STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

November 1, 2023

MUTUAL FUND SERIES TRUST

4221 North 203rd Street, Suite 100

Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus of the Catalyst Systematic Alpha Fund (the “Systematic Alpha Fund”), Catalyst/Warrington Strategic Program Fund (the “Strategic Program Fund”), Catalyst Buffered Shield Fund (the “Buffered Shield Fund”), Catalyst/Millburn Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund (the “Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund”), Catalyst/Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund (the “Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund”), and Catalyst Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund (the “Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund”), (each a “Fund” and as defined and collectively the “Funds”) dated November 1, 2023. Each Fund is a separate series of Mutual Fund Series Trust (the “Trust”), an open-end management company organized as an Ohio business trust. The Funds’ Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 is incorporated herein by reference and is available on the Fund’s website www.catalystmf.com. This SAI has been incorporated in its entirety into the Prospectus. Copies of the Prospectus and Annual and Semi-Annual Reports may be obtained at no charge from the Trust by writing to the above address or calling 1-866-447-4228.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MUTUAL FUND SERIES TRUST

The Trust, an Ohio business trust, is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an open-end management investment company (or mutual fund). The Trust was formed by an Agreement and Declaration of Trust on February 27, 2006. The Trust Agreement permits the Board of Trustees of the Trust (“Board”) to issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest of separate series without par value. Each Fund is a diversified series of the Trust. There are currently several other series (or funds) and additional series may be created by the Board from time to time.

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC (“Catalyst” or the “Advisor”) acts as advisor to the Funds.

Warrington Asset Management LLC serves as the investment sub-advisor to the Strategic Program Fund.

Millburn Ridgefield Corporation serves as the investment sub-advisor to the Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund and Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund.

Exceed Advisory LLC serves as the investment sub-advisor to the Buffered Shield Fund.

Equity Armor Investments, LLC serves as the investment sub-advisor to the Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund.

The Trust does not issue share certificates. All shares are held in non-certificate form registered on the books of the Trust and the Trust’s transfer agent for the account of the shareholder. Each share of a series represents an equal proportionate interest in the assets and liabilities belonging to that series with each other share of that series and is entitled to such dividends and distributions out of income belonging to the series as are declared by the Board. The shares do not have cumulative voting rights or any preemptive or conversion rights, and the Board has the authority from time to time to divide or combine the shares of any series into a greater or lesser number of shares of that series so long as the proportionate beneficial interest in the assets belonging to that series and the rights of shares of any other series are in no way affected. In case of any liquidation of a series, the holders of shares of the series being liquidated will be entitled to receive as a class a distribution out of the assets, net of the liabilities, belonging to that series. Expenses attributable to any series are borne by that series. There can be no assurance that a series will grow to an economically viable size, in which case the Board may determine to liquidate the series at a time that may not be opportune for shareholders. Any general expenses of the Trust not readily identifiable as belonging to a particular series are allocated by or under the direction of the Board in such manner as the Board determines to be fair and equitable. No shareholder is liable to further calls or to assessment by the Trust without his or her express consent.

Each Fund offers four classes of shares. Each Fund, except Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund, offers Class A, Class C, Class I and Class T Shares. As of the date of this SAI only Class A, Class C and Class I are available for sale. Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund offers Class A, Class C, Class C-1 and Class I Shares. Each share class represents an interest in the same assets of a Fund, has the same rights and is identical in all material respects except that (i) each class of shares may bear different distribution fees; (ii) each class of shares may be subject to different (or no) sales charges; (iii) certain other class specific expenses will be borne solely by the class to which such expenses are attributable; and (iv) each class has exclusive voting rights with respect to matters relating to its own distribution arrangements. The Board may classify and reclassify the shares of a Fund into additional classes of shares at a future date.

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

The following investment restrictions are fundamental policies of the Funds and cannot be changed unless the change is approved by the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting of shareholders if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting shares of that Fund are present or represented by proxy or (b) more than 50% of the outstanding voting shares of that Fund.

As a matter of fundamental policy, each Fund, except as otherwise noted, may not:

(a) borrow money, except as permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”)* and as interpreted or modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time;

(b) issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act*, and as interpreted or modified by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time;

(c) engage in the business of underwriting securities issued by others, except to the extent that a Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities;

(d) purchase or sell real estate, which does not include securities of companies which deal in real estate or mortgages or investments secured by real estate or interests therein, except that each Fund reserves freedom of action to hold and to sell real estate acquired as a result of the Fund’s ownership of securities;

(e) purchase or sell physical commodities or forward contracts relating to physical commodities;

(f) with respect to all of the Funds, make loans to other persons, except (i) loans of portfolio securities, and (ii) to the extent that entry into repurchase agreements and the purchase of debt instruments or interests in indebtedness in accordance with a Fund’s investment objective and policies may be deemed to be loans.

(g) invest 25% or more of its total assets in a particular industry or group of industries. This limitation is not applicable to investments in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities or repurchase agreements with respect thereto. A Fund will consider the investments of underlying investment companies when determining its compliance with this restriction;

(h) with respect to 75% of the Fund’s total assets, purchase the securities of any issuer, except securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities or securities issued by other investment companies, if, as a result (i) more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in securities of that issuer, or (ii) the Fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer.

With respect to interpretations of the SEC or its staff described in paragraph (b) above, the SEC and its staff have identified various securities trading practices and derivative instruments used by mutual funds that give rise to potential senior security issues under Section 18(f) of the 1940 Act. However, rather than rigidly deeming all such practices as impermissible forms of issuing a “senior security” under Section 18(f), the SEC has adopted Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act, which permits a fund to enter into derivatives transactions and certain similar transactions notwithstanding the prohibitions and restrictions on the issuance of senior securities under Section 18(f) of the 1940 Act, subject to the conditions of the Rule.

Rule 18f-4 imposes limits on the amount of derivatives a Fund can enter into, eliminates the asset segregation framework currently used by a Fund to comply with Section 18 of the 1940 Act, treats derivatives as senior securities and requires a Fund to maintain a comprehensive derivative risk management program and appoint a derivatives risk manager if its exposure to derivatives is above a specified amount.

OTHER INVESTMENT POLICIES

The following investment policies are not fundamental and may be changed by the Board without the approval of the shareholders of the Funds:

If a restriction on a Fund’s investments is adhered to at the time an investment is made, a subsequent change in the percentage of Fund assets invested in certain securities or other instruments, or change in average duration of the Fund’s investment portfolio, resulting from changes in the value of the Fund’s total assets, will not be considered a violation of the restriction; provided, however, that the asset coverage requirement applicable to borrowings shall be maintained in the manner contemplated by applicable law.

Pursuant to Rule 22e-4, no Fund will not invest more than 15% of its net assets in investments for which there are legal or contractual restrictions on resale and other illiquid investments. Rule 144A investments with registration rights are not considered to be illiquid. If illiquid investments exceed 15% of the Fund’s net assets, the Fund will take corrective action consistent with Rule 22e-4.

Temporary Defensive Positions

From time to time, a Fund may take temporary defensive positions, which are inconsistent with the Fund’s principal investment strategies, in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions. For example, a Fund may hold all or a portion of its assets in money market instruments, including cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities, other investment grade fixed income securities, certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper, money market funds and repurchase agreements. While a Fund is in a defensive position, the opportunity to achieve its investment objective will be limited. If a Fund invests in a money market fund, the shareholders of the Fund generally will be subject to duplicative management fees. Although a Fund would do this only in seeking to avoid losses, the Fund will be unable to pursue its investment objective during that time, and it could reduce the benefit from any upswing in the market.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENTS AND RISKS

Unless restricted by the fundamental policies of any Fund, the following policies supplement the investment objective and policies of the Funds as set forth in the Prospectus.

Common Stocks. The Funds may invest in common stocks, which include the common stock of any class or series of domestic or foreign corporations or any similar equity interest, such as a trust or partnership interest. These investments may or may not pay dividends and may or may not carry voting rights. Common stock occupies the most junior position in a company’s capital structure. The Funds may also invest in warrants and rights related to common stocks.

Investments in Small and Unseasoned Companies. Unseasoned and small companies may have limited or unprofitable operating histories, limited financial resources, and inexperienced management. In addition, they often face competition from larger or more established firms that have greater resources. Securities of small and unseasoned companies are frequently traded in the over-the-counter market or on regional exchanges where low trading volumes may result in erratic or abrupt price movements. To dispose of these securities, a Fund may need to sell them over an extended period or below the original purchase price. Investments by a Fund in these small or unseasoned companies may be regarded as speculative.

Securities of Other Investment Companies. The Funds may invest in securities issued by other investment companies. Each Fund intends to limit its investments in accordance with applicable law or as permitted by Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act. Among other things, such law would limit these investments so that, as determined immediately after a securities purchase is made by a Fund: (a) not more than 5% of the value of its total assets will be invested in the securities of any one investment company (the “5% Limitation”); (b) not more than 10% of the value of its total assets will be invested in the aggregate in securities of investment companies as a group (the “10% Limitation”); (c) not more than 3% of the outstanding voting stock of any one investment company will be owned by the Fund (the 3% Limitation”); and (d) not more than 10% of the outstanding voting stock of any one closed-end investment company will be owned by the Fund together with all other investment companies that have the same advisor. Under certain sets of conditions, different sets of restrictions may be applicable. As a shareholder of another investment company, a Fund would bear, along with other shareholders, its pro rata portion of that investment company’s expenses, including advisory fees. These expenses would be in addition to the advisory and other expenses that a Fund bears directly in connection with its own operations. Investment companies in which a Fund may invest may also impose a sales or distribution charge in connection with the purchase or redemption of their Shares and other types of commissions or charges. Such charges will be payable by the Fund and, therefore, will be borne directly by Shareholders.

The Funds intend to rely on Section 12(d)(1)(F) and Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act which in conjunction with one another allow registered investment companies (such as the Funds) to exceed the 3%, 5% and 10% Limitation, provided the aggregate sales loads any investor pays (i.e., the combined distribution expenses of both the acquiring fund and the acquired funds) does not exceed the limits on sales loads established by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) for funds of funds, and the registered investment company “mirror votes” any securities purchased pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(F).

Exchange Traded Funds. Each Fund may invest in a range of exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). An ETF is an investment company that offers investors a proportionate share in a portfolio of stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies or other securities. Like individual equity securities, ETFs are traded on a stock exchange and can be bought and sold throughout the day. Traditional ETFs attempt to achieve the same investment return as that of a particular market index, such as the S&P’s 500 Index. To mirror the performance of a market index, an ETF invests either in all of the securities in the index or a representative sample of securities in the index. Some ETFs also invest in futures contracts or other derivative instruments to track their benchmark index. Unlike traditional indexes, which generally weight their holdings based on relative size (market capitalization), enhanced or fundamentally weighted indexes use weighting structures that include other criteria such as earnings, sales, growth, liquidity, book value or dividends. Some ETFs also use active investment strategies instead of tracking broad market indexes. Investments in ETFs are considered to be investment companies, see “Securities of Other Investment Companies” above.

When a Fund invests in ETFs, it is subject to the specific risks of the underlying investment of the ETF. These risks could include those associated with small companies, illiquidity risk, sector risk, foreign and emerging market risk, short selling, leverage as well as risks associated with fixed income securities, real estate investments, and commodities. ETFs in which the Fund invests will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the indices or sector they track because the total return generated by the securities will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities. In addition, the ETFs in which the Fund invests will incur expenses not incurred by their applicable indices. Certain securities comprising the indices tracked by the ETFs may, from time to time, temporarily be unavailable, which may further impede the ETFs’ ability to track their applicable indices.

When a Fund invests in sector ETFs, there is a risk that securities within the same group of industries will decline in price due to sector-specific market or economic developments. If a Fund invests more heavily in a particular sector, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect that sector. As a result, a Fund’s share price may fluctuate more widely than the value of shares of a mutual fund that invests in a broader range of industries. Additionally, some sectors could be subject to greater government regulation than other sectors. Therefore, changes in regulatory policies for those sectors may have a material effect on the value of securities issued by companies in those sectors. The sectors in which each Fund may be more heavily invested will vary.

To offset the risk of declining security prices, the Funds may invest in inverse ETFs. Inverse ETFs are funds designed to rise in price when stock prices are falling. Inverse ETF index funds seek to provide investment results that will match a certain percentage of the inverse of the performance of a specific benchmark on a daily basis. For example, if an inverse ETFs current benchmark is the inverse of the Russell 2000 Index and the ETF meets its objective, the value of the ETF will tend to increase on a daily basis when the value of the underlying index decreases (e.g., if the Russell 2000 Index goes down 5% then the inverse ETF’s value should go up 5%).

ETFs or inverse ETFs may employ leverage, which magnifies the changes in the underlying stock index upon which they are based. Any strategy that includes inverse or leveraged securities could cause a Fund to suffer significant losses.

Closed-End Investment Companies. The Funds may invest in “closed-end” investment companies (or “closed-end funds”), subject to the investment restrictions set forth below. The Funds, together with any company or companies controlled by the Funds, and any other investment companies having a sub-advisor as an investment advisor, may purchase only up to 10% of the total outstanding voting stock of any closed-end fund. Typically, the common shares of closed-end funds are offered to the public in a one-time initial public offering by a group of underwriters who retain a spread or underwriting commission. Such securities are then listed for trading on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter markets. Because the common shares of closed-end funds cannot be redeemed upon demand to the issuer like the shares of an open-end investment company (such as the Funds), investors seek to buy and sell common shares of closed-end funds in the secondary market. The common shares of closed-end funds may trade at a price per share which is more or less than the net asset value (“NAV”) per share, the difference representing the “market premium” and the “market discount” of such common shares, respectively.

There can be no assurance that a market discount on common shares of any closed-end fund will ever decrease. In fact, it is possible that this market discount may increase and a Fund may suffer realized or unrealized capital losses due to further decline in the market price of the securities of such closed-end funds, thereby adversely affecting the NAV of that Fund’s shares. Similarly, there can be no assurance that the common shares of closed-end funds which trade at a premium will continue to trade at a premium or that the premium will not decrease subsequent to a purchase of such shares by a Fund. The Funds may also invest in preferred shares of closed-end funds.

An investor in the Funds should recognize that he may invest directly in closed-end funds and that by investing in closed-end funds indirectly through the Funds he will bear not only his proportionate share of the expenses of the Funds (including operating costs and investment advisory and administrative fees) but also, indirectly, similar fees of the underlying closed-end funds. An investor may incur increased tax liabilities by investing in the Funds rather than directly in the underlying funds.

Business Development Companies (BDCs) and Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs). The Funds may invest in BDCs and SPACs. Federal securities laws impose certain restraints upon the organization and operations of BDCs and SPACs. For example, BDCs are required to invest at least 70% of their total assets primarily in securities of private companies or in thinly traded U.S. public companies, cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high quality debt instruments that mature in one year or less. SPACs typically hold 85% to 100% of the proceeds raised from their IPO in trust to be used at a later date for a merger or acquisition. The SPAC must sign a letter of intent for a merger or acquisition within 18 months of the IPO. Otherwise, it will be forced to dissolve and return the assets held in the trust to the public stockholders. However, if a letter of intent is signed within 18 months, the SPAC can close the transaction within 24 months. In addition, the target of the acquisition must have a fair market value that is equal to at least 80% of the SPAC’s assets at the time of acquisition and a majority of shareholders voting must approve this combination with no more than 20% of the shareholders voting against the acquisition and requesting their money back. When a deal is proposed, a shareholder can stay with the transaction by voting for it or elect to sell his shares in the SPAC if voting against it. SPACs are more transparent than private equity as they may be subject to certain SEC regulations, including registration statement requirements under the Securities Act of 1933 and 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K financial reporting requirements. Since SPACs are publicly traded, they provide limited liquidity to an investor (i.e. investment comes in the form of common shares and warrants which can be traded). Other than the risks normally associated with IPOs, SPACs’ public shareholders’ risks include limited liquidity of their securities (as shares are generally thinly traded), loss of 0-15% of their investments (resulting from the SPACs operating costs) if no deals are made and lack of investment diversification as assets are invested in a single company.

Options on Securities. Each Fund may purchase put or call options on equity securities (including securities of ETFs). Each Fund may also write call options and put options on stocks only if they are covered, as described below, and such options must remain covered so long as the Fund is obligated as a writer. Option transactions can be executed either on a national exchange or through a private transaction with a broker-dealer (an “over-the-counter” transaction). Each Fund may write (sell) “covered” call options and purchase options in a spread to hedge (cover) written options, and to close out options previously written by it.

A call option gives the holder (buyer) the “right to purchase” a security at a specified price (the exercise price) at any time until a certain date (the expiration date). So long as the obligation of the writer (seller) of a call option continues, the writer may be assigned an exercise notice by the broker-dealer through whom such option was sold, requiring the writer to deliver the underlying security against payment of the exercise price. This obligation terminates upon the expiration of the call option, or such earlier time at which the writer effects a closing purchase transaction by purchasing an option identical to that previously sold. To secure the obligation to deliver the underlying security upon exercise of a call option subject to the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”), a writer is required to deposit in escrow the underlying security or other assets in accordance with OCC rules.

The purpose of writing covered call options is to generate additional premium income for a Fund. This premium income will serve to enhance a Fund’s total return and will reduce the effect of any price decline of the security involved in the option. Covered call options will generally be written on securities which, in the opinion of the Advisor, are not expected to make any major price moves in the near future but which, over the long term, are deemed to be attractive investments for the particular Fund.

A Fund may write only call options that are “covered”. A call option is “covered” if the Fund either owns the underlying security or has an absolute and immediate right (such as a call with the same or a later expiration date) to acquire that security on the same economic terms. If a Fund writes a call option, the purchaser of the option has the right to buy (and the Fund has the obligation to sell) the underlying security at the exercise price throughout the term of the option. The initial amount paid to a Fund by the purchaser of the option is the “premium.” A Fund’s obligation as the writer of a call option to deliver the underlying security against payment of the exercise price will terminate either upon expiration of the option or earlier if the Fund is able to effect a “closing purchase transaction” through the purchase of an equivalent option. There can be no assurance that a closing purchase transaction can be effected at any particular time or at all. A Fund would not be able to effect a closing purchase transaction after it had received notice of exercise. Fund securities on which call options may be written will be purchased solely on the basis of investment considerations consistent with a Fund’s investment objective. The writing of covered call options is a conservative investment technique believed to involve relatively little risk (in contrast to the writing of naked or uncovered options, which the Funds will not do), but capable of enhancing a Fund’s total return. When writing a covered call option, a Fund, in return for the premium, gives up the opportunity for profit from a price increase in the underlying security above the exercise price, but retains the risk of loss should the price of the security decline. Unlike one who owns securities not subject to an option, a Fund has no control over when the Fund may be required to sell the underlying securities, since it may be assigned an exercise notice at any time prior to the expiration of its obligation as a writer. If a call option which a Fund has written expires, the Fund will realize a gain in the amount of the premium; however, such gain may be offset by a decline in the market value of the underlying security during the option period. If the call option is exercised, the Fund will realize a gain or loss from the sale of the underlying security.

The premium received is the market value of an option. The premium a Fund will receive from writing a call option will reflect, among other things, the current market price of the underlying security, the relationship of the exercise price to such market price, the historical price volatility of the underlying security, and the length of the option period. Once the decision to write a call option has been made, the Advisor, in determining whether a particular call option should be written on a particular security, will consider the reasonableness of the anticipated premium and the likelihood that a liquid secondary market will exist for such option. The premium received by a Fund for writing covered call options will be recorded as a liability in the Fund’s statement of assets and liabilities. This liability will be adjusted daily to the option’s current market value which is the mean of the closing bid and asked prices, after closing rotation is completed (i.e., after such closing prices are computed, currently at 4:02 p.m. and 4:15 p.m., depending on the type of contract), the closing prices as of the time at which the net asset value per share of the Fund is computed (the close of the New York Stock Exchange). The liability will be extinguished upon expiration of the option, the purchase of an identical option in a closing transaction, or delivery of the underlying security upon the exercise of the option.

Closing transactions will be effected in order to realize a profit on an outstanding call option, to prevent an underlying security from being called, or to permit the sale of the underlying security. Furthermore, effecting a closing transaction will permit a Fund to write another call option on the underlying security with either a different exercise price or expiration date or both. If a Fund desires to sell a particular security from its portfolio on which it has written a call option, the Fund will seek to effect a closing transaction prior to, or concurrently with, the sale of the security. There is, of

course, no assurance that a Fund will be able to effect such closing transactions at a favorable price. If a Fund cannot effect such a closing transaction, the Fund may be required to hold a security that it might otherwise have sold, in which case it would continue to be at market risk on the security. A Fund will pay transaction costs in connection with the writing of options to close out previously written options. Such transaction costs are normally higher than those applicable to purchases and sales of portfolio securities.

The exercise price of the options may be below, equal to, or above the current market values of the underlying securities at the time the options are written. From time to time, a Fund may purchase an underlying security for delivery in accordance with an exercise notice of a call option assigned to the Fund, rather than delivering such security from its portfolio. In such cases, additional costs will be incurred.

A Fund will realize a profit or loss from a closing purchase transaction if the cost of the transaction is less or more than the premium received from the writing of the option. It is possible that the cost of effecting a closing transaction may be greater than the premium received by a Fund for writing the option. Because increases in the market price of a call option will generally reflect increases in the market price of the underlying security, any loss resulting from the purchase of a call option is likely to be offset in whole or in part by appreciation of the underlying security owned by a Fund.

In order to write a call option, a Fund is required to comply with OCC rules and the rules of the various exchanges with respect to collateral requirements.

A Fund may also purchase put options so long as they are listed on an exchange. If a Fund purchases a put option, it has the option to sell the subject security at a specified price at any time during the term of the option.

Purchasing put options may be used as a portfolio investment strategy when the Advisor perceives significant short-term risk but substantial long-term appreciation for the underlying security. The put option acts as an insurance policy, as it protects against significant downward price movement while it allows full participation in any upward movement. If a Fund is holding a stock that the Advisor feels has strong fundamentals, but for some reason may be weak in the near term, it may purchase a listed put on such security, thereby giving itself the right to sell such security at a certain strike price throughout the term of the option. Consequently, a Fund will exercise the put only if the price of such security falls below the strike price of the put. The difference between the put option’s strike price and the market price of the underlying security on the date a Fund exercises the put, less transaction costs, will be the amount by which the Fund will be able to hedge against a decline in the underlying security. If, during the period of the option the market price for the underlying security remains at or above the put option’s strike price, the put will expire worthless, representing a loss of the price a Fund paid for the put, plus transaction costs. If the price of the underlying security increases, the profit a Fund realizes on the sale of the security will be reduced by the premium paid for the put option less any amount for which the put may be sold.

A Fund may write put options on a fully covered basis on a stock the Fund intends to purchase. If a Fund writes a put option, the purchaser of the option has the right to sell (and the Fund has the obligation to buy) the underlying security at the exercise price throughout the term of the option. The initial amount paid to a Fund by the purchaser of the option is the “premium.” A Fund’s obligation to purchase the underlying security against payment of the exercise price will terminate either upon expiration of the option or earlier if the Fund is able to effect a “closing purchase transaction” through the purchase of an equivalent option. There can be no assurance that a closing purchase transaction can be effected at any particular time or at all.

A Fund may purchase a call option or sell a put option on a stock (including securities of ETFs) it may purchase at some point in the future. The purchase of a call option or sale of a put option is viewed as an alternative to the purchase of the actual stock. The number of option contracts purchased multiplied by the exercise price times the option multiplier will normally not be any greater than the number of shares that would have been purchased had the underlying security been purchased. If a Fund purchases a call option, it has the right but not the obligation to purchase (and the seller has the obligation to sell) the underlying security at the exercise price throughout the term of the option. The initial amount paid by a Fund to the seller of the call option is known as the “premium.” If during the period of the option the market price of the underlying security remains at or below the exercise price, a Fund will be able to purchase the security at the lower market price. The profit or loss a Fund may realize on the eventual sale of a security purchased by means of the exercise of a call option will be reduced by the premium paid for the call option. If, during the period of the call option, the market price for the underlying security is at or below the call option’s strike price, the call option will expire worthless, representing a loss of the price a Fund paid for the call option, plus transaction costs.

Stock Index Options. A Fund will write call options on stock indexes only if on such date it holds a portfolio of stocks at least equal to the value of the index times the multiplier times the number of contracts.

Transactions in Stock Options. Purchase and sales of options involves the risk that there will be no market in which to effect a closing transaction. An option position may be closed out only on an exchange that provides a secondary market for an option of the same series or if the transaction was an over-the-counter transaction, through the original broker-dealer. Although a Fund will generally buy and sell options for which there appears to be an active secondary market, there is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an exchange will exist for any particular option, or at any particular time, and for some options no secondary market on an exchange may exist. If the Fund, as a covered call or put option writer, is unable to effect an offsetting closing transaction in a secondary market, it will, for a call option it has written, not be able to sell the underlying security until the call option expires and, for a put option it has written, not be able to avoid purchasing the underlying security until the put option expires.

Options on Stock Indexes. Each Fund’s purchase and sale of options on stock indexes will be subject to risks described above under “Transactions in Stock Options.” In addition, the distinctive characteristics of options on stock indexes create certain risks that are not present with stock options.

Since the value of a stock index option depends upon the movements in the level of the stock index, rather than the price of a particular stock, whether a Fund will realize a gain or loss on the purchase or sale of an option on a stock index depends upon movements in the level of stock prices in the stock market generally or in an industry or market segment rather than movements in the price of a particular stock. Accordingly, successful use by a Fund of options on stock indexes is subject to the Advisor’s ability to correctly predict movements in the direction of the stock market generally or of a particular industry or market segment. This requires skills and techniques different from predicting changes in the price of individual stocks.

Stock index prices may be distorted if trading of certain stocks included in the stock index is interrupted. Trading in the stock index options also may be interrupted in certain circumstances, such as if trading were halted in a substantial number of stocks included in the stock index. If this occurred, a Fund would not be able to close out options that it had purchased or written and, if restrictions on exercise were imposed, might not be able to exercise an option that it was holding, which could result in substantial losses to the Fund. It is the policy of each Fund to purchase or write options only on stock indexes that include a number of stocks sufficient to minimize the likelihood of a trading halt in the stock index, for example, the S&P 100 or S&P 500 index option.

Although the markets for certain stock index option contracts have developed rapidly, the markets for other stock index options are still relatively illiquid. The ability to establish and close out positions on such options will be subject to the development and maintenance of a liquid secondary market. It is not certain that this market will develop in all stock index option contracts. Fund will not purchase or sell stock index option contracts unless and until, in the advisor’s opinion, the market for such options has developed sufficiently that the risk in connection with these transactions is no greater than the risk in connection with options on stock.

Hedging. Hedging is a means of transferring risk that an investor does not wish to assume during an uncertain market environment. The Funds are permitted to enter into these transactions solely: (a) to hedge against changes in the market value of portfolio securities and against changes in the market value of securities intended to be purchased, (b) to close out or offset existing positions, or (c) to manage the duration of a portfolio’s fixed income investments.

Hedging activity in a Fund may include buying or selling (writing) put or call options on stocks, shares of exchange traded funds or stock indexes, entering into stock index futures contracts or buying or selling options on stock index futures contracts or financial futures contracts, such as futures contracts on U.S. Treasury securities and interest related indices, and options on financial futures. The Fund will buy or sell options on stock index futures traded on a national exchange or board of trade and options on securities and on stock indexes traded on national securities exchanges or through private transactions directly with a broker-dealer. The Fund may hedge a portion of its portfolio by selling stock index futures contracts or purchasing puts on these contracts to limit exposure to an actual or anticipated market decline. A Fund may hedge against fluctuations in currency exchange rates, in connection with its investments in foreign securities, by purchasing foreign forward currency exchange contracts. All hedging transactions must be appropriate for reduction of risk and they cannot be for speculation.

The Funds may engage in transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts.

Regulation as a Commodity Pool Operator. The Systematic Alpha Fund, Strategic Program Fund, the Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund, and Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund and their respective Subsidiaries are “commodity pools” under the U.S. Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”), and the Advisor is registered as a “commodity pool operator” with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member of the National Futures Association (“NFA”). As a registered commodity pool operator with respect to the Funds and their respective Subsidiaries, the Advisor must comply with various regulatory requirements under the CEA, and the rules and regulations of the CFTC and the NFA, including investor protection requirements, antifraud prohibitions, disclosure requirements, and reporting and recordkeeping requirements. The Advisor is also subject to periodic inspections and audits by the CFTC and NFA.

The Advisor, with respect to the other series of the Trust not named above, has filed, on behalf of each such series, with the National Futures Association, a notice claiming an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (“CEA”), and the rules of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) promulgated thereunder, with respect to each such series’ operations. Accordingly, such series are not currently subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator.

Convertible Securities. The Funds may invest in convertible securities, including debt securities or preferred stock that may be converted into common stock or that carry the right to purchase common stock. Convertible securities entitle the holder to exchange the securities for a specified number of shares of common stock, usually of the same company, at specified prices within a certain period of time. They also entitle the holder to receive interest or dividends until the holder elects to exercise the conversion privilege.

The terms of any convertible security determine its ranking In a company’s capital structure. In the case of subordinated convertible debentures, the holder’s claims on assets and earnings are generally subordinate to the claims of other creditors, and senior to the claims of preferred and common stockholders. In the case of convertible preferred stock, the holder’s claims on assets and earnings are subordinate to the claims of all creditors and are senior to the claims of common stockholders. As a result of their ranking in a company’s capitalization, convertible securities that are rated by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”) are generally rated below other obligations of the company and many convertible securities are not rated.

Preferred Stock. The Funds may invest in preferred stock. Preferred stock, unlike common stock, offers a stated dividend rate payable from the issuer’s earnings. Preferred stock dividends may be cumulative or non-cumulative, participating, or auction rate. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred stocks may be less attractive, causing the price of the preferred stocks to decline. Preferred stock may have mandatory sinking fund provisions, as well as call/redemption provisions prior to maturity, a negative feature when interest rates decline.

Warrants. The Funds may invest in warrants. A Fund may purchase warrants issued by domestic and foreign companies to purchase newly created equity securities consisting of common and preferred stock. Warrants are securities that give the holder the right, but not the obligation to purchase equity issues of the company issuing the warrants, or a related company, at a fixed price either on a date certain or during a set period. The equity security underlying a warrant is authorized at the time the warrant is issued or is issued together with the warrant.

Investing in warrants can provide a greater potential for profit or loss than an equivalent investment in the underlying security, and, thus, can be a speculative investment. At the time of issue, the cost of a warrant is substantially less than the cost of the underlying security itself, and price movements in the underlying security are generally magnified in the price movements of the warrant. This leveraging effect enables the investor to gain exposure to the underlying security with a relatively low capital investment. This leveraging increases an investor’s risk, however, in the event of a decline in the value of the underlying security and can result in a complete loss of the amount invested in the warrant. In addition, the price of a warrant tends to be more volatile than, and may not correlate exactly to, the price of the underlying security. If the market price of the underlying security is below the exercise price of the warrant on its expiration date, the warrant will generally expire without value. The value of a warrant may decline because of a decline in the value of the underlying security, the passage of time, changes in interest rates or in the dividend or other policies of the company whose equity underlies the warrant or a change in the perception as to the future price of the underlying security, or any combination thereof. Warrants generally pay no dividends and confer no voting or other rights other than to purchase the underlying security.

United States Government Obligations. The Funds may invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by the United States government, or by its agencies or instrumentalities. Obligations issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or instrumentalities may or may not be backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States. Securities that are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States include Treasury bills, Treasury notes, Treasury bonds, and obligations of the Government National Mortgage Association, the Farmers Home Administration, and the Export-Import Bank. In the case of securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the Funds must look principally to the agency issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment and may not be able to assert a claim against the United States itself in the event the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitments. Securities that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States include, but are not limited to, obligations of the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the United States Postal Service, each of which has the right to borrow from the United States Treasury to meet its obligations, and obligations of the Federal Farm Credit System and the Federal Home Loan Banks, both of whose obligations may be satisfied only by the individual credits of each issuing agency.

Foreign Government Obligations. The Funds may invest in short-term obligations of foreign sovereign governments or of their agencies, instrumentalities, authorities or political subdivisions. These securities may be denominated in United States dollars or in another currency. See “Foreign Investment”” below.

Bank Obligations. Each Fund may invest in bank obligations such as bankers’ acceptances, certificates of deposit, and time deposits.

Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange typically drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are “accepted” by a bank, meaning, in effect, that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity. Investments will be in bankers’ acceptances guaranteed by domestic and foreign banks having, at the time of investment, capital, surplus, and undivided profits in excess of $100,000,000 (as of the date of their most recently published financial statements).

Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank or a savings and loan association for a definite period of time and earning a specified return.

Commercial Paper. Commercial paper consists of unsecured promissory notes, including master notes, issued by corporations. Issues of commercial paper normally have maturities of less than nine months and fixed rates of return. Master notes, however, are obligations that provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid and permit daily changes in the amount borrowed.

Master notes are governed by agreements between the issuer and the Advisor acting as agent, for no additional fee, in its capacity as advisor to a Fund and as fiduciary for other clients for whom it exercises investment discretion. The monies loaned to the borrower come from accounts maintained with or managed by the Advisor or its affiliates pursuant to arrangements with such accounts. Interest and principal payments are credited to such accounts. The Advisor, acting as a fiduciary on behalf of its clients, has the right to increase or decrease the amount provided to the borrower under an obligation. The borrower has the right to pay without penalty all or any part of the principal amount then outstanding on an obligation together with interest to the date of payment. Since these obligations typically provide that the interest rate is tied to the Treasury bill auction rate, the rate on master notes is subject to change. Repayment of master notes to participating accounts depends on the ability of the borrower to pay the accrued interest and principal of the obligation on demand which is continuously monitored by the Advisor. Master notes typically are not rated by credit rating agencies.

The Funds may purchase commercial paper consisting of issues rated at the time of purchase within the three highest rating categories by NRSRO. The Funds may also invest in commercial paper that is not rated but is determined by the Advisor, under guidelines established by the Board, to be of comparable quality.

Other Fixed Income Securities. Other fixed income securities in which the Funds may invest include nonconvertible preferred stocks and nonconvertible corporate debt securities.

The Funds may invest in short-term investments (including repurchase agreements “collateralized fully,” as provided in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; interest-bearing or discounted commercial paper, including dollar denominated commercial paper of foreign issuers; and any other taxable and tax-exempt money market instruments, including variable rate demand notes, that are “Eligible Securities” as defined in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act).

Variable Amount Master Demand Notes. Variable amount master demand notes are unsecured demand notes that permit the indebtedness thereunder to vary and provide for periodic readjustments in the interest rate according to the terms of the instrument. They are also referred to as variable rate demand notes. Because master demand notes are direct lending arrangements between a Fund and the issuer, they are not normally traded. Although there is no secondary market in the notes, a Fund may demand payment of principal and accrued interest at any time or during specified periods not exceeding one year, depending upon the instrument involved, and may resell the note at any time to a third party. The Advisor will consider the earning power, cash flow, and other liquidity ratios of the issuers of such notes and will continuously monitor their financial status and ability to meet payment on demand.

Variable and Floating Rate Notes. A variable rate note is one whose terms provide for the readjustment of its interest rate on set dates and which, upon such readjustment, can reasonably be expected to have a market value that approximates its par value. A floating rate note is one whose terms provide for the readjustment of its interest rate whenever a specified interest rate changes and which, at any time, can reasonably be expected to have a market value that approximates its par value. Such notes are frequently not rated by credit rating agencies. These notes must satisfy the same quality standards as commercial paper investments. Unrated variable and floating rate notes purchased by a Fund must be determined by the Advisor under guidelines approved by the Board to be of comparable quality at the time of purchase to rated instruments eligible for purchase under the Fund’s investment policies. In making such determinations, the Advisor will consider the earning power, cash flow and other liquidity ratios of the issuers of such notes (such issuers include financial, merchandising, bank holding and other companies) and will continuously monitor their financial condition. Although there may be no active secondary market with respect to a particular variable or floating rate note purchased by a Fund, a Fund may resell the note at any time to a third party. The absence of an active secondary market, however, could make it difficult for a Fund to dispose of a variable or floating rate note in the event the issuer of the note defaulted on its payment obligations and a Fund could, as a result or for other reasons, suffer a loss to the extent of the default. Variable or floating rate notes may be secured by bank letters of credit.

Foreign Investments. The Funds may invest in certain obligations or securities of foreign issuers. Certain of these investments may be in the form of American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), other similar depositary receipts, and ETFs or other investment companies that invest in foreign securities, Yankee Obligations, and U.S. dollar-denominated securities issued by foreign branches of U.S. and foreign banks. Foreign investments may subject a Fund to investment risks that differ in some respects from those related to investment in obligations of U.S. domestic issuers. Such risks include future adverse political and economic developments, possible seizure, nationalization, or expropriation of foreign investments, less stringent disclosure requirements, the possible establishment of exchange controls or taxation at the source or other taxes, and the adoption of other foreign governmental restrictions.

Additional risks include less publicly available information, less government supervision and regulation of foreign securities exchanges, brokers and issuers, the risk that companies may not be subject to the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements of U.S. companies, the risk that foreign securities markets may have less volume and that therefore many securities traded in these markets may be less liquid and their prices more volatile than U.S. securities, and the risk that custodian and brokerage costs may be higher. Foreign issuers of securities or obligations are often subject to accounting treatment and engage in business practices different from those respecting domestic issuers of similar securities or obligations. Foreign branches of U.S. banks and foreign banks may be subject to less stringent reserve requirements than those applicable to domestic branches of U.S. banks. Certain of these investments may subject the Funds to currency fluctuation risks.

Other investment risks include the possible imposition of foreign withholding taxes on certain amounts of a Fund’s income which may reduce the net return on non-U.S. investments as compared to income received from a U.S. issuer, the possible seizure or nationalization of foreign assets and the possible establishment of exchange controls, expropriation, confiscatory taxation, other foreign governmental laws or restrictions which might affect adversely payments due on securities held by the Fund, the lack of extensive operating experience of eligible foreign subcustodians and legal limitations on the ability of the Fund to recover assets held in custody by a foreign subcustodian in the event of the subcustodian’s bankruptcy.

In addition, there may be less publicly available information about a non-U.S. issuer than about a U.S. issuer, and non-U.S. issuers may not be subject to the same accounting, auditing and financial record-keeping standards and requirements as U.S. issuers. In particular, the assets and profits appearing on the financial statements of an emerging market country issuer may not reflect its financial position or results of operations in the way they would be reflected had

the financial statements been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. In addition, for an issuer that keeps accounting records in local currency, inflation accounting rules may require, for both tax and accounting purposes, that certain assets and liabilities be restated on the issuer’s balance sheet in order to express items in terms of currency of constant purchasing power. Inflation accounting may indirectly generate losses or profits. Consequently, financial data may be materially affected by restatements for inflation and may not accurately reflect the real condition of those issuers and securities markets.

Finally, in the event of a default of any such foreign obligations, it may be more difficult for a Fund to obtain or enforce a judgment against the issuers of such obligations. The manner in which foreign investors may invest in companies in certain emerging market countries, as well as limitations on such investments, also may have an adverse impact on the operations of a Fund. For example, a Fund may be required in certain of such countries to invest initially through a local broker or other entity and then have the shares purchased re-registered in the name of a Fund. Re-registration may in some instances not be able to occur on a timely basis, resulting in a delay during which the Fund may be denied certain of its rights as an investor.

Depositary Receipts. Each Fund’s investments may include securities of foreign issuers in the form of sponsored or unsponsored ADRs, GDRs and EDRs. ADRs are depositary receipts typically issued by a United States bank or trust company which evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. EDRs and GDRs are typically issued by foreign banks or trust companies, although they also may be issued by United States banks or trust companies, and evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by either a foreign or a United States corporation. Generally, depositary receipts in registered form are designed for use in the United States securities market and depositary receipts in bearer form are designed for use in securities markets outside the United States Depositary receipts may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the underlying securities into which they may be converted. Ownership of unsponsored depositary receipts may not entitle a Fund to financial or other reports from the issuer of the underlying security, to which it would be entitled as the owner of sponsored depositary receipts.

Emerging Markets. Each Fund may invest in securities of issuers located in “emerging markets” (lesser developed countries located outside of the U.S.) or ETFs or other investment companies that invest in emerging market securities. Investing in emerging markets involves not only the risks described above with respect to investing in foreign securities, but also other risks, including exposure to economic structures that are generally less diverse and mature than, and to political systems that can be expected to have less stability than, those of developed countries. Other characteristics of emerging markets that may affect investment include certain national policies that may restrict investment by foreigners in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests and the absence of developed structures governing private and foreign investments and private property. The typically small size of the markets of securities of issuers located in emerging markets and the possibility of a low or nonexistent volume of trading in those securities may also result in a lack of liquidity and in price volatility of those securities.

When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities. The Funds may purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis. Delivery of and payment for these securities may take as long as a month or more after the date of the purchase commitment. The value of these securities is subject to market fluctuation during this period and no interest or income accrues to a Fund until settlement. When entering into a when-issued or delayed delivery transaction, a Fund will rely on the other party to consummate the transaction; if the other party fails to do so, the Fund may be disadvantaged.

Lower Rated or Unrated Securities. Securities rated Baa by Moody’s or BBB by S&P or lower, or deemed of comparable quality by the advisor, may have speculative characteristics. Securities rated below investment grade, i.e., below Baa or BBB, or deemed of comparable quality by the Advisor, have higher yields but also involve greater risks than higher rated securities. Under guidelines used by rating agencies, securities rated below investment grade, or deemed of comparable quality, have large uncertainties or major risk exposures in the event of adverse conditions, which features outweigh any quality and protective characteristics. Securities with the lowest ratings are considered to have extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing, to have a current identifiable vulnerability to default, to be unlikely to have the capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due in the event of adverse business, financial or economic conditions, and/or to be in default or not current in the payment of interest or principal. Such securities are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligations. Accordingly, it is possible that these types of factors could, in certain instances, reduce the value of such securities held by a Fund with a commensurate effect on the value of its shares.

The secondary market for lower rated securities is not as liquid as that for higher rated securities. This market is concentrated in relatively few market makers and participants in the market are mostly institutional investors, including insurance companies, banks, other financial institutions and investment companies. In addition, the trading market for lower rated securities is generally lower than that for higher-rated securities, and the secondary markets could contract under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer. These factors may have an adverse effect on a Fund’s ability to dispose of these securities and may limit its ability to obtain accurate market quotations for purposes of determining the value of its assets. If the Fund is not able to obtain precise or accurate market quotations for a particular security, it will become more difficult to value its portfolio, requiring them to rely more on judgment. Less liquid secondary markets may also affect a Fund’s ability to sell securities at their fair value. Each Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets, measured at the time of investment, in illiquid investments, which may be more difficult to value and to sell at fair value. If the secondary markets for high yield debt securities are affected by adverse economic conditions, the proportion of a Fund’s assets invested in illiquid investments may increase.

In the case of corporate debt securities, while the market values of securities rated below investment grade and comparable unrated securities tend to react less to fluctuations in interest rate levels than do those of higher-rated securities, the market values of certain of these securities also tend to be more sensitive to individual corporate developments and changes in economic conditions than higher-rated securities. Price volatility in these securities will be reflected in a Fund’s share value. In addition, such securities generally present a higher degree of credit risk. Issuers of these securities often are highly leveraged and may not have more traditional methods of financing available to them, so that their ability to service their debt obligations during an economic downturn or during sustained periods of rising interest rates may be impaired. The risk of loss due to default by such issuers is significantly greater than with investment grade securities because such securities generally are unsecured and frequently are subordinated to the prior payment of senior indebtedness.

A description of the quality ratings of certain NRSROs is contained in Appendix A.

Zero Coupon Securities. The Funds may invest in “zero coupon” U.S. Treasury, foreign government and U.S. and foreign corporate convertible and nonconvertible debt securities, which are bills, notes and bonds that have been stripped of their unmatured interest coupons and custodial receipts or certificates of participation representing interests in such stripped debt obligations and coupons. A zero coupon security pays no interest to its holder prior to maturity. Accordingly, such securities usually trade at a deep discount from their face or par value and will be subject to greater fluctuations of market value in response to changing interest rates than debt obligations of comparable maturities that make current distributions of interest. Each Fund anticipates that it will not normally hold zero coupon securities to maturity. Redemption of shares of the Fund that require it to sell zero coupon securities prior to maturity may result in capital gains or losses that may be substantial. Federal tax law requires that a holder of a zero coupon security accrue a portion of the discount at which the security was purchased as income each year, even though the holder receives no interest payment on the security during the year. Such accrued discount will be includible in determining the amount of dividends the Fund must pay each year and, in order to generate cash necessary to pay such dividends, the Fund may liquidate portfolio securities at a time when it would not otherwise have done so.

Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts. A Fund may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts in connection with its investments in foreign securities. A forward contract may be used by a Fund only to hedge against possible variations in exchange rates of currencies in countries in which it may invest. A forward foreign currency exchange contract (“forward contract”) involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. Forward contracts are traded in the interbank market directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. A forward contract generally has no deposit requirement, and no commissions are charged at any stage for trades.

Futures Contracts. Each Fund may invest in futures contracts and options thereon (stock index futures contracts, interest rate futures contracts or currency futures contracts or options thereon) to hedge or manage risks associated with the Fund’s securities investments. When a futures contract is executed, each party deposits with a futures commission merchant (“FCM”) or broker (“Custodian”), a specified percentage of the contract amount, called the initial margin, and during the term of the contract, the amount of the deposit is adjusted based on the current value of the futures contract by payments of variation margin to or from the FCM or broker. In the case of options on futures, the holder of the option pays a premium and receives the right, upon exercise of the option at a specified price during the option period, to assume the option writer’s position in the futures contract and related margin account. If the option is exercised on the last trading day, cash in an amount equal to the difference between the option exercise price and the closing level of the relevant index, interest rate or currency price, as applicable, on the expiration date is delivered.

Positions in futures contracts may be closed out only on an exchange that provides a secondary market for such futures. However, there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular futures contract at any specific time. Thus, it may not be possible to close a futures position. In the event of adverse price movements, a Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain its required margin. In such situations, if a Fund had insufficient cash, it might have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily margin requirements at a time when it would be disadvantageous to do so. In addition, a Fund might be required to make delivery of the instruments underlying futures contracts it holds. The inability to close positions in futures or options thereon also could have an adverse impact on a Fund’s ability to hedge or manage risks effectively.

Successful use of futures by a Fund is also subject to the Advisor’s ability to predict movements correctly in the direction of the market. There is typically an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the future and movements in the price of the securities that are the subject of the hedge. In addition, the price of futures may not correlate perfectly with movement in the cash market due to certain market distortions. Due to the possibility of price distortion in the futures market and because of the imperfect correlation between the movements in the cash market and movements in the price of futures, a correct forecast of general market trends or interest rate movements by the Advisor may still not result in a successful hedging transaction over a short time frame.

The trading of futures contracts is also subject to the risk of trading halts, suspension, exchange or clearing house equipment failures, government intervention, insolvency of a commodities or brokerage firm or clearing house or other disruption of normal trading activity, which could at times make it difficult or impossible to liquidate existing positions or to recover excess variation margin payments.

The purchase and sale of futures contracts or related options will not be a primary investment technique of the Funds. A Fund will purchase or sell futures contracts (or related options thereon) in accordance with the regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) described above.

Interest Rate Futures. A Fund may purchase an interest rate futures contract as a hedge against changes in interest rates. An interest rate futures contract provides for the future sale by one party and the purchase by the other party of a certain amount of a specific interest rate sensitive financial instrument (debt security) at a specified price, date, time and place. Generally, if market interest rates increase, the value of outstanding debt securities declines (and vice versa). Thus, if a Fund holds long-term debt obligations and the advisor anticipates a rise in long-term interest rates, the Fund could, instead of selling its debt obligations, enter into an interest rate futures contract for the sale of similar long-term securities. If interest rates rise, the value of the futures contract would also rise, helping to offset the price decline of the obligations held by the Fund. A Fund might also purchase futures contracts as a proxy for underlying securities that it cannot currently buy.

Stock Index Futures. A Fund may purchase and sell stock index futures contracts as a hedge against changes resulting from market conditions in the values of securities that are held in its portfolio or that it intends to purchase or when such purchase or sale is economically appropriate for the reduction of risks inherent in the ongoing management of the Fund. A stock index futures contract is an agreement in which one party agrees to deliver to the other an amount of cash equal to a specific dollar amount times the difference between the value of a specific stock index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the agreement is made.

A Fund may hedge a portion of its portfolio by selling stock index futures contracts or purchasing puts on these contracts to limit exposure to an actual or anticipated market decline. This provides an alternative to liquidation of securities positions. Conversely, during a market advance or when the Advisor anticipates an advance, a Fund may hedge a portion of its portfolio by purchasing stock index futures, or options on these futures. This affords a hedge against a Fund not participating in a market advance when it is not fully invested and serves as a temporary substitute for the purchase of individual securities, which may later be purchased in a more advantageous manner.

A Fund’s successful use of stock index futures contracts depends upon the Advisor’s ability to predict the direction of the market and is subject to various additional risks. The correlation between movement in the price of the stock index future and the price of the securities being hedged is imperfect and the risk from imperfect correlation increases as the composition of a Fund’s portfolio diverges from the composition of the relevant index. In addition, if a Fund

purchases futures to hedge against market advances before it can invest in common stock in an advantageous manner and the market declines, there may be a loss on the futures contracts. In addition, the ability of a Fund to close out a futures position or an option on futures depends on a liquid secondary market. There is no assurance that liquid secondary markets will exist for any particular futures contract or option on a futures contract at any particular time. The risk of loss to a Fund is theoretically unlimited when the Fund sells an uncovered futures contract because there is an obligation to make delivery unless the contract is closed out, regardless of fluctuations in the price of the underlying security.

Foreign Currency Futures Transactions. Unlike forward foreign currency exchange contracts, foreign currency futures contracts and options on foreign currency futures contract are standardized as to amount and delivery period and may be traded on boards of trade and commodities exchanges or directly with a dealer which makes a market in such contracts and options. It is anticipated that such contracts may provide greater liquidity and lower cost than forward foreign currency exchange contracts. As part of their financial futures transactions, the Funds may use foreign currency futures contracts and options on such futures contracts. Through the purchase or sale of such contracts, the Funds may be able to achieve many of the same objectives as through investing in forward foreign currency exchange.

Foreign Currency Options. A foreign currency option provides the option buyer with the right to buy or sell a stated amount of foreign currency at the exercise price at a specified date or during the option period. A call option gives its owner the right, but not the obligation, to buy the currency, while a put option gives its owner the right, but not the obligation, to sell the currency. The option seller (writer) is obligated to fulfill the terms of the option sold if it is exercised. However, either seller or buyer may close its position during the option period in the secondary market for such options at any time prior to expiration.

A Fund may write only foreign currency options that are “covered”. A call option is “covered” if the Fund either owns the underlying currency or has an absolute and immediate right (such as a call with the same or a later expiration date) to acquire that currency on the same economic terms. In addition, a Fund will not permit the option to become uncovered prior to the expiration of the option or termination through a closing purchase transaction as described in “Options on Securities” above.

A foreign currency call option rises in value if the underlying currency appreciates. Conversely, a foreign currency put option rises in value if the underlying currency depreciates. While purchasing a foreign currency option may protect a Fund against an adverse movement in the value of a foreign currency, it would not limit the gain which might result from a favorable movement in the value of the currency. For example, if a Fund were holding securities denominated in an appreciating foreign currency and had purchased a foreign currency put to hedge against a decline in the value of the currency, it would not have to exercise its put. In such an event, however, the amount of the Fund’s gain would be offset in part by the premium paid for the option. Similarly, if a Fund entered into a contract to purchase a security denominated in a foreign currency and purchased a foreign currency call to hedge against a rise in the value of the currency between the date of purchase and the settlement date, the Fund would not need to exercise its call if the currency instead depreciated in value. In such a case, the Fund would acquire the amount of foreign currency needed for settlement in the spot market at a lower price than the exercise price of the option.

REITs. The Funds may invest in securities of real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). REITs are publicly traded corporations or trusts that specialize in acquiring, holding and managing residential, commercial or industrial real estate. A REIT is not taxed at the entity level on income distributed to its shareholders or unitholders if it distributes to shareholders or unitholders at least 95% of its taxable income for each taxable year and complies with regulatory requirements relating to its organization, ownership, assets and income.

REITs generally can be classified as “Equity REITs,” “Mortgage REITs” and “Hybrid REITs.” An Equity REIT invests the majority of its assets directly in real property and derives its income primarily from rents and from capital gains on real estate appreciation which are realized through property sales. A Mortgage REIT invests the majority of its assets in real estate mortgage loans and services its income primarily from interest payments. A Hybrid REIT combines the characteristics of an Equity REIT and a Mortgage REIT. Although the Fund can invest in all three kinds of REITs, its emphasis is expected to be on investments in Equity REITs.

Investments in the real estate industry involve particular risks. The real estate industry has been subject to substantial fluctuations and declines on a local, regional and national basis in the past and may continue to be in the future. Real property values, and income from real property continue to be in the future. Real property values and income from real property may decline due to general and local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition, increases

in property taxes and operating expenses, changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, regulatory limitations on rents, changes in neighborhoods and in demographics, increases in market interest rates, or other factors. Factors such as these may adversely affect companies that own and operate real estate directly, companies that lend to such companies, and companies that service the real estate industry.

Direct investments in REITs also involve risks. Equity REITs will be affected by changes in the values of and income from the properties they own, while Mortgage REITs may be affected by the credit quality of the mortgage loans they hold. In addition, REITs are dependent on specialized management skills and on their ability to generate cash flow for operating purposes and to make distributions to shareholders or unitholders REITs may have limited diversification and are subject to risks associated with obtaining financing for real property, as well as to the risk of self-liquidation. REITs also can be adversely affected by their failure to qualify for tax-free pass-through treatment of their income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or their failure to maintain an exemption from registration under the 1940 Act. By investing in REITs indirectly through a Fund, a shareholder bears not only a proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund, but also may indirectly bear similar expenses of some of the REITs in which it invests.

Structured Securities. The Funds may purchase any type of publicly traded or privately negotiated fixed income security, including mortgage-backed securities; structured notes, bonds or debentures; and assignments of and participations in loans.

Mortgage-Backed Securities. The Funds may invest in mortgage-backed securities, such as those issued by the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”) or certain foreign issuers. Mortgage-backed securities represent direct or indirect participations in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans secured by real property. The mortgages backing these securities include, among other mortgage instruments, conventional 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, graduated payment mortgages and adjustable rate mortgages. The government or the issuing agency typically guarantees the payment of interest and principal of these securities. However, the guarantees do not extend to the securities’ yield or value, which are likely to vary inversely with fluctuations in interest rates, nor do the guarantees extend to the yield or value of a Fund’s shares. These securities generally are “pass-through” instruments, through which the holders receive a share of all interest and principal payments from the mortgages underlying the securities, net of certain fees.

Yields on pass-through securities are typically quoted by investment dealers and vendors based on the maturity of the underlying instruments and the associated average life assumption. The average life of pass-through pools varies with the maturities of the underlying mortgage loans. A pool’s term may be shortened by unscheduled or early payments of principal on the underlying mortgages. The occurrence of mortgage prepayments is affected by various factors, including the level of interest rates, general economic conditions, the location, scheduled maturity and age of the mortgage and other social and demographic conditions. Because prepayment rates of individual pools vary widely, it is not possible to predict accurately the average life of a particular pool. For pools of fixed-rate 30-year mortgages in a stable interest rate environment, a common industry practice in the U.S. has been to assume that prepayments will result in a 12-year average life, although it may vary depending on numerous factors. At present, pools, particularly those with loans with other maturities or different characteristics, are priced on an assumption of average life determined for each pool. In periods of falling interest rates, the rate of prepayment tends to increase, thereby shortening the actual average life of a pool of mortgage-related securities. Conversely, in periods of rising rates the rate of prepayment tends to decrease, thereby lengthening the actual average life of the pool. However, these effects may not be present, or may differ in degree, if the mortgage loans in the pools have adjustable interest rates or other special payment terms, such as a prepayment charge. Actual prepayment experience may cause the yield of mortgage-backed securities to differ from the assumed average life yield. Reinvestment of prepayments may occur at higher or lower interest rates than the original investment, thus affecting a Fund’s yield.

The rate of interest on mortgage-backed securities is lower than the interest rates paid on the mortgages included in the underlying pool due to the annual fees paid to the servicer of the mortgage pool for passing through monthly payments to certificate holders and to any guarantor, such as GNMA, and due to any yield retained by the issuer. Actual yield to the holder may vary from the coupon rate, even if adjustable, if the mortgage-backed securities are purchased or traded in the secondary market at a premium or discount. In addition, there is normally some delay between the time the issuer receives mortgage payments from the servicer and the time the issuer makes the payments on the mortgage-backed securities, and this delay reduces the effective yield to the holder of such securities.

Asset-Backed Securities. The Funds may invest in asset-backed securities, which represent participations in, or are secured by and payable from, assets such as motor vehicle installment sales, installment loan contracts, leases of various types of real and personal property and receivables from revolving credit (credit card) agreements. Such assets are securitized through the use of trusts and special purpose corporations. Payments or distributions of principal and interest may be guaranteed up to certain amounts and for a certain time period by a letter of credit or a pool insurance policy issued by a financial institution unaffiliated with the trust or corporation.

Asset-backed securities present certain risks that are not presented by other securities in which the Funds may invest. Automobile receivables generally are secured by automobiles. Most issuers of automobile receivables permit the loan servicers to retain possession of the underlying obligations. If the servicer were to sell these obligations to another party, there is a risk that the purchaser would acquire an interest superior to that of the holders of the asset-backed securities. In addition, because of the large number of vehicles involved in a typical issuance and technical requirements under state laws, the trustee for the holders of the automobile receivables may not have a proper security interest in the underlying automobiles. Therefore, there is the possibility that recoveries on repossessed collateral may not, in some cases, be available to support payments on these securities. Credit card receivables are generally unsecured, and the debtors are entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which give such debtors the right to set off certain amounts owed on the credit cards, thereby reducing the balance due. In addition, there is no assurance that the security interest in the collateral can be realized.

Structured Notes, Bonds and Debentures. The Funds may invest in structured notes, bonds and debentures. Typically, the value of the principal and/or interest on these instruments is determined by reference to changes in the value of specific currencies, interest rates, commodities, indexes or other financial indicators (the “Reference”) or the relevant change in two or more References. The interest rate or the principal amount payable upon maturity or redemption may be increased or decreased depending upon changes in the applicable Reference. The terms of the structured securities may provide that in certain circumstances no principal is due at maturity and, therefore, may result in the loss of a Fund’s entire investment. The value of structured securities may move in the same or the opposite direction as the value of the Reference, so that appreciation of the Reference may produce an increase or decrease in the interest rate or value of the security at maturity. In addition, the change in interest rate or the value of the security at maturity may be a multiple of the change in the value of the Reference so that the security may be more or less volatile than the Reference, depending on the multiple. Consequently, structured securities may entail a greater degree of market risk and volatility than other types of debt obligations.

Assignments and Participations. The Funds may invest in assignments of and participations in loans issued by banks and other financial institutions.

When a Fund purchases assignments from lending financial institutions, the Fund will acquire direct rights against the borrower on the loan. However, since assignments are generally arranged through private negotiations between potential assignees and potential assignors, the rights and obligations acquired by the Fund as the purchaser of an assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning lender.

Participations in loans will typically result in a Fund having a contractual relationship with the lending financial institution, not the borrower. The Fund would have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the lender of the payments from the borrower. In connection with purchasing a participation, a Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement relating to the loan, nor any rights of set-off against the borrower, and a Fund may not benefit directly from any collateral supporting the loan in which it has purchased a participation. As a result, a Fund purchasing a participation will assume the credit risk of both the borrower and the lender selling the participation. In the event of the insolvency of the lender selling the participation, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the lender and may not benefit from any set-off between the lender and the borrower.

A Fund may have difficulty disposing of assignments and participations because there is no liquid market for such securities. The lack of a liquid secondary market will have an adverse impact on the value of such securities and on a Fund’s ability to dispose of particular assignments or participations when necessary to meet the Fund’s liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event, such as a deterioration in the creditworthiness of the borrower. The lack of a liquid market for assignments and participations also may make it more difficult for a Fund to assign a value to these securities for purposes of valuing the Fund’s portfolio and calculating its net asset value.

A Fund may invest in fixed and floating rate loans (“Loans”) arranged through private negotiations between a foreign government (a “Borrower”) and one or more financial institutions (“Lenders”). The majority of a Fund’s investments in Loans are expected to be in the form of participations in Loans (“Participations”) and assignments of portions of Loans from third parties (“Assignments”). Participations typically will result in a Fund having a contractual relationship only with the Lender, not with the Borrower. The Fund will have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the Lender selling the Participation and only upon receipt by the Lender of the payments from the Borrower. In connection with purchasing Participations, a Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the Borrower with the terms of the loan agreement relating to the Loan, nor any rights of set-off against the Borrower, and the Fund may not directly benefit from any collateral supporting the Loan in which it has purchased the Participation. As a result, a Fund will assume the credit risk of both the Borrower and the Lender that is selling the Participation. In the event of the insolvency of the Lender selling a Participation, a Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the Lender and may not benefit from any set-off between the Lender and the Borrower. A Fund will acquire Participations only if the Lender interpositioned between the Fund and the Borrower is determined by the Advisor to be creditworthy.

When a Fund purchases Assignments from Lenders, the Fund will acquire direct rights against the Borrower on the Loan. However, since Assignments are generally arranged through private negotiations between potential assignees and potential assignors, the rights and obligations acquired by the Fund as the purchaser of an Assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning Lender.

There are risks involved in investing in Participations and Assignments. The Fund may have difficulty disposing of them because there is no liquid market for such securities. The lack of a liquid secondary market will have an adverse impact on the value of such securities and on the Fund’s ability to dispose of particular Participations or Assignments when necessary to meet the Fund’s liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event, such as a deterioration in the creditworthiness of the Borrower. The lack of a liquid market for Participations and Assignments also may make it more difficult for the Fund to assign a value to these securities for purposes of valuing the Fund’s portfolio and calculating its net asset value.

Restricted and Illiquid Investments. A Fund may acquire, in privately negotiated transactions, securities that cannot be offered for public sale in the United States without first being registered under the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”). Restricted securities are subject to restrictions on resale under federal securities law. Because of these restrictions, a Fund may not be able to readily resell these securities at a price equal to what it might obtain for similar securities with a more liquid market. A Fund’s valuation of these securities will reflect relevant liquidity considerations. Under criteria established by the Board, certain restricted securities sold pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act may be determined to be liquid. To the extent that restricted securities are not determined to be liquid, each Fund will limit its purchase, together with other illiquid investments including non-negotiable time deposits and repurchase agreements providing for settlement in more than seven days after notice, to no more than 15% of its net assets.

Restricted securities in which a Fund may invest may include commercial paper issued in reliance on the exemption from registration afforded by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Section 4(a)(2) commercial paper is restricted as to disposition under federal securities law, and is generally sold to institutional investors, such as the Funds, who agree that they are purchasing the paper for investment purposes and not with a view to public distribution. Any resale by the purchaser must be in an exempt transaction. Section 4(a)(2) commercial paper is normally resold to other institutional investors like the Funds through or with the assistance of the issuer or investment dealers who make a market in Section 4(a)(2) commercial paper, thus providing liquidity. The Advisor and each Sub-Advisor believes that Section 4(a)(2) commercial paper and possibly certain other restricted securities which meet the criteria for liquidity established by the Board of the Funds are quite liquid. The Funds intend, therefore, to treat the restricted securities which meet the criteria for liquidity established by the Board, including Section 4(a)(2) commercial paper, as determined by the Advisor or a Sub-Advisor, as liquid and not subject to the investment limitations applicable to illiquid investments.

Repurchase Agreements. Securities held by a Fund may be subject to repurchase agreements. These transactions permit a Fund to earn income for periods as short as overnight. The Fund could receive less than the repurchase price on any sale of such securities. Under the terms of a repurchase agreement, a Fund would acquire securities from member banks of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and registered broker-dealers and other financial institutions that the Advisor deems creditworthy under guidelines approved by the Board, subject to the seller’s agreement to repurchase such securities at a mutually agreed-upon date and price. The repurchase price would generally equal the price paid by a Fund plus interest negotiated on the basis of current short-term rates, which may be more or less than the rate on the underlying

portfolio securities. The seller under a repurchase agreement will be required to maintain continually the value of collateral held pursuant to the agreement at not less than the repurchase price (including accrued interest). If the seller were to default on its repurchase obligation or become insolvent, the Fund holding such obligation would suffer a loss to the extent that the proceeds from a sale of the underlying portfolio securities were less than the repurchase price under the agreement, or to the extent that the disposition of such securities by the Fund were delayed pending court action. Additionally, there is no controlling legal precedent confirming that a Fund would be entitled, as against a claim by such seller or its receiver or trustee in bankruptcy, to retain the underlying securities, although the Trust believes that, under the regular procedures normally in effect for custody of the Funds’ securities subject to repurchase agreements and under federal laws, a court of competent jurisdiction would rule in favor of the Trust if presented with the question. Securities subject to repurchase agreements will be held by the Funds’ custodian or another qualified custodian or in the Federal Reserve/Treasury book-entry system. Repurchase agreements are considered to be loans by a Fund under the 1940 Act.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements. The Funds may enter into reverse repurchase agreements. In a reverse repurchase agreement, a Fund sells a security and agrees to repurchase it at a mutually agreed upon date and at a price reflecting the interest rate effective for the term of the agreement. This may also be viewed as the borrowing of money by the Fund. The Funds will not invest the proceeds of a reverse repurchase agreement for a period which exceeds the duration of the reverse repurchase agreement.

Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities retained by a Fund may decline below the price of the securities it has sold but is obligated to repurchase under the agreement. In the event the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, a Fund’s use of proceeds from the agreement may be restricted pending a determination by the other party or its trustee or receiver whether to enforce the Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities.

Loans of Portfolio Securities. Each Fund may lend securities if such loans are secured continuously by liquid assets consisting of cash, U.S. government securities or irrevocable bank standby letters of credit in favor of a Fund at least equal at all times to 100% of the market value of the securities loaned, plus accrued interest. While such securities are on loan, the borrower will pay the Fund any income accruing thereon. Loans will be subject to termination by the Fund in the normal settlement time, currently three Business Days after notice, or by the borrower on one day’s notice (as used herein, “Business Day” shall denote any day on which the New York Stock Exchange and the custodian are both open for business). Any gain or loss in the market price of the borrowed securities that occurs during the term of the loan inures to the lending Fund and its shareholders. The Funds may pay reasonable finders’ and custodial fees, including fees to the Advisor or its affiliate, in connection with loans. In addition, the Funds consider all facts and circumstances including the creditworthiness of the borrowing financial institution, and the Funds will not lend their securities to any director, officer, employee, or affiliate of the Advisor, the Administrator or distributor, unless permitted by applicable law. Loans of portfolio securities involve risks, such as delays or an inability to regain the securities or collateral adjustments in the event the borrower defaults or enters into bankruptcy.

Short Sales “Against the Box.” The Funds may engage in short sales “against the box.” In a short sale, a Fund sells a borrowed security and has a corresponding obligation to the lender to return the identical security. The seller does not immediately deliver the securities sold and is said to have a short position in those securities until delivery occurs. The Funds may engage in a short sale if at the time of the short sale the Fund owns or has the right to obtain without additional cost an equal amount of the security being sold short. This investment technique is known as a short sale “against the box.” It may be entered into by a Fund to, for example, lock in a sale price for a security the Fund does not wish to sell immediately. No more than 10% of the Fund’s net assets (taken at current value) may be held as collateral for short sales against the box at any one time.

A Fund may make a short sale as a hedge, when it believes that the price of a security may decline, causing a decline in the value of a security owned by the Fund (or a security convertible or exchangeable for such security). In such case, any future losses in the Fund’s long position should be offset by a gain in the short position and, conversely, any gain in the long position should be reduced by a loss in the short position. The extent to which such gains or losses are reduced will depend upon the amount of the security sold short relative to the amount the Fund owns. There will be certain additional transaction costs associated with short sales against the box, but the Fund will endeavor to offset these costs with the income from the investment of the cash proceeds of short sales.

If a Fund effects a short sale of securities at a time when it has an unrealized gain on the securities, it may be required to recognize that gain as if it had actually sold the securities (as a “constructive sale”) on the date it effects the short sale. However, such constructive sale treatment may not apply if the Fund closes out the short sale with securities other than the appreciated securities held at the time of the short sale and if certain other conditions are satisfied. Uncertainty regarding the tax consequences of effecting short sales may limit the extent to which the Fund may effect short sales.

Short Sales (excluding Short Sales “Against the Box”). The Funds may sell securities short or purchase ETFs that sell securities short. A short sale is a transaction in which the Fund sells securities it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market price of the securities.

To deliver the securities to the buyer, a Fund must arrange through a broker to borrow the securities and, in so doing, the Fund becomes obligated to replace the securities borrowed at their market price at the time of replacement, whatever that price may be. The Fund will make a profit or incur a loss as a result of a short sale depending on whether the price of the securities decreases or increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund purchases the security to replace the borrowed securities that have been sold. The amount of any loss would be increased (and any gain decreased) by any premium or interest the Fund is required to pay in connection with a short sale.

A Fund’s obligation to replace the securities borrowed in connection with a short sale will be secured by cash or liquid securities deposited as collateral with the broker.

Municipal Securities. Municipal securities are debt obligations issued to obtain funds for various public purposes, including the construction of a wide range of public facilities such as airports, bridges, highways, housing, hospitals, mass transportation, schools, streets and water and sewer works. Other public purposes for which municipal securities may be issued include refunding of outstanding obligations, obtaining funds for general operating expenses and obtaining funds to loan to other public institutions and facilities. In addition, certain types of industrial development bonds are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to obtain funds to provide privately-operated housing facilities, sports facilities, convention or trade show facilities, airport, mass transit, port or parking facilities, air or water pollution control facilities and certain local facilities for water supply, gas, electricity, or sewage or solid waste disposal. Such obligations, which may include lease arrangements, are included within the term “municipal securities” if the interest paid thereon qualifies as exempt from federal income tax. Other types of industrial development bonds, the proceeds of which are used for the construction, equipment, repair or improvement of privately operated industrial or commercial facilities, may constitute municipal securities, although the current federal tax laws place substantial limitations on the size of such issues.

The two principal classifications of municipal securities are “general obligation” and “revenue” bonds. General obligation bonds are secured by the issuer’s pledge of its full faith, credit and taxing power for the payment of principal and interest. Revenue bonds are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other specific revenue source. Industrial development bonds that are municipal securities are in most cases revenue bonds and do not generally involve the pledge of the credit of the issuer of such bonds. There are, of course, variations in the degree of risk of municipal securities, both within a particular classification and between classifications, depending upon numerous factors.

The yields on municipal securities are dependent upon a variety of factors, including general money market conditions, general conditions of the municipal securities market, size of particular offering, maturity of the obligation and rating of the issue. The ratings of Moody’s and S&P represent their opinions as to the quality of the municipal securities which they undertake to rate. It should be emphasized, however, that ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality. Consequently, municipal securities with the same maturity, coupon and rating may have different yields, while municipal securities of the same maturity and coupon with different ratings may have the same yield.

Each Fund may invest in “private activity” bonds. Each Fund may also purchase participation interests in municipal securities (such as industrial development bonds) from financial institutions, including banks, insurance companies and broker-dealers. A participation interest gives a Fund an undivided interest in the municipal securities in the proportion that the Fund’s participation interest bears to the total principal amount of the municipal securities. These instruments may be variable or fixed rate.

Provisions of the federal bankruptcy statutes relating to the adjustment of debts of political subdivisions and authorities of states of the United States provide that, in certain circumstances, such subdivisions or authorities may be authorized to initiate bankruptcy proceedings without prior notice to or consent of creditors, which proceedings could result in material and adverse modification or alteration of the rights of holders of obligations issued by such subdivisions or authorities.

Litigation challenging the validity under state constitutions of present systems of financing public education has been initiated or adjudicated in a number of states, and legislation has been introduced to effect changes in public school finances in some states. In other instances there has been litigation challenging the issuance of pollution control revenue bonds or the validity of their issuance under state or federal law which litigation could ultimately affect the validity of those municipal securities or the tax-free nature of the interest thereon.

Corporate Debt Obligations. The Funds may invest in corporate debt obligations, including senior secured loans, first lien senior secured debt, and second lien senior secured debt.

The factors affecting an issuer’s first and second lien leveraged loans, and its overall capital structure, are complex. Some first lien loans may not necessarily have priority over all other debt of an issuer. For example, some first lien loans may permit other obligations to be secured ratably with the loans (such as overdrafts, swaps or other derivatives made available by members of the lending syndicate to the company), or involve first liens only on specified assets of an issuer (e.g., excluding real estate or receivables). Issuers of first lien loans may have two tranches of first lien debt outstanding each with first liens on separate collateral. In the event of Chapter 11 filing by an issuer, Title 11 of the U.S. Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) authorizes, under certain circumstances, the issuer to use a creditor’s collateral to obtain additional credit by granting a postpetition lender “priming” liens on such collateral and/or superpriority administrative expense claims, senior even to liens and claims that were first in priority prior to the bankruptcy filing, as long as the issuer provides what the bankruptcy court determines to be adequate protection, which may, but need not always, consist of the grant of replacement or additional liens, additional claims (superpriority claims junior to the claims granted to the postpetition lender(s)) or the making of cash payments to the affected secured creditor. It is important to note that adequate protection is a flexible concept, and the determination of whether, and in which forms, to provide adequate protection is within the discretion of the bankruptcy court. The imposition of priming liens and/or superpriority claims would adversely affect the priority of the liens and claims held by the Funds and could adversely affect a Fund’s recovery on its loans. In addition, in a bankruptcy proceeding, certain unsecured administrative and priority claims may have priority over first lien, secured loans including, without limitation, the actual and necessary costs of administering the bankruptcy case (e.g., professional fees, certain wage claims of employees, etc.) Such claims, albeit unsecured, will have effective priority over first lien loans because these claims must be paid in full in order to confirm a plan of reorganization or liquidation.

As a general matter, in a bankruptcy proceeding secured debt is entitled to greater priority than unsecured debt but only to the extent of the value of the collateral securing the debt. Although the underlying assets selected as collateral to secure loans may give the Funds the ability to realize proceeds through a plan of reorganization or liquidation, if any deficiencies exceed such assumed levels or if underlying assets are sold it is possible that a Fund’s share of the proceeds of such sale or disposition will not be sufficient to pay in full the amount of principal, interest and other obligations owing to the Fund with respect to its investment. It is also possible that in a bankruptcy case, unsecured creditors driven to augment their own recoveries may seek to challenge the validity, priority and extent of the first lien lenders’ collateral. Even if the first lien lenders were able to successfully defend against such a lien challenge, it is possible that litigation costs relating to such defense could decrease the proceeds of the collateral available for distribution to lenders.

Issuer Insolvency Risks. If a court in a lawsuit brought by a creditor or representative of creditors (such as a trustee in bankruptcy) of an issuer of one of a Fund’s investments were to find that (a) such issuer did not receive reasonably equivalent value for incurring the indebtedness evidenced by the loans that the issuer issued to the Fund and (b) after giving effect to such indebtedness and the use of the proceeds thereof, such issuer (i) was insolvent, (ii) was engaged in a business for which its remaining assets constituted unreasonably small capital or (iii) intended to incur, or believed that it would incur, debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature, such court could invalidate, in whole or in part, such indebtedness as a fraudulent conveyance, subordinate such indebtedness to existing or future creditors of the issuer or recover amounts previously paid by such issuer to the Fund in satisfaction of such indebtedness.

In addition, upon the insolvency of an issuer, payments that it made to a Fund may be subject to avoidance as a preference if made within a certain period of time (which may be as long as one year in the case of the U.S.) before insolvency. There can be no assurance as to what a given court would apply in order to determine whether the issuer was insolvent or that, regardless of the method of valuation, a court would not determine that the issuer was insolvent, in each case, after giving effect to the indebtedness evidenced by the loans held by a Fund and the use of the proceeds thereof. While a Fund may be able to assert certain defenses to any such avoidance claims, the outcome of such claims is within the discretion of the bankruptcy court and is therefore inherently incapable of being predicted.

In general, if payments are voidable, whether as fraudulent conveyances or preferences, such payments can be recaptured either from the initial recipient (such as a Fund) or from subsequent transferees of such payments.

Non-Performing Debt Obligations. The Funds may invest in non-performing debt obligations. Non-performing debt obligations may require substantial workout negotiations, restructuring, or bankruptcy filings, all of which may entail a substantial reduction in the interest rate, deferral of payments and/or a substantial write-down of the principal of a debt obligation or conversion of some or all of the debt to equity. Upon a bankruptcy filing by an issuer of debt, the Bankruptcy Code imposes an automatic stay on a creditor’s efforts to seek or compel payment of prepetition debts. Moreover, if an issuer were to file for Chapter 11 reorganization, the Bankruptcy Code authorizes the issuer to restructure the terms of repayment of debt even if the holders of such debt do not accept the issuer’s proposed restructuring as long as, among other things, the bankruptcy court determines that the restructured terms are fair and equitable to the debt holders and certain other conditions are met. Because bankruptcy courts are courts of equity, and have broad statutory power to craft remedies and issue rulings, often without precedent, to facilitate a debtor’s reorganization and/or equitable distribution of assets to creditors and other stakeholders, it is inherently difficult to predict how a bankruptcy court will deal with a particular situation and to what extent the court might authorize compromise of a secured lender’s claim.

Senior Secured Loans. The Funds may invest in senior secured loans, which are subject to certain risks, including, without limitation, (i) invalidation of a debt or lien as a fraudulent conveyance, (ii) preference claw-backs of liens or payments made on account of an antecedent debt in the 90 days (or one year in case of a creditor that is also an insider of the debtor) before a bankruptcy filing, (iii) equitable subordination of claims in cases of misconduct, (iv) so-called lender liability claims by the issuer of the obligations and (v) environmental liabilities that may arise with respect to collateral securing the obligations. Recent decisions in bankruptcy cases have held that a secondary loan market participant can be denied a recovery from the debtor in a bankruptcy if a prior holder of the loans either received such loans as a preference or fraudulent conveyance or engaged in conduct that would qualify for equitable subordination if the secondary holder either took the loan by assignment (as opposed to an open market purchase) or had knowledge of the transferor’s misconduct when it purchased the loan.

Below Investment Grade Assets. The Funds may invest in non-investment grade senior secured corporate loans (or participations or other interests in these loans), which are subject to liquidity, market value, credit, interest rate, reinvestment and certain other risks. Such investments will be subject to greater risks than investments in investment grade corporate obligations. These risks could be exacerbated to the extent that the portfolio is concentrated in one or more particular types of exposures.

Prices of the exposures may be volatile, and will generally fluctuate due to a variety of factors that are inherently difficult to predict, including but not limited to changes in interest rates, prevailing credit spreads, general economic conditions, financial market conditions, domestic and international economic or political events, developments or trends in any particular industry, and the financial condition of the obligors. Additionally, loans and interests in loans have significant liquidity and market value risks since they are not generally traded in organized exchange markets but are traded by banks and other institutional investors engaged in loan syndications. Because loans are privately syndicated and loan agreements are privately negotiated and customized, loans are not purchased or sold as easily as publicly traded securities. In addition, historically the trading volume in the loan market has been small relative to the high-yield debt securities market.

Participation on Creditors’ Committees. The Funds may participate on committees formed by creditors to negotiate with the management of financially troubled companies both inside and outside of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, or the Funds may seek to negotiate directly with the debtors with respect to restructuring issues. The participants on such a committee may seek outcomes in their respective individual best interests, and there can be no assurance that results that are the most favorable to the Funds will be obtained in such proceedings. If a committee is appointed in a bankruptcy case, the committee’s actions will necessarily be subject to the jurisdiction and discretion of the bankruptcy court. By participating on such committees, the Funds may be deemed to have duties to other creditors represented by the committees, which might thereby expose the Funds to liability to such other creditors that disagree with a Fund’s actions. However, a Fund’s ability to serve on a creditor’s committee in a Chapter 11 case will be limited to situations in which the Fund holds unsecured loans.

Regulatory Risk. Legal, tax, and regulatory changes could occur and may adversely affect the Funds and their ability to pursue their investment strategies and/or increase the costs of implementing such strategies. New (or revised) laws or regulations may be imposed by the CFTC, the SEC, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), the Federal Reserve or other banking regulators, other governmental regulatory authorities or self-regulatory organizations that supervise the financial markets that could adversely affect the Funds. In particular, these agencies are implementing a variety of new rules pursuant to financial reform legislation in the United States including the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), which was signed into law on July 21, 2010, and includes provisions that have a broad impact on the credit and other financial markets. The EU (and some other countries) is implementing similar requirements.

Future legislative, judicial or administrative action could adversely affect a Fund’s ability to implement their investment program, as well as the ability of the Fund to conduct their operations. Increased regulation could have a material adverse impact on the investment returns of a Fund. Recent changes in legislation, together with uncertainty about the nature and timing of regulations that will be promulgated to implement such legislation, may create uncertainty in the credit and other financial markets and create other unknown risks. The Funds also may be adversely affected by changes in the enforcement or interpretation of existing statutes and rules by governmental regulatory authorities or self-regulatory organizations.

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

The Board has adopted policies and procedures for the public and nonpublic disclosure of the Funds’ portfolio securities.

As a general matter, no information concerning the portfolio holdings of the Funds may be disclosed to any unaffiliated third party except (1) to service providers that require such information in the course of performing their duties (for example, the Funds’ custodian, administrator, investment advisor, sub-investment advisor, independent public accountants, attorneys, officers and trustees) and are subject to a duty of confidentiality including duties not to trade on non-public information and (2) pursuant to certain exceptions that serve a legitimate business purpose. These exceptions may include: (1) disclosure of portfolio holdings only after such information has been publicly disclosed on the Fund’s website, in marketing materials (provided the portfolio holdings disclosed in the materials are at least 15 days old) or through filings with the SEC as described below and (2) to third-party vendors, that (a) agree to not distribute the portfolio holdings or results of the analysis to third parties, other departments or persons who are likely to use the information for purposes of purchasing or selling the Fund before the portfolio holdings or results of the analysis become publicly available; and (b) sign a written confidentiality agreement. The confidentiality agreement must provide, but is not limited to, that the recipient of the portfolio holdings information agrees to limit access to the portfolio holdings information to its employees who, on a need to know basis are (1) authorized to have access to the portfolio holdings information and (2) subject to confidentiality obligations, including duties not to trade on non-public information, no less restrictive that the confidentiality obligations contained in the confidentiality agreement.

The Funds’ portfolio holdings are currently disclosed to the public through filings with the SEC. The Funds disclose their portfolio holdings by delivering the annual and semi-annual reports, or notice of electronic availability thereof, to shareholders approximately two months after the end of the fiscal year and semi-annual period. In addition, the Funds disclose their portfolio holdings reports on Forms N-CSR two months after the end of each semi-annual period and Form N-PORT within 30 days after each fiscal quarter end.

Neither the Funds nor the Advisor or a Sub-Advisor may enter into any arrangement providing for the disclosure of non-public portfolio holding information for the receipt of compensation or benefit of any kind. Any exceptions to the policies and procedures may only be made by the consent of the Trust’s chief compliance officer upon a determination that such disclosure serves a legitimate business purpose and is in the best interests of the Funds and will be reported to the Board at the Board’s next regularly scheduled meeting.

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

The Board manages the business and affairs of the Trust and appoints or elects officers responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Trust and the execution of policies established by Board resolution or directive. In the absence of such provisions, the respective officers have the powers and discharge the duties customarily held and performed by like officers of corporations similar in organization and business purposes.

The Trustees who are not “interested persons” (for regulatory purposes) of the Trust or an advisor or the distributor (the “Independent Trustees”) are charged with, among other functions, recommending to the full Board approval of the distribution, transfer agency and accounting services agreements and the investment advisory agreements. When considering approval of the existing advisory agreements, the Independent Trustees evaluate the nature and quality of the services provided by the Advisor, the performance of the Funds, the Advisor’s costs and the profitability of the agreements to the Advisor, ancillary benefits to the Advisor or their affiliates in connection with its relationship to the Funds and the amount of fees charged in comparison to those of other investment companies.

The Board currently has three standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Risk and Compliance Committee and the Nominating Committee.

The term of office for each Trustee is for the duration of the Trust or until death, removal, resignation or retirement. The term of office of each officer is until the successor is elected.

Information pertaining to the Trustees and officers of the Trust, including their principal occupations for the last five years, is set forth below.

Independent Trustees

Interested Trustee*** and Officers

Leadership Structure. The Trust is led by Jerry Szilagyi, who has served as the Chairman of the Board since 2010. Mr. Szilagyi is an interested person by virtue of his controlling interest in the Advisor and AlphaCentric Advisors LLC, an investment adviser to other certain series of the Trust. The Board is comprised of Mr. Szilagyi, an Interested Trustee, and Tobias Caldwell, Stephen Lachenauer, and Tiberiu Weisz, each an Independent Trustee. Mr. Caldwell serves as the Lead Independent Trustee. The Lead Independent Trustee serves as a key point person for dealings between management and the Independent Trustees and assists in setting the agendas for Board meetings. The Independent Trustees meet in executive session at each Board meeting. Under the Trust’s bylaws and governance guidelines, the Chairman of the Board is responsible for (a) chairing Board meetings, (b) setting the agendas for these meetings and (c) providing information to Board members in advance of each Board meeting and between Board meetings. The Board believes this is the most appropriate leadership structure for the Trust given Mr. Szilagyi’s background in the investment management industry and his experience in providing both advisory and administrative services to other mutual funds. Additionally, as the Managing Member of MFund Services LLC, which provides management and legal administrative services to the Trust, Mr. Szilagyi is well positioned and informed regarding issues requiring the attention of the Board, and as the leader of the Board, can ensure such issues are included in the Board’s agenda for meetings and that appropriate time is allocated to discuss such issues and take any necessary actions.

Risk Oversight. In its risk oversight role, the Board oversees risk management, and the full Board engages in discussions of risk management and receives reports on investment and compliance risk at quarterly meetings and on an ad hoc basis, when and if necessary. The Board, directly or through its Audit Committee and Risk and Compliance Committee, reviews reports from among others, the advisors, sub-advisors, the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer, the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm, and the Independent Trustees’ counsel, as appropriate, regarding risks faced by the Trust and the Fund and the risk management programs of the Trust, the advisors and certain service providers. The full Board regularly engages in discussions of risk management and receives compliance reports that inform its oversight of risk management from the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer at quarterly meetings and on an ad hoc basis, when and if necessary. The Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer also meets at least quarterly in executive session with the Independent Trustees. The actual day-to-day risk management with respect to each Fund resides with the Fund’s advisor and other service providers to the Fund. Although the risk management policies of the Advisor and the service providers are designed to be effective, those policies and their implementation vary among service providers and over time, and there is no guarantee that they will be effective. Generally, the Board believes that its oversight of material risks is adequately maintained through the risk-reporting chain where the Chief Compliance Officer is the primary recipient and communicator of such risk-related information.

The Board also considers liquidity risk management issues as part of its general oversight responsibilities and oversees the Fund’s liquidity risk through, among other things, receiving periodic reporting and presentations by the Liquidity Risk Management (“LRM”) Program Administrator that address liquidity matters. As required by Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act, the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, has approved the Trust’s LRM Program, which is

reasonably designed to assess and manage the Trust’s liquidity risk, and has appointed the LRM Program Administrator that is responsible for administering the LRM Program. The Board also reviews, no less frequently than annually, a written report prepared by the LRM Program Administrator that addresses, among other items, the operation of the program and assesses its adequacy and effectiveness of implementation.

Audit Committee. Mr. Caldwell, Mr. Lachenauer and Mr. Weisz serve on the Board’s Audit Committee. The Board’s Audit Committee is a standing independent committee with a separate chair. The primary function of the Audit Committee is to assist the full Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities to shareholders and the investment community relating to fund accounting, reporting practices and the quality and integrity of the financial reports. To satisfy these responsibilities, the Audit Committee reviews with the independent auditors, the audit plan and results and recommendations following independent audits, reviews the performance of the independent auditors and recommends engagement or discharge of the auditors to the full Board, reviews the independence of the independent auditors, reviews the adequacy of the Funds’ internal controls and prepares and submits Audit Committee meeting minutes and supporting documentation to the full Board. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, the Audit Committee met 4 times.

Risk and Compliance Committee. Mr. Caldwell, Mr. Lachenauer and Mr. Weisz serve on the Board’s Risk and Compliance Committee. The Risk and Compliance Committee is a standing independent committee with a separate chair. The primary function of the Risk and Compliance Committee is to assist the full Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities to the shareholders and the investment community relating to the adequacy and effectiveness of the Trust’s compliance program and to oversee the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer. The Risk and Compliance Committee meets as often as necessary, and no less than quarterly. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, the Risk and Compliance Committee met 4 times.

Nominating Committee. Mr. Caldwell, Mr. Lachenauer and Mr. Weisz serve on the Board’s Nominating Committee. The Board’s Nominating Committee is a standing independent committee with a separate chair. The primary functions of the Nominating Committee are to assist the Board in carrying out its responsibilities relating to (i) the identification and selection of qualified individuals to become Board members and members of Board committees and (ii) the development, adoption and periodic monitoring and updating of criteria and characteristics relating to the consideration, nomination and selection of interested and non-interested trustees. The Nominating Committee meets as often as necessary.

Special Committee. Mr. Caldwell, Mr. Lachenauer and Mr. Weisz serve on a Special Committee responsible for reviewing the allegations contained in any class action lawsuit filed against the Trust, demand for books and records served upon the Trust, or any derivative lawsuit that may be filed against the Trust. The Special Committee is also responsible for taking such other actions that may be referred to it from time to time by the Board. The Special Committee met as needed during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023.

Background and Qualifications of the Trustees. Mr. Szilagyi is the managing member of the Advisor, an original sponsor of the Trust. Mr. Szilagyi is the Managing Member of AlphaCentric Advisors, LLC, an investment advisor to certain series of the Trust. Mr. Szilagyi is also the President of Rational Advisors, Inc., an investment advisor to other series in the Fund Complex and is President of MFund Services LLC, which provides management and legal administrative services to the Trust. Mr. Szilagyi has many years of experience managing mutual funds and providing administrative services to other mutual funds. His experience in the investment management industry makes him uniquely qualified to serve as the Trust’s Chairman.

Mr. Caldwell is the manager of the Genovese family office, and a managing member of a real estate management firm. Mr. Caldwell’s experience in the investment and real estate and investment industries provides the Board with an additional perspective and understanding of investment strategies used by advisors to the funds. Mr. Caldwell also serves on the boards of other mutual funds.

Mr. Lachenauer has been an attorney in private practice for over fifteen years, providing advice and counsel to small businesses and individuals on real estate, commercial contracts, general business and financial matters. Mr. Lachenauer’s previous experience at large law firms and as an attorney at a large investment bank provides the Board with knowledge of financial and investment regulatory matters. Mr. Lachenauer also serves on the boards of other registered investment companies in the Fund Complex.

Mr. Weisz is an attorney and provides the Board with general insight regarding their duties and standards of care.

Share Ownership in the Funds

Fund Shares Owned by Trustees as of December 31, 2022

Compensation of the Board of Trustees

The Independent Trustees are paid a quarterly retainer and receive compensation for each special in-person meeting attended. The fees paid to the Independent Trustees for their attendance at a meeting are shared equally by the Funds of the Trust. The Lead Independent Trustee of the Trust and the Chairman of the Board’s Audit Committee and Risk and Compliance Committee receive an additional quarterly retainer.

The following table describes the compensation paid to the Trustees during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023. The Trust has no retirement or pension plans.

ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF WHOLLY-OWNED SUBSIDIARIES (Systematic Alpha Fund, Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund, Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund)

Certain Funds may invest up to 25% of each’s total assets in its respective Subsidiary. It is expected that the Subsidiary will invest primarily in structured notes and swap contracts. For the purpose of determining limits related to investment policies, capital structure and leverage, the investments of a Subsidiary will be considered on an aggregate basis with those of the respective Fund.

(Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund) The Subsidiary is a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, whose registered office is located at the offices of CMHSF Fund Limited, c/o Walkers Global, 190 Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman, KY1-9001, Cayman Islands. The Subsidiary’s affairs are overseen by a board of directors.

(Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund) The Subsidiary is a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, whose registered office is located at the offices of CHCSF Fund Limited, c/o Walkers Global, 190 Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman, KY1-9001, Cayman Islands. The Subsidiary’s affairs are overseen by a board of directors.

(Systematic Alpha Fund) The Subsidiary is a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, whose registered office is located at the offices of CSACS Fund Limited, c/o Walkers Global, 190 Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman, KY1-9001, Cayman Islands. The Subsidiary’s affairs are overseen by a board of directors.

Directors. Two of the Independent Trustees, Mr. Caldwell and Mr. Weisz, also serve as Directors of each Subsidiary.

Each Subsidiary has entered into a separate contract with the Advisor for the management of the Subsidiary’s portfolio, without compensation. Each Subsidiary has also entered into arrangements with the Trust’s custodian to serve as the Subsidiary’s custodian and with Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC to serve as the Subsidiary’s transfer agent, fund accountant and administrator. Each Subsidiary has adopted compliance policies and procedures that are substantially similar to the policies and procedures adopted by the Funds. The Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer oversees implementation of the Subsidiaries policies and procedures, and makes periodic reports to the Board regarding the Subsidiary’s compliance with its policies and procedures.

Each Subsidiary pays no fee to the Advisor or Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC for their services. The Subsidiary will bear the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the custody services that it receives. The Funds expect that the expenses borne by its Subsidiary will not be material in relation to the value of each Fund’s assets. It is also anticipated that each Fund’s own expense will be reduced to some extent as a result of the payment of such expenses at the Subsidiary level. It is therefore expected that a Fund’s investment in the Subsidiary will not result in the Fund paying duplicative fees for similar services provided to the Fund and Subsidiary.

PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

Persons controlling a Fund can determine the outcome of any proposal submitted to the shareholders for approval, including changes to a Fund’s fundamental policies or the terms of the advisory agreement with the advisor. Persons owning 25% or more of the outstanding shares of a Fund (or a class of shares of a Fund) may be deemed to control the Fund (or class of the Fund). Persons owning 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund (or a class of shares of the Fund) may be deemed principal shareholders of the Fund (or a class of the Fund). Below are the beneficial and/or record holders of 5% or more of each Fund.

Systematic Alpha Fund Class A Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Systematic Alpha Fund Class A shares on October 3, 2023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023, securities of the Systematic Alpha Fund Class A shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented less than 1% of the outstanding Class A shares of the Fund.

Systematic Alpha Fund Class C Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Systematic Alpha Fund Class C shares on October 3, 2023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023, securities of the Systematic Alpha Fund Class C shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented less than 1% of the outstanding Class C shares of the Fund.

Systematic Alpha Fund Class I Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Systematic Alpha Fund Class I shares on October 3, 2023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023, securities of the Systematic Alpha Fund Class I shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented less than 1% of the outstanding Class I shares of the Fund.

Strategic Program Fund Class A Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Strategic Program Fund Class A shares on October 3, 2023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023, securities of the Strategic Program Fund Class A shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented less than 1% of the outstanding Class A shares of the Fund.

Strategic Program Fund Class C Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Strategic Program Fund Class C shares on October 3, 2023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023, securities of the Strategic Program Fund Class C shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented less than 1% of the outstanding Class C shares of the Fund.

Strategic Program Fund Class I Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Strategic Program Fund Class I shares on October 3, 2023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023, securities of the Strategic Program Fund Class I shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented less than 1% of the outstanding Class I shares of the Fund.

Buffered Shield Fund Class A Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Buffered Shield Fund Class A shares on October 3, 3023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023, securities of the Buffered Shield Fund Class A shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented less than 1% of the outstanding Class A shares of the Fund.

Buffered Shield Fund Class C Shares

As of October 3, 2023, securities of the Buffered Shield Fund Class C shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented less than 1% of the outstanding Class C shares of the Fund.

Buffered Shield Fund Class I Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Buffered Shield Fund Class I shares on October 3, 2023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023, securities of the Buffered Shield Fund Class I shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented 4.18% of the outstanding Class I shares of the Fund.

Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund Class A Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund Class A shares on October 3, 2023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023, securities of the Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund Class A shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented less than 1% of the outstanding Class A shares of the Fund.

Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund Class C Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund Class C shares on October 3, 2023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023, securities of the Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund Class C shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented less than 1% of the outstanding Class C shares of the Fund.

Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund Class I Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund Class I shares on October 3, 2023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023 securities of the Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund Class I shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented 13.07% of the outstanding Class I shares of the Fund.

Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund Class A Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund Class A shares on October 3, 2023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023, securities of the Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund Class A shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented less than 1% of the outstanding Class A shares of the Fund.

Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund Class C Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund Class C shares on October 3, 2023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023 securities of the Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund Class C shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented less than 1% of the outstanding Class C shares of the Fund.

Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund Class I Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund Class I shares on October 3, 2023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023, securities of the Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund Class I shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented less than 1% of the outstanding Class I shares of the Fund.

Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund Class C-1 Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund Class C-I shares on October 3, 2023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023, securities of the Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund Class C-1 shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented less than 1% of the outstanding Class C shares of the Fund.

Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund Class A Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund Class A shares on October 3, 2023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023 securities of the Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund Class A shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented less than 1% of the outstanding Class A shares of the Fund.

Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund Class C Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund Class C shares on October 3, 2023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023, securities of the Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund Class C shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented less than 1% of the outstanding Class C shares of the Fund.

Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund Class I Shares

Shareholders known by the Trust to own of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund Class I shares on October 3, 2023 and the percentage of the outstanding shares owned on that date are listed below.

As of October 3, 2023, securities of the Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund Class I shares owned by all officers and trustees, including beneficial ownership, as a group represented 15.36% of the outstanding Class I shares of the Fund.

ADVISOR AND SUB-ADVISORS

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC has been retained by the Trust, on behalf of the Funds, under an investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) to act as each Fund’s advisor, subject to the oversight of the Board. The Advisor was organized under the laws of New York on January 24, 2006. The Advisor oversees the day-to-day investment decisions for the Fund and continuously reviews, supervises and administers each Fund’s investment program. The address of the Advisor is 53 Palmeras St. Suite 601, San Juan, PR 00901. Jerry Szilagyi, a Trustee of the Trust, is the controlling member of the Advisor. The Advisor is under common control with AlphaCentric Advisors LLC and Rational Advisors, Inc., the investment advisers of other funds in the same group of investment companies also known as a “Fund Complex”, and is also under common control with MFund Services LLC, a provider of management, legal administration and compliance services to the Funds and each other fund in the Fund Complex.

The Advisory Agreement provides that the Advisor will provide the applicable Fund with investment advice and supervision and will continuously furnish an investment program for each Fund consistent with the investment objectives and policies of the Fund. The Advisor is responsible for the payment of the salaries and expenses of all of its personnel, office rent and the expenses of providing investment advisory and related clerical expenses.

Under the terms of the Advisory Agreement, the Advisor manages the investment of the assets of the applicable Fund in conformity with the investment objectives and policies of that Fund. It is the responsibility of the Advisor to make investment decisions for the applicable Fund and to provide continuous supervision of the investment portfolios of the Fund.

For its services under the Advisory Agreement, each Fund pays the Advisor a monthly advisory fee based on its average daily net assets at the annual rates set forth below:

The Advisor pays expenses incurred by it in connection with acting as advisor, other than costs (including taxes and brokerage commissions, borrowing costs, costs of investing in underlying funds and extraordinary expenses, if any) of securities purchased for the Funds and other expenses paid by the Funds as detailed in each Fund’s Advisory Agreement. The Advisor pays for all employees, office space and facilities required by it to provide services under the Advisory Agreement, except for specific items of expense referred to below.

Except for the expenses described above that have been assumed by the Advisor, all expenses incurred in administration of the Funds will be charged to a particular Fund, including investment management fees; fees and expenses of the Board; interest charges; taxes; brokerage commissions; expenses of valuing assets; expenses of continuing registration and qualification of the Funds and the shares under federal and state law; share issuance expenses; fees and disbursements of independent accountants and legal counsel; fees and expenses of custodians, including sub-custodians and securities depositories, transfer agents and shareholder account servicing organizations; expenses of preparing, printing and mailing prospectuses, reports, proxies, notices and statements sent to shareholders; expenses of shareholder meetings; costs of investing in underlying funds; and insurance premiums. Each Fund is also liable for nonrecurring expenses, including litigation to which it may from time to time be a party. Expenses incurred for the operation of a particular Fund, including the expenses of communications with its shareholders, are paid by that Fund.

The Advisor has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses but only to the extent necessary to maintain the Funds’ total annual operating expenses, such as regulatory inquiry and litigation expenses (excluding brokerage costs; 12b-1 fees, borrowing costs, such as (a) interest and (b) dividends on securities sold short; taxes; underlying fund expenses, and extraordinary expenses) at the levels set forth in the table below through October 31, 2024.

Each waiver or reimbursement by the Advisor is subject to repayment by the applicable Fund within three years following in the date on which that particular expense is incurred, if the Fund is able to make the repayment without exceeding the expense limitation in effect at the time of the waiver and the repayment is approved by the Board.

The Advisory Agreement with each Fund continues in effect for an initial two-year term and then from year to year as long as its continuation is approved at least annually by the Board, including a majority of the Trustees who are not “interested persons,” or by the shareholders of the applicable Fund. Each Advisory Agreement may be terminated at any time upon 60 days’ written notice by the relevant Fund or by a majority vote of the outstanding shares or 90 days’ written notice by the advisor and will terminate automatically upon assignment. A discussion of the matters considered by the Board in connection with the renewal of the Advisory Agreement for the Systematic Alpha Fund, the Strategic Program Fund, the Buffered Shield Fund, the Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund, the Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund and the Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund can be found in the Fund’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023.

The Advisory Agreement provides that the Advisor shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with the performance of its duties, except a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of compensation for services or a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence on the part of the Advisor in the performance of its duties, or from reckless disregard of its duties and obligations thereunder.

The table below provides information about the advisory fees for each of last three fiscal years ended June 30:

Investment Sub-Advisor - Strategic Program Fund

Warrington Asset Management LLC (“Warrington”), an investment advisory firm, the predecessor of which was founded in 2008, has been retained to act as the sub-advisor to the Fund under a Sub-Advisory Agreement with the Advisor. Warrington is located at 200 Crescent Court, Suite 520, Dallas, TX 75201.. Warrington is registered as an investment advisor under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”) and is an independent asset management firm. Mr. Scott C. Kimple, a portfolio manager of the Fund, is the Principal of Warrington and the control person of Warrington due to his ownership of more than 25% of Warrington.

As compensation for the sub-advisory services it provides to the Fund, the Advisor pays Warrington 50% of the net advisory fees earned by the Advisor from the Fund. For this purpose, “net advisory fees” mean advisory fees collected from the Fund (net of fee waivers due to expense caps) less any revenue sharing and asset-based fees paid to broker-dealers or custodians with assets in the Fund. The fee paid to Warrington by the Advisor is paid from the Advisor’s advisory fee and is not an additional cost to the Fund. The Sub-Advisory Agreement is effective for an initial two-year period and continues in effect for successive twelve-month periods, provided that the Board annually approves it for continuance. A discussion of the matters considered by the Board in connection with the renewal of the Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Strategic Program Fund is included in the Fund’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023. For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2021, June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2023, Warrington received $994,431, $875,776 and $1,216,198, respectively, in sub-advisory fees for its services to the Strategic Program Fund.

Sub-Investment Advisor – Buffered Shield Fund

Exceed Advisory LLC (“Exceed”), a registered investment advisory firm founded in July 2014 and wholly owned by Exceed Investments, LLC, has been retained to act as the sub-advisor to the Fund pursuant to an Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (“Sub-Advisory Agreement”) with the Advisor. Exceed is controlled by Mr. Joseph Halpern, the portfolio manager of the Fund. Exceed also provides investment advisory services to another mutual fund. The Advisor and the Trustees have chosen to engage Exceed’s services as sub-advisor to the Fund in part because of Exceed’s prior expertise with respect to the EXHEDG Index.

As compensation for the sub-advisory services it provides to the Fund, the Advisor pays Exceed 50% of the net advisory fees earned by the Advisor from the Fund. For this purpose, “net advisory fees” mean advisory fees collected from the Fund (net of fee waivers due to expense caps) less any revenue sharing and asset-based fees paid to broker-dealers or custodians with assets in the Fund. The fee paid to Exceed by the Advisor is paid from the Advisor’s advisory fee and is not an additional cost to the Fund. The Sub-Advisory Agreement is effective for an initial two-year period and continues in effect for successive twelve-month periods, provided that the Board annually approves it for continuance. A discussion of the matters considered by the Board in connection with the renewal of the Sub-Advisory Agreement is available in the Fund’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023. For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2021, June 30, 2022, and June 30, 2023, Exceed received $306,496, $425,756 and $179,988, respectively, in sub-advisory fees for its services to the Fund.

Investment Sub-Advisor – Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund and Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund

Millburn Ridgefield Corporation (“Millburn”), an investment advisory firm founded in 1982, has been retained to act as the sub-advisor to the Funds under an Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (“Sub-Advisory Agreement”) with the Advisor and the Trust, on behalf of the Funds. Millburn also provides investment management or adviser services to pooled investment vehicles that it sponsors and to separately managed accounts. The principal owners of Millburn are Harvey Beker, Crapple Marital Trust, Barry Goodman, and Grant Smith. Millburn has been registered with the CFTC as a “commodity pool operator” since July of 1982 and as a “commodity trading advisor” since September of 1984, and registered with the SEC as an investment adviser in March of 2002, and became registered with the SEC as a broker-dealer in December of 2019. The Advisor and the Board have chosen to engage Millburn’s services as sub-adviser to the Funds in part because of Millburn’s prior expertise and performance in advising other accounts similar in objective to that of the Funds.

As compensation for the sub-advisory services it provides to the Funds, each Fund pays Millburn 50% of the net advisory fees earned by the Advisor from the Fund. For this purpose, “net advisory fees” mean advisory fees (net of fee waivers due to expense caps) less any revenue sharing and asset-based fees paid to broker-dealers or custodians with assets in the Fund. The fee paid to Millburn by each Fund is paid from the Advisor’s advisory fee and is not an additional cost to the Fund. Any amounts paid by a Fund to Millburn is deducted from the net advisory fee due to the Adviser pursuant to the Advisory Agreement and any expense limitation agreement in effect at the time of payment. Each Sub-Advisory Agreement is effective for an initial two-year period and continues in effect for successive twelve-month periods, provided that the Board annually approves it for continuance. A discussion of the matters considered by the Board in connection with the renewal of the Sub-Advisory Agreement with respect to the Funds is available in the Fund’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023. For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2021, June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2023, Millburn received $25,119,118, $29,299,344 and $47,344,718 in sub-advisory fees for its services to the Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021, June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2023, Millburn received $4,411, $42,822 and $77,197, respectively, in sub-advisory fees for its services to the Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund.

Sub-Advisor – Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund

Equity Armor Investments, LLC (“Equity Armor”), an investment advisory firm founded in 2011, has been retained to act as the “Sub-Advisor” to Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund under a Sub-Advisory Agreement with the Advisor. Equity Armor is located at 311 S. Wacker Dr., Suite 650, Chicago, Illinois 60606. Equity Armor is registered as an investment advisor under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), and is an independent asset management firm. Equity Armor provides investment management services to individuals, trusts, institutions, advisory firms, and investment companies. Under the supervision of the Advisor, Equity Armor is responsible for making investment decisions and executing portfolio transactions for the Fund. In addition, Equity Armor is responsible for maintaining certain transaction and compliance related records of the Fund.

As compensation for the sub-advisory services it provides to the Fund, the Advisor pays Equity Armor fifty percent of the net advisory fees paid to the Advisor by the Fund. The fee paid to Equity Armor by the Advisor is paid from the Advisor’s advisory fee and is not an additional cost to the Fund. The Sub-Advisory Agreement is effective for an initial two-year period and continues in effect for successive twelve-month periods, provided that the Board annually approves it for continuance. A discussion of the matters considered by the Board in connection with the renewal of the Sub-Advisory Agreement is available in the Fund’s Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023. For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2021, June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2023, Equity Armor, received $11,490, $32,057 and $13,874 respectively, in sub-advisory fees for its services to the Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund.

Portfolio Managers of the Funds

Portfolio Managers – Systematic Alpha Fund

David Miller, Senior Portfolio Manager of the Advisor, and Charles Ashley, Portfolio Manager of the Advisor, serve as the portfolio managers of the Fund. Mr. Miller’s compensation from the Advisor is based on a percentage of the overall profits of the Advisor. He is also entitled to a portion of the proceeds if the Advisor sells all or a portion of the Advisor’s business. He also participates in a pension plan. Mr. Ashley’s compensation from the Advisor is a fixed base salary and a discretionary bonus based on the discretion of the Advisor.

Portfolio Managers – Strategic Program Fund

Subject to the oversight and approval of the Advisor, Scott C. Kimple, Principal and Portfolio Manager of Warrington, and Mark W. Adams, Assistant Portfolio Manager of Warrington, serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio. Mr. Kimple is the Lead Portfolio Manager of the Fund. Mr. Kimple’s compensation is based on a percentage of the overall profits of Warrington. Mr. Adams’ compensation is a fixed-based salary and a bonus based on the profits of Warrington.

Portfolio Manager – Buffered Shield Fund

Subject to the oversight and approval of the Advisor, Joseph Halpern, Chief Executive Officer and Portfolio Manager of Exceed, is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Mr. Halpern has served the Buffered Shield Fund in this capacity since December 2016. Mr. Halpern’s compensation received from Exceed is based on a fixed rate salary plus equity distributions.

Portfolio Managers – Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund and Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund

Subject to the oversight and approval of the Advisor, Harvey Beker, Barry Goodman and Grant Smith, as portfolio managers, are jointly and primarily responsibility for the day-to-day management of the portfolio of each Fund. Messrs. Beker, Goodman and Smith’s compensation is based on a salary and a percentage of the net profits of Millburn. They also participate in a 401(k) retirement plan.

Portfolio Managers – Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund

Subject to the oversight and approval of the Advisor, Brian Stutland, Afshin Luke Rahbari, and Joseph Tigay are the Fund’s Portfolio Managers and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Messrs. Stutland, Rahbari, and Tigay’s compensation from Equity Armor is a fixed-based salary and a bonus based on the profits of Equity Armor.

As of June 30, 2023, the number of, and total assets in all other registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles, and other accounts overseen by David Miller, Charles Ashley, Joseph Halpern, Harvey Beker, Barry Goodman, Grant Smith, Scott Kimple, Mark Adams Brian Stutland, Afshin Luke Rahbari and Joseph Tigay are as follows:

Of the accounts above, the following are subject to performance-based fees:

The following table shows the dollar range of equity securities of the Funds beneficially owned by each portfolio manager as of June 30, 2023.

Potential Conflicts of Interest – Advisor and Sub-Advisors

Actual or apparent conflicts of interest may arise when a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to more than one fund or other accounts. The management of multiple accounts may result in a portfolio manager devoting unequal time and attention to the management of each account. The management of multiple funds and accounts also may give rise to potential conflicts of interest if the funds and accounts have different objectives, benchmarks, time horizons, and fees as the portfolio manager must allocate his time and investment ideas across multiple funds and accounts.

With respect to securities transactions for the Funds, the Advisor or Sub-Advisor determines which broker to use to execute each order, consistent with the duty to seek best execution of the transaction. The portfolio manager may execute transactions for another fund or account that may adversely impact the value of securities held by the Funds. Securities selected for funds or accounts other than the Funds may outperform the securities selected for the Funds.

The appearance of a conflict of interest may arise where an Advisor or Sub-Advisor has an incentive, such as a performance-based management fee. The management of personal accounts may give rise to potential conflicts of interest; there is no assurance that the Fund’s code of ethics will adequately address such conflicts. One of the portfolio manager’s numerous responsibilities is to assist in the sale of Fund shares. Because the portfolio manager’s compensation is indirectly linked to the sale of Fund shares, they may have an incentive to devote time to marketing efforts designed to increase sales of Fund shares.

The Advisor has adopted a code of ethics that, among other things, permits personal trading by employees under conditions where it has been determined that such trades would not adversely impact client accounts. Nevertheless, the management of personal accounts may give rise to potential conflicts of interest, and there is no assurance that these codes of ethics will adequately address such conflicts.

The Funds may invest in affiliated funds advised by the Advisor. The Advisor is subject to conflicts of interest in allocating the Fund’s assets among the affiliated funds. The Advisor will receive more revenue when it selects an affiliated fund rather than an unaffiliated fund for inclusion in the Funds’ portfolios. This conflict may provide an incentive for the Advisor to invest Fund assets in affiliated funds that perform less well than unaffiliated funds. The Advisor may have an incentive to allocate Fund assets to those affiliated funds for which the net advisory fees payable to the Advisor are higher than the fees payable by other affiliated funds.

The Advisor, each Sub-Advisor and the Funds have adopted certain compliance procedures, which are designed to address these types of conflicts. However, there is no guarantee that such procedures will detect each and every situation in which a conflict arises.

CODE OF ETHICS

The Advisor, Warrington, Exceed, Millburn, Equity Armor, Northern Lights Distributors, LLC and the Trust have each adopted codes of ethics under Rule 17j-1(c) of the 1940 Act. The purpose of each code is to avoid potential conflicts of interest and to prevent fraud, deception or misconduct with respect to the Funds. Such codes of ethics permit personnel covered by the codes to invest in securities that may be purchased by the Funds, subject to the restrictions of the code. The codes are filed as exhibits to the Trust’s registration statement.

TRANSFER AGENT, FUND ACCOUNTING AGENT AND ADMINISTRATOR

Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC (“Ultimus”), which has its principal office at 225 Pictoria Drive, Suite 450, Cincinnati, Ohio 45246, serves as administrator, fund accountant and transfer agent for the Funds pursuant to the Fund Services Agreement (the “Agreement”) with the Trust and subject to the supervision of the Board. Ultimus is primarily in the business of providing administrative, fund accounting and transfer agent services to retail and institutional mutual funds. Ultimus is an affiliate of the distributor.

Ultimus may also provide persons to serve as officers of the Trust. Such officers may be directors, officers or employees of Ultimus or its affiliates.

The Agreement remains in effect for an initial term of three years from the effective date for the Funds, and will continue in effect for successive twelve-month periods provided that such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by a majority of the Board. The Agreement is terminable by the Board or Ultimus on 90 days’ written notice and may be assigned by either party, provided that the Trust may not assign this agreement without the prior written consent of Ultimus. The Agreement provides that Ultimus shall be without liability for any action reasonably taken or omitted pursuant to the Agreement.

Under the Agreement, Ultimus performs administrative services, including: (1) monitoring the performance of administrative and professional services rendered to the Trust by others service providers; (2) monitoring Fund holdings and operations for post-trade compliance with the Fund registration statement and applicable laws and rules; (3) preparing and coordinating the printing of semi-annual and annual financial statements; (4) preparing selected management reports for performance and compliance analyses; (5) preparing and disseminating materials for and attending and participating in meetings of the Board; (6) determining income and capital gains available for distribution and calculate distributions required to meet regulatory, income, and excise tax requirements; (7) reviewing the Trust’s federal, state, and local tax returns as prepared and signed by the Trust’s independent public accountants; (8) preparing and maintaining the Trust’s operating expense budget to determine proper expense accruals to be charged to the Fund to calculate its daily net asset value; (9) assisting in and monitoring the preparation, filing, printing and where applicable, dissemination of periodic reports to the Board, shareholders and the SEC, notices pursuant to Rule 24f-2, proxy materials and reports to the SEC on Forms N-CEN, N-CSR, N-PORT and N-PX; (10) coordinating the Trust’s audits and examinations by assisting the Funds’ independent public accountants; (11) determining, in consultation with others, the jurisdictions in which shares of the Trust shall be registered or qualified for sale and facilitate such registration or qualification; (12) monitoring sales of shares and ensure that the shares are properly and duly registered with the SEC; (13) monitoring the calculation of performance data for the Funds; (14) preparing, or causing to be prepared, expense and financial reports; (15) preparing authorization for the payment of Trust expenses and paying, from Trust assets, all bills of the Trust; (16) providing information typically supplied in the investment company industry to companies that track or report price, performance or other information with respect to investment companies; (17) upon request, assisting the Funds in the evaluation and selection of other service providers, such as independent public accountants, printers, EDGAR providers and proxy solicitors (such parties may be affiliates of Ultimus); and (18) performing other services, recordkeeping and assistance relating to the affairs of the Trust as the Trust may, from time to time, reasonably request.

Ultimus also provides the Funds with accounting services, including: (i) daily computation of net asset value; (ii) maintenance of security ledgers and books and records as required by the 1940 Act; (iii) production of each Fund’s listing of portfolio securities and general ledger reports; (iv) reconciliation of accounting records; (v) calculation of yield and total return for each Fund; (vi) maintenance of certain books and records described in Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act, and reconciliation of account information and balances among the Funds’ custodian and Advisor; and (vii) monitoring and evaluation of daily income and expense accruals, and sales and redemptions of shares of the Funds.

Ultimus also acts as transfer, dividend disbursing, and shareholder servicing agent for the Funds pursuant to the Agreement. Under the Agreement, Ultimus is responsible for administering and performing transfer agent functions, dividend distribution, shareholder administration, and maintaining necessary records in accordance with applicable rules and regulations.

For these services, each of the Funds pays Ultimus an annual asset-based fee of 0.13% of net assets up to $50 million, with lower fees at higher asset levels, plus reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses.

Prior to November 15, 2021, Gemini Fund Services, LLC (“GFS”), an affiliate of Ultimus, provided administrator, fund accountant and transfer agent services to the Funds. The Fund paid the following fees for these services for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2021, June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2023:

MFund Services LLC (“MFund”) provides the Funds with various management and legal administrative services. For these services, the Funds pay MFund an annual asset-based fee in accordance with the schedule set forth below applied at the Fund family level (i.e., all the Funds in the Trust advised by Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC):

0.10% of net assets up to $50 million;

0.07% of net assets from $50 million to $100 million;

0.05% of net assets from $100 million to $250 million;

0.04% of net assets from $250 million to $500 million;

0.03% of net assets from $500 million to $1 billion;

0.02% of net assets from $1 billion to $5 billion;

0.01% of assets from $5 billion and above

In addition, the Funds reimburse MFund for any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the performance of its duties under the Management Services Agreement. Jerry Szilagyi is the controlling member of MFund Services, the controlling member of the Advisor, a controlling member of AlphaCentric Advisors LLC (an investment advisor to other series of the Trust) and a Trustee of the Trust. For the fiscal years ended June 30 the Funds paid MFund the following fees for its management services:

COMPLIANCE SERVICES

MFund provides the Chief Compliance Officer and certain compliance related services to the Trust pursuant to a Compliance Services Agreement. During the fiscal years ended June 30, the Funds paid MFund Services the following amounts for these services:

CUSTODIAN

Pursuant to a Custody Agreement between the Trust and U.S. Bank National Association (the “Custodian”), 1555 N. Rivercenter Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, WI 53212, the Custodian serves as the custodian of the Fund. The Custodian has custody of all securities and cash of the Fund. The Custodian, among other things, attends to the collection of principal and income and payment for and collection of proceeds of securities bought and sold by the Fund. The Custodian also serves as custodian to the Subsidiary.

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm is Cohen & Company, Ltd., 1835 Market Street, Suite 310, Philadelphia, PA 19103. Shareholders will receive annual financial statements, together with a report of independent accountants, and semiannual unaudited financial statements of the Funds. Cohen & Company, Ltd. reports on the Funds’ annual financial statements, review certain regulatory reports and the Funds’ income tax returns, and perform other professional accounting, auditing, tax and advisory services when engaged to do so by the Funds.

COUNSEL

Thompson Hine LLP, 41 South High Street, Suite 1700, Columbus, OH 43215, serves as counsel for the Trust.

DISTRIBUTOR

Northern Lights Distributors, LLC, located at 4221 North 203^rd Street, Suite 100, Elkhorn, NE 68022 (the “Distributor”) serves as the principal underwriter and national distributor for the shares of the Funds pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement with the Trust (the “Underwriting Agreement”). The Distributor is registered as a broker-dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and each state’s securities laws and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). The offering of the Funds’ shares is continuous. The Underwriting Agreement provides that the Distributor, as agent in connection with the distribution of Fund shares, will use reasonable efforts to facilitate the sale of the Funds’ shares.

The Underwriting Agreement provides that, unless sooner terminated, it will continue in effect for two years initially and thereafter shall continue from year to year, subject to annual approval by (a) the Board or a vote of a majority of the outstanding shares, and (b) by a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust or of the Distributor by vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.

The Underwriting Agreement may be terminated by a Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the entire Board of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of a Fund on 60 days’

written notice to the Distributor, or by the Distributor at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days’ written notice to the Fund. The Underwriting Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment.

12b-1 Plans

The Trust, on behalf of the Funds have adopted Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Plans pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the “Plans”). Rule 12b-1 provides that any payments made by a Fund in connection with the distribution of its shares may be made only pursuant to a written plan describing all material aspects of the proposed financing of the distribution and also requires that all agreements with any person relating to the implementation of a plan must be in writing. Under each Fund’s Plan related to the Class A Shares, the Funds incur an annual fee of up to 0.50% of the average daily net assets of the respective Fund’s Class A Shares (the “Class A 12b-1 Fee”). Class A Shares of the Funds are currently incurring an annual fee of up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets. If authorized by the Board of Trustees and upon notice to shareholders, the Funds may increase the percentage paid under the Plan up to the Class A 12b-1 Fee amount. Under each Fund’s Plan related to the Class C Shares, the Funds incur an annual fee of up to 1.00% of the average daily net assets of the respective Fund’s Class C Shares (the “Class C 12b-1 Fee”) (the Class A 12b-1 Fee and Class C 12b-1 Fee are collectively referred to as the “12b-1 Fees”). Under the Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund’s Plan related to the Class C-1 Shares, the Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund incurs an annual fee of up to 1.00% of the average daily net assets of the Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund’s Class C-1 Shares (the “Class C-1 12b 1 Fee”).

Each 12b-1 Fee may be used to pay a fee on a quarterly basis to broker-dealers, including the Distributor and affiliates of the Distributor, the Advisor, banks and savings and loan institutions and their affiliates and associated broker-dealers that have entered into Service Agreements with the Distributor (“Service Organizations”) of annual amounts of up to 0.25% of the average NAV of all shares of the respective Fund owned by shareholders with whom the Service Organization has a servicing relationship. The 12b-1 Fees may also be used to reimburse parties for shareholder services and distribution related expenses.

Each Fund’s Plan continues in effect from year to year, provided that each such continuance is approved at least annually by a vote of the Board, including a majority of the trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan or in any agreements entered into in connection with the Plan (the “Qualified Trustees”). Each Fund’s Plan may be terminated at any time, without penalty, by vote of a majority of the Qualified Trustees of a Fund or by vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund. Any amendment to a Plan to increase materially the amount the Fund is authorized to pay thereunder would require approval by a majority of the outstanding shares of the respective Fund. Other material amendments to a Fund’s Plan would be required to be approved by vote of the Board, including a majority of the Qualified Trustees. The Distributor may at its own discretion waive a portion of its fees from time to time, although such waiver is not required.

Dealers who are holders or dealers of record for accounts in one or more of the Funds may receive payments from 12b-1 Fees. A dealer’s marketing support services may include business planning assistance, educating dealer personnel about the Funds and shareholder financial planning needs, placement on the dealer’s preferred or recommended fund list, and access to sales meetings, sales representatives and management representatives of the dealer. Dealers are compensated differently depending upon, among other factors, the level and/or type of marketing support provided by the dealer. From time to time, the Advisor or Sub-Advisor, at its expense, may provide additional compensation to dealers that sell or arrange for the sale of shares of a Fund. Such compensation provided by the Advisor or Sub-Advisor may include financial assistance to dealers that enable the Advisor or Sub-Advisor to participate in and/or present at conferences or seminars, sales or training programs for invited registered representatives and other employees, client and investor events and other dealer-sponsored events. Other compensation may be offered to the extent not prohibited by state laws or any self-regulatory agency, such as FINRA. The Advisor or Sub-Advisor makes payments for events they deem appropriate, subject to applicable law. These payments may vary depending upon the nature of the event.

The table below states the amounts paid by each Fund’s Class A, Class C and Class C-1 shares under the distribution plan for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023.

The table below states the principal types of activities for which each Fund made payments under the distribution plan for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023.

Distribution Agent. Alt Fund Distributors LLC (“Distribution Agent”), located at 140 East 45^th Street, Suite 15B, New York, NY 10017, an affiliate of the Advisor, provides marketing and other services intended to result in the sale of Fund shares pursuant to the Wholesale and Distribution Agent Agreement between the Trust, Advisor, Distributor and Distribution Agent. For such services, Distribution Agent is entitled to receive 0.005% on the sale of Fund shares from the Advisor, a portion of which may be offset by dealer reallowances, and 12b-1 fees. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, the Distribution Agent received the amounts set forth below:

ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

The Funds may directly enter into agreements with “financial intermediaries” pursuant to which a Fund will pay the financial intermediary for services such as networking or sub-transfer agency, including the maintenance of “street name” or omnibus accounts and related sub-accounting, record-keeping and administrative services provided to such accounts. Payments made pursuant to such agreements are generally based on either: (1) a percentage of the average daily net assets of clients serviced by such financial intermediary, or (2) the number of accounts serviced by such financial intermediary. Any payments made pursuant to such agreements are in addition to, rather than in lieu of, Rule 12b-1 or shareholder service fees the financial intermediary may also be receiving. From time to time, the Advisor or its affiliates may pay a portion of the fees for networking or sub-transfer agency at its or their own expense and out of its or their legitimate profits. These payments may be material to financial intermediaries relative to other compensation paid by the Funds and/or the Underwriter, the Advisor and their affiliates. The payments described above may differ and may vary from amounts paid to the Fund’s transfer agent or other service providers for providing similar services to other accounts. The financial intermediaries are not audited by the Funds, the Advisor or their service providers to determine whether such intermediaries are providing the services for which they are receiving such payments.

The Advisor or affiliates of the Advisor may also, at their own expense and out of their own legitimate profits, provide additional cash payments to financial intermediaries who sell shares of the Funds. These additional cash payments are payments over and above sales commissions or reallowances, distribution fees or servicing fees (including networking, administration and sub-transfer agency fees) payable to a financial intermediary which are disclosed elsewhere in the prospectus or this SAI. These additional cash payments are generally made to financial intermediaries that provide sub- accounting, sub-transfer agency, shareholder or administrative services or marketing support. Marketing support may include: (i) access to sales meetings or conferences, sales representatives and financial intermediary management representatives; (ii) inclusion of the Funds on a sales list, including a preferred or select sales list, or other sales programs to which financial intermediaries provide more marketing support than to other sales programs on which the Advisor or its affiliates may not need to make additional cash payments to be included; (iii) promotion of the sale of the Funds’ shares in communications with a financial intermediary’s customers, sales representatives or management representatives; and/or (iv) other specified services intended to assist in the distribution and marketing of the Funds’ shares. These additional cash payments also may be made as an expense reimbursement in cases where the financial intermediary provides shareholder services to Fund shareholders. The Advisor and its affiliates may also pay cash compensation in the form of finders’ fees or referral fees that vary depending on the dollar amount of shares sold.

The amount and value of additional cash payments vary for each financial intermediary. The availability of these additional cash payments, the varying fee structure within a particular additional cash payment arrangement and the basis for and manner in which a financial intermediary compensates its sales representatives may create a financial incentive for a particular financial intermediary and its sales representatives to recommend the Funds’ shares over the shares of other mutual funds based, at least in part, on the level of compensation paid. A financial intermediary and its sales representatives may have similar financial incentives to recommend a particular class of the Funds’ shares over other classes of the Funds’ shares. You should consult with your financial advisor and review carefully any disclosure by the financial firm as to compensation received by your financial advisor.

Although the Funds may use financial firms that sell its shares to effect portfolio transactions for the Funds, the Funds and the Advisor will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when choosing financial firms to effect those transactions.

SECURITIES LENDING TRANSACTIONS

The dollar amounts of income and fees and compensation paid to all service providers related to the Nasdaq-100 Hedged Equity Fund’s securities lending activities during the most recent fiscal year were as follows:

PROXY VOTING POLICY

The Board has delegated responsibilities for decisions regarding proxy voting for securities held by the Funds to the Advisor or Sub-Advisor, as follows:

The proxy voting delegates may further delegate such proxy voting to a sub-advisor or a third-party proxy voting service provider. The proxy voting delegates will vote such proxies in accordance with their proxy policies and procedures. In some instances, the proxy voting delegates may be asked to cast a proxy vote that presents a conflict between its interests and the interests of a Fund’s shareholders. In such a case, the Trust’s policy requires that the proxy voting delegate abstain from making a voting decision and to forward all necessary proxy voting materials to the Trust to enable the Board to make a voting decision. When the Board is required to make a proxy voting decision, only the Trustees without a conflict of interest with regard to the security in question or the matter to be voted upon shall be permitted to participate in the decision of how the Fund’s vote will be cast. Each proxy voting delegate has developed a detailed proxy voting policy that has been approved by the Board. A copy of the proxy voting policies are attached hereto as Appendix B through Appendix G.

Information on how the Funds voted proxies relating to portfolio securities is available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-866-447-4228 or on the SEC’s Internet site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Funds’ proxy voting policies and procedures is also available by calling 1-866-447-4228 and will be sent within three business days of receipt of a request.

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

Turnover rates are primarily a function of the Funds’ response to market conditions. The portfolio turnover rate of the Funds for the last two fiscal years ended June 30 were as follows:

The decrease in the Systematic Alpha Fund’s portfolio turnover rate from 1,335% in the 2022 fiscal year to 43% in the 2023 fiscal year was the result of the change in the Fund’s strategy effective November 1, 2022. The decrease in the Millburn Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund’s portfolio turnover rate from 123% in the 2022 fiscal year to 58% in the 2023 fiscal year was the result of the higher level of portfolio rebalancing due to fluctuations in subscription and redemption activity.

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS

Purchases and sales of securities on a securities exchange are effected by brokers, and the Funds pay a brokerage commission for this service. In transactions on stock exchanges, these commissions are negotiated. In the over-the-counter market, securities (e.g., debt securities) are normally traded on a “net” basis with dealers acting as principal for their own accounts without a stated commission, although the price of the securities usually includes a profit to the dealer. In underwritten offerings, securities are purchased at a fixed price, which includes an amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter’s concession or discount.

The primary consideration in placing portfolio security transactions with broker-dealers for execution is to obtain and maintain the availability of execution at the most favorable prices and in the most effective manner possible. The Advisor and Sub-Advisors attempt to achieve this result by selecting broker-dealers to execute portfolio transactions on behalf of each Fund on the basis of the broker-dealers’ professional capability, the value and quality of their brokerage services and the level of their brokerage commissions.

Although commissions paid on every transaction will, in the judgment of the Advisor or Sub-Advisors, be reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage services provided, under each Advisory Agreement and each Sub-Advisory Agreement as permitted by Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Advisor or Sub-Advisor may cause a Fund to pay a commission to broker-dealers who provide brokerage and research services to the Advisor or Sub-Advisor for effecting a securities transaction for a Fund. Such commission may exceed the amount other broker-dealers would have charged for the transaction, if the Advisor or Sub-Advisor determines in good faith that the greater

commission is reasonable relative to the value of the brokerage and the research and investment information services provided by the executing broker-dealer viewed in terms of either a particular transaction or the Advisor’s or Sub-Advisor’s overall responsibilities to the Funds and to their other clients. Such research and investment information services may include advice as to the value of securities, the advisability of investing in, purchasing or selling securities, the availability of securities or of purchasers or sellers of securities, furnishing analyses and reports concerning issuers, industries, securities, economic factors and trends, portfolio strategy and the performance of accounts, and effecting securities transactions and performing functions incidental thereto such as clearance and settlement.

Research provided by brokers may be used for the benefit of all of the clients of the Advisor or Sub-Advisor and not solely or necessarily for the benefit of the Funds. The Advisor’s or Sub-Advisor’s investment management personnel attempt to evaluate the quality of research provided by brokers. Results of this effort are sometimes used by the Advisor or Sub-Advisor as a consideration in the selection of brokers to execute portfolio transactions.

The investment advisory fees that the Funds pay to the Advisor or Sub-Advisor will not be reduced as a consequence of the Advisor’s or Sub-Advisor’s receipt of brokerage and research services. To the extent a Fund’s portfolio transactions are used to obtain such services, the brokerage commissions paid by the Fund will exceed those that might otherwise be paid, by an amount, which cannot be presently determined. Such services would be useful and of value to the Advisor or Sub-Advisor in serving both the Funds and other clients and, conversely, such services obtained by the placement of brokerage business of other clients would be useful to the Advisor or Sub-Advisor in carrying out its obligations to the Funds.

Certain investments may be appropriate for the Funds and also for other clients advised by the Advisor or Sub-Advisor. Investment decisions for the Funds and other clients are made with a view to achieving their respective investment objectives and after consideration of such factors as their current holdings, availability of cash for investment and the size of their investments generally. Occasionally, a particular security may be bought or sold for one or more clients in different amounts. In such event, and to the extent permitted by applicable law and regulations, such transactions with respect to the Advisor or Sub-Advisor, will be allocated among the clients in a manner believed to be equitable to each. Ordinarily, such allocation will be made on the basis of the weighted average price of such transactions effected during a trading day.

Each Fund has no obligation to deal with any broker or dealer in the execution of its transactions. However, each Fund may place a significant portion of its transactions with affiliates of the Advisor. As the level of option writing or stock trading increases, the level of commissions paid by each Fund to the affiliates increases. Such transactions will be executed at competitive commission rates through the affiliated broker’s clearing broker. Because the affiliates receive compensation based on the amount of transactions completed, there could be an incentive on the part of the Advisor to effect as many transactions as possible, thereby maximizing the commissions and premiums it receives. In connection with the execution of transactions, subject to its policy of best execution, a Fund may pay higher brokerage commissions to the affiliate than it might pay to unaffiliated broker-dealers.

In order for the affiliated broker to effect any portfolio transactions for the Funds on an exchange, the commissions, fees or other remuneration received by the affiliated broker must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions, fees or other remuneration paid to other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or sold on an exchange during a comparable period of time. This standard would allow the affiliated broker to receive no more than the remuneration that would be expected to be received by an unaffiliated broker in a commensurate arms-length transaction.

Under the 1940 Act, persons affiliated with the Advisor, the Distributor or an affiliate of the Advisor or Distributor, may be prohibited from dealing with the Funds as a principal in the purchase and sale of securities.

The Advisory Agreement provides that affiliates of affiliates of the Advisor may receive brokerage commissions in connection with effecting such transactions for the Funds. In determining the commissions to be paid to an affiliated broker, it is the policy of the Trust that such commissions will, in the judgment of the Board, be (a) at least as favorable to a Fund as those which would be charged by other qualified brokers having comparable execution capability and (b) at least as favorable to a Fund as commissions contemporaneously charged by the affiliated broker on comparable transactions for its most favored unaffiliated customers, except for customers of the affiliated broker considered by a majority of the Trust’s disinterested Trustees not to be comparable to the Fund. The Independent Trustees from time to time review, among other things, information relating to the commissions charged by an affiliated broker to a Fund and its other customers, and rates and other information concerning the commissions charged by other qualified brokers.

The Advisory Agreement does not provide for a reduction of the Distributor’s or Advisor’s fee by the amount of any profits earned by an affiliated broker from brokerage commissions generated from portfolio transactions of the Funds. While other brokerage business may be given from time to time to other firms, the affiliated brokers will not receive reciprocal brokerage business as a result of the brokerage business placed by the Funds with others.

A Fund will not acquire portfolio securities issued by, or enter into repurchase agreements or reverse repurchase agreements with, the Advisor, Sub-Advisor, the Distributor or their affiliates.

The Funds paid the following amounts in commissions on the purchase and sale of securities for fiscal periods ended June 30. No commissions were paid to the Distributor.

Purchase and Redemption of Shares

Fund shares may be purchased from investment dealers who have sales agreements with a Fund’s distributor or from the Distributor directly. As described in the Prospectus, the Funds provide you with alternative ways of purchasing Fund shares based upon your individual investment needs and preferences by offering Class A shares as described below.

Class A Shares

You may purchase Class A shares at a public offering price equal to the applicable net asset value per share plus an up-front sales charge imposed at the time of purchase as set forth in the Prospectus.

Shares may be purchased at the public offering price through any securities dealer having a sales agreement with the Distributor. Shares may also be purchased through banks and certain other financial institutions that have agency agreements with the Distributor. These financial institutions will receive transaction fees that are the same as the commissions to dealers and may charge their customers service fees relating to investments in a Fund. Purchase requests should be addressed to the dealer or agent from which this Prospectus was received which has a sales agreement with the Distributor. Such dealer or agent may place a telephone order with the Distributor for the purchase of Fund shares. It is a dealer’s or broker’s responsibility to promptly forward payment and registration instructions (or completed applications) to the Transfer Agent for shares being purchased in order for investors to receive the next determined net asset value (or public offering price). Reference should be made to the wire order to ensure proper settlement of the trade. Payment for redemptions of shares purchased by telephone should be processed within three business days. Payment must be received within seven days of the order or the trade may be canceled, and the dealer or broker placing the trade will be liable for any losses.

Class C-1 Shares

You may purchase Class C-1 shares at a public offering price equal to the applicable net asset value per share as set forth in the Prospectus.

Shares may be purchased at the public offering price through any securities dealer having a sales agreement with the Distributor. Shares may also be purchased through banks and certain other financial institutions that have agency agreements with the Distributor. These financial institutions will receive transaction fees that are the same as the commissions to dealers and may charge their customers service fees relating to investments in the Fund. Purchase requests should be addressed to the dealer or agent from which this Prospectus was received which has a sales agreement with the Distributor. Such dealer or agent may place a telephone order with the Distributor for the purchase of Fund shares. It is a dealer’s or broker’s responsibility to promptly forward payment and registration instructions (or completed applications) to the Transfer Agent for shares being purchased in order for investors to receive the next determined net asset value (or public offering price). Reference should be made to the wire order to ensure proper settlement of the trade. Payment for redemptions of shares purchased by telephone should be processed within three business days. Payment must be received within seven days of the order or the trade may be canceled, and the dealer or broker placing the trade will be liable for any losses.

18f-1 Election

The Trust has elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act pursuant to which the Trust is obligated during any 90-day period to redeem shares for any one shareholder of record solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the NAV of a Fund at the beginning of such period. The Trust has made this election to permit certain funds of the Trust to deliver, in lieu of cash, readily marketable securities from its portfolio should a redemption exceed such limitations. The securities delivered will be selected at the sole discretion of such Fund, will not necessarily be representative of the entire portfolio and may be securities, which a Fund would otherwise sell. The redeeming shareholder will usually incur brokerage costs in converting the securities to cash. The method of valuing securities used to make the redemptions in kind will be the same as the method of valuing portfolio securities and such valuation will be made as of the same time the redemption price is determined. However, the Board of Trustees of the Trust has determined that, until otherwise approved by the Board, all redemptions in the Funds be made in cash only. If the Board determines to allow the Funds to redeem in kind in the future, the Funds will provide shareholders with notice of such change to the redemption policy.

Reduction of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares

Letters of Intent

An investor may qualify for a reduced sales charge on Class A shares immediately by stating his or her intention to invest in Class A shares of one or more of the Funds, during a 13-month period, an amount that would qualify for a reduced sales charge shown in the Funds’ Prospectus under “How to Buy Shares — Class A Shares” and by signing a non-binding Letter of Intent, which may be signed at any time within 90 days after the first investment to be included under the Letter of Intent. After signing the Letter of Intent, each investment in Class A shares made by an investor will be entitled to the sales charge applicable to the total investment indicated in the Letter of Intent. If an investor does not complete the purchases under the Letter of Intent within the 13-month period, the sales charge will be adjusted upward, corresponding to the amount actually purchased. When an investor signs a Letter of Intent, Class A shares of a Fund with a value of up to 5% of the amount specified in the Letter of Intent will be restricted. If the total purchases of Class A shares made by an investor under the Letter of Intent, less redemptions, prior to the expiration of the 13-month period equals or exceeds the amount specified in the Letter of Intent, the restriction on the shares will be removed. In addition, if the total purchases of Class A shares exceed the amount specified and qualify for a further quantity discount, the distributor will make a retroactive price adjustment and will apply the adjustment to purchase additional Class A shares at the then current applicable offering price. If an investor does not complete purchases under a Letter of Intent, the sales charge is adjusted upward, and, if after written notice to the investor, he or she does not pay the increased sales charge, sufficient Class A restricted shares will be redeemed at the current net asset value to pay such charge.

Rights of Accumulation

A right of accumulation (“ROA”) permits an investor to aggregate shares (of any class) owned by the investor, his spouse, children and grandchildren under 21 (collectively, the “Investor”) in some or all of the Funds to reach a breakpoint discount. This includes accounts held with other financial institutions and accounts established for a single trust estate or single fiduciary account, including a qualified retirement plan such as an IRA, 401(k) or 403(b) plan (some restrictions may apply). The value of shares eligible for a cumulative quantity discount equals the cumulative cost of the shares purchased (not including reinvested dividends) or the current account market value; whichever is greater. The current market value of the shares is determined by multiplying the number of shares by the previous day’s NAV.

For example, if an investor owned Class C shares of the Buffered Shield Fund worth $40,000 at the current NAV and purchased an additional $10,000 of Class A shares of the Systematic Alpha Fund, the sales charge for the $10,000 purchase would be at the rate applicable to a single $50,000 purchase.

To qualify for a ROA on a purchase of Class A shares through a broker-dealer, when each purchase is made, the individual investor or the broker-dealer must provide the respective Fund with sufficient information to verify that the purchase qualifies for the discount.

Investments of $1 Million or More

For each Fund, with respect to Class A shares, if you invest $1 million or more, either as a lump sum or through our rights of accumulation quantity discount or letter of intent programs, you can buy Class A shares without an initial sales charge. However, you may be subject to a 1% CDSC on shares redeemed within two years of purchase (excluding shares purchased with reinvested dividends and/or distributions).

Waivers of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares

The Prospectus describes the classes of persons that may purchase shares without an up-front sales charge. The elimination of the up-front sales charge for redemptions by certain classes of persons is provided because of anticipated economies of scale and sales related efforts.

To qualify for a waiver of the up-front sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares through a broker-dealer, when each purchase is made, the individual investor or the broker-dealer must provide the respective Fund with sufficient information to verify that the purchase qualifies for the discount.

The Funds make available, free of charge, more information about sales charge reductions and waivers through the prospectus.

Exchange Privilege

As described in the Funds’ Prospectus under “How To Buy Shares—Exchange Privilege,” each Fund offers an exchange privilege pursuant to which a shareholder in a Fund may exchange some or all of his shares in any of the funds in the Trust, in the same class of another fund in the Catalyst Family of Funds at net asset value, provided the account registration information of the other Fund is the same. The exchange privilege may be changed or discontinued upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders and is available only to shareholders where such exchanges may be legally made. A shareholder considering an exchange should obtain and read the prospectus of the Funds and consider the differences between it and the Fund before making an exchange. For further information on how to exercise the exchange privilege, contact the Transfer Agent.

WAIVERS OF DEFERRED SALES CHARGE ON CLASS C-1 SHARES

Certain intermediaries may provide for waivers, with respect to the CDSC assessed on certain sales of Class C-1 shares, which are described in Appendix A to the Fund’s Prospectus, entitled “Intermediary-Specific Charge Reductions and Waivers.” Class C-1 Shares are sold without an initial front-end sales charge, but a deferred sales charge of 1.00% applies if Class C-1 Shares are sold within 12 months of purchase. The deferred sales charge on Class C-1 Shares may be waived for:

SALES CHARGE WAIVERS AND REDUCTIONS AVAILABLE THROUGH CERTAIN FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

The availability of certain sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on whether you purchase your shares directly from the Funds or through a financial intermediary. Intermediaries may impose different sales charges other than those listed below for Class A shares and may have different policies and procedures regarding the availability of sales load and waivers or reductions. Such intermediary-specific sales charge variations are described in Appendix A to the Prospectus, titled “Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers.” Appendix A is incorporated by reference into (or legally considered part of) the Prospectus. The deferred sales charge on Class C-1 Shares may be waived for certain post-retirement withdrawals from an IRA or other retirement plan if you are over 70 1/2.

In all instances, it is the shareholder’s responsibility to notify the Funds or the shareholder’s financial intermediary at the time of purchase of any relationship or other facts qualifying the shareholder for sales charge reductions or waivers. For reductions and waivers not available through a particular intermediary, shareholders will have to purchase Fund shares directly from the Fund or through another intermediary to receive these reductions or waivers.

NET ASSET VALUE

For each Fund, NAV per share is determined by dividing the total value of that Fund’s assets, less any liabilities, by the number of shares of that Fund outstanding.

The net asset value per share of each Fund is determined by the Administrator as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each day when the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading. The New York Stock Exchange is closed on the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, as observed.

Assets for which market quotations are available are valued, by independent pricing services, as follows.

When approved by the Trustees, certain securities may be valued on the basis of valuations provided by an independent pricing service when such prices the Trustees believe reflect the fair value of such securities. Securities that are fair valued by a Fund’s valuation designee are normally be those, which have no available recent market value, have few outstanding shares and therefore infrequent trades, or for which there is a lack of consensus on the value, with quoted prices covering a wide range. The lack of consensus would result from relatively unusual circumstances such as no trading in the security for long periods of time, or a company’s involvement in merger or acquisition activity, with widely varying valuations placed on the company’s assets or stock. Prices provided by an independent pricing service may be determined without exclusive reliance on quoted prices and may take into account appropriate factors such as institutional-size trading in similar groups of securities, yield, quality, coupon rate, maturity, type of issue, trading characteristics and other market data.

In the absence of an ascertainable market value, assets are valued at their fair value as determined by the Advisor using methods and procedures reviewed and approved by the Board.

TAX INFORMATION

Each Fund intends to qualify as a regulated investment company, or “RIC,” under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). Qualification generally will relieve the Fund of liability for federal income taxes. If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify for the special tax treatment afforded regulated investment companies, all of its taxable income will be subject to federal tax at regular corporate rates (without any deduction for distributions to its shareholders). In such event, dividend distributions would be taxable to shareholders to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits, and would be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporations.

Each Fund’s net realized capital gains from securities transactions will be distributed only after reducing such gains by the amount of any available capital loss carryforwards. Capital losses may now be carried forward indefinitely and retain the character of the original loss. Capital loss carryforwards are available to offset future realized capital gains. To the extent that these carryforwards are used to offset future capital gains it is probable that the amount offset will not be distributed to shareholders.

As of June 30, 2023, the Funds below had capital loss carry forwards for federal income tax purposes available to offset future capital gains as follows:

Certain U.S. shareholders, including individuals and estates and trusts, are subject to an additional 3.8% Medicare tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which should include dividends from the Fund and net gains from the disposition of shares of the Fund. U.S. shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the implications of the additional Medicare tax resulting from an investment in the Fund.

INVESTMENTS IN FOREIGN SECURITIES

The Funds may be subject to foreign withholding taxes on income from certain foreign securities. This, in turn, could reduce the Fund’s income dividends paid to you.

Pass-Through of Foreign Tax Credits. A Fund may be subject to certain taxes imposed by the countries in which it invests or operates. If a Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company and if more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the close of any taxable year consists of stocks or securities of foreign corporations, that Fund may elect, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, to treat any foreign taxes paid by the Fund that qualify as income or similar taxes under U.S. income tax principles as having been paid by the Fund’s shareholders. It is not likely that the Funds will be able to do so. For any year for which a Fund makes such an election, each shareholder will be required to include in its gross income an amount equal to its allocable share of such taxes paid by the Fund and the shareholders will be entitled, subject to certain limitations, to credit their portions of these amounts against their U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, or to deduct their portions from their U.S. taxable income, if any. No deduction for foreign taxes may be claimed by individuals who do not itemize deductions. In any year in which it elects to “pass through” foreign taxes to shareholders, the Fund will notify shareholders within 60 days after the close of the Fund’s taxable year of the amount of such taxes and the sources of its income. Furthermore, the amount of the foreign tax credit that is available may be limited to the extent that dividends from a foreign corporation qualify for the lower tax rate on “qualified dividend income.”

Effect of Foreign Debt Investments and Hedging on Distributions. Under the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates, which occur between the time a Fund accrues receivables or liabilities denominated in a foreign currency, and the time the Fund actually collects such receivables or pays such liabilities, generally are treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. Similarly, on disposition of debt securities denominated in a foreign currency and on disposition of certain options and futures contracts, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in the value of foreign

currency between the date of acquisition of the security or contract and the date of disposition also are treated as ordinary gain or loss. These gains when distributed are taxable to you as ordinary income, and any losses reduce the Fund’s ordinary income otherwise available for distribution to you. This treatment could increase or decrease the Fund’s ordinary income distributions to you, and may cause some or all of the Fund’s previously distributed income to be classified as a return of capital. A return of capital generally is not taxable to you, but reduces the tax basis of your shares in the Fund. Any return of capital in excess of your basis, however, is taxable as a capital gain.

PFIC securities. Each Fund may invest in securities of foreign entities that could be deemed for tax purposes to be passive foreign investment companies (“PFICs”). In general, a foreign corporation is classified as a PFIC if at least one-half of its assets constitute investment-type assets, or 75% or more of its gross income is investment-type income. When investing in PFIC securities, each Fund may elect to mark-to-market a PFIC and recognize any gains at the end of its fiscal and excise (described above) tax years. Deductions for losses are allowable only to the extent of any current or previously recognized gains. These gains (reduced by allowable losses) are treated as ordinary income that the Fund is required to distribute, even though it has not sold the securities. You should also be aware that distributions from a PFIC are generally not eligible for the reduced rate of tax on “qualified dividend income.” In the alternative, the Fund may elect to treat the PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” (a “QEF”), in which case the Fund would be required to include its share of the company’s income and net capital gains annually, regardless of whether it receives distributions from the company. The QEF and mark-to-market elections may require the Fund to sell securities it would have otherwise continued to hold in order to make distributions to shareholders to avoid any Fund-level tax. Income from investments in PFICs generally will not qualify for treatment as qualified dividend income.

BACKUP WITHHOLDING

The Funds may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax at the fourth lowest tax rate applicable to unmarried individuals (currently 24%) of all reportable payments, including dividends, capital gain distributions and redemptions payable to shareholders who fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or who have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Corporate shareholders and certain other shareholders specified in the Code generally are exempt from such backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.

Other Reporting and Withholding Requirements. Payments to a shareholder that is either a foreign financial institution (“FFI”) or a non-financial foreign entity (“NFFE”) within the meaning of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”) may be subject to a generally nonrefundable 30% withholding tax on: (a) income dividends paid by a Fund and (b) certain capital gain distributions and the proceeds arising from the sale of Fund shares paid by the Fund. FATCA withholding tax generally can be avoided: (a) by an FFI, subject to any applicable intergovernmental agreement or other exemption, if it enters into a valid agreement with the IRS to, among other requirements, report required information about certain direct and indirect ownership of foreign financial accounts held by U.S. persons with the FFI and (b) by an NFFE, if it: (i) certifies that it has no substantial U.S. persons as owners or (ii) if it does have such owners, reports information relating to them. A Fund may disclose the information that it receives from its shareholders to the IRS, non-U.S. taxing authorities or other parties as necessary to comply with FATCA. Withholding also may be required if a foreign entity that is a shareholder of a Fund fails to provide the Fund with appropriate certifications or other documentation concerning its status under FATCA.

FOREIGN SHAREHOLDERS

The United States imposes a withholding tax (at a 30% or lower treaty rate) on all Fund dividends of ordinary income. Capital gain dividends paid by a Fund from its net long-term capital gains and exempt-interest dividends are generally exempt from this withholding tax.

WHOLLY-OWNED SUBSIDIARY

(Systematic Alpha Fund, Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund and Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund)

Each Fund invests a portion of its assets in the Subsidiary, which is classified as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A foreign corporation, such as the Subsidiary, will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation unless it is deemed to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business. The Subsidiary conducts its activities in a manner so as to meet the requirements of a safe harbor under Section 864(b)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Safe Harbor”)

pursuant to which the Subsidiary, provided it is not a dealer in stocks, securities or commodities, may engage in the following activities without being deemed to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business: (1) trading in stocks or securities (including contracts or options to buy or sell securities) for its own account; and (2) trading, for its own account, in commodities that are “of a kind customarily dealt in on an organized commodity exchange” if the transaction is of a kind customarily consummated at such place. Thus, the Subsidiary’s securities and commodities trading activities should not constitute a U.S. trade or business. However, if certain of the Subsidiary’s activities were determined not to be of the type described in the Safe Harbor or if the Subsidiary’s gains are attributable to investments in securities that constitute U.S. real property interests (which is not expected), then the activities of the Subsidiary may constitute a U.S. trade or business, or be taxed as such.

The Internal Revenue Service has issued a number of private letter rulings to other mutual funds (unrelated to the Funds), which indicate that certain income from a fund’s investment in a wholly-owned foreign subsidiary will constitute “qualifying income” for purposes of Subchapter M. However, the IRS no longer issues such letters. The Funds do not have a private letter ruling, but fully intend to comply with the IRS’ rules if the IRS were to change its position. To satisfy the 90% income requirement, the Subsidiary will, no less than annually, declare and distribute a dividend to the Portfolio, as the sole shareholder of the Subsidiary, in an amount approximately equal to the total amount of “Subpart F” income (as defined in Section 951 of the Code) generated by or expected to be generated by the Subsidiary’s investments during the fiscal year. Such dividend distributions are “qualifying income” pursuant to Subchapter M (Section 851(b)) of the Code.

In general, a foreign corporation that does not conduct a U.S. trade or business is nonetheless subject to tax at a flat rate of 30 percent (or lower tax treaty rate), generally payable through withholding, on the gross amount of certain U.S.-source income that is not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. There is presently no tax treaty in force between the U.S. and the Cayman Islands that would reduce this rate of withholding tax. Income subject to such a flat tax includes dividends and certain interest income. The 30 percent tax does not apply to U.S. source capital gains (whether long-term or short-term) or to interest paid to a foreign corporation on its deposits with U.S. banks. The 30 percent tax also does not apply to interest which qualifies as “portfolio interest.” The term “portfolio interest” generally includes interest (including original issue discount) on an obligation in registered form which has been issued after July 18, 1984 and with respect to which the person, who would otherwise be required to deduct and withhold the 30 percent tax, received the required statement that the beneficial owner of the obligation is not a U.S. person within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code. Under certain circumstances, interest on bearer obligations may also be considered portfolio interest.

Each Subsidiary is wholly-owned by the respective Fund. A U.S. person who owns (directly, indirectly or constructively) 10 percent or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of a foreign corporation is a “U.S. Shareholder” for purposes of the controlled foreign corporation (“CFC”) provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. A foreign corporation is a CFC if, on any day of its taxable year, more than 50 percent of the voting power or value of its stock is owned (directly, indirectly or constructively) by “U.S. Shareholders.” Because each Fund is a U.S. person that will own all of the stock of each Subsidiary, the Fund will be a “U.S. Shareholder” and the Subsidiary is a CFC. As a “U.S. Shareholder,” each Fund is required to include in gross income for United States federal income tax purposes all of the Subsidiary’s “subpart F income” (defined, in part, below), whether or not such income is distributed by the Subsidiary. It is expected that all of the Subsidiary’s income will be “subpart F income.” “Subpart F income” generally includes interest, original issue discount, dividends, net gains from the disposition of stocks or securities, receipts with respect to securities loans and net payments received with respect to equity swaps and similar derivatives. “Subpart F income” also includes the excess of gains over losses from transactions (including futures, forward and similar transactions) in any commodities. Each Fund’s recognition of the Subsidiary’s “subpart F income” will increase the Fund’s tax basis in the Subsidiary. Distributions by the Subsidiary to the Fund is tax-free, to the extent of its previously undistributed “subpart F income,” and will correspondingly reduce the Fund’s tax basis in the Subsidiary. “Subpart F income” is generally treated as ordinary income, regardless of the character of the Subsidiary’s underlying income.

In general, each “U.S. Shareholder” is required to file IRS Form 5471 with its U.S. federal income tax (or information) returns providing information about its ownership of the CFC and the CFC. In addition, a “U.S. Shareholder” may in certain circumstances be required to report a disposition of shares in the Subsidiary by attaching IRS Form 5471 to its U.S. federal income tax (or information) return that it would normally file for the taxable year in which the disposition occurs. In general, these filing requirements will apply to investors of the Fund if the investor is a U.S. person who owns directly, indirectly or constructively (within the meaning of Sections 958(a) and (b) of the Internal Revenue Code) 10 percent or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of voting stock of a foreign corporation that is a CFC for an uninterrupted period of 30 days or more during any tax year of the foreign corporation, and who owned that stock on the last day of that year.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The financial statements of each Fund and the independent registered public accounting firm’s report appearing in the Annual Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 are incorporated herein by reference. You can obtain the Annual and Semi-Annual Reports without charge by calling the Funds at 1-866-447-4228.

Appendix A—Description of Commercial Paper and Bond Ratings

Description of Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), Short-Term Debt Ratings

Prime-1. Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 (“P-1”) have a superior ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. P-1 repayment ability will often be evidenced by many of the following characteristics: leading market positions in well-established industries; high rates of return on funds employed; conservative capitalization structure with moderate reliance on debt and ample asset protection; broad margins in earnings coverage of fixed financial charges and high internal cash generation; well-established access to a range of financial markets and assured sources of alternate liquidity.

Prime-2. Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 (“P-2”) have a strong ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. This will normally be evidenced by many of the characteristics cited above but to a lesser degree. Earnings trends and coverage ratios, while sound, may be more subject to variation. Capitalization characteristics, while still appropriate, may be more affected by external conditions. Ample alternate liquidity is maintained.

Description of Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group (“Standard & Poor’s”), Commercial Paper Ratings

A. Issues assigned this highest rating are regarded as having the greatest capacity for timely payment. Issues in this category are delineated with the numbers 1, 2, and 3 to indicate the relative degree of safety. A-1. This designation indicates that the degree of safety regarding timely payment is strong. Those issues determined to possess extremely strong safety characteristics are denoted with a plus (+) sign designation. A-2. Capacity for timely payment on issues with this designation is satisfactory. However, the relative degree of safety is not as high for issues designated A-1.

Description of Moody’s Long-Term Debt Ratings

Aaa. Bonds which are rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality. They carry the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as “gilt edged.” Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally stable margin, and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair the fundamentally strong position of such issues; Aa. Bonds which are rated Aa are judged to be of high quality by all standards. Together with the Aaa group they comprise what are generally known as high-grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds, because margins of protection may not be as large as in Aaa securities or fluctuation of protective elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements present which make the long-term risk appear somewhat larger than the Aaa securities; A. Bonds which are rated A possess many favorable investment attributes and are considered as upper-medium-grade obligations. Factors giving security to principal and interest are considered adequate, but elements may be present which suggest a susceptibility to impairment some time in the future; Baa. Bonds which are rated Baa are considered as medium-grade obligations (i.e., they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured). Interest payments and principal security appear adequate for the present, but certain protective elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great length of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in fact have speculative characteristics as well; Ba. Bonds which are rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements; their future cannot be considered as well-assured. Often the protection of interest and principal payments may be very moderate and thereby not well safeguarded during both good and bad times over the future. Uncertainty of position characterizes bonds in this class; B. Bonds which are rated B generally lack characteristics of the desirable investment. Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of other terms of the contract over any long period of time may be small; Caa. Bonds which are rated Caa are of poor standing. Such issues may be in default or there may be present elements of danger with respect to principal or interest; Ca. Bonds which are rated Ca represent obligations which are speculative in a high degree. Such issues are often in default or have other marked shortcomings; C. Bonds which are rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds, and issues so rated can be regarded as having extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing.

Note: Moody’s applies numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 in each generic rating classification from Aa to B. The modifier 1 indicates that the company ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates that the company ranks in the lower end of its generic rating category.

Description of Standard & Poor’s Corporate Debt Ratings

AAA. Debt rated AAA has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor’s. Capacity to pay interest and repay principal is extremely strong; AA. Debt Rated AA has a very strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal and differs from the higher rated issues only in small degree; A. Debt rated A has a strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal although it is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than debt in higher rated categories; BBB. Debt rated BBB is regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Whereas it normally exhibits adequate protection parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay interest and repay principal for debt in this category than in higher rated categories; BB, B, CCC, CC, C. Debt Rated BB, B, CCC, CC, and C is regarded, on balance, as predominantly speculative with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation. BB indicates the lowest degree of speculation and C the highest degree of speculation. While such debt will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these are out-weighed by large uncertainties or major risk exposures to

adverse conditions; BB. Debt rated BB has less near-term vulnerability to default than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to inadequate capacity to meet timely interest and principal payments. The BB rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied BBB- rating; B. Debt rated B has a greater vulnerability to default but currently has the capacity to meet interest payments and principal repayments. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair capacity or willingness to pay interest and repay principal. The B rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied BB or BB- rating; CCC. Debt rated CCC has a currently identifiable vulnerability to default and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions to meet timely payment of interest and repayment of principal. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, it is not likely to have the capacity to pay interest and repay principal. The CCC rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied B or B- rating; CC. The rating CC is typically applied to debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied CCC rating; C. The rating C is typically applied to debt subordinated to senior debt which is assigned an actual or implied CCC- debt rating. The C rating may be used to cover a situation where a bankruptcy petition has been filed, but debt service payments are continued; CI. The rating CI is reserved for income bonds on which no interest is being paid; D. Debt rated D is in payment default. The D rating category is used when interest payments or principal payments are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition if debt service payments are jeopardized.

Appendix B

CATALYST CAPITAL ADVISORS LLC

PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Pursuant to the recent adoption by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) of Rule 206(4)-6 (17 CFR 275.206(4)-6) and amendments to Rule 204-2 (17 CFR 275.204-2) under the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 (the “Act”), it is a fraudulent, deceptive, or manipulative act, practice or course of business, within the meaning of Section 206(4) of the Act, for an investment advisor to exercise voting authority with respect to client securities, unless (i) the advisor has adopted and implemented written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that the advisor votes proxies in the best interests of its clients, (ii) the advisor describes its proxy voting procedures to its clients and provides copies on request, and (iii) the advisor discloses to clients how they may obtain information on how the advisor voted their proxies.

Day-to-day administration of proxy voting may be provided internally or by a third-party service provider, depending on client type, subject to the ultimate oversight of the Advisor. The Advisor shall supervise the relationships with its proxy voting services, ISS. ISS apprises the Advisor of shareholder meeting dates, and casts the actual proxy votes. ISS also provides research on proxy proposals and voting recommendations. ISS serves as the Advisor’s proxy voting record keepers and generate reports on how proxies were voted. The Advisor periodically reviews communications from ISS to determine whether ISS voted the correct amount of proxies, whether the votes were cast in a timely manner, and whether the vote was in accordance with the Policies or the Advisor’s specific instructions.

In order to fulfill its responsibilities under the Act, Rational Advisors, Inc. (hereinafter “we” or “our”) has adopted the following policies and procedures for proxy voting with regard to companies in investment portfolios of our clients.

KEY OBJECTIVES

The key objectives of these policies and procedures recognize that a company’s management is entrusted with the day-to-day operations and longer term strategic planning of the company, subject to the oversight of the company’s board of directors. While “ordinary business matters” are primarily the responsibility of management and should be approved solely by the corporation’s board of directors, these objectives also recognize that the company’s shareholders must have final say over how management and directors are performing, and how shareholders’ rights and ownership interests are handled, especially when matters could have substantial economic implications to the shareholders.

Therefore, we will pay particular attention to the following matters in exercising our proxy voting responsibilities as a fiduciary for our clients:

Accountability. Each company should have effective means in place to hold those entrusted with running a company’s business accountable for their actions. Management of a company should be accountable to its board of directors and the board should be accountable to shareholders.

Alignment of Management and Shareholder Interests. Each company should endeavor to align the interests of management and the board of directors with the interests of the company’s shareholders. For example, we generally believe that compensation should be designed to reward management for doing a good job of creating value for the shareholders of the company.

Transparency. Promotion of timely disclosure of important information about a company’s business operations and financial performance enables investors to evaluate the performance of a company and to make informed decisions about the purchase and sale of a company’s securities.

Climate Change:

Say on Climate (SoC) Management Proposals: Vote case-by-case on management proposals that request shareholders to approve the company’s climate transition action plan, taking into account the completeness and rigor of the plan. Information that will be considered where available includes the following:

Say on Climate (SoC) Shareholder Proposals: Vote case-by-case on shareholder proposals that request the company to disclose a report providing its GHG emissions levels and reduction targets and/or its upcoming/approved climate transition action plan and provide shareholders the opportunity to express approval or disapproval of its GHG emissions reduction plan. taking into account information such as the following:

Climate Change/Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions: Generally vote for resolutions requesting that a company disclose information on the financial, physical, or regulatory risks it faces related to climate change on its operations and investments or on how the company identifies, measures, and manages such risks, considering:

Generally vote for proposals requesting a report on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from company operations and/or products and operations, unless:

Vote case-by-case on proposals that call for the adoption of GHG reduction goals from products and operations, taking into account:

Energy Efficiency: Generally vote for proposals requesting that a company report on its energy efficiency policies, unless:

Renewable Energy: Generally vote for requests for reports on the feasibility of developing renewable energy resources unless the report would be duplicative of existing disclosure or irrelevant to the company’s line of business.

Generally vote against proposals requesting that the company invest in renewable energy resources. Such decisions are best left to management’s evaluation of the feasibility and financial impact that such programs may have on the company.

Generally vote against proposals that call for the adoption of renewable energy goals, taking into account:

DECISION METHODS

No set of proxy voting guidelines can anticipate all situations that may arise. In special cases, we may seek insight from our managers and analysts on how a particular proxy proposal may impact the financial prospects of a company, and vote accordingly.

We believe that we invest in companies with strong management. Therefore we will tend to vote proxies consistent with management’s recommendations. However, we will vote contrary to management’s recommendations if we believe those recommendations are not consistent with increasing shareholder value.

SUMMARY OF PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES

Election of the Board of Directors

We believe that good corporate governance generally starts with a board composed primarily of independent directors, unfettered by significant ties to management, all of whose members are elected annually. We also believe that turnover in board composition promotes independent board action, fresh approaches to governance, and generally has a positive impact on shareholder value. We will generally vote in favor of non-incumbent independent directors.

The election of a company’s board of directors is one of the most fundamental rights held by shareholders. Because a classified board structure prevents shareholders from electing a full slate of directors annually, we will generally support efforts to declassify boards or other measures that permit shareholders to remove a majority of directors at any time, and will generally oppose efforts to adopt classified board structures.

Approval of Independent Auditors

We believe that the relationship between a company and its auditors should be limited primarily to the audit engagement, although it may include certain closely related activities that do not raise an appearance of impaired independence.

We will evaluate on a case-by-case basis instances in which the audit firm has a substantial non-audit relationship with a company to determine whether we believe independence has been, or could be, compromised.

Equity-based compensation plans

We believe that appropriately designed equity-based compensation plans, approved by shareholders, can be an effective way to align the interests of shareholders and the interests of directors, management, and employees by providing incentives to increase shareholder value. Conversely, we are opposed to plans that substantially dilute ownership interests in the company, provide participants with excessive awards, or have inherently objectionable structural features.

We will generally support measures intended to increase stock ownership by executives and the use of employee stock purchase plans to increase company stock ownership by employees. These may include:

These are guidelines, and we consider other factors, such as the nature of the industry and size of the company, when assessing a plan’s impact on ownership interests.

Corporate Structure

We view the exercise of shareholders’ rights, including the rights to act by written consent, to call special meetings and to remove directors, to be fundamental to good corporate governance.

Because classes of common stock with unequal voting rights limit the rights of certain shareholders, we generally believe that shareholders should have voting power equal to their equity interest in the company and should be able to approve or reject changes to a company’s by-laws by a simple majority vote.

We will generally support the ability of shareholders to cumulate their votes for the election of directors.

Appendix C

Millburn Ridgefield Corporation

PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

TYPES OF ACCOUNTS FOR WHICH Millburn Ridgefield Corporation VOTES PROXIES

Millburn Ridgefield Corporation (“Millburn”) in its capacity as general partner or investment adviser of its clients that hold securities directly (i.e., clients other than funds of funds or funds of managed accounts) votes proxies as follows: (i) for each client that has directly or impliedly authorized us to vote proxies in the investment management contract or otherwise; (ii) for each fund for which we act as adviser with the explicit or implied power to vote proxies; and (iii) for each ERISA account, if any, unless the plan document or investment advisory agreement specifically reserves the responsibility to vote proxies to the plan trustees.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

These policies and procedures are adopted in conformity with Rule 206(4)-6 promulgated under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). In voting proxies, Millburn is guided by general fiduciary principles. Millburn’s goal is to act prudently, solely in the best interest of the beneficial owners of the accounts for which it is voting, and, in the case of ERISA accounts, for the exclusive purpose of providing economic benefits to such persons. Millburn attempts to consider all factors of its vote that could affect the value of the investment and will vote proxies in the manner that it believes will be consistent with efforts to maximize shareholder values.

HOW MILLBURN VOTES

It is Millburn’s general policy, absent a particular reason to the contrary, to vote with management’s recommendations on routine matters. For non-recurring extraordinary matters, Millburn votes on a case-by-case basis, generally following the suggestions for such matters detailed below. If there is a non-recurring extraordinary matter for which there is no suggestion detailed below, Millburn votes on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the General Guidelines set forth above in Section II above.

Millburn may deviate from the general policies and procedures outlined herein when it determines that the particular circumstances warrant such deviation and in order to serve the best interests of its clients. No guidelines can provide an exhaustive list of all issues that may arise nor can Millburn anticipate all future situations.

UnjustIfiable costs

In certain situations, after doing a cost-benefit analysis, Millburn may abstain from voting where the cost of voting the client’s proxy would exceed the anticipated benefits to the client of the proxy proposal. Any such abstention and the reasons thereof shall be memorialized.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

At times, conflicts may arise between the interests of a client or account, on the one hand, and the interests of Millburn or its affiliates, on the other hand. If Millburn determines that it has, or may be perceived to have, a conflict of interest when voting a proxy, Millburn will address matters involving such conflicts of interest as follows:

if a proposal is addressed by the specific policies herein, Millburn will vote in accordance with such policies. Any decision to vote a proxy other than in accordance with the specific policies herein will be brought to the attention of the Chief Compliance Officer and that proxy will become subject to the requirements of (3) or (4) below, as applicable;

if Millburn believes it is in the best interest of a client or account to depart from the specific policies provided for herein, Millburn will be subject to the requirements of (3) or (4) below, as applicable;

if the proxy proposal is (a) not addressed by the specific policies or (b) requires a case-by-case determination by Millburn, Millburn may vote such proxy as it determines to be in the best interest of the client or account, without taking any action described in (4) below, provided that such vote would be against Millburn’s own interest in the matter (i.e., against the perceived or actual conflict). Millburn will memorialize the rationale for such vote in writing; and

if the proxy proposal is (a) not addressed by the specific policies or (b) requires a case-by-case determination by Millburn, and Millburn believes it should vote in a way that may also benefit, or be perceived to benefit, its own interest, then Millburn must take one of the following actions in voting such proxy:

VOTING POLICY

These are policy guidelines that can always be superseded, subject to the duty to act solely in the best interest of the beneficial owners of accounts, by the investment management professionals responsible for the account with respect to which shares are being voted.

Election of Directors

Voting on Director Nominees in Uncontested Elections.

We vote for director nominees.

Chairman and CEO is the Same Person.

We vote against shareholder proposals that would require the positions of Chairman and CEO to be held by different persons.

Majority of Independent Directors

We vote for shareholder proposals that request that the board be comprised of a majority of independent directors. In determining whether an independent director is truly independent (e.g., when voting on a slate of director candidates), we consider certain factors including, but not necessarily limited to, the following: (i) whether the director or his/her company provided professional services to the company or its affiliates either currently or in the past year; (ii) whether the director has any transactional relationship with the company; (iii) whether the director is a significant customer or supplier of the company; (iv) whether the director is employed by a foundation or university that received grants or endowments from the company or its affiliates; and (v) whether there are interlocking directorships.

We vote for shareholder proposals that request that the board audit, compensation and/or nominating committees include independent directors exclusively.

Stock Ownership Requirements

We vote against shareholder proposals requiring directors to own a minimum amount of company stock in order to qualify as a director, or to remain on the board.

Term of Office

We vote against shareholder proposals to limit the tenure of independent directors.

Director and Officer Indemnification and Liability Protection

Subject to subparagraphs 2, 3, and 4 below, we vote for proposals concerning director and officer indemnification and liability protection.

We vote for proposals to limit, and against proposals to eliminate entirely, director and officer liability for monetary damages for violating the duty of care.

We vote against indemnification proposals that would expand coverage beyond just legal expenses to acts, such as negligence, that are more serious violations of fiduciary obligations than mere carelessness.

We vote for only those proposals that provide such expanded coverage noted in subparagraph 3 above in cases when a director’s or officer’s legal defense was unsuccessful if: (i) the director was found to have acted in good faith and in a manner that he reasonably believed was in the best interests of the company, and (ii) only the director’s legal expenses would be covered.

Charitable Contributions

We vote against proposals to eliminate, direct or otherwise restrict charitable contributions.

Mandatory Retirement Ages

We vote on a case-by-case basis for proposals to set mandatory retirement ages prior to age 80 for directors. We vote for proposals to set a mandatory retirement age of 80 for directors.

Proxy Contests

Voting for Director Nominees in Contested Elections

We vote on a case-by-case basis in contested elections of directors.

Reimburse Proxy Solicitation Expenses

We vote on a case-by-case basis against proposals to provide full reimbursement for dissidents waging a proxy contest.

Auditors

Ratifying Auditors

We vote for proposals to ratify auditors, unless an auditor has a financial interest in or association with the company, and is therefore not independent; or there is reason to believe that the independent auditor has rendered an opinion that is neither accurate nor indicative of the company’s financial position or there is reason to believe the independent auditor has not followed the highest level of ethical conduct. Specifically, we will vote to ratify auditors if the auditors only provide the company audit and audit-related services and such other non-audit services the provision of which will not cause such auditors to lose their independence under applicable laws, rules and regulations.

Proxy Contest Defenses

Board Structure: Staggered vs. Annual Elections

We vote against proposals to classify the board, except in the case of registered, closed-end investment companies.

We vote for proposals to repeal classified boards and to elect all directors annually, except in the case of registered, closed-end investment companies.

Shareholder Ability to Remove Directors

We vote against proposals that provide that directors may be removed only for cause, except in the case of registered, closed-end investment companies.

We vote for proposals to restore shareholder ability to remove directors with or without cause, except in the case of registered, closed-end investment companies.

We vote against proposals that provide that only continuing directors may elect replacements to fill board vacancies, except in the case of registered, closed-end investment companies.

We vote for proposals that permit shareholders to elect directors to fill board vacancies, except in the case of registered, closed-end investment companies.

Cumulative Voting

We vote against proposals to eliminate cumulative voting.

We vote for proposals to permit cumulative voting if there is an indication of a gap in the company’s corporate governance.

Shareholder Ability to Call Special Meetings

We vote against proposals to restrict or prohibit shareholder ability to call special meetings, except in the case of registered investment companies.

We vote for proposals that remove restrictions on the right of shareholders to act independently of management.

Shareholder Ability to Act by Written Consent

We vote against proposals to restrict or prohibit shareholder ability to take action by written consent.

We vote for proposals to allow or make easier shareholder action by written consent.

Shareholder Ability to Alter the Size of the Board

We vote for proposals that seek to fix the size of the board.

We vote against proposals that give management the ability to alter the size of the board without shareholder approval.

Tender Offer Defenses

Poison Pills

We vote for shareholder proposals that ask a company to submit its poison pill for shareholder ratification.

We vote on a case-by-case basis for shareholder proposals to redeem a company’s poison pill.

We vote on a case-by-case basis management proposals to ratify a poison pill.

Fair Price Provisions

We vote for fair price proposals, as long as the shareholder vote requirement embedded in the provision is no more than a majority of disinterested shares.

We vote for shareholder proposals to lower the shareholder vote requirement in existing fair price provisions.

Freeze-Out Provisions

We vote for proposals to opt out of state freeze-out provisions.

Greenmail

We vote for proposals to adopt anti-greenmail charter or bylaw amendments or otherwise restrict a company’s ability to make greenmail payments.

We vote on a case-by-case basis for anti-greenmail proposals when they are bundled with other charter or bylaw amendments.

Unequal Voting Rights

We vote against dual class exchange offers.

We vote against dual class re-capitalization.

Supermajority Shareholder Vote Requirement to Amend the Charter or Bylaws

We vote against management proposals to require a supermajority shareholder vote to approve charter and bylaw amendments, except in the case of registered, closed-end investment companies.

We vote for shareholder proposals to lower supermajority shareholder vote requirements for charter and bylaw amendments.

Supermajority Shareholder Vote Requirement to Approve Mergers

We vote against management proposals to require a supermajority shareholder vote to approve mergers and other significant business combinations, except in the case of registered, closed-end investment companies.

We vote for shareholder proposals to lower supermajority shareholder vote requirements for mergers and other significant business combinations.

White Squire Placements

We vote for shareholder proposals to require approval of blank check preferred stock issues.

Miscellaneous Governance Provisions

Confidential Voting

We vote for shareholder proposals that request corporations to adopt confidential voting, use independent tabulators and use independent inspectors of election.

We vote for management proposals to adopt confidential voting.

Equal Access

Except for registered, closed-end investment companies, we vote for shareholder proposals that would allow significant company shareholders equal access to management’s proxy material in order to evaluate and propose voting recommendations on proxy proposals and director nominees, and in order to nominate their own candidates to the board.

Bundled Proposals

We vote on a case-by-case basis for bundled or “conditioned” proxy proposals. In the case of items that are conditioned upon each other, we examine the benefits and costs of the packaged items. In instances when the joint effect of the conditioned items is not in shareholders’ best interests and therefore not in the best interests of the beneficial owners of accounts, we vote against the proposals. If the combined effect is positive, we support such proposals.

Amend Bylaws without Shareholder Consent

Vote against proposal giving the board exclusive authority to amend the bylaws.

Vote for proposals giving the board the ability to amend the bylaws with shareholders consent.

Shareholder Advisory Committees

We vote on a case-by-case basis for proposals to establish a shareholder advisory committee.

Capital Structure

Common Stock Authorization

We vote on a case-by-case basis for proposals to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issue, except as described below.

We vote for the approval requesting increases in authorized shares if the company meets certain criteria:

Company has already issued a certain percentage (i.e., greater than 50%) of the company’s allotment.

The proposed increase is reasonable (i.e., less than 150% of current inventory) based on an analysis of the company’s historical stock management or future growth outlook of the company.

Stock Distributions: Splits and Dividends

We vote on a case-by-case basis for management proposals to increase common share authorization for a stock split, provided that the split does not result in an increase of authorized but unissued shares of more than 100% after giving effect to the shares needed for the split.

Reverse Stock Splits

We vote for management proposals to implement a reverse stock split, provided that the reverse split does not result in an increase of authorized but unissued shares of more than 100% after giving effect to the shares needed for the reverse split.

Blank Check Preferred Stock Authorization

We vote against proposals to create, authorize or increase the number of shares with regard to blank check preferred stock with unspecified voting, conversion, dividend distribution and other rights.

Shareholder Proposals Regarding Blank Check Preferred Stock

We vote for proposals requiring a shareholder vote for blank check preferred stock issues.

Adjust Par Value of Common Stock

We vote for management proposals to reduce the par value of common stock.

Pre-emptive Rights

We vote on a case-by-case basis for shareholder proposals seeking to establish them and consider the following factors:

size of the company.

characteristics of the size of the holding (i.e., holder owning more than 1% of the outstanding shares).

percentage of the rights offering (i.e., rule of thumb is less than 5%).

We vote on a case-by-case basis for shareholder proposals seeking the elimination of pre-emptive rights.

Debt Restructuring

We vote on a case-by-case basis for proposals to increase common and/or preferred shares and to issue shares as part of a debt-restructuring plan. Generally, we approve proposals that facilitate debt restructuring.

Share Repurchase Programs

We vote for management proposals to institute open-market share repurchase plans in which all shareholders may participate on equal terms.

Executive and Director Compensation

In general, we vote for executive and director compensation plans, with the view that viable compensation programs reward the creation of stockholder wealth by having high payout sensitivity to increases in shareholder value. Certain factors, however, such as repricing underwater stock options without shareholder approval, would cause us to vote against a plan. Additionally, in some cases we would vote against a plan deemed unnecessary.

Shareholder Proposals to Limit Executive and Director Pay

We vote on a case-by-case basis for all shareholder proposals that seek additional disclosure of executive and director pay information.

We vote on a case-by-case basis for all other shareholder proposals that seek to limit executive and director pay. We have a policy of voting to limit the level of options and other equity-based compensation arrangements available to management to limit shareholder dilution and management overcompensation. We would vote against any proposals or amendments that would cause the available awards to exceed a threshold of 10% of outstanding fully diluted shares (i.e., if the combined total of shares, common share equivalents and options available to be awarded under all current and proposed compensation plans exceeds 10% of fully diluted shares). We also review the annual award as a percentage of fully diluted shares outstanding.

Golden Parachutes

We vote for shareholder proposals to have golden parachutes submitted for shareholder ratification.

We vote on a case-by-case basis all proposals to ratify or cancel golden parachutes.

Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)

We vote for proposals that request shareholder approval in order to implement an ESOP or to increase authorized shares for existing ESOPs, except in cases when the number of shares allocated to the ESOP is “excessive” (i.e., generally greater than five percent of outstanding shares).

401(k) Employee Benefit Plans

We vote for proposals to implement a 401(k) savings plan for employees.

State/Country of Incorporation

Voting on State Takeover Statutes

We vote on a case-by-case basis for proposals to opt in or out of state takeover statutes (including control share acquisition statutes, control share cash-out statutes, freeze out provisions, fair price provisions, stakeholder laws, poison pill endorsements, severance pay and labor contract provisions, anti-greenmail provisions, and disgorgement provisions).

Voting on Re-incorporation Proposals

We vote on a case-by-case basis for proposals to change a company’s state or country of incorporation.

Mergers and Corporate Restructuring

Mergers and Acquisitions

We vote on a case-by-case basis for mergers and acquisitions. In determining our vote on mergers and acquisitions, we also analyze the following factors, among others: