, including credit risks, liquidity risks, interest rate risks,
market risks, operations risks, structural risks and legal risks.
Credit
risk is an important issue in ABS because of the significant credit risks
inherent in the underlying collateral and because issuers are primarily
private entities. Credit risk arises from losses due to defaults by the
borrowers in the underlying collateral or the issuer’s or servicer’s
failure to perform. Market risk arises from the cash-flow characteristics
of the security, which for many ABS tend to be predictable. The greatest
variability in cash flows comes from credit performance, including the
presence of early amortization or acceleration features designed to
protect the investor if credit losses in the portfolio rise well above
expected levels. Interest-rate risk arises for the issuer from the
relationship between the pricing terms on the underlying collateral and
the terms of the rate paid to security holders. ABS are subject to the
risk that a change in interest rates may influence the pace of prepayments
of the underlying securities which, in turn, affects yields on an absolute
basis. Liquidity risk can arise from increased perceived credit risk. For
example, liquidity can also become a significant problem if concerns
regarding credit quality lead investors to avoid the securities issued by
the relevant special-purpose entity. Operations risk arises through the
potential for misrepresentation of asset quality or terms by the
originating institution, misrepresentation of the nature and current value
of the assets by the servicer and inadequate controls over disbursements
and receipts by the servicer. Structural risk
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
Description of Principal Investment Risks |
|
|
|
| |
53 |
Description of Principal Investment Risks — (Continued)
|
| |
|
|
may
arise through investments in ABS with structures (for example, the
establishment of various security tranches) that are intended to
reallocate the risks entailed in the underlying collateral (particularly
credit risk) in ways that give certain investors less credit risk
protection (i.e., a lower priority claim on the cash flows from the
underlying pool of assets) than others. As a result, such securities have
a higher risk of loss as a result of delinquencies or losses on the
underlying assets.
Further,
credit risk retention requirements for ABS may increase the costs to
originators, securitizers and, in certain cases, asset managers of
securitization vehicles in which the Alternative Strategies Fund and the
High Income Fund may invest. Although the impact of these requirements is
uncertain, certain additional costs may be passed to a Fund and the Fund’s
investments in ABS may be adversely affected. Many of the other changes
required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
(the “Dodd-Frank Act”), or foreign regulatory developments could
materially impact the value of the Fund’s assets, expose the Fund to
additional costs and require changes to investment practices, thereby
adversely affecting the Fund’s performance.
Additional
risks relating to investments in ABS may arise because of the type of ABS
in which the Alternative Strategies Fund and the High Income Fund invest,
defined by the assets collateralizing the ABS. For example, collateralized
mortgage obligations may have complex or highly variable prepayment terms,
such as companion classes, interest only or principal only payments,
inverse floaters and residuals. These investments generally entail greater
market, prepayment and liquidity risks than other mortgage-backed
securities, and may be more volatile or less liquid than other
mortgage-backed securities. In addition, ABS backed by aircraft loans and
leases may provide a Fund with a less effective security interest in the
related underlying collateral than do mortgage-related securities and,
thus, it is possible that recovery on repossessed collateral might be
unavailable or inadequate to support payments on these ABS. In addition to
the risks inherent in ABS generally, risks associated with aircraft
securitizations include but are not limited to risks related to commercial
aircraft, the leasing of aircraft by commercial airlines and the
commercial aviation industry generally. With respect to any one aircraft,
the value of such aircraft can be affected by the particular maintenance
and operating history for the aircraft or its components, the model and
type of aircraft, the jurisdiction of registration (including legal risks,
costs and delays in attempting to repossess and export such aircraft
following any default under the related loan or lease) and regulatory
risk. The Alternative Strategies Fund and the High Income Fund may invest
in these and other types of ABS that may be developed in the future.
• Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities –
Home mortgage loans are typically grouped together into pools by
banks and other lending institutions, and interests in these pools are
then sold to investors, allowing the bank or other lending institution to
have more money available to loan to home buyers. Some of these pools are
guaranteed by U.S. government agencies or by government sponsored private
corporations-familiarly called “Ginnie Mae,” “Fannie Mae” and “Freddie
Mac.” Non‑agency MBS is subject to the risk that the value of such
security will decline because, among other things, the security is not
issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. government or
a government sponsored enterprise. These securities are often subject to
greater credit risk than agency MBS. In addition, these securities may be
less readily marketable as the market for these securities is typically
smaller and less liquid than the market for agency MBS, thus these
securities may be subject to greater price fluctuation than agency MBS.
Home mortgage loans may also be purchased and grouped together by
non‑lending institutions such as investment banks and hedge funds who will
sell interests in such pools to investors. Mortgage-backed securities may
be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates given that rising
interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed-rate mortgage-backed
securities. As a result, a rising interest rate environment can cause the
prices of mortgage-backed securities to be increasingly volatile, which
may adversely affect the Alternative Strategies Fund’s and High Income
Fund’s holdings of mortgage-backed securities. In light of the current
interest rate environment, the Alternative Strategies Fund’s and High
Income Fund’s investments in these securities may be subject to heightened
interest rate risk. These risks are elevated given the current distressed
economic, market, health and labor conditions, notably, increased levels
of unemployment, delays and delinquencies in payments of mortgage and rent
obligations, and uncertainty regarding the effects and extent of
government intervention with respect to mortgage payments and other
economic matters.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
54 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
|
| |
|
|
• Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities –
Commercial mortgage backed securities (“CMBS”) are collateralized
by one or more commercial mortgage loans. Banks and other lending
institutions typically group the loans into pools and interests in these
pools are then sold to investors, allowing the lender to have more money
available to loan to other commercial real estate owners. Commercial
mortgage loans may be secured by office properties, retail properties,
hotels, mixed use properties or multi-family apartment buildings.
Investments in CMBS are subject to the risks of ABS generally and
particularly subject to credit risk, interest rate risk, and liquidity and
valuation risk. These risks are elevated given the current distressed
economic, market, health and labor conditions, notably, increased levels
of unemployment, delays and delinquencies in payments of mortgage and rent
obligations, and uncertainty regarding the effects and extent of
government intervention with respect to mortgage payments and other
economic matters. |
Below Investment-Grade Fixed Income Securities
Risk |
|
Below
investment-grade fixed income securities (also known as “junk bonds”) are
considered speculative. These securities are rated Ba1 through C by
Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) or BB+ through D by
Standard & Poor’s Rating Group (“S&P”) (or comparably rated
by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization), or, if
not rated by Moody’s or S&P, are considered by the sub‑advisors to be
of similar quality. These securities may be subject to greater risks than
those of higher rated fixed income securities, including greater risk of
default. The market value of below investment-grade fixed income
securities is more sensitive to individual corporate developments and
economic changes than higher rated securities. Adverse publicity and
investor perceptions, whether or not accurate, regarding below
investment-grade fixed income securities may depress prices and diminish
liquidity for such securities. The market for below investment-grade fixed
income securities may be less active than the market for higher rated
securities, which can adversely affect the price at which these securities
may be sold. Less active markets may diminish the Alternative Strategies
Fund’s, High Income Fund’s and Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s ability
to obtain accurate market quotations when valuing the portfolio securities
and thereby giving rise to valuation risk. In addition, the Alternative
Strategies Fund, the High Income Fund and the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond
Fund may incur additional expenses if a holding defaults and the
Alternative Strategies Fund, High Income Fund and Dolan McEniry Corporate
Bond Fund have to seek recovery of its principal investment. Below
investment-grade fixed income securities may also present risks based on
payment expectations. For example, these securities may contain redemption
or call provisions. If an issuer exercises these provisions in a declining
interest rate market, the Alternative Strategies Fund, High Income Fund
and Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund would have to replace the security
with a lower yielding security resulting in a decreased return for
investors. There is no limit to the Alternative Strategies Fund’s and High
Income Fund’s ability to invest in below investment-grade fixed income
securities; however, under normal market conditions, it does not expect to
invest more than 50% of its total assets in below investment-grade fixed
income securities as measured at time of purchase. Under normal market
conditions, the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund expects to invest
approximately 25% of its net assets in below investment-grade fixed income
securities as measured at time of purchase. |
Capital Structure Arbitrage Risk |
|
The
perceived mispricing identified by the sub‑adviser may not disappear or
may even increase, in which case losses may be realized. |
Collateral Risk |
|
If a
Fund’s financial instruments are secured by collateral, the issuer may
have difficulty liquidating the collateral and/or the Fund may have
difficulty enforcing its rights under the terms of the securities if an
issuer defaults. Collateral may be insufficient or the Fund’s right to the
collateral may be set aside by a court. Collateral will generally consist
of assets that may not be readily liquidated, including for example,
equipment, inventory, work in the process of manufacture, real property
and payments to become due under contracts or other receivable
obligations. There is no assurance that the liquidation of those assets
would satisfy an issuer’s obligations under a financial instrument.
Non‑affiliates and affiliates of issuers of financial instruments may
provide collateral in the form of secured and unsecured guarantees and/or
security interests in assets that they own, which may also be insufficient
to satisfy an issuer’s obligations under a financial
instrument. |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
Description of Principal Investment Risks |
|
|
|
| |
55 |
Description of Principal Investment Risks — (Continued)
|
| |
Collateralized Loan Obligations and
Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk |
|
The
Alternative Strategies Fund and the High Income Fund may invest in
collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) and collateralized debt
obligations (“CDOs”). Investments in CLOs carry the same risks as
investments in loans directly, such as interest rate risk, credit and
liquidity and valuation risks, and the risk of default. These investments
are also subject to the risks associated with a decrease of market value
due to collateral defaults and disappearance of subordinate tranches,
market anticipation of defaults, and investor aversion to these types of
securities as a class. CLOs issue classes or “tranches” that vary in risk
and yield. Losses caused by defaults on underlying assets are borne first
by the holders of subordinate tranches. A CLO may experience substantial
losses attributable to loan defaults. A Fund’s investment in a CLO may
decrease in market value because of (i) loan defaults or credit
impairment, (ii) the disappearance of subordinate tranches,
(iii) market anticipation of defaults, and (iv) investor
aversion to CLO securities as a class. These risks may be magnified
depending on the tranche of CLO securities in which a Fund invests. For
example, investments in a junior tranche of CLO securities will likely be
more sensitive to loan defaults or credit impairment than investments in
more senior tranches.
CDOs
are structured similarly to CLOs, but are backed by pools of assets that
are debt securities rather than only loans, typically including bonds,
other structured finance securities (including other ABS and other CLOs)
and/or synthetic instruments. CDOs are often highly leveraged, and like
CLOs, the risks of investing in CDOs may be magnified depending on the
tranche of CDO securities held by a Fund. The nature of the risks of CDOs
depends largely on the type and quality of the underlying collateral and
the tranche of CDOs in which a Fund may invest. CDOs collateralized by
pools of ABS carry the same risks as investments in ABS directly,
including losses with respect to the collateral underlying those ABS. In
addition, certain CDOs may not hold their underlying collateral directly,
but rather, use derivatives such as swaps to create “synthetic” exposure
to the collateral pool. Such CDOs entail the risks associated with
derivative instruments. |
Commodities Risk |
|
Exposure
to the commodities markets (including financial futures markets) may
subject the Alternative Strategies Fund, through its investment in the
Subsidiary, to greater volatility than investments in traditional
securities. Prices of commodities and related contracts may fluctuate
significantly over short periods for a variety of reasons, including
changes in interest rates, supply and demand relationships and balances of
payments and trade; weather and natural disasters; governmental,
agricultural, trade, fiscal, monetary and exchange control programs and
policies, public health crises and trade or price wars among commodity
producers or buyers. The commodity markets are subject to temporary
distortions and other disruptions. U.S. futures exchanges and some foreign
exchanges have regulations that limit the amount of fluctuation in futures
contract prices which may occur during a single business day. Limit prices
have the effect of precluding trading in a particular contract or forcing
the liquidation of contracts at disadvantageous times or prices. |
Consumer Staples Sector Risk |
|
Certain
of the Funds, through the implementation of their respective investment
strategies, may from time to time invest a significant portion of their
assets in the consumer staples sector, which includes, for example, the
food and staples retailing industry, the food, beverage and tobacco
industry and the household and personal products industry. This sector can
be significantly affected by, among other factors, the regulation of
various product components and production methods, marketing campaigns and
changes in the global economy, consumer spending and consumer demand.
Tobacco companies, in particular, may be adversely affected by new laws,
regulations and litigations. Companies in the consumer staples sector may
also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which
may be influenced by unpredictable factors. These companies may be subject
to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their
profitability. |
Convertible Arbitrage Risk |
|
Arbitrage
strategies involve engaging in transactions that attempt to exploit price
differences of identical, related or similar securities on different
markets or in different forms. A Fund may realize losses or reduced rate
of return if underlying relationships among securities in which investment
positions are taken change in an adverse manner or a transaction is
unexpectedly terminated or delayed. Trading to seek short-term capital
appreciation can be expected to cause the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate
to be substantially higher than that of the average equity-oriented
investment company, resulting in higher transaction costs and additional
capital gains tax liabilities. |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
56 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
|
| |
Convertible Securities Risk |
|
Convertible
securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than
non‑convertible securities of similar quality. Because convertible
securities are higher in an issuer’s capital structure than equity
securities, convertible securities are generally not as risky as the
equity securities of the same issuer. However, convertible securities may
gain or lose value due to
changes
in, among other things, interest rates; other general economic conditions;
industry fundamentals; market sentiment; and the issuer’s operating
results, financial statements and credit ratings. The value of convertible
securities also tends to change whenever the market value of the
underlying common or preferred stock fluctuates. |
Corporate Debt Obligations Risk |
|
Corporate
debt obligations, which are debt instruments issued by corporations to
raise capital, are subject to the risk of an issuer’s inability to meet
principal and interest payments on the obligations. Corporate debt
obligations have priority over preferred securities and common stock in an
issuer’s capital structure, but may be subordinated to an issuer’s other
debt instruments. The market value of a corporate debt obligation may be
affected by factors directly related to the issuer, such as investors’
perceptions of the creditworthiness of the issuer, the issuer’s financial
performance, perceptions of the issuer in the market place, performance of
the issuer’s management, the issuer’s capital structure, the use of
financial leverage and demand for the issuer’s goods and services, and by
factors not directly related to the issuer such as general market
liquidity. The market value of corporate debt obligations generally may be
expected to rise and fall inversely with interest rates, and as a result,
corporate debt obligations may lose value in a rising-rate
environment. |
Country/Regional Risk |
|
World
events – such as political upheaval, financial troubles, or natural
disasters – may adversely affect the value of securities issued by
companies in foreign countries or regions. Because each of the
International Fund and Oldfield International Value Fund may invest a
large portion of its assets in securities of companies located in any one
country or region, including emerging markets, the performance of those
Funds may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of their
investments in that area. This risk is heightened in emerging markets –
see “Emerging Markets Risk” below. |
Currency Risk |
|
The
Alternative Strategies Fund and High Income Fund may invest in foreign
currencies for investment and hedging purposes. All of the Funds may
invest in foreign currencies for hedging purposes. Investing in foreign
currencies exposes the fund to fluctuations in currency exchange rates.
Fluctuations in the exchange rates between different currencies may
negatively affect an investment. Each of the Alternative Strategies Fund
and High Income Fund may be subject to currency risk because it may invest
a significant portion of its assets in currency-related instruments, such
as forward currency exchange contracts, foreign currency futures
contracts, options on foreign currencies and foreign currency futures,
cross-currency instruments (such as swaps) and direct investments in
foreign currencies. The Alternative Strategies Fund and High Income Fund
also are subject to currency risk because each may invest in securities or
other instruments denominated in, or receive revenues in, foreign
currencies. The sub‑advisors may elect not to hedge currency risk, which
may cause the Alternative Strategies Fund and the High Income Fund to
incur losses that would not have been incurred had the risk been
hedged. |
Cybersecurity Risk |
|
Information
and technology systems relied upon by the Funds, iM Global, the
sub‑advisors, the Funds’ service providers (including, but not limited to,
Fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents, administrators,
distributors and other financial intermediaries) and/or the issuers of
securities in which a Fund invests may be vulnerable to damage or
interruption from computer viruses, network failures, computer and
telecommunication failures, infiltration by unauthorized persons, security
breaches, usage errors, power outages and catastrophic events such as
fires, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes. Although iM Global
has implemented measures to manage risks relating to these types of
events, if these systems are compromised, become inoperable for extended
periods of time or cease to function properly, significant investment may
be required to fix or replace them. The failure of these systems and/or of
disaster recovery plans could cause significant interruptions in the
operations of the Funds, iM Global, the sub‑advisors, the Funds’ service
providers and/or issuers of securities in which a Fund invests and may
result in a failure to maintain the security, confidentiality or privacy
of sensitive data, including personal information relating to investors
(and the beneficial owners of investors). Such a failure could also harm
the reputation of the Funds, iM Global, the sub‑advisors, the Funds’
service providers and/or issuers of securities in which a Fund invests,
subject such entities and their respective affiliates to legal claims or
otherwise affect their business and financial
performance. |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
Description of Principal Investment Risks |
|
|
|
| |
57 |
Description of Principal Investment Risks — (Continued)
|
| |
Derivatives Risk |
|
Some
of the instruments in which the Alternative Strategies Fund and the High
Income Fund may invest may be referred to as “derivatives,” because their
value “derives” from the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or
index. Use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that can
involve
investment techniques and risks different from, and in some respects
greater than, those associated with investing in more traditional
investments, such as stocks and bonds. Derivatives can be highly complex
and highly volatile and may perform in unanticipated ways. Derivatives can
create leverage, which can magnify the impact of a decline in the value of
the reference instrument underlying the derivative, and each of the
Alternative Strategies Fund and the High Income Fund could lose more than
the amount it invests. Derivatives can have the potential for unlimited
losses, for example, where a Fund may be called upon to deliver a security
it does not own. Derivatives may at times be highly illiquid, and a Fund
may not be able to close out or sell a derivative at a particular time or
at an anticipated price. Derivatives can be difficult to value and
valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil. There may be
imperfect correlation between the behavior of a derivative and that of the
reference instrument, and the reference instrument may not perform as
anticipated. Suitable derivatives may not be available in all
circumstances, and there can be no assurance that a Fund will use
derivatives to reduce exposure to other risks when that might have been
beneficial. Derivatives may involve fees, commissions, or other costs that
may reduce a Fund’s gains or exacerbate losses from the derivatives. In
addition, a Fund’s use of derivatives may have different tax consequences
for the Fund than an investment in the reference instruments, and those
differences may increase the amount and affect the timing of income
recognition and character of taxable distributions payable to
shareholders. Certain aspects of the regulatory treatment of derivative
instruments, including federal income tax, are currently unclear and may
be affected by changes in legislation, regulations, or other legally
binding authority.
Derivatives
involve counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party to the
derivative will fail to make required payments or otherwise comply with
the terms of the derivative. Counterparty risk may arise because of market
activities and developments, the counterparty’s financial condition
(including financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), or other
reasons. Not all derivative transactions require a counterparty to post
collateral, which may expose the Alternative Strategies Fund and the High
Income Fund to greater losses in the event of a default by a counterparty.
Counterparty risk is generally thought to be greater with OTC derivatives
than with derivatives that are centrally cleared. However, derivatives
that are traded on organized exchanges and/or through clearing
organizations involve the possibility that the futures commission merchant
or clearing organization will default in the performance of its
obligations.
When
the Alternative Strategies Fund and the High Income Fund use derivatives,
each Fund will likely be required to provide margin or collateral; these
practices are intended to satisfy contractual undertakings and regulatory
requirements and will not prevent the Fund from incurring losses on
derivatives. The need to provide margin or collateral could limit the
Fund’s ability to pursue other opportunities as they arise. Derivatives
that have margin requirements involve the risk that if the Fund has
insufficient cash or eligible margin securities to meet daily variation
margin requirements, it may have to sell securities or other instruments
from its portfolio at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. The
Fund may remain obligated to meet margin requirements until a derivatives
position is closed.
Rule
18f‑4 (the “Derivatives Rule”), adopted by the SEC on October 28,
2020, replaced previous asset segregation requirements with a new
framework for the use of derivatives by registered funds. For funds using
a significant amount of derivatives, the Derivatives Rule mandates a fund
adopt and/or implement: (i) value at risk limitations in lieu of
asset segregation requirements; (ii) a written derivatives risk
management program; (iii) new Board oversight responsibilities; and
(iv) new reporting and recordkeeping requirements. The Derivatives
Rule provides an exception for funds with derivative exposure not
exceeding 10% of its net assets, excluding certain currency and interest
rate hedging transactions. In addition, the Derivatives Rule provides
special treatment for reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing
transactions and unfunded commitment agreements. |
|
|
Although
the Alternative Strategies Fund and the High Income Fund may use
derivatives to attempt to hedge against certain risks, the hedging
instruments may not perform as expected and could produce losses.
Additional risks associated with certain types of derivatives are
discussed below:
Options Risk. The Alternative
Strategies Fund and High Income Fund may invest in options. Options
trading entails risks in addition to those resulting from trading in
traditional securities. Options may be more volatile than the underlying
instruments, and therefore, on a percentage
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basis,
an investment in options may be subject to greater fluctuation than an
investment in the underlying instruments themselves. An investment in
options is subject to the risk of a complete loss of the amounts paid as
premiums to purchase the options.
Forward Contracts Risk. The
Alternative Strategies Fund and High Income Fund may invest in forward
contracts. There are no limitations on daily price movements of forward
contracts. Changes in foreign exchange regulations by governmental
authorities might limit the trading of forward contracts. To the extent
the Alternative Strategies Fund and High Income Fund enter into non‑U.S.
currency forward contracts with banks, the Funds are subject to the risk
of bank failure or the inability of or refusal by a bank to perform such
contracts. There have been periods during which certain banks have refused
to continue to quote prices for forward contracts or have quoted prices
with an unusually wide spread (the difference between the price at which
the bank is prepared to buy and the price at which it is prepared to
sell).
Futures Contracts Risk. The
Alternative Strategies Fund and High Income Fund may invest in futures
contracts. The loss that may be incurred by entering into futures
contracts could exceed the amount of the premiums paid and may be
potentially unlimited. Futures markets are highly volatile, and the use of
futures may increase the volatility of a Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”).
Additionally, as a result of the low collateral deposits normally involved
in futures trading, a relatively small movement in the price or value of a
futures contract increases the risk of losing more than the amount
initially invested by the Fund. Furthermore, exchanges may limit
fluctuations in futures contract prices during a trading session by
imposing a maximum permissible price movement on each futures contract. A
Fund may be disadvantaged if it is prohibited from executing a trade
outside the daily permissible price movement. Futures contracts executed
on foreign exchanges may not be provided the same protections as provided
by U.S. exchanges.
P‑Notes Risk. The Alternative
Strategies Fund and the High Income Fund may invest in P‑Notes. P‑Notes
are a type of equity-linked derivative generally issued by banks or
broker-dealers and are designed to replicate the performance of the
underlying equity securities. P‑Notes are typically utilized to obtain
exposure in certain non‑U.S. markets where direct investment in a
company’s equity is not permitted or otherwise feasible. Even though a
P‑Note is intended to reflect the performance of the underlying equity
securities on a one‑to‑one basis so that investors will not normally gain
or lose more in absolute terms than they would have made or lost had they
invested in the underlying securities directly, the performance results of
P‑Notes will not replicate exactly the performance of the issuers or
markets that the P‑Notes seek to replicate due to transaction costs and
other expenses. P‑Notes represent unsecured, unsubordinated contractual
rights of the issuer and do not confer any right, title or interest in
respect to the underlying equity securities or provide rights against the
issuer of the underlying securities. For this reason, in addition to the
risks normally associated with a direct investment in the underlying
securities, P‑Notes are subject to counterparty risk if the issuer of the
P‑Note is unable or refuses to perform under the terms of the P‑Note and
must rely on the creditworthiness of the counterparty for its investment
returns on the P‑Notes. While the holder of a P‑Note is entitled to
receive from the bank or broker-dealer any dividends or other
distributions paid on the underlying securities, the holder is not
entitled to the same rights as an owner of the underlying securities, such
as voting rights. P‑Notes are also not traded on exchanges, are privately
issued, and may be illiquid. There can be no assurance that the trading
price or value of P‑Notes will equal the value of the underlying value of
the equity securities they seek to replicate. |
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Credit Default Swaps Risk. The
Alternative Strategies Fund and the High Alternatives Fund may enter into
credit default swap agreements. The “buyer” in a credit default swap
contract is obligated to pay the “seller” a periodic stream of payments
over the term of the contract, provided no event of default has occurred.
In the event of default, the seller must pay the buyer the “par value”
(full notional value) of the reference obligation in exchange for the
reference obligation. Each Fund may be either the buyer or seller in the
transaction. If a Fund is a buyer and no event of default occurs, the Fund
loses its investment and recovers nothing. However, if an event of default
occurs, the buyer receives full notional value for a reference obligation
that may have little or no value. As a seller, each Fund receives a fixed
rate of income throughout the term of the contract,
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Description of Principal Investment Risks — (Continued)
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provided
there is no default event. If an event of default occurs, the seller is
normally obligated to pay the notional value of the reference obligation.
The value of the reference obligation received by the seller, coupled with
the periodic payments previously received may be less than the full
notional value it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss of value to the
Fund. Credit default swaps involve greater risks than if a Fund had
invested in the reference obligation directly. In addition to general
market risks, credit default swaps are subject to illiquidity risk,
counterparty risk and credit risks. If a Fund writes a credit default
swap, it would normally be required to segregate liquid assets equal in
value to the notional value of the reference obligation.
Total Return Swaps Risk. The
Alternative Strategies Fund and the High Income Fund may enter into total
return swap agreements. Total return swap is the generic name for any
non‑traditional swap where one party agrees to pay the other the “total
return” of a defined underlying asset, usually in return for receiving a
stream of cash flows based on a reference rate such as Secured Overnight
Financing Rate (“SOFR”) or an alternative reference rate. A total return
swap may be applied to any underlying asset but is most commonly used with
equity indices, single stocks, bonds and defined portfolios of loans and
mortgages. Total return swap is a mechanism for the user to accept the
economic benefits of asset ownership without utilizing the balance sheet.
The other leg of the swap is spread to reflect the non‑balance sheet
nature of the product. No notional amounts are exchanged with total return
swaps. The total return receiver assumes the entire economic exposure –
that is, both market and credit exposure – to the reference asset. The
total return payer – often the owner of the reference obligation –
gives up economic exposure to the performance of the reference asset and
in return takes on counterparty credit exposure to the total return
receiver in the event of a default or fall in value of the reference
asset. |
Emerging
Markets Risk |
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Emerging
market countries are those with immature economic and political
structures, and investing in emerging markets entails greater risk than in
developed markets. Emerging markets may be under-capitalized, have less
developed legal and financial systems or have less stable currencies than
markets in the developed world. Emerging market securities are securities
that are issued by companies with their principal place of business or
principal office in an emerging market country; or securities issued by
companies for which the principal securities trading market is an emerging
market country. Emerging market securities typically present even greater
exposure to the risks described under “Foreign Investment Risk” and may be
particularly sensitive to certain economic changes. For example, emerging
market countries are more often dependent on international trade and are
therefore often vulnerable to recessions in other countries. Emerging
markets may have obsolete financial systems and volatile currencies, and
may be more sensitive than more mature markets to a variety of economic
factors. Emerging market securities also may be less liquid than
securities of more developed countries and could be difficult to sell,
particularly during a market downturn.
Economies
in emerging market countries may also be more susceptible to natural and
man‑made disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, terrorist attacks, or
adverse changes in climate or weather. In addition, many developing
countries with less established health care systems have experienced
outbreaks of pandemic or contagious diseases from time to time, including,
but not limited to, COVID‑19, Ebola, Zika, avian flu, severe acute
respiratory syndrome, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. The risks of
such phenomena and resulting social, political, economic and environmental
damage cannot be quantified. These events can exacerbate market volatility
as well as impair economic activity, which can have both short- and
immediate-term effects on the valuations of the companies and issuers in
which the Funds invest.
Among
other risks of investing in emerging market countries are the variable
quality and reliability of financial information and related audits of
companies. In some cases, financial information and related audits can be
unreliable and not subject to verification. Auditing firms in some of
these markets are not subject to independent inspection or oversight of
audit quality. This can result in investment decisions being made based on
flawed or misleading information. Additionally, investors may have
substantial difficulties in bringing legal actions to enforce or protect
investors’ rights, which can increase the risks of loss. The Funds define
an emerging market country as any country that is included in the MSCI
Emerging Markets Index. |
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Equity Hedge Strategy Risk |
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The
Alternative Strategies Fund uses various investment strategies that seek
to identify the main drivers of performance of a diversified portfolio of
the largest long/short equity hedge funds. These investment strategies
involve the use to complex derivatives techniques, and there is no
guarantee that these strategies will succeed. The use of such strategies
and techniques may subject the Alternative Strategies Fund to greater
volatility and loss than investing in individual equity securities. There
can be no assurance that utilizing a certain approach or model will
achieve a particular level of return or reduce volatility and loss. |
Equity Securities Risk |
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The
value of equity securities may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and
unexpectedly, due to various factors, including factors affecting the
general market, such as adverse changes in economic conditions, the
general outlook for corporate earnings, interest rates or investor
sentiment. Equity securities may also lose value because of factors
affecting an entire industry or sector, such as increases in production
costs, and factors directly related to a specific company, such as
significant decisions made by its management. Certain equity securities
may decline in value even during periods when the prices of equity
securities in general are rising, or may not perform as well as the market
in general. The prices of equity securities may also experience greater
volatility during periods of challenging market conditions such as the one
that the market recently experienced. This risk is greater for small- and
medium‑sized companies, which tend to be more vulnerable to adverse
developments than larger companies. |
Europe Investing Risk |
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Each of
the Global Select Fund, International Fund and Oldfield International
Value Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in European
issuers. The economies of countries in Europe are in different stages of
economic development and are often closely connected and interdependent,
and events in one country in Europe can have an adverse impact on other
European countries. Efforts by the member countries of the European Union
(“EU”) to continue to unify their economic and monetary policies may
increase the potential for similarities in the movements of European
markets and reduce the potential investment benefits of diversification
within the region. However, the substance of these policies may not
address the needs of all European economies. European financial markets
have in recent years experienced increased volatility due to concerns with
some countries’ high levels of sovereign debt, budget deficits and
unemployment. Markets have also been affected by the withdrawal of the
United Kingdom (“UK”) from the EU (a process now commonly referred to as
“Brexit”). The economies of Europe and the United Kingdom as well as the
broader economy could be significantly impacted by Brexit, which may
result in lower economic growth and increased volatility and illiquidity
across global markets. An exit by any member counties from the EU or the
Economic and Monetary Union of the EU, or even the prospect of such an
exit, could also lead to increased volatility in European markets and
negatively affect investments both in issuers in the exiting country and
throughout Europe. In addition, the ongoing war in Ukraine and the
resulting sanctions against Russia could adversely affect global energy
and financial markets and thus could affect the value of a Fund’s
investments, even beyond any direct exposure the Fund may have to Russian
issuers or the adjoining geographic regions. While many countries in
western Europe are considered to have developed markets, many eastern
European countries are less developed, and investments in eastern European
countries, even if denominated in Euros, may involve special risks
associated with investments in emerging markets. |
Event-Driven Risk |
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The
Alternative Strategies Fund may make event-driven investments.
Event-driven strategies seek to profit from the market inefficiencies
surrounding market events, such as mergers, acquisitions, asset sales,
restructurings, refinancings, recapitalizations, reorganizations or other
special situations. Event-driven investing involves attempting to
predict the outcome of a particular transaction as well as the optimal
time at which to commit capital to it. Event-driven opportunities
involve difficult legal as well as financial analysis, as some of the
principal impediments to the consummation of major corporate events are
often legal or regulatory rather than economic. In addition, certain of
the securities issued in the context of major corporate events include
complex call, put and other features, and it is difficult to precisely
evaluate the terms and embedded option characteristics of these
securities. A Fund may take both long and short positions in a wide
range of securities, derivatives and other instruments in implementing its
event-driven strategies. |
Financial Sector Risk |
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Certain
of the Funds, through the implementation of their respective investment
strategies, may from time to time invest a significant portion of their
assets in the financial sector. The financial sector can be significantly
affected by changes in interest rates, government regulation, the rate of
defaults on corporate, consumer and government debt, the availability and
cost of capital, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements.
Financial services companies are subject to
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Description of Principal Investment Risks — (Continued)
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extensive
governmental regulation which may limit both the amounts and types of
loans and other financial commitments they can make, the interest rates
and fees they can charge, the scope of their activities, the prices they
can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Profitability is
largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds, and can
fluctuate significantly when interest rates change or due to increased
competition. The Funds may be adversely affected by events or developments
negatively impacting the financial sector. For example, events in the
financial sector may cause an unusually high degree of volatility in the
financial markets, both domestic and foreign, and cause certain financial
services companies, including banks, to incur losses. If the Funds focus
their investments in banks or bank-related companies, the Funds will be
sensitive to adverse developments in the banking industry (domestic or
foreign). Banks can be particularly susceptible to, among other things,
adverse legislative, regulatory and monetary policy changes, interest rate
movements, the availability of capital and cost to borrow, the rate of
debt defaults, and developments in the real estate market. |
Fixed
Income Securities Risk |
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Interest
rates may go up resulting in a decrease in value of the securities held by
a Fund. Fixed income securities held by a Fund are also subject to
interest rate risk, credit risk, call risk and liquidity risk, which are
more fully described below.
Credit Risk. Fixed income securities are
generally subject to the risk that the issuer may be unable to make
principal and interest payments when they are due. There is also the risk
that the securities could lose value because of a loss of confidence in
the ability of the borrower to pay back debt. Lower rated fixed income
securities involve greater credit risk, including the possibility of
default or bankruptcy. Nationally recognized statistical rating
organizations (“NRSROs”) provide ratings on fixed income securities based
on their analyses of information they deem relevant. If a fixed income
security is unrated, a sub‑advisor may determine the quality of the
security based on its own analysis. Ratings are essentially opinions or
judgments of the credit quality of an issuer and may prove to be
inaccurate. In addition, there may be a delay between events or
circumstances adversely affecting the ability of an issuer to pay interest
and/or repay principal and a sub‑advisor’s or a NRSRO’s decision to
downgrade a security.
Interest Rate Risk. Fixed income
securities are subject to the risk that the securities could lose value
because of interest rate changes. For example, bonds tend to decrease in
value if interest rates rise. Fixed income securities with longer
maturities sometimes offer higher yields but are subject to greater price
shifts as a result of interest rate changes than debt securities with
shorter maturities. A fund with a longer average portfolio duration will
be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter
average portfolio duration. Potential future changes in government and/or
central bank monetary policy and action may also affect the level of
interest rates. Recently, there have been inflationary price movements,
which have caused the fixed income securities markets to experience
heightened levels of interest volatility and liquidity risk. Monetary
policy measures have in the past, and may in the future, exacerbate
risks associated with rising interest rates. A wide variety of factors can
cause interest rates to rise (e.g., central bank monetary policies,
inflation rates, or general economic conditions).
Call Risk. During periods of declining
interest rates, a bond issuer may “call,” or repay, its high yielding
bonds before their maturity dates. A Fund would then be forced to invest
the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline
in its income.
Liquidity Risk. Trading opportunities
are more limited for fixed income securities that have not received any
credit ratings, have received ratings below investment grade or are not
widely held. These features make it more difficult to sell or buy a
security at a favorable price or time. Consequently, a Fund may have to
accept a lower price to sell a security, sell other securities to raise
cash or give up an investment opportunity, any of which could have a
negative effect on its performance. Infrequent trading of securities may
also lead to an increase in their price volatility. Liquidity risk also
refers to the possibility that a Fund may not be able to sell a security
or close out an investment contract when a sub‑advisor believes it prudent
to do so. If this happens, a Fund will be required to hold the security or
keep the position open, and it could incur losses.
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Prepayment and Extension Risk. Many
types of fixed income securities are subject to prepayment risk.
Prepayment occurs when the issuer of a fixed income security can repay
principal prior to the security’s maturity. Securities subject to
prepayment can offer less potential for gains during a declining interest
rate environment and similar or greater potential for loss in a rising
interest rate environment. In addition, the potential impact of prepayment
features on the price of a fixed income security can be difficult to
predict and result in greater volatility. On the other hand, rising
interest rates could cause prepayments of the obligations to decrease,
extending the life of mortgage- and asset-backed securities with lower
payment rates. This is known as extension risk and may increase a Fund’s
sensitivity to rising rates and its potential for price
declines. |
Foreign
Investment Risk |
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Investing
in foreign (non‑U.S) securities may expose the Funds to risks not
typically associated with U.S. investments. These risks include, among
others, adverse fluctuations in currency conversion rate, currency
blockages, and adverse political, social and economic developments
affecting a foreign country. In addition, foreign securities may have less
publicly available information and may be more volatile and/or less
liquid. Investments in foreign securities could also be affected by
factors such as differences in financial reporting, accounting and
auditing standards, nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory
taxation, smaller and less-strict regulation of securities markets,
restrictions on receiving investment proceeds from a foreign country, and
potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations. Economies in
foreign countries may also be more susceptible to natural and man‑made
disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, terrorist attacks, or adverse
changes in climate or weather. In addition, many foreign countries with
less established health care systems have experienced outbreaks of
pandemic or contagious diseases from time to time, including, but not
limited to, COVID‑19, Ebola, Zika, avian flu, severe acute respiratory
syndrome and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. The risks of such phenomena
and resulting social, political, economic and environmental damage cannot
be quantified. These events can exacerbate market volatility as well as
impair economic activity, which can have both short- and immediate-term
effects on the valuations of the companies and issuers in which the Funds
invest. These risks are greater in the emerging markets. There is no limit
to the Alternative Strategies Fund’s ability to invest in emerging market
securities; however, under normal market conditions, it does not expect to
invest more than 50% of its total assets in emerging market securities.
Additional information about the risks of emerging markets is described
above under “Emerging Markets Risk.”
The
International Fund invests a significant portion of its assets In issuers
based in Western Europe and the United Kingdom (“UK”). The economies of
countries in Europe are often closely connected and interdependent, and
events in one country in Europe can have an adverse impact on other
European countries. Efforts by the member countries of the European Union
(“EU”) to continue to unify their economic and monetary policies may
increase the potential for similarities in the movements of European
markets and reduce the potential investment benefits of diversification
within the region. However, the substance of these policies may not
address the needs of all European economies. European financial markets
have in recent years experienced increased volatility due to concerns with
some countries’ high levels of sovereign debt, budget deficits and
unemployment. Markets have also been affected by the withdrawal of the UK
from the EU on January 31, 2020 (an event commonly known as
“Brexit”). There remains uncertainty surrounding the ultimate impact of
Brexit on the UK, the EU and the broader global economy. An exit by any
member countries from the EU or the Economic and Monetary Union of the EU,
or even the prospect of such an exit, could lead to increased volatility
in European markets and negatively affect investments both in issuers in
the exiting country and throughout Europe. In addition, Russia’s invasion
of Ukraine has led to sanctions being levied against Russia by
the United States, the EU and other countries. Russia’s military incursion
and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect European and global
energy and financial markets. Further, the ongoing conflict in the Middle
East could have a negative impact on the economy and business activity
globally.
Whether
or not a Fund invests in securities of issuers located in Europe or with
significant exposure to European issuers or countries, these events could
negatively affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments due to
the interconnected nature of the global economy and capital
markets. |
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Description of Principal Investment Risks — (Continued)
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Geopolitical Events Risk |
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The
increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial
markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region
or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country,
region or financial market. Securities in a Fund’s portfolio may
underperform due to inflation (or expectations for inflation), interest
rates, global demand for particular products or resources, natural
disasters, climate change and climate-related events, pandemics,
epidemics, terrorism, regulatory events and governmental or
quasi-governmental actions. The occurrence of global events similar to
those in recent years, such as terrorist attacks around the world,
territorial invasions and global economic sanctions implemented in
response, natural disasters, social and political discord or debt crises
and downgrades, among others, may result in market volatility and may have
long-term effects on both the U.S. and global financial markets. It is
difficult to predict when similar events affecting the U.S. or global
financial markets may occur, the effects that such events may have and the
duration of those effects. Any such event(s) could have a significant
adverse impact on the value and risk profile of a Fund’s portfolio. The
novel coronavirus (COVID‑19) global pandemic and the aggressive responses
taken by many governments, including closing borders, restricting
international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged
quarantines or similar restrictions, as well as the forced or voluntary
closure of, or operational changes to, many retail and other businesses,
had negative impacts, and in many cases severe negative impacts, on
markets worldwide. It is not known how long such impacts, or any future
impacts of other significant events described above, will or would last,
but there could be a prolonged period of global economic slowdown, which
may impact your investment in the Funds, Therefore, the Funds could lose
money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over
longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. During a general
market downturn, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Changes in market conditions and interest rates can have the same impact
on all types of securities and instruments. In times of severe market
disruptions, you could lose your entire investment. |
Growth Investing Risk |
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Growth
stocks, as a group, may be out of favor with the market and underperform
value stocks or the overall equity market. Growth stocks are generally
more sensitive to market movements than other types of stocks primarily
because their prices are based heavily on the future expectations of the
economy and the stock’s issuing company. |
Healthcare Sector Risk |
|
Certain
of the Funds, through the implementation of their respective investment
strategies, may from time to time invest a significant portion of their
assets in the healthcare sector. Companies in the healthcare sector may be
affected by the overall economic conditions as well as by factors
particular to the healthcare sector. Those factors include extensive
government regulation; restrictions on government reimbursement for
medical expenses; rising costs of medical products, services and
facilities; pricing pressure; an increased emphasis on outpatient
services; limited number of products and product obsolescence due to
industry innovation; changes in technologies and other market
developments. A major source of revenue for the healthcare sector is
payments from Medicare and Medicaid programs. As a result, the sector is
sensitive to legislative changes and reductions in governmental spending
for such programs, as well as state or local healthcare reform measures.
Companies in the healthcare sector depend heavily on patent protection.
The process of obtaining patent approval can be long and costly, and the
expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of companies
in this sector. Healthcare companies also are subject to extensive
litigation based on product liability and similar claims. Healthcare
companies are subject to competitive forces that may make raising prices
difficult and, at times, may result in price discounting. In addition,
companies in the healthcare sector may be thinly capitalized and therefore
may be more susceptible to product obsolescence. |
Industrial Sector Risk |
|
Certain
of the Funds, through the implementation of their respective investment
strategies, may from time to time invest a significant portion of their
assets in the industrial sector. Stock prices for the types of companies
included in the industrial sector are affected by supply and demand both
for their specific product or service and for industrial sector products
in general. Government regulation, world events and economic conditions,
technological developments and liabilities for environmental damage and
general civil liabilities will likewise affect the performance of these
companies. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrial
sector, can be significantly affected by government spending policies
because companies involved in this industry rely to a significant extent
on U.S. and foreign government demand for their products and services.
Thus, the financial condition of, and investor interest in, aerospace and
defense companies are heavily influenced by governmental spending policies
which are typically under
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pressure
from efforts to control the U.S. (and other) government budgets.
Transportation stocks, a component of the industrial sector, are cyclical
and have occasional sharp price movements which may result from changes in
the economy, fuel prices, labor agreements and insurance costs. |
Investment in Investment Companies
Risk |
|
The
High Income Fund and its shareholders may incur the pro rata share of the
expenses of the underlying investment companies or vehicles in which the
Fund invests, such as investment advisory and other management expenses,
and shareholders will incur the operating expenses of these investment
vehicles. In addition, the Fund will be subject to those risks affecting
the investment vehicle, including the effects of business and regulatory
developments that affect an underlying investment company or vehicle or
the investment company industry generally as well as the possibility that
the value of the underlying securities held by the investment vehicle
could decrease or the portfolio becomes illiquid. Shares of investment
vehicles that trade on an exchange may trade at a discount or premium from
their net asset value. The purchase of shares of some investment companies
(such as CEFs and ETFs) may require the payment of substantial premiums
above the value of such companies’ portfolio securities or net asset
values.
The
High Income Fund may, from time to time, invest a portion of its assets in
investment companies advised by a sub‑advisor, or an affiliate of the
sub‑advisor.
An
underlying investment vehicle may buy the same securities that another
underlying investment vehicle sells. If this happens, an investor in the
High Income Fund would indirectly bear the costs of these trades without
accomplishing any investment purpose. In addition, certain of the
underlying investment vehicles may hold common portfolio positions,
thereby reducing the diversification benefits of an asset allocation
style. The underlying investment vehicles may engage in investment
strategies or invest in specific investments in which the Fund would not
engage or invest directly.
The
performance of those underlying investment vehicles, in turn, depends upon
the performance of the securities in which they invest.
The
underlying investment companies or other investment vehicles in which the
High Income Fund invests are often institutional funds owned by a small
number of shareholders and are thus also subject to the risk that
shareholders redeem their shares rapidly, which may adversely affect the
performance and liquidity of the underlying investment vehicles and the
High Income Fund.
An
investment by the High Income Fund in ETFs generally presents the same
primary risks as an investment in a mutual fund. In addition, an
investment in an ETF may be subject to additional risk, including: the
ETF’s shares may trade at a discount or premium relative to the net asset
value of the shares; an active trading market may not develop for the
ETF’s shares; the listing exchange may halt trading of the ETF’s shares;
the ETF may fail to correctly track the referenced asset (if any); and the
ETF may hold troubled securities in the referenced index or basket of
investments. Shares of CEFs frequently trade at a discount to their net
asset value. Investments in CEFs that elect to be regulated as BDCs may be
subject to a high degree of risk.
BDCs
typically invest in and lend to small and medium‑sized private and certain
public companies that may not have access to the public equity markets or
capital raising. As a result, a BDC’s portfolio typically will
include a substantial amount of securities purchased in private
placements, and its portfolio may carry risks similar to those of a
private equity or private debt fund. Securities that are not publicly
registered may be difficult to value and may be difficult to sell at a
price representative of their intrinsic value. Small and medium‑sized
companies also may have fewer lines of business so that changes in any one
line of business may have a greater impact on the value of their stock
than is the case with a larger company. Some BDCs invest
substantially, or even exclusively, in one sector or industry group and
therefore carry risk of that particular sector or industry group. To
the extent a BDC focuses its investments in a specific sector, the BDC
will be susceptible to adverse conditions and economic or regulatory
occurrences affecting the specific sector or industry group, which tends
to increase volatility and result in higher risk. Investments in BDCs
are subject to various other risks, including management’s ability to meet
the BDC’s investment objective and to manage the BDC’s portfolio when the
underlying securities are redeemed or sold, during periods of market
turmoil and as investors’ perceptions regarding a BDC or its underlying
investments change. BDC shares are not redeemable at the option of
the BDC shareholder and, as with shares of other closed‑end funds, they
may trade in the secondary market at a discount to their
NAV. |
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Description of Principal Investment Risks — (Continued)
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Investment
in Loans Risk |
|
The
High Income Fund may invest in loans, such as syndicated bank loans and
other direct lending opportunities, senior floating rate loans, secured
and unsecured loans, second lien or more junior loans, bridge loans,
revolving credit facilities and unfunded commitments. Loans may incur some
of the same risks as other debt securities, such as prepayment risk,
credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk and risks found with high
yield securities. The terms of certain loan agreements may cause certain
loans to be particularly sensitive to changes in benchmark interest rates.
Although some loans are secured by collateral, the collateral may be
difficult to liquidate and the value of the collateral can decline or be
insufficient or unavailable to meet the obligation of the borrower.
Certain loans have the benefit of restrictive covenants that limit the
ability of the borrower to further encumber its assets or incur other debt
obligations. To the extent a loan does not have such covenants, an
investment in the loan may be particularly sensitive to the risks
associated with loan investments. The Fund’s interest in a particular loan
and/or in a particular collateral securing a loan may be subordinate to
the interests of other creditors of the obligor. As a result, a loan may
not be fully collateralized (and may be uncollateralized) and can decline
significantly in value, which may result in the Fund not receiving
payments to which it is entitled on a timely basis or at all. In addition,
the Fund may have limited rights to exercise remedies against collateral
or against an obligor when payments are delayed or missed.
Loans
may offer a fixed rate or floating rate of interest. Loans may decline in
value if their interest rates do not rise as much or as fast as interest
rates in general. In addition, to the extent the High Income Fund holds a
loan through a financial intermediary, or relies on a financial
intermediary to administer the loan, the Fund’s investment, including
receipt of principal and interest relating to the loan, will be subject to
the credit risk of the intermediary.
Loans
are subject to the risk that the scheduled interest or principal payments
will not be paid. Lower-rated loans and debt securities (those of less
than investment grade quality) involve greater risk of default on interest
and principal payments than higher-rated loans and securities. In the
event that a non‑payment occurs, the value of that obligation likely will
decline. Loans and other debt instruments rated below “BBB” category by
S&P or “Baa” category by Moody’s or unrated but assessed of similar
quality are considered to have speculative characteristics and are
commonly referred to as “junk bonds.” Junk bonds entail default and other
risks greater than those associated with higher-rated securities.
Loans
are vulnerable to market sentiment such that economic conditions or other
events may reduce the demand for loans and cause their value to decline
rapidly and unpredictably. Many loan interests are subject to restrictions
on transfer that may limit the ability of the High Income Fund to sell the
interests at an advantageous time or price. Furthermore, while the resale,
or secondary, market for loans is growing, it is currently limited. There
is no organized exchange or board of trade on which loans are traded.
Loans often trade in large denominations (typically $1 million and
higher), and trades can be infrequent. The market has limited transparency
so that information about actual trades may be difficult to obtain.
Accordingly, some of the loans in which the Fund may invest will be
relatively illiquid and difficult to value. Loans are often subject to
restrictions on resale or assignment. The may have difficulty in disposing
of loans in a favorable or timely fashion, which could result in losses to
the Fund. Transactions in loans are often subject to long settlement
periods (in excess of the standard T+2 days settlement cycle for most
securities and often longer than seven days). As a result, sale proceeds
potentially will not be available to the Fund to make additional
investments or to use proceeds to meet its current redemption obligations.
The Fund thus is subject to the risk of selling other investments at
disadvantageous times or prices, taking other actions necessary to raise
cash to meet its redemption obligations such as borrowing from a bank or
holding additional cash.
Loans
may be issued in connection with highly leveraged transactions, such as
restructurings, leveraged buyouts, leveraged recapitalizations and
acquisition financing. In such highly leveraged transactions, the borrower
assumes large amounts of debt in order to have the financial resources to
attempt to achieve its business objectives. Accordingly, such loans may be
part of highly leveraged transactions and involve a significant risk that
the borrower may default or go into bankruptcy or become insolvent.
Bankruptcy or other court proceedings may delay, limit or negate the High
Income Fund’s ability to collect payments on its loan investments or
otherwise adversely affect the Fund’s rights in collateral relating to the
loan and the Fund may need to retain legal or similar counsel to help in
seeking to enforce its rights. In addition, if the Fund holds certain
loans, the Fund may be required to exercise its rights collectively with
other creditors or through an agent
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or
other intermediary acting on behalf of multiple creditors, and the value
of the Fund’s investment may decline or otherwise be adversely affected by
delays or other risks associated with such collective procedures.
The
High Income Fund values its assets on each business day that the New York
Stock Exchange is open. However, because the secondary market for loans is
limited and trading may be irregular, they may be difficult to value.
Market quotations may not be readily available for some loans or may be
volatile and/or subject to large spreads between bid and ask prices, and
valuation may require more research than for other securities. In
addition, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation than
for securities with a more active secondary market, because there is less
reliable, objective market value data available. In certain circumstances,
the sub‑advisor or its affiliates (including on behalf of clients other
than the Fund) or the Fund may be in possession of material non‑public
information about a borrower as a result of its ownership of a loan and/or
corporate debt security of a borrower. Because U.S. laws and regulations
generally prohibit trading in securities of issuers while in possession of
material, non‑public information, the Fund might be unable to trade
securities or other instruments issued by the borrower when it would
otherwise be advantageous to do so and, as such, could incur a loss. In
circumstances when the sub‑advisor or the Fund determines not to receive
non‑public information about a borrower for loan investments, the Fund may
be disadvantaged relative to other investors and the Fund may not take
advantage of other investment opportunities that it may otherwise have. In
addition, loans and other similar instruments may not be considered
“securities” and, as a result, the Fund may not be entitled to rely on the
anti-fraud protections under the federal securities laws and instead may
have to resort to state law and direct claims. The sub‑advisor or its
affiliates may participate in the primary and secondary market for loans
or other transactions with possible borrowers. As a result, the Fund may
be legally restricted from acquiring some loans and from participating in
a restructuring of a loan or other similar instrument. |
Investment Selection Risk |
|
The
Sub‑Advisors’ portfolio managers may select investments that underperform,
and investors’ Fund shares may decline in value. This risk may be more
significant when sub‑advisors concentrate their holdings in a limited
number of securities as may be the case in a Fund because concentration
can magnify the potential for gains and losses from individual securities.
The specific investments held in a Fund’s investment portfolio may
underperform other funds in the same asset class or benchmarks that are
representative of the general performance of the asset class because of a
portfolio manager’s choice of securities. This risk may be greater for
multi-manager funds compared to funds with a single manager because
multi-manager funds may have more portfolio managers making investment
selections independent of one another. |
Leverage Risk |
|
Leverage
may result from certain transactions, including the use of derivatives and
borrowing, particularly with respect to the Alternative Strategies Fund
and the High Income Fund. Although leverage creates an opportunity for
increased income and gain, it also creates certain risks. For example, the
use of leverage may cause the effect of an increase or decrease in the
value of a Fund’s portfolio securities to be magnified and the Fund to be
more volatile than if leverage was not used. Under normal circumstances,
the Alternative Strategies Fund and the High Income Fund may each borrow
amounts up to one third of the value of its total assets except that it
may exceed this limit to satisfy redemption requests or for other
temporary purposes. |
Liquidity and Valuation Risk |
|
It may
be difficult for the High Income Fund to purchase and sell particular
investments within a reasonable time at a fair price, or the price at
which it has been valued by iM Global for purposes of the Fund’s net asset
value, causing the Fund to be less liquid and unable to realize what iM
Global believes should be the price of the investment. Valuation of
portfolio investments may be difficult, such as during periods of market
turmoil or reduced liquidity, and for investments that may, for example,
trade infrequently or irregularly. In these and other circumstances, an
investment may be valued using fair value methodologies, which are
inherently subjective, reflect good faith judgments based on available
information and may not accurately estimate the price at which the Fund
could sell the investment at that time. These risks may be heightened for
fixed-income instruments because of the near historically low interest
rate environment as of the date of this prospectus. Based on its
investment strategies, a significant portion of the High Income Fund’s
investments can be difficult to value and potentially less liquid and thus
particularly prone to the foregoing risks. |
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Description of Principal Investment Risks |
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67 |
Description of Principal Investment Risks — (Continued)
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Managed Futures Strategy Risk |
|
In
seeking to achieve its investment objective, the Alternative Strategies
Fund will utilize various investment strategies that involve the use of
complex investment techniques, and there is no guarantee that these
strategies will succeed. The use of such strategies and techniques may
subject the Alternative Strategies Fund to greater volatility and loss.
There can be no assurance that utilizing a certain approach or model will
achieve a particular level of return or reduce volatility and loss. |
Market Risk |
|
The
market prices of securities owned by a Fund may go up or down, sometimes
rapidly or unpredictably. Securities may decline in value or become
illiquid due to factors affecting securities markets generally or
particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value or
liquidity of a security may decline due to general market conditions that
are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or
perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for
corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse
investor sentiment generally. For instance, recent failures in the banking
sector have caused significant disruption and volatility in U.S. and
global markets. Securities may also decline or become illiquid due to
factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor
shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within
an industry. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple
asset classes may decline or become illiquid in value simultaneously.
Natural disasters, public health emergencies (including pandemics and
epidemics), terrorism and other global unforeseeable events may lead to
instability in world economies and markets, may lead to increased
volatility, and may have adverse long-term effects. The Funds cannot
predict the effects of such unforeseeable events in the future on the
economy, the markets or the Funds’ investments. |
Merger Arbitrage Risk |
|
The
Alternative Strategies Fund is subject to merger arbitrage risk. Merger
arbitrage seeks to profit from the successful completion of mergers,
takeovers, tender offers, leveraged buyouts, spin offs, liquidations and
other corporate reorganizations (each, a “deal”). The success of merger
arbitrage depends on the discount between the deal price and the price of
the target company’s stock after the deal is announced but before it is
closed. If a proposed reorganization in which the Alternative Strategies
Fund invests is renegotiated or terminated, the Fund may suffer a
loss. |
Mid‑Sized Companies Risk |
|
Securities
of companies with mid‑sized market capitalizations are generally more
volatile and less liquid than the securities of large-capitalization
companies. Mid‑sized companies may be more reliant on a few products,
services or key personnel, which can make it riskier than investing in
larger companies with more diverse product lines and structured
management. Mid‑sized companies may have relatively short operating
histories or may be newer public companies. Some of these companies have
more aggressive capital structures, including higher debt levels, than
large‑cap companies, or are involved in rapidly growing or changing
industries and/or new technologies, which pose additional risks. |
Models and Data Risk |
|
The
Alternative Strategies Fund uses proprietary systematic and quantitative
models as part of its investment strategies. These models may fail to
identify profitable opportunities at any time. Furthermore, the models may
incorrectly identify opportunities and these misidentified opportunities
may lead to substantial losses for the Fund. Models may be predictive in
nature and such models may result in an incorrect assessment of future
events. Data used in the construction of models may prove to be inaccurate
or stale, which may result in losses for the Fund. |
Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk |
|
The
Alternative Strategies Fund and the High Income Fund may invest in
mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities represent
participation interests in pools of residential mortgage loans purchased
from individual lenders by a federal agency or originated and issued by
private lenders. The values of some mortgage-backed securities may expose
these Funds to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. When
interest rates rise, the value of mortgage-related securities generally
will decline; however, when interest rates are declining, the value of
mortgage related-securities with prepayment features may not increase as
much as other fixed income securities. The rate of prepayments on
underlying mortgages will affect the price and volatility of a
mortgage-related security, and may shorten or extend the effective
maturity of the security beyond what was anticipated at the time of
purchase. If unanticipated rates of prepayment on underlying mortgages
increase the effective maturity of a mortgage-related security, the
volatility of the security can be expected to increase. The value of these
securities may fluctuate in response to the market’s perception of the
creditworthiness of the issuers. Additionally, although mortgages and
mortgage-related securities are generally supported by
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some
form of government or private guarantee and/or insurance, there is no
assurance that private guarantors or insurers will meet their obligations.
Mortgage-backed securities that are collateralized by a portfolio of
mortgages or mortgage-related securities depend on the payments of
principal and interest made by or through the underlying assets, which may
not be sufficient to meet the payment obligations of the mortgage-backed
securities. |
Multi Management Risk |
|
Because
portions of some Fund’s assets are managed by different portfolio managers
using different styles/strategies, a Fund could experience overlapping
security transactions. Certain portfolio managers may be purchasing
securities at the same time that other portfolio managers may be selling
those same securities, which may lead to higher transaction expenses
compared to a Fund using a single investment management style. iM Global’s
and the sub‑advisors’ judgments about the attractiveness, value and
potential appreciation of a particular asset class or individual security
in which a Fund invests may prove to be incorrect, and there is no
guarantee that iM Global’s or a sub‑advisor’s judgment will produce the
desired results. In addition, a Fund may allocate its assets so as to
under- or over-emphasize certain strategies or investments under market
conditions that are not optimal, in which case the Fund’s value may be
adversely affected. |
Operational Risk |
|
Operational
risks include human error, changes in personnel, system changes, faults in
communication, and failures in systems, technology, or processes. Various
operational events or circumstances are outside the Advisor’s or
sub‑advisor’s control, including instances at third parties. The Funds,
the Advisor and the sub‑advisors seek to reduce these operational risks
through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address
every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks. |
Portfolio Turnover Risk |
|
High
portfolio turnover involves correspondingly greater expenses, including
brokerage commissions or dealer mark‑ups and other transaction costs on
the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities, which may
result in adverse tax consequences to a Fund’s shareholders. Certain of a
Fund’s investment strategies may result in it having higher portfolio
turnover rates. Higher portfolio turnover may cause a Fund to experience
increased transaction costs, dealer markups, brokerage expenses and other
acquisition costs, and may cause shareholders to incur increased taxes on
their investment in a Fund as compared to shareholders in investment
companies that hold investments for longer periods. The portfolio managers
do not consider portfolio turnover rate a limiting factor in making
investment decisions on behalf of a Fund consistent with its investment
objective and policies. Variations in portfolio turnover rates may be due
to fluctuations in shareholder purchase, exchange and redemption
transactions, market conditions or changes in the portfolio manager’s
outlook. |
Sector Weightings Risk |
|
Although
sector focus is not a principal strategy of a Fund, a Fund may from time
to time emphasize investments in a particular sector as a result of the
implementation of its principal investment strategies. To the extent that
a Fund emphasizes investments in a particular sector, a Fund has the
potential to be subject to a greater degree to the risks particular to
that sector, including the sectors described below. Market conditions,
interest rates, and economic, regulatory, or financial developments could
significantly affect a single sector. By focusing its investments in a
particular sector, a Fund may potentially face more risks than if it were
diversified broadly over numerous sectors. |
Securities Lending Risk |
|
Securities
lending involves possible delay in recovery of the securities or possible
loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially. As
a result, the value of a Fund’s shares may fall. The value of Fund shares
could also fall if a loan is called and the Fund is required to liquidate
reinvested collateral at a loss or if the Fund is unable to reinvest cash
collateral at rates which exceed the costs involved. |
Short Sale Risk |
|
Each
Fund may sell securities short. A Fund may suffer a loss if it sells a
security short and the value of the security does not go down as expected.
The risk of loss is theoretically unlimited if the value of the security
sold short continues to increase. Short sales expose a Fund to the risk
that it may be compelled to buy the security sold short (also known as
“covering” the short position) at a time when the security has appreciated
in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund. A Fund’s investment
performance may also suffer if it is required to close out a short
position earlier than it had intended. In addition, a Fund may be subject
to expenses related to short sales that are not typically associated with
investing in securities directly, such as costs of borrowing. These
expenses may negatively impact the performance of the Fund. To meet
current margin
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Description of Principal Investment Risks — (Continued)
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requirements,
a Fund is required to deposit with the broker additional cash or
securities so that the total deposit with the broker is maintained daily
at 150% of the current market value of the securities sold short. |
Smaller Companies Risk |
|
Securities
of companies with smaller market capitalizations are generally more
volatile and less liquid than the securities of large-capitalization
companies. Small- and mid‑sized companies may be more reliant on a few
products, services or key personnel, which can make it riskier than
investing in larger companies with more diverse product lines and
structured management. Smaller companies may have no or relatively short
operating histories or may be newer public companies. Some of these
companies have aggressive capital structures, including high debt levels,
or are involved in rapidly growing or changing industries and/or new
technologies, which pose additional risks. |
Special Situations Risk |
|
Investments
in special situations (undervalued equities, merger arbitrage situations,
distressed companies, etc.) may involve greater risks when compared to
other investments a Fund may make due to a variety of factors. For
example, mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, liquidations or
recapitalizations may fail or not be completed on the terms originally
contemplated, and expected developments may not occur in a timely manner,
if at all. |
Subsidiary Risk |
|
A
portion of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s assets may be allocated to a
wholly-owned subsidiary of the Alternative Strategies Fund (the
“Subsidiary”), which is organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. By
investing in the Subsidiary, the Alternative Fund is indirectly exposed to
the risks associated with the Subsidiary’s investments. The derivatives
and other investments held by the Subsidiary are generally similar to
those that are permitted to be held by the Alternative Strategies Fund and
are subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held
directly by the Alternative Strategies Fund.
The
Subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act, and, unless otherwise
noted in this Prospectus, is not subject to all the investor protections
of the 1940 Act. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the
Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Alternative Strategies
Fund and/or the Subsidiary to continue to operate as it does currently and
could adversely affect the Alternative Strategies Fund. |
TBAs and Dollar Rolls Risk |
|
TBA and
dollar roll transactions present special risks to the Alternative
Strategies Fund. Although the particular TBA securities must meet
industry-accepted “good delivery” standards, there can be no assurance
that a security purchased on a forward commitment basis will ultimately be
issued or delivered by the counterparty. During the settlement period, the
Fund will still bear the risk of any decline in the value of the security
to be delivered. TBAs and other forward settling securities involve
leverage because they can provide investment exposure in an amount
exceeding the fund’s initial investment. Leverage can magnify investment
risks and cause losses to be realized more quickly. While dollar roll
transactions involve the simultaneous purchase and sale of substantially
similar TBA securities with different settlement dates, these transactions
do not require the purchase and sale of identical securities so the
characteristics of the security delivered to the Fund may be less
favorable than the security delivered to the dealer. |
Unfavorable Tax Treatment Risk |
|
Various
types of investments in which the Alternative Strategies Fund and the High
Income Fund may invest, including derivatives, mortgage related
securities, and REITs, may cause the returns of those Funds to be in the
form of net investment income or short-term capital gains, some of which
may be distributed to shareholders and taxed at ordinary income tax rates.
Therefore, shareholders may have a greater need to pay regular taxes than
compared to other investment strategies that hold investments longer. Due
to this investment strategy, it may be preferable for certain shareholders
to invest in the Alternative Strategies Fund and the High Income Fund
through pre‑tax or tax‑deferred accounts as compared to investment through
currently taxable accounts. Potential shareholders are encouraged to
consult their tax advisors in this regard. |
U.S. Government and U.S. Agency Obligations
Risk |
|
U.S.
Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to
principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or
instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and
interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith
and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or
guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the
investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or
guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or
instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the
U.S. Government would provide financial
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support
to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored
enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so. As a result, there is a
risk that these entities will default on a financial obligation. For
instance, securities issued by Ginnie Mae are supported by the full faith
and credit of the U.S. government. Securities issued by Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac are supported only by the discretionary authority of the U.S.
government. However, the obligations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have
been placed into conservatorship until the entities are restored to a
solvent financial condition. Securities issued by the Student Loan
Marketing Association or “Sallie Mae” are supported only by the credit of
that agency. |
Value Stock Risk |
|
Value
stocks are stocks of companies that may have experienced adverse business
or industry developments or may be subject to special risks that have
caused the stocks to be out of favor and, in the opinion of the manager,
undervalued. The value of a security believed by the manager to be
undervalued may never reach what is believed to be its full (intrinsic)
value, or such security’s value may decrease. |
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71 |
Fund
Management and Investment Styles
The
Adviser, Multi-Manager Issues & Fees
The
Advisor
The
Funds are managed by iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC (“iM Global”), 2301
Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 2150, El Segundo, California 90245. iM Global is
wholly-owned by iM Global Partner SAS (France), which is beneficially owned by
iM Square SAS, a Paris-based investment and development platform dedicated to
the asset management business. IM Global has overall responsibility for assets
under management, recommends the selection of managers as sub‑advisors of the
Funds (each, a “manager” or “sub‑advisor”) to the Board of Trustees (the
“Board”) of the Litman Gregory Funds Trust (the “Trust”), evaluates the
performance of the managers, monitors changes at the managers’ organizations
that may impact their abilities to deliver superior future performance,
determines when to rebalance the managers’ assets and the amount of cash
equivalents (if any) that may be held in addition to cash in each of the
managers’ sub‑portfolios, coordinates with the managers with respect to
diversification and tax issues and oversees the operational aspects of the
Funds.
Jack
Chee is an Assistant Secretary of the Trust and the Co‑Portfolio Manager of the
Global Select Fund, the High Income Fund, the Small Company Fund, the iMGP
International Fund, the iMGP Alternative Strategies Fund, the iMGP Oldfield
International Value Fund, the iMGP Berkshire Dividend Growth ETF and the Polen
Capital Global Growth ETF. The iMGP Berkshire Dividend Growth ETF and Polen
Capital Global Growth ETF are series of the Trust that are offered through
separate prospectuses. Mr. Chee is also the CIO Asset Management US of the
Advisor.
Previously,
Mr. Chee served as a Director and member of Litman Gregory Wealth
Management (“LGWM”), an affiliate of the Advisor. Prior to joining WGAM in 2000,
he was a Mutual Fund Analyst with Value Line Mutual Fund Survey. He has a BS
degree in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University.
Jason
Steuerwalt is a Senior Research Analyst at the Advisor and the Co‑Portfolio
Manager of the Alternative Strategies Fund and the High Income Fund. Prior to
joining the Advisor in 2021, he was a Principal and Member of LGWM since 2013.
Prior to that, Mr. Steuerwalt was a Vice President with Hall Capital
Partners, focusing on absolute return hedge funds and opportunistic/private
credit strategies.
Kiko
Vallarta is the Co‑Portfolio Manager of the Global Select Fund, the
International Fund, the Oldfield International Value Fund, and the iMGP
Berkshire Dividend Growth ETF and serves as a Senior Vice President, Co‑Head of
Equity Strategies and Co‑Portfolio Manager since 2021. Prior to that, he served
as a VP – Portfolio Management at LGWM. Prior to joining LGWM in 2012, Vallarta
was an associate at a San Diego-based registered investment adviser, providing
investment analysis and client support to their team of investment advisors. He
has a BS degree in Finance from San Diego State University, a MS degree in
Financial Analysis and Investment Management from St. Mary’s College of
California and is a CFA®
charter holder.
Chee,
Steuerwalt and Vallarta are the individuals at iM Global primarily responsible
for monitoring the day‑to‑day activities of the portfolio managers at the
sub‑advisors and for overseeing all aspects of iM Global’s responsibilities with
respect to the Funds.
Multi-Manager
Structure
More on Multi-Management: The investment
methods used by the managers in selecting securities for the Funds vary. The
segment of each Fund’s portfolio managed by a manager will, under normal
circumstances, differ from the segments managed by the other managers with
respect to portfolio composition, turnover, issuer capitalization and issuer
financial condition. Because security selections are made independently by each
manager, it is possible that a security held by one portfolio segment may also
be held by other portfolio segments of the Funds or that several managers may
simultaneously favor the same industry segment. iM Global monitors the overall
portfolio on an ongoing basis to ensure that such overlaps do not create an
unintended industry concentration or result in lack of diversification.
iM
Global is responsible for establishing the target allocation of Fund assets to
each manager and may adjust the target allocations at its discretion. Market
performance may result in allocation drift among the managers of a Fund. iM
Global is responsible for periodically rebalancing the portfolios, the timing
and degree of which will be determined by iM Global. Each manager independently
selects the brokers and dealers to execute transactions for the segment of a
Fund being managed by that manager. iM Global may at its discretion allow a
manager to hold fewer or more than the specified number of holdings in its
portfolio. The number of holdings may be the result of a manager’s investment
decision, an involuntary spin‑off by one of the companies held in the portfolio,
the payment of a stock dividend or split in a separate class of stock, or a
timing mismatch when buying or selling a portfolio security while selling or
establishing a position in an existing security.
At
times, allocation adjustments in the Alternative Strategies Fund may be
considered tactical with over- or under-allocations to certain managers based on
iM Global’s assessment of the risk and return potential of each manager’s
strategy at that point in time. Manager allocations are also influenced by each
manager’s historical returns and volatility, which are assessed by examining the
performance of strategies run by the managers in their private (hedge) funds or
other accounts that iM Global believes to be similar to those that will be used
for the Alternative Strategies Fund. iM Global has analyzed the individual and
combined performance of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s managers in a variety
of investment environments.
In
the event a manager ceases to manage a segment of a Fund’s portfolio, iM Global
will select a replacement manager or allocate the assets among the remaining
managers. The securities that were held in the departing manager’s segment of
the Fund’s portfolio may be allocated to and retained by another manager of the
Fund or will be liquidated in an orderly manner, taking into account various
factors, which may include but are not limited to the market for the security
and the potential tax consequences. iM Global may also add additional managers
in order to increase Fund diversification or capacity.
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72 |
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Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
The
SAI provides additional information about the compensation of each portfolio
manager at each sub‑advisor, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager,
and each such portfolio manager’s ownership of securities of the Funds.
Temporary Defensive Positions: Under adverse
market conditions or for temporary defensive purposes, a substantial part of
each Fund’s total assets may be invested in cash or short-term, high-quality
debt securities. To the extent that a Fund assumes a temporary defensive
position, it may not achieve its investment objective during that time.
Defensive positions may be initiated by the individual portfolio managers or by
iM Global.
Multi-Manager Exemptive Order: The Trust and
iM Global have obtained an exemptive order from the SEC that permits iM Global,
subject to certain conditions, to hire, terminate and replace managers with the
approval of the Board only and without shareholder approval. Within 60 days of
the hiring of any new manager or the implementation of any proposed material
change in a sub‑advisory agreement with an existing manager, shareholders will
be furnished information about the new manager or sub‑advisory agreement that
would be included in a proxy statement. The order also permits a Fund to
disclose sub‑advisory fees only in the aggregate in its registration statement.
Pursuant to the order, shareholder approval is required before iM Global enters
into any sub‑advisory agreement with a manager that is affiliated with the Funds
or iM Global.
Portfolio
Holdings Information
A
description of the Funds’ policies and procedures regarding disclosure of the
Funds’ portfolio holdings can be found in the SAI, which can be obtained free of
charge by contacting the Funds’ transfer agent (the “Transfer Agent”) at
1‑800‑960‑0188.
Advisory
Fees
Each
Fund pays a monthly investment advisory fee to iM Global based on that Fund’s
average daily net assets. The table below illustrates the base fee rates payable
to iM Global and the reduced fee rates payable on assets in excess of certain
levels (breakpoints).
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Fund |
|
Advisory
Fee
(as
a percentage of net assets) |
|
Global
Select Fund |
|
First
$750 million
Over
$750 million |
|
|
0.85%
0.75% |
|
International
Fund |
|
First
$1 billion
Over
$1 billion |
|
|
0.90%
0.80% |
|
Alternative
Strategies Fund |
|
First
$2 billion
Between
$2 and $3 billion
Between
$3 and $4 billion
Over
$4 billion |
|
|
1.225%
1.125%
1.075%
1.025% |
|
High
Income Fund |
|
Up
to $1 billion
Between
$1 and $2 billion
Between
$2 and $3 billion
Between
$3 and $4 billion
Over
$4 billion |
|
|
0.85%
0.825%
0.80%
0.775%
0.75% |
|
Small
Company Fund |
|
All net assets |
|
|
0.80% |
|
Oldfield
International Value Fund |
|
All net assets |
|
|
0.70% |
|
Dolan
McEniry Corporate Bond Fund |
|
All net assets |
|
|
0.50% |
|
iM
Global, not the Funds, is responsible for payment of the sub‑advisory fees to
the managers, each of whom is compensated monthly on the basis of the assets
committed to its individual discretion. As of March 31, 2024, based on the
assets of each Fund and the asset allocation targets, iM Global pays fees to the
sub‑advisors as follows, which may change in the future because assets and
allocations will fluctuate:
|
|
|
| |
Fund |
|
Aggregate Gross Annual Fee Rates
iM
Global Pays to Sub-Advisors |
|
Global
Select Fund |
|
|
0.425% |
|
International
Fund |
|
|
0.478% |
|
Alternative
Strategies Fund |
|
|
0.664% |
|
High
Income Fund |
|
|
0.408% |
|
Small
Company Fund |
|
|
0.450% |
|
Oldfield
International Value Fund |
|
|
0.350% |
|
Dolan
McEniry Corporate Bond Fund |
|
|
0.330% |
|
Through
April 30, 2025 pursuant to a Restated Contractual Advisory Fee Waiver
Agreement, most recently amended effective as of September 7, 2022 (the
“Fee Waiver Agreement”), iM Global has agreed to waive a portion of its advisory
fees for each Fund as follows: for the Global Select Fund, iM Global has agreed
to waive a portion of its advisory fees so that after paying all of the
sub‑advisory fees, the net advisory fee as a percentage of the Fund’s daily net
assets retained by iM Global is 0.40% on the first $750 million of the
Fund’s assets and 0.30% for assets over $750 million; for the International
Fund, iM Global has agreed to waive a portion of its advisory fees so that after
paying all of the sub‑advisory fees, the net advisory fee as a percentage of the
International Fund’s daily net assets retained by iM Global is 0.40% on the
first $1 billion of the International Fund’s assets and 0.30% for assets
over $1 billion; for the Alternative Strategies Fund, iM Global has agreed
to waive a portion of its advisory fees so that after paying all of the
sub‑advisory fees, the net advisory fee as a percentage of the Alternative
Strategies Fund’s daily net assets retained by iM Global is 0.50% on the first
$2 billion of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s assets, 0.40% of the next
$1 billion of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s assets, 0.35% of the next
$1 billion of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s assets and 0.30% on assets
over $4 billion; for the High Income Fund, iM Global has agreed to waive a
portion of its advisory fees so that after paying all of the sub‑advisory fees,
the net advisory fee as a percentage of the High Income Fund’s daily net assets
retained by iM Global is 0.40% on the first $1 billion of assets, 0.375% on
the next $1 billion of assets, 0.35% on the next $1 billion of assets,
0.325% on the next $1 billion of assets and 0.30% on assets in excess of
$4 billion; and for the Small Company Fund, iM Global has agreed to waive a
portion of its advisory fees so that after paying all of the sub-advisory fees,
the net advisory fee as a percentage of the Small Company Fund’s daily net
assets retained by iM Global is 0.35%. This agreement may be terminated at any
time by the Board of Trustees of the Litman Gregory Funds Trust (the “Trust”)
upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to iM Global, and iM Global may
decline to renew this agreement at its expiration on April 30, 2025 by
written notice to the Trust at least thirty (30) days before the
agreement’s annual expiration date. iM Global has waived its right to
receive reimbursement of the portion of its advisory fees waived pursuant to the
Fee Waiver Agreement.
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| |
| |
| |
Fund Management and Investment Styles |
|
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| |
73 |
Fund Management and Investment Styles — (Continued)
Pursuant
to an Operating Expenses Limitation Agreement (the “Expenses Limitation
Agreement”), iM Global has agreed to limit the operating expenses of the Global
Select Fund, through April 30, 2025 (unless otherwise sooner terminated),
to an annual rate of 0.98%. Any fee waiver or expense reimbursement made by iM
Global pursuant to the Expenses Limitation Agreement is subject to the repayment
by the Fund only within three (3) years, provided that the repayment does
not cause the Global Select Fund’s annual expense ratio to exceed the lesser of
(i) the expense limitation applicable at the time of that fee waiver and/or
expense reimbursement or (ii) the expense limitation in effect at the time
of repayment, and the repayment is approved by the Board. Operating expenses
referred to in this and the following paragraph include management fees payable
to iM Global but exclude any taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, expenses
incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, borrowing costs
(including commitment fees), dividend expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses
and extraordinary expenses such as but not limited to litigation costs.
Pursuant
to an Operating Expenses Limitation Agreement (the “Expenses Limitation
Agreement”), iM Global has agreed to limit the operating expenses of the High
Income Fund, through April 30, 2025 (unless otherwise sooner terminated),
to an annual rate of 0.98%. Pursuant to this agreement, iM Global may recoup
reduced fees and expenses only within three years from the end of the month in
which the reimbursement took place, provided that the recoupment does not cause
the High Income Fund’s annual expense ratio to exceed the lesser of (i) the
expense limitation applicable at the time of that fee waiver and/or expense
reimbursement or (ii) the expense limitation in effect at the time of
recoupment. Operating expenses referred to in this and the following paragraph
include management fees payable to iM Global but exclude any taxes, interest,
brokerage commissions, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or
reorganization, borrowing costs (including commitment fees), dividend expenses,
acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses such as but not
limited to litigation costs.
Pursuant
to an Operating Expenses Limitation Agreement (the “Expenses Limitation
Agreement”), iM Global has agreed to limit the operating expenses of the Small
Company Fund, through April 30, 2025 (unless otherwise sooner terminated),
to an annual rate of 1.15% (the “Small Company Expense Cap”). Pursuant to this
agreement, iM Global may recoup reduced fees and expenses only within three
years from the end of the month in which the reimbursement took place, provided
that the recoupment does not cause the Small Company Fund’s annual expense ratio
to exceed the lesser of (i) the expense limitation applicable at the time
of that fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement or (ii) the expense
limitation in effect at the time of recoupment. Operating expenses referred to
in this and the following paragraph include management fees payable to iM Global
but exclude any taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, expenses incurred in
connection with any merger or reorganization, borrowing costs (including
commitment fees), dividend expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses and
extraordinary expenses such as but not limited to litigation costs.
Pursuant
to an Operating Expenses Limitation Agreement (the “Expenses Limitation
Agreement”), iM Global has agreed to limit the operating expenses of the
Oldfield International Value Fund,
through
April 30, 2025 (unless otherwise sooner terminated), to an annual rate of
0.94% (the “Oldfield Expense Cap”). Pursuant to this agreement, iM Global may
recoup reduced fees and expenses only within three years from the end of the
month in which the reimbursement took place, provided that the recoupment does
not cause the Oldfield International Value Fund’s annual expense ratio to exceed
the lesser of (i) the expense limitation applicable at the time of that fee
waiver and/or expense reimbursement or (ii) the expense limitation in
effect at the time of recoupment. Operating expenses referred to in this and the
following paragraph include management fees payable to iM Global but exclude any
taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, expenses incurred in connection with any
merger or reorganization, borrowing costs (including commitment fees), dividend
expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses such as but
not limited to litigation costs.
The
Oldfield International Value Fund’s Sub‑Advisor has agreed to participate in the
limitation of Oldfield International Value Fund operating expenses by waiving a
portion of its sub‑advisory fees through April 30, 2025 (unless otherwise
sooner terminated). Further, the Sub‑Advisor will have no obligation to waive
fees in any month in which (i) the average net assets of the Oldfield
International Value Fund for that month are equal to or greater than
$250 million or (ii) the Fund’s actual annualized operating expenses
do not exceed the annual Oldfield Expense Cap.
Pursuant
to an Operating Expenses Limitation Agreement (the “Expenses Limitation
Agreement”), iM Global has agreed to waive its management fees and/or reimburse
the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund to ensure that the Total Annual Fund
Operating Expenses (excluding any front‑end or contingent deferred loads, Rule
12b‑1 plan fees, shareholder servicing plan fees, taxes, leverage (i.e., any
expenses incurred in connection with borrowings made by the Fund), interest
(including interest incurred in connection with bank and custody overdrafts),
brokerage commissions and other transactional expenses incurred in connection
with any merger or reorganization, dividends or interest on short positions,
acquired fund fees and expenses or extraordinary expenses such as litigation
(collectively, “Excludable Expenses”)) do not exceed 0.70% of the Dolan McEniry
Corporate Bond Fund’s average daily net assets through April 30, 2025 for
the Institutional Class shares. To the extent the Dolan McEniry Corporate
Bond Fund incurs Excludable Expenses, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement will exceed 0.70%. This agreement may be
renewed for additional periods of one (1) year and may be terminated by the
Board of the Trust upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to iM Global. iM
Global may also decline to renew this agreement by written notice to the Trust
at least thirty (30) days before the renewal date. Pursuant to this
agreement, iM Global may recoup reduced fees and expenses only within three
years from the end of the month in which the reimbursement took place, provided
that the recoupment does not cause the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund’s
annual expense ratio to exceed the lesser of (i) the expense limitation
applicable at the time of that fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement or
(ii) the expense limitation in effect at the time of
recoupment.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
74 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
In
2023, the advisory fees paid and net fees retained by iM Global with respect to
the Funds, after fee waivers, expense reimbursements and breakpoint adjustments
(collectively, “Fee Adjustments”), were as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Fund |
|
2023 Advisory Fees
Paid by the Fund after Fee Adjustments |
|
|
2023 Aggregate Sub
Advisory Fees Paid by iM Global to Sub‑Advisors |
|
|
2023 Net Advisory Fees
Retained by iM Global after Fee Adjustments and Payments
to Sub‑Advisors |
|
Global
Select Fund |
|
|
0.615% |
|
|
|
0.423% |
|
|
|
0.192% |
|
International
Fund |
|
|
0.875% |
|
|
|
0.475% |
|
|
|
0.400% |
|
Alternative
Strategies Fund |
|
|
1.144% |
|
|
|
0.645% |
|
|
|
0.499% |
|
High
Income Fund |
|
|
0.432% |
|
|
|
0.396% |
|
|
|
0.036% |
|
Small
Company Fund |
|
|
0.680% |
|
|
|
0.510% |
|
|
|
0.170% |
|
Oldfield
International Value Fund |
|
|
0.266% |
|
|
|
0.133% |
|
|
|
0.133% |
|
Dolan McEniry Corporate
Bond Fund |
|
|
0.370% |
|
|
|
0.330% |
|
|
|
0.037% |
|
A
discussion regarding the Board’s basis for approving the Funds’ investment
advisory agreements with iM Global and each sub‑advisor is included in the
Funds’ Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders for the period ended June 30,
2023.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
Fund Management and Investment Styles |
|
|
|
| |
75 |
iMGP
Global Select Fund – Sub-Advisors
iMGP
Global Select Fund Portfolio Managers
Scott
Moore, CFA
Chad
Baumler, CFA
Nuance
Investments, LLC
4900
Main Street, Suite 220
Kansas
City, MO 64112
Scott
Moore is the lead portfolio manager for the segment of the Global Select Fund’s
assets managed by Nuance Investments, LLC (“Nuance”). Moore is the President and
Co‑Chief Investment Officer of Nuance. He is also the Lead Portfolio Manager for
the Nuance Concentrated Value and Mid Cap Value products within Nuance, and
co‑manager of the Nuance Concentrated Value Long-Short Fund. Moore has more than
33 years of value investment experience.
For
the decade before co‑founding Nuance, Moore managed more than $10 billion
in institutional, intermediary and mutual fund assets for American Century
Investments (“ACI”). Prior to becoming a Portfolio Manager at ACI, he spent
three years as an Investment Analyst at ACI, specializing in the
Telecommunications, Utilities and Industrials sectors. He also worked as a Fixed
Income Investment Analyst at ACI and as an Investment Analyst at Boatmen’s Trust
Company in St. Louis, Missouri.
Moore
holds a BS degree in Finance from Southern Illinois University, and an MBA with
an emphasis in Finance from the University of Missouri. Moore is a CFA
charterholder and a member of the CFA Institute.
Chad
Baumler, CFA is a Vice President and Co‑Chief Investment Officer and has served
as Portfolio Manager at Nuance Investments since June 2014. He is a co‑manager
for the Nuance Concentrated Value and Mid Cap Value products within Nuance, and
the Lead Manager of the Nuance Concentrated Value Long-Short Fund. He has over
17 years of investment analyst experience and 12 years of portfolio management
experience using a classic value approach.
Before
joining Nuance, Baumler served as Portfolio Manager for American Century
Investments (“ACI”), where he co‑managed American Century Value fund and
American Century Market Neutral Value fund. Prior to becoming a Portfolio
Manager at ACI, he spent six years as an Investment Analyst specializing in the
Energy and Financials sectors. Baumler also has experience working in the
commercial real estate industry at CB Richard Ellis, Inc. in Kansas City,
Missouri.
Baumler
graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a BA in Finance. He has an
MBA with a concentration in Finance from the University of Texas, McCombs School
of Business. Baumler is a CFA charterholder and a member of the CFA
Institute.
CFA® and Chartered Financial
Analyst® are registered
trademarks owned by CFA Institute.
Approximately
30% of the Global Select Fund’s assets are managed by Nuance. Nuance’s
investment philosophy was formed on the belief that the ability to outperform
the broad stock market is predicated on a consistent and disciplined value
investing approach. The Nuance investment team’s sole focus is
generating
investment returns for clients by diligently reviewing one company at a time on
its own investment merits. Through long-term study of each company and thorough
analysis of financial statements, management strategy and competitive position,
the Nuance investment team becomes familiar with each company bought and sold in
the portfolios over time. This familiarity allows for consistent and prompt
execution with the sole focus being the generation of excess returns over the
long-term.
Damon
Ficklin
Polen
Capital Management, LLC
1825
NW Corporate Boulevard, Suite 300
Boca
Raton, FL 33431
Damon
Ficklin and Bryan Power are the co‑portfolio managers for one of the segments of
the Global Select Fund’s assets managed by Polen Capital Management, LLC (“Polen
Capital”). Ficklin, Head of Team, Portfolio Manager and Analyst, is lead
portfolio manager for the Global Growth strategy, and a member of the investment
team at Polen Capital. Ficklin joined Polen Capital in 2003. From 2012 through
June 30, 2019, Damon was a co‑portfolio manager on the Focus Growth
strategy. Prior to joining Polen Capital, Ficklin spent one year as an equity
analyst at Morningstar. Prior to that, he spent four years as a tax consultant
at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ficklin earned a B.S., magna cum laude, in Accounting
from the University of South Florida, an M.S.A. from Appalachian State
University, and an M.B.A. with high honors from The University of Chicago Booth
School of Business. Power joined Polen Capital in 2016. Prior to joining the
firm, Power spent two years as an Associate in equity research and institutional
equities at Oppenheimer & Co. Prior to that, he spent almost three
years working in various equity related analytical roles at Bloomberg LP. Power
received a B.A. in Economics and Business (cum laude) from Johns Hopkins
University, where he was a student athlete, and earned an M.B.A. from The
University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Power is a CFA® charterholder and member of
the CFA Society of South Florida.
Approximately
20% of the Global Select Fund’s assets are managed by Ficklin and Power. Ficklin
and Power focus on investments in large capitalization companies (market
capitalizations greater than $10 billion at the time of purchase) that are
located anywhere in the world, including companies in both developed and
emerging markets, and, in their opinion, have a sustainable competitive
advantage. In addition, Ficklin and Power may from time to time purchase a
common stock, including the common stock of medium capitalization or “midcap”
companies (market capitalizations greater than $2 billion but less than
$10 billion at the time of purchase), if, in their opinion, the stock
represents a particularly attractive investment opportunity.
In
rendering investment advisory services to the Fund, Polen may use the portfolio
management, research and other resources of a foreign (non‑U.S.) affiliate of
Polen Capital, Polen Capital UK LLP (“Polen Capital UK”), which may provide
services to the Fund through a “participating affiliate” arrangement, as that
term is used in relief granted by the staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission. Under this relief, U.S. registered
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76 |
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Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
investment
advisers are allowed to use portfolio management or research resources of
advisory affiliates subject to the regulatory supervision of the U.S. registered
investment adviser.
Rayna
Lesser Hannaway, CFA
Shane
Smith, CFA
Greg
McIntire, CFA
Polen
Capital Management, LLC
500
Boylston Street, Suite 1100
Boston,
MA 02116
Angel
Ortiz
Polen
Capital UK LLP
c/o
Polen Capital Management, LLC
500
Boylston Street, Suite 1100
Boston,
MA 02116
Rayna
Lesser Hannaway, Shane Smith, Greg McIntire and Angel Ortiz are the portfolio
managers for one of the segments of the Global Select Fund’s assets managed by
Polen Capital. Polen Capital employs a team-based approach with Rayna Lesser
Hannaway as the head of the team.
Rayna
Lesser Hannaway, Head of Team, Portfolio Manager and Analyst, is a portfolio
manager for the Global SMID Company Growth, U.S. Small Company Growth and U.S.
SMID Company Growth strategies. Lesser Hannaway joined Polen Capital in 2017.
Prior to joining Polen Capital, she spent nine years in portfolio management and
two years as a research analyst at Fidelity Investments in Boston, evaluating
small and mid‑cap companies. She also spent nine years working in small‑cap
research for Jennison Associates and Lord Abbett & Company. Lesser
Hannaway received a B.A. in Economics from Barnard College, a division of
Columbia University. Lesser Hannaway is a CFA® charterholder and holds a
CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing.
Shane
Smith, Portfolio Manager and Analyst, is a portfolio manager for the Global SMID
Company Growth strategy. Smith joined Polen Capital in 2019. Prior to joining
Polen Capital, he was a research analyst on the Global Small Cap team at
Franklin Templeton, where he worked for seven years. Smith received a B.S. in
Environmental Horticulture and an M.S. in Management with a Minor in Soil and
Water Science from the University of Florida. Smith is a CFA® charterholder.
Greg
McIntire is the Head of Portfolio Insights and Portfolio Manager at Polen
Capital and has been a member of Polen Capital’s investment team since joining
the firm in 2023. He has 20 years of experience within the industry, working in
asset allocation, equity portfolio management, risk management, manager
selection, and quantitative modeling. Prior to joining Polen Capital, he served
as the Chief Investment Officer at AJO partners, a Product Manager for Equity
offerings at AQR Capital Management, and a Portfolio Manager for US Equity at
SEI Investments, alongside analyst duties earlier in his career. McIntire
graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, earning his BS in
Actuarial Science and MS in Finance. He is a CFA® charterholder.
Angel
Ortiz is a Portfolio Manager on Polen Capital’s Emerging Markets team. He
originally joined Somerset Capital in 2021, which was subsequently acquired by
Polen Capital in 2024. Prior to joining Somerset, Ortiz was a Portfolio Manager
of the Fidelity International Latin America Fund with fifteen years of
experience investing in the region. He graduated from Universidad Metropolitana,
Venezuela, where he studied Chemical Engineering, and has received an MBA from
Kelley School of Business – Indiana University.
Approximately
20% of the Global Select Fund’s assets are managed by Lesser Hannaway, Smith,
Ortiz and McIntire. Lesser Hannaway, Smith and McIntire focus on investments in
small and mid‑cap companies that, at the time of purchase, are within
the range of the market capitalizations of companies in the MSCI ACWI SMID
Index. As of December 31, 2023, the average weighted market capitalization
of the issuers in the MSCI ACWI SMID Index was approximately
$6.9 billion.
Brian
A. Krawez
Gabe
Houston
Scharf
Investments, LLC
16450
Los Gatos Boulevard, Suite 207
Los
Gatos, CA 95032
Brian
A. Krawez and Gabe Houston are the co‑portfolio managers for the segment of the
Global Select Fund’s assets managed by Scharf Investments, LLC (“Scharf
Investments”). Krawez is President, Investment Committee Chairman and Lead
Equity Manager of Scharf Investments. He has been with Scharf Investments since
2007. Krawez earned both his Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Business
Administration from the University of California at Berkeley. Houston serves as
an Investment Committee member and Senior Research Analyst for Scharf
Investments. He has been with the Adviser since 2006. Houston earned a Bachelor
of Arts in business management economics from the University of California,
Santa Cruz.
Approximately
30% of the Global Select Fund’s assets are managed by Krawez and Houston. Krawez
and Houston invest in equity securities of companies of all size market
capitalizations and may occasionally invest in rights and warrants.
The
SAI provides additional information about each sub‑advisor’s method of
compensation for its portfolio managers, other accounts managed by the portfolio
managers, and the portfolio managers’ ownership of securities in the Global
Select Fund.
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iMGP Global Select Fund – Sub-Advisors |
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iMGP
International Fund – Sub‑Advisors
iMGP
International Fund Portfolio Managers
David
G. Herro, CFA
Harris
Associates L.P.
111
S. Wacker Drive
Suite
4600
Chicago,
IL 60606
David
G. Herro is the portfolio manager for the segment of the International Fund’s
assets managed by Harris Associates L.P. (“Harris”). Herro is Deputy Chairman,
Chief Investment Officer—International Equities, a portfolio manager and analyst
at Harris. He has managed the Oakmark International Fund, the Oakmark
International Small Cap Fund and the Oakmark Global Select Fund since their
inception in 1992, 1995 and 2006, respectively. Herro has also managed the
Oakmark Global Fund since 2016. Herro earned a B.S. degree in Accounting from
the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and an M.A. degree from the University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He has been in the investment business since 1986.
Harris has been a sub‑advisor to the International Fund since the International
Fund’s inception in 1997.
Approximately
33.3% of the International Fund’s assets are managed by Herro. Herro and Harris’
portfolio management team employ Harris’ value investment philosophy and process
to manage his portion of the International Fund’s assets. This value investment
philosophy is based upon the belief that, over time, a company’s stock price
converges with Harris’ estimate of the company’s intrinsic value. By “intrinsic
value,” Harris means its estimate of the price a knowledgeable buyer would pay
to acquire the entire business. In making its investment decisions, Harris uses
a “bottom‑up” approach focused on individual companies, rather than focusing on
specific economic factors or specific industries.
The
chief consideration in the selection of stocks is the size of the discount of a
company’s current stock price compared to Harris’ estimate of the company’s
intrinsic value. In addition, Harris looks for companies with the following
characteristics, although not all companies will have all of these attributes:
free cash flows and intelligent investment of excess cash, earnings that are
growing and are reasonably predictable, and a high level of management ownership
in the company. Once Harris identifies a stock that it believes is selling at a
significant discount compared to Harris’ estimate of the company’s intrinsic
value and that the company may have one or more of the additional qualities
mentioned above, Harris may consider buying that stock for a strategy. Harris
usually sells a stock when the price approaches its estimated intrinsic value.
This means Harris sets “buy” and “sell” targets for each stock held by a
portfolio. Harris monitors each holding and adjusts those price targets as
warranted to reflect changes in a company’s fundamentals. Harris attempts to
manage some of the risks of investing in common stocks by purchasing stocks
whose prices it considers low relative to Harris’ estimate of the company’s
intrinsic value. In addition, Harris seeks companies with solid finances and
proven records and continuously monitors each portfolio company. When
considering the selection of the stocks for the International Fund, Harris
frequently evaluates whether corporate governance factors could have a negative
or positive impact on the intrinsic value or risk profile of a
potential
investment.
Governance factors considered may include, but are not limited to, an issuer’s
governance structure and other factors that are economically material to a given
issuer. Harris also will evaluate social and environmental factors depending on
Harris’ view of the materiality of those factors relative to people, process
and/or profit issues that affect the competitive position of the investment. To
assess these factors, Harris may consider information derived from its ongoing
dialogue with certain companies, proprietary research, and information from
third-party sources. Harris will make investment decisions for the International
Fund that are not based solely on environmental, social, and governance
considerations. Harris does not currently view certain types of investments,
including cash, cash equivalents, currency positions, particular types of
derivatives and other non‑issuer specific instruments, as presenting
environmental, social, and governance risks, opportunities and/or issues, and
believes it is not practicable to evaluate such risks on these particular
investments.
Mark
Little
Robin
O. Jones
Lazard
Asset Management LLC
30
Rockefeller Plaza
New
York, NY 10112
Mark
Little is the lead portfolio manager for the segment of the International Fund’s
assets managed by Lazard Asset Management LLC (“Lazard”). Little is a Portfolio
Manager/Analyst on the International Strategic Equity, International Quality
Growth, and Global Strategic Equity teams. He began working in the investment
field in 1992. Prior to joining Lazard in 1997, he was a manager in the
corporate finance practice of Coopers & Lybrand and earned his
Associated Chartered Accountant (ACA) qualification with Rees Pollock Chartered
Accountants. Little has an MA in Economics from Clare College, Cambridge
University. Lazard has been a sub‑advisor to the International Fund since
2013.
Robin
Jones is a Portfolio Manager/Analyst on the International Strategic Equity,
Global Strategic Equity and International Quality Growth teams. Jones began
working in the investment field in 2002 at Lazard Asset Management, before
leaving in 2006 for Bluecrest Capital Management where he worked as a Portfolio
Manager. Jones re‑joined Lazard in 2007. He has a BA Hons in Economics from
Durham University and a PGCE in Mathematics from Cambridge University.
Approximately
33.3% of the International Fund’s assets are managed by Little. Little and the
portfolio management team at Lazard believe that a company with the ability to
improve and/or sustain its profitability at a relatively high level can compound
returns at an attractive rate. At the same time, they believe in buying such
companies that are trading at discounts relative to their profitability
prospects.
Generally,
Lazard categorizes any purchased stock into one or more of the following three
categories:
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Compounders:
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companies
whose management may enhance shareholder returns through share buybacks
and dividend payments. Lazard will purchase these companies if Little and
the team believe they can compound total return (i.e., earnings growth, dividends, and
share buybacks) at a relatively high rate over the long term and are
reasonably priced in relation to their profitability
prospects. |
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Mispriced
Situations: These are companies that are trading inexpensively relative to
what Little and the team think their assets and cash flows should be worth
longer term. They may or may not be compounders. |
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Restructuring:
These are companies whose profitability is depressed relative to their
history and companies who are taking steps – such as cutting costs,
investing in an underinvested area, selling non‑core businesses, etc. – to
return to higher profitability. They may or may not become
compounders. |
Lazard’s
analysts are largely responsible for generating ideas. They do so by running
valuation screens in their sectors and monitoring developments at companies that
fall under their coverage. They do most of the fundamental analysis, though
Little and the other portfolio managers at Lazard are also involved. Little and
the portfolio management team review and debate the assumptions analysts use in
their financial modeling, meet with company management, and lead analysis on
some small‑cap companies. The goal of the team’s fundamental company analysis is
to identify Lazard’s research edge and estimate how much return can be generated
from this edge. Lazard’s research edge is generally a function of its analysts
having a differentiated view than the market on the profitability a company can
generate, the duration of its profitability, and/or what the company should be
worth.
Little
and the team use several valuation metrics to gauge a company’s worth and set
price targets. A company has to be priced in a way that Lazard believes is
reasonably valued for the profitability it can generate. This assessment is
based upon free-cash-flow yield, valuation relative to peers or relative to
businesses with similar profitability and growth characteristics,
discounted-cash-flow modeling, and sum of the parts (valuing different segments
of a company separately). There is a fair amount of judgment involved in
balancing these different approaches to assess a company’s worth and set price
targets.
Todd
Morris
Daniel
Fields, CFA
Polen
Capital Management, LLC
1825
NW Corporate Boulevard, Suite 300
Boca
Raton, FL 33431
Todd
Morris and Daniel Fields are responsible for the day‑to‑day portfolio management
and investment analysis for the segment of the International Fund’s assets
managed by Polen Capital Management, LLC (“Polen Capital”). Morris, Portfolio
Manager and Analyst, is lead portfolio manager for the International Growth
Strategy and a member of the investment team at Polen Capital. Morris joined
Polen Capital in 2011. Prior to joining Polen Capital,
Morris
spent one year in research and marketing roles with Prudential Insurance and
Millennium Global Asset Management. Prior to that, Morris served as an officer
in the U.S. Navy for seven years.
Morris
earned a B.S. in History from the U.S. Naval Academy, and an M.B.A. from
Columbia Business School. Fields, Portfolio Manager and Analyst, is co‑portfolio
manager for the International Growth Strategy and a member of the investment
team at Polen Capital. Fields joined Polen Capital in 2017. Prior to joining
Polen Capital, Fields spent eight years in Hong Kong where he worked for GaveKal
Capital and Marshall Wace LLP as a research analyst analyzing emerging market
companies. Fields received a B.S. in Finance from the University of Idaho and a
M.S. in Global Finance from the NYU Stern School of Business and HKUST Business
School. Fields is a CFA®
charter holder.
Approximately
33.3% of the International Fund’s assets are managed by Polen Capital. Polen
Capital uses an intensive fundamental research process to identify companies
that it believes have certain attractive characteristics, which typically
reflect an underlying competitive advantage. Those characteristics include:
(i) consistent and sustainable high return on capital, (ii) strong
earnings growth and free cash flow generation, (iii) strong balance sheets
and (iv) competent and shareholder-oriented management teams. Polen Capital
invests in companies that it believes have a sustainable competitive advantage
within an industry.
Polen
Capital believes that a company’s earnings growth is the primary driver of
long-term stock price appreciation. Accordingly, Polen Capital focuses on
identifying and investing in a concentrated portfolio of high-quality large
capitalization growth companies that it believes has a competitive advantage and
can deliver sustainable, above-average earnings growth. Polen Capital believes
that such companies not only have the potential to contribute greater returns to
the International Fund, but also may hold less risk of loss of capital.
Polen
Capital will usually sell a security if, in its view, there is a potential
threat to the company’s competitive advantage or a degradation in its prospects
for strong, long-term earnings growth. Polen Capital may also sell a security if
it is deemed to be overvalued or if a more attractive investment opportunity
exists. Although Polen Capital may purchase and then sell a security in a
shorter period of time, Polen Capital typically invests in securities with the
expectation of holding those investments on a long-term basis.
The
SAI provides additional information about each sub‑advisor’s method of
compensation for its portfolio managers, other accounts managed by the portfolio
managers, and the portfolio managers’ ownership of securities in the
International Fund.
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iMGP
Alternative Strategies Fund – Sub‑Advisors
iMGP
Alternative Strategies Fund Portfolio Managers
Long-Short
Credit Strategy
Paul
Harrison
Adam
Dwinells
Blackstone
Credit Systematic Strategies LLC
201
Spear Street, Suite 250
San
Francisco, CA 94105
Paul
Harrison and Adam Dwinells are the co‑portfolio managers responsible for the
long-short credit strategy (the “Long-Short Credit Strategy”), which is the
segment of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s assets managed by Blackstone Credit
Systematic Strategies LLC (“BXCSS”). Harrison is a Senior Managing Director and
involved in Systematic Portfolio Management at Blackstone. Prior to Blackstone’s
acquisition of DCI in 2020, Harrison was the Chief Investment Officer for DCI.
Prior to that, Harrison was a Managing Director at BlackRock, Inc., a position
he formerly held at Barclays Global Investors before its acquisition by
Blackrock in 2009. At Blackrock, he served as the Chief Investment Officer and
Head of Research for the firm’s systematic Global Macro team and held a variety
of firm-wide leadership roles. Prior to BlackRock, Harrison ran the Capital
Markets research team at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System,
where he helped lead the analysis and communication of market and financial
conditions to the Board. Dwinells is Head of Systematic and Portfolio Strategies
at Blackstone. Prior to Blackstone’s acquisition of DCI in 2020, Dwinells was
Head of Portfolio Management at DCI where he was involved with portfolio
management, strategy execution and investment technology. Prior to that,
Dwinells was a Vice President at J.P. Morgan. BXCSS has been a sub‑advisor to
the Alternative Strategies Fund since 2017.
BXCSS’s
Long-Short Credit Strategy employs a systematic portfolio construction process
underpinned by a proprietary, fundamental model of credit risk and valuation.
BXCSS’s investment process is designed to exploit potential information gaps
between credit and equity markets and other market inefficiencies to identify
and capture potential mispricing at the individual asset level. The BXCSS
Long-Short Credit Strategy is expected to generate returns from idiosyncratic
credit selection, as the strategy aims to systematically curtail rate duration
and credit beta exposure. Correlations to systematic market risks including high
yield and equity market returns are expected to be minimal, and strategy returns
are not expected to be correlated to the returns of other active strategies. The
BXCSS Long-Short Credit Strategy is designed to perform in both low and high
volatility environments although returns are expected to be higher in higher
volatility environments.
BXCSS
targets superior risk-adjusted returns from portfolios of corporate credit
assets through the selection of potentially mispriced individual securities. The
principal driver of BXCSS’s strategies is its dynamic proprietary default
probability model which incorporates fundamental balance sheet information and
real-time information embedded in equity and options markets. BXCSS’s model uses
this information to calculate credit spreads that, when compared to market
spreads, identify possible
mispricing
that can potentially be exploited. Excess returns are anticipated over time as
market prices converge to the actual risk levels and fair value pricing of the
exposures, as indicated by BXCSS’s model. BXCSS’s technology produces timely
risk measures for thousands of investments, which are monitored in real-time,
providing early warning capabilities and a large universe from which to create
portfolios. BXCSS believes its approach to generating returns is unique in its
integration of technology, infrastructure, ongoing research, and credit
expertise.
BXCSS
believes that the inability of conventional credit approaches to consider equity
and other market information systematically, and their propensity to build
portfolios around issue weightings, are features that create persistent
inefficiencies in the market. These features are largely driven by the
qualitative, discretionary style that conventional credit market participants
use. While marginal information efficiencies are likely to come about as a
natural part of the credit market’s maturation, as long as conventional credit
investors dominate the market, exploitable inefficiencies will exist for
BXCSS.
Opportunistic
Income Strategy
Jeffrey
Gundlach
Jeffrey
Sherman, CFA
DoubleLine
Capital LP
2002
N. Tampa Street, Suite 200
Tampa,
FL 33602
Jeffrey
Gundlach and Jeffrey Sherman are the co‑portfolio managers responsible for the
opportunistic income strategy (the “Opportunistic Income Strategy”), which is
the segment of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s assets managed by DoubleLine
Capital LP (“DoubleLine”). Gundlach is Chief Executive Officer and Chief
Investment Officer of DoubleLine, which he co‑founded in 2009. Sherman is Deputy
Chief Investment Officer and is a member of DoubleLine’s Executive Management
and Fixed Income Asset Allocation Committees. Prior to joining DoubleLine,
Sherman was a Senior Vice President at TCW where he worked as a portfolio
manager and quantitative analyst focused on fixed income and real-asset
portfolios. Prior to TCW, Sherman was a statistics and mathematics instructor at
both the University of the Pacific and Florida State University. DoubleLine has
been a sub‑advisor to the Alternative Strategies Fund since the Alternative
Strategies Fund’s inception in 2011.
The
team at DoubleLine operates under the cardinal mandate of delivering superior
risk-adjusted fixed income returns. They seek to deliver positive absolute
returns in excess of an appropriate aggregate fixed income index with portfolio
volatility that is similar to U.S. long-term treasury securities. Investment
ideas employed by the team must offer an asymmetric, positively skewed
risk-reward profile. As a result, a great deal of their analysis seeks to
identify fixed income securities that they believe offer greater potential
payoff than potential loss under multiple scenarios. Ultimately, a combination
of risk management, asset allocation and security selection forms the team’s
investment process. There can be no assurance that the Alternative Strategies
Fund will achieve its investment objective.
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Portfolios
are constructed with the intent to outperform under a range of future outcomes.
DoubleLine’s risk integration process seeks to combine assets that will perform
differently in different scenarios so that the overall portfolio generates
acceptable performance. This process includes balancing the strength of cash
flows from certain asset classes against various potential economic or market
risks.
When
considering a specific investment in any sector, the team’s primary focus is on
the predictability of the cash flow generated during an entire interest rate or
credit cycle. When volatility is low, the team emphasizes securities they expect
to generate the best overall return over a cycle rather than simply buying the
highest yield at a given point in time.
In
implementing the Opportunistic Income Strategy, the team allocates investments
to fixed income instruments and other investments with no limit on the duration
of the portfolio. The team may invest in, without limitation, asset-backed
securities; domestic and foreign corporate bonds, including high-yield bonds;
municipal bonds; bonds or other obligations issued by domestic or foreign
governments, including emerging markets countries; REIT debt securities; and
mortgage related securities. The team’s investments in mortgage related
securities may at times represent a substantial portion (including up to 100%)
of the segment allocated to him when certain market conditions exist that the
team believes offer potentially attractive risk adjusted returns. The team may,
to a limited extent, employ leverage within the Opportunistic Income Strategy,
which also is being used for other accounts managed by DoubleLine. The team may
gain investment exposure to mortgage-backed securities by entering into
agreements to buy or sell securities through the TBA market. The Alternative
Strategies Fund would enter into a commitment to either purchase or sell
mortgage-backed securities for a fixed price, with payment and delivery at a
scheduled future date beyond the customary settlement period for mortgage-backed
securities. These transactions are considered to be TBA because the Alternative
Strategies Fund commits to buy a pool of mortgages that have yet to be
specifically identified but will meet certain standardized parameters (such as
yield, duration, and credit quality) and contain similar loan characteristics.
For either purchase or sale transactions, the fund may choose to extend the
settlement through a “dollar roll” transaction in which it sells mortgage-backed
securities to a dealer and simultaneously agrees to purchase substantially
similar securities in the future at a predetermined price. These transactions
have the potential to enhance the Alternative Strategies Fund’s returns and
reduce its administrative burdens when compared with holding mortgage-backed
securities directly, although these transactions will increase the Alternative
Strategies Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. During the roll period, the
Alternative Strategies Fund forgoes principal and interest paid on the
securities. However, the Alternative Strategies Fund would be compensated by the
difference between the current sale price and the forward price for the future
purchase, as well as by the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the initial
sale. The Alternative Strategies Fund also expects to engage in short sales of
TBA mortgages, including short sales on TBA mortgages the Alternative Strategies
Fund does not own, to potentially enhance returns or manage risk.
When
investing in mortgage related securities, the team may invest in obligations
issued or guaranteed by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government
such as the Government National Mortgage Association, the Federal National
Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation; CMOs,
including real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICS) issued by domestic
or foreign private issuers that represent an interest in or are collateralized
by mortgage related securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the
U.S. Government; CMBS; obligations issued by private issuers that represent an
interest in or are collateralized by whole mortgage loans or mortgage related
securities without a government guarantee but typically with some form of
private credit enhancement; “interest only” and “principal only” stripped
mortgage securities; inverse floating rate securities; and debt or equity
tranches of collateralized debt obligations collateralized by mortgage related
securities. The team compares opportunities in other sectors of the global fixed
income market to opportunities available in the mortgage sector with the aim of
attempting to construct a portfolio with the most attractive return potential
given his risk management objectives.
Enhanced
Trend Strategy
Andrew
Beer
Mathias
Mamou-Mani
Dynamic
Beta investments, LLC
12
East 49th Street
New
York, NY 10017
Andrew
Beer and Mathias Mamou-Mani are the co‑portfolio managers responsible for the
enhanced trend strategy (the “Enhanced Trend Strategy”), which is the segment of
the Alternative Strategies Fund’s assets managed by Dynamic Beta investments,
LLC (“DBi”). Prior to founding DBi in 2012, Beer co‑founded Pinnacle Asset
Management, a commodity investment firm, and was a founder of Apex Capital
Management, a hedge fund focused on the Greater China Region. Beer’s extensive
experience in the hedge business started in 1994, when he joined the Baupost
Group, Inc., a leading hedge fund firm, as a portfolio manager. He holds an MBA
from Harvard Business School and his AB degree from Harvard College. Mamou-Mani
is a Managing Member of DBi and has over 13 years of experience in asset
management at DBi and its predecessors overseeing quantitative research,
including the proprietary replication and liquid solution models, risk systems
and trade implementation. From 2001 to 2006, Mamou-Mani worked as a
consultant/project manager on critical information systems projects for the
French Ministry of Defense, France Telecom and Lafarge. Mamou-Mani holds an MBA
from the NYU Stern School of Business, with a specialization in Quantitative
Finance, and degrees from the University of Paris Dauphine, France.
Founded
in 2012, DBi is an SEC‑registered investment advisory firm with
$1.942 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2022, and
is engaged in the business of offering investment trading advice to registered
investment companies, private funds and other separately managed accounts, in
addition to the Alternative Strategies Fund. iM Square Holding 4, LLC,
an
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iMGP Alternative Strategies Fund – Sub-Advisors
—
(Continued)
affiliate
of the Advisor, owns a non‑controlling, minority interest in DBi. The
Sub‑Advisor is registered as a CTA and CPO.
The
Enhanced Trend Strategy combines a managed futures strategy (approximately 75%
of the segment) with an equity hedge strategy (approximately 25% of the
segment). A portion of this segment will be invested in the Alternative
Strategies Fund’s wholly-owned subsidiary (the “Subsidiary”), which is organized
under the laws of the Cayman Islands, is advised by DBi, and will comply with
the Alternative Strategies Fund’s investment objective and investment
policies.
Managed
Futures Strategy
The
managed futures strategy employs long and short positions in derivatives,
primarily futures contracts and forward contracts, across the broad asset
classes of equities, fixed income, currencies and, through the Subsidiary,
commodities. Positions held by the Alternative Strategies Fund in those
contracts are determined based on a proprietary, quantitative model – the
Dynamic Beta Engine – that seeks to identify the main drivers of performance by
approximating the current asset allocation of a selected pool of the largest
commodity trading advisor hedge funds (“CTA hedge funds”), which are hedge funds
that use futures or forward contracts to achieve their investment objectives.
The Dynamic Beta Engine analyzes recent (i.e., trailing 60‑day) performance of
CTA hedge funds in order to identify a portfolio of liquid financial instruments
that closely reflects the estimated current asset allocation of the selected
pool of CTA hedge funds, with the goal of simulating the performance, but not
the underlying positions, of those funds. Based on this analysis, DBi will
invest in an optimized portfolio of long and short positions in
domestically-traded, liquid derivative contracts.
The
Dynamic Beta Engine uses data sourced from (1) publicly available U.S.
futures market data obtained and cross-checked through multiple common
subscription pricing sources, and (2) public CTA hedge fund indexes
obtained through common subscription services and cross-checked with publicly
available index information. DBi relies exclusively on the Dynamic Beta Engine
and does not have discretion to override the model-determined asset allocation
or portfolio weights. DBi will periodically review whether instruments should be
added to or removed from the model in order to improve the model’s efficiency.
The model’s asset allocation is limited to asset classes that are traded on
U.S.-based exchanges. Based on this analysis, DBi will invest in an optimized
portfolio of long and short positions in domestically-traded, liquid derivative
contracts selected from a pool of the most liquid derivative contracts, as
determined by DBi.
Futures
contracts and forward contracts are contractual agreements to buy or sell a
particular currency, commodity or financial instrument at a pre‑determined price
in the future. DBi takes long positions in derivative contracts that
provide exposure to various asset classes, sectors and/or markets that DBi
expects to rise in value, and takes short positions in asset classes, sectors
and/or markets that DBi expects to fall in value. DBi expects to limit its
investments to highly-liquid, domestically-traded contracts that it believes
exhibit the highest correlation to what DBi perceives to be the core positions
of the target hedge funds.
Such
core positions are generally long and short positions in domestically-traded
derivative contracts viewed as highly liquid by DBi. Agreeing to buy the
underlying instrument is called buying a futures contract or taking a long
position in the contract. Likewise, agreeing to sell the underlying instrument
is called selling a futures contract or taking a short position in the contract.
DBi intends to gain exposure to commodities through its investments in the
Subsidiary and may invest up to 40% of the segment of the Alternative Strategies
Fund that it manages in the Subsidiary. Unlike the Alternative Strategies Fund,
the Subsidiary may invest without limitation in commodity-linked derivative
instruments; however, the Subsidiary complies with the same 1940 Act asset
coverage requirements with respect to its investments in commodity-linked
derivatives that are applicable to the Alternative Strategies Fund’s
transactions in derivatives. In addition, to the extent applicable to the
investment activities of the Subsidiary, the Subsidiary will be subject to the
same fundamental investment restrictions and will follow the same compliance
policies and procedures as the Alternative Strategies Fund. Unlike the
Alternative Strategies Fund, the Subsidiary will not seek to qualify as a
regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The Alternative Strategies Fund is the
sole investor in the Subsidiary and does not expect shares of the Subsidiary to
be offered or sold to other investors.
In
addition to its use of futures and investment in the Subsidiary, DBi expects,
under normal circumstances, to invest a large portion of the segment in debt
securities in order to collateralize its derivative investments, for liquidity
purposes, or to enhance yield. DBi may hold fixed income instruments of varying
maturities, but that have an average duration of less than one year. In
particular, DBi may hold government money market instruments, such as U.S.
Treasury securities and U.S. government agency discount notes and bonds with
maturities of two years or less.
Equity Hedge
Strategy
With
respect to the equity hedge strategy, DBi seeks to model its investments after
long/short equity hedge fund strategies and does not invest in hedge funds.
Because the Alternative Strategies Fund is not a hedge fund, the Alternative
Strategies Fund will be limited in its ability to fully replicate hedge fund
strategies due to regulatory requirements, including limitations on leverage and
liquidity of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s investments.
DBi
invests in long and short positions in exchange-traded futures contracts across
the broad asset classes of equities, fixed income, and currencies. The long and
short positions in the futures contracts are determined by DBi using the Dynamic
Beta Engine. The Dynamic Beta Engine is designed to identify the main drivers of
performance of a diversified portfolio of the largest long/short equity hedge
funds, which are hedge funds that employ fundamental analysis to buy or sell
short individual equity securities to achieve their respective investment
objectives (“Equity Hedge funds”).
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Equity
Hedge funds typically diversify their risks by limiting the hedge fund’s net
exposure to certain industries, regions, or market capitalizations, which allows
them to focus on company-specific characteristics. Equity Hedge funds often
hedge against the returns of the overall market. This segment will not
necessarily use its long and short positions to reduce risk by taking offsetting
positions. The segment may take uncorrelated positions (e.g., invest in long and short futures
contracts with values that do not historically exhibit a strong relationship to
each other), which may increase the segment’s overall market exposure and
risk.
DBi
has conducted extensive research into the drivers of performance of hedge funds
and believes that individual security selection by the target Equity Hedge funds
can deliver market outperformance over time through shifts in asset allocation
among major equity markets. For example, if fundamentally-driven hedge fund
managers collectively determine that stocks in emerging markets are more
attractive than those in developed markets, the Dynamic Beta Engine can identify
this and shift asset allocation exposures accordingly.
Based
on this model, the Alternative Strategies Fund will invest in an optimized
portfolio of long and short positions in U.S. exchange-traded futures contracts,
as determined by DBi. This process is repeated monthly, with all positions
rebalanced at that time. The Dynamic Beta Engine analyzes recent historical
performance of a diversified pool of the largest Equity Hedge funds in order to
estimate the current asset allocation of a selected pool of Equity Hedge funds.
DBi relies exclusively on the model and does not have discretion to override the
model-determined asset allocation or portfolio weights. Investing in a limited
number of highly liquid futures contracts and monthly rebalancing is expected to
keep transaction costs low relative to Equity Hedge funds. The model seeks to
replicate Equity Hedge funds by analyzing historical returns of Equity Hedge
funds provided by a third-party data provider and identifying futures contracts
that most closely reflect the Equity Hedge funds’ estimated current exposures
across the various asset classes.
DBi
will invest in a limited number of highly-liquid futures contracts (including
futures contracts on underlying instruments such as listed U.S. equity indices,
baskets of currency, and U.S. treasury securities) that it believes exhibit the
highest correlation to what DBi perceives to be the core positions of the target
Equity Hedge funds, which are generally long and short positions of individual
equity securities. DBi will take long and short positions in U.S.
exchange-traded derivative contracts that it views as highly liquid.
As
a result of the strategies implemented by DBi, this segment of the Alternative
Strategies Fund may have gross notional exposure, which is defined as the sum of
the notional exposure of both long and short derivative positions across the
segment, that approximates the current asset allocation and matches the risk
profile of a diversified pool of the largest CTAs. The Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and the rules and interpretations thereunder,
impose certain limitations on the Alternative Strategies Fund’s ability to use
leverage. Under normal market conditions, DBi will seek to achieve segment
volatility of 8‑10% on an annual basis, which refers to the approximate maximum
amount of expected gains or losses during a given year expressed as a percentage
of value.
DBi
will, in an effort to reduce certain risks (e.g., volatility of returns), limit the
segment’s gross notional exposure on certain futures contracts whose returns are
expected to be particularly volatile. In addition to these specific exposure
limits, DBi will use quantitative methods to assess the level of risk for the
segment.
Management of the Subsidiary. DBi also serves
as the investment adviser to the Subsidiary, a wholly-owned and controlled
subsidiary of the Alternative Strategies Fund organized under the laws of the
Cayman Islands as an exempted company, pursuant to an investment advisory
agreement with the Subsidiary (the “Subsidiary Agreement”). DBi does not receive
additional compensation for its services to the Subsidiary. The investment
advisory agreement between DBi and the Subsidiary was approved by the Board.
However, because the Subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act, it is not
subject to the regulatory protections of the 1940 Act and the Alternative
Strategies Fund, as an investor in the Subsidiary, will not have all of the
protections offered to investors in registered investment companies. Because the
Alternative Strategies Fund wholly owns and controls the Subsidiary, and DBi is
subject to the oversight of the Board, it is unlikely that the Subsidiary will
take action contrary to the interests of the Alternative Strategies Fund or its
shareholders. Additionally, as part of the Board’s consideration of the
sub‑advisory agreement between the Advisor and DBi, the Board also considers
DBi’s performance with regard to the Subsidiary.
The
Subsidiary Agreement continues indefinitely, subject to annual renewal by the
Board. However, the Subsidiary may terminate the Subsidiary Agreement if the
Advisor terminates its sub‑advisory agreement with DBi, or if the SEC takes any
action that would prohibit DBi from providing its sub‑advisory services to the
Alternative Strategies Fund. In addition, the Subsidiary or DBi may terminate
the Subsidiary Agreement by giving at least 90 days’ written notice to the other
party.
In
addition, the Alternative Strategies Fund complies with applicable requirements
of the 1940 Act relating to investment policies, capital structure, and leverage
on an aggregate basis with the Subsidiary, and the Subsidiary will comply with
applicable requirements of the 1940 Act relating to affiliated transactions and
custody of assets.
CFTC Regulation. Because of the nature of its
investments, the Alternative Strategies Fund is subject to regulation under the
Commodities Exchange Act, as amended (the “CEA”), as commodity pools and DBi is
subject to regulation under the CEA as a commodity pool operator (“CPO”), as
those terms are defined under the CEA. DBi is regulated by the CFTC, the
National Futures Association and the SEC and is subject to each regulator’s
disclosure requirements.
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Contrarian
Opportunity Strategy
Steven
Romick, CFA
Brian
Selmo, CFA
Mark
Landecker, CFA
First
Pacific Advisors, LP
11601
Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1200
Los
Angeles, CA 90025
Steven
Romick, Brian Selmo and Mark Landecker are the co‑portfolio managers responsible
for the contrarian opportunity strategy (the “Contrarian Opportunity Strategy”),
which is the segment of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s assets managed by
First Pacific Advisors, LP (“First Pacific”). Romick joined First Pacific in
1996 and is currently a Managing Partner of the firm. Selmo joined First Pacific
in 2008 and has been a Partner since 2013. He was briefly a Managing Director of
First Pacific in 2013 before being named a Partner, and was a Vice President of
First Pacific from 2008 to 2012. Landecker joined First Pacific in 2009 and has
been a Partner since 2013. He was briefly a Managing Director of First Pacific
in 2013 before being named a Partner, and was a Vice President of First Pacific
from 2009 to 2012. Romick, Selmo and Landecker manage the FPA Crescent Fund
(Romick has been a portfolio manager since its inception in 1993), co‑manage
with the FPA Absolute Value Fixed Income team a closed‑end fund, Source Capital,
Inc., and separate accounts, including unregistered funds managed by First
Pacific (commonly known as hedge funds), in First Pacific’s Contrarian Value
style. First Pacific has been a sub‑advisor to the Alternative Strategies Fund
since the Alternative Strategies Fund’s inception in 2011.
This
segment is managed, to the degree practical, with the intent to replicate
elements of mutual funds, private funds and separate accounts also run by First
Pacific. The elements replicated include investment strategies such as hedging,
illiquid and restricted securities, international investments, coupled with the
potential for maintaining high levels of liquidity. First Pacific implements
these strategies through investing opportunistically in a wide variety of
securities as discussed below.
The
Contrarian Opportunity Strategy looks for investments that trade at a
substantial discount to the portfolio managers’ determination of the company’s
value (absolute value) rather than those that might appear inexpensive based on
a discount to their peer groups or the market average (relative value), with the
goal of above average risk-adjusted returns over full market cycles. As absolute
return investors, the First Pacific team seeks genuine bargains rather than
relatively attractive securities. The goal is to provide equity-like returns
over longer periods (i.e., five to seven
years) while protecting against the permanent loss of capital. Attention is
directed toward those companies offering the best combination of quality
criteria such as strong market share, good management, and high normalized
return on capital. A company purchased might not look inexpensive, considering
current earnings and return on capital; however, its valuation may reflect such
conditions as a weak economy, an increase in raw material costs, a management
misstep, or any number of other temporary conditions. The First Pacific team
believes that price drops caused by such developments can, and often do,
provide
buying
opportunities. There can be no assurance that the Contrarian Opportunity
Strategy will achieve its objective.
The
First Pacific team employs the broad mandate of the First Pacific Contrarian
Value strategy to invest across the capital structure, asset classes, market
capitalization, industries and geographies using a wide variety of instruments.
The First Pacific team invests in an opportunistic manner, based on its view of
the world and the businesses/situations that it understands. It looks for what
is out of favor, taking into account the current landscape and how it might
change over time, both organically and through exogenous events. The First
Pacific team emphasizes independent research and spends little time with Wall
Street analysts because it prefers to focus its research on interactions with
business operators and industry leaders.
The
First Pacific team narrows the universe of potential investments by establishing
five categories: Long Equity, Short Equity, Credit (Long Credit and Short
Credit), Cash and Equivalents and a smaller “Other” category.
Long Equity: The First Pacific team seeks to
invest in companies with solid balance sheets, competitive strength, and
shareholder-centric management; companies of lesser quality but with what they
believe to be strong long-term upside potential; companies with shorter term
upside potential driven by identified catalysts that are expected to have a
positive impact on the value of the underlying business such as balance sheet
optimization, operational turnarounds or corporate actions; and companies whose
disparate parts have greater aggregate value than the current stock price and
may engage in intra-company arbitrage of such companies by either holding long
positions in one share class of such a company and shorting another share class
of the same company or longing a parent or holding company and shorting one or
several of its underlying companies to create a stub equity position that is
valued at a deep discount to intrinsic value.
Short Equity: The First Pacific team will seek
opportunities in deteriorating companies with declining business metrics that
are not reflected in the stock price; companies with balance sheet issues such
as overstated asset accounts that may result in operational cash flows that fall
significantly short of net income; paired trades that involve shorting a company
in the same industry as one of the long positions the First Pacific team holds
to serve as a partial hedge against industry specific risk; and intra-company
arbitrage as discussed above.
Credit: The First Pacific team will consider
performing credits that have a yield to maturity reasonably in excess of U.S.
Treasuries of comparable maturity and that they believe the holder has a high
likelihood of receiving principal and interest payments. The First Pacific team
will also consider the bonds of corporations that they believe have some chance
but a low likelihood of needing to restructure their debt. These bonds may have
higher yields than those of performing credits. The First Pacific team may also
purchase distressed debt, which they define as corporate debt that has either
defaulted or which has a high likelihood of being restructured, either
voluntarily or by default.
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Other: Other investments may typically include
illiquid securities that the First Pacific team believes allow them to take
advantage of situations that are not available in the public markets. These
investments may include private equity, derivatives, and private debt
investments. Investment in illiquid securities is typically limited to no more
than 15% of the First Pacific team’s portfolio.
Cash and Equivalents: Investments in cash and
cash equivalents are a residual of the First Pacific team’s investment process
rather than a macro-driven rationale. The First Pacific team believes that
liquidity is an important risk management tool and also believes that it
provides the ability to take advantage of future opportunities.
The
goal of gaining comfort with a given investment is based on determining what the
First Pacific team needs to know in order to prove – or disprove – the original
thesis that drew its interest and triggered further research. This research
process is supported by reading current and historic SEC filings and conference
call transcripts, reviewing pertinent periodicals, studying the competition, and
establishing a valuation model. The First Pacific team works to gain a knowledge
edge and an understanding of the business or industry that may not be universal.
Such due diligence may take the form of conversations with ex‑employees,
vendors, suppliers, competitors and industry consultants. As a result of the
process, the First Pacific team invests only in positions that it believes offer
a compelling economic risk/reward proposition. If prospective investments do not
meet that requirement, then the First Pacific team waits until it can purchase a
security at a substantial discount to that company’s worth or estimated
intrinsic value. The First Pacific team also factors a macro-economic view into
its security analysis and portfolio construction, which may cause it to be
over-weighted in certain asset classes or sectors at times while completely
avoiding others. There can be no assurance that the Contrarian Opportunity
Strategy will achieve its objective.
The
First Pacific team distinguishes between the risk of permanent loss of capital
and volatility, and seeks to distinguish their strategy by using volatility to
its advantage rather than its detriment. Instead of composing a portfolio
designed to mimic the performance of a benchmark or index, the First Pacific
team utilizes the deeply-held contrarian philosophy oriented toward pushing back
on a rising market by reducing exposure (thus allowing cash to increase), and
conversely, leaning into a falling market and spending that cash to
opportunistically buy what they believe to be inexpensive securities. The goal
is to invest in securities that have what they believe to be advantageous
upside/downside characteristics; that is, the First Pacific team seeks to make a
multiple of what it could potentially lose.
Strategic
Alpha Fixed Income Strategy
Matthew
J. Eagan, CFA
Brian
P. Kennedy
Todd
P. Vandam, CFA
Loomis,
Sayles & Company, L.P.
One
Financial Center
Boston,
MA 02111
Matthew
J. Eagan, CFA, Brian P. Kennedy and Todd P. Vandam, CFA are the co‑portfolio
managers responsible for the strategic alpha strategy (the “Strategic Alpha
Strategy”), which is the segment of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s assets
managed by Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P. (“Loomis Sayles”). Eagan
joined Loomis Sayles in 1997 and is a Director and Portfolio Manager for the
fixed income group. He has 33 years of investment industry experience as a
Portfolio Manager and fixed income analyst. He is also a Co‑Portfolio Manager
for the Loomis Sayles Strategic Alpha Fund and other fixed income funds managed
by Loomis Sayles. He earned a BA from Northeastern University and an MBA from
Boston University. Kennedy joined Loomis Sayles in 1994 and is a Co‑Portfolio
Manager of Loomis Sayles’ multisector institutional strategies and mutual funds.
He has 33 years of investment industry experience. He began his career as a
structured finance and government bond trader. He moved over to credit trading
in 2001, where he traded high yield bonds and initiated Loomis Sayles’ trading
of bank loans. He was promoted to product manager in 2009. He is a Co‑Portfolio
Manager for the Loomis Sayles Strategic Alpha Fund as well as other fixed income
funds managed by Loomis Sayles. He earned a BS from Providence College and an
MBA from Babson. Vandam joined Loomis Sayles in 1994 and is a Co‑Portfolio
Manager of the Loomis Sayles Strategic Alpha Fund and High Income Funds as well
as several US High Yield and Global High Yield institutional strategies. He also
heads up Loomis Sayles’ high yield sector team. He has 29 years of investment
industry experience. He began his career at Loomis Sayles on the high yield
trading desk and was later promoted to high yield credit strategist for the full
discretion team and held that position until 2016. He earned a BA in business
and economics from Brown University. Loomis Sayles has been a sub‑advisor to the
Alternative Strategies Fund since the Alternative Strategies Fund’s inception in
2011. The Strategic Alpha Strategy has an absolute return investment objective,
which means that it is not managed relative to an index and that it attempts to
achieve positive total returns over a full market cycle with relatively low
volatility. The Loomis Sayles team intends to pursue its objective by utilizing
a flexible investment approach that allocates investments across a global range
of investment opportunities related to credit, currencies and interest rates,
while employing risk management strategies designed to mitigate downside risk.
There can be no assurance that the Strategic Alpha Strategy will achieve its
investment objective.
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The
Loomis Sayles team may invest up to 75% of the total assets of the segment
allocated to it in below investment-grade fixed income securities (also known as
“junk bonds”) and derivatives that have returns related to the returns on below
investment-grade fixed income securities. Under normal market conditions, the
Loomis Sayles team also may invest up to 75% of the total assets of the segment
allocated to it in investments denominated in non‑U.S. currencies and related
derivatives, including up to 50% in investments denominated in emerging market
currencies and related derivatives. Under normal conditions, the Loomis Sayles
team may invest up to 20% of the total assets of the segment allocated to it in
equity-related securities and derivatives. There is no limit on the amount of
preferred securities. A “related derivative” of a financial instrument means any
derivative whose value is based upon or derived from that financial instrument
or a related derivative of that financial instrument. The Loomis Sayles team
expects that exposure to these asset classes will often be obtained
substantially through the use of derivative instruments. Currency positions that
are intended to hedge the Loomis Sayles team’s non‑U.S. currency exposure (i.e. , currency positions that are not made
for investment purposes) will offset positions in the same currency that are
made for investment purposes when calculating the limitation on investments in
non‑U.S. and emerging market currency investments because the Loomis Sayles team
believes that hedging a currency position is likely to negate some or all of the
currency risk associated with the original currency position. Restrictions will
apply at the time of purchase.
The
Loomis Sayles team’s investment process employs both top‑down (macro themes) and
bottom‑up (security selection) components and uses the resources of the entire
Loomis Sayles infrastructure. The Loomis Sayles team identifies key macro themes
over a 3‑ and 12‑month horizon and assesses top‑down risk/return opportunities
across the interest rate curve, credit markets and currencies. The Loomis Sayles
team draws on the strength and depth of the entire Loomis Sayles research team
as it evaluates these themes. Fourteen Macro and Market Sector teams support the
Loomis Sayles team by sharing their sector’s risk/return characteristics and
uncovering specific credits that they believe may offer the best return
potential.
In
selecting investments for the Strategic Alpha Strategy, the Loomis Sayles team
develops long-term portfolio themes driven by macro-economic indicators. These
include secular global economic trends, demographic trends and labor supply,
analysis of global capital flows and assessments of geopolitical factors. The
Loomis Sayles team then develops shorter-term portfolio strategies based on
factors including, but not limited to, economic, credit and Federal Reserve
cycles, top‑down sector valuations and bottom‑up security valuations. The Loomis
Sayles team employs active risk management, with a focus on credit, interest
rate and currency risks. Additionally, the Loomis Sayles team will use risk
management tools in constructing and optimizing the portfolio and seek to manage
risk on an ongoing basis. The Loomis Sayles team expects to actively evaluate
each investment idea based upon its return potential, its level of risk and its
fit within the team’s overall macro strategy when deciding whether to buy or
sell investments, with the goal of continually optimizing the
portfolio.
The
Loomis Sayles team seeks to gain a performance edge by integrating the global
macro themes with Loomis Sayles’ best bottom‑up security selection, risk
analysis and trading capabilities to create the best expected risk/return
portfolio. The Loomis Sayles team will pursue its investment goal by obtaining
long investment exposures through direct cash investments and derivatives and
short investment exposures substantially through derivatives. A “long”
investment exposure is an investment that rises in value with a rise in the
value of an asset, asset class or index and declines in value with a decline in
the value of that asset, asset class or index. A “short” investment exposure is
an investment that rises in value with a decline in the value of an asset, asset
class or index and declines in value with a rise in the value of that asset,
asset class or index. The Loomis Sayles team’s long and short investment
exposures may, at times, each reach 150% of the assets invested in this segment
of the Alternative Strategies Fund (excluding instruments primarily used for
duration management and short-term investments (such as cash and money market
instruments)), although these exposures may be higher or lower at any given
time.
Investments: In connection with its principal
investment strategies, the Loomis Sayles team may invest in a broad range of
U.S. and non‑U.S. fixed income securities, including, but not limited to,
corporate bonds, municipal securities, U.S. and non‑U.S. government securities
(including their agencies, instrumentalities and sponsored entities), securities
of supranational entities, emerging market securities, commercial and
residential mortgage-backed securities, CMOs, other mortgage-related securities
(such as adjustable rate mortgage securities), asset backed securities, bank
loans, collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”), convertible bonds, Rule 144A
securities, REITs, zero‑coupon securities, step coupon securities, pay‑in‑kind
securities, inflation-linked bonds, variable and floating rate securities,
private placements and commercial paper and preferred securities. Additionally,
the Strategic Alpha Strategy involves limited investments in equities and
exchange–traded funds.
Non‑U.S. Currency Investments: Under normal
market conditions, the Loomis Sayles team may engage in a broad range of
transactions involving non‑U.S. and emerging market currencies, including, but
not limited to, purchasing and selling forward currency exchange contracts in
non‑U.S. or emerging market currencies, investing in non‑U.S. currency futures
contracts, investing in options on non‑U.S. currencies and non‑U.S. currency
futures, investing in cross currency instruments (such as swaps), investing
directly in non‑U.S. currencies and investing in securities denominated in
non‑U.S. currencies. The Loomis Sayles team may also engage in non‑U.S. currency
transactions for investment or for hedging purposes.
Derivative Investments: For investment and
hedging purposes, the Loomis Sayles team may invest substantially in a broad
range of derivatives instruments, particularly credit default swaps and futures
contracts, and sometimes the majority of its investment returns will derive from
its derivative investments. These derivative instruments include, but are not
limited to, futures contracts (such as treasury futures and index futures),
forward contracts, options (such as options on futures contracts,
options
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on
securities, interest rate/bond options, currency options, options on swaps and
OTC options), warrants (such as non‑U.S. currency warrants) and swap
transactions (such as interest rate swaps, total return swaps and index swaps).
In addition, the Loomis Sayles team may invest in credit derivative products
that may be used to manage default risk and credit exposure. Examples of such
products include, but are not limited to, credit default swap index products
(such as LCDX, CMBX and ABX index products), single name credit default swaps,
loan credit default swaps and asset-backed credit default swaps. Derivative
instruments (such as those listed above) can be used to acquire or to transfer
the risk and returns of a security without buying or selling the security. The
Loomis Sayles team’s strategy may be highly dependent on the use of derivatives,
and to the extent that they become unavailable or unattractive the Loomis Sayles
team may be unable to fully implement its investment strategy. For a detailed
discussion of various types of derivatives in which the Alternative Strategies
Fund may invest, including the risks of investing in such derivatives, please
refer to the Description of Principal Investment Risks section in the Prospectus
and the SAI.
The
Loomis Sayles team is not limited as to the duration of its portfolio, which
will change over time but is likely to be within a range of ‑5 years to +10
years.
Arbitrage
Strategy
John
Orrico, CFA
Roger
Foltynowicz, CFA, CAIA
Gregg
Loprete
Water
Island Capital, LLC
41
Madison Avenue, 42nd
Floor
New
York, NY 10010
John
Orrico, Roger Foltynowicz, Gregg Loprete and Matthew Osowiecki are the
co‑portfolio managers responsible for the arbitrage strategy (the “Arbitrage
Strategy”), which is the segment of the Alternative Strategies Fund’s assets
managed by Water Island Capital, LLC (“Water Island”). Orrico founded Water
Island in 2000 and serves as its Co-Chief Investment Officer. He also serves as
the President and Chairman of the Board of The Arbitrage Funds and AltShares
Trust, open‑end management investment companies advised by Water Island. He is a
portfolio manager on the firm’s merger arbitrage and special situations
strategies. Prior to founding Water Island, Orrico worked at Gruss &
Co., focusing on merger arbitrage and special situations. He started his career
in the financial services industry in 1982 upon joining the Corporate Finance
group at Morgan Stanley & Co. Foltynowicz joined Water Island in 2003
and is a portfolio manager on the firm’s merger arbitrage strategy. Loprete
joined Water Island in 2009 and is a portfolio manager specializing in credit
opportunities. Mr. Osowiecki joined Water Island in 2007 and currently
serves as Co‑Chief Investment Officer. Water Island has been a sub‑advisor to
the Alternative Strategies Fund since the Alternative Strategies Fund’s
inception in 2011.
Investment Strategy: Water Island invests its
sleeve in equity and debt securities of companies whose prices Water Island
believes
are
or will be impacted by a corporate event. Specifically, Water Island employs
investment strategies designed to capture price movements generated by publicly
announced or anticipated corporate events such as mergers, acquisitions, asset
sales, restructurings, refinancings, recapitalizations, reorganizations, or
other special situations.
Water
Island seeks to profit from the various events by employing a specific strategy
based on each event. In the case of mergers & acquisitions (M&A),
the most common arbitrage activity, Water Island’s investment approach generally
involves purchasing the shares of an announced acquisition target at a discount
to their expected value upon completion of the acquisition. Water Island may
engage in short sales when the terms of a proposed acquisition call for the
exchange of common stock and/or other securities. In such a case, the securities
of the company to be acquired may be purchased and, at approximately the same
time, an amount of the acquiring company’s common stock and/or other securities
as per the terms of the transaction may be sold short. In other instances, Water
Island will match a long position in a convertible security with a short
position in the underlying common stock. Water Island seeks to purchase
convertible securities at discounts to their expected future values and sell
shares of the underlying common stock short to hedge against equity market
movements. The positions are typically designed to earn income from coupon or
dividend payments. In another scenario, Water Island may purchase a senior
secured security of an issuer and sell short an unsecured security of the same
issuer. In this example, the trade would be profitable if credit quality spreads
widened or if the issuer went bankrupt and the recovery rate for the senior debt
was higher than anticipated. It is expected that positions will be liquidated
when pricing discrepancies disappear. Water Island may also invest in securities
of companies whose stock price trades significantly higher or lower from where
Water Island believes it should trade, as the result of an ongoing or
anticipated corporate catalyst.
Water
Island classifies events with more definitive outcomes and shorter timelines as
“hard” catalysts and those with less definitive outcomes and/or longer timelines
as “soft” catalysts. Hard catalysts can include definitive M&A, M&A
reversals, liquidations, Dutch tenders, special purpose acquisition companies
(SPACs), IPOs, yield to call, and spin-offs (pre‑event). Soft catalysts can
include speculative M&A, credit refinancings, turnaround plans, management
changes, public investments in private equity (PIPEs), transformational
re‑ratings, and spin-offs (post-event).
In
constructing the portfolio, Water Island favors high conviction, hard and soft
catalyst investments that meet or exceed its desired return threshold, with a
preference for those investment opportunities with superior reward‑to‑risk
profiles. The team considers various position sizing constraints, including each
position’s risk impact assessment, which is a measure of the loss to assets
under management if the position were to trade to its estimated downside price.
Water Island also monitors macro,
structural,
and idiosyncratic risks across its sleeve of the portfolio and seeks to mitigate
undesired risk exposures through appropriate hedges.
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(Continued)
Water
Island continuously monitors its investments and evaluates each investment’s
risk/return profile, taking into account each investment’s risk versus its
anticipated reward relative to its predetermined exit strategy and the
availability of other event-driven opportunities. Water Island may sell or close
out an investment when the securities of the companies involved in the
transaction no longer meet the expected return threshold considering prevailing
market prices and the relative risks of the opportunity or when Water Island
believes there are better risk-adjusted opportunities available.
The
SAI provides additional information about each sub‑advisor’s method of
compensation for its portfolio managers, other accounts managed by the portfolio
managers, and the portfolio managers’ ownership of securities in the Alternative
Strategies Fund.
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iMGP High Income Fund – Sub‑Advisors
iMGP
High Income Fund Portfolio Managers
Credit
Value Strategy
Andrew
P. Hofer
Neil
Hohmann
Paul
Kunz, CFA
Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co.
140
Broadway
New
York, NY 10005
Andrew
Hofer, Neil Hohmann and Paul Kunz are the portfolio managers primarily
responsible for the credit value strategy (the “Credit Value Strategy”), which
is the segment of the High Income Fund’s assets managed by Brown Brothers
Harriman & Co. (“BBH”) through its separately identifiable department
known as the BBH Mutual Fund Advisory Department. Hofer is Head of Taxable Fixed
Income for Investment Management. Since joining BBH in 1998, Hofer has held a
variety of roles within Investment Management, including the Head of Insurance
Asset Management, Chief Operating Officer, and Head of Risk Management. Hofer
spent the first ten years of his career as a generalist banker and financial
institutions specialist. Hofer holds a B.A. degree in East Asian studies from
Yale, and an MIA (Master of International Affairs) from Columbia University. He
is currently a Trustee of The Town School in New York City. Hofer previously
served as Chairman of Learning Ally, a not‑for‑profit corporation that serves
students with visual and reading challenges, as well as their families and
schools. Hohmann is Head of Structured Products and a portfolio manager for
Investment Management. In this role, he supervises security selection in
asset-backed securities, commercial and agency mortgage-backed securities, and
financial institution credit. Prior to joining BBH in 2006, Hohmann was a
director of structured products and a director of research at various firms. He
is an active member of BBH’s Market Risk Oversight Committee. Hohmann received a
Bachelor of Economics with Distinction from Yale University where he graduated
magna cum laude. He also earned a PhD in Economics from the University of
Chicago. He is a past President and serves on the Council of the Yale Club of
New York City. He also serves on the Board of the Yale Alumni Fund and is a
co‑founder of the YaleFin alumni group for finance professionals. As the Head of
Corporate Credit and a portfolio manager, Kunz is responsible for the oversight
of corporate fixed income portfolios encompassing both investment grade and high
yield credit, including managing the research efforts of the credit analyst
team. He has been a member of the portfolio management team since joining BBH in
2013. Kunz has worked in the investment industry since 1998 and has extensive
experience in high yield bonds, leveraged loans, and distressed credit. He began
his professional career as an in‑house attorney for financial services
institutions. Kunz received a B.S. in finance from Villanova University, a J.D.
from St. John’s University School of Law, an LLM in corporate law from New York
University School of Law. He is also a CFA® charterholder.
BBH
seeks to achieve the High Income Fund’s investment objective by investing its
segment of the High Income Fund in fixed-income securities it believes to have
the potential for excess return. BBH’s investment strategy will be to invest in
fixed income
securities
from a wide variety of sectors, including asset-backed securities (ABS),
commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), corporate bonds, floating-rate
loans and municipal bonds. BBH expects to invest its segment of the High Income
Fund in structured and corporate securities. BBH’s emphasis is on A/BBB‑rated
asset backed securities and BBB/BB‑rated corporate securities, as these ratings
segments have historically offered attractive risk-adjusted returns, along with
low default rates. BBH will also invest in U.S. Treasury futures to manage
duration of the portfolio, which allows individual security selection to be
managed without regard to portfolio duration. BBH will not typically purchase
CCC rated or distressed securities for the High Income Fund.
BBH
considers investments based on a bottom‑up assessment of opportunities and the
risk/return potential of the yield curve. The investment strategy’s duration is
flexible and BBH seeks to maintain a duration that is consistent with positive
returns over longer time periods. BBH will consider the macroeconomic
environment from the perspective of risk-management through economic cycles.
BBH’s valuation process starts with the concept that credit spreads revert to
the mean and that spread deviations relative to a long-term average indicate
potential spread compression or spread widening. BBH applies this valuation
framework to all economic sectors by credit rating and maturity.
BBH’s
investment process is based on fundamental credit research. BBH identifies fixed
income securities for potential purchase for the portfolio based on four
fundamental criteria: a durable operating model, effective management,
attractive/appropriate structure, and transparency. A durable credit is one
where the BBH believes an issuer’s revenue stream and its financial structure
can withstand a wide range of economic and regulatory scenarios. When assessing
management, BBH looks for issuers with a long, proven track record of execution
(especially through a downturn), commitment to capital markets access, and
incentives that are aligned with creditors’ interests. With regard to
appropriate bond structures, BBH requires the level and variability of an
issuer’s revenues to comfortably support ongoing operations and the capital
structure.
BBH’s
assumption of credit risk is valuation driven. When valuing securities/credits,
and assessing an attractive margin of safety, BBH applies the same valuation
approach across all sectors (ABS, CMBS, corporate credit, and municipal bonds).
BBH seeks to buy securities at discounted valuations, inclusive of a sufficient
margin of safety, that are created by excess short-term price volatility. BBH
makes investments when it believes a security’s potential excess return more
than compensates the fund for default risk, liquidity risk, and the embedded
optionality of a bond. BBH may sell securities for several reasons including to
adjust the portfolio’s average maturity, move into more attractively valued
securities, take gains, the investment thesis changed, or to meet redemption
requests.
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iMGP High Income Fund – Sub‑Advisors — (Continued)
Multi
Credit Strategy
Anne
Walsh, CFA
Steven
Brown, CFA
Adam
Bloch
Evan
Serdensky
Guggenheim
Partners Investment Management, LLC
100
Wilshire Boulevard, 5th Floor
Santa
Monica, CA 90401
Anne
Walsh, Steven Brown, Adam Bloch and Evan Serdensky are the co‑portfolio managers
responsible for the multi credit strategy (the “Multi Credit Strategy”), which
is the segment of the High Income Fund’s assets managed by Guggenheim Partners
Investment Management, LLC (“Guggenheim”). Walsh is the Chief Investment Officer
at Guggenheim Investments, the global asset management business of Guggenheim
Partners, where she is responsible for meeting the investment needs of the
firm’s fixed-income clients, including insurance companies, corporate and public
pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations, consultants,
wealth managers, and high‑net‑worth investors. In her role she oversees all
elements of portfolio design, strategy, sector allocation, and risk management
of portfolios, as well as conveying Guggenheim’s macroeconomic outlook to
portfolio managers and sector specialists. Walsh is also a Managing Partner of
Guggenheim Partners Investment Management. Walsh has over 36 years of experience
in investment management, and her specialization in liability-driven portfolio
management derives from her deep background in insurance asset management.
Before joining Guggenheim in 2007 she served as chief investment officer at
Reinsurance Group of America, and as vice president and senior investment
consultant at Zurich Scudder Investments. Walsh also served in senior investment
roles at Lincoln Investment Management and American Bankers Insurance Group.
Walsh holds a BSBA and MBA from Auburn University and a JD from the University
of Miami School of Law. She has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial
Analyst® designation and
is a member of the CFA Institute. Brown is Chief Investment Officer, Fixed
Income, Senior Managing Director at Guggenheim Investments, and a Portfolio
Manager for Guggenheim’s Active Fixed Income and Total Return mandates. Brown
works with the Chief Investment Officer and other members of the Portfolio
Management team, as well as the Macroeconomic and Investment Research Group,
Sector teams, and the Portfolio Construction Group, to develop and execute
portfolio strategy to meet individual clients’ objectives. Brown was initially
assigned to Guggenheim’s asset-backed securities group in 2010 before joining
the Portfolio Management team in 2012. Prior to joining Guggenheim, Brown held
roles within structured products at ABN AMRO and Bank of America in Chicago and
London. Brown earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Indiana University’s
Kelley School of Business. He has earned the right to use the Chartered
Financial Analyst®
designation and is a member of the CFA Institute. Bloch joined Guggenheim in
2012 and is a portfolio manager for Guggenheim’s Active Fixed Income and Total
Return mandates. Bloch works with the Chief Investment Officers and other
portfolio managers to develop portfolio strategy in line with the firm’s
views.
He
oversees strategy implementation, working with research analysts and traders to
generate trade ideas, hedge portfolios, and manage day‑to‑day risk. Prior to
joining Guggenheim, he worked in Leveraged Finance at Bank of America Merrill
Lynch in New York where he structured high-yield bonds and leveraged loans for
leveraged buyouts, restructurings, and corporate refinancings across multiple
industries. Bloch graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of
Pennsylvania. Serdensky joined Guggenheim in 2018 and is a Portfolio Manager for
Guggenheim’s Active Fixed Income and Total Return mandates. Previously,
Serdensky was a trader on the Investment Grade Corporate team at Guggenheim
Investments, where he was responsible for identifying and executing investment
opportunities across corporate securities. Prior to joining Guggenheim,
Serdensky was a Vice President and Portfolio Manager at BlackRock, responsible
for actively managing High Yield and Multi-Sector Credit portfolios. Serdensky
started his career at PIMCO supporting Total Return and Alternative strategies.
Serdensky completed his B.S. in Finance from the University of Maryland and
earned his M.S. in Finance from the Washington University in St.
Louis.
The
managers of the Multi-Credit Strategy seek to maximize total return through a
combination of current income and capital appreciation. The team seeks to
achieve its investment objective by investing in a wide range of fixed-income
assets selected from a variety of credit sectors including, but not limited to,
corporates, structured credit, U.S. government and agency, municipals, and other
credit sectors. The investments can be across the capital structure including
but not limited to senior secured, unsecured, second lien, other mezzanine
including preferred, and equity. The strategy seeks opportunities across
fixed-income market sectors, especially in non‑index‑eligible securities. In
addition, the team may invest in derivatives or other asset classes to meet its
investment objective. The strategy is flexible and is not constrained by
duration, sector, issuer, or credit quality. As such, the strategy does not
target any specific benchmark exposure to sectors, security weightings, and
credit quality.
Guggenheim
believes that an emphasis on capital preservation, while capturing attractive
yields and a sustainable income component, is the surest path to superior
long-term investment results. The firm strongly believes that fixed-income
markets are inefficient, and as a result Guggenheim focuses on bottom‑up,
fundamental research to identify securities with attractive relative value,
where prices do not accurately reflect a security’s intrinsic value for a given
risk profile. In‑house macroeconomic views serve as a “roadmap” to inform and
guide portfolio construction considerations such as duration and credit quality,
as well as sector weightings.
Credit
selection is conducted by a deep team of sector and security analysts. The focus
is on understanding the underlying business, issuer financial strength, risks
pertaining to cash flows, the capital structure (seniority of payments), debt
covenants, among other considerations. This analysis involves comprehensive
industry analysis that incorporates inputs from industry experts, competitors,
suppliers, servicers, and customers. It also integrates a thorough analysis of
creditworthiness under a
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variety
of downside stress-test scenarios and leverages a dedicated legal team to assist
in examining and assessing pertinent covenants and terms that may affect
issues.
Risk
management plays a prominent role in Guggenheim’s investment process. At a
high-level, the team studies a wide range of economic and market scenarios, and
assesses the possible impact these scenarios could have on the portfolio.
Scenarios can include those driven by macroeconomic risks, changes in
regulation, broad sector trends, or an assessment of liquidity at the sector,
security, and industry levels. Moreover, the team seeks to understand how
specific changes in portfolio composition would lessen potential downside, such
as upgrading credit quality or including different types of security structures.
Scenario analysis at the portfolio level also includes the impact of various
interest-rate changes along different tenors of the curve.
At
the portfolio level, the team might examine the effect of sudden mark‑to‑market
shocks on the portfolio by assuming widening yield spreads for specific
portfolio exposures. The team will also examine risks to specific sectors under
a given stress-test scenario to quantify the potential downside risk. Risk
management is also expressed through portfolio diversification, both across and
within fixed-income sectors, position size limits, prudent yield-curve
positioning, loss thresholds, and other measures.
Securities
may be sold for several reasons including to adjust the portfolio’s average
maturity, shift assets into or out of higher-quality securities, move into more
attractively valued securities, take gains, or to meet redemption
requests.
Option
Income Strategy
Derek
Devens, CFA
Rory
Ewing
Eric
Zhou
Neuberger
Berman Investment Advisers LLC
1290
Avenue of the Americas
New
York, NY 10104
Derek
Devens, CFA, joined Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC (“Neuberger
Berman“) in 2016. Derek is a Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager of
the Option Group. Prior to Neuberger Berman, Derek was responsible for both
Research and Portfolio Management at Horizon Kinetics. Derek was a member of the
Investment Committee and responsible for co‑managing the Kinetics Alternative
Income Fund and various separate account strategies. Prior to that, Derek was a
vice president with Goldman Sachs’ Global Manager Strategies Group, where he was
responsible for conducting investment manager research. He also served as a
fixed income portfolio manager at both Fischer Francis Trees & Watts as
well as Bond Logistix. He received a BS in Civil Engineering from Princeton
University and an MBA from New York University. He has been awarded the
Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Rory
Ewing, Managing Director, joined the firm in 2016. Rory is a Portfolio Manager
for the Option Group at the firm. In his current capacity, Rory’s primary
responsibility is to assist in the implementation of the firm’s investment
strategy in client
accounts
and to ensure proper adherence to account guidelines and client-specific
restrictions. Before joining Neuberger Berman, Rory was a Research Analyst at
Horizon Kinetics. Before that, Rory led the trading team at Tempus Quo, an
investment firm focused on international, commodity-related sectors. He also
spent two years as a trader at Pequot Capital and two years as a capital markets
consultant at Thomson Financial. Rory received a BA from Colgate University and
an MBA from New York University.
Eric
Zhou, Senior Vice President, joined the firm in 2016. Eric is a Portfolio
Manager for the Option Group at the firm, where he is focused on the
implementation of investment strategy, quantitative research, and derivative
strategy modeling related to the firm’s option and volatility-based strategies.
Before joining Neuberger Berman, Eric was a research analyst at Horizon
Kinetics, where he worked primarily on derivatives- related research, and also
supported the firm’s broader research efforts. Previously, Eric worked for UBS
Wealth Management. Eric received a BS from the Carroll School of Management at
Boston College and an MA in the Mathematics of Finance from Columbia
University.
In
executing the Option Income Strategy, the Neuberger Berman team writes put
options on U.S. equity indexes, a strategy conceptually similar to that utilized
by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) S&P 500 PutWrite Index (the
“Put Index”). However, by utilizing thoughtful active management, the team seeks
to reduce the path dependence of the Put Index, as well as manage risk and seek
attractive returns relative to the Put Index. While the Put Index writes one
at‑the‑money (ATM) put option on the S&P 500 Index each month, the team
seeks to diversify the underlying options held by the strategy by strike price
and expiration date by writing a series of short dated put options on
diversified U.S. equity indexes, laddered across expiration dates, intending for
option exposures to be relatively consistent across options tenors (i.e., the
time left until an option contract expires). Options are rolled in a manner that
seeks to preserve this laddered structure. This diversification is intended to
seek to reduce the likelihood of a series of negative short-term outcomes in a
row that could result from selling only one put per month.
Another
critically important difference between the Put Index and the strategy the team
manages for the High Income Fund is the selection of the level of ‘moneyness’ of
the options sold (ATM versus out‑of‑the money, or “OTM”). The High Income Fund’s
options will primarily be OTM, vs the Put Index selling ATM options. The High
Income Fund attempts to generate returns through the receipt of option premiums
from selling puts, as well as through investments in fixed income instruments,
which collectively are intended to reduce volatility relative to what it would
be if the fund held the underlying equity index on which the options are
written. The High Income Fund’s investments in fixed income instruments will
typically be in short duration U.S. Treasuries and are intended to provide
liquidity and preserve capital and will serve as collateral for the High Income
Fund’s investments in options.
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iMGP High Income Fund – Sub‑Advisors — (Continued)
Risk
management is a function of a number of factors, one being the overall sizing of
the allocation at the fund level, since the strategy can have significant equity
correlation (but has historically exhibited lower beta than broad-based U.S.
equity indices as demonstrated by the PUT Index compared to the S&P 500
Index). Secondly, the selection of ATM or OTM, and how far OTM, influences the
level of risk materially. Lastly, the team seeks to actively reduce downside
exposures to mitigate equity risk by buying back a portion of the put options
that are underwater and selling new put options at higher premiums. Put writing
is not a strategy built on a philosophy of explicit risk avoidance; rather, it
is rooted in seeking receipt of option premiums in exchange for taking on the
risk of a decline in U.S. broad based equity indices. As such, investors in the
strategy accept limited upside returns relative to U.S. broad-based equity
indices in exchange for the potential for option premiums to mitigate equity
risk.
In
a put writing strategy, a fund (as the seller of the option) receives premiums
from the purchaser of the option in exchange for providing the purchaser with
the right to sell the underlying instrument to the fund at a specific price
(i.e., the strike price). If the market price of the instrument underlying the
option exceeds the strike price, it is anticipated that the option would go
unexercised and the fund would earn the full premium upon the option’s
expiration or a portion of the premium upon the option’s early termination. If
the market price of the instrument underlying the option drops below the strike
price, it is anticipated that the option would be exercised and the fund would
pay the option buyer the difference between the market value of the underlying
instrument and the strike price. The amount of premium varies according to a
number of factors, including the market perception of risk, the length of the
option, and whether the option is ATM when written (riskier for the seller,
which necessitates a higher premium) or OTM and by how much. The further OTM the
option is, the less likely the index is to decline below the strike price, and
thus the less likely the option seller is to be required to make a payment to
the option buyer, thus the premium collected by the seller necessarily is
lower.
The
potential returns to equity index put writing come from two risk premia plus the
return on collateral, which is typically invested in relatively conservative,
short-duration fixed income. The first is the equity risk
premium, or the return investors earn for holding equity risk. The
team believes that investors should also acknowledge the natural corollary
related to options on stock indexes. The team believes that for equity markets
to be efficient, investors who assume exposure to the downside risk of an equity
index should seek to earn a portion of the long-term equity risk premium over
longer investment periods. Essentially, in the team’s view, the underwriters of
equity risk should earn the equity risk premium over the long term regardless of
how the risk is assumed, whether through direct ownership of the index, or
seeking to offset its downside. If this was not the case, then in the team’s
view, equity markets would demonstrate a massive inefficiency, as investors
could own the equity index and buy puts to protect the full value of their
investment from any loss while still earning positive returns. Therefore, the
team believes that for markets to be efficient, a portion of put option premium
collected from writing put options must therefore compensate the put
seller
for
the equity sensitivity of the option. The portion of the equity risk premium
earned through put writing is a function of the moneyness of the put option
written.
The
second risk premium is the volatility risk premium. In addition to
earning premiums on the put options written, the team believes the option seller
must be compensated further for the added risk associated with a decline in the
broad-based U.S. equity markets for some period in the future in an
unpredictable world. Investors do not generally assume risk with the intention
of losing money over time, and option markets are not an exception. Because of
the high degree of uncertainty, and the negatively skewed risk/return profile to
which they are exposed, sellers of put options generally build in a cushion (or
expected profit margin) to the premiums they collect from option buyers. Over
time, the team believes this concept has the potential to allow sellers of ATM
puts to generate returns similar to owning the index over long-term investment
horizons.
The
return profile of selling ATM U.S. equity index puts has historically tended to
be more stable than owning the underlying equity index outright as demonstrated
by the PUT Index compared to the S&P 500 Index. In converting traditional
equity investment return potential (capital appreciation and dividends) into
up‑front cash flows via the consistent collection of option premiums and
interest income, put writing strategies make an explicit trade‑off between
up‑market participation and down-market participation, while still seeking
reasonable returns in flat markets. As such, it is anticipated that the strategy
will not participate in the full upside of the index, but it also has the
potential to mitigate a portion of losses when the index suffers negative
performance, due to the offsetting effect of the premium cash flows. The
premiums the strategy collects may decrease during up markets, however, the team
would expect premiums to materially ratchet up during periods of market losses,
a feature which may help the strategy recover from drawdowns more quickly than
the underlying equity index.
The
SAI provides additional information about each sub‑advisor’s method of
compensation for its portfolio managers, other accounts managed by the portfolio
managers, and the portfolio managers’ ownership of securities in the High Income
Fund.
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iMGP
Small Company Fund – The Sub-Advisors
iMGP
Small Company Fund Portfolio Managers
Mark
T. Dickherber, CFA, CPA
Shaun
P. Nicholson
Segall
Bryant & Hamill, LLC
540
West Madison Street, Suite 1900
Chicago,
IL 60661
Mark
T. Dickherber and Shaun P. Nicholson of Segall Bryant & Hamill, LLC
(“SBH”) are the portfolio managers for one segment of the Small Company Fund.
Dickherber joined SBH in 2007 and is a senior portfolio manager and head of
SBH’s Small Cap strategies. He is the lead portfolio manager for SBH’s Small Cap
Value strategy and the co‑portfolio manager of SBH’s Small Cap Core and Small
Cap Value Concentrated strategies. Dickherber is also responsible for equity
research in the Small Cap and Small/Mid Core equity portfolios and is a
specialist in the healthcare, utilities and REIT sectors within the respective
portfolios. Prior to joining SBH, Dickherber served as director of research for
Kennedy Capital Management, where he had worked since 1996. Nicholson joined SBH
in 2011 and is a senior portfolio manager for SBH’s Small Cap strategies. He is
the lead portfolio manager for SBH’s Small Cap Value Concentrated strategy and
the co‑portfolio manager for SBH’s Small Cap Value strategy. He is responsible
for research related to materials, autos/transports, industrials and regional
banks within the respective portfolios. Prior to joining SBH, Nicholson spent
six years at Kennedy Capital Management.
Dickherber
and Nicholson are small‑cap value-oriented investors who seek to identify
companies that have the potential for significant improvement in return on
invested capital (“ROIC”), with the idea being that, as ROIC improves, each
dollar invested in the business earns an incrementally higher return.
Importantly, Dickherber and Nicholson disaggregate a company’s ROIC down to the
business segment level to understand the drivers (and detractors) of a company’s
profitability. Armed with segment-level return data, the team seeks to identify
companies with low embedded expectations that have company-specific,
returns-improving catalysts. The team does not buy stocks simply because they
are “cheap.” Dickherber and Nicholson require that management is ROIC-focused,
financially incentivized to improve returns through appropriate capital
allocation, and able to articulate an appropriate returns-based strategy to
improve profitability. The team tracks management’s progress via quarterly
financials and quarterly management contact. The team believes that management’s
commitment and ability to appropriately improve returns results in the largest
portfolio weightings.
Dickherber
and Nicholson seek to identify the building blocks of improved (and diminishing)
profitability before it is recognized by the market. The team is willing to be
early in a particular stock and will stay invested provided the investment team
sees continuing evidence that management is taking the appropriate steps to
improve returns. Dickherber and Nicholson will sell stocks for a number of
reasons. Examples include management making a capital-allocation decision that
will likely diminish returns, such as an acquisition of a lower-returning
business; management failing to demonstrate a strategy that improves returns; a
change in management that negatively impacts a returns-based
culture;
the
diminishing effectiveness of certain company-specific catalysts for improved
returns; or an estimation by the co‑portfolio managers that the risk-reward
ratio has become unattractive.
Approximately
50% of the Small Company Fund’s assets are managed by Dickherber and
Nicholson.
Rayna
Lesser Hannaway, CFA
Whitney
Young Crawford
Polen
Capital Management, LLC
500
Boylston Street, Suite 1100
Boston,
MA 02116
Rayna
Lesser Hannaway and Whitney Young Crawford are the portfolio managers for one
segment of the Small Company Fund’s assets managed by Polen Capital. Polen
Capital employs a team-based approach with Rayna Lesser Hannaway as the head of
the team.
Rayna
Lesser Hannaway, Head of Team, Portfolio Manager and Analyst, is a portfolio
manager for the Global SMID Company Growth, U.S. Small Company Growth and U.S.
SMID Company Growth strategies. Lesser Hannaway joined Polen Capital in 2017.
Prior to joining Polen Capital, she spent nine years in portfolio management and
two years as a research analyst at Fidelity Investments in Boston, evaluating
small and mid‑cap companies. She also spent nine years working in small‑cap
research for Jennison Associates and Lord Abbett & Company. Lesser
Hannaway received a B.A. in Economics from Barnard College, a division of
Columbia University. Lesser Hannaway is a CFA® charterholder and holds a
CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing.
Whitney
Young Crawford, is a co‑portfolio manager for the U.S. Small Company Growth and
U.S. SMID Company Growth strategies. Prior to joining Polen Capital in 2019,
Young Crawford was a Senior Analyst at Manulife Asset Management in Boston,
where she worked for four years. Before Manulife, she was an Analyst at Fidelity
Investments in Boston focusing primarily on small‑cap companies. Young Crawford
received a B.A. in Economics (magna cum laude) from the College of
William & Mary and an M.B.A. from Duke University Fuqua School of
Business.
Approximately
50% of the Small Company Fund’s assets are managed by Lesser Hannaway and Young
Crawford.
The
SAI provides additional information about each sub‑advisor’s method of
compensation for its portfolio managers, other accounts managed by the portfolio
managers, and the portfolio managers’ ownership of securities in the Small
Company Fund.
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iMGP
Oldfield International Value Fund – The Sub‑Advisor
iMGP
Oldfield International Value Fund Portfolio Managers
Nigel
Waller
Andrew
Goodwin
Oldfield
Partners LLP
11
Grosvenor Place
London
SW1X 7HH
United
Kingdom
Nigel
Waller and Andrew Goodwin of Oldfield Partners LLP (“Oldfield”) are the
portfolio managers for the Oldfield International Value Fund. Waller is one of
the founding partners of Oldfield, which was established in 2005, and is Chief
Investment Officer and Chief Executive Officer. Waller co‑manages Oldfield’s
global and Europe, Australasia, Far East (EAFE) equity portfolios and
contributes to the overall investment selection. Prior to joining Oldfield,
Waller was at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers for 13 years and was a director
and portfolio manager on the global team and was also a member of the emerging
markets and European teams in London and, from 1997 to 1999, the Asia team in
Singapore. Goodwin joined Oldfield in 2013. He co‑manages Oldfield’s global and
EAFE equity portfolios and contributes to the overall investment selection.
Prior to joining Oldfield, Goodwin was at SVG Capital in London for seven years
managing mainly European equity portfolios. Before joining SVG Capital, he held
portfolio management positions at Sovereign Asset Management, American Express
Asset Management and Phillips & Drew Fund Management.
The
firm was established and started in March 2005 by Richard Oldfield. He started
his career at SG Warburg-Mercury Asset Management in 1977 and ultimately headed
the global equity team there. After approximately 20 years at Mercury, he left
to lead the Rausing Family investment office, Alta Advisors. Alta was and is
among the largest family offices in Europe. At Alta, he ran the global equity
strategy that we see in its current form at Oldfield Partners. He became
Chairman of the Oxford University investment committee and Oxford University
Endowment Management Ltd in January 2007.
The
investment team at Oldfield shares a contrarian value philosophy. Richard
Oldfield and Nigel Waller have cultivated a patient and supportive culture
needed to execute a contrarian approach successfully. The culture is one that
encourages independent thinking, calmness when things are not going as expected,
and intellectual honesty.
Oldfield
believes most investors focus too much on the short term, which leads to
compelling opportunities for contrarian long-term investors. The team is drawn
to companies that have a “cloud” over them, which often leads their stocks to
trade at unusually cheap valuations. Oldfield believes in concentrating in only
its highest-conviction ideas and does not invest based on what is held in an
index.
Oldfield
looks for investments that appear to be a bargain and for which thorough
analysis supports that determination. The firm does not have a prescribed type
of business model or quality definition for its investment opportunity set. The
team seeks to invest in high-quality businesses within any given sector or
industry and looks at factors such as whether a company is a
low‑cost
operator, invests counter-cyclically to emerge stronger, has high Returns on
Equity and high margins, etc. Oldfield will invest across a wide gamut of
sectors provided companies underlying that sector are trading at attractive
prices.
Oldfield
builds its own financial models and scenarios two to three years out, and does
the necessary due diligence so that it can support its assumptions and views in
front of the team. Oldfield often uses sum‑of‑the‑part valuation analysis to
find “hidden values.” The firm triangulates using multiple valuation
metrics—Price/Earnings (“P/E”), Price/Sales, Price/Book, Price/Free Cash Flow
(“P/CF”), Enterprise Value/Sales, Enterprise Value/EBITDA. Oldfield relies on
conservative valuation assumptions in both absolute and relative terms. The team
seeks to build a margin of safety or cushion at the valuation level and in the
fundamental “variable” (that is, the Earnings in P/E, and the Cash Flow in
P/CF).
Oldfield
analyzes industry trends, how a company makes money, and what its future growth
prospects are. The team discusses disruption trends impacting companies, such as
those stemming from technology, the rise of China, and other factors. Oldfield
is wary of taking on financial leverage in companies, especially if they are
operationally geared. The team limits exposure to such companies at the overall
portfolio level, as a risk-control measure. The firm regularly updates the
“variable” as it naturally compounds. There must be a strong justification in
order to increase the valuation multiple decided at the time of purchase, and it
can happen only after a healthy debate among the team.
Meeting
management is not critical nor required but is an important part of the team’s
discussion and debate. Over time, Oldfield believes that it gets less value from
talking to managements and it views the importance of management as varying by
company. More important to Oldfield is management’s past track record, with a
focus on what management has done, what Oldfield believes needs to happen in the
business to realize the intrinsic value Oldfield sees and to what extent that
rests on management, whether management and shareholder interests are aligned,
whether the business is stable, and whether management may harm the business
with its capital allocation. All of these considerations are factored when
deciding how much weight to give to management in the overall analysis of a
potential investment.
Oldfield
is expected to concentrate the Oldfield International Value Fund’s portfolio in
25 to 30 stocks. In such a concentrated portfolio the key risk management comes
from buying out‑of‑favor, cheap companies in relation to their normalized
fundamentals. Oldfield will seek to avoid value traps by limiting their impact
through a conservative approach to estimating intrinsic value. That valuation is
the first line of defense. The second is Oldfield’s culture, which encourages
debates and gives the team freedom to change its mind when facts change and/or
its views evolve. The third defense is to limit purchases to no more than three
times (three “bites of the apple”), with the second purchase or “bite” requiring
increasing levels of due diligence and the third an independent review by
another analyst not close to the story. A stock may typically have an initial
weighting range from 3% to 5% at the time of purchase, and Oldfield will not
own
more
than 10% at cost. The team aims to achieve broad diversification in terms of
sectors, countries, and types of ideas.
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Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
Stock
weightings are a function of upside potential and the team’s level of conviction
in achieving that upside. So, a stock with more perceived upside but for which
the team believes the range of potential outcomes can be wide could have a lower
weighting than a stock with less perceived upside but a narrower range of
projected outcomes. Portfolio turnover is typically relatively low.
The
SAI provides additional information about the sub‑advisor’s method of
compensation for its portfolio managers, other accounts managed by the portfolio
managers, and the portfolio managers’ ownership of securities in the Oldfield
International Value Fund.
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iMGP Oldfield International Value Fund – The
Sub‑Advisor |
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95 |
iMGP
Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund – The Sub‑Advisor
iMGP
Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund Portfolio Managers
Daniel
D. Dolan, Jr.
Roger
S. McEniry
Stephen
M. Schubert
C.
Schaffer Degen, CFA
Robert
W. Greber, III, CFA
Dolan
McEniry Capital Management, LLC
120
North LaSalle Street, Suite 1510
Chicago,
IL 60602
Daniel
D. Dolan, Jr., Roger S. McEniry, Stephen M. Schubert, C. Schaffer Degen and
Robert W. Greber, III are the portfolio managers for the Dolan McEniry Corporate
Bond Fund. Dolan founded Dolan McEniry Capital Management, LLC (“Dolan McEniry”)
in 1997, following a 16‑year career in the financial services industry. Dolan
previously worked with Morgan Stanley and Salomon Brothers. He received a B.A.
from Lake Forest College in 1980. In addition to leading the firm’s business
development and client service efforts, Dolan focuses on portfolio management,
security selection, and securities trading. McEniry joined Dolan McEniry as a
partner in March 2001. Prior to joining the firm, McEniry spent 16 years with a
Chicago private equity firm. McEniry graduated from Williams College with honors
in 1978 and received an MBA from the University of Michigan in 1981. At Dolan
McEniry, McEniry’s focus is the analytical and strategic side of the firm;
security selection, risk management, and credit analysis are under his
leadership. A member of the Dolan McEniry team since 1998, Schubert currently
serves as a Managing Director. Schubert received his Bachelor of Science degree
in Finance from Michigan State University where he competed on the varsity
tennis team and graduated with honors. Degen joined Dolan McEniry as an Analyst
in April 2012 and currently serves as the Managing Director of Portfolio
Management and Trading. Degen graduated from Miami University in 2010 with a
B.S. in Business and a major in Finance. Greber currently serves as a Senior
Portfolio Manager. Greber graduated from the University of Missouri in May 2014
with a B.S. in Business Administration and a major in Finance.
Dolan
McEniry is an asset management company with $ billion in assets under
management as of December 31, 2023, and manages assets for foundations,
endowments, public pensions, Taft-Hartley accounts, corporations, sovereign
nations, high net worth individuals, charitable organizations, wrap clients and
other pooled investment vehicles. In addition to the Dolan McEniry Corporate
Bond Fund, Dolan McEniry also provides sub‑advisory services to a private fund
and serves as sub‑manager to the iMGP US Core Plus and iMGP Dolan McEniry US
Corporate 2025 UCITS funds. Dolan McEniry is majority-owned and controlled by
Daniel D. Dolan, Jr. and Roger S. McEniry, who each hold more than 25% of the
voting interests in the firm. iM Square Holding 2 LLC, an affiliate of the
Advisor, holds a non‑voting 45% interest in Dolan McEniry. The Advisor and iM
Square Holding 2 LLC are both wholly owned by iM Global Partner SAS.
The
SAI provides additional information about the sub‑advisor’s method of
compensation for its portfolio managers, other accounts managed by the portfolio
managers, and the portfolio managers’ ownership of securities in the Dolan
McEniry Corporate Bond Fund.
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Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
Shareholder
Services
How
to Buy Shares & Choose a Share Class
Shareholder
Services
Each Fund is a no‑load fund, which means that
you pay no sales commissions of any kind. Each business day that the New York
Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open, each Fund calculates its share price, which is
also called the Fund’s NAV per share. Shares are purchased at the next share
price calculated after your accepted investment is received. Share price is
calculated as of the close of the NYSE, normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Eligibility
The
Funds are not registered for sale outside of the United States and are available
for purchase only by residents of the United States of America, the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Description
of Classes
The
Trust has adopted a multiple class plan. The Global Select Fund, International
Fund, High Income Fund, Small Company Fund and Oldfield International Value Fund
each offer a single class of shares – Institutional Class shares – in this
Prospectus. The Alternative Strategies Fund offers two classes of shares –
Institutional Class shares and Investor Class shares – in this
Prospectus. The two different classes of shares represent investments in the
same portfolio of securities, but the classes are subject to different expenses
and may have different share prices as outlined below:
• |
|
Institutional Class shares are not
charged a Rule 12b‑1 distribution and servicing fee, and are sold with no
sales load. |
• |
|
Investor Class shares are charged a
0.25% Rule 12b‑1 distribution and servicing fee, and are sold with no
sales load. |
How
to Buy Shares
Step
1
The
first step is to determine the type of account you wish to open. The following
types of accounts are available to investors:
Individual
or Joint Accounts
For your general investment needs:
Individual
accounts are owned by one person. Joint accounts can have two or more owners
(tenants).
Retirement
Accounts
Retirement
accounts allow individuals to shelter investment income and capital gains from
current taxes. In addition, contributions to these accounts may be tax
deductible. Retirement accounts (such as individual retirement accounts
(“IRAs”), rollover IRAs, Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) plans and Roth IRAs)
require specific applications and typically have lower minimums.
Other
retirement plans, such as Keogh or corporate profit-sharing plans, 403(b) plans
and 401(k) plans, may invest in the Funds. All
of
these accounts need to be established by the plan’s trustee. The Funds do not
offer versions of these plans.
If
you are investing through a tax‑sheltered retirement plan, such as an IRA, for
the first time, you will need an IRA Application and Adoption Agreement.
Retirement investing also involves separate investment procedures.
Gifts
or Transfers to Minors (UGMA and UTMA)
To invest for a child’s education or other future
needs:
These
custodial accounts provide a way to give money to a child and obtain tax
benefits. An individual can give up to a statutorily-defined amount per year per
child without paying a federal gift tax. Such amount is subject to change each
year. For 2024, the amount is $18,000. Depending on state laws, you can set up a
custodial account under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (“UGMA”) or the Uniform
Transfers to Minors Act (“UTMA”).
Trust
For money being invested by a trust:
The
trust must be established before an account can be opened. The Funds may require
additional documentation regarding the formation of the trust prior to
establishing an account.
Business
or Organization
For investment needs of corporations, associations,
partnerships or other groups:
The
Funds do not require a special application. However, the Funds may require
additional information prior to establishing an account.
Step
2
How
to Choose a Share Class
Institutional
Class Shares
Although
other Funds offer two classes of shares, the Global Select Fund offers only a
single class of shares – Institutional Class shares. Institutional
Class shares may be appropriate if you intend to make your own investment
decisions and will invest directly with the Fund.
Step
3
The
third step involves determining the amount of your investment. The Funds have
established the following minimum investment levels for your initial investment,
additional
Shareholder Services — (Continued)
investments
and ongoing account balances for Institutional Class shares (all Funds) and
Investor Class shares (Alternative Strategies Fund only):
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Fund |
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Global Select Fund,
International Fund, High Income Fund, Small Company Fund and Oldfield
International Value Fund |
|
Type of Account |
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Minimum Initial
Investment |
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Minimum Additional
Investment |
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Minimum
Account Balance |
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Regular |
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-
Institutional Class |
|
$ |
10,000 |
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$ |
250 |
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$ |
2,500 |
|
Retirement
Account |
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-
Institutional Class |
|
$ |
1,000 |
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$ |
100 |
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$ |
250 |
|
Automatic Investment Account |
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-
Institutional Class |
|
$ |
2,500 |
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$ |
250 |
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$ |
2,500 |
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Fund |
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Alternative Strategies
Fund |
|
Type of Account |
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Minimum Initial
Investment |
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Minimum Additional
Investment |
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Minimum
Account Balance |
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Regular |
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-
Institutional Class |
|
$ |
100,000 |
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$ |
250 |
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$ |
2,500 |
|
-
Investor Class |
|
$ |
1,000 |
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$ |
100 |
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$ |
250 |
|
Retirement
Account |
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-
Institutional Class |
|
$ |
5,000 |
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$ |
100 |
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$ |
250 |
|
-
Investor Class |
|
$ |
500 |
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$ |
100 |
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$ |
250 |
|
Automatic
Investment Account |
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-
Institutional Class |
|
$ |
2,500 |
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$ |
250 |
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$ |
2,500 |
|
-
Investor Class |
|
$ |
2,500 |
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$ |
250 |
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$ |
2,500 |
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Fund |
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Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond
Fund |
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Regular |
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-
Institutional Class |
|
$ |
10,000 |
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$ |
250 |
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$ |
2,500 |
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- |
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iM
Global may waive the minimum investment from time to time in its
discretion.
Step
4
The
fourth step involves completing your application to open your account. All
shareholders must complete and sign an application in order to establish their
account. The type of application depends on the type of account you chose to
open. Regular investment accounts, including individual, joint tenant, UGMA,
UTMA, business, or trust accounts, must complete the Funds’ standard account
application. Shareholders who wish to establish retirement accounts must
complete the IRA application and adoption agreement. Shareholders who wish to
transfer retirement holdings from another custodian must also complete the IRA
Transfer of Assets Form. Be sure to complete the section of the account
application indicating the amount you are investing in each Fund.
Step
5
The
final step in opening your account is to mail the completed account application,
along with your check payable to the iM Global Funds. The Funds do not accept third-party checks, money
orders, cashier’s checks, starter checks, official bank checks, credit cards,
cash or checks or wires from foreign financial institutions. If you send
any of these instruments, your purchase order will be rejected, and your
investment in the Funds will be delayed.
The mailing addresses for the Funds are:
For
Regular Delivery:
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust
c/o |
SS&C
Global Investor & Distribution Solutions,
Inc. |
P.O.
Box 219922
Kansas
City, MO 64121-9922
For
Overnight Delivery:
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust
c/o |
SS&C
Global Investor & Distribution Solutions,
Inc. |
330
West Ninth Street
Kansas
City, MO 64105
In
compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, please note that the Transfer Agent
will verify certain information on your account application as part of the
Funds’ Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Program. Until such verification is
made, the Funds may temporarily limit share purchases. As requested on the
application, you should supply your full name, date of birth, social security
number and permanent street address. If you are opening an account in the name
of a legal entity (e.g., a partnership, limited liability company, business
trust, corporation, etc.), you must also supply the identity of the beneficial
owners. Mailing addresses containing only a P.O. Box will not be accepted. Your
information will be handled by us as discussed in our privacy notice. Please
contact the Transfer Agent at 1‑800‑960‑0188 if you need additional assistance
when completing your application.
If
you wish to open or add to your account by wire, please call 1‑800‑960‑0188 for
instructions.
After your account is open, you may increase
the amount of your investment by:
• |
|
Mailing
a check to the above addresses along with a letter or the form at the
bottom of your account statement. Be sure to put your account number on
your check and in your letter, and please refer to Step 4 above for a list
of instruments that will not be accepted for
investment. |
• |
|
Wiring
money from your bank. Call 1‑800‑960‑0188 for
instructions. |
• |
|
Making
automatic investments if you signed up for the Automatic Investment Plan
when you opened your account. |
How
to Sell Shares
You
can arrange to take money out of your account at any time by selling (redeeming)
some or all of your shares. Your shares will be sold at the next NAV per share
(share price) calculated after your order is received.
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Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
To sell shares in a non‑retirement account, you
may use any of the methods described in this section. To sell shares in a
retirement account, your request must be made in writing.
Certain requests must include a medallion
guarantee. This is designed to protect you and each Fund from fraud. Your
request must be made in writing and include a medallion guarantee if any of the
following situations apply:
• |
|
You
wish to redeem more than $25,000 worth of shares. |
• |
|
Your
account registration information has changed within the past 30
days. |
• |
|
The
redemption check is being mailed to a different address from the one on
your account (address of record). |
• |
|
The
check is being made payable to someone other than the account
owner. |
Please
note that there may be other special cases in which a Medallion Guarantee may be
required. Each signature must be guaranteed by an eligible signature guarantor,
which must participate in the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program
(STAMP), the leading signature guarantee program recognized by all major
financial service associations throughout the United States and Canada. You
should be able to obtain a medallion guarantee from a bank, broker-dealer,
credit union (if authorized under state law), securities exchange or
association, clearing agency or savings association. A notary public cannot
provide a medallion guarantee.
Selling
Shares by Letter
Write and sign a “letter of instruction” with:
Your
Name
Your
Fund’s account number
The
dollar amount or number of shares to be redeemed
Please
note the following special requirements for redeeming shares for different types
of accounts:
• |
|
Individual, Joint Tenant, Sole Proprietorship,
UGMA or UTMA Accounts: The letter of instruction must be signed by
all persons required to sign for transactions, exactly as their names
appear on the account. |
• |
|
Retirement Account: The account owner
should complete a Retirement Distribution Form. Call 1‑800‑960‑0188 to
request one. |
• |
|
Trust Account: The trustee must sign the
letter indicating capacity as trustee. If a trustee’s name is not in the
account registration, provide a copy of the trust document certified
within the past 60 days. |
• |
|
Business or Organization: At least one
person authorized by corporate resolutions to act on the account must sign
the letter. Include a corporate resolution (certified within the past 6
months) with corporate seal or medallion guarantee. |
• |
|
Executor, Administrator, Conservator or
Guardian: Call 1‑800‑960‑0188 for instructions. |
Unless
otherwise instructed, the Funds will send a check to the address of
record.
Mail your letter to:
For
Regular Delivery:
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust
c/o |
SS&C
Global Investor & Distribution
Solutions, Inc. |
P.O.
Box 219922
Kansas
City, MO 64121-9922
For
Overnight Delivery:
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust
c/o |
SS&C
Global Investor & Distribution
Solutions, Inc. |
330
West Ninth Street
Kansas
City, MO 64105
Selling
Shares by Telephone
You must select this option on your account
application if you wish to use telephone redemption; it is not automatically
available. If you selected the telephone redemption option on your
account application, you can sell shares simply by calling 1‑800‑960‑0188. If
you wish to add this feature to your account, you must do so in writing at least
30 days in advance of any telephonic redemption. The amount you wish to redeem
(up to $25,000) will be sent by check to the address of record. This option is not available for retirement
accounts.
Selling
Shares by Wire
You
must sign up for the wire feature before using it. To verify that it is in
place, please call 1‑800‑960‑0188. Wire redemptions may be processed for amounts
between $5,000 and $25,000. Your wire redemption request must be received by the
Funds before 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time for money to be wired the next business
day. This option is not available for retirement
accounts.
Shareholder
and Account Policies
Statements,
Reports, and Inquiries
Statements
and reports that each Fund sends you include the following:
• |
|
Confirmation
statements (after every transaction that affects your account balance or
your account registration) |
• |
|
Financial
reports (every six months) |
• |
|
Account
statements (every six months) |
SS&C
Global Investor & Distribution Solutions, Inc., the Funds’ transfer
agent, is located at 330 West Ninth Street, Kansas City, Missouri, 64105. You
may call the Transfer Agent at 1‑800‑960‑0188 if you have questions about your
account.
ALPS
Distributors, Inc., the Funds’ principal underwriter, is located at 1290
Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, Colorado 80203.
Exchange
Privilege
Shares
of the Fund may be exchanged for Institutional Class shares of another
Fund. Shareholders may exchange shares by mailing or delivering written
instructions to the Transfer Agent. Such exchange will be treated as a sale of
shares and may result in taxable gains. Please specify the names and class of
the applicable Fund(s), the number of shares or dollar amount to be exchanged,
and your name and account number. You may not utilize an exchange to establish
an account into a closed fund.
Shareholder Services — (Continued)
Exchanging
Shares by Telephone
You must select this option on your account
application if you wish to use telephone exchange; it is not
automatically available. If you
selected the telephone exchange option on your account application, you may also
exchange shares (maximum $25,000 worth) by calling the Transfer Agent at
1‑800‑960‑0188 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on a day that the
NYSE is open for normal trading. A Fund will suspend, without notice, the
exchange privilege on any accounts it reasonably believes are being used by
“market timers.”
Automatic
Investment/Withdrawal Plans
One
easy way to pursue your financial goals is to invest money regularly. The Funds
offer a convenient service that lets you transfer money into your Fund account
automatically. Although Automatic Investment Plans do not guarantee a profit and
will not protect you against loss in a declining market, they can be an
excellent way to invest for retirement, a home, educational expenses and other
long-term financial goals. The investment will automatically be processed
through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) system. Shares will be issued at the
NAV per share after the Fund accepts your order, which will typically be the day
after you provide proper instructions to the Transfer Agent (assuming you do so
prior to the close of the NYSE).
A
systematic withdrawal plan permits you to receive a fixed sum on a monthly,
quarterly or annual basis from accounts with a value of $5,000 or more. Payments
may be sent electronically to your bank of record or to you in check form.
Certain restrictions apply for retirement accounts. Call 1‑800‑960‑0188 for more
information.
Share
Price
Each
Fund is open for business each day the NYSE is open. Each Fund calculates its
NAV per share as of the close of business of the NYSE, normally 4:00 p.m.,
Eastern Time.
Each
Fund’s NAV per share is the value of a single share. The NAV per share is
computed by adding the value of each Fund’s investments, cash and other assets,
subtracting its liabilities and then dividing the result by the number of shares
outstanding. The NAV per share is also the redemption price (price to sell one
share).
Each
Fund’s assets are valued primarily on the basis of market quotations. Securities
and other assets for which reliable market quotations are not readily available
will be valued at their fair value by the Advisor as the Board’s “valuation
designee” for purposes of Rule 2a‑5 under the 1940 Act, as determined under the
guidelines approved by, and under the general oversight of, the Board. Fair
value pricing is intended to be used as necessary in order to accurately value
the Funds’ portfolio securities and their respective NAVs. The SAI further
describes the Funds’ valuation procedures. Since securities that are primarily
listed on foreign exchanges may trade on weekends or other days when a Fund does
not price its shares, the value of a Fund’s securities (and thereby its NAV) may
change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem the
Fund’s shares.
General
Purchase Information
• |
|
All
of your purchases must be made in U.S. dollars, and checks must be drawn
on U.S. banks. |
• |
|
The
Funds do not accept cash, money orders, cashier’s checks, starter checks,
official bank checks, credit cards or third-party checks. If you send any
of these instruments, your purchase order will be rejected, and your
investment in the Funds will be delayed. |
• |
|
If
your check does not clear, your purchase will be canceled and you will be
liable for any losses or fees the Funds or the Transfer Agent
incur. |
• |
|
Your
ability to make automatic investments may be immediately terminated if any
item is unpaid by your financial institution. |
• |
|
Each
Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order. For example, a
purchase order may be refused if, in iM Global’s opinion, it is so large
that it would disrupt management of the Funds. Orders will also be
rejected from persons believed by the Fund to be “market
timers.” |
12b‑1
Plan
The
Trust has adopted the “Distribution Plan” under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended, on behalf of the Alternative Strategies Fund. Under the
Distribution Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay the Fund’s distributor a fee
for the sale and distribution of the Investor Class shares of the Fund and
for related services the Fund’s distributor provides to shareholders of the
Investor Class shares. The maximum amount of the fee authorized under the
Distribution Plan is 0.25% of average daily net assets attributable to Investor
Class shares for the Fund. Because this fee is paid out of the assets of
the Investor Class of the Fund on an on‑going basis, over time these fees
will increase the cost of your investment in the Fund shares and may cost you
more than paying other types of sales charges. Institutional Class shares
are not subject to the Distribution Plan.
Buying
and Selling Shares through Financial Intermediaries
You
may buy and sell shares of the Funds through certain financial intermediaries
(and their agents) that have made arrangements with the Funds to sell their
shares. When you place your order with such a financial intermediary or its
authorized agent, your order is treated as if you had placed it directly with
the Transfer Agent, and you will pay or receive the next price calculated by the
Funds. The financial intermediary (or agent) may hold your shares in an omnibus
account in the financial intermediary’s (or agent’s) name, and the financial
intermediary (or agent) maintains your individual ownership records. The Funds
may pay the financial intermediary (or agent) a fee for performing this account
maintenance service. The financial intermediary (or agent) may charge you a fee
for handling your order, which may be in addition to the fees described in this
Prospectus. The financial intermediary (or agent) is responsible for processing
your order correctly and promptly, keeping you advised regarding the status of
your individual account, confirming your transactions and ensuring that you
receive copies of the Funds’ Prospectus.
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Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
Redemptions
• |
|
After
the Trust has received your redemption request and all proper documents,
payment for shares tendered will generally be made within (i) one to
three business days for redemptions made by wire, and (ii) three to
five business days for ACH redemptions. Normally, redemption payments by
check will be mailed to you on the next business day, but your actual
receipt of the check will be subject to postal delivery schedules and
timing. If making immediate payment could adversely affect the Funds, it
may take up to seven days to pay you. The Funds may also delay payment if
there have been changes in your mailing address or account registration
within 30 days of the date of the redemption. |
• |
|
A
Fund typically expects to meet redemptions with positive cash flows. When
that cash is not available, the Fund will seek to maintain its portfolio
weightings by selling a cross-section of the Fund’s holdings to meet
redemptions. |
• |
|
During
conditions that make the payment of cash unwise and/or in order to protect
the interests of a Fund’s remaining shareholders, you could receive your
redemption proceeds in the form of readily marketable securities.
Receiving securities instead of cash is called “redemption in kind.” The
Funds may redeem shares in kind during both normal and stressed market
conditions, including when the amount you are redeeming from a Fund
exceeds 1% of the Fund’s net assets or $250,000 during any 90‑day period.
Generally, in‑kind redemptions will be effected through a pro rata
distribution of the Fund’s portfolio securities. You may incur brokerage
and other costs in converting to cash any securities distributed. It may
take up to several weeks for the initial portion of the in‑kind securities
to be delivered to you, and substantially longer periods for the remainder
of the in‑kind securities to be delivered to you, in payment of your
redemption in kind. |
• |
|
Under
certain circumstances, including stressed market conditions, a Fund may
also borrow money (subject to certain regulatory conditions) through a
bank line of credit, including from a joint credit facility, in order to
meet redemption requests. |
• |
|
Redemptions
may be suspended or payment dates postponed when the NYSE is closed (other
than weekends or holidays), when trading on the NYSE is restricted or as
permitted by the SEC. |
Policy
Regarding Excessive Trading and Market Timing
The
Board has adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and
redemptions of Fund shares by Fund shareholders. These policies are summarized
below.
Purchases
and exchanges of shares of the Funds should be made for long-term investment
purposes only. The Funds, as a matter of policy, actively discourage market
timing and excessive short term trading and may block accounts or take other
action to prevent this type of activity.
Investors
seeking to engage in excessive trading or market timing practices may deploy a
variety of strategies to avoid detection and, despite the efforts of the Funds
to prevent such trading, there is no guarantee that the Funds or their agents
will be able to identify such investors or curtail their practices. The ability
of the Funds and their agents to detect and curtail excessive trading or short
term trading practices may also be limited by operational
systems
and technological limitations. In addition, the Funds receive purchase, exchange
and redemption orders through financial intermediaries and cannot always know or
reasonably detect excessive trading that may be facilitated by these
intermediaries or by the use of omnibus account arrangements. Omnibus accounts
are common forms of holding Fund shares. Entities utilizing omnibus account
arrangements may not identify customers’ trading activity in shares of a Fund on
an individual basis (although in order for financial intermediaries to purchase
Fund shares in nominee name on behalf of other persons, the Funds are required
to enter into shareholder information agreements with the financial
intermediaries, which may result in the disclosure of certain identifying
information about shareholders to the Funds). Consequently, the Funds may not be
able to detect frequent or excessive trading in Fund shares attributable to a
particular investor who effects purchase and/or exchange activity in Fund shares
through a broker, dealer or other financial intermediary acting in an omnibus
capacity. Also, there may be multiple tiers of these entities, each utilizing an
omnibus account arrangement, which may further compound the difficulty to the
Funds of detecting excessive or short duration trading activity in Fund shares.
In seeking to prevent disruptive trading practices in the Funds, the Funds and
their agents consider the information actually available to them at the
time.
Each
Fund reserves the right in its discretion to reject any purchase, in whole or in
part (including, without limitation, purchases by persons whose trading activity
in Fund shares iM Global believes could be harmful to a Fund). The Funds may
decide to restrict purchase and sale activity in its shares based on various
factors, including whether frequent purchase and sale activity will disrupt
portfolio management strategies and adversely affect Fund performance.
Frequent
purchases and redemptions of a Fund’s shares may present certain risks for the
Fund and its shareholders. These risks may include, among other things, dilution
in the value of Fund shares held by long-term shareholders, interference with
the efficient management of the Fund’s portfolios and increased brokerage and
administrative costs. A Fund may have difficulty implementing long-term
investment strategies if it is unable to anticipate what portion of its assets
it should retain in cash to provide liquidity to its shareholders. The Funds
may, and the International Fund will, invest in non‑U.S. securities;
accordingly, there is an additional risk of undetected frequent trading in Fund
shares by investors who attempt to engage in time zone arbitrage. There can be
no assurance that the Funds or iM Global will identify all frequent purchase and
sale activity affecting a Fund.
Each Fund May Close Small Accounts. Due to the
relatively high cost of maintaining smaller accounts, the shares in your account
(unless it is a retirement plan or custodial account) may be redeemed by a Fund
if, due to redemptions you have made, the total value of your account is reduced
to less than $2,500 (unless you invest in Investor Class shares only, in
which case less than $250). If a Fund decides to make such an involuntary
redemption, you will first be notified that the value of your account is less
than $2,500 (or $250, as applicable), and you will be allowed 30 days to make an
additional investment to bring the value of your account to at least $2,500 (or
$250, as applicable) before a Fund takes any
Shareholder Services — (Continued)
action.
Unless you are a tax‑exempt investor or investing through a tax‑deferred
retirement plan or other tax‑advantaged arrangement, a redemption of shares is
generally a taxable event, and you may realize a gain or a loss for U.S. federal
income tax purposes (see “Taxes on Transactions” below).
Unclaimed Property. Your mutual fund account
may be transferred to your state of residence if no activity occurs within your
account during the “inactivity period” specified in your state’s abandoned
property laws.
Dividends,
Capital Gains and Taxes
Dividends
of net investment income, if any, for the Alternative Strategies Fund are
generally declared and paid quarterly. Dividends of net investment income,
if any, for the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund are generally declared daily
and paid monthly. Dividends of net investment income, if any, for the High
Income Fund are generally declared and paid monthly. Dividends of net investment
income, if any, for the Global Select Fund, the International Fund, the Small
Company Fund and the Oldfield International Value Fund are generally declared
and paid annually. Distributions of capital gains, if any, for the High
Income Fund are generally declared and paid to shareholders
quarterly. Distributions of capital gains, if any, for the Global Select
Fund, the International Fund, the Alternative Strategies Fund, the Small Company
Fund, the Oldfield International Value Fund, and the Dolan McEniry Corporate
Bond Fund are generally declared and paid to shareholders annually.
Distribution
Options
When
you open an account, specify on your application how you want to receive your
distributions. If the option you prefer is not listed on the application, call
1‑800‑960‑0188 for instructions. The Funds offer three options:
• |
|
Reinvestment Option. Your dividend and
capital gains distributions will be reinvested automatically in additional
shares of the Funds. If you do not indicate a choice on your application,
you will be assigned this option. |
• |
|
Income-Earned Option. Your capital gains
distributions will be reinvested automatically, but you will be sent a
check for each dividend distribution. |
• |
|
Cash Option. You will be sent a check for
your dividend and capital gains distributions ($10 minimum check amount).
The Funds will automatically reinvest all distributions under $10 in
additional shares of the Funds, even if you have elected the cash option.
If the U.S. Postal Service cannot deliver your check or if your check
remains uncashed for six months, the Fund reserves the right to reinvest
the distribution check in your account at the Fund’s then current NAV and
to reinvest all subsequent distributions. |
Under
each option, dividends and capital gains distributions that are reinvested will
be taxed as if received by you in cash.
For
retirement accounts, all distributions are automatically reinvested. When you
are over 591/2 years old, you can
receive distributions in cash.
When
a Fund deducts a distribution from its NAV, the reinvestment price is the Fund’s
NAV per share at the close of business that day. Cash distribution checks will
be mailed within seven days.
Understanding
Distributions
As
a Fund shareholder, you are entitled to your share of the Fund’s net income and
gains on its investments. The Funds pass their earnings along to investors as
distributions. Each Fund earns dividends from stocks and interest from
short-term investments. These are passed along as dividend distributions. Each
Fund realizes capital gains whenever it sells securities for a higher price than
it paid for them. These are passed along as capital gains distributions.
Taxes
As
with any investment, you should consider how your investment in each Fund will
be taxed. If your account is not a tax‑deferred retirement account, you should
be aware of these tax implications.
Taxes on Distributions. Distributions are
subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes.
If you live outside of the United States, your distributions could also be taxed
by the country in which you reside, as well as potentially subject to U.S.
withholding taxes. Your distributions are taxable when they are paid, whether
you take them in cash or reinvest them. Distributions declared in December and
paid in January, however, generally are taxable as if they were paid on
December 31.
For
federal income tax purposes, each Fund’s income and short-term capital gains
distributions are taxed as regular or “qualified” dividends; long-term capital
gains distributions are taxed as long-term capital gains. Each Fund will send
you and the IRS a statement showing the taxable distributions.
Taxes on Transactions. Your sales and
redemptions, including transfers between Funds, are subject to capital gains
tax. A capital gain or loss is the difference between the cost of your shares
and the price you receive when you sell them. Whenever you sell shares of a
Fund, the Fund will send you a confirmation statement showing how many shares
you sold and at what price. You will also receive a consolidated transaction
statement. It is up to you or your tax preparer, however, to determine whether
the sales resulted in a capital gain and, if so, the amount of the tax to be
paid. Be sure to keep your regular account statements; the information they
contain will be essential in calculating the amount of your capital gains.
“Buying a
Dividend.” If you buy shares just
before a Fund deducts a distribution from its NAV, you will pay the full price
for the shares and then receive a portion of the price back in the form of a
taxable distribution even though economically the distribution could be viewed
as a partial return of capital.
There
are tax requirements that all funds must follow in order to avoid federal income
taxation. In their efforts to adhere to these requirements, the Funds may have
to limit their investment activity in some types of instruments.
When
you sign your account application, you will be asked to certify that your Social
Security or Taxpayer Identification number is correct and that you are not
subject to federal 24% withholding for failing to report income to the IRS. If
you violate IRS regulations, the IRS can require a Fund to withhold 24% of your
taxable distributions and redemptions.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
102 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
Index
Descriptions
The
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is an unmanaged index that measures the
investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market. The
index includes Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, MBS
(agency fixed-rate pass-throughs), ABS and CMBS (agency and non‑agency).
The
Bloomberg U.S. Intermediate Credit Index is an unmanaged index that measures the
performance of investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate, taxable
corporate and government-related debt with less than ten years to maturity. It
is composed of a corporate and a non‑corporate component that includes non‑U.S.
agencies, sovereigns, supranationals and local authorities.
The
Morningstar Foreign Large Value Category measures the performance of foreign
large-value funds which invest in a variety of big international stocks. Most of
these funds divide their assets among a dozen or more developed markets,
including Japan, Britain, France, and Germany. They tend to invest in stocks
that have market caps in the top 70% of each economically integrated market
(such as Europe or Asia ex‑Japan). Value is defined based on low valuations (low
price ratios and high dividend yields) and slow growth (low growth rates for
earnings, sales, book value, and cash flow). These funds typically will have
less than 20% of assets invested in U.S. stocks.
The
Morningstar Foreign Large Blend Category measures the performance of foreign
large-blend funds which invest in a variety of big international stocks. Most of
these funds divide their assets among a dozen or more developed markets,
including Japan, Britain, France, and Germany. They tend to invest the rest in
emerging markets such as Hong Kong, Brazil, Mexico and Thailand. These funds
typically will have less than 20% of assets invested in U.S. stocks.
The
Morningstar Large Blend Category measures the performance of large-blend funds
which have portfolios that are fairly representative of the overall stock market
in size, growth rates, and price. They tend to invest across the spectrum of
U.S. industries and owing to their broad exposure, the funds returns are often
similar to those of the S&P 500 Index.
The
Morningstar Small Blend Category measures the performance of small-blend funds
which favor firms at the smaller end of the market-capitalization range, and are
flexible in the types of small caps they buy. Some aim to own an array of value
and growth stocks while others employ a discipline that leads to holdings with
valuations and growth rates close to the small‑cap averages.
The
Morningstar Multistrategy Category measures the performance of funds that use a
combination of alternative strategies such as taking long and short positions in
equity and debt, trading futures, or using convertible arbitrage, among others.
Funds in this category have a majority of their assets exposed to alternative
strategies and include both funds with static allocations to alternative
strategies and funds tactically allocating among alternative strategies and
asset classes.
The
MSCI ACWI ex‑U.S. Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted
index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed and
emerging markets, excluding the United States.
The
MSCI EAFE Index comprises the MSCI country indices that represent developed
markets outside of North America: Europe, Australasia and the Far East and is
used to measure international equity performance.
The
MSCI USA Small Cap Value Index captures small cap securities exhibiting overall
value style characteristics across the US equity markets. The value investment
style characteristics for index construction are defined using three variables:
book value to price, 12‑month forward earnings to price and dividend
yield.
The
Russell 2000® Index
measures the performance of the 2,000 smallest U.S. companies of the Russell
3000® Index.
The
Russell 2000® Value Index
measures the performance of the small‑cap value segment of the U.S. equity
universe.
The
Russell 3000® Index is a
broad-based index that measures the performance of the 3,000 largest U.S.
companies as measured by market capitalization, and represents about 98% of the
U.S. stock market.
The
ICE BofAML U.S. 3‑Month Treasury Index is an unmanaged index that measures
returns of three-month Treasury Bills.
The
ICE BofAML U.S. High Yield TR USD Index is an unmanaged index that measures the
performance of short-term U.S. dollar denominated below investment grade
corporate debt publicly issued in the U.S. domestic market. Qualifying
securities must have at least 18 months to final maturity at the time of
issuance, at least one year remaining term to final maturity as of the
rebalancing date, a fixed coupon schedule and a minimum amount outstanding of
$100 million. It is capitalization weighted.
Direct
investment in an index is not possible.
Neither MSCI nor any other party involved in or
related to compiling, computing, or creating the MSCI data makes any express or
implied warranties or representations with respect to such data (or the results
to be obtained by the use thereof), and all such parties hereby expressly
disclaim all warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, merchantability,
or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any of such data. Without
limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall MSCI, any of its affiliates, or
any third party involved in or related to compiling, computing, or creating the
data have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive,
consequential, or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of
the possibility of such damages. No further distribution or dissemination of the MSCI
data is permitted without MSCI’s express written
consent.
Financial
Highlights
The
financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand the Funds’
financial performance for the fiscal years or periods indicated. Certain
information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total
returns in the tables represent the rate that an investor would have earned or
lost on an investment in a Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and
distributions). This financial information has been audited by Cohen &
Company, Ltd., the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm, whose
report, along with the Funds’ financial statements, is included in the Funds’
Annual Report to Shareholders, which is available upon request.
iMGP
Global Select Fund – Institutional Class
For
a capital share outstanding throughout each year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
Net
asset value, beginning of year |
|
$ |
10.69 |
|
|
$ |
18.80 |
|
|
$ |
18.62 |
|
|
$ |
17.54 |
|
|
$ |
15.02 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Income
from investment operations: |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Net
investment income (loss)1 |
|
|
0.05 |
|
|
|
(0.01 |
) |
|
|
(0.03 |
) |
|
|
(0.05 |
) |
|
|
0.08 |
2 |
Net
realized gain (loss) and net change in unrealized
appreciation/depreciation on investments and foreign currency |
|
|
1.79 |
|
|
|
(4.78 |
) |
|
|
3.27 |
|
|
|
3.45 |
|
|
|
4.03 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
income (loss) from investment operations |
|
|
1.84 |
|
|
|
(4.79 |
) |
|
|
3.24 |
|
|
|
3.40 |
|
|
|
4.11 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Less
distributions: |
|
From
net investment income |
|
|
(0.05 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(0.08 |
) |
From
net realized gains |
|
|
(0.44 |
) |
|
|
(3.32 |
) |
|
|
(3.06 |
) |
|
|
(2.32 |
) |
|
|
(1.51 |
) |
| |
|
|
|
Total
distributions |
|
|
(0.49 |
) |
|
|
(3.32 |
) |
|
|
(3.06 |
) |
|
|
(2.32 |
) |
|
|
(1.59 |
) |
| |
|
|
|
Net
asset value, end of year |
|
$ |
12.04 |
|
|
$ |
10.69 |
|
|
$ |
18.80 |
|
|
$ |
18.62 |
|
|
$ |
17.54 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
return |
|
|
17.26 |
% |
|
|
(25.52 |
)% |
|
|
17.75 |
% |
|
|
19.52 |
% |
|
|
27.55 |
% |
| |
|
|
|
|
Ratios/supplemental
data: |
|
Net
assets, end of year (millions) |
|
$ |
117.6 |
|
|
$ |
119.7 |
|
|
$ |
260.7 |
|
|
$ |
254.9 |
|
|
$ |
286.3 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Ratios
of total expenses to average net assets: Before fees waived |
|
|
1.46 |
%5 |
|
|
1.50 |
%3 |
|
|
1.29 |
%4 |
|
|
1.35 |
%4 |
|
|
1.35 |
%3 |
| |
|
|
|
After
fees waived |
|
|
1.01 |
%5,6 |
|
|
1.18 |
%3,6 |
|
|
1.16 |
%4,6 |
|
|
1.23 |
%4,6 |
|
|
1.24 |
%3,6 |
| |
|
|
|
Ratio
of net investment income (loss) to average net assets |
|
|
0.41 |
%5 |
|
|
(0.06 |
)%3 |
|
|
(0.13 |
)%4 |
|
|
(0.29 |
)%4 |
|
|
0.44 |
%2,3 |
| |
|
|
|
Portfolio
turnover rate |
|
|
55.74 |
% |
|
|
108.86 |
% |
|
|
27.74 |
% |
|
|
56.91 |
% |
|
|
25.02 |
%7 |
| |
|
|
|
1 |
|
Calculated
based on the average shares outstanding methodology. |
2 |
|
Include
non‑cash distributions amounting to $0.06 per share and 0.33% of average
daily net assets. |
3 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.03% of average net
assets. |
4 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.01% of average net
assets. |
5 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.04% of average net
assets. |
6 |
|
Includes
the impact of the voluntary waiver of less than 0.01% of average net
assets. |
7 |
|
Portfolio
turnover is calculated on the basis of the Fund as a whole without
distinguishing between classes of shares issued. |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
104 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
iMGP
International Fund – Institutional Class
For
a capital share outstanding throughout each year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
Net
asset value, beginning of year |
|
$ |
15.16 |
|
|
$ |
19.50 |
|
|
$ |
18.12 |
|
|
$ |
17.65 |
|
|
$ |
13.94 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Income
from investment operations: |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Net
investment income1 |
|
|
0.19 |
|
|
|
0.11 |
|
|
|
0.71 |
3 |
|
|
0.07 |
|
|
|
0.27 |
2 |
Net
realized gain (loss) and net change in unrealized
appreciation/depreciation on investments and foreign currency |
|
|
2.45 |
|
|
|
(4.32 |
) |
|
|
1.39 |
|
|
|
0.80 |
|
|
|
3.97 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
income (loss) from investment operations |
|
|
2.64 |
|
|
|
(4.21 |
) |
|
|
2.10 |
|
|
|
0.87 |
|
|
|
4.24 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Less
distributions: |
|
From
net investment income |
|
|
(0.18 |
) |
|
|
(0.13 |
) |
|
|
(0.72 |
) |
|
|
(0.40 |
) |
|
|
(0.53 |
) |
From
net realized gains |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
distributions |
|
|
(0.18 |
) |
|
|
(0.13 |
) |
|
|
(0.72 |
) |
|
|
(0.40 |
) |
|
|
(0.53 |
) |
| |
|
|
|
Net
asset value, end of year |
|
$ |
17.62 |
|
|
$ |
15.16 |
|
|
$ |
19.50 |
|
|
$ |
18.12 |
|
|
$ |
17.65 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
return |
|
|
17.40 |
% |
|
|
(21.58 |
)% |
|
|
11.75 |
% |
|
|
5.02 |
% |
|
|
30.45 |
% |
| |
|
|
|
|
Ratios/supplemental
data: |
|
Net
assets, end of year (millions) |
|
$ |
222.9 |
|
|
$ |
205.6 |
|
|
$ |
339.7 |
|
|
$ |
326.7 |
|
|
$ |
401.5 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Ratios
of total expenses to average net assets: Before fees waived |
|
|
1.29 |
%5 |
|
|
1.47 |
%4 |
|
|
1.28 |
%5 |
|
|
1.39 |
%4 |
|
|
1.36 |
%4 |
| |
|
|
|
After
fees waived |
|
|
1.07 |
%5,6 |
|
|
1.24 |
%4,6 |
|
|
1.05 |
%5,6 |
|
|
1.15 |
%4,6 |
|
|
1.12 |
%4,6 |
| |
|
|
|
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets |
|
|
1.15 |
%5 |
|
|
0.68 |
%4 |
|
|
3.63 |
%3,5 |
|
|
0.49 |
%4 |
|
|
1.65 |
%2,4 |
| |
|
|
|
Portfolio
turnover rate |
|
|
40.55 |
% |
|
|
42.74 |
% |
|
|
99.91 |
% |
|
|
59.61 |
% |
|
|
45.48 |
%7 |
| |
|
|
|
1 |
|
Calculated
based on the average shares outstanding methodology. |
2 |
|
Include
non‑cash distributions amounting to $0.10 per share and 0.60% of average
daily net assets. |
3 |
|
Include
non‑cash distributions amounting to $0.68 per share and 3.46% of average
daily net assets. |
4 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.01% of average net
assets. |
5 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.00% of average net
assets. |
6 |
|
Includes
the impact of the voluntary waiver of less than 0.01% of average net
assets. |
7 |
|
Portfolio
turnover is calculated on the basis of the Fund as a whole without
distinguishing between classes of shares issued. |
Financial Highlights — (Continued)
iMGP
Alternative Strategies Fund – Institutional Class
For
a capital share outstanding throughout each year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, |
|
|
|
(Consolidated)
2023 |
|
|
(Consolidated) 2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
Net
asset value, beginning of year |
|
$ |
10.25 |
|
|
$ |
11.76 |
|
|
$ |
12.03 |
|
|
$ |
11.70 |
|
|
$ |
11.08 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Income
from investment operations: |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Net
investment income1 |
|
|
0.40 |
|
|
|
0.32 |
|
|
|
0.29 |
3 |
|
|
0.30 |
|
|
|
0.31 |
2 |
Net
realized gain (loss) and net change in unrealized
appreciation/depreciation on investments, foreign currency, short sales,
options, futures and swap contracts |
|
|
0.18 |
|
|
|
(1.42 |
) |
|
|
0.16 |
|
|
|
0.41 |
|
|
|
0.64 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
income (loss) from investment operations |
|
|
0.58 |
|
|
|
(1.10 |
) |
|
|
0.45 |
|
|
|
0.71 |
|
|
|
0.95 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Less
distributions: |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
From
net investment income |
|
|
(0.40 |
) |
|
|
(0.41 |
) |
|
|
(0.38 |
) |
|
|
(0.38 |
) |
|
|
(0.33 |
) |
From
net realized gains |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(0.34 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
distributions |
|
|
(0.40 |
) |
|
|
(0.41 |
) |
|
|
(0.72 |
) |
|
|
(0.38 |
) |
|
|
(0.33 |
) |
| |
|
|
|
Net
asset value, end of year |
|
$ |
10.43 |
|
|
$ |
10.25 |
|
|
$ |
11.76 |
|
|
$ |
12.03 |
|
|
$ |
11.70 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
return |
|
|
5.91 |
%4 |
|
|
(9.49 |
)%4 |
|
|
3.82 |
% |
|
|
6.30 |
% |
|
|
8.52 |
% |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Ratios/supplemental
data: |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Net
assets, end of year (millions) |
|
$ |
656.6 |
|
|
$ |
973.2 |
|
|
$ |
1,512.5 |
|
|
$ |
1,417.1 |
|
|
$ |
1,724.2 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Ratios
of total expenses to average net assets: |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Before
fees waived |
|
|
1.62 |
%8 |
|
|
1.67 |
%7 |
|
|
1.72 |
%6 |
|
|
1.75 |
%6 |
|
|
1.63 |
%5 |
| |
|
|
|
After
fees waived |
|
|
1.37 |
%8,9 |
|
|
1.39 |
%7,9 |
|
|
1.44 |
%6,9 |
|
|
1.47 |
%6,9 |
|
|
1.51 |
%5,9 |
| |
|
|
|
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets |
|
|
3.93 |
%8 |
|
|
2.89 |
%7 |
|
|
2.36 |
%3,6 |
|
|
2.60 |
%6 |
|
|
2.70 |
%2,5 |
| |
|
|
|
Portfolio
turnover rate10 |
|
|
100.76 |
% |
|
|
89.62 |
% |
|
|
137.56 |
% |
|
|
193.98 |
% |
|
|
190.21 |
% |
| |
|
|
|
1 |
|
Calculated
based on the average shares outstanding methodology. |
2 |
|
Include
non‑cash distributions amounting to $0.02 per share and 0.20% of average
daily net assets. |
3 |
|
Include
non‑cash distributions amounting to $0.00 per share and 0.00% of average
daily net assets. |
4 |
|
The
total return does not include the impact of financial statement rounding
of the net asset value (NAV) per share and/or financial statement
adjustments. |
5 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.05% of average net
assets. |
6 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.14% of average net
assets. |
7 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.03% of average net
assets. |
8 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.01% of average net
assets. |
9 |
|
Includes
the impact of the voluntary waiver of less than 0.01% of average net
assets. |
10 |
|
Portfolio
turnover is calculated on the basis of the Fund as a whole without
distinguishing between classes of shares issued. |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
106 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
iMGP
Alternative Strategies Fund – Investor Class
For
a capital share outstanding throughout each year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, |
|
|
|
(Consolidated) 2023 |
|
|
(Consolidated) 2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
Net
asset value, beginning of year |
|
$ |
10.28 |
|
|
$ |
11.79 |
|
|
$ |
12.06 |
|
|
$ |
11.71 |
|
|
$ |
11.10 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Income
from investment operations: |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Net
investment income1 |
|
|
0.38 |
|
|
|
0.29 |
|
|
|
0.26 |
3 |
|
|
0.27 |
|
|
|
0.28 |
2 |
Net
realized gain (loss) and net change in unrealized
appreciation/depreciation on investments, foreign currency, short sales,
options, futures and swap contracts |
|
|
0.18 |
|
|
|
(1.42 |
) |
|
|
0.16 |
|
|
|
0.42 |
|
|
|
0.63 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
income (loss) from investment operations |
|
|
0.56 |
|
|
|
(1.13 |
) |
|
|
0.42 |
|
|
|
0.69 |
|
|
|
0.91 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Less
distributions: |
|
From
net investment income |
|
|
(0.36 |
) |
|
|
(0.38 |
) |
|
|
(0.35 |
) |
|
|
(0.34 |
) |
|
|
(0.30 |
) |
From
net realized gains |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(0.34 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
distributions |
|
|
(0.36 |
) |
|
|
(0.38 |
) |
|
|
(0.69 |
) |
|
|
(0.34 |
) |
|
|
(0.30 |
) |
| |
|
|
|
Net
asset value, end of year |
|
$ |
10.48 |
|
|
$ |
10.28 |
|
|
$ |
11.79 |
|
|
$ |
12.06 |
|
|
$ |
11.71 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
return |
|
|
5.61 |
% |
|
|
(9.65 |
)% |
|
|
3.54 |
% |
|
|
6.06 |
% |
|
|
8.22 |
% |
| |
|
|
|
|
Ratios/supplemental
data: |
|
Net
assets, end of year (millions) |
|
$ |
27.1 |
|
|
$ |
45.4 |
|
|
$ |
75.6 |
|
|
$ |
74.2 |
|
|
$ |
144.1 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Ratios
of total expenses to average net assets: Before fees waived |
|
|
1.87 |
%7 |
|
|
1.92 |
%6 |
|
|
1.97 |
%5 |
|
|
1.99 |
%5 |
|
|
1.88 |
%4 |
| |
|
|
|
After
fees waived |
|
|
1.62 |
%7,8 |
|
|
1.64 |
%6,8 |
|
|
1.69 |
%5,8 |
|
|
1.71 |
%5,8 |
|
|
1.76 |
%4,8 |
| |
|
|
|
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets |
|
|
3.65 |
%7 |
|
|
2.64 |
%6 |
|
|
2.11 |
%3,5 |
|
|
2.36 |
%5 |
|
|
2.44 |
%2,4 |
| |
|
|
|
Portfolio
turnover rate9 |
|
|
100.76 |
% |
|
|
89.62 |
% |
|
|
137.56 |
% |
|
|
193.98 |
% |
|
|
190.21 |
% |
| |
|
|
|
1 |
|
Calculated
based on the average shares outstanding methodology. |
2 |
|
Include
non‑cash distributions amounting to $0.02 per share and 0.20% of average
daily net assets. |
3 |
|
Include
non‑cash distributions amounting to $0.00 per share and 0.00% of average
daily net assets. |
4 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.05% of average net
assets. |
5 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.14% of average net
assets. |
6 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.03% of average net
assets. |
7 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.01% of average net
assets. |
8 |
|
Includes
the impact of the voluntary waiver of less than 0.01% of average net
assets. |
9 |
|
Portfolio
turnover is calculated on the basis of the Fund as a whole without
distinguishing between classes of shares issued. |
Financial Highlights — (Continued)
iMGP
High Income Fund – Institutional Class
For
a capital share outstanding throughout each year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
Net
asset value, beginning of year |
|
$ |
9.16 |
|
|
$ |
10.27 |
|
|
$ |
10.21 |
|
|
$ |
10.06 |
|
|
$ |
9.63 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Income
from investment operations: |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Net
investment income1 |
|
|
0.56 |
|
|
|
0.38 |
|
|
|
0.32 |
2 |
|
|
0.37 |
|
|
|
0.36 |
|
Net
realized gain (loss) and net change in unrealized
appreciation/depreciation on investments, foreign currency, options,
futures and swap contracts |
|
|
0.54 |
|
|
|
(1.08 |
) |
|
|
0.33 |
|
|
|
0.16 |
|
|
|
0.44 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
income (loss) from investment operations |
|
|
1.10 |
|
|
|
(0.70 |
) |
|
|
0.65 |
|
|
|
0.53 |
|
|
|
0.80 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Less
distributions: |
|
From
net investment income |
|
|
(0.61 |
) |
|
|
(0.38 |
) |
|
|
(0.34 |
) |
|
|
(0.37 |
) |
|
|
(0.33 |
) |
From
net realized gains |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(0.03 |
) |
|
|
(0.25 |
) |
|
|
(0.01 |
) |
|
|
(0.04 |
) |
| |
|
|
|
Total
distributions |
|
|
(0.61 |
) |
|
|
(0.41 |
) |
|
|
(0.59 |
) |
|
|
(0.38 |
) |
|
|
(0.37 |
) |
| |
|
|
|
Net
asset value, end of year |
|
$ |
9.65 |
|
|
$ |
9.16 |
|
|
$ |
10.27 |
|
|
$ |
10.21 |
|
|
$ |
10.06 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
return |
|
|
12.32 |
% |
|
|
(6.85 |
)% |
|
|
6.42 |
% |
|
|
5.62 |
% |
|
|
8.37 |
% |
| |
|
|
|
|
Ratios/supplemental
data: |
|
Net
assets, end of year (millions) |
|
$ |
91.7 |
|
|
$ |
99.8 |
|
|
$ |
106.7 |
|
|
$ |
87.9 |
|
|
$ |
93.8 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Ratios
of total expenses to average net assets: Before fees waived |
|
|
1.51 |
%6 |
|
|
1.41 |
%5 |
|
|
1.44 |
%5 |
|
|
1.72 |
%4 |
|
|
1.39 |
%3 |
| |
|
|
|
After
fees waived |
|
|
1.01 |
%6,7 |
|
|
0.99 |
%5,7 |
|
|
0.98 |
%5,7 |
|
|
1.00 |
%4,7 |
|
|
0.98 |
%3,7 |
| |
|
|
|
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets |
|
|
5.98 |
%6 |
|
|
3.93 |
%5 |
|
|
3.11 |
%2,5 |
|
|
3.83 |
%4 |
|
|
3.56 |
%3 |
| |
|
|
|
Portfolio
turnover rate |
|
|
38.78 |
% |
|
|
49.41 |
% |
|
|
72.02 |
% |
|
|
87.63 |
% |
|
|
90.51 |
%8 |
| |
|
|
|
1 |
|
Calculated
based on the average shares outstanding methodology. |
2 |
|
Include
non‑cash distributions amounting to $0.00 per share and 0.01% of average
daily net assets. |
3 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.00% of average net
assets. |
4 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.02% of average net
assets. |
5 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.01% of average net
assets. |
6 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.03% of average net
assets. |
7 |
|
Includes
the impact of the voluntary waiver of less than 0.01% of average net
assets. |
8 |
|
Portfolio
turnover is calculated on the basis of the Fund as a whole without
distinguishing between classes of shares issued. |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
108 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
iMGP
Small Company Fund – Institutional Class
For
a capital share outstanding throughout each period
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, |
|
|
Period
Ended December 31,
2020** |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
Net
asset value, beginning of period |
|
$ |
12.87 |
|
|
$ |
14.86 |
|
|
$ |
12.71 |
|
|
$ |
10.00 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Income
from investment operations: |
|
Net
investment income (loss)1 |
|
|
0.08 |
|
|
|
0.01 |
|
|
|
(0.01 |
) |
|
|
0.01 |
|
Net
realized gain (loss) and net change in unrealized
appreciation/depreciation on investments |
|
|
3.10 |
|
|
|
(2.00 |
) |
|
|
2.50 |
|
|
|
2.70 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
income (loss) from investment operations |
|
|
3.18 |
|
|
|
(1.99 |
) |
|
|
2.49 |
|
|
|
2.71 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Less
distributions: |
|
From
net investment income |
|
|
(0.11 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
From
net realized gains |
|
|
(1.05 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(0.34 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
distributions |
|
|
(1.16 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(0.34 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
| |
|
|
|
Net
asset value, end of period |
|
$ |
14.89 |
|
|
$ |
12.87 |
|
|
$ |
14.86 |
|
|
$ |
12.71 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
return |
|
|
24.74 |
% |
|
|
(13.39 |
)% |
|
|
19.66 |
% |
|
|
27.10 |
%+ |
| |
|
|
|
|
Ratios/supplemental
data: |
|
Net
assets, end of year (millions) |
|
$ |
51.8 |
|
|
$ |
48.7 |
|
|
$ |
65.6 |
|
|
$ |
36.8 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Ratios
of total expenses to average net assets: |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Before
fees waived |
|
|
1.43 |
%2 |
|
|
1.68 |
%2 |
|
|
1.48 |
%2 |
|
|
2.11 |
%* |
| |
|
|
|
After
fees waived |
|
|
1.15 |
%2 |
|
|
1.15 |
%2 |
|
|
1.15 |
%2,3 |
|
|
1.15 |
%* |
| |
|
|
|
Ratio
of net investment income (loss) to average net assets |
|
|
0.59 |
%2 |
|
|
0.11 |
%2 |
|
|
(0.04 |
)%2 |
|
|
0.23 |
%* |
| |
|
|
|
Portfolio
turnover rate |
|
|
56.46 |
% |
|
|
35.50 |
% |
|
|
45.15 |
% |
|
|
27.18 |
%+ |
| |
|
|
|
** |
|
Commenced
operations on July 31, 2020. |
1 |
|
Calculated
based on the average shares outstanding methodology. |
2 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.00% of average net
assets. |
3 |
|
Includes
the impact of the voluntary waiver of less than 0.01% of average net
assets. |
Financial Highlights — (Continued)
iMGP
Oldfield International Value Fund – Institutional Class
For
a capital share outstanding throughout the period
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, |
|
|
Period
Ended December 31,
2020** |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
Net
asset value, beginning of period |
|
$ |
9.77 |
|
|
$ |
11.66 |
|
|
$ |
10.60 |
|
|
$ |
10.00 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Income
from investment operations: |
|
Net
investment income (loss)1
|
|
|
0.23 |
|
|
|
0.17 |
|
|
|
0.26 |
2 |
|
|
(0.01 |
) |
Net
realized gain (loss) and net change in unrealized
appreciation/depreciation on investments and foreign currency |
|
|
1.50 |
|
|
|
(1.90 |
) |
|
|
1.13 |
|
|
|
0.61 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
income (loss) from investment operations |
|
|
1.73 |
|
|
|
(1.73 |
) |
|
|
1.39 |
|
|
|
0.60 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Less
distributions: |
|
From
net investment income |
|
|
(0.25 |
) |
|
|
(0.11 |
) |
|
|
(0.22 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
From
net realized gains |
|
|
(0.04 |
) |
|
|
(0.02 |
) |
|
|
(0.11 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
Return
of capital |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(0.03 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
distributions |
|
|
(0.29 |
) |
|
|
(0.16 |
) |
|
|
(0.33 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
| |
|
|
|
Net
asset value, end of period |
|
$ |
11.21 |
|
|
$ |
9.77 |
|
|
$ |
11.66 |
|
|
$ |
10.60 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
return |
|
|
17.74 |
% |
|
|
(14.89 |
)% |
|
|
13.21 |
% |
|
|
6.00 |
%+ |
| |
|
|
|
|
Ratios/supplemental
data: |
|
Net
assets, end of year (millions) |
|
$ |
35.2 |
|
|
$ |
33.0 |
|
|
$ |
25.9 |
|
|
$ |
11.2 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Ratios
of total expenses to average net assets: |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Before
fees waived |
|
|
1.35 |
%4 |
|
|
2.11 |
%3 |
|
|
1.52 |
%3 |
|
|
5.38 |
%* |
| |
|
|
|
After
fees waived |
|
|
0.94 |
%4 |
|
|
0.94 |
%3 |
|
|
0.94 |
%3,5 |
|
|
0.94 |
%* |
| |
|
|
|
Ratio
of net investment income (loss) to average net assets |
|
|
2.11 |
%4 |
|
|
1.64 |
%3 |
|
|
2.15 |
%2,3 |
|
|
(0.94 |
)%* |
| |
|
|
|
Portfolio
turnover rate |
|
|
27.70 |
% |
|
|
34.50 |
% |
|
|
16.31 |
% |
|
|
2.51 |
%+ |
| |
|
|
|
** |
|
Commenced
operations on November 30, 2020. |
1 |
|
Calculated
based on the average shares outstanding methodology. |
2 |
|
Include
non-cash distributions amounting to $0.02 per share and 0.20% of average
daily net assets. |
3 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.00% of average net
assets. |
4 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.01% of average net
assets. |
5 |
|
Includes
the impact of the voluntary waiver of less than 0.01% of average net
assets. |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
110 |
|
| |
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust |
iMGP
Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund – Institutional Class
For
a capital share outstanding throughout the period
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, |
|
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
Net
asset value, beginning of year |
|
$ |
9.54 |
|
|
$ |
10.62 |
|
|
$ |
10.92 |
|
|
$ |
10.61 |
|
|
$ |
9.83 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Income
from investment operations: |
|
Net
investment income1 |
|
|
0.37 |
|
|
|
0.20 |
|
|
|
0.14 |
|
|
|
0.22 |
|
|
|
0.30 |
|
Net
realized gain (loss) and net change in unrealized
appreciation/ depreciation on investments |
|
|
0.32 |
|
|
|
(1.05 |
) |
|
|
(0.23 |
) |
|
|
0.36 |
|
|
|
0.79 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
income (loss) from investment operations |
|
|
0.69 |
|
|
|
(0.85 |
) |
|
|
(0.09 |
) |
|
|
0.58 |
|
|
|
1.09 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Less
distributions: |
|
From
net investment income |
|
|
(0.37 |
) |
|
|
(0.22 |
) |
|
|
(0.15 |
) |
|
|
(0.24 |
) |
|
|
(0.30 |
) |
From
net realized gains |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(0.01 |
) |
|
|
(0.06 |
) |
|
|
(0.03 |
) |
|
|
(0.01 |
) |
| |
|
|
|
Total
distributions |
|
|
(0.37 |
) |
|
|
(0.23 |
) |
|
|
(0.21 |
) |
|
|
(0.27 |
) |
|
|
(0.31 |
) |
| |
|
|
|
Net
asset value, end of year |
|
$ |
9.86 |
|
|
$ |
9.54 |
|
|
$ |
10.62 |
|
|
$ |
10.92 |
|
|
$ |
10.61 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Total
return |
|
|
7.38 |
% |
|
|
(8.08 |
)% |
|
|
(0.86 |
)% |
|
|
5.50 |
% |
|
|
11.25 |
% |
| |
|
|
|
|
Ratios/supplemental
data: |
|
Net
assets, end of year (thousands) |
|
$ |
204,102 |
|
|
$ |
95,178 |
|
|
$ |
90,827 |
|
|
$ |
57,666 |
|
|
$ |
13,066 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Ratios
of total expenses to average net assets: |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Before
fees waived |
|
|
0.83 |
%3 |
|
|
1.02 |
% |
|
|
0.96 |
%2 |
|
|
1.34 |
% |
|
|
4.36 |
% |
| |
|
|
|
After
fees waived |
|
|
0.70 |
%3 |
|
|
0.70 |
% |
|
|
0.70 |
%2 |
|
|
0.70 |
% |
|
|
0.70 |
% |
| |
|
|
|
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets |
|
|
3.87 |
%3 |
|
|
2.01 |
% |
|
|
1.28 |
%2 |
|
|
2.07 |
% |
|
|
2.83 |
% |
| |
|
|
|
Portfolio
turnover rate |
|
|
21.22 |
% |
|
|
26.08 |
%4 |
|
|
32.65 |
%4 |
|
|
40.00 |
%4 |
|
|
16.00 |
%4 |
| |
|
|
|
1 |
|
Calculated
based on the average shares outstanding methodology. |
2 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.02% of average net
assets. |
3 |
|
Includes
Interest & Dividend expense of 0.00% of average net
assets. |
4 |
|
Portfolio
turnover is calculated on the basis of the Fund as a whole without
distinguishing between classes of shares issued. |
Financial
information for fiscal years prior to December 31, 2021 was audited by the
Predecessor Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm
For
More Information
Statement
of Additional Information:
The
SAI contains additional information about the Funds.
Annual
and Semi-Annual Reports:
Additional
information about the Funds’ investments is available in the Funds’ Annual and
Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders. In the Funds’ Annual Report, you will find
a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that
significantly affected the Funds’ performance during the last fiscal year.
The
SAI and the Funds’ Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders are available,
without charge, upon request. To request an SAI or the Funds’ Annual or
Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders, or to make shareholder inquiries or to
obtain other information about the Funds, please call 1‑800‑960‑0188. You may
also obtain a copy of the SAI or Annual or Semi-Annual Reports, free of charge,
by accessing the Funds’ website (http://www.imgpfunds.com), or by writing to the
Funds.
SEC
Contact Information:
If
you have access to the Internet, you can view the SAI, the Funds’ Annual or
Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders and other information about the Funds on the
EDGAR Database at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) internet site
at www.sec.gov. You may request copies of information available on the EDGAR
Database by an electronic request at the following E‑mail address:
[email protected]. The SEC charges a
duplicating fee for this service.
Fund
Information:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Fund |
|
Abbreviation |
|
Symbol |
|
CUSIP |
|
|
Fund Number |
|
Global
Select Fund |
|
Equity |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Institutional
Class |
|
|
|
MSEFX |
|
|
53700T108 |
|
|
|
305 |
|
International
Fund |
|
Intl |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Institutional
Class |
|
|
|
MSILX |
|
|
53700T207 |
|
|
|
306 |
|
Alternative
Strategies Fund |
|
Alternative |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Institutional
Class |
|
| |
MASFX |
|
|
53700T801 |
|
|
|
421 |
|
Investor
Class |
|
|
|
MASNX |
|
|
53700T884 |
|
|
|
447 |
|
High
Income Fund |
|
High Income |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Institutional
Class |
|
|
|
MAHIX |
|
|
53700T876 |
|
|
|
1478 |
|
Small
Company Fund |
|
Small Value |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Institutional
Class |
|
|
|
PFSVX |
|
|
53700T850 |
|
|
|
2965 |
|
Oldfield
International Value Fund |
|
International Value |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Institutional
Class |
|
|
|
POIVX |
|
|
53700T843 |
|
|
|
2966 |
|
Dolan
McEniry Corporate Bond Fund |
|
Corporate Bond |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Institutional
Class |
|
|
|
IDMIX |
|
|
53700T777 |
|
|
|
2967 |
|
Website:
www.imgpfunds.com
|
| |
Litman
Gregory Funds Trust
P.O.
Box 219922
Kansas
City, MO 64121-9922
1‑800‑960‑0188 |
|
ALPS
Distributors, Inc. Denver, Colorado 80203
©2024
iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC. All rights
reserved. |
Investment
Company Act File No: 811-07763