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GuideMark® and GuidePath® Funds

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
July 31, 2024
GuideMark® Large Cap Core Fund
                  Service Shares (Ticker: GMLGX)
GuidePath® Tactical Allocation Fund
   Service Shares (Ticker: GPTUX)


GuideMark® Emerging Markets Fund
Service Shares (Ticker: GMLVX)

GuidePath® Absolute Return Allocation Fund
   Service Shares (Ticker: GPARX)
  

GuideMark® Small/Mid Cap Core Fund
Service Shares (Ticker: GMSMX)

GuidePath® Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund
   Service Shares (Ticker: GPMIX)
  

GuideMark® World ex-US Fund
Service Shares (Ticker: GMWEX)

GuidePath® Flexible Income Allocation Fund
   Service Shares (Ticker: GPIFX)
  

GuideMark® Core Fixed Income Fund
Service Shares (Ticker: GMCOX)

GuidePath® Managed Futures Strategy Fund
   Service Shares (Ticker: GPMFX)
   
GuidePath® Growth Allocation Fund
                 Service Shares (Ticker: GPSTX)
                 

GuidePath® Conservative Income Fund
   (Ticker: GPICX)

GuidePath® Conservative Allocation Fund
                Service Shares (Ticker: GPTCX)
                 
GuidePath® Income Fund
    (Ticker: GPINX)

GuidePath® Growth and Income Fund
    (Ticker: GPIGX)


This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) provides general information about each of the series (individually, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”) of GPS Funds I and GPS Funds II. This SAI is not a prospectus and should be read in conjunction with the Funds’ current Prospectus (the “Prospectus”) dated July 31, 2024, as supplemented and amended from time to time. This SAI is incorporated by reference into the Prospectus. To obtain a copy of the Prospectus, please write or call the Funds at the address or telephone number below.

The Funds’ financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 are incorporated herein by reference to the Funds’ Annual Report dated March 31, 2024. A copy of the Annual Report (Annual Report for GPS Funds I and Annual Report for GPS Fund II) may be obtained without charge by calling or writing the Funds as shown below.

GPS Funds I & GPS Funds II
c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
P.O. Box 701 Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701
Phone: (888) 278-5809






Table of Contents




General Information about the Funds    


GPS Funds I and GPS Funds II (each a “Trust” and, together, the “Trusts”) are each an open-end management investment company, organized as a Delaware statutory trust on January 2, 2001 and October 20, 2010, respectively.

On April 1, 2011, the GPS Funds I Trust’s name was changed from AssetMark Funds to GPS Funds I. Effective April 1, 2011, the names of the AssetMark Large Cap Growth Fund, AssetMark Large Cap Value Fund, AssetMark Small/Mid Cap Value Fund, AssetMark International Equity Fund and AssetMark Core Plus Fixed Income Fund were changed to GuideMark® Large Cap Growth Fund, GuideMark® Large Cap Value Fund, GuideMark® Small/Mid Cap Core Fund, GuideMark® World ex- US Fund, and GuideMark® Core Fixed Income Fund, respectively. In addition, effective April 1, 2011, each such series of GPS I Funds added a second class (Institutional Shares) and the original class of shares was renamed (Service Shares). On October 9, 2015, the name of the GuideMark® Large Cap Growth Fund was changed to GuideMark® Large Cap Core Fund and the name of the GuideMark® Large Cap Value Fund was changed to GuideMark® Emerging Markets Fund. The GuideMark® Large Cap Core Fund, GuideMark® Emerging Markets Fund, GuideMark® Small/Mid Cap Core Fund, GuideMark® World ex-US Fund, and GuideMark® Core Fixed Income Fund are collectively referred to as “GPS I Funds.” Most recently, effective May 6, 2024, each such series of GPS I Funds liquidated and dissolved the Institutional Shares.

The GuidePath® Growth Allocation Fund (the “Growth Allocation Fund”), GuidePath® Conservative Allocation Fund (the “Conservative Allocation Fund”), GuidePath® Tactical Allocation Fund (the “Tactical Allocation Fund”), GuidePath® Absolute Return Allocation Fund (the “Absolute Return Allocation Fund”), GuidePath® Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund (“Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund”), GuidePath® Flexible Income Allocation Fund (the “Flexible Income Allocation Fund”), GuidePath® Managed Futures Strategy Fund (the “Managed Futures Strategy Fund”), GuidePath® Conservative Income Fund (the “Conservative Income Fund”), GuidePath® Income Fund (the “Income Fund”), and GuidePath® Growth and Income Fund (the “Growth and Income Fund”) are collectively referred to as the “GPS II Funds.” The Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund invest primarily (or, in the case of the Tactical Allocation Fund, between 10% and 100% of its assets), and Managed Futures Strategy Fund also invests, in registered mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). The Income Fund and Growth and Income Fund also invest in closed-end funds and other public and private pooled investment vehicles. The funds in which each of the GPS II Funds may invest are referred to herein as the “Underlying Funds.” By investing in the GPS II Funds, you will indirectly bear fees and expenses of the Underlying Funds in addition to the GPS II Fund’s direct fees and expenses.

Prior to January 19, 2016, the Growth Allocation Fund was known as GuidePath® Strategic Asset Allocation Fund, the Conservative Allocation Fund was known as GuidePath® Tactical Constrained® Asset Allocation Fund, the Tactical Allocation Fund was known as GuidePath® Tactical Unconstrained® Asset Allocation Fund, the Absolute Return Allocation Fund was known as GuidePath® Absolute Return Asset Allocation Fund, the Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund was known as the GuidePath® Multi-Asset Income Asset Allocation Fund, and the Flexible Income Allocation Fund was known as GuidePath® Fixed Income Allocation Fund. Effective May 6, 2024, the Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, and Managed Futures Strategy Fund liquidated and dissolved the Institutional Shares.

The GPS I Funds and GPS II Funds are each referred to as a “Fund” and, collectively the “Funds”.

The Declaration of Trusts permits the Trusts to offer separate series of shares of beneficial interest (each of which is a separate mutual fund and separate classes of such series). The Trusts currently offer a single class of shares ("Shares"). A holder of shares of a particular class of a particular Fund within a Trust has an interest only in the assets attributable to the shares of that class of that Fund. Shares of each class of a Fund participate equally in the earnings, dividends, and assets allocated to the particular share class of that Fund. Each share of each Fund represents an equal proportionate interest in the assets and liabilities belonging to that Fund and is entitled to such dividends and distributions out of the income and gains belonging to the Fund as are declared by the Board (as defined below).

The Trusts are authorized to issue an unlimited number of interests (or shares) with no par value. Shares of each series have equal voting rights, and are voted in the aggregate and not by the series except in matters where a separate vote is
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required by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), or when the matter affects only the interest of a particular Fund. When matters are submitted to shareholders for a vote, each shareholder is entitled to one vote for each full share owned and fractional votes for fractional shares owned. The Trusts do not normally hold annual meetings of shareholders. The shares of the Funds do not have cumulative voting rights or any preemptive or conversion rights. Expenses attributable to any Fund are borne by that Fund. Any general expenses of the Trusts not readily identifiable as belonging to a particular Fund are allocated by, or under the direction of, the Board (as defined below), on the basis of relative net assets.

Description of GPS Funds I


Each GPS I Fund has its own investment objectives and policies. AssetMark, Inc. serves as the investment advisor to the GPS I Funds (“AssetMark” or the “Advisor”).

The GuideMark® Large Cap Core Fund (the “Large Cap Core Fund”), GuideMark® Emerging Markets Fund (the “Emerging Markets Fund”), GuideMark® Small/Mid Cap Core Fund (the “Small/Mid Cap Core Fund”) and GuideMark® World ex-US Fund (the “World ex-US Fund”) each have a fundamental investment objective to provide capital appreciation over the long term. The GuideMark® Core Fixed Income Fund (the “Core Fixed Income Fund”) has a fundamental investment objective to provide current income consistent with a low volatility of principal.

Each GPS I Fund’s investment objective is fundamental, which means that it may not be changed without shareholder approval. Unless otherwise noted, all of the other investment policies and strategies described in the Prospectus or hereafter are non-fundamental.

Description of GPS Funds II

Each GPS II Fund has its own investment objectives and policies. Each Fund’s investment objective is non-fundamental, and may be changed by the Trust’s Board of Trustees without shareholder approval (the GPS Funds I Board of Trustees and the GPS Funds II Board of Trustees are collectively referred to as the Board). Unless otherwise noted, all of the other investment policies and strategies described in the Prospectus or hereafter are non‑fundamental. AssetMark serves as the investment advisor to the GPS II Funds.

Diversification of the Funds

All of the Funds are classified and operate as diversified funds under the 1940 Act. Under the 1940 Act, a diversified fund is a fund that meets the following requirements: at least 75% of the value of its total assets is represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), government securities, securities of other investment companies, and other securities for the purposes of this calculation limited in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the value of the total assets of such management company and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer. A Fund may not change its diversification classification to become non-diversified without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities. As used in this SAI, “a majority of a Fund’s outstanding voting securities” means the lesser of (1) 67% of the shares of beneficial interest of the Fund represented at a meeting at which more than 50% of the outstanding shares are present, or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of beneficial interest of the Fund.

To qualify for tax treatment as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), each Fund intends to comply, as of the end of each taxable quarter, with certain diversification requirements imposed by the Code. Pursuant to these requirements, at the end of each taxable quarter, the Fund, among other things, will not have investments in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other regulated investment companies) of more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets. In addition, with respect to 50% of the total assets of the Fund, no investment can exceed 5% of the Fund’s total assets or 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer.

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Investment Restrictions GPS Funds I

Each of the GPS I Funds has adopted and is subject to the following fundamental investment restrictions. These investment restrictions of the Funds may be changed only with the approval of the holders of a majority of a Fund’s outstanding voting securities.

The percentage limitations referred to in these restrictions apply only at the time of investment. A later increase or decrease in a percentage that results from a change in value in the portfolio securities held by a Fund will not be considered a violation of such limitation, and a Fund will not necessarily have to sell a portfolio security or adjust its holdings in order to comply.

1.No Fund will act as underwriter for securities of other issuers except as they may be deemed an underwriter in selling a portfolio security.

2.No Fund will make loans if, as a result, the amount of a Fund’s assets loaned would exceed the amount permitted under the 1940 Act or any applicable rule or regulation thereof, or any exemption therefrom, except that each Fund may (i) purchase or hold debt instruments in accordance with its investment objective and policies; (ii) enter into repurchase agreements; (iii) lend its portfolio securities and (iv) lend money to other Funds within the Trust in accordance with the terms of the 1940 Act or any applicable rule or regulation thereof, or any exemption therefrom.

3.No Fund will purchase any securities that would cause more than 25% of the total assets of the Fund to be invested in the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry, provided that this limitation does not apply to the securities of other investment companies, investments in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities or tax- exempt municipal securities.

4.No Fund will borrow money in an amount exceeding the amount permitted under the 1940 Act or any applicable rule or regulation thereof, or any exemption therefrom, provided that (i) investment strategies that either obligate a Fund to purchase securities or require a Fund to segregate assets or maintain a margin account to facilitate the settlement of securities transactions are not considered borrowings for the purposes of this limitation and (ii) each Fund may borrow money from other Funds within the Trust in accordance with the terms of the 1940 Act or any applicable rule or regulation thereof, or any exemption therefrom.

5.No Fund will issue senior securities to the Funds’ presently authorized shares of beneficial interest, except that this restriction shall not be deemed to prohibit the Funds from (i) making any permitted borrowings, loans, mortgages, or pledges; (ii) entering into options, futures contracts, forward contracts, repurchase transactions or reverse repurchase transactions or (iii) making short sales of securities to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and any rule or order thereunder, or U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) staff interpretation thereof.

6.No Fund will purchase or sell real estate, physical commodities, or commodities contracts, except that each Fund may purchase (i) marketable securities issued by companies that own or invest in real estate (including real estate investment trusts (“REITs”)), commodities, or commodities contracts and (ii) commodities contracts relating to financial instruments, such as financial futures contracts and options on such contracts. Each Fund may temporarily hold and sell real estate acquired through default, liquidation, or other distributions of an interest in real estate as a result of such Fund’s ownership of real estate investment trusts, securities secured by real estate or interests thereon or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business.

Investment Restrictions GPS Funds II

Each of the GPS II Funds has adopted and is subject to the following fundamental investment restrictions. These investment restrictions of the Funds may be changed only with the approval of the holders of a majority of a Fund’s outstanding voting securities.

The percentage limitations referred to in these restrictions apply only at the time of investment. A later increase or decrease in a percentage that results from a change in value in the portfolio securities held by a Fund will not be
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considered a violation of such limitation, and a Fund will not necessarily have to sell a portfolio security or adjust its holdings in order to comply.

Each Fund may not:

1.borrow money or issue senior securities, except as the 1940 Act, any rules or orders thereunder, or SEC staff interpretation thereof, may permit;
2.underwrite the securities of other issuers, except that it may engage in transactions involving the acquisition, disposition or resale of its portfolio securities under circumstances where it may be considered to be an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933;
3.purchase or sell real estate, unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments and provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from investing in issuers which invest, deal or otherwise engage in transactions in real estate or interests therein, or investing in securities that are secured by real estate or interests therein;
4.make loans, provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from purchasing debt obligations, entering into repurchase agreements, and loaning its assets to broker/dealers or institutional investors and investing in loans, including assignments and participation interests;
5.with the exception of the Managed Futures Strategy Fund, make investments that will result in the concentration (as that term may be defined in the 1940 Act, any rules or orders thereunder, or SEC staff interpretation thereof) of its total assets in securities of issuers in any one industry (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities or securities of other investment companies), except that a fund of funds will concentrate to approximately the same extent that its underlying funds index or indices concentrates in the stock of any particular industry or industries;
6.with respect to the Managed Futures Strategy Fund, purchase any security (other than U.S. government securities) if, as a result, 25% or more of the Fund’s total assets (taken at current value) would be invested in any one industry, except that the Fund may invest more than 25% of its assets in securities and other obligations of issuers in the financial services industry; and
7.with the exception of the Managed Futures Strategy Fund, purchase or sell commodities as defined in the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder, unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments and provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from engaging in transactions involving futures contracts and options thereon or investing in securities that are secured by physical commodities.

The Managed Futures Strategy Fund may:

8.Purchase and sell commodities to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.

With respect to #5 and #6 above, the Funds do not consider investment companies or a wholly owned subsidiary of a Fund to be part of an industry.

With respect to #6 above, although not part of the Managed Futures Strategy Fund’s fundamental investment restriction, for illustration purposes: (i) telephone, gas and electric public utilities are each regarded as separate industries and finance companies whose financing activities are related primarily to the activities of their parent companies are classified in the industry of their parents; (ii) financial services industry includes banks, investment managers, brokerage firms, investment banks and other companies that provide financial services to consumers or industry; and (iii) asset-backed securities are not considered to be bank obligations.

Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions

In addition to the fundamental policies and investment restrictions described above, and the various investment policies described in the Prospectus, each Fund will be subject to the following investment restriction, which is considered non-fundamental and may be changed by the Trust’s Board without shareholder approval.

1.Each Fund is permitted to invest in other investment companies, including open-end, closed-end or unregistered investment companies, either within the percentage limits set forth in the 1940 Act, any rule or order thereunder, or SEC staff interpretation thereof, or to the extent permitted by exemptive rules or exemptive relief under the 1940
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Act, without regard to the 1940 Act’s percentage limits, or in connection with a merger, reorganization, consolidation or other similar transaction.

Management Approach


The Advisor is responsible for constructing and monitoring the portfolio strategy for each Fund. Each Fund invests in securities consistent with the Fund’s investment objective(s) and strategies. The potential risks and returns of the Funds vary with the degree to which a Fund invests in a particular market segment and/or asset class.

The Advisor manages certain Funds using a “manager of managers” approach by selecting one or more sub-advisors to manage each Fund based upon the Advisor’s evaluation of a sub-advisor’s expertise and performance in managing the appropriate asset class. With respect to the Managed Futures Strategy Fund, the Advisor may also manage a portion of the Fund’s portfolio directly, although it has no current intention to do so. Each sub-advisor uses its own proprietary research and securities selection processes to manage its allocated portion of the Fund’s assets. From time to time, the Fund may have little or no assets allocated to any one particular sub-advisor, as determined by the Advisor in its sole discretion.

With respect to the Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund and Managed Futures Strategy Fund, the Advisor may also manage the Fund’s portfolio directly, using multiple research providers to determine exposure across a variety of asset classes.

Investment Policies and Associated Risks


The Funds and the Underlying Funds may invest in a variety of securities and employ a number of investment techniques, which involve risks. This SAI contains additional information regarding both the principal and non-principal investment strategies of the Funds and the Underlying Funds. In the following section, the types of investments described and their related risks apply to both the Funds and the Underlying Funds. For purposes of this section, the term “Fund” should be read to mean the Funds and the Underlying Funds and the term “Advisor” should be read to include a Fund’s respective sub-advisor(s), if applicable.

Unless otherwise noted in the Prospectus or this SAI or subject to a limitation under the 1940 Act and its related regulations, the investments listed below are not subject to a specific percentage limitation so long as they are made in a manner consistent with a Fund’s principal investment strategies.

Asset-Backed Securities

The Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may purchase debt obligations known as “asset-backed securities.” Asset-backed securities are securities that represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, a stream of payments generated by particular assets, most often a pool or pools of similar assets (e.g., receivables on home equity and credit loans and receivables regarding automobile, credit card, mobile home and recreational vehicle loans, wholesale dealer floor plans and leases).

Such receivables are securitized in either a pass-through or a pay-through structure. Pass-through securities provide investors with an income stream consisting of both principal and interest payments based on the receivables in the underlying pool. Pay-through asset-backed securities are debt obligations issued usually by a special purpose entity, which are collateralized by the various receivables and in which the payments on the underlying receivables provide that a Fund pay the debt service on the debt obligations issued. The Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund. Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may invest in these and other types of asset-backed securities that may be developed in the future.
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The credit quality of most asset-backed securities depends primarily on the credit quality of the assets underlying such securities, how well the entity issuing the security is insulated from the credit risk of the originator or any other affiliated entities, and the amount and quality of any credit support provided to the securities. The rate of principal payment on asset-backed securities generally depends on the rate of principal payments received on the underlying assets which in turn may be affected by a variety of economic and other factors. As a result, the yield on any asset- backed security is difficult to predict with precision and actual yield to maturity may be more or less than the anticipated yield to maturity. Asset-backed securities may be classified as “pass-through certificates” or “collateralized obligations.”

Asset-backed securities are often backed by a pool of assets representing the obligations of a number of different parties. To lessen the effect of failures by obligors on underlying assets to make payment, such securities may contain elements of credit support. Such credit support falls into two categories: (i) liquidity protection; and (i) protection against losses resulting from ultimate default by an obligor on the underlying assets. Liquidity protection refers to the provision of advances, generally by the entity administering the pool of assets, to ensure that the receipt of payments due on the underlying pool is timely. Protection against losses resulting from ultimate default enhances the likelihood of payments of the obligations on at least some of the assets in the pool. Such protection may be provided through guarantees, insurance policies or letters of credit obtained by the issuer or sponsor from third parties, through various means of structuring the transaction or through a combination of such approaches.

Due to the shorter maturity of the collateral backing such securities, there is less of a risk of substantial prepayment than with mortgage-backed securities. Asset-backed securities do, however, involve certain risks not associated with mortgage-backed securities, including the risk that security interests cannot be adequately, or in many cases, ever, established. In addition, with respect to credit card receivables, a number of state and federal consumer credit laws give debtors the right to set off certain amounts owed on the credit cards, thereby reducing the outstanding balance. In the case of automobile receivables, there is a risk that the holders may not have either a proper or first security interest in all of the obligations backing such receivables due to the large number of vehicles involved in a typical issuance and technical requirements under state laws. Therefore, recoveries on repossessed collateral may not always be available to support payments on the securities.

Examples of credit support arising out of the structure of the transaction include “senior-subordinated securities” (multiple class securities with one or more classes subordinate to other classes as to the payment of principal thereof and interest thereon, with the result that defaults on the underlying assets are borne first by the holders of the subordinated class), creation of “reserve funds” (where cash or investments, sometimes funded from a portion of the payments on the underlying assets, are held in reserve against future losses) and “over collateralization” (where the scheduled payments on, or the principal amount of, the underlying assets exceeds that required to make payments of the securities and pay any servicing or other fees). The degree of credit support provided for each issue is generally based on historical credit information respecting the level of credit risk associated with the underlying assets. Delinquencies or losses in excess of those anticipated could adversely affect the return on an investment in such issue.

The GPS II Funds may also gain exposure to asset-backed securities through entering into credit default swaps or other derivative instruments related to asset-backed securities. For example, a Fund may enter into credit default swaps on ABX, which are indices made up of tranches of asset-backed securities, each with different credit ratings. Utilizing ABX, a Fund can either gain synthetic risk exposure to a portfolio of such securities by “selling protection” or take a short position by “buying protection.” The protection buyer pays a monthly premium to the protection seller, and the seller agrees to cover any principal losses and interest shortfalls of the referenced underlying asset-backed securities. Credit default swaps and other derivative instruments related to asset-backed securities are subject to the risks associated with asset-backed securities generally, as well as the risks of derivative transactions.

Auction Rate Securities

The Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may invest in auction rate Municipal Securities. Auction rate securities usually permit the holder to sell the securities in an auction at par value at specified intervals. The dividend is reset by “Dutch” auction in which bids are made by broker-dealers and
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other institutions for a certain amount of securities at a specified minimum yield. The dividend rate set by the auction is the lowest interest or dividend rate that covers all securities offered for sale. While this process is designed to permit auction rate securities to be traded at par value, there is the risk that an auction will fail due to insufficient demand for the securities.

Bank Loans, Loan Participations and Assignments

Certain Funds may invest in bank loans, which include both secured and unsecured loans made by banks and other financial institutions to corporate customers. Senior loans typically hold the most senior position in a borrower’s capital structure, may be secured by the borrower’s assets and have interest rates that reset frequently. The proceeds of senior loans primarily are used to finance leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, mergers, acquisitions, stock repurchases, dividends, and, to a lesser extent, to finance internal growth and for other corporate purposes. These loans may not be rated investment grade by the rating agencies. Although secured loans are secured by collateral of the borrower, there is no assurance that the liquidation of collateral from a secured loan would satisfy the borrower’s obligation, or that the collateral can be liquidated. Economic downturns generally lead to higher non-payment and default rates and a senior loan could lose a substantial portion of its value prior to a default. Some senior loans are subject to the risk that a court could subordinate such senior loans to presently existing or future indebtedness of the borrower or take other action detrimental to the holders of senior loans, including, in certain circumstances, invalidating such senior loans or causing interest previously paid to be refunded to the borrower.

The Funds’ investments in loans are subject to credit risk. Indebtedness of borrowers whose creditworthiness is poor involves substantial risks, and may be highly speculative. The interest rates on many bank loans reset frequently, and thus bank loans are subject to interest rate risk. Most bank loans are not traded on any national securities exchange. Bank loans generally have less liquidity than investment grade bonds and there may be less public information available about them.

Large loans to corporations or governments may be shared or syndicated among several lenders, usually (but often not limited to) banks. The Funds may participate in the primary syndicate for a loan and may purchase loans from other lenders (sometimes referred to as loan assignments), in either case becoming a direct lender. The Funds also may acquire a participation interest in another lender’s portion of the loan. Participation interests involve special types of risk, including liquidity risk and the risks of being a lender. When investing in a loan participation, a Fund typically will have the right to receive payments only from the lender to the extent the lender receives payments from the borrower, and not from the borrower itself. Likewise, a Fund typically will be able to enforce its rights only through the lender, and not directly against the borrower. As a result, a Fund will assume the credit risk of both the borrower and the lender that is selling the participation.
Investments in loans through direct assignment of a financial institution’s interests with respect to a loan may involve additional risks to a Fund. For example, if the loan is foreclosed, a Fund could become part owner of any collateral, and would bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of the collateral. In addition, it is possible that a Fund could be held liable as a co-lender. Loans and other debt instruments that are not in the form of securities may offer less legal protection to a Fund in certain circumstances.

A loan is often administered by a bank or other financial institution that acts as agent for all holders. The agent administers the terms of the loan, as specified in the loan agreement. Unless a Fund has direct recourse against the borrower, under the terms of the loan or other indebtedness a Fund may have to rely on the agent to pursue appropriate credit remedies against a borrower.

In addition to investing in senior secured loans, the Funds may invest in other loans, such as second lien loans and other secured loans, as well as unsecured loans. Second lien loans and other secured loans are subject to the same risks associated with investment in senior loans and lower-rated debt securities. However, such loans may rank lower in right of payment than senior secured loans, and are subject to additional risk that the cash flow of the borrower and any property securing the loan may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the higher ranking secured obligations of the borrower. Second lien loans and other secured loans are expected to have greater price volatility than more senior loans and may be less liquid. There is also a possibility that originators will not be able to sell participations in lower‑ranking loans, which would create greater credit risk exposure. Each of these risks may be increased in the case of unsecured loans, which are not backed by a security interest in any specific collateral.
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The value of any collateral securing a loan may decline, be insufficient to meet the borrower’s obligations, or be difficult or costly to liquidate. It may take longer than 7 days for investments in loans to settle, which may adversely affect a Fund’s ability to timely honor redemptions. In the event of a default, a Fund may have difficulty collecting on any collateral and a loan can decline significantly in value. A Fund’s access to collateral may also be limited by bankruptcy or other insolvency laws. If a loan is acquired through an assignment, a Fund may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral. High yield loans usually are more credit sensitive.

Bank loans might not be considered securities for purposes of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and therefore a risk exists that purchasers, such as the Funds, may not be entitled to rely on the anti-fraud provisions of those Acts. Additionally, the Funds could be at a disadvantage to other traders in the market who take the view that insider-trading prohibitions do not apply to trading in the loans, because they are not considered securities.

Borrowings

Each Fund may borrow funds to meet redemptions, for other emergency purposes or to increase its portfolio holdings of securities, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. Such borrowings may be on a secured or unsecured basis, and at fixed or variable rates of interest. A Fund may borrow for such purposes an amount equal to 33 1/3% of the value of its total assets. The 1940 Act requires a Fund to maintain continuous asset coverage of not less than 300% with respect to all borrowings. If such asset coverage should decline to less than 300% due to market fluctuations or other reasons, a Fund may be required to dispose of some of its portfolio holdings within three days (not including Sundays and holidays) in order to reduce the Fund’s debt and restore the 300% asset coverage, even though it may be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint to dispose of assets at that time.

Leveraging, by means of borrowing, may exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of portfolio securities on a Fund’s net asset value, and money borrowed will be subject to interest and other costs (which may include commitment fees and/or the cost of maintaining minimum average balances), which may or may not exceed the income received from the investments purchased with borrowed funds.

Business Development Companies

The Income Fund and the Growth and Income Fund may invest in business development companies (“BDCs”), to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act or any rules, regulations or exemptive relief thereunder. BDCs are closed-end investment companies that elect to register as BDCs and primarily invest in equity and debt securities issued by private companies as well as small- and medium-capitalization public companies. As with any investment by the Fund in another investment company, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses and similar expenses of the BDC. Fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund as a result of its investment in shares of one or more other investment companies, including BDCs, generally are referred to as “acquired fund fees and expenses” and may appear as a separate line item in the Fund’s prospectus fee table. For BDCs, acquired fund fees and expenses may be significant.

The debt securities in which BDCs generally invest are unrated or below investment grade. Below investment grade debt securities are often referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds. Further, debt securities held by BDCs may be unsecured or secured with minimal, if any, collateral or cash flow coverage, making such asset-backed securities higher risk than typical asset-backed instruments. The revenues, income (or losses) and valuations of the companies can, and often do, fluctuate suddenly and dramatically, and they face considerable risk of loss. As a result, investments in BDCs may expose the Fund to greater risk and cause it to experience higher volatility than it otherwise would.

In addition to being difficult to value, privately placed securities in which BDCs may invest may also be thinly traded or illiquid. BDCs that invest in such securities accordingly may have difficulty liquidating them, including to provide liquidity to shareholders such as the Fund.

The Fund’s performance will be affected by both the BDCs in which it invests and the performance of the BDCs’ portfolio companies. Little public information generally exists about the portfolio companies in which BDCs may
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invest. Accordingly, the fair values of such companies’ securities often are not readily determinable. Although each BDC’s board of directors is responsible for determining the fair value of the BDC’s portfolio companies’ securities, uncertainty surrounding the determination may adversely affect the determination of the BDC’s net asset value. This could cause the Fund’s investments in a BDC to be inaccurately valued, including overvalued. Investing in BDCs thus entails a risk that a fully informed evaluation of the BDC and its portfolio companies is not achievable.

BDCs often borrow funds to make investments. Such borrowings expose BDCs to the risks associated with interest rate fluctuations, which may have a material adverse impact on their ability to achieve their investment objectives and on their rate of return and performance. Such borrowings also expose the Fund to the risks of leverage. Leverage magnifies the potential loss on amounts invested and therefore increases the expected volatility and risk profile of the Fund. Leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique. Certain BDCs may be incentivized by their management fee structure to engage in leverage, particularly where their management fees are paid on gross assets, including those acquired through the use of leverage. These management fee structures may dramatically increase the management fees paid by BDCs to their (usually external) managers, even though management fees generally paid by BDCs may already be higher than those charged by other registered investment companies.

Collateralized Debt Obligations

Collateralized debt obligations and similarly structured securities, sometimes known generally as CDOs, are interests in a trust or other special purpose entity (SPE) and are typically backed by a diversified pool of bonds, loans or other debt obligations. CDOs are not limited to investments in one type of debt and, accordingly, a CDO may be collateralized by corporate bonds, commercial loans, asset-backed securities, residential mortgage-backed securities, REITs, commercial mortgage-backed securities, emerging market debt, and municipal bonds. Certain CDOs may use derivatives contracts, such as credit default swaps, to create “synthetic” exposure to assets rather than holding such assets directly, which entails the risks of derivative instruments. For more information about the risks of derivatives, see “Derivatives” below.

Common varieties of CDOs include the following:

Collateralized loan obligations. Collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) are interests in a trust typically collateralized substantially by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans made to domestic and foreign borrowers, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans.

Collateralized bond obligations. Collateralized bond obligations (CBOs) are interests in a trust typically backed substantially by a diversified pool of high risk, below investment grade fixed income securities.

Structured finance CDOs. Structured finance CDOs are interests in a trust typically backed substantially by structured investment products such as asset-backed securities and commercial mortgage-backed securities.

Synthetic CDOs. In contrast to CDOs that directly own the underlying debt obligations, referred to as cash CDOs, synthetic CDOs are typically collateralized substantially by derivatives contracts, such as credit default swaps, to create “synthetic” exposure to assets rather than holding such assets directly, which entails the risks of derivative instruments. For more information about the risks of derivatives, see “Derivatives” below.

CDOs are similar in structure to collateralized mortgage obligations, described elsewhere in this SAI. Unless the context indicates otherwise, the discussion of CDOs below also applies to CLOs, CBOs and other similarly structured securities.

In CDOs, the cash flows from the SPE are split into two or more portions, called tranches (or classes), that vary in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the “equity” tranche which bears the first loss from defaults on the bonds or loans in the SPE and is intended to protect the other, more senior tranches from severe, and potentially unforeseen, defaults or delinquent collateral payments (though such protection is not complete). Because they may be partially protected from defaults, senior tranches from a CDO typically have higher ratings and lower yields than the underlying collateral securities held by the trust, and may be rated investment grade. Despite protection from the equity tranche, more senior tranches can experience, and may have experienced in the past, substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default, downgrades of the underlying collateral by rating agencies, forced
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liquidation of a collateral pool due to a failure of coverage tests, disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as a market aversion to CDO securities as a class.

The risks of an investment in a CDO depend largely on the type of collateral held by the SPE and the tranche of the CDO in which a Fund invests. Investment risk may also be affected by the performance of a CDO’s collateral manager (the entity responsible for selecting and managing the pool of collateral securities held by the SPE trust), especially during a period of market volatility like that experienced in 2007-2008. Normally, CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws and traded in a public market. As a result, investments in CDOs may be classified by a Fund as illiquid investments. However, an active dealer market may exist for CDOs allowing a Fund to trade CDOs with other qualified institutional investors under Rule 144A. To the extent such investments are classified as illiquid, they will be subject to the Fund’s restrictions on investments in illiquid investments. The Fund’s investment in unregistered securities such as CDOs will not receive the same investor protection as an investment in registered securities.

All tranches of CDOs, including senior tranches with high credit ratings, can experience, and many have recently experienced, substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to future defaults due to the disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as market aversion to CDO securities as a class. In the past, prices of CDO tranches have declined considerably. The drop in prices was initially triggered by the subprime mortgage crisis. Subprime mortgages make up a significant portion of the mortgage securities that collateralize many CDOs. As floating interest rates and mortgage default rates increased, the rating agencies that had rated the mortgage securities and CDO transactions backed by such mortgages realized their default assumptions were too low and began to downgrade the credit rating of these transactions. There can be no assurance that additional losses of equal or greater magnitude will not occur in the future.

In addition to the normal risks associated with debt securities and asset backed securities (e.g., interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk), CDOs carry additional risks including, but not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or quality or go into default or be downgraded; (iii) a Fund may invest in tranches of a CDO that are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer, difficulty in valuing the security or unexpected investment results.

Certain issuers of CDOs may be deemed to be “investment companies” as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund’s investment in these structured investments from these issuers may be limited by the restrictions contained in the 1940 Act. CDOs generally charge management fees and administrative expenses that the shareholders of a Fund would pay indirectly.

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”) and Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits (“REMICs”)

The Funds may invest in CMOs and REMICs. A CMO is a debt security on which interest and prepaid principal are paid, in most cases, semi-annually. CMOs may be collateralized by whole mortgage loans but are more typically collateralized by portfolios of mortgage pass-through securities guaranteed by GNMA, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Company, or the Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA” or “Fannie Mae®”) and their income streams. Privately-issued CMOs tend to be more sensitive to interest rates than government-issued CMOs.

CMOs are structured into multiple classes, each bearing a different stated maturity. Actual maturity and average life will depend upon the prepayment experience of the collateral. CMOs provide for a modified form of call protection through a de facto breakdown of the underlying pool of mortgages according to how quickly the loans are repaid. Monthly payments of principal received from the pool of underlying mortgages, including prepayments, is first returned to investors holding the shortest maturity class. The investors holding the longer maturity classes receive principal only after the first class has been retired. An investor is partially guarded against a sooner than desired return of principal because of the sequential payments.

In a typical CMO transaction, a corporation issues multiple series (e.g., A, B, C, Z) of CMO bonds (“Bonds”). Proceeds of the Bond offering are used to purchase mortgages or mortgage pass-through certificates (“Collateral”). The Collateral is pledged to a third-party trustee as security for the Bonds. Principal and interest payments from the Collateral are used to pay principal on the Bonds in a specified order (e.g., first A, then B, then C, then Z). The A, B and C Bonds all bear
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current interest. Interest on the Z Bond is accrued and added to principal and a like amount is paid as principal on the A, B, or C Bond currently being paid off. When the A, B and C Bonds are paid in full, interest and principal on the Z Bond begins to be paid currently. With some CMOs, the issuer serves as a conduit to allow loan originators (primarily builders or savings and loan associations) to borrow against their loan portfolios. REMICs are private entities formed for the purpose of holding a fixed pool of mortgages secured by an interest in real property. REMICs are similar to CMOs in that they issue multiple classes of securities.

CMOs and REMICs issued by private entities are not government securities and are not directly guaranteed by any government agency. They are secured by the underlying collateral of the private issuer. Yields on privately issued CMOs, as described above, have been historically higher than yields on CMOs issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies. However, the risk of loss due to default on such instruments is higher because they are not guaranteed by the U.S. government. Such instruments also tend to be more sensitive to interest rates than U.S. government-issued CMOs. For federal income tax purposes, a Fund will be required to accrue income on regular interest in CMOs and REMICs using the “catch-up” method, with an aggregate prepayment assumption.

Common and Preferred Stock

Equity securities, such as common stocks, represent shares of ownership of a corporation. Preferred stocks are equity securities that often pay dividends at a specific rate and have a preference over common stocks in dividend payments and the liquidation of assets. Some preferred stocks may be convertible into common stock. Convertible securities are securities (such as debt securities or preferred stock) that may be converted into or exchanged for a specified amount of common stock of the same or different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula.

Credit Enhancement

Some of the investments of the Funds may be credit enhanced by a guaranty, letter of credit or insurance. Any bankruptcy, receivership, default or change in the credit quality of the credit enhancer will adversely affect the quality and marketability of the underlying security and could cause losses to a Fund and affect the prices of shares issued by the Fund. The Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Core Fixed Income Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund each may invest in securities that are credit-enhanced by banks, and thus the value of those credit enhancements will be affected by developments affecting the economic health and viability of banks. A Fund typically evaluates the credit quality and ratings of credit-enhanced securities based upon the financial condition and ratings of the party providing the credit enhancement, rather than the financial condition and/or rating of the issuer.

Cyber Security Risks

As technology becomes more integrated into the Funds’ operations, and as all financial services firms continue to face increased security threats, the Funds will face greater operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Funds to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption, or lose operational capacity. This in turn could cause the Funds to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures, and/or financial loss. Cyber security threats may result from unauthorized access to the Funds’ digital information systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding), but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users) and ransomware attacks. In addition, because the Funds work closely with third-party service providers (e.g., administrators, transfer agents, custodians and sub- advisors), cyber security breaches at such third-party service providers may subject the Funds to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. The same is true for cyber security breaches at any of the issuers in which the Funds may invest. While the Funds and their third-party service providers have established information technology and data security programs and have in place business continuity plans and other systems designed to prevent losses and mitigate cyber security risk, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified or that cyber-attacks may be highly sophisticated.

Debt Securities

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The Funds may invest in debt securities, including those convertible into common stocks.

Unless otherwise noted in a Fund’s prospectus, debt securities purchased by a Fund, other than the Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund and Growth and Income Fund, will typically consist of obligations that are rated investment grade or better, having at least adequate capacity to pay interest and typically repay principal. The Funds may invest in both fixed-rate and variable-rate debt securities.

The Funds consider investment grade securities to be those rated BBB- or higher by S&P Global Ratings (“S&P®”), or Baa or higher by Moody’s Investors Service©, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or an equivalent rating by Fitch, Inc.© (“Fitch”), or determined to be of comparable quality by the Advisor if the security is unrated. Bonds in the lowest investment grade category (BBB- by S&P® or Baa3 by Moody’s) have speculative characteristics, and changes in the economy or other circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the bonds to make principal and interest payments than would occur with bonds rated in higher categories.

The Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may invest in high-yield debt securities or “junk bonds,” which are securities rated BB or below by S&P® or Ba or below by Moody’s (“lower-rated securities”). Additionally, the Core Fixed Income Fund may hold lower-rated securities as a result of downgrades in the rating of the securities subsequent to their purchase by the Fund. Lower-rated securities are considered to be of poor standing and predominantly speculative and are subject to a substantial degree of credit risk. Lower-rated securities may be issued as a consequence of corporate restructurings, such as leveraged buy-outs, mergers, acquisitions, debt recapitalizations or similar events. Also, lower-rated securities are often issued by smaller, less creditworthy companies or by highly leveraged (indebted) firms, which are generally less able than more financially stable firms to make scheduled payments of interest and principal. The risks posed by securities issued under such circumstances are substantial.

The higher yields from lower-rated securities may compensate for the higher default rates on such securities. However, there can be no assurance that higher yields will offset default rates on lower-rated securities in the future. Issuers of these securities are often highly leveraged, so their ability to service their debt obligations during an economic downturn or during sustained periods of rising interest rates may be impaired. In addition, such issuers may not have more traditional methods of financing available to them and may be unable to repay their debt at maturity by refinancing. The risk of loss due to default by the issuer is significantly greater for the holders of lower- rated securities because such securities may be unsecured and may be subordinated to other creditors of the issuer. Further, an economic recession may result in default levels with respect to such securities in excess of historic averages.

The value of lower-rated securities will be influenced not only by changing interest rates, but also by the market’s perception of credit quality and the outlook for economic growth. When economic conditions appear to be deteriorating, lower-rated securities may decline in market value due to investors’ heightened concern over credit quality, regardless of prevailing interest rates.

Especially during times of deteriorating economic conditions, trading in the secondary market for lower-rated securities may become thin and market liquidity may be significantly reduced. Even under normal conditions, the market for lower-rated securities may be less liquid than the market for investment grade debt securities. There are fewer securities dealers in the high yield market and purchasers of lower-rated securities are concentrated among a smaller group of securities dealers and institutional investors. In periods of reduced market liquidity, lower-rated securities’ prices may become more volatile and a Fund’s ability to dispose of particular issues when necessary to meet that Fund’s liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event such as a deterioration in the creditworthiness of the issuer may be adversely affected.

The ratings of S&P®, Moody’s and other nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”) represent the opinions of those rating agencies as to the quality of debt securities. It should be emphasized, however, that ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality, and debt securities with the same maturity, interest rate and rating may have different yields, while debt securities of the same maturity and interest rate with different ratings may have the same yield.

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The payment of principal and interest on most debt securities will depend upon the ability of the issuers to meet their obligations. An issuer’s obligations in connection with its debt securities are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the Federal Bankruptcy Code, and laws, if any, which may be enacted by federal or state legislatures extending the time for payment of principal or interest, or both, or imposing other constraints upon enforcement of such obligations. The power or ability of an issuer to meet its obligations for the payment of interest on, and principal of, its debt securities may be materially adversely affected by litigation or other conditions.

Subsequent to its purchase by a Fund, a rated security may cease to be rated or its rating may be reduced below the minimum rating required for purchase by a Fund. The Advisor will consider such an event in determining whether a Fund involved should continue to hold the security. For a more detailed description of the ratings of debt securities, see Appendix A to this SAI.

Derivatives

Each Fund may use derivatives. A derivative is a financial instrument which has a value that is based on (“derived from”) the value of one or more underlying assets, reference rates, indices or other reference measures, and may relate to, among other things, securities, interest rates, currencies, credit, commodities, related indices, or other market factors. Derivatives used by the Funds may include forwards, options, futures, options on futures, swaps and options on swaps (see additional disclosure below).

Foreign Currency Transactions

Although the Funds value their assets daily in U.S. dollars, they are not required to convert their holdings of foreign currencies to U.S. dollars on a daily basis. A Fund’s foreign currencies generally will be held as “foreign currency call accounts” at foreign branches of foreign or domestic banks. These accounts bear interest at negotiated rates and are payable upon relatively short demand periods. If a bank at which a Fund maintains such an account becomes insolvent, a Fund could suffer a loss of some or all of the amounts deposited. A Fund may convert foreign currency to U.S. dollars from time to time. Although foreign exchange dealers generally do not charge a stated commission or fee for conversion, the prices posted generally include a “spread,” which is the difference between the prices at which the dealers are buying and selling foreign currencies. The Emerging Markets Fund and the World ex-US Fund may hedge their foreign currency exposure under normal market conditions.

The Funds may enter into forward currency contracts. A forward currency contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific non U.S. currency in exchange for another currency, which may be U.S. dollars, at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. At the maturity of a forward currency contract, a Fund may either exchange the currencies specified in the contract or, prior to maturity, a Fund may enter into a closing transaction involving the purchase or sale of an offsetting contract. Closing transactions with respect to forward currency contracts are usually effected with the counterparty to the original contract. Thus, there can be no assurance that a Fund will in fact be able to close out a forward currency contract at a favorable price. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy or insolvency of a counterparty, a Fund may be unable to close out a forward currency contract.

The Funds may enter into forward currency contracts that do not provide for physical settlement of the reference asset but instead provide for settlement by a single cash payment (“non-deliverable forwards”). Under definitions adopted by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and the SEC, non-deliverable forwards are considered swaps. Although non-deliverable forwards have historically been traded in the OTC market, as swaps they may in the future be required to be centrally cleared and traded on public facilities. For more information, see “Swaps and Options on Swaps,” “Risks of Swaps” and “Risks of Potential Regulation of Swaps and Other Derivatives” below.

The Funds may also enter into currency futures contracts. A currency futures contract is a standard binding agreement to buy or sell a specified quantity of a foreign currency at a specified price at a specified later date. Currency futures contracts are bought and sold on U.S. and non-U.S. exchanges and must be executed through a futures commission merchant (“FCM”). Certain futures contracts may also be entered into on certain exempt markets, including exempt boards of trade and electronic trading facilities, available to certain market participants. For more information about futures contracts generally, see “Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts” and “Risks Associated with Futures Contracts” below.
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Certain transactions involving forward currency contracts or currency futures contracts may serve as long hedges (for example, if a Fund seeks to buy a security denominated in a foreign currency, it may purchase a forward currency contract or currency futures contract to lock in the U.S. dollar price of the security) or as short hedges (if a Fund anticipates selling a security denominated in a foreign currency, it may sell a forward currency contract or currency futures contract to lock in the U.S. dollar equivalent of the anticipated sales proceeds).

A Fund may seek to hedge against changes in the value of a particular currency by using forward contracts or currency futures contracts on another foreign currency or a basket of currencies, the value of which the Advisor believes will have a positive correlation to the values of the currency being hedged. In addition, each Fund may use forward currency contracts or currency futures contracts to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one country to another. For example, if a Fund owns securities denominated in a foreign currency and the Advisor believes that currency will decline relative to another currency, it might enter into a forward or futures contract to sell an appropriate amount of the first foreign currency, with payment to be made in the second currency. Transactions that use two foreign currencies are sometimes referred to as “cross hedges.” Use of different foreign currency magnifies the risk that movements in the price of the instrument will not correlate or will correlate unfavorably with the foreign currency being hedged.

The cost to a Fund of engaging in forward currency contracts or currency futures contracts varies with factors such as the interest rate environments in the relevant countries, the currencies involved, the length of the contract period and the market conditions then prevailing. The successful use of forward currency contracts and currency futures contracts will usually depend on the investment manager’s ability to accurately forecast currency exchange rate movements. Should exchange rates move in an unexpected manner, a Fund may not achieve the anticipated benefits of the transaction, or it may realize losses. In addition, these techniques could result in a loss if the counterparty to the transaction does not perform as promised, including because of the counterparty’s bankruptcy or insolvency. In unusual or extreme market conditions, a counterparty’s creditworthiness and ability to perform may deteriorate rapidly, and the availability of suitable replacement counterparties may become limited. Moreover, investors should bear in mind that a Fund is not obligated to actively engage in hedging or other currency transactions. For example, a Fund may not have attempted to hedge its exposure to a particular foreign currency at a time when doing so might have avoided a loss.

Forward currency contracts and currency futures contracts may limit potential gain from a positive change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies. Unanticipated changes in currency prices may result in poorer overall performance for a Fund than if it had not engaged in such contracts. Moreover, there may be an imperfect correlation between a Fund’s portfolio holdings of securities denominated in a particular currency and the currencies bought or sold in the forward or futures contracts entered into by the Fund. This imperfect correlation may cause a Fund to sustain losses that will prevent the Fund from achieving a complete hedge or expose the Fund to risk of foreign exchange loss.

Options

The Funds may purchase and write call or put options on securities and indices and enter into related closing transactions.

All of the Funds may invest in options that are listed on U.S. exchanges or traded over the counter. In addition, the World ex-US Fund may invest in options that are listed on recognized foreign exchanges. A liquid secondary market in options traded on an exchange may be more readily available than in the OTC market, potentially permitting a Fund to liquidate open positions at a profit prior to exercise or expiration, or to limit losses in the event of adverse market movements. There is no assurance, however, that a Fund will be able to close options positions at the time or price desired, which may have an adverse impact on a Fund’s investments in such options. Certain options may be classified as illiquid. Accordingly, a Fund will only invest in such options to the extent consistent with its limit on investments in illiquid investments.

Call Options

A purchaser (holder) of a call option pays a non-refundable premium to the seller (writer) of a call option to obtain the right to purchase a specified amount of an investment at a fixed price (the exercise price) during a specified period (exercise period). Conversely, the seller (writer) of a call option, upon payment by the holder of the premium, has the
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obligation to sell the investment to the holder of the call option at the exercise price during the exercise period. The Funds may both purchase and write call options.

The premium that a Fund pays when purchasing a call option or receives when writing a call option will reflect, among other things, the market price of the investment, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price of the investment, the relationship of the exercise price to the volatility of the investment, the length of the option period and supply and demand factors.

Purchasing Call Options

The Funds may purchase call options. As a holder of a call option, a Fund has the right, but not the obligation, to purchase an investment at the exercise price during the exercise period. Instead of exercising the option and purchasing the investment, a Fund may choose to allow the option to expire or enter into a “closing sale transaction” with respect to the option. A closing sale transaction gives a Fund the opportunity to cancel out its position in a previously purchased option through the offsetting sale during the exercise period of an option having the same features. The Fund will realize a profit from a closing sale transaction if the cost of the transaction is more than the premium it paid to purchase the option. The Fund will realize a loss from the closing sale transaction if the cost of the transaction is less than the premium paid by the Fund. A Fund may purchase call options on investments that it intends to buy in order to limit the risk of a substantial change in the market price of the investment. A Fund may also purchase call options on investments held in its portfolio and on which it has written call options.

Although a Fund will generally purchase only those call options for which there appears to be an active secondary market, there is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an exchange will exist for any particular option, or at any particular time, and for some options, no secondary market on an exchange may exist. In such event, it may not be possible to effect closing transactions in particular options, with the result being that a Fund would have to exercise its options in order to realize any profit and would incur brokerage commissions upon the exercise of such options and upon the subsequent disposition of the underlying investments acquired through the exercise of such options. Further, unless the price of the underlying investment changes sufficiently, a call option purchased by a Fund may expire without any value to the Fund, in which event the Fund would realize a capital loss which will be short-term unless the option was held for more than one year.

Writing Call Options

The Funds may write call options. As the writer of a call option, a Fund has the obligation to sell the security at the exercise price during the exercise period.

A Fund will generally only write “covered call options." A call option is “covered” when a Fund either holds the security that is the subject of the option or possesses the option to purchase the same security at an exercise price equal to or less than the exercise price of the covered call option.

As the writer of a call option, in return for the premium, a Fund gives up the opportunity to realize a profit from a price increase in the underlying security above the exercise price and retains the risk of loss should the price of the security decline. If a call option written by a Fund is not exercised, the Fund will realize a gain in the amount of the premium. However, any gain may be offset by a decline in the market value of the security during the exercise period. If the option is exercised, a Fund will experience a profit or loss from the sale of the underlying security. A Fund may have no control over when the underlying securities must be sold because the Fund may be assigned an exercise notice at any time during the exercise period.

A Fund may choose to terminate its obligation as the writer of a call option by entering into a “closing purchase transaction.” A closing purchase transaction allows a Fund to terminate its obligation to sell a security subject to a call option by allowing the Fund to cancel its position under a previously written call option through an offsetting purchase during the exercise period of an option having the same features. A Fund may not effect a closing purchase transaction once it has received notice that the option will be exercised. In addition, there is no guarantee that a Fund will be able to engage in a closing purchase transaction at a time or price desirable to the Fund. Effecting a closing purchase transaction on a call option permits a Fund to write another call option on the underlying security with a different
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exercise price, exercise date or both. If a Fund wants to sell a portfolio security that is subject to a call option, it will effect a closing purchase transaction prior to or at the same time as the sale of the security.

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

Put Options

A purchaser (holder) of a put option pays a non-refundable premium to the seller (writer) of a put option to obtain the right to sell a specified amount of a security at a fixed price (the exercise price) during a specified period (exercise period). Conversely, the writer of a put option, upon payment by the holder of the premium, has the obligation to buy the security from the holder of the put option at the exercise price during the exercise period. The Funds may both purchase and write put options.

The premium that a Fund pays when purchasing a put option or receives when writing a put option will reflect, among other things, the market price of the investment, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price of the investment, the relationship of the exercise price to the volatility of the investment, the length of the option period and supply and demand factors.

Purchasing Put Options

As a holder of a put option, a Fund has the right, but not the obligation, to sell a security at the exercise price during the exercise period. Instead of exercising the option and selling the security, a Fund may choose to allow the option to expire or enter into a closing sale transaction with respect to the option. A closing sale transaction gives a Fund the opportunity to cancel out its position in a previously purchased option through the offsetting sale during the exercise period of an option having the same features.

A Fund may purchase put options on it portfolio securities for defensive purposes (“protective puts”). A Fund may purchase a protective put for a security it holds in its portfolio to protect against a possible decline in the value of the security subject to the put option. A Fund may also purchase a protective put for a security in its portfolio to protect the unrealized appreciation of the security without having to sell the security. By purchasing a put option, a Fund is able to sell the security subject to the put option at the exercise price during the exercise period even if the security has significantly declined in value.

A Fund may also purchase put options for securities it is not currently holding in its portfolio. A Fund would purchase a put option on a security it does not own in order to benefit from a decline in the market price of the security during the exercise period. A Fund will only make a profit by exercising a put option if the market price of the security subject to the put option plus the premium and the transaction costs paid by the Fund together total less than the exercise price of the put option.

Writing Put Options

As the writer of a put option, a Fund has the obligation to buy the underlying security at the exercise price during the exercise period.

A Fund will only write put options on a covered basis. For a put option to be considered covered, the Fund must either (1) maintain cash, U.S. government securities, other liquid high-grade debt obligations, or other suitable cover having a value of not less than the exercise price of the option; or (2) own an option to sell the security subject to the put option, which has an exercise price during the entire option period equal to or greater than the exercise price of the covered put option. The rules of a clearing corporation may require that such assets be deposited in escrow to ensure payment of the exercise price.

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If a put option written by a Fund is not exercised, the Fund will realize a gain in the amount of the premium. If the put option is exercised, a Fund must fulfill the obligation to purchase the underlying security at the exercise price, which will usually exceed the market value of the underlying security at that time. A Fund may have no control over when the underlying securities must be purchased because the Fund may be assigned an exercise notice at any time during the exercise period.

A Fund may choose to terminate its obligation as the writer of a put option by entering into a “closing purchase transaction.” A closing purchase transaction allows a Fund to terminate its obligation to purchase a security subject to a put option by allowing the Fund to cancel its position under a previously written put option through an offsetting purchase during the exercise period of an option having the same features. A Fund may not effect a closing purchase transaction once it has received notice that the option will be exercised. In addition, there is no guarantee that a Fund will be able to engage in a closing purchase transaction at a time or price desirable to the Fund. Effecting a closing purchase transaction on a put option permits a Fund to write another put option.

A Fund will realize a profit from a closing purchase transaction if the cost of the transaction is less than the premium received from writing the option. Conversely, a Fund will experience a loss from a closing purchase transaction if the cost of the transaction is more than the premium received from writing the option.

A Fund may write put options in situations when the Advisor wants to buy the underlying security for the Fund’s portfolio at a price lower than the current market price of the security. To effect this strategy, a Fund would write a put option at an exercise price that, reduced by the premium received on the option, reflects the lower price the Fund is willing to pay. Since a Fund may also receive interest on debt securities or currencies maintained to cover the exercise price of the option, this technique could be used to enhance current return during periods of market uncertainty. The risk of this strategy is that the market price of the underlying security would decline below the exercise price less the premiums received.

Options on Foreign Currencies

The Funds may buy and write options on foreign currencies in a manner similar to that in which futures or forward contracts on foreign currencies will be utilized, as described in the Prospectus. In addition, options on foreign currencies may be used to hedge against adverse changes in foreign currency conversion rates. For example, a decline in the U.S. dollar value of a foreign currency in which portfolio securities are denominated will reduce the U.S. dollar value of such securities, even if their value in the foreign currency remains constant. In order to protect against such diminutions in the value of the portfolio securities, a Fund may buy put options on the foreign currency. If the value of the currency declines, a Fund will have the right to sell such currency for a fixed amount in U.S. dollars, thereby offsetting, in whole or in part, the adverse effect on its portfolio.

Conversely, when a rise in the U.S. dollar value of a currency in which securities to be acquired are denominated is projected, thereby increasing the cost of such securities, a Fund may buy call options on the foreign currency. The purchase of such options could offset, at least partially, the effects of the adverse movements in exchange rates. As in the case of other types of options, however, the benefit to a Fund from purchases of foreign currency options will be reduced by the amount of the premium and related transaction costs. In addition, if currency exchange rates do not move in the direction or to the extent desired, a Fund could sustain losses on transactions in foreign currency options that would require a Fund to forego a portion or all of the benefits of advantageous changes in those rates.

The GPS II Funds also may write options on foreign currencies. For example, to hedge against a potential decline in the U.S. dollar due to adverse fluctuations in exchange rates, a Fund could, instead of purchasing a put option, write a call option on the relevant currency. If the decline expected by a Fund occurs, the option will most likely not be exercised and the diminution in value of portfolio securities will be offset at least in part by the amount of the premium received. Similarly, instead of purchasing a call option to hedge against a potential increase in the U.S. dollar cost of securities to be acquired, a Fund could write a put option on the relevant currency which, if rates move in the manner projected by a Fund, will expire unexercised and allow a Fund to hedge the increased cost up to the amount of the premium. If exchange rates do not move in the expected direction, the option may be exercised and a Fund would be required to buy or sell the underlying currency at a loss, which may not be fully offset by the amount of the premium. Through the writing of options on foreign currencies, a Fund also may lose all or a portion of the benefits that might otherwise have been obtained from favorable movements in exchange rates.
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Over-The-Counter (“OTC”) Options

The Funds may write covered put and call options and buy put and call options that trade in the OTC market to the same extent that it may engage in exchange-traded options. OTC options differ from exchange-traded options in certain material respects. OTC options are arranged directly with dealers and not with a clearing corporation. Thus, there is a risk of non-performance by the dealer. Because there is no exchange, pricing is typically done based on information from market makers. OTC options are available for a greater variety of securities and in a wider range of expiration dates and exercise prices, however, than exchange traded options and the writer of an OTC option is paid the premium in advance by the dealer. There can be no assurance that a continuous liquid secondary market will exist for any particular OTC option at any specific time. A Fund may be able to realize the value of an OTC option it has purchased only by exercising it or entering into a closing sale transaction with the dealer that issued it. A Fund may suffer a loss if it is not able to exercise or sell its position on a timely basis. When a Fund writes an OTC option, it generally can close out that option prior to its expiration only by entering into a closing purchase transaction with the dealer with which the Fund originally wrote the option.

Interest Rate Caps, Floors and Collars

The Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may purchase and write interest rate caps, floors and collars, which are OTC options. The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined interest rate, to receive payment of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate cap. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling the interest rate floor. An interest rate collar is the combination of a cap and a floor that preserves a certain return within a predetermined range of interest rates.

Options on Indices

The Funds may invest in options on indices. Put and call options on indices are similar to puts and calls on securities or futures contracts except that all settlements are in cash and gain or loss depends on changes in the index in question rather than on price movements in individual securities or futures contracts. When a Fund writes a call on an index, it receives a premium and agrees that, prior to the expiration date, the purchaser of the call, upon exercise of the call, will receive from a Fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the call is based is greater than the exercise price of the call. The amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the call times a specified multiple (“multiplier”), which determines the total dollar value for each point of such difference. When a Fund buys a call on an index, it pays a premium and has the same rights as to such call as are indicated above. When a Fund buys a put on an index, it pays a premium and has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the seller of the put, upon a Fund’s exercise of the put, to deliver to a Fund an amount of cash equal to the difference between the exercise price of the option and the value of the index, times a multiplier, similar to that described above for calls. When a Fund writes a put on an index, it receives a premium and the purchaser of the put has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require a Fund to deliver to it an amount of cash equal to the difference between the closing level of the index and exercise price times the multiplier if the closing level is less than the exercise price.

Risks of Options on Indices

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

Index prices may be distorted if trading of a substantial number of securities included in the index is interrupted causing the trading of options on that index to be halted. If a trading halt occurred, a Fund would not be able to close out options
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which it had purchased and the Fund may incur losses if the underlying index moved adversely before trading resumed. If a trading halt occurred and restrictions prohibiting the exercise of options were imposed through the close of trading on the last day before expiration, exercises on that day would be settled on the basis of a closing index value that may not reflect current price information for securities representing a substantial portion of the value of the index.

If a Fund holds an index option and exercises it before final determination of the closing index value for that day, it runs the risk that the level of the underlying index may change before closing. If such a change causes the exercised option to fall “out-of-the-money,” a Fund will be required to pay the difference between the closing index value and the exercise price of the option (times the applicable multiplier) to the assigned writer. Although a Fund may be able to minimize this risk by withholding exercise instructions until just before the daily cutoff time or by selling rather than exercising the option when the index level is close to the exercise price, it may not be possible to eliminate this risk entirely because the cutoff times for index options may be earlier than those fixed for other types of options and may occur before definitive closing index values are announced.

Index Warrants

The Funds may purchase put warrants and call warrants whose values vary depending on the change in the value of one or more specified indices (“index warrants”). Index warrants are generally issued by banks or other financial institutions and give the holder the right, at any time during the term of the warrant, to receive upon exercise of the warrant a cash payment from the issuer based on the value of the underlying index at the time of exercise. In general, if the value of the underlying index rises above the exercise price of the index warrant, the holder of a call warrant will be entitled to receive a cash payment from the issuer upon exercise based on the difference between the value of the index and the exercise price of the warrant; if the value of the underlying index falls, the holder of a put warrant will be entitled to receive a cash payment from the issuer upon exercise based on the difference between the exercise price of the warrant and the value of the index. The holder of a warrant would not be entitled to any payments from the issuer at a time when, in the case of a call warrant, the exercise price is more than the value of the underlying index, or in the case of a put warrant, the exercise price is less than the value of the underlying index. If a Fund were not to exercise an index warrant prior to its expiration, a Fund would lose the amount of the purchase price it paid for the warrant. A Fund will normally use index warrants in a manner similar to its use of options on indices.

Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts

The Funds may purchase and sell futures contracts, including those based on particular interest rates, securities, foreign currencies, securities indices, debt obligations and other financial instruments and indices. A futures contract is a standard binding agreement to buy or sell a specified quantity of an underlying reference asset, such as a specific security, currency, commodity or index, at a specified price at a specified later date. For more information about the use of currency futures contracts, see “Foreign Currency Transactions” above.

In most cases the contractual obligation under a futures contract may be offset, or “closed out,” before the settlement date so that the parties do not have to make or take delivery of the reference asset. The closing out of a contractual obligation is usually accomplished by buying or selling, as the case may be, an identical, offsetting futures contract. This transaction, which is effected through a member of an exchange, cancels the obligation to make or take delivery of the underlying asset. Although some futures contracts by their terms require the actual delivery or acquisition of the underlying asset, some (e.g., stock index futures) require cash settlement.

Futures contracts may be bought and sold on U.S. and non-U.S. exchanges. Futures contracts in the U.S. have been designed by exchanges that have been designated “contract markets” by the CFTC and must be executed through an FCM, which is a brokerage firm that is a member of the relevant contract market. Each exchange guarantees performance of the contracts as between the clearing members of the exchange, thereby reducing the risk of counterparty default. Futures contracts may also be entered into on certain exempt markets, including exempt boards of trade and electronic trading facilities, available to certain market participants. Because all transactions in the futures market are made, offset or fulfilled by an FCM through a clearinghouse associated with the exchange on which the contracts are traded, a Fund will incur brokerage fees when it buys or sells futures contracts.

When a Fund enters into a futures contract, it must deliver to an account controlled by the FCM an amount referred to as “initial margin.” Initial margin requirements are determined by the respective exchanges on which the futures
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contracts are traded and the FCM. Thereafter, a “variation margin” amount may be required to be paid by a Fund or received by a Fund in accordance with margin controls set for such accounts, depending upon changes in the marked-to-market value of the futures contract. The account is marked-to-market daily. When the futures contract is closed out, if a Fund has a loss equal to or greater than the margin amount, the margin amount is paid to the FCM along with any loss in excess of the margin amount. If a Fund has a loss of less than the margin amount, the excess margin is returned to the Fund. If a Fund has a gain, the full margin amount and the amount of the gain is paid to the Fund.

The Funds may also purchase and write call and put options on futures contracts in order to seek to increase total return or to hedge against changes in interest rates, securities prices, or currency exchange rates, or, to the extent permitted by its investment policies, to otherwise manage its portfolio of investments. Options on futures contracts trade on the same contract markets as the underlying futures contracts. When a Fund buys an option, it pays a premium for the right, but does not have the obligation, to purchase (call) or sell (put) a futures contract at a set price (called the exercise price). The seller (writer) of an option becomes contractually obligated to take the opposite futures position if the buyer of the option exercises its rights to the futures position specified in the option. In return for the premium paid by the buyer, the seller assumes the risk of taking a possibly adverse futures position. In addition, the seller will be required to post and maintain initial and variation margin with the FCM. One goal of selling (writing) options on futures may be to receive the premium paid by the option buyer. For more general information about the mechanics of purchasing and writing options, see “Options” above.

Risks Associated With Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts

When used for hedging, purchases and sales of futures contracts may not completely offset a decline or rise in the value of a Fund’s investments during certain market conditions. In the futures markets, it may not always be possible to execute a buy or sell order at the desired price, or to close out an open position due to market conditions, limits on open positions and/or daily price fluctuations. Changes in the market value of a Fund’s investment securities may differ substantially from the changes anticipated by a Fund when it established its hedged positions, and unanticipated price movements in a futures contract may result in a loss substantially greater than the amount that the Fund delivered as initial margin. Because of the relatively low margin deposits required, futures trading involves a high degree of leverage; as a result, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate and substantial loss, or gain, to a Fund. In addition, if a Fund has insufficient cash to meet daily variation margin requirements or close out a futures position, it may have to sell securities from its portfolio at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. Adverse market movements could cause a Fund to experience substantial losses on an investment in a futures contract.

Successful use of futures contracts depends upon the Advisor’s ability to correctly predict movements in the securities markets generally or of a particular segment of a securities market. No assurance can be given that the Advisor’s judgment in this respect will be correct.

There is a risk of loss by a Fund of the initial and variation margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of the FCM with which the Fund has an open position in a futures contract. The assets of a Fund may not be fully protected in the event of the bankruptcy of the FCM or central counterparty because the Fund might be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds and margin segregated on behalf of an FCM’s customers. If the FCM does not provide accurate reporting, a Fund is also subject to the risk that the FCM could use the Fund’s assets, which are held in an omnibus account with assets belonging to the FCM’s other customers, to satisfy its own financial obligations or the payment obligations of another customer to the central counterparty.

The CFTC and the various exchanges have established limits, referred to as “speculative position limits,” on the maximum net long or net short position that any person may hold or control in a particular futures contract. Trading limits are imposed on the number of contracts that any person may trade on a particular trading day. An exchange may order the liquidation of positions found to be in violation of these limits and it may impose sanctions or restrictions. The regulation of futures contracts, as well as other derivatives, is a rapidly changing area of law. For more information, see “Risks of Potential Regulation of Swaps and Other Derivatives” below.

Futures and related options purchased or sold by the World ex-US Fund will normally have foreign underlying securities or indices and may be traded on U.S. or non-U.S. exchanges. Participation in foreign futures and foreign options transactions on a non U.S. exchange involves the execution and clearing of trades on or subject to the rules of a foreign board of trade. Neither the National Futures Association (“NFA”) nor any domestic exchange regulates
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activities of any foreign boards of trade, including the execution, delivery and clearing of transactions, or has the power to compel enforcement of the rules of a foreign board of trade or any applicable foreign law. This is true even if the exchange is formally linked to a domestic market so that a position taken on the market may be liquidated by a transaction on another market. Moreover, such laws or regulations will vary depending on the foreign country in which the foreign futures or foreign options transaction occurs.

For these reasons, customers who trade foreign futures of foreign options contracts may not be afforded certain of the protective measures provided by the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”), the CFTC’s regulations and the rules of the NFA and any domestic exchange, including the right to use reparations proceedings before the CFTC and arbitration proceedings provided by the NFA or any domestic futures exchange. In particular, certain Fund’s investments in foreign futures or foreign options transactions may not be provided the same protections in respect of transactions on U.S. futures exchanges. In addition, the price of any foreign futures or foreign options contract and, therefore the potential profit and loss thereon may be affected by any variance in the foreign exchange rate between the time an order is placed and the time it is liquidated, offset or exercised.

When a Fund purchases an option on a futures contract, the amount at risk is the premium paid for the option plus related transaction costs. The purchase of an option on a futures contract also entails the risk that changes in the value of the underlying futures contract will not be fully reflected in the value of the option purchased. The seller (writer) of an option on a futures contract is subject to the risk of having to take a possibly adverse futures position if the purchaser of the option exercises its rights. If the seller is required to take such a position, it could bear substantial, and potentially unlimited, losses.

Swaps and Options on Swaps

The Funds may enter into swaps, including interest rate, mortgage, credit default, currency, total return and inflation index swaps, for hedging purposes or to seek to increase total return. Generally, swap agreements are contracts between a Fund and another party (the swap counterparty) involving the exchange of payments on specified terms over periods ranging from a few days to multiple years. In a basic swap transaction, the Fund agrees with the swap counterparty to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) and/or cash flows earned or realized on a particular “notional amount” or value of predetermined underlying reference instruments. The notional amount is the set dollar or other value selected by the parties to use as the basis on which to calculate the obligations that the parties to a swap agreement have agreed to exchange.

Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by a Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest, such as an exchange of fixed-rate payments for floating rate payments. Mortgage swaps are similar to interest rate swaps in that they represent commitments to pay and receive interest. The notional principal amount, however, is tied to a reference pool or pools of mortgages. Credit default swaps involve the receipt of floating or fixed rate payments in exchange for assuming potential credit losses of an underlying security. Credit default swaps give one party to a transaction the right to dispose of or acquire an asset (or group of assets), or the right to receive or make a payment from the other party, upon the occurrence of a specified credit event. Currency swaps involve the exchange of the parties’ respective rights to make or receive payments in specified currencies. Total return swaps are contracts that obligate a party to pay or receive interest in exchange for payment by the other party of the total return generated by a security, a basket of securities, an index, or an index component.

An inflation index swap is a contract between two parties, whereby one party makes payments based on the cumulative percentage increase in an index that serves as a measure of inflation (typically, the Consumer Price Index) and the other party makes a regular payment based on a compounded fixed rate. Typically, an inflation index swap has payment obligations netted and exchanged upon maturity. The value of an inflation index swap is expected to change in response to changes in the rate of inflation. If inflation increases at a faster rate than anticipated at the time the swap is entered into, the swap will increase in value. Similarly, if inflation increases at a rate slower than anticipated at the time the swap is entered into, the swap will decrease in value.

The Funds may also purchase and write (sell) options contracts on swaps, referred to as “swaptions.” A swaption is an option to enter into a swap agreement. Like other types of options, the buyer of a swaption pays a non-refundable premium for the option and obtains the right, but not the obligation, to enter into an underlying swap on agreed-upon
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terms. The seller of a swaption, in exchange for the premium, becomes obligated (if the option is exercised) to enter into an underlying swap on agreed-upon terms.

The Funds may invest in publicly or privately issued interests in investment pools whose underlying assets are credit default, credit-linked, interest rate, currency exchange, equity-linked or other types of swap contracts and related underlying securities or securities loan agreements. The pools’ investment results may be designed to correspond generally to the performance of a specified securities index or “basket” of securities, or sometimes a single security. These types of pools are may be used by a Fund to gain exposure to multiple securities with a smaller investment than would be required to invest directly in the individual securities. They also may be used by a Fund to gain exposure to foreign securities markets without investing in the foreign securities themselves and/or the relevant foreign market. To the extent that a Fund invests in pools of swaps and related underlying securities or securities loan agreements whose return corresponds to the performance of a foreign securities index or one or more foreign securities investing in such pools will involve risks similar to the risks of investing in foreign securities. See the section “Foreign Securities” below. In addition to the risks associated with investing in swaps generally, a Fund bears the risks and costs generally associated with investing in pooled investment vehicles, such as paying the fees and expenses of the pool and the risk that the pool or the operator of the pool may default on its obligations to the holder of interests in the pool, such as a Fund. Interests in privately offered investment pools of swaps may be classified as illiquid.

A great deal of flexibility is possible in the way swap transactions are structured. However, generally a Fund will enter into interest rate, total return and mortgage swaps on a net basis, which means that the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Interest rate and mortgage swaps do not normally involve the delivery of securities, other underlying assets or principal. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to interest rate and mortgage swaps is normally limited to the net amount of payments that a Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the other party to an interest rate swap defaults, a Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any. In contrast, currency swaps usually involve the delivery of the entire principal amount of one designated currency in exchange for the other designated currency. Therefore, the entire principal value of a currency swap is subject to the risk that the other party to the swap will default on its contractual delivery obligations.

A swap agreement may be negotiated bilaterally and traded OTC between the two parties (for an uncleared swap) or, in some instances, must be transacted through an FCM and cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty (for a cleared swap). In an uncleared swap, the swap counterparty is typically a brokerage firm, bank or other financial institution. During the term of an uncleared swap, a Fund will be required to pledge to the swap counterparty, from time to time, an amount of cash and/or other assets equal to the total net amount (if any) that would be payable by the Fund to the counterparty if all outstanding swaps between the parties were terminated on the date in question, including, any early termination payments (variation margin). Periodically, changes in the amount pledged are made to recognize changes in value of the contract resulting from, among other things, interest on the notional value of the contract, market value changes in the underlying investment, and/or dividends paid by the issuer of the underlying instrument (variation margin). Likewise, the counterparty will be required to pledge cash or other assets to cover its obligations to the Fund. However, the amount pledged may not always be equal to or more than the amount due to the other party. Therefore, if a counterparty defaults on its obligations to a Fund, the amount pledged by the counterparty and available to the Fund may not be sufficient to cover all the amounts due to the Fund and the Fund may sustain a loss.

Certain standardized swaps are subject to mandatory central clearing and trade execution requirements. In a cleared swap, a Fund’s ultimate counterparty is a central clearinghouse rather than a brokerage firm, bank or other financial institution. Cleared swaps are submitted for clearing through each party’s FCM, which must be a member of the clearinghouse that serves as the central counterparty. The Dodd-Frank Act and implementing rules will ultimately require the clearing and exchange-trading of many swaps. Mandatory exchange-trading and clearing will occur on a phased-in basis based on the type of market participant, CFTC approval of contracts for central clearing and public trading facilities making such cleared swaps available to trade. To date, the CFTC has designated only certain of the most common types of credit default index swaps and interest rate swaps as subject to mandatory clearing and certain public trading facilities have made certain of those swaps available to trade, but it is expected that additional categories of swaps will in the future be designated as subject to mandatory clearing and trade execution requirements. Central clearing is intended to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity, but central clearing does not eliminate
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these risks and may involve additional costs and risks not involved with uncleared swaps. For more information, see “Risks of Swaps” and “Risks of Potential Regulation of Swaps and Other Derivatives” below.

When a Fund enters into a cleared swap, it must deliver to the central counterparty (via an FCM) an amount referred to as “initial margin.” Initial margin requirements are determined by the central counterparty, and are typically calculated as an amount equal to the volatility in the market value of the swap over a fixed period, but an FCM may require additional initial margin above the amount required by the central counterparty. During the term of the swap agreement, a “variation margin” amount may also be required to be paid by a Fund or may be received by the Fund in accordance with margin controls set for such accounts. If the value of a Fund’s cleared swap declines, the Fund will be required to make additional “variation margin” payments to the FCM to settle the change in value. Conversely, if the market value of a Fund’s position increases, the FCM will post additional “variation margin” to the Fund’s account. At the conclusion of the term of the swap agreement, if a Fund has a loss equal to or greater than the margin amount, the margin amount is paid to the FCM along with any loss in excess of the margin amount. If a Fund has a loss of less than the margin amount, the excess margin is returned to the Fund. If a Fund has a gain, the full margin amount and the amount of the gain is paid to the Fund.

Risks of Swaps

As is the case with most investments, swaps are subject to market risk, and there can be no guarantee that the Advisor will correctly forecast the future movements of interest rates, indices or other economic factors. The use of swaps requires an understanding of investment techniques, risk analysis and tax treatment different than those of a Fund’s underlying portfolio investments. Swaps may be subject to liquidity risk, when a particular contract is difficult to purchase or sell at the most advantageous time. However, in recent years the swaps market has become increasingly liquid, and central clearing and the trading of cleared swaps on public facilities are intended to further increase liquidity. Nevertheless, certain swaps may be subject to the Fund’s limitations on illiquid investments.

Swaps are also subject to pricing risk which can result in significant fluctuations in value relative to historical prices. Significant fluctuations in value may mean that it is not possible to initiate or liquidate a swap position in time to avoid a loss or take advantage of a specific market opportunity.

The risk of loss to a Fund for swap transactions that are entered into on a net basis depends on which party is obligated to pay the net amount to the other party. If the counterparty is obligated to pay the net amount to a Fund, the risk of loss to the Fund is loss of the entire amount that the Fund is entitled to receive. If a Fund is obligated to pay the net amount, the Fund’s risk of loss is generally limited to that net amount. If the swap agreement involves the exchange of the entire principal value of a security, the entire principal value of that security is subject to the risk that the other party to the swap will default on its contractual delivery obligations. In addition, a Fund’s risk of loss also includes any margin at risk in the event of default by the counterparty (in an uncleared swap) or the central counterparty or FCM (in a cleared swap), plus any transaction costs.

Uncleared swaps are typically executed bilaterally with a swap dealer rather than traded on exchanges. As a result, swap participants may not be as protected as participants on organized exchanges. Performance of a swap agreement is the responsibility only of the swap counterparty and not of any exchange or clearinghouse. As a result, the Funds are subject to counterparty risk (i.e., the risk that a counterparty will be unable or will refuse to perform under such agreement, including because of the counterparty’s bankruptcy or insolvency). A Fund risks the loss of the accrued but unpaid amounts under a swap agreement, which could be substantial, in the event of a default, insolvency or bankruptcy by a swap counterparty. In such an event, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the swap agreements, but bankruptcy and insolvency laws could affect the Fund’s rights as a creditor. While the Funds use only counterparties that meet the credit quality standards established by the Advisor, in unusual or extreme market conditions, a counterparty’s creditworthiness and ability to perform may deteriorate rapidly, and the availability of suitable replacement counterparties may become limited. If the counterparty’s creditworthiness declines, the value of a swap agreement would likely decline, potentially resulting in losses.

Certain types of swaps are, and others eventually are expected to be, required to be cleared through a central counterparty, which may affect counterparty risk and other risks faced by a Fund. Central clearing is designed to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity compared to bilateral swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterparty to each participant’s swap, but it does not eliminate those risks completely and
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may involve additional risks not involved with uncleared swaps. There is also a risk of loss by a Fund of the initial and variation margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of the FCM with which the Fund has an open position, or the central counterparty in a swap contract. The assets of the Fund may not be fully protected in the event of the bankruptcy of the FCM or central counterparty because the Fund might be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds and margin segregated on behalf of an FCM’s customers. If the FCM does not provide accurate reporting, the Fund is also subject to the risk that the FCM could use the Fund’s assets, which are held in an omnibus account with assets belonging to the FCM’s other customers, to satisfy its own financial obligations or the payment obligations of another customer to the central counterparty. Credit risk of cleared swap participants is concentrated in a few clearinghouses, and the consequences of insolvency of a clearinghouse are not clear. Transactions executed on a swap execution facility (“SEF”) may increase market transparency and liquidity but may require the Fund to incur increased expenses to access the same types of swaps that it has used in the past.

With cleared swaps, a Fund may not be able to obtain terms as favorable as it would be able to negotiate for a bilateral, uncleared swap. In addition, an FCM may unilaterally amend the terms of its agreement with a Fund, which may include the imposition of position limits or additional margin requirements with respect to the Fund’s investment in certain types of swaps. Central counterparties and FCMs can require termination of existing cleared swap upon the occurrence of certain events, and can also require increases in margin above the margin that is required at the initiation of the swap agreement.

The Funds are also subject to the risk that, after entering into a cleared swap with an executing broker, no FCM or central counterparty is willing or able to clear the transaction. In such an event, a Fund may be required to break the trade and make an early termination payment to the executing broker.

Swaps that are subject to mandatory clearing are also required to be traded on SEFs, if any SEF makes the swap available to trade. An SEF is a trading platform where multiple market participants can execute swap transactions by accepting bids and offers made by multiple other participants on the platform. Transactions executed on an SEF may increase market transparency and liquidity but may require a Fund to incur increased expenses to access the same types of swaps that it has used in the past.

Contracts for Differences

The Funds may enter into contracts for differences. Contracts for differences are swap arrangements in which a Fund may agree with a counterparty that its return (or loss) will be based on the relative performance of two different groups or “baskets” of securities. For example, as to one of the baskets, a Fund’s return is based on theoretical long futures positions in the securities comprising that basket, and as to the other basket, a Fund’s return is based on theoretical short futures positions in the securities comprising that other basket. The notional sizes of the baskets will not necessarily be the same, which can give rise to investment leverage. A Fund may also use actual long and short futures positions to achieve the market exposure(s) as contracts for differences. A Fund may enter into swaps and contracts for differences for investment return, hedging, risk management and for investment leverage.

Hybrid Instruments

A hybrid instrument is a type of derivative that combines a traditional stock or bond with an option or forward contract. Generally, the principal amount, amount payable upon maturity or redemption, or interest rate of a hybrid is tied (positively or negatively) to the price of a currency or securities index or another interest rate or some other economic factor (each a “benchmark”). The interest rate or (unlike most fixed income securities) the principal amount payable at maturity of a hybrid security may be increased or decreased, depending on changes in the value of the benchmark. An example of a hybrid could be a bond issued by an oil company that pays a small base level of interest with additional interest that accrues in correlation to the extent to which oil prices exceed a certain predetermined level. Such a hybrid instrument would be economically similar to a combination of a bond and a call option on oil.

Hybrids can be used as an efficient means of pursuing a variety of investment goals, including currency hedging, duration management and increased total return. Hybrids may not bear interest or pay dividends. The value of a hybrid or its interest rate may be a multiple of a benchmark and, as a result, may be leveraged and move (up or down) more steeply and rapidly than the benchmark. These benchmarks may be sensitive to economic and political events, such as currency devaluations, which cannot be readily foreseen by the purchaser of a hybrid. Under certain conditions, the
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redemption value of a hybrid could be zero. Thus, an investment in a hybrid may entail significant market risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional, U.S. dollar-denominated bond that has a fixed principal amount and pays a fixed rate or floating rate of interest. The purchase of hybrids also exposes a Fund to the credit risk of the issuer of the hybrids. These risks may cause significant fluctuations in the net asset value of a Fund.

Certain issuers of structured products such as hybrid instruments may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, a Fund’s investments in these products may be subject to limits applicable to investments in investment companies and may be subject to restrictions contained in the 1940 Act.

Synthetic Securities

Incidental to other transactions in fixed income securities and/or for investment purposes, the GPS II Funds also may combine options on securities with cash, cash equivalent investments or other fixed income securities in order to create “synthetic” securities that approximate desired risk and return profiles. This may be done where a “non-synthetic” security having the desired risk/return profile either is unavailable (e.g., short-term securities of certain non-U.S. governments) or possesses undesirable characteristics (e.g., interest payments on the security would be subject to non-U.S. withholding taxes). The GPS II Funds also may purchase forward non-U.S. exchange contracts in conjunction with U.S. dollar-denominated securities in order to create a synthetic non-U.S. currency denominated security that approximates desired risk and return characteristics where the non-synthetic securities either are not available in non-U.S. markets or possess undesirable characteristics. The use of synthetic bonds and other synthetic securities may involve risks different from, or potentially greater than, risks associated with direct investments in securities and other assets including market risk, liquidity risk, and credit risk, and their value may or may not correlate with the value of the relevant underlying asset.

Loan Based Derivatives

The Funds may invest in derivative instruments that provide exposure to one or more credit default swaps. For example, a Fund may invest in a derivative instrument known as the Loan-Only Credit Default Swap Index (“LCDX”), a tradable index with 100 equally weighted underlying single-name loan-only credit default swaps (“LCDS”). Each underlying LCDS references an issuer whose loans trade in the secondary leveraged loan market. A Fund can either buy the index (take on credit exposure) or sell the index (pass credit exposure to a counterparty). While investing in these types of derivatives will increase the universe of debt securities to which a Fund is exposed, such investments entail additional risks, such as those discussed below, that are not typically associated with investments in other debt securities. Credit default swaps and other derivative instruments related to loans are subject to the risks associated with loans generally, as well as the risks of derivative transactions.

Changing Regulation of Derivatives

The regulation of cleared and uncleared swaps, as well as other derivatives, is a rapidly changing area of law and is subject to modification by government and judicial action. In addition, the SEC, CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency, including, for example, the implementation or reduction of speculative position limits, the implementation of higher margin requirements, the establishment of daily price limits and the suspension of trading.

In October 2020, the SEC adopted new regulations governing the use of derivatives by registered investment companies. Rule 18f-4 (the “Derivatives Rule”) imposes limits on the amount of derivatives contracts the Funds can enter, and Funds that invest in derivatives in excess of a limited specified exposure threshold are required to establish and maintain a derivatives risk management program and appoint a derivatives risk manager.

It is not possible to predict fully the effects of current or future regulation. However, it is possible that developments in government regulation of various types of derivative instruments, such as additional limits on Fund leverage, speculative position limits on certain types of derivatives, or limits or restrictions on the counterparties with which the Funds engage in derivative transactions, may limit or prevent a Fund from using or limit a Fund’s use of these instruments effectively as a part of its investment strategy, may increase the costs of such transactions, and could adversely affect a Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

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The Advisor will continue to monitor developments in the area, particularly to the extent regulatory changes affect a Fund's ability to enter into desired derivative transactions. New requirements, even if not directly applicable to the Funds, may increase the cost of a Fund’s investments and cost of doing business.

Commodity Pool Operator Exclusions

With Respect to Funds other than the Managed Futures Strategy Fund
The Advisor has claimed an exclusion from the definition of commodity pool operator under the CEA and the rules of the CFTC with respect to the Funds, other than the Managed Futures Strategy Fund. The Funds for which such exclusion has been claimed are referred to herein as the "Excluded Funds." The Advisor is therefore not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the CEA with respect to the Excluded Funds. The Excluded Funds are not intended as vehicles for trading in the futures, commodity options or swaps markets. In addition, the Advisor is relying upon a related exclusion from the definition of commodity trading advisor under the CEA and the rules of the CFTC.

The terms of the commodity pool operator exclusion require the Excluded Funds, among other things, to adhere to certain limits on its investments in "commodity interests." Commodity interests include commodity futures, commodity options and swaps, which in turn include non-deliverable forwards, as further described above. Because the Advisor and the Excluded Funds intend to comply with the terms of the commodity pool operator exclusion, one or more of the Excluded Funds may, in the future, need to adjust its investment strategies, consistent with its investment objective, to limit its investments in these types of instruments. The Excluded Funds are not intended as a vehicle for trading in the commodity futures, commodity options or swaps markets. The CFTC has neither reviewed nor approved the Advisor's reliance on these exclusions, or the Excluded Funds, their investment strategies or Prospectus, or this SAI.

Generally, the exclusion from commodity pool operator regulation on which the Advisor relies requires each Excluded Funds to meet one of the following tests for its commodity interest positions, other than positions entered into for bona fide hedging purposes (as defined in the rules of the CFTC): either (1) the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish the Excluded Fund's positions in commodity interests may not exceed 5% of the liquidation value of the Excluded Fund's portfolio (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions); or (2) the aggregate net notional value of the Excluded Fund's commodity interest positions, determined at the time the most recent such position was established, may not exceed 100% of the liquidation value of the Excluded Fund's portfolio (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). In addition to meeting one of these trading limitations, an Excluded Fund may not be marketed as a commodity pool or otherwise as a vehicle for trading in the commodity futures, commodity options or swaps markets. If, in the future, a Excluded Fund can no longer satisfy these requirements, the Advisor would withdraw its notice claiming an exclusion from the definition of a commodity pool operator, and the Advisor would be subject to registration and regulation as a commodity pool operator with respect to that Fund, in accordance with CFTC rules that apply to commodity pool operators of registered investment companies. Generally, these rules allow for substituted compliance with CFTC disclosure and shareholder reporting requirements, based on the Advisor's compliance with comparable SEC requirements. However, as a result of CFTC regulation with respect to the Funds, the Funds may incur additional compliance and other expenses.

With Respect to the Managed Futures Strategy Fund
The Advisor is registered as a commodity pool operator under the CEA and the rules of the CFTC and, with respect to the Managed Futures Strategy Fund and its Subsidiary (together, "Non-Excluded Fund"), is subject to regulation as a commodity pool operator under the CEA. The Advisor is also a member of the NFA and is subject to certain NFA rules and bylaws as they apply to commodity pool operators of registered investment companies. The CFTC has adopted rules regarding the disclosure, reporting and recordkeeping requirements that apply with respect to the Non-Excluded Fund as a result of the Advisor's registration as a commodity pool operator.

Generally, these rules allow for substituted compliance with CFTC disclosure and shareholder reporting requirements, based on the Advisor's compliance with comparable SEC requirements. This means that for most of the CFTC's disclosure and shareholder reporting requirements applicable to the Advisor as the commodity pool operator of the Non-Excluded Fund, the Advisor's compliance with SEC disclosure and shareholder reporting requirements will be deemed to fulfill the Advisor's CFTC compliance obligations. As the Non-Excluded Fund is operated subject to CFTC
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regulation, the Fund may incur additional compliance and related expenses. The CFTC has neither reviewed nor approved the Funds, their investment strategies or the Prospectus, or this SAI.

Commodities and Commodity-Linked Instruments

Commodities are assets that have tangible properties, such as oil, coal, natural gas, agricultural products, industrial metals, livestock and precious metals. The Managed Futures Strategy Fund and certain Underlying Funds may invest in commodities markets directly through investment in physical commodities, as well as indirectly through equity investments in commodity-related and natural resource-oriented industries involved in mining, exploration, energy transportation and related materials or support. The Managed Futures Strategy Fund and certain Underlying Funds may invest in “commodity-linked” or “commodity index-linked” investments such as commodity options contracts, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and commodity-linked notes and swap agreements. The Managed Futures Strategy Fund will invest in commodity-linked or commodity index-linked investments through the Subsidiary, discussed below under “Wholly Owned Subsidiary.” The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by overall market movements and other factors affecting the value of a particular industry or commodity, such as weather, disease, embargoes, or political and regulatory developments. The value of a commodity-linked investment is generally based upon the price movements of a physical commodity (such as oil, gas, gold, silver, other metals or agricultural products), a commodity futures contract or commodity index, or other economic variable based upon changes in the value of commodities or the commodities markets.

Emerging Market Countries

The Emerging Markets Fund, Small/Mid Cap Core Fund, World ex-US Fund, Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may each invest in emerging market countries. The Funds consider emerging market countries to be those defined by the MSCI Emerging MarketsSM Index. Developing countries may impose restrictions on a Fund’s ability to repatriate investment income or capital. Even where there is no outright restriction on repatriation of investment income or capital, the mechanics of repatriation may affect certain aspects of the operations of the Fund.

Some of the currencies in emerging markets have experienced de-valuations relative to the U.S. dollar, and major adjustments have been made periodically in certain of such currencies. Certain developing countries face serious currency exchange constraints.

Governments of some developing countries exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In some countries, the government owns or controls many companies. As such, government actions in the future could have a significant effect on economic conditions in developing countries. Furthermore, certain developing countries are among the largest debtors to commercial banks and foreign governments. Trading in debt obligations issued or guaranteed by such governments or their agencies and instrumentalities involves a high degree of risk.

Investments in emerging market countries may be subject to heightened risk of social, political, and economic instability. Securities of emerging markets issuers may experience relatively greater risks of illiquidity and price volatility due to smaller capital markets and/or low trading volumes. In addition, regulatory oversight of the securities markets may vary greatly across emerging markets. Market participants such as custodians, clearinghouses, foreign exchanges and broker-dealers may be subject to less scrutiny and regulation by local authorities relative to more developed markets. Legal remedies available to investors or other systems designed to ensure orderly enforcement of property interests such as bankruptcy may be more limited in emerging market countries than the remedies available in the United States, and the ability of U.S. authorities (e.g., the SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice) to bring actions against bad actors may be limited. A shareholder’s ability to bring and enforce legal actions in emerging market countries, or to obtain information needed to pursue or enforce such actions, may be limited and as a result such claims may be difficult or impossible to pursue. In the event of a default on any investments in foreign debt obligations, it may be more difficult for the Fund to obtain or to enforce a judgment against the issuers of such securities. There may be limited public information available regarding companies in emerging markets and the quality of financial reporting and disclosures may vary significantly. Differences in accounting and audit standards may make it difficult to determine the
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financial condition of an issuer. Emerging markets may also present the risk of delayed settlement and heightened risk of loss due to custody practices.

There is a risk in developing countries that a current or future economic or political crisis could lead to price controls, forced corporate restructurings, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, imposition or enforcement of foreign investment limits, seizure, nationalization, sanctions or imposition of restrictions by various governmental entities on investment and trading, any of which may have a detrimental effect on a Fund’s investments. Many emerging market countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation or deflation for many years, and future inflation may adversely affect the economies and securities markets of such countries. In addition, the economies of developing countries tend to be heavily dependent upon international trade and, as such, have historically been, and may continue to be, adversely impacted by trade barriers and disputes, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values, and other protectionist measures. Emerging markets may be subject to a higher degree of corruption and fraud than developed markets, and financial institutions and transaction counterparties may have less financial sophistication, creditworthiness and/or resources than participants in developed markets.

Exchange-Traded Funds

The Funds may invest in shares of ETFs. An ETF is an investment company and typically is registered under the 1940 Act. Most ETFs hold a portfolio of investments designed to track the performance of a particular index; however, certain ETFs utilize active management of their investment portfolios. An ETF sells and redeems its shares at net asset value in large blocks (typically 50,000 of its shares or more) called “creation units.” Shares representing fractional interests in these creation units are listed for trading on one or more national securities exchanges and can be purchased and sold in the secondary market in lots of any size at any time during the trading day. Some ETFs are non-registered investment companies that invest directly in securities, commodities or other assets (such as precious metals).

Investments in an ETF involve certain risks generally associated with investments in a broadly based portfolio of securities, including risks that the general level of stock prices may decline, thereby adversely affecting the value of each unit of the ETF or other instrument. In addition, an ETF may not fully replicate the performance of its benchmark index because of the temporary unavailability of certain investments in the secondary market or discrepancies between the ETF and the index with respect to the weighting or number of investments held. ETFs that invest in other assets, such as commodities, are subject to the risks associated with directly investing in those assets.

Because ETFs and pools that issue similar instruments bear various fees and expenses, a Fund’s investment in these instruments will involve certain indirect costs, as well as transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions. The Advisor may consider the expenses associated with an investment in determining whether to invest in an ETF. See the section “Investment Companies” below for information about investments in investment companies generally.

Exchange-Traded Notes (“ETNs”)

The Funds may invest in ETNs. ETNs are debt securities that are traded on an exchange (e.g., the New York Stock Exchange) whose returns are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy. If a Fund holds an ETN to maturity, the issuer of the ETN will pay a Fund a cash amount that is linked to the performance of the corresponding index during the period beginning on the inception date and ending at maturity, less investor fees. ETNs generally do not make periodic coupon payments or provide principal protection. An ETN that is tied to a specific benchmark or strategy may not produce returns that replicate exactly the performance of its corresponding benchmark or strategy.

ETNs are subject to credit risk, including the credit risk of the issuer. The value of an ETN may drop due to a downgrade in the issuer’s credit rating, even when the underlying benchmark or strategy remains unchanged. An ETN may trade at a premium or discount to its benchmark or strategy. The value of an ETN may be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer’s credit rating, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced underlying assets. When a Fund invests in ETNs, it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. A decision by a Fund to sell ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. Some ETNs that use leverage may have relatively decreased liquidity at times and, as a result, may
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be difficult to purchase or sell at a fair price. Leveraged ETNs are subject to the same risk as other instruments that use leverage.

Foreign Securities

Each Fund’s investments in the securities of foreign issuers may include both securities of foreign corporations and securities of foreign governments and their political subdivisions. By investing the majority of their respective assets in investments that are tied economically to different countries throughout the world, the Emerging Markets Fund and the World ex-US Fund will be more susceptible to the additional risks of foreign investing than the other Funds, and as a result, the net asset value of such Funds may be more volatile, and have greater risks of loss than a domestic fund.

The Funds may invest in foreign securities directly, or through depositary receipts, such as American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) or Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). Depositary receipts are typically issued by a U.S. or foreign bank or trust company and evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. Investments in these types of securities, as well as securities of foreign issuers, involve certain risks generally associated with investments in foreign securities, including the following:

Political and Economic Factors. The economies of foreign countries may differ favorably or unfavorably from the
U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, diversification and balance of payments position. The internal politics of certain foreign countries may not be as stable as those of the United States. Governments in certain foreign countries also continue to participate to a significant degree, through ownership interest or regulation, in their respective economies. Actions by these governments could include imposing restrictions on foreign investment, nationalization, expropriation of goods or imposition of taxes, and could have a significant effect on market prices of securities and payment of interest. The economies of many foreign countries are heavily dependent upon international trade and are accordingly affected by the trade policies and economic conditions of the countries’ trading partners. Enactment by these trading partners of protectionist trade legislation, or economic recessions or slow downs of those partners, could have a significant adverse effect upon the securities markets of such countries.

Currency Fluctuations. A change in the value of a foreign currency against the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding change in the U.S. dollar value of securities denominated in that currency held by a Fund. Such changes will also affect a Fund’s investments in depositary receipts.

Taxes. The interest and dividends payable on certain foreign securities, including those comprising an ADR, may be subject to foreign withholding taxes, thus reducing the net amount of income to be paid to a Fund and the amount that may ultimately be available for distribution to the Fund’s shareholders. See the section entitled “Taxes” below.

Funding Agreements

The Funds may invest in Guaranteed Investment Contracts (“GICs”) and similar funding agreements. In connection with these investments, a Fund makes cash contributions to a deposit fund of an insurance company’s general account. The insurance company then credits to a Fund on a monthly basis guaranteed interest, which is based on an index. The funding agreements provide that this guaranteed interest will not be less than a certain minimum rate. The purchase price paid for a funding agreement becomes part of the general assets of the insurance company. GICs may be classified as illiquid investments. Generally, funding agreements are not assignable or transferable without the permission of the issuing company, and an active secondary market in some funding agreements does not currently exist. Investments in GICs are subject to the risks associated with debt instruments generally, and are specifically subject to the credit risk associated with an investment in the issuing insurance company.

Industrial Development Bonds

The Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may each invest in industrial development bonds, a type of Municipal Security. Industrial development bonds are generally issued to provide financing aid to acquire sites or construct and equip facilities for use by privately or publicly owned entities.
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Most state and local governments have the power to permit the issuance of industrial development bonds to provide financing for such entities in order to encourage the privately or publicly owned entities to locate within their communities. Industrial development bonds, which are in most cases revenue bonds, do not represent a pledge of credit or create any debt of a municipality or a public authority, and no taxes may be levied for the payment of principal or interest on these bonds. The principal and interest is payable solely out of monies generated by the entities using or purchasing the sites or facilities. These bonds will be considered Municipal Securities eligible for purchase by a Fund if the interest paid on them, in the opinion of bond counsel or in the opinion of the officers of the Trusts and/or the Advisor, is exempt from federal income tax. The Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may each invest in industrial development bonds (including pollution control revenue bonds) so long as they are not from the same facility or similar types of facilities or projects.

Inflation-Linked and Inflation-Indexed Securities

Certain Funds may invest in inflation-linked bonds. The principal amount of these bonds increases with increases in the price index used as a reference value for the bonds. In addition, the amounts payable as coupon interest payments increase when the price index increases because the interest amount is calculated by multiplying the principal amount (as adjusted) by a fixed coupon rate.

Although inflation-indexed securities protect their holders from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may result in a decline in value. The values of inflation-linked securities generally fluctuate in response to changes to real interest rates, which are in turn tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If inflation were to rise at a rate faster than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in value of the inflation-linked securities. In contrast, if nominal interest rates increased at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in the value of inflation-linked securities. If inflation is lower than expected during a period a Fund holds inflation-linked securities, a Fund may earn less on such bonds than on a conventional bond. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation (for example, due to changes in currency exchange rates), investors in inflation-linked securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the price index used as a reference for the securities. There can be no assurance that the price index used for an inflation-linked security will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. Inflation-linked and inflation-indexed securities include Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities issued by the U.S. government (see the section “U.S. Government Obligations” below for additional information), but also may include securities issued by state, local and non-U.S. governments and corporations and supranational entities.

Investment Companies

The Funds may invest in other investment companies, including ETFs as discussed above. Investment companies are essentially pools of securities. Investing in other investment companies involves substantially the same risks as investing directly in the underlying securities, but may involve additional expenses at the investment company level, such as investment advisory fees and operating expenses. In some cases, investing in an investment company may involve the payment of a premium over the value of the assets held in that investment company’s portfolio. As an investor in another investment company, a Fund will bear its ratable share of the investment company’s expenses, including advisory fees, and a Fund’s shareholders will bear such expenses indirectly, in addition to similar fees and expenses of a Fund. Despite the possibility of greater fees and expenses, the Advisor will invest if it believes investment in other investment companies provides attractive return opportunities. In addition, it may be more efficient for a Fund to gain exposure to particular market segments by investing in shares of one or more investment companies.

Investments in Banks

Certain Funds may invest in certificates of deposit (certificates representing the obligation of a bank to repay funds deposited with it for a specified period of time), time deposits (non-negotiable deposits maintained in a bank for a specified period of time up to seven days at a stated interest rate), bankers’ acceptances (credit instruments evidencing the obligation of a bank to pay a draft drawn on it by a customer) and other securities and instruments issued by domestic banks, foreign branches of domestic banks, foreign subsidiaries of domestic banks and domestic and foreign branches of foreign banks.
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The Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund also may purchase U.S. dollar-denominated obligations issued by foreign branches of domestic banks or foreign branches of foreign banks (“Eurodollar” obligations) and domestic branches of foreign banks (“Yankee dollar” obligations).

Eurodollar and other foreign obligations involve special investment risks, including the possibility that (i) liquidity could be impaired because of future political and economic developments, (ii) the obligations may be less marketable than comparable domestic obligations of domestic issuers, (iii) a foreign jurisdiction might impose withholding taxes on interest income payable on those obligations, (iv) deposits may be seized or nationalized, (v) foreign governmental restrictions, such as exchange controls, may be adopted, which might adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on those obligations, (vi) the selection of foreign obligations may be more difficult because there may be less information publicly available concerning foreign issuers, (vii) there may be difficulties in securing or enforcing a judgment against a foreign issuer, and (viii) the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements applicable to foreign issuers may differ from those applicable to domestic issuers. In addition, foreign banks are not subject to examination by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities.

Master Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”)

Certain Funds and certain Underlying Funds may invest in MLPs. An MLP is a limited partnership, the interests of which are publicly traded on an exchange or in the OTC market. Many MLPs operate pipelines that transport commodities such as crude oil, natural gas and petroleum. The income of such MLPs correlates to the volume of the commodities transported, not their price.

Although investors in an MLP normally would not be liable for debts of the MLP beyond the amount of their investment, they may not be shielded from liability to the same extent as shareholders of a corporation.

Interests in an MLP may be less liquid investments than other publicly traded securities and involve additional risks related to: limited control and voting rights, potential conflicts of interest between the MLP and the MLP’s general partner, dilution of the Fund’s interest in the MLP and the general partner’s right to require a Fund to sell its interest in the MLP at an undesirable time or price. An investment in an MLP is also subject to interest rate risk, commodity risk and regulatory risk.

An investment in an MLP is also subject to tax risk. MLPs taxed as partnerships do not pay U.S. federal income tax at the partnership level, subject to the application of certain partnership audit rules. A change in current tax law or the underlying business mix of an MLP could result in the MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in which case the MLP would be required to pay U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income. Taxation of an MLP in which a Fund invests would result in a reduction of the value of the Fund’s investment in the MLP and, consequently, your investment in the Fund. Additionally, a Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income from qualifying sources to qualify as a RIC. Income derived by a Fund from a partnership that is not a qualified publicly traded partnership as defined in the Code will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership that would be qualifying income if realized directly by the Fund.

MLPs taxed as partnerships have historically made cash distributions to limited partners or members that exceed the amount of taxable income allocable to limited partners or members, due to a variety of factors, including significant non-cash deductions such as depreciation and depletion. If the cash distributions exceed the taxable income reported in a particular tax year, the excess cash distributions would not be treated as income to a Fund in that tax year but rather would be treated as a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent of the Fund’s basis in the MLP units (but not below zero). Any such return of capital distributions would reduce the Fund’s basis in the MLP units, which may increase the amount of the Fund’s gain upon a sale of such MLP units.

If a Fund distributes a portion or all of such excess cash that is not supported by other income, the distribution will be treated as a return of capital to shareholders. Although return of capital distributions are not taxable, such distributions would reduce the basis of a shareholder’s shares (but not below zero) and therefore may increase a shareholder’s tax liability upon a sale of such shares. The tax characterization of a Fund’s distributions made in a taxable year cannot
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finally be determined until at or after the end of the year. Dividend distributions that are attributable to a Fund’s investment in MLPs generally will not be eligible for the reduced tax rate applicable to qualified dividends.

Certain MLP investments made by a Fund may result in investors being required to either request extensions to file their tax returns or file amended returns. Where a Fund invests in MLPs taxed as partnerships, a Fund will typically not receive its “K-1” tax statements from the MLPs until after January 31st, the date on which the Fund is required to mail its own “1099s” to shareholders. The K-1 may indicate that a Fund has miscalculated its own taxable income on the tax return it is required to file as a result of mischaracterizing the tax character of the MLP distributions it received. If so, the Fund will send shareholders a corrected 1099, and this may require shareholders to file amended personal tax returns.

Mortgage-Backed Securities

The Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may purchase mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities are interests in pools of mortgage loans, including mortgage loans made by savings and loan institutions, mortgage bankers, commercial banks and others. Pools of mortgage loans are assembled as securities for sale to investors by various governmental, government-related and private organizations as further described below. The Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may also purchase debt securities which are secured with collateral consisting of mortgage-backed securities (“Collateralized Mortgage Obligations”) and in other types of mortgage-related securities. Mortgage-backed securities may be issued or guaranteed by U.S. government entities, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), or by private lenders.

The timely payment of principal and interest on mortgage-backed securities issued or guaranteed by GNMA is backed by GNMA and the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. These guarantees, however, do not apply to the market value of fund shares. Also, securities issued by GNMA and other mortgage-backed securities may be purchased at a premium over the maturity value of the underlying mortgages. This premium is not guaranteed and would be lost if prepayment occurs. Mortgage-backed securities issued by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities other than GNMA are not “full faith and credit” obligations. Unscheduled or early payments on the underlying mortgages may shorten the securities’ effective maturities and reduce returns. A Fund may agree to purchase or sell these securities with payment and delivery taking place at a future date. A decline in interest rates may lead to a faster rate of repayment of the underlying mortgages and expose a Fund to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment. To the extent that such mortgage-backed securities are held by a Fund, the prepayment right of mortgagors may limit the increase in net asset value of a Fund because the value of the mortgage-backed securities held by the Fund may not appreciate as rapidly as the price of noncallable debt securities.

Interests in pools of mortgage-backed securities differ from other forms of debt securities, which normally provide for periodic payment of interest in fixed amounts with principal payments at maturity or specified call dates. Instead, these securities provide a monthly payment which consists of both interest and principal payments. In effect, these payments are a “pass-through” of the monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on their mortgage loans, net of any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of such securities. Additional payments are caused by repayments of principal resulting from the sale of the underlying property, refinancing or foreclosure, net of fees or costs which may be incurred. Some mortgage-backed securities (such as securities issued by the GNMA) are described as “modified pass-through.” These securities entitle the holder to receive all interest and principal payments owed on the mortgage pool, net of certain fees, at the scheduled payments dates regardless of whether or not the mortgagor actually makes the payment.

Commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers also create pass-through pools of conventional mortgage loans. Such issuers may, in addition, be the originators and/or servicers of the underlying mortgage loans as well as the guarantors of the mortgage-related securities. Pools created by such non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments.
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However, timely payment of interest and principal of these pools may be supported by various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance and letters of credit. The insurance guarantees are issued by governmental entities, private insurers and the mortgage poolers. Such insurance and guarantees and the creditworthiness of the issuers thereof are generally considered in determining whether a mortgage-related security meets a Fund’s investment quality standards. There can be no assurance that the private insurers or guarantors can meet their obligations under the insurance policies or guarantee or guarantees, even if through an examination of the loan experience and practices of the originators/servicers and poolers, the Advisor determines that the securities meet the Fund’s quality standards.

Certain Funds may invest in credit risk transfer mortgaged-backed securities sponsored by Fannie Mae® (Connecticut Avenue Securities) and Freddie Mac® (Structured Agency Credit Risk debt notes), among others. These securities can be in the form of notes issued by or structured products sponsored by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and have payments of interest and repayment of principal that are conditional, based on the default performance of a reference pool. While their cash flows mimic those of other securitized assets, these securities are not backed or secured by those mortgage loans. Connecticut Avenue Securities sponsored by Fannie Mae and Structured Agency Credit Risk debt notes sponsored by Freddie Mac carry no guarantee whatsoever and the Fund would bear the risk of default associated with these securities.

Under the FHFA's “Single Security Initiative” intended to maximize liquidity for both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities in the TBA market, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac started issuing uniform mortgage-backed securities (“UMBS”) in place of their separate offerings of TBA-eligible mortgage-backed securities. The issuance of UMBS may not achieve the intended results and may have unanticipated or adverse effects on the market for mortgage-backed securities.
    
Mortgage Dollar Rolls

The Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may enter into mortgage dollar rolls. A dollar roll involves the sale of a security by a Fund and its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price, and may be considered a form of borrowing for some purposes. A Fund will designate on its records or segregate with its custodian bank assets determined to be liquid in an amount sufficient to meet its obligations under the transactions. A dollar roll involves potential risks of loss that are different from those related to the securities underlying the transactions. A Fund may be required to purchase securities at a higher price than may otherwise be available on the open market. Since the counterparty in the transaction is required to deliver a similar, but not identical, security to a Fund, the security that a Fund is required to buy under the dollar roll may be worth less than an identical security. There is no assurance that a Fund’s use of the cash that it receives from a dollar roll will provide a return that exceeds borrowing costs.

Municipal Bond Insurance

Certain Municipal Securities may be covered by insurance. The insurance guarantees the timely payment of principal at maturity and interest on such securities. These insured Municipal Securities are either covered by an insurance policy applicable to a particular security, whether obtained by the issuer of the security or by a third party (“Issuer-Obtained Insurance”), or insured under master insurance policies issued by municipal bond insurers, which may be purchased by a Fund (the “Policies”).

A Fund will require or obtain municipal bond insurance when purchasing Municipal Securities that would not otherwise meet the Fund’s quality standards. A Fund may also require or obtain municipal bond insurance when purchasing or holding specific Municipal Securities if, in the opinion of the Advisor, such insurance would benefit the Fund, for example, through improvement of portfolio quality or increased liquidity of certain securities. The Advisor anticipates that each Fund may have investments in insured Municipal Securities.

Issuer-Obtained Insurance Policies are non-cancelable and continue in force as long as the Municipal Securities are outstanding and their respective insurers remain in business. If a municipal security is covered by Issuer-Obtained Insurance, then such security need not be insured by the Policies purchased by a Fund.
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A Fund may purchase two types of Policies issued by municipal bond insurers. One type of Policy covers certain Municipal Securities only during the period in which they are in a Fund’s portfolio. In the event that a Municipal Security covered by such a Policy is sold from the Fund, the insurer of the relevant Policy will be liable only for those payments of interest and principal that are then due and owing at the time of sale. The other type of Policy covers Municipal Securities not only while they remain in the Fund’s portfolio, but also until their final maturity, even if they are sold out of the Fund’s portfolio. This type of Policy allows the securities to have coverage that benefits all subsequent holders of those Municipal Securities. A Fund will obtain insurance covering Municipal Securities until final maturity even after they are sold out of the Fund’s portfolio only if, in the judgment of the Advisor, the Fund would receive net proceeds from the sale of those securities. Net proceeds are calculated after deducting the cost of the permanent insurance and related fees. Also, the proceeds received must be significantly more than the proceeds the Fund would have received if the Municipal Securities were sold without insurance. Payments received from municipal bond insurers may not be tax-exempt income to shareholders of the Fund.

A Fund may purchase Policies from any municipal bond insurer that is rated in the highest rating category by a NRSRO. Under each Policy, the insurer is obligated to provide insurance payments pursuant to valid claims. The claims must be equal to the payment of principal and interest on those Municipal Securities the Policy insures. The Policies will have the same general characteristics and features. A Municipal Security will be eligible for coverage if it meets certain requirements set forth in a Policy. In the event interest or principal on an insured Municipal Security is not paid when due, the insurer covering the security will be obligated under its Policy to make such payment not later than 30 days after it has been notified by a Fund that such non-payment has occurred. The insurance feature is intended to reduce financial risk, but the cost of the insurance and compliance with the investment restrictions imposed by the guidelines in the Policies will reduce the yield to shareholders of the Fund.

Municipal Leases

The Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may purchase Municipal Securities in the form of participation interests that represent an undivided proportional interest in lease payments by a governmental or nonprofit entity. The lease payments and other rights under the lease provide for and secure payments on the certificates. Municipal charters or the nature of the appropriation for the lease may limit lease obligations. In particular, lease obligations may be subject to periodic appropriation. If the entity does not appropriate funds for future lease payments, the entity cannot be compelled to make such payments. Furthermore, a lease may provide that the participants cannot accelerate lease obligations upon default. The participants would only be able to enforce lease payments as they became due. In the event of a default or failure of appropriation, unless the participation interests are credit enhanced, it is unlikely that the participants would be able to obtain an acceptable substitute source of payment.

Because municipal leases may be classified as illiquid, the Advisor must carefully examine the liquidity of the lease before investing. The Advisor typically considers: whether the lease can be terminated by the lessee; the potential recovery, if any, from a sale of the leased property if the lease was terminated; the lessee’s general credit strength; the possibility that the lessee will discontinue appropriating funding for the lease property because the property is no longer deemed essential to its operations; and any credit enhancement or legal recourse provided upon an event of non-appropriation or other termination of the lease.

Municipal Securities

The Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may also invest in municipal securities. Municipal securities are debt obligations issued by or on behalf of states, territories, and possessions of the United States, including the District of Columbia, and any political subdivisions or financing authority of any of these, the income from which is, in the opinion of qualified legal counsel, exempt from federal regular income tax (“Municipal Securities”).

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Municipal Securities are generally issued to finance public works such as airports, bridges, highways, housing, hospitals, mass transportation projects, schools, and water and sewer works. They may also be issued to repay outstanding obligations, to raise funds for general operating expenses, or to make loans to other public institutions and facilities. Municipal Securities include industrial development bonds issued by, or on behalf of, public authorities to provide financing aid to acquire sites or construct and equip facilities for privately or publicly owned corporations. The availability of this financing encourages these corporations to locate within the sponsoring communities and thereby increases local employment.

The two principal classifications of Municipal Securities are “general obligation” bonds and “revenue” bonds. General obligation bonds are secured by the issuer’s pledge of its full faith and credit and taxing power for the payment of the bond’s principal and interest. Interest on, and principal of, revenue bonds, however, are payable only from the revenue generated by the facility financed by the bond or other specified sources of revenue. Revenue bonds do not represent a pledge of credit or create any debt of, or charge against, the general revenues of a municipality or public authority. Industrial development bonds are typically classified as revenue bonds. The Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund each may invest in, but such investments are not limited to, the following types of Municipal Securities: industrial development bonds; municipal notes and bonds; serial notes and bonds sold with a series of maturity dates; tax anticipation notes and bonds sold to finance working capital needs of municipalities in anticipation of receiving taxes at a later date; bond anticipation notes sold in anticipation of the issuance of longer-term bonds in the future; pre-refunded municipal bonds refundable at a later date (payment of principal and interest on pre-refunded bonds are assured through the first call date by the deposit in escrow of U.S. government securities or other investments); and general obligation bonds secured by a municipality’s pledge of taxation. (2017 legislation, commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”), repealed the exclusion from gross income for interest paid on pre-refunded municipal bonds effective for such bonds issued after December 31, 2017.)

The Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund are not required to sell a Municipal Security if the security’s rating is reduced below the required minimum subsequent to the Fund’s purchase of the security. However, the Core Fixed Income Fund will consider this event in the determination of whether it should continue to hold the security in its portfolio. If ratings made by Moody’s, S&P®, or Fitch change because of changes in those organizations or in their rating systems, a Fund will try to use comparable ratings as standards in accordance with the investment policies described in the Fund’s Prospectus.

Municipal Securities Risks

Municipal Securities prices are interest rate sensitive, which means that their value varies inversely with market interest rates. Thus, if market interest rates have increased from the time a security was purchased, the security, if sold, might be sold at a price less than its cost. Similarly, if market interest rates have declined from the time a security was purchased, the security, if sold, might be sold at a price greater than its cost. (In either instance, if the security was held to maturity, no loss or gain normally would be realized as a result of interim market fluctuations.)

Yields on Municipal Securities depend on a variety of factors, including: the general conditions of the money market and the taxable and Municipal Securities markets; the size of the particular offering; the maturity of the obligations; and the credit quality of the issue. The ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objectives also depends on the continuing ability of the issuers of Municipal Securities to meet their obligations for the payment of interest and principal when due.

Further, any adverse economic conditions or developments affecting the states or municipalities could impact the Fund’s portfolio. Investing in Municipal Securities that meet the Fund’s quality standards may not be possible if the states and municipalities do not maintain their current credit ratings.

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Pandemic Risk

Disease outbreaks that affect local economies or the global markets as a whole may materially and adversely impact the Funds and/or the Advisor’s or a sub-advisor's business. For example, uncertainties regarding the outbreak and subsequent global spread of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) first detected in December 2019 have resulted in significant economic disruptions across global financial markets. These types of outbreaks can be expected to impair core business activities such as manufacturing, consumer spending, tourism, business conferences and workplace participation, among others. These disruptions could lead to periods of prolonged market instability including stock market losses and overall volatility, as has occurred in connection with COVID-19. In the face of such instability, governments may take extreme and unpredictable measures to combat the spread of disease and mitigate the resulting market disruptions and losses. The Advisor and the sub-advisors have in place business continuity plans reasonably designed to ensure that they maintain normal business operations in the event of a significant disruption, and periodically test those plans. However, in the event of a pandemic or an outbreak, there can be no assurance that the Advisor, a sub-advisor, or the Funds’ service providers will be able to maintain normal business operations for an extended period of time or will not lose the services of key personnel on a temporary or long-term basis due to illness or other reasons.

Participation Interests

The financial institutions from which a Fund may purchase participation interests frequently provide or secure from other financial institutions irrevocable letters of credit or guarantees and give a Fund the right to demand payment on specified notice (normally within 30 days) from the issuer of the letter of credit or guarantee. These financial institutions may charge certain fees in connection with their repurchase commitments, including a fee equal to the excess of the interest paid on the Municipal Securities over the negotiated yield at which the participation interests were purchased by the Fund. By purchasing participation interests, a Fund is buying a security meeting its quality requirements and is also receiving the tax-free benefits of the underlying securities.

In the acquisition of participation interests, the Advisor will consider the following quality factors: a high-quality underlying Municipal Security (of which a Fund takes possession); a high-quality issuer of the participation interest; or a guarantee or letter of credit from a high-quality financial institution supporting the participation interest.

Participatory Notes (“participation notes”)

Each Fund may invest in participation notes. Participation notes are unsecured, bearer securities typically issued by financial institutions, the return of which is generally linked to the performance of the underlying listed shares of a company in an emerging market (for example, the shares in a company incorporated in India and listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange). Participation notes are often used to gain exposure to securities of companies in markets that restrict foreign ownership of local companies.

The terms of participation notes vary widely. Investors in participation notes do not have or receive any rights relating to the underlying shares, and the issuers of the notes may not be obligated to hold any shares in the underlying companies. Participation notes are not currently regulated by the governments of the countries upon which securities the notes are based. These instruments, issued by brokers with global registration, bear counterparty risk and may bear additional liquidity risk.

Private Placements

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

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

The absence of a trading market can make it difficult to ascertain a market value for illiquid investments such as private placements. Disposing of illiquid investments may involve time-consuming negotiation and legal expenses, and it may be difficult or impossible for a Fund to sell the illiquid investments promptly at an acceptable price or without significant dilution to remaining investors’ interest. A Fund may have to bear the extra expense of registering the securities for resale and the risk of substantial delay in effecting the registration. In addition, market quotations are typically less readily available for these securities. The judgment of the Advisor may at times play a greater role in valuing these securities than in the case of unrestricted securities.

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

Regional Focus

To the extent that a Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region, the Fund will have increased exposure to the risks affecting that specific geographic region. In the event of economic or political turmoil or a deterioration of diplomatic relations in a region where a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets are invested, the Fund may experience substantial illiquidity or reduction in the value of the Fund’s investments. In addition, adverse economic events in a certain region can impact securities of issuers in other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated.

Investments in China

There are special risks associated with investments in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, including exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, expropriation, confiscatory taxation, nationalization and exchange control regulations (including currency blockage). Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation and interest rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economy and securities markets of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In addition, investments in Hong Kong or Taiwan could be adversely affected by a deterioration in their respective political and economic relationships with China. The Chinese economy is heavily dependent on its large export sector and its economic growth may be adversely affected by trade disputes with key trading partners and escalating tariffs imposed on goods and services it produces. A national economic slowdown in the export sector may also affect companies that are not heavily dependent on exports. Companies that rely on imported products may experience increased costs of production or reduced profitability, which may harm consumers, investors and the domestic economy as a whole. Trade disputes and retaliatory actions may include embargoes and other trade limitations, which may trigger a significant reduction in international trade and impact the global economy. Trade disputes may also lead to increased currency exchange rate volatility, which can adversely affect the prices of Fund securities valued in US dollars. The potential threat of trade disputes may also negatively affect investor confidence in the markets generally and investment growth.

Investments in Chinese companies may be made through a special structure known as a variable interest entity (“VIE”). In a VIE structure, foreign investors, such as a Fund, will only own stock in a shell company rather than directly in the Chinese company, known as the VIE. The VIE must be owned by Chinese nationals (and/or Chinese companies), which are typically the VIE’s founders, to obtain the licenses and/or assets required to operate in certain restricted and/or prohibited sectors in China. The value of the shell company is therefore derived from its ability to consolidate the VIE into its financials pursuant to contractual arrangements that allow the shell company to exert a degree of control over, and obtain economic benefits arising from, the VIE without formal legal ownership. The shell company is typically set up in an offshore jurisdiction, such as the Cayman Islands, and enters into the service and other contracts with the VIE
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through a wholly foreign-owned enterprise based in China. The VIE structure is designed to provide foreign investors with exposure to Chinese companies that operate in certain sectors in which China restricts and/or prohibits foreign investments, such as internet, media, education and telecommunications.

VIEs are common and are are well known to Chinese officials and regulators, but historically the VIE structure has not been formally recognized under Chinese law. There is uncertainty as to whether Chinese courts or arbitration bodies would enforce the contractual rights of foreign investors in a VIE structure and whether Chinese officials and regulators will reverse their acceptance of the VIE structure generally, or with respect to certain industries. Each of these potential events could cause significant and possibly permanent losses to the value of such investments.

Significant Geopolitical Events

Russian Invasion of Ukraine.

Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The extent and duration of the military action, resulting sanctions and resulting future market disruptions in the region are impossible to predict, but could be significant and have a severe adverse effect on the region, including significant negative impacts on the economy and the markets for certain securities and commodities, such as oil and natural gas, as well as other sectors. Sanctions and other similar measures could limit or prevent a Fund's ability to buy and sell securities (in the sanctioned country and other markets), significantly delay or prevent the settlement of trades, and significantly impact a Fund's liquidity or performance.

Israel-Hamas War.

In October 2023, Hamas-led militant groups infiltrated Israel's southern border. In response, Israel declared war on Hamas and invaded the Gaza Strip. Events in Israel, Gaza, and the greater Middle East region are rapidly evolving, and the extent and duration of the Israel-Hamas war are impossible to predict. Current hostilities as well as the threat of future escalation may have a significant adverse effect on Israel's economy, including increased volatility in the share price of companies based in or with operations in Israel, local securities trading suspensions, local securities market closures (including for extended periods), a lack of transparency concerning Israeli issuers or other local market information, and increased restrictions on foreign investment or repatriation of capital. While it is not possible to predict the extent and duration of any such conflict, the resulting market disruptions could be significant, including in certain industries or sectors, such as the oil and natural gas markets, and may negatively affect global supply chains, inflation and global growth. These and any related events could significantly impact a Fund’s performance and the value of an investment in the Fund, even if the Fund does not have direct exposure to Israeli issuers or issuers in other countries affected by the war.


REITs

The Funds may invest in REITs. REITs are pooled investment vehicles that invest primarily in income-producing real estate or real estate-related loans or interests. REITs are generally classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs or a combination of equity and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive income primarily from the collection of rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive income from the collection of interest payments. REITs are not taxed on income distributed to shareholders provided they comply with the applicable requirements of the Code. A Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management and other expenses paid by REITs in which it invests in addition to the expenses paid by the Fund. Debt securities issued by REITs are, for the most part, general and unsecured obligations and are subject to risks associated with REITs.

Investing in REITs involves certain unique risks in addition to those risks associated with investing in the real estate industry in general. An equity REIT may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying properties owned by the REIT. A mortgage REIT may be affected by changes in interest rates and the ability of the issuers of its portfolio mortgages to repay their obligations in addition to the fact that a mortgage REIT that is in its liquidation stage may return capital to investors when it is disadvantageous to do so. REITs are dependent upon the skills of their managers
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and are not diversified. REITs are generally dependent upon maintaining cash flows to repay borrowings and to make distributions to shareholders and are subject to the risk of default by lessees or borrowers. REITs whose underlying assets are concentrated in properties used by a particular industry, such as health care, are also subject to risks associated with such industry. In addition, REITS are subject to the possibilities of failing to qualify for tax- free pass-through of income under the Code, and failing to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act.

REITs (especially mortgage REITs) are also subject to interest rate risks, including prepayment risk. When interest rates decline, the value of a REIT’s investment in fixed rate obligations can be expected to rise. Conversely, when interest rates rise, the value of a REIT’s investment in fixed rate obligations can be expected to decline. If the REIT invests in adjustable rate mortgage loans the interest rates on which are reset periodically, yields on a REIT’s investments in such loans will gradually align themselves to reflect changes in market interest rates. This causes the value of such investments to fluctuate less dramatically in response to interest rate fluctuations than would investments in fixed rate obligations.

REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in a more limited volume and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than more widely held securities.

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

To the extent a Fund invests in REITs, the Fund’s distributions may be taxable to investors as ordinary income because most REIT distributions come from mortgage interest and rents as opposed to long-term capital gains. Fund distributions taxable as ordinary income are taxed at higher ordinary income tax rates rather than the lower tax rates that apply to capital gains and qualified dividend income.

Repurchase and Reverse Repurchase Agreements

Under a repurchase agreement, a Fund agrees to buy securities guaranteed as to payment of principal and interest by the U.S. government or its agencies from a qualified bank or broker-dealer and then to sell the securities back to the bank or broker-dealer after a short period of time (generally, less than seven days) at a higher price. The bank or broker-dealer must transfer to a Fund’s custodian securities with an initial market value of at least 100% of the dollar amount invested by a Fund in each repurchase agreement. The Advisor will monitor the value of such securities daily to determine that the value equals or exceeds the repurchase price.

Repurchase agreements may involve risks in the event of default or insolvency of the bank or broker-dealer, including possible delays or restrictions upon a Fund’s ability to sell the underlying securities. A Fund will enter into repurchase agreements only with parties who meet certain creditworthiness standards, i.e., banks or broker- dealers that the Advisor has determined present no serious risk of becoming involved in bankruptcy proceedings within the time frame contemplated by the repurchase transaction.

The Funds may also each enter into reverse repurchase agreements. Under a reverse repurchase agreement, a Fund agrees to sell a security in its portfolio and then to repurchase the security at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment. The securities subject to the reverse repurchase agreement will be marked-to-market daily.

The use of repurchase agreements by a Fund involves certain risks. For example, if the other party to a repurchase agreement defaults on its obligation to repurchase the underlying security at a time when the value of the security has declined, a Fund may incur a loss upon disposition of the security. If the other party to the agreement becomes insolvent and subject to liquidation or reorganization under the bankruptcy code or other laws, a court may determine that the underlying security is collateral for the loan by a Fund not within the control of that Fund, and therefore the realization by a Fund on the collateral may be automatically stayed. Finally, it is possible that a Fund may not be able to substantiate its interest in the underlying security and may be deemed an unsecured creditor of the other party to the agreement. While the Advisor acknowledges these risks, it is expected that if repurchase agreements are otherwise deemed useful to a Fund, these risks can be controlled through careful monitoring procedures.

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Restricted and Illiquid Investments

Pursuant to Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act, each Fund may not acquire any illiquid investment if, immediately after the acquisition, a Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments that are assets. An illiquid investment as defined under Rule 22e-4 is any investment that a Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Illiquid investments may include securities and other financial instruments that do not have a readily available market, repurchase agreements which have a maturity of longer than seven calendar days, certain Rule 144A Securities (as described below) and time deposits maturing in more than seven calendar days, unless, based upon a review of the relevant market, trading and investment-specific considerations, those investments are determined not to be illiquid. Securities that have legal or contractual restrictions on resale but have a readily available market are generally not classified as illiquid investments for purposes of this limitation. Repurchase agreements subject to demand are deemed to have a maturity equal to the notice period. The Trusts have implemented a liquidity risk management program and related procedures pursuant to Rule 22e-4, which includes procedures to identify illiquid investments, and the Board has approved the designation of AssetMark to administer the Trusts’ liquidity risk management program and related procedures.

Securities which have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) are referred to as private placements or restricted securities and are purchased directly from the issuer or in the secondary market. Limitations on resale may have an adverse effect on the marketability of portfolio securities and a mutual fund might be unable to dispose of restricted securities promptly or at reasonable prices and might thereby experience difficulty satisfying redemptions within the allowable time period. A Fund might also have to register such restricted securities in order to dispose of them resulting in additional expense and delay. Adverse market conditions could impede such a public offering of securities.

In recent years, however, a large institutional market has developed for certain securities that are not registered under the Securities Act including repurchase agreements, commercial paper, foreign securities, municipal securities and corporate bonds and notes. Institutional investors depend on an efficient institutional market in which the unregistered security can be readily resold or on an issuer’s ability to honor a demand for repayment. The fact that there are contractual or legal restrictions on resale to the general public or to certain institutions may not be indicative of the liquidity of such investments.

Each Fund may invest in restricted securities (that is, securities that are not registered pursuant to the Securities Act). Each Fund may invest in Rule 144A securities. Rule 144A securities are securities which, while privately placed, are eligible for purchase and resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act. This Rule permits certain qualified institutional buyers, such as the Funds, to trade in privately placed securities even though such securities are not registered under the Securities Act. To the extent that restricted or Rule 144A securities are classified as illiquid, they are subject to each Fund’s limit on investments in illiquid investments.

Liquidity classifications are made pursuant to the provisions of the Trusts’ liquidity risk management program.

The Advisor and/or a sub-advisor will also monitor the liquidity of Rule 144A securities and, if as a result of changed conditions, the Advisor and/or a sub-advisor determines that a Rule 144A security is no longer classified as liquid, the Advisor and/or a sub-advisor will review the Funds’ holdings of illiquid investments to determine what, if any, action is required to assure that such Fund complies with its restriction on investment in illiquid investments. Investing in Rule 144A securities could increase the amount of a Fund’s investments in illiquid investments if qualified institutional buyers are unwilling to purchase such securities.

Securities Lending

To generate additional income or to earn credits that offset expenses, each Fund may lend its portfolio securities to unaffiliated broker/dealers, financial institutions or other institutional investors pursuant to agreements requiring that the loans be secured continuously by collateral, marked-to-market daily and maintained in an amount at least equal in value to the current market value of the securities loaned. The aggregate market value of securities lent by a Fund will not at any time exceed 33 1/3% of the total assets of the Fund. All relevant facts and circumstances, including the
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creditworthiness of the broker-dealer or institution, will be considered in making decisions with respect to the lending of securities subject to review by the Board.

The cash collateral received from a borrower as a result of a Fund’s securities lending activities will be invested in one or more registered money market funds and/or unregistered, privately offered cash management vehicles that principally invest in high quality, short term debt obligations, such as securities of the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities, instruments of U.S. and foreign banks, corporate debt obligations, municipal obligations, debt obligations of foreign governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, repurchase agreements, funding agreements, asset-backed securities, including asset-backed commercial paper, and money market funds. As a result of their securities lending activities, the Funds collectively may own a significant percentage of the interests of a cash management vehicle.

Securities lending involves two primary risks: “investment risk” and “borrower default risk.” Investment risk is the risk that a Fund will lose money from the investment of the cash collateral received from the borrower. Borrower default risk is the risk that a Fund will lose money due to the failure of a borrower to return a borrowed security in a timely manner. There also may be risks of delay in receiving additional collateral, in recovering the securities loaned, or a loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially. In the event a Fund is unsuccessful in seeking to enforce the contractual obligation to deliver additional collateral, then the Fund could suffer a loss. Securities lending may also result in the Fund being unable to vote shares in a proxy solicitation by the issuer of a loaned security and/or may cause the Fund to be ineligible to receive a distribution from the issuer of a loaned security.

The Funds are not obligated to engage in securities lending, and a Fund may discontinue its securities lending activities at any time.

Short Sales

Each Fund has the ability to make short sales. Short sales are transactions where a Fund sells securities it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of the securities. A Fund must borrow the security to deliver it to the buyer. A Fund is then obligated to replace the security borrowed at the market price at the time of replacement. Until the security is replaced, a Fund is required to pay the lender any dividends or interest which accrues on the security during the loan period. To borrow the security, a Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. To the extent necessary to meet margin requirements, the broker will retain proceeds of the short sale until the short position is closed out. The Advisor anticipates that the frequency of short sales will vary substantially under different market conditions and each Fund (other than the Managed Futures Strategy Fund) does not intend that any significant amount of its assets, as a matter of practice, will be in short sales, if any.

In addition to the short sales discussed above, each Fund also has the ability to make short sales “against the box,” a transaction in which a Fund enters into a short sale of a security owned by such Fund. A broker holds the proceeds of the short sale until the settlement date, at which time a Fund delivers the security to close the short position. A Fund receives the net proceeds from the short sale.

Smaller and Mid-Sized Companies/Capitalization Stock

The Funds may each invest in companies that have limited product lines, services, markets, or financial resources, or that are dependent on a small management group. In addition, because these stocks may not be well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies or companies with larger capitalizations (“Large-Sized Companies”).

Historically, smaller companies and the stocks of companies with smaller or mid-sized capitalizations (“Small-Sized Companies”) have been more volatile in price than Large-Sized Companies. Among the reasons for the greater price volatility of these Small-Sized Company stocks are the less certain growth prospects of Small-Sized Companies, the lower degree of liquidity in the markets for such stocks, the greater sensitivity of Small-Sized Companies to changing economic conditions and the fewer market makers and wider spreads between quoted bid and asked prices which exist in the over-the-counter market for such stocks. Besides exhibiting greater volatility, Small-Sized Company stocks may, to a degree, fluctuate independently of Large-Sized Company stocks. Small- Sized Company stocks may decline in
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price as Large-Sized Company stocks rise, or rise in price as Large-Sized Company stocks decline. Investors should therefore expect that a Fund that invests primarily in Small-Sized Companies will be more volatile than, and may fluctuate independently of, broad stock market indices such as the S&P 500® Index.

Step-Coupon Securities

The Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may invest in step-coupon securities. Step-coupon securities trade at a discount from their face value and pay coupon interest. The coupon rate is low for an initial period and then increases to a higher coupon rate thereafter. Market values of these types of securities generally fluctuate in response to changes in interest rates to a greater degree than conventional interest-paying securities of comparable term and quality. Under many market conditions, investments in such securities may be illiquid, making it difficult for a Fund to dispose of them or determine their current value.

Stripped Securities

Each Fund has the ability to purchase participations in trusts that hold U.S. Treasury and agency securities (such as Treasury Investment Growth Receipts (“TIGRs”) and Certificates of Accrual on Treasury Securities (“CATs”)) and also may purchase Treasury receipts and other “stripped” securities that evidence ownership in either the future interest payments or the future principal payments of U.S. government obligations. These participations are issued at a discount to their “face value,” and may (particularly in the case of stripped mortgage-backed securities) exhibit greater price volatility than ordinary debt securities because of the manner in which their principal and interest are returned to investors.

Structured Notes

The Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may invest in structured notes. Structured notes are derivative debt securities, the interest rate and/or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator. The value of the principal of and/or interest on structured notes is determined by reference to changes in the return, interest rate or value at maturity of a specific asset, reference rate or index (the “reference instrument”) or the relative change in two or more reference instruments. The interest rate or the principal amount payable upon maturity or redemption may be increased or decreased, depending upon changes in the applicable reference instruments. Structured notes may be positively or negatively indexed, so that an increase in value of the reference instrument may produce an increase or a decrease in the interest rate or value of the structured note at maturity. In addition, changes in the interest rate or the value of the structured note at maturity may be calculated as a specified multiple of the change in the value of the reference instrument; therefore, the value of such note may be very volatile. Structured notes may entail a greater degree of market risk than other types of debt securities because the investor bears the risk of the reference instrument. Structured notes may also be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to accurately price than less complex securities or more traditional debt securities.

Supranational Entities

The Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may invest in obligations of supranational entities. A supranational entity is an entity designated or supported by national governments to promote economic reconstruction, development or trade amongst nations. Examples of supranational entities include the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (also known as the World Bank) and the European Investment Bank. Obligations of supranational entities are subject to the risk that the governments on whose support the entity depends for its financial backing or repayment may be unable or unwilling to provide that support. Obligations of a supranational entity that are denominated in foreign currencies will also be subject to the risks associated with investments in foreign currencies, as described above in the section “Foreign Currency Transactions.”

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Temporary Investments

Under normal circumstances, each Fund may have money received from the purchase of Fund shares, or money received on the sale of its portfolio securities for which suitable investments consistent with such Fund’s investment objective(s) are not immediately available. Under these circumstances, each Fund may have such monies invested in cash or cash equivalents in order to earn income on this portion of its assets. Cash equivalents include money market mutual funds, as well as investments such as U.S. government obligations, repurchase agreements, bank obligations, commercial paper and corporate bonds with remaining maturities of thirteen months or less. A Fund may also have a portion of its assets invested in cash equivalents in order to meet anticipated redemption requests or if other suitable securities are unavailable. In addition, each Fund may reduce its holdings in equity and other securities and may invest in cash and cash equivalents for temporary defensive purposes, during periods in which the Advisor believes changes in economic, financial or political conditions make it advisable.

Bank obligations include bankers’ acceptances, negotiable certificates of deposit and non-negotiable time deposits, including U.S. dollar-denominated instruments issued or supported by the credit of U.S. or foreign banks or savings institutions. Although each of the Funds may invest in money market obligations of foreign banks or foreign branches of U.S. banks only where the Advisor determines the instrument to present minimal credit risks, such investments may nevertheless entail risks that are different from those of investments in domestic obligations of U.S. banks due to differences in political, regulatory and economic systems and conditions. All investments in bank obligations are limited to the obligations of financial institutions having more than $1 billion in total assets at the time of purchase, and investments by each Fund in the obligations of foreign banks and foreign branches of U.S. banks will not exceed 10% of such Fund’s total assets at the time of purchase. Each Fund may also make interest-bearing savings deposits in commercial and savings banks in amounts not in excess of 10% of its net assets.

Investments by a Fund in commercial paper will consist of issues rated at the time of investment as A-1 and/or P-1 by S&P®, Moody’s or a similar rating by another NRSRO. In addition, a Fund may acquire unrated commercial paper and corporate bonds that are determined by the Advisor at the time of purchase to be of comparable quality to rated instruments that may be acquired by such Fund, as previously described.

Trust Preferred Securities

The Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may also purchase trust preferred securities, which have characteristics of both subordinated debt and preferred stock. Trust preferred securities are issued by a special purpose trust subsidiary backed by subordinated debt of a corporate parent. These securities generally have a final stated maturity date and a fixed schedule for periodic payments. In addition, these securities have provisions that afford preference over common and preferred stock upon liquidation, although the securities are subordinated to other, more senior debt securities of the same issuer. The issuers of these securities often have the right to defer interest payments for a period of time.

Holders of trust preferred securities have limited voting rights to control the activities of the trust, and no voting rights with respect to the parent company. The market value of trust preferred securities may be more volatile than those of conventional debt securities. Trust preferred securities may be issued in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act or otherwise subject to restrictions on resale. There can be no assurance as to the liquidity of trust preferred securities and the ability of holders, such as a Fund, to sell their holdings. If the parent company defaults on interest payments to the trust, the trust will not be able to make dividend payments to holders of its securities.

Underlying Pools

The Managed Futures Strategy Fund may invest a portion of its assets directly, or through its wholly owned and controlled Cayman Islands subsidiary (discussed below), in securities of limited partnerships, corporations, limited liability companies (including individual share classes therein) and other types of pooled investment vehicles (collectively, “Underlying Pools”). Many of these Underlying Pools invest in commodities.

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The Underlying Pools use a form of leverage often referred to as “notional funding,” meaning that the nominal trading level for an Underlying Pools will exceed the cash deposited in its trading accounts. The difference between the amount of cash deposited in the Underlying Pool’s trading account and the nominal trading level of the account is referred to as notional funding. The use of notional funding (i.e., leverage) will increase the volatility of the Underlying Pools and may make the Underlying Pools subject to more frequent margin calls. Being forced to raise cash at inopportune times to meet margin calls may prevent the Underlying Pool manager from making investments it considers optimal. In no circumstance will the assets of the Managed Futures Strategy Fund or its wholly owned subsidiary (discussed below) be available to meet the margin requirements of an Underlying Pool. Underlying Pools are typically offered privately and no public market for such securities will exist. However, shares of the Underlying Pools are redeemable at intervals of one week or less.

U.S. Government Obligations

Each Fund may invest in a variety of U.S. Treasury obligations including bonds, notes and bills, which mainly differ only in their interest rates, maturities and time of issuance. The Funds may also each invest in other securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities, such as obligations of Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Farm Credit Banks, Federal Land Banks, the Federal Housing Administration, Farmers Home Administration, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Small Business Administration, GNMA, Fannie Mae®, General Services Administration, Central Bank for Cooperatives, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, Maritime Administration and Resolution Trust Corp. Government agency obligations have different levels of credit support and, therefore, different degrees of credit risk. Securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. government that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States, such as the Federal Housing Administration and Ginnie Mae®, present little credit risk. Government agency obligations also include instruments issued by certain instrumentalities established or sponsored by the U.S. government, including the Federal Home Loan Banks, Fannie Mae®, and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC’’ or “Freddie Mac®”). Although these securities are issued, in general, under the authority of an Act of Congress, the U.S. government is not obligated to provide financial support to the issuing instrumentalities and these securities are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. government. As such, some or all of the mortgage default or credit risk associated with those securities are transferred to the investors. As a result, investors that hold these securities could lose some or all of their investment in these securities if the underlying mortgage defaults. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has the authority to support FNMA and FHLMC by purchasing limited amounts of their respective obligations. In addition, the U.S. government has, in the past, provided financial support to FNMA and FHLMC with respect to their debt obligations. However, no assurance can be given that the U.S. government will always do so or would do so yet again.

Election to Invest Fund Assets Pursuant to Master/Feeder Fund Structure

In lieu of investing directly, the Large Cap Core Fund, Emerging Markets Fund, Small/Mid Cap Core Fund, World ex-US Fund, Core Fixed Income Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund are authorized to seek to achieve their investment objective(s) by converting to a master/feeder fund structure pursuant to which each Fund would invest all of its investable assets in a corresponding investment company having substantially the same investment objective(s) and policies as the Fund.

The Funds’ methods of operation and shareholder services would not be materially affected by their investment in other investment companies (“Master Portfolios”) having substantially the same investment objective and policies as the corresponding Funds, except that the assets of the Funds may be managed as part of a larger pool. If the Funds invested all of their assets in corresponding Master Portfolios, they would hold only beneficial interests in the Master Portfolios; the Master Portfolios would directly invest in individual securities of other issuers. The Funds would otherwise continue their normal operation. The Board would retain the right to withdraw any Fund’s investment from its corresponding Master Portfolio at any time it determines that it would be in the best interest of shareholders; such Fund would then resume investing directly in individual securities of other issuers or invest in another Master Portfolio.

There is no immediate intention to convert the Funds to a master/feeder fund structure. The Board has authorized this non-fundamental investment policy to facilitate such a conversion in the event that the Board determines that such a conversion is in the best interest of the Funds’ shareholders. If the Board so determines, it will consider and evaluate specific proposals prior to the implementation of the conversion to a master/feeder fund structure. Further, the Funds’
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Prospectus and SAI would be amended to reflect the implementation of the Funds’ conversion and their shareholders would be notified.

Variable Amount Master Demand Notes
The Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may invest in variable amount master demand notes. Variable amount master demand notes are unsecured demand notes that permit the investment of fluctuating amounts of money at variable rates of interest pursuant to arrangements with issuers who have been rated in the highest short-term rating category by NRSROs, or which have been determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. The interest rate on a variable amount master demand note is periodically adjusted according to a prescribed formula. Although currently there is no established secondary market in master demand notes, the payee may demand payment of the principal and interest upon notice not exceeding five business days or seven calendar days.

Variable and Floating Rate Instruments

The Funds may purchase variable- and floating‑rate instruments (including bank loans, which are discussed in the section “Bank Loans, Loan Participations and Assignments” above). These instruments may include variable amount master demand notes that permit the indebtedness thereunder to vary in addition to providing for periodic adjustments in the interest rate. These instruments may also include leveraged inverse floating‑rate debt instruments, or “inverse floaters.” The interest rate of an inverse floater resets in the opposite direction from the market rate of interest on a security or interest to which it is related. An inverse floater may be considered to be leveraged to the extent that its interest rate varies by a magnitude that exceeds the magnitude of the change in the index rate of interest, and is subject to many of the same risks as derivatives. The higher degree of leverage inherent in inverse floaters is associated with greater volatility in their market values. Certain of these investments may be illiquid. The absence of an active secondary market with respect to these investments could make it difficult for a Fund to dispose of a variable or floating rate note if the issuer defaulted on its payment obligation or during periods that a Fund is not entitled to exercise its demand rights, and a Fund could, for these or other reasons, suffer a loss with respect to such instruments. Newly originated variable rate securities (including reissuances and restructured loans) may possess lower levels of credit document protections than has historically been the case. Accordingly, in the event of default the Fund may experience lower levels of recoveries than has historically been the norm.

Variable Rate or Floating Rate Municipal Securities

The Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may purchase Municipal Securities with variable or floating interest rates. Variable or floating interest rates are ordinarily stated as a percentage of the prime rate of a bank or some similar standard, such as the 91-day U.S. Treasury bill rate. Variable interest rates are adjusted on a periodic basis (i.e., every 30 days) and floating interest rates are adjusted whenever a benchmark rate changes. Many variable or floating rate Municipal Securities are subject to payment of principal on demand by a Fund, usually in not more than seven days. If a variable or floating rate Municipal Security does not have this demand feature, or the demand feature extends beyond seven days and the Advisor believes the security cannot be sold within seven days, the security may be classified as illiquid. As such, a Fund’s investment limitation on illiquid investments may be implicated. All variable or floating rate Municipal Securities will meet the respective Fund’s quality standards.

Variable and floating interest rates generally reduce changes in the market value of Municipal Securities from their original purchase prices. Accordingly, as interest rates decrease or increase, the potential for capital appreciation or depreciation is less for variable or floating rate Municipal Securities than for fixed income obligations. Many Municipal Securities with variable or floating interest rates purchased by the Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund are subject to repayment of principal (usually within seven days) on the demand of each Fund. The terms of these variable or floating rate demand instruments require payment of principal and
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accrued interest from the issuer of the municipal obligations, the issuer of the participation interests, or a guarantor of either issuer.

Warrants

Each of the Funds has the ability to purchase warrants and similar rights, which are privileges issued by corporations enabling the owners to subscribe to and purchase a specified number of shares of the corporation at the specified price during a specified period of time. Warrants do not represent ownership of the securities, but only the right to buy them. Warrants have no voting rights, pay no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the company issuing them. Warrants differ from call options in that warrants are issued by the issuer of the security that may be purchased on their exercise, whereas call options may be written or issued by anyone. The prices of warrants do not necessarily move parallel to the prices of the underlying securities.

The purchase of warrants involves the risk that a Fund could lose the purchase value of a warrant if the right to subscribe to additional shares is not exercised prior to the warrant’s expiration. Also, the purchase of warrants involves the risk that the effective price paid for the warrant added to the subscription price of the related security may exceed the value of the subscribed security’s market price, such as when there is no movement in the level of the underlying security. Under normal circumstances, no more than 5% of each Fund’s net assets will be invested in warrants. This 5% limit includes warrants that are not listed on any stock exchange. Warrants acquired by the World ex-US Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund in units or attached to securities are not subject to these limits.

When-Issued Purchases, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitments

Each Fund may purchase or sell particular securities with payment and delivery taking place at a later date. A Fund’s forward commitments and when-issued purchases are not expected to exceed 25% of the value of its total assets absent unusual market conditions.

When-issued and forward commitment transactions involve the risk that the price or yield obtained in a transaction (and therefore the value of a security) may be less favorable then the price or yield (and therefore the value of a security) available in the market when the delivery of the securities takes place.

If deemed advisable as a matter of investment strategy, a Fund may dispose of or renegotiate a commitment after it is entered into, and may sell securities it has committed to purchase before those securities are delivered to a Fund on the settlement date. In these cases, a Fund may realize a capital gain or loss.

When a Fund engages in when-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions, it relies on the other party to consummate the trade. Failure of such party to do so may result in a Fund incurring a loss or failing to receive a cumulative profit on the trade.

The market value of the securities underlying a when-issued purchase or a forward commitment to purchase securities, and any subsequent fluctuations in their market value, are taken into account when determining the net asset value of a Fund starting on the day the Fund agrees to purchase the securities. A Fund does not earn interest on the securities it has committed to purchase until they are paid for and delivered on the settlement date. When a Fund makes a forward commitment to sell securities it owns, the proceeds to be received upon settlement are included in such Fund’s assets. Fluctuations in the market value of the underlying securities are not reflected in the Fund’s net asset value as long as the commitment remains in effect.

The Core Fixed Income Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may also engage in shorting of when-issued, delayed delivery securities (TBAs). When a Fund enters into a short sale of a TBA security it effectively agrees to sell a security it does not own at a future price and date. Although most TBA short sales transactions are closed prior to any requirement to deliver the security sold short, if the Fund does not close the position, the Fund may have to purchase the securities needed to settle the short sale at a higher price than anticipated, which would cause the Fund to lose money. A Fund may not always be able to purchase securities to close out the short
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position at a particular time or at an attractive price. The Funds may incur increased transaction costs associated with selling TBA securities short. In addition, taking short positions in TBA securities may result in a form of leverage which could increase the volatility of a Fund’s returns. The Core Fixed Income Fund may also engage in short sales of TBA securities when it contemporaneously owns or has the right to obtain, at no added cost, securities identical to those sold short. If a Fund sells securities in this manner, it may protect itself from loss if the price of the securities declines in the future, but will lose the opportunity to profit on such securities if the price rises. If a Fund effects a short sale of securities at a time when it has an unrealized gain on the securities, it may be required to recognize that gain as if it had actually sold the securities (as a “constructive sale”) on the date it effects the short sale.

Wholly Owned Subsidiary

The Managed Futures Strategy Fund may gain exposure to certain strategies that trade non-financial commodity futures contracts within the limitations of the federal tax requirements of Subchapter M of the Code by investing up to 25% of its assets through a wholly owned and controlled subsidiary (the “Subsidiary”).

The Subsidiary will not be registered under the 1940 Act and will not be subject to all of the investor protections of the 1940 Act. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands, under which the Fund and the Subsidiary are organized, respectively, could affect the inability of the Fund and/or Subsidiary to operate as described herein and could negatively affect the Fund and its shareholders. Your cost of investing in the Fund will be higher because you indirectly bear the expenses of the Subsidiary. Furthermore, because the Subsidiary is a controlled foreign corporation, any income received from its investments in underlying pooled investment vehicles may be taxed to the Fund at less favorable rates than capital gains. Additionally, the IRS has issued a number of private letter rulings to mutual funds, which indicate that income from a fund’s investment in a wholly owned foreign subsidiary that invests in commodity-linked derivatives, such as the Subsidiary, constitutes qualifying income. In September 2016, the IRS announced that it will no longer issue private letter rulings on questions relating to the treatment of a corporation as a regulated investment company that require a determination of whether a financial instrument or position is a security under section 2(a)(36) of the 1940 Act. (A financial instrument or position that constitutes a security under section 2(a)(36) of the 1940 Act generates qualifying income for a corporation taxed as a regulated investment company.) This caused the IRS to revoke the portion of any rulings that required such a determination, some of which were revoked retroactively and others of which were revoked prospectively as of a date agreed upon with the IRS. The Fund also may incur transaction and other costs to comply with any new or additional guidance from the IRS.

To the extent the Fund invests through the Subsidiary, the Fund will comply with the provisions of the 1940 Act governing investment policies (Section 8) and capital structure and leverage (Section 18) on an aggregate basis with the Subsidiary.

Underlying Funds that Invest in Whole Loans

The Income Fund and the Growth and Income Fund may invest in Underlying Funds that are not registered under the 1940 Act (i.e., “private funds”) that provide exposure to pools of whole loans. The private funds in which the Fund may invest are expected to be offered pursuant to an exemption from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act, Rule 506 thereunder and applicable state securities laws. Such companies are also expected to be relying on Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) under the 1940 Act for an exemption from registration as investment companies under such Act. By investing in the Funds, you will indirectly bear fees and expenses of the Underlying Funds in which it invests. Certain Underlying Funds in which the Funds may invest are private funds that charge, in addition to a base management fee, a performance-based fee calculated as a percentage of the Underlying Fund’s income, capital gains and/or appreciation.

As a general matter, the whole loans to which the Funds expect to invest indirectly through the Underlying Funds are unsecured obligations of the borrowers and are not secured by any collateral, not guaranteed or insured by any third-party and not backed by any governmental authority in any way. In some instances, whole loans may be secured (generally in the case of loans to businesses and real estate loans). For example, real estate loans may be secured by a deed of trust, mortgage, security agreement or legal title to real estate. Even in these instances, there can be no assurance that any collateral pledged to secure a loan can be liquidated quickly or at all or will generate proceeds sufficient to offset any defaults on such loans. Individual loans are not rated by the NRSROs and may constitute a high-risk and speculative investment.
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Unsecured and have speculative characteristics and therefore may be high risk, including a heightened risk of nonpayment of interest or repayment of principal. The Funds may also invest in loans or other securities that are rated below investment grade or, if not rated, are considered to be below investment grade by the Advisor. Below investment grade securities are commonly referred to as “junk bonds” or “high yield” securities and are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal.

Underlying Fund Investments in Marketplace Loans

Certain Underlying Funds in which the Income Fund and the Growth and Income Fund may invest are private funds that provide exposure to whole loans sourced through peer-to-peer or marketplace lending platforms (“marketplace loans”). There are several different models of marketplace lending platforms, but generally, a platform typically matches consumers, small or medium-sized businesses or other types of borrowers with investors that are interested in gaining investment exposure to the loans made to such borrowers. Prospective borrowers are usually required to provide or give access to certain financial information to the platform, such as the intended purpose of the loan, income, employment information, credit score, debt-to-income ratio, credit history (including defaults and delinquencies) and home ownership status, and, in the case of small business loans, business financial statements and personal credit information regarding any guarantor, some of which information is made available to prospective lenders. Often, platforms charge fees to borrowers to cover these screening and administrative costs. Based on this and other relevant supplemental information, the platform usually assigns its own credit rating to the borrower and sets the interest rate for the requested borrowing. Platforms then post the borrowing requests online and investors may choose among the loans, based on the interest rates the loans are expected to yield less any servicing or origination fees charged by the platform or others involved in the lending arrangement, the background data provided on the borrowers and the credit rating assigned by the platform. In some cases, a platform partners with a bank to originate a loan to a borrower, after which the bank sells the loan to the platform or directly to the investor; alternatively, some platforms may originate loans themselves. Some investors may not review the particular characteristics of the loans in which they invest at the time of investment, but rather negotiate in advance with platforms the general criteria of the investments, as described above. As a result, such investors are dependent on the platforms’ ability to collect, verify and provide information about each loan and borrower.

When an Underlying Fund invests in marketplace loans, it typically purchases all rights, title and interest in the loans pursuant to a loan purchase agreement directly from the platform or its affiliate. The platform or a third-party servicer typically continues to service the loans, collecting payments and distributing them to investors, less any servicing fees assessed against the Underlying Fund, and the servicing entity typically will make all decisions regarding acceleration or enforcement of the loans following any default by a borrower. Where a platform or its affiliate acts as the loan servicer, there is typically a backup servicer in place in case that platform or affiliate ceases or fails to perform these servicing functions. The Underlying Fund, as an investor in a marketplace loan, would be entitled to receive payment only from the borrower and/or any guarantor, and would not be able to recover any deficiency from the platform, except under very narrow circumstances, which may include fraud by the borrower in some cases. Marketplace loans may be secured or unsecured. They are not rated by the NRSROs and may constitute a high-risk and speculative investment.

Default Risk. If a borrower is unable or fails to make payments on a loan for any reason, an Underlying Fund may be greatly limited in its ability to recover any outstanding principal or interest due, as (among other reasons) the Underlying Fund may not have direct recourse against the borrower or may otherwise be limited in its ability to directly enforce its rights under the loan, whether through the borrower or the platform through which such loan was originated, the loan may be unsecured or under-collateralized and/or it may be impracticable to commence a legal proceeding against the defaulting borrower. If an Underlying Fund were unable to recover unpaid principal or interest due, this would cause the Underlying Fund’s net asset value to decrease, resulting in a loss to the Fund.

Marketplace lending platforms may not limit borrowers from incurring additional debt. If a borrower incurs additional debt obligations after obtaining a loan through an marketplace lending platform, the borrower’s creditworthiness may diminish and any additional obligations could cause the borrower to experience financial distress, insolvency or bankruptcy, all of which would impair the borrower’s ability to repay its loan. Furthermore, the ability of secured creditors to pursue remedies against the collateral of the borrower may impair the borrower’s ability to repay its unsecured loan or it may impair the platform’s or loan servicer’s ability to collect on the loan upon default. Default rates on loans obtained through marketplace lending platforms may be adversely affected by a number, such as economic
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downturns or general economic or political conditions, including prevailing interest rates, the rate of unemployment, the level of consumer confidence, residential real estate values, the value of the various currencies, energy prices, changes in consumer spending, the number of personal bankruptcies, insolvencies, disruptions in the credit markets, the borrower’s personal circumstances and other factors.

The default history for alternative lending borrowing arrangements is limited. Future defaults may be higher than historical defaults and the timing of defaults may vary significantly from historical observations. The credit profile and interest rates available to certain borrowers who seek credit through marketplace lending platforms may result in a higher rate of default for alternative lending related securities as compared with the debt instruments associated with more traditional lending models, such as banks.

Platform Risk. An Underlying Fund will receive payments on loans only if the platform or third-party service provider servicing the loans receives the borrower’s payments on such loans and passes such payments through to the Underlying Fund. If a borrower is unable or fails to make payments on a loan for any reason, an Underlying Fund may be greatly limited in its ability to recover any outstanding principal or interest due, as (among other reasons) an Underlying Fund may not have direct recourse against the borrower or may otherwise be limited in its ability to directly enforce its rights under the loan, whether through the borrower or the platform through which such loan was originated, the loan may be unsecured or under-collateralized and/or it may be impracticable to commence a legal proceeding against the defaulting borrower.

An Underlying Fund may have limited knowledge about the underlying loans and is dependent upon the platform for information regarding underlying loans. An Underlying Fund generally will not have the ability to independently verify the information provided by the platforms, other than payment information regarding loans and other alternative lending-related securities owned by the Underlying Fund, which the Underlying Fund observes directly as payments are received. Underlying Funds may not be permitted to review the particular characteristics of the loans in which they invest at the time of investment, but rather negotiate in advance with platforms the general criteria of the investments, as described above. As a result, Underlying Funds are dependent on the platforms’ ability to collect, verify and provide information about each loan and borrower.

Underlying Funds rely on the borrower credit information provided by platforms. However, such information may be out of date, incomplete or inaccurate and may, therefore, not accurately reflect the borrower’s actual creditworthiness. Platforms may not have an obligation to update borrower information, and, therefore, an Underlying Fund may not be aware of any impairment in a borrower’s creditworthiness subsequent to the making of a particular loan. Underlying Funds typically do not have access to all of the data that platforms utilize to assign credit scores to particular loans purchased directly or indirectly by the Underlying Funds, and are not able to independently confirm the truthfulness of such information or otherwise evaluate the basis for the platform’s credit score of those loans. As a result, Underlying Funds may make investments based on outdated, inaccurate or incomplete information. In addition, the platforms’ credit decisions and scoring models are based on algorithms that could potentially contain programming or other errors or prove to be ineffective or otherwise flawed. This could adversely affect loan pricing data and approval processes and could cause loans to be mispriced or misclassified, which could ultimately have a negative impact on an Underlying Fund’s performance, which would in turn have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance.

In addition, the underlying loans, in some cases, may be affected by the success of the platforms through which they are facilitated. Therefore, disruptions in the businesses of such platforms may also negatively impact the value of an Underlying Fund’s investments. In addition, disruption in the business of a platform could limit or eliminate the ability of an Underlying Fund to invest in loans originated by that platform, and therefore the Underlying Fund could lose some or all of the benefit of its diligence effort with respect to that platform.

An Underlying Fund’s investments could be adversely impacted if a platform that services the Underlying Fund’s investments becomes unable or unwilling to fulfill its obligations to do so. In order to mitigate this risk, an Underlying Fund would likely seek to rely on a backup servicer provided through the platform or through an unaffiliated backup servicer. To the extent that it is not possible to collect on defaulted loans or to the extent borrowers prepay loans, a platform that services loans may no longer be able to collect a servicing fee, which would negatively impact its business operations. These or other similar negative events could adversely affect the platforms’ businesses and/or investor participation in a platform’s marketplace and, in turn, the business of the platforms, which creates a risk of loss for the Underlying Fund’s investments in securities issued by a platform or derivatives thereon.
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Platforms may have a higher risk profile than companies engaged in lines of business with a longer, more established operating history and such investments should be viewed as longer-term investments. They have met with and will continue to meet with challenges, including navigating evolving regulatory and competitive environments; increasing the number of borrowers and investors utilizing their marketplace; increasing the volume of loans facilitated through their marketplace and transaction fees received for matching borrowers and investors through their marketplace; entering into new markets and introducing new loan products; continuing to revise the marketplace’s proprietary credit decisions and scoring models; continuing to develop, maintain and scale their platforms; effectively maintaining and scaling financial and risk management controls and procedures; maintaining the security of the platform and the confidentiality of the information provided and utilized across the platform; and attracting, integrating and retaining an appropriate number of qualified employees. If platforms are not successful in addressing these issues, the platforms’ businesses and their results of operations may be harmed, which may reduce the possible available investments for an Underlying Fund or negatively impact the value of the Underlying Fund’s investments in platforms or in alternative lending-related securities more generally.

Platforms may rely on debt facilities and other forms of borrowing in order to finance many of the borrower loans they facilitate. However, these financing sources may become unavailable after their current maturity dates or the terms may become less favorable to the borrowing platforms. As the volume of loans that a platform facilitates increases, the platform may need to expand its borrowing capacity on its existing debt arrangements or may need to seek new sources of capital. Platforms may also default on or breach their existing debt agreements, which could diminish or eliminate their access to funding at all or on terms acceptable to the platforms. Such events could cause an Underlying Fund to incur losses on its investments that are dependent upon the performance of the platforms, which would in turn cause the Funds to incur losses on their investments in the Underlying Funds.

Servicer Risk. Loans originated by marketplace lending platforms are typically serviced by that platform or a third-party servicer. In the event that the servicer is unable to service the loan, there can be no guarantee that a backup servicer will be able to assume responsibility for servicing the loans in a timely or cost-effective manner; any resulting disruption or delay could jeopardize payments due on an Underlying Fund’s investments. If a servicer becomes subject to a bankruptcy or similar proceeding, there is some risk that an Underlying Fund’s investments could be recharacterized as a secured loan from the Underlying Fund to the platform, which could result in uncertainty, costs and delays from having the Underlying Fund’s investment deemed part of the bankruptcy estate of the platform, rather than an asset owned outright by the Underlying Fund.

Lender Liability. A number of judicial decisions have upheld judgments of borrowers against lending institutions on the basis of various evolving legal theories, collectively termed “lender liability.” Generally, lender liability is founded on the premise that a lender has violated a duty (whether implied or contractual) of good faith, commercial reasonableness and fair dealing, or a similar duty owed to the borrower or has assumed an excessive degree of control over the borrower resulting in the creation of a fiduciary duty owed to the borrower or its other creditors or shareholders. If a loan held directly or indirectly by an Underlying Fund were found to have been made or serviced under circumstances that give rise to lender liability, the borrower’s obligation to repay that loan could be reduced or eliminated or an Underlying Fund’s recovery on that loan could be otherwise impaired, which would adversely impact the value of that loan, which would in turn impact the value of the Fund’s investment in the Underlying Fund.

In limited cases, courts have subordinated the loans of a senior lender to a borrower to claims of other creditors of the borrower when the senior lender or its agents, such as a loan servicer, is found to have engaged in unfair, inequitable or fraudulent conduct with respect to the other creditors. If a loan held directly or indirectly by an Underlying Fund were subject to such subordination, it would be junior in right of payment to other indebtedness of the borrower, which could adversely impact the value of that loan and the value of the Fund’s investment in the Underlying Fund.

Zero-Coupon, Delayed Interest and Capital Appreciation Securities

The Core Fixed Income Fund, Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund may each invest in zero-coupon, delayed interest, pay-in-kind (“PIK”) and capital appreciation securities, which are securities that make no periodic interest payments, but are sold at a deep discount from their face value. The buyer recognizes a rate of return
50



determined by the gradual appreciation of the security, which is redeemed at face value on a specified maturity date. The discount varies depending on the time remaining until maturity, as well as market interest rates, the liquidity of the security, and the issuer’s perceived credit quality. The discount, in the absence of financial difficulties of the issuer, typically decreases as the final maturity date approaches. If the issuer defaults, a Fund may not receive any return on its investment. Because such securities bear no interest and compound semi-annually at the rate fixed at the time of issuance, their value generally is more volatile than the value of other fixed income securities. Since such bondholders do not receive interest payments, when interest rates rise, zero-coupon, delayed interest and capital appreciation securities fall more dramatically in value than bonds paying interest on a current basis. When interest rates fall, zero-coupon, delayed interest and capital appreciation securities rise more rapidly in value because the bonds reflect a fixed rate of return. An investment in zero-coupon, delayed interest and capital appreciation securities may cause a Fund to recognize income and make distributions to shareholders before it receives any cash payments on its investment. To generate cash to satisfy distribution requirements, a Fund may have to sell portfolio securities that it otherwise would have continued to hold or to use cash flows from other sources such as the sale of Fund shares.

PIK securities may be debt obligations or preferred shares that provide the issuer with the option of paying interest or dividends on such obligations in cash or in the form of additional securities rather than cash. Similar to zero-coupon bonds and delayed interest securities, PIK securities are designed to give an issuer flexibility in managing cash flow. PIK securities that are debt securities can be either senior or subordinated debt and generally trade flat (i.e., without interest). The trading price of PIK debt securities generally reflects the market value of the underlying debt plus an amount representing accrued interest since the last interest payment.

To the extent a Fund invests in original issue discount instruments, such as those described above, shareholders will be exposed to certain risks associated with income from such instruments being included in a Fund’s taxable and accounting income prior to a corresponding receipt of cash. Such risks include the following:
Original issue discount instruments may have unreliable valuations because the accruals require judgments about collectability.
Original issue discount instruments may create heightened credit risks because the inducement to trade higher rates for the deferral of cash payments typically represents, to some extent, speculation on the part of the borrower and a Fund about the borrower’s future ability to pay.
    Because original issue discount income is accrued by a Fund without any cash being received by the Fund, required cash distributions, so that a Fund can maintain its status as a regulated investment company, may have to be paid from the sale of a Fund’s portfolio securities. A Fund could have difficulty meeting such annual distribution requirement necessary to obtain and maintain its regulated investment company tax status under the Code. If a Fund is not able to obtain cash from other sources, and chooses not to make required distributions, the Fund may fail to qualify as a regulated investment company and become subject to federal income tax at the Fund level. If for any taxable year a Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at the corporate income tax rate (at the Fund level) without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders, and the dividends paid by the Fund would be taxable to shareholders as dividends (possibly as qualified dividend income) to the extent of the Fund’s current or accumulated earnings and profits.
    In the case of PIK “toggle” debt, the PIK election has the effect of increasing investment income, thus increasing the potential for increasing the assets under management, thus increasing future management fees.

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings



The Board has adopted a policy and procedures relating to the disclosure of the Funds’ portfolio holdings information (the “Policy”). Generally, the Policy restricts the disclosure of portfolio holdings data to certain persons or entities, under certain conditions. In all cases, the Trusts’ Chief Compliance Officer (or designee) is responsible for authorizing the disclosure of a Fund’s portfolio holdings, and for monitoring that the Funds do not accept compensation or consideration of any sort in return for the preferential release of portfolio holdings information. Any such disclosure is made only if consistent with the general anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws and the Advisor’s fiduciary duties to its clients, including the Funds.

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The Trusts’ Chief Compliance Officer and staff are responsible for monitoring the disclosure of portfolio holdings information and ensuring that any such disclosures are made in accordance with the Policy. The Board has, through the adoption of the Policy, delegated the monitoring of the disclosure of portfolio holdings information to the Advisor’s compliance staff. The Board reviews the Policy for operational effectiveness and makes revisions as needed, in order to ensure that the disclosures are in the best interest of the shareholders and to address any conflicts between the shareholders of the Funds and those of the Advisor or any other affiliate of the Funds.

In accordance with the Policy, each Fund will disclose its portfolio holdings periodically, to the extent required by applicable federal securities laws. These disclosures include the filing of a complete schedule of each Fund’s portfolio holdings with the SEC semi-annually on Form N-CSR and as an exhibit to its filings on Form N-PORT. These filings are available to the public through the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet website at: http://www.sec.gov. The Funds also post their respective portfolio holdings on their website at www.AssetMark.com/info/funds, subject to a month’s lag, on approximately the first business day following the calendar month end. The Trusts’ Chief Compliance Officer (or designee) will conduct periodic reviews of compliance with the procedures established by the Policy.

The Policy also provides that a Fund’s portfolio holdings information may be released to selected third parties only when the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for doing so and the recipients are subject to a duty of confidentiality (including appropriate related limitations on trading), either through the nature of their relationship with the Funds or through a confidentiality agreement.

Under the Policy, the Funds also may share their portfolio holdings information with certain primary service providers that have a legitimate business need for such information, including, but not limited to, the Funds’ custodian, administrator, proxy voting vendor, consultants, liquidity classification agent, legal counsel and independent registered public accounting firm as well as ratings agencies. The Trusts’ service arrangements with each of these entities include a duty of confidentiality (including appropriate limitations on trading) regarding portfolio holdings data by each service provider and its employees, either by law or by contract. In addition, because certain Funds are managed using a multi-advisor approach, the Advisor may, from time to time, add or replace sub-advisors to those Funds. In these instances, a Fund’s portfolio holdings may be disclosed in advance (typically 10-20 days) to the incoming sub-advisor to allow the sub-advisor to implement as streamlined a transition as possible. In addition, the Funds may provide portfolio holdings to transition managers, such as Abel/Noser.


Management of the Funds


Board of Trustees
The management and affairs of the Funds are overseen by the Board. The Board consists of four individuals, three of whom are not “interested persons” of the Trusts, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act (the “Independent Trustees”). The Board establishes policies for the operation of the Funds and appoints the officers who conduct the daily business of the Funds. The current Trustees and officers of the Trusts and their years of birth are listed below with their addresses, present positions with the Trusts, term of office with the Trusts and length of time served, principal occupations over at least the last five years and other directorships/trusteeships held.



Name, Address and Year of Birth

Position(s) Held with the Trusts

Term of Office and Length of
Time Served

Principal Occupation During Past
Five Years or Longer
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee Other Directorship/ Trustee Positions held by Trustee During the Past 5 Years or Longer
Independent Trustees
David M. Dunford
Year of Birth: 1949
c/o AssetMark, Inc.
1655 Grant Street, 10th Floor Concord, CA 94520
Lead Independent Trustee Indefinite Term (since 2013 for GPS Funds I and since 2011
for GPS Funds II)
Retired; formerly, Senior Vice President, Merrill Lynch Insurance Group (1989-2001). 15 Trustee, Savos Investments Trust, ("Savos"),(2015-2022).
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Name, Address and Year of Birth

Position(s) Held with the Trusts

Term of Office and Length of
Time Served

Principal Occupation During Past
Five Years or Longer
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee Other Directorship/ Trustee Positions held by Trustee During the Past 5 Years or Longer
Paul S. Feinberg
Year of Birth: 1942
c/o AssetMark, Inc.
1655 Grant Street, 10th Floor Concord, CA 94520
Independent Trustee Indefinite Term
(since 2013 for GPS Funds I and since 2011
for GPS Funds II)
Retired; formerly, President,
CitiStreet Funds, Inc. (2000-2005);
Executive Vice President and
General Counsel, CitiStreet
Associates LLC (insurance
agency), CitiStreet Equities LLC
(broker-dealer), CitiStreet Financial
Services LLC (registered
investment advisor) and CitiStreet
Funds Management LLC
(registered investment advisor)
(1990-2005).
.
15 Trustee, Savos (2015-2022).
Dennis G. Schmal
Year of Birth: 1947
c/o AssetMark, Inc.
1655 Grant Street, 10th Floor Concord, CA 94520
Independent Trustee Indefinite Term
(since 2007 for GPS Funds I and since 2013
for GPS Funds II)
Self-employed consultant (1999- present); formerly, Partner, Arthur Andersen LLP (audit services) (1972-1999). 15
Trustee, Savos (2015-2022);
Director, Blue
Calypso, Inc. (2015-2019);
Director, Owens Realty
Mortgage Inc. (2013-2019);
Director, Cambria ETF Series Trust (2013-present);
Director, Wells Fargo GAI
Hedge Funds (2008-2019); Director, First Guarantee Mortgage
Corporation (2021-
2022).




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Name, Address and Year of Birth

Position(s) Held with the Trusts

Term of Office and Length of
Time Served

Principal Occupation During Past
Five Years or Longer
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee Other Directorship/ Trustee Positions held by Trustee During the Past 5 Years or Longer
Interested Trustee
Carrie E. Hansen*
Year of Birth: 1970
 c/o AssetMark, Inc.
1655 Grant Street, 10th Floor Concord, CA 94520
Interested Trustee and Chairperson


President
Indefinite Term since 2014



Renewed 1-Year Term since 2008
President, GPS Funds I (2008-present) and GPS Funds II (2011-present); President, Savos (2008-2022); Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, AssetMark (2008-present); President, AssetMark Brokerage®, LLC (2014-present).

15
Trustee, Savos
(2008-2022); Director and Chairperson,
AssetMark Trust Co. (2008-present); Director, AssetMark, Inc. (2013-present); Treasurer, Acalanes Booster Club (2017- 2019); Director
Rheumatology
Research Foundation
(2021-present).
Officers of the Trust**
John Koval
Year of Birth: 1966
c/o AssetMark, Inc.
1655 Grant Street, 10th Floor Concord, CA 94520
Chief Compliance Officer and AML Compliance Officer Renewed 1-Year Term since 2013 Chief Compliance Officer, GPS Funds I, GPS Funds II (2013-present), and Savos (2013-2022); Interim Chief Compliance Officer, GPS Funds I, GPS Funds II, and Savos (2012-2013); Senior Compliance Officer, AssetMark (2011-2012); Chief
Operating Officer, SEAL Capital, Inc. (2009-2010); Chief Compliance Officer,
Cliffwood Partners LLC (2004-2009).
N/A N/A
Patrick R. Young
Year of Birth: 1982
c/o AssetMark, Inc.
1655 Grant Street, 10th Floor Concord, CA 94520
Vice President and Treasurer Renewed 1-Year Term since 2014 Vice President and Treasurer, GPS Funds I, GPS Funds II (2014- present), and Savos (2014-2022); Director of Mutual Fund Operations and Finance, AssetMark (2016-present); Manager of Fund Administration, AssetMark (2014-2016); Senior Fund Administration Officer, AssetMark (2008-2014). N/A N/A
Jennifer Diedenhofen
Year of Birth: 1966
c/o AssetMark, Inc.
1655 Grant Street
10th Floor
Concord, CA 94520
Secretary 1-Year Term since May 2024 Secretary, GPS Funds I and GPS Funds II (2024-present), Director of Derivatives
Compliance and Fund Administration, AssetMark (2022-present), Manager, Compliance
and Fund Administration, AssetMark (2018-2022), Senior Compliance Officer,
AssetMark (2018).
N/A N/A
*    Ms. Hansen is a Trustee who is an “interested person” of the Trusts as defined in the 1940 Act because she is an officer of AssetMark and certain of its affiliates.
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** Each Officer of the Trusts serves at the pleasure of the Board.

Leadership Structure, Qualifications and Responsibilities of the Board of Trustees

The Trustees have the authority to take all actions necessary in connection with their oversight of the business affairs of the Trusts, including, among other things, approving the investment objectives, policies and procedures for the Funds. The Trusts enter into agreements with various entities to manage the day-to-day operations of the Funds, including the Advisor, administrator, transfer agent, distributor and custodian. The Trustees are responsible for approving the agreements between these service providers and the Trusts, approving agreements between the Advisor and any sub-advisors, and exercising general service provider oversight.

Leadership Structure and the Board of Trustees. The Board is currently composed of three Independent Trustees and one Trustee who is affiliated with the Advisor, Ms. Hansen. The Board has appointed Ms. Hansen to serve in the role of Chairperson. Ms. Hansen is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Advisor. The Independent Trustees have designated Mr. Dunford as the Lead Independent Trustee. The Lead Independent Trustee participates in the preparation of agendas for the Board meetings. The Lead Independent Trustee also acts as a liaison between meetings with the Trusts’ officers, other Trustees, the Advisor, other service providers and counsel to the Independent Trustees. The Lead Independent Trustee may also perform such other functions as may be requested by the Board from time to time. The Board’s leadership structure also allows all of the Independent Trustees to participate in the full range of the Board’s oversight responsibilities. The Board reviews its structure regularly as part of its annual self-evaluation. The Board has determined that its leadership and committee structure is appropriate because it provides a structure for the Board to work effectively with management and service providers and facilitates the exercise of the Board’s informed and independent judgment. The Board’s leadership structure permits important roles for the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Advisor, who serves as Chairperson of the Trusts and oversees the Advisor’s day-to-day management of the Funds. In addition, the committee structure provides for: (1) effective oversight of audit and financial reporting responsibilities through the Audit Committee, (2) an effective forum for considering governance and other matters through the Nominating and Governance Committee, and (3) the ability to meet independently with independent counsel and outside the presence of management on governance, contract review and other matters. Except for any duties specified in each Trust’s Declaration of Trust or By-laws, the designation of Chairperson, Lead Independent Trustee or Chairperson of a Committee does not impose on such Trustee any duties, obligations or liability that is greater than the duties, obligations or liability imposed on such person as a member of the Board generally. The leadership structure of the Board may be changed, at any time and in the discretion of the Board, including in response to changes in circumstances or the characteristics of the Funds.

Oversight of Risk. The Board oversees risk as part of its general oversight of the Funds. The Funds are subject to a number of risks, including investment, liquidity, derivatives, compliance, financial, operational and valuation risks. The Funds’ officers, the Advisor and other Fund service providers perform risk management as part of the day-to-day operations of the Funds. The Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer who oversees the implementation and testing of the Funds’ compliance program and regularly reports to the Board regarding compliance matters for the Funds and their principal service providers. The Board recognizes that it is not possible to identify all risks that may affect the Funds, and that it is not possible to develop processes or controls to eliminate all risks and their possible effects. Risk oversight is addressed as part of various Board and Committee activities, including the following: (1) at quarterly Board meetings, and on an ad hoc basis as needed, receiving and reviewing reports from the Trusts’ Chief Compliance Officer and Advisor personnel regarding Fund performance, risk exposures, compliance and operations; (2) quarterly meetings by the Independent Trustees in executive session with the Trusts’ Chief Compliance Officer, including reports on compliance and risk management processes used by the Advisor; (3) periodic meetings with investment personnel to review investment strategies, techniques and the processes used to manage risks; (4) reviewing and approving, as applicable, the compliance policies and procedures of the Trusts, the Advisor and any sub-advisors; (5) at quarterly Board meetings, and on an ad hoc basis as needed, receiving and reviewing reports from Fund officers and the independent registered public accounting firm on financial, valuation and operational matters; and (6) on an annual basis, receiving and reviewing a written report from the Advisor that addresses the operation, adequacy and effectiveness of the Trusts’ liquidity and derivatives risk management programs. The Board may, at any time and in its discretion, change the manner in which it conducts its risk oversight role.

The Board has two standing committees, as described below:

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Audit Committee. The Audit Committee is responsible for advising the full Board with respect to the oversight of accounting, auditing and financial matters affecting the Trusts. In performing its oversight function the Audit Committee has, among other things, specific power and responsibility to: (1) oversee the Trusts’ accounting and financial reporting policies and practices, internal control over the Trusts’ financial reporting and, as appropriate, the internal control over financial reporting of service providers; (2) to oversee the quality and objectivity of the Trusts’ financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (3) to approve, prior to appointment by the Board, the engagement of the Trusts’ independent registered public accounting firm and, in connection therewith, to review and evaluate the qualifications, independence and performance of the Trusts’ independent registered public accounting firm; and (4) to act as a liaison between the Trusts’ independent auditors and the Board. The Audit Committee meets as often as necessary or appropriate to discharge its functions and will meet at least once annually. The Audit Committee is comprised of all of the Independent Trustees. Mr. Schmal is the Chairman of the Audit Committee. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, the Audit Committee met four times.

Nominating and Governance Committee. The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for: (1) seeking and reviewing candidates for consideration as nominees to serve as Trustees, as is considered necessary from time to time; (2) making recommendations to the Board regarding the composition of the Board and its committees; (3) coordinating the process to assess Board effectiveness, including the agenda setting process and related matters; and (4) developing and implementing governance policies. The Nominating and Governance Committee is comprised of all of the Independent Trustees. Mr. Feinberg is the Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee. Shareholders who wish to recommend a nominee should send nominations to the Secretary of the Trusts, including biographical information and qualifications of the proposed nominee. The Nominating and Governance Committee may request additional information deemed reasonably necessary for the Committee to evaluate such nominee. The Nominating and Governance Committee meets as often as necessary or appropriate to discharge its functions, and reports its actions and recommendations to the Board on a regular basis. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, the Nominating and Governance Committee met four times.

Trustees’ Qualifications and Experience. The governing documents for the Trusts do not set forth any specific qualifications to serve as a Trustee. The charter of the Nominating and Governance Committee also does not set forth any specific qualifications. Among the attributes and skills common to all Trustees are the ability to review, evaluate and discuss information and proposals provided to them regarding the Funds, the ability to interact effectively with the Advisor and other service providers, and the ability to exercise independent business judgment. Each Trustee’s ability to perform his or her duties effectively has been attained through: (1) the individual’s business and professional experience and accomplishments; (2) the individual’s experience working with the other Trustees and management; (3) the individual’s prior experience serving in senior executive positions and/or on the boards of other companies and organizations; and (4) the individual’s educational background, professional training, and/or other experiences. Generally, no one factor was decisive in determining that an individual should serve as a Trustee. Set forth below is a summary of the specific qualifications and experiences of each Trustee that support the conclusion that each individual is qualified to serve as a Trustee. As noted above, a majority of the Board are Independent Trustees. Additional details regarding the background of each Trustee is included in the chart earlier in this section.

David M. Dunford. Mr. Dunford has served as a Trustee of GPS Funds II since it was created in 2011 and as a Trustee of GPS Funds I since 2013. Mr. Dunford serves as the Lead Independent Trustee. He served as a Trustee of Savos Investments Trust from 2015 to 2022. He also served from 2008 to 2012 as a trustee of other mutual funds managed by the Advisor, which have been liquidated. Mr. Dunford has more than 30 years of investment experience in the insurance and investment management industries, including serving as chief investment officer. Mr. Dunford also served on the board of a bank and in public office. He previously served as a delegate of the Barnstable County (Massachusetts) Assembly of Delegates.
 
Paul S. Feinberg. Mr. Feinberg has served as a Trustee of GPS Funds II since it was created in 2011 and as a Trustee of GPS Funds I since 2013. He serves as the Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee. He served as a Trustee of Savos Investments Trust from 2015 to 2022. He also served from 2008 to 2012 as a trustee of other mutual funds managed by the Advisor, which have been liquidated. Mr. Feinberg has more than 30 years of experience in leadership and legal positions in the insurance and investment management industries, including serving as executive vice president and general counsel of a financial services company providing services to the retirement plan marketplace. Mr. Feinberg also served as president of a mutual fund group.

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Dennis G. Schmal. Mr. Schmal has served as a Trustee of GPS Funds I since 2007, as a Trustee of GPS Funds II since 2013. He serves as the Chairman of the Audit Committee. He served as a Trustee of Savos Investments Trust from 2015 to 2022. Mr. Schmal has over 30 years of business/financial experience, including serving as a partner of an independent accounting firm, where his work included auditing the financial statements of public companies and financial institutions.
 
Carrie E. Hansen.  Ms. Hansen has served as President, Chairperson and Trustee of GPS Funds I and GPS Funds II since 2014, and as President, Chairperson and Trustee of Savos Investments Trust from 2014 to 2022. She has served in various executive roles with AssetMark and its predecessor companies, and has over 25 years of senior management and accounting experience.

Compensation

The Compensation Table below sets forth the total compensation paid to the Trustees of the AssetMark Mutual Funds complex, which includes the Trusts, before reimbursement of expenses, for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024. As an Interested Trustee, Ms. Hansen receives no compensation from the Trusts for her service as a Trustee. The Funds reimburse the Advisor an allocated amount for the compensation and related expenses of certain officers of the Trusts who provide compliance services to the Funds. The aggregate amount of all such reimbursements is determined by the Trustees. No other compensation or retirement benefits are received by any Trustee or officer from the Funds.






NAME OF TRUSTEE



AGGREGATE COMPENSATION FROM THE TRUSTS
PENSION RETIREMENT BENEFITS ACCRUED AS PART OF TRUST EXPENSES


ESTIMATED ANNUAL BENEFITS UPON RETIREMENT


TOTAL COMPENSATION FOR THE COMPLEX(1)
David M. Dunford $137,500 $0 $0 $137,500
Paul S. Feinberg $137,500 $0 $0 $137,500
Dennis G. Schmal $137,500 $0 $0 $137,500
(1)The AssetMark Mutual Funds complex consists of GPS Funds I, which currently consists of 5 funds, and GPS Funds II, which currently consists of 10 funds. Trustee compensation has been allocated among GPS Funds I and GPS Funds II based on net assets of the Funds.

Trustees' Ownership of Fund Shares

As of December 31, 2023, no Independent Trustee beneficially owned equity securities in any of the Funds. The table below sets forth the dollar range of shares of the Funds owned by the Interested Trustee as of December 31, 2023 using the following ranges: none; $1-$10,000; $10,001 - $50,000; $50,001 - $100,000; and over $100,000.
Name of Trustee
Dollar Range of Equity Securities
in GPS Funds I
Dollar Range of Equity Securities
in GPS Funds II
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in Fund Complex
Overseen by Trustee
Carrie E. Hansen* None over $100,000 over $100,000
*shares beneficially owned are in the GuidePath® Managed Futures Strategy Fund only and no other fund.
Principal Holders, Control Persons and Management Ownership

A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of any class of a Fund. A control person is one who owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledges the existence of control. Note that a control person may possess the ability to control the outcome of matters submitted for shareholder vote of the Trusts. As of July 1, 2024, the officers and Trustees of the Trusts, as a group, owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of each class of each Fund.

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The following table provides the name, address, and number of shares of each class owned by any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of such class of a Fund as of July 1, 2024. To the best knowledge of the Funds, there were no control persons of any of the Funds as of July 1, 2024.
Principal Holders and Control Persons of the Large Cap Core Fund
Name and Address % Ownership Type of Ownership
National Financial Services LLC
For The Exclusive Benefit of its Customers
Attn: Mutual Funds Dept., 4th FL
499 Washington Blvd
 Jersey City, NJ 07310-1995
90.90% Record
Pershing LLC
1 Pershing Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07399-2052
6.35% Record
Principal Holders and Control Persons of the Emerging Markets Fund
Name and Address % Ownership Type of Ownership
National Financial Services LLC
For The Exclusive Benefit of its Customers
Attn: Mutual Funds Dept., 4th FL
499 Washington Blvd Jersey City, NJ 07310-1995
73.29% Record
Pershing LLC
1 Pershing Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07399-2052
15.48% Record
Charles Schwab & Co. Inc.
Special Custody A/C FBO Customers
211 Main St.
San Francisco, CA 94105-1901
11.06% Record
Principal Holders and Control Persons of the Small/Mid Cap Core Fund
Name and Address % Ownership Type of Ownership
National Financial Services LLC
For The Exclusive Benefit of its Customers
Attn: Mutual Funds Dept., 4th FL
499 Washington Blvd Jersey City, NJ 07310-1995
87.76% Record
Pershing LLC
1 Pershing Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07399-2052
7.92% Record
Principal Holders and Control Persons of the World ex-US Fund
Name and Address % Ownership Type of Ownership
National Financial Services LLC
For The Exclusive Benefit of its Customers
Attn: Mutual Funds Dept., 4th FL
499 Washington Blvd
Jersey City, NJ 07310-1995
83.13% Record
Pershing LLC
1 Pershing Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07399-2052
10.61% Record
Charles Schwab & Co. Inc.
Special Custody A/C FBO Customers
211 Main St.
San Francisco, CA 94105-1901
6.26% Record
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Principal Holders and Control Persons of the Core Fixed Income Fund
Name and Address % Ownership Type of Ownership
National Financial Services LLC
For The Exclusive Benefit of its Customers
Attn: Mutual Funds Dept., 4th FL
499 Washington Blvd
Jersey City, NJ 07310-1995
86.59% Record
Pershing LLC
1 Pershing Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07399-2052
9.04% Record
Principal Holders and Control Persons of the Growth Allocation Fund
Name and Address % Ownership Type of Ownership
National Financial Services LLC
For The Exclusive Benefit of its Customers
Attn: Mutual Funds Dept., 4th FL
499 Washington Blvd
Jersey City, NJ 07310-1995
94.17% Record
Principal Holders and Control Persons of the Conservative Allocation Fund
Name and Address % Ownership Type of Ownership
National Financial Services LLC
For The Exclusive Benefit of its Customers
Attn: Mutual Funds Dept., 4th FL
499 Washington Blvd
Jersey City, NJ 07310-1995
95.33% Record
Principal Holders and Control Persons of the Tactical Allocation Fund
Name and Address % Ownership Type of Ownership
National Financial Services LLC
For The Exclusive Benefit of its Customers
Attn: Mutual Funds Dept., 4th FL
499 Washington Blvd
Jersey City, NJ 07310-1995
94.13% Record
Pershing LLC
1 Pershing Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07399-2052
5.04% Record
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Principal Holders and Control Persons of the Absolute Return Allocation Fund
Name and Address % Ownership Type of Ownership
National Financial Services LLC
For The Exclusive Benefit of its Customers
Attn: Mutual Funds Dept., 4th FL
499 Washington Blvd
Jersey City, NJ 07310-1995
95.55% Record
Principal Holders and Control Persons of the Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund
Name and Address % Ownership Type of Ownership
National Financial Services LLC
For The Exclusive Benefit of its Customers
Attn: Mutual Funds Dept., 4th FL
499 Washington Blvd
Jersey City, NJ 07310-1995
95.94% Record
Principal Holders and Control Persons of the Flexible Income Allocation Fund
Name and Address % Ownership Type of Ownership
National Financial Services LLC
For The Exclusive Benefit of its Customers
Attn: Mutual Funds Dept., 4th FL
499 Washington Blvd
Jersey City, NJ 07310-1995
90.34% Record
Pershing LLC
1 Pershing Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07399-2052
9.04% Record
Principal Holders and Control Persons of the Managed Futures Strategy Fund
Name and Address % Ownership Type of Ownership
National Financial Services LLC
For The Exclusive Benefit of its Customers
Attn: Mutual Funds Dept., 4th FL
499 Washington Blvd
Jersey City, NJ 07310-1995
93.89% Record
Pershing LLC
1 Pershing Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07399-2052
5.04% Record
Principal Holders and Control Persons of the Conservative Income Fund
Name and Address % Ownership Type of Ownership
National Financial Services LLC
For The Exclusive Benefit of its Customers
Attn: Mutual Funds Dept., 4th FL
499 Washington Blvd
Jersey City, NJ 07310-1995
91.26% Record
Pershing LLC
1 Pershing Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07399-2052
8.21% Record
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Principal Holders and Control Persons of the Income Fund
Name and Address % Ownership Type of Ownership
National Financial Services LLC
For The Exclusive Benefit of its Customers
Attn: Mutual Funds Dept., 4th FL
499 Washington Blvd
Jersey City, NJ 07310-1995
89.65% Record
Pershing LLC
1 Pershing Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07399-2052
9.79% Record
Principal Holders and Control Persons of the Growth and Income Fund
Name and Address % Ownership Type of Ownership
National Financial Services LLC
For The Exclusive Benefit of its Customers
Attn: Mutual Funds Dept., 4th FL
499 Washington Blvd
Jersey City, NJ 07310-1995
88.73% Record
Pershing LLC
1 Pershing Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07399-2052
10.69% Record

Investment Advisor and Sub-Advisors

AssetMark, located at 1655 Grant Street, 10th Floor, Concord, California 94520, serves as the investment advisor to the Funds. AssetMark is registered as an investment advisor with the SEC. AssetMark is a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of AssetMark Financial Holdings, Inc. In turn, AssetMark Financial Holdings, Inc. is an indirect subsidiary of Huatai Securities, Co., Ltd., the controlling shareholder. AssetMark Financial Holdings, Inc., is publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange. On April 25, 2024, AssetMark Financial Holdings, Inc., the parent company of the Advisor, announced that it signed a definitive agreement pursuant to which Chicago-based private equity firm GTCR LLC will acquire a 100% interest in AssetMark Financial and its subsidiaries, including AssetMark (the “Transaction”). The Transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024, subject to certain conditions and requisite regulatory approvals.

With respect to each of the Funds, the Advisor oversees the investment advisory services provided to the Funds. Pursuant to separate sub-advisory agreements with the Advisor, and under the supervision of the Advisor and the Board, a number of sub-advisors are responsible for the day-to-day investment management of the Funds.

Subject to Board review, the Advisor allocates and, when appropriate, reallocates the Funds’ assets among sub-advisors, monitors and evaluates sub-advisor performance, and oversees sub-advisor compliance with the Funds’ investment objectives, policies and restrictions. The Advisor has ultimate responsibility for the investment performance of the Funds pursuant to its responsibility to oversee the sub-advisors and recommend their hiring and/or replacement. Under the Expense Waiver and Reimbursement Agreement, the Advisor may recapture waived fees and expenses borne for a three-year period under specified conditions.

For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2024, March 31, 2023, and March 31, 2022, the following advisory fees were charged/paid to the Advisor:

Fund Advisory Fee Charged Fees Waived and/or Expenses Reimbursed Recouped Fees and Expenses Net Fees Paid to the Advisor
Large Cap Core Fund
Year Ended March 31, 2024 $2,940,930  $130,708  $0  $2,810,222 
Year Ended March 31, 2023 $2,414,505  $0  $0  $2,414,505 
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Year Ended March 31, 2022 $3,101,663  $0  $0  $3,101,663 
Emerging Markets Fund
Year Ended March 31, 2024 $265,707  $240,534  $0  $25,173 
Year Ended March 31, 2023 $303,578  $219,516  $0  $84,062 
Year Ended March 31, 2022 $538,444  $0  $0  $538,444 
Small/Mid Cap Core Fund
Year Ended March 31, 2024 $557,738  $34,247  $0  $523,491 
Year Ended March 31, 2023 $553,065  $0  $0  $553,065 
Year Ended March 31, 2022 $608,578  $0  $0  $608,578 
World ex-US Fund
Year Ended March 31, 2024 $548,605  $159,152  $15,852  $405,305 
Year Ended March 31, 2023 $499,720  $110,946  $10,557  $399,331 
Year Ended March 31, 2022 $709,203  $155,025  $0  $554,178 
Core Fixed Income Fund
Year Ended March 31, 2024 $661,766  $83,252  $0  $578,514 
Year Ended March 31, 2023 $725,518  $80,939  $0  $644,579 
Year Ended March 31, 2022 $785,783  $89,425  $6,296  $702,654 
Growth Allocation Fund
Year Ended March 31, 2024 $2,593,425  $0  $0  $2,593,425 
Year Ended March 31, 2023 $2,420,239  $0  $0  $2,420,239 
Year Ended March 31, 2022 $2,922,725  $0  $0  $2,922,725 
Conservative Allocation Fund
Year Ended March 31, 2024 $1,100,845  $789,830  $0  $311,015 
Year Ended March 31, 2023 $1,084,258  $671,969  $0  $412,289 
Year Ended March 31, 2022 $1,250,079  $812,082  $0  $437,997 
Tactical Allocation Fund
Year Ended March 31, 2024 $1,860,837  $0  $0  $1,860,837 
Year Ended March 31, 2023 $1,726,048  $0  $0  $1,726,048 
Year Ended March 31, 2022 $1,768,743  $0  $0  $1,768,743 
Absolute Return Allocation Fund
Year Ended March 31, 2024 $730,608  $476,285  $0  $254,323 
Year Ended March 31, 2023 $1,125,924  $692,243  $0  $433,681 
Year Ended March 31, 2022 $778,484  $312,450  $0  $466,034 
Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund
Year Ended March 31, 2024 $309,286  $0  $0  $309,286 
Year Ended March 31, 2023 $331,962  $0  $0  $331,962 
Year Ended March 31, 2022 $433,225  $0  $0  $433,225 
Flexible Income Allocation Fund
Year Ended March 31, 2024 $686,879  $374,055  $0  $312,824 
Year Ended March 31, 2023 $792,628  $308,528  $17,224  $501,324 
Year Ended March 31, 2022 $798,403  $212,962  $9,226  $594,667 
Managed Futures Strategy Fund
Year Ended March 31, 2024 $5,010,827  $0  $0  $5,010,827 
Year Ended March 31, 2023 $4,574,211  $0  $0  $4,574,211 
Year Ended March 31, 2022 $2,272,963  $0  $0  $2,272,963 
Conservative Income Fund
Year Ended March 31, 2024 $63,783  $24,854  $2,710  $41,639 
Year Ended March 31, 2023 $57,506  $31,182  $0  $26,324 
Year Ended March 31, 2022 $49,111  $53,047  $0  $0 
Income Fund
Year Ended March 31, 2024 $325,744  $2,578  $56,908  $380,074 
Year Ended March 31, 2023 $247,542  $18,873  $7,197  $235,866 
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Year Ended March 31, 2022 $196,649  $3,614  $51,419  $244,454 
Growth and Income Fund
Year Ended March 31, 2024 $416,130  $4,874  $77,394  $488,650 
Year Ended March 31, 2023 $451,330  $2,958  $57,714  $506,086 
Year Ended March 31, 2022 $483,433  $43,413  $6,613  $446,633 
As of March 31, 2024, the Advisor had waived expenses for the Funds listed below to keep these Funds at their expense cap. Waived expenses subject to potential recovery for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2022, March 31, 2023, and March 31, 2024 are as follows:

Year of Expiration
Fund 03/31/2025 03/31/2026 03/31/2027
Emerging Markets Fund - $219,516 $213,513
World ex-US Fund $128,616 $110,947 $114,158
Core Fixed Income Fund $89,424 $80,939 $83,252
Conservative Allocation Fund $812,082 $671,969 $789,830
Absolute Return Allocation Fund $312,450 $692,243 $476,285
Flexible Income Allocation Fund $212,963 $308,528 $374,055
Conservative Income Fund $53,047 $31,182 $24,854
Growth and Income Fund $35,661 $2,958 $4,874
Effective April 1, 2023, the Advisor implemented a voluntary waiver with respect to certain Funds as described in the Funds' prospectus. Fees waived pursuant to a voluntary fee waiver by the Advisor are not subject to recoupment. The voluntary waiver may be discontinued by the Advisor at any time.

The Advisor pays the sub-advisors a fee out of its advisory fee that is based on a percentage of the average daily net assets managed by each sub-advisor. For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2024, March 31, 2023, and March 31, 2022, the following fees, as a percentage of such Fund’s average daily net assets, were paid to the sub-advisors:

2024 2023 2022
Fund* Percentage of average daily net assets Aggregate dollar amounts Percentage of average daily net assets Aggregate dollar amounts Percentage of average daily net assets Aggregate dollar amounts
Large Cap Core Fund 0.10% $677,832 0.13% $691,557 0.12% $884,258
Emerging Markets Fund 0.29% $130,601 0.35% $180,089 0.35% $319,416
Small/Mid Cap Core Fund 0.18% $181,020 0.22% $213,464 0.22% $232,182
World ex-US Fund 0.21% $235,585 0.26% $259,855 0.25% $352,049
Core Fixed Income Fund 0.14% $228,530 0.14% $247,655 0.14% $265,734
Managed Futures Strategy Fund 0.74% $3,540,593 0.75% $3,249,474 0.79% $1,715,308
*    No information is provided for the Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and the Growth and Income Fund as such Funds are not managed by sub-advisors.

The advisory agreement and certain portions of the sub-advisory agreements provide that the Advisor or any sub-advisor shall not be protected against any liability to the Trusts or their shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties, or for the reckless disregard of its obligations or duties thereunder. In addition, certain of the sub-advisory agreements provide that the sub-advisor shall not be protected against any liability to the Trusts or their shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence on its part in the performance of its duties, or for the reckless disregard of its obligations or duties thereunder.

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The Advisor, Sub-Advisors and Portfolio Managers

The Advisor, sub-advisors and portfolio managers set forth below are responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management of the respective Funds. In the performance of their responsibilities, conflicts of interest may occur between the management of the respective Funds and the other accounts of the Advisor or sub-advisor. In addition to the conflicts identified by the Advisor or sub-advisors, other actual or apparent conflicts may arise. Unequal time and attention may be devoted to the management of the respective Funds and the Advisor or sub-advisors’ other accounts.

The Advisor

AssetMark, Inc. (“AssetMark”)

Other Accounts Managed

Selwyn Crews and Christian Chan are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Growth Allocation Fund, Conservative Allocation Fund, Tactical Allocation Fund, Absolute Return Allocation Fund, Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund, Flexible Income Allocation Fund, Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund, and Growth and Income Fund. The following table provides information about other accounts managed by Selwyn Crews and Christian Chan as of March 31, 2024. None of the accounts shown in the table is charged a fee based on performance.






Other Accounts Total Accounts Accounts with Performance Fees
Number Assets Number Assets
Christian Chan
Registered Investment Companies 0 $0 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 0 0 0 $0
Other Accounts 87,437 $11,452,268,708 billion 0 $0
Selwyn Crews
Registered Investment Companies 0 $0 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 0 $0 0 $0
Other Accounts 0 $0 0 $0

Portfolio Manager Compensation

The portfolio managers receive their compensation from AssetMark in the form of salary, bonus, stock options, and restricted stock. A portfolio manager’s bonus is variable and generally is based on (1) an evaluation of the portfolio manager’s ability to remain compliant with investment management guidelines and regulatory issues, and (2) the results of a peer and/or management review of the portfolio manager, which takes into account skills and attributes such as team participation, investment process, communication and professionalism. In some cases, the level of assets raised in the funds is considered for assessing the portfolio manager’s bonus. In evaluating investment performance, AssetMark generally considers the performance of mutual funds and other accounts managed by the portfolio manager relative to the benchmarks and peer groups, including the performance of certain investment strategies available on the AssetMark platform, emphasizing the portfolio manager’s overall performance. AssetMark also may consider a portfolio manager’s performance in managing client assets in sectors and industries assigned to the portfolio manager as part of his/her investment team responsibilities, where applicable. For portfolio managers who also have group management responsibilities, another factor in their evaluation is an assessment of the group’s overall investment performance.

The size of the overall bonus pool each year is determined by AssetMark and depends on, among other factors, the levels of compensation generally in the investment management industry (based on market compensation data) and AssetMark’s profitability for the year, which is largely determined by assets under management. Part of the bonus is
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based on a qualitative assessment of an individual’s contribution to the management of the fund in addition to compliance with investment guidelines and regulatory mandates.

Description of Potential Material 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 one or more of the following potential conflicts:

Time and attention. The management of multiple funds and/or other accounts may result in a portfolio manager devoting unequal time and attention to the management of each fund and/or other account.

Limited investment opportunities. If a portfolio manager identifies a limited investment opportunity which may be suitable for more than one fund or other account, a Fund may not be able to take full advantage of that opportunity due to an allocation of filled purchase or sale orders across all eligible funds and other accounts.

Brokerage allocation. With respect to securities transactions for the Funds, the Advisor determines which broker to use to execute each order, consistent with their duty to seek best execution of the transaction.  However, with respect to certain other accounts (such as mutual funds for which a sub-advisor or an affiliate of a sub-advisor acts as sub-advisor, other pooled investment vehicles that are not registered mutual funds and other accounts managed for organizations and individuals), the Advisor 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, trades for a Fund in a particular security may be placed separately from, rather than aggregated with, such other accounts. Having separate transactions with respect to a security may temporarily affect the market price of the security or the execution of the transaction, or both, to the possible detriment of the Fund or other account(s) involved.

Pursuit of differing strategies. At times, a portfolio manager may determine that an investment opportunity may be appropriate for only some of the funds and/or accounts for which he or she exercises investment responsibility, or may decide that certain of the funds and/or accounts should take differing, including potentially opposite, positions with respect to a particular security.  Moreover, there may be circumstances when a portfolio manager’s purchases or sales of portfolio securities for one or more accounts may have an adverse effect on other accounts.
 
Variation in compensation. The appearance of a conflict of interest may arise where a portfolio manager 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.

Personal investments.  Potential conflicts of interest also may arise in the event that a portfolio manager has personal investments in other accounts that may create an incentive to favor those accounts or when a portfolio manager personally owns or trades in a security that is owned or considered for purchase or sale by a client.

Investments of the Advisor or affiliated entities.  The substantial investment of the assets of the Advisor or an affiliated entity in certain securities or mutual funds may lead to conflicts of interest. For example, the Advisor’s or an affiliated entity’s profit margin may vary depending upon the Underlying Fund in which a fund of funds invests.

Sharing of information among accounts. The Advisor and its affiliates and other related entities also may possess information that could be material to the management of a Fund and may not be able to, or may determine not to, share that information with the portfolio managers, even though it might be beneficial information for the Fund. This information may include actual knowledge regarding the particular investments and transactions of other funds and accounts, as well as proprietary investment, trading and other market research, analytical and technical models, and new investment techniques, strategies and opportunities.

Soft dollar benefits. Certain products and services, commonly referred to as “soft dollar services,” (including, to the extent permitted by law, research reports, economic and financial data, financial publications, proxy analysis, computer databases and other research-oriented materials) that the Advisor may receive in connection with brokerage services provided to a Fund may have the inadvertent effect of disproportionately benefiting other advised/managed
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funds or accounts. This could happen because of the relative amount of brokerage services provided to a Fund as compared to other advised/managed funds or accounts, as well as the relative compensation paid by the Fund.

Investment limitations arising from the activities of affiliated entities.  Regulatory restrictions applicable to the Advisor or its affiliates may limit a Fund’s investment activities in various ways. For example, regulations regarding certain industries and markets, such as those in emerging or international markets, and certain transactions, such as those involving certain futures and derivatives, may impose a cap on the aggregate amount of investments that may be made by affiliated investors, including accounts managed by the same affiliated manager, in the aggregate or in individual issuers. At certain times, the Advisor or its affiliates also may be restricted in the securities that can be bought or sold for a Fund and other advised/managed funds and accounts because of the investment banking, lending or other relationships that the Advisor or its affiliates have with the issuers of securities.  In addition, the internal policies and procedures of the Advisor or its affiliates covering these types of regulatory restrictions and addressing similar issues also may at times restrict the Funds’ investment activities.
 
Non-advisory relationships of a sub-advisor and its affiliates. The lending, investment banking and other relationships that a sub-advisor and its affiliates may have with companies and other entities in which a Fund may invest can give rise to actual and potential conflicts of interest.  The purchase, holding and sale of certain securities by the Funds may enhance the profitability and the business interests of the Advisor and/or its affiliates.  In addition, to the extent permitted by applicable law and a Fund’s individual investment objectives and restrictions, a Fund may be permitted to enter into transactions and invest in futures, securities, currencies, swaps, options, forward contracts or other instruments in which the Advisor (or a related entity) acting as principal or on a proprietary basis for its customers, serves as the counterparty. The Funds may also be permitted to enter into cross transactions in which the Advisor (or a related entity) acts on behalf of the Fund and for the other party to the transaction. In such situations, the Advisor or related entity may have a potentially conflicting division of responsibilities to both parties to a cross transaction.  In addition, subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements, a Fund may enter into transactions in which entities that are affiliated with a Fund sub-advisor may have an interest that potentially conflicts with the interests of the Fund.

A portfolio manager may also face other potential conflicts of interest in managing a Fund, and the description above is not a complete description of every conflict of interest that could be deemed to exist.  The Advisor has adopted certain compliance procedures which are designed to prevent and address these types of conflicts. However, there is no guarantee that such procedures will detect each and every situation in which a conflict arises.

The following table sets forth the dollar range of Fund shares beneficially owned by each portfolio manager for the Funds that they manage as of March 31, 2024, using the following ranges: None, $1-$10,000, $10,001-$50,000, $50,001-$100,000, $100,001-$500,000, $500,001-$1,000,000 or over $1,000,000.

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Fund / Portfolio Manager Dollar Range of Shares Owned
Growth Allocation Fund
Selwyn Crews None
Christian Chan None
Conservative Allocation Fund
Selwyn Crews None
Christian Chan None
Tactical Allocation Fund
Selwyn Crews None
Christian Chan None
Absolute Return Allocation Fund
Selwyn Crews None
Christian Chan None
Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund
Selwyn Crews None
Christian Chan None
Flexible Income Allocation Fund
Selwyn Crews None
Christian Chan None
Conservative Income Fund
Selwyn Crews None
Christian Chan None
Income Fund
Selwyn Crews None
Christian Chan None
Growth and Income Fund
Selwyn Crews None
Christian Chan None

The Sub-Advisors – GPS Funds I

Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“GSAM”) is the sub-advisor to the Large Cap Core Fund, Emerging Markets Fund, Small/Mid Cap Core Fund and World ex-US Fund. GSAM is a Delaware limited partnership with principal offices at 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282. GSAM is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (together with its affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managers, members, officers and employees, “Goldman Sachs”), a financial holding company. GSAM has been registered with the SEC as an investment advisor since 1990.

Messrs. Karhan E. Akcoglu, and Andrew Alford managed the following accounts as of March 31, 2024:

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Other Accounts Total Accounts Accounts with Performance Fees
Number Assets Number Assets
Andrew Alford
Registered Investment Companies 10 $9.0 billion 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 0 0 0 $0
Other Accounts 7 $597 million 0 $0
Karhan E. Akcoglu
Registered Investment Companies 9 $3.6 billion 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 0 0 0 $0
Other Accounts 6 $553 million 0 $0

Conflicts of Interest

GSAM is part of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (together with its affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managers, members, officers and employees, “Goldman Sachs”), a financial holding company. The involvement of GSAM, Goldman Sachs and their affiliates in the management of, or their interest in, other accounts and other activities of Goldman Sachs will present conflicts of interest with respect to a Fund and will, under certain circumstances, limit such Fund’s investment activities. Goldman Sachs is a worldwide, full service investment banking, broker dealer, asset management and financial services organization and a major participant in global financial markets that provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals. Goldman Sachs acts as a broker-dealer, investment adviser, investment banker, underwriter research provider, administrator, financier, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, derivatives dealer, clearing agent, lender, counterparty, agent, principal, distributor, investor or in other commercial capacities for accounts or companies or affiliated or unaffiliated investment funds (including pooled investment vehicles and private funds). In those and other capacities, Goldman Sachs and its affiliates advise and deal with clients and third parties in all markets and transactions and purchase, sell, hold and recommend a broad array of investments, including securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps, indices, baskets and other financial instruments and products for their own accounts or for the accounts of their customers and have other direct and indirect interests in the global fixed income, currency, commodity, equities, bank loans and other markets and the securities and issuers in which the Funds may directly and indirectly invest. Thus, it is expected that a Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from entities for which Goldman Sachs and its affiliates perform or seek to perform investment banking or other services. As manager of the Funds, GSAM receives management fees from the Funds. In addition, GSAM’s affiliates may earn fees from relationships with the Funds. Although these fees are generally based on asset levels, the fees are not directly contingent on Fund performance, and Goldman Sachs would still receive significant compensation from a Fund even if shareholders lose money. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates engage in proprietary trading and advise accounts and funds which have investment objectives similar to those of the Funds and/or which engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and instruments as the Funds. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates will not have any obligation to make available any information regarding their proprietary activities or strategies, or the activities or strategies used for other accounts managed by them, for the benefit of the management of the Funds. The results of a Fund’s investment activities, therefore, will likely differ from those of Goldman Sachs, its affiliates, and other accounts managed by Goldman Sachs, and it is possible that a Fund could sustain losses during periods in which Goldman Sachs and its affiliates and other accounts achieve significant profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. In addition, a Fund may enter into transactions in which Goldman Sachs and its affiliates or their other clients have an adverse interest. For example, a Fund may take a long position in a security at the same time that Goldman Sachs and its affiliates or other accounts managed by GSAM or its affiliates take a short position in the same security (or vice versa). These and other transactions undertaken by Goldman Sachs, its affiliates or Goldman Sachs advised clients may, individually or in the aggregate, adversely impact a Fund. In some cases, such adverse impacts may result from differences in timing of transactions by accounts relative to when a Fund executes transactions in the same securities. Transactions by one or more Goldman Sachs advised clients or GSAM may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of a Fund. A Fund’s activities will, under certain circumstances, be limited because of regulatory restrictions applicable to Goldman Sachs and its affiliates, and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. As a global financial services firm, Goldman Sachs and its affiliates also provide a wide range of investment banking and financial services to issuers of securities and investors in
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securities. Goldman Sachs, its affiliates and others associated with it are expected to create markets or specialize in, have positions in and/or effect transactions in, securities of issuers held by a Fund, and will likely also perform or seek to perform investment banking and financial services for one or more of those issuers. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates are expected to have business relationships with and purchase or distribute or sell services or products from or to distributors, consultants or others who recommend a Fund or who engage in transactions with or for a Fund.

For a more detailed description of potential conflicts of interest, please refer to the language from GSAM’s ADV Part 2.

Portfolio Manager Compensation

GSAM receives a fee based on the assets under management of each Fund as set forth in the Sub-advisory Agreement between GSAM and the Advisor, on behalf of each Fund. GSAM pays its investment professionals out of its total revenues, including the advisory fees earned with respect to the Funds. The following information is as of March 31, 2024.

Compensation for GSAM portfolio managers is comprised of a base salary and year-end discretionary variable compensation. The base salary is fixed from year to year. Year-end discretionary variable compensation is primarily a function of each portfolio manager's individual performance; his or her contribution to the overall team performance; the performance of GSAM and Goldman Sachs; the team’s net revenues for the past year which in part is derived from advisory fees, and for certain accounts, performance-based fees; and anticipated compensation levels among competitor firms. Portfolio managers are rewarded, in part, for their delivery of investment performance, which is reasonably expected to meet or exceed the expectations of clients and fund shareholders in terms of: excess return over an applicable benchmark, peer group ranking, risk management and factors specific to certain funds such as yield or regional focus. Performance is judged over 1-, 3-, and 5-year time horizons.

For compensation purposes:
• The benchmark for the Large Cap Core Fund is the Russell 1000 Index
• The benchmark for the Emerging Markets Fund is the MSCI Emerging Markets Index
• The benchmark for the Small/Mid Cap Core Fund is the Russell 2500 Index
• The benchmark for the World ex-US fund is the MSCI World ex-US Index

The discretionary variable compensation for portfolio managers is also significantly influenced by various factors, including: (1) effective participation in team research discussions and process; and (2) management of risk in alignment with the targeted risk parameters and investment objective(s) of the fund. Other factors may also be considered, including: (1) general client/shareholder orientation and (2) teamwork and leadership.

As part of their year-end discretionary variable compensation and subject to certain eligibility requirements, portfolio managers may receive deferred equity-based and similar awards, in the form of: (1) shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (restricted stock units); and (2) for certain portfolio managers, performance-tracking (or “phantom”) shares of the GSAM mutual funds that they oversee or service. Performance-tracking shares are designed to provide a rate of return (net of fees) equal to that of the fund(s) that a portfolio manager manages, or one or more other eligible funds, as determined by senior management, thereby aligning portfolio manager compensation with fund shareholder interests. The awards are subject to vesting requirements, deferred payment and clawback and forfeiture provisions. GSAM, Goldman Sachs or their affiliates expect, but are not required to, hedge the exposure of the performance-tracking shares of a fund by, among other things, purchasing shares of the relevant fund(s).

Other Compensation - In addition to base salary and year-end discretionary variable compensation, the Firm has a number of additional benefits in place including (1) a 401(k) program that enables employees to direct a percentage of their base salary and bonus income into a tax-qualified retirement plan; and (2) investment opportunity programs in which certain professionals may participate subject to certain eligibility requirements.

There are no differences between the method used to determine the portfolio manager's compensation with respect to the Funds and other accounts.

As of March 31, 2024, the portfolio managers did not own any shares of the Large Cap Core Fund, Emerging Markets Fund, Small/Mid Cap Core Fund or World ex-US Fund.
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Wellington Management Company LLP (“Wellington Management”) is the sub-advisor of the Core Fixed Income Fund. Wellington Management is a Delaware limited liability partnership with principal offices at 280 Congress Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210. Wellington Management is a professional investment counseling firm which provides investment services to investment companies, employee benefit plans, endowments, foundations and other institutions. Wellington Management and its predecessor organizations have provided investment advisory services for over 90 years. Wellington Management is owned by the partners of Wellington Management Group LLP, a Massachusetts limited liability partnership. Wellington Management is an SEC-registered investment advisor.

Wellington Management’s portfolio is managed by a team led by Campe Goodman, CFA, Joseph F. Marvan, CFA and Robert D. Burn, CFA. As of March 31, 2024, in addition to Wellington’s allocated portion of the Core Fixed Income Fund, these individuals managed the following accounts:

Other Accounts Total Accounts Accounts with Performance Fees
Number Assets Number Assets
Campe Goodman, CFA
Registered Investment Companies 18 $13.6 billion 0 0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 16 $11.1 billion 0 0
Other Accounts 42 $16.1 billion 1 $292 million
Joseph F. Marvan, CFA
Registered Investment Companies 19 $13.9 billion 0 0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 23 $11.2 billion 0 0
Other Accounts 65 $33.5 billion 1 $292 million
Robert D. Burn, CFA
Registered Investment Companies 18 $13.6 billion 0 0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 13 $9.5 billion 0 0
Other Accounts 39 $15.6 billion 1 $292 million

Conflicts of Interest

Individual investment professionals at Wellington Management manage multiple accounts for multiple clients. These accounts may include mutual funds, separate accounts (assets managed on behalf of institutions, such as pension funds, insurance companies, foundations, or separately managed account programs sponsored by financial intermediaries), bank common trust accounts, and hedge funds. The Fund’s managers listed in the prospectus who are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund (the “Portfolio Managers”) generally manage accounts in several different investment styles. These accounts may have investment objectives, strategies, time horizons, tax considerations and risk profiles that differ from those of the Fund. The Portfolio Managers make investment decisions for each account, including the Fund, based on the investment objectives, policies, practices, benchmarks, cash flows, tax and other relevant investment considerations applicable to that account. Consequently, the Portfolio Managers may purchase or sell securities, including IPOs, for one account and not another account, and the performance of securities purchased for one account may vary from the performance of securities purchased for other accounts. Alternatively, these accounts may be managed in a similar fashion to the Funds and thus the accounts may have similar, and in some cases nearly identical, objectives, strategies and/or holdings to that of the Fund.

The Portfolio Managers or other investment professionals at Wellington Management may place transactions on behalf of other accounts that are directly or indirectly contrary to investment decisions made on behalf of the Fund, or make investment decisions that are similar to those made for the Fund, both of which have the potential to adversely impact the Fund depending on market conditions. For example, an investment professional may purchase a security in one account while appropriately selling that same security in another account. Similarly, the Portfolio Managers may purchase the same security for the Funds and one or more other accounts at or about the same time.

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In those instances the other accounts will have access to their respective holdings prior to the public disclosure of the Fund’s holdings. In addition, some of these accounts have fee structures, including performance fees, which are or have the potential to be higher, in some cases significantly higher, than the fees Wellington Management receives for managing the Fund. Messrs. Burn, Goodman, and Marvan also manage accounts which pay performance allocations to Wellington Management or its affiliates. Because incentive payments paid by Wellington Management to the Portfolio Managers are tied to revenues earned by Wellington Management and, where noted, to the performance achieved by the manager in each account, the incentives associated with any given account may be significantly higher or lower than those associated with other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers. Finally, the Portfolio Managers may hold shares or investments in the other pooled investment vehicles and/or other accounts identified above.

Wellington Management’s goal is to meet its fiduciary obligation to treat all clients fairly and provide high quality investment services to all of its clients. Wellington Management has adopted and implemented policies and procedures, including brokerage and trade allocation policies and procedures, which it believes address the conflicts associated with managing multiple accounts for multiple clients. In addition, Wellington Management monitors a variety of areas, including compliance with primary account guidelines, the allocation of IPOs, and compliance with the firm’s Code of Ethics, and places additional investment restrictions on investment professionals who manage hedge funds and certain other accounts. Furthermore, senior investment and business personnel at Wellington Management periodically review the performance of Wellington Management’s investment professionals. Although Wellington Management does not track the time an investment professional spends on a single account, Wellington Management does periodically assess whether an investment professional has adequate time and resources to effectively manage the investment professional’s various client mandates.

Portfolio Manager Compensation

Wellington Management receives a fee based on the assets under management of the Fund as set forth in the Sub- advisory Agreement between Wellington Management and the Advisor, on behalf of the Core Fixed Income Fund. Wellington Management pays its investment professionals out of its total revenues, including the advisory fees earned with respect to the Fund. The following information is as of March 31, 2024.

Wellington Management’s compensation structure is designed to attract and retain high-caliber investment professionals necessary to deliver high quality investment management services to its clients. Wellington Management’s compensation of the Core Fixed Income Fund’s Portfolio Managers listed in the prospectus who are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund (“Portfolio Managers”) includes a base salary and incentive components. The base salary for each Portfolio Manager who is a partner (a “Partner”) of Wellington Management Group LLP, the ultimate holding company of Wellington Management, is generally a fixed amount that is determined by the managing partners of Wellington Management Group LLP. Each Portfolio Manager is eligible to receive an incentive payment based on the revenues earned by Wellington Management from the Core Fixed Income Fund managed by the Portfolio Managers and generally each other account managed by the Portfolio Managers. The Portfolio Managers’ incentive payment relating to the Core Fixed Income Fund is linked to the gross pre-tax performance of the portion of the Core Fixed Income Fund managed by the Portfolio Managers compared to the Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Bond Index over one, three, and five year periods, with an emphasis on five year results. Wellington Management applies similar incentive compensation structures (although the benchmarks or peer groups, time periods and rates may differ) to other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers, including accounts with performance fees.

Portfolio-based incentives across all accounts managed by an investment professional can, and typically do, represent a significant portion of an investment professional’s overall compensation; incentive compensation varies significantly by individual and can vary significantly from year to year. The Portfolio Managers may also be eligible for bonus payments based on their overall contribution to Wellington Management’s business operations. Senior management at Wellington Management may reward individuals as it deems appropriate based on other factors. Each Partner is eligible to participate in a Partner-funded tax qualified retirement plan, the contributions to which are made pursuant to an actuarial formula. Messrs. Goodman, Marvan and Burn are Partners.

As of March 31, 2024, the portfolio managers did not own any shares of the Core Fixed Income Fund.

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The Sub-Advisors – GPS Funds II

AlphaSimplex Group, LLC (“Sub-Advisor”)
Sub-Advisor, located at 200 State Street, Boston, MA 02109, serves as the sub-advisor to the Managed Futures Strategy Fund.

Other Accounts Managed

Messrs. Robert S. Rickard, Alexander D. Healy, Ph.D., John C. Perry, Ph.D., Phillippe P. Ludi, Ph.D. and Ms. Kathryn M. Kaminski, Ph.D., are responsible for managing the Managed Futures Strategy Fund’s portfolio. In addition to the Managed Futures Strategy Fund, these individuals also managed the following accounts as of March 31, 2024:

Other Accounts Total Accounts Accounts with Performance Fees
Number Assets Number Assets
Robert S. Rickard
Registered Investment Companies 2 $2.5 billion 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 2 $1.1 billion 1 $980 million
Other Accounts 2 $380 million 0 $0
Alexander D. Healy, Ph.D.
Registered Investment Companies 3 $2.6 billion 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 2 $1.1 billion 1 $980 million
Other Accounts 7 $898 million 0 $0
John C. Perry, Ph.D.
Registered Investment Companies 2 $2.4 billion 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 2 $1.1 billion 1 $980 million
Other Accounts 6 $898 million 0 $0
Phillippe P. Lüdi, Ph.D.
Registered Investment Companies 3 $2.6 billion 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 2 $1.1 billion 1 $980 million
Other Accounts 6 $898 million 0 $0
Kathryn M. Kaminski, Ph.D.
Registered Investment Companies 3 $2.6 billion 0 $0
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 2 $1.1 billion 1 $980 million
Other Accounts 6 $898 million 0 $0

Portfolio Manager Compensation

Compensation Structure for AlphaSimplex. AlphaSimplex believes that the firm’s compensation program is adequate and competitive to attract and retain high-caliber investment professionals. Investment professionals at AlphaSimplex receive a competitive base salary, an incentive bonus opportunity and a benefits package. Certain professionals who supervise and manage others also participate in a management incentive program reflecting their personal contribution and team performance. Certain key individuals also have the opportunity to take advantage of a long-term incentive compensation program, including potential awards of Virtus (AlphaSimplex’s parent company) restricted stock units (“Virtus RSUs”) with multi-year vesting, subject to Virtus board of directors’ approval. Following is a more detailed description of Virtus’ compensation structure.

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Base Salary. Each portfolio manager is paid a fixed base salary, which is designed to be competitive in light of the individual’s experience and responsibilities. Base salary is determined using compensation survey results of investment industry compensation conducted by an independent third party in evaluating competitive market compensation for its investment management professionals.

Incentive Bonus. Annual incentive payments are based on targeted compensation levels, adjusted based on profitability, investment performance factors and a subjective assessment of contribution to the team effort. The short-term incentive payment is generally paid in cash, but a portion may be made in Virtus RSUs and mutual fund investments that appreciate or depreciate in value based on the returns of one or more mutual funds managed by the investment professional. Individual payments are assessed using comparisons of actual investment performance with specific peer group or index measures. Performance of the Funds managed is generally measured over one-, three- and five-year periods and an individual manager’s participation is based on the performance of each Fund/account managed.

While portfolio manager compensation contains a performance component, this component is adjusted to reward investment personnel for managing within the stated framework and for not taking unnecessary risk. This approach ensures that investment management personnel remain focused on managing and acquiring securities that correspond to a Fund’s mandate and risk profile and are discouraged from taking on more risk and unnecessary exposure to chase performance for personal gain. We believe we have appropriate controls in place to handle any potential conflicts that may result from a substantial portion of portfolio manager compensation being tied to performance.

Other Benefits. Portfolio managers are also eligible to participate in broad-based plans offered generally to employees of AlphaSimplex, including 401(k), health and other employee benefit plans.

Description of Potential Material Conflicts of Interest

AlphaSimplex and its investment personnel provide investment management services to multiple portfolios for multiple clients. AlphaSimplex may purchase or sell securities for one client portfolio and not another client portfolio, and the performance of securities purchased for one portfolio may vary from the performance of securities purchased for other portfolios. In addition, client account structures may have fee structures, such as performance-based fees, that differ. The firm has adopted and implemented a Statement of Policy and Procedures Regarding Allocation Among Investment Advisory Clients intended to address conflicts of interest relating to the management of multiple accounts, including accounts with multiple fee arrangements, and the allocation of investment opportunities. AlphaSimplex reviews investment decisions for the purpose of ensuring that all accounts with substantially similar investment objectives are treated equitably. The performance of similarly managed accounts is also regularly compared to determine whether there are any unexplained significant discrepancies. Finally, AlphaSimplex has adopted trade allocation procedures that require equitable allocation of trade orders for a particular security among participating accounts. The implementation of these procedures is monitored by AlphaSimplex’s Chief Compliance Officer.

In addition, AlphaSimplex is aware of the potential for a conflict of interest in cases where AlphaSimplex, a related person or any of their employees, buys or sells securities recommended by AlphaSimplex to the clients. AlphaSimplex, in recognition of its fiduciary obligations to its clients and its desire to maintain its high ethical standards, has adopted a Code of Ethics containing provisions designed to prevent improper personal trading, identify conflicts of interest and provide a means to resolve any actual or potential conflict in favor of the client. AlphaSimplex requires all employees to obtain preclearance of personal securities transactions (other than certain exempted transactions as set forth in the Code of Ethics).

As of March 31, 2024, the portfolio managers did not own any shares in the Fund.


Distribution and Shareholder Servicing


Distributor

AssetMark Brokerage®, LLC, 1655 Grant Street, 10th Floor Concord, CA 94520, an affiliate of the Advisor, is the distributor for shares of the Funds pursuant to a Distribution Agreement (the “Distribution Agreement”), between the
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Trusts on behalf of the Funds and the Distributor. The Distributor is a registered broker-dealer and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. Shares of each Fund are offered on a continuous basis. The Funds did not pay any commissions or other compensation to the Distributor during the Funds’ most recent fiscal year ended March 31, 2024.

The Advisor’s primary business is to operate the AssetMark Platform, a managed account platform that is used by financial advisors and financial services firms, such as investment advisors and financial intermediaries, including broker-dealers, banks and/or trust companies to deliver investment advisory, asset allocation and back office administrative services to their clients. Through the AssetMark Platform, investors can invest in, among other things, a variety of asset allocation portfolios using open-end mutual funds and other investment vehicles. The GuideMark® and GuidePath® Funds are included among the many investment solutions made available through the AssetMark Platform.

AssetMark invests a portion of its revenues from operating the AssetMark Platform back into the program in the form of benefits to qualifying financial advisors that utilize the platform. Under its Advisor Benefits Program, qualifying representatives (“Financial Advisors”) of financial advisory firms (“Financial Advisory Firms”) can receive an allowance for reimbursement for qualified marketing/practice development expenses incurred by the individual Financial Advisor. AssetMark also enters into strategic relationships focused on assisting Financial Advisory Firms with all areas of their practice such as marketing and succession planning. These strategic relationships can offer discounted rates for services. Additionally, certain Financial Advisory Firms enter into marketing arrangements with AssetMark whereby the Firms receive compensation and/or allowances in amounts based either upon a percentage of the value of new or existing Account assets of Clients referred to AssetMark by Financial Advisors, or a flat dollar amount. These arrangements provide for the communication of AssetMark’s service capabilities to Financial Advisors and their Clients in various venues including participation in meetings, conferences and workshops. In addition to the fee reductions and/or allowances granted the financial advisory firm by AssetMark, AssetMark may agree to provide the financial advisory firm or its Financial Advisors with organizational consulting, education, training and marketing support.

AssetMark may sponsor annual conferences for participating Financial Advisory Firms and/or Financial Advisors designed to facilitate and promote the success of the AssetMark Platform and its participating Financial Advisory Firms and/or Financial Advisors. AssetMark may offer portfolio strategists, investment managers and investment management firms, who may also be sub-advisors for the GuideMark® Funds, the opportunity to contribute to the costs of AssetMark’s annual conference and be identified as a sponsor of a portion of the conference. AssetMark also may bear the cost of travel related expenses for certain Financial Advisors to attend AssetMark’s annual conference, quarterly meeting, or to conduct due diligence visits to AssetMark’s offices. Financial Advisors may also receive discounted pricing on affiliate coaching programs, as well as other practice management related services. AssetMark may also offer credit incentives for customized marketing material. Certain Financial Advisors may be selected by AssetMark to provide feedback on AssetMark’s services, technology or other business processes for further improvement. For their participation, these Financial Advisors may receive nominal compensation from AssetMark. In addition, AssetMark may, from time to time, contribute to the costs incurred by participating Financial Advisory Firms in connection with conferences or other client events conducted by Financial Advisory Firms and their Financial Advisors.

The primary method of distributing the Funds is through the AssetMark Platform, and the Advisor is responsible for all aspects of the operation of the AssetMark Platform. In addition, intermediaries facilitate the operation of the AssetMark Platform by maintaining investor accounts, and providing back office, shareholder and recordkeeping services that enable investors to access the Funds and other funds.

Shareholder Servicing

Each Fund may enter into agreements with certain organizations that provide various services to Fund shareholders. Pursuant to such arrangements, organizations that provide shareholder services may be entitled to receive fees from a Fund for shareholder support. Such support may include, among other things, assisting investors in processing their purchase, exchange or redemption requests, or processing dividend and distribution payments.

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The Funds paid the following shareholder servicing fees for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2024, March 31, 2023, and March 31, 2022, as applicable:

Fund 2024 2023 2022
Large Cap Core Fund $653,540 $536,538 $688,924
Emerging Markets Fund $45,035 $51,454 $91,262
Small/Mid Cap Core Fund $97,849 $97,029 $106,768
World ex-US Fund $109,741 $99,941 $141,793
Core Fixed Income Fund $165,441 $181,379 $196,446
Growth Allocation Fund $1,037,368 $968,020 $1,167,790
Conservative Allocation Fund $440,335 $433,669 $499,493
Tactical Allocation Fund $531,539 $492,619 $504,403
Absolute Return Allocation Fund $208,738 $321,651 $222,121
Multi-Asset Income Allocation Fund $88,367 $94,846 $123,779
Flexible Income Allocation Fund $274,749 $317,043 $319,353
Managed Futures Strategy Fund $477,222 $435,546 $216,201
Conservative Income Fund $96 $116
$7 (1)
Income Fund $410 $386
$37 (1)
Growth and Income Fund $623 $901
$159 (1)
(1) Effective January 1, 2022, the Conservative Income Fund, Income Fund and Growth and Income Fund began paying certain fees for shareholder servicing.


Service Providers


The Trusts entered into a number of agreements whereby certain parties provide various services to the Funds.

U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services (“Fund Services”) provides accounting and administrative services and shareholder servicing to the Funds as transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent. Fund Services’ address is 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202. The services provided under the Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement include processing purchase and redemption transactions; establishing and maintaining shareholder accounts and records; disbursing dividends declared by the Funds; day-to-day administration of matters related to the existence of the Trusts under state law (other than rendering investment advice); maintenance of its records; preparation, mailing and filing of reports; and assistance in monitoring the total number of shares sold in each state for “Blue Sky” purposes.

Pursuant to a Fund Administration Servicing Agreement and a Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement, each between Fund Services and the Trust, Fund Services also performs certain administrative, accounting and tax reporting functions for the Funds, including preparing and filing federal and state tax returns, preparing and filing securities registration compliance filings with various states, compiling data for and preparing notices to the SEC, assistance in the preparation of the Funds’ registration statement under federal and state securities laws, preparing financial statements for Form N-CSR to the SEC and current investors, monitoring the Funds’ expense accruals, and calculating the daily net asset value for each Fund from time to time, monitoring the Funds’ compliance with their investment objectives and restrictions.

For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2024, March 31, 2023, and March 31, 2022, the Trusts paid the following amounts to Fund Services for administrative services (excluding fund accounting or transfer agent services):

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Fund Administration Fee Paid
2024 2023 2022
Large Cap Core Fund $115,666 $95,463 $115,424
Emerging Markets Fund $30,490 $30,578 $28,013
Small/Mid Cap Core Fund $35,888 $38,495 $39,333
World ex-US Fund