Euro Pacific Funds

 

EuroPac International Value Fund

EuroPac International Bond Fund

Class A (Ticker Symbol: EPIVX)

Class A (Ticker Symbol: EPIBX)

Class I (Ticker Symbol: EPVIX)

Class I (Ticker Symbol: EPBIX)

   

EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund

EuroPac Gold Fund

Class A (Ticker Symbol: EPDPX)

Class A (Ticker Symbol: EPGFX)

Class I (Ticker Symbol: EPDIX)

Class I (Ticker Symbol: EPGIX)

   

EP Emerging Markets Fund

 

Class A (Ticker Symbol: EPASX)

EPGFX

Class I (Ticker Symbol: EPEIX)

 

PROSPECTUS

 

February 29, 2024

 

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

 

 

 

Euro Pacific Funds
Each a series of Investment Managers Series Trust (the “Trust”)
Each of the funds described in this Prospectus will be referred to as a “Fund” and together as the “Funds.”

 

 

Table of Contents

 

   

SUMMARY SECTION - EuroPac International Value Fund

1

SUMMARY SECTION - EuroPac International Bond Fund

10

SUMMARY SECTION - EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund

18

SUMMARY SECTION - EP Emerging Markets Fund

26

SUMMARY SECTION - EuroPac Gold Fund

33

MORE ABOUT THE FUNDS’ INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS

41

MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS

57

DISTRIBUTION AND SHAREHOLDER SERVICE PLAN

59

YOUR ACCOUNT WITH THE FUNDS

60

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

72

FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

73

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

75

 

 

This Prospectus sets forth basic information about the Funds that you should know before investing. It should be read and retained for future reference.

 

The date of this Prospectus is February 29, 2024.

 

 

SUMMARY SECTION - EuroPac International Value Fund

 

Investment Objective

The investment objective of the EuroPac International Value Fund (the “Fund”) is to seek income and long term capital appreciation.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section titled “Sales Charge Schedule” on page 62 of this prospectus and in “APPENDIX A – Waivers and Discounts Available from Intermediaries” of the Prospectus.

 

   

Class A
Shares

 

Class I
Shares

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

       

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

 

4.50%

 

None

Maximum deferred sales charge (load)

 

None

 

None

Wire fee

 

$20

 

$20

Overnight check delivery fee

 

$25

 

$25

Retirement account fees (annual maintenance fee)

 

$15

 

$15

         

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of your investment)

     

Management fees

 

1.08%

 

1.08%

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

 

0.25%

 

None

Other expenses

 

0.37%

 

0.37%

Shareholder service fees

0.09%

 

0.09%

 

All other expenses

0.28%

 

0.28%

 

Recoupment of fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed1

 

0.03%

 

0.03%

Acquired fund fees and expenses

 

0.02%

 

0.02%

Total annual fund operating expenses2

 

1.75%

 

1.50%

         

 

1

The Fund’s advisor has contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or pay for operating expenses of the Fund to ensure that total annual fund operating expenses (excluding any taxes, leverage interest, brokerage commissions, dividend and interest expenses on short sales, acquired fund fees and expenses (as determined in accordance with SEC Form N-1A), professional fees related to services for the collection of foreign tax reclaims, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, and extraordinary expenses such as litigation expenses) do not exceed 1.75% and 1.50% of the average daily net assets of Class A and Class I shares of the Fund, respectively. This agreement is in effect until February 28, 2025, and it may be terminated before that date only by the Trust’s Board of Trustees. The Fund’s advisor is permitted to seek reimbursement from the Fund, subject to certain limitations, of fees waived or payments made to the Fund for a period ending three full fiscal years after the date of the waiver or payment. This reimbursement may be requested from the Fund if the reimbursement will not cause the Fund’s annual expense ratio to exceed the lesser of (a) the expense limitation in effect at the time such fees were waived or payments made, or (b) the expense limitation in effect at the time of the reimbursement.

 


1

 

 

 

2

The total annual fund operating expenses does not correlate to the ratio of expense to average net assets appearing in the financial highlights table, which reflects only the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include acquired fund fees and expenses.

 

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The example reflects the Fund’s contractual fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement only for the term of the contractual fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

One Year

Three Years

Five Years

Ten Years

Class A

$ 620

$ 970

$ 1,344

$ 2,391

Class I

$ 153

$ 468

$ 806

$ 1,760

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 16% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in common stocks of companies located in Europe or the Pacific Rim. The Fund’s advisor considers a country to be part of Europe if it is included in one of the MSCI European indexes and part of the Pacific Rim if any of its borders touches the Pacific Ocean. The advisor considers a company to be located in Europe or the Pacific Rim if (1) the company is organized under the laws of a country that is part of Europe or the Pacific Rim or has its principal office in a country that is part of Europe or the Pacific Rim; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived a significant portion (i.e., 50% or more) of its total revenues during its most recent completed fiscal year from business activities in Europe or the Pacific Rim; or (3) the company’s equity securities are traded principally on stock exchanges or over-the-counter markets in Europe or the Pacific Rim. The Fund will invest primarily in non-U.S. companies. The advisor considers a company to be a non-U.S. company if (1) the company is organized under the laws of a country, or has its principal office in a country, other than the United States; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived at least 50% of its total revenues during its most recent completed fiscal year from business activities outside of the United States; or (3) the company’s equity securities are traded principally on stock exchanges or over-the-counter markets outside of the United States. The Fund may invest in companies in developed and emerging markets. The Fund may also invest in securities of companies engaged in the gold industry. Investments related to gold are considered speculative and are affected by a variety of worldwide economic, financial and political factors.

 

The Fund will invest in large-, mid-, and small-capitalization companies that are considered by the Fund’s advisor to be value oriented and dividend paying companies. The Fund’s advisor uses a value investing style focusing on the companies it believes are undervalued. Subject to the Fund’s fundamental policy prohibiting the concentration of 25% or more of the Fund’s total assets in investments in any one industry or group of related industries, the Fund’s advisor may focus the Fund’s investments in one or more sectors. The Fund’s investments in equity securities may also include preferred stock, convertible securities, warrants and options on equities and stock indices, and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). The Fund may also invest in American and Global Depositary Receipts (“ADRs” and “GDRs”), including unsponsored ADRs.

 


2

 

 

 

The Fund seeks to identify countries and industries within those countries that are best positioned to perform relative to other countries and industries. In making this determination a number of considerations are taken into account such as expectations for change in valuation of foreign currency, changes in world demand for products or services, diversification of foreign trade practices, policy changes of the foreign government, and expectations for fundamental factors such as interest rates, inflation and GDP growth. Following selection of countries and industries, the Fund’s advisor will use a bottom-up approach to select individual companies. The advisor considers a number of qualitative and quantitative factors when selecting the companies such as dividend yield, valuation versus growth, capital structure, quality of management, corporate governance practices, liquidity, strengths and opportunities compared to the peer group, and business specific risk. The Fund’s advisor also seeks to identify companies with minimal revenue exposure to the U.S. markets.

 

Principal Risks of Investing

 

Risk is inherent in all investing and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. A summary description of certain principal risks of investing in the Fund is set forth below. Before you decide whether to invest in the Fund, carefully consider these risk factors associated with investing in the Fund, which may cause investors to lose money. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

Management and Strategy Risk. The value of your investment depends on the judgment of the Fund’s advisor about the quality, relative yield, value or market trends affecting a particular security, industry, sector or region, which may prove to be incorrect.

 

Market Risk. The market price of a security or instrument may decline, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic, political or geopolitical conditions throughout the world, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, or adverse investor sentiment generally. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, international conflicts, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, or other events could have a significant impact on a security or instrument. The market value of a security or instrument also may decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. The increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market.

 

The Euro Pacific Investment Philosophy. The Fund is structured to reflect the advisor’s general investment philosophy that due to a long-term build-up of debt in the United States accompanied by consistent current account deficits, and the future potential for a continued and long-term decline in the value of the U.S. dollar against other currencies, investors should allocate a portion of their portfolios to high quality, long-term value-oriented investments in foreign securities. Thus, the advisor’s strategies are in general intended to perform well in an environment of U.S. dollar weakness and can be expected to generally underperform in environments of dollar strength.

 

Equity Risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to specific companies in which the Fund invests.

 

Foreign Investment Risk. The prices of foreign securities may be more volatile than the prices of securities of U.S. issuers because of economic and social conditions abroad, political developments, and changes in the regulatory environments of foreign countries. Changes in exchange rates and interest rates and the imposition of sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and/or other governments may adversely affect the values of the Fund’s foreign investments. Foreign companies are generally subject to different legal and accounting standards than U.S. companies, and foreign financial intermediaries may be subject to less supervision and regulation than U.S. financial firms. Foreign securities include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). Unsponsored ADRs and GDRs are organized

 


3

 

 

 

independently and without the cooperation of the foreign issuer of the underlying securities, and involve additional risks because U.S. reporting requirements do not apply. In addition, the issuing bank may deduct shareholder distribution, custody, foreign currency exchange, and other fees from the payment of dividends.

 

Geographic Concentration Risk. A fund that is less diversified across countries or geographic regions is generally riskier than a more geographically diversified fund. Investments in a single region, even though representing a number of different countries within the region, may be affected by common economic forces and other factors. This vulnerability to factors affecting the value of investments is significantly greater for a fund that concentrates its investment in a particular region or regions than a more geographically diversified fund, and may result in greater losses and volatility. The economies and financial markets of certain regions, such as Latin America, Asia or Eastern Europe, can be interdependent and may decline all at the same time.

 

Geographic Risk Related to Europe. The Fund will be more susceptible to the economic, market, political and local risks of the European region than a fund that is more geographically diversified. Europe includes both developed and emerging markets. Most Western European countries are members of the European Union, which imposes restrictions on inflation rates, deficits and debt levels. Both developed and emerging market countries in Europe will be significantly affected by the fiscal and monetary controls of the European Monetary Union. Changes in regulations on trade, decreasing imports or exports, changes in the exchange rate of the euro and recessions among European countries may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of other European countries including those of Eastern Europe. The markets in Eastern Europe remain relatively undeveloped and can be particularly sensitive to political and economic developments. The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about rising government debt levels of certain European countries, each of which may require external assistance to meet its obligations and run the risk of default on its debt, possible bail-out by the rest of the European Union or debt restructuring. Assistance given to a European Union member state may be dependent on a country’s implementation of reforms in order to curb the risk of default on its debt, and a failure to implement these reforms or increase revenues could result in a deep economic downturn. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and therefore may adversely affect the Fund and its investments. On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom formally withdrew from the EU, which withdrawal is commonly referred to as “Brexit.” The Fund faces risks associated with the uncertainty and consequences following Brexit. Brexit could adversely affect European or worldwide political, regulatory, economic or market conditions, and could contribute to instability in global political institutions, regulatory agencies and financial markets. Any effects of Brexit could adversely affect any of the companies to which the Fund has exposure and any other assets in which the Fund invests. In addition, Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the displacement of millions of Ukrainians from their homes, a substantial loss of life, and the widespread destruction of property and infrastructure throughout Ukraine, which in turn has led to the imposition of heavy economic sanctions on certain Russian individuals, corporate and banking entities, and other Russian industries and businesses, and, consequently, retaliatory measures imposed by Russia against Western nations supporting Ukraine. The extent and duration of the war in Ukraine and the longevity and severity of sanctions remain unknown, but they could have a significant adverse impact on the European economy as well as the price and availability of certain commodities, including oil and natural gas, throughout the world.

 

Geographic Risk Related to Pacific Rim. The Fund will be more susceptible to the economic, market, regulatory, political, natural disasters and local risks of the Pacific Rim region than a fund that is more geographically diversified. The Pacific Rim region includes countries in all stages of economic development; however, it has a higher prevalence of emerging market countries as compared to other regions of the world. The region has historically been highly dependent on global trade, with nations taking strong roles in both the importing and exporting of goods; such a relationship creates a risk with this dependency on global growth. The respective stock markets tend to have a larger prevalence of smaller capitalization companies. Varying levels of accounting and disclosure standards, restrictions on foreign ownership, minority ownership rights, and corporate governance standards are also common for the region.

 

Sector Risk. From time to time, the Fund may invest a significant amount of its total assets in each of certain sectors of the economy. Each of those sectors may be subject to specific risks. These risks include governmental regulation of the sector and governmental monetary and fiscal policies, which may impact interest rates and currencies and affect

 


4

 

 

 

corporate funding and international trade. Certain sectors may be more vulnerable than others to these factors. In addition, market sentiment and expectations toward a particular sector could affect a company’s market valuation and access to equity funding. For example, as of October 31, 2023, 37.8% of the Fund’s assets were invested in the consumer, non-cyclical sector. Consumer, non-cyclical companies are companies that provide consumer staples, for example, food and drug retailers and companies the primary lines of business of which are food, beverage and other household items, including agricultural products. Performance of companies in the consumer, non-cyclical sector may be adversely impacted by fluctuations in supply and demand, changes in the global economy, changes in the price and availability of underlying commodities, rising energy prices, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer preferences, and production spending. Companies in the consumer, non-cyclical sector are also affected by changes in government regulation; global economic, environmental, and political events; and economic conditions.

 

Value-Oriented Investment Strategies Risk. Value stocks are those that are believed to be undervalued in comparison to their peers due to adverse business developments or other factors. Value investing is subject to the risk that the market will not recognize a security’s inherent value for a long time or at all, or that a stock judged to be undervalued may actually be appropriately priced or overvalued. In addition, during some periods (which may be extensive) value stocks generally may be out of favor in the markets.

 

Gold Industry Risk. Investments related to gold are considered speculative and are affected by a variety of worldwide economic, financial and political factors. The price of gold may fluctuate sharply over short periods of time, even during periods of rising prices, due to changes in inflation or expectations regarding inflation in various countries, the availability of supplies, changes in industrial and commercial demand, limited markets, fabricator demand, gold sales by governments, trade imbalances and restrictions, currency devaluation or revaluation, central banks or international agencies, investment speculation, inability to raise capital, increases in production costs, political unrest in nations where sources of gold are located, monetary and other economic policies of various governments and government restrictions on private ownership of gold and mining land.

 

Currency Risk. The values of investments in securities denominated in foreign currencies increase or decrease as the rates of exchange between those currencies and the U.S. dollar change. Currency conversion costs and currency fluctuations could erase investment gains or add to investment losses. Currency exchange rates can be volatile and are affected by factors such as general economic conditions, the actions of the United States and foreign governments or central banks, the imposition of currency controls, and speculation.

 

Emerging Markets Risk. Many of the risks with respect to foreign investments are more pronounced for investments in issuers in developing or emerging market countries. Emerging market countries tend to have more government exchange controls, more volatile interest and currency exchange rates, less market regulation, and less developed and less stable economic, political and legal systems than those of more developed countries. There may be less publicly available and reliable information about issuers in emerging markets than is available about issuers in more developed markets. In addition, emerging market countries may experience high levels of inflation and may have less liquid securities markets and less efficient trading and settlement systems.

 

Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible securities are subject to market and interest rate risk and credit risk. When the market price of the equity security underlying a convertible security decreases the convertible security tends to trade on the basis of its yield and other fixed income characteristics, and is more susceptible to credit and interest rate risks. When the market price of such equity security rises, the convertible security tends to trade on the basis of its equity conversion features and be more exposed to market risk. Convertible securities are typically issued by smaller capitalized companies with stock prices that may be more volatile than those of other companies.

 

Dividend-Paying Securities Risk. The Fund may have significant exposure to dividend-paying stocks. There is no guarantee that issuers of the securities held by such Underlying Investments will declare dividends in the future or that, if declared, they will either remain at current levels or increase over time.

 


5

 

 

 

Recent Market Events. Periods of market volatility may occur in response to market events and other economic, political, and global macro factors. For example, in recent years the COVID-19 pandemic, the large expansion of government deficits and debt as a result of government actions to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the rise of inflation have resulted in extreme volatility in the global economy and in global financial markets. These and other similar events could be prolonged and could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments, impair the Fund’s ability to satisfy redemption requests, and negatively impact the Fund’s performance.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets, customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or cause the Fund, the Advisor, and/or other service providers (including custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or loss of operational functionality. In an extreme case, a shareholder’s ability to exchange or redeem Fund shares may be affected. Issuers of securities in which the Fund invests are also subject to cybersecurity risks, and the value of those securities could decline if the issuers experience cybersecurity incidents.

 

ETF Risk. Investing in an ETF will provide the Fund with exposure to the securities comprising the index on which the ETF is based and will expose the Fund to risks similar to those of investing directly in those securities. Shares of ETFs typically trade on securities exchanges and may at times trade at a premium or discount to their net asset values. In addition, an ETF may not replicate exactly the performance of the benchmark index it seeks to track for a number of reasons, including transaction costs incurred by the ETF, the temporary unavailability of certain index securities in the secondary market or discrepancies between the ETF and the index with respect to the weighting of securities or the number of securities held. Investing in ETFs, which are investment companies, involves duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. The Fund will pay brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase and sale of shares of ETFs.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund may not be able to sell some or all of the investments that it holds due to a lack of demand in the marketplace or other factors such as market turmoil, or if the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid asset to meet redemption requests or other cash needs it may only be able to sell those investments at a loss. Illiquid assets may also be difficult to value.

 

Market Capitalization Risk. Larger, more established companies may be unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies during periods of economic expansion. The securities of small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements and may have lower trading volumes or more erratic trading than securities of larger, more established companies or market averages in general. In addition, such companies typically are more likely to be adversely affected than large capitalization companies by changes in earning results, business prospects, investor expectations or poor economic or market conditions.

 

Options Risk. Purchasing and writing put and call options are highly specialized activities and entail greater than ordinary investment risks. The Fund may not fully benefit from or may lose money on an option if changes in its value do not correspond as anticipated to changes in the value of the underlying securities. If the Fund is not able to sell an option held in its portfolio, it would have to exercise the option to realize any profit and would incur transaction costs upon the purchase or sale of the underlying securities. Ownership of options involves the payment of premiums, which may adversely affect the Fund’s performance. To the extent that the Fund invests in over-the-counter options, the Fund may be exposed to counterparty risk.

 

Preferred Stock Risk. Preferred stock represents an equity interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other stocks such as common stock, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. The market value of preferred stock is subject to company-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities and is also sensitive to changes in the company’s creditworthiness, the ability of the company to make payments on the preferred stock, and changes in interest rates, typically declining in value if interest rates rise.

 


6

 

 

 

Warrants Risk. Warrants may lack a liquid secondary market for resale. The prices of warrants may fluctuate as a result of speculation or other factors. Warrants can provide a greater potential for profit or loss than an equivalent investment in the underlying security. Prices of warrants do not necessarily move in tandem with the prices of their underlying securities and are highly volatile and speculative investments. If a warrant expires without being exercised, the Fund will lose any amount paid for the warrant.

 

Performance

The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year for Class A shares and by showing how the average annual total returns of each class of shares of the Fund compare with the average annual total returns of two broad-based market indices. Performance for classes other than those shown may vary from the performance shown to the extent the expenses for those classes differ. Updated performance information is available at the Fund’s website, www.europacificfunds.com, or by calling the Fund at 1-888-558-5851. The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Sales loads are not reflected in the bar chart, and if those charges were included, returns would be less than those shown.

 

Calendar Year Total Return (before taxes) for Class A Shares
For each calendar year at NAV

 

Year

 

Class A Shares

Highest Calendar Quarter Return at NAV

32.46%

Quarter Ended 06/30/2020

Lowest Calendar Quarter Return at NAV

(22.00)%

Quarter Ended 09/30/2015

 


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Average Annual Total Returns
(for periods ended December 31, 2023)

One Year

Five Years

Ten Years

Class A Shares - Return Before Taxes

4.84%

9.29%

1.77%

Class A Shares - Return After Taxes on Distributions1

4.50%

9.10%

1.45%

Class A Shares- Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1

3.47%

7.54%

1.46%

Class I Shares - Return Before Taxes2

10.17%

10.61%

2.51%

MSCI All Country World Ex USA Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

17.30%

6.34%

2.92%

MSCI World Ex USA Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

18.48%

7.48%

3.29%

 

1

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only and after-tax returns for classes other than Class A will vary from returns shown for Class A.

 

2

Class A shares were first offered on April 7, 2010. Class I shares were first offered on July 16, 2013. The performance figures for Class I include the performance for Class A for the periods prior to the start date of Class I. Class A imposes higher expenses than Class I.

 

Investment Advisor

Euro Pacific Asset Management, LLC (the “Advisor”)

 

Portfolio Managers

James Nelson, CFA, Portfolio Manager, and Luke Allen, CFA, Portfolio Manager, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio. Mr. Nelson has been portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception on April 7, 2010, and Mr. Allen has been portfolio manager of the Fund since February 2016.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

To purchase shares of the Fund, you must invest at least the minimum amount.

 

Minimum Investments

To Open
Your Account

To Add to
Your Account

Class A

   

Direct Regular Accounts

$2,500

$250

Direct Retirement Accounts

$2,500

$250

Automatic Investment Plan

$2,500

$250

Gift Account For Minors

$2,500

$250

Class I

 

 

Direct Regular Accounts

$5,000

$250

Direct Retirement Accounts

$5,000

$250

Automatic Investment Plan

$5,000

$250

Gift Account For Minors

$5,000

$250

 

Fund shares are redeemable on any business day the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) is open for business, by written request or by telephone.

 


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Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable, and will ordinarily be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Shareholders investing through such tax-advantaged arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

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

 


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SUMMARY SECTION - EuroPac International Bond Fund

 

 

Investment Objective

The investment objective of the EuroPac International Bond Fund (the “Fund”) is to seek current income and capital appreciation.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section titled “Sales Charge Schedule” on page 62 of this prospectus and in “APPENDIX A – Waivers and Discounts Available from Intermediaries” of the Prospectus.

 

   

Class A
Shares

 

Class I
Shares

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

       

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

 

4.50%

 

None

Maximum deferred sales charge (load)

 

None

 

None

Redemption fee if redeemed within 30 days of purchase (as a percentage of amount redeemed)

 

2.00%

 

2.00%

Wire fee

 

$20

 

$20

Overnight check delivery fee

 

$25

 

$25

Retirement account fees (annual maintenance fee)

 

$15

 

$15

         

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of your investment)

     

Management fees

 

0.60%

 

0.60%

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

 

0.25%

 

None

Other expenses

 

0.61%

 

0.61%

Shareholder service fees

0.07%

 

0.07%

 

All other expenses

0.54%

 

0.54%

 

Acquired fund fees and expenses

 

0.01%

 

0.01%

Total annual fund operating expenses1

 

1.47%

 

1.22%

Fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed

 

(0.31)%

 

(0.31)%

Total annual fund operating expenses after waiving fees and/or reimbursing expenses1

 

1.16%

 

0.91%

         

 

1

The Fund’s advisor has contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or pay for operating expenses of the Fund to ensure that total annual fund operating expenses (excluding any taxes, leverage interest, brokerage commissions, dividend and interest expenses on short sales, acquired fund fees and expenses (as determined in accordance with SEC Form N-1A), professional fees related to services for the collection of foreign tax reclaims, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, and extraordinary expenses such as litigation expenses) do not exceed 1.15% and 0.90% of the average daily net assets of Class A and Class I shares of the Fund, respectively. This agreement is in effect until February 28, 2025, and it may be terminated before that date only by the Trust’s Board of Trustees. The Fund’s advisor is permitted to seek reimbursement from the Fund, subject to certain limitations, of fees waived or payments made to the Fund for a period ending three full fiscal years after the date of the

 


10

 

 

 

waiver or payment. This reimbursement may be requested from the Fund if the reimbursement will not cause the Fund’s annual expense ratio to exceed the lesser of (a) the expense limitation in effect at the time such fees were waived or payments made, or (b) the expense limitation in effect at the time of the reimbursement.

 

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The example reflects the Fund’s contractual fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement only for the term of the contractual fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

One Year

Three Years

Five Years

Ten Years

Class A

$ 563

$ 865

$ 1,188

$ 2,103

Class I

$ 93

$ 357

$ 641

$ 1,450

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 23% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in bonds issued by companies located in Europe or the Pacific Rim. The Fund’s advisor considers a country to be part of Europe if it is included in one of the MSCI European indexes and part of the Pacific Rim if any of its borders touches the Pacific Ocean. The advisor considers a company to be located in Europe or the Pacific Rim if (1) the company is organized under the laws of a country that is a part of Europe or the Pacific Rim or has its principal office in a country that is a part of Europe or the Pacific Rim; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived a significant portion (i.e., 50% or more) of its total revenues during its most recent completed fiscal year from business activities in Europe or the Pacific Rim; or (3) the company’s equity securities are traded principally on stock exchanges or over-the-counter markets in Europe or the Pacific Rim. The Fund will invest primarily in bonds issued by non-U.S. companies. The advisor considers a company to be a non-U.S. company if (1) the company is organized under the laws of a country, or has its principal office in a country, other than the United States; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived at least 50% of its total revenues during its most recent completed fiscal year from business activities outside of the United States; or (3) the company’s equity securities are traded principally on stock exchanges or over-the-counter markets outside of the United States.

 

Fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest include developed and emerging market debt obligations of governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, asset-backed securities, investment grade and below investment grade (commonly known as “junk bonds”) corporate debt obligations, and convertible bonds. Corporate debt obligations include corporate bonds, debentures, notes and other similar instruments. Although the Fund may invest in fixed income securities rated in any category, it will primarily invest in investment grade securities. Investment grade fixed income securities include securities rated BBB- or higher by Standard & Poor’s Corporation (“S&P”) or Baa3 or higher by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or, if unrated by S&P and Moody’s, determined by the Fund’s advisor to be of comparable credit quality. The Fund may invest in securities, including sovereign debt securities, denominated in U.S. dollars or in foreign currencies.

 

The securities in which the Fund invests may pay interest at fixed rates, variable rates, or subject to reset terms. In addition, these securities may make principal payments that are fixed, variable or both. There is no limit on the maturity of any security held by the Fund. Although the Fund’s advisor expects to maintain an intermediate- to long-term

 


11

 

 

 

weighted average maturity for the Fund, there are no maturity restrictions on the overall portfolio or on individual securities. The Fund may invest in large-, mid-, and small-capitalization companies issuing fixed income securities. In addition, the Fund may use derivatives, such as forward contracts and currency and interest rate swaps, as a hedge (to offset risks associated with an investment, currency exposure, or market conditions) and to earn income and enhance returns.

 

The Fund’s advisor first selects foreign currency compositions based on an evaluation of various macroeconomic factors including, but not limited to, relative interest rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, and trade and current account balances. Once the advisor establishes currency compositions, it then selects fixed income securities that it believes offer attractive income and/or capital appreciation potential with a reasonable level of risk. The Fund generally invests where relative combinations of fixed income returns and currency exchange rates appear attractive. The Fund’s advisor may sell securities for a variety of reasons, but in most cases in order to adjust the portfolio’s average maturity, credit quality or yield, or to change geographic or currency exposures.

 

Principal Risks of Investing

 

Risk is inherent in all investing and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. A summary description of certain principal risks of investing in the Fund is set forth below. Before you decide whether to invest in the Fund, carefully consider these risk factors associated with investing in the Fund, which may cause investors to lose money. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

Management and Strategy Risk. The value of your investment depends on the judgment of the Fund’s advisor about the quality, relative yield, value or market trends affecting a particular security, industry, sector or region, which may prove to be incorrect.

 

Market Risk. The market price of a security or instrument may decline, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic, political or geopolitical conditions throughout the world, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, or adverse investor sentiment generally. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, international conflicts, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, or other events could have a significant impact on a security or instrument. The market value of a security or instrument also may decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. The increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market.

 

The Euro Pacific Investment Philosophy. The Fund is structured to reflect the advisor’s general investment philosophy that due to a long-term build-up of debt in the United States accompanied by consistent current account deficits, and the future potential for a continued and long-term decline in the value of the U.S. dollar against other currencies, investors should allocate a portion of their portfolios to high quality, long-term value-oriented investments in foreign securities. Thus, the advisor’s strategies are in general intended to perform well in an environment of U.S. dollar weakness and can be expected to generally underperform in environments of dollar strength.

 

Fixed Income Securities (Bond) Risk. The prices of fixed income securities respond to economic developments, particularly interest rate changes, as well as to changes in an issuer’s credit rating or market perceptions about the creditworthiness of an issuer. Generally fixed income securities decrease in value if interest rates rise and increase in value if interest rates fall, and longer-term and lower rated securities are more volatile than shorter-term and higher rated securities.

 

Foreign Investment Risk. The prices of foreign securities may be more volatile than the prices of securities of U.S. issuers because of economic and social conditions abroad, political developments, and changes in the regulatory environments of foreign countries. Changes in exchange rates and interest rates and the imposition of sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and/or

 


12

 

 

 

other governments may adversely affect the values of the Fund’s foreign investments. Foreign companies are generally subject to different legal and accounting standards than U.S. companies, and foreign financial intermediaries may be subject to less supervision and regulation than U.S. financial firms.

 

Geographic Concentration Risk. A fund that is less diversified across countries or geographic regions is generally riskier than a more geographically diversified fund. Investments in a single region, even though representing a number of different countries within the region, may be affected by common economic forces and other factors. This vulnerability to factors affecting the value of investments is significantly greater for a fund that concentrates its investment in a particular region or regions than a more geographically diversified fund, and may result in greater losses and volatility. The economies and financial markets of certain regions, such as Latin America, Asia or Eastern Europe, can be interdependent and may decline all at the same time.

 

Geographic Risk Related to Europe. The Fund will be more susceptible to the economic, market, political and local risks of the European region than a fund that is more geographically diversified. Europe includes both developed and emerging markets. Most Western European countries are members of the European Union, which imposes restrictions on inflation rates, deficits and debt levels. Both developed and emerging market countries in Europe will be significantly affected by the fiscal and monetary controls of the European Monetary Union. Changes in regulations on trade, decreasing imports or exports, changes in the exchange rate of the euro and recessions among European countries may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of other European countries including those of Eastern Europe. The markets in Eastern Europe remain relatively undeveloped and can be particularly sensitive to political and economic developments. The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about rising government debt levels of certain European countries, each of which may require external assistance to meet its obligations and run the risk of default on its debt, possible bail-out by the rest of the European Union or debt restructuring. Assistance given to a European Union member state may be dependent on a country’s implementation of reforms in order to curb the risk of default on its debt, and a failure to implement these reforms or increase revenues could result in a deep economic downturn. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and therefore may adversely affect the Fund and its investments. On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom formally withdrew from the EU, which withdrawal is commonly referred to as “Brexit.” The Fund faces risks associated with the uncertainty and consequences following Brexit. Brexit could adversely affect European or worldwide political, regulatory, economic or market conditions, and could contribute to instability in global political institutions, regulatory agencies and financial markets. Any effects of Brexit could adversely affect any of the companies to which the Fund has exposure and any other assets in which the Fund invests. In addition, Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the displacement of millions of Ukrainians from their homes, a substantial loss of life, and the widespread destruction of property and infrastructure throughout Ukraine, which in turn has led to the imposition of heavy economic sanctions on certain Russian individuals, corporate and banking entities, and other Russian industries and businesses, and, consequently, retaliatory measures imposed by Russia against Western nations supporting Ukraine. The extent and duration of the war in Ukraine and the longevity and severity of sanctions remain unknown, but they could have a significant adverse impact on the European economy as well as the price and availability of certain commodities, including oil and natural gas, throughout the world.

 

Geographic Risk Related to Pacific Rim. The Fund will be more susceptible to the economic, market, regulatory, political, natural disasters and local risks of the Pacific Rim region than a fund that is more geographically diversified. The Pacific Rim region includes countries in all stages of economic development; however, it has a higher prevalence of emerging market countries as compared to other regions of the world. The region has historically been highly dependent on global trade, with nations taking strong roles in both the importing and exporting of goods; such a relationship creates a risk with this dependency on global growth. The respective stock markets tend to have a larger prevalence of smaller capitalization companies. Varying levels of accounting and disclosure standards, restrictions on foreign ownership, minority ownership rights, and corporate governance standards are also common for the region.

 


13

 

 

 

Credit Risk. If an issuer or guarantor of a debt security held by the Fund or a counterparty to a financial contract with the Fund defaults or is downgraded or is perceived to be less creditworthy, or if the value of the assets underlying a security declines, the value of the Fund’s portfolio will typically decline. Junk bonds have a higher risk of default than other fixed income securities and are considered predominantly speculative.

 

Foreign Sovereign Risk. Foreign governments rely on taxes and other revenue sources to pay interest and principal on their debt obligations. The payment of principal and interest on these obligations may be adversely affected by a variety of factors, including economic results within the foreign country, changes in interest and exchange rates, changes in debt ratings, changing political sentiments, legislation, policy changes, a limited tax base or limited revenue sources, natural disasters, or other economic or credit problems.

 

Currency Risk. The values of investments in securities denominated in foreign currencies increase or decrease as the rates of exchange between those currencies and the U.S. dollar change. Currency conversion costs and currency fluctuations could erase investment gains or add to investment losses. Currency exchange rates can be volatile and are affected by factors such as general economic conditions, the actions of the United States and foreign governments or central banks, the imposition of currency controls, and speculation.

 

Asset-Backed Securities Risk. Asset-backed securities may be sensitive to changes in interest rates and subject to early repayment risk, and their value may fluctuate in response to the market’s perception of issuer creditworthiness. While such securities are generally supported by some form of government or private guarantee there is no assurance that private guarantors will meet their obligations.

 

Emerging Markets Risk. Many of the risks with respect to foreign investments are more pronounced for investments in issuers in developing or emerging market countries. Emerging market countries tend to have more government exchange controls, more volatile interest and currency exchange rates, less market regulation, and less developed and less stable economic, political and legal systems than those of more developed countries. There may be less publicly available and reliable information about issuers in emerging markets than is available about issuers in more developed markets. In addition, emerging market countries may experience high levels of inflation and may have less liquid securities markets and less efficient trading and settlement systems.

 

Interest Rate Risk. Generally fixed income securities decrease in value if interest rates rise and increase in value if interest rates fall, with longer-term securities being more sensitive than shorter-term securities. For example, the price of a security with a three-year duration would be expected to drop by approximately 3% in response to a 1% increase in interest rates. Generally, the longer the maturity and duration of a bond or fixed rate loan, the more sensitive it is to this risk. Falling interest rates also create the potential for a decline in the Fund’s income. Changes in governmental policy, rising inflation rates, and general economic developments, among other factors, could cause interest rates to increase and could have a substantial and immediate effect on the values of the Fund’s investments. In addition, a potential rise in interest rates may result in periods of volatility and increased redemptions that might require the Fund to liquidate portfolio securities at disadvantageous prices and times.

 

High Yield (“Junk”) Bond Risk. High yield bonds are debt securities rated below investment grade (often called “junk bonds”). Junk bonds are speculative, involve greater risks of default, downgrade, or price declines and are more volatile and tend to be less liquid than investment-grade securities. Companies issuing high yield bonds are less financially strong, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties, and are more vulnerable to adverse market events and negative sentiments than companies with higher credit ratings.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund may not be able to sell some or all of the investments that it holds due to a lack of demand in the marketplace or other factors such as market turmoil, or if the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid asset to meet redemption requests or other cash needs it may only be able to sell those investments at a loss. In addition, the reduction in dealer market-making capacity in the fixed income markets that has occurred in recent years has the potential to decrease the liquidity of the Fund’s investments. Illiquid assets may also be difficult to value.

 


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Recent Market Events. Periods of market volatility may occur in response to market events and other economic, political, and global macro factors. For example, in recent years the COVID-19 pandemic, the large expansion of government deficits and debt as a result of government actions to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the rise of inflation have resulted in extreme volatility in the global economy and in global financial markets. These and other similar events could be prolonged and could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments, impair the Fund’s ability to satisfy redemption requests, and negatively impact the Fund’s performance.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets, customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or cause the Fund, the Advisor, and/or other service providers (including custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or loss of operational functionality. In an extreme case, a shareholder’s ability to exchange or redeem Fund shares may be affected. Issuers of securities in which the Fund invests are also subject to cybersecurity risks, and the value of those securities could decline if the issuers experience cybersecurity incidents.

 

Derivatives Risk. Derivatives include instruments and contracts that are based on and valued in relation to one or more underlying securities, financial benchmarks, indices, or other reference obligations or measures of value. Major types of derivatives include futures, options, swaps and forward contracts. Using derivatives exposes the Fund to additional or heightened risks, including leverage risk, liquidity risk, valuation risk, market risk, counterparty risk, and credit risk. Derivatives transactions can be highly illiquid and difficult to unwind or value, they can increase Fund volatility, and changes in the value of a derivative held by the Fund may not correlate with the value of the underlying instrument or the Fund’s other investments. Many of the risks applicable to trading the instruments underlying derivatives are also applicable to derivatives trading. However, derivatives are subject to additional risks, such as operational risk, including settlement issues, and legal risk, including that underlying documentation is incomplete or ambiguous. For derivatives that are required to be cleared by a regulated clearinghouse, other risks may arise from the Fund’s relationship with a brokerage firm through which it submits derivatives trades for clearing, including in some cases from other clearing customers of the brokerage firm.

 

Performance

The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year for Class A shares and by showing how the average annual total returns of each class of the Fund compare with the average annual total returns of two broad-based market indices. Performance for classes other than those shown may vary from the performance shown to the extent the expenses for those classes differ. Updated performance information is available at the Fund’s website, www.europacificfunds.com, or by calling the Fund at 1-888-558-5851. The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Sales loads are not reflected in the bar chart, and if those changes were included, returns would be less than those shown.

 


15

 

 

 

Calendar Year Total Return (before taxes) for Class A Shares
For each calendar year at NAV

 

 

Year

Class A Shares

Highest Calendar Quarter Return at NAV

7.47%

Quarter Ended 06/30/2020

Lowest Calendar Quarter Return at NAV

(8.14)%

Quarter Ended 03/31/2020

 

Average Annual Total Returns
(for periods ended December 31, 2023)

One Year

Five Years

Ten Years

Class A Shares - Return Before Taxes

5.00%

0.94%

(0.70)%

Class A Shares - Return After Taxes on Distributions1

4.07%

0.67%

(1.04)%

Class A Shares - Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1

2.95%

0.60%

(0.68)%

Class I Shares - Return Before Taxes2

10.30%

2.15%

0.01%

JPMorgan GBI Global ex-US FX NY Index Unhedged in USD (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

3.99%

(3.08)%

(1.35)%

FTSE Non USD World Government Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

5.83%

(2.77)%

(1.26)%

 

1

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only and after-tax returns for classes other than Class A will vary from returns shown for Class A.

 

2

Class A shares were first offered on November 15, 2010. Class I shares were first offered on July 16, 2013. The performance figures for Class I include the performance for Class A for the periods prior to the start date of Class I. Class A imposes higher expenses than Class I.

 

Investment Advisor

Euro Pacific Asset Management, LLC (the “Advisor”)

 


16

 

 

 

Portfolio Managers

James Nelson, CFA, Portfolio Manager, and Stephen Kleckner, CAIA, Portfolio Manager, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio. Mr. Nelson has been portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception on November 15, 2010, and Mr. Kleckner has been portfolio manager of the Fund since January 2013.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

To purchase shares of the Fund, you must invest at least the minimum amount.

 

Minimum Investments

To Open
Your Account

To Add to
Your Account

Class A

 

 

Direct Regular Accounts

$2,500

$250

Direct Retirement Accounts

$2,500

$250

Automatic Investment Plan

$2,500

$250

Gift Account For Minors

$2,500

$250

Class I

 

 

Direct Regular Accounts

$5,000

$250

Direct Retirement Accounts

$5,000

$250

Automatic Investment Plan

$5,000

$250

Gift Account For Minors

$5,000

$250

 

Fund shares are redeemable on any business day the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) is open for business, by written request or by telephone.

 

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable, and will ordinarily be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Shareholders investing through such tax-advantaged arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

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

 


17

 

 

 

SUMMARY SECTION - EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund

 

Investment Objectives

 

The investment objectives of the EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund (the “Fund”) are to seek income and maximize growth of income with capital appreciation as a secondary objective.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section titled “Sales Charge Schedule” on page 62 of this prospectus and in “APPENDIX A – Waivers and Discounts Available from Intermediaries” of the Prospectus.

 

   

Class A
Shares

 

Class I
Shares

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

       

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

 

4.50%

 

None

Maximum deferred sales charge (load)

 

None

 

None

Wire fee

 

$20

 

$20

Overnight check delivery fee

 

$25

 

$25

Retirement account fees (annual maintenance fee)

 

$15

 

$15

         

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of your investment)

     

Management fees

 

0.85%

 

0.85%

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

 

0.25%

 

None

Other expenses

 

0.39%

 

0.39%

Shareholder service fees

0.08%

 

0.08%

 

All other expenses

0.31%

 

0.31%

 

Recoupment of fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed1

 

0.01%

 

0.01%

Acquired fund fees and expenses

 

0.02%

 

0.02%

Total annual fund operating expenses2

 

1.52%

 

1.27%

         

 

1

The Fund’s advisor has contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or pay for operating expenses of the Fund to ensure that total annual fund operating expenses (excluding any taxes, leverage interest, brokerage commissions, dividend and interest expenses on short sales, acquired fund fees and expenses (as determined in accordance with SEC Form N-1A), professional fees related to services for the collection of foreign tax reclaims, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, and extraordinary expenses such as litigation expenses) do not exceed 1.50% and 1.25% of the average daily net assets of Class A and Class I shares of the Fund, respectively. This agreement is in effect until February 28, 2025, and it may be terminated before that date only by the Trust’s Board of Trustees. The Fund’s advisor is permitted to seek reimbursement from the Fund, subject to certain limitations, of fees waived or payments made to the Fund for a period ending three full fiscal years after the date of the waiver or payment. This reimbursement may be requested from the Fund if the reimbursement will not cause the Fund’s annual expense ratio to exceed the lesser of (a) the expense limitation in effect at the time such fees were waived or payments made, or (b) the expense limitation in effect at the time of the reimbursement.

 


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2

The total annual fund operating expenses does not correlate to the ratio of expense to average net assets appearing in the financial highlights table, which reflects only the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include acquired fund fees and expenses.

 

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The example reflects the Fund’s contractual fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement only for the term of the contractual fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

One Year

Three Years

Five Years

Ten Years

Class A

$ 598

$ 907

$ 1,238

$ 2,171

Class I

$ 129

$ 401

$ 693

$ 1,523

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 8% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of dividend paying companies located in Europe or the Pacific Rim. The Fund’s advisor considers a country to be part of Europe if it is included in one of the MSCI European indexes and part of the Pacific Rim if any of its borders touches the Pacific Ocean. The advisor considers a company to be located in Europe or the Pacific Rim if (1) the company is organized under the laws of a country that is part of Europe or the Pacific Rim or has its principal office in a country that is part of Europe or the Pacific Rim; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived a significant portion (i.e., 50% or more) of its total revenues during its most recent completed fiscal year from business activities in Europe or the Pacific Rim; or (3) the company’s equity securities are traded principally on stock exchanges or over-the-counter markets in Europe or the Pacific Rim. The Fund will invest primarily in non-U.S. companies. The advisor considers a company to be a non-U.S. company if (1) the company is organized under the laws of a country, or has its principal office in a country, other than the United States; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived at least 50% of its total revenues during its most recent completed fiscal year from business activities outside of the United States; or (3) the company’s equity securities are traded principally on stock exchanges or over-the-counter markets outside of the United States. The Fund may invest in companies in developed and emerging markets. In addition, the Fund may invest in companies of all capitalizations that the advisor considers to be attractive dividend paying companies. The Fund may also invest in preferred stock, convertible securities, warrants and options on equities, stock indices, and in securities of companies engaged in the gold industry. Investments related to gold are considered speculative and are affected by a variety of worldwide economic, financial and political factors. In addition, the Fund may invest in American and Global Depositary Receipts (“ADRs” and “GDRs”), exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and real estate investment trusts (“REITs”).

 

The Fund employs a value-oriented approach to select securities the Fund’s advisor believes are trading below their intrinsic value, and will pay sustainably high dividends that grow over time. In selecting securities, the Fund’s advisor considers a number of qualitative and quantitative factors such as free cash flow and earnings yield and growth, operating leverage and balance sheet strength, as well as management quality and corporate governance. The Fund’s advisor also employs a top down approach to its security selection process, with the objective of selecting companies with business exposure or assets in countries or sectors that it believes will benefit from a long-term, positive trend.

 


19

 

 

 

Principal Risks of Investing

 

Risk is inherent in all investing and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. A summary description of certain principal risks of investing in the Fund is set forth below. Before you decide whether to invest in the Fund, carefully consider these risk factors associated with investing in the Fund, which may cause investors to lose money. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objectives.

 

Management and Strategy Risk. The value of your investment depends on the judgment of the Fund’s advisor about the quality, relative yield, value or market trends affecting a particular security, industry, sector or region, which may prove to be incorrect.

 

Market Risk. The market price of a security or instrument may decline, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic, political or geopolitical conditions throughout the world, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, or adverse investor sentiment generally. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, international conflicts, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, or other events could have a significant impact on a security or instrument. The market value of a security or instrument also may decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. The increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market.

 

The Euro Pacific Investment Philosophy. The Fund is structured to reflect the advisor’s general investment philosophy that due to a long-term build-up of debt in the United States accompanied by consistent current account deficits, and the future potential for a continued and long-term decline in the value of the U.S. dollar against other currencies, investors should allocate a portion of their portfolios to high quality, long-term value-oriented investments in foreign securities. Thus, the advisor’s strategies are in general intended to perform well in an environment of U.S. dollar weakness and can be expected to generally underperform in environments of dollar strength.

 

Equity Risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to specific companies in which the Fund invests.

 

Foreign Investment Risk. The prices of foreign securities may be more volatile than the prices of securities of U.S. issuers because of economic and social conditions abroad, political developments, and changes in the regulatory environments of foreign countries. Changes in exchange rates and interest rates and the imposition of sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and/or other governments may adversely affect the values of the Fund’s foreign investments. Foreign companies are generally subject to different legal and accounting standards than U.S. companies, and foreign financial intermediaries may be subject to less supervision and regulation than U.S. financial firms. Foreign securities include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). Unsponsored ADRs and GDRs are organized independently and without the cooperation of the foreign issuer of the underlying securities, and involve additional risks because U.S. reporting requirements do not apply. In addition, the issuing bank may deduct shareholder distribution, custody, foreign currency exchange, and other fees from the payment of dividends.

 

Geographic Concentration Risk. A fund that is less diversified across countries or geographic regions is generally riskier than a more geographically diversified fund. Investments in a single region, even though representing a number of different countries within the region, may be affected by common economic forces and other factors. This vulnerability to factors affecting the value of investments is significantly greater for a fund that concentrates its investment in a particular region or regions than a more geographically diversified fund, and may result in greater losses and volatility. The economies and financial markets of certain regions, such as Latin America, Asia or Eastern Europe, can be interdependent and may decline all at the same time.

 


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Geographic Risk Related to Europe. The Fund will be more susceptible to the economic, market, regulatory, political and local risks of the European region than a fund that is more geographically diversified. Europe includes both developed and emerging markets. Most Western European countries are members of the European Union, which imposes restrictions on inflation rates, deficits and debt levels both developed and emerging market countries in Europe will be significantly affected by the fiscal and monetary controls of the European Monetary Union. Changes in regulations on trade, decreasing imports or exports, changes in the exchange rate of the euro and recessions among European countries may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of other European countries including those of Eastern Europe. The markets in Eastern Europe remain relatively undeveloped and can be particularly sensitive to political and economic developments. The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about rising government debt levels of certain European countries, each of which may require external assistance to meet its obligations and run the risk of default on its debt, possible bail-out by the rest of the European Union or debt restructuring. Assistance given to a European Union member state may be dependent on a country’s implementation of reforms in order to curb the risk of default on its debt, and a failure to implement these reforms or increase revenues could result in a deep economic downturn. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and therefore may adversely affect the Fund and its investments. On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom formally withdrew from the EU, which withdrawal is commonly referred to as “Brexit.” The Fund faces risks associated with the uncertainty and consequences following Brexit. Brexit could adversely affect European or worldwide political, regulatory, economic or market conditions, and could contribute to instability in global political institutions, regulatory agencies and financial markets. Any effects of Brexit could adversely affect any of the companies to which the Fund has exposure and any other assets in which the Fund invests. In addition, Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the displacement of millions of Ukrainians from their homes, a substantial loss of life, and the widespread destruction of property and infrastructure throughout Ukraine, which in turn has led to the imposition of heavy economic sanctions on certain Russian individuals, corporate and banking entities, and other Russian industries and businesses, and, consequently, retaliatory measures imposed by Russia against Western nations supporting Ukraine. The extent and duration of the war in Ukraine and the longevity and severity of sanctions remain unknown, but they could have a significant adverse impact on the European economy as well as the price and availability of certain commodities, including oil and natural gas, throughout the world.

 

Geographic Risk Related to Pacific Rim. The Fund will be more susceptible to the economic, market, regulatory, political, natural disasters and local risks of the Pacific Rim region than a fund that is more geographically diversified. The Pacific Rim region includes countries in all stages of economic development; however, it has a higher prevalence of emerging market countries as compared to other regions of the world. The region has historically been highly dependent on global trade, with nations taking strong roles in both the importing and exporting of goods; such a relationship creates a risk with this dependency on global growth. The respective stock markets tend to have a larger prevalence of smaller capitalization companies. Varying levels of accounting and disclosure standards, restrictions on foreign ownership, minority ownership rights, and corporate governance standards are also common for the region.

 

Value-Oriented Investment Strategies Risk. Value stocks are those that are believed to be undervalued in comparison to their peers due to adverse business developments or other factors. Value investing is subject to the risk that the market will not recognize a security’s inherent value for a long time or at all, or that a stock judged to be undervalued may actually be appropriately priced or overvalued. In addition, during some periods (which may be extensive) value stocks generally may be out of favor in the markets.

 

Gold Industry Risk. Investments related to gold are considered speculative and are affected by a variety of worldwide economic, financial and political factors. The price of gold may fluctuate sharply over short periods of time, even during periods of rising prices, due to changes in inflation or expectations regarding inflation in various countries, the availability of supplies, changes in industrial and commercial demand, limited markets, fabricator demand, gold sales by governments, trade imbalances and restrictions, currency devaluation or revaluation, central banks or international agencies, investment speculation, inability to raise capital, increases in production costs, political unrest in nations where sources of gold are located, monetary and other economic policies of various governments and government restrictions on private ownership of gold and mining land.

 


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Sector Risk. From time to time, the Fund may invest a significant amount of its total assets in each of certain sectors of the economy. Each of those sectors may be subject to specific risks. These risks include governmental regulation of the sector and governmental monetary and fiscal policies, which may impact interest rates and currencies and affect corporate funding and international trade. Certain sectors may be more vulnerable than others to these factors. In addition, market sentiment and expectations toward a particular sector could affect a company’s market valuation and access to equity funding.

 

Currency Risk. The values of investments in securities denominated in foreign currencies increase or decrease as the rates of exchange between those currencies and the U.S. dollar change. Currency conversion costs and currency fluctuations could erase investment gains or add to investment losses. Currency exchange rates can be volatile and are affected by factors such as general economic conditions, the actions of the United States and foreign governments or central banks, the imposition of currency controls, and speculation.

 

Market Capitalization Risk. Larger, more established companies may be unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies during periods of economic expansion. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements and may have lower trading volumes or more erratic trading than securities of larger, more established companies or market averages in general. In addition, such companies typically are more likely to be adversely affected than large capitalization companies by changes in earning results, business prospects, investor expectations or poor economic or market conditions.

 

Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible securities are subject to market and interest rate risk and credit risk. When the market price of the equity security underlying a convertible security decreases the convertible security tends to trade on the basis of its yield and other fixed income characteristics, and is more susceptible to credit and interest rate risks. When the market price of such equity security rises, the convertible security tends to trade on the basis of its equity conversion features and be more exposed to market risk. Convertible securities are typically issued by smaller capitalized companies with stock prices that may be more volatile than those of other companies.

 

Dividend-Paying Securities Risk. The Fund may have significant exposure to dividend-paying stocks. There is no guarantee that issuers of the securities held by such Underlying Investments will declare dividends in the future or that, if declared, they will either remain at current levels or increase over time.

 

Recent Market Events. Periods of market volatility may occur in response to market events and other economic, political, and global macro factors. For example, in recent years the COVID-19 pandemic, the large expansion of government deficits and debt as a result of government actions to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the rise of inflation have resulted in extreme volatility in the global economy and in global financial markets. These and other similar events could be prolonged and could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments, impair the Fund’s ability to satisfy redemption requests, and negatively impact the Fund’s performance.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets, customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or cause the Fund, the Advisor, and/or other service providers (including custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or loss of operational functionality. In an extreme case, a shareholder’s ability to exchange or redeem Fund shares may be affected. Issuers of securities in which the Fund invests are also subject to cybersecurity risks, and the value of those securities could decline if the issuers experience cybersecurity incidents.

 

Emerging Markets Risk. Many of the risks with respect to foreign investments are more pronounced for investments in issuers in developing or emerging market countries. Emerging market countries tend to have more government exchange controls, more volatile interest and currency exchange rates, less market regulation, and less developed and less stable economic, political and legal systems than those of more developed countries. There may be less publicly available and reliable information about issuers in emerging markets than is available about issuers in more developed markets. In addition, emerging market countries may experience high levels of inflation and may have less liquid securities markets and less efficient trading and settlement systems.

 


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ETF Risk. Investing in an ETF will provide the Fund with exposure to the securities comprising the index on which the ETF is based and will expose the Fund to risks similar to those of investing directly in those securities. Shares of ETFs typically trade on securities exchanges and may at times trade at a premium or discount to their net asset values. In addition, an ETF may not replicate exactly the performance of the benchmark index it seeks to track for a number of reasons, including transaction costs incurred by the ETF, the temporary unavailability of certain index securities in the secondary market or discrepancies between the ETF and the index with respect to the weighting of securities or the number of securities held. Investing in ETFs, which are investment companies, involves duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. The Fund will pay brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase and sale of shares of ETFs.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund may not be able to sell some or all of the investments that it holds due to a lack of demand in the marketplace or other factors such as market turmoil, or if the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid asset to meet redemption requests or other cash needs it may only be able to sell those investments at a loss. Illiquid assets may also be difficult to value.

 

Options Risk. Purchasing and writing put and call options are highly specialized activities and entail greater than ordinary investment risks. The Fund may not fully benefit from or may lose money on an option if changes in its value do not correspond as anticipated to changes in the value of the underlying securities. If the Fund is not able to sell an option held in its portfolio, it would have to exercise the option to realize any profit and would incur transaction costs upon the purchase or sale of the underlying securities. Ownership of options involves the payment of premiums, which may adversely affect the Fund’s performance. To the extent that the Fund invests in over-the-counter options, the Fund may be exposed to counterparty risk.

 

Preferred Stock Risk. Preferred stock represents an equity interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other stocks such as common stock, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. The market value of preferred stock is subject to company-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities and is also sensitive to changes in the company’s creditworthiness, the ability of the company to make payments on the preferred stock, and changes in interest rates, typically declining in value if interest rates rise.

 

Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Risk. The Fund’s investment in REITs will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses.

 

Warrants Risk. Warrants may lack a liquid secondary market for resale. The prices of warrants may fluctuate as a result of speculation or other factors. Warrants can provide a greater potential for profit or loss than an equivalent investment in the underlying security. Prices of warrants do not necessarily move in tandem with the prices of their underlying securities and are highly volatile and speculative investments. If a warrant expires without being exercised, the Fund will lose any amount paid for the warrant.

 

Performance

The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year for Class A shares and by showing how the average annual total returns of each class of the Fund compare with the average annual total returns of a broad-based market index. Performance for classes other than those shown may vary from the performance shown to the extent the expenses for those classes differ. Updated performance information is available at the Fund’s website, www.europacificfunds.com, or by calling the Fund at 1-888-558-5851. The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Sales loads are not reflected in the bar chart, and if those changes were included, returns would be less than those shown.

 

The Fund commenced operations on January 10, 2014, after the conversion of a limited liability company account, Spongebob Ventures II LLC, which commenced operations February 28, 2010 (the “Predecessor Account”), into Class I shares of the Fund. The bar chart and the performance table below for the period prior to the commencement of the Fund’s operations are

 


23

 

 

 

for the Predecessor Account. The Fund’s objectives, policies, guidelines and restrictions are, in all material respects, equivalent to those of the Predecessor Account. The Predecessor Account was the only fund or account managed by the Fund’s advisor with an investment objective and investment policies and restrictions substantially similar to those of the Fund, and the Predecessor Account was managed by the Fund’s advisor in substantially the same way that the Fund’s advisor manages the Fund. The Predecessor Account was not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (as amended, the “1940 Act”), and therefore was not subject to certain restrictions imposed by the 1940 Act on registered investment companies and by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 on regulated investment companies. If the Predecessor Account had been registered under the 1940 Act, the Predecessor Account’s performance may have been adversely affected. For the periods prior to the conversion, returns for Class I shares reflect all charges, expenses, and fees of the Predecessor Account. Returns for Class A shares have been adjusted to reflect the estimated gross annual operating expenses of Class A shares of the Fund as of the date of the conversion.

 

Calendar Year Total Return (before taxes) for Class A Shares
For each calendar year at NAV

 

 

Year

Class A Shares

Highest Calendar Quarter Return at NAV

26.86%

Quarter Ended 06/30/2020

Lowest Calendar Quarter Return at NAV

(20.55)%

Quarter Ended 03/31/2020

 

Average Annual Total Returns
(for periods ended December 31, 2023)

One Year

Five Years

Ten Years

Class A - Return Before Taxes

2.65%

6.64%

1.54%

Class A - Return After Taxes on Distributions1

2.11%

6.24%

1.06%

Class A - Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1

2.30%

5.36%

1.26%

Class I - Return Before Taxes

7.82%

7.92%

2.27%

S&P International Dividend Opportunities Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

15.00%

4.95%

2.12%

 

1

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only and after-tax returns for classes other than Class A will vary from returns shown for Class A.

 


24

 

 

 

Investment Advisor

Euro Pacific Asset Management, LLC (the “Advisor”)

 

Portfolio Managers

James Nelson, CFA, Portfolio Manager, and Patrick Rien, CFA, Co-Portfolio Manager and Senior Research Analyst, have been jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio since its inception on January 10, 2014.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

To purchase shares of the Fund, you must invest at least the minimum amount.

 

Minimum Investments

To Open
Your Account

To Add to
Your Account

Class A shares

 

 

Direct Regular Accounts

$2,500

$250

Direct Retirement Accounts

$2,500

$250

Automatic Investment Plan

$2,500

$250

Gift Account For Minors

$2,500

$250

Class I shares

 

 

Direct Regular Accounts

$5,000

$250

Direct Retirement Accounts

$5,000

$250

Automatic Investment Plan

$5,000

$250

Gift Account For Minors

$5,000

$250

 

Fund shares are redeemable on any business day the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) is open for business, by written request or by telephone.

 

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable, and will ordinarily be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Shareholders investing through such tax-advantaged arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

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

 


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SUMMARY SECTION - EP Emerging Markets Fund

 

Investment Objective

The investment objective of the EP Emerging Markets Fund (the “Fund”) is to seek long term capital appreciation.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section titled “Sales Charge Schedule” on page 62 of this prospectus and in “APPENDIX A – Waivers and Discounts Available from Intermediaries” of the Prospectus.

 

   

Class A
Shares

 

Class I
Shares

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

       

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

 

4.50%

 

None

Maximum deferred sales charge (load)

 

None

 

None

Wire fee

 

$20

 

$20

Overnight check delivery fee

 

$25

 

$25

Retirement account fees (annual maintenance fee)

 

$15

 

$15

         

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of your investment)

     

Management fees

 

1.08%

 

1.08%

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

 

0.25%

 

None

Other expenses

 

0.60%

 

0.60%

Shareholder service fees

0.09%

 

0.09%

 

All other expenses

0.51%

 

0.51%

 

Acquired fund fees and expenses

 

0.02%

 

0.02%

Total annual fund operating expenses1

 

1.95%

 

1.70%

Fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed

 

(0.18)%

 

(0.18)%

Total annual fund operating expenses after waiving fees and/or reimbursing expenses1,2

 

1.77%

 

1.52%

         

 

1

The total annual fund operating expenses and total annual fund operating expenses after waiving fees and/or reimbursing expenses do not correlate to the ratio of expense to average net assets appearing in the financial highlights table, which reflects only the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include acquired fund fees and expenses.

 

2

The Fund’s advisor has contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or pay for operating expenses of the Fund to ensure that total annual fund operating expenses (excluding any taxes, leverage interest, brokerage commissions, dividend and interest expenses on short sales, acquired fund fees and expenses (as determined in accordance with SEC Form N-1A), professional fees related to services for the collection of foreign tax reclaims, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, and extraordinary expenses such as litigation expenses) do not exceed 1.75% and 1.50% of the average daily net assets of Class A and Class I shares of the Fund, respectively. This agreement is in effect until February 28, 2025, and it may be terminated before that date only by the Trust’s Board of Trustees. The Fund’s advisor is permitted to seek reimbursement from the Fund, subject to certain limitations, of fees waived or payments made to the Fund for a period ending three full fiscal years after the date of the

 


26

 

 

waiver or payment. This reimbursement may be requested from the Fund if the reimbursement will not cause the Fund’s annual expense ratio to exceed the lesser of (a) the expense limitation in effect at the time such fees were waived or payments made, or (b) the expense limitation in effect at the time of the reimbursement.

 

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The example reflects the Fund’s contractual fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement only for the term of the contractual fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

One Year

Three Years

Five Years

Ten Years

Class A

$622

$1,018

$1,439

$2,609

Class I

$155

$518

$906

$1,994

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 71% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of companies that are tied economically to emerging market countries. The Fund’s advisor considers emerging market countries to be those countries that are, at the time of investment, included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. The Fund’s advisor considers a company to be economically tied to an emerging market country if (1) the company is organized under the laws of an emerging market country, or has its principal office in an emerging market country; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived at least 50% of its total revenues or profits during its most recently completed fiscal year from business activities in an emerging market country; or (3) the company’s equity securities are primarily traded on an exchange in an emerging market country. The Fund’s investments in equity securities may include common stock, preferred stock, convertible stock and warrants. Certain of the Fund’s investments may be considered restricted securities. The Fund may invest in large-, mid-, and small-capitalization companies.

 

The Fund’s advisor uses an active management investment approach to researching, identifying and selecting portfolio companies. The research process is driven by bottom-up fundamental analysis that aims to identify growing but stable companies trading at attractive valuations relative to anticipated growth in revenue and earnings. Prior to making an investment, the advisor considers factors including, but not limited to, financial statement analysis; quality of management; insider ownership; perceived soundness of the business strategies; ability to sustain a competitive advantage; liquidity; and valuation relative to expected growth.

 

The Fund’s advisor may sell all or a portion of a position when in its opinion one or more of the following occurs, among other reasons: (1) the advisor’s price target is realized; (2) the company’s fundamentals have deteriorated since it was purchased; (3) the advisor finds more attractive investment opportunities for the Fund; or (4) the Fund requires cash to meet redemption requests.

 


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Principal Risks of Investing

 

Risk is inherent in all investing and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. A summary description of certain principal risks of investing in the Fund is set forth below. Before you decide whether to invest in the Fund, carefully consider these risk factors associated with investing in the Fund, which may cause investors to lose money. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

Management and Strategy Risk. The value of your investment depends on the judgment of the Fund’s advisor about the quality, relative yield, value or market trends affecting a particular security, industry, sector or region, which may prove to be incorrect.

 

Market Risk. The market price of a security or instrument may decline, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic, political or geopolitical conditions throughout the world, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, or adverse investor sentiment generally. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, international conflicts, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, or other events could have a significant impact on a security or instrument. The market value of a security or instrument also may decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. The increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market.

 

Equity Risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to specific companies in which the Fund invests.

 

Foreign Investment Risk. The prices of foreign securities may be more volatile than the prices of securities of U.S. issuers because of economic and social conditions abroad, political developments, and changes in the regulatory environments of foreign countries. Changes in exchange rates and interest rates and the imposition of sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and/or other governments may adversely affect the values of the Fund’s foreign investments. Foreign companies are generally subject to different legal and accounting standards than U.S. companies, and foreign financial intermediaries may be subject to less supervision and regulation than U.S. financial firms.

 

Emerging Markets Risk. Many of the risks with respect to foreign investments are more pronounced for investments in issuers in developing or emerging market countries. Emerging market countries tend to have more government exchange controls, more volatile interest and currency exchange rates, less market regulation, and less developed and less stable economic, political and legal systems than those of more developed countries. There may be less publicly available and reliable information about issuers in emerging markets than is available about issuers in more developed markets. In addition, emerging market countries may experience high levels of inflation and may have less liquid securities markets and less efficient trading and settlement systems.

 

Geographic Concentration Risk. A fund that is less diversified across countries or geographic regions is generally riskier than a more geographically diversified fund. Investments in a single region, even though representing a number of different countries within the region, may be affected by common economic forces and other factors. This vulnerability to factors affecting the value of investments is significantly greater for a fund that concentrates its investment in a particular region or regions than a more geographically diversified fund, and may result in greater losses and volatility. The economies and financial markets of certain regions, such as Latin America, Asia or Eastern Europe, can be interdependent and may decline all at the same time.

 

Sector Risk. From time to time, the Fund may invest a significant amount of its total assets in each of certain sectors of the economy. Each of those sectors may be subject to specific risks. These risks include governmental regulation of the sector and governmental monetary and fiscal policies, which may impact interest rates and currencies and affect

 


28

 

 

 

corporate funding and international trade. Certain sectors may be more vulnerable than others to these factors. In addition, market sentiment and expectations toward a particular sector could affect a company’s market valuation and access to equity funding.

 

Geographic Risk Related to Asia. There are specific risks associated with investing in the Asia region, including the risk of political, economic, social and religious instability. The Asian region, and particularly China, Japan and South Korea, may be adversely affected by political, military, economic and other factors related to North Korea. In addition, China’s long running conflict over Taiwan, border disputes with many of its neighbors and historically strained relations with Japan could adversely impact economies in the region. From time to time, China has experienced outbreaks of infectious illnesses, and the country may be subject to other public health threats, infectious illnesses, diseases or similar issues in the future. Any spread of an infectious illness, public health threat or similar issue could reduce consumer demand or economic output, result in market closures, travel restrictions or quarantines, and generally have a significant impact on the Chinese economy and the economies in the region. The economies of many Asian countries differ from the economies of more developed countries in many respect.

 

Currency Risk. The values of investments in securities denominated in foreign currencies increase or decrease as the rates of exchange between those currencies and the U.S. dollar change. Currency conversion costs and currency fluctuations could erase investment gains or add to investment losses. Currency exchange rates can be volatile and are affected by factors such as general economic conditions, the actions of the United States and foreign governments or central banks, the imposition of currency controls, and speculation.

 

Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible securities are subject to market and interest rate risk and credit risk. When the market price of the equity security underlying a convertible security decreases the convertible security tends to trade on the basis of its yield and other fixed income characteristics, and is more susceptible to credit and interest rate risks. When the market price of such equity security rises, the convertible security tends to trade on the basis of its equity conversion features and be more exposed to market risk. Convertible securities are typically issued by smaller capitalized companies with stock prices that may be more volatile than those of other companies.

 

Recent Market Events. Periods of market volatility may occur in response to market events and other economic, political, and global macro factors. For example, in recent years the COVID-19 pandemic, the large expansion of government deficits and debt as a result of government actions to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the rise of inflation have resulted in extreme volatility in the global economy and in global financial markets. These and other similar events could be prolonged and could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments, impair the Fund’s ability to satisfy redemption requests, and negatively impact the Fund’s performance.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets, customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or cause the Fund, the advisor, and/or other service providers (including custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or loss of operational functionality. In an extreme case, a shareholder’s ability to exchange or redeem Fund shares may be affected. Issuers of securities in which the Fund invests are also subject to cybersecurity risks, and the value of those securities could decline if the issuers experience cybersecurity incidents.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund may not be able to sell some or all of the investments that it holds due to a lack of demand in the marketplace or other factors such as market turmoil, or if the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid asset to meet redemption requests or other cash needs it may only be able to sell those investments at a loss. Illiquid assets may also be difficult to value.

 

Market Capitalization Risk. Larger, more established companies may be unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies during periods of economic expansion. The securities of small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements and may have lower trading volumes or more erratic trading than securities of larger, more established companies or market averages in general. In addition, such companies typically are more likely to be adversely affected than large capitalization companies by changes in earning results, business prospects, investor expectations or poor economic or market conditions.

 


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Preferred Stock Risk. Preferred stock represents an equity interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other stocks such as common stock, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. The market value of preferred stock is subject to company-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities and is also sensitive to changes in the company’s creditworthiness, the ability of the company to make payments on the preferred stock, and changes in interest rates, typically declining in value if interest rates rise.

 

Warrants Risk. Warrants may lack a liquid secondary market for resale. The prices of warrants may fluctuate as a result of speculation or other factors. Warrants can provide a greater potential for profit or loss than an equivalent investment in the underlying security. Prices of warrants do not necessarily move in tandem with the prices of their underlying securities and are highly volatile and speculative investments. If a warrant expires without being exercised, the Fund will lose any amount paid for the warrant.

 

Private Placements and Restricted Securities Risk. Private placements and other restricted securities may be considered illiquid securities. Private placements typically 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 securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held. The absence of a liquid trading market may also make it difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the Fund’s net asset value.

 

Performance

The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year for Class A shares and by showing how the average annual total returns of each class of shares of the Fund compare with the average annual total returns of a broad-based market index as well as its prior performance benchmark. Performance for classes other than those shown may vary from the performance shown to the extent the expenses for those classes differ. Prior to September 1, 2022, the Fund was named the EP Emerging Markets Small Companies Fund and invested primarily in equity securities of small capitalization emerging market companies. Updated performance information is available at the Fund’s website, www.europacificfunds.com, or by calling the Fund at 1-888-558-5851. The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Class A shares and Class I shares are invested in the same portfolio of securities. Sales loads are not reflected in the bar chart, and if those charges were included, returns would be less than those shown.

 


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Calendar Year Total Return (before taxes) for Class A Shares
For each calendar year at NAV

 

Year

 

Class A Shares

Highest Calendar Quarter Return at NAV

33.49%

Quarter Ended 06/30/2020

Lowest Calendar Quarter Return at NAV

(24.89)%

Quarter Ended 03/31/2020

 

Average Annual Total Returns
(for periods ended December 31, 2023)

One Year

Five Years

Ten Years

Class A Shares - Return Before Taxes

2.33%

3.14%

1.54%

Class A Shares - Return After Taxes on Distributions1

1.93%

2.06%

0.54%

Class A Shares - Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1

1.49%

2.56%

1.20%

Class I Shares - Return Before Taxes2

7.32%

4.31%

2.25%

MSCI Emerging Markets Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

9.83%

3.68%

2.66%

 

1

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only and after-tax returns for classes other than Class A will vary from returns shown for Class A.

 

2

Class A shares were first offered on December 1, 2010. Class I shares were first offered on July 16, 2013. The performance figures for Class I include the performance for Class A for the periods prior to the start date of Class I. Class A imposes higher expenses than Class I.

 

Investment Advisor

Euro Pacific Asset Management, LLC (the “Advisor”) is the Fund’s investment advisor.

 

Portfolio Manager

Luke Allen, CFA, Portfolio Manager of the Advisor, and Patrick Rien, CFA, Co-Portfolio Manager and Senior Research Analyst of the Advisor, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio and have served as portfolio managers of the Fund since September 1, 2022.

 


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Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

To purchase shares of the Fund, you must invest at least the minimum amount.

 

Minimum Investments

To Open
Your Account

To Add to
Your Account

Class A

 

 

Direct Regular Accounts

$2,500

$250

Direct Retirement Accounts

$2,500

$250

Automatic Investment Plan

$2,500

$250

Gift Account For Minors

$2,500

$250

Class I

 

 

Direct Regular Accounts

$5,000

$250

Direct Retirement Accounts

$5,000

$250

Automatic Investment Plan

$5,000

$250

Gift Account For Minors

$5,000

$250

 

Fund shares are redeemable on any business day the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) is open for business, by written request or by telephone.

 

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable, and will ordinarily be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Shareholders investing through such tax-advantaged arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

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

 


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SUMMARY SECTION - EuroPac Gold Fund

 

Investment Objective

The investment objective of the EuroPac Gold Fund (the “Fund”) is to seek long-term capital appreciation.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section titled “Sales Charge Schedule” on page 62 of this prospectus and in “APPENDIX A – Waivers and Discounts Available from Intermediaries” of the Prospectus.

 

   

Class A
Shares

 

Class I
Shares

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

       

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

 

4.50%

 

None

Maximum deferred sales charge (load)

 

None

 

None

Wire fee

 

$20

 

$20

Overnight check delivery fee

 

$25

 

$25

Retirement account fees (annual maintenance fee)

 

$15

 

$15

         

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of your investment)

     

Management fees

 

0.80%

 

0.80%

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

 

0.25%

 

None

Other expenses

 

0.34%

 

0.34%

Shareholder service fees

0.09%

 

0.09%

 

All other expenses

0.25%

 

0.25%

 

Total annual fund operating expenses

 

1.39%

 

1.14%

         

 

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

One Year

Three Years

Five Years

Ten Years

Class A

$ 585

$ 870

$ 1,176

$ 2,043

Class I

$ 116

$ 362

$ 628

$ 1,386

 


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Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 19% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in the securities of gold companies located in Europe and the Pacific Rim. The Fund’s advisor defines securities of gold companies as equity securities of companies that derive at least 50% of gross revenue or profit from mining, processing, or dealing and investing in gold, as well as companies whose primary business is exploring for gold or that provide services to the gold industry. The advisor considers a country to be part of Europe if it is included in the MSCI All Country Europe Index and part of the Pacific Rim if any of its borders touches the Pacific Ocean. The Fund also invests in shares of exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and closed end funds that invest in gold bullion. ETFs are pooled investment vehicles that trade on exchanges. The advisor considers a company to be located in Europe or the Pacific Rim if (1) the company is organized under the laws of a country that is a part of Europe or the Pacific Rim or has its principal office in a country that is a part of Europe or the Pacific Rim; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived a significant portion (i.e., 50% or more) of its total revenues during its most recent completed fiscal year from business activities in Europe or the Pacific Rim; or (3) the company’s equity securities are traded principally on stock exchanges or over-the-counter markets in Europe or the Pacific Rim. The Fund will invest primarily in non-U.S. companies. The Advisor considers a company to be a non-U.S. company if (1) the company is organized under the laws of a country, or has its principal office in a country, other than the United States; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived at least 50% of its total revenues during its most recent completed fiscal year from business activities outside of the United States; or (3) the company’s equity securities are traded principally on stock exchanges or over-the-counter markets outside of the United States. The Fund may also invest in American and Global Depositary Receipts (“ADRs” and “GDRs”), including unsponsored ADRs. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in the equity securities of other precious metals companies, such as silver, platinum and palladium companies. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in private placements and other restricted securities.

 

The Fund concentrates its investments in companies engaged in the gold industry. The Fund invests in large-, mid-, small-, and micro-capitalization companies that are considered by the Fund’s advisor to be attractively valued.

 

The Fund may also use derivative instruments, primarily writing (i.e., selling) put options on individual securities, indexes and ETFs, to manage the position size of individual security holdings, and to seek to enhance the Fund’s return and reduce volatility. The Fund will generally invest in derivatives to seek to manage underlying equity exposures while seeking to maximize the efficiency of invested capital and expected return. When evaluating options, the Fund’s advisor considers the amount of premium received or invested (which is a function of the implied volatility of the underlying security, the strike price, and the time to expiration), the valuation of the underlying security at the exercise price, the weighting of the security in the portfolio if exercised, and the expiration date. In addition, the Fund may write (sell) covered call options on securities the Fund holds in its portfolio.

 

In selecting investments for the Fund, the Fund’s advisor employs a long-term value orientation, looking for companies selling at attractive prices that can be held for a long time horizon. The advisor’s overall approach to investment management involves several key factors. First, the global universe is used to screen potential European and Pacific Rim investments. Second, the advisor identifies securities of companies in the gold or other precious metals sector that it believes are valued at a low price in relation to their book value or earnings, or at a discount to future book value given the likelihood the company will be able to increase resources through exploration. Lastly, a long-term investment horizon (five years) is applied to give investments time to realize full value. In investing in growth and more speculative investments, such as exploration, the advisor looks for companies with a risk-mitigating approach to these inherently risky activities. Ultimately, the advisor seeks to construct a portfolio with a solid long-term foundation in which growth and more speculative investments are added.

 


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Principal Risks of Investing

 

Risk is inherent in all investing and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. A summary description of certain principal risks of investing in the Fund is set forth below. Before you decide whether to invest in the Fund, carefully consider these risk factors associated with investing in the Fund, which may cause investors to lose money. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

Management and Strategy Risk. The value of your investment depends on the judgment of the Fund’s advisor about the quality, relative yield, value or market trends affecting a particular security, industry, sector or region, which may prove to be incorrect.

 

Market Risk. The market price of a security or instrument may decline, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic, political or geopolitical conditions throughout the world, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, or adverse investor sentiment generally. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, international conflicts, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, or other events could have a significant impact on a security or instrument. The market value of a security or instrument also may decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. The increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market.

 

The Euro Pacific Investment Philosophy. The Fund is structured to reflect the advisor’s general investment philosophy that due to a long-term build-up of debt in the United States accompanied by consistent current account deficits, and the future potential for a continued and long-term decline in the value of the U.S. dollar against other currencies, investors should allocate a portion of their portfolios to high quality, long-term value-oriented investments in foreign securities. Thus, the advisor’s strategies are in general intended to perform well in an environment of U.S. dollar weakness and can be expected to generally underperform in environments of dollar strength.

 

Equity Risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to specific companies in which the Fund invests.

 

Risks Related to the Gold and Precious Metals Industries. Because the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the gold industry and because the fund may invest a significant amount of its assets in the precious metals industry, its performance will be significantly affected by developments in those industries. The Fund may be subject to greater risks and market fluctuations than a fund whose portfolio has exposure to a broader range of industries or sectors. Investments related to gold and other precious metals are considered speculative and are affected by a variety of worldwide economic, financial and political factors. The price of gold and other precious metals may fluctuate sharply over short periods of time, even during periods of rising prices, due to changes in inflation or expectations regarding inflation in various countries, the availability of supplies, changes in industrial and commercial demand, limited markets, fabricator demand, gold sales by governments, trade imbalances and restrictions, currency devaluation or revaluation, central banks or international agencies, investment speculation, inability to raise capital, increases in production costs, political unrest in nations where sources of precious metals are located, monetary and other economic policies of various governments and government restrictions on private ownership of precious metals and mining land. Therefore, markets are volatile at times, and there may be sharp fluctuations in prices even during periods of rising prices. The metals industry can be significantly affected by events relating to international political developments, the success of exploration projects, commodity prices and tax and government regulations.

 

Private Placements and Restricted Securities Risk. Private placements and other restricted securities may be considered illiquid securities. Private placements typically 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 securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be

 


35

 

 

 

able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held. The absence of a liquid trading market may also make it difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the Fund’s net asset value.

 

Foreign Investment Risk. The prices of foreign securities may be more volatile than the prices of securities of U.S. issuers because of economic and social conditions abroad, political developments, and changes in the regulatory environments of foreign countries. Changes in exchange rates and interest rates, and the imposition of sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and/or other governments may adversely affect the values of the Fund’s foreign investments. Foreign companies are generally subject to different legal and accounting standards than U.S. companies, and foreign financial intermediaries may be subject to less supervision and regulation than U.S. financial firms. Foreign securities include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). Unsponsored ADRs and GDRs are organized independently and without the cooperation of the foreign issuer of the underlying securities, and involve additional risks because U.S. reporting requirements do not apply. In addition, the issuing bank may deduct shareholder distribution, custody, foreign currency exchange, and other fees from the payment of dividends.

 

Market Capitalization Risk. Larger, more established companies may be unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies during periods of economic expansion. The securities of micro-capitalization, small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements and may have lower trading volumes or more erratic trading than securities of larger, more established companies or market averages in general. In addition, such companies typically are more likely to be adversely affected than large capitalization companies by changes in earning results, business prospects, investor expectations or poor economic or market conditions.

 

Geographic Concentration Risk. A fund that is less diversified across countries or geographic regions is generally riskier than a more geographically diversified fund. Investments in a single region, even though representing a number of different countries within the region, may be affected by common economic forces and other factors. This vulnerability to factors affecting the value of investments is significantly greater for a fund that concentrates its investment in a particular region or regions than a more geographically diversified fund, and may result in greater losses and volatility. The economies and financial markets of certain regions, such as Latin America, Asia or Eastern Europe, can be interdependent and may decline all at the same time.

 

Geographic Risk Related to Europe. The Fund will be more susceptible to the economic, market, political and local risks of the European region than a fund that is more geographically diversified. Europe includes both developed and emerging markets. Most Western European countries are members of the European Union, which imposes restrictions on inflation rates, deficits and debt levels. Both developed and emerging market countries in Europe will be significantly affected by the fiscal and monetary controls of the European Monetary Union. Changes in regulations on trade, decreasing imports or exports, changes in the exchange rate of the euro and recessions among European countries may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of other European countries including those of Eastern Europe. The markets in Eastern Europe remain relatively undeveloped and can be particularly sensitive to political and economic developments. The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about rising government debt levels of certain European countries, each of which may require external assistance to meet its obligations and run the risk of default on its debt, possible bail-out by the rest of the European Union or debt restructuring. Assistance given to a European Union member state may be dependent on a country’s implementation of reforms in order to curb the risk of default on its debt, and a failure to implement these reforms or increase revenues could result in a deep economic downturn. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and therefore may adversely affect the Fund and its investments. On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom formally withdrew from the EU, which withdrawal is commonly referred to as “Brexit.” The Fund faces risks associated with the uncertainty and consequences following Brexit. Brexit could adversely affect European or worldwide political, regulatory, economic or market conditions, and could contribute to instability in global political institutions, regulatory agencies and financial markets. Any effects of Brexit could adversely affect any of the companies to which the Fund has exposure and any other assets in which the Fund invests. In addition, Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the displacement of millions of Ukrainians from their homes, a substantial loss of life, and the widespread

 


36

 

 

 

destruction of property and infrastructure throughout Ukraine, which in turn has led to the imposition of heavy economic sanctions on certain Russian individuals, corporate and banking entities, and other Russian industries and businesses, and, consequently, retaliatory measures imposed by Russia against Western nations supporting Ukraine. The extent and duration of the war in Ukraine and the longevity and severity of sanctions remain unknown, but they could have a significant adverse impact on the European economy as well as the price and availability of certain commodities, including oil and natural gas, throughout the world.

 

Geographic Risk Related to Pacific Rim. The Fund will be more susceptible to the economic, market, regulatory, political, natural disasters and local risks of the Pacific Rim region than a fund that is more geographically diversified. The Pacific Rim region includes countries in all stages of economic development; however, it has a higher prevalence of emerging market countries as compared to other regions of the world. The region has historically been highly dependent on global trade, with nations taking strong roles in both the importing and exporting of goods; such a relationship creates a risk with this dependency on global growth. The respective stock markets tend to have a larger prevalence of smaller capitalization companies. Varying levels of accounting and disclosure standards, restrictions on foreign ownership, minority ownership rights, and corporate governance standards are also common for the region.

 

Currency Risk. The values of investments in securities denominated in foreign currencies increase or decrease as the rates of exchange between those currencies and the U.S. dollar change. Currency conversion costs and currency fluctuations could erase investment gains or add to investment losses. Currency exchange rates can be volatile and are affected by factors such as general economic conditions, the actions of the United States and foreign governments or central banks, the imposition of currency controls, and speculation.

 

Recent Market Events. Periods of market volatility may occur in response to market events and other economic, political, and global macro factors. For example, in recent years the COVID-19 pandemic, the large expansion of government deficits and debt as a result of government actions to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the rise of inflation have resulted in extreme volatility in the global economy and in global financial markets. These and other similar events could be prolonged and could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments, impair the Fund’s ability to satisfy redemption requests, and negatively impact the Fund’s performance.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets, customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or cause the Fund, the Advisor, and/or other service providers (including custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or loss of operational functionality. In an extreme case, a shareholder’s ability to exchange or redeem Fund shares may be affected.

 

Derivatives Risk. Derivatives include instruments and contracts that are based on and valued in relation to one or more underlying securities, financial benchmarks, indices, or other reference obligations or measures of value. Major types of derivatives include futures, options, swaps and forward contracts. Using derivatives exposes the Fund to additional or heightened risks, including leverage risk, liquidity risk, valuation risk, market risk, counterparty risk, and credit risk. Derivatives transactions can be highly illiquid and difficult to unwind or value, they can increase Fund volatility, and changes in the value of a derivative held by the Fund may not correlate with the value of the underlying instrument or the Fund’s other investments. Many of the risks applicable to trading the instruments underlying derivatives are also applicable to derivatives trading. However, derivatives are subject to additional risks such as operational risk, including settlement issues, and legal risk, including that underlying documentation is incomplete or ambiguous. For derivatives that are required to be cleared by a regulated clearinghouse, other risks may arise from the Fund’s relationship with a brokerage firm through which it submits derivatives trades for clearing, including in some cases from other clearing customers of the brokerage firm.

 

 

Covered Call Options Risk. The Fund may write (sell) covered call options on securities the Fund holds in its portfolio. This strategy is designed to generate additional gains from option premiums, but also results in certain risks. With respect to portfolio holdings on which the Fund has written a covered call option, the Fund will forgo the opportunity to benefit from potential increases in the value of that security, but will continue to bear the risk of declines in the value of the security.

 


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Options Risk. Purchasing and writing put and call options are highly specialized activities and entail greater than ordinary investment risks. The Fund may not fully benefit from or may lose money on an option if changes in its value do not correspond as anticipated to changes in the value of the underlying securities. If the Fund is not able to sell an option held in its portfolio, it would have to exercise the option to realize any profit and would incur transaction costs upon the purchase or sale of the underlying securities. Ownership of options involves the payment of premiums, which may adversely affect the Fund’s performance. To the extent that the Fund invests in over-the-counter options, the Fund may be exposed to counterparty risk.

 

Emerging Markets Risk. Many of the risks with respect to foreign investments are more pronounced for investments in issuers in developing or emerging market countries. Emerging market countries tend to have more government exchange controls, more volatile interest and currency exchange rates, less market regulation, and less developed and less stable economic, political and legal systems than those of more developed countries. There may be less publicly available and reliable information about issuers in emerging markets than is available about issuers in more developed markets. In addition, emerging market countries may experience high levels of inflation and may have less liquid securities markets and less efficient trading and settlement systems.

 

ETF Risk. Investing in an ETF will provide the Fund with exposure to the securities comprising the index on which the ETF is based and will expose the Fund to risks similar to those of investing directly in those securities. Shares of ETFs typically trade on securities exchanges and may at times trade at a premium or discount to their net asset values. In addition, an ETF may not replicate exactly the performance of the benchmark index it seeks to track for a number of reasons, including transaction costs incurred by the ETF, the temporary unavailability of certain index securities in the secondary market or discrepancies between the ETF and the index with respect to the weighting of securities or the number of securities held. Investing in ETFs, which are investment companies, involves duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. The Fund will pay brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase and sale of shares of ETFs.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund may not be able to sell some or all of the investments that it holds due to a lack of demand in the marketplace or other factors such as market turmoil, or if the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid asset to meet redemption requests or other cash needs it may only be able to sell those investments at a loss. Illiquid assets may also be difficult to value.

 

Tax Risk. In order to qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment accorded to regulated investment companies, the Fund must, among other requirements, derive at least 90% of its gross income in each taxable year from certain categories of income (“qualifying income”). Certain of the Fund’s investments may generate income that is not qualifying income. If the Fund were to fail to meet the qualifying income test and fail to qualify as a regulated investment company, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation, and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income.

 

The Fund may hold equity interests in certain foreign entities treated as “passive foreign investment companies” (“PFICs”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Certain foreign mining corporations in which the Fund invests may be treated as PFICs. If the Fund invests in PFICs, it may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” or gain from the disposition of such shares regardless of whether the Fund distributes substantially all of its income to shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed with respect to deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains. Capital gains on the sale of such holdings may be deemed to be ordinary income regardless of how long such PFICs are held. A “qualified electing fund” election or a “mark to market” election may generally be available that would ameliorate these adverse tax consequences, but such elections could require the Fund to recognize taxable income or gain (subject to the distribution requirements applicable to regulated investment companies) without the concurrent receipt of cash. In order to satisfy the distribution requirements and avoid a tax on the Fund, the Fund may be required to liquidate portfolio securities that it might otherwise have continued to hold, potentially resulting in additional taxable gain or loss to the Fund.

 


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Performance

The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year for Class A shares and by showing how the average annual total returns of Class A shares of the Fund compare with the average annual total returns of two broad-based market indices. Performance for classes other than those shown may vary from the performance shown to the extent the expenses for those classes differ. Updated performance information is available at the Fund’s website, www.europacificfunds.com, or by calling the Fund at 1-888-558-5851. The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Sales loads are not reflected in the bar chart, and if those charges were included, returns would be less than those shown.

 

Calendar Year Total Return (before taxes) for Class A Shares
For each calendar year at NAV

 

Year

Class A Shares

Highest Calendar Quarter Return at NAV

62.21%

Quarter Ended 06/30/2020

Lowest Calendar Quarter Return at NAV

(27.51)%

Quarter Ended 06/30/2022

 

Average Annual Total Returns
(for periods ended December 31, 2023)

One Year

Five Years

Ten Years

Class A Shares - Return Before Taxes

(2.31)%

5.31%

3.59%

Class A Shares - Return After Taxes on Distributions1

(2.31)%

4.50%

2.46%

Class A Shares - Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1

(1.37)%

3.96%

2.35%

Class I Shares - Return Before Taxes2

2.51%

6.53%

4.20%

Philadelphia Gold & Silver Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

5.64%

13.83%

5.29%

NYSE ARCA Gold Miners Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

8.81%

8.29%

4.09%

 


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1

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

 

2

Class A shares were first offered on July 19, 2013. Class I shares were first offered on November 20, 2018. The performance figures for Class I include the performance for Class A for the periods prior to the start date of Class I. Class A imposes higher expenses than Class I.

 

Investment Advisor

Euro Pacific Asset Management, LLC (the “Advisor”) is the Fund’s investment advisor.

 

Portfolio Manager

Adrian Day, Portfolio Manager, has been primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio since the Fund’s inception on July 19, 2013.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

To purchase shares of the Fund, you must invest at least the minimum amount.

 

Minimum Investments

To Open
Your Account

To Add to
Your Account

Class A

 

 

Direct Regular Accounts

$2,500

$250

Direct Retirement Accounts

$2,500

$250

Automatic Investment Plan

$2,500

$250

Gift Account For Minors

$2,500

$250

Class I

 

 

Direct Regular Accounts

$5,000

$250

Direct Retirement Accounts

$5,000

$250

Automatic Investment Plan

$5,000

$250

Gift Account For Minors

$5,000

$250

 

Fund shares are redeemable on any business day the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) is open for business, by written request or by telephone.

 

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable, and will ordinarily be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Shareholders investing through such tax-advantaged arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

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

 


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MORE ABOUT THE FUNDS’ INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS

 

EUROPAC INTERNATIONAL VALUE FUND

 

Investment Objective

The Fund’s investment objective is income and long term capital appreciation. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

The Fund’s investment objective may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. The Fund’s investment strategies and policies may be changed from time to time without shareholder approval or prior written notice, unless specifically stated otherwise in this Prospectus or the SAI.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in common stocks of companies located in Europe or the Pacific Rim. This policy may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice. The Advisor considers a country to be part of Europe if it is part of the MSCI European indexes and included in the Pacific Rim if any of its borders touches the Pacific Ocean. The Advisor considers a company to be located in Europe or the Pacific Rim if (1) the company is organized under the laws of a country that is part of Europe or the Pacific Rim or has its principal office that is part of a country in Europe or the Pacific Rim; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived a significant portion (i.e., 50% or more) of its total revenues during its most recent completed fiscal year from business activities in Europe or the Pacific Rim; or (3) the company’s equity securities are traded principally on stock exchanges or over-the-counter markets in Europe or the Pacific Rim. The Fund will invest primarily in non-U.S. companies. The Advisor considers a company to be a non-U.S. company if (1) the company is organized under the laws of a country, or has its principal office in a country, other than the United States; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived at least 50% of its total revenues during its most recent completed fiscal year from business activities outside of the United States; or (3) the company’s equity securities are traded principally on stock exchanges or over-the-counter markets outside of the United States. The Fund may invest in companies in developed and emerging markets. The Fund will invest in large-, mid-, and small-capitalization companies that are considered by the Advisor to be value oriented and dividend paying companies. The Fund may also invest in securities of companies engaged in the gold industry. Investments related to gold are considered speculative and are affected by a variety of worldwide economic, financial and political factors.

 

The Advisor uses a value investing style focusing on companies the securities of which it believes are undervalued. Subject to the Fund’s fundamental policy prohibiting the concentration of 25% or more of the Fund’s total assets in investments in any one industry or group of related industries, the Advisor may focus the Fund’s investments in one or more sectors. The Fund’s investments in equity securities may also include preferred stock, convertible securities, warrants and options on equities and stock indices. The Fund may also invest in ADRs and GDRs, including unsponsored ADRs, and ETFs.

 

The Fund seeks to identify countries and industries within those countries that are best positioned to perform relative to other countries and industries. In making this determination a number of considerations are taken into account such as expectations for change in valuation of foreign currency, changes in world demand for products or services, diversification of foreign trade practices, policy changes of the foreign government, and expectations for fundamental factors such as interest rates, inflation and GDP growth. Following selection of countries and industries, the Advisor will use a bottom-up approach to select individual companies. The advisor considers a number of qualitative and quantitative factors when selecting the companies such as dividend yield, valuation versus growth, capital structure, quality of management, corporate governance practices, liquidity, strengths and opportunities compared to those of the companies’ peer groups, and business specific risk. The Advisor also seeks to identify companies with minimal revenue exposure to the U.S. markets.

 


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The Advisor may sell all or a portion of a position when, in its opinion, one or more of the following occurs, among other reasons: (1) the Advisor’s price target is realized; (2) the company’s fundamentals have deteriorated since it was purchased; (3) when the Advisor finds better investment opportunities for the Fund or (4) the Fund requires cash to meet redemption requests. The Advisor generally will not seek to time the Fund’s purchases and sales based on short-term changes in securities prices.

 

When the Advisor believes that current market, economic, political or other conditions are unsuitable and would impair the pursuit of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund may invest some or all of its assets in cash or cash equivalents, including but not limited to obligations of the U.S. Government, money market fund shares, commercial paper, certificates of deposit and/or bankers acceptances, as well as other interest bearing or discount obligations or debt instruments that carry an investment grade rating by a national rating agency. When the Fund takes a temporary defensive position, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.

 

EUROPAC INTERNATIONAL BOND FUND

 

Investment Objective

The Fund’s investment objective is current income and capital appreciation. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

The Fund’s investment objective may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. The Fund’s investment strategies and policies may be changed from time to time without shareholder approval or prior written notice, unless specifically stated otherwise in this Prospectus or the SAI.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in bonds issued by companies located in Europe or the Pacific Rim. The Advisor considers a country to be part of Europe if it is included in one of the MSCI European indexes and part of the Pacific Rim if any of its borders touches the Pacific Ocean. The Advisor considers a company to be located in Europe or the Pacific Rim if (1) the company is organized under the laws of a country that is part of Europe or the Pacific Rim or has its principal office in a country that is part of Europe or the Pacific Rim; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived a significant portion (i.e., 50% or more) of its total revenues during its most recent completed fiscal year from business activities in Europe or the Pacific Rim; or (3) the company’s equity securities are traded principally on stock exchanges or over-the-counter markets in Europe or the Pacific Rim. The Fund will invest primarily in bonds issued by non-U.S. companies. The Advisor considers a company to be a non-U.S. company if (1) the company is organized under the laws of a country, or has its principal office in a country, other than the United States; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived at least 50% of its total revenues during its most recent completed fiscal year from business activities outside of the United States; or (3) the company’s equity securities are traded principally on stock exchanges or over-the-counter markets outside of the United States.

 

Fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest include developed and emerging market debt obligations of governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, corporate debt obligations, mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities, investment grade and below investment grade (commonly known as “junk bonds”) corporate debt obligations, and convertible bonds. Corporate debt obligations include corporate bonds, debentures, notes and other similar instruments. Although the Fund may invest in fixed income securities rated in any category, it will primarily invest in investment grade securities. Investment grade fixed income securities include securities rated BBB- or higher by Standard & Poor’s Corporation (“S&P”) or Baa3 or higher by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or, if unrated by S&P and Moody’s, determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest in securities, including sovereign debt securities, denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign currencies.

 

The securities in which the Fund invests may pay interest at fixed rates, variable rates, or subject to reset terms. In addition, these securities may make principal payments that are fixed, variable or both. There is no limit on the maturity of any security held by the Fund. Although the Advisor expects to maintain an intermediate- to long-term weighted average maturity for the Fund, there are no maturity restrictions on the overall portfolio or on individual securities.

 


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The Fund may invest in large-, mid-, and small-capitalization companies issuing fixed income securities. In addition, the Fund may use derivatives, such as forward contracts and currency and interest rate swaps, as a hedge (to offset risks associated with an investment, currency exposure, or market conditions) and to earn income and enhance returns.

 

The Advisor will first select foreign currency compositions based on an evaluation of various macroeconomic factors including, but not limited to, relative interest rates, exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies, and trade and current account balances. Once the Advisor establishes currency compositions, it will then select fixed income securities that it believes offer attractive income and/or capital appreciation potential with a reasonable level of risk. The Fund generally invests where relative combinations of fixed-income returns and currency exchange rates appear attractive. The Advisor may sell securities for a variety of reasons, but in most cases it will be to adjust the portfolio’s average maturity, credit quality or yield; to change geographic or currency exposures; or if the Fund must meet redemption requests.

 

When the Advisor believes that current market, economic, political or other conditions are unsuitable and would impair the pursuit of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund may invest some or all of its assets in cash or cash equivalents, including but not limited to obligations of the U.S. Government, money market fund shares, commercial paper, certificates of deposit and/or bankers acceptances, as well as other interest bearing or discount obligations or debt instruments that carry an investment grade rating by a national rating agency. When the Fund takes a temporary defensive position, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.

 

EUROPAC INTERNATIONAL DIVIDEND INCOME FUND

 

Investment Objectives

The Fund’s investment objectives are to seek income and maximize growth of income with capital appreciation as a secondary objective. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objectives.

 

The Fund’s investment objective is not fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval, upon at least 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. The Fund’s investment strategies and policies may be changed from time to time without shareholder approval or prior written notice, unless specifically stated otherwise in this Prospectus or the SAI.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of dividend paying companies located in Europe or the Pacific Rim. The Fund’s advisor considers a country to be part of Europe if it is included in one of the MSCI European indexes and part of the Pacific Rim if any of its borders touches the Pacific Ocean. The advisor considers a company to be located in Europe or the Pacific Rim if (1) the company is organized under the laws of a country that is part of Europe or the Pacific Rim or has its principal office in a country that is part of Europe or the Pacific Rim; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived a significant portion (i.e., 50% or more) of its total revenues during its most recent completed fiscal year from business activities in Europe or the Pacific Rim; or (3) the company’s equity securities are traded principally on stock exchanges or over-the-counter markets in Europe or the Pacific Rim. The Fund will invest primarily in non-U.S. companies. The Advisor considers a company to be a non-U.S. company if (1) the company is organized under the laws of a country, or has its principal office in a country, other than the United States; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived at least 50% of its total revenues during its most recent completed fiscal year from business activities outside of the United States; or (3) the company’s equity securities are traded principally on stock exchanges or over-the-counter markets outside of the United States. The Fund may invest in companies in developed and emerging markets. In addition, the Fund may invest in companies of all capitalizations that the advisor considers to be attractive dividend paying companies. The Fund may also invest in preferred stock, convertible securities, warrants and options on equities, stock indices and securities of companies engaged in the gold industry. Investments related to gold are considered speculative and are affected by a variety of worldwide economic, financial and political factors. In addition, the Fund may invest in ADRs, GDRs and ETFs.

 


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The Fund will employ a value-oriented approach to select securities the Advisor believes are trading below their intrinsic value, and will pay sustainably high dividends that grow over time. In selecting securities, the Advisor will consider a number of qualitative and quantitative factors such as free cash flow and earnings yield and growth, operating leverage and balance sheet strength, as well as management quality and corporate governance. The Advisor will also employ a top down approach to its security selection process, with the objective of selecting companies with business exposure or assets in countries or sectors that it believes will benefit from a long-term, positive trend.

 

The Advisor may sell all or a portion of a position of the Fund’s portfolio holding when in its opinion one or more of the following occurs, among other reasons: (1) the issuer’s fundamentals deteriorate; (2) the security becomes overvalued; (3) the Advisor identifies more attractive investment opportunities for the Fund; or (4) the Fund requires cash to meet redemption requests.

 

When the Advisor believes that current market, economic, political or other conditions are unsuitable and would impair the pursuit of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in cash or cash equivalents, including but not limited to, obligations of the U.S. Government, money market fund shares, commercial paper, certificates of deposits and/or bankers acceptances, as well as interest bearing or discount obligations or debt instruments that carry an investment grade rating by a national rating agency. When the Fund takes a temporary defensive position, the Fund may not achieve its investment objectives.

 

EP EMERGING MARKETS FUND

 

Investment Objective

The Fund’s investment objective is long term capital appreciation. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its objective.

 

The Fund’s investment objective may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days prior written notice to shareholders. The Fund’s investment strategies and policies may be changed from time to time without shareholder approval or prior written notice, unless specifically stated otherwise in this Prospectus or the SAI.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets, which include borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of companies that are tied economically to emerging market countries. Emerging market countries are those countries that are, at the time of investment, included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. The Advisor considers a company to be economically tied to an emerging market country if (1) the company is organized under the laws of an emerging market country, or has its principal office in an emerging market country; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived at least 50% of its total revenues during its most recently completed fiscal year from business activities in an emerging market country; or (3) the company’s equity securities are primarily traded on an exchange in an emerging market country. The Fund’s investments in equity securities may include common stock, preferred stock, convertible stock and warrants. Certain of the Fund’s investments may be considered restricted securities. The Fund may invest in large-, mid-, and small-capitalization companies.

 

The Advisor uses an active management investment approach to researching, identifying and selecting portfolio companies. The research process is driven by bottom-up fundamental analysis that aims to identify growing but stable companies trading at attractive valuations relative to anticipated growth in revenue and earnings. Prior to making an investment, the Advisor considers factors including, but not limited to, financial statement analysis; quality of management; insider ownership; perceived soundness of the business strategies; ability to sustain a competitive advantage; liquidity; and valuation relative to expected growth.

 

The Advisor may sell all or a portion of a position when in its opinion one or more of the following occurs, among other reasons: (1) the Advisor’s price target is realized; (2) the company’s fundamentals have deteriorated since it was purchased; (3) the Advisor finds more attractive investment opportunities for the Fund; or (4) the Fund requires cash to meet redemption requests.

 


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When the Advisor believes that current market, economic, political or other conditions are unsuitable and would impair the pursuit of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund may invest some or all of its assets in cash or cash equivalents, including but not limited to obligations of the U.S. Government, money market fund shares, commercial paper, certificates of deposit and/or bankers acceptances, as well as other interest bearing or discount obligations or debt instruments that carry an investment grade rating by a national rating agency. When the Fund takes a temporary defensive position, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.

 

EUROPAC GOLD FUND

 

Investment Objective

The Fund’s investment objective is long-term capital appreciation. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

The Fund’s investment objective is not fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval upon at least 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. The Fund’s investment strategies and policies may be changed from time to time without shareholder approval or prior written notice, unless specifically stated otherwise in this Prospectus or the SAI.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in the securities of gold companies located in Europe or the Pacific Rim. The Advisor defines securities of gold companies as equity securities of companies that derive at least 50% of gross revenue or profit from mining, processing, or dealing and investing in gold, as well as companies whose primary business is exploring for gold or that provide services to the gold industry. The Advisor considers a country to be part of Europe if it is included in the MSCI All Country Europe Index or part of the Pacific Rim if any of its borders touches the Pacific Ocean. The Fund also invests in shares of ETFs and closed end funds that invest in gold bullion. The Advisor considers a company to be located in Europe or the Pacific Rim if (1) the company is organized under the laws of a country that is part of Europe or the Pacific Rim or has its principal office in a country that is part of Europe or the Pacific Rim; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived a significant portion (i.e., 50% or more) of its total revenues during its most recent completed fiscal year from business activities in Europe or the Pacific Rim; or (3) the company’s equity securities are traded principally on stock exchanges or over-the-counter markets in Europe or the Pacific Rim. The Fund will invest primarily in non-U.S. companies. The Advisor considers a company to be a non-U.S. company if (1) the company is organized under the laws of a country, or has its principal office in a country, other than the United States; (2) at the time of investment, the company derived at least 50% of its total revenues during its most recent completed fiscal year from business activities outside of the United States; or (3) the company’s equity securities are traded principally on stock exchanges or over-the-counter markets outside of the United States. The Fund may also invest in ADRs and GDRs. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in the equity securities of other precious metals companies, such as silver, platinum and palladium companies. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in private placements and other restricted securities.

 

The Fund concentrates its investments in companies engaged in the gold industry. The Fund invests in large-, mid-, small-, and micro-capitalization companies that are considered by the Advisor to be attractively valued.

 

The Fund may also use derivative instruments, primarily writing (i.e., selling) put options on individual securities, indexes and ETFs, to manage the position size of individual security holdings, and to seek to enhance the Fund’s return and reduce volatility. The Fund will generally invest in derivatives to seek to manage underlying equity exposures while seeking to maximize the efficiency of invested capital and expected return. When evaluating options, the Advisor considers the amount of premium received or invested (which is a function of the implied volatility of the underlying security, the strike price, and the time to expiration), the valuation of the underlying security at the exercise price, the weighting of the security in the portfolio if exercised, and the expiration date. In addition, the Fund may write (sell) covered call options on securities the Fund holds in its portfolio.

 


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In selecting investments for the Fund, the Advisor employs a long-term value orientation, looking for companies selling at attractive prices that can be held for a long time horizon. The Advisor’s overall approach to investment management involves several key factors. First, the global universe is used to screen potential European and Pacific Rim investments. Second, the Advisor identifies securities in the gold or other precious metals sector that it believes are valued at a low price in relation to their book value or earnings, or at a discount to future book value given the likelihood the company will be able to increase resources through exploration. Lastly, a long-term investment horizon (five years) is applied to give investments time to realize full value. In investing in growth and more speculative investments, such as exploration, the Advisor looks for companies with a risk-mitigating approach to these inherently risky activities. Ultimately, the Advisor seeks to construct a portfolio with a solid long-term foundation in which growth and more speculative investments are added.

 

The Advisor may sell all or a portion of a position of the Fund’s portfolio holding when, in its opinion, one or more of the following occurs, among other reasons: (1) the Advisor’s price target is realized; (2) the Advisor finds better investment opportunities for the Fund or (3) the Fund requires cash to meet redemption requests.

 

When the Advisor believes that current market, economic, political or other conditions are unsuitable and would impair the pursuit of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund may invest some or all of its assets in cash or cash equivalents, including but not limited to obligations of the U.S. Government, money market fund shares, commercial paper, certificates of deposit and/or bankers acceptances, as well as other interest bearing or discount obligations or debt instruments that carry an investment grade rating by a national rating agency. When the Fund takes a temporary defensive position, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.

 

ALL FUNDS

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds

The Funds’ principal risks are set forth below. Before you decide whether to invest in a Fund, carefully consider these risk factors and special considerations associated with investing in the Fund, which may cause you to lose money.

 

 

The Euro Pacific Investment Philosophy (with respect to the EuroPac International Value Fund, EuroPac International Bond Fund, EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund and EuroPac Gold Fund). The Funds are structured to present investors with investment opportunities that reflect the Advisor’s general investment philosophy that due to a long-term build-up of debt in the United States accompanied by consistent current account deficits, and the future potential for a continued and long-term decline in the value of the U.S. dollar against other currencies, investors should allocate a portion of their portfolios to high quality, long-term value-oriented investments in foreign securities. Thus, the Advisor’s strategies are in general intended to perform well in an environment of U.S. dollar weakness and can be expected to generally underperform in environments of dollar strength.

 

 

Management and Strategy Risk (with respect to all Funds). The value of your investment depends on the judgment of the Advisor about the quality, relative yield, value or market trends affecting a particular security, industry, sector or region, which may prove to be incorrect. Investment strategies employed by the Advisor in selecting investments for the Fund may not result in an increase in the value of your investment or in overall performance equal to other investments.

 

 

Market Risk (with respect to all Funds). The market price of a security or instrument may decline, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic, political, or geopolitical conditions throughout the world, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, or adverse investor sentiment generally. The market value of a security or instrument also may decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, international conflicts, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, or other events could have a significant impact on a security or instrument. For example, the financial crisis that began in 2007 caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of many securities; in particular, the values of

 


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some sovereign debt and of securities of issuers that invest in sovereign debt and related investments fell, credit became more scarce worldwide and there was significant uncertainty in the markets. More recently, higher inflation, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic have negatively affected the worldwide economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial health of individual companies and the market in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Such environments could make identifying investment risks and opportunities especially difficult for the Advisor. In response to certain crises, the United States and other governments have taken steps to support financial markets. The withdrawal of this support or failure of efforts in response to a crisis could negatively affect financial markets generally as well as the value and liquidity of certain securities. In addition, policy and legislative changes in the United States and in other countries are changing many aspects of financial regulation. The impact of these changes on the markets, and the practical implications for market participants, may not be fully known for some time. The increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market.

 

 

Equity Risk (with respect to all Funds other than the EuroPac International Bond Fund). The value of equity securities held by the Funds may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the issuers of securities held by the Funds participate, or factors relating to specific companies in which the Funds invest. The price of common stock of an issuer in the Fund’s portfolio may decline if the issuer fails to make anticipated dividend payments because, among other reasons, the financial condition of the issuer declines. Common stock is subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure in terms of priority with respect to corporate income, and therefore will be subject to greater dividend risk than preferred stocks or debt instruments of such issuers. In addition, while broad market measures of common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, common stocks have also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns.

 

 

Fixed Income Securities Risk (with respect to the EuroPac International Bond Fund). The prices of fixed income securities respond to economic developments, particularly interest rate changes, as well as to changes in an issuer’s credit rating or market perceptions about the creditworthiness of an issuer. Prices of fixed income securities tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates. Generally fixed income securities decrease in value if interest rates rise and increase in value if interest rates fall, with lower rated securities more volatile than higher rated securities. The longer the effective maturity and duration of the Fund’s portfolio, the more the Fund’s share price is likely to react to changes in interest rates. Duration is a weighted measure of the length of time required to receive the present value of future payments, both interest and principal, from a fixed income security. Some fixed income securities give the issuer the option to call, or redeem, the securities before their maturity dates. If an issuer calls its security during a time of declining interest rates, the Fund might have to reinvest the proceeds in an investment offering a lower yield, and therefore might not benefit from any increase in value of the security as a result of declining interest rates. During periods of market illiquidity or rising interest rates, prices of callable issues are subject to increased price fluctuation. In addition, the Fund may be subject to extension risk, which occurs during a rising interest rate environment because certain obligations may be paid off by an issuer more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of those securities held by the Fund to fall.

 

 

Geographic Concentration Risk (with respect to all Funds). A fund that is less diversified across countries or geographic regions is generally riskier than a more geographically diversified fund. Investments in a single region, even though representing a number of different countries within the region, may be affected by common economic forces and other factors. This vulnerability to factors affecting the value of investments is significantly greater for a fund that concentrates its investment in a particular region or regions than a more geographically diversified fund, and may result in greater losses and volatility. The economies and financial markets of certain regions, such as Latin America, Asia or Eastern Europe, can be interdependent and may decline all at the same time.

 

 

Geographic Risk Related to Asia (with respect to the EP Emerging Markets Small Companies Fund). Because the Fund’s sub-advisor intends to focus the Fund’s Asia Region investments in China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Fund’s performance

 


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may be affected by political, economic, social and religious instability; inadequate investor protection; changes in laws or regulations of countries within the Asian region (including countries in which the Fund invests, as well as the broader region); international relations with other nations; natural disasters; corruption and military activity. The Asian region, and particularly China, Japan and South Korea, may be adversely affected by political, military, economic and other factors related to North Korea. In addition, China’s long running conflict over Taiwan, border disputes with many of its neighbors and historically strained relations with Japan could adversely impact economies in the region. From time to time, China has experienced outbreaks of infectious illnesses, and the country may be subject to other public health threats, infectious illnesses, diseases or similar issues in the future. Any spread of an infectious illness, public health threat or similar issue could reduce consumer demand or economic output, result in market closures, travel restrictions or quarantines, and generally have a significant impact on the Chinese economy and the economies in the region. The economies of many Asian countries differ from the economies of more developed countries in many respects, such as rate of growth, inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, financial system stability, the national balance of payments position and sensitivity to changes in global trade. Certain Asian countries are highly dependent upon and may be affected by developments in the United States, Europe and other Asian economies.

 

 

Geographic Risk Related to Europe (with respect to all Funds other than EP Emerging Markets Fund). The Fund will be more susceptible to the economic, market, political and local risks of the European region than a fund that is more geographically diversified. Europe includes both developed and emerging markets. Most Western European countries are members of the European Union, which imposes restrictions on inflation rates, deficits and debt levels. Both developed and emerging market countries in Europe will be significantly affected by the fiscal and monetary controls of the European Monetary Union. Changes in regulations on trade, decreasing imports or exports, changes in the exchange rate of the euro and recessions among European countries may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of other European countries including those of Eastern Europe. The markets in Eastern Europe remain relatively undeveloped and can be particularly sensitive to political and economic developments. The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about rising government debt levels of certain European countries, each of which may require external assistance to meet its obligations and run the risk of default on its debt, possible bail-out by the rest of the European Union or debt restructuring. Assistance given to a European Union member state may be dependent on a country’s implementation of reforms in order to curb the risk of default on its debt, and a failure to implement these reforms or increase revenues could result in a deep economic downturn. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and therefore may adversely affect the Fund and its investments. On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom formally withdrew from the EU, which withdrawal is commonly referred to as “Brexit.” The Fund faces risks associated with the uncertainty and consequences following Brexit. Brexit could adversely affect European or worldwide political, regulatory, economic or market conditions, and could contribute to instability in global political institutions, regulatory agencies and financial markets. Any effects of Brexit could adversely affect any of the companies to which the Fund has exposure and any other assets in which the Fund invests. In addition, Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the displacement of millions of Ukrainians from their homes, a substantial loss of life, and the widespread destruction of property and infrastructure throughout Ukraine, which in turn has led to the imposition of heavy economic sanctions on certain Russian individuals, corporate and banking entities, and other Russian industries and businesses, and, consequently, retaliatory measures imposed by Russia against Western nations supporting Ukraine. The extent and duration of the war in Ukraine and the longevity and severity of sanctions remain unknown, but they could have a significant adverse impact on the European economy as well as the price and availability of certain commodities, including oil and natural gas, throughout the world.

 

 

Geographic Risk Related to Pacific Rim (with respect to all Funds other than EP Emerging Markets Fund). The Fund will be more susceptible to the economic, market, regulatory, political, natural disasters and local risks of the Pacific Rim region than a fund that is more geographically diversified. The Pacific Rim region includes countries in all stages of economic development; however, it has a higher prevalence of emerging market countries as compared to other regions of the world. The region has historically been highly dependent on global trade, with nations taking strong roles in both the importing and exporting of goods; such

 


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a relationship creates a risk with this dependency on global growth. The respective stock markets tend to have a larger prevalence of smaller capitalization companies. Varying levels of accounting and disclosure standards, restrictions on foreign ownership, minority ownership rights, and corporate governance standards are also common for the region.

 

 

Gold Industry Risk (with respect to the EuroPac International Value Fund, EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund and EuroPac Gold Fund). Investments related to gold are considered speculative and are affected by a variety of worldwide economic, financial and political factors. The price of gold may fluctuate sharply over short periods of time, even during periods of rising prices, due to changes in inflation or expectations regarding inflation in various countries, the availability of supplies, changes in industrial and commercial demand, limited markets, fabricator demand, gold sales by governments, trade imbalances and restrictions, currency devaluation or revaluation, central banks or international agencies, investment speculation, inability to raise capital, increases in production costs, political unrest in nations where sources of gold are located, monetary and other economic policies of various governments and government restrictions on private ownership of gold and mining land. In addition, the market for gold is relatively limited and unregulated and the sources of gold are concentrated in countries that have the potential for instability.

 

 

Precious Metal Industry Risk (with respect to the EuroPac Gold Fund). The Fund may be subject to greater risks and market fluctuations than a fund whose portfolio has exposure to a broader range of sectors. The Fund may be susceptible to financial, economic, political, or market events, as well as government regulation, impacting the precious metal sector. Specifically, the precious metals sector can be affected by sharp price volatility over short periods caused by global economic, financial and political factors, resource availability, government regulation, economic cycles, changes in inflation, interest rates, currency fluctuations, metal sales by governments, central banks or international agencies, investment speculation and fluctuations in industrial and commercial supply and demand. Precious metals securities are at times volatile and there may be sharp fluctuations in prices, even during periods of rising prices.

 

 

Foreign Investment Risk (with respect to all Funds). Investments in foreign securities are affected by risk factors generally not thought to be present in the United States. The prices of foreign securities may be more volatile than the prices of securities of U.S. issuers because of economic and social conditions abroad, political developments, and changes in the regulatory environments of foreign countries. Special risks associated with investments in foreign markets include less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, less government supervision of exchanges, brokers and issuers, greater risks associated with counterparties and settlement, and difficulty in enforcing contractual obligations. Changes in exchange rates and interest rates, and the imposition of foreign taxes, sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and/or other governments may adversely affect the values of the Fund’s foreign investments. Foreign companies are generally subject to different legal and accounting standards than U.S. companies, and foreign financial intermediaries may be subject to less supervision and regulation than U.S. financial firms. A Fund’s investments in depositary receipts (including ADRs), are subject to these risks, even if denominated in U.S. dollars, because changes in currency and exchange rates affect the values of the issuers of depositary receipts. In addition, the underlying issuers of certain depositary receipts, particularly unsponsored or unregistered depositary receipts, are under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications to the holders of such receipts, or to pass through to them any voting rights with respect to the deposited securities.

 

 

Emerging Markets Risk (with respect to all Funds). Many of the risks with respect to foreign investments are more pronounced for investments in issuers in developing or emerging market countries. Emerging market countries tend to have more government exchange controls, more volatile interest and currency exchange rates, less market regulation, and less developed and less stable economic, political and legal systems than those of more developed countries. There may be less publicly available and reliable information about issuers in emerging markets than is available about issuers in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to regulatory, accounting, auditing, and financial reporting and recordkeeping standards comparable to those to which U.S. companies are subject. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), which regulates auditors of U.S. public companies, for example, may be unable to inspect audit work and

 


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practices in certain countries. If the PCAOB is unable to oversee the operations of accounting firms in such countries, inaccurate or incomplete financial records of an issuer’s operations may not be detected, which could negatively impact the Fund’s investment in such company. In addition, emerging market countries may experience high levels of inflation and may have less liquid securities markets and less efficient trading and settlement systems. Their economies also depend heavily upon international trade and may be adversely affected by protective trade barriers and the economic conditions of their trading partners. Emerging market countries may have fixed or managed currencies that are not free-floating against the U.S. dollar and may not be traded internationally. Some countries with emerging securities markets have experienced high rates of inflation for many years. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had and may continue to have negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain countries. Emerging markets typically have substantially less volume than U.S. markets, securities in these markets are less liquid, and their prices often are more volatile than those of comparable U.S. companies. Securities markets in emerging markets may also be susceptible to manipulation or other fraudulent trade practices, which could disrupt the functioning of these markets or adversely affect the value of investments traded in these markets, including investments of the Funds. A Fund’s rights with respect to its investments in emerging markets, if any, will generally be governed by local law, which may make it difficult or impossible for the Fund to pursue legal remedies or to obtain and enforce judgments in local courts. Delays may occur in settling securities transactions in emerging market countries, which could adversely affect a Fund’s ability to make or liquidate investments in those markets in a timely fashion. In addition, it may not be possible for a Fund to find satisfactory custodial services in an emerging market country, which could increase the Fund’s costs and cause delays in the transportation and custody of its investments. In addition, there may be restrictions on investments in Chinese companies. For example, the President of the United States signed an Executive Order in 2021 prohibiting U.S. persons from purchasing or investing in publicly-traded securities of companies identified by the U.S. Government as “Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies.” The list of such companies can change from time to time, and as a result of forced selling or an inability to participate in an investment the Advisor otherwise believes is attractive, a Fund may incur losses. Any of these factors may adversely affect a Fund’s performance or the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment objective.

 

 

Foreign Sovereign Risk (with respect to the EuroPac International Bond Fund). Foreign governments rely on taxes and other revenue sources to pay interest and principal on their debt obligations. The payment of principal and interest on these obligations may be adversely affected by a variety of factors, including economic results within the foreign country, changes in interest and exchange rates, changes in debt ratings, changing political sentiments, legislation, policy changes, a limited tax base or limited revenue sources, natural disasters, or other economic or credit problems. It is possible that a foreign sovereign may default on its debt obligations.

 

 

Private Placements and Restricted Securities Risks (with respect to the EuroPac Gold Fund and EP Emerging Markets Fund). Private placement securities are securities that have been privately placed and are not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). They are eligible for sale only to certain eligible investors. Private placements often may offer attractive opportunities for investment not otherwise available on the open market. Private placement and other “restricted” securities often cannot be sold to the public without registration under the Securities Act or an exemption from registration (such as Rules 144 or 144A).

 

 

Investing in private placements and other restricted securities is subject to certain risks. Private placements may be considered illiquid securities. Private placements typically 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 securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held. At times, it also may be more difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the Fund’s net asset value due to the absence of a trading market. Also, the Fund may get only limited information about the issuer of a restricted security, so it may be less able to predict a loss.

 


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Currency Risk (with respect to all Funds). The values of investments in securities denominated in foreign currencies increase or decrease as the rates of exchange between those currencies and the U.S. dollar change. Currency conversion costs and currency fluctuations could erase investment gains or add to investment losses. Currency exchange rates can be volatile and are affected by factors such as general economic conditions, the actions of the United States and foreign governments or central banks, the imposition of currency controls, and speculation.

 

 

Credit Risk (with respect to the EuroPac International Bond Fund). If an obligor (such as the issuer itself or a party offering credit enhancement) for a security held by the Fund fails to pay amounts due when required by the terms of the security, otherwise defaults, is perceived to be less creditworthy, becomes insolvent or files for bankruptcy, a security’s credit rating is downgraded or the credit quality or value of any underlying assets declines, the value of the Fund’s investment could decline. If the Fund enters into financial contracts (such as certain derivatives, repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, and when-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions), the Fund will be subject to the credit risk presented by the counterparties. Credit risk is broadly gauged by the credit ratings of the securities in which the Fund invests.

 

 

ETF Risk (with respect to EuroPac International Value Fund, EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund and EuroPac Gold Fund). Investing in an ETF will provide each Fund with exposure to the securities comprising the index on which the ETF is based and will expose the Fund to risks similar to those of investing directly in those securities. Shares of ETFs typically trade on securities exchanges and may at times trade at a premium or discount to their net asset values. In addition, an ETF may not replicate exactly the performance of the benchmark index it seeks to track for a number of reasons, including transaction costs incurred by the ETF, the temporary unavailability of certain index securities in the secondary market or discrepancies between the ETF and the index with respect to the weighting of securities or the number of securities held. Investing in ETFs, which are investment companies, involves duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. Each Fund will pay brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase and sale of shares of ETFs.

 

 

High Yield (“Junk”) Bond Risk (with respect to the EuroPac International Bond Fund). High yield bonds (often called “junk bonds”) are speculative, involve greater risks of default or downgrade and are more volatile and tend to be less liquid than investment-grade securities. High yield bonds involve a greater risk of price declines than investment-grade securities due to actual or perceived changes in an issuer’s creditworthiness. Companies issuing high yield fixed-income securities are less financially strong, are more likely to encounter financial difficulties, and are more vulnerable to adverse market events and negative sentiments than companies with higher credit ratings. These factors could affect such companies’ abilities to make interest and principal payments and ultimately could cause such companies to stop making interest and/or principal payments. In such cases, payments on the securities may never resume, which would result in the securities owned by the Fund becoming worthless. The market prices of junk bonds are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than higher rated investments, but more sensitive to adverse economic or political changes or individual developments specific to the issuer.

 

 

Interest Rate Risk (with respect to the EuroPac International Bond Fund). Prices of fixed income securities tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates. Generally fixed income securities decrease in value if interest rates rise and increase in value if interest rates fall, with longer-term securities being more sensitive than shorter-term securities. For example, the price of a security with a three-year duration would be expected to drop by approximately 3% in response to a 1% increase in interest rates. Duration is a weighted measure of the length of time required to receive the present value of future payments, both interest and principal, from a fixed income security. Generally, the longer the maturity and duration of a bond or fixed rate loan, the more sensitive it is to this risk. Falling interest rates also create the potential for a decline in the Fund’s income. Changes in governmental policy, rising inflation rates, and general economic developments, among other factors, could cause interest rates to increase and could have a substantial and immediate effect on the values of the Fund’s investments. These risks are greater during periods of rising inflation. In addition, a potential rise in interest rates may result in periods of volatility and increased redemptions that might require the Fund to liquidate portfolio securities at disadvantageous prices and times.

 


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Liquidity Risk (with respect to all Funds). Due to a lack of demand in the marketplace or other factors, such as market turmoil, a Fund may not be able to sell some or all of the investments that it holds, or if the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid asset to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, it may only be able to sell those investments at a loss. Liquidity risk arises, for example, from small average trading volumes, trading restrictions, or temporary suspensions of trading. In addition, when the market for certain investments is illiquid, a Fund may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquid investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid and relatively less liquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets. Moreover, the reduction in dealer market-making capacity in the fixed income markets that has occurred in recent years has the potential to decrease the liquidity of a Fund’s investments. Liquidity risk may be more pronounced for the Fund’s investments in developing countries.

 

 

Market Capitalization Risk.

 

 

Large-Cap Company Risk (with respect to the EuroPac International Value Fund, EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund and EuroPac Gold Fund). Larger, more established companies may be unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies during periods of economic expansion. In addition, large-capitalization companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes, and may be more prone to global economic risks.

 

 

Micro-Cap, Small-Cap or Mid-Cap Company Risk (with respect to all Funds other than the EuroPac International Bond Fund and EP Emerging Markets Fund). Investing in micro-capitalization, small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies generally involves greater risks than investing in large-capitalization companies. Small- or mid-cap companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources or may depend on the expertise of a few people and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than securities of larger, more established companies or market averages in general. Many small-capitalization companies may be in the early stages of development. Since equity securities of smaller companies may lack sufficient market liquidity and may not be regularly traded, it may be difficult or impossible to sell securities at an advantageous time or a desirable price.

 

 

Value-Oriented Investment Strategies Risk (with respect to the EuroPac International Value Fund and EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund). Value stocks are those that are believed to be undervalued in comparison to their peers due to adverse business developments or other factors. Value investing carries the risk that the market will not recognize a security’s inherent value for a long time, or at all, or that a stock judged to be undervalued may actually be appropriately priced or overvalued. In addition, during some periods (which may be extensive) value stocks generally may be out of favor in markets. Therefore, the Fund is most suitable for long-term investors who are willing to hold their shares for extended periods of time through market fluctuations and the accompanying changes in share prices.

 

 

Derivatives Risk (with respect to the EuroPac International Bond Fund and EuroPac Gold Fund). Derivatives include instruments and contracts that are based on, and are valued in relation to, one or more underlying securities, financial benchmarks, indices, or other reference obligations or measures of value. Major types of derivatives include futures, options, swaps and forward contracts. Depending on how the Fund uses derivatives and the relationship between the market value of the derivative and the underlying instrument, the use of derivatives could increase or decrease the Fund’s exposure to the risks of the underlying instrument. Using derivatives exposes the Fund to additional or heightened risks, including leverage risk, liquidity risk, valuation risk, market risk, counterparty risk, and credit risk. A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the Fund’s performance. Derivatives transactions can be highly illiquid and difficult to unwind or value, they can increase Fund volatility, and changes in the value of a derivative held by the Fund may not correlate with the value of the underlying instrument or the Fund’s other investments. Many of the risks applicable to trading the instruments underlying derivatives are also applicable to derivatives trading. However, derivatives are subject to additional risks such as operational risk (such as documentation issues and settlement issues) and legal risk (such as insufficient documentation, insufficient capacity or authority of a counterparty, and issues with the legality or enforceability of a contract). For derivatives that are required to be cleared by a regulated clearinghouse, other risks may arise from the Fund’s relationship with a brokerage firm

 


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through which it submits derivatives trades for clearing, including in some cases from other clearing customers of the brokerage firm. The Fund would also be exposed to counterparty risk with respect to the clearinghouse. Financial reform laws have changed many aspects of financial regulation applicable to derivatives. Once implemented, new regulations, including margin, clearing, and trade execution requirements, may make investments in derivatives more costly, may limit their availability, may present different risks or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of these instruments. The extent and impact of these regulations are not yet fully known and may not be known for some time. Certain risks relating to various types of derivatives in which the Fund may invest are described below.

 

In October 2020, the SEC adopted Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act (the “Derivatives Rule”), which provides a comprehensive regulatory framework for the use of derivatives by registered investment companies, such as the Fund, and sets an outer limit on leverage based on value-at-risk (or “VaR”). The effect of the Derivatives Rule could, among other things, make investment in derivatives more costly, limit the availability or reduce the liquidity of derivatives, or otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives. Any such adverse future developments could impair the effectiveness or raise the costs of the Fund’s derivative transactions, impede the employment of the Fund’s derivatives strategies, or adversely affect the Fund’s performance.

 

Forward Contracts. The Funds may enter into forward contracts that are not traded on exchanges and may not be regulated. There are no limitations on daily price moves of forward contracts. Banks and other dealers with which the Fund maintains accounts may require that the Fund deposit margin with respect to such trading. The Funds’ counterparties are not required to continue making markets in such contracts. There have been periods during which certain counterparties have refused to continue to quote prices for forward contracts or have quoted prices with an unusually wide spread (the difference between the price at which the counterparty is prepared to buy and that at which it is prepared to sell). Arrangements to trade forward contracts may be made with only one or a few counterparties, and liquidity problems therefore might be greater than if such arrangements were made with numerous counterparties. The imposition of credit controls by governmental authorities might limit such forward trading to less than the amount that the Advisor would otherwise recommend, to the possible detriment of the Fund.

 

Swaps. The Fund may enter into swaps. A swap is a commitment between two parties to make or receive payments based on agreed upon terms, and whose value and payments are derived by changes in the value of an underlying financial instrument. Swaps can take many different forms and are known by a variety of names. Depending on their structure, swaps may increase or decrease the Fund’s exposure to long-term or short-term interest rates, foreign currency values, corporate borrowing rates, or other factors such as security prices, values of baskets of securities, or inflation rates. Interest rate swaps are contracts involving the exchange between two contracting parties of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest (e.g., an exchange of floating rate payments for fixed rate payments). Credit default swaps are contracts whereby one party makes periodic payments to a counterparty in exchange for the right to receive from the counterparty a payment equal to the par (or other agreed-upon) value of an underlying debt obligation in the event of default by the issuer of the debt security. Total return swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments based on the change in market value of the underlying assets, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or security indexes during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate of the total return from other underlying assets. Depending on how they are used, swaps may increase or decrease the overall volatility of the Fund’s portfolio. The most significant factor in the performance of a swap is the change in the specific interest rate, currency, individual equity values or other factors that determine the amounts of payments due to and from the Fund.

 

Swaps tend to shift the Fund’s investment exposure from one type of investment to another. For example, if a Fund agrees to exchange payments in dollars for payments in foreign currency, the swap would tend to decrease the Fund’s exposure to U.S. interest rates and increase its exposure to foreign currency and interest rates. Depending on how they are used, swaps may increase or decrease the overall volatility of the Fund’s portfolio. The most significant factor in the performance of a swap is the change in the specific interest rate, currency, individual equity values or other factors that determine the amounts of payments due to and from the Fund.

 


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If a swap calls for payments by the Fund, the Fund must be prepared to make such payments when due. In addition, the value of a swap is likely to decline if the counterparty’s creditworthiness declines. Such a decrease in value might cause the Fund to incur losses.

 

 

Asset-Backed Securities Risk (with respect to the EuroPac International Bond Fund). Asset-backed securities may be sensitive to changes in interest rates and subject to early repayment risk, and their value may fluctuate in response to the market’s perception of issuer creditworthiness. While such securities are generally supported by some form of government or private guarantee there is no assurance that private guarantors will meet their obligations.

 

 

Sector Risk (with respect to the EuroPac International Value Fund, EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund, and EP Emerging Markets Fund). From time to time, a Fund may invest a significant amount of its total assets in each of certain sectors of the economy. Each of those sectors may be subject to specific risks. These risks include governmental regulation of the sector and governmental monetary and fiscal policies, which may impact interest rates and currencies and affect corporate funding and international trade. Certain sectors may be more vulnerable than others to these factors. In addition, market sentiment and expectations toward a particular sector could affect a company’s market valuation and access to equity funding.

 

 

Consumer, Non-Cyclical Sector Risk (with respect to the EuroPac International Value Fund). Consumer, non-cyclical companies are companies that provide consumer staples, for example, food and drug retailers and companies the primary lines of business of which are food, beverage and other household items, including agricultural products. Performance of companies in the consumer non-cyclical sector may be adversely impacted by fluctuations in supply and demand, changes in the global economy, changes in the price and availability of underlying commodities, rising energy prices, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer preferences, and production spending. Companies in the consumer non-cyclical sector are also affected by changes in government regulation; global economic, environmental, and political events; and economic conditions.

 

 

Convertible Securities Risk (with respect to the EuroPac International Value Fund, EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund and EP Emerging Markets Fund). Convertible securities are securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for common or preferred stock. The values of convertible securities may be affected by changes in interest rates, the creditworthiness of their issuer, and the ability of the issuer to repay principal and to make interest payments. A convertible security tends to perform more like a stock when the underlying stock price is high and more like a debt security when the underlying stock price is low. A convertible security is not as sensitive to interest rate changes as a similar non-convertible debt security and generally has less potential for gain or loss than the underlying stock.

 

 

Covered Call Options Risk (with respect to the EuroPac Gold Fund). The Fund may write (sell) covered call options on securities the Fund holds in its portfolio. When the Fund writes a covered call option, the Fund sells the obligation to deliver a security on or before a predetermined date in the future in return for a fee, or “premium”. The Fund owns a sufficient amount of assets such that it is able to meet its potential obligation to deliver shares should the buyer exercise its right to purchase the shares. This technique offers the Fund the potential to generate gains from option premiums, although it may limit the Fund’s ability to participate in capital appreciation on its portfolio holdings when security prices rise.

 

 

Options Risk (with respect to the EuroPac International Value Fund, EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund and EuroPac Gold Fund). If a put or call option purchased by a Fund expires without being sold or exercised, the Fund would lose the premium it paid for the option. The risk involved in writing a covered call option is the lack of liquidity for the option. If a Fund is not able to close out the option transaction, the Fund would not be able to sell the underlying security until the option expires or is exercised. The risk involved in writing an uncovered call option is that there could be an increase in the market value of the underlying security caused by declining interest rates or other factors. If this occurs, the option could be exercised and the underlying security would then be sold by a Fund at a lower price than its current market value. The risk involved in writing a put option is that the market value of the underlying security could decrease as a result of rising interest rates or other factors. If this occurs, the option could be exercised and the underlying security

 


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would then be sold to a Fund at a higher price than its prevailing market value. Purchasing and writing put and call options are highly specialized activities and entail greater than ordinary investment risks. To the extent that a Fund invests in over-the-counter options, the Fund may be exposed to credit risk with regard to parties with which it trades and may also bear the risk of settlement default. These risks may differ materially from those entailed in exchange-traded transactions, which generally are backed by clearing organization guarantees, daily marking-to-market and settlement, and segregation and minimum capital requirements applicable to intermediaries. Transactions entered directly between two counterparties generally do not benefit from such protections and expose the parties to the risk of counterparty default.

 

 

Preferred Stock Risk (with respect to the EuroPac International Value Fund, EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund and EP Emerging Markets Fund). Preferred stock represents an equity interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other stocks such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Preferred stocks may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. The market value of preferred stock is subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities and is sensitive to changes in the issuer’s creditworthiness, the ability of the issuer to make payments on the preferred stock and changes in interest rates, typically declining in value if interest rates rise. In addition, a company’s preferred stock generally pays dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. Therefore the value of preferred stock will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects.

 

 

REIT Risk (with respect to the EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund). The Fund’s investments in REITs will subject the Fund to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. Investment in REITs is subject to additional risks, such as poor performance by the manager of the REIT, adverse changes to the tax laws or failure by the REIT to qualify for the favorable tax treatment generally available to REITs under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. In addition, some REITs have limited diversification because they invest in a limited number of properties, a narrow geographic area, or a single type of property.

 

 

Tax Risk (with respect to the EuroPac Gold Fund). In order to qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment accorded to regulated investment companies, the Fund must, among other requirements, derive at least 90% of its gross income in each taxable year from certain categories of income (“qualifying income”). Certain of the Fund’s investments, however, may generate income that is not qualifying income. The Fund might generate more non-qualifying income than anticipated, might not be able to generate qualifying income in a particular taxable year at levels sufficient to meet the qualifying income test, or might not be able to determine the percentage of qualifying income it derives for a taxable year until after year-end. If the Fund were to fail to meet the qualifying income test and fail to qualify as a regulated investment company, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation, and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may be able to cure a failure to meet the qualifying income test if such failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, but in order to do so the Fund may incur significant Fund-level taxes, which would effectively reduce (and could eliminate) the Fund’s returns.

 

The Fund may hold equity interests in certain foreign entities treated as PFICs for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Certain foreign mining corporations in which the Fund invests may be treated as PFICs. If the Fund invests in PFICs, it may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” or gain from the disposition of such shares regardless of whether the Fund distributes substantially all of its income to shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed with respect to deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains. Capital gains on the sale of such holdings may be deemed to be ordinary income regardless of how long such PFICs are held. A “qualified electing fund” election or a “mark to market” election may generally be available that would ameliorate these adverse tax consequences, but such elections could require the Fund to recognize taxable income or gain (subject to the distribution requirements applicable

 


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to regulated investment companies) without the concurrent receipt of cash. In order to satisfy the distribution requirements and avoid a tax on the Fund, the Fund may be required to liquidate portfolio securities that it might otherwise have continued to hold, potentially resulting in additional taxable gain or loss to the Fund.

 

 

Warrants Risk (with respect to the EuroPac International Value Fund, EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund and EP Emerging Markets Fund). A warrant gives the holder a right to purchase, at any time during a specified period, a predetermined number of shares of common stock at a fixed price. Unlike a convertible debt security or preferred stock, a warrant does not pay fixed dividends. A warrant may lack a liquid secondary market for resale. The price of a warrant may fluctuate as a result of speculation or other factors. In addition, the price of the underlying security may not reach, or have reasonable prospects of reaching, a level at which the warrant can be exercised prudently (in which case the warrant may expire without being exercised, resulting in a loss of the Fund’s entire investment in the warrant).

 

 

Dividend-Paying Securities Risk (with respect to EuroPac International Value Fund and EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund). There is no guarantee that issuers of the securities held by the Fund will declare dividends in the future or that, if declared, they will either remain at current levels or increase over time. The Fund may also underperform similar funds that invest without considering a company’s dividend payments. Companies that pay dividends historically may not participate in a broad market advance to the same extent as other companies that do not pay dividends. Such companies may also be sensitive to a sharp rise in interest rates or an economic downturn that leads to the elimination or reduction of dividend payments to investors.

 

 

Recent Market Events (with respect to all Funds). Periods of market volatility may occur in response to market events and other economic, political, and global macro factors. The COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and higher inflation have resulted in extreme volatility in the financial markets, economic downturns around the world, and severe losses, particularly to some sectors of the economy and individual issuers, and reduced liquidity of certain instruments. These events have caused significant disruptions to business operations, including business closures; strained healthcare systems; disruptions to supply chains and employee availability; large fluctuations in consumer demand; large expansion of government deficits and debt as a result of government actions to mitigate the effects of such events; and widespread uncertainty regarding the long-term effects of such events.

 

Governments and central banks, including the Federal Reserve in the United States, took extraordinary and unprecedented actions to support local and global economies and the financial markets in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including by keeping interest rates at historically low levels for an extended period. The Federal Reserve concluded its market support activities in 2022 and began to raise interest rates in an effort to fight inflation. The Federal Reserve may determine to raise interest rates further. This and other government intervention into the economy and financial markets to address the pandemic, inflation, or other significant events in the future, may not work as intended, particularly if the efforts are perceived by investors as being unlikely to achieve the desired results.

 

Such events could be prolonged and could adversely affect the value and liquidity of a Fund’s investments, impair a Fund’s ability to satisfy redemption requests, and negatively impact a Fund’s performance. Other market events may cause similar disruptions and effects.

 

 

Cybersecurity Risk (with respect to all Funds). Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets, customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or cause the Fund, the Advisor, and/or other service providers (including custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or loss of operational functionality. A cybersecurity incident may disrupt the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the Fund’s ability to calculate its net asset value, and prevent shareholders from redeeming their shares. Issuers of securities in which the Fund invests are also subject to cybersecurity risks, and the value of those securities could decline if the issuers experience cybersecurity incidents.

 


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Portfolio Holdings Information

A description of the Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Funds’ portfolio securities is available in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”). Currently, disclosure of the Funds’ holdings is required to be made quarterly within 60 days of the end of each fiscal quarter, in the Funds’ Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report to Fund shareholders and in the monthly holdings report on Form N-PORT.

 

MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS

 

Investment Advisor

The Advisor, Euro Pacific Asset Management, LLC, is the Funds’ investment advisor and provides investment advisory services to each Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Advisor and the Trust (the “Advisory Agreement”). The Advisor was founded in 2009 and its principal address is Suite 204, Lots 81-82, Street C, Dorado, Puerto Rico, 00646. The Advisor is an investment advisor registered with the SEC. James Nelson is the Managing Member and Portfolio Manager of the Advisor. As of October 31, 2023, the Advisor’s total assets under management were approximately $986 million.

 

For its services, the Advisor is entitled to receive an annual management fee as listed below of each Fund’s average daily net assets, calculated daily and payable monthly: For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023, the Advisor received advisory fees, net of fee waivers as follows:

 

Fund Name

Contractual
Management Fee

Management Fees
(Net of Waiver)

EuroPac International Value Fund

1.08%

1.11%*

EuroPac International Bond Fund

0.60%

0.29%

EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund

0.85%

0.86%**

EP Emerging Markets Fund

1.08%

0.90%

EuroPac Gold Fund

0.80%

0.80%

 

*

For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023, the Advisor received 1.08% of the EuroPac International Value Fund’s average daily net assets in advisory fees and recouped previously waived fees of 0.03% from the Fund.

 

**

For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023, the Advisor received 0.85% of the EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund’s average daily net assets in advisory fees and recouped previously waived fees of 0.01% from the Fund.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Advisory Agreement is available in the Semi-Annual Report dated April 30, 2023, of the relevant Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers for EuroPac International Value Fund, EuroPac International Bond Fund, EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund, and EP Emerging Markets Fund.

 

Mr. Nelson and Mr. Allen are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the portfolio of the EuroPac International Value Fund. Mr. Nelson and Mr. Rien are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the portfolio of the EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund. Mr. Nelson and Mr. Kleckner are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the portfolio of the EuroPac International Bond Fund. Mr. Allen and Mr. Rien are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the portfolio of the EP Emerging Markets Fund.

 

James Nelson, CFA, Managing Member and Portfolio Manager of the Advisor, has served as the portfolio manager of the EuroPac International Value Fund, EuroPac International Bond Fund, and EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund since each Fund’s inception. From 2000 through August 2007, Mr. Nelson served as a financial controller with the U.S. Air Force. From July 2007 through September 2008, Mr. Nelson was employed by ROTH Capital Partners as an Associate Equity Research Analyst within the Security and Financial Technology Industries. Since November 2008, Mr. Nelson has served in various roles, including portfolio manager for Euro Pacific Capital and helped form their Wealth

 


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Management business. Mr. Nelson also helped form Euro Pacific Asset Management (an affiliate of Euro Pacific Capital) in 2009. Mr. Nelson holds a Master of Business Administration degree from California State University of Long Beach and a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Air Force Academy.

 

Stephen Kleckner, CAIA, Portfolio Manager, joined Euro Pacific Asset Management in 2010, and has served as Co-Portfolio Manager of the EuroPac International Bond Fund since January 2013. In his previous role, he was assistant Portfolio Manager of the Fund, and Senior Analyst of the International Equity Strategies. From September 2008 to November 2010, he was a trader at Westwood Management, an institutional asset manager, trading fixed income securities, and advising the investment team on various credit markets. Prior to Westwood, he was employed at APS Capital, where he worked on sourcing and facilitating trades of distressed private debt instruments across international markets for the firm’s institutional clients. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics at The University of Texas at Austin.

 

Patrick B. Rien, CFA, Co-Portfolio Manager and Senior Research Analyst, joined Euro Pacific Asset Management in 2010 and has served as the co-portfolio manager of the EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund and the EP Emerging Markets Fund. From 2004 through 2009, Mr. Rien was employed by Lehman Brothers and Barclays Capital where he was a Vice President in the equity research department, covering the U.S. telecommunications industry. Along with his responsibilities as an analyst of publicly traded companies, Mr. Rien’s work spanned the firm’s capital markets division and included collaborative projects ranging from M&A advisory to initial and secondary debt and equity issuances. Mr. Rien completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Davis and received an MBA/MA in international economic policy and business from American University in Washington D.C.

 

Luke Allen, CFA, Co-Portfolio Manager of the EuroPac International Value Fund, the EP Emerging Markets Fund and a Senior Research Analyst, joined Euro Pacific Asset Management in 2010 as a Senior Associate. Prior to Euro Pacific, Mr. Allen was an analyst for a private equity and commercial real estate firm, where he gained extensive underwriting and financial modeling experience. Mr. Allen began his career as a Commissioned Officer in the United States Air Force, where he acted as a financial controller and directed the finance and accounting office of the Comptroller at McChord Air Force Base, WA. Mr. Allen holds a Master of Science in Accounting degree from University of Dallas and a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Air Force Academy.

 

Adrian Day, Portfolio Manager of the Euro Pac Gold Fund, has served as the portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception. Mr. Day is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Mr. Day was previously the Chairman and Portfolio Manager of Global Strategic Management, d/b/a Adrian Day Asset Management. In addition, Mr. Day spent many years as a financial investment writer. He has also authored three books on the subject of global investing: International Investment Opportunities: How and Where to Invest Overseas Successfully, Investing Without Borders and Investing in Resources: How to Profit from the Outsized Potential and Avoid the Risks.

 

General

The SAI provides additional information about each portfolio manager’s method of compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers and each portfolio manager’s ownership of securities in the Funds.

 

Other Service Providers

UMB Distribution Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) is the Funds’ principal underwriter and acts as the Funds’ distributor in connection with the offering of Fund shares. The Distributor may enter into agreements with banks, broker-dealers, or other financial intermediaries through which investors may purchase or redeem shares.

 

Fund Expenses

Each Fund is responsible for its own operating expenses (all of which will be borne directly or indirectly by the Fund’s shareholders), including among others, legal fees and expenses of counsel to the Fund and the Fund’s independent trustees; insurance (including trustees’ and officers’ errors and omissions insurance); auditing and accounting expenses; taxes and governmental fees; listing fees; fees and expenses of the Fund’s custodians, administrators, transfer agents,

 


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registrars and other service providers; expenses for portfolio pricing services by a pricing agent, if any; expenses in connection with the issuance and offering of shares; brokerage commissions and other costs of acquiring or disposing of any portfolio holding of the Fund and any litigation expenses.

 

The Advisor has contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or pay for operating expenses of each Fund to ensure that the total annual fund operating expenses (excluding any taxes, leverage interest, brokerage commissions, dividend and interest expenses on short sales, acquired fund fees and expenses (as determined in accordance with Form N-1A), professional fees related to services for the collection of foreign tax reclaims, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, and extraordinary expenses such as litigation expenses) do not exceed the percentage stated in each Fund’s expense table. This agreement is in effect until February 28, 2025, and may be terminated before that date with respect to a Fund only by the Trust’s Board of Trustees.

 

Fund

Expense Cap as percent of the average
daily net assets

 

Class A

Class I

EuroPac International Value Fund

1.75%

1.50%

EuroPac International Bond Fund

1.15%

0.90%

EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund

1.50%

1.25%

EP Emerging Markets Fund

1.75%

1.50%

EuroPac Gold Fund

1.50%

1.25%

 

Any reduction in advisory fees or payment of a Fund’s expenses made by the Advisor in a fiscal year may be reimbursed by the Fund for a period ending three full fiscal years after the date of reduction or payment if the Advisor so requests. This reimbursement may be requested from a Fund if the reimbursement will not cause a Fund’s annual expense ratio to exceed the lesser of (a) the expense limitation in effect at the time such fees were waived or payments made, or (b) the expense limitation in effect at the time of the reimbursement. However, the reimbursement amount may not exceed the total amount of fees waived and/or Fund expenses paid by the Advisor and will not include any amounts previously reimbursed to the Advisor by the Fund. Any such reimbursement is contingent upon the Board’s subsequent review of the reimbursed amounts. A Fund must pay current ordinary operating expenses before the Advisor is entitled to any reimbursement of fees and/or Fund expenses.

 

DISTRIBUTION AND SHAREHOLDER SERVICE PLAN

 

Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees For Class A Shares

The Trust has adopted a plan on behalf of each Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act (the “12b-1 Plan”) which allows each Fund to pay distribution fees for the sale and distribution of its Class A shares and/or shareholder liaison service fees in connection with the provision of personal services to shareholders of Class A shares and the maintenance of their shareholder accounts. The 12b-1 Plan provides for the payment of such fees at the annual rate of up to 0.25% of average daily net assets attributable to Class A shares. Since these fees are paid out of each Fund’s assets attributable to the Fund’s Class A shares, these fees will increase the cost of your investment and, over time, may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges. The net income attributable to Class A shares will be reduced by the amount of distribution and shareholder liaison service fees and other expenses of the Fund associated with that class of shares.

 

To assist investors in comparing classes of shares, the table under the Prospectus heading “Fees and Expenses of the Fund” provides a summary of expenses and an example of the sales charges and expenses of the Fund applicable to each class of shares offered in this Prospectus.

 

Class I shares are not subject to any distribution fees under the 12b-1 Plan.

 


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Shareholder Service Fee

Each Fund may pay a fee at an annual rate of up to 0.15% of its average daily net assets to shareholder servicing agents. Shareholder servicing agents provide non-distribution administrative and support services to their customers, which may include establishing and maintaining accounts and records relating to shareholders, processing dividend and distribution payments from a Fund on behalf of shareholders, forwarding communications from the Fund, providing sub-accounting with respect to Fund shares, and other similar services.

 

Additional Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

The Advisor may pay service fees to intermediaries such as banks, broker-dealers, financial advisors or other financial institutions, some of which may be affiliates, for sub-administration, sub-transfer agency and other shareholder services associated with shareholders whose shares are held of record in omnibus accounts, other group accounts or accounts traded through registered securities clearing agents.

 

The Advisor, out of its own resources, and without additional cost to the Fund or its shareholders, may provide additional cash payments or non-cash compensation to broker-dealers or intermediaries that sell shares of the Fund. These additional cash payments are generally made to intermediaries that provide shareholder servicing, marketing support and/or access to sales meetings, sales representatives and management representatives of the intermediary. The Advisor may pay cash compensation for inclusion of the Fund on a sales list, including a preferred or select sales list, or in other sales programs, or may pay an expense reimbursement in cases where the intermediary provides shareholder services to the Fund’s shareholders. The Advisor may also pay cash compensation in the form of finder’s fees that vary depending on the dollar amount of the shares sold.

 

YOUR ACCOUNT WITH THE FUNDS

 

Share Price

The offering price of each class of a Fund’s shares is the net asset value per share (“NAV”) of that class (plus any sales charges, as applicable). Each Fund’s NAVs are calculated as of 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the normal close of regular trading on the NYSE, on each day the NYSE is open for trading. If for example, the NYSE closes at 1:00 p.m. New York time, each Fund’s NAVs would still be determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time. In this example, portfolio securities traded on the NYSE would be valued at their closing prices unless the Advisor determines that a “fair value” adjustment is appropriate due to subsequent events. The NAV for each class is determined by dividing the value of a Fund’s portfolio securities, cash and other assets (including accrued interest) allocable to such class, less all liabilities (including accrued expenses) allocable to such class, by the total number of outstanding shares of such class. Each Fund’s NAVs may be calculated earlier if permitted by the SEC. The NYSE is closed on weekends and most U.S. national holidays. However, foreign securities listed primarily on non-U.S. markets may trade on weekends or other days on which the Funds do not value their shares, which may significantly affect the Funds’ NAVs on days when you are not able to buy or sell Fund shares.

 

The Funds’ securities generally are valued at market price. Securities are valued at fair value when market quotations are not readily available. The Board has designated the Advisor as each Fund’s valuation designee (the “Valuation Designee”) to make all fair value determinations with respect to the Fund’s portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s oversight. As the Valuation Designee, the Advisor adopted and implemented policies and procedures to be followed when a Fund must utilize fair value pricing, including when reliable market quotations are not readily available, when the Fund’s pricing service does not provide a valuation (or provides a valuation that, in the judgment of the Advisor, does not represent the security’s fair value), or when, in the judgment of the Advisor, events have rendered the market value unreliable (see, for example, the discussion of fair value pricing of foreign securities in the paragraph below). Valuing securities at fair value involves reliance on the judgment of the Advisor, and may result in a different price being used in the calculation of the Funds’ NAVs from quoted or published prices for the same securities. Fair value determinations are made by the Advisor, in good faith, in accordance with procedures approved by the Board. There can be no assurance that a Fund will obtain the fair value assigned to a security if it sells the security.

 


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In certain circumstances, the Advisor employ fair value pricing to ensure greater accuracy in determining a Fund’s daily NAVs and to prevent dilution by frequent traders or market timers who seek to exploit temporary market anomalies. Fair value pricing may be applied to foreign securities held by a Fund upon the occurrence of an event after the close of trading on non-U.S. markets but before the close of trading on the NYSE when the Fund’s NAV are determined. If the event may result in a material adjustment to the price of a Fund’s foreign securities once non-U.S. markets open on the following business day (such as, for example, a significant surge or decline in the U.S. market), the Advisor may value such foreign securities at fair value, taking into account the effect of such event, in order to calculate the Fund’s NAVs.

 

Other types of portfolio securities that the Advisor may fair value include, but are not limited to: (1) investments that are illiquid or traded infrequently, including “restricted” securities and private placements for which there is no public market; (2) investments for which, in the judgment of the Advisor, the market price is stale; (3) securities of an issuer that has entered into a restructuring; (4) securities for which trading has been halted or suspended; and (5) fixed income securities for which there is no current market value quotation.

 

With respect to the EuroPac International Bond Fund, pricing services generally value debt securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but such securities may be held or transactions may be conducted in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots often trade at lower prices than institutional round lots.

 

Buying Fund Shares

This Prospectus offers funds that have two classes of shares designated as Class A and Class I Shares.

 

 

Class A shares generally incur annual distribution and shareholder servicing fees.

 

 

Class I shares do not incur distribution fees but may incur shareholder service fees.

 

By offering multiple classes of shares, each Fund permits each investor to choose the class of shares that is most beneficial given the type of investor, the amount to be invested and the length of time the investor expects to hold the shares.

 

Each class of shares generally has the same rights, except for the distribution fees, and related expenses associated with each class of shares, and the exclusive voting rights by each class with respect to any distribution plan or service plan for such class of shares.

 

To purchase shares of a Fund, you must invest at least the minimum amount indicated in the following table.

 

Minimum Investments

To Open
Your Account

To Add to
Your Account

Class A

 

 

Direct Regular Accounts

$2,500

$250

Direct Retirement Accounts

$2,500

$250

Automatic Investment Plan

$2,500

$250

Gift Account For Minors

$2,500

$250

Class I

 

 

Direct Regular Accounts

$5,000

$250

Direct Retirement Accounts

$5,000

$250

Automatic Investment Plan

$5,000

$250

Gift Account For Minors

$5,000

$250

 

Shares of a Fund may be purchased by check, by wire transfer of funds via a bank or through an approved financial intermediary (i.e., a supermarket, investment advisor, financial planner or consultant, broker, dealer or other investment professional and their agents) authorized by the Fund to receive purchase orders. Financial intermediaries may provide varying arrangements for their clients to purchase and redeem shares, which may include different sales charges as described in this Prospectus, additional fees and different investment minimums. In addition, from time to time, a financial intermediary may modify or waive the initial and subsequent investment minimums. You may make an initial

 


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investment in an amount greater than the minimum amounts shown in the preceding table and a Fund may, from time to time, reduce or waive the minimum initial investment amounts. The minimum initial investment amount is automatically waived for Fund shares purchased by Trustees of the Trust and current or retired directors and employees of the Advisor and its affiliates.

 

To the extent allowed by applicable law, each Fund reserves the right to discontinue offering shares at any time or to cease operating entirely.

 

Sales Charge Schedule

Class A shares of the Funds are sold at the public offering price, which is the NAV plus an initial maximum sales charge which varies with the amount you invest as shown in the following chart. This means that part of your investment in the Fund will be used to pay the sales charge.

 

Class A Shares - Sales Charge Schedule

Each Fund offering Class A shares is sold at the public offering price, which is the NAV plus an initial maximum sales charge which varies with the amounts you invest as shown in the following chart. This means that part of the funds you contribute to a Fund to purchase Fund shares will be used to pay the sales charge.

 

Your Investment

Front-End
Sales Charge
As a % Of
Offering Price*

Front-End Sales
Charge
As a % Of
Net Investment

Dealer
Reallowance
As a % Of
Offering Price

Up to $49,999

4.50%

4.71%

4.00%

$50,000-$99,999

4.00%

4.17%

3.50%

$100,000-$249,999

3.50%

3.63%

3.00%

$250,000-$499,999

2.80%

2.88%

2.50%

$500,000-$999,999

2.00%

2.04%

1.70%

$1 million or more

1.00%

1.01%

1.00%

 

*

The offering price includes the sales charge.

 

Because of rounding in the calculation of front-end sales charges, the actual front-end sales charge paid by an investor may be higher or lower than the percentages noted above. No sales charge is imposed on Class A shares received from reinvestment of dividends or capital gain distributions.

 

Class A Shares Purchase Programs

Eligible purchasers of Class A shares also may be entitled to reduced or waived sales charges through certain purchase programs offered by the Funds as discussed below. Eligible purchasers of Class A shares also may be entitled to waived sales charges as discussed below under “Net Asset Value Purchases”. The availability of certain sales charge waivers and discounts will depend on whether you purchase your shares directly from the Funds or through a financial intermediary. As described in Appendix A to this Prospectus, financial intermediaries may have different policies and procedures regarding the availability of front-end sales load waivers. In all instances, it is the purchaser’s responsibility to notify the Funds or the purchaser’s financial intermediary at the time of purchase of any relationship or other facts qualifying the purchaser for sales charge waivers or discounts. For waivers and discounts not available through a particular intermediary, shareholders will have to purchase Fund shares directly from the Funds or through another intermediary to receive these waivers or discounts. Please see “Appendix A – Waivers and Discounts Available from Intermediaries” of the Prospectus for a description of waivers or discounts available through certain intermediaries.

 


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Quantity Discounts. When purchasing Class A shares, if the dollar amount of your purchase reaches a specified level, known as a breakpoint, you are entitled to pay a discounted initial sales charge. For example, a purchase of up to $49,999 of Class A shares of the Fund would pay an initial charge of 4.50%, while a purchase of $50,000 would pay an initial charge of 4.00%. There are several breakpoints for the Fund, as shown in the “Class A Shares - Sales Charge Schedule” tables above. The greater the investment, the greater the sales charge discount.

 

You may be able to lower your Class A sales charges if:

 

 

you assure a Fund in writing that you intend to invest at least $50,000 in Class A shares of the Fund over the next 13 months in exchange for a reduced sales charge (“Letter of Intent”) (see below); or

 

 

the amount of Class A shares you already own in a Fund plus the amount you intend to invest in Class A shares is at least $50,000 (“Cumulative Discount”).

 

By signing a Letter of Intent you can purchase shares of the Fund at a lower sales charge level. Your individual purchases will be made at the applicable sales charge based on the amount you intend to invest over a 13-month period as stated in the Letter of Intent. Any shares purchased within 90 days prior to the date you sign the Letter of Intent may be used as credit toward completion of the stated amount, but the reduced sales charge will only apply to new purchases made on or after the date of the Letter of Intent. Purchases resulting from the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains do not apply toward fulfillment of the Letter of Intent. Shares equal to 4.50% of the amount stated in the Letter of Intent will be held in escrow during the 13-month period. If, at the end of the period, the total net amount invested is less than the amount stated in the Letter of Intent, you will be required to pay the difference between the reduced sales charge and the sales charge applicable to the individual net amounts invested had the Letter of Intent not been in effect. This amount will be obtained from redemption of the escrowed shares. Any remaining escrowed shares after payment to a Fund of the difference in applicable sales charges will be released to you. If you establish a Letter of Intent with a Fund, you can aggregate your accounts as well as the accounts of your immediate family members. You will need to provide written instructions with respect to the other accounts whose purchases should be considered in fulfillment of the Letter of Intent.

 

The Letter of Intent and Cumulative Discount are intended to let you combine investments made at other times for purposes of calculating your present sales charge. Any time you can use any of these quantity discounts to “move” your investment into a lower sales charge level, it is generally beneficial for you to do so.

 

For purposes of determining whether you are eligible for a reduced Class A sales charge, you and your immediate family members (i.e., your spouse or domestic partner and your children or stepchildren age 21 or younger) may aggregate your investments in a Fund. This includes, for example, investments held in a retirement account, an employee benefit plan, or through a financial advisor other than the one handling your current purchase. These combined investments will be valued at their current offering price to determine whether your current investment amount qualifies for a reduced sales charge.

 

You must notify a Fund or an approved financial intermediary at the time of purchase whenever a quantity discount is applicable to purchases and you may be required to provide the Fund, or an approved financial intermediary, with certain information or records to verify your eligibility for a quantity discount. Such information or records may include account statements or other records regarding the shares of the Fund held in all accounts (e.g., retirement accounts) by you and other eligible persons, which may include accounts held at the Fund or at other approved financial intermediaries. Upon such notification, you will pay the sales charge at the lowest applicable sales charge level. You should retain any records necessary to substantiate the purchase price of the Fund’s shares, as the Fund and approved financial intermediaries may not retain this information.

 

Information about sales charges can be found on the Funds’ website www.europacificfunds.com or you can consult with your financial representative.

 

Net Asset Value Purchases. Class A shares are available for purchase without a sales charge if you are:

 

 

reinvesting dividends or distributions;

 


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making additional investments for your 401(k) or other retirement or direct accounts;

 

participating in an investment advisory or agency commission program under which you pay a fee to an investment advisor or other firm for portfolio management or brokerage services;

 

a financial intermediary purchasing on behalf of its clients that: (i) is compensated by clients on a fee-only basis, including but not limited to investment advisors, financial planners, and bank trust departments; or (ii) has entered into an agreement with the Funds to offer Class A shares through a no-load network or platform (please see Appendix A for a list of financial intermediaries that have these arrangements);

 

a client of Euro Pacific Capital, a broker dealer affiliated with the Advisor, as specified below;

 

a current Trustee of the Trust; or

 

an employee (including the employee’s spouse, domestic partner, children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, siblings and any dependent of the employee, as defined in Section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended) of the Advisor or of a broker-dealer authorized to sell shares of the Funds.

 

A client of Euro Pacific Capital (“EPC”) that sells any securities in order to invest in a Fund, and has paid brokerage commissions to EPC with respect to the purchase of such securities within the 12 months preceding the effective date of the purchase of Fund shares (collectively, “Qualifying Securities”), may purchase shares of the Fund without paying any sales charge on that purchase, if the dollar amount of Fund shares to be purchased is no greater than the dollar amount of Qualifying Securities sold in order to invest in the Fund. Any purchase of Fund shares in excess of such amount will be subject to the applicable sales charge as set forth in this Prospectus. Your financial advisor or the Funds’ transfer agent (the “Transfer Agent”) can answer your questions and help you determine if you are eligible.

 

Class I Shares

To purchase Class I shares of a Fund offering Class I shares, you generally must invest at least $5,000. Class I shares are not subject to any initial sales charge. No CDSC is imposed on redemptions of Class I shares, and you do not pay any ongoing distribution/service fees.

 

Class I shares are available for purchase by clients of financial intermediaries who charge such clients an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services. Such clients may include individuals, corporations, endowments and foundations.

 

In-Kind Purchases and Redemptions

Each Fund reserves the right to accept payment for shares in the form of securities that are permissible investments for the Fund. Each Fund also reserves the right to pay redemptions by an “in-kind” distribution of portfolio securities (instead of cash) from the Fund. In-kind purchases and redemptions are generally taxable events and may result in the recognition of gain or loss for federal income tax purposes. See the SAI for further information about the terms of these purchases and redemptions.

 

Additional Investments

Additional subscriptions in a Fund generally may be made by investing at least the minimum amount shown in the table above. Exceptions may be made at the Fund’s discretion. You may purchase additional shares of a Fund by sending a check together with the investment stub from your most recent account statement to the Fund at the applicable address listed in the table below. Please ensure that you include your account number on the check. If you do not have the investment stub from your account statement, list your name, address and account number on a separate sheet of paper and include it with your check. You may also make additional investments in a Fund by wire transfer of funds or through an approved financial intermediary. The minimum additional investment amount is automatically waived for shares purchased by Trustees of the Trust and current or retired directors and employees of the Advisor and its affiliates. Please follow the procedures described in this Prospectus.

 

Dividend Reinvestment

You may reinvest dividends and capital gains distributions in shares of the Funds. Such shares are acquired at NAV (without a sales charge) on the applicable payable date of the dividend or capital gain distribution. Unless you instruct otherwise, dividends and distributions on Fund shares are automatically reinvested in shares of the same class of the Fund

 


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paying the dividend or distribution. This instruction may be made by writing to the Transfer Agent or by telephone by calling 1-888-558-5851. You may, on the account application form or prior to any declaration, instruct that dividends and/or capital gain distributions be paid in cash or be reinvested in the Fund at the next determined NAV. If you elect to receive dividends and/or capital gain distributions in cash and the U.S. Postal Service cannot deliver the check, or if a check remains outstanding for six months or more, the Funds reserve the right to reinvest the distribution check in your account at the relevant Fund’s current NAV and to reinvest all subsequent distributions.

 

Customer Identification Information

To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. When you open an account, you will be asked for your name, date of birth (for a natural person), your residential address or principal place of business, and mailing address, if different, as well as your Social Security Number or Taxpayer Identification Number. Additional information is required for corporations, partnerships and other entities, including the name, residential address, date of birth and Social Security Number of the underlying beneficial owners and control persons. Applications without such information will not be considered in good order. Each Fund reserves the right to deny any application if the application is not in good order.

 

This Prospectus should not be considered a solicitation to purchase or as an offer to sell shares of the Funds in any jurisdiction where it would be unlawful to do so under the laws of that jurisdiction. Please note that the value of your account may be transferred to the appropriate state if no activity occurs in the account within the time period specified by state law.

 

Automatic Investment Plan

If you intend to use the Automatic Investment Plan (“AIP”), you may open your account with the initial minimum investment amount. Once an account has been opened, you may make additional investments in the Funds at regular intervals through the AIP. If elected on your account application, funds can be automatically transferred from your checking or savings account on the 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th or 25th of each month. In order to participate in the AIP, each additional subscription must be at least $250, and your financial institution must be a member of the Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) network. The first AIP purchase will be made 15 days after the Transfer Agent receives your request in good order. The Transfer Agent will charge a $25 fee for any ACH payment that is rejected by your bank. Your AIP will be terminated if two successive mailings we send to you are returned by the U.S. Postal Service as undeliverable. You may terminate your participation in the AIP at any time by notifying the Transfer Agent at 1-888-558-5851 at least five days prior to the date of the next AIP transfer. A Fund may modify or terminate the AIP at any time without notice.

 

Timing and Nature of Requests

The purchase price you will pay for a Fund’s shares will be the next NAV (plus any sales charge, as applicable) calculated after the Transfer Agent or your authorized financial intermediary receives your request in good order. “Good order” means that your purchase request includes: (1) the name of the Fund, (2) the dollar amount of shares to be purchased, (3) your purchase application or investment stub, and (4) a check payable to Euro Pacific Funds. All requests to purchase Fund shares received in good order before 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on any business day will be processed on that same day. Requests received at or after 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) will be transacted at the next business day’s NAV. All purchases must be made in U.S. dollars and drawn on U.S. financial institutions.

 


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Methods of Buying

 

Through a broker- dealer or other financial intermediary

The Funds are offered through certain approved financial intermediaries (and their agents). The Funds are also offered directly. A purchase order placed with a financial intermediary or its authorized agent is treated as if such order were placed directly with the Funds, and will be deemed to have been received by the Funds when the financial intermediary or its authorized agent receives the order and executed at the next NAV (plus any sales charge, as applicable) calculated by the Funds. Your financial intermediary will hold your shares in a pooled account in its (or its agent’s) name. A Fund may pay your financial intermediary (or its agent) to maintain your individual ownership information, maintain required records, and provide other shareholder services. A financial intermediary which offers shares may charge its individual clients transaction fees which may be in addition to those described in this Prospectus. If you invest through your financial intermediary, its policies and fees may be different than those described in this Prospectus. For example, the financial intermediary may charge transaction fees or set different minimum investments. Your financial intermediary is responsible for processing your order correctly and promptly, keeping you advised of the status of your account, confirming your transactions and ensuring that you receive copies of the Funds’ Prospectus. Please contact your financial intermediary to determine whether it is an approved financial intermediary of the Funds or for additional information.

By mail

A Fund will not accept payment in cash, including cashier’s checks. Also, to prevent check fraud, a Fund will not accept third party checks, Treasury checks, credit card checks, traveler’s checks, money orders or starter checks for the purchase of shares. All checks must be made in U.S. dollars and drawn on U.S. financial institutions.

 

To buy shares directly from a Fund by mail, complete an account application and send it together with your check for the amount you wish to invest to the Funds at the address indicated below. To make additional investments once you have opened your account, write your account number on the check and send it to the Funds together with the most recent confirmation statement received from the Transfer Agent. If your check is returned for insufficient funds, your purchase will be canceled and a $25 fee will be assessed against your account by the Transfer Agent.

 

Regular Mail
Euro Pacific Funds
P.O. Box 2175
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201

Overnight Delivery
Euro Pacific Funds
235 West Galena Street

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212

 

The Fund does not consider the U.S. Postal Service or other independent delivery services to be its agents.

By telephone

To make additional investments by telephone, you must authorize telephone purchases on your account application. If you have given authorization for telephone transactions and your account has been open for at least 15 days, call the Transfer Agent toll-free at 1-888-558-5851 and you will be allowed to move money in amounts of at least $500 but not greater than $50,000 from your bank account to the Funds’ account upon request. Only bank accounts held at U.S. institutions that are ACH members may be used for telephone transactions. If your order is placed before 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on a business day shares will be purchased in your account at the NAV (plus any sales charge, as applicable) calculated on that day. Orders received at or after 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) will be transacted at the next business day’s NAV. For security reasons, requests by telephone will be recorded.

 

 


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Methods of Buying
By wire

To open an account by wire, a completed account application form must be received by the Funds before your wire can be accepted. You may mail or send by overnight delivery your account application form to the Transfer Agent. Upon receipt of your completed account application form, an account will be established for you. The account number assigned to you will be required as part of the wiring instruction that should be provided to your bank to send the wire. Your bank must include the name of the relevant Fund, the account number, and your name so that monies can be correctly applied. Your bank should transmit monies by wire to:  

 

UMB Bank, n.a. ABA Number 101000695 For credit to “Euro Pacific Funds” A/C # 98 718 79348  

 

For further credit to: Your account number Fund Name Name(s) of investor(s) Social Security Number or Taxpayer Identification Number

 

Before sending your wire, please contact the Transfer Agent at 1-888-558-5851 to notify it of your intention to wire funds. This will ensure prompt and accurate credit upon receipt of your wire. Your bank may charge a fee for its wiring service. 

 

Wired funds must be received prior to 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on a business day to be eligible for same day pricing. The Funds and UMB Bank, n.a. are not responsible for the consequences of delays resulting from the banking or Federal Reserve wire system, or from incomplete wiring instructions.

Selling (Redeeming) Fund Shares
Through a broker- dealer or other financial intermediary If you purchased your shares through an approved financial intermediary, your redemption order must be placed through the same financial intermediary. Such financial intermediaries are authorized to designate other financial intermediaries to receive purchase and redemption orders on the Fund’s behalf. The Funds will be deemed to have received a redemption order when a financial intermediary (or its authorized agent) receives the order. The financial intermediary must receive your redemption order prior to 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on a business day for the redemption to be processed at the current day’s NAV. Orders received at or after 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on a business day or on a day when the Funds do not value its shares will be transacted at the next business day’s NAV. Please keep in mind that your financial intermediary may charge additional fees for its services. In the event your approved financial intermediary is no longer available or in operation, you may place your redemption order directly with the Funds as described below.

 


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Selling (Redeeming) Fund Shares

By mail

You may redeem shares purchased directly from a Fund by mail. Send your written redemption request to Euro Pacific Funds at the address indicated below. Your request must be in good order and contain the relevant Fund’s name, the name(s) on the account, your account number and the dollar amount or the number of shares to be redeemed. The redemption request must be signed by all shareholders listed on the account. Additional documents are required for certain types of shareholders, such as corporations, partnerships, executors, trustees, administrators, or guardians (i.e., corporate resolutions dated within 60 days, or trust documents indicating proper authorization).

 

Regular Mail
Euro Pacific Funds
P.O. Box 2175
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201

Overnight Delivery
Euro Pacific Funds
235 West Galena Street

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212

 

A Medallion signature guarantee must be included if any of the following situations apply:

 

● You wish to redeem more than $50,000 worth of shares;

 

● When redemption proceeds are sent to any person, address or bank account not on record;

 

● If a change of address was received by the Transfer Agent within the last 15 days;

 

● If ownership is changed on your account; or

 

● When establishing or modifying certain services on your account.

By telephone

To redeem shares by telephone, call the Funds at 1-888-558-5851 and specify the amount of money you wish to redeem. You may have a check sent to the address of record, or, if previously established on your account, you may have proceeds sent by wire or electronic funds transfer through the ACH network directly to your bank account. Wire transfers are subject to a $20 fee paid by the shareholder and your bank may charge a fee to receive wired funds. Checks sent via overnight delivery are subject to a $25 charge. You do not incur any charge when proceeds are sent via the ACH network; however, credit may not be available for two to three business days.

 

If you are authorized to perform telephone transactions (either through your account application form or by subsequent arrangement in writing with the Funds), you may redeem shares worth up to $50,000, by instructing the Funds by phone at 1-888-558-5851. Unless noted on the initial account application, a Medallion signature guarantee is required of all shareholders in order to qualify for or to change telephone redemption privileges.

 

Note: The Funds and all of their service providers will not be liable for any loss or expense in acting upon instructions that are reasonably believed to be genuine. To confirm that all telephone instructions are genuine, the caller must verify the following:

 

● The Fund account number;

 

● The name in which his or her account is registered;

 

● The Social Security Number or Taxpayer Identification Number under which the account is registered; and

 

● The address of the account holder, as stated in the account application form.

 

 


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Medallion Signature Guarantee

In addition to the situations described above, each Fund reserves the right to require a Medallion signature guarantee in other instances based on the circumstances relative to the particular situation.

 

Shareholders redeeming more than $50,000 worth of shares by mail should submit written instructions with a Medallion signature guarantee from an eligible institution acceptable to the Transfer Agent, such as a domestic bank or trust company, broker, dealer, clearing agency or savings association, or from any participant in a Medallion program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association. The three currently recognized Medallion programs are Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program, Stock Exchanges Medallion Program and New York Stock Exchange, Inc. Medallion Signature Program. Signature guarantees that are not part of these programs will not be accepted. Participants in Medallion programs are subject to dollar limitations which must be considered when requesting their guarantee. The Transfer Agent may reject any signature guarantee if it believes the transaction would otherwise be improper. A notary public cannot provide a signature guarantee.

 

Systematic Withdrawal Plan

You may request that a predetermined dollar amount be sent to you on a monthly or quarterly basis. Your account must maintain a value of at least $2,500 for you to be eligible to participate in the Systematic Withdrawal Plan (“SWP”). The minimum withdrawal amount is $100. If you elect to receive redemptions through the SWP, the relevant Fund will send a check to your address of record, or will send the payment via electronic funds transfer through the ACH network, directly to your bank account on record. You may request an application for the SWP by calling the Transfer Agent toll-free at 1-888-558-5851. The Fund may modify or terminate the SWP at any time. You may terminate your participation in the SWP by calling the Transfer Agent at least five business days before the next withdrawal.

 

Payment of Redemption Proceeds

You may redeem shares of a Fund at a price equal to the NAV next determined after the Transfer Agent and/or authorized agent receives your redemption request in good order. Generally, your redemption request cannot be processed on days the NYSE is closed. Redemption proceeds for requests received in good order by the Transfer Agent and/or authorized agent before the close of the regular trading session of the NYSE (generally, 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) will usually be sent to the address of record or the bank you indicate or wired using the wire instructions on record, on the following business day. Payment of redemption proceeds may take longer than typically expected, but will be sent within seven calendar days after the Fund receives your redemption request, except as specified below.

 

If you purchase shares using a check and request a redemption before the check has cleared, a Fund may postpone payment of your redemption proceeds up to 15 calendar days while the Fund waits for the check to clear. Furthermore, a Fund may suspend the right to redeem shares or postpone the date of payment upon redemption for more than seven calendar days: (1) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend or holiday closings) or trading on the NYSE is restricted; (2) for any period during which an emergency exists affecting the sale of the Funds’ securities or making such sale or the fair determination of the value of the Fund’s net assets not reasonably practicable; or (3) for such other periods as the SEC may permit for the protection of the Funds’ shareholders.

 

Other Redemption Information

IRA and retirement plan redemptions from accounts which UMB Bank, n.a. is the custodian must be completed on an IRA Distribution Form or other acceptable form approved by UMB Bank, n.a. Shareholders who hold shares of a Fund through an IRA or other retirement plan, must indicate on their redemption requests whether to withhold federal income tax. Such redemption requests will generally be subject to a 10% federal income tax withholding unless a shareholder elects not to have taxes withheld. An IRA owner with a foreign residential address may not elect to forgo the 10% withholding. In addition, if you are a resident of certain states, state income tax also applies to non-Roth IRA distributions when federal withholding applies. Please consult with your tax professional.

 

A Fund generally pays sale (redemption) proceeds in cash. A Fund typically expects to satisfy redemption requests by selling portfolio assets or by using holdings of cash or cash equivalents. On a less regular basis, a Fund may utilize a temporary overdraft facility offered through its custodian, UMB Bank, n.a., in order to assist the Fund in meeting

 


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redemption requests. A Fund uses these methods during both normal and stressed market conditions. During conditions that make the payment of cash unwise and/or in order to protect the interests of a Fund’s remaining shareholders, a Fund may pay all or part of a shareholder’s redemption proceeds in portfolio securities with a market value equal to the redemption price (redemption-in-kind) in lieu of cash. A Fund may redeem shares in kind during both normal and stressed market conditions. Generally, in kind redemptions will be effected through a pro rata distribution of a Fund’s portfolio securities. If a Fund redeems your shares in kind, you will bear any market risks associated with investment in these securities, and you will be responsible for the costs (including brokerage charges) of converting the securities to cash.

 

A Fund may redeem all of the shares held in your account if your balance falls below the Fund’s minimum initial investment amount due to your redemption activity. In these circumstances, the relevant Fund will notify you in writing and request that you increase your balance above the minimum initial investment amount within 30 days of the date of the notice. If, within 30 days of a Fund’s written request, you have not increased your account balance, your shares will be automatically redeemed at the current NAV. A Fund will not require that your shares be redeemed if the value of your account drops below the investment minimum due to fluctuations of the Fund’s NAV.

 

Cost Basis Information

Federal tax law requires that regulated investment companies, such as the Funds, report their shareholders’ cost basis, gain/loss, and holding period to the Internal Revenue Service on the Funds’ shareholders’ Consolidated Form 1099s when “covered” shares of the regulated investment companies are sold. Covered shares are any shares acquired (including pursuant to a dividend reinvestment plan) on or after January 1, 2012.

 

Each Fund has chosen “first-in, first-out” (FIFO) as its standing (default) tax lot identification method for all shareholders, which means this is the method the Fund will use to determine which specific shares are deemed to be sold when there are multiple purchases on different dates at differing net asset values, and the entire position is not sold at one time. The Funds’ standing tax lot identification method is the method it will use to report the sale of covered shares on your Consolidated Form 1099 if you do not select a specific tax lot identification method. Redemptions are taxable and you may realize a gain or a loss upon the sale of your shares. Certain shareholders may be subject to backup withholding.

 

Subject to certain limitations, you may choose a method other than the Funds’ standing method at the time of your purchase or upon the sale of covered shares. For all shareholders using a method other than the specific tax lot identification method, each Fund first redeems shares you acquired on or before December 30, 2011, and then applies your elected method to shares acquired after that date. Please refer to the appropriate Treasury regulations or consult your tax advisor with regard to your personal circumstances.

 

Tools to Combat Frequent Transactions

The Trust’s Board of Trustees has adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares by Fund shareholders. The Trust discourages excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices that may disrupt portfolio management strategies and harm a Fund’s performance. The Trust takes steps to reduce the frequency and effect of these activities on the Funds. These steps may include monitoring trading activity and using fair value pricing. In addition, the Trust may take action, which may include using its best efforts to restrict a shareholder from making additional purchases in a Fund, if that shareholder has engaged in four or more “round trips” in the Fund during a 12-month period. Although these efforts (which are described in more detail below) are designed to discourage abusive trading practices, these tools cannot eliminate the possibility that such activity may occur. Further, while the Trust makes efforts to identify and restrict frequent trading, the Trust receives purchase and sale orders through financial intermediaries and cannot always know or detect frequent trading that may be facilitated by the use of

 


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intermediaries or the use of group or omnibus accounts by those intermediaries. The Trust seeks to exercise its judgment in implementing these tools to the best of its ability in a manner that the Trust believes is consistent with the interests of Fund shareholders.

 

Monitoring Trading Practices

The Trust may monitor trades in Fund shares in an effort to detect short-term trading activities. If, as a result of this monitoring, the Trust believes that a shareholder of a Fund has engaged in excessive short-term trading, it may, in its discretion, ask the shareholder to stop such activities or refuse to process purchases in the shareholder’s accounts. In making such judgments, the Trust seeks to act in a manner that it believes is consistent with the best interest of Fund shareholders. Due to the complexity and subjectivity involved in identifying abusive trading activity, there can be no assurance that the Trust’s efforts will identify all trades or trading practices that may be considered abusive.

 

General Transaction Policies

Some of the following policies are mentioned above. In general, each Fund reserves the right to:

 

 

vary or waive any minimum investment requirement;

 

refuse, change, discontinue, or temporarily suspend account services, including purchase or telephone redemption privileges (if redemption by telephone is not available, you may send your redemption order to the Funds via regular or overnight delivery), for any reason;

 

reject any purchase request for any reason (generally the Fund does this if the purchase is disruptive to the efficient management of the Fund due to the timing of the investment or an investor’s history of excessive trading);

 

delay paying redemption proceeds for up to seven calendar days after receiving a request, if an earlier payment could adversely affect the Fund;

 

reject any purchase or redemption request that does not contain all required documentation; and

 

subject to applicable law and with prior notice, adopt other policies from time to time requiring mandatory redemption of shares in certain circumstances.

 

If you elect telephone privileges on the account application or in a letter to a Fund, you may be responsible for any fraudulent telephone orders as long as the Fund and/or its service providers have taken reasonable precautions to verify your identity. In addition, once you place a telephone transaction request, it cannot be canceled or modified.

 

During periods of significant economic or market change, telephone transactions may be difficult to complete. If you are unable to contact a Fund by telephone, you may also mail your request to the Fund at the address listed under “Methods of Buying.”

 

Your broker or other financial intermediary may establish policies that differ from those of the Funds. For example, the organization may charge transaction fees, set higher minimum investments, or impose certain limitations on buying or selling shares in addition to those identified in this Prospectus. Contact your broker or other financial intermediary for details.

 

Please note that the value of your account may be transferred to the appropriate state if no activity occurs in the account within the time period specified by state law.

 

Exchange Privilege

 

You may exchange shares of a Fund into shares of another Fund. The amount of the exchange must be equal to or greater than the required minimum initial investment of the other Fund (see “Minimum Investment” table). You may realize either a gain or loss on those shares and will be responsible for paying any applicable taxes. If you exchange shares through a broker, the broker may charge you a transaction fee. You may exchange shares by sending a written request to the Funds or by telephone. Be sure that your written request includes the dollar amount or number of shares to be exchanged, the name(s) on the account and the account number(s), and is signed by all shareholders on the account. In order to limit expenses, each Fund reserves the right to limit the total number of exchanges you can make in any year.

 


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Conversion of Shares

A share conversion is a transaction in which shares of one class of a Fund are exchanged for shares of another class of the Fund. Share conversions can occur between each share class of a Fund. Generally, share conversions occur when a shareholder becomes eligible for another share class of the Fund or no longer meets the eligibility criteria of the share class owned by the shareholder (and another class exists for which the shareholder would be eligible). Please note that a share conversion is generally a non-taxable event, but you should consult with your personal tax advisor on your particular circumstances. Please note, all share conversion requests must be approved by the Advisor.

 

A request for a share conversion will not be processed until it is received in “good order” (as defined above) by a Fund or your financial intermediary. To receive the NAV of the new class calculated that day, conversion requests must be received in good order by a Fund or your financial intermediary before 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time or the financial intermediary’s earlier applicable deadline. Please note that, because the NAV of each class of a Fund will generally vary from the NAV of the other class due to differences in expenses, you will receive a number of shares of the new class that is different from the number of shares that you held of the old class, but the total value of your holdings will remain the same.

 

A Fund’s frequent trading policies will not be applicable to share conversions. If you hold your shares through a financial intermediary, please contact the financial intermediary for more information on share conversions. Please note that certain financial intermediaries may not permit all types of share conversions. The Funds reserve the right to terminate, suspend or modify the share conversion privilege for any shareholder or group of shareholders.

 

Each Fund reserves the right to automatically convert shareholders from one class to another if they either no longer qualify as eligible for their existing class or if they become eligible for another class. Such mandatory conversions may be as a result of a change in value of an account due to market movements, exchanges or redemptions. A Fund will notify affected shareholders in writing prior to any mandatory conversion.

 

Availability of Information

Information regarding sales charges of the Funds and the applicability and availability of discounts from sales charges is available free of charge on the Funds’ website at www europacificfunds.com. The Prospectus and SAI are also available on the website.

 

Prospectus and Shareholder Report Mailings

In order to reduce the amount of mail you receive and to help reduce expenses, we generally send a single copy of any shareholder report and Prospectus to each household. If you do not want the mailing of these documents to be combined with those of other members of your household, please contact your authorized dealer or the Transfer Agent.

 

Additional Information

Each Fund enters into contractual arrangements with various parties, including among others the Advisor and sub-advisor, if any, who provide services to the Fund. Shareholders are not parties to, or intended (or “third party”) beneficiaries of, those contractual arrangements.

 

This Prospectus and the SAI provide information concerning each Fund that you should consider in determining whether to purchase shares of the Fund. A Fund may make changes to this information from time to time. Neither this Prospectus nor the SAI is intended to give rise to any contract rights or other rights in any shareholder, other than any rights conferred by federal or state securities laws that may not be waived.

 

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

 

The EuroPac International Bond Fund will make distributions of net investment income monthly. The EuroPac International Value Fund and EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund will make distributions of net investment income quarterly. The EP Emerging Markets Fund and EuroPac Gold Fund will make distributions of net investment

 


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income annually. Each Fund will make distributions of net capital gains, if any, at least annually, typically in December. A Fund may make additional payments of dividends or distributions if it deems it desirable at any other time during the year.

 

All dividends and distributions will be reinvested in Fund shares unless you choose one of the following options: (1) to receive net investment income dividends in cash, while reinvesting capital gain distributions in additional Fund shares; or (2) to receive all dividends and distributions in cash. If you wish to change your distribution option, please write to the Transfer Agent before the payment date of the distribution.

 

If you elect to receive distributions in cash and the U.S. Postal Service cannot deliver your check, or if your distribution check has not been cashed for six months, each Fund reserves the right to reinvest the distribution check in your account at the applicable Fund’s then current NAV and to reinvest all subsequent distributions.

 

FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

 

The following discussion is very general and does not address investors subject to special rules, such as investors who hold Fund shares through an IRA, 401(k) plan or other tax-advantaged account. The SAI contains further information about taxes. Because each shareholder’s circumstances are different and special tax rules may apply, you should consult your tax advisor about your investment in a Fund.

 

You will generally have to pay federal income taxes, as well as any state or local taxes, on distributions received from a Fund, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares. If you sell Fund shares, it is generally considered a taxable event. If you exchange shares of a Fund for shares of another Fund, the exchange will generally be treated as a sale of the Fund’s shares and any gain on the transaction may be subject to federal income tax.

 

Distributions of net investment income, other than distributions a Fund reports as “qualified dividend income,” are taxable for federal income tax purposes at ordinary income tax rates. Distributions of net short-term capital gains are also generally taxable at ordinary income tax rates. Distributions from a Fund’s net capital gain (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss) are taxable for federal income tax purposes as long-term capital gain, regardless of how long the shareholder has held Fund shares.

 

Dividends paid by the EuroPac International Value Fund, EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund, EP Emerging Markets Fund, and EuroPac Gold Fund (but none of a Fund’s capital gain distributions) may qualify in part for the dividends received deduction available to corporate shareholders, provided certain holding period and other requirements are satisfied. Dividends received by the EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund from REITs generally are not expected to qualify for treatment as qualified dividend income or for the dividends-received deduction. Distributions that a Fund reports as “qualified dividend income” may be eligible to be taxed to non-corporate shareholders at the reduced rates applicable to long-term capital gain if derived from the Fund’s qualified dividend income and/or if certain other requirements are satisfied. “Qualified dividend income” generally is income derived from dividends paid by U.S. corporations or certain foreign corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession or eligible for tax benefits under certain U.S. income tax treaties. In addition, dividends that a Fund receives in respect of stock of certain foreign corporations may be qualified dividend income if that stock is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market.

 

Since the EuroPac International Bond Fund’s income is derived primarily from sources that do not pay dividends, it is not expected that a substantial portion of the dividends paid by the Fund will qualify either for the dividends-received deduction for corporations or for any favorable U.S. federal income tax rate available to non-corporate shareholders on “qualified dividend income.”

 

You may want to avoid buying shares of a Fund just before it declares a distribution (on or before the record date), because such a distribution will be taxable to you even though it may effectively be a return of a portion of your investment.

 

Although distributions are generally taxable when received, dividends declared in October, November or December to shareholders of record as of a date in such month and paid during the following January are treated as if received on December 31 of the calendar year when the dividends were declared.

 


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Information on the federal income tax status of dividends and distributions is provided annually.

 

Dividends and distributions from a Fund and net gain from redemptions of Fund shares will generally be taken into account in determining a shareholder’s “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% Medicare contribution tax applicable to certain individuals, estates and trusts.

 

If you do not provide the Funds with your correct taxpayer identification number and any required certifications, you will be subject to backup withholding on your redemption proceeds, dividends and other distributions. The backup withholding rate is currently 24%.

 

Dividends and certain other payments made by a Fund to a non-U.S. shareholder are subject to withholding of federal income tax at the rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be determined in accordance with any applicable treaty). Dividends that are reported by a Fund as “interest-related dividends” or “short-term capital gain dividends” are generally exempt from such withholding. In general, a Fund may report interest-related dividends to the extent of its net income derived from U.S.-source interest and a Fund may report short-term capital gain dividends to the extent its net short-term capital gain for the taxable year exceeds its net long-term capital loss. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that have been subject to the 30% withholding tax described in this paragraph.

 

Under legislation commonly referred to as “FATCA,” unless certain non-U.S. entities that hold shares comply with requirements that will generally require them to report information regarding U.S. persons investing in, or holding accounts with, such entities, a 30% withholding tax may apply to dividends payable to such entities. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the United States and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of the agreement.

 

Some of the Funds’ investment income may be subject to foreign income taxes that are withheld at the country of origin. Tax treaties between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes, but there can be no assurance that a Fund will qualify for treaty benefits.

 


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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

 

The following tables are intended to help you understand each Fund’s financial performance. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total return figures represent the percentage that an investor in a Fund would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). The financial information for the periods shown has been audited by Tait, Weller & Baker LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with each Fund’s financial statements, is included in the Fund’s annual report, which is available upon request.

 

EuroPac International Value Fund - Class A

Per share operating performance.
For a capital share outstanding throughout each period.

 

   

For the Year Ended October 31,

 

 

 

2023

   

2022

   

2021

   

2020

   

2019

 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 8.54     $ 9.31     $ 7.96     $ 7.30     $ 6.77  

Income from Investment Operations:

                                       

Net investment income (loss)1

    0.23       0.19       0.12       0.09       0.10  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    0.63       (0.81 )     1.36       0.65       0.52  

Total from investment operations

    0.86       (0.62 )     1.48       0.74       0.62  
                                         

Less Distributions:

                                       

From net investment income

    (0.22 )     (0.15 )     (0.13 )     (0.08 )     (0.09 )

Total distributions

    (0.22 )     (0.15 )     (0.13 )     (0.08 )     (0.09 )
                                         

Redemption fee proceeds1

    2      2      2      2      2 

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 9.18     $ 8.54     $ 9.31     $ 7.96     $ 7.30  
                                         

Total return3

    9.94 %     (6.77 )%     18.64 %     10.26 %     9.20 %
                                         

Ratios and Supplemental Data:

                                       

Net assets, end of period (in thousands)

  $ 104,915     $ 100,628     $ 103,354     $ 79,591     $ 57,383  
                                         

Ratio of expenses to average net assets:

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    1.70 %     1.71 %     1.71 %     1.81 %     1.87 %

After fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    1.73 %     1.75 %     1.75 %     1.75 %     1.75 %

Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets:

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    2.39 %     2.08 %     1.33 %     1.04 %     1.27 %

After fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    2.36 %     2.04 %     1.29 %     1.10 %     1.39 %
                                         

Portfolio turnover rate

    16 %     21 %     10 %     13 %     15 %

 

1

Calculated based on average shares outstanding for the period.

 

2

Amount represents less than $0.01 per share.

 

3

Total returns would have been lower/higher had fees and expenses not been waived or absorbed/recovered by the Advisor. Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Returns shown do not include payment of sales load of 4.50% of offering price which is reduced on sales of $50,000 or more. If the sales charge was included total returns would be lower.

 


75

 

 

 

EuroPac International Value Fund - Class I

Per share operating performance.
For a capital share outstanding throughout each period.

 

   

For the Year Ended October 31,

 

 

 

2023

   

2022

   

2021

   

2020

   

2019

 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 8.57     $ 9.33     $ 7.98     $ 7.31     $ 6.78  

Income from Investment Operations:

                                       

Net investment income (loss)1

    0.25       0.21       0.14       0.11       0.12  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    0.62       (0.80 )     1.37       0.65       0.52  

Total from investment operations

    0.87       (0.59 )     1.51       0.76       0.64  
                                         

Less Distributions:

                                       

From net investment income

    (0.24 )     (0.17 )     (0.16 )     (0.10 )     (0.11 )

Total distributions

    (0.24 )     (0.17 )     (0.16 )     (0.10 )     (0.11 )
                                         

Redemption fee proceeds1

    2      2      2      0.01        

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 9.20     $ 8.57     $ 9.33     $ 7.98     $ 7.31  
                                         

Total return3

    10.07 %     (6.38 )%     18.89 %     10.66 %     9.46 %
                                         

Ratios and Supplemental Data:

                                       

Net assets, end of period (in thousands)

  $ 27,002     $ 12,630     $ 7,016     $ 1,717     $ 680  
                                         

Ratio of expenses to average net assets:

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    1.45 %     1.46 %     1.46 %     1.56 %     1.62 %

After fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    1.48 %     1.50 %     1.50 %     1.50 %     1.50 %

Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets:

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    2.64 %     2.33 %     1.58 %     1.29 %     1.52 %

After fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    2.61 %     2.29 %     1.54 %     1.35 %     1.64 %
                                         

Portfolio turnover rate

    16 %     21 %     10 %     13 %     15 %

 

1

Calculated based on average shares outstanding for the period.

 

2

Amount represents less than $0.01 per share.

 

3

Total returns would have been lower had fees not been waived by the Advisor. These returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on the Fund distributions or redemption of Fund shares.

 


76

 

 

 

EuroPac International Bond Fund - Class A

Per share operating performance.
For a capital share outstanding throughout each Period.

 

   

For the Year Ended October 31,

 

 

 

2023

   

2022

   

2021

   

2020

   

2019

 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 7.71     $ 8.78     $ 8.72     $ 8.48     $ 8.11  

Income from Investment Operations:

                                       

Net investment income (loss)1

    0.32       0.25       0.26       0.24       0.30  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    0.24       (1.32 )     (0.10 )           0.19  

Total from investment operations

    0.56       (1.07 )     0.16       0.24       0.49  
                                         

Less Distributions:

                                       

From net investment income

                (0.10 )           (0.12 )

Total distributions

                (0.10 )           (0.12 )
                                         

Redemption fee proceeds1

          2      2      2      2 

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 8.27     $ 7.71     $ 8.78     $ 8.72     $ 8.48  
                                         

Total return3

    7.26 %     (12.19 )%     1.79 %     2.83 %     6.07 %

 

                                       

Ratios and Supplemental Data:

                                       

Net assets, end of period (in thousands)

  $ 41,367     $ 38,149     $ 45,159     $ 44,167     $ 38,621  
                                         

Ratio of expenses to average net assets:

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed

    1.46 %     1.48 %     1.45 %     1.46 %     1.51 %

After fees waived and expenses absorbed

    1.15 %     1.15 %     1.15 %     1.15 %     1.15 %

Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets:

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed

    3.57 %     2.63 %     2.58 %     2.49 %     3.22 %

After fees waived and expenses absorbed

    3.88 %     2.96 %     2.88 %     2.80 %     3.58 %

 

                                       

Portfolio turnover rate

    23 %     27 %     20 %     16 %     26 %

 

1

Calculated based on average shares outstanding for the period.

 

2

Amount represents less than $0.01 per share.

 

3

Total returns would have been lower/higher had fees and expenses not been waived or absorbed/recovered by the Advisor. Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Returns shown do not include payment of sales load of 4.50% of offering price which is reduced on sales of $50,000 or more. If the sales charge was included total returns would be lower.

 


77

 

 

 

EuroPac International Bond Fund - Class I

Per share operating performance.
For a capital share outstanding throughout each Period.

 

   

For the Year Ended October 31,

 

 

 

2023

   

2022

   

2021

   

2020

   

2019

 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 7.84     $ 8.91     $ 8.84     $ 8.58     $ 8.19  

Income from Investment Operations:

                                       

Net investment income (loss)1

    0.35       0.27       0.28       0.26       0.33  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    0.24       (1.34 )     (0.09 )           0.18  

Total from investment operations

    0.59       (1.07 )     0.19       0.26       0.51  
                                         

Less Distributions:

                                       

From net investment income

                (0.12 )           (0.12 )

Total distributions

                (0.12 )           (0.12 )
                                         

Redemption fee proceeds1

                2      2       

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 8.43     $ 7.84     $ 8.91     $ 8.84     $ 8.58  
                                         

Total return3

    7.53 %     (12.01 )%     2.11 %     3.03 %     6.30 %

 

                                       

Ratios and Supplemental Data:

                                       

Net assets, end of period (in thousands)

  $ 13,985     $ 6,281     $ 4,219     $ 4,072     $ 1,532  
                                         

Ratio of expenses to average net assets:

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed

    1.21 %     1.23 %     1.20 %     1.21 %     1.26 %

After fees waived and expenses absorbed

    0.90 %     0.90 %     0.90 %     0.90 %     0.90 %

Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets:

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed

    3.82 %     2.88 %     2.83 %     2.74 %     3.47 %

After fees waived and expenses absorbed

    4.13 %     3.21 %     3.13 %     3.05 %     3.83 %

 

                                       

Portfolio turnover rate

    23 %     27 %     20 %     16 %     26 %

 

1

Calculated based on average shares outstanding for the period.

 

2

Amount represents less than $0.01 per share.

 

3

Total returns would have been lower had fees not been waived by the Advisor. These returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on the Fund distributions or redemption of Fund shares.

 


78

 

 

 

EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund - Class A

Per share operating performance.
For a capital share outstanding throughout each period.

 

   

For the Year Ended October 31,

 

 

 

2023

   

2022

   

2021

   

2020

   

2019

 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 8.42     $ 9.09     $ 7.62     $ 7.81     $ 7.47  

Income from Investment Operations:

                                       

Net investment income (loss)1

    0.29       0.32       0.19       0.14       0.19  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    0.20       (0.77 )     1.47       (0.19 )     0.34  

Total from investment operations

    0.49       (0.45 )     1.66       (0.05 )     0.53  

 

                                       

Less Distributions:

                                       

From net investment income

    (0.28 )     (0.22 )     (0.19 )     (0.14 )     (0.19 )

Total distributions

    (0.28 )     (0.22 )     (0.19 )     (0.14 )     (0.19 )
                                         

Redemption fee proceeds1

    2      2      2      2      2 

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 8.63     $ 8.42     $ 9.09     $ 7.62     $ 7.81  

 

                                       

Total return3

    5.68 %     (5.04 )%     21.81 %     (0.62 )%     7.10 %

 

                                       

Ratios and Supplemental Data:

                                       

Net assets, end of period (in thousands)

  $ 93,527     $ 90,132     $ 90,342     $ 64,846     $ 53,452  
                                         

Ratio of expenses to average net assets:

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    1.49 %     1.49 %     1.52 %     1.65 %     1.65 %

After fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    1.50 %     1.50 %     1.50 %     1.50 %     1.50 %

Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets:

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    3.13 %     3.54 %     2.07 %     1.68 %     2.26 %

After fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    3.12 %     3.53 %     2.09 %     1.83 %     2.41 %

 

                                       

Portfolio turnover rate

    8 %     24 %     6 %     18 %     15 %

 

1

Calculated based on average shares outstanding for the period.

 

2

Amount represents less than $0.01 per share.

 

3

Total returns would have been lower had expenses not been waived or absorbed by the Advisor. Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Returns shown do not include payment of sales load of 4.50% of offering price which is reduced on sales of $50,000 or more. If the sales charge was included total returns would be lower.

 


79

 

 

 

EuroPac International Dividend Income Fund - Class I

Per share operating performance.
For a capital share outstanding throughout each period.

 

   

For the Year Ended October 31,

 

 

 

2023

   

2022

   

2021

   

2020

   

2019

 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 8.43     $ 9.10     $ 7.63     $ 7.81     $ 7.48  

Income from Investment Operations:

                                       

Net investment income (loss)1

    0.31       0.34       0.21       0.16       0.20  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    0.21       (0.77 )     1.47       (0.19 )     0.34  

Total from investment operations

    0.52       (0.43 )     1.68       (0.03 )     0.54  

 

                                       

Less Distributions:

                                       

From net investment income

    (0.30 )     (0.24 )     (0.21 )     (0.16 )     (0.21 )

Total distributions

    (0.30 )     (0.24 )     (0.21 )     (0.16 )     (0.21 )
                                         

Redemption fee proceeds1

    2      2            0.01        

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 8.65     $ 8.43     $ 9.10     $ 7.63     $ 7.81  

 

                                       

Total return3

    6.06 %     (4.79 )%     22.07 %     (0.23 )%     7.22 %

 

                                       

Ratios and Supplemental Data:

                                       

Net assets, end of period (in thousands)

  $ 22,382     $ 14,502     $ 4,284     $ 1,817     $ 1,108  
                                         

Ratio of expenses to average net assets:

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    1.24 %     1.24 %     1.27 %     1.40 %     1.40 %

After fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    1.25 %     1.25 %     1.25 %     1.25 %     1.25 %

Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets:

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    3.38 %     3.79 %     2.32 %     1.93 %     2.51 %

After fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    3.37 %     3.78 %     2.34 %     2.08 %     2.66 %

 

                                       

Portfolio turnover rate

    8 %     24 %     6 %     18 %     15 %

 

1

Calculated based on average shares outstanding for the period.

 

2

Amount represents less than $0.01 per share.

 

3

Total returns would have been lower had fees not been waived by the Advisor. These returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on the Fund distributions or redemption of Fund shares.

 


80

 

 

 

EP Emerging Markets Fund - Class A

Per share operating performance.
For a capital share outstanding throughout each period.

 

   

For the Year Ended October 31,

 

 

 

2023

   

2022

   

2021

   

2020

   

2019

 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 8.43     $ 15.69     $ 12.15     $ 10.97     $ 10.72  

Income from Investment Operations:

                                       

Net investment income (loss)1

    0.12       (0.07 )     (0.12 )     (0.09 )     (0.03 )

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    0.33       (4.40 )     3.74       1.29       1.38  

Net increase from payments by affiliates

                      2,3       

Total from investment operations

    0.45       (4.47 )     3.62       1.20       1.35  

 

                                       

Less Distributions:

                                       

From net investment income

    (0.05 )                        

From net realized gain

          (2.79 )     (0.08 )     (0.02 )     (1.10 )

Total distributions

    (0.05 )     (2.79 )     (0.08 )     (0.02 )     (1.10 )
                                         

Redemption fee proceeds1

    2      2      2      2      2 

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 8.83     $ 8.43     $ 15.69     $ 12.15     $ 10.97  

 

                                       

Total return4

    5.26 %     (34.57 )%     29.87 %     10.91 %     13.90 %

 

                                       

Ratios and Supplemental Data:

                                       

Net assets, end of period (in thousands)

  $ 68,564     $ 60,155     $ 104,913     $ 73,055     $ 57,051  
                                         

Ratio of expenses to average net assets:

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed

    1.93 %     2.01 %     1.81 %     2.00 %     2.07 %

After fees waived and expenses absorbed

    1.75 %     1.75 %     1.75 %     1.75 %     1.75 %

Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets:

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed

    1.08 %     (0.91 )%     (0.85 )%     (1.03 )%     (0.62 )%

After fees waived and expenses absorbed

    1.26 %     (0.65 )%     (0.79 )%     (0.78 )%     (0.30 )%

 

                                       

Portfolio turnover rate

    71 %     31 %     47 %     49 %     45 %

 

1

Calculated based on average shares outstanding for the period.

 

2

Amount represents less than $0.01 per share.

 

3

Affiliate reimbursed the Fund $796 for errors during processing. The reimbursement had no impact to the Fund’s performance.

 

4

Total returns would have been lower had expenses not been waived or absorbed by the Advisor. Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Returns shown do not include payment of sales load of 4.50% of offering price which is reduced on sales of $50,000 or more. If the sales charge was included total returns would be lower.

 


81

 

 

 

EP Emerging Markets Fund - Class I

Per share operating performance.
For a capital share outstanding throughout each period.

 

   

For the Year Ended October 31,

 

 

 

2023

   

2022

   

2021

   

2020

   

2019

 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 8.70     $ 16.07     $ 12.41     $ 11.18     $ 10.88  

Income from Investment Operations:

                                       

Net investment income (loss)1

    0.15       (0.04 )     (0.09 )     (0.06 )     (0.01 )

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    0.33       (4.54 )     3.83       1.31       1.41  

Net increase from payments by affiliates (Note 3)

                      2,3       

Total from investment operations

    0.48       (4.58 )     3.74       1.25       1.40  

 

                                       

Less Distributions:

                                       

From net investment income

    (0.07 )                        

From net realized gain

          (2.79 )     (0.08 )     (0.02 )     (1.10 )

Total distributions

    (0.07 )     (2.79 )     (0.08 )     (0.02 )     (1.10 )
                                         

Redemption fee proceeds1

    2                         

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 9.11     $ 8.70     $ 16.07     $ 12.41     $ 11.18  

 

                                       

Total return4

    5.48 %     (34.40 )%     30.21 %     11.15 %     14.19 %

 

                                       

Ratios and Supplemental Data:

                                       

Net assets, end of period (in thousands)

  $ 11,855     $ 5,172     $ 4,448     $ 1,207     $ 999  
                                         

Ratio of expenses to average net assets:

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed

    1.68 %     1.76 %     1.56 %     1.75 %     1.82 %

After fees waived and expenses absorbed

    1.50 %     1.50 %     1.50 %     1.50 %     1.50 %

Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets:

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed

    1.33 %     (0.66 )%     (0.60 )%     (0.78 )%     (0.37 )%

After fees waived and expenses absorbed

    1.51 %     (0.40 )%     (0.54 )%     (0.53 )%     (0.05 )%

 

                                       

Portfolio turnover rate

    71 %     31 %     47 %     49 %     45 %

 

1

Calculated based on average shares outstanding for the period.

 

2

Amount represents less than $0.01 per share.

 

3

Affiliate reimbursed the Fund $796 for errors during processing. The reimbursement had no impact to the Fund’s performance.

 

4

Total returns would have been lower had fees not been waived by the Advisor. These returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on the Fund distributions or redemption of Fund shares.

 

 


82

 

 

 

EuroPac Gold Fund - Class A

Per share operating performance.
For a capital share outstanding throughout each period.

 

   

For the Year Ended October 31,

 

 

 

2023

   

2022

   

2021

   

2020

   

2019

 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 7.73     $ 11.12     $ 13.51     $ 9.50     $ 7.40  

Income from Investment Operations:

                                       

Net investment income (loss)1

    (0.02 )     (0.03 )     0.19       (0.11 )     (0.06 )

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    0.61       (3.10 )     (1.43 )     4.11 2      2.16  

Total from investment operations

    0.59       (3.13 )     (1.24 )     4.00       2.10  

 

                                       

Less Distributions:

                                       

From net investment income

          (0.26 )     (1.15 )            

Total distributions

          (0.26 )     (1.15 )            
                                         

Redemption fee proceeds1

    3      3      3      0.01       3 

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 8.32     $ 7.73     $ 11.12     $ 13.51     $ 9.50  

 

                                       

Total return4

    7.63 %     (28.63 )%     (10.56 )%     42.21 %     28.38 %

 

                                       

Ratios and Supplemental Data:

                                       

Net assets, end of period (in thousands)

  $ 162,861     $ 146,737     $ 203,354     $ 233,630     $ 102,004  
                                         

Ratio of expenses to average net assets:

                                       

(including interest expense and dividends on securities sold short)

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    1.39 %5     1.40 %5     1.40 %5     1.39 %5     1.52 %5

After fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    1.39 %5     1.40 %5     1.40 %5     1.46 %5     1.50 %5

Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets:

                                       

(including interest expense and dividends on securities sold short)

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    (0.19 )%     (0.30 )%     1.54 %     (0.84 )%     (0.74 )%

After fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    (0.19 )%     (0.30 )%     1.54 %     (0.91 )%     (0.72 )%

 

                                       

Portfolio turnover rate

    19 %     13 %     10 %     9 %     18 %

 

1

Calculated based on average shares outstanding for the period.

 

2

Affiliate reimbursed the Fund $547 for errors during processing. The reimbursement had no impact to the Fund’s performance.

 

3

Amount represents less than $0.01 per share.

 

4

Total returns would have been lower had expenses not been waived or absorbed by the Advisor. Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Returns shown do not include payment of sales load of 4.50% of offering price which is reduced on sales of $50,000 or more. If the sales charge was included total returns would be lower.

 

5

If interest expense and dividends on securities sold short had been excluded, the expense ratios would have been lowered by 0.00% for the year ended October 31, 2023. For the prior periods, the ratios would have been lowered by 0.00%, 0.00%, 0.01% and 0.00%, respectively.

 


83

 

 

 

EuroPac Gold Fund - Class I

Per share operating performance.
For a capital share outstanding throughout each period.

 

   

For the Year Ended October 31,

   

For the Period
November 20,
2018*
through
October 31,

 

 

 

2023

   

2022

   

2021

   

2020

   

2019

 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 7.77     $ 11.19     $ 13.59     $ 9.52     $ 7.23  

Income from Investment Operations:

                                       

Net investment income (loss)1

    0.01 2      3      0.22       (0.08 )     (0.04 )

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    0.61       (3.13 )     (1.45 )     4.15 4      2.33  

Total from investment operations

    0.62       (3.13 )     (1.23 )     4.07       2.29  

 

                                       

Less Distributions:

                                       

From net investment income

          (0.29 )     (1.17 )            

Total distributions

          (0.29 )     (1.17 )            

 

                                       

Redemption fee proceeds1

    3      3      3      3       

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 8.39     $ 7.77     $ 11.19     $ 13.59     $ 9.52  

 

                                       

Total return5

    7.98 %     (28.51 )%     (10.39 )%     42.75 %     31.67 %6

 

                                       

Ratios and Supplemental Data:

                                       

Net assets, end of period (in thousands)

  $ 28,029     $ 15,286     $ 16,590     $ 26,228     $ 7,856  

 

                                       

Ratio of expenses to average net assets:

                                       

(including interest expense and dividends on securities sold short)

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    1.14 %7     1.15 %7     1.15 %7     1.14 %7     1.27 %7,8

After fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    1.14 %7     1.15 %7     1.15 %7     1.21 %7     1.25 %7,8

Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets:

                                       

(including interest expense and dividends on securities sold short)

                                       

Before fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    0.06 %     (0.05 )%     1.79 %     (0.59 )%     (0.53 )%8

After fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered

    0.06 %     (0.05 )%     1.79 %     (0.66 )%     (0.51 )%8

 

                                       

Portfolio turnover rate

    19 %     13 %     10 %     9 %     18 %6

 

*

Commencement of operations.

 

1

Calculated based on average shares outstanding for the period.

 

2

Per share net investment income may not correspond with the net investment income of the Fund because Class I shares receive a relatively small portion of the Fund’s gross expenses and do not bear distribution fees.

 

3

Amount represents less than $0.01 per share.

 

4

Affiliate reimbursed the Fund $547 for errors during processing. The reimbursement had no impact to the Fund’s performance.

 

5

Total returns would have been lower had fees not been waived by the Advisor. These returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on the Fund distributions or redemption of Fund shares.

 

6

Not annualized.

 

 


84

 

 

 

7

If interest expense and dividends on securities sold short had been excluded, the expense ratios would have been lowered by 0.00% for the year ended October 31, 2023. For the prior periods, the ratios would have been lowered by 0.00%, 0.00%, 0.01% and 0.00%, respectively.

 

8

Annualized.

 


85

 

 

 

APPENDIX A – WAIVERS AND DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE FROM INTERMEDIARIES

 

The availability of certain sales charge waivers and discounts will depend on whether you purchase your shares directly from the Fund or through a financial intermediary. Intermediaries may have different policies and procedures regarding the availability of front-end sales load waivers. In all instances, it is the purchaser’s responsibility to notify the Fund or the purchaser’s financial intermediary at the time of purchase of any relationship or other facts qualifying the purchaser for sales charge waivers or discounts. For waivers and discounts not available through a particular intermediary, shareholders will have to purchase Fund shares directly from the Fund or through another intermediary to receive these waivers or discounts. Please contact the applicable intermediary with any questions regarding how the intermediary applies the policies described below and to ensure that you understand what steps you must take to qualify for any available waivers or discounts.

 

Waiver of Initial Sales Charge on Purchases of Class A Shares by Certain Financial Institutions:

No initial sales charge is imposed on purchases of Class A shares by the following financial institutions that (i) are compensated by clients on a fee-only basis, or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the Fund to offer Class A shares through no-load network or platforms as described on page 62 of this Prospectus:

 

Charles Schwab
E*Trade Securities LLC
Interactive Brokers LLC
JP Morgan Securities LLC
LPL Financial LLC
Matrix Trust Company/MSCS Financial
Mid Atlantic Clearing & Settlement Corp
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC
National Financial Services LLC
Pershing LLC
TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc
Vanguard Marketing Corp

 

 


86

 

 

 

Investment Advisor
Euro Pacific Asset Management, LLC
Suite 204, Lots 81-82
Street C
Dorado, Puerto Rico 00646

 

Fund Co-Administrator
Mutual Fund Administration, LLC
2220 E. Route 66, Suite 226
Glendora, California 91740

 

Fund Co-Administrator, Transfer Agent and Fund Accountant
UMB Fund Services, Inc.
235 West Galena Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212

 

Custodian
UMB Bank, n.a.
928 Grand Boulevard, 5th Floor
Kansas City, Missouri 64106

 

Distributor
UMB Distribution Services, LLC
235 West Galena Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212

 

Counsel to the Trust
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
600 Anton Boulevard, Suite 1800
Costa Mesa, California 92626

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Tait, Weller & Baker LLP
Two Liberty Place
50 South 16th Street, Suite 2900
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102-2529

 

 

 

 

 

Euro Pacific Funds

 

Each a series of Investment Managers Series Trust

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

 

Statement of Additional Information (SAI)

The SAI provides additional details about the investments and techniques of the Funds and certain other additional information. The SAI is on file with the SEC and is incorporated into this Prospectus by reference. This means that the SAI is legally considered a part of this Prospectus even though it is not physically within this Prospectus.

 

Shareholder Reports

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

 

The Funds’ SAI, annual and semi-annual reports are available, free of charge, on the Funds’ website at www.europacificfunds.com. You can also obtain a free copy of the Funds’ SAI or annual and semi-annual reports, request other information, or inquire about a Fund by contacting a broker that sells shares of the Fund or by calling the Funds’ (toll-free) at 1-888-558-5851 or by writing to:

 

Euro Pacific Funds
P.O. Box 2175
Milwaukee, WI 53201

 

Reports and other information about the Funds are also available:

 

 

Free of charge, on the SEC’s EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov; or

 

 

For a duplication fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: [email protected].

 

(Investment Company Act file no. 811- 21719.)