STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

December 1, 2022

 

ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund

Institutional Shares (ABRVX)

Investor Shares (ABRTX)

 

ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund

Institutional Shares (ABRSX)

Investor Shares (ABRJX)

 

ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund

Institutional Shares (VOLSX)

Investor Shares (VOLJX)

 

Investment Adviser:

 

ABR Dynamic Funds, LLC

17 State Street

Suite 725

New York, NY 10004

www.abrdynamicfunds.com

 

Account Information and Shareholder Services:

 

ABR Dynamic Funds

P.O. Box 588

Portland, Maine 04112

(855)  422-4518 (toll free) [email protected]

 

This Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”) supplements the prospectus dated December 1, 2022, as it may be amended from time to time (the “Prospectus”), offering Institutional Shares and Investor Shares of the ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund, ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund and ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund (each a the “Fund“; and collectively the "Funds"), a separate series of Forum Funds II (the “Trust”). This SAI is not a prospectus and should only be read in conjunction with the Prospectus. You may obtain the Prospectus without charge by contacting Atlantic Fund Administration, LLC (d/b/a Apex Fund Services) (“Apex Fund Services”, “Apex” or “Administrator”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex US Holdings LLC, at the address, telephone number or e-mail address listed above. You may also obtain the Prospectus on the Adviser’s website listed above. This SAI is incorporated by reference into the Funds' Prospectus. In other words, it is legally a part of the Prospectus.

 

Financial statements for the ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund, ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund and ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund for the year ended July 31, 2022 are included in the Annual Report to shareholders and are incorporated into this SAI by reference. Copies of the Funds' Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report may be obtained without charge and upon request, by contacting Apex Fund Services at the address, telephone number or e-mail address listed above. You may also obtain copies of each Fund’s most recent Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report, when they are available, on the Adviser’s website listed above.

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

KEY DEFINED TERMS 1
INVESTMENT POLICIES AND RISKS 2
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS 9
BOARD OF TRUSTEES, MANAGEMENT AND SERVICE PROVIDERS 11
A. Board of Trustees 11
B. Principal Officers of the Trust 14
C. Ownership of Securities of the Adviser and Related Companies 14
D. Information Concerning Trust Committees 15
E. Compensation of Trustees and Officers 15
F. Investment Adviser 15
G. Distributor 18
H. Other Fund Service Providers 19
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS 21
A. How Securities are Purchased and Sold 21
B. Commissions Paid 21
C. Adviser Responsibility for Purchases and Sales and Choosing Broker-Dealers 21
D. Counterparty Risk 22
E. Transactions through Affiliates 22
F. Other Accounts of the Adviser 22
G. Portfolio Turnover 22
H. Securities of Regular Broker-Dealers 22
I. Portfolio Holdings 23
PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION INFORMATION 25
A. General Information 25
B. Additional Purchase Information 25
C. Additional Redemption Information 25
TAXATION 27
A. Qualification for Treatment as a Regulated Investment Company 27
B. Fund Distributions 29
C. Certain Tax Rules Applicable to Fund Transactions 30
D. Federal Excise Tax 32
E. Redemption of Shares 33
F. State and Local Taxes 33
G. Foreign Income Tax 33
H. Backup Withholding 34
I. Non-U.S. Investors 34
OTHER MATTERS 35
A. The Trust and Its Shareholders 35
B. Fund Ownership 36
C. Limitations on Shareholders’ and Trustees’ Liability 36
D. Proxy Voting Procedures 37
E. Code of Ethics 37
F. Registration Statement 37
G. Financial Statements 37
APPENDIX A – DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS A-1
APPENDIX B – MISCELLANEOUS TABLES B-1
APPENDIX C – TRUST PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES C-1
APPENDIX D – ADVISER PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES D-1

 

 

KEY DEFINED TERMS

 

As used in this SAI, the following terms have the meanings listed.

 

“1933 Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, including rules, regulations, SEC interpretations, and any exemptive orders or interpretive relief promulgated thereunder.

 

“1940 Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, including rules, regulations, SEC interpretations, and any exemptive orders or interpretive relief promulgated thereunder.

 

“Adviser” or “ABR” means ABR Dynamic Funds, LLC, the Funds' investment adviser.

 

“Board” means the Board of Trustees of the Trust.

 

“CFTC” means the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

 

“Independent Trustees” means trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust, as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act.

 

“IRC” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

 

“IRS” means the Internal Revenue Service.

 

“NAV” means net asset value per share.

 

“RIC” means a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the IRC.

 

“SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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INVESTMENT POLICIES AND RISKS

 

The ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund and ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund are open-ended, diversified series of the Trust, and the ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund is an open-ended, non-diversified series of the Trust. This section supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, the Prospectus. Please see the Prospectus for a discussion of each Fund’s investment objective, principal investment strategies and principal risks of investing in each Fund. That said, the following paragraphs provide more detail regarding each Fund’s investment policies and the associated risks.

 

Non-Diversification

 

The ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund is non-diversified under the 1940 Act, which means that there is no restriction as to how much the ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund may invest in the securities of any one issuer. However, to qualify for tax treatment as a regulated investment company under the IRC, the ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund intends to comply, as of the end of each fiscal quarter, with certain diversification requirements imposed by the IRC. Pursuant to these requirements, at the end of each fiscal quarter, the ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund, among other things, will not have investments in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government securities and RICs) of more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets. In addition, the ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund, with respect to 50% of its total assets, will not have investments in the securities of any issuer equal to 5% of the Fund’s total assets, and will not purchase more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer.

 

Focusing investments in a small number of issuers or industries increases risk. Funds that are “non-diversified” may invest a greater percentage of their assets in the securities of a single issuer than funds that are “diversified.” Funds that invest in a relatively small number of issuers are more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a more diversified fund might be. Some of those issuers also may present substantial credit or other risks.

 

Regulatory Events

 

Legal, tax and regulatory changes could occur that may adversely affect each Fund and its ability to pursue its investment strategies and/or increase the costs of implementing such strategies. The U.S. Government, the Federal Reserve, the Treasury, the SEC, the CTFC, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and other governmental and regulatory bodies have taken or are considering taking actions in light of the 2008 financial crisis. These actions include, but are not limited to, the enactment by the United States Congress of the “Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act,” which was signed into law on July 21, 2010, and imposes a new regulatory framework over the U.S. financial services industry and the consumer credit markets in general, and proposed regulations by the SEC. Given the broad scope, sweeping nature, and relatively recent enactment of some of these regulatory measures, the potential impact they could have on securities held by each Fund is unknown. There can be no assurance that these measures will not have an adverse effect on the value or marketability of securities held by each Fund. Furthermore, no assurance can be made that the U.S. Government or any U.S. regulatory body (or other authority or regulatory body) will not continue to take further legislative or regulatory action in response to the continuing economic turmoil or otherwise, and the effect of such actions, if taken, cannot be known.

 

Equity Securities

 

Common stocks, preferred stocks, convertible securities, rights, warrants and American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) are examples of equity securities in which each Fund may invest. All investments in equity securities are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles and the value of the securities in each Fund’s portfolio may fluctuate substantially from day to day. Owning an equity security can also subject each Fund to the risk that the issuer may discontinue paying dividends.

 

Common Stocks. A common stock represents a proportionate share of the ownership of a company and its value is based on the success of the company’s business, any income paid to stockholders, the value of its assets, and general market conditions. In addition to the general risks set forth above, investments in common stocks are subject to the risk that in the event a company in which each Fund invests is liquidated, the holders of preferred stock and creditors of that company will be paid in full before any payments are made to each Fund as a holder of common stock. It is possible that all assets of that company will be exhausted before any payments are made to each Fund.

 

Preferred Stocks. Each Fund may invest in preferred stocks. A preferred stock blends the characteristics of a bond and common stock. It can offer the fixed dividends of a bond and the equity ownership of a common stock. Unlike common stock, its participation in the issuer’s growth may be limited. Preferred stock prices tend to fluctuate with changes in interest rates rather than the issuing company’s business prospects. Preferred stock has priority claim over common stock: (a) in the 

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receipt of dividends, and (b) should the issuer be dissolved, in any residual assets after payment to creditors. Although the dividend is set at a fixed annual rate, in some circumstances it can be changed or omitted by the issuer.

 

Rights and Warrants. Each Fund may invest in rights and warrants. A right is a privilege granted to existing shareholders of a corporation to subscribe to shares of a new issue of common stock and it is issued. Rights normally have a short life, usually two to four weeks, are freely transferable and entitle the holder to buy the new common stock at a lower price than the current market. Warrants are options to purchase equity securities at a specific price for a specific period of time. They do not represent ownership of the securities, but only the right to buy them. Hence, warrants have no voting rights, pay no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the corporation issuing them. The value of warrants is derived solely from capital appreciation of the underlying equity securities. Warrants differ from call options in that the underlying corporation issues warrants, whereas call options may be written by anyone.

 

An investment in rights and warrants may entail greater risks than certain other types of investments. Generally, rights and warrants do not carry the right to receive dividends or exercise voting rights with respect to the underlying securities, and they do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuer. In addition, although their value is influenced by the value of the underlying security, their value does not necessarily change with the value of the underlying securities, and they cease to have value if they are not exercised on or before their expiration date. Investing in rights and warrants increases the potential profit or loss to be realized from the investment as compared with investing the same amount in the underlying securities. Investments in warrants involve certain risks, including the possible lack of a liquid market for resale of the warrants, potential price fluctuations as a result of speculation or other factors, and failure of the price of the underlying security to reach or have reasonable prospects of reaching a level at which the warrant can be prudently exercised (in which event the warrant may expire without being exercised, resulting in a loss of each Fund’s entire investment therein).

 

Investment Company Securities and Exchange Traded Products

 

Each Fund may invest in shares of other registered investment companies including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), money market funds and other mutual funds, in pursuit of its investment objective, subject to the limitations set forth in the 1940 Act. This may include investment in money market mutual funds in connection with each Fund’s management of daily cash positions.

 

Exchange-Traded Funds. Most ETFs are open-end investment companies whose shares are listed on a national securities exchange. An ETF is similar to a traditional mutual fund, but trades at different prices during the day on a security exchange like a stock. Similar to investments in other investment companies discussed above, each Fund’s investments in ETFs will involve duplication of management fees and other expenses since each Fund will be investing in another investment company. In addition, each Fund’s investment in ETFs is also subject to its limitations on investments in investment companies discussed above. To the extent each Fund invests in ETFs which focus on a particular market segment or industry, each Fund will also be subject to the risks associated with investing in those sectors or industries. The shares of the ETFs in which each Fund will invest will be listed on a national securities exchange and each Fund will purchase or sell these shares on the secondary market at its current market price, which may be more or less than its NAV.

 

As a purchaser of ETF shares on the secondary market, each Fund will be subject to the market risk associated with owning any security whose value is based on market price. ETF shares historically have tended to trade at or near their NAV, but there is no guarantee that they will continue to do so. Unlike traditional mutual funds, shares of an ETF may also be purchased and redeemed directly from the ETFs only in large blocks (typically 50,000 shares or more) and only through participating organizations that have entered into contractual agreements with the ETF. Each Fund does not expect to enter into such agreements and therefore will not be able to purchase and redeem its ETF shares directly from the ETF.

 

Exchange-Traded Notes. Each Fund may invest in Exchange Traded Notes (“ETNs”), which are similar to ETFs in that they may be designed to provide returns that track an index; ETNs are different from ETFs, however, in one important respect. They are not secured by an underlying pool of assets, but rather are notes (or debt securities) secured only by the ability of the issuer to pay.

 

Each Fund may invest also in other Exchange Traded Products (“ETPs”) that, like an ETF, invest in a pool of assets and are traded on an exchange. ETPs, however, are generally organized as commodity pools registered under the Commodity Exchange Act or as grantor trusts and are not registered as investment companies under the 1940 Act. This is due to the fact that they invest in, for example, commodities or currencies rather than securities.

 

Risks. Investments in the securities of other registered investment companies may involve duplication of management fees and certain other expenses. By investing in another investment company, each Fund will become a shareholder of that 

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investment company. As a result, Fund shareholders indirectly will bear each Fund’s proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by shareholders of the other investment company, in addition to the fees and expenses Fund shareholders directly bear in connection with each Fund’s own operations. Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act generally prohibits each Fund from purchasing (1) more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of another fund; (2) securities of another fund having an aggregate value in excess of 5% of the value of the acquiring fund; and (3) securities of the other fund and all other funds having an aggregate value in excess of 10% of the value of the total assets of the acquiring fund. There are some exceptions, however, to these limitations pursuant to various rules promulgated by the SEC.

 

As a shareholder, each Fund must rely on the investment company to achieve its investment objective. If the investment company or another investment company fails to achieve its investment objective, the value of each Fund’s investment will decline, adversely affecting each Fund’s performance. Because ETFs are generally investments companies, owning an ETF generally entails the same risks of owning investment company securities. Investments in ETFs are also subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to each Fund and lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in its market price being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. In addition, because ETFs are listed on national stock exchanges and are traded like stocks listed on an exchange, ETF shares potentially may trade at a discount or a premium to the ETF’s NAV. Finally, because the value of ETF shares depends on the demand in the market, the Adviser may not be able to liquidate each Fund’s holdings at the most optimal time, adversely affecting each Fund’s performance.

 

Derivatives: Swaps and Futures

 

Derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments that have a value which depends upon, or is derived from, the value of something else, such as one or more underlying securities, pools of securities, options, futures, indexes or currencies. Gains or losses involving derivative instruments may be substantial, because a relatively small price movement in the underlying securities, instrument, currency or index may result in a substantial gain or loss for a Fund.

 

Futures Contracts. A futures contract is a bilateral agreement where one party agrees to accept, and the other party agrees to make, delivery of cash or underlying securities or commodities, as called for in the contract, at a specified date and at an agreed upon price. An index futures contract involves the delivery of an amount of cash equal to a specified dollar amount multiplied by the difference between the index value at the close of trading of the contract and at the price designated by the futures contract. Generally, these futures contracts are closed out prior to the expiration date of the contracts. A public market exists in futures contracts covering certain indexes, financial instruments and foreign currencies.

 

Risks of Futures Contracts. The risk of loss in trading futures contracts can be substantial, due to the low margin deposits required, the extremely high degree of leverage involved in futures pricing, and the potential high volatility of the futures markets. Futures prices are affected by and may respond rapidly to a variety of factors including (but not limited to) market reports, news reports, interest rates, national and international political and economic events, weather and domestic or foreign trades, monetary or fiscal policies and programs. Such rapid response might include an opening price on an affected futures contract sharply higher or lower than the previous day’s close. In the event of adverse price movements, each Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain its required margin. In such situations, if each Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily margin requirements (and segregation requirements, if applicable) at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so thus causing each Fund to incur a loss. In addition, on the settlement date, each Fund may be required to make delivery of the instruments underlying the futures positions it holds.

 

Each Fund could suffer losses if it is unable to close out a futures contract because of an illiquid secondary market. Futures contracts may be closed out only on an exchange, which provides a secondary market for such products. However, there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular futures product at any specific time. Thus, it may not be possible to close a futures position. Moreover, most futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movement during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses, because the limit may prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. Futures contract prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of future positions and subjecting some futures traders to substantial losses. The inability to close futures positions also could have an adverse impact on the ability to hedge a portfolio investment or to establish a substitute for a portfolio investment.

 

Each Fund bears the risk that the Adviser will incorrectly predict future market trends. If the Adviser attempts to use a futures contract as a hedge against, or as a substitute for, a portfolio investment, each Fund will be exposed to the risk that 

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the futures position will have or will develop imperfect or no correlation with the portfolio investment. This could cause substantial losses for each Fund. While hedging strategies involving futures products can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments.

 

Each Fund may use various futures contracts that are relatively new instruments without a significant trading history. As a result, there can be no assurance that an active secondary market in those contracts will develop or continue to exist. Each Fund’s activities in the futures markets may result in higher portfolio turnover rates and additional brokerage costs, which could reduce each Fund’s yield.

 

Swaps Transactions. Each Fund may engage in swaps, including, but not limited to, interest rate, currency and equity swaps, and the purchase or sale of related caps, floors, collars and other derivative instruments. Each Fund expects to enter into these transactions to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or portion of the portfolio’s duration, to protect against any increase in the price of securities each Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date, or to gain exposure to certain markets in the most economical way possible.

 

Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by each Fund with another party of their respective commitments to receive or pay interest (e.g., an exchange of fixed rate payments for floating rate payments) with respect to a notional amount of principal. Currency swaps involve the exchange of cash flows on a notional amount based on changes in the values of referenced currencies.

 

The purchase of a cap entitles the purchaser to receive payments on a notional principal amount from the party selling the cap to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined interest rate or amount. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser to receive payments on a notional principal amount from the party selling the floor to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate or amount. A collar is a combination of a cap and a floor that preserves a certain return with a predetermined range of interest rates or values.

 

The use of swaps involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. If the Adviser is incorrect in its forecast of market values, interest rates and other applicable factors, the investment performance of each Fund will be less favorable than it would have been if this investment technique was never used. Swaps do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets or principal, and are subject to counterparty risk. If the other party to a swap defaults and fails to consummate the transaction, each Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of interest payments that each Fund is contractually entitled to receive.

 

Under IRS rules, any lump sum payment received or due under the notional principal contract must be amortized over the life of the contract using the appropriate methodology prescribed by the IRS.

 

Equity swaps or other swaps relating to securities or other instruments are based on changes in the value of the underlying securities or instruments. For example, an equity swap might involve an exchange of the value of a particular security or securities index in a certain notional amount for the value of another security or index or for the value of interest on that notional amount at a specified fixed or variable rate. Each Fund will only enter into an equity swap contract on a net basis, i.e., the two parties’ obligations are netted out, with each Fund paying or receiving, as the case may be, only the net amount of the payments. Payments under an equity swap contract may be made at the conclusion of the contract or periodically during its term.

 

If there is a default by the counterparty to a swap contract, each Fund will be limited to contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. There is no assurance that a swap contract counterparty will be able to meet its obligations pursuant to the swap contract or that, in the event of a default, each Fund will succeed in pursuing contractual remedies. Each Fund thus assumes the risk that it may be delayed in or prevented from obtaining payments owed to it pursuant to a swap contract. However, the amount at risk is only the net unrealized gain, if any, on the swap, not the entire notional amount. The Adviser will closely monitor, subject to the oversight of the Board, the creditworthiness of swap counterparties in order to minimize the risk of swaps. To the extent that each Fund cannot dispose of a swap in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the value at which each Fund has valued the swap, each Fund will treat the swap as illiquid and subject to its overall limit on illiquid investments of 15% of each Fund’s net assets.

 

Risks. Leverage creates the risk of magnified capital losses. Leverage may involve the creation of a liability that requires each Fund to pay interest (for instance, reverse repurchase agreements) or the creation of a liability that does not entail any interest costs (for instance, forward commitment costs).

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The risks of leverage include a higher volatility of the NAV of each Fund’s securities which may be magnified by favorable or adverse market movements or changes in the cost of cash obtained by leveraging and the yield from invested cash. So long as each Fund is able to realize a net return on its investment portfolio that is higher than interest expense incurred, if any, leverage will result in higher current net investment income for each Fund than if each Fund were not leveraged. Changes in interest rates and related economic factors could cause the relationship between the cost of leveraging and the yield to change so that rates involved in the leveraging arrangement may substantially increase relative to the yield on the obligations in which the proceeds of the leveraging have been invested. To the extent that the interest expense involved in leveraging approaches the net return on each Fund’s investment portfolio, the benefit of leveraging will be reduced, and, if the interest expense incurred as a result of leveraging on borrowings were to exceed the net return to investors, each Fund’s use of leverage would result in a lower rate of return than if each Fund were not leveraged. In an extreme case, if each Fund’s current investment income were not sufficient to meet the interest expense of leveraging, it could be necessary for each Fund to liquidate certain of its investments at an inappropriate time.

 

Short-Term Investments

 

Each Fund may invest in any of the following securities and instruments:

 

Bank Certificates of Deposit, Bankers’ Acceptances and Time Deposits. Each Fund may acquire bank certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and time deposits. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against monies deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return. Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are “accepted” by a bank, meaning in effect that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity. Certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances acquired by each Fund will be dollar-denominated obligations of domestic or foreign banks or financial institutions which at the time of purchase have capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100 million (including assets of both domestic and foreign branches), based on latest published reports, or less than $100 million if the principal amount of such bank obligations are fully insured by the U.S. Government. If each Fund holds instruments of foreign banks or financial institutions, it may be subject to additional investment risks that are different in some respects from those incurred by a fund that invests only in debt obligations of U.S. domestic issuers. Such risks include future political and economic developments, the possible imposition of withholding taxes by the particular country in which the issuer is located on interest income payable on the securities, the possible seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits, the possible establishment of exchange controls, or the adoption of other foreign governmental restrictions which might adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on these securities.

 

Domestic banks and foreign banks are subject to different governmental regulations with respect to the amount and types of loans that may be made and interest rates that may be charged. In addition, the profitability of the banking industry depends largely upon the availability and cost of funds for the purpose of financing lending operations under prevailing money market conditions. General economic conditions as well as exposure to credit losses arising from possible financial difficulties of borrowers play an important part in the operations of the banking industry.

 

As a result of federal and state laws and regulations, domestic banks are, among other things, required to maintain specified levels of reserves, limited in the amount which they can loan to a single borrower, and subject to other regulations designed to promote financial soundness. Such laws and regulations, however, do not necessarily apply to foreign bank obligations that each Fund may acquire.

 

In addition to purchasing certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances, to the extent permitted under its investment objective and policies stated above and in its Prospectus, each Fund may make interest-bearing time or other interest-bearing deposits in commercial or savings banks. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained at a banking institution for a specified period of time at a specified interest rate.

 

Commercial Paper, Short-Term Notes and Other Corporate Obligations. Each Fund may invest a portion of its assets in commercial paper and short-term notes. Commercial paper consists of unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations. Issues of commercial paper and short-term notes will normally have maturities of less than nine months and fixed rates of return, although such instruments may have maturities of up to one year. Commercial paper and short-term notes will consist of issues rated at the time of purchase “A 2” or higher by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group (“S&P”), “Prime-1” or “Prime-2” by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or similarly rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, will be determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality. These rating symbols are described in the Appendix. 

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Corporate obligations include bonds and notes issued by corporations to finance longer-term credit needs than supported by commercial paper. While such obligations generally have maturities of ten years or more, each Fund may purchase corporate obligations which have remaining maturities of one year or less from the date of purchase and which are rated “AA” or higher by S&P or “Aa” or higher by Moody’s.

 

Illiquid Securities

 

Each Fund may hold up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities, including (i) securities for which there is no readily available market; (ii) securities the disposition of which would be subject to legal restrictions (so called, “restricted securities”); and (iii) repurchase agreements having more than seven days to maturity. A considerable period of time may elapse between each Fund’s decision to dispose of such securities and the time when each Fund is able to dispose of them, during which time the value of the securities could decline. An illiquid security is a security that cannot be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven calendar days at approximately the value ascribed to it by each Fund.

 

Restricted securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, that have a readily available market usually are not deemed illiquid for purposes of this limitation by each Fund. Investing in Rule 144A securities, however, could result in increasing the level of each Fund’s illiquidity if qualified institutional buyers become, for a time, uninterested in purchasing these securities.

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents

 

A Fund may invest a portion of its assets in cash or cash items pending other investments, to maintain liquid assets required in connection with some of each Fund’s investments or while assuming a temporary defensive position. These cash items may consist of money market instruments (such as securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper and certificates of deposit) or other cash instruments of any quality.

 

Money market instruments usually have maturities of one year or less and fixed rates of return. The money market instruments in which a Fund may invest include short-term U.S. Government Securities, commercial paper, time deposits, bankers’ acceptances and certificates of deposit issued by domestic banks, corporate notes and short-term bonds and money market mutual funds. The Funds may only invest in money market mutual funds to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act.

 

The money market instruments in which a Fund may invest may have variable or floating rates of interest. These obligations include master demand notes that permit investment of fluctuating amounts at varying rates of interest pursuant to direct arrangement with the issuer of the instrument. The issuer of these obligations often has the right, after a given period, to prepay the outstanding principal amount of the obligations upon a specified number of days’ notice. These obligations generally are not traded, nor generally is there an established secondary market for these obligations. To the extent a demand note does not have a 7-day or shorter demand feature and there is no readily available market for the obligation, it is treated as an illiquid security.

 

Cyber-Security

 

Each Fund, and its service providers, may be prone to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks include, among other behaviors, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, denial of service attacks on websites, the unauthorized release of confidential information or various other forms of cyber security breaches. Cyber-attacks affecting each Fund or its third-party service providers may adversely impact each Fund. For instance, cyber-attacks may interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact each Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential business information, impede trading, subject each Fund to regulatory fines or financial losses and/or cause reputational damage. Each Fund may also incur additional costs for cyber security risk management purposes. While each Fund’s service providers have established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber-attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, each Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect a Fund or its shareholders. Similar types of cyber security risks are also present for issues or securities in which each Fund may invest, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause each Fund’s investment in such companies to lose value. 

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CFTC Regulation

 

The Adviser is registered as a “commodity pool operator” (“CPO”) under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) and the rules of the CFTC and is subject to CFTC regulation with respect to each Fund. The CFTC has adopted rules regarding the disclosure, reporting and recordkeeping requirements that apply with respect to each Fund as a result of the Adviser’s registration as a commodity pool operator. Generally, these rules allow for substituted compliance with CFTC disclosure and shareholder reporting requirements, based on the Adviser’s compliance with comparable SEC requirements. This means that for most of the CFTC’s disclosure and shareholder reporting applicable to the Adviser as each Fund’s CPO, the Adviser’s compliance with SEC disclosure and shareholder reporting will be deemed to fulfill the Adviser’s CFTC compliance obligations. However, as a result of CFTC regulation with respect to each Fund, each Fund may incur additional compliance and other expenses. The CFTC has neither reviewed nor approved each Fund, its investment strategies, its prospectus or this SAI.

 

Market Turbulence

 

The greatest risk of investing in a mutual fund is that its returns will fluctuate, and you could lose money. Turbulence in the financial sector may result in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets. Both domestic and foreign equity markets have experienced significant volatility and turmoil, with issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets particularly affected. It is uncertain whether or for how long these conditions could occur.

 

Reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect many issuers worldwide. This reduced liquidity may result in less money being available to purchase raw materials, goods and services from emerging markets, which may, in turn, bring down the prices of these economic staples. It may also result in emerging market issuers having more difficulty obtaining financing, which may, in turn, cause a decline in their stock prices. These events and possible market turbulence may have an adverse effect on the Fund.

 

The financial markets in which the Funds invest are subject to price volatility that could cause losses in a Fund. Market volatility may result from varied predictable and unpredictable factors. The recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus, first detected in December 2019, has resulted in disruptions to the economies of many nations, individual companies and the markets in general, the impact of which cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. The impact of the novel coronavirus, and other such future infectious diseases in certain regions or countries may perform better or worse due to the nature or level of their public health response or due to other factors. Health crises caused by the recent coronavirus outbreak or future infectious diseases may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries. The impact of the outbreak may be short term or may last for an extended period of time. This pandemic and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future could result in continued volatility in the financial markets and lead to increased levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Funds and could adversely affect a Fund’s performance, resulting in losses to your investment. 

8 

 

INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS

 

The Trust, on behalf of each Fund, has adopted the following investment policies which are fundamental policies that may not be changed without the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund. “A majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund,” as defined by the 1940 Act, means the affirmative vote of the lesser of (1) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of a Fund, or (2) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting, if more than 50% of the outstanding shares are represented at the meeting in person or by proxy.

 

Each Fund’s investment objective is a non-fundamental policy. Non-fundamental policies may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval.

 

For purposes of the Funds' investment limitations, all percentage limitations apply immediately after an investment. Except with respect to the borrowing money policy set forth in (1) below, if a percentage limitation is adhered to at the time of an investment, a later increase or decrease in the percentage resulting from any change in value or net assets will not result in a violation of such restrictions. In addition, if the value of a Fund’s holdings of illiquid securities at any time exceeds the percentage limitation applicable at the time of acquisition (15% of net assets) due to subsequent fluctuations in value or other reasons, the Adviser will consider what actions are appropriate to maintain adequate liquidity, such as an orderly disposition of the illiquid securities, to the extent possible. Further, each Fund continuously monitors its holdings in illiquid securities.

 

Fundamental Limitations. The Funds have adopted the following investment limitations that cannot be changed by the Board without shareholder approval.

 

1.  The Fund may not borrow money, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.

 

2.   The Fund may not issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.

 

3.  The Fund will not make loans, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.

 

4.  The Fund may not engage in the business of underwriting securities except to the extent that the Fund may be considered an underwriter within the meaning of the 1933 Act in the acquisition, disposition or resale of its portfolio securities or in connection with investments in other investment companies, or to the extent otherwise permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.

 

5.  The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief.

 

6.  The Fund will not purchase or sell physical commodities, unless such physical commodities are acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments; provided that for this purpose currencies are not considered physical commodities, and that this restriction shall not prevent the Fund from (i) purchasing or selling securities or instruments of companies that purchase or sell commodities or that invest in commodities; (ii) engaging in any transaction involving options, forwards, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, swaps, hybrid instruments, or other derivative instruments; or (iii) purchasing or selling investments in securities or engaging in transactions in other instruments that are linked to or secured by physical or other commodities.

 

7.  The Fund will not invest more than 25% of its total assets in a particular industry. 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.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to borrowing money set forth in (1) above, the 1940 Act permits a Fund to borrow money in amounts of up to one-third of a Fund’s total assets, at the time of borrowing, from banks for any purpose (a Fund’s total assets include the amounts being borrowed). To limit the risks attendant to borrowing, the 1940 Act requires a Fund to maintain at all times an “asset coverage” of at least 300% of the amount of its borrowings (not including borrowings for temporary purposes in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of a Fund’s total assets). In the event that such asset coverage falls below this percentage, a Fund is required to reduce the amount of its borrowings within three days (not including Sundays and holidays) so that the asset coverage is restored to at least 300%. Asset coverage means the ratio 

9 

 

that the value of a Fund’s total assets (including amounts borrowed), minus liabilities other than borrowings, bears to the aggregate amount of all borrowings.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to issuing senior securities set forth in (2) above, “senior securities” are defined as Fund obligations that have a priority over a Fund’s shares with respect to the payment of dividends or the distribution of Fund assets. The 1940 Act prohibits a Fund from issuing any class of senior securities or selling any senior securities of which it is the issuer, except that a Fund is permitted to borrow from a bank if consistent with the fundamental policy set forth in (1) above. The policy in (2) above will be interpreted not to prevent collateral arrangements with respect to options, forwards or futures contracts or other derivatives, or the posting of initial or variation margin.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to making loans set forth in (3) above, the 1940 Act does not prohibit a Fund from making loans; however, SEC staff interpretations currently prohibit registered investment companies from lending more than one-third of their total assets, except through the purchase of debt obligations.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to investing in real estate set forth in (5) above, a Fund may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, invest in securities or other instruments directly or indirectly secured by real estate and invest in securities or other instruments issued by issuers that invest in real estate. Investments in securities of issuers that are exposed to or invested in the real estate business will not be deemed to be a purchase or sale of real estate.

 

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to concentration set forth in (7) above, a Fund normally assesses its industry concentration by categorizing its investments by industry as identified by the Standard Industrial Classification (“SIC”) system. The SIC system categorizes issuers by industry based on the issuers’ primary business activities. No industry within a group of industries may individually represent greater than 25% of the Fund’s total assets. 

10 

 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES, MANAGEMENT AND SERVICE PROVIDERS

 

A. Board of Trustees

 

The Trust is governed by its Board of Trustees (the “Board” or “Trustees”). The Board oversees the management and operations of the Trust and the Funds, in accordance with federal law, Delaware law and the stated policies of the Funds. The Board oversees the Trust’s officers and service providers, including the Adviser, which is responsible for the management of the day-to-day operations of each Fund based on policies and agreements reviewed and approved by the Board. In carrying out these responsibilities, the Board regularly interacts with and receives reports from senior personnel of service providers and the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”). The Board also is assisted by the Trust’s independent auditor (which reports directly to the Trust’s Audit Committee), independent counsel and other experts as appropriate. The Trustees serve until their respective successors have been elected and qualified or until their earlier death, resignation or removal.

 

The fund complex includes the funds advised by ABR Dynamic Funds, LLC, which are the ABR Dynamic Blend Equity &  Volatility Fund, ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund and ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund (“Fund Complex”). The Funds do not hold themselves out as related to any other series within the Trust for purposes of investment and investor services, nor do they share the same investment adviser with any other series.

 

Board Structure and Related Matters. Independent Trustees constitute at least a majority of the Board members. David Tucker, an Independent Trustee, serves as Independent Chair of the Board. The Independent Chair’s responsibilities include: setting an agenda for each meeting of the Board; presiding at all meetings of the Board and Independent Trustees; and serving as a liaison with other trustees, the Trust’s officers, other management personnel and counsel to the Funds. The Independent Chair also performs such other duties as the Board may from time to time determine.

 

The Trustees discharge their responsibilities collectively as a Board, as well as through Board committees, each of which operates pursuant to a charter or procedures approved by the Board that delineates the specific responsibilities of that committee. The Board has established three standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Nominating Committee and the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee. The members and responsibilities of each Board committee are summarized below.

 

The Board periodically evaluates its structure and composition as well as various aspects of its operations. The Board believes that its leadership structure, including its Independent Chair position and its committees, is appropriate for the Trust in light of, among other factors, the asset size and nature of each Fund, the number of funds overseen by the Board, the arrangements for the conduct of each Fund’s operations, the number of trustees and the Board’s responsibilities. On an annual basis, the Board conducts a self-evaluation that considers, among other matters, whether the Board and its committees are functioning effectively and whether, given the size and composition of the Board and each of its committees, the Trustees are able to oversee effectively the number of funds.

 

The Board holds four regularly scheduled in-person meetings each year. The Board may hold special meetings, as needed, either in person or by telephone, to address matters arising between regular meetings. At least once per quarter during a regularly scheduled in-person meeting of the Board, the Independent Trustees meet without the presence of interested Trustees.

 

The Trustees are identified in the table below, which provides information as to their principal business occupations held during the last five years and certain other information. Each Trustee serves until his or her death, resignation or removal and replacement. The address for all Trustees is c/o Apex Fund Services, Three Canal Plaza, Suite 600, Portland, Maine 04101. 

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Name and Year

of Birth

Position with

the Trust

Length of

Time

Served

Principal

Occupation(s) During

Past Five Years

Number of

Series in Fund

Complex

Overseen

By Trustee

Other

Directorships

Held By

Trustee

During Past

Five Years

Independent Trustees
David Tucker
Born: 1958
Chairman of the Board; Trustee; Chairman, Nominating Committee and Qualified Legal Compliance Committee Since 2013 Director, Blue Sky Experience (a charitable endeavor), since 2008; Senior Vice President & General Counsel, American Century Companies (an investment management firm), 1998-2008. 3 Trustee, Forum Funds; Trustee, U.S. Global Investors Funds.
Mark D. Moyer
Born: 1959
Trustee; Chairman Audit Committee Since 2013 Chief Financial Officer, Freedom House (a NGO advocating political freedom and democracy), 2017-2021; independent consultant providing interim CFO services, principally to non-profit organizations, 2011- 2017. 3 Trustee, Forum Funds; Trustee, U.S. Global Investors Funds.
Jennifer
Brown-Strabley
Born: 1964
Trustee Since 2013 Principal, Portland Global Advisors (a registered investment adviser), 1996- 2010. 3 Trustee, Forum Funds; Trustee, U.S. Global Investors Funds.
Interested Trustees(1)
Jessica Chase Born: 1970 Trustee Since 2019 Director, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Senior Vice President, Atlantic Fund Services 2008-2019. 3 Trustee, Forum Funds; Trustee, U.S. Global Investors Funds.

 

(1) Jessica Chase is currently treated as an interested person of the Trust, as defined in the 1940 Act, due to her current affiliation with Apex Fund Services and her role as President of the Trust.

 

In addition to the information set forth in the table above, each Trustee possesses certain relevant qualifications, experience, attributes or skills. The following provides additional information about these qualifications and experience.

 

David Tucker: Mr. Tucker has extensive experience in the investment management industry, including experience in senior management, legal and compliance roles at two large mutual fund complexes; service on various committees of the Investment Company Institute (“ICI”); and director of ICI Mutual (a mutual insurance company sponsored by the investment company industry), including service as chairman of the underwriting, risk and fraud committees of ICI Mutual’s board of directors. Mr. Tucker actively serves charitable organizations in the metropolitan Kansas City area.

 

Mark D. Moyer: Mr. Moyer has extensive experience with finance. He has served as chief financial officer for two non-governmental organizations and a publicly-listed integrated media company. Mr. Moyer has also served as an adjunct professor of accounting at Fairfield University.

 

Jennifer Brown-Strabley: Ms. Brown-Strabley has extensive experience in the financial services and investment management industry, including institutional sales experience in global fixed-income and related quantitative research. Ms. Brown- 

12 

 

Strabley also has experience in business start-up and operations and as a former principal of a registered investment adviser, for which she continues to provide consulting advice from time to time.

 

Jessica Chase: Ms. Chase has extensive experience in the fund services industry, including senior management roles overseeing the mutual fund and hedge fund accounting operations for a large bank provider and business development for a fund service provider specializing in third-party mutual fund administration. Ms. Chase serves as principal executive officer for certain investment companies.

 

Risk Oversight. Consistent with its responsibility for oversight of the Trust and the Funds, the Board oversees the management of risks relating to the administration and operation of the Trust and the Funds. The Adviser, as part of its responsibilities for the day-to-day operations of the Funds, is responsible for day-to-day risk management. The Board, in the exercise of its reasonable business judgment, also separately considers potential risks that may impact the Funds. The Board performs this risk management oversight directly and, as to certain matters, through its committees (described below) and through the Independent Trustees. The following provides an overview of the principal, but not all, aspects of the Board’s oversight of risk management for the Trust and the Funds.

 

In general, the Funds' risks include, among others, investment risk, valuation risk, compliance risk and operational risk. The Board has adopted, and periodically reviews, policies and procedures designed to address these and other risks to the Trust and the Funds. In addition, under the general oversight of the Board, the Adviser and other service providers have themselves adopted a variety of policies, procedures and controls designed to address particular risks. Different processes, procedures and controls are employed with respect to different types of risks. Further, the Adviser oversees and regularly monitors the investments, operations and compliance of each Fund’s investments.

 

The Board also oversees risk management for the Trust and the Funds through review of regular reports, presentations and other information from officers of the Trust and other persons. Senior officers of the Trust, senior officers of the Adviser and the CCO regularly report to the Board on a range of matters, including those relating to risk management. In this regard, the Board periodically receives reports regarding other service providers to the Trust, either directly or through the CCO. On at least a quarterly basis, the Independent Trustees meet with the CCO to discuss matters relating to the Funds' compliance program. Further, at least annually, the Board receives a report from the CCO regarding the effectiveness of the Funds' compliance program.

 

The Board has designated the Adviser as the valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and delegated to the Adviser the responsibility for making fair value determinations with respect to the Fund’s portfolio securities. The Adviser, as the valuation designee, is responsible for periodically assessing any material risks associated with the determination of the fair value of the Fund’s investments; establishing and applying fair value methodologies; testing the appropriateness of fair value methodologies; and overseeing and evaluating third-party pricing services. The Adviser, as valuation designee, carries out its fair valuation responsibilities pursuant to and procedures approved by the Board. The Adviser, as valuation designee, reports to the Board on the pricing of the Fund's shares and the valuation of the Fund's portfolio securities; recommends independent pricing services to provide a value for Fund assets; makes and monitors fair value determinations pursuant to the valuation policies and procedures; and carries out any other functions designated to the Adviser relating to the valuation of Fund assets.

 

The Board also regularly receives reports from the Adviser with respect to the investments and securities trading of the Funds. For example, typically, the Board receives reports, presentations and other information from the Adviser on at least an annual basis in connection with the Board’s consideration of the renewal of the investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Trust on behalf of the Funds (the “Advisory Agreement”). Also, if applicable, the Board receives reports from the Adviser and other service providers in connection with the Board’s consideration of the renewal of any distribution plan of the Funds under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Senior officers of the Trust and senior officers of the Adviser also report regularly to the Audit Committee on valuation matters, internal controls and accounting and financial reporting policies and practices. In addition, the Audit Committee receives regular reports from the Trust’s independent auditors on internal control and financial reporting matters.

 

Trustee Ownership in the Funds and the Fund Complex. The following table sets forth each Trustee’s ownership of the Funds and the Fund Complex.

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Dollar Range of Beneficial Ownership
in the Funds as of December 31, 2021

Aggregate Dollar Range
of Ownership as of
December 31, 2021 in all
Registered Investment
Companies Overseen by
Trustee in the Fund
Complex
Trustees ABR Dynamic
Blend Equity &
Volatility Fund
ABR 50/50
Volatility Fund
ABR 75/25
Volatility Fund
Independent Trustees        
David Tucker None None None None
Mark D. Moyer None None None None
Jennifer Brown-Strabley None None None None
Interested Trustee        
Jessica Chase None None None None

 

B. Principal Officers of the Trust

 

The officers of the Trust conduct and supervise its daily business. As of the date of this SAI, the officers of the Trust, their years of birth and their principal occupations during the past five calendar years are as set forth below. Each officer serves until his or her death, resignation or removal and replacement. The business address of each officer is c/o Apex Fund Services, Three Canal Plaza, Suite 600, Portland, Maine 04101.

 

Name and Year of
Birth
Position
with the
Trust
Length of Time
Served
Principal Occupation(s)
During
Past 5 Years
Jessica Chase
Born: 1970
President; Principal Executive Officer Since 2015 Director, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Senior Vice President, Atlantic Fund Services 2008-2019.
Karen Shaw
Born: 1972
Treasurer; Principal Financial Officer Since 2013 Senior Vice President, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Senior Vice President, Atlantic Fund Services 2008-2019
Zachary Tackett
Born: 1988
Vice President; Secretary and Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer Since 2014 Senior Counsel, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Counsel, Atlantic Fund Services 2014-2019
Timothy Bowden
Born: 1969
Vice President Since 2013 Manager, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Manager, Atlantic Fund Services 2008-2019
Michael J. McKeen
Born: 1971
Vice President Since 2013 Senior Vice President, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Senior Vice President, Atlantic Fund Services 2008-2019
Geoffrey Ney
Born: 1975
Vice President Since 2013 Manager, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Manager, Atlantic Fund Services 2013-2019.
Carlyn Edgar
Born: 1963
Chief Compliance Officer Since 2013 Senior Vice President, Apex Fund Services since 2019; Senior Vice President, Atlantic Fund Services 2008-2019.

 

C. Ownership of Securities of the Adviser and Related Companies

 

As of December 31, 2021, no Independent Trustee (or any of his or her immediate family members) owned beneficially or of record, securities of any Trust investment adviser, the Trust’s principal underwriter, or any person (other than a registered

14 

 

investment company) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with any Trust investment adviser or principal underwriter.

 

D. Information Concerning Trust Committees

 

Audit Committee. The Trust’s Audit Committee, which typically meets quarterly, consists of Ms. Brown-Strabley and Messrs. Tucker and Moyer. Pursuant to a charter adopted by the Board, the Audit Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its responsibility for oversight of the quality and integrity of the accounting, auditing and financial reporting practices of the Trust. It is directly responsible for the appointment, termination, compensation and oversight of work of the independent auditors to the Trust. In so doing, the Audit Committee reviews the methods, scope and results of the audits and audit fees charged, and reviews the Trust’s internal accounting procedures and controls. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022, the Audit Committee met four times.

 

Nominating Committee. The Trust’s Nominating Committee, which meets when necessary, consists of Ms. Brown-Strabley and Messrs. Tucker and Moyer. Pursuant to a charter adopted by the Board, the Nominating Committee is charged with the duty of nominating all Trustees and committee members and presenting these nominations to the Board. The Nominating Committee will not consider any nominees for Trustee recommended by security holders. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022, the Nominating Committee met once.

 

Qualified Legal Compliance Committee. The Qualified Legal Compliance Committee (the “QLCC”), which meets when necessary, consists of Ms. Brown-Strabley and Messrs. Tucker and Moyer. The QLCC evaluates and recommends resolutions to reports from attorneys servicing the Trust regarding evidence of material violations of applicable federal and state law or the breach of fiduciary duties under applicable federal and state law by the Trust or an employee or agent of the Trust. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022, the QLCC did not meet.

 

E. Compensation of Trustees and Officers

 

Independent Trustees of the Trust each receive an annual fee of $16,000 for service to the Trust. The Chairman of the Board is paid an additional annual fee of $5,000. The Trustees and Chairman may receive additional fees for special Board meetings. Each Trustee is also reimbursed for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with his or her duties as a Trustee, including travel and related expenses incurred in attending Board meetings. The Trust has no pension or retirement plan. No other entity affiliated with the Trust pays any compensation to the Trustees.

 

The following table sets forth the fees paid to each Trustee by the Funds and the Fund Complex for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022.

 

  Aggregate Compensation from the Funds Pension or
Retirement Benefits
Accrued as part of
Fund Expenses
Total
Compensation
from Fund
Complex
Trustee ABR Dynamic
Blend Equity
& Volatility
ABR 50/50
Volatility
Fund
ABR 75/25
Volatility
Fund
Independent Trustees          
David Tucker $5,116 $2,908 $6,976 N/A $15,000
Mark D. Moyer $3,894 $2,214 $5,310 N/A $11,418
Jennifer Brown-Strabley $3,894 $2,214 $5,310 N/A $11,418
Interested Trustees          
Jessica Chase $0 $0 $0 N/A $0

 

F. Investment Adviser

 

Services of Adviser. The Adviser serves as investment adviser to the Funds pursuant to the Advisory Agreement. Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser furnishes, at its own expense, all services, facilities, and personnel necessary in connection with managing each Fund’s investments and effecting portfolio transactions for each Fund. The Adviser may compensate brokers or other service providers (“Financial Intermediaries”) out of its own assets, and not as additional charges to the Funds, in connection with the sale and distribution of shares of the Funds and/or servicing of these shares.

 

Ownership of Adviser. ABR Dynamic Funds, LLC is a Delaware limited liability company, and acts as investment advisor to the Fund pursuant to the Advisory Agreement. ABR Management LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, is the majority owner of the Advisor, of which Taylor Lukof is the majority owner. 

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Information Concerning Accounts Managed by Portfolio Managers. The following table provides information regarding other accounts managed by the portfolio managers as of July 31, 2022:

 

  Number of Other Accounts Managed
and Assets by Account Type
Number of Accounts and Assets for Which
Advisory Fee is Performance-Based
Name of
Portfolio
Manager
Registered
Investment
Companies
Other
Pooled
Investment
Vehicles
Other
Accounts
Registered
Investment
Companies
Other
Pooled
Investment
Vehicles
Other
Accounts
Taylor Lukof None 1 account
$68 million
None None 2 accounts
$61 million
None
David Skordal None 1 account
$68 million
None None 2 accounts
$61 million
None

 

Conflicts of Interest. 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 account. More specifically, portfolio managers who manage multiple funds and/or other accounts may be presented with the following conflicts:

 

The management of multiple client accounts may result in a portfolio manager devoting unequal time and attention to the management of each Fund. The Adviser may seek to manage such competing interests for the time and attention of the portfolio managers by having the portfolio managers focus on a particular investment discipline.

 

If a portfolio manager identifies a limited investment opportunity which may be suitable for more than one account, the Funds may be unable to take full advantage of that opportunity due to an allocation of filled purchase or sale orders across all eligible accounts. To deal with these situations, the Adviser has adopted procedures for allocating portfolio transactions across multiple accounts.

 

With respect to securities transactions for the Fund, the Adviser determines which broker to use to execute each order, consistent with its duty to seek best execution of the transaction. However, with respect to certain other accounts (such as other pooled investment vehicles that are not registered mutual funds and other accounts managed for organizations and individuals), the Adviser may be limited by the client with respect to the selection of brokers or may be instructed to direct trades through a particular broker. In these cases, the Adviser may place separate, non-simultaneous transactions for the Fund and another account which may temporarily affect the market price of the security or the execution of the transaction, or both, to the detriment of the Fund or the other account.

 

Finally, the appearance of a conflict of interest may arise if the Adviser has an incentive, such as a performance-based management fee, which relates to the management of one fund or account but not all funds and accounts with respect to which a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities.

 

The Adviser has adopted certain compliance procedures, which are designed to address these types of conflicts. The Adviser has developed and implemented policies and procedures designed to ensure that all clients are treated equitably. In addition, compliance oversight and monitoring ensures adherence to policies designed to avoid conflicts. The Adviser’s policies and procedures address trade aggregation and allocation. Additionally, given the nature of the Adviser’s investment process and its Funds and/or other accounts, the Adviser’s investment management team services are typically applied collectively to the management of all the funds and/or other accounts following the same strategy.

 

Compensation of the Adviser’s portfolio managers is not based upon performance of the Funds managed by the Adviser. Fund performance is not a factor in compensation as it might encourage investment decisions deviating from the Fund’s mandate. To mitigate the potential for conflict to have a team member favor one Fund over another Fund and/or other account, the Adviser has established procedures, including policies to monitor trading and best execution for all funds and/ or other accounts.

 

There is no guarantee that such procedures will detect each and every situation in which a conflict arises.

 

Information Concerning Compensation of Portfolio Managers. The portfolio manager’s compensation consists of a salary and discretionary bonus paid by the Adviser. The base salary is based on the individual’s job description, and the

16 

 

overall qualifications, experience and tenure at the Adviser. The bonus is based upon the profitability of the firm and individual performance. Individual performance is subjective and may be based on a number of factors. Portfolio managers’ compensation is not based on a Funds’ performance or performance of any other account.

 

Portfolio Manager Ownership in the Funds. The Adviser has provided the following information regarding each portfolio manager’s ownership in the Funds:

 

Portfolio Manager

Dollar Range of Beneficial Ownership

in the Fund

as of July 31, 2022

ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund  
Taylor Lukof $1 - $50,000
David Skordal $10,001 - $50,000
ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund  
Taylor Lukof $50,001 - $100,000
David Skordal $50,001 - $100,000
ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund  
Taylor Lukof $50,001 - $100,000
David Skordal $50,001 - $100,000

 

Fees. Subject to the general oversight of the Board, the Adviser makes investment decisions for the Funds pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Trust, on behalf of the Funds (the “Advisory Agreement”). The Adviser receives an advisory fee from the Funds at an annual rate equal to under the terms of the Advisory Agreement. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fee and/or reimburse Fund expenses to limit the Fund’s Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement (excluding all taxes, interest, portfolio transaction expenses, proxy expenses and extraordinary expenses) to 2.00% or 2.25% of the ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund’s Institutional Shares and Investor Shares, respectively, 2.50% or 2.75% of the ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund’s Institutional Shares and Investor Shares, respectively, 1.75% or 2.00% of the ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund’s Institutional Shares and Investor Shares, respectively, through November 30, 2023 (each such contractual agreement, an “Expense Cap”). The Expense Cap may only be raised or eliminated with the consent of the Board of Trustees. The Adviser may recoup from the Fund fees waived and expenses reimbursed by the Adviser pursuant to the Expense Cap if such recoupment is made within three years of the fee waiver or expense reimbursement and does not cause the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement of each Fund (i.e., after the recoupment has been taken into account) to exceed the lesser of (i) the then-current expense cap and (ii) the expense cap in place at the time the fees/expenses were waived or reimbursed. Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement will increase if exclusions from the Expense Cap apply. The actual advisory fee rate paid to the Adviser for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022 was 1.71%, 2.08% and 1.53% by ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund, ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund and ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund, respectively.

 

The advisory fee, if not waived, is accrued daily and paid monthly by each Fund and is assessed based on the daily net assets of the Fund. In addition to receiving its advisory fee from the Funds, the Adviser may also act and be compensated as an investment manager for its clients with respect to assets that such clients have invested in a Fund. If you have a separately managed account with the Adviser with assets invested in a Fund, the Adviser will not assess or receive any management fee on the portion of the separately managed account invested in the Fund.

 

Table 1 in Appendix B shows the dollar amount of advisory fees accrued by ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund, ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund and ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund, the amount of advisory fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed by the Adviser, if any, and the actual advisory fees retained by the Adviser. The data provided is for the last three fiscal years (or shorter period depending on a Fund's commencement of operations).

 

Advisory Agreement. The Funds' Advisory Agreement remains in effect for an initial period of two years from the date of its effectiveness, and thereafter the Advisory Agreement must be approved at least annually by the Board or by majority vote of the shareholders, and in either case by a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Advisory Agreement or interested persons of any such party (other than as Trustees of the Trust).

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The Advisory Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust with respect to the Funds on 60 days’ written notice when authorized either by vote of the Funds' shareholders or by a majority vote of the Board, or by the Adviser on 60 days’ written notice to the Trust. The Advisory Agreement terminates immediately upon assignment.

 

Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is not liable for any mistake of judgment, mistake of law, or act or omission, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the Advisory Agreement.

 

G. Distributor

 

Distribution Services. Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Foreside Financial Group, LLC (d/b/a ACA Group), located at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101, acts as the agent of the Trust in connection with the continuous offering of Fund shares pursuant to a Distribution Agreement with the Trust. The Distributor is a registered broker-dealer and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”). The Distributor is not affiliated with the Adviser or any other service provider for the Trust.

 

The Distributor continually distributes shares of the Funds on a best efforts basis. The Distributor has no obligation to sell any specific quantity of Fund shares. The Distributor and its officers have no role in determining the investment policies or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Trust.

 

The Distributor may enter into agreements with selected broker-dealers, banks or other financial intermediaries for distribution of shares of the Funds. With respect to certain financial intermediaries and related fund “supermarket” platform arrangements, the Funds and/or the Adviser, rather than the Distributor, typically enters into such agreements. These financial intermediaries may charge a fee for their services and may receive shareholder service or other fees from parties other than the Distributor. These financial intermediaries may otherwise act as processing agents and are responsible for promptly transmitting purchase, redemption and other requests to the Funds.

 

Investors who purchase shares through financial intermediaries will be subject to the procedures of those intermediaries through which they purchase shares, which may include charges, investment minimums, cutoff times and other restrictions in addition to, or different from, those listed herein. Information concerning any charges or services will be provided to investors by the financial intermediary through which they purchase shares. Investors purchasing shares of the Funds through financial intermediaries should acquaint themselves with their financial intermediary’s procedures and should read the Prospectus in conjunction with any materials and information provided by their financial intermediary. The financial intermediary, and not the investors, will be the shareholder of record, although investors may have the right to vote shares depending upon their arrangement with the intermediary. The Distributor does not receive compensation from the Funds for its distribution services except the distribution/service fees with respect to the shares of those classes for which a Rule 12b-1 plan is effective, as applicable. The Adviser pays the Distributor a fee for certain distribution-related services.

 

Distribution Plan. The Trust, including a majority of Independent Trustees who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Rule 12b-1 plan, has adopted a Rule 12b-1 plan under which the Funds are authorized to pay to the Distributor and any other entity authorized by the Board, including the Adviser (collectively, “payees”), a fee equal to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund’s Investor Shares for distribution services and/or the servicing of shareholder accounts. The payees may pay any or all amounts received under the Rule 12b-1 plan to other persons for any distribution or service activity conducted on behalf of the Funds. The Rule 12b-1 plan is a core component of the ongoing distribution of the Fund’s Investor Shares, which is intended to attract and retain assets from prospective investors and may realize potential economies of scale for shareholders in the form of future lower expense ratios. Pursuant to an agreement between the Distributor and the Adviser, the Distributor may reimburse certain distribution-related and/or shareholder servicing expenses incurred by the Adviser.

 

The Rule 12b-1 plan provides that the payees may incur expenses for distribution and service activities including, but not limited to (1) any sales, marketing and other activities primarily intended to result in the sale of Fund shares and (2) providing services to holders of shares related to their investment in the Funds, including, without limitation, providing assistance in connection with responding to shareholder inquiries regarding the Fund’s investment objective, policies and other operational features and inquiries regarding shareholder accounts. Expenses for such activities include compensation to employees and expenses, including overhead and telephone and other communication expenses, of a payee who engages in or supports the distribution of Fund shares or who provides shareholder servicing, such as responding to shareholder inquiries regarding the Funds' operations; the incremental costs of printing (excluding typesetting) and distributing prospectuses, statements of additional information, annual reports and other periodic reports for use in connection with the offering or sale of Fund shares to any prospective investors; and the costs of preparing, printing and distributing sales

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literature and advertising materials used by the Distributor, the Adviser or others in connection with the offering of Fund shares for sale to the public.

 

The Rule 12b-1 plan requires the payees to prepare and submit to the Board, at least quarterly, and the Board to review, written reports setting forth all amounts expended under the Rule 12b-1 plan and identifying the activities for which those expenditures were made. The Rule 12b-1 plan obligates the Funds to compensate payees for services and not to reimburse them for expenses incurred.

 

The following payments made by the Distributor for ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund, ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund and ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund under the Rule 12b-1 plan were used as set forth below during the period ended July 31, 2022.

 

  Advertising Printing &
Mailing of
Prospectus
Compensation
to
Underwriters
Compensation
to
Broker-Dealers
Compensation
to
Sales Personnel
Interest,
Carrying or
Other
Financial
Charges
ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund $0 $0 $0 $87,625 $0 $0
ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund $0 $0 $0 $8,381 $0 $0
ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund $0 $0 $0 $65,762 $0 $0

 

As of July 31, 2022, the amount of unreimbursed expenses incurred under the Rule 12b-1 plan were $913, $264 and $379 for ABR Dynamic Blend Equity Fund, ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund and ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund respectively, representing less than 0.01% of each Fund’s net assets.

 

The Rule 12b-1 plan provides that it will remain in effect for one year from the date of its adoption and thereafter shall continue in effect provided it is approved at least annually by the shareholders or by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees. The Rule 12b-1 plan further provides that it may not be amended to materially increase the costs that a Fund or class bears for distribution or shareholder servicing pursuant to the Rule 12b-1 plan without approval by affected shareholders and that other material amendments of the Rule 12b-1 plan must be approved by the Independent Trustees. The Rule 12b-1 plan may be terminated with respect to Investor Shares at any time by the Board, by a majority of the Independent Trustees or by the shareholders of Investor Shares. No Independent Trustee has any direct or indirect financial interest in the Rule 12b-1 Plan.

 

Table 2 in Appendix B shows the dollar amount of fees payable by the ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund, ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund and ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund to the Distributor or its agents under the Rule 12b-1 plan, the amount of fees waived by the Distributor or its agents and the actual fees received by the Distributor and its agents under the Rule 12b-1 plan. The data provided is for the last three fiscal years (or shorter period depending on a Fund's commencement of operations).

 

H. Other Fund Service Providers

 

Administrator, Fund Accountant, Transfer Agent, and Compliance Services. Apex Fund Services and its subsidiaries provide administration, compliance, fund accounting and transfer agency services to the Funds. Apex Fund Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex US Holdings LLC.

 

Pursuant to the Apex Fund Services Services Agreement (the “Services Agreement”), each Fund pays Apex Fund Services and its subsidiaries a bundled fee for administration, compliance, fund accounting and transfer agency services. Each Fund also pays Apex Fund Services and its subsidiaries certain surcharges and shareholder account fees. The fee is accrued daily by the Funds and is paid monthly based on the average net assets, transactions and positions for the prior month.

 

The Services Agreement continues in effect until terminated, so long as its continuance is specifically approved or ratified with such frequency and in such manner as required by applicable law. After an initial three-year term, the Services Agreement is terminable with or without cause and without penalty by the Trust or by the Administrator on 120 days’ 

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written notice to the other party. The Services Agreement is also terminable for cause by the non-breaching party on at least 60 days’ written notice to the other party, provided that such party has not cured the breach within that notice period. Under the Services Agreement, Apex Fund Services is not liable to the Funds or the Funds' shareholders for any act or omission, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the Services Agreement. The Services Agreement also provides that Apex Fund Services will not be liable to a shareholder for any loss incurred due to a NAV difference if such difference is less than or equal to $0.01 and in addition, limits the amount of any loss for which Apex Fund Services would be liable. Also, Apex Fund Services is not liable for the errors and omissions of others, including the entities that supply security prices to Apex Fund Services and the Funds. Losses incurred by the Funds as a result of acts or omissions by Apex Fund Services or any other service provider for which Apex Fund Services or the service provider is not liable to the Funds would be borne by the Funds and through the Funds, by their Shareholders.

 

As Administrator, Apex Fund Services administers each Fund’s operations except those that are the responsibility of any other service provider hired by the Trust, all in such manner and to such extent as may be authorized by the Board. The Administrator’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to: (1) overseeing the performance of administrative and professional services rendered to the Funds by others, including its custodian, transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent as well as legal, auditing, shareholder servicing and other services performed for the Funds; (2) preparing for filing and filing certain regulatory filings (i.e., registration statements and shareholder reports) subject to Trust counsel and/or independent auditor oversight; (3) overseeing the preparation and filing of each Fund’s tax returns, the preparation of financial statements and related reports to each Fund’s shareholders, the SEC and state and other securities administrators; (4) providing the Funds with adequate general office space and facilities and providing persons suitable to the Board to serve as officers of the Trust; (5) assisting the Adviser in monitoring Fund holdings for compliance with prospectus investment restrictions and assisting in preparation of periodic compliance reports; and (6) with the cooperation of the Adviser, the officers of the Trust and other relevant parties, preparing and disseminating materials for meetings of the Board.

 

Apex Fund Services provides a Principal Executive Officer, a Principal Financial Officer, a CCO, and an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer to the Funds, as well as certain additional compliance support functions.

 

Atlantic Shareholder Services, LLC, 3 Canal Plaza, Portland, Maine 04101 (the “Transfer Agent”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex US Holdings LLC (d/b/a Apex Fund Services), serves as transfer agent and distribution paying agent for the Funds. The Transfer Agent is registered as a transfer agent with the SEC. The Transfer Agent maintains an account for each shareholder of record of each Fund and is responsible for processing purchase and redemption requests and paying distributions to shareholders of record.

 

As Fund accountant, Apex Fund Services provides fund accounting services to the Funds. These services include calculating the NAV of each Fund class.

 

Table 3 in Appendix B shows the dollar amount of the fees accrued by ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund, ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund and ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund for administration services, the amount of fees waived by Apex Fund Services, if any, and the actual fees retained by Apex Fund Services under the Services Agreement. The data provided is for the last three fiscal years (or shorter period depending on a Fund's commencement of operations).

 

Custodian. U.S. Bank, N.A. (the “Custodian”) is the custodian for the Funds. The Custodian safeguards and controls the Funds' cash and securities, determines income and collects interest on Fund investments. The Custodian may employ subcustodians to provide custody of the Funds' domestic and foreign assets. The Custodian also maintains certain books and records of the Fund that are required by applicable federal regulations. The Custodian is located at 1155 N. Rivercenter Dr., MK-WI-S302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212.

 

Legal Counsel. Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP, 2000 K Street, N.W., Suite 700, Washington, DC 20006-1871, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. BBD, LLP (“BBD”), 1835 Market Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, is the independent registered public accounting firm for the Funds, providing audit and tax services. BBD audits the annual financial statements of the Funds and provides the Funds with an audit opinion. BBD also reviews certain regulatory filings of the Funds.

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PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS

 

A. How Securities are Purchased and Sold

 

Purchases and sales of portfolio securities that are fixed-income securities (for instance, money market instruments and bonds, notes and bills) usually are principal transactions. In a principal transaction, the party from which a Fund purchases or to which a Fund sells is acting on its own behalf (and not as the agent of some other party such as its customers). These securities normally are purchased directly from the issuer or from an underwriter or market maker for the securities. There usually are no brokerage commissions paid for these securities.

 

Purchases and sales of portfolio securities that are equity securities (for instance, common stock and preferred stock) are generally effected if (1) the security is traded on an exchange, through brokers that charge commissions and (2) the security is traded in the over-the-counter markets, in a principal transaction directly from a market maker. In transactions on stock exchanges, commissions are negotiated.

 

When transactions are executed in an over-the-counter market, the Adviser will seek to deal with the primary market makers, but when necessary in order to obtain best execution, the Adviser will utilize the services of others.

 

The price of securities purchased from underwriters includes a disclosed fixed commission or concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter, and prices of securities purchased from dealers serving as market makers reflect the spread between the bid and asked price.

 

In the case of fixed-income and equity securities traded in the over-the-counter markets, there is generally no stated commission, but the price usually includes an undisclosed commission, markup or markdown.

 

B. Commissions Paid

 

Table 4 in Appendix B shows the dollar amount of the aggregate brokerage commissions paid by ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund, ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund, ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund; the amount of commissions paid to an affiliate of ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund, ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund and ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund, the Adviser, Subadviser or the Distributor; the percentage of brokerage commissions paid to an affiliate of ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund, ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund and ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund, the Adviser, Subadviser or the Distributor; and the percentage of transactions executed by an affiliate of ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund and ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund, the Adviser, Subadviser or the Distributor. The data provided is for the last three fiscal years (or shorter period depending on a Fund's commencement of operations).

 

C. Adviser Responsibility for Purchases and Sales and Choosing Broker-Dealers

 

The Adviser places orders for the purchase and sale of securities with broker-dealers selected by and at the discretion of the Adviser. The Funds do not have any obligation to deal with a specific broker or dealer in the execution of portfolio transactions. Allocations of transactions to brokers and dealers and the frequency of transactions are determined by the Adviser in its best judgment and in a manner deemed to be in the best interest of each Fund rather than by any formula.

 

The Adviser seeks “best execution” for all portfolio transactions. This means that the Adviser seeks the most favorable price and execution available. The Funds may not always pay the lowest commission or spread available. Rather, in determining the amount of commissions (including certain dealer spreads) paid in connection with securities transactions, the Adviser takes into account factors such as the size of the order, the difficulty of execution, the efficiency of the executing broker’s facilities (including the research services described below) and any risk assumed by the executing broker-dealer. A Fund may pay a higher commission if, for example, the broker-dealer has specific expertise in a particular type of transaction (due to factors such as size or difficulty) or is highly efficient in trade execution.

 

The Adviser may also give consideration to brokerage and research services furnished to the Adviser by broker-dealers and may cause a Fund to pay these broker-dealers a higher commission or spread than may be charged by other broker-dealers. Research services may include reports that are common in the industry, such as research reports and periodicals, quotation systems, software for portfolio management and formal databases. Typically, the Adviser uses the research to manage all client accounts. Therefore, the commission dollars spent for research generally benefit all of the Adviser’s clients and a Fund’s investors, although a particular client may not benefit from research received on each occasion. The Adviser does not reduce its fees because the Adviser receives research.

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Table 5 in Appendix B lists ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund’s, ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund’s and ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund’s directed brokerage in return for research services, the amount of transactions so directed, and the amount of commissions earned by the broker-dealer for the fiscal year.

 

D. Counterparty Risk

 

The Adviser monitors the creditworthiness of counterparties to the Funds' transactions and intends to enter into a transaction only when it believes that the counterparty presents appropriate credit risks.

 

E. Transactions through Affiliates

 

The Adviser may effect brokerage transactions through affiliates of the Adviser (or affiliates of those persons) pursuant to procedures adopted by the Trust and in accordance with applicable law.

 

F. Other Accounts of the Adviser

 

Investment decisions are the product of many factors, including basic suitability for the particular client involved. Likewise, a particular security may be bought or sold for certain clients even though it could have been bought or sold for other clients at the same time. In some instances, with any required consent, one client may sell a particular security to another client. In addition, two or more clients may simultaneously purchase or sell the same security, in which event each day’s transactions in such security are, insofar as is possible, averaged as to price and allocated between such clients in a manner which, in the Adviser’s opinion, is in the best interest of the affected accounts and is equitable to each and in accordance with the amount being purchased or sold by each. There may be circumstances when purchases or sales of a portfolio security for one client could have an adverse effect on another client that has a position in that security. In addition, when purchases or sales of the same security for a Fund and other client accounts managed by the Adviser occur contemporaneously, the purchase or sale orders may be aggregated in order to obtain any price advantages available to large denomination purchases or sales.

 

G. Portfolio Turnover

 

The frequency of portfolio transactions of each Fund (the portfolio turnover rate) will vary from year to year depending on many factors. From time to time, the Fund may engage in active short-term trading to take advantage of price movements affecting individual issues, groups of issues or markets. Higher portfolio turnover rates may result in increased brokerage costs to a Fund and a possible increase in short-term capital gains (taxable to shareholders as ordinary income when distributed to them) or losses. An annual portfolio turnover rate of 100% would occur if all the securities in a Fund were replaced once in a period of one year.

 

Portfolio turnover rate is defined under the rules of the SEC as the value of the securities purchased or securities sold, excluding all securities whose maturities at time of acquisition were one year or less, divided by the average monthly value of such securities owned during the year. Based on this definition, instruments with remaining maturities of less than one year, including options and futures contracts in which a Fund invests, are excluded from the calculation of portfolio turnover rate. The ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund experienced variation in its portfolio turnover rate over the two most recently completed fiscal years as a result of rebalancing the portfolio in an effort to manage the Fund’s exposure to market volatility in accordance with the stated investment policy.

 

H. Securities of Regular Broker-Dealers

 

From time to time the Funds may acquire and hold securities issued by its “regular brokers and dealers” or the parents of those brokers and dealers. For this purpose, regular brokers and dealers are the ten brokers or dealers that: (1) received the greatest amount of brokerage commissions during a Fund’s last fiscal year; (2) engaged in the largest amount of principal transactions for portfolio transactions of a Fund during the Fund’s last fiscal year; or (3) sold the largest amount of a Fund’s shares during the Fund’s last fiscal year.

 

Table 6 in Appendix B lists the regular brokers and dealers of ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund, ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund and ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund whose securities (or the securities of the parent company) were acquired for the fiscal year and the aggregate value of ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund’s holdings of those securities as of the Fund’s most recent period ended July 31, 2022.

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I. Portfolio Holdings

 

Portfolio holdings as of the end of the Funds' annual and semi-annual fiscal periods are reported to the SEC on Form N-CSR within 10 days of the mailing of the annual or semi-annual report (typically no later than 70 days after the end of each period). Monthly portfolio disclosures will be filed with the SEC on Form N-PORT no later than 60 days after the end of each fiscal quarter. The monthly holdings reports on Form N-PORT for the first and second months of the fiscal quarter will remain non-public and the monthly holdings report for the third month of the fiscal quarter will become publicly available upon filing (with the exception of certain items). You may request a copy of the Funds' latest annual or semi-annual report to shareholders or a copy of the Funds' latest Form N-PORT, when it is available, which contains each Funds' portfolio holdings, by contacting the Transfer Agent at the address or phone number listed on the cover of this SAI. You may also obtain a copy of the Funds' latest Form N-CSR and Form N-PORT by accessing the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

Each Fund’s nonpublic portfolio holdings information is received by certain service providers in advance of public release in the course of performing or enabling them to perform the contractual or fiduciary duties necessary for the Fund’s operations that the Fund has retained them to perform so long as the disclosure is subject to duties of confidentiality imposed by law and/or contract as determined by each Fund’s officers and, if applicable, the Board. Each Fund’s portfolio holdings are available in real-time on a daily basis to the Adviser, the Administrator and the Custodian. In addition, the Distributor, the independent auditors, proxy voting services, mailing services, and financial printers and ratings or ranking organizations may have access, but not on a daily real-time basis, to each Fund’s nonpublic portfolio holdings information on an ongoing basis. The Trustees, Trust’s officers, legal counsel to the Trust and to the Independent Trustees, and the Funds' independent registered public accounting firm may receive such information on an as needed basis.

 

From time to time, nonpublic information regarding a Fund’s portfolio holdings may also be disclosed to certain mutual fund consultants, analysts, or other entities or persons (“Recipients”) that have a legitimate business purpose in receiving such information. Any disclosure of information more current than the latest publicly available portfolio holdings information will be made only if a Trust officer (i.e., the President or the Treasurer) determines that: (1) the more current information is necessary for a Recipient to complete a specified task; (2) the Fund has legitimate business purposes for disclosing the information; and (3) the disclosure is in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. Any Recipient receiving such information shall agree in writing to: (1) keep the information confidential; (2) use it only for agreed-upon purposes; and (3) not trade or advise others to trade securities, including shares of the Fund, on the basis of the information. Such confidentiality agreements entered into for the receipt of nonpublic information shall also provide, among other things, that the Recipient: (1) will limit access to the information to its employees and agents who are obligated to keep and treat such information as confidential; (2) will assume responsibility for any breach of the terms of the confidentiality agreement by its employees; and (3) upon request from the Trust, will return or promptly destroy the information. Any Recipient that is a ratings or ranking organization receiving such information must have in place control mechanisms to reasonably ensure or otherwise agree that: (1) the holdings information will be kept confidential; (2) no employee shall use the information to effect trading or for their personal benefit; and (3) the nature and type of information that any employee, in turn, may disclose to third-parties is limited. The Trust officer shall report to the Board at its next regularly scheduled Board meeting the entering into of an agreement with a Recipient for the disclosure of nonpublic portfolio holdings information and shall include in the report the Trust officer’s reasons for determining to permit such disclosure.

 

The Adviser may provide investment management for accounts of clients other than the Funds, which may result in some of those accounts having a composition substantially similar to that of the Funds. The Adviser and its affiliates may provide regular information to clients and others regarding the holdings in accounts that each manages, but no information is provided to clients or others that identifies the actual composition of a Fund’s holdings, specifies the amount of a Fund’s assets invested in a security or specifies the extent of any such similarities among accounts managed by the Adviser.

 

No compensation is received by the Funds, or, to the Funds' knowledge, paid to the Adviser or any other party in connection with the disclosure of the Funds' portfolio holdings. The codes of ethics of the Trust and the Adviser are intended to address, among other things, potential conflicts of interest arising from the misuse of information concerning a Fund’s portfolio holdings. In addition, the Funds' service providers may be subject to confidentiality provisions contained within their service agreements, codes of ethics, professional codes, or other similar policies that address conflicts of interest arising from the misuse of such information.

 

The Adviser, Administrator and Distributor must inform a Trust officer if it identifies any conflict between the interests of shareholders and those of another party resulting from the disclosure of nonpublic portfolio holdings information. Such conflicts will be reported to the Board for appropriate action at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

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There is no assurance that the Funds' portfolio holdings disclosure policy will protect the Funds against potential misuse of holdings information by individuals or firms in possession of that information.

24 

 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION INFORMATION

 

A. General Information

 

You may effect purchases or redemptions or request any shareholder privilege by contacting the Transfer Agent.

 

Each Fund accepts orders for the purchase or redemption of shares of the Fund on any weekday except days when the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) is closed. Under unusual circumstances, a Fund may accept orders when the NYSE is closed if deemed appropriate by the Trust’s officers.

 

The shares of the Funds may not be available for sale in the state in which you reside. Please check with your investment professional to determine each Fund’s availability.

 

B. Additional Purchase Information

 

Shares of each class of each Fund are offered on a continuous basis by the Distributor.

 

Each Fund reserves the right to refuse any purchase request.

 

Fund shares are normally issued for cash only. In its discretion, a Fund may accept portfolio securities that meet the investment objective and policies of the Fund as payment for Fund shares. A Fund may allow an in kind purchase provided that, among other things: (i) the purchase will not dilute the interests of its shareholders; (ii) the assets accepted by each Fund consist of securities that are appropriate, in type and amount, for investment by each Fund in light of its investment objective and policies and current holdings; (iii) market quotations are readily available for the securities; (iv) in determining the value of the assets contributed and the corresponding amount of shares issued, the Trust’s Valuation Policy will be applied; (v)   the transaction must comply with the Trust’s Affiliated Persons and Transactions Policy if the person investing is an affiliated person; and (vi) the Adviser to each Fund discloses to the Board the existence of, and all material facts relating to, any conflicts of interest between the Adviser and each Fund in the proposed in-kind purchase.

 

IRAs. All contributions into an individual retirement account (an “IRA”) through the automatic investing service are treated as IRA contributions made during the year that the contribution is received.

 

UGMAs/UTMAs. If the custodian’s name is not in the account registration of a gift or transfer to minor (“UGMA/UTMA”) account, the custodian must provide instructions in a manner indicating custodial capacity.

 

C. Additional Redemption Information

 

You may redeem Fund shares at NAV.

 

Each Fund may redeem shares involuntarily, (1) to reimburse the Fund for any loss sustained by reason of the failure of a shareholder to make full payment for shares purchased by the shareholder; or (2) to collect any charge relating to transactions effected for the benefit of a shareholder that is applicable to the Fund’s shares as provided in the Prospectus.

 

Suspension of Right of Redemption. The right of redemption may not be suspended for more than seven days after the tender of Fund shares, except for any period during which: (1) the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings) or during which the SEC determines that trading thereon is restricted; (2) an emergency (as determined by the SEC) exists as a result of which disposal by a Fund of its securities is not reasonably practicable or as a result of which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund fairly to determine the value of its net assets; or (3) the SEC has entered a suspension order for the protection of the shareholders of the Fund.

 

Redemption in Kind. Redemption proceeds normally are paid in cash. The Trust has filed an election with the SEC, however, pursuant to which a Fund may effect a redemption in portfolio securities at the shareholder’s request or if the shareholder is redeeming more than $250,000 or 1% of the Fund’s total net assets, whichever is less, during any 90-day period. To the extent a Fund satisfies a redemption request by distributing portfolio securities, it will do so pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board. If a Fund pays redemption proceeds in kind, the redeeming shareholder may incur transaction costs to dispose of the securities and may receive less for them than the price at which they were valued for purposes of redemption. In addition, if the Fund redeems shares in this manner, the shareholder assumes the risk of a subsequent change in the market value of those securities, the costs of liquidating the securities (such as brokerage costs) and the possibility of a lack of a liquid market for those securities. In-kind redemptions may take the form of a pro rata portion of the Fund’s portfolio, individual securities, or a representative basket of securities.

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NAV Determination. The offering price for Fund shares is at their current NAV. In determining the NAV of each Fund class, securities for which market quotations are readily available are valued at current market value using the last reported sales price or the official closing price from the primary exchange where the security is listed, as provided by an independent pricing service or, if no sales price is reported, the mean of the last bid and ask prices. If market quotations are not readily available or the Fund reasonably believes that they are unreliable, then securities are valued at fair value, as determined by the Adviser, in its capacity as the valuation designee. For further information, see the “General Information” section in the Prospectus.

 

Distributions. Distributions of net investment income will be reinvested at the NAV of the applicable class (unless you elect to receive distributions in cash) as of the last day of the period with respect to which the distribution is paid. Distributions of net realized capital gains will be reinvested at the NAV of the applicable class (unless you elect to receive distributions in cash) on the payment date for the distribution. Cash payments may be made more than seven days following the date on which distributions would otherwise be reinvested.

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TAXATION

 

The tax information set forth in the Prospectus and in this section relates solely to federal tax law and assumes that a Fund qualifies for treatment as a RIC under that law (as discussed below). This information is only a summary of certain key federal income tax considerations affecting a Fund and its shareholders and is in addition to the information provided in the Prospectus. No attempt has been made to present a complete explanation of the federal tax treatment of the Funds or the tax implications to shareholders. The discussions here and in the Prospectus are not intended as substitutes for careful tax planning.

 

This “Taxation” section is based on the IRC, the regulations thereunder, and IRS interpretations and similar authority on which a Fund may rely, all as in effect on the date hereof, as well as on court decisions through that date. Future legislative, regulatory or administrative changes or court decisions may significantly change the tax rules applicable to a Fund and its shareholders. Any of these changes or court decisions may have a retroactive effect.

 

This is for general information only and not tax advice. Each investor should consult their own tax advisor as to the federal, state, local, and foreign tax provisions applicable to them.

 

A. Qualification for Treatment as a Regulated Investment Company

 

Each Fund has elected and intends to qualify, or, if newly organized, intends to elect and qualify for each taxable year as a RIC under the IRC. This qualification does not involve governmental supervision of management or investment practices or policies of the Funds.

 

The taxable year-end of the Funds is July 31, which is the same as the Funds' fiscal year-end.

 

Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company. As a RIC, a Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on the portion of its investment company taxable income (generally, interest, dividends, the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss, net gains and losses from certain foreign currency transactions and other ordinary income, net of expenses, without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and net capital gain (that is, the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) that it distributes to shareholders. To qualify to be taxed as a RIC for a taxable year, a Fund must satisfy the following requirements, among others:

 

The Fund must distribute an amount equal to the sum of at least 90% of its investment company taxable income for the taxable year (“Distribution Requirement”). Certain distributions made by the Fund after the close of its taxable year are considered distributions attributable to that taxable year for purposes of satisfying this requirement.

 

The Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income for the taxable year from (1) dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived from its business of investing in securities or those currencies and (2) net income from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership (“QPTP”) (“Gross Income Requirement”). A QPTP is defined as a “publicly traded partnership” (generally, a partnership the interests in which are “traded on an established securities market” or are “readily tradable on a secondary market (or the substantial equivalent thereof)”) that derives less than 90% of its gross income from income described in clause (1).

 

The Fund must satisfy the following asset diversification requirements (“Diversification Requirements”) at the close of each quarter of the taxable year: (1) at least 50% of the value of its total assets must consist of cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs, and securities of other issuers, with these other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount that does not exceed 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and that does not represent more than 10% of the issuer’s outstanding voting securities (equity securities of a QPTP being considered voting securities for these purposes); and (2) no more than 25% of the value of its total assets may be invested in (a) the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. government securities and securities of other RICs), (b) the securities (other than securities of other RICs) of two or more issuers that the Fund controls and that are engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or businesses, or (c) the securities of one or more QPTPs.

 

In some circumstances, the character and timing of income realized by a Fund for purposes of the Gross Income Requirement or the identification of the issuer for purposes of the Diversification Requirements is uncertain under current law with respect to a particular investment, and an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to such type

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of investment may adversely affect a Fund’s ability to satisfy these requirements. See, “Certain Tax Rules Applicable to Fund Transactions” below with respect to the application of these requirements to certain types of investments. In other circumstances, a Fund may be required to sell portfolio holdings in order to meet the Gross Income Requirement, Distribution Requirement, or Diversification Requirements, which may have a negative impact on a Fund’s income and performance.

 

Failure to Qualify. If for any taxable year a Fund does not qualify for treatment as a RIC, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at the corporate income tax rate without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders, and the dividends would be taxable to the shareholders as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits (except that, for individual and certain other non-corporate shareholders, the part thereof that is “qualified dividend income” (as described below) would be subject to federal income tax at the rates for net capital gain − a maximum rate of 15% or 20%, depending on a shareholder’s level of taxable income and the shareholder’s filing status − and those dividends would be eligible for the dividends-received deduction available to corporations under certain circumstances). Furthermore, a Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest, and make substantial distributions before requalifying for RIC treatment. The Board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund as a RIC if it determines such a course of action to be beneficial to shareholders.

 

Failure to qualify for treatment as a RIC would thus have a negative impact on a Fund’s after-tax performance. It is possible that a Fund will not qualify as a RIC in any given taxable year.

 

If a Fund fails to satisfy the Gross Income Requirement for any taxable year, it nevertheless will be considered to have satisfied that requirement for that year if, among other things, the failure “is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect” and the Fund pays a tax in an amount equal to the excess of its gross income that is not qualifying income for purposes of that requirement over one-ninth of its gross income that is such qualifying income.

 

If a Fund fails to satisfy either of the Diversification Requirements at the close of any quarter of its taxable year by reason of a discrepancy existing immediately after its acquisition of any security that is wholly or partly the result of that acquisition during that quarter, it will not lose its status for that quarter as a RIC if the discrepancy is eliminated within 30 days after the quarter’s close. If a Fund fails to satisfy either of the Diversification Requirements (other than a “de minimis” failure, as defined in the IRC) for a quarter and the preceding sentence does not apply, it nevertheless will be considered to have satisfied those requirements for that quarter if, among other things, the failure “is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect” and the Fund disposes of the assets that caused the failure within six months after the last day of the quarter in which it identifies the failure in the manner to be prescribed by the IRS; in that case, the Fund will also be liable for a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or the amount determined by multiplying the net income generated by those assets for the period from the date the failure occurs to the date of disposition thereof by the rate of tax applicable to corporations.

 

Portfolio Turnover. For investors that hold their Fund shares in a taxable account, a high portfolio turnover rate may result in higher taxes. This is because a fund with a high turnover rate is likely to accelerate the recognition of capital gains and more of such gains are likely to be taxable as short-term rather than long-term capital gains in contrast to a comparable fund with a low turnover rate. Any such higher taxes would reduce a Fund’s after-tax performance.

 

Deferral of Late Year Losses. Each Fund may elect to treat part or all of any “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund’s taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits. The effect of this election is to treat any such “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in characterizing Fund distributions for any calendar year. A “qualified late year loss” includes:

 

any net capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, or, if there is no such loss, any net long-term capital loss or any net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year (“post-October capital losses”), and

 

the sum of (1) the excess, if any, of (a) specified losses incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, over (b) specified gains incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year and (2) the excess, if any, of (a) ordinary losses incurred after December 31 of the current taxable year, over (b) the ordinary income incurred after December 31 of the current taxable year.

 

The terms “specified losses” and “specified gains” mean ordinary losses and gains from the sale, exchange, or other disposition of property (including the termination of a position with respect to such property), foreign currency losses and gains, and losses and gains resulting from holding stock in a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) for which a

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mark-to-market election is in effect. The terms “ordinary losses” and “ordinary income” mean other ordinary losses and income that are not described in the preceding sentence.

 

Undistributed Capital Gains. Each Fund may retain or distribute to shareholders its net capital gain for each taxable year. Each Fund currently intends to distribute net capital gains. If a Fund elects to retain its net capital gain, the Fund will be taxed thereon (except to the extent of any available capital loss carryovers) at the corporate income tax rate. If a Fund elects to retain its net capital gain, it is expected that the Fund also will elect to have shareholders treated as if each received a distribution of its pro rata share of such gain, with the result that each shareholder will be required to report its pro rata share of such gain on its tax return as long-term capital gain, will receive a refundable tax credit for its pro rata share of tax paid by the Fund on the gain, and will increase the tax basis for its shares by an amount equal to the deemed distribution less the tax credit.

 

B. Fund Distributions

 

Each distribution by a Fund will be treated in the manner described below regardless of whether the distribution is paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Fund (or of another fund). If the shareholder receives a distribution in the form of a reinvestment in additional shares, the shareholder will be treated as having received a distribution in an amount equal to the fair market value of the shares received, determined as of the reinvestment date.

 

Distributions of Net Investment Income. Each Fund anticipates distributing substantially all of its investment company taxable income for each taxable year. Each Fund receives income generally in the form of dividends and/or interest on its investments. The Fund may also recognize ordinary income from other sources, including, but not limited to, certain gains on foreign currency-related transactions. This income, less expenses incurred in the operation of each Fund, constitutes the Fund’s net investment income from which dividends may be paid to you. If a shareholder is a taxable investor, these distributions generally will be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income to the extent of a Fund’s earnings and profits.

 

Qualified Dividend Income for Individuals. A portion of a Fund’s distributions may be treated as “qualified dividend income,” taxable to individuals and certain other non-corporate shareholders at maximum federal tax rates of 15% or 20%, depending on a shareholder’s level of taxable income and the shareholder’s filing status. A distribution is treated as qualified dividend income by a shareholder to the extent that (1) a Fund receives dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain qualified foreign corporations, provided that holding period and certain other requirements are met, and (2) the shareholder meets those requirements with respect to Fund shares on which the distribution is paid. To the extent that a Fund’s distributions are attributable to other sources, such as interest or capital gains, the distributions will not be treated as qualified dividend income. A Fund’s distributions of dividends that it receives from U.S. real estate investment trusts, derivatives, fixed income securities, and PFICs generally will not constitute qualified dividend income.

 

Dividends-Received Deduction for Corporations. For corporate shareholders, a portion of the dividends paid by a Fund may qualify for the 50% corporate dividends-received deduction. The portion of dividends paid by a Fund that so qualifies will be reported by a Fund to shareholders each year and cannot exceed the gross amount of dividends received by a Fund from domestic (U.S.) corporations. The availability of the dividends-received deduction is subject to certain holding period and debt financing restrictions that apply to both a Fund and the investor. Specifically, the amount that a Fund may report as eligible for the dividends-received deduction will be reduced or eliminated if the shares on which the dividends earned by a Fund were debt-financed or held by a Fund for less than a minimum period of time, generally 46 days during a 91-day period beginning 45 days before the stock becomes ex-dividend. Similarly, if your Fund shares are debt-financed or held by you for less than a 46-day period then the dividends-received deduction for Fund dividends on your shares may also be reduced or eliminated. Income derived by a Fund from investments in derivatives, fixed income and foreign securities generally is not eligible for this treatment.

 

Distributions of Capital Gains. Each Fund anticipates distributing substantially all of its net capital gain (after reduction for any capital loss carryovers, i.e., unutilized capital losses from prior taxable years) for each taxable year. These distributions generally will be made only once a year, usually in December, but a Fund may make additional distributions of net capital gain at any time during the year. Each Fund may derive capital gain and loss in connection with sales or other dispositions of its portfolio securities. Distributions derived from the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss will be taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions paid from the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss will be taxable to you as long-term capital gain, regardless of how long you have held your shares in a Fund. These distributions will not qualify for the corporate dividends-received deduction or as qualified dividend income for non-corporate shareholders.

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Return of Capital. A distribution by a Fund that does not constitute an ordinary income dividend or capital gain dividend will be treated as a return of capital. A return of capital distribution will reduce the shareholder’s tax basis of shares and will be treated as gain from the sale of the shares to the extent the basis would be reduced below zero. Return of capital distributions can occur for a number of reasons, including, among others, a Fund over-estimates the income to be received from certain investments.

 

Capital Loss Carryovers. The capital losses of a Fund, if any, do not flow through to shareholders. Rather, a Fund may use its capital losses, subject to applicable limitations, to offset its capital gains without being required to pay taxes on or distribute to shareholders such gains that are offset by the losses. If a Fund has a “net capital loss” (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains), the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of a Fund’s next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of a Fund’s net long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of a Fund’s next taxable year. Any such net capital losses of a Fund that are not used to offset capital gains may be carried forward indefinitely to reduce any future capital gains realized by a Fund in succeeding taxable years. All capital loss carryovers are listed in a Fund’s financial statements.

 

The amount of capital losses that can be carried forward and used in any single year is subject to an annual limitation if there is a more than 50% “change in ownership” of a Fund. An ownership change generally results when shareholders owning 5% or more of a Fund increase their aggregate holdings by more than 50% over a three-year look-back period. An ownership change could result in capital loss carryovers being used at a slower rate, thereby reducing a Fund’s ability to offset capital gains with those losses. An increase in the amount of taxable gains distributed to a Fund’s shareholders could result from an ownership change. A Fund undertakes no obligation to avoid or prevent an ownership change, which can occur in the normal course of shareholder purchases and redemptions or as a result of engaging in a tax-free reorganization with another fund. Moreover, because of circumstances beyond a Fund’s control, there can be no assurance that a Fund will not experience, or has not already experienced, an ownership change. Additionally, if a Fund engages in a tax-free reorganization with another fund, the effect of these and other rules not discussed herein may be to disallow or postpone the use by a Fund of its capital loss carryovers (including any current year losses and built-in losses when realized) to offset its own gains or those of the other fund, or vice versa, thereby reducing the tax benefits Fund shareholders would otherwise have enjoyed from use of such capital loss carryovers.

 

Impact of Realized but Undistributed Income and Gains, and Net Unrealized Appreciation of Portfolio Securities. When a shareholder purchases shares, the NAV of their shares may reflect undistributed net investment income, undistributed capital gains or net unrealized appreciation in the value of the assets of a Fund. A distribution of that income or gain (including net gain, if any, from realizing all or part of that appreciation) will be taxable to a shareholder in the manner described above, although the distribution economically constitutes a partial return of capital to the shareholder unless the shareholder is investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. A Fund may be able to reduce the amount of such distributions from capital gains by utilizing its capital loss carryovers, if any.

 

Dividends Declared in December and Paid in January. Ordinarily, a shareholder is required to take distributions by a Fund into income in the year in which they are made. A distribution declared in October, November or December of any year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in one of those months, however, is deemed to be paid by a Fund and received by them on December 31 of that year if the distribution is paid in January of the following year.

 

Annual Statements. Each Fund will send information annually to its shareholders regarding the federal income tax status of distributions made (or deemed made) during the year.

 

Medicare Tax. An individual is required to pay a 3.8% federal tax on the lesser of (1) the individual’s “net investment income,” which generally includes dividends, interest and net gains from the disposition of investment property (including dividends and capital gain distributions a Fund pays and net gains realized on the redemption or other taxable disposition of Fund shares) reduced by the deductions properly allocable to such income, or (2) the excess of the individual’s “modified adjusted gross income” over a threshold amount ($250,000 for married persons filing jointly and $200,000 for single taxpayers). This tax is in addition to any other taxes due on that income. A similar tax applies to estates and trusts. This Medicare tax, if applicable, is reported by you on, and paid with, your federal income tax return. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, this provision may have on their investment in Fund shares.

 

C. Certain Tax Rules Applicable to Fund Transactions

 

Set forth below is a general description of the tax treatment of certain types of securities, investment techniques and transactions that may apply to the Fund and, in turn, affect the amount, character and timing of dividends and distributions

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payable by a Fund to its shareholders. This section should be read in conjunction with the discussion above under “Investment Policies and Risks” for a detailed description of the various types of securities and investment techniques that apply to a Fund.

 

Options, Futures, Forward Contracts, Swap Agreements and Hedging Transactions. In general, option premiums received by a fund are not immediately included in the income of the fund. Instead, the premiums are recognized when the option contract expires, the option is exercised by the holder, or the fund transfers or otherwise terminates the option (e.g., through a closing transaction). If an option written by a fund is exercised and the fund sells or delivers the underlying stock, the fund generally will recognize capital gain or loss equal to (a) the sum of the strike price and the option premium received by the fund minus (b) the fund’s basis in the stock. Such gain or loss generally will be short-term or long-term depending upon the holding period of the underlying stock. If securities are purchased by a fund pursuant to the exercise of a put option written by it, the fund generally will subtract the premium received from its cost basis in the securities purchased. The gain or loss with respect to any termination of a fund’s obligation under an option other than through the exercise of the option and related sale or delivery of the underlying stock generally will be short-term gain or loss depending on whether the premium income received by the fund is greater or less than the amount paid by the fund (if any) in terminating the transaction. Thus, for example, if an option written by a fund expires unexercised, the fund generally will recognize short-term gain equal to the premium received.

 

The tax treatment of certain futures contracts entered into by a fund as well as listed non-equity options written or purchased by the fund on U.S. exchanges (including options on futures contracts, broad-based equity indices and debt securities) may be governed by section 1256 of the IRC (“section 1256 contracts”). Gains or losses on section 1256 contracts generally are considered 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gains or losses (“60/40”), although certain foreign currency gains and losses from such contracts may be treated as ordinary in character. Also, any section 1256 contracts held by a fund at the end of each taxable year (and, for purposes of the 4% excise tax, on certain other dates as prescribed under the IRC) are “marked to market” with the result that unrealized gains or losses are treated as though they were realized and the resulting gain or loss is treated as ordinary or 60/40 gain or loss, as applicable. Section 1256 contracts do not include any interest rate swap, currency swap, basis swap, interest rate cap, interest rate floor, commodity swap, equity swap, equity index swap, credit default swap, or similar agreement.

 

In addition to the special rules described above in respect of options and futures transactions, a fund’s transactions in other derivatives instruments (including options, forward contracts and swap agreements) as well as its other hedging, short sale, or similar transactions, may be subject to one or more special tax rules (including the constructive sale, notional principal contract, straddle, wash sale and short sale rules). These rules may affect whether gains and losses recognized by a fund are treated as ordinary or capital or as short-term or long-term, accelerate the recognition of income or gains to the fund, defer losses to the fund, and cause adjustments in the holding periods of the fund’s securities. These rules, therefore, could affect the amount, timing and/or character of distributions to shareholders. Moreover, because the tax rules applicable to derivatives instruments are in some cases uncertain under current law, an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to these rules (which determination or guidance could be retroactive) may affect whether a fund has made sufficient distributions, and otherwise satisfied the relevant requirements, to maintain its qualification as a RIC and avoid a fund level tax.

 

Certain of the Fund’s investments in derivatives and foreign currency-denominated instruments, and the Fund’s transactions in foreign currencies and hedging activities, may produce a difference between its book income and its taxable income. If the Fund’s book income is less than the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the Fund could be required to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a regulated investment company. If the Fund’s book income exceeds the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the distribution of any such excess will be treated as (i) a dividend to the extent of the Fund’s remaining earnings and profits (including current earnings and profits arising from tax-exempt income, reduced by related deductions), (ii) thereafter, as a return of capital to the extent of the recipient’s basis in the shares, and (iii) thereafter, as gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset.

 

Investments in Convertible Debt Securities. Convertible debt is ordinarily treated as a “single property” consisting of a pure debt interest until conversion, after which the investment becomes an equity interest. If the security is issued at a premium (i.e., for cash in excess of the face amount payable on retirement), the creditor-holder may amortize the premium over the life of the bond. If the security is issued for cash at a price below its face amount, the creditor-holder must accrue original issue discount in income over the life of the debt. The creditor-holder’s exercise of the conversion privilege is treated as a nontaxable event. Mandatorily convertible debt (e.g., an exchange traded note or ETN issued in the form of an unsecured obligation that pays a return based on the performance of a specified market index, exchange currency, or commodity) is often, but not always, treated as a contract to buy or sell the reference property rather than debt. Similarly,

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convertible preferred stock with a mandatory conversion feature is ordinarily, but not always, treated as equity rather than debt. Dividends received generally are qualified dividend income and eligible for the corporate dividends-received deduction. In general, conversion of preferred stock for common stock of the same corporation is tax-free. Conversion of preferred stock for cash is a taxable redemption. Any redemption premium for preferred stock that is redeemable by the issuing company might be required to be amortized under original issue discount principles. A change in the conversion ratio or conversion price of a convertible security on account of a dividend paid to the issuer’s other shareholders may result in a deemed distribution of stock to the holders of the convertible security equal to the value of their increased interest in the equity of the issuer. Thus, an increase in the conversion ratio of a convertible security can be treated as a taxable distribution of stock to a holder of the convertible security (without a corresponding receipt of cash by the holder) before the holder has converted the security.

 

U.S. Government Securities. Income earned on certain U.S. government obligations is exempt from state and local personal income taxes if earned directly by you. States also grant tax-free status to dividends paid to you from interest earned on direct obligations of the U.S. government, subject in some states to minimum investment or reporting requirements that must be met by a Fund. Income on investments by a Fund in certain other obligations, such as repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government obligations, commercial paper and federal agency-backed obligations (e.g., Ginnie Mae or Fannie Mae obligations), generally does not qualify for tax-free treatment. The rules on exclusion of this income are different for corporations.

 

Certain Fixed Income Investments. Gain recognized on the disposition of a debt obligation purchased by a Fund at a market discount (generally, at a price less than its principal amount) will be treated as ordinary income to the extent of the portion of the market discount which accrued during the period of time the Fund held the debt obligation unless the Fund made a current inclusion election to accrue market discount into income as it accrues. If a Fund purchases a debt obligation (such as a zero-coupon security or pay-in-kind security) that was originally issued at a discount, the Fund generally is required to include in gross income each year the portion of the original issue discount that accrues during such year. Therefore, a Fund’s investment in such securities may cause the Fund to recognize income and make distributions to shareholders before it receives any cash payments on the securities. To generate cash to satisfy those distribution requirements, a Fund may have to sell portfolio securities that it otherwise might have continued to hold or to use cash flows from other sources such as the sale of Fund shares.

 

Investments in Securities of Uncertain Tax Character. A Fund may invest in securities the U.S. federal income tax treatment of which may not be clear or may be subject to recharacterization by the IRS. To the extent the tax treatment of such securities or the income from such securities differs from the tax treatment expected by a Fund, it could affect the timing or character of income recognized by a Fund, requiring a Fund to purchase or sell securities, or otherwise change its portfolio, in order to comply with the tax rules applicable to RICs under the IRC. Moreover, because the tax rules applicable to derivative financial instruments are in some cases uncertain under current law, an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to these rules (which determination or guidance could be retroactive) may affect whether a Fund has made sufficient distributions, and otherwise satisfied the relevant requirements, to maintain its qualification as a RIC and avoid a fund-level tax.

 

D. Federal Excise Tax

 

A 4% non-deductible federal excise tax (“Excise Tax”) is imposed on a RIC that fails to distribute in each calendar year an amount equal to at least the sum of (1) 98.0% of its ordinary income for the calendar year plus (2) 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ended on October 31 of such calendar year, and (3) any prior year undistributed ordinary income and capital gain net income. A Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it is subject to income tax for any taxable year ending in the calendar year.

 

For purposes of calculating the Excise Tax, each Fund (1) reduces its capital gain net income (but not below its net capital gain) by the amount of any net ordinary loss for the calendar year and (2) excludes any “specified gain” or “specified loss” (see, “Deferral of Late Year Losses” above for the definition of “specified gain” and “specified loss”) realized or sustained after October 31 of any year in determining the amount of ordinary income for the current calendar year. A Fund will include any “specified gain” or “specified loss” incurred after October 31 in determining ordinary income for the succeeding calendar year.

 

Generally, each Fund intends to make sufficient distributions prior to the end of each calendar year to avoid any material liability for federal income and Excise Tax, but can give no assurances that all or a portion of such liability will be avoided. In addition, under certain circumstances, temporary timing or permanent differences in the realization of income and expense for book and tax purposes can result in the Fund having to pay an Excise Tax. Shareholders should note, however,

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that each Fund may in certain circumstances be required to liquidate portfolio investments to make sufficient distributions to avoid Excise Tax liability.

 

E. Redemption of Shares

 

In general, you will recognize gain or loss on an exchange or redemption of Fund shares in an amount equal to the difference between the proceeds of the exchange or redemption and your adjusted tax basis in the shares. Any redemption fees you incur on shares redeemed will decrease the amount of any capital gain (or increase any capital loss) you realize on the sale. All or a portion of any loss so recognized may be disallowed if you purchase Fund shares (for example, by reinvesting dividends) within 30 days before or after an exchange or redemption (i.e., a wash sale). If disallowed, the loss would be reflected in an upward adjustment to the basis in the purchased shares. In general, any gain or loss arising from an exchange or redemption of shares of the Fund will be considered a capital gain or loss and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares were held for longer than one year. Any capital loss arising from an exchange or redemption of shares held for six months or less, however, will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of the amount of distributions of net capital gain, if any, received on such shares. In determining the holding period of shares for this purpose, any period during which your risk of loss is offset by means of options, short sales or similar transactions is not counted. Capital losses in any year are deductible only to the extent of capital gains plus, in the case of a non-corporate taxpayer, $3,000 of ordinary income.

 

Tax Basis Information. A Fund is required to report to you and the IRS annually on Form 1099-B the cost basis of shares purchased or acquired where the cost basis of the shares is known by the Fund (referred to as “covered shares”). However, cost basis reporting is not required for certain shareholders, including shareholders investing in the Fund through a tax-advantaged retirement account, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account.

 

When required to report cost basis, a Fund will calculate it using the Fund’s default method, unless you instruct the Fund to use a different calculation method. For additional information regarding the Fund’s available cost basis reporting methods, including its default method, please contact the Fund. If you hold your Fund shares through a broker (or other nominee), please contact that broker (nominee) with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for your account.

 

The IRS permits the use of several methods to determine the cost basis of mutual fund shares. The method used will determine which specific shares are deemed to be sold when there are multiple purchases on different dates at differing share prices, and the entire position is not sold at one time. The Fund does not recommend any particular method of determining cost basis, and the use of other methods may result in more favorable tax consequences for some shareholders. It is important that you consult with your tax advisor to determine which method is best for you and then notify the Fund if you intend to utilize a method other than the Fund’s default method for covered shares. If you do not notify the Fund of your elected cost basis method upon the initial purchase into your account, the default method will be applied to your covered shares.

 

A Fund will compute and report the cost basis of your Fund shares sold or exchanged by taking into account all of the applicable adjustments to cost basis and holding periods as required by the IRC and Treasury regulations for purposes of reporting these amounts to you and the IRS. However the Fund is not required to, and in many cases the Fund does not possess the information to, take all possible basis, holding period or other adjustments into account in reporting cost basis information to you. Therefore, shareholders should carefully review the cost basis information provided by the Fund.

 

Reportable Transactions. Under Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to the Fund’s shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder (or certain greater amounts over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

 

F. State and Local Taxes

 

The tax rules of the various states and their local jurisdictions with respect to an investment in a Fund can differ from the federal income tax rules described above. These state and local rules are not discussed herein. You are urged to consult your tax advisor as to the consequences of state and local tax rules with respect to an investment in a Fund.

 

G. Foreign Income Tax

 

Investment income received by a Fund from sources within foreign countries and gains that it realizes on the disposition of foreign securities may be subject to foreign income taxes withheld at the source and the amount of tax withheld generally

33 

 

will be treated as an expense of a Fund. The United States has entered into tax treaties with many foreign countries that may entitle a Fund to a reduced rate of such taxes or exemption from taxes on such income. Some countries require the filing of a tax reclaim or other forms to receive the benefit of the reduced tax rate; whether or when a Fund will receive the tax reclaim is within the control of the individual country. Information required on these forms may not be available such as shareholder information therefore, a Fund may not receive the reduced treaty rates or potential reclaims. Other countries have conflicting and changing instructions and restrictive timing requirements which may cause a Fund not to receive the reduced treaty rates or potential reclaims. Other countries may subject capital gains realized by a Fund on sale or disposition of securities of that country to taxation. It is impossible to know the effective rate of foreign tax in advance, since the amount of a Fund’s assets to be invested within various countries cannot be determined.

 

H. Backup Withholding

 

By law, each Fund may be required to withhold a portion of your taxable dividends and sales proceeds unless you:

 

provide your correct social security or taxpayer identification number,

 

certify that this number is correct,

 

certify that you are not subject to backup withholding, and

 

certify that you are a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien).

 

Each Fund also must withhold if the IRS instructs it to do so. When withholding is required, the amount will be 24% of any distributions or proceeds paid. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the IRS. Certain payees and payments are exempt from backup withholding and information reporting.

 

I. Non-U.S. Investors

 

Fund shares generally are not sold outside the United States. However, non-U.S. investors (shareholders who, as to the U.S., are nonresident alien individuals, foreign trusts or estates, foreign corporations, or foreign partnerships) may be subject to U.S. withholding and estate tax and are subject to special U.S. tax certification requirements. Non-U.S. investors should consult their tax advisors about the applicability of U.S. tax withholding and the use of the appropriate forms to certify their status.

 

In general. Non-U.S. investors may be subject to U.S. withholding tax at a 30% or lower treaty rate and U.S. estate tax and are subject to special U.S. tax certification requirements to avoid backup withholding and claim any treaty benefits. Exemptions from U.S. withholding tax are provided for certain capital gain dividends paid by a Fund from net long-term capital gains, interest-related dividends and short-term capital gain dividends, if such amounts are reported by a Fund. However, notwithstanding such exemptions from U.S. withholding at the source, any such dividends and distributions of income and capital gains will be subject to backup withholding at a rate of 24% if you fail to properly certify that you are not a U.S. person.

 

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”). Under FATCA, a Fund will be required to withhold a 30% tax on income dividends made by the Fund to certain foreign entities, referred to as foreign financial institutions or nonfinancial foreign entities, that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. After December 31, 2018, FATCA withholding also would have applied to certain capital gain distributions, return of capital distributions and the proceeds arising from the sale of Fund shares; however, based on proposed regulations issued by the IRS, which can be relied upon currently, such withholding is no longer required unless final regulations provide otherwise (which is not expected). 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 or similar laws. 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.

34 

 

OTHER MATTERS

 

A. The Trust and Its Shareholders

 

General Information. Each Fund is a separate series of the Trust. The Trust is an open-end investment management company organized under Delaware law as a statutory trust on July 30, 2012. The Trust’s trust instrument (the “Trust Instrument”) permits the Trust to offer separate series (“funds”) of shares of beneficial interest (“shares”). The Trust reserves the right to create and issue shares of additional funds. The Trust and each fund will continue indefinitely until terminated. Each fund is a separate mutual fund, and each share of each fund represents an equal proportionate interest in that fund. All consideration received by the Trust for shares of any fund and all assets of such fund belong solely to that fund and would be subject to liabilities related thereto. The other funds of the Trust are described in one or more separate Statements of Additional Information.

 

Shareholder Voting and Other Rights. Each share of a fund and each class of shares has equal dividend, distribution, liquidation and voting rights. Fractional shares have those rights proportionately, except that expenses related to the distribution of shares of each fund or class (and certain other expenses such as transfer agency, shareholder service and administration expenses) are borne solely by those shares. Each fund or class votes separately with respect to the provisions of any Rule 12b-1 plan that pertains to the fund or class and other matters for which separate fund or class voting is appropriate under applicable law. Generally, shares will be voted separately by each fund except if: (1) the 1940 Act requires shares to be voted in the aggregate and not by individual funds; or (2) the Board determines that the matter affects more than one fund and all affected funds must vote. The Board may also determine that a matter only affects certain funds or classes of the Trust and thus that only those funds or classes are entitled to vote on the matter. Delaware law does not require the Trust to hold annual meetings of shareholders, and it is anticipated that shareholder meetings will be held only when specifically required by federal or state law. There are no conversion or preemptive rights in connection with shares of the Trust.

 

All shares, when issued in accordance with the terms of the offering, will be fully paid and non-assessable.

 

A shareholder in a fund is entitled to the shareholder’s pro rata share of all distributions arising from that fund’s assets and, upon redeeming shares, will receive the portion of the fund’s net assets represented by the redeemed shares.

 

Shareholders representing 10% or more of the Trust’s (or a fund’s) shares may, as set forth in the Trust Instrument, call meetings of the Trust (or fund) for any purpose related to the Trust (or fund), including, in the case of a meeting of the Trust, the purpose of voting on removal of one or more Trustees.

 

Pursuant to Delaware law, the Trust’s Trust Instrument places certain limitations on the ability of shareholders to bring derivative actions on behalf of the Trust and certain direct claims. Such limitations include, but are not limited to, that (i) a pre-suit demand must be made on the Board; (ii) to the maximum extent permitted by law, the demand must be executed by at least three unaffiliated and unrelated shareholders who hold shares representing 10% or more of the all shares issued and outstanding or of the series or classes thereof to which such action relates if it does not relate to all series and classes thereof; (iii)   the Trustees shall consider such request within a time frame that the Trustees in their discretion consider reasonable and appropriate; (iv) the Trustees shall be entitled to retain counsel or other advisers in considering the merits of the request and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, shall require an undertaking by the shareholder (or shareholders) making such request to reimburse the Trust for the expense of any such advisers in the event that the Trustees determine not to bring such action; (v) to the maximum extent permitted by law, any decision by the Trustees relating to the matter shall be final and binding upon the shareholders, and judicially unreviewable; and (vi) to the maximum extent permitted by law, a shareholder may bring a direct action or claim only if the shareholder (or group of shareholders) has suffered an injury distinct from that suffered by shareholders of the Trust or the relevant series or a class thereof generally; and (vii) to the maximum extent permitted by law, a shareholder may bring a direct action or claim predicated upon an express or implied right of action under the Declaration of Trust or the 1940 Act (excepting rights of action permitted under Section 36(b) of the 1940 Act), only if the shareholder (or group of shareholders) has obtained authorization from the Trustees to bring the action or claim.

 

The Trust’s Trust Instrument also places limitations on the forum in which claims against the Trust may be heard. Unless the Board of Trustees consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, any suit, action or proceeding brought by or in the right of any shareholder or any person claiming any interest in any shares seeking to enforce any provision of, or based on any matter arising out of, related to, or in connection with, the Trust’s Trust Instrument, including without limitation any claim of any nature against the Trust, any series or class, the Trustees or officers of the Trust, or a service provider shall be brought exclusively in the Delaware Court of Chancery to the extent that court has subject matter jurisdiction over the action or claims asserted and otherwise in the courts of the State of Delaware to the extent there is subject matter jurisdiction in

35 

 

those courts for the claims asserted. Accordingly, shareholders may have to bring suit in what they may consider to be an inconvenient and potentially less favorable forum. The limitations described above relating to derivative actions and choice of forum do not apply to claims asserted under the federal securities laws, to the extent that any such federal laws, rules or regulations do not permit such application.

 

Termination or Reorganization of Trust or its Series. The Board, may, without prior shareholder approval, change the form of organization of the Trust by merger, consolidation or incorporation, so long as the surviving entity is an open-end management investment company. Under the Trust Instrument, the Trustees may also, without shareholder vote, sell and convey all or substantially all of the assets of the Trust to another trust, partnership, association or corporation, or cause the Trust to incorporate in the State of Delaware, so long as the surviving entity is an open-end management investment company that will succeed to or assume the Trust’s registration statement.

 

Under the Trust Instrument, the Board may sell or convey the assets of a fund or reorganize such fund into another investment company registered under the 1940 Act without a shareholder vote.

 

B. Fund Ownership

 

A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of a Fund. A control person is a shareholder who owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledges the existence of control. Shareholders owning voting securities in excess of 25% may determine the outcome of any matter affecting and voted on by shareholders of the Fund.

 

As of November 7, 2022, the Trustees and officers of the Trust in aggregate owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of beneficial interest of each Fund.

 

As of November 7, 2022, certain shareholders listed in Table 7 in Appendix B owned of record or beneficially 5% or more of the shares of a Fund.

 

From time to time, certain shareholders may own a large percentage of the shares of a Fund. Accordingly, those shareholders may be able to greatly affect (if not determine) the outcome of a shareholder vote. As of November 7, 2022, the shareholders listed in Table 7 in Appendix B who own more than 25% of a Fund may be deemed to control the Fund. “Control” for this purpose is the ownership of 25% or more of a Fund’s voting securities.

 

C. Limitations on Shareholders’ and Trustees’ Liability

 

Delaware law provides that Fund shareholders are entitled to the same limitations of personal liability extended to stockholders of private corporations for profit. In addition, the Trust Instrument contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses of the Trust. The Trust Instrument provides that if any shareholder or former shareholder of any fund is held personally liable, solely by reason of having been a shareholder (and not because of their acts or omissions or for some other reason), the shareholder or former shareholder shall be entitled out of assets belonging to the applicable fund to be held harmless from and indemnified against all losses and expenses arising from such liability. The Trust Instrument also provides that the Trust, on behalf of a fund, shall, upon request by a shareholder or former shareholder, assume the defense of any claim made against any shareholder for any act or obligation of that fund and satisfy any judgment thereon from the assets belonging to the fund. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which Delaware law does not apply, no contractual limitation of liability is in effect, and a Fund is unable to meet its obligations.

 

No trustee or officer of the Trust is responsible or liable to the Trust, its shareholders or another trustee or other person that is a party to or is otherwise bound by the Trust’s Trust Instrument for any act or omission, breach of contract, breach of duties or for neglect or wrongdoing of the Trustee or officer or any officer, agent, representative, employee, adviser, principal underwriter or independent contractor to the Trust. However, no trustee or officer is protected under the Trust Instrument against liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which such trustee or officer would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of their duties. All persons contracting with or having a claim against the Trust or a particular fund may only look to the Trust assets (or assets belonging to a fund) for payment under such contract or claim. Neither the trustees nor any of the Trust’s officers or employees (whether past, present or future) are personally liable for such claims.

36 

 

D. Proxy Voting Procedures

 

The Trust’s and the Adviser’s proxy voting procedures are included in Appendices C and D, respectively. Information regarding how each Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30 will be available: (1) without charge, upon request, by contacting the Transfer Agent at (855) 422-4518 (toll free); and (2) on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

E. Code of Ethics

 

The Trust and the Adviser have each adopted a code of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These codes of ethics permit, subject to certain conditions, personnel of each of those entities to invest in securities that may be purchased or held by a Fund. The Distributor relies on the principal underwriters exception under Rule 17j-1(c)(3), specifically where the Distributor is not affiliated with the Trust or the Adviser, and no officer, director or general partner of the Distributor serves as an officer, director or general partner of the Trust or the Adviser.

 

F. Registration Statement

 

This SAI and the Prospectus do not contain all of the information included in the Trust’s registration statement filed with the SEC under the 1933 Act with respect to the securities offered hereby. The registration statement, including the exhibits filed therewith, may be examined at the office of the SEC in Washington, D.C. The SEC maintains a website (www.sec.gov) that contains this SAI, any material incorporated by reference, and other information regarding the Funds.

 

G. Financial Statements

 

The Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm, BBD, audits and reports on each Fund’s annual financial statements. The financial statements include the schedule of investments, statement of assets and liabilities, statement of operations, statement of changes in net assets, financial highlights, notes and report of independent registered public accounting firm. Shareholders will receive annual audited financial statements and semi-annual unaudited financial statements.

37 

 

APPENDIX A – DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS

 

Corporate and Municipal Long-Term Bond Ratings

 

Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) Corporate and Municipal Long-Term Bond Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of S&P’s long-term corporate and municipal bond ratings have been published by Standard & Poor’s Financial Service LLC.

 

AAA - An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is extremely strong.

 

AA - An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is very strong.

 

A - An obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is still strong.

 

BBB - An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

 

BB, B, CCC, CC, and C - Obligations rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’, ‘CC’, and ‘C’ are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

 

BB  - An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions that could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

 

B - An obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

 

CCC    - An obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

 

CC  - An obligation rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC’ rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P Global Ratings expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

 

C - An obligation rated ‘C’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared with obligations that are rated higher.

 

D - An obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within the next five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or the next 30 calendar days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. A rating on an obligation is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed debt restructuring.

 

Plus (+) or Minus (-) - The ratings from ‘AA’ to ‘CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the rating categories.

 

NR - This indicates that a rating has not been assigned or is no longer assigned.

A-1 

 

Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) Long-Term Corporate Bond Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Moody’s long-term corporate bond ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.

 

Aaa - Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.

 

Aa - Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

 

A - Obligations rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

 

Baa - Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

 

Ba - Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.

 

B - Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

 

Caa - Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative, of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

 

Ca - Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

 

C - Obligations rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

 

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

 

Additionally, a “(hyb)” indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms. By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.

 

Moody’s U.S. Municipal Long-Term Bond Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Moody’s long-term municipal bond ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.

 

Aaa - Issuers or issues rated Aaa demonstrate the strongest creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

Aa - Issuers or issues rated Aa demonstrate very strong creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

A - Issuers or issues rated A present above-average creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

Baa - Issuers or issues rated Baa represent average creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

Ba - Issuers or issues rated Ba demonstrate below-average creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

B - Issuers or issues rated B demonstrate weak creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

A-2 

 

Caa - Issuers or issues rated Caa demonstrate very weak creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

Ca - Issuers or issues rated Ca demonstrate extremely weak creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

C - Issuers or issues rated C demonstrate the weakest creditworthiness relative to other U.S. municipal or tax-exempt issuers or issues.

 

Modifiers: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating category from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the issuer or obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.

 

Fitch Ratings Ltd. (“Fitch”) Corporate Bond Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Fitch’s long-term corporate bond ratings have been published by Fitch, Inc. and Fitch Ratings Ltd.

 

AAA   - Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

 

AA   - Very high credit quality. ‘AA’ ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

 

A - High credit quality. ‘A’ ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

 

BBB   - Good credit quality. ‘BBB’ ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

 

BB  - Speculative. ‘BB’ ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.

 

B - Highly speculative. ‘B’ ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.

 

CCC - Substantial credit risk. ‘CCC’ ratings indicate that substantial credit risk present.

 

CC - Very high levels of credit risk. ‘CC’ ratings indicate very high levels of credit risk.

 

C - Exceptionally high levels of credit risk. ‘C’ indicates exceptionally high levels of credit risk.

 

Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned ‘RD’ or ‘D’ ratings, but are instead rated in the ‘CCC’ to ‘C’ rating categories, depending upon their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.

 

Plus (+) or Minus (-) The modifiers “+” or “-” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA’ obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below ‘CCC’.

 

The terms “investment grade” and “speculative grade” have established themselves over time as shorthand to describe the categories ‘AAA’ to ‘BBB’ (investment grade) and ‘BB’ to ‘D’ (speculative grade). The terms “investment grade” and “speculative grade” are market conventions, and do not imply any recommendation or endorsement of a specific security for investment purposes. “Investment grade” categories indicate relatively low to moderate credit risk, while ratings in the “speculative” categories signal either a higher level of credit risk or that a default already occurred.

A-3 

 

Fitch’s Municipal Bond Long-Term Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Fitch’s long-term municipal bond ratings have been published by Fitch, Inc. and Fitch Ratings Ltd.

 

AAA   - Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of default risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

 

AA  - Very high credit quality. ‘AA’ ratings denote expectations of very low default risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

 

A - High credit quality. ‘A’ ratings denote expectations of low default risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

 

BBB   - Good credit quality. ‘BBB’ ratings indicate that expectations of default risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

 

BB  - Speculative. ‘BB’ ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to default risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time.

 

B - Highly speculative. ‘B’ ratings indicate that material default risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is vulnerable to deterioration in the business and economic environment.

 

CCC   - Substantial credit risk. ‘CCC’ ratings indicate that there is a very low margin for safety, and that default is a real possibility.

 

CC - Very high levels of credit risk. ‘CC’ ratings indicate default of some kind appears probable.

 

C - Exceptionally high levels of credit risk. ‘C’ ratings indicate default appears imminent or inevitable.

 

D - Default. ‘D’ ratings indicate a default. Default generally is defined as one of the following:

 

failure to make payment of principal and/or interest under the contractual terms of the rated obligation;

 

the bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other winding-up or cessation of the business of an issuer/obligor where payment default on an obligation is a virtual certainty; or

 

distressed exchange of an obligation, where creditors were offered securities with diminished structural or economic terms compared with the existing obligation to avoid a probable payment default.

 

Plus (+) or Minus (-) - The modifiers “+” or “-”may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA’ Long-Term Rating category, or to Long-Term Rating categories below ‘CCC’.

 

Municipal Short-Term Bond Ratings

 

S&P’s Municipal Short-Term Bond Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of S&P’s short-term municipal ratings have been published by Standard & Poor’s Financial Service LLC.

 

SP-1 - Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.

A-4 

 

SP-2 - Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.

 

SP-3 - Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.

 

D - 'D' is assigned upon failure to pay the note when due, completion of a distressed debt restructuring, or the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions.

 

Moody’s Municipal Short-Term Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Moody’s short-term municipal ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.

 

MIG 1 - This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

 

MIG 2 - This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

 

MIG 3 - This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

 

SG - This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

 

Fitch’s Municipal Short-Term Credit Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Fitch’s municipal short-term credit ratings have been published by Fitch, Inc. and Fitch Ratings Ltd.

 

F1 - Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

 

F2 - Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

 

F3 - Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

 

B - Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

 

C - High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

 

RD - Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically, applicable to entity ratings only.

 

D - Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.

 

Short-Term Credit Ratings

 

S&P’s Short-Term Credit Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of S&P’s short-term credit ratings have been published by Standard & Poor’s Financial Service LLC.

 

A-1 - A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by S&P Global Ratings. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on these obligations is extremely strong.

A-5 

 

A-2 - A short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is satisfactory.

 

A-3 - A short-term obligation rated ‘A-3’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken an obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

 

B - A short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties that could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

 

C - A short-term obligation rated ‘C’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

 

D - A short-term obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed debt restructuring.

 

Dual Ratings – Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+’ or ‘A-1+/A-1’). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+’).

 

Moody’s Short-Term Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Moody’s short-term credit ratings have been published by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and Moody’s Analytics Inc.

 

P-1 – Ratings of Prime-1 reflect a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

P-2 – Ratings of Prime-2 reflect a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

P-3 – Ratings of Prime-3 reflect an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

 

NP - Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

 

Fitch’s Short-Term Ratings:

 

The following descriptions of Fitch’s short-term credit ratings have been published by Fitch, Inc. and Fitch Ratings Ltd.

 

F1 - Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

 

F2 - Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

 

F3 - Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

 

B - Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

 

C - High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

A-6 

 

RD - Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically, applicable to entity ratings only.

 

D - Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a specific short-term obligation.

A-7 

 

APPENDIX B – MISCELLANEOUS TABLES

 

Table 1 – Investment Advisory Fees

 

The following table shows the dollar amount of fees accrued with respect to each Fund, the amount of fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed by the Adviser, if any, and the actual fees retained by the Adviser. The data is for the last three fiscal years (or shorter period depending on a Fund's commencement of operations).

 

Period Ended Advisory Fees
Accrued
Advisory Fees
Waived and/
or Expenses
Reimbursed
Advisory Fees
Received
ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility      
July 31, 2022 $4,366,986 $93,009 $4,273,977
July 31, 2021 $3,481,586 $72,576 $3,409,010
July 31, 2020 $1,493,888 $167,254 $1,326,634
ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund      
July 31, 2022 $2,098,835 $353,813 $1,745,022
July 31, 2021 $1,520,813 $272,723 $1,248,090
July 31, 2020 $387,458 $208,768 $178,690
ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund      
July 31, 2022 $9,853,680 $3,822,551 $6,031,129
July 31, 2021 $5,171,231 $2,071,320 $3,099,911

 

Table 2 – Distribution Fees (Investor Shares)

 

The following table shows the dollar amount of the fees accrued by the applicable class, pursuant to the 12b-1 Distribution Plan, the amount of fee that was waived by the Distributor or its agents, if any, and the actual fees received by the Distributor or its agents. The data is for the last three fiscal years (or shorter period depending on a Fund's commencement of operations).

 

Period Ended Plan Fees Accrued Plan Fees Waived Plan Fees Received
ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility      
July 31, 2022 $97,566 $0 $97,566
July 31, 2021 $92,544 $0 $92,544
July 31, 2020 $30,188 $0 $30,188
ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund      
July 31, 2022 $9,082 $0 $9,082
July 31, 2021 $7,521 $0 $7,521
July 31, 2020 $4,066 $0 $4,066
ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund      
July 31, 2022 $71,245 $0 $71,245
July 31, 2021 $30,781 $0 $30,781

 

Table 3 – Administration Fees

 

The following table shows the dollar amount of fees accrued with respect to each Fund, the amount of fees waived by Apex Fund Services, if any, and the actual fees retained by Apex Fund Services. The data is for the last three fiscal years (or shorter period depending on a Fund's commencement of operations).

B-1 

 

Period Ended Administration Fees
Accrued
Administration Fees
Waived
Administration Fees
Received
ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility      
July 31, 2022 $239,965 $47,993 $191,972
July 31, 2021 $205,305 $41,061 $164,244
July 31, 2020 $123,120 $24,624 $98,496
ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund      
July 31, 2022 $105,015 $10,501 $94,514
July 31, 2021 $86,974 $8,697 $78,277
July 31, 2020 $63,178 $6,318 $56,860
ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund      
July 31, 2022 $320,587 $96,176 $224,411
July 31, 2021 $206,403 $82,561 $123,842

 

Table 4 – Commissions

 

The following table shows the aggregate brokerage commissions of each Fund. The data is for the last three fiscal years (or shorter period depending on a Fund's commencement of operations). 

 

Period Ended Aggregate Brokerage
Commissions ($)
Paid
Total Brokerage
Commissions ($)
Paid to Affiliate of
Fund, Adviser or
Distributor
% of Brokerage
Commissions
Paid to Affiliate of
Fund, Adviser or
Distributor
% of Transactions
Executed by Affiliate
of Fund, Adviser or
Distributor
ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility      
July 31, 2022 $822,014 $0 0% 0%
July 31, 2021 $441,914 $0 0% 0%
July 31, 2020 $155,858 $0 0% 0%
ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund        
July 31, 2022 $471,667 $0 0% 0%
July 31, 2021 $393,885 $0 0% 0%
July 31, 2020 $87,891 $0 0% 0%
ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund        
July 31, 2022 $1,420,070 $0 0% 0%
July 31, 2021 $505,072 $0 0% 0%

 

Table 5 – Directed Brokerage

 

The following table lists each Fund’s directed brokerage in return for research services, the amount of transactions so directed and the amount of commissions generated therefrom. The data is for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022.

 

Fund Amount Directed Amount of Commissions
Generated
ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility N/A N/A
ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund N/A N/A
ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund N/A N/A

B-2 

 

Table 6 – Securities of Regular Brokers or Dealers

 

The following table lists each Fund’s regular brokers and dealers whose securities (or the securities of the parent company) were acquired for the fiscal year and the aggregate value of the Fund’s holdings of those securities as of the most recent period ended July 31, 2022.

 

ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund  
Regular Broker or Dealer Value of Securities Held
None N/A

 

ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund  
Regular Broker or Dealer Value of Securities Held
None N/A

 

ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund  
Regular Broker or Dealer Value of Securities Held
None N/A

 

Table 7 – Control Persons and 5% Shareholders

 

The following table lists as of November 7, 2022: (1) the shareholders who owned 25% or more of the outstanding shares of the applicable class and thus may be deemed to be a control person of the Fund; and (2) the persons who owned beneficially or of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the applicable class. The Funds believe that these shares were owned of record by such holders for their fiduciary, agency or custodial accounts.

 

Name and Address % of Fund
ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund- Institutional Shares
CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC.*
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FBO CUSTOMERS
211 MAIN STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105
47.56%
TD AMERITRADE INC*
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS
PO BOX 2226
OMAHA, NE 68103-2226
12.62%
PERSHING LLC*
PO BOX 2052
JERSEY CITY, NJ 07303-9998
5.15%

 

Name and Address % of Fund
ABR Dynamic Blend Equity & Volatility Fund- Investor Shares
CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC.*
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FBO CUSTOMERS 211 MAIN STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105
39.60%

B-3 

 

 

TD AMERITRADE INC*
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS

PO BOX 2226
OMAHA, NE 68103-2226

10.48%

 

Name and Address % of Fund
ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund- Institutional Shares  
CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC.*
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FBO CUSTOMERS
211 MAIN STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105
66.98%
TD AMERITRADE INC*
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS
PO BOX 2226
OMAHA, NE 68103-2226
8.32%

 

Name and Address % of Fund
ABR 50/50 Volatility Fund- Investor Shares  
CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC.*
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FBO CUSTOMERS
211 MAIN STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105
65.39%
TD AMERITRADE INC*
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS
PO BOX 2226
OMAHA, NE 68103-2226
25.07%

 

Name and Address % of Fund
ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund- Institutional Shares  
CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC.*
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FBO CUSTOMERS
211 MAIN STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105
29.37%
THE BRYN MAWR TRUST COMPANY *
FBO DRAPER CO
801 LANCASTER AVENUE
BRYN MAWR, PA 19010
26.55%
TD AMERITRADE INC*
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS
PO BOX 2226
OMAHA, NE 68103-2226
17.44%

 

Name and Address % of Fund
ABR 75/25 Volatility Fund- Investor Shares  

CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC.*
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FBO CUSTOMERS

211 MAIN STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105

53.60%

B-4 

 

TD AMERITRADE INC*
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS
PO BOX 2226
OMAHA, NE 68103-2226
34.22%

 

* Denotes record owner of Fund shares only.

B-5 

 

APPENDIX C – TRUST PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES

 

Forum Funds II

Shareholder Voting Policy

 

As of June 13, 2013

 

SECTION 1. BACKGROUND

 

The Trust exercises its shareholder voting responsibilities as an investor in other issuers as a fiduciary, with the goal of maximizing the value of the Trust’s and its shareholders’ investments. This Policy details the Trust’s policy with respect to shareholder voting.

 

SECTION 2. ADVISER RESPONSIBILITIES

 

(A)   Delegation by Board. Each Fund has delegated to the Adviser the authority to vote as a shareholder of issuers whose securities are held in its portfolio. The Adviser shall maintain and the Board shall approve voting procedures related to the Adviser acting on behalf of the Fund in accordance with its fiduciary duties and the best interests of Fund shareholders.

 

(B)   Delivery of Proxies. The Adviser is responsible for coordinating the delivery of proxies to be voted by the Custodian to the Adviser or to an agent of the Adviser selected by the Adviser to vote proxies with respect to which the Adviser has such discretion (a “Proxy Voting Service”). Upon request, the Adviser shall provide periodic reports to the Board as to the implementation and operation of its shareholder voting policies and procedures as they relate to the Trust.

 

(C)   Conflicts of Interest. The Trust recognizes that under certain circumstances an Adviser or Proxy Voting Service may have a conflict of interest in voting on behalf of a Fund. A conflict of interest includes any circumstance when the Fund, the Adviser, the Distributor, the Proxy Voting Service or one or more of their Affiliated Persons (including officers, directors and employees) knowingly does business with, receives compensation from, or sits on the board of, a particular issuer or closely affiliated entity, and, therefore, may appear to have a conflict of interest between its own interests and the interests of Fund shareholders in how shares of that issuer are voted.

 

Each Adviser is responsible for maintaining procedures to identify and address material conflicts of interest and, when applicable, determine the adequacy of a Proxy Voting Service’s procedures to identify and address material conflicts of interest.

 

(D)   Voting Record. The Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring a voting record is maintained that includes all instances where the Fund was entitled to vote and will coordinate the annual delivery of such record to the Administrator for purposes of preparing the Trust’s annual Form N-PX filing. The voting record shall include the following information required to be reported in Form N-PX:

 

(1) The name of the issuer of the security;

 

(2) The exchange ticker symbol of the security;

 

(3) The CUSIP for the security;

 

(4) The shareholder meeting date;

 

(5) A brief identification of the matter voted on;

 

(6) Whether the matter was proposed by the issuer or by a security holder;

 

(7) Whether the Trust cast its vote on the matter;

 

(8)   How the Trust cast its vote (e.g., for or against proposal, or abstain; for or withhold regarding election of directors); and

 

(9) Whether the Trust cast its vote for or against management. 

C-1 

 

The Adviser shall also be responsible for ensuring information regarding how the Fund voted relating to portfolio securities during the twelve-month period ended June 30 is available on the Fund’s website or other location consistent with disclosure in the Fund’s registration statement.

 

SECTION 3: ABSTENTION

 

The Trust and an Adviser may abstain from shareholder voting in certain circumstances. Abstaining from voting may be appropriate if voting would be unduly burdensome or expensive, or otherwise not in the best interest of a Fund’s shareholders.

 

SECTION 4: BOARD REPORTING AND REVIEW

 

(A) The Adviser shall submit its voting procedures to the Board for review and approval initially and at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board following any material change.

 

(B) The Adviser shall report to the Board, at least quarterly, whether any conflicts of interest arose while voting as an investor in other issuers and how such conflicts were handled.

C-2 

 

APPENDIX D – ADVISER PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES

 

ABR Dynamic Funds, LLC - Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

 

General Proxy Voting Policies

 

ABR understands and appreciates the importance of proxy voting. To the extent that ABR exercises discretion to vote the proxies of the Advisory Clients it manages, ABR will vote any such proxies in the best interests of Advisory Clients and Investors (as applicable) and in accordance with the procedures outlined below (as applicable). At the present time, ABR does not accept proxy voting authority from its Advisory Clients. In the event in the future that ABR does accept proxy voting authority, ABR shall follow the policies and procedures provided in this Section XXII.

 

Proxy Voting Procedures

 

(1) All proxies sent to Advisory Clients that are actually received by ABR (to vote on behalf of the Advisory Clients) will be provided to the CCO. Certain separate account clients may elect, however, to be responsible for voting the proxies related to their account. The CCO will coordinate with the Fund’s custodian to ensure that ABR is receiving all notices related to proxy voting. In addition, the CCO will coordinate with the Fund’s custodian to ensure that the custodian automatically participates in any class actions on behalf of the Fund.

 

(2) The CCO will generally adhere to the following procedures (subject to limited exception):

 

(a) A written record of each proxy received by ABR (on behalf of its Advisory Clients) will be kept in ABR’s files;

 

(b) The CCO will determine which of ABR’s Advisory Clients hold the security to which the proxy relates;

 

(c) ABR may contract authorized third-party service providers to handle the proxy voting procedures under specific instructions from ABR. If ABR engages a third-party provider, it will amend this Manual to provide for oversight policy and procedures governing such third-party service provider.

 

Handling of Conflicts of Interest

 

(1) To the extent there is a conflict of interest, the CCO and CIO will first determine whether there is a conflict of interest related to the proxy in question between ABR and its Advisory Clients. This examination will include (but will not be limited to) an evaluation of whether ABR (or any affiliate of ABR) has any relationship with the company (or an affiliate of the company) to which the proxy relates outside an investment in such company by an Advisory Client of ABR.

 

(2) If a conflict is identified and deemed “material”, ABR will determine whether voting the proxy is in the best interests of affected Advisory Clients (which may include utilizing an independent third party to vote such proxies).

 

(3) With respect to material conflicts, ABR will determine whether it is appropriate to disclose the conflict to affected Advisory Clients and Investors and give Investors the opportunity to vote the proxies in question themselves except that, if the Advisory Client is subject to the requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), and the investment management agreement between ABR and the ERISA Advisory Client reserves the right to vote proxies when ABR has determined that a material conflict exists that does affect its best judgment as a fiduciary to the ERISA Advisory Client, ABR will:

 

(a) Give the ERISA Advisory Client the opportunity to vote the proxies in question themselves; or

 

(b) Follow designated special proxy voting procedures related to voting proxies pursuant to the terms of the investment management agreement with any ERISA clients. 

D-1 

 

Voting Guidelines

 

(1) In the absence of specific voting guidelines mandated by a particular Advisory Client, ABR will endeavor to vote proxies, or in certain circumstances abstain from voting, in the best interests of each Advisory Client.

 

(2) Although voting certain proxies may be subject to the discretion of ABR, ABR is of the view that voting proxies in accordance with the following general guidelines, which shall be provided to the proxy third party service providers, is in the best interests of its Advisory Clients:

 

(a) ABR will generally vote in favor of routine corporate housekeeping proposals including, but not limited to, the following:

 

(i) election of directors (where there are no related corporate governance issues);

 

(ii) selection or reappointment of auditors; or

 

(iii) increasing or reclassification of common stock.

 

(b) ABR will generally vote against proposals that:

 

(i)  make it more difficult to replace members of the issuer’s board of directors or board of managers; and

 

(ii)  introduce unequal voting rights (although there may be regulatory reasons that would make such a proposal favorable to certain Advisory Clients of ABR).

 

(c) ABR will generally vote against proposals that make it more difficult for an issuer to be taken over by outsiders, and in favor of proposals to do the opposite.

 

(d) ABR will generally vote in favor of proposals by management or shareholders concerning various compensation and stock option plans that will act to make management and employee compensation more dependent on long-term stock price performance.

 

(e) ABR will generally vote against proposals to move the company to another state less favorable to shareholders’ interests, or to restructure classes of stock in such a way as to benefit one class of shareholders at the expense of another, such as dual classes (A and B shares) of stock.

 

Disclosure of Procedures

 

Employees should note that a brief summary of these proxy voting procedures will be included in the Form ADV Part 2A and will be updated whenever these policies and procedures are updated. The CCO will be responsible for sending a copy of ABR’s Form ADV Part 2 to all existing Advisory Clients. Advisory Clients and Investors will also be provided with contact information as to how such Advisory Clients and Investors can obtain information about: (a) the details of ABR’s procedures are (i.e., a copy of these procedures); and (b) how ABR has voted proxies that are relevant to the affected Advisory Client or Investor.

 

Record-Keeping Requirements

 

The CCO will be responsible for maintaining files relating to ABR’s proxy voting procedures. Records will be maintained and preserved for five years from the end of the fiscal year during which the last entry was made on a record, with records for the first two years kept in the offices of ABR. Records of the following will be included in the files:

 

(1) Copies of these proxy voting policies and procedures, and any amendments thereto;

 

(2) A copy of each proxy statement that ABR actually receives, provided, however that ABR may rely on obtaining a copy of proxy statements from the SEC’s EDGAR system for those proxy statements that are so available;

D-2 

 

(3) A record of each vote that ABR casts;

 

(4) A copy of any document that ABR created that was material to making a decision how to vote the proxies, or memorializes that decision (if any); and

 

(5) A copy of each written request for information on how ABR voted such Advisory Client’s proxies and a copy of any written response to any request for information on how ABR voted proxies on behalf of Advisory Clients.

 

(6) Any records necessary for Form N-PX filings as of June 30 each year.

 

D-3