The Meet Kevin ETFs
( | )The Meet Kevin Pricing Power ETF |
( | )The Meet Kevin Select ETF |
( | )The Meet Kevin Moderate ETF |
Listed on NYSE Arca, Inc.
PROSPECTUS
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has not approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Meet Kevin Pricing Power ETF (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
Management Fee | % | |||
Distribution and/or Service (Rule 12b-1) Fees | % | |||
Other Expenses(1) | % | |||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) | % | |||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % |
(1) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year: $ | 3 Years: $ |
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in the U.S.-listed equity securities of Innovative Companies (defined below). The Fund categorizes an “Innovative Company” as a company determined by the Fund’s sub-adviser, Plato’s Philosophy LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”), to be involved in the development of new products or services, technological advancements, consumer engagement, and/or disruptive approaches with respect to business growth that the Sub-Adviser expects to have a significant impact on the market or industry in which the company operates. Further, the Fund will invest in Innovative Companies that, in the Sub-Adviser’s view, also have more “pricing power” than their peers. The Sub-Adviser generally analyzes pricing power based on “price elasticity,” which is the ability to potentially increase prices for products and services without a corresponding drop in demand. In addition, the Fund may hold the securities of other ETFs, which could be passively-managed or actively-managed (“Targeted ETFs”) to seek to hedge (provide protection for the Fund’s portfolio) against particular market risks anticipated by the Sub-Adviser.
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Fund Portfolio Overview:
Strategy Approach | Range of Use in the Fund’s Portfolio |
Innovative Companies with Pricing Power Selection | 70-100% |
Targeted ETF Selection (Macro-Hedging) | 0-30% |
Innovative Companies with Pricing Power Selection
The Sub-Adviser begins its analysis by screening an extremely large initial universe of U.S.-listed companies with a minimum market capitalization of $100 million.
Utilizing a proprietary screening methodology, the Sub-Adviser analyzes the initial universe of companies to identify Innovative Companies that the Sub-Adviser perceives as having greater pricing power versus their peers. The Sub-Adviser, using its own internal research and analysis, analyzes company self-reported data (e.g., press releases and regulatory filings) as well as third-party data, such as news articles and social media posts, to identify companies that are capitalizing on:
● | pricing power, as exhibited by price elasticity (as described above); |
● | development of new products or services; |
● | consumer engagement, which refers to a company’s efforts to build relationships with individuals through personalized interactions on multiple channels (for example, traditional versus social channels), with the goal of gaining and retaining loyal customers. Successful consumer engagement accomplishes that goal by distinguishing a brand from those of its competitors. Further, if the customer engagement results in high customer retention (e.g., lower customer turnover), the company would likely have stronger pricing power than its competitors; |
● | technological advancements and innovation in the markets in which they operate; or |
● | physical or digital infrastructure designed to enable broader market use of new technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence systems) in the markets in which they operate. |
In particular, the Sub-Adviser considers each candidate company’s track record of disrupting mature industries (e.g., electric vehicles) or operating within disruptive industries (e.g., social media, blockchain), and/or a company’s historical patterns of launching hardware or software products that are first-to-market. The Sub-Adviser favors companies that remain founder led, report spending more on research and development than their peers, and have a strong history of customer satisfaction.
Once the Sub-Adviser has identified a set of Innovative Companies with pricing power, the Sub-Adviser performs a bottoms-up analysis of each candidate. That is, the Sub-Adviser performs a company-by-company analysis of various financial factors such as price over earnings-to-growth ratio (PEG), revenue, and margin growth. The Sub-Adviser selects those Innovative Companies with, in the Sub-Adviser’s view, above average growth potential across the metrics considered for inclusion in the Fund’s portfolio. While the metrics considered are largely consistent, there may be industry-specific variability (e.g., margin and growth metrics typically vary by industry).
Targeted ETF Selection (Macro-Hedging)
During periods when the Sub-Adviser believes there is significant risk to the market as a whole or a particular section of the market, the Fund’s portfolio may hold up to 30% of its net assets in the securities of Targeted ETFs to provide a “macro-economic” hedge against the anticipated market risk. In those cases, the Fund will hold ETFs that the Sub-Adviser believes will most likely benefit from the anticipated market risk. The following types of market risks will generally trigger macro hedging:
● | Geopolitical events (e.g., wars, pandemic) that cause a significant disruption to the price of oil. |
● | Federal Reserve monetary interest rate decisions that cause a significant price change to high-yield debt instruments. |
● | Extreme weather events (e.g., flooding, fires) that cause a significant disruption to one or more regions. |
If the Sub-Adviser determines that a macro-economic event is occurring or is likely to occur, the Fund will invest in ETFs that, in the Sub-Adviser’s view, appear poised to benefit from the event. For example, a war may trigger high oil prices and, in turn, ETFs that are focused on the oil-production industry would likely benefit.
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Additional Portfolio Attributes
The Fund’s investments may include small-, medium- and large-capitalization companies. The Fund’s portfolio will generally consist of between 25 and 60 securities.
The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, which means that the Fund may invest a high percentage of its assets in a fewer number of issuers.
The
principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below.
Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific issuers, industries, or sectors in which the Fund invests. Common stocks, such as those held by the Fund, are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stock and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from issuers. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors. Factors that could impact the market value of an equity security include a company’s business performance, investor perceptions, stock market trends and general economic conditions.
General Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities markets and individual securities may increase or decrease in value. Security prices may fluctuate widely over short or extended periods in response to market or economic news and conditions, and securities markets also tend to move in cycles. If there is a general decline in the securities markets, it is possible your investment may lose value regardless of the individual results of the companies in which the Fund invests. The magnitude of up and down price or market fluctuations over time is sometimes referred to as “volatility”, and it can be significant. In addition, different asset classes and geographic markets may experience periods of significant correlation with each other. As a result of this correlation, the securities and markets in which the Fund invests may experience volatility due to market, economic, political or social events and conditions that may not readily appear to directly relate to such securities, the securities’ issuer or the markets in which they trade.
Technology Sector Risk. The Fund will invest substantially in companies in the information technology sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Market or economic factors impacting technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.
Market Capitalization Risk.
○ | Large-Capitalization Investing. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies may also be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes. |
○ | Mid-Capitalization Investing. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. The securities of mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. |
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○ |
Small-Capitalization Investing. The securities of small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large- or mid-capitalization companies. The securities of small-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large- or mid-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. There is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller-capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies.
| |||
○ | Micro-Capitalization Investing. Micro-capitalization companies often have limited product lines, narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies, including companies which are considered small- or mid-capitalization. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio. |
New Sub-Adviser Risk. The Sub-Adviser is a newly formed entity and has no experience with managing an exchange-traded fund regulated under the 1940 Act. As a result, there is no long-term track record against which an investor may judge the Sub-Adviser’s effectiveness. In addition, although the Sub-Adviser has retained third-party vendors (e.g., compliance services, operations, etc.), the Sub-Adviser currently has limited resources, which may prevent it from being able to continue to provide sub-advisory services if the principal becomes incapacitated and may result in the Fund not achieving its investment objective. Over time, the Sub-Adviser will augment its resources as market conditions permit. In addition, the Sub-Adviser regularly evaluates its business continuity plan with the Adviser to ensure continuity of operations and portfolio management should a disruption to operations occur.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Commodity ETF Risk. Commodity ETFs are generally not registered as investment companies for purposes of U.S. federal securities laws, and are not subject to regulation by the SEC as investment companies, although some commodity ETFs may be registered investment companies. Consequently, the owners of a non-investment company commodity ETF do not have the regulatory protections provided to investors in investment companies. For example, the provisions of the 1940 Act that limit transactions with affiliates, prohibit the suspension of redemptions (except under certain limited circumstances) or limit sales loads do not apply to commodity ETFs. Commodity ETFs do not hold or trade in commodity futures contracts regulated by the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”), as administered by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). Furthermore, commodity ETFs are not a commodity pool for purposes of the CEA, and their sponsors are not subject to regulation by the CFTC as a commodity pool operator, or a commodity trading adviser. Consequently, the owner of a commodity ETF does not have the regulatory protections provided to investors in CEA regulated instruments or commodity pools, the sponsor is not subject to registration as a commodity pool operator, and the owners of the commodity ETF do not receive a disclosure document or certified annual report required to be delivered by a commodity pool operator. To the extent that a Fund invests in a commodity ETF, shareholders in such Fund may be subject to duplicative advisory and administrative fees.
The remaining principal risks are presented in alphabetical order. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.
ETF Risks.
○ | Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions. |
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○ | Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments. |
○ | Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. |
○ | Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares. |
Management Risk. The Fund is actively-managed and may not meet its investment objective based on the Sub-Adviser’s success or failure to implement investment strategies for the Fund.
Non-Diversification
Risk.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global Fintech system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. As a result of continuing political tensions and armed conflicts, including the war between Ukraine and Russia, the United States and the EU imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so.
Sector Risk. The Fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in an ETF that focuses on investing in companies conducting business within a single sector. Companies in the same sector may be similarly affected by economic, regulatory, political or market events or conditions, which may make the Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that sector than a fund that has a more diversified portfolio.
Underlying ETFs Risks. The Fund will incur higher and duplicative expenses because it invests in Targeted ETFs. There is also the risk that the Fund may suffer losses due to the investment practices of the Targeted ETFs. The Fund will be subject to substantially the same risks as those associated with the direct ownership of securities held by the Targeted ETFs. Additionally, Targeted ETFs are also subject to the “ETF Risks” described above.
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Management
Investment Adviser
Toroso Investments, LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Investment Sub-Adviser
Plato’s Philosophy LLC serves as investment sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Kevin Paffrath, Chief Executive Officer for the Sub-Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2022.
Michael Venuto, Chief Investment Officer for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2022.
Charles A. Ragauss, CFA, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2022.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at www.mketf.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, or their affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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The Meet Kevin Select ETF (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
Management Fee | % | |||
Distribution and/or Service (Rule 12b-1) Fees | % | |||
Other Expenses(1) | % | |||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) | % | |||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % |
(1) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year: $ | 3 Years: $ |
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in a combination of U.S.-listed equity securities of Innovative Companies (defined below) and passively-managed U.S. equity ETFs that track broad equity indices (“Broad-based ETFs”). Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in Innovative Companies and Broad-based ETFs. The Fund categorizes an “Innovative Company” as a company determined by the Fund’s sub-adviser, Plato’s Philosophy LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”), to be involved in the development of new products or services, technological advancements, consumer engagement, and/or disruptive approaches with respect to business growth that the Sub-Adviser expects to have a significant impact on the market or industry in which the company operates. Further, the Fund will invest in Innovative Companies that, in the Sub-Adviser’s view, also have more “pricing power” than their peers. The Sub-Adviser generally analyzes pricing power based on “price elasticity,” which is the ability to potentially increase prices for products and services without a corresponding drop in demand. In addition, the Fund may hold the securities of other ETFs, which could be passively-managed or actively-managed (“Targeted ETFs”) to seek to hedge (provide protection for the Fund’s portfolio) against particular market risks anticipated by the Sub-Adviser.
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Fund Portfolio Overview:
Strategy Approach | Range of Use in the Fund’s Portfolio |
Innovative Company Selection | 30-80% |
Broad-Based ETF Selection | 20-40% |
Targeted ETF Selection (Macro-Hedging) | 0-30% |
Innovative Companies with Pricing PowerSelection
The Sub-Adviser begins its analysis by screening a very large initial universe of U.S.-listed companies with a minimum market capitalization of $250 million.
Utilizing a proprietary screening methodology, the Sub-Adviser analyzes the initial universe of companies to identify those that are Innovative Companies that the Sub-Adviser perceives as having pricing power versus their peers. The Sub-Adviser, using its own internal research and analysis, analyzes company self-reported data (e.g., press releases and regulatory filings) as well as third-party data, such as news articles and social media posts, to identify companies that are capitalizing on:
● | pricing power, as exhibited by price elasticity (as described above); |
● | development of new products or services; |
● | consumer engagement, which refers to a company’s efforts to build relationships with individuals through personalized interactions on multiple channels (for example, traditional versus social channels), with the goal of gaining and retaining loyal customers. Successful consumer engagement accomplishes that goal by distinguishing a brand from those of its competitors. Further, if the customer engagement results in high customer retention (e.g., lower customer turnover), the company would likely have stronger pricing power than its competitors; |
● | technological advancements and innovation in the markets in which they operate; or |
● | physical or digital infrastructure designed to enable broader market use of new technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence systems) in the markets in which they operate. |
In particular, the Sub-Adviser considers each candidate company’s track record of disrupting mature industries (e.g., electric vehicles) or operating within disruptive industries (e.g., social media, blockchain), and/or a company’s historical patterns of launching hardware or software products that are first-to-market. The Sub-Adviser favors companies that remain founder led, report spending more on research and development than their peers, and have a strong history of customer satisfaction.
Once the Sub-Adviser has identified a set of Innovative Companies with pricing power, the Sub-Adviser performs a bottoms-up analysis of each candidate. That is, the Sub-Adviser performs a company-by-company analysis of various financial factors such as price over earnings-to-growth ratio (PEG), revenue, and margin growth. The Sub-Adviser selects those Innovative Companies with, in the Sub-Adviser’s view, above average growth potential across the metrics considered for inclusion in the Fund’s portfolio. While the metrics considered are largely consistent, there may be industry-specific variability (e.g., margin and growth metrics typically vary by industry).
Broad-Based ETF Selection
Broad-based ETFs will generally comprise between 20% and 40% of the Fund’s portfolio to seek to lower the Fund’s overall “beta,” which is a measure of an investment’s volatility in relation to the overall market. That is, the use of Broad-based ETFs is designed to dampen the Fund’s overall volatility as compared to the overall stock market because the Broad-based ETFs will generally have a beta close to one. In contrast, the portions of the Fund’s portfolio invested using the Sub-Adviser screening methodology (i.e., in Innovative Companies) or invested for macro-hedging purposes, are expected to have higher betas. Therefore, the Fund’s investment in Broad-based ETFs will result in an overall portfolio with less volatility compared to a portfolio comprised only of the securities of Innovative Companies or securities selected for macro-hedging purposes.
The Fund’s allocation to Broad-based ETFs within the ranges will reflect the Sub-Adviser’s view of risk of the overall market based on then-current macroeconomic factors such as broad market conditions, economic trends, and the PEG ratio present in the overall market. When the Sub-Adviser views the overall market risk is higher, the Fund’s portfolio will be comprised of a higher percentage of Broad-based ETFs.
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Targeted ETF Selection (Macro-Hedging)
During periods when the Sub-Adviser believes there is significant risk to the market as a whole or a particular section of the market, the Fund’s portfolio may hold up to 30% of its net assets in the securities of Targeted ETFs to provide a “macro-economic” hedge against the anticipated market risk. In those cases, the Fund will hold ETFs that the Sub-Adviser believes will most likely benefit from the anticipated market risk. The following types of market risks will generally trigger macro hedging:
● | Geopolitical events (e.g., wars, pandemic) that cause a significant disruption to the price of oil. |
● | Federal Reserve monetary interest rate decisions that cause a significant price change to high-yield debt instruments. |
● | Extreme weather events (e.g., flooding, fires) that cause a significant disruption to one or more regions. |
If the Sub-Adviser determines that a macro-economic event is occurring or is likely to occur, the Fund will invest in ETFs that, in the Sub-Adviser’s view, appear poised to benefit from the event. For example, a war may trigger high oil prices and, in turn, ETFs that are focused on the oil-production industry would likely benefit.
Additional Portfolio Attributes
The Fund’s investments may include small-, medium- and large-capitalization companies. The Fund’s portfolio will generally consist of between 25 and 60 securities.
The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, which means that the Fund may invest a high percentage of its assets in a fewer number of issuers.
The
principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below.
Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific issuers, industries, or sectors in which the Fund invests. Common stocks, such as those held by the Fund, are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stock and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from issuers. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors. Factors that could impact the market value of an equity security include a company’s business performance, investor perceptions, stock market trends and general economic conditions.
General Market Risk. Securities markets and individual securities may increase or decrease in value. Security prices may fluctuate widely over short or extended periods in response to market or economic news and conditions, and securities markets also tend to move in cycles. If there is a general decline in the securities markets, it is possible your investment may lose value regardless of the individual results of the companies in which the Fund invests. The magnitude of up and down price or market fluctuations over time is sometimes referred to as “volatility”, and it can be significant. In addition, different asset classes and geographic markets may experience periods of significant correlation with each other. As a result of this correlation, the securities and markets in which the Fund invests may experience volatility due to market, economic, political or social events and conditions that may not readily appear to directly relate to such securities, the securities’ issuer or the markets in which they trade.
Technology Sector Risk. The Fund will invest substantially in companies in the information technology sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Market or economic factors impacting technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.
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Market Capitalization Risk.
○ | Large-Capitalization Investing. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies may also be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes. |
○ | Mid-Capitalization Investing. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. The securities of mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. |
○ | Small-Capitalization Investing. The securities of small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large- or mid-capitalization companies. The securities of small-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large- or mid-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. There is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller-capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies. |
New Sub-Adviser Risk. The Sub-Adviser is a newly formed entity and has no experience with managing an exchange-traded fund regulated under the 1940 Act. As a result, there is no long-term track record against which an investor may judge the Sub-Adviser’s effectiveness. In addition, although the Sub-Adviser has retained third-party vendors (e.g., compliance services, operations, etc.), the Sub-Adviser currently has limited resources, which may prevent it from being able to continue to provide sub-advisory services if the principal becomes incapacitated and may result in the Fund not achieving its investment objective. Over time, the Sub-Adviser will augment its resources as market conditions permit. In addition, the Sub-Adviser regularly evaluates its business continuity plan with the Adviser to ensure continuity of operations and portfolio management should a disruption to operations occur.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Commodity ETF Risk. Commodity ETFs are generally not registered as investment companies for purposes of U.S. federal securities laws, and are not subject to regulation by the SEC as investment companies, although some commodity ETFs may be registered investment companies. Consequently, the owners of a non-investment company commodity ETF do not have the regulatory protections provided to investors in investment companies. For example, the provisions of the 1940 Act that limit transactions with affiliates, prohibit the suspension of redemptions (except under certain limited circumstances) or limit sales loads do not apply to commodity ETFs. Commodity ETFs do not hold or trade in commodity futures contracts regulated by the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”), as administered by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). Furthermore, commodity ETFs are not a commodity pool for purposes of the CEA, and their sponsors are not subject to regulation by the CFTC as a commodity pool operator, or a commodity trading adviser. Consequently, the owner of a commodity ETF does not have the regulatory protections provided to investors in CEA regulated instruments or commodity pools, the sponsor is not subject to registration as a commodity pool operator, and the owners of the commodity ETF do not receive a disclosure document or certified annual report required to be delivered by a commodity pool operator. To the extent that a Fund invests in a commodity ETF, shareholders in such Fund may be subject to duplicative advisory and administrative fees.
The remaining principal risks are presented in alphabetical order. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.
ETF Risks.
○ | Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions. |
10
○ | Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments. |
○ | Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. |
○ | Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares. |
Management Risk. The Fund is actively-managed and may not meet its investment objective based on the Sub-Adviser’s success or failure to implement investment strategies for the Fund.
Non-Diversification
Risk.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global Fintech system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. As a result of continuing political tensions and armed conflicts, including the war between Ukraine and Russia, the United States and the EU imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so.
Sector Risk. The Fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in an ETF that focuses on investing in companies conducting business within a single sector. Companies in the same sector may be similarly affected by economic, regulatory, political or market events or conditions, which may make the Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that sector than a fund that has a more diversified portfolio.
Underlying ETFs Risks. The Fund will incur higher and duplicative expenses because it invests in Broad-based ETFs and Targeted ETFs (collectively, “Underlying ETFs”). There is also the risk that the Fund may suffer losses due to the investment practices of the Underlying ETFs. The Fund will be subject to substantially the same risks as those associated with the direct ownership of securities held by the Underlying ETFs. Additionally, Underlying ETFs are also subject to the “ETF Risks” described above.
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Management
Investment Adviser
Toroso Investments, LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Investment Sub-Adviser
Plato’s Philosophy LLC serves as investment sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Kevin Paffrath, Chief Executive Officer for the Sub-Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2022.
Michael Venuto, Chief Investment Officer for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2022.
Charles A. Ragauss, CFA, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2022.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at www.mketf.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, or their affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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The Meet Kevin Moderate ETF (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
Management Fee | % | |||
Distribution and/or Service (Rule 12b-1) Fees | % | |||
Other Expenses(1) | % | |||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) | % | |||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | % |
(1) |
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year: $ | 3 Years: $ |
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in (1) the U.S.-listed equity securities of Innovative Companies (defined below) and (2) passively-managed U.S. equity ETFs that track broad equity indices (“Broad-based ETFs”). The Fund categorizes an “Innovative Company” as a company determined by the Fund’s sub-adviser, Plato’s Philosophy LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”), to be involved in the development of new products or services, technological advancements, consumer engagement, and/or disruptive approaches with respect to business growth that the Sub-Adviser expects to have a significant impact on the market or industry in which the company operates. Further, the Fund will invest in Innovative Companies that, in the Sub-Adviser’s view, also have more “pricing power” than their peers. The Sub-Adviser generally analyzes pricing power based on “price elasticity,” which is the ability to potentially increase prices for products and services without a corresponding drop in demand. In addition, the Fund may hold the securities of other passively-managed or actively-managed ETFs (“Targeted ETFs”) to seek to hedge (provide protection for the Fund’s portfolio) against particular market risks anticipated by the Sub-Adviser.
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Fund Portfolio Overview:
Strategy Approach | Range of Use in the Fund’s Portfolio |
Innovative Company Selection | 0-60% |
Broad-Based ETF Selection | 40-70% |
Targeted ETF Selection (Macro-Hedging) | 0-30% |
Innovative Companies with Pricing Power Selection
The Sub-Adviser begins its analysis by screening a large initial universe of U.S.-listed companies with a minimum market capitalization of $500 million.
Utilizing a proprietary screening methodology, the Sub-Adviser analyzes the initial universe of companies to identify those that are Innovative Companies that the Sub-Adviser perceives as having pricing power versus their peers. The Sub-Adviser, using its own internal research and analysis, analyzes company self-reported data (e.g., press releases and regulatory filings) as well as third-party data, such as news articles and social media posts, to identify companies that are capitalizing on:
● | pricing power, as exhibited by price elasticity (as described above); |
● | development of new products or services; |
● | consumer engagement, which refers to a company’s efforts to build relationships with individuals through personalized interactions on multiple channels (for example, traditional versus social channels), with the goal of gaining and retaining loyal customers. Successful consumer engagement accomplishes that goal by distinguishing a brand from those of its competitors Further, if the customer engagement results in high customer retention (e.g., lower customer turnover), the company would likely have stronger pricing power than its competitors; |
● | technological advancements and innovation in the markets in which they operate; or |
● | physical or digital infrastructure designed to enable broader market use of new technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence systems) in the markets in which they operate. |
● | In particular, the Sub-Adviser considers each candidate company’s track record of disrupting mature industries (e.g., electric vehicles) or operating within disruptive industries (e.g., social media, blockchain), and/or a company’s historical patterns of launching hardware or software products that are first-to-market. The Sub-Adviser favors companies that remain founder led, report spending more on research and development than their peers, and have a strong history of customer satisfaction. |
Once the Sub-Adviser has identified a set of Innovative Companies with pricing power, the Sub-Adviser performs a bottoms-up analysis of each candidate. That is, the Sub-Adviser performs a company-by-company analysis of various financial factors such as price over earnings-to-growth ratio (PEG), revenue, and margin growth. The Sub-Adviser selects those Innovative Companies with, in the Sub-Adviser’s view, above average growth potential across the metrics considered for inclusion in the Fund’s portfolio. While the metrics considered are largely consistent, there may be industry-specific variability (e.g., margin and growth metrics typically vary by industry).
Broad-Based ETF Selection
Broad-based ETFs will generally comprise between 40% and 70% of the Fund’s portfolio to seek to lower the Fund’s overall “beta,” which is a measure of an investment’s volatility in relation to the overall market. That is, the use of Broad-based ETFs is designed to dampen the Fund’s overall volatility as compared to the overall stock market because the Broad-based ETFs will generally have a beta close to one. In contrast, the portions of the Fund’s portfolio invested using the Sub-Adviser screening methodology (i.e., in Innovative Companies) or invested for macro-hedging purposes, are expected to have higher betas. Therefore, the Fund’s investment in Broad-based ETFs will result in an overall portfolio with less volatility compared to a portfolio comprised only of the securities of Innovative Companies or securities selected for macro-hedging purposes.
The Fund’s allocation to Broad-based ETFs within the ranges will reflect the Sub-Adviser’s view of risk of the overall market based on then-current macroeconomic factors such as broad market conditions, economic trends, and the PEG ratio present in the overall market. When the Sub-Adviser views the overall market risk is higher, the Fund’s portfolio will be comprised of a higher percentage of Broad-based ETFs.
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Targeted ETF Selection (Macro-Hedging)
During periods when the Sub-Adviser believes there is significant risk to the market as a whole or a particular section of the market, the Fund’s portfolio may hold up to 30% of its net assets in the securities of Targeted ETFs to provide a “macro-economic” hedge against the anticipated market risk. In those cases, the Fund will hold ETFs that the Sub-Adviser believes will most likely benefit from the anticipated market risk. The following types of market risks will generally trigger macro hedging:
● | Geopolitical events (e.g., wars, pandemic) that cause a significant disruption to the price of oil. |
● | Federal Reserve monetary interest rate decisions that cause a significant price change to high-yield debt instruments. |
● | Extreme weather events (e.g., flooding, fires) that cause a significant disruption to one or more regions. |
If the Sub-Adviser determines that a macro-economic event is occurring or is likely to occur, the Fund will invest in ETFs that, in the Sub-Adviser’s view, appear poised to benefit from the event. For example, a war may trigger high oil prices and, in turn, ETFs that are focused on the oil-production industry would likely benefit.
Additional Portfolio Attributes
The Fund’s investments may include small-, medium- and large-capitalization companies. The Fund’s portfolio will generally consist of between 25 and 60 securities.
The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, which means that the Fund may invest a high percentage of its assets in a fewer number of issuers.
The
principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below.
Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific issuers, industries, or sectors in which the Fund invests. Common stocks, such as those held by the Fund, are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stock and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from issuers. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors. Factors that could impact the market value of an equity security include a company’s business performance, investor perceptions, stock market trends and general economic conditions.
General Market Risk. Securities markets and individual securities may increase or decrease in value. Security prices may fluctuate widely over short or extended periods in response to market or economic news and conditions, and securities markets also tend to move in cycles. If there is a general decline in the securities markets, it is possible your investment may lose value regardless of the individual results of the companies in which the Fund invests. The magnitude of up and down price or market fluctuations over time is sometimes referred to as “volatility”, and it can be significant. In addition, different asset classes and geographic markets may experience periods of significant correlation with each other. As a result of this correlation, the securities and markets in which the Fund invests may experience volatility due to market, economic, political or social events and conditions that may not readily appear to directly relate to such securities, the securities’ issuer or the markets in which they trade.
Technology Sector Risk. The Fund will invest substantially in companies in the information technology sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Market or economic factors impacting technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.
15
Market Capitalization Risk.
○ | Large-Capitalization Investing. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies may also be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes. |
○ | Mid-Capitalization Investing. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. The securities of mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. |
○ | Small-Capitalization Investing. The securities of small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large- or mid-capitalization companies. The securities of small-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large- or mid-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. There is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller-capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies. |
New Sub-Adviser Risk. The Sub-Adviser is a newly formed entity and has no experience with managing an exchange-traded fund regulated under the 1940 Act. As a result, there is no long-term track record against which an investor may judge the Sub-Adviser’s effectiveness. In addition, although the Sub-Adviser has retained third-party vendors (e.g., compliance services, operations, etc.), the Sub-Adviser currently has limited resources, which may prevent it from being able to continue to provide sub-advisory services if the principal becomes incapacitated and may result in the Fund not achieving its investment objective. Over time, the Sub-Adviser will augment its resources as market conditions permit. In addition, the Sub-Adviser regularly evaluates its business continuity plan with the Adviser to ensure continuity of operations and portfolio management should a disruption to operations occur.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
Commodity ETF Risk. Commodity ETFs are generally not registered as investment companies for purposes of U.S. federal securities laws, and are not subject to regulation by the SEC as investment companies, although some commodity ETFs may be registered investment companies. Consequently, the owners of a non-investment company commodity ETF do not have the regulatory protections provided to investors in investment companies. For example, the provisions of the 1940 Act that limit transactions with affiliates, prohibit the suspension of redemptions (except under certain limited circumstances) or limit sales loads do not apply to commodity ETFs. Commodity ETFs do not hold or trade in commodity futures contracts regulated by the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”), as administered by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). Furthermore, commodity ETFs are not a commodity pool for purposes of the CEA, and their sponsors are not subject to regulation by the CFTC as a commodity pool operator, or a commodity trading adviser. Consequently, the owner of a commodity ETF does not have the regulatory protections provided to investors in CEA regulated instruments or commodity pools, the sponsor is not subject to registration as a commodity pool operator, and the owners of the commodity ETF do not receive a disclosure document or certified annual report required to be delivered by a commodity pool operator. To the extent that a Fund invests in a commodity ETF, shareholders in such Fund may be subject to duplicative advisory and administrative fees.
The remaining principal risks are presented in alphabetical order. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.
ETF Risks.
○ | Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions. |
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○ | Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments. |
○ | Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. |
○ | Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares. |
Management Risk. The Fund is actively-managed and may not meet its investment objective based on the Sub-Adviser’s success or failure to implement investment strategies for the Fund.
Non-Diversification
Risk.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which has resulted in a public health crisis, disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global Fintech system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. As a result of continuing political tensions and armed conflicts, including the war between Ukraine and Russia, the United States and the EU imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so.
Sector Risk. The Fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in an ETF that focuses on investing in companies conducting business within a single sector. Companies in the same sector may be similarly affected by economic, regulatory, political or market events or conditions, which may make the Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that sector than a fund that has a more diversified portfolio.
Underlying ETFs Risks. The Fund will incur higher and duplicative expenses because it invests in Broad-based ETFs and Targeted ETFs (collectively, “Underlying ETFs”). There is also the risk that the Fund may suffer losses due to the investment practices of the Underlying ETFs. The Fund will be subject to substantially the same risks as those associated with the direct ownership of securities held by the Underlying ETFs. Additionally, Underlying ETFs are also subject to the “ETF Risks” described above.
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Management
Investment Adviser
Toroso Investments, LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Investment Sub-Adviser
Plato’s Philosophy LLC serves as investment sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Kevin Paffrath, Chief Executive Officer for the Sub-Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2022.
Michael Venuto, Chief Investment Officer for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2022.
Charles A. Ragauss, CFA, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2022.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”
When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at www.mketf.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, or their affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS
Investment Objective
The Meet Kevin Pricing Power ETF seeks long-term capital appreciation.
The Meet Kevin Select ETF seeks long-term capital appreciation.
The Meet Kevin Moderate ETF seeks long-term capital appreciation.
An investment objective is fundamental if it cannot be changed without the consent of the holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares. Each Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore may be changed without the consent of the Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Tidal Trust II (formerly named Tidal ETF Trust II) (the “Trust”) and written notice to shareholders.
Additional Information About the Funds’ Principal Investment Strategies
The following information is in addition to, and should be read along with, the description of each Fund’s principal investment strategies in the section titled “Fund Summary—Principal Investment Strategies” above.
Each Fund’s portfolio is reallocated periodically to manage risk and reposition the portfolio to reflect earnings releases, stock price movements, and other new information related to particular companies. It is also rebalanced as necessary due to capital flows, corporate actions, and other external events.
Temporary Defensive Strategies
For temporary defensive purposes during adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions, each Fund may invest in cash or cash equivalents or short-term instruments such as commercial paper, money market mutual funds, or short-term U.S. government securities. Taking a temporary defensive position may result in a Fund not achieving its investment objective.
Manager of Managers Structure
The Funds and the Adviser have received exemptive relief from the SEC permitting the Adviser (subject to certain conditions and the approval of the Board) to change or select new sub-advisers without obtaining shareholder approval. The relief also permits the Adviser to materially amend the terms of agreements with a sub-adviser (including an increase in the fee paid by the Adviser to the sub-adviser (and not paid by the Fund)) or to continue the employment of a sub-adviser after an event that would otherwise cause the automatic termination of services with Board approval, but without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be notified of any sub-adviser changes. The Adviser has the ultimate responsibility, subject to oversight by the Board, to oversee a sub-adviser and recommend their hiring, termination and replacement.
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Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds
The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with those of other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Funds, regardless of the order in which it appears. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in a Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect a Fund’s NAV per share, trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objective. The following risks could affect the value of your performance in the Funds: The risks below apply to each Fund as indicated in the following table. Additional information about each such risk and its potential impact on a Fund is set forth below the table.
The Meet Kevin Pricing Power ETF | The Meet Kevin Select ETF | The Meet Kevin Moderate ETF | |
Commodity ETF Risk | X | X | X |
ETF Risks | X | X | X |
—Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk | X | X | X |
— Costs of Buying or Selling Shares | X | X | X |
— Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV | X | X | X |
— Trading | X | X | X |
Equity Market Risk | X | X | X |
General Market Risk | X | X | X |
Management Risk | X | X | X |
Market Capitalization Risk | X | X | X |
—Large-Capitalization Investing Risk | X | X | X |
—Mid-Capitalization Investing | X | X | X |
—Small-Capitalization Investing | X | X | X |
—Micro-Capitalization Investing | X | ||
New Fund Risk | X | X | X |
New Sub-Adviser Risk | X | X | X |
Non-Diversification Risk | X | X | X |
Recent Market Events Risk | X | X | X |
Sector Risk | X | X | X |
Technology Sector Risk | X | X | X |
Underlying ETF Risks | X | X | X |
Commodity ETF Risk.
Commodity ETFs are generally not registered as investment companies for purposes of U.S. federal securities laws, and are not subject to regulation by the SEC as investment companies, although some commodity ETFs may be registered investment companies. Consequently, the owners of a non-investment company commodity ETF do not have the regulatory protections provided to investors in investment companies. For example, the provisions of the 1940 Act that limit transactions with affiliates, prohibit the suspension of redemptions (except under certain limited circumstances) or limit sales loads do not apply to commodity ETFs. Commodity ETFs do not hold or trade in commodity futures contracts regulated by the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”), as administered by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). Furthermore, commodity ETFs are not a commodity pool for purposes of the CEA, and their sponsors are not subject to regulation by the CFTC as a commodity pool operator, or a commodity trading adviser. Consequently, the owner of a commodity ETF does not have the regulatory protections provided to investors in CEA regulated instruments or commodity pools, the sponsor is not subject to registration as a commodity pool operator, and the owners of the commodity ETF do not receive a disclosure document or certified annual report required to be delivered by a commodity pool operator. To the extent that a Fund invests in a commodity ETF, shareholders in such Fund may be subject to duplicative advisory and administrative fees.
ETF Risks.
○ | APs, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. Each Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions. |
○ | Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Investors buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers, as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the bid-ask spread. The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, a relatively small investor base in a Fund, asset swings in a Fund, and/or increased market volatility may cause increased bid-ask spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments. |
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○ | Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of the Shares will approximate the corresponding Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of the Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. The market price of Shares during the trading day, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a “bid-ask” spread charged by the exchange specialist, market makers, or other participants that trade the Shares. In times of severe market disruption, the bid-ask spread can increase significantly. At those times, Shares are most likely to be traded at a discount to NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of Shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that you most want to sell your Shares. The Adviser believes that, under normal market conditions, large market price discounts or premiums to NAV will not be sustained because of arbitrage opportunities. |
○ | Trading. Although Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange and may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to Exchange “circuit breaker” rules, which temporarily halt trading on the Exchange when a decline in the S&P 500® Index during a single day reaches certain thresholds (e.g., 7%, 13%, and 20%). Additional rules applicable to the Exchange may halt trading in Shares when extraordinary volatility causes sudden, significant swings in the market price of Shares. There can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the corresponding Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares. |
Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in a Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific issuers, industries, or sectors in which the Fund invests. Common stocks, such as those held by the Funds, are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stock and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from issuers. Securities in the Funds’ portfolios may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors. Factors that could impact the market value of an equity security include a company’s business performance, investor perceptions, stock market trends and general economic conditions.
General Market Risk. Securities markets and individual securities may increase or decrease in value. Security prices may fluctuate widely over short or extended periods in response to market or economic news and conditions, and securities markets also tend to move in cycles. If there is a general decline in the securities markets, it is possible your investment may lose value regardless of the individual results of the companies in which a Fund invests. The magnitude of up and down price or market fluctuations over time is sometimes referred to as “volatility”, and it can be significant. In addition, different asset classes and geographic markets may experience periods of significant correlation with each other. As a result of this correlation, the securities and markets in which the Funds invest may experience volatility due to market, economic, political or social events and conditions that may not readily appear to directly relate to such securities, the securities’ issuer or the markets in which they trade.
Management Risk. Each Fund is actively-managed and may not meet its investment objective based on the Sub-Adviser’s success or failure to implement investment strategies for the Funds.
Market Capitalization Risk.
○ | Large-Capitalization Investing. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies may also be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes. |
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○ | Mid-Capitalization Investing. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. The securities of mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. |
○ | Small-Capitalization Investing. The securities of small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large- or mid-capitalization companies. The securities of small-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large- or mid-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. There is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller-capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies. | |
○ | Micro-Capitalization Investing. Micro-capitalization companies often have limited product lines, narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies, including companies which are considered small- or mid-capitalization. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio. |
New Fund Risk. Each Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
New Sub-Adviser Risk. The Sub-Adviser is a newly formed entity and has no experience with managing an exchange-traded fund, which may limit the Sub-Adviser’s effectiveness. In addition, although the Sub-Adviser has retained third-party vendors (e.g., compliance services, operations, etc.), the Sub-Adviser currently has limited resources, which may prevent it from being able to continue to provide sub-advisory services if the principal becomes incapacitated. Over time, the Sub-Adviser will augment its resources as market conditions permit. In addition, the Sub-Adviser regularly evaluates its business continuity plan with the Adviser to ensure continuity of operations and portfolio management should a disruption to operations occur.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because each Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause a Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio.
Recent Market Events Risk. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including the impact of COVID-19 as a global pandemic and related public health crisis, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, trade tensions, and the threat of tariffs imposed by the U.S. and other countries. In particular, the global spread of COVID-19 has resulted in disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global Fintech system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. The global recovery from COVID-19 is proceeding at slower than expected rates due to the emergence of variant strains and may last for an extended period of time. Health crises and related political, social and economic disruptions caused by the spread of COVID-19 may also exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries. As a result of continuing political tensions and armed conflicts, including the war between Ukraine and Russia, the U.S. and the European Union imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility, and may continue to do so. These developments, as well as other events, could result in further market volatility and negatively affect financial asset prices, the liquidity of certain securities and the normal operations of securities exchanges and other markets, despite government efforts to address market disruptions. As a result, the risk environment remains elevated. The Adviser and the Sub-Adviser will monitor developments and seek to manage each Fund in a manner consistent with achieving its investment objective, but there can be no assurance that they will be successful in doing so.
Sector Risk. The Fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in an ETF that focuses on investing in companies conducting business within a single sector. Companies in the same sector may be similarly affected by economic, regulatory, political or market events or conditions, which may make the Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that sector than a fund that has a more diversified portfolio.
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Technology Sector Risk. The Funds will invest in the securities of companies in the information technology sector, and therefore the performance of the Funds could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Market or economic factors impacting technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of a Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.
Underlying ETFs Risk. The Funds will incur higher and duplicative expenses when it invests in ETFs and other investment companies. By investing in another investment company, a Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company and bears its proportionate share of the fees and expenses of the other investment company. There is also the risk that a Fund may suffer losses due to the investment practices of the underlying funds as the Fund will be subject to substantially the same risks as those associated with the direct ownership of securities held by such investment companies. ETFs may be less liquid than other investments, and thus their share values more volatile than the values of the investments they hold. Investments in ETFs are also subject to the “ETF Risks” described above.
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION
Information about each Fund’s daily portfolio holdings will be available on the Funds’ website at www.mketf.com. A complete description of the Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Funds’ portfolio holdings is available in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
MANAGEMENT
Investment Adviser
Toroso Investments, LLC, located at 898 N. Broadway, Suite 2, Massapequa, New York 11758, is an SEC-registered investment adviser and a Delaware limited liability company. Toroso was founded in and has been managing investment companies since March 2012. Toroso is dedicated to understanding, researching and managing assets within the expanding ETF universe. As of October 31, 2022, Toroso had assets under management of approximately $5.6 billion and served as the investment adviser or sub-adviser for 68 registered funds.
Toroso serves as investment adviser to the Funds and has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement with the Trust, on behalf of the Funds (the “Advisory Agreement”). The Adviser provides oversight of the Sub-Adviser and review of the Sub-Adviser’s performance. The Adviser is also responsible for trading portfolio securities for the Funds, including selecting broker-dealers to execute purchase and sale transactions. The Adviser also arranges for sub-advisory, transfer agency, custody, fund administration, and all other related services necessary for the Funds to operate.
For the services provided to the Funds, the Funds pays the Adviser a unitary management fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate set forth in the table below based on each Fund’s average daily net assets.
Fund Name | Unitary Management Fee |
Meet Kevin Pricing Power ETF | 0.75% |
Meet Kevin Select ETF | 0.75% |
Meet Kevin Moderate ETF | 0.75% |
Under the Advisory Agreement, in exchange for a single unitary management fee from the Funds, the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses incurred by the Funds except for Excluded Expenses.
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Sub-Adviser
Plato’s Philosophy LLC, a registered investment adviser located at 8164 Platinum Street, Ventura, CA 93004, serves as investment sub-adviser to the Funds pursuant to a sub-advisory agreement between the Adviser and Sub-Adviser (the “Sub-Advisory Agreement”). The Sub-Adviser is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds’ portfolios, including determining the securities purchased and sold by the Funds, subject to the supervision of the Adviser and the Board. The Sub-Adviser may be responsible for trading portfolio securities for the Funds, including selecting broker-dealers to execute purchase and sale transactions, however, trading is currently being effected by the Adviser. For its services, the Sub-Adviser is paid a fee by the Adviser, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate set forth in the table below based on each Fund’s average daily net assets.
Fund Name | Sub-Advisory Fee |
The Meet Kevin Pricing Power ETF | 0.02% |
The Meet Kevin Select ETF | 0.02% |
The Meet Kevin Moderate ETF | 0.02% |
The Sub-Adviser has agreed to assume the Adviser’s obligation to pay all expenses incurred by the Funds, except for Excluded Expenses. Such expenses incurred by the Funds and paid by the Sub-Adviser include fees charged by Tidal ETF Services, LLC, the Funds’ administrator and an affiliate of the Adviser. See the section of the SAI titled “Administrator” for additional information about the Funds’ administrator. In addition to its sub-advisory fee, the Sub-Adviser may receive from the Adviser, in certain circumstances, a portion of the Adviser’s management fee in recognition of the risk it assumes in incurring the obligation to pay fund expenses as described above.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Funds’ Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement will be available in the Funds’ first annual or semi-annual report to shareholders.
Portfolio Managers
The following individuals (each, a “Portfolio Manager”) have served as portfolio managers of the Funds since their inception in 2022. Mr. Kevin Paffrath is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds, and Messrs. Venuto and Ragauss oversee trading and execution for the Funds.
Kevin Paffrath, Chief Executive Officer for the Sub-Adviser
Mr. Paffrath is a founder and has been the CEO of the Sub-Adviser since 2022. He became a real estate broker in 2013 and founded a real estate brokerage firm, The Paffrath Organization. Through his real estate dealings, he has developed a strong understanding of the Federal Reserve and earnings reports. Since 2018, Mr. Paffrath has been sharing his knowledge via YouTube and other online platforms. He has a BA in Political Science from UCLA with additional studies in economics, real estate, and accounting. He graduated in 2014.
Michael Venuto, Chief Investment Officer for the Adviser
Mr. Venuto is a co-founder and has been the Chief Investment Officer of the Adviser since 2012. Mr. Venuto is an ETF industry veteran with over a decade of experience in the design and implementation of ETF-based investment strategies. Previously, he was Head of Investments at Global X Funds where he provided portfolio optimization services to institutional clients. Before that, he was Senior Vice President at Horizon Kinetics where his responsibilities included new business development, investment strategy and client and strategic initiatives.
Charles A. Ragauss, CFA, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser
Mr. Ragauss serves as Portfolio Manager at the Adviser, having joined the Adviser in September 2020. Mr. Ragauss previously served as Chief Operating Officer and in other roles at CSat Investment Advisory, L.P., from April 2016 to September 2020. Previously, Mr. Ragauss was Assistant Vice President at Huntington National Bank (“Huntington”), where he was Product Manager for the Huntington Funds and Huntington Strategy Shares ETFs, a combined fund complex of almost $4 billion in assets under management. At Huntington, he led ETF development bringing to market some of the first actively managed ETFs. Mr. Ragauss joined Huntington in 2010. Mr. Ragauss attended Grand Valley State University where he received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and International Business, as well as a minor in French. He is a member of both the National and West Michigan CFA societies and holds the CFA designation.
CFA® is a registered trademark owned by the CFA Institute.
The Funds’ SAI provides additional information about each Portfolio Manager’s compensation structure, other accounts that each Portfolio Manager manages, and each Portfolio Manager’s ownership of Shares.
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HOW TO BUY AND SELL SHARES
Each Fund issues and redeems Shares only in Creation Units at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of an order from an AP. Only APs may acquire Shares directly from the Funds, and only APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to the Funds, at NAV. APs must be a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC and must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor (defined below), and that has been accepted by the Funds’ transfer agent, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Once created, Shares trade in the secondary market in quantities less than a Creation Unit.
Most investors buy and sell Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Individual Shares are listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded securities.
When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offer price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. In addition, because secondary market transactions occur at market prices, you may pay more than NAV when you buy Shares, and receive less than NAV when you sell those Shares.
Book Entry
Shares are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding Shares.
Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares. DTC’s participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” through your brokerage account.
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Shares
The Funds impose no restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of Shares. In determining not to approve a written, established policy, the Board evaluated the risks of market timing activities by Fund shareholders. Purchases and redemptions by APs, who are the only parties that may purchase or redeem Shares directly with the Funds, are an essential part of the ETF process and help keep Share trading prices in line with the NAV. As such, the Funds accommodate frequent purchases and redemptions by APs. However, the Board has also determined that frequent purchases and redemptions for cash may increase tracking error and portfolio transaction costs and may lead to the realization of capital gains. To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions, the Funds employs fair value pricing and may impose transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Funds in effecting trades. In addition, the Funds and the Adviser reserve the right to reject any purchase order at any time.
Determination of Net Asset Value
Each Fund’s NAV is calculated as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, each day the NYSE is open for business. The NAV for each Fund is calculated by dividing the Fund’s net assets by its Shares outstanding.
In calculating its NAV, each Fund generally values its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments. If such information is not available for a security held by a Fund or is determined to be unreliable, the security will be valued at fair value estimates under guidelines established by the Adviser (as described below).
Fair Value Pricing
The Board has designated the Adviser as the “valuation designee” for the Funds under Rule 2a-5 of the 1940 Act, subject to its oversight. The Adviser has adopted procedures and methodologies to fair value Fund investments whose market prices are not “readily available” or are deemed to be unreliable. For example, such circumstances may arise when: (i) an investment has been delisted or has had its trading halted or suspended; (ii) an investment’s primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; (iii) an investment’s primary trading market is closed during regular market hours; or (iv) an investment’s value is materially affected by events occurring after the close of the investment’s primary trading market. Generally, when fair valuing an investment, the Adviser will take into account all reasonably available information that may be relevant to a particular valuation including, but not limited to, fundamental analytical data regarding the issuer, information relating to the issuer’s business, recent trades or offers of the investment, general and/or specific market conditions, and the specific facts giving rise to the need to fair value the investment. Fair value determinations are made in good faith and in accordance with the fair value methodologies included in the Adviser-adopted valuation procedures. Due to the subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, there can be no assurance that the Adviser will be able to obtain the fair value assigned to the investment upon the sale of such investment.
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Investments by Other Registered Investment Companies in the Funds
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by registered investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including Shares. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Funds beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive rule under the 1940 Act, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Funds.
Delivery of Shareholder Documents – Householding
Householding is an option available to certain investors of the Funds. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Householding for the Funds is available through certain broker-dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS, AND TAXES
Dividends and Distributions
Each Fund intends to pay out dividends and interest income, if any, annually, and distribute any net realized capital gains to its shareholders at least annually. The Funds will declare and pay income and capital gain distributions, if any, in cash. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.
Taxes
The following discussion is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Funds. Your investment in the Funds may have other tax implications. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.
Each Fund intends to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. If it meets certain minimum distribution requirements, a RIC is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, a Fund’s failure to qualify as a RIC or to meet minimum distribution requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.
Unless your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA plan, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when a Fund makes distributions, when you sell your Shares listed on the Exchange, and when you purchase or redeem Creation Units (institutional investors only).
The following general discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences is based on provisions of the Code and the regulations issued thereunder as in effect on the date of this Prospectus. New legislation, as well as administrative changes or court decisions, may significantly change the conclusions expressed herein, and may have a retroactive effect with respect to the transactions contemplated herein.
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Taxes on Distributions
For federal income tax purposes, distributions of net investment income are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income or qualified dividend income. Taxes on distributions of net capital gains (if any) are determined by how long a Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned their Shares. Sales of assets held by a Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by the Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions of a Fund’s net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that are reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable as long-term capital gains to shareholders. Distributions of short-term capital gain will generally be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. Dividends and distributions are generally taxable to you whether you receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional Shares.
Distributions reported by a Fund as “qualified dividend income” are generally taxed to non-corporate shareholders at rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided certain holding period and other requirements are met. “Qualified dividend income” generally is income derived from dividends paid by U.S. corporations or certain foreign corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession or eligible for tax benefits under certain U.S. income tax treaties. In addition, dividends that a Fund receives in respect of stock of certain foreign corporations may be qualified dividend income if that stock is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market. Corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends-received deduction for the portion of dividends they receive from a Fund that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from U.S. corporations, subject to certain limitations.
Shortly after the close of each calendar year, you will be informed of the character of any distributions received from the Funds.
In addition to the federal income tax, certain individuals, trusts, and estates may be subject to a Net Investment Income (“NII”) tax of 3.8%. The NII tax is imposed on the lesser of: (i) a taxpayer’s investment income, net of deductions properly allocable to such income; or (ii) the amount by which such taxpayer’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds certain thresholds ($250,000 for married individuals filing jointly, $200,000 for unmarried individuals and $125,000 for married individuals filing separately). Each Fund’s distributions are includable in a shareholder’s investment income for purposes of this NII tax. In addition, any capital gain realized by a shareholder upon a sale or redemption of Fund shares is includable in such shareholder’s investment income for purposes of this NII tax.
In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year. Distributions are generally taxable to you even if they are paid from income or gains earned by a Fund before your investment (and thus were included in the Shares’ NAV when you purchased your Shares).
You may wish to avoid investing in the Funds shortly before a dividend or other distribution, because such a distribution will generally be taxable to you even though it may economically represent a return of a portion of your investment.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a foreign entity, distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) paid to you by the Funds will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless a lower treaty rate applies. The Funds may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met.
Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), the Funds may be required to withhold a generally nonrefundable 30% tax on distributions of net investment income paid to (A) certain “foreign financial institutions” unless such foreign financial institution agrees to verify, monitor, and report to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) the identity of certain of its account-holders, among other items (or unless such entity is otherwise deemed compliant under the terms of an intergovernmental agreement between the United States and the foreign financial institution’s country of residence), and (B) certain “non-financial foreign entities” unless such entity certifies to the Fund that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or provides the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner, among other items. This FATCA withholding tax could also affect a Fund’s return on its investments in foreign securities or affect a shareholder’s return if the shareholder holds its Fund shares through a foreign intermediary. You are urged to consult your tax adviser regarding the application of this FATCA withholding tax to your investment in a Fund and the potential certification, compliance, due diligence, reporting, and withholding obligations to which you may become subject in order to avoid this withholding tax.
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The Funds (or a financial intermediary, such as a broker, through which a shareholder owns Shares) generally are required to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has underreported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that they are not subject to such withholding.
Taxes When Shares are Sold on the Exchange
Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Shares generally is treated as a long-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for one year or less. However, any capital loss on a sale of Shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of Capital Gain Dividends paid with respect to such Shares. Any loss realized on a sale will be disallowed to the extent Shares are acquired, including through reinvestment of dividends, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the sale of substantially identical Shares.
Taxes on Purchases and Redemptions of Creation Units
An AP having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally recognizes a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the exchanging AP’s aggregate basis in the securities delivered plus the amount of any cash paid for the Creation Units. An AP who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanging AP’s basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the securities received, plus any cash received for such Creation Units. The IRS may assert, however, that a loss that is realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units may not be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales” (for an AP who does not mark-to-market their holdings) or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Persons exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.
Any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if Shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if such Shares have been held for one year or less.
The Funds may include a payment of cash in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities upon the redemption of Creation Units. The Funds may sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause a Fund to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Funds may be less tax efficient if they include such a cash payment in the proceeds paid upon the redemption of Creation Units.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Funds. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to foreign, state, and local tax on Fund distributions and sales of Shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Shares under all applicable tax laws. For more information, please see the section entitled “Federal Income Taxes” in the SAI.
DISTRIBUTION
Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”), the Funds’ distributor, is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC. The Distributor distributes Creation Units for the Funds on an agency basis and does not maintain a secondary market in Shares. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Funds or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Funds. The Distributor’s principal address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.
The Board has adopted a Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Plan, each Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year to pay distribution fees for the sale and distribution of its Shares.
No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Funds, and there are no plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because the fees are paid out of Fund assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
PREMIUM/DISCOUNT INFORMATION
When available, information regarding how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Funds can be found on the Funds’ website at www.mketf.com.
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ADDITIONAL NOTICES
Shares are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by the Exchange. The Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated in the determination of, the timing, prices, or quantities of Shares to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which Shares are redeemable. The Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of Shares in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of Shares.
Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Exchange have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.
The Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, and the Funds make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Shares or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Funds particularly.
The Second Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (“Declaration of Trust”) provides a detailed process for the bringing of derivative or direct actions by shareholders in order to permit legitimate inquiries and claims while avoiding the time, expense, distraction, and other harm that can be caused to a Fund or its shareholders as a result of spurious shareholder demands and derivative actions. Prior to bringing a derivative action, a demand by three unrelated shareholders must first be made on a Fund’s Trustees. The Declaration of Trust details various information, certifications, undertakings and acknowledgments that must be included in the demand. Following receipt of the demand, the trustees have a period of 90 days, which may be extended by an additional 60 days, to consider the demand. If a majority of the Trustees who are considered independent for the purposes of considering the demand determine that maintaining the suit would not be in the best interests of the Funds, the Trustees are required to reject the demand and the complaining shareholders may not proceed with the derivative action unless the shareholders are able to sustain the burden of proof to a court that the decision of the Trustees not to pursue the requested action was not a good faith exercise of their business judgment on behalf of the Funds. The Declaration of Trust further provides that shareholders owning Shares representing no less than a majority of a Fund’s outstanding shares must join in bringing the derivative action. If a demand is rejected, the complaining shareholders will be responsible for the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Funds in connection with the consideration of the demand, if a court determines that the demand was made without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose. If a derivative action is brought in violation of the Declaration of Trust, the shareholders bringing the action may be responsible for the Funds’ costs, including attorneys’ fees, if a court determines that the action was brought without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose. The Declaration of Trust provides that no shareholder may bring a direct action claiming injury as a shareholder of the Trust, or any Fund, where the matters alleged (if true) would give rise to a claim by the Trust or by the Trust on behalf of a Fund, unless the shareholder has suffered an injury distinct from that suffered by the shareholders of the Trust, or the Funds, generally. Under the Declaration of Trust, a shareholder bringing a direct claim must be a shareholder of the Funds with respect to which the direct action is brought at the time of the injury complained of or have acquired the shares afterwards by operation of law from a person who was a shareholder at that time. The Declaration of Trust further provides that a Fund shall be responsible for payment of attorneys’ fees and legal expenses incurred by a complaining shareholder only if required by law, and any attorneys’ fees that the Funds are obligated to pay shall be calculated using reasonable hourly rates. These provisions do not apply to claims brought under the federal securities laws.
The Declaration of Trust also requires that actions by shareholders against a Fund be brought exclusively in a federal or state court located within the State of Delaware. This provision will not apply to claims brought under the federal securities laws. Limiting shareholders’ ability to bring actions only in courts located in Delaware may cause shareholders economic hardship to litigate the action in those courts, including paying for traveling expenses of witnesses and counsel, requiring retaining local counsel, and may limit shareholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that shareholders find favorable for disputes, which may discourage such actions.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
This section would ordinarily include Financial Highlights. The Financial Highlights table is intended to help you understand each Fund’s performance for its periods of operations. Because the Funds have not yet commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, no Financial Highlights are shown.
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The Meet Kevin Pricing Power ETF
The Meet Kevin Select ETF
The Meet Kevin Moderate ETF
Adviser |
Toroso Investments, LLC 898 N. Broadway, Suite 2 Massapequa, New York 11758 |
Administrator |
Tidal ETF Services LLC 234
West Florida Street, Suite 203, |
Sub-Adviser |
Plato’s Philosophy LLC 8164 Platinum Street Ventura, CA 93004 |
Sub-Administrator, Fund Accountant, and Transfer Agent |
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services 615 East Michigan Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 |
Distributor |
Foreside Fund Services, LLC Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100 Portland, Maine 04101 |
Custodian |
U.S. Bank National Association 1555 N. Rivercenter Dr. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212 |
Legal Counsel | Sullivan
& Worcester LLP 1633 Broadway New York, NY 10019 |
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | BBD,
LLP 1835 Market Street, 3rd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103 |
Statement of Additional Information: The Funds’ SAI provides additional details about the investments of the Funds and certain other additional information. A current SAI dated November 14, 2022, as supplemented from time to time, is on file with the SEC and is herein incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. It is legally considered a part of this Prospectus.
Annual/Semi-Annual Reports: Additional information about the Funds’ investments will be available in the Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Funds’ performance after the first fiscal year the Funds are in operation.
When available, you can obtain free copies of these documents, request other information or make general inquiries about the Funds by contacting the Fund at The Meet Kevin ETFs, c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, P.O. Box 701, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-0701 or calling (833) 743-0080.
Shareholder reports, the Fund’s current Prospectus and SAI and other information about the Fund will be available:
● | Free of charge from the SEC’s EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov; or |
● | Free of charge from the Fund’s Internet website at www.mketf.com; or |
● | For a duplicating fee, by e-mail request to [email protected]. |
(SEC Investment Company Act File No. 811-23793)