STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Bridge Builder Trust

Bridge Builder Core Bond Fund

Ticker: BBTBX

Bridge Builder Core Plus Bond Fund

Ticker: BBCPX

Bridge Builder Municipal Bond Fund

Ticker: BBMUX

Bridge Builder Large Cap Growth Fund

Ticker: BBGLX

Bridge Builder Large Cap Value Fund

Ticker: BBVLX

Bridge Builder Small/Mid Cap Growth Fund

Ticker: BBGSX

Bridge Builder Small/Mid Cap Value Fund

Ticker: BBVSX

Bridge Builder International Equity Fund

Ticker: BBIEX

12555 Manchester Road

St. Louis, MO 63131

1-855-823-3611

www.bridgebuildermutualfunds.com

The Adviser has retained certain investment managers as Sub-advisers (each a “Sub-adviser,” and, collectively, the “Sub-advisers”), each responsible for portfolio management of a portion of each of the Fund’s total assets.

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THE TRUST

The Funds’ Prospectus and this SAI are a part of the Trust’s registration statement filed with the SEC. Copies of the complete registration statement may be obtained from the SEC upon payment of the prescribed fee or may be accessed free of charge at the SEC’s website at sec.gov.

INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, POLICIES, SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS, AND RISKS

Each Fund is diversified. This means that with respect to 75% of its total assets, a Fund may not purchase securities of any issuer (other than obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. government or its agencies, or instrumentalities or securities of other investment companies) if, as a result, more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of such issuer, or more than 10% of the issuer’s voting securities would be held by the Fund. Under applicable federal securities laws, the diversification of a mutual fund’s holdings is measured at the time a fund purchases a security. However, if a fund purchases a security and holds it for a period of time, the security may become a larger percentage of the fund’s total assets due to movements in the financial markets. If the market affects several securities held by a fund, the fund may have a greater percentage of its assets invested in securities of fewer issuers. Accordingly, a fund would be subject to the risk that its performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few securities despite the fund qualifying as a diversified fund under applicable federal securities laws.

The investment objectives, policies, strategies, risks and limitations discussed in this SAI may be changed without shareholder approval unless otherwise noted.

The following are descriptions of the permitted investments and investment practices of the Funds and the associated risk factors. A Fund may purchase any of these instruments and/or engage in any of these investment practices unless such investment activity or practice is directly inconsistent with, or not permitted by, a specific Fund investment policy as stated below or in the Fund’s prospectus. A Fund is free to reduce or eliminate its activity in any of these areas. A Fund will only purchase an investment and/or engage in any of the below investment practices if such investment or investment practices is determined to be advantageous to the Fund by the Adviser and/or Sub-advisers. The table below identifies which investments, investment practices and risk factors, including those that may not be principal strategies or risks, apply to a Fund.

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Equity Securities

The Funds may purchase equity securities, including common stock. All investments in equity securities are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of a Fund’s securities may fluctuate substantially from day-to-day. Owning an equity security that currently pays dividends can also subject a Fund to the risk that the issuer may discontinue paying dividends.

To the extent a Fund invests in the equity securities of small- or medium-sized companies, it will be exposed to the risks of small- and medium-sized companies. Such companies may have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and may have more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. Furthermore, such companies may have limited product lines, or services, markets, or financial resources, or may be dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks may not be well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are typically followed by fewer security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by a Fund. As a result, the performance of small- and medium-sized securities can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of a Fund and cause the Fund to lose money.

Common Stock. Common stocks represent a proportionate share of the ownership of a company and its value is based on the success of the company’s business, any income paid to stockholders, the value of its assets, and general market conditions. In addition to the general risks set forth above, investments in

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common stocks are subject to the risk that in the event a company in which a Fund invests is liquidated, the holders of preferred stock and creditors of that company will be paid in full before any payments are made to the Fund as a holder of common stock. It is possible that all assets of that company will be exhausted before any payments are made to the Fund.

Preferred Stock. Preferred stocks represent an equity or ownership interest in an issuer but do not ordinarily carry voting rights, although they may carry limited voting rights. Preferred stocks also normally have preference over the corporation’s assets and earnings. For example, preferred stocks have preference over common stock in the payment of dividends. Preferred stocks normally pay dividends at a specified rate and may entitle the holder to acquire the issuer’s stock by exchange or purchase for a predetermined rate. However, preferred stock may be purchased where the issuer has omitted, or is in danger of omitting, payment of its dividend. Such investments would be made primarily for their capital appreciation potential. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of bond owners take precedence over the claims of preferred and common stock owners. Certain classes of preferred stock are convertible into shares of common stock of the issuer. By holding convertible preferred stock, a Fund can receive a steady stream of dividends and still have the option to convert the preferred stock to common stock. Preferred stock is subject to many of the same risks as common stock and debt securities.

Rights and Warrants. A right is a privilege granted to existing shareholders of a corporation to subscribe to shares of a new issue of common stock before it is issued. Rights normally have a short life, usually two to four weeks, are freely transferable and entitle the holder to buy the new common stock at a lower price than the public offering price. Warrants are securities that are usually issued together with a debt security or preferred stock and that give the holder the right to buy proportionate amounts of common stock at a specified price. Warrants are freely transferable and are traded on major exchanges. Unlike rights, warrants normally have a life that is measured in years and entitles the holder to buy common stock of a company at a price that is usually higher than the market price at the time the warrant is issued. Corporations often issue warrants to make the accompanying debt security more attractive.

An investment in warrants and rights may entail greater risks than certain other types of investments. Generally, rights and warrants do not carry the right to receive dividends or exercise voting rights with respect to the underlying securities, and they do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuer. In addition, their value does not necessarily change with the value of the underlying securities, and they cease to have value if they are not exercised on or before their expiration date. Investing in rights and warrants increases the potential profit or loss to be realized from the investment as compared with investing the same amount in the underlying securities.

Convertible Securities. Convertible securities are bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stocks or other securities that may be converted or exchanged (by the holder or by the issuer) into shares of the underlying common stock (or cash or securities of equivalent value) at a stated exchange ratio. A convertible security may also be called for redemption or conversion by the issuer after a particular date and under certain circumstances (including a specified price) established upon issue. If a convertible security held by a Fund is called for redemption or conversion, the Fund could be required to tender it for redemption, convert it into the underlying common stock, or sell it to a third party.

Convertible securities generally have less potential for gain or loss than common stocks. Convertible securities generally provide yields higher than the underlying common stocks, but generally lower than comparable non-convertible securities. Because of this higher yield, convertible securities generally sell at a price above their “conversion value,” which is the current market value of the stock to be received upon conversion. The difference between this conversion value and the price of convertible securities will vary over time depending on changes in the value of the underlying common stocks and interest rates. When the underlying common stocks decline in value, convertible securities will tend not to decline to the same extent because of the interest or dividend payments and the repayment of principal at maturity for certain

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types of convertible securities. However, securities that are convertible other than at the option of the holder generally do not limit the potential for loss to the same extent as securities convertible at the option of the holder. When the underlying common stocks rise in value, the value of convertible securities may also be expected to increase. At the same time, however, the difference between the market value of convertible securities and their conversion value will narrow, which means that the value of convertible securities will generally not increase to the same extent as the value of the underlying common stocks. Because convertible securities may also be interest-rate sensitive, their value may increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. Convertible securities are also subject to credit risk, and are often lower-quality securities.

For ADRs, the depository is typically a U.S. financial institution and the underlying securities are issued by a foreign issuer. For other depositary receipts, the depository may be a foreign or a U.S. entity, and the underlying securities may have a foreign or a U.S. issuer. Depositary receipts will not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities. Generally, ADRs are issued in registered form, denominated in U.S. dollars, and designed for use in the U.S. securities markets. Other depositary receipts, such as GDRs and EDRs, may be issued in bearer form and denominated in other currencies, and are generally designed for use in securities markets outside the U.S. While the two types of depositary receipt facilities (unsponsored or sponsored) are similar, there are differences regarding a holder’s rights and obligations and the practices of market participants. A depository may establish an unsponsored facility without participation by (or acquiescence of) the underlying issuer; typically, however, the depository requests a letter of non-objection from the underlying issuer prior to establishing the facility. Holders of unsponsored depositary receipts generally bear all the costs of the facility. The depository usually charges fees upon deposit and withdrawal of the underlying securities, the conversion of dividends into U.S. dollars or other currency, the disposition of non-cash distributions, and the performance of other services. The depository of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the underlying issuer or to pass through voting rights to depositary receipt holders with respect to the underlying securities.

Sponsored depositary receipt facilities are created in generally the same manner as unsponsored facilities, except that sponsored depositary receipts are established jointly by a depository and the underlying issuer through a deposit agreement. The deposit agreement sets out the rights and responsibilities of the underlying issuer, the depository, and the depositary receipt holders. With sponsored facilities, the underlying issuer typically bears some of the costs of the depositary receipts (such as dividend payment fees of the depository), although most sponsored depositary receipts agree to distribute notices of shareholders meetings, voting instructions, and other shareholder communications and information to the depositary receipt holders at the underlying issuer’s request.

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For purposes of a Fund’s investment policies, investments in depositary receipts will be deemed to be investments in the underlying securities. Thus, a depositary receipt representing ownership of common stock will be treated as common stock. Depositary receipts do not eliminate all of the risks associated with directly investing in the securities of foreign issuers, and depositary receipts are subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities, which are discussed below.

Initial Public Offerings (“IPOs”). A Fund may invest a portion of its assets in equity securities of companies offering shares in IPOs. Because IPO shares frequently are volatile in price, a Fund may hold IPO shares for a very short period of time. This may increase the turnover of a Fund’s portfolio and may lead to increased expenses for the Fund, such as commissions and transaction costs. If a Fund were to sell IPO shares, a Fund may realize taxable gains it will subsequently distribute to shareholders. In addition, the market for IPO shares can be speculative and/or inactive for extended periods of time. The limited number of shares available for trading in some IPOs may make it more difficult for a Fund to buy or sell significant amounts of shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing prices. Holders of IPO shares can be affected by substantial dilution in the value of their shares, by sales of additional shares and by concentration of control in existing management and principal shareholders. The limited number of shares available may also mean that to the extent a Fund seeks to invest in IPOs, it could be unable to invest to the extent desired because, for example, only a small portion of the securities being offered in the IPO are available to a Fund.

A Fund’s investment in IPO shares may include the securities of unseasoned companies (companies with less than three years of continuous operations), which presents risks considerably greater than common stocks of more established companies. These companies may have limited operating histories and their prospects for profitability may be uncertain. These companies may be involved in new and evolving businesses and may be vulnerable to competition and changes in technology, markets and economic conditions. They may be more dependent on key managers and third parties and may have limited product lines.

Special Purpose Acquisition Companies. A Fund may invest in special purpose acquisition companies (“SPACs”) to the extent that the Adviser or a Sub-adviser believes that such investment will help the Fund to meet its investment objective. SPACs are collective investment structures that pool funds in order to seek potential acquisition opportunities. Unless and until an acquisition is completed, a SPAC generally invests its assets (less an amount to cover expenses) in U.S. Government securities, money market fund securities and cash. To the extent the SPAC is invested in cash or similar securities, this may impact a Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Because SPACs and similar entities may be “blank check companies” with no operating history or ongoing business other than to seek a potential acquisition, the value of their securities is particularly dependent on the ability of the entity’s management to identify and complete a profitable acquisition. Certain SPACs may seek acquisitions only in limited industries or regions, which may increase the volatility of their prices. In addition, these securities, which are typically traded in the over-the-counter market, may be considered illiquid and/or be subject to restrictions on resale.

Illiquid Investments

Under SEC rules, illiquid investments are investments that a Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or otherwise disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. No Fund may purchase an investment if, immediately after the acquisition, more than 15% of the value of its net assets would be invested in illiquid investments that are assets. The Adviser and Sub-advisers will monitor the amount of illiquid investments in each Fund, under the supervision of the Board, to ensure compliance with this requirement.

Certain investments or asset classes may be illiquid investments due to restrictions on trading or limitations on transfer that would affect a determination of liquidity. For example, securities subject to contractual or

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legal restrictions on resale because they have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) may be illiquid investments. However, under certain circumstances, including Rule 144A under the Securities Act, institutional buyers may be able to facilitate transactions in investments otherwise restricted from resale.

Illiquid investments may be priced at fair value as determined in good faith pursuant to procedures approved by the Board. Despite such good faith efforts to determine fair value prices, each Fund’s illiquid investments are subject to the risk that the investment’s fair value price may differ from the actual price that a Fund may ultimately realize upon its sale or disposition. Difficulty in selling illiquid investments may result in a loss or may be costly to a Fund.

Liquidity Risk Management

The Trust has implemented a liquidity risk management program (the “Liquidity Program”) and related procedures to manage the liquidity risk of the Funds in accordance with Rule 22e-4 of the 1940 Act (the “Liquidity Rule”), and the Board has approved the administrator of the Liquidity Program (the “Liquidity Program Administrator”). Under the Liquidity Program, the Liquidity Program Administrator assesses, manages, and periodically reviews each Fund’s liquidity risk. The Liquidity Rule defines “liquidity risk” as the risk that a Fund could not meet requests to redeem shares issued by the Fund without significant dilution of the remaining investors’ interests in the Fund. The liquidity of a Fund’s portfolio investments is determined based on relevant market, trading and investment-specific considerations under the Liquidity Program. The adoption of the Liquidity Program is not a guarantee that a Fund will have sufficient liquidity to satisfy its redemption requests in all market conditions or that redemptions can be effected without diluting remaining investors in the Fund. The effect that the Liquidity Rule will have on the Funds, and on the open-end fund industry in general, is not yet fully known, but the Liquidity Rule may impact a Fund’s performance and its ability to achieve its investment objective.

Registered Investment Companies, including Exchange-Traded Funds (“ETFs”)

The Funds may invest in other investment companies, including ETFs.

ETFs are a type of fund bought and sold on a securities exchange. An ETF trades like common stock and represents, in most cases, a fixed portfolio of securities designed to track a particular market index. The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities they are designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could contribute to increased price volatility and ETFs have management fees that increase their costs. ETFs are also subject to other risks, including the risk that their prices may not correlate perfectly with changes in the underlying index and the risk of possible trading halts due to market conditions or other reasons that, in the view of the exchange upon which an ETF trades, would make trading in the ETF inadvisable. An exchange-traded sector fund may also be adversely affected by the performance of that specific sector or group of industries on which it is based. Investments in ETFs are generally subject to limits in the 1940 Act on investments in other investment companies, subject to certain exceptions.

Despite the possibility of greater fees and expenses, investments in other investment companies may nonetheless be attractive for several reasons, especially in connection with foreign investments. Investing indirectly in such countries (by purchasing shares of another fund that is permitted to invest in such countries) may be the most practical and efficient way for a Fund to invest in such countries. In other cases, when a portfolio manager desires to make only a relatively small investment in a particular country, investing through another fund that holds investments in that country may be more effective than investing directly in issuers in that country.

The 1940 Act generally prohibits the Funds from investing more than 5% of the value of their total assets in any one registered investment company or more than 10% of the value of its total assets in registered

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investment companies as a group, and also restricts their investment in any registered investment company to 3% of the voting securities of such investment company. There are exceptions, however, to these limitations pursuant to various rules promulgated by the SEC. In particular, SEC rules allow the Funds to invest in money market funds in excess of the limits described above. In addition, Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act permits the Funds to invest in other investment companies, including ETFs, in excess of the limits described above, subject to certain conditions.

The Funds may invest in other investment companies, including those managed by the Adviser or a Sub-adviser, to the extent permitted by any rule or regulation of the SEC or any order or interpretation thereunder.

Money Market Funds. The Funds may invest cash in, or hold as collateral for certain investments, shares of money market funds. An investment in a money market fund will involve payment by a Fund of its pro rata share of advisory and other fees charged by such fund. These funds are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. In addition, certain money market funds may impose liquidity fees and/or temporarily suspend redemptions, which may reduce the value of a Fund’s redemptions for the money market fund and impact the Fund’s ability to redeem from the money market fund during times of market volatility or otherwise.

Foreign Securities

The Funds may invest in securities issued by foreign governments and corporations, including emerging market securities. The Funds may invest in securities issued by foreign companies or governmental authorities either directly or through depository receipts or ETFs (generally “foreign securities”). Investing in foreign securities generally involves more risk than investing in U.S. securities. Other risks involved in investing in foreign securities include the following: there may be less publicly available information about foreign companies comparable to the reports and ratings that are published about companies in the United States; foreign companies are not generally subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies; some foreign stock markets have substantially less volume than U.S. markets, and securities of some foreign companies are less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. companies; there may be less or different government supervision and regulation of foreign stock exchanges, brokers and listed companies than exist in the United States; and there may be the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, political or social instability or diplomatic developments which could affect assets of the Funds held in foreign countries.

On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom (the “UK”) formally withdrew from the European Union (the “EU”) (commonly referred to as “Brexit”). Following a transition period during which the EU and the UK Government engaged in a series of negotiations regarding the terms of the UK’s future relationship with the EU, the EU and the UK Government signed an agreement on December 30, 2020 regarding the economic relationship between the UK and the EU. This agreement became effective on a provisional basis on January 1, 2021 and formally entered into force on May 1, 2021. While the full impact of Brexit is unknown, Brexit has already resulted in volatility in European and global markets. There remains significant market uncertainty regarding the political, regulatory and economic consequences of Brexit, and the ultimate ramifications may not be known for some time. The effects of Brexit on the UK and EU economies and the broader global economy could be significant, resulting in negative impacts, such as business and trade disruptions, increased volatility and illiquidity, and potentially lower economic growth of markets in the UK, EU and globally, which could negatively impact the value of a Fund’s investments. Brexit could also lead to legal uncertainty and politically divergent national laws and regulations while the new relationship between the UK and EU is further defined and the UK determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Additionally, depreciation of the British pound sterling and/or the euro in relation to the U.S. dollar following Brexit could adversely affect Fund investments denominated in the British pound sterling and/or the euro, regardless of the performance of the investment. Whether or not a Fund invests in

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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.

The rights of investors in certain foreign countries may be more limited than those of shareholders of U.S. issuers and the Funds may have greater difficulty taking appropriate legal action to enforce their rights in a foreign court than in a U.S. court. Investing in foreign securities also involves risks associated with government, economic, monetary, and fiscal policies (such as the adoption of protectionist trade measures). Furthermore, there is the risk of possible seizure, nationalization, or expropriation of the foreign issuers or foreign deposits and the possible adoption of foreign government restrictions such as exchange controls. Investments in foreign government debt obligations also involve special risks. The issuer of the debt may be unable or unwilling to pay interest or repay principal when due in accordance with the terms of such debt, and the Funds may have limited legal resources in the event of default. Political conditions, especially a sovereign entity’s willingness to meet the terms of its debt obligations, are of considerable significance.

Periodic U.S. Government prohibitions on investments in issuers from certain foreign countries may result in a Fund having to sell such prohibited securities at inopportune times. Such prohibited securities may have less liquidity as a result of such U.S. Government designation and the market price of such prohibited securities may decline, which may cause the Fund to incur losses.

Dividends and interest payable on the Funds’ foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding tax. The Funds may also be subject to foreign taxes on their trading profits. Some countries may also impose a transfer or stamp duty on certain securities transactions. The imposition of these taxes will increase the cost to the Funds of investing in those countries that impose these taxes. To the extent such taxes are not offset by credits or deductions available to shareholders in the Fund, under U.S. tax law, they will reduce the net return to a Fund’s shareholders.

Foreign Securities Traded in the United States. The Funds may own foreign equity securities that are traded in the United States and denominated in United States dollars. They also may be issued originally in the United States. There may be a thin trading market for foreign securities that are traded in the United States, and in some cases such securities may be illiquid, since such securities may be restricted and traded principally among institutional investors.

Emerging Markets Securities. In addition, the Funds may invest in foreign securities of companies that are located in developing or emerging markets. Investing in securities of issuers located in these markets may pose greater risks not typically associated with investing in more established markets such as increased risk of social, political and economic instability. Emerging market countries typically have smaller securities markets than developed countries and therefore less liquidity and greater price volatility than more developed markets. Securities traded in emerging markets may also be subject to risks associated with the lack of modern technology, poor infrastructures, the lack of capital base to expand business operations and the inexperience of financial intermediaries, custodians and transfer agents. Emerging market countries are also more likely to impose restrictions on the repatriation of an investor’s assets, and even where there is no outright restriction on repatriation, the mechanics of repatriations may delay or impede a Fund’s ability to obtain possession of its assets. As a result, there may be an increased risk or price volatility associated with a Fund’s investments in emerging market countries, which may be magnified by currency fluctuations.

Investments in the People’s Republic of China (“China”). Investing in China is subject to the risks of investing in emerging markets and additional risks which are specific to the Chinese market.

China is an emerging market, and as a result, investments in securities of companies organized and listed in China may be subject to liquidity constraints and significantly higher volatility, from time to time, than investments in securities of more developed markets. China may be subject to considerable government

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intervention and varying degrees of economic, political and social instability. These factors may result in, among other things, a greater risk of stock market, interest rate, and currency fluctuations, as well as inflation. Accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards in China are different from U.S. standards and, therefore, disclosure of certain material information may not be made, may be less available, or may be less reliable. It may also be difficult or impossible for a Fund to obtain or enforce a judgment in a Chinese court. In addition, periodically there may be restrictions on investments in Chinese companies. For example, on November 12, 2020, the President of the United States signed an Executive Order prohibiting U.S. persons from purchasing or investing in publicly-traded securities of companies identified by the U.S. Government as “Communist Chinese military companies” or in instruments that are derivative of, or are designed to provide investment exposure to, those companies. The universe of affected securities can change from time to time. As a result of an increase in the number of investors looking to sell such securities, or because of an inability to participate in an investment that the Adviser otherwise believes is attractive, a Fund may incur losses. Certain securities that are or become designated as prohibited securities may have less liquidity as a result of such designation and the market price of such prohibited securities may decline, potentially causing losses to a Fund. In addition, the market for securities of other Chinese-based issuers may also be negatively impacted, resulting in reduced liquidity and price declines.

A Fund may incur losses due to limited investment capabilities, or may not be able to fully implement or pursue its investment objective or strategy, due to local investment restrictions, illiquidity of the Chinese domestic securities market, and/or delay or disruption in execution and settlement of trades.

China A Shares. A Fund may invest in A Shares of companies based in China through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program or Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect program (collectively, “Stock Connect”) subject to any applicable regulatory limits. Stock Connect is a securities trading and clearing linked program developed by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (“HKEx”), the Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited (“HKSCC”), Shanghai Stock Exchange (“SSE”), Shenzhen Stock Exchange (“SZSE”) and China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited (“ChinaClear”) with the aim of achieving mutual stock market access between China and Hong Kong. This program allows foreign investors to trade certain SSE-listed or SZSE-listed China A Shares through their Hong Kong based brokers. All Hong Kong and overseas investors in Stock Connect will trade and settle SSE or SZSE securities in the offshore Renminbi (“CNH”) only. A Fund will be exposed to any fluctuation in the exchange rate between the U.S. Dollar and CNH in respect of such investments.

By seeking to invest in the domestic securities markets of China via Stock Connect a Fund is subject to the following additional risks:

General Risks of China A Shares. The relevant regulations are relatively untested and subject to change. There is no certainty as to how they will be applied, which could adversely affect the Fund. The program requires use of new information technology systems which may be subject to operational risk due to the program’s cross-border nature. If the relevant systems fail to function properly, trading in both Hong Kong and Chinese markets through the program could be disrupted.

Stock Connect will only operate on days when both the Chinese and Hong Kong markets are open for trading and when banks in both markets are open on the corresponding settlement days. There may be occasions when it is a normal trading day for the Chinese market but Stock Connect is not trading. As a result, the Fund may be subject to the risk of price fluctuations in China A Shares when the Fund cannot carry out any China A Shares trading.

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In the event ChinaClear defaults, HKSCC’s liabilities under its market contracts with clearing participants may be limited to assisting clearing participants with claims. It is anticipated that HKSCC will act in good faith to seek recovery of the outstanding stocks and monies from ChinaClear through available legal channels or the liquidation of ChinaClear. Regardless, the process of recovery could be delayed and a Fund may not fully recover its losses or its Stock Connect securities.

As in other emerging markets, the legislative framework is only beginning to develop the concept of legal/formal ownership and of beneficial ownership or interest in securities. In addition, HKSCC, as nominee holder, does not guarantee the title to Stock Connect securities held through it and is under no obligation to enforce title or other rights associated with ownership on behalf of beneficial owners. Consequently, the courts may consider that any nominee or custodian as registered holder of Stock Connect securities would have full ownership thereof, and that those Stock Connect securities would form part of the pool of assets of such entity available for distribution to creditors of such entities and/or that a beneficial owner may have no rights whatsoever in respect thereof. Consequently, neither a Fund nor its custodian can ensure that the Fund’s ownership of these securities or title thereto is assured.

To the extent that HKSCC is deemed to be performing safekeeping functions with respect to assets held through it, it should be noted that a Fund and its custodian will have no legal relationship with HKSCC and no direct legal recourse against HKSCC in the event that the Fund suffers losses resulting from the performance or insolvency of HKSCC. In the event that a Fund suffers losses due to the negligence, or willful default, or insolvency of HKSCC, the Fund may not be able to institute legal proceedings, file any proof of claim in any insolvency proceeding or take any similar action. In the event of the insolvency of HKSCC, a Fund may not have any proprietary interest in the China A Shares traded through the Stock Connect program and may be an unsecured general creditor in respect of any claim the Fund may have in respect of them. Consequently, the value of a Fund’s investment in China A Shares and the amount of its income and gains could be adversely affected.

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That said, if a Fund suffers losses due to default matters of its securities brokers in Hong Kong in relation to the investment of China A Shares through the Stock Connect program, it would be compensated by Hong Kong’s Investor Compensation Fund.

Investments in the China Interbank Bond Market. A Fund may invest in the China Interbank Bond Market (the “CIBM”) through the Bond Connect program (the “Bond Connect”) subject to any applicable regulatory limits. Bond Connect is a bond trading and settlement linked program developed by the People’s Bank of China (“PBOC”), the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (“HKMA”), China Foreign Exchange Trade System & National Interbank Funding Centre (“CFETS”), China Central Depository & Clearing Co., Ltd. (“CCDC”), Shanghai Clearing House (“SHCH”), Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (“HKEx”) and Central Moneymarkets Unit (“CMU”), with the aim of achieving mutual bond market access between the PRC and Hong Kong. For the time being, this program allows eligible Hong Kong and overseas investors to invest in the bonds traded in the CIBM through the northbound trading of Bond Connect (the “Northbound Trade Link”) only.

Starting July 3, 2017, eligible Hong Kong and overseas investors may use their own sources of Renminbi in the PRC offshore market (“CNH”) or convert foreign currencies into the Renminbi to invest in CIBM bonds under Bond Connect. A Fund will be exposed to any fluctuation in the exchange rate between the U.S. Dollar and Renminbi in respect of such investments. Currently, there is no investment quota for the Northbound Trade Link.

By seeking to invest in the CIBM via Bond Connect, a Fund is subject to the following additional risks:

General Risk. The relevant regulations are relatively untested and subject to change. There is no certainty as to how they will be applied, which could adversely affect a Fund. Bond Connect requires use of new information technology systems which may be subject to operational risk due to Bond Connect’s cross-border nature. If the relevant systems fail to function properly, trading in the CIBM through Bond Connect could be disrupted.

Market Risk. A Fund investing in the CIBM is subject to liquidity and volatility risks. Market volatility and potential lack of liquidity due to possible low trading volume of certain bonds in the CIBM may result in prices of certain bonds traded in the CIBM fluctuating significantly. The bid and offer spreads of the prices of such bonds may be large, and the Fund may therefore incur significant trading and realization costs and may even suffer losses when selling such investments.

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To the extent that a Fund transacts in the CIBM, the Fund may also be exposed to risks associated with settlement procedures and default of counterparties. The counterparty which has entered into a transaction with the Fund may default in its obligation to settle the transaction by failure to deliver relevant securities or to make payment.

Third Party Agent Risk. Under the Northbound Trading Link, CFETS or other institutions recognized by PBOC (as the registration agents) shall apply for registration with PBOC for the eligible Hong Kong and overseas investors. In addition, CMU (as the offshore custody agent recognized by the HKMA) shall open a nominee account with CCDC/SHCH (as the onshore custody agent) as nominee holder of the CIBM bonds purchased by Hong Kong and overseas investors through Bond Connect.

As the relevant filings, registration with PBOC, and account opening have to be carried out by an onshore settlement agent, offshore custody agent, registration agent or other third parties (as the case may be), a Fund is subject to the risks of default or errors on the part of such third parties.

Operational Risk. Bond Connect provides a new channel for investors from Hong Kong and overseas to access the CIBM directly. It is premised on the functioning of the operational systems of the relevant market participants. Market participants are able to participate in this program subject to meeting certain information technology capability, risk management and other requirements as may be specified by the relevant authorities.

The “connectivity” in Bond Connect requires routing of orders across the border. This requires the development of new information technology systems. There is no assurance that the systems of market participants will function properly or will continue to be adapted to changes and developments in both markets. In the event that the relevant systems fail to function properly, trading in the CIBM through Bond Connect could be disrupted. A Fund’s ability to access the CIBM (and hence to pursue its investment strategy) will be adversely affected.

Regulatory Risk. The PBOC Bond Connect rules are departmental regulations having legal effect in the PRC. However, the application of such rules is untested, and there is no assurance that PRC courts will recognize such rules.

Bond Connect is novel in nature and is subject to regulations promulgated by regulatory authorities and implementation rules made by the relevant authorities in the PRC and Hong Kong. Further, new regulations may be promulgated from time to time by the regulators in connection with operations and cross-border legal enforcement in connection with cross-border trades under Bond Connect.

The regulations are untested so far and there is no certainty as to how they will be applied. Moreover, the current regulations are subject to change. There can be no assurance that Bond Connect will not be abolished. A Fund which may invest in the CIBM through Bond Connect may be adversely affected as a result of such changes.

Legal/Beneficial Ownership Risk. Where CIBM bonds are held in custody on a cross-border basis there are specific legal and beneficial ownership risks linked to the compulsory requirements of CMU and CCDC/SHCH. CIBM bonds will be held by CMU as a nominee holder of the bonds purchased by foreign investors through Bond Connect. The PBOC has made it clear that the ultimate investors are the beneficial owners of the relevant bonds and shall exercise their rights against the bond issuer through CMU as the nominee holder. While the distinct concepts of nominee holder and beneficial owner are referred to under PBOC rules or regulations, as well as other laws and regulations in the PRC, the application of such rules is untested, and there is no assurance that PRC courts will recognize such concepts. Therefore, although a Fund’s ownership may be ultimately recognized, it may suffer difficulties or delays in enforcing its rights over CIBM bonds.

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Tax within China. Uncertainties in Chinese tax rules governing taxation of income and gains from investments in A Shares via Stock Connect or CIBM bonds through Bond Connect could result in unexpected tax liabilities for the Funds. A Fund’s investments in securities, including A Shares and CIBM bonds, issued by Chinese companies may cause the Fund to become subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by China.

If a Fund were considered to be a tax resident of China, it would be subject to Chinese corporate income tax at the rate of 25% on its worldwide taxable income. If a Fund were considered to be a non-resident enterprise with a “permanent establishment” in China, it would be subject to Chinese corporate income tax of 25% on the profits attributable to the permanent establishment. The Adviser intends to operate the Funds in a manner that will prevent them from being treated as a tax resident of China and from having a permanent establishment in China. It is possible, however, that China could disagree with that conclusion, or that changes in Chinese tax law could affect the Chinese corporate income tax status of the Funds.

China generally imposes withholding income tax at a rate of 10% on dividends, premiums, interest and capital gains originating in China and paid to a company that is not a resident of China for tax purposes and that has no permanent establishment in China. The withholding is in general made by the relevant Chinese tax resident company making such payments. In the event the relevant Chinese tax resident company fails to withhold the relevant Chinese withholding income tax or otherwise fails to pay the relevant withholding income tax to Chinese tax authorities, the competent tax authorities may, at their sole discretion, impose tax obligations on a Fund.

Taxation of A-Shares. The Ministry of Finance of China, the State Administration of Taxation of China and the China Securities Regulatory Commission issued Caishui [2014] No. 81 on October 31, 2014 (“Notice 81”) and Caishui [2016] No. 127 on November 5, 2016 (“Notice 127”), both of which state that the capital gain from disposal of China A Shares by foreign investors enterprises via Stock Connect will be temporarily exempt from withholding income tax. Notice 81 and Notice 127 also state that the dividends derived from A Shares by foreign investors enterprises is subject to a 10% withholding income tax.

There is no indication of how long the temporary exemption will remain in effect and the Funds may be subject to such withholding income tax in the future. If, in the future, China begins applying tax rules regarding the taxation of income from investments through Stock Connect and/or begins collecting capital gains taxes on such investments, a Fund could be subject to withholding income tax liability if the Fund determines that such liability cannot be reduced or eliminated by applicable tax treaties. The Chinese tax authorities may in the future issue further guidance in this regard and with potential retrospective effect. The negative impact of any such tax liability on a Fund’s return could be substantial.

In light of the uncertainty as to how gains or income that may be derived from a Fund’s investments in China will be taxed, the Fund reserves the right to provide for withholding tax on such gains or income and withhold tax for the account of the Fund. Withholding tax may already be withheld at a broker/custodian level.

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Any tax provision, if made, will be reflected in the net asset value of a Fund at the time the provision is used to satisfy tax liabilities. If the actual applicable tax levied by the Chinese tax authorities is greater than that provided for by a Fund so that there is a shortfall in the tax provision amount, the net asset value of the Fund may suffer as the Fund will have to bear additional tax liabilities. In this case, then existing and new shareholders in the Fund will be disadvantaged. If the actual applicable tax levied by Chinese tax authorities is less than that provided for by a Fund so that there is an excess in the tax provision amount, shareholders who redeemed Fund shares before the Chinese tax authorities’ ruling, decision or guidance may have been disadvantaged as they would have borne any loss from the Fund’s overprovision. In this case, the then existing and new shareholders in the Fund may benefit if the difference between the tax provision and the actual taxation liability can be returned to the account of the Fund as assets thereof. Any excess in the tax provision amount shall be treated as property of the Fund, and shareholders who previously transferred or redeemed their Fund shares will not be entitled or have any right to claim any part of the amount representing the excess.

The Chinese rules for taxation of Stock Connect are evolving, and certain of the tax regulations to be issued by the State Administration of Taxation of China and/or Ministry of Finance of China to clarify the subject matter may apply retrospectively, even if such rules are adverse to the Funds and their shareholders. The imposition of taxes, particularly on a retrospective basis, could have a material adverse effect on a Fund’s returns. Before further guidance is issued and is well established in the administrative practice of the Chinese tax authorities, the practices of the Chinese tax authorities that collect Chinese taxes relevant to a Fund may differ from, or be applied in a manner inconsistent with, the practices with respect to the analogous investments described herein or any further guidance that may be issued. The value of a Fund’s investment in China and the amount of its income and gains could be adversely affected by an increase in tax rates or change in the taxation basis. The above information is only a general summary of the potential Chinese tax consequences that may be imposed on the Funds and their shareholders either directly or indirectly and should not be taken as a definitive, authoritative or comprehensive statement of the relevant matter. Shareholders should seek their own tax advice on their tax position with regard to their investment in the Funds.

The Chinese government has implemented a number of tax reform policies in recent years. The current tax laws and regulations may be revised or amended in the future. Any revision or amendment in tax laws and regulations may affect the after-taxation profit of Chinese companies and foreign investors in such companies, such as the Funds.

Taxation of CIBM Bonds. The Ministry of Finance of the PRC and the State Administration of Taxation of the PRC issued Caishui No. 108 on November 7, 2018 (“Notice 108”), which states that foreign investors will be temporarily exempt from the withholding income tax on their gains derived from CIBM bond interest.

The Ministry of Finance of the PRC and the State Administration of Taxation of the PRC issued Announcement [2021] No. 34 on November 22, 2021, which provides that the temporary exemption of withholding tax and value added tax will remain in effect until December 31, 2025. If, in the future, China begins to apply tax rules regarding the taxation of bond interest income derived by foreign investment in

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CIBM, and/or begins to collect withholding tax and other taxes on such investment, the Adviser or a Fund could be subject to such withholding tax and value added tax.

Foreign Currency Risk. While the Funds denominate their net asset value in U.S. dollars, the securities of foreign companies are frequently denominated in foreign currencies. Thus, a change in the value of a foreign currency against the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding change in value of securities denominated in that currency. Some of the factors that may impair the investments denominated in a foreign currency are:

Foreign Currency Options. The Funds may buy or sell put and call options on foreign currencies either on exchanges or in the over-the-counter market. A put option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell a foreign currency at the exercise price until the option expires. A call option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to purchase the currency at the exercise price until the option expires. Currency options traded on U.S. or other exchanges may be subject to position limits that may limit the ability of a Fund to reduce foreign currency risk using such options, and are subject to other risks similar to options or securities on indexes.

Foreign Currency Transactions. The Funds may enter into foreign currency transactions. The Funds normally conduct foreign currency exchange transactions either on a spot (cash) basis at the spot rate prevailing in the foreign currencies or on a forward basis. A Fund generally will not enter into a forward contract with a term of greater than one year. Although forward contracts are used primarily to protect a Fund from adverse currency movements, they may also be used to increase exposure to a currency, and involve the risk that anticipated currency movements will not be accurately predicted and the Fund’s total return will be adversely affected as a result. Open positions in forward contracts are covered by the segregation with a Fund’s custodian of cash, U.S. government securities or other liquid obligations and are marked to market daily.

Forward currency contracts are traded directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. The cost to a Fund of engaging in such contracts varies with factors such as the currency involved, the length of the contract period and the market conditions then prevailing. Because such contracts are entered into on a principal basis, no fees or commissions are involved.

Precise matching of the amount of forward currency contracts and the value of securities denominated in such currencies of a Fund will not generally be possible, since the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of those securities between the date the forward contract is entered into and the date it matures. Prediction of short-term currency market

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movements is extremely difficult, and the successful execution of a short-term hedging strategy is highly uncertain. A Fund will not enter into such forward contracts or maintain a net exposure to such contracts where the consummation of the contracts would obligate a Fund to deliver an amount of foreign currency in excess of the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities or other assets denominated in that currency. Under normal circumstances, consideration of the prospect for currency parities will be incorporated into the longer term investment decisions made with regard to overall diversification strategies. However, the Adviser believes that it is important to have the flexibility to enter into such forward contracts when it, or a Sub-adviser, determines that the best interests of the Fund will be served by doing so.

It may be necessary for a Fund to purchase additional foreign currency on the spot market (and bear the expense of such purchase) if the market value of the security is less than the amount of foreign currency the Fund is obligated to deliver and if a decision is made to sell the security and make delivery of the foreign currency. Conversely, it may be necessary to sell on the spot market some of the foreign currency received upon the sale of the portfolio security if its market value exceeds the amount of foreign currency a Fund is obligated to deliver.

If a Fund retains a portfolio security and engages in an offsetting transaction, the Fund will incur a gain or a loss to the extent that there has been movement in forward contract prices. If a Fund engages in an offsetting transaction, it may subsequently enter into a new forward contract to sell the foreign currency. Should forward prices decline during the period between the date the Fund enters into a forward contract for the sale of a foreign currency and the date it enters into an offsetting contract for the purchase of the foreign currency, the Fund will realize a gain to the extent the price of the currency it has agreed to sell exceeds the price of the currency it has agreed to purchase. Should forward prices increase, the Fund will suffer a loss to the extent the price of the currency it has agreed to purchase exceeds the price of the currency it has agreed to sell.

A Fund’s dealings in forward foreign currency exchange contracts will generally be limited to the transactions described above. However, the Funds reserve the right to enter into forward foreign currency contracts for different purposes and under different circumstances. Use of forward currency contracts to hedge against a decline in the value of a currency does not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of the securities. Additionally, although such contracts tend to minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency, they also tend to limit any potential gain which might result from an increase in the value of that currency.

Although the Funds value their assets daily in terms of U.S. dollars, the Funds do not intend to convert any holdings of foreign currencies into U.S. dollars on a daily basis. Foreign exchange dealers do not charge a fee for conversion, but they do realize a profit based on the difference (the “spread”) between the prices at which they are buying and selling various currencies. Thus, a dealer may offer to sell a foreign currency to a Fund at one rate, while offering a lesser rate of exchange should the Fund desire to resell that currency to the dealer.

Lock In. When a Fund desires to lock in the U.S. dollar price on the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency.

Cross Hedge. If a particular currency is expected to decrease against another currency, a Fund may sell the currency expected to decrease and purchase a currency which is expected to increase against the currency sold in an amount approximately equal to some or all of the Fund’s portfolio holdings denominated in the currency sold.

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Direct Hedge. If a Fund wants to eliminate substantially all of the risk of owning a particular currency, and/or if a Fund thinks that it can benefit from price appreciation in a given country’s bonds but does not want to hold the currency, it may employ a direct hedge back into the U.S. dollar. In either case, a Fund would enter into a forward contract to sell the currency in which a portfolio security is denominated and purchase U.S. dollars at an exchange rate established at the time it initiated the contract. The cost of the direct hedge transaction may offset most, if not all, of the yield advantage offered by the foreign security, but a Fund would hope to benefit from an increase (if any) in value of the bond.

Proxy Hedge. A Fund might choose to use a proxy hedge, which may be less costly than a direct hedge. In this case, a Fund, having purchased a security, will sell a currency whose value is believed to be closely linked to the currency in which the security is denominated. Interest rates prevailing in the country whose currency was sold would be expected to be closer to those in the United States and lower than those of securities denominated in the currency of the original holding. This type of hedging entails greater risk than a direct hedge because it is dependent on a stable relationship between the two currencies paired as proxies and the relationships can be very unstable at times.

Costs of Hedging. When a Fund purchases a foreign bond with a higher interest rate than is available on U.S. bonds of a similar maturity, the additional yield on the foreign bond could be substantially reduced or lost if the Fund were to enter into a direct hedge by selling the foreign currency and purchasing the U.S. dollar. This is what is known as the “cost” of hedging. Proxy hedging attempts to reduce this cost through an indirect hedge back to the U.S. dollar.

Real Estate Securities

Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”). The Funds may invest in REITs. REITs are pooled investment vehicles that invest primarily in either real estate or real estate related loans. Like regulated investment companies (“RICs”) such as the Funds, U.S. REITs are not taxed on income distributed to shareholders provided that they comply with certain requirements under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). A Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any expenses paid by REITs in which it invests in addition to the Fund’s own expenses. REITs involve certain unique risks in addition to those risks associated with investing in the real estate industry in general (such as possible declines in the value of real estate, lack of availability of mortgage funds, or extended vacancies of property). REITs are generally classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs or a combination of equity and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive income primarily from the collection of rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive income from the collection of interest payments. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REITs, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the risk of borrower default. REITs, and mortgage REITs in particular, are also subject to interest rate risk.

Mortgage REITs receive principal and interest payments from the owners of the mortgaged properties. Accordingly, mortgage REITs are subject to the credit risk of the borrowers to whom they extend credit. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the borrower will be unable and/or unwilling to make timely interest payments and/or repay the principal on the loan to a mortgage REIT when due. Mortgage REITs are subject to significant interest rate risk. When the general level of interest rates goes up, the value of a mortgage REIT’s investment in fixed rate obligations goes down. When the general level of interest rates goes down, the value of a mortgage REIT’s investment in fixed rate obligations goes up. Mortgage REITs typically use leverage and many are highly leveraged, which exposes them to leverage risk. Leverage risk refers to the risk that leverage created from borrowing may impair a mortgage REIT’s liquidity, cause it to liquidate positions at an unfavorable time and increase the volatility of the values of securities issued by the mortgage REIT. Mortgage REITs are subject to prepayment risk, which is the risk that borrowers may prepay their mortgage loans at faster than expected rates. Prepayment rates generally increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. These faster than expected payments may adversely affect a

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mortgage REIT’s profitability because the mortgage REIT may be forced to replace investments that have been redeemed or repaid early with other investments having a lower yield. Additionally, rising interest rates may cause the duration of a mortgage REIT’s investments to be longer than anticipated and increase such investments’ interest rate sensitivity.

REITs are dependent upon their operators’ management skills, are generally not diversified (except to the extent the Code requires), and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency and the risk of default by borrowers. REITs are also subject to the possibility of failing to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Code or failing to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in a limited volume, and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than more widely held securities.

A Fund’s investment in a REIT may result in the Fund making distributions that constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for federal income tax purposes or may require the Fund to accrue and distribute income not yet received. In addition, distributions attributable to REITs made by a Fund to Fund shareholders will not qualify for the corporate dividends-received deduction, or, generally, for treatment as qualified dividend income.

Borrowing and Other Forms of Leverage

The Funds may borrow money for investment purposes to the extent permitted by their investment policies and restrictions and applicable law. When a Fund borrows money or otherwise leverages its portfolio, the value of an investment in the Fund will be more volatile and other investment risks will tend to be compounded. This is because leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of a Fund’s holdings. The Funds may also borrow money for temporary emergency purposes.

The Funds are not currently parties to a line of credit. However, the Funds may establish lines of credit with certain banks by which the Funds may borrow funds for temporary or emergency purposes. The Funds may use lines of credit to meet large or unexpected redemptions that would otherwise force a Fund to liquidate securities under circumstances which are unfavorable to the Fund’s remaining shareholders. Should the Funds become parties to a line of credit, they may be required to pay fees to the banks to maintain a line of credit, which would increase the cost of borrowing over the stated interest rate. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (“BBH”), in its capacity as the Funds’ custodian, will generally provide overdraft protection to the Funds in the event of a cash shortfall. Overdraft protection is provided on an uncommitted basis.

The Trust received an exemptive order from the SEC on June 1, 2016 (the “Order”), which permits the Funds to participate in an interfund lending program (the “Program”) with existing or future mutual funds that are advised by the Adviser and certain of its affiliates (the “Participating Funds”). The Program enables a Participating Fund to lend cash directly to and borrow money from other Participating Funds for temporary purposes. The Program is subject to a number of conditions set forth in the application for the exemptive order, as amended (the “Application”), and the Order, including the requirement that the interfund loan rate to be charged to a borrowing fund is (i) more favorable to the lending fund than the highest current overnight repurchase agreement rate available to the lending fund (the “Repo Rate”); and (ii) more favorable to the borrowing fund than the lowest interest rate at which a bank short-term loan would be available to the borrowing fund (the “Bank Loan Rate”). The Bank Loan Rate will be determined using a formula established by the Board. The interfund loan rate will be the average of the Repo Rate and the Bank Loan Rate. All interfund loans and borrowings must comply with the conditions set forth in the Application and the Order, which are designed to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all Participating Funds.

A Fund will participate in the Program only to the extent that its participation is consistent with the Fund’s investment objectives, limitations, and organizational documents. Upon implementation of the Program, the Adviser administers the Program according to procedures approved by the Board. The Board is responsible for overseeing and periodically reviewing the Program.

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Cash Position

The Funds do not always stay fully invested in securities. When a Sub-adviser believes that market conditions are unfavorable for profitable investing, or when a Sub-adviser is otherwise unable to locate attractive investment opportunities, a Fund’s cash or similar investments may increase. Cash or similar investments generally are a residual - they represent the assets that remain after a portfolio manager has committed available assets to desirable investment opportunities. However, a Fund’s Adviser or Sub-adviser(s) may also temporarily increase the Fund’s cash position to protect assets, maintain liquidity, or during periods when transitioning Fund assets from one Sub-adviser to another Sub-adviser. Partly because each of the Sub-advisers acts independently of each other, the cash positions of the Funds may vary significantly.

When a Fund’s investments in cash or similar investments increase, the Fund may not participate in market advances or declines to the same extent that it would if the Fund remained more fully invested in stocks or bonds.

Short-Term Investments

The Funds may invest without limitation in any of the following short-term securities and instruments:

Bank Obligations. The Funds may invest in obligations including bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper and other debt obligations of banks and instruments secured by such obligations, not including obligations of foreign branches of domestic banks except as permitted below. Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are “accepted” by a bank, meaning in effect that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity.

Certificates of Deposit and Time Deposits. The Funds may hold certificates of deposit and time deposits. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return. Time deposits are non-negotiable receipts issued by a bank in exchange for the deposit of funds and, like a certificate of deposit, earns a specified return over a definitive period of time.

Commercial Paper and Short-Term Notes. The Funds may invest a portion of their assets in commercial paper and short-term notes. Commercial paper consists of unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations. Commercial paper and short-term notes will normally have maturities of less than nine months and fixed rates of return, although such instruments may have maturities of up to one year.

Commercial paper and short-term notes will generally consist of issues rated at the time of purchase “A-2” or higher by S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”), “Prime-1” or “Prime-2” by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.^© (“Moody’s”), or similarly rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, will be determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality. These rating symbols are described in Appendix A.

Other Short-Term Obligations. The Funds may invest in short-term obligations, which are debt securities initially issued with a remaining maturity of 397 days or less and that generally have a short-term rating within ratings categories of at least A-1 by S&P or P-1 by Moody’s.

Corporate Debt Securities

The Funds may invest in non-convertible debt securities of foreign and domestic companies over a cross-section of industries. The debt securities in which the Funds may invest will be of varying maturities and

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may include corporate bonds, debentures, notes and other similar corporate debt instruments. The value of a longer-term debt security fluctuates more widely in response to changes in interest rates than do shorter-term debt securities.

Municipal Securities

The Funds may invest in securities issued by states, territories, possessions, municipalities and other political subdivisions, agencies, authorities and instrumentalities of states, territories, possessions and multi-state agencies or authorities, commonly referred to as municipal bonds.

Municipal bonds share the structural attributes of debt/fixed income securities in general, but are issued by states, municipalities and other political subdivisions, agencies, authorities and instrumentalities of states and multi-state agencies or authorities. Municipal bonds may be issued and traded through when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment transactions. The municipal bonds which the Funds may purchase include general obligation bonds and limited obligation bonds (or revenue bonds); including industrial development bonds issued pursuant to former federal tax law. Under the Code, certain limited obligation bonds are considered “private activity bonds” and interest paid on such bonds is treated as an item of tax preference for purposes of calculating federal alternative minimum tax applicable to non-corporate taxpayers.

General obligation bonds are obligations involving the credit of an issuer possessing taxing power and are payable from such issuer’s general revenues and not from any particular source. Limited obligation bonds are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other specific revenue source. Tax-exempt private activity bonds and industrial development bonds generally are not payable from the issuing authority’s general revenues but instead the corporate user (and/or any guarantor) is responsible for payment of interest and principal. Accordingly, the credit and quality of private activity bonds and industrial development bonds are usually related to the credit of the corporate user of a particular facility or class of facilities.

The Funds may invest in municipal bonds that finance projects relating to education, health care, housing, transportation, and utilities, and may make significant investments in industrial development bonds. These types of bonds may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments than other types of municipal bonds.

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The Funds may invest in municipal lease obligations. Municipal leases are instruments, or participations in instruments, issued in connection with lease obligations or installment purchase contract obligations of municipalities (“municipal lease obligations”). Although municipal lease obligations do not constitute general obligations of the issuing municipality, a lease obligation may be backed by the municipality’s covenant to budget for, appropriate funds for and make the payments due under the lease obligation.

However, certain municipal lease obligations contain “non-appropriation” clauses, which provide that the municipality has no obligation to make lease or installment purchase payments in future years unless money is appropriated for such purpose in the relevant years. In deciding whether to purchase a lease obligation, a Fund’s Sub-advisers may assess such factors as the financial condition of the borrower, the merits of the project, the level of public support for the project, and the legislative history of lease financing in the state. Municipal lease obligations may be less readily marketable than other municipal securities. Certain lease obligation bonds may be financed through a certificate of participation through which investors are entitled to receive a portion of the lease payments from the project being financed. Projects financed with certificates of participation generally are not subject to state constitutional debt limitations or other statutory requirements that may apply to other municipal securities. Payments by the public entity on the obligation underlying the certificates are derived from available revenue sources. That revenue might be diverted to the funding of other municipal service projects. Payments of interest and/or principal with respect to the certificates are not guaranteed and do not constitute an obligation of a state or any of its political subdivisions.

Municipal leases may also be subject to “abatement risk.” The leases underlying certain municipal lease obligations may state that lease payments are subject to partial or full abatement. That abatement might occur, for example, if material damage to or destruction of the leased property interferes with the lessee’s use of the property. However, in some cases that risk might be reduced by insurance covering the leased property, or by the use of credit enhancements such as letters of credit to back lease payments, or perhaps by the lessee’s maintenance of reserve monies for lease payments. While the obligation might be secured by the lease, it might be difficult to dispose of that property in case of a default.

A Fund may seek to enhance its yield through the purchase of municipal private placements. These securities are sold through private negotiations, usually to institutions or mutual funds, and generally have resale restrictions. Their yields are usually higher than comparable public securities to compensate the investor for their limited marketability. A Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments that are assets, including unmarketable private placements.

The Funds may invest in municipal bonds with credit enhancements such as letters of credit, municipal bond insurance and Standby Bond Purchase Agreements (“SBPAs”). Letters of credit are issued by a third party, usually a bank, to enhance liquidity and ensure repayment of principal and any accrued interest if the underlying municipal bond should default. Municipal bond insurance, which is usually purchased by the bond issuer from a private, nongovernmental insurance company, provides an unconditional and irrevocable guarantee that the insured bond’s principal and interest will be paid when due. Insurance does not guarantee the price of the bond or the share price of any fund. The credit rating of an insured bond reflects the credit rating of the insurer, based on its claims-paying ability. The obligation of a municipal bond insurance company to pay a claim extends over the life of each insured bond. Although defaults on insured municipal bonds have been low to date and municipal bond insurers have met their claims, there is no assurance this will continue. A higher-than-expected default rate could strain the insurer’s loss reserves and adversely affect its ability to pay claims to bondholders. A significant portion of insured municipal bonds that have been issued and are outstanding are insured by a small number of insurance companies, an event involving one or more of these insurance companies, such as a credit rating downgrade, could have a significant adverse effect on the value of the municipal bonds insured by that insurance company and on the municipal bond markets as a whole. Downgrades of certain insurance companies have negatively impacted the price of certain insured municipal bonds. Given the large number of potential claims against

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the insurers of municipal bonds, there is a risk that they will not be able to meet all future claims. An SBPA is a liquidity facility provided to pay the purchase price of bonds that cannot be re-marketed. The obligation of the liquidity provider (usually a bank) is only to advance funds to purchase tendered bonds that cannot be remarketed and does not cover principal or interest under any other circumstances. The liquidity provider’s obligations under the SBPA are usually subject to numerous conditions, including the continued creditworthiness of the underlying borrower.

Municipal bonds are subject to credit and market risk. Generally, prices of higher quality issues tend to fluctuate more with changes in market interest rates than prices of lower quality issues and prices of longer maturity issues tend to fluctuate more than prices of shorter maturity issues. The economic and revenue performance of states and their agencies and municipalities may be significantly impacted by trends in the national economy, particularly by factors such as unemployment and the housing market which may directly impact revenue production of certain issuers of municipal securities. Poor economic performance may increase the likelihood that issuers of securities in which the Fund may invest will be unable to meet their obligations, that the values of securities in which the Fund invests will decline significantly, and that the liquidity of such securities will be impaired. In addition, the value of municipal bonds may also be affected by uncertainties involving the taxation of Municipal Bonds or the rights of municipal bond holders in the event of a bankruptcy.

The Funds may purchase and sell portfolio investments to take advantage of changes or anticipated changes in yield relationships, markets or economic conditions. The Funds also may sell municipal bonds due to changes in a Sub-adviser’s evaluation of the issuer or cash needs resulting from redemption requests for Fund shares. The secondary market for municipal bonds typically has been less liquid than that for taxable debt/fixed income securities, and this may affect a Fund’s ability to sell particular municipal bonds at quoted market prices, especially in periods when other investors are attempting to sell the same securities. Additionally, municipal bonds rated below investment grade (i.e., high yield municipal bonds) may not be as liquid as higher-rated municipal bonds. Reduced liquidity in the secondary market may have an adverse impact on the market price of a municipal bond and on the Fund’s ability to sell a municipal bond in response to changes or anticipated changes in economic conditions or to meet the Fund’s cash needs. Reduced liquidity may also make it more difficult to obtain market quotations based on actual trades for purposes of valuing the Fund’s portfolio.

Prices and yields on municipal bonds are dependent on a variety of factors, including general financial market conditions, the financial condition of the issuer, general conditions of the municipal bond market, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue. A number of these factors, including the ratings of particular issues, are subject to change from time to time. Information about the financial condition of an issuer of municipal bonds may not be as extensive as that which is made available by corporations whose securities are publicly traded.

The Funds may purchase custodial receipts representing the right to receive either the principal amount or the periodic interest payments or both with respect to specific underlying municipal bonds. In a typical custodial receipt arrangement, an issuer or third party owner of municipal bonds deposits the bonds with a custodian in exchange for two classes of custodial receipts. The two classes have different characteristics, but, in each case, payments on the two classes are based on payments received on the underlying municipal bonds. In no event will the aggregate interest paid with respect to the two classes exceed the interest paid by the underlying municipal bond. Custodial receipts are sold in private placements. The value of a custodial receipt may fluctuate more than the value of a municipal bond of comparable quality and maturity.

The perceived increased likelihood of default among issuers of municipal bonds may result in constrained liquidity, increased price volatility and credit downgrades of issuers of municipal bonds. Local and national market forces—such as declines in real estate prices and general business activity—may result in

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decreasing tax bases, fluctuations in interest rates, and increasing construction costs, all of which could reduce the ability of certain issuers of municipal bonds to repay their obligations. Certain issuers of municipal bonds have also been unable to obtain additional financing through, or must pay higher interest rates on, new issues, which may reduce revenues available for issuers of municipal bonds to pay existing obligations. In addition, events have demonstrated that the lack of disclosure rules in this area can make it difficult for investors to obtain reliable information on the obligations underlying municipal bonds. Adverse developments in the municipal bond market may negatively affect the value of all or a substantial portion of a fund’s holdings in municipal bonds.

Obligations of issuers of municipal bonds are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors. Congress or state legislatures may seek to extend the time for payment of principal or interest, or both, or to impose other constraints upon enforcement of such obligations. There is also the possibility that as a result of litigation or other conditions, the power or ability of issuers to meet their obligations for the payment of interest and principal on their municipal bonds may be materially affected or their obligations may be found to be invalid or unenforceable. Such litigation or conditions may from time to time have the effect of introducing uncertainties in the market for municipal bonds or certain segments thereof, or of materially affecting the credit risk with respect to particular bonds. Adverse economic, business, legal or political developments might affect all or a substantial portion of a Fund’s municipal bonds in the same manner.

From time to time, proposals have been introduced before Congress for the purpose of restricting or eliminating the federal income tax exemption for interest on certain types of municipal bonds. Additionally, certain other proposals have been introduced that would have the effect of taxing a portion of exempt interest and/or reducing the tax benefits of receiving exempt interest. It can be expected that similar proposals may be introduced in the future. As a result of any such future legislation, the availability of such municipal bonds for investment by a Fund and the value of such municipal bonds held by the Fund may be affected. In addition, it is possible that events occurring after the date of a municipal bond’s issuance, or after a Fund’s acquisition of such obligation, may result in a determination that the interest paid on that obligation is taxable, in certain cases retroactively.

The Adviser or the Sub-advisers, as applicable, relies on the opinion of the issuer’s counsel, which is rendered at the time the security is issued, to determine whether the security is fit, with respect to its validity and tax status, to be purchased by a Fund. The Adviser, the Sub-advisers and the Funds do not guarantee this opinion is correct, and there is no assurance that the IRS will agree with such counsel’s opinion.

Government Obligations - U.S. and Foreign

The Funds may invest in U.S. Government obligations including Treasury bills, certificates of indebtedness, notes and bonds, and issues of such entities as the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), Export-Import Bank of the United States, Tennessee Valley Authority, Resolution Funding Corporation, Farmers Home Administration, Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, Federal Farm Credit Banks, Federal Land Banks, Federal Housing Administration, Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”), and the Student Loan Marketing Association (“SLMA”).

Some of these obligations, such as those of the GNMA, are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury; others, such as those of the Export-Import Bank of United States, are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the Treasury; others, such as those of the FNMA, are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the agency’s obligations; still others, such as those of the SLMA, are supported only by the credit of the instrumentality. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities if it is not obligated to do so by law.

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The Funds may invest in sovereign debt obligations of foreign countries. A sovereign debtor’s willingness or ability to repay principal and interest in a timely manner may be affected by a number of factors, including its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtor’s policy toward principal international lenders and the political constraints to which it may be subject. A government could default on its sovereign debt obligations. This risk of default is higher in emerging markets. Such sovereign debtors also may be dependent on expected disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and other entities abroad to reduce principal and interest arrearages on their debt. The commitments on the part of these governments, agencies and others to make such disbursements may be conditioned on a sovereign debtor’s implementation of economic reforms and/or economic performance and the timely service of such debtor’s obligations. Failure to meet such conditions could result in the cancellation of such third parties’ commitments to lend funds to the sovereign debtor, which may further impair such debtor’s ability or willingness to service its debt in a timely manner.

The total public debt of the U.S. government as a percentage of gross domestic product has grown rapidly since the beginning of the 2008 financial downturn and has accelerated in connection with the U.S. government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although high debt levels do not necessarily indicate or cause economic problems, they may create certain systemic risks if sound debt management practices are not implemented. A high national debt level may increase market pressures to meet government funding needs, which may increase borrowing costs and cause a government to issue additional debt, thereby increasing the risk of refinancing. A high national debt also raises concerns that a government may be unable or unwilling to repay the principal or interest on its debt. Unsustainable debt levels can decline the valuation of currencies, and can prevent a government from implementing effective counter-cyclical fiscal policy during economic downturns. Government spending in response to COVID-19 may further increase the U.S. government’s debt burden, which could heighten these associated risks.

Variable Rate Demand Notes

The Funds may purchase taxable or tax-exempt variable rate demand notes for short-term cash management or other investment purposes. Variable rate demand notes may have a stated maturity in excess of one year, but may have features that permit a holder to demand payment of principal plus accrued interest upon a specified number of days’ notice. Frequently, such obligations are secured by letters of credit or other credit support arrangements provided by banks. The issuer has a corresponding right, after a given period, to prepay in its discretion the outstanding principal of the obligation plus accrued interest

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upon a specific number of days’ notice to the holders. The interest rate of a variable demand note may be based on a known lending rate, such as a bank’s prime rate, and is reset whenever such rate is adjusted. The interest rate on a variable rate demand note is reset at specified intervals at a market rate.

Floating Rate Securities

Inverse Floaters

The Funds may purchase inverse floaters. An inverse floater is a type of instrument that bears a floating or variable interest rate that moves in the opposite direction to interest rates generally or the interest rate on another security or index. Inverse floaters are typically created by a broker depositing an income-producing instrument, which may be a mortgage-backed security, in a trust. The trust in turn issues a variable rate security and inverse floaters. The interest rate for the variable rate security is typically determined by an index or an auction process, while the inverse floater holder receives the balance of the income from the underlying income-producing instrument less an auction fee. Because inverse floaters may be considered to be leveraged, including if their interest rates vary by a magnitude that exceeds the magnitude of the change in a reference rate of interest (typically a short term interest rate) the market prices of inverse floaters may be highly sensitive to changes in interest rates and in prepayment rates on the underlying securities, and may decrease significantly when interest rates increase or prepayment rates change. The returns on inverse floaters may be leveraged, increasing substantially the volatility and interest rate sensitivity.

Zero-Coupon and Payment-in-Kind Bonds

The Funds may invest in so-called zero-coupon bonds and payment-in-kind bonds. Zero-coupon bonds are issued at a significant discount from their principal amount in lieu of paying interest periodically. Payment-in-kind bonds allow the issuer, at its option, to make current interest payments on the bonds either in cash or in additional bonds. Because zero-coupon and payment-in-kind bonds do not pay current interest in cash, their value is subject to greater fluctuation in response to changes in market interest rates than bonds that pay interest currently. Both zero-coupon and payment-in-kind bonds allow an issuer to avoid the need to generate cash to meet current interest payments. Accordingly, such bonds may involve greater credit risks than bonds paying interest currently in cash. The Funds are required to accrue interest income on such investments and to distribute such amounts at least annually to shareholders even though the investments do not make any current interest payments. Thus, it may be necessary at times for a Fund to liquidate other investments in order to satisfy its distribution requirements under the Code.

LIBOR Risk

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Fixed Income Securities Risks

There are a number of risks generally associated with a Fund’s investments in fixed income securities (including convertible securities). Yields on short-, intermediate-, and long-term securities depend on a variety of factors, including the general condition of the money and bond markets, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation, and the rating of the issue.

Debt securities with longer maturities tend to produce higher yields and are generally subject to potentially greater capital appreciation and depreciation than obligations with short maturities and lower yields. The market prices of debt securities usually vary, depending upon available yields. An increase in interest rates will generally reduce the value of such portfolio investments, and a decline in interest rates will generally increase the value of such portfolio investments. The ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective also depends on the continuing ability of the issuers of the debt securities in which the Fund invests to meet their obligations for the payment of interest and principal when due.

Taxes. The Funds may purchase fixed income securities (such as zero coupon or pay-in-kind securities) that contain original issue discount. Original issue discount that accrues in a taxable year is treated as earned by the Funds and therefore is subject to the distribution requirements applicable to RICs under Subchapter M of the Code. Because the original issue discount earned by a Fund in a taxable year may not be represented by cash income, the Fund may have to dispose of other securities and use the proceeds to make distributions to shareholders.

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Lower-Rated Debt Securities Risks

The Funds may invest in securities deemed to be below investment grade (“lower-rated” or “junk bonds”). The Core Bond Fund may invest up to 5% of its assets (measured at the time of purchase) in securities deemed to be below investment grade (“lower-rated” or “junk bonds”). If securities held by the Core Bond Fund were investment grade at the time of purchase but are subsequently downgraded to below investment grade, causing the Core Bond Fund to hold more than 5% in non-investment grade securities, the Core Bond Fund is not required to sell non-investment grade securities; however, the Core Bond Fund is prohibited from making further purchases of non-investment grade securities. Similarly, if the market value of non-investment grade securities in the Core Bond Fund exceeds 5% of the Core Bond Fund’s total assets due to market fluctuation, the Core Bond Fund is not required to sell non-investment grade securities, although it is prohibited from making further purchases of non-investment grade securities.

Sensitivity to Interest Rate and Economic Changes. The economy and interest rates affect lower-rated debt securities differently from other securities. For example, the prices of lower-rated bonds have often been found to be less sensitive to interest rate changes than higher-rated investments, but more sensitive to adverse economic changes or individual corporate developments. Also, during an economic downturn or substantial period of rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers may experience financial stress which would adversely affect their ability to service their principal and interest obligations, to meet projected business goals, and to obtain additional financing. If the issuer of a bond defaults, a Fund may incur additional expenses to seek recovery. In addition, periods of economic uncertainty and changes can be expected to result in increased volatility of market prices of lower-rated bonds and the Fund’s asset values.

Payment Expectations. Lower-rated bonds present certain risks based on payment expectations. For example, lower-rated bonds may contain redemption and call provisions. If an issuer exercises these provisions in a declining interest rate market, a Fund would have to replace the security with a lower yielding security, resulting in a decreased return for investors. Conversely, a lower-rated bond’s value will decrease in a rising interest rate market, as will the value of a Fund’s assets. If a Fund experiences unexpected net redemptions, it may be forced to sell its lower-rated bonds without regard to their investment merits, thereby decreasing the asset base upon which the Fund’s expenses can be spread and possibly reducing the Fund’s rate of return.

Liquidity and Valuation. To the extent that there is no established secondary market, there may be thin trading of lower-rated bonds, and this may impact a Sub-adviser’s ability to accurately value lower-rated bonds and a Fund’s assets and hinder a Fund’s ability to dispose of the bonds. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of lower-rated bonds, especially in a thinly traded market.

Credit Ratings. Credit ratings evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments, not the market value risk of lower-rated bonds. However, credit ratings are not absolute measures of credit quality and do not reflect all potential market risks. Also, since credit rating agencies may fail to timely change the credit ratings to reflect subsequent events, a Sub-adviser must monitor the issuers of lower-rated bonds in a Fund’s portfolio to determine if the issuers will have sufficient cash flow and profits to meet required principal and interest payments, and to assure the bonds’ liquidity so the Fund can meet redemption requests. A Fund will not necessarily dispose of a portfolio security when its rating has been changed.

Distressed Companies Risk

From time to time, the Funds may purchase the direct indebtedness of various companies (“Indebtedness”) or participation interests in Indebtedness (“Participations”), including Indebtedness and Participations of

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reorganizing companies. Indebtedness can be distinguished from traditional debt securities in that debt securities are part of a large issue of securities to the general public which is typically registered with a securities registration organization, such as the SEC, and which is held by a large group of investors. Indebtedness may not be a security, but rather, may represent a specific commercial loan or portion of a loan which has been given to a company by a financial institution such as a bank or insurance company. The company is typically obligated to repay such commercial loan over a specified time period. By purchasing the Indebtedness of companies, a Fund in effect steps into the shoes of the financial institution which made the loan to the company prior to its restructuring or refinancing. Indebtedness purchased by a Fund may be in the form of loans, notes or bonds.

The length of time remaining until maturity on the Indebtedness is one factor the Sub-advisers consider in purchasing a particular Indebtedness. Indebtedness which represents a specific Indebtedness of the company to a bank is not considered to be a security issued by the bank selling it. A Fund may purchase loans from national and state chartered banks as well as foreign banks, and they normally invest in the Indebtedness of a company which has the highest priority in terms of payment by the company, although on occasion lower priority Indebtedness also may be acquired.

Participations represent fractional interests in a company’s Indebtedness. The financial institutions that typically make Participations available are banks or insurance companies, governmental institutions, such as the Resolution Trust Corporation, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, or certain organizations such as the World Bank, which are known as “supranational organizations.” Supranational organizations are entities established or financially supported by the national governments of one or more countries to promote reconstruction or development. Indebtedness and Participations may be illiquid as described below.

Mezzanine Investments

The Funds may invest in certain high yield securities known as mezzanine securities, which are subordinated debt securities generally issued in private placements in connection with an equity security (e.g., with attached warrants). Mezzanine investments may be issued with or without registration rights. Similar to other high yield securities, maturities of mezzanine investments are typically seven to ten years, but the expected average life is significantly shorter at three to five years. Mezzanine investments are usually unsecured and subordinate to other obligations of the issuer.

Asset-Backed Securities (“ABS”) and Mortgage-Related and Mortgage-Backed Securities (“MBS”)

The Funds may purchase asset-backed, mortgage-related and MBS. MBS, including collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”) and certain stripped MBS, represent a participation in, or are secured by, mortgage loans. ABS are structured like MBS, but instead of mortgage loans or interests in mortgage loans, the underlying assets may include such items as motor vehicle installment sales or installment loan contracts, leases of various types of real and personal property, receivables from credit card agreements, company receivables or other assets. The cash flow generated by the underlying assets is applied to make required payments on the securities and to pay related administrative expenses. The amount of residual cash flow resulting from a particular issue of asset-backed or MBS depends on, among other things, the characteristics of the underlying assets, the coupon rates on the securities, prevailing interest rates, the amount of administrative expenses, and the actual prepayment experience on the underlying assets. Each Fund may invest in any such instruments or variations as may be developed, to the extent consistent with its investment objectives and policies and applicable regulatory requirements. In general, the collateral supporting ABS is of a shorter maturity than mortgage loans and is likely to experience substantial prepayments.

Mortgage-backed securities have yield and maturity characteristics corresponding to the underlying assets. Unlike traditional debt securities, which may pay a fixed rate of interest until maturity, when the entire

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principal amount comes due, payments on certain mortgage-backed securities include both interest and a partial repayment of principal. Besides the scheduled repayment of principal, repayments of principal may result from the voluntary prepayment, refinancing or foreclosure of the underlying mortgage loans. If property owners make unscheduled prepayments of their mortgage loans, these prepayments will result in early payment of the applicable mortgage-backed securities. In that event, the Fund may be unable to invest the proceeds from the early payment of the mortgage-backed securities in an investment that provides as high a yield as the MBS. Consequently, early payment associated with MBS may cause these securities to experience significantly greater price and yield volatility than that experienced by traditional fixed-income securities. The occurrence of mortgage prepayments is affected by factors including the level of interest rates, general economic conditions, the location and age of the mortgage and other social and demographic conditions. During periods of falling interest rates, the rate of mortgage prepayments tends to increase, thereby tending to decrease the life of MBS. During periods of rising interest rates, the rate of mortgage prepayments usually decreases, thereby tending to increase the life of MBS. If the life of a mortgage-backed security is inaccurately predicted, the Fund may not be able to realize the expected rate of return.

Adjustable rate mortgage securities (“ARMs”), like traditional MBS, are interests in pools of mortgage loans that provide investors with payments consisting of both principal and interest as mortgage loans in the underlying mortgage pool are paid off by the borrowers. Unlike fixed-rate MBS, ARMs are collateralized by or represent interests in mortgage loans with variable rates of interest. These interest rates are reset at periodic intervals, usually by reference to an interest rate index or market interest rate. Although the rate adjustment feature may act as a buffer to reduce sharp changes in the value of adjustable rate securities, these securities are still subject to changes in value based on, among other things, changes in market interest rates or changes in the issuer’s creditworthiness. Because the interest rates are reset only periodically, changes in the interest rate on ARMs may lag changes in prevailing market interest rates. Also, some ARMs (or the underlying mortgages) are subject to caps or floors that limit the maximum change in the interest rate during a specified period or over the life of the security. As a result, changes in the interest rate on an ARM may not fully reflect changes in prevailing market interest rates during certain periods.

The Funds may also invest in hybrid ARMs, whose underlying mortgages combine fixed-rate and adjustable rate features.

Mortgage-backed and ABS are less effective than other types of securities as a means of locking in attractive long-term interest rates. One reason is the need to reinvest prepayments of principal; another is the possibility of significant unscheduled prepayments resulting from declines in interest rates. These prepayments would have to be reinvested at lower rates. The automatic interest rate adjustment feature of mortgages underlying ARMs likewise reduces the ability to lock-in attractive rates. As a result, mortgage-backed and ABS may have less potential for capital appreciation during periods of declining interest rates than other securities of comparable maturities, although they may have a similar risk of decline in market value during periods of rising interest rates. Prepayments may also significantly shorten the effective maturities of these securities, especially during periods of declining interest rates. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, a reduction in prepayments may increase the effective maturities of these securities, subjecting them to a greater risk of decline in market value in response to rising interest rates than traditional debt securities, and, therefore, potentially increasing the volatility of a Fund.

At times, some mortgage-backed and ABS will have higher than market interest rates and therefore will be purchased at a premium above their par value. Prepayments may cause losses on securities purchased at a premium.

CMOs may be issued by a U.S. Government agency or instrumentality or by a private issuer. Although payment of the principal of, and interest on, the underlying collateral securing privately issued CMOs may

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be guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities, these CMOs represent obligations solely of the private issuer and are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities or any other person or entity.

Prepayments could cause early retirement of CMOs. CMOs are designed to reduce the risk of prepayment for certain investors by issuing multiple classes of securities, each having different maturities, interest rates and payment schedules, and with the principal and interest on the underlying mortgages allocated among the several classes in various ways. Payment of interest or principal on some classes or series of CMOs may be subject to contingencies or some classes or series may bear some or all of the risk of default on the underlying mortgages. CMOs of different classes or series are generally retired in sequence as the underlying mortgage loans in the mortgage pool are repaid. If enough mortgages are repaid ahead of schedule, the classes or series of a CMO with the earliest maturities generally will be retired prior to their maturities. Thus, the early retirement of particular classes or series of a CMO would have the same effect as the prepayment of mortgages underlying other MBS. Conversely, slower than anticipated prepayments can extend the effective maturities of CMOs, subjecting them to a greater risk of decline in market value in response to rising interest rates than traditional debt securities, and, therefore, potentially increasing their volatility.

Subprime mortgage loans, which typically are made to less creditworthy borrowers, have a higher risk of default than conventional mortgage loans. Therefore, MBS backed by subprime mortgage loans may suffer significantly greater declines in value due to defaults or the increased risk of default.

The risks associated with other ABS (including in particular the risks of issuer default and of early prepayment) are generally similar to those described for CMOs. In addition, because ABS generally do not have the benefit of a security interest in the underlying assets comparable to a mortgage, ABS present certain additional risks that are not present with MBS. The ability of an issuer of ABS to enforce its security interest in the underlying assets may be limited. For example, revolving credit receivables are generally unsecured and the debtors on such receivables are entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which give debtors the right to set-off certain amounts owed, thereby reducing the balance due. Automobile receivables generally are secured, but by automobiles, rather than by real property.

ABS may be collateralized by the fees earned by service providers. The values of ABS may be substantially dependent on the servicing of the underlying asset and are therefore subject to risks associated with the negligence or malfeasance by their servicers and to the credit risk of their servicers. In certain circumstances, the mishandling of related documentation may also affect the rights of the security holders in and to the underlying collateral. The insolvency of entities that generate receivables or that utilize the assets may result in added costs and delays in addition to losses associated with a decline in the value of the underlying assets. For the purposes of each Fund’s concentration policy, ABS (a) do not represent interests in any particular “industry”; and (b) will be classified in a consistent manner deemed reasonable by the Fund.

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certain principal repayments and credit losses corresponding to the seniority of the particular tranche. Each tranche will have credit exposure to the underlying mortgage loans and the yield to maturity will be directly related to the amount and timing of certain defined credit events on the underlying mortgage loans, any prepayments by borrowers and any removals of a mortgage loan from the pool.

Credit risk transfer securities are unguaranteed and unsecured debt securities issued by the GSE and therefore are not directly linked to or backed by the underlying mortgage loans. Thus, although the payment of principal and interest on such securities is tied to the performance of the pool of underlying mortgage loans, the holders of the credit risk transfer securities will have no interest in the underlying mortgage loans. As a result, in the event that a GSE fails to pay principal or interest on its credit risk transfer securities or goes through a bankruptcy, insolvency or similar proceeding, holders of such credit risk transfer securities have no direct recourse to the underlying mortgage loans. Such holders will receive recovery on par with other unsecured note holders (agency debentures) in such a scenario.

A Fund may also invest in credit risk transfer securities that are issued by private entities, such as banks or other financial institutions. Credit risk transfer securities issued by private entities are structured similarly to those issued by a GSE and are generally subject to the same types of risks, including credit (risk of non-payment of principal and interest when due), prepayment, extension, interest rate and market risks.

The risks associated with an investment in credit risk transfer securities will be different than the risks associated with an investment in mortgage-backed securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, or other GSEs or issued by a private issuer because some or all of the mortgage default or credit risk associated with the underlying mortgage loans is transferred to investors, such as the Fund. As a result, investors in these securities could lose some or all of their investment in these securities if the underlying mortgage loans default.

Collateralized Bond Obligations (“CBOs”), Collateralized Loan Obligations (“CLOs”), and Other Collateralized Debt Obligations (“CDOs”). The Funds may invest in each of CBOs, CLOs, other CDOs, and other similarly structured securities. CBOs, CLOs, and CDOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is often backed by a pool of high risk, below investment grade fixed income securities, such as high yield bonds, privately issued mortgage-related securities, commercial mortgage-related securities, trust preferred securities, or emerging market debt. A CLO is a trust typically backed by a pool of loans, which may include senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be below investment grade, and mezzanine investments. Other CDOs are trusts backed by other types of assets. The assets backing a CBO, CLO, or CDO trust may be referred to as “the collateral.” CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs may charge management fees and administrative expenses. The cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. Senior tranches can often be rated investment grade. CBO, CLO or other CDO tranches can experience substantial losses due to defaults, deterioration of protecting tranches, market participants’ perception of credit risk, as well as aversion to these securities generally. The risks of an investment in a CBO, CLO or other CDO often depend on the collateral securities and the particular tranche in which the Fund invests. These securities are often privately offered and not registered under securities laws. In addition to the normal risks associated with fixed income securities (e.g., interest rate risk and credit risk), CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs carry additional risks including the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments, the possibility that the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default, the risk that the Fund may invest in CBOs, CLOs or other CDOs that are subordinate to other tranches, as well as risks related to the complexity of the security and its structure.

Federal, state and local government officials and representatives as well as certain private parties have proposed actions to assist homeowners who own or occupy property subject to mortgages. Certain of those proposals involve actions that would affect the mortgages that underlie or relate to certain mortgage-related securities, including securities or other instruments which a Fund may hold or in which it may invest. Some

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of those proposals include, among other things, lowering or forgiving principal balances; forbearing, lowering or eliminating interest payments; or utilizing eminent domain powers to seize mortgages, potentially for below market compensation. The prospective or actual implementation of one or more of these proposals may significantly and adversely affect the value and liquidity of securities held by a Fund and could cause the Fund’s net asset value to decline, potentially significantly. Considerable uncertainty remains in the market concerning the resolution of these issues; the range of proposals and the potential implications of any implemented solution are impossible to predict.

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”) and Multiclass Pass-Through Securities. CMOs are debt obligations collateralized by mortgage loans or mortgage pass-through securities. CMOs may be collateralized by Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), or Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) certificates, but also may be collateralized by whole loans or private mortgage pass-through securities (such collateral is collectively hereinafter referred to as “Mortgage Assets”). Mortgage Assets may be collateralized by commercial or residential uses. Multiclass pass-through securities are equity interests in a trust composed of Mortgage Assets. Payments of principal of and interest on the Mortgage Assets, and any reinvestment income thereon, may require the Fund to pay debt service on the CMOs or make scheduled distributions on the multiclass pass-through securities. CMOs may be issued by Federal Agencies, or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose subsidiaries of the foregoing. The issuer of a series of mortgage pass-through securities may elect to be treated as a Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit (“REMIC”). REMICs include governmental and/or private entities that issue a fixed pool of mortgages secured by an interest in real property. REMICs are similar to CMOs in that they issue multiple classes of securities, but unlike CMOs, which are required to be structured as debt securities, REMICs may be structured as indirect ownership interests in the underlying assets of the REMICs themselves. Although CMOs and REMICs differ in certain respects, characteristics of CMOs described below apply in most cases to REMICs, as well.

In a CMO, a series of bonds or certificates is issued in multiple classes. Each class of CMOs, often referred to as a tranche, is issued at a specific fixed or floating coupon rate and has a stated maturity or final distribution date. Principal prepayments on the Mortgage Assets may cause the CMOs to be retired substantially earlier than their stated maturities or final distribution dates. Interest is paid or accrues on all classes of the CMOs on a monthly, quarterly or semiannual basis. Certain CMOs may have variable or floating interest rates and others may be stripped mortgage securities. For more information on stripped mortgage securities, see “Stripped Mortgage Securities” below.

The principal of and interest on the Mortgage Assets may be allocated among the several classes of a CMO series in a number of different ways. Generally, the purpose of the allocation of the cash flow of a CMO to the various classes is to obtain a more predictable cash flow to certain of the individual tranches than exists with the underlying collateral of the CMO. As a general rule, the more predictable the cash flow is on a CMO tranche, the lower the anticipated yield will be on that tranche at the time of issuance relative to prevailing market yields on other MBS. As part of the process of creating more predictable cash flows on most of the tranches in a series of CMOs, one or more tranches generally must be created that absorb most of the volatility in the cash flows on the underlying mortgage loans. The yields on tranches with more volatile cash flows are generally higher than prevailing market yields on MBS with similar maturities. As a result of the uncertainty of the cash flows of these tranches, the market prices of and yield on these tranches generally are more volatile.

As CMOs have evolved, some classes of CMO bonds have become more common. For example, the Funds may invest in parallel-pay and planned amortization class (“PAC”) CMOs and multi-class pass through certificates. Parallel-pay CMOs and multi-class pass through certificates are structured to provide payments of principal on each payment date to more than one class. These simultaneous payments are taken into

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account in calculating the stated maturity date or final distribution date of each class, which, as with other CMO and multi-class pass-through structures, must be retired by its stated maturity date or final distribution date but may be retired earlier. PACs generally require payments of a specified amount of principal on each payment date. PACs are parallel-pay CMOs with the required principal amount on such securities having the highest priority after interest has been paid to all classes. Any CMO or multi-class pass through structure that includes PAC securities must also have support tranches—known as support bonds, companion bonds or non-PAC bonds—which lend or absorb principal cash flows to allow the PAC securities to maintain their stated maturities and final distribution dates within a range of actual prepayment experience. These support tranches are subject to a higher level of maturity risk compared to other mortgage-related securities, and usually provide a higher yield to compensate investors. If principal cash flows are received in amounts outside a pre-determined range such that the support bonds cannot lend or absorb sufficient cash flows to the PAC securities as intended, the PAC securities are subject to heightened maturity risk. Consistent with a Fund’s investment objectives and policies, a Fund may invest in various tranches of CMO bonds, including support bonds.

CMO Residuals. CMO residuals are mortgage securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, homebuilders, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose entities of the foregoing. The cash flow generated by the Mortgage Assets underlying a series of a CMO is applied first to make required payments of principal and interest on the securities or certificates issued by the CMO and second to pay the related administrative expenses and any management fee of the issuer. The residual in a CMO structure generally represents the interest in any excess cash flow remaining after making the foregoing payments. The amount of residual cash flow resulting from a CMO will depend on, among other things, the characteristics of the Mortgage Assets, the coupon rate of each class of CMO, prevailing interest rates, the amount of administrative expenses and the pre-payment experience on the Mortgage Assets. The yield to maturity on CMO residuals is extremely sensitive to pre-payments on the related underlying Mortgage Assets. In addition, if a series of a CMO includes a class that bears interest at an adjustable rate, the yield to maturity on the related CMO residual will be extremely sensitive to changes in the level of the index upon which interest rate adjustments are based. A Fund may fail to recoup fully its initial investment in a CMO residual. CMO residuals may or, pursuant to an exemption therefrom, may not have been registered under the Securities Act. CMO residuals, whether or not registered under the Securities Act, may be subject to certain restrictions on transferability, and may be deemed “illiquid.”

Government Mortgage Pass-Through Securities. The Funds may invest in mortgage pass-through securities representing participation interests in pools of residential mortgage loans purchased from individual lenders by an agency, instrumentality or sponsored corporation of the United States government (“Federal Agency”) or originated by private lenders and guaranteed, to the extent provided in such securities, by a Federal Agency. Such securities, which are ownership interests in the underlying mortgage loans, differ from conventional debt securities, which provide for periodic payment of interest in fixed amounts (usually semiannually) and principal payments at payments (not necessarily in fixed amounts) that are a pass-through of the monthly interest and principal payments (including any prepayments) made by the individual borrowers on the pooled mortgage loans, net of any fees paid to the guarantor of such securities and the servicer of the underlying mortgage loans.

The government mortgage pass-through securities in which the Funds may invest include those issued or guaranteed by Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Ginnie Mae certificates are direct obligations of the U.S. Government and, as such, are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Fannie Mae is a federally chartered, privately owned corporation and Freddie Mac is a corporate instrumentality of the United States. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac certificates are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States but the issuing agency or instrumentality has the right to borrow, to meet its obligations, from an existing line of credit with the U.S. Treasury. The U.S. Treasury has no legal obligation to provide such line of credit and may choose not to do so.

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Certificates for these types of MBS evidence an interest in a specific pool of mortgages. These certificates are, in most cases, modified pass-through instruments, wherein the issuing agency guarantees the payment of principal and interest on mortgages underlying the certificates, whether or not such amounts are collected by the issuer on the underlying mortgages.

The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (“HERA”) authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to support Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks (“FHLBs”) (collectively, the “GSEs”) by purchasing obligations and other securities from those government-sponsored enterprises. HERA gave the Secretary of the Treasury broad authority to determine the conditions and amounts of such purchases.

On September 6, 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship. As the conservator, FHFA succeeded to all rights, titles, powers and privileges of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and of any stockholder, officer or director of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with respect to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the assets of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. FHFA selected a new chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

In connection with the conservatorship, the U.S. Treasury, exercising powers granted to it under HERA, entered into a Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement (“SPA”) with each of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pursuant to which the U.S. Treasury will purchase up to an aggregate of $100 billion of each of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to maintain a positive net worth in each enterprise. This agreement contains various covenants that severely limit each enterprise’s operations. In exchange for entering into these agreements, the U.S. Treasury received $1 billion of each enterprise’s senior preferred stock and warrants to purchase 79.9% of each enterprise’s common stock. On February 18, 2009, the U.S. Treasury announced that it was doubling the size of its commitment to each enterprise under the Senior Preferred Stock Program to $200 billion. The U.S. Treasury’s obligations under the Senior Preferred Stock Program are for an indefinite period of time for a maximum amount of $200 billion per enterprise. On December 24, 2009, the U.S. Treasury announced further amendments to the SPAs which included additional financial support for each GSE through the end of 2012 and changes to the limits on their retained mortgage portfolios. Although legislation has been enacted to support certain GSEs, including the FHLBs, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, there is no assurance that GSE obligations will be satisfied in full, or that such obligations will not decrease in value or default. It is difficult, if not impossible, to predict the future political, regulatory or economic changes that could impact the GSEs and the values of their related securities or obligations.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are continuing to operate as going concerns while in conservatorship and each remain liable for all of its obligations, including its guaranty obligations, associated with its MBS. The SPA is intended to enhance each of Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s ability to meet its obligations.

On August 17, 2012, the U.S. Treasury announced that it was again amending the SPA to terminate the requirement that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac each pay a 10% dividend annually on all amounts received under the funding commitment. Instead, the companies will transfer to the U.S. Treasury on a quarterly basis all profits earned during a quarter that exceed a capital reserve amount. The capital reserve amount was $3 billion in 2013, and decreased by $600 million in each subsequent year through 2017. It is believed that this amendment puts Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in a better position to service their debt because it eliminated the need for the companies to have to borrow from the U.S. Treasury to make fixed dividend payments. As part of the new terms, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac also will be required to reduce their investment portfolios over time. On December 21, 2017, the U.S. Treasury announced that it was again amending the SPA to reinstate the $3 billion capital reserve amount. On September 30, 2019, the U.S. Treasury announced that it was further amending the SPA, now permitting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to retain earnings beyond the $3 billion capital reserves previously allowed through the 2017 amendment. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now permitted to maintain capital reserves of $25 billion and $20 billion, respectively.

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Under the Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008 (the “Reform Act”), which was included as part of HERA, FHFA, as conservator or receiver, has the power to repudiate any contract entered into by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac prior to FHFA’s appointment as conservator or receiver, as applicable, if FHFA determines, in its sole discretion, that performance of the contract is burdensome and that repudiation of the contract promotes the orderly administration of Fannie Mae’s or Freddie Mac’s affairs. The Reform Act requires FHFA to exercise its right to repudiate any contract within a reasonable period of time after its appointment as conservator or receiver.

FHFA, in its capacity as conservator, has indicated that it has no intention to repudiate the guaranty obligations of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac because FHFA views repudiation as incompatible with the goals of the conservatorship. However, in the event that FHFA, as conservator or if it is later appointed as receiver for Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, were to repudiate any such guaranty obligation, the conservatorship or receivership estate, as applicable, would be liable for actual direct compensatory damages in accordance with the provisions of the Reform Act. Any such liability could be satisfied only to the extent of Fannie Mae’s or Freddie Mac’s available assets. The future financial performance of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is heavily dependent on the performance of the U.S. housing market.

In the event of repudiation, the payments of interest to holders of Fannie Mae, or Freddie Mac MBS would be reduced if payments on the mortgage loans represented in the mortgage loan groups related to such MBS are not made by the borrowers or advanced by the servicer. Any actual direct compensatory damages for repudiating these guaranty obligations may not be sufficient to offset any shortfalls experienced by such mortgage-backed security holders.

Further, in its capacity as conservator or receiver, FHFA has the right to transfer or sell any asset or liability of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac without any approval, assignment or consent. Although FHFA has stated that it has no present intention to do so, if FHFA, as conservator or receiver, were to transfer any such guaranty obligation to another party, holders of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac MBS would have to rely on that party for satisfaction of the guaranty obligation and would be exposed to the credit risk of that party.

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

The FHFA recently announced plans to consider taking Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out of conservatorship. Should Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac be taken out of conservatorship, it is unclear whether the U.S. Treasury would continue to enforce its rights or perform its obligations under the SPAs. It is also unclear how the capital structure of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would be constructed post-conservatorship, and what effects, if any, the privatization of the enterprises will have on their creditworthiness and guarantees of certain securities in which a Fund may invest. Accordingly, should the FHFA take the enterprises out of conservatorship, there could be an adverse impact on the value of their securities, which could cause a Fund to lose value.

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On June 3, 2019, under the FHFA’s “Single Security Initiative,” Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac started issuing uniform mortgage-backed securities (“UMBS”). The Single Security Initiative seeks to align the characteristics of certain Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-based securities and to support the overall liquidity in certain markets. In addition, Freddie Mac has offered investors the opportunity to exchange outstanding legacy mortgage-backed securities for mirror UMBS. The effects that the Single Security Initiative may have on the market and other mortgage-backed securities are uncertain.

Private Mortgage Pass-Through Securities. Private mortgage pass-through securities are structured similarly to the Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage pass-through securities and are issued by United States and foreign private issuers such as originators of and investors in mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose subsidiaries of the foregoing. These securities usually are backed by a pool of conventional fixed rate or adjustable rate mortgage loans. Private mortgage pass-through securities typically are not guaranteed by an entity having the credit status of Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and are subject to greater complexity and risk of loss.

Mortgage Assets often consist of a pool of assets representing the obligations of a number of different parties. There are usually fewer properties in a pool of assets backing commercial MBS than in a pool of assets backing residential MBS hence they may be more sensitive to the performance of fewer Mortgage Assets. To lessen the effect of failures by obligors on underlying assets to make payments, those securities may contain elements of credit support, which fall into two categories: (i) liquidity protection and (ii) protection against losses resulting from ultimate default by an obligor on the underlying assets. Liquidity protection refers to the provision of advances, generally by the entity administering the pool of assets, to ensure that the receipt of payments on the underlying pool occurs in a timely fashion. Protection against losses resulting from default ensures ultimate payment of the obligations on at least a portion of the assets in the pool. This protection may be provided through guarantees, insurance policies or letters of credit obtained by the issuer or sponsor from third parties, through various means of structuring the transaction or through a combination of such approaches. The degree of credit support provided for each issue is generally based on historical information respecting the level of credit risk associated with the underlying assets. Delinquencies or losses in excess of those anticipated could adversely affect the return on an investment in a security.

Stripped Mortgage Securities. Stripped mortgage securities may be issued by Federal Agencies, or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose subsidiaries of the foregoing. Although stripped mortgage securities are purchased and sold by institutional investors through several investment banking firms acting as brokers or dealers, the market for such securities has not yet been fully developed. As a result, the secondary market for stripped mortgage-backed securities may be more volatile and less liquid than that for other mortgage-backed securities. Accordingly, stripped mortgage securities may be illiquid at certain times and a Fund may have difficulty in buying and selling such securities during such times. In general, stripped mortgage securities issued by Federal Agencies are typically more liquid than privately issued stripped mortgage securities.

Stripped mortgage securities usually are structured with two classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distribution of a pool of mortgage assets. A common type of stripped mortgage security will have one class receiving some of the interest and most of the principal from the mortgage assets, while the other class will receive most of the interest and the remainder of the principal. In the most extreme case, one class will receive all of the interest (the interest-only or “IO” class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only or “PO” class). PO classes generate income through the accretion of the deep discount at which such securities are purchased, and, while PO classes do not receive periodic payments of interest, they receive monthly payments associated with scheduled amortization and principal prepayment from the mortgage assets underlying the PO class. The yield to maturity on a PO or

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an IO class security is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the related underlying mortgage assets. A slower than expected rate of principal payments may have an adverse effect on a PO class security’s yield to maturity. If the underlying mortgage assets experience slower than anticipated principal repayment, the Fund may fail to fully recoup its initial investment in these securities. Conversely, a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on an IO class security’s yield to maturity. If the underlying mortgage assets experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, the Fund may fail to fully recoup its initial investment in these securities.

A Fund may purchase stripped mortgage securities for income, or for hedging purposes to protect the Fund’s portfolio against interest rate fluctuations. For example, since an IO class will tend to increase in value as interest rates rise, it may be utilized to hedge against a decrease in value of other fixed-income securities in a rising interest rate environment.

Mortgage Dollar Rolls. The Funds may enter into mortgage dollar rolls with a bank or a broker-dealer. A mortgage dollar roll is a transaction in which a Fund sells mortgage-related securities for immediate settlement and simultaneously purchases the same type of securities for forward settlement at a discount. While a Fund begins accruing interest on the newly purchased securities from the purchase or trade date, it is able to invest the proceeds from the sale of its previously owned securities, which will be used to pay for the new securities. The use of mortgage dollar rolls is a speculative technique involving leverage, and can have an economic effect similar to borrowing money for investment purposes.

Municipal Housing Revenue Bonds. A Fund may invest in municipal housing revenue bonds, which like mortgage-backed securities are secured by a pool of mortgages. Borrowers may default on the obligations that underlie investments in Municipal Housing Revenue bonds. The resulting risk is that the impairment of the value of the collateral underlying a security in which a Fund invests may result in a reduction in the value of the security. The structure of some of these securities may be complex and there may be less available information than other types of debt securities.

Forward Commitments. A Fund may enter into forward commitments, which are contracts to purchase mortgage securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond customary settlement time, if a Fund sets aside on its books liquid assets in an amount sufficient to meet the purchase price, or if a Fund enters into offsetting contracts for the forward sale of other securities it owns. In the case of to-be-announced (“TBA”) mortgage purchase commitments, the unit price and the estimated principal amount are established when a Fund enters into a contract, with the actual principal amount being within a specified range of the estimate. Forward commitments may be considered securities in themselves, and involve a risk of loss if the value of the security to be purchased declines prior to the settlement date, which risk is in addition to the risk of decline in the value of a Fund’s other assets. Where such purchases are made through dealers, a Fund relies on the dealer to consummate the sale. The dealer’s failure to do so may result in the loss to a Fund of an advantageous yield or price. Although the Funds will generally enter into forward commitments with the intention of acquiring securities for its portfolio, a Fund may dispose of a commitment prior to settlement if a Sub-Adviser deems it appropriate to do so. A Fund may realize short-term profits or losses upon the sale of forward commitments. A Fund may enter into TBA sale commitments to hedge its portfolio positions or to sell securities it owns under delayed delivery arrangements. Proceeds of TBA sale commitments are not received until the contractual settlement date. Unsettled TBA sale commitments are valued at current market value of the underlying securities. If the TBA sale commitment is closed through the acquisition of an offsetting purchase commitment, the Fund realizes a gain or loss on the commitment without regard to any unrealized gain or loss on the underlying security. If a Fund delivers securities under the commitment, the Fund realizes a gain or loss from the sale of the securities based upon the unit price established at the date the commitment was entered into.

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Sale-buyback Transactions

A Fund may effect simultaneous purchase and sale transactions that are known as “sale-buybacks.” A sale-buyback financing transaction consists of a sale of a security by a Fund to a counterparty, with a simultaneous agreement to repurchase the same or substantially the same security at an agreed-upon price and date. A Fund is not entitled to receive principal and interest payments, if any, made on the security sold to the counterparty during the term of the agreement. A Fund will recognize net income represented by the price differential between the price received for the transferred security and the agreed-upon repurchase price. This is commonly referred to as the “price drop”. A price drop consists of (i) the foregone interest and inflationary income adjustments, if any, a Fund would have otherwise received had the security not been sold and (ii) the negotiated financing terms between the Fund and counterparty. In periods of increased demand for the security, a Fund may receive a fee for use of the security by the counterparty, which may result in interest income to the Fund. Sale-buyback transactions are governed by Master Securities Forward Transaction Agreements (“Master Forward Agreements”), which are agreements between a Fund and select counterparties. The Master Forward Agreements maintain provisions for, among other things, transaction initiation and confirmation, payment and transfer, events of default, termination and maintenance of collateral.

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Bank Loans

The Funds may invest in bank loans, including term loans and floating rate loans. The Funds may invest in loans where a company is in uncertain financial condition, where the borrower has defaulted in the payment of interest or principal or performance of its covenants or agreements, or is involved in bankruptcy proceedings, reorganizations, or financial restructurings.

A term loan is a loan that has a specified repayment schedule. A delayed draw loan is a special feature in a term loan that permits the borrower to withdraw predetermined portions of the total amount borrowed at certain times. A bridge loan is a short-term loan arrangement typically made by a borrower in anticipation of longer-term permanent financing. Most bridge loans are structured so that their interest rates rise the longer the loans remain outstanding. A letter of credit is a guarantee by a bank that the borrower’s payment to the lender will be received on time and for the correct amount. If a Fund enters into a commitment with a borrower regarding a delayed draw term loan or bridge loan, the Fund will be obligated on one or more dates in the future to lend the borrower monies (up to an aggregate stated amount) if called upon to do so by the borrower.

Floating rate loans may be senior or subordinated obligations of the borrower and may be unsecured or secured by collateral of the borrower. The proceeds of floating rate loans are used by the borrower for a variety of purposes, including financing leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, mergers, acquisitions, stock repurchases, dividends, and to finance internal growth.

Loans are traded in a private, unregulated inter-dealer or inter-bank resale market and are generally subject to contractual restrictions that must be satisfied before a loan can be bought or sold. These restrictions may impede a Fund’s ability to buy or sell loans (thus affecting their liquidity) and may negatively impact the transaction price. It may take longer than seven days for transactions in loans to settle.

Inflation-Protected Securities

The Funds may invest in U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (“U.S. TIPS”), which are fixed income securities issued by the U.S. Department of Treasury, the principal amounts of which are adjusted daily based upon changes in the rate of inflation. The Funds may also invest in other inflation-protected securities issued by non-U.S. governments or by private issuers. U.S. TIPS pay interest on a semi-annual basis, equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted principal amount. The interest rate on these bonds is fixed at issuance, but over the life of the bond this interest may be paid on an increasing or decreasing principal value that has been adjusted for inflation.

Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed for U.S. TIPS, even during a period of deflation. However, because the principal amount of U.S. TIPS would be adjusted downward during a period of deflation, a Fund will be subject to deflation risk with respect to its investments in these securities. In addition, the current market value of the bonds is not guaranteed, and will fluctuate. If a Fund purchases in the secondary market U.S. TIPS whose principal values have been adjusted upward due to inflation since issuance, the Fund may experience a loss if there is a subsequent period of deflation. A Fund may also invest in other inflation-related bonds which may or may not provide a guarantee of principal and, therefore, subject the Fund to counterparty risk with respect to the issuer. If a guarantee of principal is not provided, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal amount.

The periodic adjustment of U.S. TIPS is calculated by the U.S. Treasury and is currently tied to the CPI-U. The CPI-U is a measurement of changes in the cost of living, made up of components such as housing, food, transportation and energy. Inflation-protected bonds issued by a non-U.S. Government are generally adjusted to reflect a comparable inflation index, calculated by that government. There can be no assurance

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that the CPI-U or any non-U.S. inflation index will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation (for example, due to changes in currency exchange rates), investors in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the bond’s inflation measure. In addition, there can be no assurance that the rate of inflation in a non-U.S. country will be correlated to the rate of inflation in the United States.

In general, the value of inflation-protected bonds is expected to fluctuate in response to changes in real interest rates, which are in turn tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. Therefore, if inflation were to rise at a faster rate than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in value of inflation-protected bonds. In contrast, if nominal interest rates increased at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-protected bonds. If inflation is lower than expected during the period a Fund holds the security, the Fund may earn less on the security than on a conventional bond. Any increase in principal value is taxable in the year the increase occurs, even though holders do not receive cash representing the increase at that time. As a result, if a Fund invests in inflation-protected securities, it could be required at times to liquidate other investments, including when it is not advantageous to do so, in order to satisfy its distribution requirements as a RIC and to eliminate any fund-level income tax liability under the Code.

Private Investments

Private Placement and Restricted Securities. The Funds may invest in securities that are purchased in private placements and, accordingly, are subject to restrictions on resale as a matter of contract or under federal securities laws. Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such investments, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, a Fund could find it more difficult to sell such securities when a Sub-adviser believes it advisable to do so or may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held. At times, it may also be more difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing a Fund’s net asset value.

While such private placements may offer attractive opportunities for investment not otherwise available on the open market, the securities so purchased are often restricted securities, i.e., securities which cannot be sold to the public without registration under the Securities Act or the availability of an exemption from registration (such as Rules 144 or 144A), or which are not readily marketable because they are subject to other legal or contractual delays in or restrictions on resale.

The absence of a trading market can make it difficult to ascertain a market value for illiquid investments. Disposing of illiquid investments may involve time-consuming negotiation and legal expenses, and it may be difficult or impossible for a Fund to sell them promptly at an acceptable price. A Fund may have to bear the extra expense of registering such securities for resale and the risk of substantial delay in effecting such registration. In addition, market quotations are less readily available. The judgment of the Adviser’s Valuation Committee will play a greater role in valuing these securities than in the case of publicly traded securities.

Generally speaking, restricted securities may be sold only to qualified institutional buyers, or in a privately negotiated transaction to a limited number of purchasers, or in limited quantities after they have been held for a specified period of time and other conditions are met pursuant to an exemption from registration, or in a public offering for which a registration statement is in effect under the Securities Act. A Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act when selling restricted securities to the public, and in such event a Fund may be liable to purchasers of such securities if the registration statement prepared by the issuer, or the prospectuses forming a part of it, is materially inaccurate or misleading.

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Redeemable Securities. Certain securities held by the Funds may permit the issuer at its option to call or redeem its securities. If an issuer were to redeem securities held by a Fund during a time of declining interest rates, the Fund may not be able to reinvest the proceeds in securities providing the same investment return as the securities redeemed.

Derivatives

Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act. Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act permits a Fund, subject to various conditions, to enter into derivatives transactions (as defined below) and certain other transactions notwithstanding the restrictions on the issuance of “senior securities” under Section 18 of the 1940 Act. Section 18 of the 1940 Act, among other things, prohibits open-end funds, including the Funds, from issuing or selling any “senior security,” other than borrowing from a bank (subject to a requirement to maintain 300% “asset coverage”). In connection with the adoption of Rule 18f-4, the SEC eliminated the asset segregation framework arising from prior SEC guidance for covering derivatives transactions and certain financial instruments.

Under Rule 18f-4, “derivatives transactions” include the following: (1) any swap, security-based swap, futures contract, forward contract, option, any combination of the foregoing, or any similar instrument, under which a Fund is or may be required to make any payment or delivery of cash or other assets during the life of the instrument or at maturity or early termination, whether as margin or settlement payment or otherwise; (2) any short sale borrowing; (3) reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions, if a Fund elects to treat these transactions as derivatives transactions under Rule 18f-4; and (4) when-issued or forward-settling securities and non-standard settlement cycle securities, unless such transactions meet the Delayed-Settlement Securities Provision.

Unless a fund qualifies as a “limited derivatives user” as defined below, pursuant to Rule 18f-4, a fund is required to, among other things, adopt and implement a derivatives risk management program (“DRMP”) and new testing requirements, comply with a relative or absolute limit on fund leverage risk calculated based on value-at-risk (“VaR”), and comply with new requirements related to Board and SEC reporting. The DRMP is administered by a “derivatives risk manager,” who is appointed by the Board and periodically reviews the DRMP and reports to the Board.

Rule 18f-4 provides an exception from the DRMP, VaR limit and certain other requirements for a fund that limits its “derivatives exposure” to no more than 10% of its net assets (as calculated in accordance with Rule 18f-4) (a “limited derivatives user”), provided that the fund establishes appropriate policies and procedures reasonably designed to manage derivatives risks, including the risk of exceeding the 10% “derivatives exposure” threshold.

The requirements of Rule 18f-4 may limit a Fund’s ability to engage in derivatives transactions as part of its investment strategies. These requirements may also increase the cost of a Fund’s investments and cost of doing business, which could adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments and/or the performance of

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the Fund. The rule also may not be effective to limit a Fund’s risk of loss. In particular, measurements of VaR rely on historical data and may not accurately measure the degree of risk reflected in a Fund’s derivatives or other investments. There may be additional regulation of the use of derivatives transactions by registered investment companies, which could significantly affect their use. The ultimate impact of the regulations remains unclear. Additional regulation of derivatives transactions may make them more costly, limit their availability or utility, otherwise adversely affect their performance or disrupt markets.

Hedging. Investing for hedging purposes or to increase a Fund’s return may result in certain additional transaction costs that may reduce a Fund’s performance. In addition, when used for hedging purposes, no assurance can be given that each derivative position will achieve a close correlation with the security or currency that is the subject of the hedge, or that a particular derivative position will be available when sought by the Sub-adviser. While hedging strategies involving derivatives can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments. Increases and decreases in the value of a Fund’s portfolio may be magnified when the Fund uses leverage. Certain derivatives may create a risk of loss greater than the amount invested.

Forward Contracts. The Funds may invest in forward contracts for speculative or hedging purposes. A forward contract involves a negotiated obligation to purchase or sell a specific asset at a future date (with or without delivery required), which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. Risks associated with forwards include: (i) there may be an imperfect correlation between the movement in prices of forward contracts and the securities underlying them; (ii) there may not be a liquid market for forwards; and (iii) forwards may be difficult to accurately value. Forwards are also subject to credit risk, liquidity risk and leverage risk, each of which is further described elsewhere in this section.

Futures Contracts and Options on Futures. The Funds may enter into futures contracts and options on futures contracts. An option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right, in exchange for a premium, to assume a position in a futures contract at a specified exercise price during the term of the option. There are special risks associated with entering into futures contracts and related options. The skills needed to use financial futures contracts effectively are different from those needed to select a Fund’s other investments. There may be an imperfect correlation between the price movements of futures contracts and the price movements of the securities in which each Fund invests. There is also a risk that a Fund will be unable to close a futures position when desired because there is no liquid secondary market for it.

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The risk of loss in trading futures contracts can be substantial due to the low margin deposits required and the extremely high degree of leverage involved in futures pricing. Relatively small price movements in a futures contract could have an immediate and substantial impact, which may be favorable or unfavorable to a Fund. It is possible for a price-related loss to exceed the amount of a Fund’s margin deposit.

Although some futures contracts by their terms call for the actual delivery or acquisition of securities at expiration, in most cases the contractual commitment is closed out before expiration. The offsetting of a contractual obligation is accomplished by purchasing (or selling as the case may be) on a commodities or futures exchange an identical futures contract calling for delivery in the same month. Such a transaction, if effected through a member of an exchange, cancels the obligation to make or take delivery of the securities. A Fund will incur brokerage fees when it purchases or sells financial futures contracts, and will be required to maintain margin deposits. If a liquid secondary market does not exist when a Fund wishes to close out a futures contract, it will not be able to do so and will continue to be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin in the event of adverse price movements. There is no assurance that a Fund will be able to enter into closing transactions.

The Funds may enter into futures contracts and related options on other underlying assets or indexes, including physical commodities and indexes of physical commodities.

At any time prior to expiration of a futures contract, a Fund may seek to close the position by taking an opposite position which would typically operate to terminate the Fund’s position in the futures contract. A final determination of any variation margin is then made, additional cash is required to be paid by or released to the Fund and the Fund realizes a loss or gain.

When purchasing a futures contract, a Fund will maintain with its custodian (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid that, when added to the amounts deposited with a futures commission merchant as margin, are equal to the market value of the futures contract. When selling a futures contract, a Fund will maintain with its custodian (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid that are equal to the market value of the futures contract.

Equity Index Futures Risk. An equity index future is a cash-settled futures contract on the value of a particular stock market index.

The use of equity index futures involves additional risks and transaction costs that could leave a Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Equity index futures may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in equity index futures could have a meaningful impact on performance.

Currency Futures Contracts and Options. The Funds may invest in currency futures contracts (or options thereon) as a hedge against changes in prevailing levels of currency exchange rates. Such contracts may be traded on U.S. or foreign exchanges. The Funds will not use such contracts or options for leveraging purposes. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of the underlying instrument. The price of futures can be highly volatile; using them could lower total return, and the potential loss from futures can exceed a Fund’s initial investment in such contracts. In addition, the value of the futures contract may not accurately track the value of the underlying instrument.

Interest Rate or Financial Futures Contracts. The Funds may invest in interest rate or financial futures contracts. Bond prices are established in both the cash market and the futures market. In the cash market, bonds are purchased and sold with payment for the full purchase price of the bond being made in cash, generally within five business days after the trade. In the futures market, a contract is made to purchase or sell a bond in the future for a set price on a certain date. Historically, the prices for bonds established in the futures markets have generally tended to move in the aggregate in concert with cash market prices, and the prices have maintained fairly predictable relationships.

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The sale of an interest rate or financial futures contract by a Fund would create an obligation by the Fund, as seller, to deliver the specific type of financial instrument called for in the contract at a specific future time for a specified price. A futures contract purchased by a Fund would create an obligation by the Fund, as purchaser, to take delivery of the specific type of financial instrument at a specific future time at a specific price. The specific securities delivered or taken, respectively, at settlement date, would not be determined until at or near that date. The determination would be in accordance with the rules of the exchange on which the futures contract sale or purchase was made.

Although interest rate or financial futures contracts by their terms call for actual delivery or acceptance of securities, in most cases the contracts are closed out before the settlement date without delivery of securities. Closing out of a futures contract sale is effected by a Fund’s entering into a futures contract purchase for the same aggregate amount of the specific type of financial instrument and the same delivery date. If the price in the sale exceeds the price in the offsetting purchase, a Fund is paid the difference and thus realizes a gain. If the offsetting purchase price exceeds the sale price, the Fund pays the difference and realizes a loss. Similarly, the closing out of a futures contract purchase is effected by the Fund’s entering into a futures contract sale. If the offsetting sale price exceeds the purchase price, the Fund realizes a gain, and if the purchase price exceeds the offsetting sale price, the Fund realizes a loss.

The Funds will deal only in standardized contracts on recognized exchanges. The exchange typically guarantees performance under contract provisions through a clearing corporation, a nonprofit organization managed by the exchange membership. Domestic interest rate futures contracts may be traded in an auction environment on the floor of an exchange, such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. A public market now exists in domestic futures contracts covering various financial instruments including long-term United States Treasury bonds and notes, GNMA modified pass-through MBS, three-month United States Treasury bills, and 90-day commercial paper. The Funds may trade in any futures contract for which there exists a public market, including, without limitation, the foregoing instruments. International interest rate futures contracts are traded on various international exchanges. Engaging in futures contracts on international exchanges may involve additional risks, including varying regulatory standards and supervision, fewer laws to protect investors, greater counterparty risk, greater transaction costs, greater volatility, and less liquidity, which could make it difficult for the Fund to transact.

Special Risks of Transactions in Futures Contracts. Financial futures contracts entail risks. If the Adviser’s or Sub-adviser’s judgment about the general direction of interest rates or markets is wrong, a Fund’s overall performance may be poorer than if no financial futures contracts had been entered into. For example, in some cases, securities called for by a financial futures contract may not have been issued at the time the contract was written. In addition, the market prices of financial futures contracts may be affected by certain factors.

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Congress, various exchanges and regulatory and self-regulatory authorities have undertaken reviews of futures trading in light of market volatility. Among the actions that have been taken or are proposed to be taken are new limits and reporting requirements for speculative positions, particularly in the energy markets, new or more stringent daily price fluctuation limits for futures transactions, and increased margin requirements for various types of futures transactions. Additional measures are under active consideration and as a result there may be further actions that adversely affect the regulation of the instruments in which a Fund invests. Subject to certain limitations, a Fund may enter into futures contracts on such contracts to attempt to protect against possible changes in the market value of securities held in or to be purchased by a Fund resulting from interest rate or market fluctuations, to protect a Fund’s unrealized gains in the value of its portfolio securities, to facilitate the sale of such securities for investment purposes, to manage its effective maturity or duration, or to establish a position in the derivatives markets as a temporary substitute for purchasing or selling particular securities.

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Options. The Funds may invest in options. An option is a contract between two parties for the purchase and sale of a financial instrument for a specified price (known as the “strike price” or “exercise price”) at a specified date. Unlike a futures contract, an option grants a right (not an obligation) to buy or sell a financial instrument. Generally, a seller of an option can grant a buyer two kinds of rights: a “call” (the right to buy the security) or a “put” (the right to sell the security). Options have various types of underlying instruments, including specific securities, indices of securities prices, foreign currencies, interest rates and futures contracts. Options may be traded on an exchange (exchange-traded options) or may be customized agreements between the parties (over-the-counter or “OTC” options). Like futures, a financial intermediary, known as a clearing corporation, financially backs exchange-traded options. However, OTC options have no such intermediary and are subject to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligations under the contract. The principal factors affecting the market value of an option include supply and demand, interest rates, the current market value of the underlying instrument relative to the exercise price of the option, the volatility of the underlying instrument, and the time remaining until the option expires.

Purchasing Put and Call Options. When a Fund purchases a put option, it buys the right to sell the instrument underlying the option at a fixed strike price. In return for this right, the Fund pays the current market price for the option (known as the “option premium”). A Fund may purchase put options to offset or hedge against a decline in the market value of its securities (“protective puts”) or to benefit from a decline in the price of securities that it does not own. A Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of the underlying securities decreased below the exercise price sufficiently to cover the premium and transaction costs. However, if the price of the underlying instrument does not fall enough to offset the cost of purchasing the option, a put buyer would lose the premium and related transaction costs.

Call options are similar to put options, except that a Fund obtains the right to purchase, rather than sell, the underlying instrument at the option’s strike price. A Fund would normally purchase call options in anticipation of an increase in the market value of securities it owns or wants to buy. A Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of the underlying instrument exceeded the exercise price plus the premium paid and related transaction costs. Otherwise, a Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the call option.

The purchaser of an option may terminate its position by:

Selling (Writing) Put and Call Options. When a Fund writes a call option it assumes an obligation to sell specified securities to the holder of the option at a fixed strike price if the option is exercised at any time before the expiration date. Similarly, when a Fund writes a put option it assumes an obligation to purchase specified securities from the option holder at a fixed strike price if the option is exercised at any time before the expiration date. A Fund may terminate its position in an exchange-traded put option before exercise by buying an option identical to the one it has written. Similarly, it may cancel an OTC option by entering into an offsetting transaction with the counterparty to the option.

A Fund could try to hedge against an increase in the value of securities it would like to acquire by writing a put option on those securities. If security prices rise, a Fund would expect the put option to expire and the premium it received to offset the increase in the security’s value. If security prices remain the same over time, a Fund would hope to profit by closing out the put option at a lower price. If security prices fall, a Fund may lose an amount of money equal to the difference between the value of the security and the premium it received. Writing covered put options may deprive a Fund of the opportunity to profit from a decrease in the market price of the securities it would like to acquire.

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The characteristics of writing call options are similar to those of writing put options, except that call writers expect to profit if prices remain the same or fall. A Fund could try to hedge against a decline in the value of securities it already owns by writing a call option. If the price of that security falls as expected, the Fund would expect the option to expire and the premium it received to offset the decline of the security’s value. However, a Fund must be prepared to deliver the underlying instrument in return for the strike price, which may deprive it of the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market price of the securities it holds.

The Funds are permitted to write only “covered” options. At the time of selling a call option, a Fund may cover the option by owning, among other things:

At the time of selling a put option, a Fund may cover the option by, among other things:

Options on Securities Indices. Options on securities indices are similar to options on securities, except that the exercise of securities index options requires cash settlement payments and does not involve the actual purchase or sale of securities. In addition, securities index options are designed to reflect price fluctuations in a group of securities or segment of the securities market rather than price fluctuations in a single security.

Options on Credit Default Swaps. An option on a credit default swap (“CDS”) gives the holder the right to enter into a CDS at a specified future date and under specified terms in exchange for a purchase price or premium. The writer of the option bears the risk of any unfavorable move in the value of the CDS relative to the market value on the exercise date, while the purchaser may allow the option to expire unexercised.

Combined Positions. The Funds may purchase and write options in combination with each other, or in combination with futures or forward contracts or swap agreements, to adjust the risk and return characteristics of the overall position. For example, a Fund could construct a combined position whose risk and return characteristics are similar to selling a futures contract by purchasing a put option and writing a call option on the same underlying instrument. Alternatively, a Fund could write a call option at one strike price and buy a call option at a lower price to reduce the risk of the written call option in the event of a substantial price increase. Because combined options positions involve multiple trades, they result in higher transaction costs and may be more difficult to open and close out.

Structured Notes. The Funds may invest in structured notes. Structured notes are securities on which the amount of principal repayment and interest payment is based on the movement of one or more specified factors. These factors may include equity indexes, a single equity security, a basket of equity securities, interest rates, referenced bonds, commodities, or foreign currencies. Some of the factors may correlate to the total rate of return on one or more underlying instruments of the notes. The value of structured notes can be significantly affected by changes in interest rates and security-specific factors. Structured notes and indexed securities may be positively or negatively indexed, so that appreciation of the unrelated factor may produce an increase or a decrease in the interest rate or the value of the structured note or indexed security at maturity may be calculated as a specified multiple of the change in the value of the unrelated factor.

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Structured notes can also be less liquid than other types of securities and more volatile than the reference factor(s) underlying the note. If the issuer of the note defaults, a Fund may lose money if it is not able to readily close out its investment in such notes without incurring losses. Investing in structured notes can involve counterparty risk, credit risk, interest rate risk, and market risk.

Interest Rate and Total Return Swap Agreements. The Funds may enter into interest rate swaps. The Funds may use interest rate swaps to increase or decrease exposure to a particular interest rate or rates, which may result in the Funds experiencing a gain or loss depending on whether the interest rates increased or decreased during the term of the agreement. For temporary, defensive purposes only, the Funds may also engage in total return swaps, in which payments made by a Fund or a counterparty are based on the total return of a particular reference asset or assets (such as a fixed-income security, a combination of securities, or an index). The value of a Fund’s swap positions would increase or decrease depending on the changes in value of the underlying rates, currency values, volatility or other indices or measures. Caps and floors have an effect similar to buying or writing options. Depending on how they are used, swap agreements may increase or decrease the overall volatility of a Fund’s investments and its share price. A Fund’s ability to engage in certain swap transactions may be limited by tax considerations.

A Fund’s ability to realize a profit from such transactions will depend on the ability of the financial institutions with which it enters into the transactions to meet their obligations to the Fund. If a counterparty’s creditworthiness declines, the value of the agreement would be likely to decline, potentially resulting in losses. If a default occurs by the other party to such transaction, a Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction, which may be limited by applicable law in the case of a counterparty’s insolvency. Under certain circumstances, suitable transactions may not be available to a Fund, or a Fund may be unable to close out its position under such transactions at the same time, or at the same price, as if it had purchased comparable publicly traded securities. Swaps carry counterparty risks that cannot be fully anticipated. Also, because, in some cases, swap transactions involve a contract between the two parties, such swap investments can be extremely illiquid, as it is uncertain as to whether another counterparty would wish to take assignment of the rights under the swap contract at a price acceptable to a Fund.

Credit Default Swaps. The Funds may enter into credit default swaps. A credit default swap is an agreement between a Fund and a counterparty that enables a Fund to buy or sell protection against a credit event related to a particular issuer. One party, acting as a protection buyer, makes periodic payments, which may be based on, among other things, a fixed or floating rate of interest, to the other party, a protection seller, in exchange for a promise by the protection seller to make a payment to the protection buyer if a negative credit event (such as a delinquent payment or default) occurs with respect to a referenced bond or group of bonds. Credit default swaps may also be structured based on the debt of a basket of issuers, rather than a single issuer, and may be customized with respect to the default event that triggers purchase or other factors, or defaults by a particular combination of issuers within the basket, may trigger a payment obligation). As a credit protection seller in a credit default swap contract, a Fund would be required to pay the par (or other agreed-upon) value of a referenced debt obligation to the counterparty following certain negative credit events as to a specified third-party debtor, such as default by a U.S. or non-U.S. corporate issuer on its debt obligations. In return for its obligation, a Fund would receive from the counterparty a periodic stream of payments, which may be based on, among other things, a fixed or floating rate of interest, over the term of the contract provided that no event of default has occurred. If no default occurs, a

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Fund would keep the stream of payments, and would have no payment obligations to the counterparty. The Funds may sell credit protection in order to earn additional income and/or to take a synthetic long position in the underlying security or basket of securities.

A Fund may enter into credit default swap contracts as protection buyer in order to hedge against the risk of default on the debt of a particular issuer or basket of issuers or attempt to profit from a deterioration or perceived deterioration in the creditworthiness of the particular issuer(s) (also known as buying credit protection). This would involve the risk that the investment may expire worthless and would only generate gain in the event of an actual default by the issuer(s) of the underlying obligation(s) (or, as applicable, a credit downgrade or other indication of financial instability). It would also involve the risk that the seller may fail to satisfy its payment obligations to the Fund. The purchase of credit default swaps involves costs, which will reduce a Fund’s return.

Credit default swaps involve a number of special risks. A Fund may enter into credit default swap contracts as a protection seller. A protection seller may have to pay out amounts following a negative credit event greater than the value of the reference obligation delivered to it by its counterparty and the amount of periodic payments previously received by it from the counterparty. When a Fund acts as a seller of a credit default swap, it is exposed to, among other things, leverage risk because if an event of default occurs the seller must pay the buyer the full notional value of the reference obligation. Each party to a credit default swap is subject to the credit risk of its counterparty (the risk that its counterparty may be unwilling or unable to perform its obligations on the swap as they come due). The value of the credit default swap to each party will change based on changes in the actual or perceived creditworthiness of the underlying issuer.

A protection buyer may lose its investment and recover nothing should an event of default not occur. A Fund may seek to realize gains on its credit default swap positions, or limit losses on its positions, by selling those positions in the secondary market. There can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist at any given time for any particular credit default swap or for credit default swaps generally.

The market for credit default swaps has become more volatile in recent years as the creditworthiness of certain counterparties has been questioned and/or downgraded. The parties to a credit default swap may be required to post collateral to each other. If a Fund posts initial or periodic collateral to its counterparty, it may not be able to recover that collateral from the counterparty in accordance with the terms of the swap. In addition, if a Fund receives collateral from its counterparty, it may be delayed or prevented from realizing on the collateral in the event of the insolvency or bankruptcy of the counterparty. A Fund may exit its obligations under a credit default swap only by terminating the contract and paying applicable breakage fees, or by entering into an offsetting credit default swap position, which may cause the Fund to incur more losses.

The CFTC regulates the trading of commodity interests, including commodity futures contracts, options on commodity futures, and swaps (which includes cash-settled currency forwards and swaps). A Fund that invests in commodity interests is subject to certain CFTC regulatory requirements, including certain limits on its trading of commodity interests to qualify for certain exclusions or exemptions from registration requirements. The Adviser, on behalf of the Funds, has filed a notice of eligibility for exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” (“CPO”) under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (“CEA”), pursuant to CFTC Rule 4.5, with respect to each Fund’s operation. Therefore, the Funds and the Adviser are not subject to regulation as a commodity pool or CPO under the CEA and the Adviser is not subject to registration as a CPO. If a Fund were no longer able to claim the exclusion, the Adviser may be required to register as a CPO and the Fund and the Adviser would be subject to regulation as a commodity pool or CPO under the CEA. If a Fund or the Adviser is subject to CFTC regulation, it may incur additional expenses.

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Repurchase Agreements

The Funds may enter into repurchase agreements. Under such agreements, the seller of the security agrees to repurchase it at a mutually agreed upon time and price. The repurchase price may be higher than the purchase price, the difference being income to a Fund, or the purchase and repurchase prices may be the same, with interest at a stated rate due to a Fund together with the repurchase price on repurchase. In either case, the income to a Fund is unrelated to the interest rate on the security itself. The Funds will generally enter into repurchase agreements of short durations, from overnight to one week, although the underlying securities generally have longer maturities. The Funds may not enter into a repurchase agreement with more than seven days to maturity if, as a result, more than 15% of the value of its net assets would be invested in illiquid investments that are assets, including such repurchase agreements.

It is not clear whether a court would consider the security acquired by a Fund subject to a repurchase agreement as being owned by the Fund or as being collateral for a loan by the Fund to the seller. In the event of the commencement of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings with respect to the seller of the security before its repurchase under a repurchase agreement, a Fund may encounter delays and incur costs before being able to sell the security. Delays may involve loss of interest or a decline in price of the security. If a court characterizes the transaction as a loan, and a Fund has not perfected a security interest in the security, the Fund may be required to return the security to the seller’s estate and be treated as an unsecured creditor of the seller. As an unsecured creditor, a Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved in the transaction. As with any unsecured debt instrument purchased for a Fund, the Adviser or Sub-Adviser seeks to minimize the risk of loss through repurchase agreements by analyzing the creditworthiness of the other party, in this case the seller of the security.

Apart from the risk of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, there is also the risk that the seller may fail to repurchase the security. However, each Fund will always receive as collateral for any repurchase agreement to which it is a party, securities acceptable to it, the market value of which is equal to at least 102% of the amount invested by the Fund plus accrued interest, and the Fund will make payment against such securities only upon physical delivery or evidence of book entry transfer to the account of its custodian. If the market value of the security subject to the repurchase agreement becomes less than the repurchase price (including interest), a Fund will direct the seller of the security to deliver additional securities so that the market value of all securities subject to the repurchase agreement will equal or exceed the repurchase price. It is possible that a Fund will be unsuccessful in seeking to impose on the seller a contractual obligation to deliver additional securities.

The acquisition of a repurchase agreement may be deemed to be an acquisition of the underlying securities as long as the obligation of the seller to repurchase the securities is collateralized fully, as such term is defined in the 1940 Act and the Rules thereunder.

A reverse repurchase agreement involves the sale of a portfolio-eligible security by a Fund to another party, such as a bank or broker-dealer, coupled with its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price. Under a reverse repurchase agreement, a Fund continues to receive any principal and interest payments on the underlying security during the term of the agreement.

Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act permits a Fund to enter into reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions notwithstanding the limitation on the issuance of senior securities in Section 18 of the 1940 Act, provided that the Fund either (i) complies with the 300% asset coverage ratio with respect to such transactions and any other borrowings in the aggregate, or (ii) treats such transactions as derivatives transactions under Rule 18f-4. As of the date of this SAI, the Funds have elected to treat reverse repurchase agreements as derivatives transactions.

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Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) Integration

Certain Sub-advisers may consider ESG characteristics as part of the investment process for their allocated portion of a Fund. These considerations will vary depending on a Fund’s particular investment strategies and may include consideration of third-party research as well as consideration of proprietary research across the ESG risks and opportunities regarding an issuer. A Sub-adviser may consider those ESG characteristics it deems relevant or additive when making investment decisions for a Fund. The ESG characteristics utilized in a Fund’s investment process are anticipated to evolve over time and one or more characteristics may not be relevant with respect to all issuers that are eligible for investment.

ESG characteristics are not the sole considerations when making investment decisions for a Fund. Further, investors can differ in their views of what constitutes positive or negative ESG characteristics. As a result, a Fund may invest in issuers that do not reflect the beliefs and values with respect to ESG of any particular investor. ESG considerations may affect a Fund’s exposure to certain companies or industries and a Fund may forego certain investment opportunities. While certain Sub-advisers may view ESG considerations as having the potential to contribute to a Fund’s long-term performance, there is no guarantee that such results will be achieved.

Certain Funds may incorporate specific ESG, impact or sustainability considerations into their investment objectives, strategies, and/or processes, as described in the Prospectus.

Other Investment Risks

The following risk considerations relate to investment practices undertaken by the Funds. Generally, since shares of each Fund represent an investment in securities with fluctuating market prices, shareholders should understand that the value of their Fund shares will vary as the value of a Fund’s portfolio securities increases or decreases. Therefore, the value of an investment in the Funds could go down as well as up. You can lose money by investing in a Fund. There is no guarantee of successful performance, that a Fund’s objective can be achieved or that an investment in a Fund will achieve a positive return. An investment in a Fund should be considered as a means of diversifying an investment portfolio and is not in itself a balanced investment program. Prospective investors should consider the following risks.

Market Risks

Various market risks can affect the price or liquidity of an issuer’s securities. Adverse events occurring with respect to an issuer’s performance or financial position can depress the value of the issuer’s securities. The liquidity in a market for a particular security will affect its value and may be affected by factors relating to the issuer, as well as the depth of the market for that security.

Other market risks that are not specifically related to an issuer of the security or other asset, or that affect a particular issuer or issuers, exchange, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class that can affect value include a market’s current attitudes about type of security, general market conditions, market reactions to political or economic events, and tax and regulatory effects (including lack of adequate regulations for a market or particular type of instrument). Local, regional, or global events such as government defaults, government shutdowns, war, regional conflicts, acts of terrorism, social unrest, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issue, recessions, natural disaster, and other events, or widespread fear that such events may occur, could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments. Market restrictions on trading volume can also affect price and liquidity.

Certain risks exist because of the composition and investment horizon of a particular portfolio of securities. Prices of many securities tend to be more volatile in the short-term and lack of diversification in a portfolio can also increase volatility.

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Legal, tax and regulatory changes could occur that may adversely affect the Funds and their ability to pursue their investment strategies and/or increase the costs of implementing such strategies. Government regulation may change the manner in which the Funds are regulated or affect the Funds’ expenses and/or the value of the Funds’ investments. Government regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for the Funds or their investments.

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Multi-Manager and Multi-Style Management Risk

Fund performance is dependent upon the success of the Adviser and the Sub-advisers in implementing the Funds’ investment strategies in pursuit of their goals. To a significant extent, the Funds’ performance will depend on the success of the Adviser’s methodology in allocating the Funds’ assets to Sub-advisers and the selection and oversight of the Sub-advisers and on a Sub-adviser’s skill in executing the relevant strategy and selecting investments for the Funds. There can be no assurance that the Adviser or Sub-advisers will be successful in this regard.

In addition, because portions of a Fund’s assets are managed by different Sub-advisers using different styles/strategies, a Fund could experience overlapping security transactions. Certain Sub-advisers may be purchasing securities at the same time that other Sub-advisers may be selling those same securities, which may lead to higher transaction expenses compared to a Fund using a single investment management style. The Adviser’s and the Sub-advisers’ 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 the Adviser’s or a Sub-adviser’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 a Fund’s value may be adversely affected.

Temporary Defensive Investments

The Funds may, from time to time, take temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with their principal investment strategies in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions. For example, during such period, 100% of a Fund’s assets may be invested in short-term, high-quality fixed income securities, cash or cash equivalents. Temporary defensive positions may be initiated by the individual Sub-advisers or by the Adviser when a Sub-adviser and/or the Adviser judges that market conditions make pursuing a Fund’s investment strategies inconsistent with the best interests of its shareholders. A Sub-adviser and/or the Adviser then may temporarily use these alternative strategies that are mainly designed to limit a Fund’s losses or to create liquidity in anticipation of redemptions. When a Fund takes temporary defensive positions, it may not achieve its investment objective.

Cybersecurity Risk

The Funds and their service providers may be susceptible to operational, information security, and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber-attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems to misappropriate assets or sensitive information, corrupt data, or otherwise disrupt operations. Cyber incidents affecting the Adviser, a Sub-adviser, or other service providers (including, but not limited to, fund accountants, fund administrators, custodians, transfer agents, and financial intermediaries) have the ability to disrupt and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, by interfering with the Funds’ ability to calculate their NAV, corrupting data or preventing parties from sharing information necessary for the Funds’ operation, preventing or slowing trades, stopping shareholders from making transactions, potentially subjecting the Funds or the Adviser to regulatory fines and penalties, and creating additional compliance costs. Similar types of cyber security risks are also present for issuers or securities in which the Funds may invest, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Funds’ investments in such companies to lose value.

The Funds and their service provides are also subject to risks related to disasters and other events, such as storms, earthquakes, fires, outbreaks of infectious diseases (such as COVID-19), utility failures, terrorist acts, political and social developments, and military and governmental actions. These risks are often collectively referred to as “business continuity” risks. For instance, the global spread of COVID-19 has caused the Funds and their service providers to implement business continuity plans, including widespread

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use of work-from-home arrangements. Recent global events, such as the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine and resulting economic sanctions by the U.S. and other countries against certain Russian individuals and companies, could also drive a rise in retaliatory cyber-events in Europe and other parts of the world, including the U.S. While the Funds’ service providers have established business continuity plans to mitigate cybersecurity risks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Additionally, the Funds cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by their service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect the Funds or their shareholders. Although each Fund attempts to minimize such failures through controls and oversight, it is not possible to identify all of the operational risks that may affect a Fund or to develop processes and controls that completely eliminate or mitigate the occurrence of such failures or other disruptions in service. The value of an investment in a Fund’s shares may be adversely affected by the occurrence of the operational errors or failures or technological issues or other similar events and a Fund and its shareholders may bear costs tied to these risks.

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

The Funds have adopted the following policies as fundamental policies (unless otherwise noted), which may not be changed without the affirmative vote of the holders of a “majority” of the outstanding voting securities of the Funds. Under the 1940 Act, the “vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” means the vote of the holders of the lesser of (i) 67% of the shares of a Fund represented at a meeting at which the holders of more than 50% of the Fund’s outstanding shares are represented or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.

Fundamental Policies

The investment policies below have been adopted as fundamental policies for the Funds.

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The following descriptions of the 1940 Act may assist investors in understanding the above policies and restrictions.

BORROWING. The 1940 Act restricts an investment company from borrowing in excess of 33 1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed, but excluding temporary borrowings not in excess of 5% of its total assets). Transactions that are fully collateralized in a manner that does not involve the prohibited issuance of a “senior security” within the meaning of Section 18(f) of the 1940 Act, shall not be regarded as borrowings for the purposes of a Fund’s investment restriction.

CONCENTRATION. The SEC has defined concentration as investing 25% or more of an investment company’s total assets in any particular industry or group of industries, with certain exceptions such as with respect to investments in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies and instrumentalities, or tax-exempt obligations of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions. For purposes of a Fund’s concentration policy, the Fund may classify and re-classify companies in a particular industry and define and re-define industries in any reasonable manner, consistent with SEC guidance.

DIVERSIFICATION. Under the 1940 Act and the rules, regulations and interpretations thereunder, a “diversified company,” as to 75% of its total assets, may not purchase securities of any issuer (other than obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. government or its agencies, or instrumentalities or securities of other investment companies) if, as a result, more than 5% of its total assets would be invested in the securities of such issuer, or more than 10% of the issuer’s voting securities would be held by a Fund. For purposes of each Fund’s diversification policy, the identification of the issuer of a security may be determined in any reasonable manner, consistent with SEC guidance.

LENDING. Under the 1940 Act, an investment company may only make loans if expressly permitted by its investment policies.

COMMODITIES AND REAL ESTATE. The 1940 Act does not directly restrict an investment company’s ability to invest in commodities or real estate, but does require that every investment company have the fundamental investment policy governing such investments. Each Fund has adopted a fundamental policy that would permit direct investment in commodities and real estate. However, each Fund has a non-fundamental investment limitation that prohibits it from investing directly in real estate. This non-fundamental policy may be changed by vote of the Board.

SENIOR SECURITIES. Senior securities may include any obligation or instrument issued by an investment company evidencing indebtedness. The 1940 Act generally prohibits a fund from issuing senior

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securities, although it provides allowances for certain borrowings. In addition, Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act permits a fund to enter into derivatives transactions, notwithstanding the prohibitions and restrictions on the issuance of senior securities under the 1940 Act, provided that the fund complies with the conditions of Rule 18f-4.

UNDERWRITING. Under the 1940 Act, underwriting securities involves an investment company purchasing securities directly from an issuer for the purpose of selling (distributing) them or participating in any such activity either directly or indirectly. Under the 1940 Act, a diversified fund may not make any commitment as underwriter, if immediately thereafter the amount of its outstanding underwriting commitments, plus the value of its investments in securities of issuers (other than investment companies) of which it owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities, exceeds 25% of the value of its total assets.

Non-Fundamental Policies

The Funds observe the following policies, which are not deemed fundamental and which may be changed by the Board without shareholder vote.

In addition:

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Except with respect to borrowing, if a percentage restriction set forth in the Prospectus or in this SAI is adhered to at the time of investment, a subsequent increase or decrease in a percentage resulting from a change in the values of assets will not constitute a violation of that restriction. A Fund will reduce its borrowing amount within three days (not including Sundays and holidays), if its asset coverage falls below the amount required by the 1940 Act. With respect to the limitation on illiquid investments, in the event that a subsequent change in net assets or other circumstances causes a Fund to exceed its limitation, the Fund will take steps to bring the aggregate amount of illiquid investments back within the limitations as soon as reasonably practicable.

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

The frequency of portfolio transactions of the Funds (the portfolio turnover rate) will vary from year to year depending on many factors. From time to time, the Funds may engage in active short-term trading to take advantage of price movements affecting individual issues, groups of issues or markets. An annual portfolio turnover rate of 100% would occur if all the securities in a Fund were replaced once in a period of one year. Higher portfolio turnover rates may result in increased brokerage costs to the Funds and a possible increase in short-term capital gains or losses. The Funds’ annual portfolio turnover rates for the last five years will be included in the “Financial Highlights” section of the Funds’ prospectus.

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PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION

The Trust, on behalf of the Funds, has adopted a portfolio holdings disclosure policy that governs the timing and circumstances of disclosure of the holdings of the Funds. The policy was developed in consultation with the Adviser and has been adopted by the Adviser. Information about a Fund’s holdings will not be distributed to any third party except in accordance with this policy. The Board considered the circumstances under which a Fund’s holdings may be disclosed under this policy and the actual and potential material conflicts that could arise in such circumstances between the interests of the Funds’ shareholders and the interests of the Adviser, the principal underwriter or any affiliated person of the Fund. After due consideration, the Board determined that, when approved by the Trust’s CCO, the Funds have a legitimate business purpose for disclosing holdings to persons described in the policy, including mutual fund rating or statistical agencies, or persons performing similar functions, and internal parties involved in the investment process, or custody of the Funds. Pursuant to the policy, the Trust’s CCO is authorized to consider and authorize dissemination of portfolio holdings information to additional third parties, after considering the best interests of the shareholders and potential conflicts of interest in making such disclosures.

The Board exercises continuing oversight of the disclosure of the Funds’ holdings by (1) overseeing the implementation and enforcement of the portfolio holding disclosure policy, Codes of Ethics and other relevant policies of the Funds and their service providers by the Trust’s CCO, (2) by considering reports and recommendations by the Trust’s CCO concerning any material compliance matters (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act), and (3) by considering to approve any amendment to this policy. The Board reserves the right to amend the policy at any time without prior notice in its sole discretion.

Disclosure of the Funds’ complete holdings is required to be made quarterly within 60 days of the end of each period covered by the Annual Report and Semiannual Report to shareholders and in the quarterly holdings report on Form N-PORT. These reports are available, free of charge, on the EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at sec.gov. The Funds may provide complete portfolio holdings at the same time reports are filed with the SEC.

In the event of a conflict between the interests of the Funds and the interests of the Adviser or an affiliated person of the Adviser, the Adviser’s CCO, in consultation with the Trust’s CCO, shall make a

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determination in the best interests of the Fund, and shall report such determination to the Board at the end of the quarter in which such determination was made. Any employee of the Adviser who suspects a breach of this obligation must report the matter immediately to the Adviser’s CCO, the Trust’s CCO or to his or her supervisor.

In addition, material non-public holdings information may be provided without lag as part of the normal investment activities of the Funds to each of the following entities which, by explicit agreement or by virtue of their respective duties to the Funds, are required to maintain the confidentiality of the information disclosed, including a duty not to trade on non-public information: the Adviser, the Sub-advisers, the fund administrator (“Administrator”), the fund accountant, the custodian (the “Custodian”), the transfer agent (the “Transfer Agent”), pricing vendors, proxy voting service providers, auditors, counsel to the Funds or the Trustees, broker-dealers (in connection with the purchase or sale of securities or requests for price quotations or bids on one or more securities), and regulatory authorities.

Holdings information not publicly available with the SEC or through the Funds’ website may only be provided to additional third parties, including mutual fund ratings or statistical agencies, in accordance with the policy, when a Fund has a legitimate business purpose and when the third-party recipient is subject to a confidentiality agreement that includes a duty not to trade on non-public information. The Funds may disclose portfolio holdings to transition managers, provided that the relevant Fund or the Adviser has entered into a non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement with the transition manager.

In no event shall the Adviser, its affiliates or employees, the Funds, or any other party in connection with any arrangement receive any direct or indirect compensation in connection with the disclosure of information about the Funds’ holdings.

There can be no assurance that the policy and these procedures will protect the Funds from potential misuse of that information by individuals or entities to which it is disclosed.

From time to time, the Adviser may make additional disclosure of the Funds’ portfolio holdings on the Funds’ website. Shareholders can access the Funds’ website at www.bridgebuildermutualfunds.com for additional information about the Funds, including, without limitation, the periodic disclosure of its portfolio holdings.

The Funds may also disclose certain commentary and analytical, statistical, performance or similar information relating to the Funds or their portfolio holdings if certain conditions are met. The information must be for legitimate business purposes and must be deemed to be non-material non-public information based on a good faith review of the particular facts and circumstances. Examples of such non-material non-public information may include, but are not limited to, the following types of information: allocation of a Fund’s portfolio securities and other investments among various asset classes, sectors, industries, market capitalizations, countries and regions; the characteristics of the stock or fixed income components and other investments of a Fund; the attribution of a Fund’s returns by asset class, sector, industry, market capitalization, country and region; certain volatility characteristics of a Fund; certain valuation metrics of a Fund (such as average price to earnings ratio and average earnings growth); and maturity and credit quality statistics for a Fund’s fixed income holdings. From time to time, the Adviser may make these additional disclosures on the Funds’ website. Shareholders can access the Funds’ website at www.bridgebuildermutualfunds.com.

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TRUSTEES AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The Board oversees the overall management of the Trust, including general oversight of the investment activities of the Funds. The Board, in turn, elects the officers of the Trust, who are responsible for administering the day-to-day operations of the Trust and each of its separate series, including the Funds. The current Trustees and officers of the Trust, their year of birth, position with the Trust, term of office with the Trust and length of time served, and their principal occupation and other directorships for the past five years are set forth below. The address of each Trustee and officer is c/o Bridge Builder Trust, 12555 Manchester Road, St. Louis, MO 63131.

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Additional Information Concerning the Board of Trustees

The Role of the Board. The Board oversees the management and operations of the Trust. Like all mutual funds, the day-to-day management and operation of the Trust is the responsibility of the various service providers to the Trust, such as the Adviser, each of the Sub-advisers, the Distributor, the Administrator, the Custodian, and the Transfer Agent, each of which is discussed in greater detail in this SAI. The Board has appointed various senior employees of the Adviser as officers of the Trust, with responsibility to monitor and report to the Board on the Trust’s operations. In conducting this oversight, the Board receives regular reports from these officers and the service providers. For example, the Treasurer reports as to financial reporting matters.

In addition, the Adviser and the Sub-advisers provide regular reports on the investment strategy and performance of the Funds. The Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer who administers the Trust’s compliance program and regularly reports to the Board as to compliance matters. These reports are provided as part of formal Board meetings which are typically held quarterly and involve the Board’s review of recent operations. In addition, various members of the Board also meet with management in less formal settings, between formal Board meetings, to discuss various topics. In all cases, however, the role of the Board and of any individual Trustee is one of oversight and not of management of the day-to-day affairs of the Trust and its oversight role does not make the Board a guarantor of the Trust’s investments, operations or activities.

Board Structure, Leadership. The Board has structured itself in a manner that it believes allows it to perform its oversight function effectively. It has established two standing committees, a Governance and Nominating Committee and an Audit Committee (which also serves as the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee (“QLCC”)), which are discussed in greater detail below. At least a majority of the Board is comprised of Trustees who are Independent Trustees, which generally are Trustees who are not affiliated with the Adviser, the Sub-advisers, the principal underwriter, or their affiliates. In addition, the Chairman of the Board is an Independent Trustee. The Board has determined not to combine the Chairman position and the principal executive officer position and has appointed a senior employee of the Adviser as the President of the Trust. The Board reviews its structure and the structure of its committees annually. The Board has determined that its leadership structure, the composition of the Board, and the function and composition of its various committees are appropriate means to address any potential conflicts of interest that may arise. The leadership structure of the Board may be changed, at any time and in the discretion of the Board, including in response to changes in circumstances or the characteristics of the Trust.

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days prior to the shareholder meeting at which any such nominee would be voted on. Submission of a Trustee candidate recommendation by a shareholder does not guarantee such candidate will be nominated as a Trustee.

The Governance and Nominating Committee identifies and screens Independent Trustee candidates for nomination and appointment to the Board and submits final recommendations to the full Board for approval. In doing so, the Governance and Nominating Committee takes into account such factors as it considers relevant, including without limitation, educational background, strength of character, mature judgment, career specialization, relevant technical skills or financial acumen, diversity of viewpoint, industry knowledge, experience, demonstrated capabilities, independence, commitment, reputation, background, diversity, understanding of the investment business and understanding of business and financial matters generally. No one factor is controlling, either with respect to the group or any individual.

Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, the Board has designated the Adviser as the valuation designee for the Funds responsible for determining the fair value of Fund investments that do not have readily available market quotations, subject to Board oversight and certain reporting and other requirements. The Adviser has established a Valuation Committee with members from relevant departments within the Adviser to assist the Adviser in carrying out its responsibilities under Rule 2a-5 and in accordance with the Adviser’s valuation policy and procedures. The function of the Valuation Committee is to assess and manage any material risks associated with the determination of the fair value of the Funds’ investments, review the appropriateness and accuracy of fair value methodologies and monitor for circumstances that may necessitate the use of fair value pricing or a change in fair value methodologies, and to determine fair value for the Funds’ investments. The Valuation Committee typically meets on a monthly basis and more frequently as necessary.

Board Oversight of Risk Management. As part of its oversight function, the Board receives and reviews various risk management reports and discusses these matters with appropriate management and other personnel. Because risk management is a broad concept comprised of many elements (e.g., investment risk, issuer and counterparty risk, liquidity risk, compliance risk, operational risks, business continuity risks, etc.), the oversight of different types of risks is handled in different ways. For example, the Audit

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Committee meets with the Treasurer and the Trust’s independent auditors to discuss, among other things, the internal control structure of the Trust’s financial reporting function. The Board meets quarterly, and otherwise as needed, with the Chief Compliance Officer to discuss compliance, operational and other risks and how they are managed. The Board also receives reports from the Adviser as to investment risks of the Funds. In addition to these reports, from time to time the Board receives reports from the Administrator and the Adviser as to enterprise risk management.

The Board recognizes that not all risks that may affect a Fund can be identified and/or quantified, that it may not be practical or cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, that it may be necessary for a Fund to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s goals and that the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness.

Information about Each of the Trustee’s Qualifications, Experience, Attributes or Skills. The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve on the Board because of their ability to review and understand information about the Funds provided to them by management, to identify and request other information they may deem relevant to the performance of their duties, to question management and other service providers regarding material factors bearing on the management and administration of the Funds, and to exercise their business judgment in a manner that serves the best interests of the Trust’s shareholders. The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve as a Trustee based on their own experience, qualifications, attributes and skills as described below.

In its periodic assessment of the effectiveness of the Board, the Board considers the complementary individual skills and experience of the individual Trustees primarily in the broader context of the Board’s overall composition so that the Board, as a body, possesses the appropriate (and appropriately diverse) skills and experience to oversee the business of the Funds. Moreover, references to the qualifications, attributes and skills of trustees are pursuant to requirements of the SEC, and do not constitute holding out of the Board or any trustee as having any special expertise or experience.

Ms. Haas has held a variety of leadership roles at Edward Jones and other financial services firms, in which she gained extensive experience with mutual funds and other investment products. She also currently serves on the board of a non-profit organization.

Ms. Leary-Jago has gained experience with multiple aspects of the investment management industry, including operations, risk management and compliance, through various leadership roles at investment management firms and with industry associations.

Ms. Mosbacher has significant financial services and mutual fund experience as a Principal of Edward Jones for over 33 years. Prior to her retirement in December 2019, she served as a Principal in the following areas at Edward Jones: Branch Team Inclusion & Diversity; Packaged Products Strategy; Insurance & Annuity Products; and Investment Banking. She also has experience as a director on several non-profit boards and the Insured Retirement Institute.

Ms. Carter has significant investment advisory experience as a senior executive of Russell Investment Group, serving as a managing director, member of the corporate operating committee and a member of the investment management group’s fund strategy committee. She joined Russell Investment Group in 1982. Ms. Carter has also served as an Independent Trustee on the board of another registered investment company overseeing multiple funds. She is a previous Chair of that board. These positions over the course of 23 years involved oversight of over 140 funds and the development of a mutual fund business joint venture.

Mr. Griffith has substantial experience with the financial services industry and with federal securities laws and regulations. Mr. Griffith was a partner in the Global Finance Group of Sidley Austin LLP. His practice

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focused on securitization and structured finance, which encompassed term and conduit executions involving a variety of assets. Mr. Griffith worked on large, complex industrial/consumer transactions, including direct asset purchases, master trusts, and whole business securitizations for clients that included commercial and investment banks, insurance companies, and other financial institutions.

Mr. Jacoby has over 40 years of combined public accounting and investment management industry experience, which he has gained through various leadership roles at audit and investment management firms, with industry associations and on the boards of other registered funds. Mr. Jacoby has been determined to qualify as an Audit Committee Financial Expert for the Trust and the Edward Jones Money Market Fund. The Board believes Mr. Jacoby’s experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees, lead to the conclusion that he possesses the requisite skills and attributes to carry out oversight responsibilities as Audit Committee Financial Expert for the Trust and the Edward Jones Money Market Fund.

Ms. Keeley has significant financial services and mutual fund experience as an executive vice president for Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. where she was responsible for managerial oversight for fixed income portfolio management, research and trading as well as the value and mid-cap growth equity portfolio management and research teams. As an Executive Vice President at Ameriprise, Ms. Keeley also served on the Balance Sheet Management Committee and Capital Markets Committee. She has over 25 years of experience in the mutual fund industry. Ms. Keeley also has experience as a director on several corporate and non-profit boards, including currently serving as a director of Graywolf Press. She previously served as a director of American Equity Life Holding Company (“American Equity Life”) and served on the Executive Compensation and Talent Committee, and as Chair of the Investment Committee, of the board of directors of American Equity Life. Ms. Keeley also previously served as a director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines (“FHLB”), Chair of the FHLB Board’s Finance and Planning Committee and Chair of the FHLB Board’s Human Resources and Compensation Committee.

Ms. Stam has significant experience as a managing executive and general counsel of Vanguard, a registered investment adviser, and the Vanguard mutual funds, and as an Associate Director of the SEC’s Division of Investment Management. She also serves as a trustee of the CBRE Global Real Estate Income Fund, a closed-end fund listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Ms. Stam has substantial experience in and knowledge of the investment management industry, investment company and investment adviser regulation and operations, shareholder relations and fund governance, which provides her with important perspectives on the operation and management of the Trust.

Mr. Sylvester managed short-term funds and money market funds for over 40 years. During that time, he was responsible for a large money market fund complex, and played a lead role in the complex’s response to money market fund reform, as well as numerous money market fund acquisitions and mergers.

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Trustee Ownership of Portfolio Shares

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Compensation

The Trustees who are not affiliated with Edward Jones each receive from the Trust an annual retainer and per meeting fees (plus reimbursement of expenses) for Board meeting attendance. In addition, each Committee Chair and the Board Chair receives an additional annual retainer. This compensation (and reimbursement of expenses) is allocated pro rata among the various series comprising the Trust and the Edward Jones Money Market Fund based on the relative net assets of each series of the Trust and the Edward Jones Money Market Fund. The Trustees who are not affiliated with Edward Jones each also receive additional per meeting fees from the applicable series of the Trust and the Edward Jones Money Market Fund for any special Board or Committee meetings at rates depending on the length and format of the meeting. The Trust has no pension or retirement plan.

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Code of Ethics

The Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-advisers, and the principal underwriter have each adopted Codes of Ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These Codes permit, subject to certain conditions, personnel of the Adviser, the Sub-advisers and the principal underwriter to invest in securities that may be purchased or held by the Funds.

PROXY VOTING POLICIES

CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of a Fund. A control person is one who owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of the Fund or acknowledges the existence of control. Shareholders controlling a Fund could have the ability to vote a majority of the shares of the Fund on any matter requiring the approval of Fund shares. The control person of the Adviser, is The Jones Financial Companies, a Missouri L.L.L.P.

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THE FUNDS’ INVESTMENT TEAMS

Olive Street Investment Advisers, LLC (the “Adviser”), 12555 Manchester Road, St. Louis, MO 63131, acts as investment adviser to the Funds pursuant to an investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) with the Trust. The Jones Financial Companies, L.L.L.P. controls the Adviser. Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser furnishes, at its own expense, all services, facilities and personnel necessary in connection with managing the Funds’ investments.

The Adviser shall (i) provide the Trust through investment Sub-advisers with such investment research, advice and supervision as the Trust may from time to time consider necessary for the proper management of the assets of the Funds, (ii) furnish continuously an investment program for the Funds, and (iii) determine from time to time which securities or other investments shall be purchased, sold or exchanged for the Funds, including providing or obtaining such services as may be necessary in managing, acquiring or disposing of securities, cash or other investments.

In consideration of the services to be provided by the Adviser pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is entitled to receive an investment management fee from the Funds as follows:

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After its initial two year term, the Advisory Agreement continues in effect for successive annual periods so long as such continuation is specifically approved at least annually by the vote of (1) the Board (or a majority of the outstanding shares of the Funds), and (2) a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of any party to the Advisory Agreement, in each case, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Advisory Agreement may be terminated at any time, without penalty, by either party to the Advisory Agreement upon a 60-day written notice and is automatically terminated in the event of its “assignment,” as defined in the 1940 Act.

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Under certain circumstances, the Adviser may engage one or more third-party transition management service providers to execute transactions on behalf of a Fund where the Adviser has allocated a portion of the Fund’s assets away from a particular Sub-adviser, but the Board has not yet approved an advisory agreement with a replacement Sub-adviser or such replacement Sub-adviser has not yet begun managing Fund assets. During such time, the Adviser will instruct the transition manager(s) as to what transactions to effect on behalf of a Fund’s portfolio. The duration of any such transition management services will be determined by the Adviser’s ability to identify an appropriate replacement Sub-adviser and when such replacement Sub-adviser can begin managing Fund assets.

The Adviser and the Trust have obtained an exemptive order from the SEC to operate under a manager of managers structure that permits the Adviser, with the approval of the Board of Trustees, to appoint and replace sub-advisers, enter into sub-advisory agreements, and materially amend and terminate sub-advisory agreements on behalf of the Funds without shareholder approval (the “Manager of Managers Structure”). Under the Manager of Managers Structure, the Adviser has ultimate responsibility, subject to oversight of the Board of Trustees, for overseeing the Trust’s Sub-advisers and recommending to the Board their hiring, termination, or replacement. The SEC order does not apply to any Sub-adviser that is affiliated with the Adviser. The adoption of the Manager of Managers Structure by the Funds also requires prior shareholder approval. Such approval was obtained for each Fund from its initial shareholder. Thus, each Fund is currently operating under the Manager of Managers Structure. The exemptive order provides that amounts payable by each Fund to its Sub-advisers under the Funds’ sub-advisory agreements need not be disclosed to shareholders. In accordance with a separate exemptive order that the Trust and the Adviser have obtained from the SEC, the Board may approve a new sub-advisory agreement or a material amendment to an existing sub-advisory agreement at a meeting that is not in person, subject to certain conditions, including that the Trustees are able to participate in the meeting using a means of communication that allows them to hear each other simultaneously during the meeting.

The Manager of Managers Structure enables the Trust to operate with greater efficiency by not incurring the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approvals for matters relating to Sub-advisers or sub-advisory agreements. Operation of the Funds under the Manager of Managers Structure does not permit management fees paid by the Fund to the Adviser to be increased without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be notified of any changes made to Sub-advisers or material changes to sub-advisory agreements within 90 days of the change.

The Adviser and its affiliates may have other relationships, including significant financial relationships, with current or potential Sub-advisers or their affiliates, which may create a conflict of interest. However, in making recommendations to the Board to appoint or to change a Sub-adviser, or to change the terms of a sub-advisory agreement, the Adviser considers the Sub-adviser’s investment process, risk management, and historical performance with the goal of retaining Sub-advisers for the Fund that the Adviser believes are skilled and can deliver appropriate risk-adjusted returns over a full market cycle. The Adviser does not consider any other relationship it or its affiliates may have with a Sub-adviser or its affiliates, and the Adviser discloses to the Board the nature of any material relationships it has with a Sub-adviser or its affiliates when making recommendations to the Board to appoint or to change a Sub-adviser, or to change the terms of a sub-advisory agreement.

The Adviser has ultimate responsibility for the investment performance of the Funds due to its responsibility to oversee the Sub-advisers and recommend their hiring, termination and replacement to the Board.

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The Sub-advisers

The following section provides information regarding each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed, material conflicts of interest, and any ownership of securities in the Funds for which he or she sub-advises. Each portfolio manager or team member is referred to as a portfolio manager below. The portfolio managers are shown together in this section only for ease in presenting the information and should not be viewed for purposes of comparing the portfolio managers or their firms against one another. Each firm is a separate entity that may employ different compensation structures and may have different management requirements, and each portfolio manager may be affected by different conflicts of interest.

Other Accounts Managed by Portfolio Managers. The table below identifies, for each portfolio manager of the Fund, the number of accounts managed (excluding the Fund) and the total assets in such accounts, within each of the following categories: registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles, and other accounts. To the extent that any of these accounts are subject to a performance-based

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Conflicts of Interest. The portfolio management team manages money for the Baird Funds, Baird and other direct separate account relationships.

Baird manages potential conflicts of interest between a mutual fund it manages and other types of accounts through formal trade allocation policies and oversight by Baird’s investment management department and compliance department.

Allocation policies are designed to address potential conflicts of interest in situations where two or more mutual funds and/or other accounts participate in investment transactions involving the same securities.

Potential conflicts of interest that might arise from managing multiple portfolios are lessened by ensuring that equitable treatment of advisory clients both in priority of execution of orders and in the allocation of price (and commission, if applicable for situations other than step-outs and directed brokerage arrangements) is obtained in the execution of aggregated orders for the accounts of two or more advisory clients.

Compensation. Baird’s portfolio managers are compensated through a base salary and an annual incentive bonus. A portfolio manager’s base salary is generally a fixed amount based on level of experience and

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responsibilities. A portfolio manager’s bonus is determined primarily by investment performance of the accounts, including the Fund, and the revenues and overall profitability of Baird. Before-tax performance is measured relative to the appropriate benchmark’s long and short-term performance, measured on a one-three-five-year and since inception basis as applicable, with greater weight given to long-term performance. Portfolio managers may own and may be offered an opportunity to purchase or sell common stock in Baird’s parent company, Baird Financial Corporation. Portfolio managers may also own and may be offered an opportunity to purchase or sell shares in private equity offerings sponsored by Baird.

J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc., 383 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10179 (“JPMIM”) is the Sub-adviser for an allocated portion of the Fund pursuant to a Sub-advisory Agreement with the Adviser. JPMIM is a wholly-owned subsidiary of JPMorgan Asset Management Holdings, Inc., which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase & Co., a bank holding company. For its services as a Sub-adviser, JPMIM is entitled to receive a fee from the Core Bond Fund.

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Conflicts of Interest. The potential for conflicts of interest exists when portfolio managers manage other accounts with similar investment objectives and strategies as the Fund (“Similar Accounts”). Potential conflicts may include, for example, conflicts between investment strategies and conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities.

Responsibility for managing the JPMIM’s and its affiliates’ clients’ portfolios is organized according to investment strategies within asset classes. Generally, client portfolios with similar strategies are managed by portfolio managers in the same portfolio management group using the same objectives, approach and philosophy. Underlying sectors or strategy allocations within a larger portfolio are likewise managed by portfolio managers who use the same approach and philosophy as similarly managed portfolios. Therefore, portfolio holdings, relative position sizes and industry and sector exposures tend to be similar across similar portfolios and strategies, which minimizes the potential for conflicts of interest.

JPMIM and/or its affiliates perform investment services, including rendering investment advice, to varied clients. JPMIM and/or its affiliates and its or their directors, officers, agents, and/or employees may render similar or differing investment advisory services to clients and may give advice or exercise investment responsibility and take such other action with respect to any of its other clients that differs from the advice given or the timing or nature of action taken with respect to another client or group of clients. It is JPMIM’s policy, to the extent practicable, to allocate, within its reasonable discretion, investment opportunities among clients over a period of time on a fair and equitable basis. One or more of JPMIM’s other client accounts may at any time hold, acquire, increase, decrease, dispose, or otherwise deal with positions in investments in which another client account may have an interest from time-to-time.

JPMIM and/or its affiliates, and any of its or their directors, partners, officers, agents or employees, may also buy, sell, or trade securities for their own accounts or the proprietary accounts of JPMIM and/or its affiliates, within their discretion, may make different investment decisions and other actions with respect to their own proprietary accounts than those made for client accounts, including the timing or nature of such investment decisions or actions. Further, JPMIM is not required to purchase or sell for any client account securities that it, and/or its affiliates, and any of its or their employees, principals, or agents may purchase or sell for their own accounts or the proprietary accounts of JPMIM and/or its affiliates or its clients.

JPMIM and/or its affiliates may receive more compensation with respect to certain Similar Accounts than that received with respect to the Fund or may receive compensation based in part on the performance of certain Similar Accounts. This may create a potential conflict of interest for JPMIM and its affiliates or the portfolio managers by providing an incentive to favor these Similar Accounts when, for example, placing securities transactions. In addition, JPMIM or its affiliates could be viewed as having a conflict of interest to the extent that JPMIM or an affiliate has a proprietary investment in Similar Accounts, the portfolio managers have personal investments in Similar Accounts or the Similar Accounts are investment options in JPMIM’s or its affiliates’ employee benefit plans. Potential conflicts of interest may arise with both the aggregation and allocation of securities transactions and allocation of investment opportunities because of market factors or investment restrictions imposed upon JPMIM and its affiliates by law, regulation, contract or internal policies. Allocations of aggregated trades, particularly trade orders that were only partially completed due to limited availability and allocation of investment opportunities generally, could raise a potential conflict of interest, as JPMIM or its affiliates may have an incentive to allocate securities that are expected to increase in value to favored accounts. Initial public offerings, in particular, are frequently of very limited availability. JPMIM and its affiliates may be perceived as causing accounts they manage to participate in an offering to increase JPMIM’s and its affiliates’ overall allocation of securities in that offering. A potential conflict of interest also may be perceived to arise if transactions in one account closely follow related transactions in a different account, such as when a purchase increases the value of securities previously purchased by another account, or when a sale in one account lowers the sale price

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received in a sale by a second account. If JPMIM or its affiliates manage accounts that engage in short sales of securities of the type in which the Fund invests, JPMIM or its affiliates could be seen as harming the performance of the Fund for the benefit of the accounts engaging in short sales if the short sales cause the market value of the securities to fall.

As an internal policy matter, JPMIM or its affiliates may from time to time maintain certain overall investment limitations on the securities positions or positions in other financial instruments JPMIM or its affiliates will take on behalf of its various clients due to, among other things, liquidity concerns and regulatory restrictions. Such policies may preclude the Fund from purchasing particular securities or financial instruments, even if such securities or financial instruments would otherwise meet the Fund’s objectives.

The goal of JPMIM and its affiliates is to meet their fiduciary obligation with respect to all clients. JPMIM and its affiliates have policies and procedures that seek to manage conflicts. JPMIM and its affiliates monitor a variety of areas, including compliance with fund guidelines, review of allocation decisions and compliance with JPMIM’s Codes of Ethics and JPMorgan Chase and Co.’s Code of Conduct. With respect to the allocation of investment opportunities, JPMIM and its affiliates also have certain policies designed to achieve fair and equitable allocation of investment opportunities among its clients over time.

One example of a policy design to achieve fair and equitable allocation of investment opportunities is that orders received in the same security and within a reasonable time period from a market event (e.g., a change in a security rating) are continuously aggregated on the appropriate trading desk so that new orders are aggregated with current outstanding orders, consistent with JPMIM’s duty of best execution for its clients. However, there are circumstances when it may be appropriate to execute the second order differently due to other constraints or investment objectives. Such exceptions often depend on the asset class. Examples of these exceptions, particularly in the fixed income area, are sales to meet redemption deadlines or orders related to less liquid assets.

If aggregated trades are fully executed, accounts participating in the trade will typically be allocated their pro rata share on an average price basis. Partially filled orders generally will be allocated among the participating accounts on a pro-rata average price basis, subject to certain limited exceptions. Use of average price for execution of aggregated trade orders is particularly true in the equity area. However, certain investment strategies, such as the use of derivatives, or asset classes, such as fixed income that use individual trade executions due to the nature of the strategy or supply of the security, may not be subject to average execution price policy and would receive the actual execution price of the transaction. Additionally, some accounts may be excluded from pro rata allocations. Accounts that would receive a de minimis allocation relative to their size may be excluded from the order. Another exception may occur when thin markets or price volatility require that an aggregated order be completed in multiple executions over several days. Deviations from pro rata allocations are documented by the business. JPMIM attempts to mitigate any potential unfairness by basing non-pro-rata allocations traded through a single trading desk or system upon an objective predetermined criteria for the selection of investments and a disciplined process for allocating securities with similar duration, credit quality and liquidity in the good faith judgment of JPMIM so that fair and equitable allocation will occur over time.

Compensation. JPMIM’s compensation programs are designed to align the behavior of employees with the achievement of its short- and long-term strategic goals, which revolve around client investment objectives. This is accomplished, in part, through a balanced performance assessment process and total compensation program, as well as a clearly defined culture that rigorously and consistently promotes adherence to the highest ethical standards.

In determining portfolio manager compensation, JPMIM uses a balanced discretionary approach to assess performance against four broad categories: (1) business results; (2) risk and control; (3) customers and clients; and (4) people and leadership.

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These performance categories consider short-, medium- and long-term goals that drive sustained value for clients, while accounting for risk and control objectives. Specifically, portfolio manager performance is evaluated against various factors including the following: (1) blended pre-tax investment performance relative to competitive indices, generally weighted more to the long-term; (2) individual contribution relative to the client’s risk/return objectives; and (3) adherence with JPMIM’s compliance, risk and regulatory procedures.

Feedback from JPMIM’s risk and control professionals is considered in assessing performance.

JPMIM maintains a balanced total compensation program comprised of a mix of fixed compensation (including a competitive base salary and, for certain employees, a fixed cash allowance), variable compensation in the form of cash incentives, and long-term incentives in the form of equity based and/or fund-tracking incentives that vest over time. Long-term awards comprise up to 60% of overall incentive compensation, depending on an employee’s pay level.

Long-term awards are generally in the form of time-vested JPMorgan Chase & Co. Restricted Stock Units (“RSUs”). However, portfolio managers are subject to a mandatory deferral of long-term incentive compensation under JPMorgan’s Mandatory Investor Plan (“MIP”). The MIP provides for a rate of return equal to that of the Fund(s) that the portfolio managers manage, thereby aligning portfolio manager’s pay with that of their client’s experience/return. 100% of the portfolio manager’s long-term incentive compensation is eligible for MIP with 50% allocated to the specific Fund(s) they manage, as determined by their respective manager. The remaining portion of the overall amount is electable and may be treated as if invested in any of the other funds available in the plan or can take the form of RSUs.

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PGIM, Inc., 655 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102 (“PGIM”) is the Sub-adviser for an allocated portion of the Fund pursuant to a Sub-advisory Agreement with the Adviser. PGIM is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc. For its services as a Sub-adviser, PGIM is entitled to receive a fee from the Core Bond Fund.

Other Accounts Managed by Portfolio Managers. The table below identifies, for each portfolio manager of the Fund, the number of accounts managed (excluding the Fund) and the total assets in such accounts, within each of the following categories: registered investment companies, other pooled investment

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Conflicts of Interest. Like other investment advisers, PGIM Fixed Income is subject to various conflicts of interest in the ordinary course of its business. PGIM Fixed Income strives to identify potential risks, including conflicts of interest, that are inherent in its business, and PGIM Fixed Income conducts annual conflict of interest reviews. However, PGIM does not believe that it is possible to identify every potential conflict that can arise. When actual or potential conflicts of interest are identified, PGIM Fixed Income seeks to address such conflicts through one or more of the following methods:

PGIM Fixed Income follows the policies of Prudential Financial, Inc. on business ethics, personal securities trading, and information barriers. PGIM Fixed Income has adopted a code of ethics, allocation policies and conflicts of interest policies, among others, and has adopted supervisory procedures to monitor compliance with its policies. PGIM Fixed Income cannot guarantee, however, that its policies and procedures will detect and prevent, or result in the disclosure of, each and every situation in which a conflict arises or could potentially arise.

Side-by-Side Management of Accounts and Related Conflicts of Interest. PGIM Fixed Income’s side-by-side management of multiple accounts can create conflicts of interest. Examples are detailed below, followed by a discussion of how PGIM Fixed Income addresses these conflicts.

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How PGIM Fixed Income Addresses These Conflicts of Interest. PGIM Fixed Income has developed policies and procedures reasonably designed to address the conflicts of interest with respect to its different types of side-by-side management described above.

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PGIM Fixed Income believes that the conflicts related to its affiliations described above are mitigated by its allocation policies and procedures, its supervisory review of accounts and its procedures with respect to side-by-side management, including of long only and long/short accounts.

Conflicts Related to Financial Interests and the Financial Interests of Affiliates

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In general, conflicts related to the financial interests described above are addressed by the fact that PGIM Fixed Income makes investment decisions for each client independently considering the best economic interests of such client, under the circumstances.

Conflicts Arising Out of Legal and Regulatory Restrictions.

Conflicts Related to Investment Consultants. Many of PGIM Fixed Income’s clients and prospective clients retain investment consultants (including discretionary investment managers and OCIO providers) to advise them on the selection and review of investment managers (including with respect to the selection of investment funds). PGIM Fixed Income has dealings with these investment consultants in their roles as discretionary managers or non-discretionary advisers to their clients. PGIM Fixed Income also has independent business relationships with investment consultants.

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PGIM Fixed Income provides investment consultants with information about accounts that it manages for the consultant’s clients (and similarly, PGIM Fixed Income provides information about funds in which such clients are invested), in each case pursuant to authorization from the clients. PGIM Fixed Income also provides information regarding its investment strategies to investment consultants, who use that information in connection with searches that they conduct for their clients. PGIM Fixed Income often responds to requests for proposals in connection with those searches.

Other interactions PGIM Fixed Income has with investment consultants include the following:

PGIM Fixed Income will provide clients with information about its relationship with the client’s investment consultant upon request. In general, PGIM Fixed Income relies on the investment consultant to make the appropriate disclosure to its clients of any conflict that the investment consultant believes to exist due to its business relationships with PGIM Fixed Income.

A client’s relationship with an investment consultant could result in restrictions in the eligible securities or trading counterparties for the client’s account. For example, accounts of certain clients (including clients that are subject to ERISA) can be restricted from investing in securities issued by the client’s consultant or its affiliates and from trading with, or participating in transactions involving, counterparties that are affiliated with the investment consultant. In some cases, these restrictions could have a material impact on account performance.

Conflicts Related to Securities Lending and Reverse Repurchase Fees. When PGIM Fixed Income manages a client account and also serves as securities lending agent and/or engages in reverse repurchase transactions for the account, PGIM Fixed Income is compensated for its securities lending and reverse repurchase services by receiving a portion of the proceeds generated from the securities lending and reverse repurchase activities of the account. PGIM Fixed Income could, therefore, be considered to have an incentive to invest in securities that would generate higher securities lending and reverse repurchase

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returns, even if these investments were not otherwise in the best interest of the client account. In addition, if PGIM Fixed Income is acting as securities lending agent and providing reverse repurchase services, PGIM Fixed Income may be incented to select the less costly alternative to increase its revenues.

Conflicts Related to Long-Term Compensation. As a result of the long-term incentive plan and targeted long-term incentive plan, PGIM Fixed Income’s portfolio managers from time to time have financial interests related to the investment performance of some, but not all, of the accounts they manage. For example, the performance of some client accounts is not reflected in the calculation of changes in the value of participation interests under PGIM Fixed Income’s long-term incentive plan. This may be because the composite representing the strategy in which the account is managed is not one of the composites included in the calculation or because the account is excluded from a specified composite due to guideline restrictions or other factors. In addition, the performance of only a small number of its investment strategies is covered under PGIM Fixed Income’s targeted long-term incentive plan. Further, for certain PGIM Fixed Income investment professionals, participation interests in the targeted long-term incentive plan constitute a significant percentage of their total long-term compensation. To address potential conflicts related to these financial interests, PGIM Fixed Income has procedures, including trade allocation and supervisory review procedures, designed to confirm that each of its client accounts is managed in a manner that is consistent with PGIM Fixed Income’s fiduciary obligations, as well as with the account’s investment objectives, investment strategies and restrictions. For example, the head of PGIM Fixed Income reviews performance among similarly managed accounts on a quarterly basis during a series of meetings with the senior portfolio manager and team responsible for the management of each investment strategy. These quarterly investment strategy review meetings generally are also attended by one or both of PGIM Fixed Income’s co-chief investment officers, the head of quantitative analysis and risk management or his designee and a member of the compliance group, among others.

Conflicts Related to the Offer and Sale of Securities. Certain of PGIM Fixed Income’s employees offer and sell securities of, and interests in, commingled funds that it manages or subadvises. Employees offer and sell securities in connection with their roles as registered representatives of an affiliated broker-dealer, officers of an affiliated trust company, agents of the Insurance Affiliates, approved persons of an affiliated investment adviser or other roles related to such commingled funds. There is an incentive for PGIM Fixed Income’s employees to offer these securities to investors regardless of whether the investment is appropriate for such investor since increased assets in these vehicles will result in increased advisory fees to it. In addition, such sales could result in increased compensation to the employee.

Conflicts Related to Employee/Investment Professional Trading. Personal trading by PGIM Fixed Income employees creates a conflict when they are trading the same securities or types of securities as PGIM Fixed Income trades on behalf of its clients. This conflict is mitigated by PGIM Fixed Income’s personal trading standards and procedures.

Conflicts Related to Outside Business Activity. From time to time, certain of PGIM Fixed Income employees or officers engage in outside business activity, including outside directorships. Any outside business activity is subject to prior approval pursuant to PGIM Fixed Income’s personal conflicts of interest and outside business activities policy. Actual and potential conflicts of interest are analyzed during such approval process. PGIM Fixed Income could be restricted in trading the securities of certain issuers in client portfolios in the unlikely event that an employee or officer, as a result of outside business activity, obtains material, non-public information regarding an issuer.

Compensation. The base salary of an investment professional in the PGIM Fixed Income unit of PGIM is primarily based on market data relative to similar positions as well as the past performance, years of experience and scope of responsibility of the individual. PGIM Fixed Income is allocated an overall incentive pool based on the investment and financial performance of the business. Incentive compensation for investment professionals, including the annual cash bonus, the long-term equity grant and grants under PGIM Fixed Income’s long-term incentive plans, is primarily based on such person’s contribution to PGIM

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Fixed Income’s goal of providing investment performance to clients consistent with portfolio objectives, guidelines, risk parameters, and its compliance risk management and other policies, as well as market-based data such as compensation trends and levels of overall compensation for similar positions in the asset management industry. In addition, an investment professional’s qualitative contributions to the organization and its commercial success are considered in determining incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not solely based on the performance of, or value of assets in, any single account or group of client accounts.

The PGIM Fixed Income unit within PGIM Limited (“PGIM Fixed Income (U.K.)”) has adopted a remuneration policy in relation to activities conducted through the entities authorized and regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom. The remuneration policy is intended to be compliant with the United Kingdom’s Investment Firms Prudential Regime (“IFPR”) and governs the remuneration of PGIM Fixed Income (U.K.) staff and “material risk takers” of PGIM Fixed Income (U.K.) including those that are based outside the United Kingdom.

An investment professional’s annual cash bonus is paid from an annual incentive pool. The pool is developed as a percentage of PGIM Fixed Income’s operating income and the percentage used to calculate the pool may be refined by factors such as:

BlackRock Investment Management, LLC (“BlackRock”), located at 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, is the Sub-adviser for an allocated portion of the Core Plus Bond Fund pursuant to a Sub-advisory Agreement with the Adviser. BlackRock is a wholly owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. For its services as a Sub-adviser, BlackRock is entitled to receive a fee from the Core Plus Bond Fund. BlackRock has entered into a sub-sub-advisory agreement with each of BlackRock International Limited (“BIL”), a U.K.-based affiliate of BlackRock, and BlackRock (Singapore) Limited (“BRS” and together with BIL the “Sub-Sub-Advisers”), a Singapore-based affiliate of BlackRock, to facilitate the provision of advice and trading out of non-U.S. jurisdictions pursuant to which, with respect to the portion of the Core Plus Bond Fund’s assets allocated to BlackRock, the Sub-Sub-Advisers are entitled to receive a fee for their services from BlackRock.

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As a fiduciary, BlackRock owes a duty of loyalty to its clients and must treat each client fairly. When BlackRock purchases or sells securities for more than one account, the trades must be allocated in a manner consistent with its fiduciary duties. BlackRock attempts to allocate investments in a fair and equitable manner among client accounts, with no account receiving preferential treatment. To this end, BlackRock has adopted policies that are intended to ensure reasonable efficiency in client transactions and provide BlackRock with sufficient flexibility to allocate investments in a manner that is consistent with the particular investment discipline and client base, as appropriate.

BlackRock’s financial arrangements with its portfolio managers, its competitive compensation and its career path emphasis at all levels reflect the value senior management places on key resources. Compensation may include a variety of components and may vary from year to year based on a number of factors. The principal components of compensation include a base salary, a performance-based discretionary bonus, participation in various benefits programs and one or more of the incentive compensation programs established by BlackRock.

Base Compensation. Generally, portfolio managers receive base compensation based on their position with the firm.

Distribution of Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is distributed to portfolio managers in a combination of cash, deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards, and/or deferred cash awards that notionally track the return of certain BlackRock investment products.

Portfolio managers receive their annual discretionary incentive compensation in the form of cash. Portfolio managers whose total compensation is above a specified threshold also receive deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards annually as part of their discretionary incentive compensation. Paying a portion of discretionary incentive compensation in the form of deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock puts compensation earned by a portfolio manager for a given year “at risk” based on BlackRock’s ability to sustain and

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improve its performance over future periods. In some cases, additional deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock may be granted to certain key employees as part of a long-term incentive award to aid in retention, align interests with long-term shareholders and motivate performance. Deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards are generally granted in the form of BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units that vest pursuant to the terms of the applicable plan and, once vested, settle in BlackRock, Inc. common stock. The portfolio managers of these Funds have deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards.

For certain portfolio managers, a portion of the discretionary incentive compensation is also distributed in the form of deferred cash awards that notionally track the returns of select BlackRock investment products they manage, which provides direct alignment of portfolio manager discretionary incentive compensation with investment product results. Deferred cash awards vest ratably over a number of years and, once vested, settle in the form of cash. Only portfolio managers who manage specified products and whose total compensation is above a specified threshold are eligible to participate in the deferred cash award program.

Other Compensation Benefits. In addition to base salary and discretionary incentive compensation, portfolio managers may be eligible to receive or participate in one or more of the following:

Other Accounts Managed by Portfolio Managers. The table below identifies, for each portfolio manager of the Fund, the number of accounts managed (excluding the Fund) and the total assets in such accounts, within each of the following categories: registered investment companies, other pooled investment

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Because PIMCO is affiliated with Allianz SE, a large multi-national financial institution (together with its affiliates, “Allianz”), conflicts similar to those described below may occur between the Funds or other accounts managed by PIMCO and PIMCO’s affiliates or accounts managed by those affiliates. Those affiliates (or their clients), which generally operate autonomously from PIMCO, may take actions that are adverse to the Funds or other accounts managed by PIMCO. In many cases, PIMCO will not be in a position to mitigate those actions or address those conflicts, which could adversely affect the performance of the Funds or other accounts managed by PIMCO (each, a “Client,” and collectively, the “Clients”). In addition, because certain Clients (as defined below) are affiliates of PIMCO or have investors who are affiliates or employees of PIMCO, PIMCO may have incentives to resolve conflicts of interest in favor of these Clients over other Clients.

Knowledge and Timing of Fund Trades. A potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of a portfolio manager’s day-to-day management of a Fund. Because of their positions with the Funds, the portfolio managers know the size, timing and possible market impact of a Fund’s trades. It is theoretically possible that the portfolio managers could use this information to the advantage of other accounts they manage and to the possible detriment of a Fund.

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Investment Opportunities. A potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of a portfolio manager’s management of a number of accounts with varying investment guidelines. Often, an investment opportunity may be suitable for one or more Clients, but may not be available in sufficient quantities for all accounts to participate fully. Similarly, there may be limited opportunity to sell an investment held by a Fund and another Client. PIMCO has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to allocate investment opportunities on a fair and equitable basis over time.

PIMCO seeks to allocate orders across eligible Client accounts with similar investment guidelines and investment styles fairly and equitably, taking into consideration relevant factors including, among others, applicable investment restrictions and guidelines, regulatory requirements, risk tolerances and available cash. As part of PIMCO’s trade allocation process, portions of new fixed income investment opportunities are distributed among Client account categories where the relevant portfolio managers seek to participate in the investment. Those portions are then further allocated among the Client accounts within such categories pursuant to PIMCO’s trade allocation policy. Portfolio managers managing quantitative strategies and specialized accounts, such as those focused on international securities, mortgage-backed securities, bank loans, or other specialized asset classes, will likely receive an increased distribution of new fixed income investment opportunities where the investment involves a quantitative strategy or specialized asset class that matches the investment objective or focus of the Client account category.

Any particular allocation decision among Client accounts may be more or less advantageous to any one Client or group of Clients, and certain allocations will, to the extent consistent with PIMCO’s fiduciary obligations, deviate from a pro rata basis among Clients in order to address for example, differences in legal, tax, regulatory, risk management, concentration, exposure, Client guideline limitations and/or mandate or strategy considerations for the relevant Clients. PIMCO may determine that an investment opportunity or particular purchases or sales are appropriate for one or more Clients, but not appropriate for other Clients, or are appropriate or suitable for, or available to, Clients but in different sizes, terms, or timing than is appropriate or suitable for other Clients. For example, some Clients have higher risk tolerances than other Clients, such as private funds, which, in turn, allows PIMCO to allocate a wider variety and/or greater percentage of certain types of investments (which may or may not outperform other types of investments) to such Clients. Those Clients receiving an increased allocation as a result of the effect of their respective risk tolerance may be Clients that pay higher investment management fees or that pay incentive fees. In addition, certain Client account categories focusing on certain types of investments or asset classes will be given priority in new issue distribution and allocation with respect to the investments or asset classes that are the focus of their investment mandate. Legal, contractual, or regulatory issues and/or related expenses applicable to PIMCO or one or more Clients may result in certain Clients not receiving securities that may otherwise be appropriate for them or may result in PIMCO selling securities out of Client accounts even if it might otherwise be beneficial to continue to hold them. Additional factors that are taken into account in the distribution and allocation of investment opportunities to Client accounts include, without limitation: ability to utilize leverage and risk tolerance of the Client account; the amount of discretion and trade authority given to PIMCO by the Client; availability of other similar investment opportunities; the Client account’s investment horizon and objectives; hedging, cash and liquidity needs of the portfolio; minimum increments and lot sizes; and underlying benchmark factors. Given all of the foregoing factors, the amount, timing, structuring, or terms of an investment by a Client, including a Fund, may differ from, and performance may be lower than, investments and performance of other Clients, including those that may provide greater fees or other compensation (including performance-based fees or allocations) to PIMCO. PIMCO has also adopted additional procedures to complement the general trade allocation policy that are designed to address potential conflicts of interest due to the side-by-side management of the Funds and certain pooled investment vehicles, including investment opportunity allocation issues.

From time to time, PIMCO may take an investment position or action for one or more Clients that may be different from, or inconsistent with, an action or position taken for one or more other Clients having similar

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or differing investment objectives. These positions and actions may adversely impact, or in some instances may benefit, one or more affected Clients (including Clients that are PIMCO affiliates) in which PIMCO has an interest, or which pays PIMCO higher fees or a performance fee. For example, a Client may buy a security and another Client may establish a short position in that same security. The subsequent short sale may result in a decrease in the price of the security that the other Client holds. Similarly, transactions or investments by one or more Clients may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of another Client.

When PIMCO implements for one Client a portfolio decision or strategy ahead of, or contemporaneously with, similar portfolio decisions or strategies of another Client, market impact, liquidity constraints or other factors could result in one or more Clients receiving less favorable trading results, the costs of implementing such portfolio decisions or strategies could be increased or such Clients could otherwise be disadvantaged. On the other hand, potential conflicts may also arise because portfolio decisions regarding a Client may benefit other Clients. For example, the sale of a long position or establishment of a short position for a Client may decrease the price of the same security sold short by (and therefore benefit) other Clients, and the purchase of a security or covering of a short position in a security for a Client may increase the price of the same security held by (and therefore benefit) other Clients.

Under certain circumstances, a Client may invest in a transaction in which one or more other Clients are expected to participate, or already have made or will seek to make, an investment. In addition, to the extent permitted by applicable law, a Client may also engage in investment transactions that may result in other Clients being relieved of obligations, or that may cause other Clients to divest certain investments (e.g., a Client may make a loan to, or directly or indirectly acquire securities or indebtedness of, a company that uses the proceeds to refinance or reorganize its capital structure, which could result in repayment of debt held by another Client). Such Clients (or groups of Clients) may have conflicting interests and objectives in connection with such investments, including with respect to views on the operations or activities of the issuer involved, the targeted returns from the investment and the timeframe for, and method of, exiting the investment. When making such investments, PIMCO may do so in a way that favors one Client over another Client, even if both Clients are investing in the same security at the same time. Certain Clients may invest on a “parallel” basis (i.e., proportionately in all transactions at substantially the same time and on substantially the same terms and conditions). In addition, other accounts may expect to invest in many of the same types of investments as another account. However, there may be investments in which one or more of such accounts does not invest (or invests on different terms or on a non-pro rata basis) due to factors such as legal, tax, regulatory, business, contractual or other similar considerations or due to the provisions of a Client’s governing documents. Decisions as to the allocation of investment opportunities among such Clients present numerous conflicts of interest, which may not be resolved in a manner that is favorable to a Client’s interests. To the extent an investment is not allocated pro rata among such entities, a Client could incur a disproportionate amount of income or loss related to such investment relative to such other Client. In addition, Clients may invest alongside one another in the same underlying investments or otherwise pursuant to a substantially similar investment strategy as one or more other Clients. In such cases, certain Clients may have preferential liquidity and information rights relative to other Clients holding the same investments, with the result that such Clients will be able to withdraw/redeem their interests in underlying investments in priority to Clients who may have more limited access to information or more restrictive withdrawal/redemption rights. Clients with more limited information rights or more restrictive liquidity may therefore be adversely affected in the event of a downturn in the markets.

Further, potential conflicts may be inherent in PIMCO’s use of multiple strategies. For example, conflicts will arise in cases where different Clients invest in different parts of an issuer’s capital structure, including circumstances in which one or more Clients may own private securities or obligations of an issuer and other Clients may own or seek to acquire private securities of the same issuer. For example, a Client may acquire

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a loan, loan participation or a loan assignment of a particular borrower in which one or more other Clients have an equity investment, or may invest in senior debt obligations of an issuer for one Client and junior debt obligations or equity of the same issuer for another Client.

PIMCO may also, for example, direct a Client to invest in a tranche of a structured finance vehicle, such as a CLO or CDO, where PIMCO is also, at the same or different time, directing another Client to make investments in a different tranche of the same vehicle, which tranche’s interests may be adverse to other tranches. PIMCO may also cause a Client to purchase from, or sell assets to, an entity, such as a structured finance vehicle, in which other Clients may have an interest, potentially in a manner that will have an adverse effect on the other Clients. There may also be conflicts where, for example, a Client holds certain debt or equity securities of an issuer, and that same issuer has issued other debt, equity or other instruments that are owned by other Clients or by an entity, such as a structured finance vehicle, in which other Clients have an interest.

In each of the situations described above, PIMCO may take actions with respect to the assets held by one Client that are adverse to the other Clients, for example, by foreclosing on loans, by putting an issuer into default, or by exercising rights to purchase or sell to an issuer, causing an issuer to take actions adverse to certain classes of securities, or otherwise. In negotiating the terms and conditions of any such investments, or any subsequent amendments or waivers or taking any other actions, PIMCO may find that the interests of a Client and the interests of one or more other Clients could conflict. In these situations, decisions over items such as whether to make the investment or take an action, proxy voting, corporate reorganization, how to exit an investment, or bankruptcy or similar matters (including, for example, whether to trigger an event of default or the terms of any workout) may result in conflicts of interest. Similarly, if an issuer in which a Client and one or more other Clients directly or indirectly hold different classes of securities (or other assets, instruments or obligations issued by such issuer or underlying investments of such issuer) encounters financial problems, decisions over the terms of any workout will raise conflicts of interests (including, for example, conflicts over proposed waivers and amendments to debt covenants). For example, a debt holder may be better served by a liquidation of the issuer in which it may be paid in full, whereas an equity or junior bond holder might prefer a reorganization that holds the potential to create value for the equity holders. In some cases PIMCO may refrain from taking certain actions or making certain investments on behalf of Clients in order to avoid or mitigate certain conflicts of interest or to prevent adverse regulatory or other effects on PIMCO, or may sell investments for certain Clients (in each case potentially disadvantaging the Clients on whose behalf the actions are not taken, investments not made, or investments sold). In other cases, PIMCO may not refrain from taking actions or making investments on behalf of certain Clients that have the potential to disadvantage other Clients. In addition, PIMCO may take actions or refrain from taking actions in order to mitigate legal risks to PIMCO or its affiliates or its Clients even if disadvantageous to a Client’s account. Moreover, a Client may invest in a transaction in which one or more other Clients are expected to participate, or already have made or will seek to make, an investment.

Additionally, certain conflicts may exist with respect to portfolio managers who make investment decisions on behalf of several different types of Clients. Such portfolio managers may have an incentive to allocate trades, time or resources to certain Clients, including those Clients who pay higher investment management fees or that pay incentive fees or allocations, over other Clients. These conflicts may be heightened with respect to portfolio managers who are eligible to receive a performance allocation under certain circumstances as part of their compensation.

From time to time, PIMCO personnel may come into possession of MNPI which, if disclosed, might affect an investor’s decision to buy, sell or hold a security. Should a PIMCO employee come into possession of MNPI with respect to an issuer, he or she generally will be prohibited from communicating such information to, or using such information for the benefit of, Clients, which could limit the ability of Clients to buy, sell or hold certain investments, thereby limiting the investment opportunities or exit strategies available to Clients. In addition, holdings in the securities or other instruments of an issuer by PIMCO or its

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affiliates may affect the ability of a Client to make certain acquisitions of or enter into certain transactions with such issuer. PIMCO has no obligation or responsibility to disclose such information to, or use such information for the benefit of, any person (including Clients).

PIMCO maintains one or more restricted lists of companies whose securities are subject to certain trading prohibitions due to PIMCO’s business activities. PIMCO may restrict trading in an issuer’s securities if the issuer is on a restricted list or if PIMCO has MNPI about that issuer. In some situations, PIMCO may restrict Clients from trading in a particular issuer’s securities in order to allow PIMCO to receive MNPI on behalf of other Clients. A Client may be unable to buy or sell certain securities until the restriction is lifted, which could disadvantage the Client. PIMCO may also be restricted from making (or divesting of) investments in respect of some Clients but not others. In some cases PIMCO may not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions, or may otherwise restrict or limit its advice relating to certain securities if a security is restricted due to MNPI or if PIMCO is seeking to limit receipt of MNPI.

PIMCO may conduct litigation or engage in other legal actions on behalf of one or more Clients. In such cases, Clients may be required to bear certain fees, costs, expenses and liabilities associated with the litigation. Other Clients that are or were investors in, or otherwise involved with, the subject investments may or may not (depending on the circumstances) be parties to such litigation actions, with the result that certain Clients may participate in litigation actions in which not all Clients with similar investments may participate, and such non-participating Clients may benefit from the results of such litigation actions without bearing or otherwise being subject to the associated fees, costs, expenses and liabilities. PIMCO, for example, typically does not pursue legal claims on behalf of its separate accounts. Furthermore, in certain situations, litigation or other legal actions pursued by PIMCO on behalf of a Client may be brought against or be otherwise adverse to a portfolio company or other investment held by a Client.

The foregoing is not a complete list of conflicts to which PIMCO or Clients may be subject. PIMCO seeks to review conflicts on a case-by-case basis as they arise. Any review will take into consideration the interests of the relevant Clients, the circumstances giving rise to the conflict, applicable PIMCO policies and procedures, and applicable laws. Clients (and investors in Portfolios) should be aware that conflicts will not necessarily be resolved in favor of their interests and may in fact be resolved in a manner adverse to their interests. PIMCO will attempt to resolve such matters fairly, but even so, matters may be resolved in favor of other Clients which pay PIMCO higher fees or performance fees or in which PIMCO or its affiliates have a significant proprietary interest. There can be no assurance that any actual or potential conflicts of interest will not result in a particular Client or group of Clients receiving less favorable investment terms in or returns from certain investments than if such conflicts of interest did not exist.

Conflicts like those described above may also occur between Clients, on the one hand, and PIMCO or its affiliates, on the other. These conflicts will not always be resolved in favor of the Client. In addition, because PIMCO is affiliated with Allianz, a large multi-national financial institution, conflicts similar to those described above may occur between clients of PIMCO and PIMCO’s affiliates or accounts managed by those affiliates. Those affiliates (or their clients), which generally operate autonomously from PIMCO, may take actions that are adverse to PIMCO’s Clients. In many cases PIMCO will have limited or no ability to mitigate those actions or address those conflicts, which could adversely affect Client performance. In addition, certain regulatory restrictions may prohibit PIMCO from using certain brokers or investing in certain companies (even if such companies are not affiliated with Allianz) because of the applicability of certain laws and regulations applicable to PIMCO, Allianz SE or their affiliates. An account’s willingness to negotiate terms or take actions with respect to an investment may also be, directly or indirectly, constrained or otherwise impacted to the extent Allianz SE, PIMCO, and/or their affiliates, directors, partners, managers, members, officers or personnel are also invested therein or otherwise have a connection to the subject investment (e.g., serving as a trustee or board member thereof).

Performance Fees. A portfolio manager may advise certain accounts with respect to which the advisory fee is based entirely or partially on performance. Performance fee arrangements may create a conflict of

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interest for the portfolio manager in that the portfolio manager may have an incentive to allocate the investment opportunities that he or she believes might be the most profitable to such other accounts instead of allocating them to a Fund. PIMCO has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to allocate investment opportunities between the Funds and such other accounts on a fair and equitable basis over time.

Base Salary – Base salary is determined based on core job responsibilities, positions/levels and market factors. Base salary levels are reviewed annually, when there is a significant change in job responsibilities or position, or a significant change in market levels.

Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P. (“Loomis Sayles”), One Financial Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02111 is the Sub-adviser for an allocated portion of the Core Plus Bond Fund pursuant to a Sub-Advisory Agreement with the Adviser. Loomis Sayles is a Delaware limited partnership. Loomis Sayles’ sole general partner, Loomis, Sayles & Company, Inc. is directly owned by Natixis Investment Managers, LLC. (“Natixis LLC”). Natixis LLC is an indirect subsidiary of Natixis Investment Managers, an international

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Conflicts of Interest. MetWest follows TCW’s policies and processes to handle conflicts of interest. TCW’s approach to handling conflicts of interest is multi-layered starting with its policies and procedures, reporting and pre-clearance processes and oversight by various committees.

TCW and MetWest have policies and controls to avoid and/or mitigate conflicts of interest across its businesses. The policies and procedures in TCW’s Code of Ethics (the “Code”), which is followed by MetWest, serve to address or mitigate both conflicts of interest and the appearance of any conflict of interest. The Code contains several restrictions and procedures designed to eliminate conflicts of interest relating to personal investment transactions, including (i) reporting account openings, changes, or closings

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(including accounts in which an Access Person has a “beneficial interest”), (ii) pre-clearance of non-exempt personal investment transactions (make a personal trade request for Securities) and (iii) the completion of timely required reporting (Initial Holdings Report, Quarterly Transactions Report, Annual Holdings Report and Annual Certificate of Compliance).

In addition, the Code addresses potential conflicts of interest through its policies on insider trading, anti-corruption, an employee’s outside business activities, political activities and contributions, confidentiality and whistleblower provisions.

Conflicts of interest may also arise in the management of accounts and investment vehicles. These conflicts may raise questions that would allow TCW to allocate investment opportunities in a way that favors certain accounts or investment vehicles over other accounts or investment vehicles, or incentivize a TCW portfolio manager to receive greater compensation with regard to the management of certain account or investment vehicles. TCW may give advice or take action with certain accounts or investment vehicles that could differ from the advice given or action taken on other accounts or investment vehicles.

When an investment opportunity is suitable for more than one account or investment vehicle, such investments will be allocated in a manner that is fair and equitable under the circumstances to all TCW clients. As such, TCW has adopted compliance policies and procedures in its Portfolio Management Policy that helps to identify a conflict of interest and then specifies how a conflict of interest is managed. TCW’s Trading and Brokerage Policy also discusses the process of timing and method of allocations, and addresses how the firm handles affiliate transactions.

The respective Equity and Fixed Income Trading and Allocation Committees review trading activities on behalf of client accounts, including the allocation of investment opportunities and address any issues with regard to side-by-side management in order to ensure that all of TCW’s clients are treated on a fair and equitable basis. Further, the Portfolio Analytics Committee reviews TCW’s investment strategies, evaluates various analytics to facilitate risk assessment, changes to performance composites and benchmarks and monitors the implementation and maintenance of the Global Investment Performance Standards or GIPS^® compliance.

TCW’s approach to handling conflicts of interest is multi-layered starting with its policies and procedures, reporting and pre-clearance processes and oversight by various committees.

Compensation. The overall objective of MetWest’s compensation program for portfolio managers is to attract experienced and expert investment professionals and to retain them over the long-term. Compensation is comprised of several components which, in the aggregate, are designed to achieve these objectives and to reward the portfolio managers for their contributions to the successful performance of the accounts they manage. Portfolio managers are compensated through a combination of base salary, fee sharing based compensation (“fee sharing”), bonus and equity incentive participation in MetWest’s parent company (“equity incentives”). Fee sharing and equity incentives generally represent most of the portfolio managers’ compensation. In some cases, portfolio managers are eligible for discretionary bonuses.

Salary. Salary is agreed to with portfolio managers at the time of employment and is reviewed from time to time. It does not change significantly and often does not constitute a significant part of a portfolio manager’s compensation.

Fee Sharing. Fee sharing for investment professionals is based on revenues generated by accounts in the investment strategy area for which the investment professionals are responsible. In most cases, revenues are allocated to a pool and fee sharing compensation is allocated among members of the investment team after the deduction of certain expenses (including compensation over a threshold level) related to the strategy group. The allocations are based on the investment professionals’ contribution to TCW and its clients, including qualitative and quantitative contributions.

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In general, the same fee sharing percentage is used to compensate a portfolio manager for investment services related to the Fund as that used to compensate portfolio managers for other client accounts in the same strategy managed by MetWest or one of the other TCW-affiliated advisers (collectively, the “TCW Advisors”). In some cases, the fee sharing pool includes revenues related to more than one product, in which case each participant in the pool is entitled to fee sharing derived from his or her contributions to all the included products.

Investment professionals are not directly compensated for generating performance fees. In some cases, the overall fee sharing pool is subject to fluctuation based on the relative pre-tax performance of the investment strategy composite returns, net of fees and expenses, to that of the benchmark. The measurement of performance relative to the benchmark can be based on single year or multiple year metrics, or a combination thereof. The benchmark used is the one associated with the Fund managed by the portfolio manager as disclosed in the prospectus. Benchmarks vary from strategy to strategy but, within a given strategy, the same benchmark applies to all accounts, including the Fund.

Discretionary Bonus/Guaranteed Minimums. Discretionary bonuses may be paid out of an investment team’s fee sharing pool, as determined by the supervisor(s) in the department. In other cases where portfolio managers do not receive fee sharing or where it is determined that the combination of salary and fee sharing does not adequately compensate the portfolio manager, discretionary bonuses may be paid by the applicable TCW Advisor. Also, pursuant to contractual arrangements, some portfolio managers received minimum bonuses.

Equity Incentives. Management believes that equity ownership aligns the interests of portfolio managers with the interests of the firm and its clients. Accordingly, TCW’s key investment professionals participate in equity incentives through ownership or participation in restricted unit plans that vest over time or unit appreciation plans of MetWest’s parent company. The plans include the Fixed Income Retention Plan, Restricted Unit Plan and 2013 Equity Unit Incentive Plan.

Under the Fixed Income Retention Plan, certain portfolio managers in the fixed income area were awarded cash and/or partnership units in MetWest’s parent company, either on a contractually-determined basis or on a discretionary basis. Awards under this plan were made in 2010 that vest over time.

Under the Restricted Unit Plan, certain portfolio managers in the fixed income and equity areas may be awarded partnership units in MetWest’s parent company. Awards under this plan have vested over time, subject to satisfaction of performance criteria.

Under the 2013 Equity Unit Incentive Plan, certain portfolio managers in the fixed income and equity areas may be awarded options to acquire partnership units in MetWest’s parent company with a strike price equal to the fair market value of the option at the date of grant. The options granted under this plan are subject to vesting and other conditions.

Other Plans and Compensation Vehicles. Portfolio managers may also elect to participate in the applicable TCW Advisor’s 401(k) plan, to which they may contribute a portion of their pre- and post-tax compensation to the plan for investment on a tax-deferred basis.

BlackRock Investment Management, LLC (“BlackRock”), located at 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, is the Sub-adviser for an allocated portion of the Municipal Bond Fund pursuant to a Sub-advisory Agreement with the Adviser. BlackRock is a wholly owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. For its services as a Sub-adviser, BlackRock is entitled to receive a fee from the Municipal Bond Fund.

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Distribution of Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is distributed to portfolio managers in a combination of cash, deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards, and/or deferred cash awards that notionally track the return of certain BlackRock investment products.

Portfolio managers receive their annual discretionary incentive compensation in the form of cash. Portfolio managers whose total compensation is above a specified threshold also receive deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards annually as part of their discretionary incentive compensation. Paying a portion of discretionary incentive compensation in the form of deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock puts compensation earned by a portfolio manager for a given year “at risk” based on BlackRock’s ability to sustain and improve its performance over future periods. In some cases, additional deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock may be granted to certain key employees as part of a long-term incentive award to aid in retention, align interests with long-term shareholders and motivate performance. Deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards

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are generally granted in the form of BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units that vest pursuant to the terms of the applicable plan and, once vested, settle in BlackRock, Inc. common stock. The portfolio managers of these Funds have deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards.

For certain portfolio managers, a portion of the discretionary incentive compensation is also distributed in the form of deferred cash awards that notionally track the returns of select BlackRock investment products they manage, which provides direct alignment of portfolio manager discretionary incentive compensation with investment product results. Deferred cash awards vest ratably over a number of years and, once vested, settle in the form of cash. Only portfolio managers who manage specified products and whose total compensation is above a specified threshold are eligible to participate in the deferred cash award program.

Other Compensation Benefits. In addition to base salary and discretionary incentive compensation, portfolio managers may be eligible to receive or participate in one or more of the following:

FIAM LLC (“FIAM”), 900 Salem Street, Smithfield, RI 02917, is the Sub-adviser for an allocated portion of the Municipal Bond Fund pursuant to a Sub-Advisory Agreement with the Adviser. FIAM is registered as an investment adviser with the SEC and was founded in 2005. For its services as a Sub-adviser, FIAM is entitled to receive a fee from the Municipal Bond Fund.

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Material Conflicts. A portfolio manager’s compensation plan may give rise to potential conflicts of interest. A portfolio manager’s compensation is linked to the pre-tax performance of the Fund, rather than its after-tax performance. A portfolio manager’s base pay tends to increase with additional and more complex responsibilities that include increased assets under management and a portion of the bonus relates to marketing efforts, which together indirectly link compensation to sales. When a portfolio manager takes over a fund or an account, the time period over which performance is measured may be adjusted to provide a transition period in which to assess the portfolio. The management of multiple funds and accounts (including proprietary accounts) may give rise to potential conflicts of interest if the funds and accounts have different objectives, benchmarks, time horizons, and fees as a portfolio manager must allocate his time and investment ideas across multiple funds and accounts. In addition, a fund’s trade allocation policies and procedures may give rise to conflicts of interest if the fund’s orders do not get fully executed due to being aggregated with those of other accounts managed by FIAM or an affiliate. A portfolio manager may execute transactions for another fund or account that may adversely impact the value of securities held by the Fund. Securities selected for other funds or accounts may outperform the securities selected for the Fund. Portfolio managers may be permitted to invest in the funds they manage, even if a fund is closed to new investors. Trading in personal accounts, which may give rise to potential conflicts of interest, is restricted by a fund’s Code of Ethics.

Portfolio managers may receive interests in certain funds or accounts managed by FMR or one of its affiliated advisers (collectively, “Proprietary Accounts”). A conflict of interest situation is presented where a portfolio manager considers investing a client account in securities of an issuer in which FMR, its affiliates or their (or their fund clients’) respective directors, officers or employees already hold a significant position for their own account, including positions held indirectly through Proprietary Accounts. Because the 1940 Act, as well as other applicable laws and regulations, restricts certain transactions between affiliated entities or between an advisor and its clients, client accounts managed by FIAM or its affiliates, including accounts sub-advised by third parties, are, in certain circumstances, prohibited from participating in offerings of such securities (including initial public offerings and other offerings occurring before or after an issuer’s initial public offering) or acquiring such securities in the secondary market. For example, ownership of a company by Proprietary Accounts has, in certain situations, resulted in restrictions on FMR’s and its affiliates’ client accounts’ ability to acquire securities in the company’s initial public offering and subsequent public offerings, private offerings, and in the secondary market, and additional restrictions could arise in the future; to the extent such client accounts acquire the relevant securities after such restrictions are subsequently lifted, the delay could affect the price at which the securities are acquired.

A conflict of interest situation is presented when FIAM or its affiliates acquire, on behalf of their client accounts, securities of the same issuers whose securities are already held in Proprietary Accounts, because such investments could have the effect of increasing or supporting the value of the Proprietary Accounts.

A conflict of interest situation also arises when FIAM investment advisory personnel consider whether client accounts they manage should invest in an investment opportunity that they know is also being considered by an affiliate of FIAM for a Proprietary Account, to the extent that not investing on behalf of such client accounts improves the ability of the Proprietary Account to take advantage of the opportunity. FIAM and its affiliates have adopted policies and procedures and maintain a compliance program designed to help manage such actual and potential conflicts of interest.

Compensation. Ms. McLaughlin and Messrs. Cullen and Maka, are portfolio managers for FIAM and receive compensation for their services managing an allocated portion of the Fund. Portfolio manager compensation generally consists of a fixed base salary determined periodically (typically annually), a bonus, and in certain cases, participation in several types of equity-based compensation plans. A portion of

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each portfolio manager’s compensation may be deferred based on criteria established by FIAM or an affiliate or at the election of the portfolio manager.

Each portfolio manager’s base salary is determined by level of responsibility and tenure at FIAM or its affiliates. The primary components of each portfolio manager’s bonus are based on (i) the pre-tax investment performance of the portfolio manager’s fund(s) and account(s) measured against a benchmark index assigned to each fund or account, and (ii) the investment performance of other FIAM or its affiliate’s municipal bond funds and accounts. The pre-tax investment performance of each portfolio manager’s fund(s) and account(s) is weighted according to his tenure on those fund(s) and account(s) and the average asset size of those fund(s) and account(s) over his tenure. Each component is calculated separately over the portfolio manager’s tenure on those fund(s) and account(s) over a measurement period that initially is contemporaneous with his tenure, but that eventually encompasses rolling periods of up to three years for the comparison to a benchmark index. A smaller, subjective component of each portfolio manager’s bonus is based on the portfolio manager’s overall contribution to management of FIAM or its affiliates. The portion of each portfolio manager’s bonus that is linked to the investment performance of the allocated portion of the Fund is based on the pre-tax investment performance of the allocated portion of the Fund measured against the Bloomberg Year Municipal Bond Index (1-17). Each portfolio manager also is compensated under equity-based compensation plans linked to increases or decreases in the net asset value of the stock of FMR LLC, FIAM’s ultimate parent company. FMR LLC is a diverse financial services company engaged in various activities that include fund management, brokerage, retirement, and employer administrative services.

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Conflicts of Interest. MacKay Shields does not favor the interest of one client over another and it has adopted a Trade Allocation Policy designed so that all client accounts will be treated fairly and no one client account will receive, over time, preferential treatment over another.

MacKay Shields’ clients have held, and it is expected that in the future they will at times hold, different segments of the capital structure of the same issuer that have different priorities. These investments create conflicts of interest, particularly because MacKay Shields can take certain actions for clients that can have an adverse effect on other clients. For example, certain MacKay Shields clients may hold instruments that are senior or subordinated relative to instruments of the same issuer held by other clients, and any action that the portfolio managers were to take on behalf of the issuer’s senior instrument, for instance, could have an adverse effect on the issuer’s junior instrument held by other clients, and vice versa, particularly in distressed or default situations. To the extent MacKay Shields or any of its employees were to serve on a formal or informal creditor or similar committee on behalf of a client, such conflicts of interest may be exacerbated.

MacKay Shields engages in transactions and investment strategies for certain clients that differ from the transactions and strategies executed on behalf of other clients, including clients that have retained the services of the same investment team. MacKay Shields may make investments for certain clients that they conclude are inappropriate for other clients. For instance, clients within one investment strategy may take short positions in the debt or equity instruments of certain issuers, while at the same time those instruments or other instruments of that issuer are acquired or held long by clients in another investment strategy, or within the same strategy, and vice versa.

Additionally, MacKay Shields’ investment strategies are available through a variety of investment products, including, without limitation, separately managed accounts, private funds, mutual funds and ETFs. Given the different structures of these products, certain clients are subject to terms and conditions that are materially different or more advantageous than available under different products. For example, mutual funds offer investors the ability to redeem from the fund daily, while private funds offer less frequent liquidity. Similarly a client with a separately managed account may have more transparency regarding the positions held in its account than would be available to an investor in a collective investment vehicle. Further, separately managed account clients have the ability to terminate their investment management agreement with little or no notice (subject to the terms of the investment advisory agreement or similar agreement).

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As a result of these differing liquidity and other terms, MacKay Shields may acquire and/or dispose of investments for a client either prior to or subsequent to the acquisition and/or disposition of the same or similar securities held by another client. In certain circumstances, purchases or sales of securities by one client could adversely affect the value of the same securities held in another client’s portfolio. In addition, MacKay Shields has caused, and expects in the future to cause, certain clients to invest in opportunities with different levels of concentration or on different terms than that to which other clients invest in the same securities. These differences in terms and concentration could lead to different investment outcomes among clients investing in the same securities. MacKay Shields seeks to tailor its investment advisory services to meet each client’s investment objective, constraints and investment guidelines and MacKay Shields’ judgments with respect to a particular client will at times differ from its judgments for other clients, even when such clients pursue similar investment strategies.

MacKay Shields permits its personnel, including portfolio managers and other investment personnel, to engage in personal securities transactions, including buying or selling securities that it has recommended to, or purchased or sold on behalf of, clients. These transactions raise potential conflicts of interest, including when they involve securities owned or considered for purchase or sale by or on behalf of a client account. MacKay Shields has adopted a Code of Ethics to assist and guide the portfolio managers and other investment personnel when faced with a conflict. MacKay Shields’ services to each client are not exclusive. The nature of managing accounts for multiple clients creates a conflict of interest with regard to time available to serve clients. MacKay Shields and its portfolio managers will devote as much of their time to the activities of each client as they deem necessary and appropriate. Although MacKay Shields strives to identify and mitigate all conflicts of interest, and seeks to treat its clients in a fair and reasonable manner consistent with its fiduciary duties, there may be times when conflicts of interest are not resolved in a manner favorable to a specific client.

Additional material conflicts of interest are presented within Part 2A of MacKay Shields’ Form ADV.

Compensation. Salaries are set by reference to a range of factors, taking into account each individual’s seniority and responsibilities and the market rate of pay for the relevant position. Annual salaries are set at competitive levels to attract and maintain the best professional talent. Variable or incentive compensation, both cash bonus and deferred awards, are a significant component of total compensation for portfolio managers at MacKay Shields. Incentive compensation received by portfolio managers is generally based on both quantitative and qualitative factors. The quantitative factors include, but are not limited to: (i) investment performance; (ii) assets under management; (iii) revenues and profitability; and (iv) industry benchmarks. The qualitative factors may include, among others: leadership, adherence to the firm’s policies and procedures, and contribution to the firm’s goals and objectives.

MacKay Shields maintains an employee benefit program, including health and non-health insurance and a 401(k) defined contribution plan for all of its employees regardless of their job title, responsibilities or seniority.

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