PART B
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
DATED APRIL 28, 2023
FUND
CLASS A
SHARES
CLASS C
SHARES
INSTITUTIONAL
SHARES
SERVICE
SHARES
INVESTOR
SHARES
CLASS R
SHARES
CLASS R6
SHARES
CLASS P
SHARES
GOLDMAN SACHS
BALANCED STRATEGY
PORTFOLIO
GIPAX
GIPCX
GIPIX
GIPSX
GIPTX
GIPRX
GIPUX
GAOPX
GOLDMAN SACHS
GROWTH AND INCOME
STRATEGY PORTFOLIO
GOIAX
GOICX
GOIIX
GOISX
GPITX
GPIRX
GOIUX
GGSPX
GOLDMAN SACHS
GROWTH STRATEGY
PORTFOLIO
GGSAX
GGSCX
GGSIX
GGSSX
GGSTX
GGSRX
GGSUX
GGPPX
GOLDMAN SACHS
SATELLITE
STRATEGIES
PORTFOLIO
GXSAX
GXSCX
GXSIX
GXSSX
GXSTX
GXSRX
GXSUX
GMFPX
(Fund of Funds Portfolios of Goldman Sachs Trust)
71 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
This Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”) is not a prospectus. This SAI should be read in conjunction with the Prospectuses for the Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Growth Strategy Portfolio and Goldman Sachs Satellite Strategies Portfolio (collectively, the “Funds” and each individually, a “Fund”) dated April 28, 2023, as it may be amended and/or supplemented from time to time (the “Prospectuses”). The Prospectuses may be obtained without charge from Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC by calling the telephone numbers or writing to one of the addresses listed below; or from institutions (“Intermediaries”) acting on behalf of their customers
The audited financial statements and related report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent registered public accounting firm for each Fund, contained in the Funds’ 2022 Annual Report are incorporated herein by reference in the section titled “FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.” No other portions of Fund's Semi-Annual or Annual Report are incorporated by reference herein. The Funds’ Semi-Annual or Annual Report may be obtained upon request and without charge by calling Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC toll-free at 1-800-526-7384 (for Class A, Class C, Class R and Investor Shareholders) or 1-800-621-2550 (for Class R6, Institutional, Service and Class P Shareholders).
GSAM® is a registered service mark of Goldman Sachs & Co LLC.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
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1-C

GOLDMAN SACHS ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P.
Investment Adviser
200 West Street
New York, New York 10282
GOLDMAN SACHS & CO. LLC
Distributor
200 West Street
New York, New York 10282
GOLDMAN SACHS & CO. LLC
Transfer Agent
P.O. Box 806395
Chicago, Illinois 60680-4125
Toll-free (in U.S.)
at 1-800-621-2550 (for Class R6, Institutional, Service and Class P Shareholders) or 1-800-526-7384 (for Class A, Class C, Class R, and Investor Shareholders).
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INTRODUCTION
Goldman Sachs Trust (the “Trust”) is an open-end management investment company. The Trust is organized as a Delaware statutory trust and was established by a Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997. The following series of the Trust are described in this SAI: Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio (“Balanced Strategy Portfolio”), Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Strategy Portfolio (“Growth and Income Strategy Portfolio”), Goldman Sachs Growth Strategy Portfolio (“Growth Strategy Portfolio”) and Goldman Sachs Satellite Strategies Portfolio (“Satellite Strategies Portfolio”) (each, also a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”). The Trustees of the Trust have authority under the Declaration of Trust to create and classify shares into separate series and to classify and reclassify any series or portfolio of shares into one or more classes without further action by shareholders. Pursuant thereto, the Trustees have created the Funds and other series. Additional series and classes may be added in the future from time to time. The Balanced Strategy Portfolio, Growth and Income Strategy Portfolio, Growth Strategy Portfolio and Satellite Strategies Portfolio currently offer eight classes of shares: Class A Shares, Class C Shares, Institutional Shares, Service Shares, Investor Shares, Class R Shares, Class R6 Shares and Class P Shares. See “SHARES OF THE TRUST.”
Each Fund is a separately managed, diversified series of an open-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”), with its own investment objective and policies. Each Fund has been constructed as a “fund of funds,” which means that it pursues its investment objective primarily by allocating its investments among other investment portfolios of the Goldman Sachs Fund Complex.
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“GSAM” or the “Investment Adviser”), an affiliate of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“Goldman Sachs”), serves as investment adviser to each Fund. In addition, Goldman Sachs serves as each Fund’s distributor (the “Distributor”) and transfer agent (the “Transfer Agent”). Each Fund’s custodian is State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”).
The following information relates to and supplements the description of each Fund’s investment policies contained in the Prospectuses. See the Prospectuses for a more complete description of the Funds’ investment objectives and policies. Investing in the Funds entails certain risks and there is no assurance that a Fund will achieve its objective. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the same meaning as in the Prospectuses.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES
Each Fund has a distinct investment objective and policies. There can be no assurance that a Fund’s investment objective will be achieved. The investment objective and policies of each Fund, and the associated risks of each Fund are discussed in the Funds’ Prospectuses, which should be read carefully before an investment is made. All investment objectives and investment policies not specifically designated as fundamental may be changed without shareholder approval.
Each of the Funds seeks to achieve its objective by investing in a combination of underlying funds that currently exist or that may become available for investment in the future for which GSAM or an affiliate now or in the future acts as investment adviser without considering or canvassing the universe of unaffiliated investment companies available, and may also invest in unaffiliated exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). These Underlying Funds currently include the: Small Cap Equity Insights Fund, Large Cap Growth Insights Fund, Large Cap Value Insights Fund, International Equity Insights Fund, Emerging Markets Equity Fund, Real Estate Securities Fund, Global Real Estate Securities Fund, Global Infrastructure Fund, Emerging Markets Equity Insights Fund, International Small Cap Insights Fund and Energy Infrastructure Fund (the “Underlying Equity Funds”); Financial Square Government Fund, Short Duration Government Fund, Core Fixed Income Fund, Global Core Fixed Income Fund, High Yield Fund, Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Local Emerging Markets Debt Fund, High Yield Floating Rate Fund, and Short Duration Bond Fund (the “Underlying Fixed Income Funds”); the Managed Futures Strategy Fund (the “Underlying Dynamic Fund”); MarketBeta® International Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF, MarketBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF, ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF, Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF and Access Treasury 0-1 Year ETF (the “Underlying ETFs”). The value of the Underlying Funds’ investments and the net asset value (“NAV”) of the shares of both the Underlying Funds and the Funds will fluctuate with market, economic and, to the extent applicable, foreign exchange conditions, so that an investment in any of the Funds may be worth more or less when redeemed than when purchased.
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For each of the Funds (other than the Satellite Strategies Portfolio) the Investment Adviser’s Multi-Asset Solutions Group (“Multi-Asset Group”) applies a factor-based risk budgeting approach to develop a strategic allocation among the various asset classes. To establish a diversified strategic asset allocation, the Investment Adviser seeks to budget or allocate portfolio risk, as opposed to capital, across a set of asset allocation risk factors, including but not limited to, equity, interest rate, emerging markets, credit, momentum and active risk. The allocation process is done relative to the benchmark such that the sources of tracking error to the benchmark are relatively balanced across the asset allocation factors. The resulting strategic asset allocation is implemented using a range of bottom-up security selection strategies across equity, fixed income and dynamic asset classes which may utilize fundamental or quantitative investment techniques.
The strategic asset allocation is adjusted by the Investment Adviser as part of its tactical investment process in order to react to changes in the markets, the economic cycle and the macroeconomic environment. Each Fund’s positioning may therefore change over time based on these short- to medium-term market views on dislocations and attractive investment opportunities. These views may impact the relative weighting across asset classes, the allocation to geographies, sectors and industries, as well as the Funds’ duration and sensitivity to inflation. Market views may be developed from multiple sources, including the Investment Adviser’s fundamental analysis of the economy, the market cycle, asset class valuation, regulatory and policy action, and market technical or trading factors. By allocating across different factors, regions, investment styles and strategies, the Investment Adviser seeks to achieve a diversified, dynamic portfolio which offers consistent positive performance in excess of the benchmark.
The Investment Adviser’s Multi-Asset Group applies a factor-based risk budgeting approach to develop a strategic allocation across the satellite asset classes included in the Satellite Strategies Portfolio. In contrast to traditional equity and fixed income selection strategies which focus on individual stocks and bonds, the model focuses on broad asset classes, such as emerging markets, high yield and real assets. To establish a diversified strategic asset allocation, the Investment Adviser seeks to budget or allocate portfolio risk, as opposed to capital, across a set of asset allocation risk factors, including but not limited to, equity, interest rate, emerging markets, credit, momentum and active risk. The Investment Adviser employs a proprietary asset allocation process and other techniques to deliver what it believes is the best strategic allocation in the Satellite Strategies Portfolio.
From time to time, the Investment Adviser will monitor, and may make changes to, the selection or weight of Underlying Funds, individual or groups of securities, currencies or markets in a Fund. Such changes (which may be the result of changes in the models, the asset allocation techniques, the manner of applying those models and techniques or the judgment of the Investment Adviser) may include: (i) evolutionary changes to the structure of the models and/or the asset allocation techniques (e.g., the addition of new factors or a new means of weighting the factors, increasing or decreasing investment in certain Underlying Funds); (ii) changes in trading procedures (e.g., trading frequency); or (iii) changes to the weight of Underlying Funds, individual or groups of securities, currencies or markets based on the Investment Adviser’s judgment. Any such changes will preserve a Fund’s basic investment philosophy of combining qualitative and quantitative methods of selecting investments using a disciplined investment process. Similarly, with respect to those Underlying Funds that are managed pursuant to a quantitative methodology, the Investment Adviser will monitor and may make changes to the selection or weight of individual or groups of securities, currencies, or markets in those Underlying Funds, including changes resulting from changes in the quantitative methodology, the manner of applying the quantitative methodology, changes in trading procedure, or the judgment of the Investment Adviser. For more information, please consult the relevant Underlying Fund’s SAI.
The Managed Futures Strategy Fund may pursue its investment objective by investing up to 25% of its total assets in a wholly-owned subsidiary organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Subsidiary”). The Subsidiary is advised by GSAM and is generally subject to the same fundamental, non-fundamental and certain other investment restrictions as the Managed Futures Strategy Fund; however, the Subsidiary (unlike the Managed Futures Strategy Fund) is permitted to invest without limitation in commodity index-linked securities and other commodity-linked securities and derivative instruments. Each Underlying Fund and its respective subsidiary test for compliance with certain investment restrictions on a consolidated basis, except that with respect to its investments in certain securities that may involve leverage, each subsidiary complies with requirements to identify cash or liquid assets on its books to the same extent as the Funds. By investing in the Subsidiary, each Underlying Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary’s investments. The derivatives and other investments held by the Subsidiary are subject to the same risks that would apply to similar investments if held directly by the Underlying Funds. See below “DESCRIPTION OF INVESTMENT SECURITIES AND PRACTICES—Investments in the Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries” for a more detailed discussion of the Subsidiaries.
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The Investment Adviser is subject to registration and regulation as a “commodity pool operator” (“CPO”) under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) with respect to its service as investment adviser to the Funds (other than the Satellite Strategies Portfolio). The Investment Adviser, on behalf of the Satellite Strategies Portfolio, has filed a notice of eligibility claiming an exclusion from the definition of the term CPO under the CEA and therefore is not subject to registration or regulation as a CPO under the CEA with respect to that Fund.
The following descriptions provide additional information regarding the Underlying Funds and the types of investments that the Underlying Funds may make, and supplement the information in the Funds’ Prospectuses.
Description of Underlying Funds
International Equity Insights Fund
Objective. The International Equity Insights Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) ("Net Assets") in a broadly diversified portfolio of equity investments in non-U.S. issuers.
The portfolio management team uses two distinct strategies—a bottom-up stock selection strategy and a top-down country/currency selection strategy—to manage the Underlying Fund.
The Underlying Fund intends to have investments economically tied to at least three countries not including the United States and may invest in the securities economically tied to emerging market countries. The Underlying Fund seeks broad representation of large-cap and mid-cap issuers across major countries and sectors of the international economy, with some exposure to small-cap issuers.
The Underlying Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock and country/currency selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Underlying Fund’s investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Fundamental Mispricings, High Quality Business Models, Sentiment Analysis and Market Themes & Trends. Fundamental Mispricings seeks to identify high-quality businesses trading at a fair price, which the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser believes leads to strong performance over the long-run. High Quality Business Models seeks to identify companies that are generating high-quality revenues with sustainable business models and aligned management incentives. Sentiment Analysis seeks to identify stocks experiencing improvements in their overall market sentiment. Market Themes and Trends seeks to identify companies positively positioned to benefit from themes and trends in the market and macroeconomic environment. As a part of the Investment Adviser’s investment selection process, the Investment Adviser utilizes proprietary models that assess a wide range of indicators, which may include certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) indicators. No one indicator, risk or consideration is determinative in the investment selection process. The Underlying Fund may make investment decisions that deviate from those generated by the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser’s proprietary models, at the discretion of the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser. In addition, the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser’s proprietary research.
Other. The Underlying Fund may also invest in fixed income securities that are considered to be cash equivalents.
Emerging Markets Equity Fund
Objective. The Emerging Markets Equity Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a diversified portfolio of equity investments in emerging country issuers. Such equity investments may include ETFs, futures and other
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instruments with similar economic exposures. The Underlying Fund’s investment adviser may consider classifications by the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the United Nations (and its agencies) or the Underlying Fund’s benchmark index provider in determining whether a country is emerging or developed. Emerging countries are generally located in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe and Central and South America.
Under normal circumstances, the Underlying Fund maintains investments in at least six emerging countries. Allocation of the Underlying Fund’s investments is determined by the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser’s assessment of a company’s upside potential and downside risk, how attractive it appears relative to other holdings, and how the addition will impact sector and industry weightings. The largest weightings in the Underlying Fund’s portfolio relative to the benchmark of the Underlying Fund are given to companies the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser believes have the most upside return potential relative to their contribution to overall portfolio risk. The Underlying Fund’s investments are selected using a strong valuation discipline to purchase what the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser believes are well-positioned, cash-generating businesses run by shareholder-oriented management teams.
Other. The Underlying Fund may invest in the aggregate up to 20% of its Net Assets in: (i) fixed income securities of private and government emerging country issuers; and (ii) equity and fixed income securities, such as government, corporate and bank debt obligations, of developed country issuers.
The Underlying Fund is “non-diversified” under the Act, and may invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than “diversified” mutual funds.
Real Estate Securities Fund
Objective. The Real Estate Securities Fund seeks total return comprised of long-term growth of capital and dividend income.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a portfolio of equity investments in issuers that are primarily engaged in or related to the real estate industry (“real estate industry companies”). An issuer is primarily engaged in or related to the real estate industry if it derives at least 50% of its gross revenues or net profits from the ownership, development, construction, financing, management or sale of commercial, industrial or residential real estate or interests therein. Real estate industry companies may include real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), REIT-like structures, or real estate operating companies whose businesses and services are related to the real estate industry.
The Underlying Fund’s investment strategy is based on the premise that property market fundamentals are the primary determinant of growth, underlying the success of companies in the real estate industry. The Underlying Fund’s investment adviser focuses on companies that can achieve sustainable growth in cash flow and dividend paying capability over time. The Underlying Fund’s investment adviser attempts to purchase securities so that its underlying portfolio will be diversified geographically and by property type. Although the Underlying Fund will invest primarily in publicly traded U.S. securities, it may invest up to 15% of its total assets in foreign securities, including securities quoted in foreign currencies.
Other. The Underlying Fund may also invest up to 20% of its total assets in fixed income investments, such as government, corporate and bank debt obligations and in other equity investments.
The Underlying Fund concentrates its investments in securities of issuers the real estate industry.
The Underlying Fund is “non-diversified” under the Act, and may invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than “diversified” mutual funds.
Global Real Estate Securities Fund
Objective. The Global Real Estate Securities Fund seeks total return comprised of long-term growth of capital and dividend income.
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Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a portfolio of equity investments in issuers that are primarily engaged in or related to the real estate industry (“real estate industry companies”) within and outside the United States. An issuer is primarily engaged in or related to the real estate industry if it derives at least 50% of its gross revenues or net profits from the ownership, development, construction, financing, management or sale of commercial, industrial or residential real estate or interests therein. Real estate industry companies may include REITs, REIT-like structures, or real estate operating companies whose businesses and services are related to the real estate industry.
The Underlying Fund’s investment strategy is based on the premise that property market fundamentals are the primary determinant of growth, underlying the success of companies in the real estate industry. The Underlying Fund’s investment adviser focuses on companies that can achieve sustainable growth in cash flow and dividend paying capability over time. The Underlying Fund’s investment adviser attempts to purchase securities so that its underlying portfolio will be varied geographically and by property type.
The Underlying Fund will invest in securities of real estate industry companies that are economically tied to at least three countries, including the United States. Although the Underlying Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, primarily in securities of real estate industry companies that are economically tied to the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada and Continental Europe, the Underlying Fund may invest in securities of real estate industry companies that are economically tied to countries with emerging markets or economies, including Central American, South American, African, Middle Eastern, and certain Asian and Eastern European countries.
The Underlying Fund may invest without restriction as to issuer capitalization, currency, maturity or credit rating. A portion of the Underlying Fund’s securities are denominated in foreign currencies and held outside the United States.
Other. The Underlying Fund may also invest up to 20% of its Net Assets (measured at the time of purchase) in issuers that are not real estate industry companies, or fixed income investments, such as government, corporate and bank debt obligations.
The Underlying Fund concentrates its investments in securities of issuers in the real estate industry.
Global Infrastructure Fund
Objective. The Global Infrastructure Fund seeks total return comprised of long-term growth of capital and income.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a portfolio of investments in issuers that are engaged in or related to the infrastructure group of industries (“infrastructure companies”). The Underlying Fund will invest primarily in the common stock of infrastructure companies.
An issuer is engaged in or related to the infrastructure group of industries if it is involved in the ownership, development, construction, renovation, financing, management, sale or operation of infrastructure assets, or that provide the services and raw materials necessary for the construction and maintenance of infrastructure assets. Infrastructure assets include, but are not limited to, utilities, energy, transportation, real estate, media, telecommunications and capital goods.
The Underlying Fund will invest in the securities of infrastructure companies that are economically tied to at least three countries, including the United States. Although the Underlying Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, primarily in the securities of infrastructure companies that are economically tied to developed countries (namely developed countries in North America and Europe), the Underlying Fund may also invest in the securities of infrastructure companies that are economically tied to countries with emerging markets or economies.
The Underlying Fund may invest without restriction as to issuer capitalization (including small- and mid-capitalization companies). A portion of the Underlying Fund’s securities are denominated in foreign currencies and held outside the United States.
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Other. The Underlying Fund may invest in REITs. The Underlying Fund may also invest up to 20% of its total assets measured at time of purchase (“Total Assets”) in master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) that are taxed as partnerships and up to 20% of its Net Assets (measured at time of purchase) in issuers that are not infrastructure companies.
ETFs that provide exposure to infrastructure companies and derivative instruments, such as futures, that have similar economic exposures to infrastructure companies will be counted towards the Underlying Fund’s 80% policy discussed above.
The Underlying Fund’s investment strategy combines bottom-up company analysis with fundamental real asset research. The Underlying Fund’s investment adviser may decide to sell a position for various reasons, including valuation and price considerations or for risk management purposes.
The Underlying Fund concentrates its investments in the securities of issuers in the infrastructure group of industries.
The Underlying Fund is “non-diversified” under the Act, and may invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than “diversified” mutual funds.
Emerging Markets Equity Insights Fund
Objective. The Emerging Markets Equity Insights Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a diversified portfolio of equity investments in emerging country issuers. Currently, emerging countries include, among others, Central and South American, African, Asian and Eastern European countries. Under normal circumstances the Underlying Fund maintains investments in at least six emerging countries.
The portfolio management team uses two distinct strategies—a bottom-up stock selection strategy and a top-down country/currency selection strategy—to manage the Underlying Fund. The Underlying Fund seeks broad representation of large-cap and mid-cap issuers across emerging countries with some exposure to small-cap issuers.
The Underlying Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock and country/currency selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Underlying Fund’s investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Fundamental Mispricings, High Quality Business Models, Sentiment Analysis and Market Themes & Trends. Fundamental Mispricings seeks to identify high-quality businesses trading at a fair price, which the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser believes leads to strong performance over the long-run. High Quality Business Models seeks to identify companies that are generating high-quality revenues with sustainable business models and aligned management incentives. Sentiment Analysis seeks to identify stocks experiencing improvements in their overall market sentiment. Market Themes and Trends seeks to identify companies positively positioned to benefit from themes and trends in the market and macroeconomic environment. As a part of the Investment Adviser’s investment selection process, the Investment Adviser utilizes proprietary models that assess a wide range of indicators, which may include certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) indicators. No one indicator, risk or consideration is determinative in the investment selection process. The Underlying Fund may make investment decisions that deviate from those generated by the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser’s proprietary models, at the discretion of the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser. In addition, the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser’s proprietary research.
Other. The Underlying Fund may invest in fixed income securities that are considered to be cash equivalents.
The Underlying Fund is “non-diversified” under the Act, and may invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than “diversified” mutual funds.
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International Small Cap Insights Fund
Objective. The International Small Cap Insights Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a broadly diversified portfolio of equity investments in small-cap non-U.S. issuers. Small-cap issuers will generally have public stock market capitalizations between $300 million and $10 billion. The Fund may also invest in securities outside of this capitalization range.
The Underlying Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Underlying Fund’s investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Fundamental Mispricings, High Quality Business Models, Sentiment Analysis and Market Themes & Trends. Fundamental Mispricings seeks to identify high-quality businesses trading at a fair price, which the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser believes leads to strong performance over the long-run. High Quality Business Models seeks to identify companies that are generating high-quality revenues with sustainable business models and aligned management incentives. Sentiment Analysis seeks to identify stocks experiencing improvements in their overall market sentiment. Market Themes and Trends seeks to identify companies positively positioned to benefit from themes and trends in the market and macroeconomic environment. As a part of the Investment Adviser’s investment selection process, the Investment Adviser utilizes proprietary models that assess a wide range of indicators, which may include certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) indicators. No one indicator, risk or consideration is determinative in the investment selection process. The Underlying Fund may make investment decisions that deviate from those generated by the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser’s proprietary models, at the discretion of the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser. In addition, the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser’s proprietary research.
Other. The Underlying Fund may also invest in the securities of issuers in emerging countries, and fixed income securities that are considered to be cash equivalents.
Energy Infrastructure Fund
Objective. The Goldman Sachs Energy Infrastructure Fund (the “Fund”) seeks total return through current income and capital appreciation.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) in U.S. and non-U.S. equity or fixed income securities issued by energy infrastructure companies, including master limited partnerships and “C” corporations (“C-Corps”). The Fund’s investments in MLPs will not exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets as measured at the time of purchase. The Fund intends to concentrate its investments in the energy sector.
The Underlying Fund’s investments in energy infrastructure companies include U.S. and non-U.S. issuers that: (i) are classified by a third party as operating within the oil and gas storage and transportation sub-industries; (ii) are part of the Underlying Fund’s stated benchmark; or (iii) have at least 50% of their assets, income, sales or profits committed to, or derived from, traditional or alternative midstream (energy infrastructure) businesses, which include businesses that are engaged in the treatment, gathering, compression, processing, transportation, transmission, fractionation, storage, terminalling, wholesale marketing, liquefaction/regasification of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined products or ether energy sources as well as businesses engaged in owning, storing and transporting alternative energy sources, such as renewables (wind, solar, hydrogen, geothermal, biomass) and alternative fuels (ethanol, hydrogen, biodiesel).
The Underlying Fund’s MLP investments may include MLPs structured as limited partnerships (“LPs”) or limited liability companies (“LLCs”); MLPs that are taxed as C-Corps; institutional units (“I-Units”) issued by MLP affiliates; private investments in public equities (“PIPEs”) issued by MLPs; and other U.S. and non-U.S. equity and fixed income securities and derivative instruments, including pooled investment vehicles and exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”), that provide exposure to MLPs.
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The Underlying Fund may also invest up to 20% of its Net Assets in non-energy infrastructure investments, including equity and fixed income securities of U.S. and non-U.S. companies. Such investments may include issuers in the upstream and downstream sectors of the energy value chain. Upstream energy companies are primarily engaged in the exploration, recovery, development and production of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. Downstream energy companies are primarily engaged in the refining and retail distribution of natural gas liquids and crude oil.
The Underlying Fund’s investments may be of any credit quality, duration or capitalization size. The Underlying Fund may also invest in derivatives, including options, futures, forwards, swaps, options on swaps, structured securities and other derivative instruments. While the Fund may invest in derivatives for hedging purposes, the Underlying Fund generally does not intend to hedge its exposures. The Fund’s investments in derivatives, pooled investment vehicles, and other investments are counted towards the Fund’s 80% policy to the extent they have economic characteristics similar to the investments included within that policy. The Underlying Fund may also invest in privately held companies and companies that only recently began to trade publicly.
Financial Square Government Fund
Objective. The Financial Square Government Fund seeks to maximize current income to the extent consistent with the preservation of capital and the maintenance of liquidity by investing exclusively in high quality money market instruments.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund pursues its investment objective by investing only in “government securities,” as such term is defined in or interpreted under the Act, and repurchase agreements collateralized by such securities. “Government securities” generally are securities issued or guaranteed by the United States or certain U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities.
The Underlying Fund intends to be a “government money market fund,” as such term is defined in or interpreted under Rule 2a-7 under the Act. “Government money market funds” are money market funds that invest at least 99.5% of their total assets in cash, U.S. Government Securities, and/or repurchase agreements that are collateralized fully by cash or U.S. Government Securities. “Government money market funds” are exempt from requirements that permit money market funds to impose a “liquidity fee” and/or “redemption gate” that temporarily restricts redemptions. As a “government money market fund,” the Underlying Fund values its securities using the amortized cost method. The Underlying Fund seeks to maintain a stable NAV of $1.00 per share.
Under Rule 2a-7, the Underlying Fund may invest only in U.S. dollar-denominated securities that meet certain risk-limiting conditions relating to portfolio quality, maturity and liquidity.
Short Duration Government Fund
Objective. The Short Duration Government Fund seeks a high level of current income and secondarily, in seeking current income, may also consider the potential for capital appreciation.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises (“U.S. Government Securities”) and in repurchase agreements collateralized by such securities. Substantially all of the Underlying Fund’s Net Assets will be invested in U.S. Government Securities and instruments based on U.S. Government Securities. The Underlying Fund also intends to invest in derivatives, including (but not limited to) interest rate futures, options and interest rate swaps, which are used primarily to hedge the Underlying Fund’s portfolio risks, manage the Underlying Fund’s duration and/or gain exposure to certain fixed income securities. 100% of the Underlying Fund’s portfolio will be invested in U.S. dollar-denominated securities.
The Underlying Fund’s target duration range under normal interest rate conditions is expected to approximate that of the ICE BofAML Two-Year U.S. Treasury Note Index, plus or minus 1 year, and over the past five years ended June 30, 2022, the duration of this index has ranged between 1.73 and 2.00 years. “Duration” is a measure of a debt security’s price sensitivity to changes in interest rates. The longer the duration of the Underlying Fund (or an individual debt security), the more sensitive its market price to changes in interest rates. For example, if market interest rates increase by 1%, the market price of a debt security with a positive duration of 3 will generally decrease by approximately 3%. Conversely, a 1% decline in market interest rates will generally result in an increase of approximately 3% of that security’s market price.
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Other. The Underlying Fund may also seek to obtain exposure to fixed income investments through investments in affiliated or unaffiliated investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”).
Core Fixed Income Fund
Objective. The Core Fixed Income Fund seeks a total return consisting of capital appreciation and income.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in fixed income securities, including U.S. Government Securities, corporate debt securities, privately issued adjustable rate and fixed rate mortgage loans or other mortgage-related securities (“Mortgage-Backed Securities”) and asset-backed securities. The Underlying Fund may also invest in custodial receipts, fixed income securities issued by or on behalf of states, territories, and possessions of the United States (including the District of Columbia) (“Municipal Securities”) and convertible securities.
The Underlying Fund may also engage in forward foreign currency transactions for both hedging and non-hedging purposes. The Underlying Fund also intends to invest in derivatives, including (but not limited to) interest rate futures, interest rate swaps and credit default swaps, which are used primarily to hedge the Underlying Fund’s portfolio risks, manage the Underlying Fund’s duration and/or gain exposure to certain fixed income securities or indices.
The Underlying Fund may implement short positions and may do so by using swaps, options or futures, To Be Announced (“TBA”) Mortgage Backed Securities, or through short sales of any instrument that the Underlying Fund may purchase for investment. For example, the Underlying Fund may enter into a futures contract pursuant to which it agrees to sell an asset (that it does not currently own) at a specified price at a specified point in the future. This gives the Underlying Fund a short position with respect to that asset. The Underlying Fund may utilize short positions to implement macro views on securities valuations, long term views on relative value or short term views on security mispricings, as well as any other views the Underlying Fund’s Investment Adviser deems appropriate. For example, the Underlying Fund may buy a TBA Mortgage-Backed Security that the Underlying Fund’s Investment Adviser expects to outperform or that it believes to be undervalued, and may also sell short a TBA Mortgage-Backed Security that it believes will underperform. The Underlying Fund will benefit from a short position to the extent the asset decreases in value (and will be harmed to the extent the asset increases in value) between the time it enters into the futures contract and the agreed date of sale. Alternatively, the Underlying Fund may sell an instrument (e.g., a bond, or a futures contract) it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of the instrument, and then borrow the instrument to make delivery to the buyer. In these transactions, the Underlying Fund is obligated to replace the instrument borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at the time of replacement.
The Underlying Fund’s investments in non-U.S. dollar denominated obligations (hedged or unhedged against currency risk) will not exceed 25% of its Total Assets, and 10% of the Underlying Fund’s Total Assets may be invested in sovereign and corporate debt securities and other instruments of issuers in emerging market countries (“emerging countries debt”). Additionally, exposure to non-U.S. currencies (unhedged against currency risk) will not exceed 25% of the Underlying Fund’s Total Assets. In pursuing its investment objective, the Underlying Fund uses the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index as its performance benchmark, but the Underlying Fund will not attempt to replicate the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The Underlying Fund may, therefore, invest in securities that are not included in the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index.
The Underlying Fund may invest in fixed income securities rated at least BBB– or Baa3 at the time of purchase. Securities will either be rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) or, if unrated, determined by the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser to be of comparable credit quality.
The Underlying Fund’s target duration range under normal interest rate conditions is expected to approximate that of the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index plus or minus one year, and over the last five years ended June 30, 2022, the duration of the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index has ranged between 5.69 and 6.78 years. “Duration” is a measure of a debt security’s price sensitivity to changes in interest rates. The longer the duration of the Underlying Fund (or an individual debt security), the more sensitive its market price to changes in interest rates. For example, if market interest rates increase by 1%, the market price of a debt security with a positive duration of 3 will generally decrease by approximately 3%. Conversely, a 1% decline in market interest rates will generally result in an increase of approximately 3% of that security’s market price.
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“Core” in the Underlying Fund’s name means that the Underlying Fund focuses its investments in intermediate and long-term investment grade bonds.
Other. The Underlying Fund may also seek to obtain exposure to fixed income investments through investments in affiliated or unaffiliated investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”).
Goldman Sachs Global Core Fixed Income Fund
Objective. The Global Core Fixed Income Fund seeks a total return consisting of capital appreciation and income.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a portfolio of fixed income securities of U.S. and foreign issuers. Foreign securities include securities of issuers located outside the U.S. or securities quoted or denominated in a currency other than the U.S. dollar. The Underlying Fund also enters into transactions in foreign currencies, typically through the use of forward contracts and swap contracts. The Underlying Fund may also engage in forward foreign currency transactions for both hedging and non-hedging purposes. The Underlying Fund also intends to invest in derivatives, including (but not limited to) forwards, interest rate futures, interest rate swaps and credit default swaps, which are used primarily to hedge the Underlying Fund’s portfolio risks, manage the Underlying Fund’s duration and/or gain exposure to certain fixed income securities or indices. Under normal market conditions, the Underlying Fund will:
•  Have at least 30% of its Net Assets, after considering the effect of currency positions, denominated in U.S. dollars
•  Have investments economically tied to at least three countries, including the United States
•  Seek to meet its investment objective by pursuing investment opportunities in foreign and domestic fixed income securities markets and by engaging in currency transactions to seek to enhance returns and to seek to hedge its portfolio against currency exchange rate fluctuations
The Underlying Fund may invest more than 25% of its total assets in the securities of corporate and governmental issuers economically tied to each of Canada, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom as well as in the securities of U.S. issuers. Not more than 25% of the Underlying Fund’s total assets will be invested in securities of issuers in any other single foreign country. The Underlying Fund may also invest in sovereign and corporate debt securities and other instruments of issuers in emerging market countries (“emerging countries debt”) up to the weight of emerging countries debt in the Underling Fund’s benchmark index plus 10% of its Total Assets.
The fixed income securities in which the Underlying Fund may invest include:
•  U.S. Government Securities and custodial receipts therefor
•  Securities issued or guaranteed by a foreign government or any of its political subdivisions, authorities, agencies, instrumentalities or by supranational entities
•  Corporate debt securities
•  Certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances issued or guaranteed by, or time deposits maintained at, U.S. or foreign banks (and their branches wherever located) having total assets of more than $1 billion
•  Commercial paper
•  Privately issued adjustable rate and fixed rate mortgage loans or other mortgage-related securities and asset-backed securities
The Underlying Fund may invest in fixed income securities rated at least BBB– or Baa3 at the time of purchase, and at least 25% of the Underlying Fund’s Total Assets will be invested in fixed income securities rated at least AAA or Aaa at the time of purchase. Securities will either be rated by an NRSRO or, if unrated, determined by the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser to be of comparable credit quality.
The Underlying Fund’s target duration range under normal interest rate conditions is expected to approximate that of the Bloomberg Global Aggregate Bond (Gross, USD, Hedged) Index, plus or minus 2.5 years, and over the last five years ended June 30, 2022, the duration of the index has ranged between 6.96 and 7.59 years. “Duration” is a measure of a debt security’s price sensitivity to changes in interest rates. The longer the duration of the Underlying Fund (or an individual debt security), the more sensitive its market price to changes in interest rates. For example, if market interest rates increase by 1%, the market price of a debt security with a positive duration of 3 will generally decrease by approximately 3%. Conversely, a 1% decline in market interest rates will generally
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result in an increase of approximately 3% of that security’s market price. Subject to the above, there are no limits on the length of remaining maturities of securities held by the Underlying Fund. The approximate interest rate sensitivity of the Underlying Fund is generally comparable to that of a 6 year bond.
Other. The Underlying Fund is “non-diversified” under the Act, and may invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than “diversified” mutual funds.
The Underlying Fund may also seek to obtain exposure to fixed income investments through investments in affiliated or unaffiliated investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”).
High Yield Fund
Objective. The High Yield Fund seeks a high level of current income and may also consider the potential for capital appreciation.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in high-yield, fixed income securities that, at the time of purchase, are non-investment grade securities. Non-investment grade securities are securities rated BB+, Ba1 or below by an NRSRO, or, if unrated, determined by the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser to be of comparable credit quality, and are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.” The Underlying Fund may invest in all types of fixed income securities, including loan participations.
The Underlying Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in obligations of domestic and foreign issuers which are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar and in securities of issuers located in emerging countries denominated in any currency. However, to the extent that the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser has entered into transactions that are intended to hedge the Underlying Fund’s position in a non-dollar denominated obligation against currency risk, such obligation will not be counted when calculating compliance with the 25% limitation on obligations in non-U.S. currency.
Under normal market conditions, the Underlying Fund may invest up to 20% of its Net Assets in investment grade fixed income securities, including U.S. Government Securities.
The Underlying Fund may invest in derivatives, including (i) credit default swap indices (or CDX) for hedging purposes or to seek to increase total return, and (ii) interest rate futures, forwards and swaps to manage the portfolio’s duration.
The Underlying Fund’s target duration range under normal interest rate conditions is expected to approximate that of the Bloomberg U.S. High-Yield 2% Issuer Capped Bond Index, plus or minus 2.5 years, depending on the Underlying Fund’s risk-adjusted positioning, and over the last five years ended June 30, 2022, the duration of this Index has ranged between 3.12 and 4.45 years. “Duration” is a measure of a debt security’s price sensitivity to changes in interest rates. The longer the duration of the Underlying Fund (or an individual debt security), the more sensitive its market price to changes in interest rates. For example, if market interest rates increase by 1%, the market price of a debt security with a positive duration of 3 will generally decrease by approximately 3%. Conversely, a 1% decline in market interest rates will generally result in an increase of approximately 3% of that security’s market price.
The Underlying Fund’s investments are selected using a bottom-up analysis that incorporates fundamental research, a focus on market conditions and pricing trends, quantitative research, and news or market events. As part of the Investment Adviser’s fundamental investment process, the Investment Adviser may integrate environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors alongside traditional fundamental factors. The selection of individual investments is based on the overall risk and return profile of the investment taking into account liquidity, structural complexity, cash flow uncertainty and downside potential. Research analysts and portfolio managers systematically assess portfolio positions, taking into consideration, among other factors, broader macroeconomic conditions and industry and company-specific financial performance and outlook. Based upon this analysis, the Investment Adviser will sell positions determined to be overvalued and reposition the portfolio in more attractive investment opportunities on a relative basis given the current climate. No one factor or consideration is determinative in the fundamental investment process.
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Other. The Underlying Fund may also seek to obtain exposure to fixed income investments through investments in affiliated or unaffiliated investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”).
Emerging Markets Debt Fund
Objective. The Emerging Markets Debt Fund seeks a high level of total return consisting of income and capital appreciation.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in sovereign and corporate debt securities and other instruments of issuers in emerging market countries. Such instruments may include credit linked notes and other investments with similar economic exposures.
The Underlying Fund’s portfolio managers seek to build a portfolio across the emerging markets debt market consistent with the Underlying Fund’s overall risk budget and the views of the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser’s Global Fixed Income top-down teams. As of the Investment Adviser’s fundamental investment process, the Investment Adviser may integrate environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors alongside traditional fundamental factors. No one factor or consideration is determinative in the fundamental investment process.
The Underlying Fund may invest in all types of foreign and emerging country fixed income securities, including the following:
•  Debt issued by governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, or by their central banks, including Brady Bonds;
•  Interests in structured securities;
•  Fixed and floating rate, senior and subordinated corporate debt obligations (such as bonds, debentures, notes and commercial paper);
•  Loan participations; and
•  Repurchase agreements with respect to the foregoing.
Foreign securities include securities of issuers located outside the U.S. or securities quoted or denominated in a currency other than the U.S. Dollar.
The Underlying Fund intends to use structured securities or derivatives, including but not limited to credit linked notes, financial future contracts, forward contracts and swap contracts to gain exposure to certain countries or currencies.
The Underlying Fund may invest in securities without regard to credit rating. The countries in which the Underlying Fund invests may have sovereign ratings that are below investment grade or are unrated. Moreover, to the extent the Underlying Fund invests in corporate or other privately issued debt obligations, many of the issuers of such obligations will be smaller companies with stock market capitalizations of $1 billion or less at the time of investment. Securities of these issuers may be rated below investment grade (so-called “high yield” or “junk” bonds) or unrated. Although a majority of the Underlying Fund’s assets may be denominated in U.S. Dollars, the Underlying Fund may invest in securities denominated in any currency and may be subject to the risk of adverse currency fluctuations.
For purposes of the Underlying Fund’s policy to invest at least 80% of its Net Assets in securities and instruments of issuers in “emerging market countries”, the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser generally expects a country to be an “emerging market country” if the country is identified as an “emerging market country” in any of the Underlying Fund’s benchmark indices. Such countries are likely to be located in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern and Central Europe and Central and South America. Sovereign debt consists of debt securities issued by governments or any of their agencies, political subdivisions or instrumentalities. Sovereign debt may also include nominal and real inflation-linked securities. An emerging market country issuer is an issuer economically tied to an emerging market country.
The Underlying Fund’s target duration range under normal interest rate conditions is expected to approximate that of the J.P. Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Index (EMBI) Global Diversified Index (Gross, USD, Unhedged), plus or minus 2 years, and over the last five years ended June 30, 2022, the duration of this Index has ranged between 6.39 and 8.26 years. “Duration” is a measure of a debt security’s price sensitivity to changes in interest rates. The longer the duration of the Underlying Fund (or an individual debt security), the more sensitive its market price to changes in interest rates. For example, if market interest rates increase by 1%, the
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market price of a debt security with a positive duration of 3 will generally decrease by approximately 3%. Conversely, a 1% decline in market interest rates will generally result in an increase of approximately 3% of that security’s market price.
Other. The Underlying Fund is “non-diversified” under the Act, and may invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than “diversified” mutual funds.
The Underlying Fund may also seek to obtain exposure to fixed income investments through investments in affiliated or unaffiliated investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”).
Local Emerging Markets Debt Fund
Objective. The Local Emerging Markets Debt Fund seeks a high level of total return consisting of income and capital appreciation.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in sovereign and corporate debt securities of issuers in emerging market countries, denominated in the local currency of such emerging market countries, and other instruments, including credit linked notes and other investments, with similar economic exposures.
The Underlying Fund’s portfolio managers seek to build a portfolio across the emerging markets debt market consistent with the Underlying Fund’s overall risk budget and the views of the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser’s Global Fixed Income top-down teams. As market conditions change, the volatility and attractiveness of sectors, securities and strategies can change as well. To optimize the Underlying Fund’s risk/return potential within its long-term risk budget, the portfolio managers may dynamically adjust the mix of top-down and bottom-up strategies in the Underlying Fund’s portfolio.
The Underlying Fund may invest in all types of foreign and emerging country fixed income securities, including the following:
•  Debt issued by governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, or by their central banks, including Brady Bonds;
•  Interests in structured securities;
•  Fixed and floating rate, senior and subordinated corporate debt obligations (such as bonds, debentures, notes and commercial paper);
•  Loan participations; and
•  Repurchase agreements with respect to the foregoing.
Foreign securities include securities of issuers located outside the U.S. or securities quoted or denominated in a currency other than the U.S. Dollar.
Currency investments, particularly longer-dated forward contracts, provide the Underlying Fund with economic exposure similar to investments in sovereign and corporate debt with respect to currency and interest rate exposure. The Underlying Fund’s investment adviser intends to use structured securities and derivative instruments to attempt to improve the performance of the Underlying Fund or to gain exposure to certain countries or currencies in the Underlying Fund’s investment portfolio in accordance with its investment objective, and the Underlying Fund’s investments in these instruments may be significant. These transactions may result in substantial realized and unrealized capital gains and losses relative to the gains and losses from the Underlying Fund’s investments in bonds and other securities.
The Underlying Fund may invest in securities without regard to credit rating. The countries in which the Underlying Fund invests may have sovereign ratings that are below investment grade or are unrated. Moreover, to the extent the Underlying Fund invests in corporate or other privately issued debt obligations, many of the issuers of such obligations will be smaller companies with stock market capitalizations of $1 billion or less at the time of investment. Securities of these issuers may be rated below investment grade (so-called “high yield” or “junk” bonds) or unrated. Although a majority of the Underlying Fund’s assets will be denominated in non-U.S. Dollars, the Underlying Fund may invest in securities denominated in the U.S. Dollar.
For purposes of the Underlying Fund’s policy to invest at least 80% of its Net Assets in securities and instruments of “emerging market country” issuers, the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser generally expects a country to be an “emerging market country” if
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the country is identified as an “emerging market country” in any of the Underlying Fund’s benchmark indices. Such countries are likely to be located in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern and Central Europe and Central and South America. Sovereign debt consists of debt securities issued by governments or any of their agencies, political subdivisions or instrumentalities, denominated in the local currency. Sovereign debt may also include nominal and real inflation-linked securities. An emerging market country issuer is an issuer economically tied to an emerging market country.
The Underlying Fund’s target duration range under normal interest rate conditions is expected to approximate that of the J.P. Morgan Government Bond Index—Emerging Markets (GBI-EMSM) Global Diversified Index (Gross, USD, Unhedged) plus or minus 2 years, and over the last five years ended June 30, 2022, the duration of this Index has ranged between 4.84 and 5.51 years. “Duration” is a measure of a debt security’s price sensitivity to changes in interest rates. The longer the duration of the Underlying Fund (or an individual debt security), the more sensitive its market price to changes in interest rates. For example, if market interest rates increase by 1%, the market price of a debt security with a positive duration of 3 years will generally decrease by approximately 3%. Conversely, a 1% decline in market interest rates will generally result in an increase of approximately 3% of that security’s market price.
Other. The Underlying Fund may invest in the aggregate up to 20% of its Net Assets in investments other than emerging country fixed income securities, currency investments and related derivatives, including (without limitation) equity securities and fixed income securities, such as government, corporate and bank debt obligations, of developed country issuers.
The Underlying Fund may also seek to obtain exposure to fixed income investments through investments in affiliated or unaffiliated investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”).
The Underlying Fund is “non-diversified” under the Act, and may invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than “diversified” mutual funds.
High Yield Floating Rate Fund
Objective. The High Yield Floating Rate Fund seeks a high level of current income.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in domestic or foreign floating rate loans and other floating or variable rate obligations rated below investment grade. Non-investment grade obligations are those rated BB+, Ba1 or below by an NRSRO, or, if unrated, determined by the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser to be of comparable credit quality, and are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.”
The Underlying Fund’s investments in floating and variable rate obligations may include, without limitation, senior secured loans (including assignments and participations), second lien loans, senior unsecured and subordinated loans, senior and subordinated corporate debt obligations (such as bonds, debentures, notes and commercial paper), debt issued by governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, and debt issued by central banks. The Underlying Fund may invest indirectly in loans by purchasing participations or sub-participations from financial institutions. Participations and sub-participations represent the right to receive a portion of the principal of, and all of the interest relating to such portion of, the applicable loan. The Underlying Fund expects to invest principally in the U.S. loan market and, to a lesser extent, in the European loan market. The Underlying Fund may also invest in other loan markets, although it does not currently intend to do so.
Under normal conditions, the Underlying Fund may invest up to 20% of its Net Assets in fixed income instruments, regardless of rating, including fixed rate corporate bonds, government bonds, convertible debt obligations, and mezzanine fixed income instruments. The Underlying Fund may also invest in floating or variable rate instruments that are rated investment grade and in preferred stock, repurchase agreements and cash securities.
The Underlying Fund may also invest in derivative instruments. Derivatives are instruments that have a value based on another instrument, exchange rate or index. The Underlying Fund’s investments in derivatives may include credit default swaps on credit and loan indices, forward contracts and total return swaps, among others. The Underlying Fund may use currency management techniques, such as forward foreign currency contracts, for hedging or non-hedging purposes. The Underlying Fund may invest in
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interest rate futures and swaps to manage the portfolio’s duration. Derivatives that provide exposure to floating or variable rate loans or obligations rated below investment grade are counted towards the Underlying Fund’s 80% policy.
The Underlying Fund’s target duration range under normal interest rate conditions is expected to approximate that of the Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index, plus or minus one year, and over the last five years ended June 30, 2022, the duration of the Index has ranged between 0.03 and 0.19 years. The Underlying Fund’s investments in floating rate obligations will generally have short to intermediate maturities (approximately 4-7 years). “Duration” is a measure of a debt security’s price sensitivity to changes in interest rates. The longer the duration of the Underlying Fund (or an individual debt security), the more sensitive its market price to changes in interest rates. For example, if market interest rates increase by 1%, the market price of a debt security with a positive duration of 3 will generally decrease by approximately 3%. Conversely, a 1% decline in market interest rates will generally result in an increase of approximately 3% of that security’s market price.
The Underlying Fund’s investments are selected using a bottom-up analysis that incorporates fundamental research, a focus on market conditions and pricing trends, quantitative research, and news or market events. The selection of individual investments is based on the overall risk and return profile of the investment taking into account liquidity, structural complexity, cash flow uncertainty and downside potential. Research analysts and portfolio managers systematically assess portfolio positions, taking into consideration, among other factors, broader macroeconomic conditions and industry and company-specific financial performance and outlook. Based upon this analysis, the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser will sell positions determined to be overvalued and reposition the portfolio in more attractive investment opportunities on a relative basis given the current climate.
Other. The Underling Fund may also seek to obtain exposure to fixed income investments through investments in affiliated or unaffiliated investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”).
Managed Futures Strategy Fund
Objective. The Managed Futures Strategy Fund seeks to generate long-term absolute return.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund implements a trend-following strategy that takes long and/or short positions in a wide range of asset classes, including equities, fixed income, commodities and currencies, among others, to seek long-term absolute return. The Underlying Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in a portfolio of equities, equity index futures, bonds, bond futures, equity swaps, interest rate swaps, currency forwards and non-deliverable forwards, options, ETFs, and structured securities. As a result of the Underlying Fund’s use of derivatives, the Underlying Fund may also hold significant amounts of U.S. Treasuries or short-term investments, including money market funds, repurchase agreements, cash and time deposits. The Underlying Fund’s investments will be made without restriction as to issuer capitalization, country, currency, maturity, or credit rating.
The Underlying Fund’s investment adviser seeks to identify price trends in various asset classes over short-, medium-, and long-term horizons via a proprietary investment model, in combination with a qualitative overlay. The proprietary investment model uses past asset prices and other market information to seek to determine the direction and the magnitude of the price trend. The investment model tends to have positive view on assets with positive trends and negative view on assets with negative trends. For certain assets where market events produce predictable price patterns, the model adjusts such asset views accordingly. Based on the investment model views, the Underlying Fund will take a long or short position in the instrument or asset. Long positions benefit from an increase in price of the underlying instrument or asset, while short positions benefit from a decrease in price of the underlying instrument or asset. The size of the Underlying Fund’s position in an instrument or asset will primarily be related to the strength of the overall trend identified by the investment model as well as its forecasted risk. The Underlying Fund may make investment decisions that deviate from those generated by the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser’s proprietary investment model, at the discretion of the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser. In addition, the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its investment model, or use other investment models that are based on the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser’s proprietary research.
The Underlying Fund may implement short positions and may do so by using swaps or futures, or through short sales of any instrument that the Underlying Fund may purchase for investment. For example, the Underlying Fund may enter into a futures
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contract pursuant to which it agrees to sell an asset (that it does not currently own) at a specified price at a specified point in the future. This gives the Underlying Fund a short position with respect to that asset.
The Underlying Fund may use leverage (e.g., by borrowing or through derivatives). As a result, the sum of the Underlying Fund’s investment exposures may at times exceed the amount of assets invested in the Underlying Fund, although these exposures may vary over time.
The Underlying Fund may seek exposure to the commodities markets by investing in commodity index-linked structured notes. The Underlying Fund may also take long and/or short positions in commodities by investing in other investment companies, ETFs or other pooled investment vehicles. The Underlying Fund may also gain exposure to the commodities markets by investing in the MFS Subsidiary. The MFS Subsidiary is advised by the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser and seeks to gain commodities exposure.
Investment in the Subsidiary. The Underlying Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in the MFS Subsidiary. The MFS Subsidiary primarily obtains its commodity exposure by investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments, which may include but are not limited to total return swaps, commodity (U.S. or foreign) futures and commodity-linked notes. Commodity-linked swaps are derivative instruments whereby the cash flows agreed upon between counterparties are dependent upon the price of the underlying commodity or commodity index over the life of the swap. Commodity futures contracts are standardized, exchange-traded contracts that provide for the sale or purchase of, or economic exposure to the price of, a commodity or a specified basket of commodities at a future time. The value of these commodity-linked derivatives will rise and fall in response to changes in the underlying commodity or commodity index. Commodity-linked derivatives expose the MFS Subsidiary and the Underlying Fund economically to movements in commodity prices. Such instruments may be leveraged so that small changes in the underlying commodity prices would result in disproportionate changes in the value of the instrument. Neither the Underlying Fund nor the MFS Subsidiary invests directly in physical commodities. The MFS Subsidiary may also invest in other instruments, including fixed income securities, either as investments or to serve as margin or collateral for its swap positions, and foreign currency transactions (including forward contracts).
ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
Objective. The ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® U.S. Large Cap Equity Index (the “U.S. Large Cap Equity Index”).
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index.
The U.S. Large Cap Equity Index is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities of large capitalization U.S. issuers. The U.S. Large Cap Equity Index is constructed using the patented ActiveBeta® Portfolio Construction Methodology, which was developed to provide exposure to the “factors” (or characteristics) that are commonly tied to a stock’s outperformance relative to market returns. These factors include value (i.e., how attractively a stock is priced relative to its “fundamentals,” such as book value and free cash flow), momentum (i.e., whether a company’s share price is trending up or down), quality (i.e., profitability) and low volatility (i.e., a relatively low degree of fluctuation in a company’s share price over time). Given the Underlying Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the U.S. Large Cap Equity Index, the Underlying Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors.
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (the “Index Provider”) constructs the U.S. Large Cap Equity Index in accordance with a rules-based methodology that involves two steps.
Step 1
In the first step, individual factor subindexes for value, momentum, quality and low volatility (the “ActiveBeta® Factor Subindexes”) are created from the constituents of the Solactive US Large Cap Index (the “U.S. Large Cap Reference Index”), a market capitalization-weighted index. To construct each ActiveBeta® Factor Subindex, all constituents in the U.S. Large Cap Reference Index are assigned a “factor score” based on certain specified measurements (for example, in the case of the value factor,
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the factor score is based on a composite of book value-to-price, sales-to-price and free cash flow-to-price). Securities with a factor score that is above a fixed “Cut-off Score” receive an overweight in the applicable ActiveBeta® Factor Subindex relative to the U.S. Large Cap Reference Index and securities with a factor score that is below the Cut-off Score receive an underweight in the ActiveBeta® Factor Subindex relative to the U.S. Large Cap Reference Index. Accordingly, the magnitude of overweight or underweight that a security receives in constructing the applicable ActiveBeta® Factor Subindex is determined by its attractiveness when evaluated based on the relevant factor. The U.S. Large Cap Equity Index only includes long positions (i.e., short positions are impermissible), so the smallest weight for any given security is zero.
Step 2
The ActiveBeta® Factor Subindexes are combined in equal weights to form the U.S. Large Cap Equity Index.
The U.S. Large Cap Equity Index is rebalanced on a quarterly basis in accordance with the published rebalancing schedule of the U.S. Large Cap Reference Index. The rules-based process used to construct the U.S. Large Cap Equity Index incorporates the ActiveBeta® Turnover Minimization Technique, which seeks to reduce turnover within the U.S. Large Cap Equity Index.
As of December 1, 2022, the Index consisted of 445 securities with a market capitalization range of between approximately $9 billion and $2.4 trillion. The components of the Index may change over time. The percentage of the portfolio exposed to any asset class will vary from time to time as the weightings of the securities within the Index change, and the Fund may not be invested in each asset class at all times. The Index Provider determines whether an issuer is a U.S. issuer by reference to the Reference Index methodology. Solactive AG, which constructs the Reference Index, will deem an issuer to be a U.S. issuer if its securities are primarily listed in the United States, its country of risk is the United States, and it meets certain requirements with respect to its jurisdiction of incorporation and domicile.
The Underlying Fund seeks to invest in the Index components in approximately the same weighting that such components have within the Index at the applicable time. The Fund may purchase a sample of securities in its Index. There may also be instances in which the Investment Adviser may choose to underweight or overweight a security in the Fund’s Index, purchase securities not in the Fund’s Index that the Investment Adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in such Index or utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques.
The Underlying Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Index is concentrated. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.
ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF
Objective. The ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity Index (the “Emerging Markets Equity Index”).
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index.
The Emerging Markets Equity Index is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities of emerging market issuers. The Emerging Markets Equity Index is constructed using the patented ActiveBeta® Portfolio Construction Methodology, which was developed to provide exposure to the “factors” (or characteristics) that are commonly tied to a stock’s outperformance relative to market returns. These factors include value (i.e., how attractively a stock is priced relative to its “fundamentals,” such as book value and free cash flow), momentum (i.e., whether a company’s share price is trending up or down), quality (i.e., profitability) and low volatility (i.e., a relatively low degree of fluctuation in a company’s share price over time). Given the Underlying Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Emerging Markets Equity Index, the Underlying Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors.
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The Index Provider constructs the Emerging Markets Equity Index in accordance with a rules-based methodology that involves two steps.
Step 1
In the first step, the ActiveBeta® Factor Subindexes are created from the constituents of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (the “Emerging Markets Reference Index”), a market capitalization-weighted index. To construct each ActiveBeta® Factor Subindex, all constituents in the Emerging Markets Reference Index are assigned a “factor score” based on certain specified measurements (for example, in the case of the value factor, the factor score is based on a composite of book value-to-price, sales-to-price and free cash flow-to-price). Securities with a factor score that is above a fixed “Cut-off Score” receive an overweight in the applicable ActiveBeta® Factor Subindex relative to the Emerging Markets Reference Index and securities with a factor score that is below the Cut-off Score receive an underweight in the ActiveBeta® Factor Subindex relative to the Emerging Markets Reference Index. Accordingly, the magnitude of overweight or underweight that a security receives in constructing the applicable ActiveBeta® Factor Subindex is determined by its attractiveness when evaluated based on the relevant factor. The Emerging Markets Equity Index only includes long positions (i.e., short positions are impermissible), so the smallest weight for any given security is zero.
Step 2
The ActiveBeta® Factor Subindexes are combined in equal weights to form the Emerging Markets Equity Index.
The Emerging Markets Equity Index is rebalanced on a quarterly basis in accordance with the published rebalancing schedule of the Emerging Markets Reference Index. The rules-based process used to construct the Emerging Markets Equity Index incorporates the ActiveBeta® Turnover Minimization Technique, which seeks to reduce turnover within the Emerging Markets Equity Index.
As of December 1, 2022, the Index consisted of 734 securities with a market capitalization range of between approximately $1 billion and $1.9 trillion from issuers in the following emerging market countries: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and United Arab Emirates. The components of the Index may change over time. The percentage of the portfolio exposed to any asset class, country or geographic region will vary from time to time as the weightings of the securities within the Index change, and the Fund may not be invested in each asset class, country or geographic region at all times. The Index Provider determines whether an issuer is located in an emerging market country by reference to the Reference Index methodology. MSCI Inc., which constructs the Reference Index, will generally deem an issuer to be located in an emerging market country if it is organized under the laws of the emerging market country and it is primarily listed in the emerging market country; in the event that these factors point to more than one country, the Reference Index methodology provides for consideration of certain additional factors
The Emerging Markets Equity Index is comprised of equity securities, including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). The Underlying Fund seeks to invest in the Emerging Markets Equity Index components in approximately the same weighting that such components have within the Emerging Markets Equity Index at the applicable time. The Underlying Fund may purchase a sample of securities in the Emerging Markets Equity Index. There may also be instances in which the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser may choose to underweight or overweight a security in the Emerging Markets Equity Index, purchase securities not in the Emerging Markets Equity Index that the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in the Emerging Markets Equity Index or utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques.
The Underlying Fund may also invest up to 20% of its assets in securities and other instruments not included in the Emerging Markets Equity Index but which the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser believes are correlated to the Emerging Markets Equity Index, as well as in, among other instruments, futures (including index futures), swaps, other derivatives, investment companies (including ETFs), preferred stocks, warrants and rights, cash and cash equivalents and money market instruments.
The Underlying Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Emerging Markets Equity Index is concentrated. The degree to which components of the Emerging Markets Equity Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.
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Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF
Objective: The Goldman Sachs Access Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the FTSE Goldman Sachs Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index (the “Index”).
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index.
The Index is a rules-based index that is designed to measure the performance of investment grade, corporate bonds denominated in U.S. dollars (“USD”) that meet certain liquidity and fundamental screening criteria. As of November 30, 2022, there were 2,638 constituents in the Index and the Index had a weighted average maturity of 12.16 years.
The Investment Grade Index is a custom index that is owned and calculated by FTSE, a trading name of the LSE Group. The Investment Grade Index is based on the FTSE US Broad Investment-Grade (USBIG®) Corporate Index (the “Investment Grade Reference Index”) using concepts developed with GSAM.
Given the Underlying Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Investment Grade Index, the Underlying Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors.
The LSE Group constructs the Investment Grade Index in accordance with a rules-based methodology that involves two steps.
Step 1
In the first step, the LSE Group defines a universe of potential index constituents (the “Investment Grade Universe”) by applying specified criteria to the constituents of the Investment Grade Reference Index. The Investment Grade Reference Index includes investment grade corporate bonds that have a minimum of one year to maturity and are rated at least BBB- by S&P or Baa3 by Moody’s. Only corporate bond constituents of the Investment Grade Reference Index that have a minimum of $750 million outstanding and a minimum issuer size of $2 billion are included in the Investment Grade Universe. A maturity bucketing process is used to approximate the average effective duration of the Investment Grade Reference Index.
Step 2
In the second step, the LSE Group applies a fundamental screen to the Investment Grade Universe. Issuers are first grouped into three broad industry groups: financials, industrials and utilities. Within each industry group, issuers are measured by two fundamental factors, operating margin and leverage. The LSE Group ranks each issuer based on the two fundamental factors, equally weighted. The Investment Grade Index is constructed by including the highest ranking eligible securities in each industry group, screening out lowest ranking eligible securities.
The Investment Grade Index is rebalanced (i) monthly on the last business day of each month, to account for changes in maturities, duration, corporate actions or ratings migration, and (ii) quarterly, to account for updates to the constituents on the basis of the fundamental factors (as described above).
The Underlying Fund’s investment adviser uses a representative sampling strategy to manage the Underlying Fund. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy in which the Underlying Fund invests in a representative sample of constituent securities that has a collective investment profile similar to that of the Investment Grade Index. The securities selected for investment by the Underlying Fund are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics, fundamental characteristics and liquidity measures similar to those of the Investment Grade Index. The Underlying Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Investment Grade Index.
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The Underlying Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Investment Grade Index is concentrated. The degree to which components of the Investment Grade Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.
Access Treasury 0-1 Year ETF
Objective. The Goldman Sachs Access Treasury 0-1 Year ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the FTSE US Treasury 0-1 Year Composite Select Index (the “Index”).
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index.
The Index is designed to measure the performance of U.S. Treasury Securities with a maximum remaining maturity of 12 months. “U.S. Treasury Securities” refer to securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury where the payment of principal and interest is backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. U.S. Treasury Securities include U.S. Treasury notes, U.S. Treasury bills and U.S. Treasury floating rate bonds. The Underlying Fund expects to invest 100% of its assets in (i) U.S. Treasury Securities with a maximum remaining maturity of 12 months and (ii) cash. As of November 30, 2022, there were 86 issues in the Index and the Index had a weighted average maturity of 0.39 years. The Index includes publicly-issued U.S. Treasury Securities that have a minimum remaining maturity of 1 month and a maximum remaining maturity of 12 months at the time of rebalance and that have a minimum issue size of $5 billion. In addition, the securities in the Index must be non-convertible and denominated in U.S. dollars. The Index excludes certain special issues, such as targeted investor notes, state and local government series bonds and coupon issues that have been stripped from bonds. 10-year and 30-year U.S. Treasury bonds are not eligible for inclusion in the Index. The Index is rebalanced monthly on the last day of the month. The Index is sponsored by FTSE Fixed Income LLC (“FTSE” ), a trading name of the London Stock Exchange Group plc and its group undertakings (collectively, the “LSE Group” or the “Index Provider”), which is not affiliated with the Fund or the Investment Adviser. The Index is market capitalization-weighted and the securities in the Index are updated on the last business day of each month.
Short Duration Bond Fund
Objective. The Short Duration Bond Fund seeks total return consisting of income and capital appreciation.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in U.S. or foreign fixed income securities, including U.S. Government Securities, Mortgage-Backed Securities, corporate debt securities, collateralized loan obligations, asset-backed securities, high yield non-investment grade fixed income securities, high yield floating rate loans and sovereign and corporate debt securities, and other instruments of issuers in emerging market countries.
The Underlying Fund’s target duration range under normal interest rate conditions is expected to approximate that of the Goldman Sachs Short Duration Bond Fund Composite Index plus or minus two years, and during the past five years ended June 30, 2022, the duration of this index ranged between 1.80 and 2.80 years. “Duration” is a measure of a debt security’s price sensitivity to changes in interest rates. The longer the duration of the Fund (or an individual debt security), the more sensitive its market price to changes in interest rates. For example, if market interest rates increase by 1%, the market price of a debt security with a positive duration of 3 years will generally decrease by approximately 3%. Conversely, a 1% decline in market interest rates will generally result in an increase of approximately 3% of that security’s market price.
The Underlying Fund may not invest, in the aggregate, more than 20% of its total assets measured at the time of purchase (“Total Assets”) in (i) emerging countries debt and (ii) non-investment grade fixed income securities.
Other. The Underlying Fund may engage in forward foreign currency transactions for both hedging and non-hedging purposes. The Underlying Fund may invest in obligations of domestic and foreign issuers that are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar (and may also be denominated in a currency other than that associated with the issuer’s domicile). The Underlying Fund also intends to invest in other derivative instruments, including (but not limited to) interest rate futures contracts, options (including options on futures contracts, swaps, bonds and indexes), swaps (including credit default, index, basis, total return, volatility and
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currency swaps) and other forward contracts. The Underlying Fund may use derivatives, instead of buying and selling debt directly, to manage duration, to gain exposure to certain securities or indexes, or to take short positions with respect to individual securities or indexes. The Underlying Fund may invest in derivatives that are not denominated in U.S. dollars.
Large Cap Growth Insights Fund
Objective. The Large Cap Growth Insights Fund seeks long-term growth of capital, with dividend income as a secondary consideration.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at time of purchase) in a broadly diversified portfolio of equity investments in large-cap U.S. issuers, including foreign issuers that are traded in the United States. Large-cap issuers will generally have public stock market capitalizations between $3 billion and $2,500 billion. The Fund may also invest in securities outside of this capitalization range.
The Underlying Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Underlying Fund’s investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Fundamental Mispricings, High Quality Business Models, Sentiment Analysis and Market Themes & Trends. Fundamental Mispricings seeks to identify high-quality businesses trading at a fair price, which the Investment Adviser believes leads to strong performance over the long-run. High Quality Business Models seeks to identify companies that are generating high-quality revenues with sustainable business models and aligned management incentives. Sentiment Analysis seeks to identify stocks experiencing improvements in their overall market sentiment. Market Themes and Trends seeks to identify companies positively positioned to benefit from themes and trends in the market and macroeconomic environment. As a part of the Investment Adviser’s investment selection process, the Investment Adviser utilizes proprietary models that assess a wide range of indicators, which may include certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) indicators. No one indicator, risk or consideration is determinative in the investment selection process. The Underlying Fund may make investment decisions that deviate from those generated by the Investment Adviser’s proprietary models, at the discretion of the Investment Adviser. In addition, the Investment Adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Investment Adviser’s proprietary research.
The Underlying Fund is “non-diversified” under the Act, and may invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than “diversified” mutual funds.
Large Cap Value Insights Fund
Objective. The Large Cap Value Insights Fund seeks long-term growth of capital, with dividend income as a secondary consideration.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at time of purchase) in a diversified portfolio of equity investments in large cap U.S. issuers, including foreign issuers that are traded in the United States. Large-cap issuers will generally have public stock market capitalizations between $3 billion and $2,500 billion. The Fund may also invest in securities outside of this capitalization range.
The Underlying Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Underlying Fund’s investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Fundamental Mispricings, High Quality Business Models, Sentiment Analysis and Market Themes & Trends. Fundamental Mispricings seeks to identify high-quality businesses trading at a fair price, which the Investment Adviser believes leads to strong performance over the long-run. High Quality Business Models seeks to identify companies that are generating high-quality revenues with sustainable business models and aligned management incentives. Sentiment Analysis seeks to identify stocks experiencing improvements in their overall market sentiment. Market Themes and Trends seeks to identify companies positively
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positioned to benefit from themes and trends in the market and macroeconomic environment. As a part of the Investment Adviser’s investment selection process, the Investment Adviser utilizes proprietary models that assess a wide range of indicators, which may include certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) indicators. No one indicator, risk or consideration is determinative in the investment selection process. The Underlying Fund may make investment decisions that deviate from those generated by the Investment Adviser’s proprietary models, at the discretion of the Investment Adviser. In addition, the Investment Adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Investment Adviser’s proprietary research.
Small Cap Equity Insights Fund
Objective. The Small Cap Equity Insights Fund long-term growth of capital.
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at time of purchase) in a broadly diversified portfolio of equity investments in small-cap U.S. issuers, including foreign issuers that are traded in the United States. Small-cap issuers will generally have public stock market capitalizations between $100 million and $8 billion. The Fund may also invest in securities outside of this capitalization range.
The Underlying Fund uses a quantitative style of management, in combination with a qualitative overlay, that emphasizes fundamentally-based stock selection, careful portfolio construction and efficient implementation. The Underlying Fund’s investments are selected using fundamental research and a variety of quantitative techniques based on certain investment themes, including, among others, Fundamental Mispricings, High Quality Business Models, Sentiment Analysis and Market Themes & Trends. Fundamental Mispricings seeks to identify high-quality businesses trading at a fair price, which the Investment Adviser believes leads to strong performance over the long-run. High Quality Business Models seeks to identify companies that are generating high-quality revenues with sustainable business models and aligned management incentives. Sentiment Analysis seeks to identify stocks experiencing improvements in their overall market sentiment. Market Themes and Trends seeks to identify companies positively positioned to benefit from themes and trends in the market and macroeconomic environment. As a part of the Investment Adviser’s investment selection process, the Investment Adviser utilizes proprietary models that assess a wide range of indicators, which may include certain environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) indicators. No one indicator, risk or consideration is determinative in the investment selection process. The Underlying Fund may make investment decisions that deviate from those generated by the Investment Adviser’s proprietary models, at the discretion of the Investment Adviser. In addition, the Investment Adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Investment Adviser’s proprietary research.
Other. The Underlying Fund may also invest in fixed income securities that are considered to be cash equivalents.
MarketBeta® International Equity ETF
Objective. The MarketBeta® International Equity ETF seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Solactive GBS Developed Markets ex North America Large & Mid Cap Index (the “Index”).
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index.
The Index is designed to measure the performance of equity securities of large and mid-capitalization issuers covering approximately the largest 85% of the free-float market capitalization in developed markets excluding North America. It is calculated as a net total return index in U.S. dollars and weighted by free-float market capitalization.
As of December 1, 2022, the Index consisted of 995 securities with a market capitalization range of between approximately $1.3 billion and $390 billion, and an average market capitalization of approximately $21 billion from issuers in the following developed market countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy,
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Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The components of the Index may change over time. The percentage of the portfolio exposed to any asset class, country or geographic region will vary from time to time as the weightings of the securities within the Index change, and the Fund may not be invested in each asset class, country or geographic region at all times. Solactive AG (“Solactive” or the “Index Provider”) will generally deem an issuer to be located in a developed market country if it is organized under the laws of the developed market country and it is primarily listed in the developed market country; in the event that these factors point to more than one country, the Index methodology provides for consideration of certain additional factors. The Index is normally reconstituted on a semi-annual basis in May and November. New securities from initial public offerings are also added on a semi-annual basis in February and August, subject to fulfillment of certain eligibility criteria.
The Underlying Fund is classified as “diversified” under the Act. However, the Underlying Fund may become “non-diversified” solely as a result of a change in the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the Index. A non-diversified fund may invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than diversified funds.
MarketBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF
Objective. The MarketBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Solactive GBS Emerging Markets Large & Mid Cap Index (the “Index”).
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index.
The Index is designed to measure the performance of equity securities of large and mid-capitalization issuers covering approximately the largest 85% of the free-float market capitalization in emerging markets. It is calculated as a net total return index in U.S. dollars and weighted by free-float market capitalization.
As of December 1, 2022, the Index consisted of 995 securities with a market capitalization range of between approximately $1.3 billion and $390 billion, and an average market capitalization of approximately $21 billion from issuers in the following developed market countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The components of the Index may change over time. The percentage of the portfolio exposed to any asset class, country or geographic region will vary from time to time as the weightings of the securities within the Index change, and the Fund may not be invested in each asset class, country or geographic region at all times. Solactive AG (“Solactive” or the “Index Provider”) will generally deem an issuer to be located in a developed market country if it is organized under the laws of the developed market country and it is primarily listed in the developed market country; in the event that these factors point to more than one country, the Index methodology provides for consideration of certain additional factors. The Index is normally reconstituted on a semi-annual basis in May and November. New securities from initial public offerings are also added on a semi-annual basis in February and August, subject to fulfillment of certain eligibility criteria.
The Underlying Fund is classified as “diversified” under the Act. However, the Underlying Fund may become “non-diversified” solely as a result of a change in the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the Index. A non-diversified fund may invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than diversified funds.
ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF
Objective. The ActiveBeta® International Equity ETF seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® International Equity Index (the “Index”).
Primary Investment Focus. The Underlying Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index.
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The Index is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities of developed market issuers outside of the United States. The Index is constructed using the patented ActiveBeta® Portfolio Construction Methodology, which was developed to provide exposure to the “factors” (or characteristics) that are commonly tied to a stock’s outperformance relative to market returns. These factors include value (i.e., how attractively a stock is priced relative to its “fundamentals,” such as book value and free cash flow), momentum (i.e., whether a company’s share price is trending up or down), quality (i.e., profitability) and low volatility (i.e., a relatively low degree of fluctuation in a company’s share price over time). Given the Underlying Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track its Index, the Underlying Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors.
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (the “Index Provider”) constructs the Index in accordance with a rules-based methodology that involves two steps.
Step 1
In the first step, individual factor subindexes for value, momentum, quality and low volatility (the “ActiveBeta® Factor Subindexes”) are created from the constituents of the MSCI World ex USA Index (the “Reference Index”), a market capitalization-weighted index. To construct each ActiveBeta® Factor Subindex, all constituents in the Reference Index are assigned a “factor score” based on certain specified measurements (for example, in the case of the value factor, the factor score is based on a composite of book value-to-price, sales-to-price and free cash flow-to-price). Securities with a factor score that is above a fixed “Cut-off Score” receive an overweight in the applicable ActiveBeta® Factor Subindex relative to the Reference Index and securities with a factor score that is below the Cut-off Score receive an underweight in the ActiveBeta® Factor Subindex relative to the Reference Index. Accordingly, the magnitude of overweight or underweight that a security receives in constructing the applicable ActiveBeta® Factor Subindex is determined by its attractiveness when evaluated based on the relevant factor. The Index only includes long positions (i.e., short positions are impermissible), so the smallest weight for any given security is zero.
Step 2
The ActiveBeta® Factor Subindexes are combined in equal weights to form the Index.
The Index is normally rebalanced on a quarterly basis in accordance with the published rebalancing schedule of the Reference Index. The rules-based process used to construct the Index incorporates the ActiveBeta® Turnover Minimization Technique, which seeks to reduce turnover within the Index.
As of December 1, 2022, the Index consisted of 738 securities with a market capitalization range of between approximately $2 billion and $381 billion from issuers in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The components of the Index may change over time. The percentage of the portfolio exposed to any asset class, country or geographic region will vary from time to time as the weightings of the securities within the Index change, and the Underlying Fund may not be invested in each asset class, country or geographic region at all times. The Index Provider determines whether an issuer is located in a particular country by reference to the Reference Index methodology. MSCI Inc., which constructs the Reference Index, will generally deem an issuer to be located in a particular country if it is organized under the laws of the particular country and it is primarily listed in the particular country; in the event that these factors point to more than one country, the Reference Index methodology provides for consideration of certain additional factors.
The Underlying Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Index is concentrated. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.
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DESCRIPTION OF INVESTMENT SECURITIES AND PRACTICES
The investment securities and practices and related risks applicable to each Fund and one or more of the Underlying Funds are presented below in alphabetical order, and not in the order of importance or potential exposure.
The Short Duration Government Fund invests in U.S. Government Securities and related repurchase agreements and may not make foreign investments. The investments of the Financial Square Government Fund are limited by SEC regulations applicable to money market funds as described in its prospectus, and do not include many of the types of investments discussed below that are permitted for the other Underlying Funds. With these exceptions, and the further exceptions noted below, the following description applies generally to the Underlying Funds.
An Underlying Fixed Income Fund’s investment adviser may use derivative instruments to manage the duration of an Underlying Fixed Income Fund’s investment portfolio in accordance with its respective target duration. These derivative instruments include financial futures contracts and swap transactions, as well as other types of derivatives. The Underlying Funds’ investments in derivative instruments, including financial futures contracts and swaps, can be significant. These transactions can result in sizeable realized and unrealized capital gains and losses relative to the gains and losses from the Underlying Funds’ investments in bonds and other securities. Short-term and long-term realized capital gains distributions paid by the Underlying Funds are taxable to their shareholders. Financial futures contracts used by an Underlying Fixed Income Fund include interest rate futures contracts including, among others, Eurodollar futures contracts. Further information is included below regarding futures contracts, swaps and other derivative instruments used by an Underlying Fixed Income Fund, including information on the risks presented by these instruments and other purposes for which they may be used by an Underlying Fixed Income Fund.
Interest rates, fixed income securities prices, the prices of futures and other derivatives, and currency exchange rates can be volatile, and a variance in the degree of volatility or in the direction of the market from the Investment Adviser’s expectations may produce significant losses in an Underlying Fixed Income Fund’s investments in derivatives. In addition, a perfect correlation between a derivatives position and a fixed income security position is generally impossible to achieve. As a result, the Investment Adviser’s use of derivatives may not be effective in fulfilling the Investment Adviser’s investment strategies and may contribute to losses that would not have been incurred otherwise.
As stated in the Prospectuses, the Funds may also invest a portion of their assets in high quality, short-term debt obligations and engage in certain other investment practices. Further information about the Underlying Funds and their respective investment objectives and policies is included in their respective prospectuses and Statements of Additional Information. There is no assurance that any Fund or Underlying Fund will achieve its objective.
Asset-Backed Securities
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in asset-backed securities. Asset-backed securities represent participations in, or are secured by and payable from, assets such as motor vehicle installment sales, installment loan contracts, leases of various types of real and personal property, receivables from revolving credit (credit card) agreements and other categories of receivables. Such assets are securitized through the use of trusts and special purpose corporations. Payments or distributions of principal and interest may be guaranteed up to certain amounts and for a certain time period by a letter of credit or a pool insurance policy issued by a financial institution unaffiliated with the trust or corporation, or other credit enhancements may be present.
Such securities are often subject to more rapid repayment than their stated maturity date would indicate as a result of the pass-through of prepayments of principal on the underlying loans. During periods of declining interest rates, prepayment of loans underlying asset-backed securities can be expected to accelerate. Accordingly, an Underlying Fund's ability to maintain positions in such securities will be affected by reductions in the principal amount of such securities resulting from prepayments, and its ability to reinvest the returns of principal at comparable yields is subject to generally prevailing interest rates at that time. To the extent that an Underlying Fund invests in asset-backed securities, the values of the Underlying Fund’s portfolio securities will vary with changes in market interest rates generally and the differentials in yields among various kinds of asset-backed securities.
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Asset-backed securities present certain additional risks because asset-backed securities generally do not have the benefit of a security interest in collateral that is comparable to mortgage assets. Credit card receivables are generally unsecured and the debtors on such receivables are entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which give such debtors the right to set-off certain amounts owed on the credit cards, thereby reducing the balance due. Automobile receivables generally are secured, but by automobiles rather than residential real property. Most issuers of automobile receivables permit the loan servicers to retain possession of the underlying obligations. If the servicer were to sell these obligations to another party, there is a risk that the purchaser would acquire an interest superior to that of the holders of the asset-backed securities. In addition, because of the large number of vehicles involved in a typical issuance and technical requirements under state laws, the trustee for the holders of the automobile receivables may not have a proper security interest in the underlying automobiles. Therefore, if the issuer of an asset-backed security defaults on its payment obligations, there is the possibility that, in some cases, an Underlying Fund will be unable to possess and sell the underlying collateral and that the Underlying Fund’s recoveries on repossessed collateral may not be available to support payments on these securities.
Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to certain additional risks. Generally, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed rate mortgage-backed securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, if an Underlying Fund or Fund holds mortgage-backed securities, it may exhibit additional volatility. This is known as extension risk. In addition, adjustable and fixed rate mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk. When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their mortgages sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of an Underlying Fund or Fund because the Underlying Fund or Fund may have to reinvest that money at the lower prevailing interest rates. An Underlying Fund’s or Fund’s investments in other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-backed securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. Certain Underlying Funds or Funds may invest in mortgage-backed securities issued by the U.S. Government (see “U.S. Government Securities Risk”). To the extent that an Underlying Fund or Fund invests in mortgage-backed securities offered by non-governmental issuers, such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers, the Underlying Fund or Fund may be subject to additional risks. Timely payment of interest and principal of non-governmental issuers are supported by various forms of private insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance purchased by the issuer. There can be no assurance that the private insurers can meet their obligations under the policies. An unexpectedly high rate of defaults on the mortgages held by a mortgage pool may adversely affect the value of a mortgage-backed security and could result in losses to an Underlying Fund or Fund. The risk of such defaults is generally higher in the case of mortgage pools that include subprime mortgages. Subprime mortgages refer to loans made to borrowers with weakened credit histories or with a lower capacity to make timely payments on their mortgages.
Bank Obligations
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in debt obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. or foreign banks.Bank obligations, including without limitation, time deposits, bankers’ acceptances and certificates of deposit, may be general obligations of the parent bank or may be limited to the issuing branch by the terms of the specific obligations or by government regulation. Banks are subject to extensive but different governmental regulations which may limit both the amount and types of loans which may be made and interest rates which may be charged. In addition, the profitability of the banking industry is largely dependent upon the availability and cost of funds for the purpose of financing lending operations under prevailing money market conditions. General economic conditions as well as exposure to credit losses arising from possible financial difficulties of borrowers play an important part in the operation of this industry.
Certificates of deposit are certificates evidencing the obligation of a bank to repay funds deposited with it for a specified period of time at a specified rate. Certificates of deposit are negotiable instruments and are similar to saving deposits but have a definite maturity and are evidenced by a certificate instead of a passbook entry. Banks are required to keep reserves against all certificates of deposit. Fixed time deposits are bank obligations payable at a stated maturity date and bearing interest at a fixed rate. Fixed time deposits may be withdrawn on demand by the investor, but may be subject to early withdrawal penalties which vary depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligation.
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Collateralized Loan Obligations and Other Collateralized Debt Obligations
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) and other similarly structured investments. A CLO is an asset-backed security whose underlying collateral is a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign floating rate and fixed rate senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. In addition to the normal risks associated with loan- and credit-related securities discussed elsewhere in the Prospectus (e.g., loan-related investments risk, interest rate risk and default risk), investments in CLOs carry additional risks including, but not limited to, the risk that: (i) distributions from the collateral may not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) an Underlying Fund may invest in tranches of CLOs that are subordinate to other tranches; (iv) the structure and complexity of the transaction and the legal documents could lead to disputes among investors regarding the characterization of proceeds; and (v) the CLO’s manager may perform poorly. CLOs may charge management and other administrative fees, which are in addition to those of an Underlying Fund.
CLOs issue classes or “tranches” that offer various maturity, risk and yield characteristics. Losses caused by defaults on underlying assets are borne first by the holders of subordinate tranches. Tranches are categorized as senior, mezzanine and subordinated/equity, according to their degree of risk. If there are defaults or the CLO’s collateral otherwise underperforms, scheduled payments to senior tranches take precedence over those of mezzanine tranches, and scheduled payments to mezzanine tranches take precedence over those of subordinated/equity tranches. The riskiest portion is the “equity” tranche which bears the bulk of defaults from the collateral and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Because it is partially protected from defaults, a senior tranche from a CLO trust typically has higher ratings and lower yields than its underlying collateral and may be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity and mezzanine tranches, more senior tranches of CLOs can experience losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of more subordinate tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CLO securities as a class. An Underlying Fund’s investments in CLOs principally consist of senior tranches and, to a lesser extent, mezzanine tranches.
Typically, CLOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CLOs may have limited independent pricing transparency. However, an active dealer market may exist for CLOs that qualify under the Rule 144A “safe harbor” from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”) for resales of certain securities to qualified institutional buyers. These and other factors discussed in the section below, entitled “Illiquid Investments,” may impact the liquidity of investments in CLOs.
An Underlying Fund may also invest in collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”), which are structured similarly to CLOs, but are backed by pools of assets that are debt securities (rather than being limited only to loans), typically including bonds, other structured finance securities (including other asset-backed securities and other CDOs) and/or synthetic instruments. Like CLOs, the risks of an investment in a CDO depend largely on the type and quality of the collateral securities and the tranche of the CDO in which an Underlying Fund invests. CDOs collateralized by pools of asset-backed securities carry the same risks as investments in asset-backed securities directly, including losses with respect to the collateral underlying those asset-backed securities. In addition, certain CDOs may not hold their underlying collateral directly, but rather, use derivatives such as swaps to create “synthetic” exposure to the collateral pool. Such CDOs entail the risks associated with derivative instruments.
Combined Transactions
Certain of the Underlying Funds may enter into multiple transactions, including multiple options transactions, multiple futures transactions, multiple currency transactions (as applicable) (including forward currency contracts) and multiple interest rate and other swap transactions and any combination of futures, options, currency and swap transactions (“component” transactions) as part of a single or combined strategy when, in the opinion of an Underlying Fund’s investment adviser, it is in the best interests of an Underlying Fund to do so. A combined transaction will usually contain elements of risk that are present in each of its component transactions. Although combined transactions are normally entered into based on an Underlying Fund’s investment adviser’s judgment that the combined strategies will reduce risk or otherwise more effectively achieve the desired portfolio management goal, it is possible that the combination will instead increase such risks or hinder achievement of the portfolio management objective.
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Commodity-Linked Securities
Certain of the Underlying Funds may seek to provide exposure to the investment returns of real assets that trade in the commodity markets through investments in commodity-linked derivative securities, which are designed to provide this exposure without direct investment in physical commodities or commodities futures contracts. In choosing investments, an Underlying Fund’s investment adviser seeks to provide exposure to various commodities and commodity sectors. The value of commodity-linked derivative securities held by an Underlying Fund and/or the Subsidiary may be affected by a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, overall market movements and other factors affecting the value of particular industries or commodities, such as weather, disease, embargoes, acts of war or terrorism, or political and regulatory developments.
The prices of commodity-linked derivative securities may move in different directions than investments in traditional equity and debt securities when the value of those traditional securities is declining due to adverse economic conditions. As an example, during periods of rising inflation, debt securities have historically tended to decline in value due to the general increase in prevailing interest rates. Conversely, during those same periods of rising inflation, the prices of certain commodities, such as oil and metals, have historically tended to increase. Of course, there cannot be any guarantee that these investments will perform in that manner in the future, and at certain times the price movements of commodity-linked instruments have been parallel to those of debt and equity securities. Commodities have historically tended to increase and decrease in value during different parts of the business cycle than financial assets. Nevertheless, at various times, commodities prices may move in tandem with the prices of financial assets and thus may not provide overall portfolio diversification benefits. Under favorable economic conditions, an Underlying Fund’s investments may be expected to underperform an investment in traditional securities. Over the long term, the returns on an Underlying Fund’s investments are expected to exhibit low or negative correlation with stocks and bonds.
Because commodity-linked securities are available from a relatively small number of issuers, the Fund’s investments will be particularly subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the issuer of the commodity-linked derivative (which issuer may also serve as counterparty to a substantial number of the Fund’s commodity-linked and other derivative instruments) will not fulfill its contractual obligations.
Commodity-Linked Notes
Certain Underlying Funds may invest in commodity-linked notes. Commodity-linked notes are a type of structured note. Commodity-linked notes are privately negotiated structured debt securities indexed to the return of an index such as the Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index Total Return, which is representative of the commodities market. They are available from a limited number of approved counterparties, and all invested amounts are exposed to the dealer’s credit risk. Commodity-linked notes may be leveraged. For example, if the Underlying Fund invests $100 in a three-times leveraged commodity-linked note, it will exchange $100 principal with the dealer to obtain $300 exposure to the commodities market because the value of the note will change by a magnitude of three for every percentage change (positive or negative) in the value of the underlying index. This means a $100 note would be worth $70 if the commodity index decreased by 10 percent. Structured notes also are subject to counterparty risk.
Convertible Securities
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in convertible securities. Convertible securities are bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stocks or other securities that may be converted into or exchanged for a specified amount of common stock (or other securities) of the same or different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest that is generally paid or accrued on debt or a dividend that is paid or accrued on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Convertible securities have unique investment characteristics, in that they generally (i) have higher yields than common stocks, but lower yields than comparable non-convertible securities, (ii) are less subject to fluctuation in value than the underlying common stock due to their fixed income characteristics and (iii) provide the potential for capital appreciation if the market price of the underlying common stock increases.
The value of a convertible security is a function of its “investment value” (determined by its yield in comparison with the yields of other securities of comparable maturity and quality that do not have a conversion privilege) and its “conversion value” (the security’s worth, at market value, if converted into the underlying common stock). The investment value of a convertible security is
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influenced by changes in interest rates, with investment value normally declining as interest rates increase and increasing as interest rates decline. The credit standing of the issuer and other factors may also have an effect on the convertible security’s investment value. The conversion value of a convertible security is determined by the market price of the underlying common stock. If the conversion value is low relative to the investment value, the price of the convertible security is governed principally by its investment value. To the extent the market price of the underlying common stock approaches or exceeds the conversion price, the price of the convertible security will be increasingly influenced by its conversion value. A convertible security generally will sell at a premium over its conversion value by the extent to which investors place value on the right to acquire the underlying common stock while holding a fixed income security.
A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security’s governing instrument. If a convertible security held by an Underlying Fund is called for redemption, the Underlying Fund will be required to convert the security into the underlying common stock, sell it to a third party, or permit the issuer to redeem the security. Any of these actions could have an adverse effect on an Underlying Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, which, in turn, could result in losses to the Underlying Fund. To the extent that an Underlying Fund holds a convertible security, or a security that is otherwise converted or exchanged for common stock (e.g., as a result of a restructuring), the Underlying Fund may, consistent with its investment objective, hold such common stock in its portfolio.
In evaluating a convertible security, an investment adviser may give primary emphasis to the attractiveness of the underlying common stock.
Corporate Debt Obligations
Each Underlying Fund (other than the Short Duration Government Fund and Financial Square Government Fund) may, under normal market conditions, invest in corporate debt obligations, including obligations of industrial, utility and financial issuers. Corporate debt obligations include bonds, notes, debentures and other obligations of corporations to pay interest and repay principal. International Equity Insights Fund, Emerging Markets Equity Insights Fund, International Small Cap Insights Fund may only invest in debt securities that are cash equivalents.Corporate debt obligations are subject to the risk of an issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligations and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as market interest rates, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity.
Corporate debt obligations rated BBB or Baa are considered medium-grade obligations with speculative characteristics, and adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances may weaken their issuers’ capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Medium to lower rated and comparable non-rated securities tend to offer higher yields than higher rated securities with the same maturities because the historical financial condition of the issuers of such securities may not have been as strong as that of other issuers. The price of corporate debt obligations will generally fluctuate in response to fluctuations in supply and demand for similarly rated securities. In addition, the price of corporate debt obligations will generally fluctuate in response to interest rate levels. Fluctuations in the prices of portfolio securities subsequent to their acquisition will not affect cash income from such securities but will be reflected in an Underlying Fund’s NAV. Because medium to lower rated securities generally involve greater risks of loss of income and principal than higher rated securities, investors should consider carefully the relative risks associated with investment in securities which carry medium to lower ratings and in comparable unrated securities. In addition to the risk of default, there are the related costs of recovery on defaulted issues.
The investment advisers of the Underlying Funds will attempt to reduce these risks through portfolio diversification and by analysis of each issuer and its ability to make timely payments of income and principal, as well as broad economic trends and corporate developments.
The investment adviser for an Underlying Fund employs its own credit research and analysis, which includes a study of existing debt, capital structure, ability to service debt and pay dividends, sensitivity to economic conditions, operating history and current earnings trend. The investment adviser continually monitors the investments in the Underlying Fund’s portfolio and evaluates whether to dispose of or to retain corporate debt obligations whose credit ratings or credit quality may have changed. If after its purchase, a portfolio security is assigned a lower rating or ceases to be rated, an Underlying Fund may continue to hold the security if the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Underlying Fund and its shareholders.
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Commercial Paper and Other Short-Term Corporate Obligations. Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in commercial paper and other short-term obligations payable in U.S. dollars and issued or guaranteed by U.S. corporations, non-U.S. corporations or other entities. Commercial paper represents short-term unsecured promissory notes issued in bearer form by banks or bank holding companies, corporations and finance companies.
Preferred Securities. Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in trust preferred securities. A trust preferred or capital security is a long-dated bond (for example 30 years) with preferred features. The preferred features are that payment of interest can be deferred for a specified period without initiating a default event. From a bondholder’s viewpoint, the securities are senior in claim to standard preferred but are junior to other bondholders. From the issuer’s viewpoint, the securities are attractive because their interest is deductible for tax purposes like other types of debt instruments.
High Yield Securities. Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in bonds rated BB+ or below by S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) or Ba1 or below by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) (or comparable rated and unrated securities). The other funds in this SAI may not invest directly in high yield securities, but may hold securities that are subsequently downgraded to below investment grade. These bonds are commonly referred to as “junk bonds” and are considered speculative. Each of the international equity funds may invest up to 20% of its net assets in non-investment grade securities, and the each of the Balanced Fund and Managed Futures Strategy Fund may invest up to 10% of its Total Assets in non-investment grade securities. The ability of issuers of non-investment grade securities to make principal and interest by payments may be questionable because such issuers are often less creditworthy or are highly leveraged. High yield securities are also issued by governmental issuers that may have difficulty in making all scheduled interest and principal payments. In some cases, high yield securities may be highly speculative, have poor prospects for reaching investment grade standing and be in default. As a result, investment in such bonds will entail greater risks than those associated with investment grade bonds (i.e., bonds rated AAA, AA, A or BBB by S&P or Aaa, Aa, A or Baa by Moody’s). Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher quality debt securities, and the ability of an Underlying Fund to achieve its investment objective may, to the extent of its investments in high yield securities, be more dependent upon such creditworthiness analysis than would be the case if the Underlying Fund were investing in higher quality securities. See Appendix A for a description of the corporate bond and preferred stock ratings by S&P, Moody’s, Fitch, Inc. (“Fitch”) and Dominion Bond Rating Service Limited (“DBRS”).
Risks associated with acquiring the securities of such issuers generally are greater than is the case with higher rated securities because such issuers are often less creditworthy companies or are highly leveraged and generally less able than more established or less leveraged entities to make scheduled payments of principal and interest. High yield securities are also issued by governmental issuers that may have difficulty in making all scheduled interest and principal payments.
The market values of high yield, fixed income securities tend to reflect individual issuer developments to a greater extent than do those of higher rated securities, which react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. Issuers of high yield securities are often highly leveraged, and may not be able to make use of more traditional methods of financing. Their ability to service debt obligations may be more adversely affected by economic downturns or their inability to meet specific projected business forecasts than would be the case for issuers of higher-rated securities. In the lower quality segments of the fixed income securities market, changes in perceptions of issuers’ creditworthiness tend to occur more frequently and in a more pronounced manner than do changes in higher quality segments of the fixed income securities market, resulting in greater yield and price volatility. Another factor which causes fluctuations in the prices of high yield, fixed income securities is the supply and demand for similarly rated securities. In addition, the prices of investments fluctuate in response to the general level of interest rates. Fluctuations in the prices of portfolio securities subsequent to their acquisition will not affect cash income from such securities but will be reflected in an Underlying Fund’s NAV.
The risk of loss from default for the holders of high yield, fixed income securities is significantly greater than is the case for holders of other debt securities because high yield, fixed income securities are generally unsecured and are often subordinated to the rights of other creditors of the issuers of such securities. Investment by an Underlying Fund in already defaulted securities poses an additional risk of loss should nonpayment of principal and interest continue in respect of such securities. Even if such securities are held to maturity, recovery by an Underlying Fund of its initial investment and any anticipated income or appreciation is uncertain. In addition, an Underlying Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent that it is required to seek recovery relating to the default in the payment of principal or interest on such securities or otherwise protect its interests. An Underlying Fund may be required to
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liquidate other portfolio securities to satisfy the Underlying Fund’s annual distribution obligations in respect of accrued interest income on securities which are subsequently written off, even though the Underlying Fund has not received any cash payments of such interest.
The secondary market for high yield, fixed income securities is concentrated in relatively few markets and is dominated by institutional investors, including mutual funds, insurance companies and other financial institutions. Accordingly, the secondary market for such securities may not be as liquid as and may be more volatile than the secondary market for higher-rated securities. In addition, the trading volume for high-yield, fixed income securities is generally lower than that of higher rated securities and the secondary market for high yield, fixed income securities could contract under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer. These factors may have an adverse effect on the ability of an Underlying Fund to dispose of particular portfolio investments when needed to meet their redemption requests or other liquidity needs. The investment adviser could find it difficult to sell these investments or may be able to sell the investments only at prices lower than if such investments were widely traded. Prices realized upon the sale of such lower rated or unrated securities, under these circumstances, may be less than the prices used in calculating the NAV of the Underlying Funds. A less liquid secondary market also may make it more difficult for an Underlying Fund to obtain precise valuations of the high yield securities in its portfolio.
The adoption of new legislation could adversely affect the secondary market for high yield securities and the financial condition of issuers of these securities. The form of any future legislation, and the probability of such legislation being enacted, is uncertain.
Non-investment grade fixed income securities also present risks based on payment expectations. High yield, fixed income securities frequently contain “call” or buy-back features which permit the issuer to call or repurchase the security from its holder. If an issuer exercises such a “call option” and redeems the security, an Underlying Fund may have to replace such security with a lower-yielding security, resulting in a decreased return for investors. In addition, if an Underlying Fund experiences unexpected net redemptions of its shares, it may be forced to sell its higher-rated securities, resulting in a decline in the overall credit quality of the Underlying Fund’s portfolio and increasing the exposure of the Underlying Fund to the risks of high-yield securities.
Credit ratings issued by credit rating agencies are designed to evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments of rated securities. They do not, however, evaluate the market value risk of non-investment grade securities and, therefore, may not fully reflect the true risks of an investment. In addition, credit rating agencies may or may not make timely changes in a rating to reflect changes in the economy or in the conditions of the issuer that affect the market value of the security. Consequently, credit ratings are used only as a preliminary indicator of investment quality. Investments in non-investment grade and comparable unrated obligations will be more dependent on the credit analysis of an Underlying Fund’s investment adviser than would be the case with investments in investment-grade debt obligations. An Underlying Fund’s investment adviser employs its own credit research and analysis, which includes a study of an issuer’s existing debt, capital structure, ability to service debt and to pay dividends, sensitivity to economic conditions, operating history and current earnings trend. The Underlying Fund’s investment adviser monitors the investments in an Underlying Fund’s portfolio and evaluates whether to dispose of or to retain non-investment grade and comparable unrated securities whose credit ratings or credit quality may have changed. If after its purchase, a portfolio security is assigned a lower rating or ceases to be rated, an Underlying Fund may continue to hold the security of the investment adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Underlying Fund and its shareholders.
An economic downtown could severely affect the ability of highly leveraged issuers of junk bond investments to service their debt obligations upon maturity. Factors having an adverse impact on the market value of junk bonds will have an adverse effect on an Underlying Fund’s NAV to the extent it invests in such investments. In addition, an Underlying Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in paying of principal or interest on its portfolio holdings.
These and other factors discussed in the section below, entitled “Illiquid Investments,” may impact the liquidity of investments in high yield securities.
Currency-Linked Notes
Certain Underlying Funds may invest in currency-linked notes. Currency-linked notes are short- or intermediate-term debt securities whose value at maturity or interest payments are linked to the change in value of the U.S. dollar against the performance of
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a currency index or one or more foreign currencies. In some cases, these securities pay an amount at maturity based on a multiple of the amount of a currency’s change against the dollar. If they are sold prior to their maturity, their price may be higher or lower than their purchase price as a result of market conditions or changes in the credit quality of the issuer.
Custodial Receipts and Trust Certificates
Each Underlying Fund may invest in custodial receipts and trust certificates, which may be underwritten by securities dealers or banks, representing interests in securities held by a custodian or trustee. The securities so held may include U.S. Government Securities (as defined below), Municipal Securities or other types of securities in which an Underlying Fund may invest. The custodial receipts or trust certificates are underwritten by securities dealers or banks and may evidence ownership of future interest payments, principal payments or both on the underlying securities, or, in some cases, the payment obligation of a third party that has entered into an interest rate swap or other arrangement with the custodian or trustee. For purposes of certain securities laws, custodial receipts and trust certificates may not be considered obligations of the U.S. Government or other issuer of the securities held by the custodian or trustee. As a holder of custodial receipts and trust certificates, the Underlying Fund will bear their proportionate share of the fees and expenses charged to the custodial account or trust. The Underlying Fund may also invest in separately issued interests in custodial receipts and trust certificates.
Although under the terms of a custodial receipt or trust certificate the Underlying Fund would typically be authorized to assert their rights directly against the issuer of the underlying obligation, the Underlying Fund could be required to assert through the custodian bank or trustee those rights as may exist against the underlying issuers. Thus, in the event an underlying issuer fails to pay principal and/or interest when due, the Underlying Fund may be subject to delays, expenses and risks that are greater than those that would have been involved if the Underlying Fund had purchased a direct obligation of the issuer. In addition, in the event that the trust or custodial account in which the underlying securities have been deposited is determined to be an association taxable as a corporation, instead of a non-taxable entity, the yield on the underlying securities would be reduced in recognition of any taxes paid.
Certain custodial receipts and trust certificates may be synthetic or derivative instruments that have interest rates that reset inversely to changing short-term rates and/or have embedded interest rate floors and caps that require the issuer to pay an adjusted interest rate if market rates fall below or rise above a specified rate. Because some of these instruments represent relatively recent innovations, and the trading market for these instruments is less developed than the markets for traditional types of instruments, it is uncertain how these instruments will perform under different economic and interest-rate scenarios. Also, because these instruments may be leveraged, their market values may be more volatile than other types of fixed income instruments and may present greater potential for capital gain or loss. The possibility of default by an issuer or the issuer’s credit provider may be greater for these derivative instruments than for other types of instruments. In some cases, it may be difficult to determine the fair value of a derivative instrument because of a lack of reliable objective information and an established secondary market for some instruments may not exist. In many cases, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) has not ruled on the tax treatment of the interest or payments received on the derivative instruments and, accordingly, purchases of such instruments are based on the opinion of counsel to the sponsors of the instruments.
Deferred Interest, Pay-in-Kind and Capital Appreciation Bonds
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in deferred interest and capital appreciation bonds and pay-in-kind (“PIK”) securities. Deferred interest and capital appreciation bonds are debt securities issued or sold at a discount from their face value and which do not entitle the holder to any periodic payment of interest prior to maturity or a specified date. The original issue discount varies depending on the time remaining until maturity or cash payment date, prevailing interest rates, the liquidity of the security and the perceived credit quality of the issuer. These securities also may take the form of debt securities that have been stripped of their unmatured interest coupons, the coupons themselves or receipts or certificates representing interests in such stripped debt obligations or coupons.
PIK securities may be debt obligations or preferred shares that provide the issuer with the option of paying interest or dividends on such obligations in cash or in the form of additional securities rather than cash. Similar to zero coupon bonds and  deferred interest bonds, PIK securities are designed to give an issuer flexibility in managing cash flow. PIK securities that are debt securities can either
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be senior or subordinated debt and generally trade flat (i.e., without accrued interest). The trading price of PIK debt securities generally reflects the market value of the underlying debt plus an amount representing accrued interest since the last interest payment.
The market prices of deferred interest, capital appreciation bonds and PIK securities generally are more volatile than the market prices of interest bearing securities and are likely to respond to a greater degree to changes in interest rates than interest bearing securities having similar maturities and credit quality. Moreover, deferred interest, capital appreciation and PIK securities involve the additional risk that, unlike securities that periodically pay interest to maturity, the Underlying Fund will realize no cash until a specified future payment date unless a portion of such securities is sold and, if the issuer of such securities defaults, the Underlying Fund may obtain no return at all on its investment. The valuation of such investments requires judgment regarding the collection of future payments. In addition, even though such securities do not provide for the payment of current interest in cash, the Underlying Fund is nonetheless required to accrue income on such investments for each taxable year and generally are required to distribute such accrued amounts (net of deductible expenses, if any) to avoid being subject to tax. Because no cash is generally received at the time of the accrual, the Underlying Fund may be required to liquidate other portfolio securities to obtain sufficient cash to satisfy federal tax distribution requirements applicable to the Underlying Fund. A portion of the discount with respect to stripped tax-exempt securities or their coupons may be taxable.
Derivatives and Similar Instruments
The Underlying Funds may invest in derivatives and similar instruments discussed elsewhere in this SAI. The use of derivatives and similar instruments may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other assets and instruments and may result in losses due to adverse market movements. Pursuant to Rule 18f-4 under the Act, the Underlying Fund’s use of derivatives and other transactions that create future payment or delivery obligations is subject to a value-at-risk (“VaR”) leverage limit and reporting and certain other requirements. The Trust has also adopted and implemented a derivatives risk management program (the “DRMP”) to, among other things, manage the risks associated with the use of derivatives and these other transactions for series of the Trust that do not qualify as “limited derivatives users” under Rule 18f-4 (each, a “Full Compliance Fund”). The Board of Trustees has approved the designation of personnel from GSAM to administer the DRMP for the Full Compliance Funds. With respect to series of the Trust that qualify as “limited derivatives users” under Rule 18f-4 (each, an “LDU Fund”), the Trust has adopted and implemented policies and procedures to manage an LDU Fund’s derivatives risks. An LDU Fund is also subject to the derivatives exposure threshold set forth in Rule 18f-4.
Similar to bank borrowings, derivatives and similar instruments may result in leverage. Borrowing and the use of derivatives and similar instruments may magnify the potential for gains and losses in excess of the initial amount invested. Mutual funds can borrow money from banks and other financial institutions, subject to certain asset coverage limits. The amount of indebtedness from bank borrowings may not exceed one-third of the Underlying Fund’s total assets (including the amount borrowed). If the Underlying Fund uses reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions, including certain tender option bonds, the Fund must either aggregate the amount of indebtedness associated with the reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions with the aggregate amount of indebtedness associated with any bank borrowings, if applicable, when calculating the Underlying Fund’s asset coverage ratio or treat all such transactions as derivatives transactions subject to the leverage limits under Rule 18f-4.
In addition, under Rule 18f-4, the Underlying Fund is permitted to invest in a security on a when-issued or forward-settling basis, or with a non-standard settlement cycle, and the transaction will be deemed not to involve a “senior security,” provided that (i) the Fund intends to physically settle the transaction and (ii) the transaction will settle within 35 days of its trade date). The Underlying Fund may otherwise engage in such transactions that do not meet these conditions so long as the Fund treats any such transaction as a “derivatives transaction” for purposes of compliance with Rule 18f-4. Furthermore, under Rule 18f-4, the Underlying Fund will be permitted to enter into an unfunded commitment agreement, and such unfunded commitment agreement will not be subject to the limits on borrowings as described above, if the Fund reasonably believes, at the time it enters into such agreement, that it will have sufficient cash and cash equivalents to meet its obligations with respect to all such agreements as they come due.
These requirements may limit the ability of the Underlying Fund to use derivatives, short sales, reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions, delayed-settlement securities and unfunded commitment agreements as part of its investment strategies.
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From time to time, the Underlying Fund may enter into derivatives or other similar transactions that require the Fund to pledge margin or collateral to a counterparty or clearing member through a margin/collateral account for and on behalf of the counterparty or clearing member. For operational, cost, regulatory or other reasons, when setting up these arrangements, the Underlying Fund may be required to use a margin/collateral account model or naming convention that may not be the most protective option available in the case of a default or bankruptcy by a counterparty or clearing member or that may delay or impair the Fund from fully exercising its rights under the arrangement. In the event of default or bankruptcy by a counterparty or clearing member, the margin or collateral may be subject to legal proceedings and the Underlying Fund may be delayed in taking possession of any margin or collateral to which the Fund is legally entitled.
Distressed Debt
Certain Underlying Funds may invest in the securities and other obligations of financially troubled companies, including stressed, distressed and bankrupt issuers and debt obligations that are in covenant or payment default. In addition, investments of an Underlying Fund may become distressed or bankrupt following the Underlying Fund’s initial acquisition of the security. Historically, economic downturns or increases in interest rates have, under certain circumstances, resulted in a higher occurrence of default by the issuers of these instruments. Such investments generally trade significantly below par and are considered speculative. The repayment of defaulted obligations is subject to significant uncertainties. Defaulted obligations might be repaid only after lengthy workout or bankruptcy proceedings, during which the issuer might not make any interest or other payments. Typically, such workout or bankruptcy proceedings result in only partial recovery of cash payments or an exchange of the defaulted obligation for other debt or equity securities of the issuer or its affiliates, which may in turn be speculative.
In any investment involving stressed and distressed debt obligations, there exists the risk that the transaction involving such debt obligations will be unsuccessful, take considerable time or will result in a distribution of cash or a new security or obligation in exchange for the stressed and distressed debt obligations, the value of which may be less than the Underlying Fund’s purchase price of such debt obligations. Furthermore, if an anticipated transaction does not occur, the Underlying Fund may be required to sell its investment at a loss.
Distressed investments may require active participation by the Investment Adviser in the restructuring of an Underlying Fund’s investment or other actions intended to protect the Underlying Fund’s investment; however, there may be situations where the Investment Adviser may determine to not so participate due to regulatory, tax or other considerations. In addition, an Underlying Fund may participate on creditors’ committees to negotiate with the management of financially troubled issuers of securities held by the Underlying Fund. Such participation may subject an Underlying Fund to additional expenses (including legal fees) and may make an Underlying Fund an “insider” of the issuer for purposes of the federal securities laws. This may result in increased litigation risks to an Underlying Fund or may restrict the Investment Adviser’s ability to dispose of the security.
There are a number of significant risks inherent in the bankruptcy process. Many events in a bankruptcy are the product of contested matters and adversary proceedings and are beyond the control of the creditors. A bankruptcy filing by an issuer may adversely and permanently affect the issuer, and if the proceeding is converted to a liquidation, the value of the issuer may not equal the liquidation value that was believed to exist at the time of the investment. The duration of a bankruptcy proceeding is difficult to predict, and a creditor’s return on investment can be adversely affected by delays until the plan of reorganization ultimately becomes effective. The administrative costs in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding are frequently high and would be paid out of the debtor’s estate prior to any return to creditors. Because the standards for classification of claims under bankruptcy law are vague, there exists the risk that the Underlying Fund’s influence with respect to the class of securities or other obligations it owns can be lost by increases in the number and amount of claims in the same class or by different classification and treatment. In the early stages of the bankruptcy process it is often difficult to estimate the extent of, or even to identify, any contingent claims that might be made. In addition, certain claims that have priority by law (for example, claims for taxes) may be substantial.
These and other factors discussed in the section below, entitled “Illiquid Investments,” may impact the liquidity of investments in securities and other obligations of financially troubled companies.
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Dividend-Paying Investments
An Underlying Fund's  investments in dividend-paying securities could cause the Underlying Fund to underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ a different investment style. Securities that pay dividends, as a group, can fall out of favor with the market, causing such securities to underperform securities that do not pay dividends. Depending upon market conditions and political and legislative responses to such conditions, dividend-paying securities that meet an Underlying Fund's investment criteria may not be widely available and/or may be highly concentrated in only a few market sectors. For example, in response to the outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus (known as COVID-19), the U.S. Government passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act in March 2020, which established loan programs for certain issuers impacted by COVID-19. Among other conditions, borrowers under these loan programs are generally restricted from paying dividends. The adoption of new legislation could further limit or restrict the ability of issuers to pay dividends. To the extent that dividend-paying securities are concentrated in only a few market sectors, an Underlying Fund may be subject to the risks of volatile economic cycles and/or conditions or developments that may be particular to a sector to a greater extent than if its investments were diversified across different sectors. In addition, issuers that have paid regular dividends or distributions to shareholders may not continue to do so at the same level or at all in the future. A sharp rise in interest rates or an economic downturn could cause an issuer to abruptly reduce or eliminate its dividend. This may limit the ability of the Underlying Fund to produce current income.
Equity-Linked Structured Notes
Certain Underlying Funds  may invest in equity-linked structured notes. Equity-linked structured notes are derivatives that are specifically designed to combine the characteristics of one or more underlying securities and their equity derivatives in a single note form. The return and/or yield or income component may be based on the performance of the underlying equity securities, an equity index, and/or option positions. Equity-linked structured notes are typically offered in limited transactions by financial institutions in either registered or non-registered form. An investment in equity-linked notes creates exposure to the credit risk of the issuing financial institution, as well as to the market risk of the underlying securities. There is no guaranteed return of principal with these securities and the appreciation potential of these securities may be limited by a maximum payment or call right. In certain cases, equity-linked notes may be more volatile and less liquid than less complex securities or other types of fixed-income securities. Such securities may exhibit price behavior that does not correlate with other fixed-income securities.
Floating Rate Loans and Other Floating Rate Debt Securities
Floating rate loans consist generally of obligations of companies or other entities (e.g., a U.S. or foreign bank, insurance company or finance company) (collectively, “borrowers”) incurred for a variety of purposes. Floating rate loans may be acquired by direct investment as a lender, as a participation interest (which represents a fractional interest in a floating rate loan) issued by a lender or other financial institution, or as an assignment of the portion of a floating rate loan previously attributable to a different lender.
Floating rate loans may be obligations of borrowers who are highly leveraged. Floating rate loans may be structured to include both term loans, which are generally fully funded at the time of the making of the loan, and revolving credit facilities, which would require additional investments upon the borrower’s demand. A revolving credit facility may require a purchaser to increase its investment in a floating rate loan at a time when it would not otherwise have done so, even if the borrower’s condition makes it unlikely that the amount will ever be repaid.
A floating rate loan offered as part of the original lending syndicate typically is purchased at par value. As part of the original lending syndicate, a purchaser generally earns a yield equal to the stated interest rate. In addition, members of the original syndicate typically are paid a commitment fee. In secondary market trading, floating rate loans may be purchased or sold above, at, or below par, which can result in a yield that is below, equal to, or above the stated interest rate, respectively. At certain times when reduced opportunities exist for investing in new syndicated floating rate loans, floating rate loans may be available only through the secondary market. There can be no assurance that an adequate supply of floating rate loans will be available for purchase.
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Historically, floating rate loans have not been registered with the SEC or any state securities commission or listed on any securities exchange. As a result, the amount of public information available about a specific floating rate loan historically has been less extensive than if the floating rate loan were registered or exchange-traded. As a result, no active market may exist for some floating rate loans.
Purchasers of floating rate loans and other forms of debt obligations depend primarily upon the creditworthiness of the borrower for payment of interest and repayment of principal. If scheduled interest or principal payments are not made, the value of the obligation may be adversely affected. Floating rate loans and other debt obligations that are fully secured provide more protections than unsecured obligations in the event of failure to make scheduled interest or principal payments. Indebtedness of borrowers whose creditworthiness is poor involves substantially greater risks and may be highly speculative. Borrowers that are in bankruptcy or restructuring may never pay off their indebtedness, or may pay only a small fraction of the amount owed. Some floating rate loans and other debt obligations are not rated by any nationally recognized statistical rating organization. In connection with the restructuring of a floating rate loan or other debt obligation outside of bankruptcy court in a negotiated work-out or in the context of bankruptcy proceedings, equity securities or junior debt obligations may be received in exchange for all or a portion of an interest in the obligation.
From time to time, Goldman Sachs and its affiliates may borrow money from various banks in connection with their business activities. These banks also may sell floating rate loans to an Underlying Fund or acquire floating rate loans from the Underlying Fund, or may be intermediate participants with respect to floating rate loans owned by the Underlying Fund. These banks also may act as agents for floating rate loans that an Underlying Fund owns.
Agents. Floating rate loans typically are originated, negotiated, and structured by a bank, insurance company, finance company, or other financial institution (the “agent”) for a lending syndicate of financial institutions. The borrower and the lender or lending syndicate enter into a loan agreement. In addition, an institution (typically, but not always, the agent) holds any collateral on behalf of the lenders.
In a typical floating rate loan, the agent administers the terms of the loan agreement and is responsible for the collection of principal and interest and fee payments from the borrower and the apportionment of these payments to all lenders that are parties to the loan agreement. Purchasers will rely on the agent to use appropriate creditor remedies against the borrower. Typically, under loan agreements, the agent is given broad discretion in monitoring the borrower’s performance and is obligated to use the same care it would use in the management of its own property. Upon an event of default, the agent typically will enforce the loan agreement after instruction from the lenders. The borrower compensates the agent for these services. This compensation may include special fees paid on structuring and funding the floating rate loan and other fees paid on a continuing basis. The typical practice of an agent or a lender in relying exclusively or primarily on reports from the borrower may involve a risk of fraud by the borrower.
If an agent becomes insolvent, or has a receiver, conservator, or similar official appointed for it by the appropriate bank or other regulatory authority, or becomes a debtor in a bankruptcy proceeding, the agent’s appointment may be terminated, and a successor agent would be appointed. If an appropriate regulator or court determines that assets held by the agent for the benefit of the purchasers of floating rate loans are subject to the claims of the agent’s general or secured creditors, the purchasers might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on a floating rate loan or suffer a loss of principal and/or interest. Furthermore, in the event of the borrower’s bankruptcy or insolvency, the borrower’s obligation to repay a floating rate loan may be subject to certain defenses that the borrower can assert as a result of improper conduct by the agent.
Assignments. An Underlying Fund may purchase an assignment of a portion of a floating rate loan from an agent or from another group of investors. The purchase of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations under the original loan agreement; however, assignments may also be arranged through private negotiations between potential assignees and potential assignors, and the rights and obligations acquired by the purchaser of an assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning agent or investor.
Loan Participation Interests. Purchasers of participation interests do not have any direct contractual relationship with the borrower. Purchasers rely on the lender who sold the participation interest not only for the enforcement of the purchaser’s rights
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against the borrower but also for the receipt and processing of payments due under the floating rate loan. For additional information, see the section “Loan Participations” below.
Liquidity. Floating rate loans may be transferable among financial institutions, but may not have the liquidity of conventional debt securities and are often subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale. Floating rate loans are not currently listed on any securities exchange or automatic quotation system. As a result, no active market may exist for some floating rate loans. To the extent a secondary market exists for other floating rate loans, such market may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads, and extended trade settlement periods. The lack of a highly liquid secondary market for floating rate loans may have an adverse effect on the value of such loans and may make it more difficult to value the loans for purposes of calculating their respective NAV. These and other factors discussed in the section below, entitled “Illiquid Investments,” may impact the liquidity of investments in floating rate loans and other variable and floating rate securities.
Collateral. Most floating rate loans are secured by specific collateral of the borrower and are senior to most other securities or obligations of the borrower. The collateral typically has a market value, at the time the floating rate loan is made, that equals or exceeds the principal amount of the floating rate loan. The value of the collateral may decline, be insufficient to meet the obligations of the borrower, or be difficult to liquidate. As a result, a floating rate loan may not be fully collateralized and can decline significantly in value.
Floating rate loan collateral may consist of various types of assets or interests, including working capital assets, such as accounts receivable or inventory; tangible or intangible assets; or assets or other types of guarantees of affiliates of the borrower.
Generally, floating rate loans are secured unless (i) the purchaser’s security interest in the collateral is invalidated for any reason by a court, or (ii) the collateral is fully released with the consent of the agent bank and lenders or under the terms of a loan agreement as the creditworthiness of the borrower improves. Collateral impairment is the risk that the value of the collateral for a floating rate loan will be insufficient in the event that a borrower defaults. Although the terms of a floating rate loan generally require that the collateral at issuance have a value at least equal to 100% of the amount of such floating rate loan, the value of the collateral may decline subsequent to the purchase of a floating rate loan. In most loan agreements there is no formal requirement to pledge additional collateral. There is no guarantee that the sale of collateral would allow a borrower to meet its obligations should the borrower be unable to repay principal or pay interest or that the collateral could be sold quickly or easily.
In addition, most borrowers pay their debts from the cash flow they generate. If the borrower’s cash flow is insufficient to pay its debts as they come due, the borrower may seek to restructure its debts rather than sell collateral. Borrowers may try to restructure their debts by filing for protection under the federal bankruptcy laws or negotiating a work-out. If a borrower becomes involved in bankruptcy proceedings, access to the collateral may be limited by bankruptcy and other laws. In the event that a court decides that access to the collateral is limited or void, it is unlikely that purchasers could recover the full amount of the principal and interest due.
There may be temporary periods when the principal asset held by a borrower is the stock of a related company, which may not legally be pledged to secure a floating rate loan. On occasions when such stock cannot be pledged, the floating rate loan will be temporarily unsecured until the stock can be pledged or is exchanged for, or replaced by, other assets.
Some floating rate loans are unsecured. The claims of holders under unsecured loans are subordinated to claims of creditors holding secured indebtedness and possibly also to claims of other creditors holding unsecured debt. Unsecured loans have a greater risk of default than secured loans, particularly during periods of deteriorating economic conditions. If the borrower defaults on an unsecured floating rate loan, there is no specific collateral on which the purchaser can foreclose.
Floating Interest Rates. The rate of interest payable on floating rate loans and other floating or variable rate obligations is the sum of a base lending rate plus a specified spread. Base lending rates are generally the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), the Prime Rate of a designated U.S. bank, the Federal Funds Rate, or another base lending rate used by commercial lenders.
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A borrower usually has the right to select the base lending rate and to change the base lending rate at specified intervals. The applicable spread may be fixed at time of issuance or may adjust upward or downward to reflect changes in credit quality of the borrower.
The interest rate on SOFR- and LIBOR-based floating rate loans/obligations is reset periodically at intervals ranging from 30 to 180 days, while the interest rate on Prime Rate- or Federal Funds Rate-based floating rate loans/obligations floats daily as those rates change. Investment in floating rate loans/obligations with longer interest rate reset periods can increase fluctuations in the floating rate loans’ values when interest rates change.
The yield on a floating rate loan/obligation will primarily depend on the terms of the underlying floating rate loan/obligation and the base lending rate chosen by the borrower. The relationship between SOFR, LIBOR, the Prime Rate, and the Federal Funds Rate will vary as market conditions change.
Maturity. Floating rate loans typically will have a stated term of five to nine years. However, because floating rate loans are frequently prepaid, their average maturity is expected to be two to three years. The degree to which borrowers prepay floating rate loans, whether as a contractual requirement or at their election, may be affected by general business conditions, the borrower’s financial condition, and competitive conditions among lenders. Prepayments cannot be predicted with accuracy. Prepayments of principal to the purchaser of a floating rate loan may result in the principal’s being reinvested in floating rate loans with lower yields.
Supply of Floating Rate Loans. The legislation of state or federal regulators that regulate certain financial institutions may impose additional requirements or restrictions on the ability of such institutions to make loans, particularly with respect to highly leveraged transactions. The supply of floating rate loans may be limited from time to time due to a lack of sellers in the market for existing floating rate loans or the number of new floating rate loans currently being issued. As a result, the floating rate loans available for purchase may be lower quality or higher priced.
Restrictive Covenants. A borrower must comply with various restrictive covenants contained in the loan agreement. In addition to requiring the scheduled payment of interest and principal, these covenants may include restrictions on dividend payments and other distributions to stockholders, provisions requiring the borrower to maintain specific financial ratios, and limits on total debt. The loan agreement may also contain a covenant requiring the borrower to prepay the floating rate loan with any free cash flow. A breach of a covenant that is not waived by the agent (or by the lenders directly) is normally an event of default, which provides the agent or the lenders the right to call the outstanding floating rate loan.
Fees. Purchasers of floating rate loans may receive and/or pay certain fees. These fees are in addition to interest payments received and may include facility fees, commitment fees, commissions, and prepayment penalty fees. When a purchaser buys a floating rate loan, it may receive a facility fee; and when it sells a floating rate loan, it may pay a facility fee. A purchaser may receive a commitment fee based on the undrawn portion of the underlying line of credit portion of a floating rate loan or a prepayment penalty fee on the prepayment of a floating rate loan. A purchaser may also receive other fees, including covenant waiver fees and covenant modification fees.
Other Types of Floating Rate Debt Obligations. Floating rate debt obligations include other forms of indebtedness of borrowers such as notes and bonds, obligations with fixed rate interest payments in conjunction with a right to receive floating rate interest payments, and shares of other investment companies. These instruments are generally subject to the same risks as floating rate loans but are often more widely issued and traded.
Foreign Securities
Certain Underlying Funds may invest in foreign issuers, including in fixed income securities quoted or denominated in a currency other than U.S. dollars. Investments in foreign securities may offer potential benefits not available from investments solely in U.S. dollar-denominated or quoted securities of domestic issuers. Such benefits may include the opportunity to invest in foreign issuers that appear, in the opinion of an Underlying Fund’s investment adviser, to offer the potential for better long-term growth of capital and income than investments in U.S. securities, the opportunity to invest in foreign countries with economic policies or
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business cycles different from those of the United States and the opportunity to reduce fluctuations in portfolio value by taking advantage of foreign securities markets that do not necessarily move in a manner parallel to U.S. markets.
Investments in foreign securities may offer potential benefits not available from investments solely in U.S. dollar-denominated or quoted securities of domestic issuers. Such benefits may include the opportunity to invest in foreign issuers that appear, in the opinion of the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser, to offer the potential for better long term growth of capital and income than investments in U.S. securities, the opportunity to invest in foreign countries with economic policies or business cycles different from those of the United States and the opportunity to reduce fluctuations in portfolio value by taking advantage of foreign securities markets that do not necessarily move in a manner parallel to U.S. markets. Investing in the securities of foreign issuers also involves, however, certain special risks, including those discussed in the Underlying Funds’ prospectuses and those set forth below, which are not typically associated with investing in U.S. dollar-denominated securities or quoted securities of U.S. issuers. Many of these risks are more pronounced for investments in emerging economies.
With respect to investments in certain foreign countries, there exist certain economic, political and social risks, including the risk of adverse political developments, nationalization, military unrest, social instability, war and terrorism, confiscation without fair compensation, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, limitations on the movement of funds and other assets between different countries, or diplomatic developments, any of which could adversely affect an Underlying Fund’s investments in those countries. Governments in certain foreign countries continue to participate to a significant degree, through ownership interest or regulation, in their respective economies. Action by these governments could have a significant effect on market prices of securities and dividend payments.
Many countries throughout the world are dependent on a healthy U.S. economy and are adversely affected when the U.S. economy weakens or its markets decline. Additionally, many foreign country economies are heavily dependent on international trade and are adversely affected by protective trade barriers and economic conditions of their trading partners. Protectionist trade legislation enacted by those trading partners could have a significant adverse effect on the securities markets of those countries. Individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payments position.
From time to time, certain of the companies in which an Underlying Fund may invest, may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargos imposed by the U.S. Government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the U.S. Government as state sponsors of terrorism. For example, the United Nations Security Council has imposed certain sanctions relating to Iran and Sudan and both countries are embargoed countries by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury.
In addition, from time to time, certain of the companies in which an Underlying Fund may invest, may engage in, or have dealings with countries or companies that engage in, activities that may not be considered socially and/or environmentally responsible. Such activities may relate to human rights issues (such as patterns of human rights abuses or violations, persecution or discrimination), impacts to local communities in which companies operate and environmental sustainability. For a description of the Investment Adviser’s approach to responsible and sustainable investing, please see GSAM’s Statement on Responsible and Sustainable Investing at https://www.gsam.com/content/dam/gsam/pdfs/common/en/public/miscellaneous/GSAM_statement_on_respon_sustainable_investing.pdf.
As a result, a company may suffer damage to its reputation if it is identified as a company which engages in, or has dealings with countries or companies that engage in, the above referenced activities. As an investor in such companies, an Underlying Fund would be indirectly subject to those risks.
The Investment Adviser is committed to complying fully with sanctions in effect as of the date of this SAI and any other applicable sanctions that may be enacted in the future with respect to Sudan or any other country.
Investments in foreign securities often involve currencies of foreign countries. Accordingly, an Underlying Fund may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency rates and in exchange control regulations and may incur costs in connection with conversions between various currencies. Certain of the Underlying Funds may be subject to currency exposure independent of their
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securities positions. To the extent that an Underlying Fund is fully invested in foreign securities while also maintaining net currency positions, it may be exposed to greater combined risk.
Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. They generally are determined by the forces of supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or anticipated changes in interest rates and other complex factors, as seen from an international perspective. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks or by currency controls or political developments in the United States or abroad. To the extent that a portion of an Underlying Fund’s total assets, adjusted to reflect the Underlying Fund’s net position after giving effect to currency transactions, is denominated or quoted in the currencies of foreign countries, the Underlying Fund will be more susceptible to the risk of adverse economic and political developments within those countries. An Underlying Fund’s net currency positions may expose it to risks independent of its securities positions.
Because foreign issuers generally are not subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies, there may be less publicly available information about a foreign company than about a U.S. company. Volume and liquidity in most foreign securities markets are less than in the United States and securities of many foreign companies are less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. companies. The securities of foreign issuers may be listed on foreign securities exchanges or traded in foreign over-the-counter markets. Fixed commissions on foreign securities exchanges are generally higher than negotiated commissions on U.S. exchanges, although certain Underlying Funds endeavor to achieve the most favorable net results on its portfolio transactions. There is generally less government supervision and regulation of foreign securities exchanges, brokers, dealers and listed and unlisted companies than in the United States, and the legal remedies for investors may be more limited than the remedies available in the United States. For example, there may be no comparable provisions under certain foreign laws to insider trading and similar investor protections that apply with respect to securities transactions consummated in the United States. Mail service between the United States and foreign countries may be slower or less reliable than within the United States, thus increasing the risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates for portfolio securities.
Foreign markets also have different clearance and settlement procedures, and in certain markets there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such transactions. Such delays in settlement could result in temporary periods when some of an Underlying Fund’s assets are uninvested and no return is earned on such assets. The inability of an Underlying Fund to make intended security purchases due to settlement problems could cause the Underlying Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities. Inability to dispose of portfolio securities due to settlement problems could result either in losses to the Underlying Fund due to subsequent declines in value of the portfolio securities or, if the Underlying Fund has entered into a contract to sell the securities, in possible liability to the purchaser.
Custodial and/or settlement systems in emerging markets countries may not be fully developed. To the extent an Underlying Fund invests in emerging markets, an Underlying Fund’s assets that are traded in such markets and which have been entrusted to such sub-custodians in those markets may be exposed to risks for which the sub-custodian will have no liability.
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in foreign securities which take the form of sponsored and unsponsored ADRs GDRs and certain of the Underlying Funds may also invest in European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) or other similar instruments representing securities of foreign issuers (together, “Depositary Receipts”). ADRs represent the right to receive securities of foreign issuers deposited in a domestic bank or a correspondent bank. ADRs are traded on domestic exchanges or in the U.S. over-the-counter market and, generally, are in registered form. EDRs and GDRs are receipts evidencing an arrangement with a non-U.S. bank similar to that for ADRs and are designed for use in the non-U.S. securities markets. EDRs and GDRs are not necessarily quoted in the same currency as the underlying security.
To the extent an Underlying Fund acquires Depositary Receipts through banks which do not have a contractual relationship with the foreign issuer of the security underlying the Depositary Receipts to issue and service such unsponsored Depositary Receipts, there is an increased possibility that the Underlying Fund will not become aware of and be able to respond to corporate actions such as stock splits or rights offerings involving the foreign issuer in a timely manner. In addition, the lack of information may result in inefficiencies in the valuation of such instruments. Investment in Depositary Receipts does not eliminate all the risks inherent in
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investing in securities of non-U.S. issuers. The market value of Depositary Receipts is dependent upon the market value of the underlying securities and fluctuations in the relative value of the currencies in which the Depositary Receipts and the underlying securities are quoted. In addition, the issuers of Depositary Receipts may discontinue issuing new Depositary Receipts and withdraw existing Depositary Receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Underlying Fund and may negatively impact the Underlying Fund’s performance. However, by investing in Depositary Receipts, such as ADRs, which are quoted in U.S. dollars, an Underlying Fund may avoid currency risks during the settlement period for purchases and sales.
As described more fully below, certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in countries with emerging economies or securities markets. Political and economic structures in many of such countries may be undergoing significant evolution and rapid development, and such countries may lack the social, political and economic stability characteristic of more developed countries. Certain of such countries have in the past failed to recognize private property rights and have at times nationalized or expropriated the assets of, or ignored internationally accepted standards of due process against, private companies. In addition, a country may take these and other retaliatory actions against a specific private company, including an Underlying Fund or the Investment Adviser. There may not be legal recourse against these actions, which could arise in connection with the commercial activities of Goldman Sachs or its affiliates or otherwise, and an Underlying Fund could be subject to substantial losses. In addition, an Underlying Fund or the Investment Adviser may determine not to invest in, or may limit its overall investment in, a particular issuer, country or geographic region due to, among other things, heightened risks regarding repatriation restrictions, confiscation of assets and property, expropriation or nationalization.
These and other factors discussed in the section below, entitled “Illiquid Investments,” may impact the liquidity of investments in securities of foreign issuers.
Brady Bonds. Certain foreign debt obligations, customarily referred to as “Brady Bonds,” are created through the exchange of existing commercial bank loans to foreign entities for new obligations in connection with debt restructuring under a plan introduced by former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Nicholas F. Brady (the “Brady Plan”). Brady Bonds may be fully or partially collateralized or uncollateralized and issued in various currencies (although most are U.S. dollar denominated). In the event of a default on collateralized Brady Bonds for which obligations are accelerated, the collateral for the payment of principal will not be distributed to investors, nor will such obligations be sold and the proceeds distributed. The collateral will be held by the collateral agent to the scheduled maturity of the defaulted Brady Bonds, which will continue to be outstanding, at which time the face amount of the collateral will equal the principal payments which would have then been due on the Brady Bonds in the normal course. In light of the residual risk of the Brady Bonds and, among other factors, the history of default with respect to commercial bank loans by public and private entities of countries issuing Brady Bonds, investments in Brady Bonds may be speculative.
Foreign Government Obligations. Foreign government obligations include securities, instruments and obligations issued or guaranteed by a foreign government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. Investment in foreign government obligations can involve a high degree of risk. The governmental entity that controls the repayment of foreign government obligations may not be able or willing to repay the principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt. A governmental entity’s willingness or ability to repay principal and interest due in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the governmental entity’s policy towards the International Monetary Fund and the political constraints to which a governmental entity may be subject. Governmental entities may also be dependent on expected disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and others abroad to reduce principal and interest on their debt. The commitment on the part of these governments, agencies and others to make such disbursements may be conditioned on a governmental entity’s implementation of economic reforms and/or economic performance and the timely service of such debtor’s obligations. Failure to implement such reforms, achieve such levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of such third parties’ commitments to lend funds to the governmental entity, which may further impair such debtor’s ability or willingness to service its debts in a timely manner. Consequently, governmental entities may default on their debt. Holders of foreign government obligations (including certain of the Underlying Funds) may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental agencies.
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Investing in Asia
Although many countries in Asia have experienced a relatively stable political environment over the last decade, there is no guarantee that such stability will be maintained in the future. As an emerging region, many factors may affect such stability on a country-by-country as well as on a regional basis – increasing gaps between the rich and poor, agrarian unrest, instability of existing coalitions in politically-fractionated countries, hostile relations with neighboring countries, and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection – and may result in adverse consequences to an Underlying Fund. The political history of some Asian countries has been characterized by political uncertainty, intervention by the military in civilian and economic spheres, and political corruption. Such developments, if they continue to occur, could reverse favorable trends toward market and economic reform, privatization, and removal of trade barriers, and could result in significant disruption to securities markets.
The legal infrastructure in each of the countries in Asia is unique and often undeveloped. In most cases, securities laws are evolving and far from adequate for the protection of the public from serious fraud. Investment in Asian securities involves considerations and possible risks not typically involved with investment in other issuers, including changes in governmental administration or economic or monetary policy or changed circumstances in dealings between nations. The application of tax laws (e.g., the imposition of withholding taxes on dividend or interest payments) or confiscatory taxation may also affect investment in Asian securities. Higher expenses may result from investments in Asian securities than would from investments in other securities because of the costs that must be incurred in connection with conversions between various currencies and brokerage commissions that may be higher than more established markets. Asian securities markets also may be less liquid, more volatile and less subject to governmental supervision than elsewhere. Investments in countries in the region could be affected by other factors not present elsewhere, including lack of uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, inadequate settlement procedures and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations.
Some Asian economies have limited natural resources, resulting in dependence on foreign sources for energy and raw materials and economic vulnerability to global fluctuations of price and supply. Certain countries in Asia are especially prone to natural disasters, such as flooding, drought and earthquakes. Combined with the possibility of man-made disasters, the occurrence of such disasters may adversely affect companies in which an Underlying Fund is invested and, as a result, may result in adverse consequences to the Underlying Fund.
Many of the countries in Asia periodically have experienced significant inflation. Should the governments and central banks of the countries in Asia fail to control inflation, this may have an adverse effect on the performance of an Underlying Fund’s investments in Asian securities. Several of the countries in Asia remain dependent on the U.S. economy as their largest export customer, and future barriers to entry into the U.S. market or other important markets could adversely affect an Underlying Fund’s performance. Intraregional trade is becoming an increasingly significant percentage of total trade for the countries in Asia. Consequently, the intertwined economies are becoming increasingly dependent on each other, and any barriers to entry to markets in Asia in the future may adversely affect an Underlying Fund’s performance.
Certain Asian countries may have managed currencies which are maintained at artificial levels to the U.S. dollar rather than at levels determined by the market. This type of system can lead to sudden and large adjustments in the currency which, in turn, can have a disruptive and negative effect on foreign investors. Certain Asian countries also may restrict the free conversion of their currency into foreign currencies, including the U.S. dollar. There is no significant foreign exchange market for certain currencies, and it would, as a result, be difficult to engage in foreign currency transactions designed to protect the value of an Underlying Fund’s interests in securities denominated in such currencies.
Although an Underlying Fund will generally attempt to invest in those markets which provide the greatest freedom of movement of foreign capital, there is no assurance that this will be possible or that certain countries in Asia will not restrict the movement of foreign capital in the future. Changes in securities laws and foreign ownership laws may have an adverse effect on an Underlying Fund.
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Investing in Greater China
Investing in Greater China (Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan) involves a high degree of risk and special considerations not typically associated with investing in other more established economies or securities markets. Such risks may include: (a) greater social, economic and political uncertainty (including the risk of armed conflict); (b) the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets or confiscatory taxation; (c) dependency on exports and the corresponding importance of international trade; (d) the imposition of tariffs or other trade barriers by the U.S. or foreign governments on exports from Mainland China; (e) increasing competition from Asia’s other low-cost emerging economies; (f) greater price volatility and smaller market capitalization of securities markets; (g) decreased liquidity, particularly of certain share classes of Chinese securities; (h) currency exchange rate fluctuations (with respect to investments in Mainland China and Taiwan) and the lack of available currency hedging instruments; (i) higher rates of inflation; (j) controls on foreign investment and limitations on repatriation of invested capital and on an Underlying Fund’s ability to exchange local currencies for U.S. dollars; (k) greater governmental involvement in and control over the economy; (l) uncertainty regarding the People’s Republic of China’s commitment to economic reforms; (m) the fact that Chinese companies may be smaller, less seasoned and newly-organized companies; (n) the differences in, or lack of, auditing and financial reporting standards which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; (o) the fact that statistical information regarding the economy of Greater China may be inaccurate or not comparable to statistical information regarding the U.S. or other economies; (p) less extensive, and still developing, legal systems and regulatory frameworks regarding the securities markets, business entities and commercial transactions; (q) the fact that the settlement period of securities transactions in foreign markets may be longer; (r) the fact that it may be more difficult, or impossible, to obtain and/or enforce a judgment than in other countries; and (s) the rapid and erratic nature of growth, particularly in the People’s Republic of China, resulting in inefficiencies and dislocations.
Mainland China. Investments in Mainland China are subject to the risks associated with greater governmental control over the economy, political and legal uncertainties and currency fluctuations or blockage. In particular, the Chinese Communist Party exercises significant control over economic growth in Mainland China through the allocation of resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.
Because the local legal system is still developing, it may be more difficult to obtain or enforce judgments with respect to investments in Mainland China. Chinese companies may not be subject to the same disclosure, accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices as U.S. companies. Thus, there may be less information publicly available about Chinese companies than about most U.S. companies. Government supervision and regulation of Chinese stock exchanges, currency markets, trading systems and brokers may be more or less rigorous than that present in the U.S. The procedures and rules governing transactions and custody in Mainland China also may involve delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments. The imposition of tariffs or other trade barriers by the U.S. or other foreign governments on exports from Mainland China may also have an adverse impact on Chinese issuers and China’s economy as a whole.
Foreign investments in Mainland China are somewhat restricted. Securities listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges are divided into two classes of shares: A Shares and B Shares. Ownership of A Shares is restricted to Chinese investors, Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (“QFIIs”) who have obtained a QFII license, and participants in the Shanghai-Hong Kong and Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect programs (“Stock Connect”). B Shares may be owned by Chinese and foreign investors. An Underlying Fund may obtain exposure to the A Share market in the People’s Republic of China by either investing directly in A Shares through participation in Stock Connect, or by investing in participatory notes issued by banks, broker-dealers and other financial institutions, or other structured or derivative instruments that are designed to replicate, or otherwise provide exposure to, the performance of A Shares of Chinese companies. An Underlying Fund may also invest directly in B Shares on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges.
As a result of investing in the People’s Republic of China, an Underlying Fund may be subject to withholding and various other taxes imposed by the People’s Republic of China. To date, a 10% withholding tax has been levied on cash dividends, distributions and interest payments from companies listed in the People’s Republic of China to foreign investors, unless the withholding tax can be reduced by an applicable income tax treaty.
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As of November 17, 2014, foreign mutual funds, which qualify as QFIIs and/or RMB Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (“RQFIIs”), are temporarily exempt from enterprise income tax on capital gains arising from securities trading in the People’s Republic of China. It is currently unclear when this preferential treatment would end. If the preferential treatment were to end, such capital gains would be subject to a 10% withholding tax in the People’s Republic of China. Meanwhile, the purchase and sale of publicly traded equities by a QFII/RQFII is exempt from value-added tax in the People’s Republic of China.
The tax law and regulations of the People’s Republic of China are constantly changing, and they may be changed with retrospective effect to the advantage or disadvantage of shareholders. The interpretation and applicability of the tax law and regulations by tax authorities may not be as consistent and transparent as those of more developed nations, and may vary from region to region. It should also be noted that any provision for taxation made by the Investment Adviser may be excessive or inadequate to meet final tax liabilities. Consequently, shareholders may be advantaged or disadvantaged depending upon the final tax liabilities, the level of provision and when they subscribed and/or redeemed their shares of an Underlying Fund.
Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. Since Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, it has been governed by the Basic Law, a “quasi-constitution.” The Basic Law guarantees a high degree of autonomy in certain matters, including economic matters, until 2047. Attempts by the government of the People’s Republic of China to exert greater control over Hong Kong’s economic, political or legal structures or its existing social policy, could negatively affect investor confidence in Hong Kong, which in turn could negatively affect markets and business performance.
In addition, the Hong Kong dollar trades within a fixed trading band rate to (or is “pegged” to) the U.S. dollar. This fixed exchange rate has contributed to the growth and stability of the economy, but could be discontinued. It is uncertain what effect any discontinuance of the currency peg and the establishment of an alternative exchange rate system would have on the Hong Kong economy.
Taiwan. The prospect of political reunification of the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan has engendered hostility between the two regions’ governments. This situation poses a significant threat to Taiwan’s economy, as heightened conflict could potentially lead to distortions in Taiwan’s capital accounts and have an adverse impact on the value of investments throughout Greater China.
Investing in Australia. The Australian economy is heavily dependent on the economies of Asia, Europe and the U.S. as key trading partners, and in particular, on the price and demand for agricultural products and natural resources. By total market capitalization, the Australian stock market is small relative to the U.S. stock market and issues may trade with lesser liquidity. Australian reporting, accounting and auditing standards differ substantially from U.S. standards. In general, Australian corporations do not provide all of the disclosure required by U.S. law and accounting practice, and such disclosure may be less timely and less frequent than that required of U.S. companies.
Investing in Central and South American Countries
A significant portion of certain Underlying Funds’ portfolios may be invested in securities of issuers located in Central and South American countries. The economies of Central and South American countries have experienced considerable difficulties in the past decade, including high inflation rates, high interest rates and currency devaluations. As a result, Central and South American securities markets have experienced great volatility. In addition, many of the region’s economies have become highly dependent upon foreign credit and loans from external sources to fuel their state-sponsored economic plans. A number of Central and South American countries are among the largest emerging country debtors. There have been moratoria on, and reschedulings of, repayment with respect to these debts. Such events can restrict the flexibility of these debtor nations in the international markets and result in the imposition of onerous conditions on their economies.
In the past, many Central and South American countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. High inflation rates have also led to high interest rates. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and could, in the future, have very negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain Central and South American countries.Many of the currencies of Central and South American countries have experienced steady devaluation relative to the U.S. dollar, and major devaluations have historically occurred in certain countries. Any devaluations in the currencies in which an Underlying Fund’s portfolio securities are denominated may have a detrimental impact on the Underlying Fund. There is also a risk
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that certain Central and South American countries may restrict the free conversion of their currencies into other currencies. Some Central and South American countries may have managed currencies which are not free floating against the U.S. dollar. This type of system can lead to sudden and large adjustments in the currency that, in turn, can have a disruptive and negative effect on foreign investors. Certain Central and South American currencies may not be internationally traded and it would be difficult for an Underlying Fund to engage in foreign currency transactions designed to protect the value of an Underlying Fund's interests in securities denominated in such currencies.
In addition, substantial limitations may exist in certain countries with respect to an Underlying Fund’s ability to repatriate investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities by foreign investors. An Underlying Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Underlying Fund of any restrictions on investments.
The emergence of the Central and South American economies and securities markets will require continued economic and fiscal discipline that has been lacking at times in the past, as well as stable political and social conditions. Governments of many Central and South American countries have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. The political history of certain Central and South American countries has been characterized by political uncertainty, intervention by the military in civilian and economic spheres and political corruption.  Now democracy is beginning to become well established in some countries. Domestic economies have been deregulated, state-owned companies privatized, and foreign trade restrictions relaxed. Such developments, if they do not continue, could reverse favorable trends toward market and economic reform, privatization and removal of trade barriers. Social inequality and poverty may contribute to political and economic instability in this region.
International economic conditions, particularly those in the United States, as well as world prices for oil and other commodities may also influence the recovery of the Central and South American economies. Because commodities such as oil, gas, minerals and metals represent a significant percentage of the region’s exports, the economies of Central and South American countries are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. As a result, the economies in many of these countries can experience significant volatility.
Certain Central and South American countries have entered into regional trade agreements that would, among other things, reduce barriers among countries, increase competition among companies and reduce government subsidies in certain industries. No assurance can be given that these changes will result in the economic stability intended. There is a possibility that these trade arrangements will not be implemented, will be implemented but not completed or will be completed but then partially or completely unwound. It is also possible that a significant participant could choose to abandon a trade agreement, which could diminish its credibility and influence.
Any of these occurrences could have adverse effects on the markets of both participating and non-participating countries, including share appreciation or depreciation of participant’s national currencies and a significant increase in exchange rate volatility, a resurgence in economic protectionism, an undermining of confidence in the Central and South American markets, an undermining of Central and South American economic stability, the collapse or slowdown of the drive toward Central and South American economic unity, and/or reversion of the attempts to lower government debt and inflation rates that were introduced in anticipation of such trade agreements.
Such developments could have an adverse impact on an Underlying Fund's investments in Central and South America generally or in specific countries participating in such trade agreements.
Investing in Eastern Europe
Certain of the Underlying Funds may seek investment opportunities within Eastern Europe. Most Eastern European countries had a centrally planned, socialist economy for a substantial period of time. The governments of many Eastern European countries have more recently been implementing reforms directed at political and economic liberalization, including efforts to decentralize the economic decision-making process and move towards a market economy. However, business entities in many Eastern European countries do not have an extended history of operating in a market-oriented economy, and the ultimate impact of Eastern European countries’ attempts to move toward more market-oriented economies is currently unclear. In addition, any change in the leadership or
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policies of Eastern European countries may halt the expansion of or reverse the liberalization of foreign investment policies now occurring and adversely affect existing investment opportunities. In addition, Eastern European markets are particularly sensitive to social, economic and currency events in Western Europe and Russia. Russia may attempt to assert its influence in the region through military measures.
Where an Underlying Fund invests in securities issued by companies incorporated in or whose principal operations are located in Eastern Europe, other risks may also be encountered. Legal, political, economic and fiscal uncertainties in Eastern European markets may affect the value of an Underlying Fund’s investment in such securities. The currencies in which these investments may be denominated may be unstable, may be subject to significant depreciation and may not be freely convertible. Existing laws and regulations may not be consistently applied. The markets of the countries of Eastern Europe are still in the early stages of their development, have less volume, are less highly regulated, are less liquid and experience greater volatility than more established markets. Settlement of transactions may be subject to delay and administrative uncertainties. Custodians are not able to offer the level of service and safekeeping, settlement and administration services that is customary in more developed markets, and there is a risk that an Underlying Fund will not be recognized as the owner of securities held on its behalf by a sub-custodian.
Investing in Emerging Countries.
The International Equity Insights, Emerging Markets Equity, Emerging Markets Equity Insights and International Small Cap Insights Funds are intended for long-term investors who can accept the risks associated with investing primarily in equity and equity-related securities of foreign issuers, including emerging country issuers, as well as the risks associated with investments quoted or denominated in foreign currencies. Certain of the Underlying Funds may also invest in equity and equity-related securities of foreign issuers, including emerging country issuers, and in debt securities of foreign issuers, including emerging country issuers, and in fixed income securities quoted or denominated in a currency other than U.S. dollars. The Core Fixed Income Fund’s and the High Yield Fund’s investments in emerging markets are limited to 10% and 25%, respectively, of their Total Assets. The Global Income Fund may invest in sovereign and corporate debt securities and other instruments of issuers in emerging market countries (“emerging countries debt”) up to the weight of emerging countries debt in the Fund’s benchmark index plus 10% of its total assets. Neither the Emerging Markets Debt Fund nor the Local Emerging Markets Debt Fund is limited in its investments in emerging markets.
The securities markets of emerging countries are less liquid and subject to greater price volatility, and have a smaller market capitalization, than the U.S. securities markets. In certain countries, there may be fewer publicly traded securities, and the market may be dominated by a few issuers or sectors. Issuers and securities markets in such countries are not subject to as stringent, extensive and frequent accounting, auditing, financial and other reporting requirements or as comprehensive government regulations as are issuers and securities markets in the U.S., and the degree of cooperation between issuers in emerging and frontier market countries with foreign and U.S. financial regulators may vary significantly. In particular, the assets and profits appearing on the financial statements of emerging country issuers may not reflect their financial position or results of operations in the same manner as financial statements for U.S. issuers. Substantially less information may be publicly available about emerging country issuers than is available about issuers in the United States. In addition, U.S. regulators may not have sufficient access to adequately audit and oversee issuers. For example, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) is responsible for inspecting and auditing the accounting practices and products of U.S.-listed companies, regardless of the issuer’s domicile. However, certain emerging market countries, including China, do not provide sufficient access to the PCAOB to conduct its inspections and audits. As a result, U.S. investors, including the Funds, may be subject to risks associated with less stringent accounting oversight.
Emerging country securities markets are typically marked by a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of ownership of such securities by a limited number of investors. The markets for securities in certain emerging countries are in the earliest stages of their development. An Underlying Fund’s investments in emerging countries are subject to the risk that the liquidity of particular instruments, or instruments generally in such countries, will shrink or disappear suddenly and without warning as a result of adverse economic, market or political conditions, or adverse investor perceptions, whether or not accurate. Even the markets for relatively widely traded securities in emerging countries may not be able to absorb, without price disruptions, a significant increase in trading volume or trades of a size customarily undertaken by institutional investors in the securities markets of developed countries. The limited size of many of the securities markets can cause prices to be erratic for reasons apart from factors that affect the soundness
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and competitiveness of the securities issuers. For example, prices may be unduly influenced by traders who control large positions in these markets. Additionally, market making and arbitrage activities are generally less extensive in such markets, which may contribute to increased volatility and reduced liquidity of such markets. The limited liquidity of emerging country securities may also affect an Underlying Fund’s ability to accurately value its portfolio securities or to acquire or dispose of such securities at the price and times it wishes to do so. The risks associated with reduced liquidity may be particularly acute to the extent that an Underlying Fund needs cash to meet redemption requests, to pay dividends and other distributions or to pay its expenses. In addition, emerging market countries are often characterized by limited reliable access to capital.
Transaction costs, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups, in emerging countries may be higher than in the United States and other developed securities markets. In addition, existing laws and regulations are often inconsistently applied. As legal systems in emerging countries develop, foreign investors may be adversely affected by new or amended laws and regulations. In circumstances where adequate laws exist, it may not be possible to obtain swift and equitable enforcement of the law.
Custodial and/or settlement systems in emerging and frontier market countries may not be fully developed. To the extent an Underlying Fund invests in emerging markets, Fund assets that are traded in such markets and will have been entrusted to such sub-custodians in those markets may be exposed to risks for which the sub-custodian will have no liability.
With respect to investments in certain emerging market countries, antiquated legal systems may have an adverse impact on the Underlying Funds. For example, while the potential liability of a shareholder of a U.S. corporation with respect to acts of the corporation is generally limited to the amount of the shareholder’s investment, the notion of limited liability is less clear in certain emerging market countries. Similarly, the rights of investors in emerging market companies may be more limited than those of shareholders of U.S. corporations, and it may be more difficult for shareholders to bring derivative litigation. Moreover, the legal remedies for investors in emerging markets may be more limited than the remedies available in the United States, and the ability of U.S. authorities (e.g., SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice) to bring actions against bad actors may be limited. In addition, emerging countries may have less established accounting and financial reporting systems than those in more developed markets.
Foreign investment in the securities markets of certain emerging countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions may limit an Underlying Fund’s investment in certain emerging countries and may increase the expenses of the Underlying Fund. Certain emerging countries require government approval prior to investments by foreign persons or limit investment by foreign persons to only a specified percentage of an issuer’s outstanding securities or a specific class of securities which may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of the company available for purchase by nationals.
The repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds of the securities sales from emerging countries may be subject to restrictions which require governmental consents or prohibit repatriation entirely for a period of time, which may make it difficult for an Underlying Fund to invest in such emerging countries. An Underlying Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for such repatriation. Even where there is no outright restriction on repatriation of capital, the mechanics of repatriation may affect certain aspects of the operation of an Underlying Fund. An Underlying Fund may be required to establish special custodial or other arrangements before investing in certain emerging countries.
Emerging countries may be subject to a substantially greater degree of economic, political and social instability and disruption than is the case in the United States, Japan and most Western European countries. This instability may result from, among other things, the following: (i) authoritarian governments or military involvement in political and economic decision making, including changes or attempted changes in governments through extra-constitutional means; (ii) popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic or social conditions; (iii) internal insurgencies; (iv) hostile relations with neighboring countries; (v) ethnic, religious and racial disaffection or conflict; and (vi) the absence of developed legal structures governing foreign private investments and private property. Such economic, political and social instability could disrupt the principal financial markets in which the Underlying Funds may invest and adversely affect the value of the Underlying Funds’ assets. An Underlying Fund’s investments can also be adversely affected by any increase in taxes or by political, economic or diplomatic developments.
The economies of emerging countries may differ unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources, self-sufficiency and balance of payments. Many emerging countries have experienced in the past, and continue to experience, high rates of inflation. In certain countries inflation has at times
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accelerated rapidly to hyperinflationary levels, creating a negative interest rate environment and sharply eroding the value of outstanding financial assets in those countries. Other emerging countries, on the other hand, have recently experienced deflationary pressures and are in economic recessions. The economies of many emerging countries are heavily dependent upon international trade and are accordingly affected by protective trade barriers and the economic conditions of their trading partners. In addition, the economies of some emerging countries are vulnerable to weakness in world prices for their commodity exports.
An Underlying Fund’s income and, in some cases, capital gains from foreign stocks and securities will be subject to applicable taxation in certain of the countries in which it invests, and treaties between the U.S. and such countries may not be available in some cases to reduce the otherwise applicable tax rates. See “TAXATION.”
These and other factors discussed in the section below, entitled “Illiquid Investments,” may impact the liquidity of investments in issuers of emerging country securities.
Investing in Europe
Certain of the Underlying Funds  may operate in euros and/or may hold euros and/or euro-denominated bonds and other obligations. The euro requires participation of multiple sovereign states forming the Euro zone and is therefore sensitive to the credit, general economic and political position of each such state, including each state’s actual and intended ongoing engagement with and/or support for the other sovereign states then forming the EU, in particular those within the Euro zone. Changes in these factors might materially adversely impact the value of securities that an Underlying Fund has invested in.
European countries can be significantly affected by the tight fiscal and monetary controls that the European Economic and Monetary Union (“EMU”) imposes for membership. Europe’s economies are diverse, its governments are decentralized, and its cultures vary widely. Several EU countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Portugal have faced budget issues, some of which may have negative long-term effects for the economies of those countries and other EU countries. There is continued concern about national-level support for the euro and the accompanying coordination of fiscal and wage policy among EMU member countries. Member countries are required to maintain tight control over inflation, public debt, and budget deficit to qualify for membership in the EMU. These requirements can severely limit the ability of EMU member countries to implement monetary policy to address regional economic conditions.
Geopolitical developments in Europe have caused, or may in the future cause, significant volatility in financial markets. For example, in a June 2016 referendum, citizens of the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU. In March 2017, the United Kingdom formally notified the European Council of its intention to withdraw from the EU (commonly known as “Brexit”) by invoking Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, which triggered a two-year period of negotiations on the terms of Brexit. Brexit has resulted in volatility in European and global markets and may also lead to weakening in political, regulatory, consumer, corporate and financial confidence in the markets of the United Kingdom and throughout Europe. The longer term economic, legal, political, regulatory and social framework between the United Kingdom and the EU remains unclear and may lead to ongoing political, regulatory and economic uncertainty and periods of exacerbated volatility in both the United Kingdom and in wider European markets for some time. Additionally, the decision made in the British referendum may lead to a call for similar referenda in other European jurisdictions, which may cause increased economic volatility in European and global markets. The mid-to long-term uncertainty may have an adverse effect on the economy generally and on the value of an Underlying Fund’s investments. This may be due to, among other things: fluctuations in asset values and exchange rates; increased illiquidity of investments located, traded or listed within the United Kingdom, the EU or elsewhere; changes in the willingness or ability of counterparties to enter into transactions at the price and terms on which an Underlying Fund is prepared to transact; and/or changes in legal and regulatory regimes to which certain of an Underlying Fund’s assets are or become subject. Fluctuations in the value of the British Pound and/or the Euro, along with the potential downgrading of the United Kingdom’s sovereign credit rating, may also have an impact on the performance of an Underlying Fund’s assets or investments economically tied to the United Kingdom or Europe.
The full effects of Brexit will depend, in part, on whether the United Kingdom is able to negotiate agreements to retain access to EU markets including, but not limited to, trade and finance agreements. Brexit could lead to legal and tax uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations as the United Kingdom determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. The extent of the impact of the withdrawal and the resulting economic arrangements in the United Kingdom and in global markets as well as any
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associated adverse consequences remain unclear, and the uncertainty may have a significant negative effect on the value of an Underlying Fund’s investments. While certain measures have been proposed and/or implemented within the UK and at the EU level or at the member state level, which are designed to minimize disruption in the financial markets, it is not currently possible to determine whether such measures would achieve their intended effects.
On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom withdrew from the EU and the United Kingdom entered a transition period that expired on December 31, 2020. On December 24, 2020, negotiators representing the United Kingdom and the EU came to a preliminary trade agreement, the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“TCA”), which is an agreement on the terms governing certain aspects of the EU’s and United Kingdom’s relationship following the end of the transition period. On December 30, 2020, the United Kingdom and the EU signed the TCA, which was ratified by the British Parliament on the same day. The TCA was subsequently ratified by the EU Parliament and entered into force on May 1, 2021. However, many aspects of the UK-EU trade relationship remain subject to further negotiation. Due to political uncertainty, it is not possible to anticipate the form or nature of the future trading relationship between the United Kingdom and the EU.
Other economic challenges facing the region include high levels of public debt, significant rates of unemployment, aging populations, and heavy regulation in certain economic sectors. European policy makers have taken unprecedented steps to respond to the economic crisis and to boost growth in the region, which has increased the risk that regulatory uncertainty could negatively affect the value of an Underlying Fund’s investments.
Certain countries have applied to become new member countries of the EU, and these candidate countries’ accessions may become more controversial to the existing EU members. Some member states may repudiate certain candidate countries joining the EU upon concerns about the possible economic, immigration and cultural implications. Also, Russia may be opposed to the expansion of the EU to members of the former Soviet bloc and may, at times, take actions that could negatively impact EU economic activity.
Investing in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong economy is dependent on the U.S. economy and the economies of other Asian countries and can be significantly affected by currency fluctuations and increasing competition from Asia’s other emerging economies. The willingness and ability of the Chinese government to support the Hong Kong economy and market is uncertain, and changes in the Chinese government’s position could significantly affect Hong Kong’s economy. Asia includes countries in all stages of economic development, although most Asian economies are characterized by over-extension of credit, currency devaluations and restrictions, rising unemployment, high inflation, decreased exports and economic recessions. Currency devaluations in any one country can have a significant effect on the entire Asian region. In the late 1990s, the economies in the Asian region suffered significant downturns and significant volatility increased. Heightened political and social unrest in any Asian country could cause further economic and market uncertainty in the region.
In 1997, Great Britain handed over control of Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland government. Since that time, Hong Kong has been governed by a semi-constitution known as the Basic Law, which guarantees a high degree of autonomy in certain matters until 2047, while defense and foreign affairs are the responsibility of the central government in Beijing. The chief executive of Hong Kong is appointed by the Chinese government. Hong Kong is able to participate in international organizations and agreements and it continues to function as an international financial center, with no exchange controls, free convertibility of the Hong Kong dollar and free inward and outward movement of capital. The Basic Law guarantees existing freedoms, including free speech and assembly, press, religion, and the right to strike and travel. Business ownership, private property, the right of inheritance and foreign investment are also protected by law. China has committed by treaty to preserve Hong Kong’s autonomy until 2047. However, if China were to exert its authority so as to alter the economic, political or legal structures of existing social policy of Hong Kong, investor and business confidence in Hong Kong could be negatively affected, which in turn could negatively affect markets and business performance.
Trading on Hong Kong’s stock exchange is conducted in the post trading method, matching buyers and sellers through public outcry. Securities are denominated in the official unit of currency, the Hong Kong dollar. Foreign investment in Hong Kong is generally unrestricted and proper regulatory oversight is administered by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission.
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Investors are subject to a small stamp duty and a stock exchange levy, but capital gains are tax-exempt. Despite significant upgrades in the required presentation of financial information in the past decade, reporting, accounting and auditing practices remain significantly less rigorous than U.S. standards. In general, Hong Kong corporations are not required to provide all the disclosure required by U.S. law and accounting practice, and such disclosure may be less timely and less frequent than that required of U.S. corporations.
The total market capitalization of the Hong Kong stock market is small relative to the U.S. stock market. Hong Kong’s chief industries are textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches and clocks. Hong Kong’s chief imports consist of electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, foodstuffs, transport equipment, raw materials, semi manufactures, petroleum and plastics. Hong Kong’s chief exports consist of electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, and precious stones.
Investing in India
In addition to the risks listed under “Foreign Investments” and “Investing in Emerging Countries,” investing in India presents additional risks.
The value of the Underlying Fund’s investments in Indian securities may be affected by political and economic developments, changes in government regulation and government intervention, high rates of inflation or interest rates and withholding tax affecting India. The risk of loss may also be increased because there may be less information available about Indian issuers because they are not subject to the extensive accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices which are applicable in the U.S. and other developed countries. There is also a lower level of regulation and monitoring of the Indian securities market and its participants than in other more developed markets.
The laws in India relating to limited liability of corporate shareholders, fiduciary duties of officers and directors, and the bankruptcy of state enterprises are generally less well developed than or different from such laws in the United States. It may be more difficult to obtain or enforce a judgment in the courts in India than it is in the United States. India also has less developed clearance and settlement procedures, and there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities and have been significantly delayed. The Indian stock exchanges have in the past been subject to repeated closure and there can be no certainty that this will not recur. In addition, significant delays are common in registering transfers of securities and the Underlying Fund may be unable to sell securities until the registration process is completed and may experience delays in receipt of dividends and other entitlements.
Foreign investment in the securities of issuers in India is usually restricted or controlled to some degree. In India, “foreign portfolio investors” (“FPIs”) may predominately invest in exchange-traded securities (and securities to be listed, or those approved on the over-the-counter exchange of India) subject to the conditions specified in certain guidelines for direct foreign investment. FPIs have to apply for registration with a designated depository participant in India on behalf of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (“SEBI”). Certain Underlying Funds are registered as an FPI. The Underlying Fund’s continued ability to invest in India is dependent on its continuing to meet current and future requirements placed on FPIs by SEBI regulations. If the Underlying Fund (or an Underlying Fund’s Investment Adviser) were to fail to meet applicable requirements in the future, the Underlying Fund would no longer be permitted to invest directly in Indian securities, may not be able to pursue its principal strategy and may be forced to liquidate. FPIs are required to observe certain investment restrictions, including an account ownership ceiling of 10% of the total issued share capital of any one company. The shareholdings of all registered FPIs, together with the shareholdings of non-resident Indian individuals and foreign corporate bodies substantially owned by non-resident Indians, may not exceed a specified percentage of the issued share capital of any one company (subject to that company’s approval).
Only registered FPIs that comply with certain statutory conditions may make direct portfolio investments in exchange-traded Indian securities. Under the current guidelines, income, gains and initial capital with respect to such investments are freely repatriable, subject to payment of applicable Indian taxes. However, the guidelines covering foreign investment are relatively new and evolving and there can be no assurance that these investment control regimes will not change in a way that makes it more difficult or impossible for the Underlying Fund to implement its investment objective or repatriate its income, gains and initial capital from India. Further, SEBI has recently, in September 2019, notified new regulations governing FPIs which among other amend the categories of
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FPIs, and issued operational guidelines which lay down the process to implement the new regulations. There can be no assurance that the Underlying Fund will continue to qualify for its FPI license. Loss of the FPI registration could adversely impact the ability of the Underlying Fund to make investments in India.
With effect from April 1, 2018, a tax of 10% plus surcharges is imposed on gains from sales of equities held more than one year, provided such securities were both acquired and sold on a recognized stock exchange in India. For shares acquired prior to February 1, 2018, a step-up in the cost of acquisition may be available in certain circumstances. A tax of 15% plus surcharges is currently imposed on gains from sales of equities held not more than one year and sold on a recognized stock exchange in India. Gains from sales of equity securities in other cases are taxed at a rate of 30% plus surcharges (for securities held not more than one year) and 10% (for securities held for more than one year). Securities transaction tax applies for specified transactions at specified rates. India generally imposes a tax on interest income on debt securities at a rate of 20% plus surcharges. In certain cases, the tax rate may be reduced to 5%. This tax is imposed on the investor. India imposes a tax on dividends paid by an Indian company at a rate of 15% plus surcharges (on a gross up basis). This tax is imposed on the company that pays the dividends. The Investment Adviser will take into account the effects of local taxation on investment returns. In the past, these taxes have sometimes been substantial.
The Indian population is composed of diverse religious, linguistic and ethnic groups. Religious and border disputes continue to pose problems for India. From time to time, India has experienced internal disputes between religious groups within the country. In addition, India has faced, and continues to face, military hostilities with neighboring countries and regional countries. These events could adversely influence the Indian economy and, as a result, negatively affect the Underlying Fund’s investments.
Investing in Japan
Japan’s economy is heavily dependent upon international trade and is especially sensitive to any adverse effects arising from trade tariffs and other protectionist measures, as well as the economic condition of its trading partners. Japan’s high volume of exports has caused trade tensions with Japan’s primary trading partners, particularly with the United States. The relaxing of official and de facto barriers to imports, or hardships created by the actions of trading partners, could adversely affect Japan’s economy. Because the Japanese economy is so dependent on exports, any fall-off in exports may be seen as a sign of economic weakness, which may adversely affect Japanese markets.
In addition, Japan’s export industry, its most important economic sector, depends heavily on imported raw materials and fuels, including iron ore, copper, oil and many forest products. Japan has historically depended on oil for most of its energy requirements. Almost all of its oil is imported, the majority from the Middle East. In the past, oil prices have had a major impact on the domestic economy, but more recently Japan has worked to reduce its dependence on oil by encouraging energy conservation and use of alternative fuels. However, Japan remains sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices, and a substantial rise in world oil or commodity prices could have a negative effect on its economy.
The Japanese yen has fluctuated widely during recent periods and may be affected by currency volatility elsewhere in Asia, especially Southeast Asia. In addition, the yen has had a history of unpredictable and volatile movements against the U.S. dollar. A weak yen is disadvantageous to U.S. shareholders investing in yen-denominated securities. A strong yen, however, could be an impediment to strong continued exports and economic recovery, because it makes Japanese goods sold in other countries more expensive and reduces the value of foreign earnings repatriated to Japan.
The performance of the global economy could have a major impact upon equity returns in Japan. As a result of the strong correlation with the economy of the U.S., Japan’s economy and its stock market are vulnerable to any unfavorable economic conditions in the U.S. and poor performance of U.S. stock markets. The growing economic relationship between Japan and its other neighboring countries in the Southeast Asia region, especially China, also exposes Japan’s economy to changes to the economic climates in those countries.
Like many developed countries, Japan faces challenges to its competitiveness. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s and Japan’s economy fell into a long recession. After a few years of mild recovery in the mid-2000s, the Japanese economy fell into another recession in part due to the recent global economic crisis. This economic recession was likely compounded by an unstable financial sector, low domestic consumption, and certain corporate structural weaknesses, which remain some of the major issues facing the
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Japanese economy. Japan is reforming its political process and deregulating its economy to address this situation. However, there is no guarantee that these efforts will succeed in making the performance of the Japanese economy more competitive.
Japan has experienced natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tidal waves, of varying degrees of severity. The risks of such phenomena, and the resulting damage, continue to exist and could have a severe and negative impact on the Underlying Fund’s holdings in Japanese securities. Japan also has one of the world’s highest population densities. A significant percentage of the total population of Japan is concentrated in the metropolitan areas of Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. Therefore, a natural disaster centered in or very near to one of these cities could have a particularly devastating effect on Japan’s financial markets. Japan’s recovery from the recession has been affected by economic distress resulting from the earthquake and resulting tsunami that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011 causing major damage along the coast, including damage to nuclear power plants in the region. Since the earthquake, Japan’s financial markets have fluctuated dramatically. The disaster caused large personal losses, reduced energy supplies, disrupted manufacturing, resulted in significant declines in stock market prices and resulted in an appreciable decline in Japan’s economic output. Although production levels are recovering in some industries as work is shifted to factories in areas not directly affected by the disaster, the timing of a full economic recovery is uncertain, and foreign business whose supply chains are dependent on production or manufacturing in Japan may decrease their reliance on Japanese industries in the future.
Investing in Russia
In addition to the risks listed above under “Foreign Securities” and “Investing in Emerging Countries,” investing in Russia presents additional risks. Investing in Russian securities is highly speculative and involves significant risks and special considerations not typically associated with investing in the securities markets of the U.S. and most other developed countries. Over the past century, Russia has experienced political, social and economic turbulence and has endured decades of communist rule under which tens of millions of its citizens were collectivized into state agricultural and industrial enterprises. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia’s government has been faced with the daunting task of stabilizing its domestic economy, while transforming it into a modern and efficient structure able to compete in international markets and respond to the needs of its citizens. However, to date, many of the country’s economic reform initiatives have floundered as the proceeds of International Monetary Fund and other economic assistance have been squandered or stolen. In this environment, there is always the risk that the nation’s government will abandon the current program of economic reform and replace it with radically different political and economic policies that would be detrimental to the interests of foreign investors. This could entail a return to a centrally planned economy and nationalization of private enterprises similar to what existed under the old Soviet Union.
Poor accounting standards, inept management, pervasive corruption, insider trading and crime, and inadequate regulatory protection for the rights of investors all pose a significant risk, particularly to foreign investors. In addition, there is the risk that the Russian tax system will not be reformed to prevent inconsistent, retroactive, and/or exorbitant taxation, or, in the alternative, the risk that a reformed tax system may result in the inconsistent and unpredictable enforcement of the new tax laws.
Compared to most national stock markets, the Russian securities market suffers from a variety of problems not encountered in more developed markets. There is little long-term historical data on the Russian securities market because it is relatively new and a substantial proportion of securities transactions in Russia are privately negotiated outside of stock exchanges. The inexperience of the Russian securities market and the limited volume of trading in securities in the market may make obtaining accurate prices on portfolio securities from independent sources more difficult than in more developed markets. Additionally, because of less stringent auditing and financial reporting standards that apply to U.S. companies, there is little solid corporate information available to investors. As a result, it may be difficult to assess the value or prospects of an investment in Russian companies. Stocks of Russian companies also may experience greater price volatility than stocks of U.S. companies.
Because of the relatively recent formation of the Russian securities market as well as the underdeveloped state of the banking and telecommunications systems, settlement, clearing and registration of securities transactions are subject to significant risks. Prior to 2013, there was no central registration system for share registration in Russia and registration was carried out by the companies themselves or by registrars located throughout Russia. These registrars were not necessarily subject to effective state supervision nor were they licensed with any governmental entity. In 2013, Russia implemented the National Settlement Depository (NSD) as a recognized central securities depository (CSD). Title to Russian equities is now based on the records of the NSD rather than the registrars. The implementation of the NSD is expected to enhance the efficiency and transparency of the Russian securities market
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and decrease risk of loss in connection with recording and transferring title to securities. The Underlying Fund also may experience difficulty in obtaining and/or enforcing judgments in Russia.
The Russian economy is heavily dependent upon the export of a range of commodities including most industrial metals, forestry products, oil, and gas. Accordingly, it is strongly affected by international commodity prices and is particularly vulnerable to any weakening in global demand for these products.
Foreign investors also face a high degree of currency risk when investing in Russian securities and a lack of available currency hedging instruments. In a surprise move in August 1998, Russia devalued the ruble, defaulted on short-term domestic bonds, and imposed a moratorium on the repayment of its international debt and the restructuring of the repayment terms. These actions negatively affected Russian borrowers’ ability to access international capital markets and had a damaging impact on the Russian economy. In addition, there is the risk that the government may impose capital controls on foreign portfolio investments in the event of extreme financial or political crisis. Such capital controls would prevent the sale of a portfolio of foreign assets and the repatriation of investment income and capital.
Russia’s government has begun to take bolder steps, including use of the military, to re-assert its regional geo-political influence. In February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. These steps have increased tensions between its neighbors and Western countries, which may adversely affect its economic growth. These developments may continue for some time and create uncertainty in the region. Russia’s actions have induced the United States and other countries to impose economic sanctions and may result in additional sanctions in the future. Such sanctions, which impact many sectors of the Russian economy, may cause a decline in the value and liquidity of Russian securities and adversely affect the performance of the Fund or make it difficult for the Fund to achieve its investment objectives. In certain instances, sanctions and other similar measures could prohibit the Fund from buying or selling Russian securities, rendering any such securities held by the Fund unmarketable for an indefinite period of time. In addition, such sanctions, and the Russian government’s response, could result in a downgrade in Russia’s credit rating, devaluation of its currency and/or increased volatility with respect to Russian securities. Moreover, disruptions caused by Russian military action or other actions (including cyberattacks and espionage) or resulting actual and threatened responses to such activity, including purchasing and financing restrictions, boycotts or changes in consumer or purchaser preferences, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Russian government, Russian companies or Russian individuals, including politicians, may impact Russia’s economy and Russian issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.
Investing in the United Kingdom
The economies of the United Kingdom may be significantly affected by the economies of other European countries. Europe includes both developed and emerging economies. Most developed countries in Western Europe are members of the EU, and many are also members of the EMU. The EMU requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, and debt levels, and the tight fiscal and monetary controls necessary to join the EMU may significantly affect every country in Europe. Many Eastern European countries continue to move toward market economies. However, Eastern European markets remain relatively undeveloped and can be particularly sensitive to political and economic developments.
The United Kingdom is Europe’s largest equity market in terms of aggregate market capitalization. Despite having a great deal of common purpose and common concepts, the accounting principles in the United Kingdom and the U.S. can lead to markedly different financial statements. In the global market for capital, investors may want to know about a company’s results and financial position under their own principles. This is particularly so in the U.S. capital markets. The overriding requirement for a United Kingdom company’s financial statements is that they give a “true and fair” view. Accounting standards are an authoritative source as to what is and is not a true and fair view, but do not define it unequivocally. Ad hoc adaptations to specific circumstances may be required. In the U.S., financial statements are more conformed because they must be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
The British economy relies heavily on the export of financial services to the United States and other European countries. As a result, any decline in the financial services sector may have a negative impact on the British economy.
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The United Kingdom’s chief industries are machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing and other consumer goods. The United Kingdom’s chief imports consist of manufactured goods, machinery, fuels and foodstuffs. Chief exports consist of manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals, food, beverages and tobacco.
In the past, the United Kingdom has been the target of acts of terrorism. Any acts of terrorism in the United Kingdom or against British interests abroad may cause uncertainty in the British financial markets and adversely affect the value of the Underlying Fund.
Restrictions on Investment and Repatriation.
Certain emerging countries require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons or limit investments by foreign persons to only a specified percentage of an issuer’s outstanding securities or a specific class of securities which may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of the issuer available for purchase by nationals. Repatriation of investment income and capital from certain emerging countries is subject to certain governmental consents. Even where there is no outright restriction on repatriation of capital, the mechanics of repatriation may affect the operation of an Underlying Fund.
Sovereign Debt Obligations
Investment in sovereign debt can involve a high degree of risk. The governmental entity that controls the repayment of sovereign debt may not be able or willing to repay the principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt. A governmental entity’s willingness or ability to repay principal and interest due in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the governmental entity’s policy towards the International Monetary Fund and the political constraints to which a governmental entity may be subject. Governmental entities may also be dependent on expected disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and others abroad to reduce principal and interest on their debt. The commitment on the part of these governments, agencies and others to make such disbursements may be conditioned on a governmental entity’s implementation of economic reforms and/or economic performance and the timely service of such debtor’s obligations. Failure to implement such reforms, achieve such levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of such third parties’ commitments to lend funds to the governmental entity, which may further impair such debtor’s ability or willingness to service its debts in a timely manner. Consequently, governmental entities may default on their sovereign debt. Holders of sovereign debt (including an Underlying Fund) may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental agencies.
Emerging country governmental issuers are among the largest debtors to commercial banks, foreign governments, international financial organizations and other financial institutions. Certain emerging country governmental issuers have not been able to make payments of interest on or principal of debt obligations as those payments have come due. Obligations arising from past restructuring agreements may affect the economic performance and political and social stability of those issuers.
The ability of emerging country governmental issuers to make timely payments on their obligations is likely to be influenced strongly by the issuer’s balance of payments, including export performance, and its access to international credits and investments. An emerging country whose exports are concentrated in a few commodities could be vulnerable to a decline in the international prices of one or more of those commodities. Increased protectionism on the part of an emerging country’s trading partners could also adversely affect the country’s exports and tarnish its trade account surplus, if any. To the extent that emerging countries receive payment for their exports in currencies other than dollars or non-emerging country currencies, the emerging country issuer’s ability to make debt payments denominated in dollars or non-emerging market currencies could be affected.
To the extent that an emerging country cannot generate a trade surplus, it must depend on continuing loans from foreign governments, multilateral organizations or private commercial banks, aid payments from foreign governments and on inflows of foreign investment. The access of emerging countries to these forms of external funding may not be certain, and a withdrawal of external funding could adversely affect the capacity of emerging country governmental issuers to make payments on their obligations.
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In addition, the cost of servicing emerging country debt obligations can be affected by a change in international interest rates since the majority of these obligations carry interest rates that are adjusted periodically based upon international rates.
Another factor bearing on the ability of emerging countries to repay debt obligations is the level of international reserves of a country. Fluctuations in the level of these reserves affect the amount of foreign exchange readily available for external debt payments and thus could have a bearing on the capacity of emerging countries to make payments on these debt obligations.
As a result of the foregoing or other factors, a governmental obligor, especially in an emerging country, may default on its obligations. If such an event occurs, an Underlying Fund may have limited legal recourse against the issuer and/or guarantor. Remedies must, in some cases, be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party itself, and the ability of the holder of foreign sovereign debt securities to obtain recourse may be subject to the political climate in the relevant country. In addition, no assurance can be given that the holders of commercial bank debt will not contest payments to the holders of other foreign sovereign debt obligations in the event of default under the commercial bank loan agreements.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts
Certain of the Underlying Funds may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts for hedging purposes and to seek to protect against anticipated changes in future foreign currency exchange rates. Certain of the Underlying Funds may also enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts to seek to increase total return.. A forward foreign currency exchange contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts are traded in the interbank market between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. A forward contract generally has no deposit requirement, and no commissions are generally charged at any stage for trades.
At the maturity of a forward contract an Underlying Fund may either accept or make delivery of the currency specified in the contract or, at or prior to maturity, enter into a closing purchase transaction involving the purchase or sale of an offsetting contract. Closing purchase transactions with respect to forward contracts are usually effected with the currency trader who is a party to the original forward contract.
An Underlying Fund may, from time to time, engage in non-deliverable forward transactions to manage currency risk or to gain exposure to a currency without purchasing securities denominated in that currency. A non-deliverable forward is a transaction that represents an agreement between the Underlying Fund and a counterparty (usually a commercial bank) to pay the other party the amount that it would have cost based on current market rates as of the termination date to buy or sell a specific (notional) amount of a particular currency at an agreed upon foreign exchange rate on an agreed upon future date. If the counterparty defaults, the Underlying Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreement related to the transaction, but the Underlying Fund may be delayed or prevented from obtaining payments owed to it pursuant to non-deliverable forward transactions. Such non-deliverable forward transactions will be settled in cash.
An Underlying Fund may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts in several circumstances. First, when an Underlying Fund enters into a contract for the purchase or sale of a security denominated or quoted in a foreign currency, or when an Underlying Fund anticipates the receipt in a foreign currency of dividend or interest payments on such a security which it holds, the Underlying Fund may desire to “lock in” the U.S. dollar price of the security or the U.S. dollar equivalent of such dividend or interest payment, as the case may be. By entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars, of the amount of foreign currency involved in the underlying transactions, the Underlying Fund will attempt to protect itself against an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the subject foreign currency during the period between the date on which the security is purchased or sold, or on which the dividend or interest payment is declared, and the date on which such payments are made or received.
Additionally, when an Underlying Fund's investment adviser  believes that the currency of a particular foreign country may suffer a substantial decline against the U.S. dollar, it may enter into a forward contract to sell, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars, the amount of foreign currency approximating the value of some or all of an Underlying Fund’s portfolio securities quoted or denominated in such foreign currency. The precise matching of the forward contract amounts and the value of the securities involved
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will not generally be possible because the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of those securities between the date on which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. Using forward contracts to protect the value of an Underlying Fund’s portfolio securities against a decline in the value of a currency does not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of the securities. It simply establishes a rate of exchange, which an Underlying Fund can achieve at some future point in time. The precise projection of short-term currency market movements is not possible, and short-term hedging provides a means of fixing the U.S. dollar value of only a portion of an Underlying Fund’s foreign assets.
Certain of the Underlying Funds may engage in cross-hedging by using forward contracts in one currency to hedge against fluctuations in the value of securities quoted or denominated in a different currency if the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser determines that there is a pattern of correlation between the two currencies. In addition, certain Underlying Funds may enter into foreign currency transactions to seek a closer correlation between an Underlying Fund’s overall currency exposure and the currency exposure of the Underlying Fund’s performance benchmark. Certain of the Underlying Funds will not enter into a forward contract with a term of greater than one year.
While an Underlying Fund may enter into forward contracts to reduce currency exchange rate risks, transactions in such contracts involve certain other risks. Thus, while an Underlying Fund may benefit from such transactions, unanticipated changes in currency prices may result in a poorer overall performance for the Underlying Fund than if it had not engaged in any such transactions. Moreover, there may be imperfect correlation between an Underlying Fund’s portfolio holdings of securities quoted or denominated in a particular currency and forward contracts entered into by such Underlying Fund. Such imperfect correlation may cause an Underlying Fund to sustain losses which will prevent the Underlying Fund from achieving a complete hedge or expose the Underlying Fund to risk of foreign exchange loss.
Certain forward foreign currency exchange contracts and other currency transactions are not exchange traded or cleared. Markets for trading such forward foreign currency contracts offer less protection against defaults than is available when trading in currency instruments on an exchange. Such forward contracts are subject to the risk that the counterparty to the contract will default on its obligations. Because these contracts are not guaranteed by an exchange or clearinghouse, a default on a contract would deprive an Underlying Fund of unrealized profits, transaction costs or the benefits of a currency hedge or force the Underlying Fund to cover its purchase or sale commitments, if any, at the current market price. In addition, the institutions that deal in forward currency contracts are not required to make markets in the currencies they trade and these markets can experience periods of illiquidity.
Forward contracts are subject to the risk that the counterparty to such contract will default on its obligations. Because a forward foreign currency exchange contract is not guaranteed by an exchange or clearinghouse, a default on the contract would deprive an Underlying Fund of unrealized profits, transaction costs or the benefits of a currency hedge or force the Underlying Fund to cover its purchase or sale commitments, if any, at the current market price. An Underlying Fund will not enter into such transactions unless the credit quality of the unsecured senior debt or the claims-paying ability of the counterparty is considered to be investment grade by its investment adviser. To the extent that a substantial portion of an Underlying Fund’s total assets, adjusted to reflect the Underlying Fund’s net position after giving effect to currency transactions, is denominated or quoted in the currencies of foreign countries, the Underlying Fund will be more susceptible to the risk of adverse economic and political developments within those countries.
Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts
The Funds and each Underlying Fund (other than the Financial Square Government Fund)  may purchase and sell futures contracts and may also purchase and write options on futures contracts. The Emerging Markets Equity Insights and International Small Cap Insights Funds may only enter into such transactions with respect to a representative index. The other Underlying Funds (other than the Short Duration Government Fund) may purchase and sell futures contracts based on various securities, securities indices, foreign currencies and other financial instruments and indices. An Underlying Fund will engage in futures and related options transactions in order to seek to increase total return or to hedge against changes in interest rates, securities prices or, to the extent an Underlying Fund invests in foreign securities, currency exchange rates, or to otherwise manage its term structure, sector selection and duration in accordance with its investment objective and policies. Each applicable Underlying Fund may also enter into closing purchase and sale transactions with respect to such contracts and options. The investment adviser of the Underlying Fixed
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Income Funds will also use futures contracts and options on futures contracts to manage the Underlying Funds’ target duration in accordance with their benchmark or benchmarks.
Futures contracts entered into by an Underlying Fund have historically been traded on U.S. exchanges or boards of trade that are licensed and regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) or, with respect to certain Underlying Funds, on foreign exchanges. More recently, certain futures may also be traded over-the-counter or on trading facilities such as derivatives transaction execution facilities, exempt boards of trade or electronic trading facilities that are licensed and/or regulated to varying degrees by the CFTC. Also, certain single stock futures and narrow based security index futures may be traded over-the-counter or on trading facilities such as contract markets, derivatives transaction execution facilities and electronic trading facilities that are licensed and/or regulated to varying degrees by both the CFTC and the SEC or on foreign exchanges.
Neither the CFTC, National Futures Association (“NFA”), SEC nor any domestic exchange regulates activities of any foreign exchange or boards of trade, including the execution, delivery and clearing of transactions, or has the power to compel enforcement of the rules of a foreign exchange or board of trade or any applicable foreign law. This is true even if the exchange is formally linked to a domestic market so that a position taken on the market may be liquidated by a transaction on another market. Moreover, such laws or regulations will vary depending on the foreign country in which the foreign futures or foreign options transaction occurs. For these reasons, an Underlying Fund’s investments in foreign futures or foreign options transactions may not be provided the same protections in respect of transactions on United States exchanges. In particular, persons who trade foreign futures or foreign options contracts may not be afforded certain of the protective measures provided by the CEA, the CFTC’s regulations and the rules of the NFA and any domestic exchange, including the right to use reparations proceedings before the CFTC and arbitration proceedings provided by the NFA or any domestic futures exchange. Similarly, these persons may not have the protection of the U.S. securities laws.
Futures Contracts. A futures contract may generally be described as an agreement between two parties to buy and sell particular financial instruments or currencies  for an agreed price during a designated month (or to deliver the final cash settlement price, in the case of a contract relating to an index or otherwise not calling for physical delivery at the end of trading in the contract).
When interest rates are rising or securities prices are falling, an Underlying Fund can seek to offset a decline in the value of its current portfolio securities through the sale of futures contracts. When interest rates are falling or securities prices are rising, an Underlying Fund, through the purchase of futures contracts, can attempt to secure better rates or prices than might later be available in the market when it effects anticipated purchases. Similarly, certain Underlying Funds may purchase and sell futures contracts on a specified currency in order to seek to increase total return or to protect against changes in currency exchange rates. For example, certain Underlying Funds may purchase futures contracts on foreign currency to establish the price in U.S. dollars of a security quoted or denominated in such currency that such Underlying Fund has acquired or expects to acquire. In addition, certain Underlying Funds may enter into futures transactions to seek a closer correlation between the Underlying Fund's overall currency exposures and the currency exposures of the Underlying Fund's  performance benchmark.
Positions taken in the futures market are not normally held to maturity, but are instead liquidated through offsetting transactions which may result in a profit or a loss. While an Underlying Fund will usually liquidate futures contracts on securities or currency in this manner, an Underlying Fund may instead make or take delivery of the underlying securities or currency whenever it appears economically advantageous for the Underlying Fund to do so. A clearing corporation associated with the exchange on which futures on securities or currency are traded guarantees that, if still open, the sale or purchase will be performed on the settlement date.
Hedging Strategies Using Futures Contracts. When an Underlying Fund uses futures contracts for hedging purposes, the Underlying Fund often seeks to establish with more certainty than would otherwise be possible the effective price or rate of return on portfolio securities (or securities that an Underlying Fund proposes to acquire) or the exchange rate of currencies in which portfolio securities are quoted or denominated. An Underlying Fund may, for example, take a “short” position in the futures market by selling futures contracts to seek to hedge against an anticipated rise in interest rates or a decline in market prices or foreign currency rates that would adversely affect the U.S. dollar value of the Underlying Fund’s portfolio securities. Such futures contracts may include contracts for the future delivery of securities held by an Underlying Fund or securities with characteristics similar to those of an Underlying Fund’s portfolio securities. Similarly, certain Underlying Funds may sell futures contracts on any currency in which its portfolio securities are quoted or denominated, or sell futures contracts on one currency to seek to hedge against fluctuations in the
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value of securities quoted or denominated in a different currency if there is an established historical pattern of correlation between the two currencies. If, in the opinion of an Underlying Fund’s investment adviser, there is a sufficient degree of correlation between price trends for an Underlying Fund’s portfolio securities and futures contracts based on other financial instruments, securities indices or other indices, the Underlying Fund may also enter into such futures contracts as part of its hedging strategy. Although under some circumstances prices of securities in an Underlying Fund’s portfolio may be more or less volatile than prices of such futures contracts, its investment adviser will attempt to estimate the extent of this volatility difference based on historical patterns and compensate for any such differential by having the Underlying Fund enter into a greater or lesser number of futures contracts or by attempting to achieve only a partial hedge against price changes affecting the Underlying Fund’s portfolio securities. When hedging of this character is successful, any depreciation in the value of portfolio securities will be substantially offset by appreciation in the value of the futures position. On the other hand, any unanticipated appreciation in the value of an Underlying Fund’s portfolio securities would be substantially offset by a decline in the value of the futures position.
On other occasions, an Underlying Fund may take a “long” position by purchasing such futures contracts. This would be done, for example, when an Underlying Fund anticipates the subsequent purchase of particular securities when it has the necessary cash, but expects the prices or currency exchange rates then available in the applicable market to be less favorable than prices or rates that are currently available.
Options on Futures Contracts. The acquisition of put and call options on futures contracts will give an Underlying Fund the right (but not the obligation), for a specified price, to sell or to purchase, respectively, the underlying futures contract at any time during the option period. As the purchaser of an option on a futures contract, an Underlying Fund obtains the benefit of the futures position if prices move in a favorable direction but limits its risk of loss in the event of an unfavorable price movement to the loss of the premium and transaction costs.
The writing of a call option on a futures contract generates a premium which may partially offset a decline in the value of an Underlying Fund’s assets. By writing a call option, an Underlying Fund becomes obligated, in exchange for the premium, to sell a futures contract if the option is exercised, which may have a value higher than the exercise price. The writing of a put option on a futures contract generates a premium, which may partially offset an increase in the price of securities that an Underlying Fund intends to purchase. However, an Underlying Fund becomes obligated (upon the exercise of the option) to purchase a futures contract if the option is exercised, which may have a value lower than the exercise price. Thus, the loss incurred by an Underlying Fund in writing options on futures is potentially unlimited and may exceed the amount of the premium received. An Underlying Fund will incur transaction costs in connection with the writing of options on futures.
The holder or writer of an option on a futures contract may terminate its position by selling or purchasing an offsetting option on the same financial instrument. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can be effected. An Underlying Fund’s ability to establish and close out positions on such options will be subject to the development and maintenance of a liquid market.
Other Considerations. An Underlying Fund will engage in transactions in futures contracts and related options transactions only to the extent such transactions are consistent with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) for maintaining its qualification as a regulated investment company for federal income tax purposes. Transactions in futures contracts and options on futures involve brokerage costs and require posting margin.
While transactions in futures contracts and options on futures may reduce certain risks, such transactions themselves entail certain other risks. Thus, unanticipated changes in interest rates, securities prices or currency exchange rates may result in a poorer overall performance for an Underlying Fund than if it had not entered into any futures contracts or options transactions. When futures contracts and options are used for hedging purposes, perfect correlation between an Underlying Fund’s futures positions and portfolio positions may be impossible to achieve, particularly where futures contracts based on individual equity or corporate fixed income securities are currently not available. In the event of an imperfect correlation between a futures position and a portfolio position which is intended to be protected, the desired protection may not be obtained and an Underlying Fund may be exposed to risk of loss.
In addition, it is not possible for an Underlying Fund to hedge fully or perfectly against currency fluctuations affecting the value of securities quoted or denominated in foreign currencies because the value of such securities is likely to fluctuate as a result of
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independent factors unrelated to currency fluctuations. The profitability of an Underlying Fund’s trading in futures depends upon the ability of its investment adviser to analyze correctly the futures markets.
Illiquid Investments
Pursuant to Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act, an Underlying Fund (except the Financial Square Government Fund) may not acquire any “illiquid investment” if, immediately after the acquisition, the Underlying Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments that are assets. The Financial Square Government Fund may not invest more than 5% of its total assets in illiquid securities. An “illiquid investment” is any investment that the Underlying Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. The Trust has implemented a liquidity risk management program and related procedures to identify illiquid investments pursuant to Rule 22e-4, and the Trustees have approved the designation of GSAM to administer the Trust’s liquidity risk management program and related procedures. In determining whether an investment is an illiquid investment, the Investment Adviser will take into account actual or estimated daily transaction volume of an investment, group of related investments or asset class and other relevant market, trading, and investment-specific considerations. In addition, in determining the liquidity of an investment, the Investment Adviser must determine whether trading varying portions of a position in a particular portfolio investment or asset class, in sizes that an Underlying Fund would reasonably anticipate trading, is reasonably expected to significantly affect its liquidity, and if so, the Underlying Fund must take this determination into account when classifying the liquidity of that investment or asset class.
In addition to actual or estimated daily transaction volume of an investment, group of related investments or asset class and other relevant market, trading, and investment-specific considerations, the following factors, among others, will generally impact the classification of an investment as an “illiquid investment”: (i) any investment that is placed on the Investment Adviser’s restricted trading list; and (ii) any investment that is delisted or for which there is a trading halt at the close of the trading day on the primary listing exchange at the time of classification (and in respect of which no active secondary market exists). Investments purchased by an Underlying Fund that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to these and other events and circumstances. If one or more investments in an Underlying Fund’s portfolio become illiquid, the Underlying Fund may exceed the 15% limitation in illiquid investments. In the event that changes in the portfolio or other external events cause a Fund or an Underlying Fund to exceed this limit, the Fund or Underlying Fund must take steps to bring its illiquid investments that are assets to or below 15% of its net assets within a reasonable period of time. This requirement would not force a Fund or an Underlying Fund to liquidate any portfolio instrument where the Fund or Underlying Fund would suffer a loss on the sale of that instrument.
Index Swaps, Interest Rate Swaps, Mortgage Swaps, Credit Swaps, Currency Swaps, Total Return Swaps, Equity Swaps, Options on Swaps Interest Rate Swaps, Caps, Floors and Collars
Certain of the Underlying Funds may also purchase and write (sell) options on swaps, commonly referred to as swaptions. The Funds may invest in swaps, including equity, currency, interest rate, total return, variance and credit default swaps, and swaps on futures contracts to gain exposure to fixed income securities. Certain of the Underlying Funds may enter into index, interest rate, mortgage, credit, currency and total return swaps and other interest rate swap arrangements such as rate caps, floors and collars, for hedging purposes or to seek to increase total return.
In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns, differentials in rates of return or some other amount earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are generally calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate, in a particular foreign currency or security, or in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index. Bilateral swap agreements are two party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors. Cleared swaps are transacted through FCMs that are members of central clearinghouses with the clearinghouse serving as a central counterparty similar to transactions in futures contracts. Funds post initial and variation margin by making payments to their clearing member FCMs.
Currency swaps involve the exchange by an Underlying Fund with another party of their respective rights to make or receive payments in specified currencies. Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by an Underlying Fund with another party of
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commitments to pay or receive interest payments for floating rate payments based on interest rates at specified intervals in the future. Two types of interest rate swaps include “fixed-for-floating rate swaps” and “basis swaps.” Fixed-for-floating rate swaps involve the exchange of payments based on a fixed interest rate for payments based on a floating interest rate index. By contrast, basis swaps involve the exchange of payments based on two different floating interest rate indices. Mortgage swaps are similar to interest rate swaps in that they represent commitments to pay and receive interest. The notional principal amount, however, is tied to a reference pool or pools of mortgages. Index swaps involve the exchange by an Underlying Fund with another party of their respective commitments to make or receive payments based on a notional principal amount of a specified index or indices. Total return swaps are contracts that obligate a party to pay or receive interest in exchange for payment by the other party of the total return generated by a security, a basket of securities, an index, or an index component. Equity swap contracts may be structured in different ways. For example, as a total return swap where a counterparty may agree to pay the Underlying Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the equity swap contract would have increased in value had it been invested in the particular stocks (or a group of stocks), plus the dividends that would have been received on those stocks. In other cases, the counterparty and the Underlying Fund may each agree to pay the difference between the relative investment performances that would have been achieved if the notional amount of the equity swap contract had been invested in different stocks (or a group of stocks).
A swaption is an option to enter into a swap agreement. Like other types of options, the buyer of a swaption pays a non-refundable premium for the option and obtains the right, but not the obligation, to enter into or modify an underlying swap or to modify the terms of an existing swap on agreed-upon terms. The seller of a swaption, in exchange for the premium, becomes obligated (if the option is exercised) to enter into or modify an underlying swap on agreed-upon terms, which generally entails a greater risk of loss than incurred in buying a swaption. The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined interest rate, to receive payment of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate cap. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling the interest rate floor. An interest rate collar is the combination of a cap and a floor that preserves a certain return within a predetermined range of interest rates. Since interest rate, mortgage and currency swaps and interest rate caps, floors and collars are individually negotiated, each Underlying Fund expects to achieve an acceptable degree of correlation between its portfolio investments and its swap, cap, floor and collar positions.
A great deal of flexibility may be possible in the way swap transactions are structured. However, generally an Underlying Fund will enter into interest rate, total return, credit, mortgage, equity and index swaps on a net basis, which means that the two payment streams are netted out, with the Underlying Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Interest rate, total return, credit, index, equity and mortgage swaps do not normally involve the delivery of securities, other underlying assets or principal. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to interest rate, total return, credit, index, equity and mortgage swaps is normally limited to the net amount of interest payments that the Underlying Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the other party to an interest rate, total return, credit, index, equity or mortgage swap defaults, the Underlying Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of interest payments that the Underlying Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any.
As a result of recent regulatory developments, certain standardized swaps are currently subject to mandatory central clearing and some of these cleared swaps must be traded on an exchange or swap execution facility (“SEF”). A SEF is a trading platform in which multiple market participants can execute swap transactions by accepting bids and offers made by multiple other participants on the platform. Transactions executed on a SEF may increase market transparency and liquidity but may cause an Underlying Fund to incur increased expenses to execute swaps. Central clearing should decrease counterparty risk and increase liquidity compared to bilateral swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterparty to each participant’s swap. However, central clearing does not eliminate counterparty risk or liquidity risk entirely. In addition, depending on the size of the Underlying Fund and other factors, the margin required under the rules of a clearinghouse and by a clearing member may be in excess of the collateral required to be posted by the Underlying Fund to support its obligations under a similar bilateral swap. However, the CFTC and other applicable regulators have adopted rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on uncleared swaps which may result in the Underlying Fund and its counterparties posting higher margin amounts for uncleared swaps. Requiring margin on uncleared swaps may reduce, but not eliminate, counterparty credit risk.
In contrast, currency swaps usually involve the delivery of a gross payment stream in one designated currency in exchange for the gross payment stream in another designated currency. Therefore, the entire payment stream under a currency swap is subject to
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the risk that the other party to the swap will default on its contractual delivery obligations. A credit swap may have as reference obligations one or more securities that may, or may not, be currently held by an Underlying Fund. The protection “buyer” in a credit swap is generally obligated to pay the protection “seller” an upfront or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the swap provided that no credit event, such as a default, on a reference obligation has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the “par value” (full notional value) of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity described in the swap, or the seller may be required to deliver the related net cash amount, if the swap is cash settled. An Underlying Fund may be either the protection buyer or seller in the transaction. If the Underlying Fund is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Underlying Fund may recover nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer generally may elect to receive the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity whose value may have significantly decreased. As a seller, an Underlying Fund generally receives an upfront payment or a rate of income throughout the term of the swap provided that there is no credit event. As the seller, an Underlying Fund would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, an Underlying Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. If a credit event occurs, the value of any deliverable obligation received by the Underlying Fund as seller, coupled with the upfront or periodic payments previously received, may be less than the full notional value it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss of value to the Underlying Fund.
An Underlying Equity Fund will not enter into swap transactions, and the Managed Futures Strategy Fund will not enter into bilateral swap transactions, unless the unsecured commercial paper, senior debt or claims paying ability of the other party thereto is considered to be investment grade by its investment adviser. To the extent that it is permitted to invest in the following, an Underlying Fixed Income Fund will not enter into any bilateral transactions involving total return, interest rate, mortgage or credit swap transactions unless the unsecured commercial paper, senior debt or claims-paying ability of the other party is rated either A or A-1 or better by S&P or A or P-1 or better by Moody’s or their equivalent ratings. The Underlying Fixed Income Funds permitted to invest in currency swap transactions will do so only if the unsecured commercial paper, senior debt or claims-paying ability of the other party thereto is rated investment grade by S&P or Moody’s or their equivalent ratings or, if unrated by such rating agencies, determined to be of comparable quality by the applicable investment adviser. If there is a default by the other party to such a transaction, an Underlying Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction.
The use of interest rate, total return, mortgage, credit, index, equity and currency swaps, as well as swaptions and interest rate caps, floors and collars is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of a swap requires an understanding not only of the referenced asset, reference rate, or index but also of the swap itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the swap under all possible market conditions. If an Underlying Fund’s investment adviser is incorrect in its forecasts of market values, credit quality, interest rates and currency exchange rates, the investment performance of an Underlying Fund would be less favorable than it would have been if this investment technique were not used.
In addition, these transactions can involve greater risks than if an Underlying Fund had invested in the reference obligation directly because, in addition to general market risks, swaps are subject to liquidity risk, counterparty risk, credit risk and pricing risk. Regulators also may impose limits on an entity’s or group of entities’ positions in certain swaps. However, certain risks are reduced (but not eliminated) if the Underlying Fund invests in cleared swaps. Bilateral swap agreements are two party contracts that may have terms of greater than seven days. Moreover, the Underlying Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap counterparty. Many swaps are complex and often valued subjectively. Swaps and other derivatives may also be subject to pricing or “basis” risk, which exists when the price of a particular derivative diverges from the price of corresponding cash market instruments. Under certain market conditions it may not be economically feasible to imitate a transaction or liquidate a position in time to avoid a loss or take advantage of an opportunity. If a swap transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.
Certain rules also require centralized reporting of detailed information about many types of cleared and uncleared swaps. This information is available to regulators and, to a more limited extent and on an anonymous basis, to the public. Reporting of swap data may result in greater market transparency, which may be beneficial to funds that use swaps to implement trading strategies. However, these rules place potential additional administrative obligations on these funds, and the safeguards established to protect anonymity may not function as expected.
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The swap market has grown substantially in recent years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap documentation. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid in comparison with the markets for other similar instruments which are traded in the interbank market. These and other factors discussed in the section above, entitled “Illiquid Investments,” may impact the liquidity of investments in swaps.
Investments in Unseasoned Companies
Certain of the Underlying Funds  may invest in companies (including predecessors) which have operated less than three years. The securities of such companies may have limited liquidity, which can result in their being priced higher or lower than might otherwise be the case. In addition, investments in unseasoned companies are more speculative and entail greater risk than do investments in companies with an established operating record.
Investments in a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary
The Managed Futures Strategy Fund may invest in a subsidiary. Investments in a subsidiary are expected to provide the Underlying Fund with exposure to the commodity markets within the limitations of Subchapter M of the Code and IRS revenue rulings, as discussed in the Underlying Fund’s prospectus, under “TAXATION—Fund Taxation.” The Subsidiary is a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and the Subsidiary is overseen by its own board of directors. The Managed Futures Strategy Fund is currently the sole shareholder of the MFS Subsidiary. The Subsidiary may invest without limitation in commodity index-linked securities (including leveraged and unleveraged structured notes) and other commodity-linked securities and derivative instruments that provide exposure to the performance of the commodity markets. Although the Underlying Fund may invest in commodity-linked derivative instruments directly, the Underlying Fund may gain exposure to these derivative instruments indirectly by investing in the Subsidiary. The Subsidiary also invests in fixed income securities, which are intended to serve as margin or collateral for the Subsidiary’s derivative positions. To the extent that the Underlying Fund invests in the Subsidiary, it may be subject to the risks associated with those derivative instruments and other securities, which are discussed in the Underlying Fund’s prospectus and SAI.
The Subsidiary is not an investment company registered under the 1940 Act and, unless otherwise noted in the Underlying Fund’s prospectus and SAI, is not subject to all of the investor protections of the 1940 Act and other U.S. regulations. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Underlying Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in its prospectus and SAI and could negatively affect the Underlying Fund and its shareholders.
Lending of Fund Securities
Certain of the Underlying Funds may lend their portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other institutions, including Goldman Sachs. By lending its securities, an Underlying Fund attempts to increase its net investment income.
Securities loans are required to be secured continuously by collateral in cash, cash equivalents, letters of credit or U.S. Government Securities equal to at least 100% of the value of the loaned securities. This collateral must be valued, or “marked to market,” daily. Borrowers are required to furnish additional collateral to the Underlying Fund as necessary to fully cover their obligations.
With respect to loans that are collateralized by cash, an Underlying Fund may reinvest that cash in short-term investments and pay the borrower a pre-negotiated fee or “rebate” from any return earned on the investment. Investing the collateral subjects it to market depreciation or appreciation, and the Underlying Fund is responsible for any loss that may result from its investment of the borrowed collateral. Cash collateral may be invested in, among other things, other registered or unregistered funds, including private investing funds or money market funds that are managed by the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser or its affiliates and which pay the Underlying Fund’s investment adviser or its affiliates for their services. If an Underlying Fund were to receive non-cash collateral, the Underlying Fund would receive a fee from the borrower equal to a negotiated percentage of the market value of the loaned securities.
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For the duration of any securities loan, an Underlying Fund will continue to receive the equivalent of the interest, dividends or other distributions paid by the issuer on the loaned securities. An Underlying Fund will not have the right to vote its loaned securities during the period of the loan, but the Underlying Fund may attempt to recall a loaned security in anticipation of a material vote if it desires to do so. An Underlying Fund will have the right to terminate a loan at any time and recall the loaned securities within the normal and customary settlement time for securities transactions.
Securities lending involves certain risks. An Underlying Fund may lose money on its investment of cash collateral, resulting in a loss of principal, or may fail to earn sufficient income on its investment to cover the fee or rebate it has agreed to pay the borrower. The Underlying Fund may incur losses in connection with its securities lending activities that exceed the value of the interest income and fees received in connection with such transactions. Securities lending subjects an Underlying Fund to the risk of loss resulting from problems in the settlement and accounting process, and to additional credit, counterparty and market risk. These risks could be greater with respect to non-U.S. securities. Engaging in securities lending could have a leveraging effect, which may intensify the other risks associated with investments in the Underlying Fund. In addition, an Underlying Fund bears the risk that the price of the securities on loan will increase while they are on loan, or that the price of the collateral will decline in value during the period of the loan, and that the counterparty will not provide, or will delay in providing, additional collateral. An Underlying Fund also bears the risk that a borrower may fail to return securities in a timely manner or at all, either because the borrower fails financially or for other reasons. If a borrower of securities fails financially, an Underlying Fund may also lose its rights in the collateral. An Underlying Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering loaned securities or in gaining access to and liquidating the collateral, which could result in actual financial loss and which could interfere with portfolio management decisions or the exercise of ownership rights in the loaned securities. If an Underlying Fund is not able to recover the securities lent, the Underlying Fund may sell the collateral and purchase replacement securities in the market. However, an Underlying Fund will incur transaction costs on the purchase of replacement securities. These events could trigger adverse tax consequences for an Underlying Fund. In determining whether to lend securities to a particular borrower, and throughout the period of the loan, the creditworthiness of the borrower will be considered and monitored. Loans will only be made to firms deemed to be of good standing, and where the consideration that can be earned currently from securities loans of this type is deemed to justify the attendant risk. It is intended that the value of securities loaned by an Underlying Fund will not exceed one-third of the value of an Underlying Fund’s total assets (including the loan collateral).
An Underlying Fund will consider the loaned securities as assets of the Underlying Fund, but will not consider any collateral as an Underlying Fund asset except when determining total assets for the purpose of the above one-third limitation. Loan collateral (including any investment of the collateral) is not subject to the percentage limitations stated elsewhere in this SAI, the Prospectuses or the Underlying Funds’ prospectuses or SAIs regarding investing in fixed income securities and cash equivalents.
The Underlying Funds’ Boards of Trustees have approved certain Underlying Funds’ participation in a securities lending program and has adopted policies and procedures relating thereto.
For its services, the securities lending agent may receive a fee from an Underlying Fund, including a fee based on the returns earned on the Underlying Fund’s investment of cash received as collateral for the loaned securities. In addition, an Underlying Fund may make brokerage and other payments to Goldman Sachs and its affiliates in connection with the Underlying Fund’s portfolio investment transactions. An Underlying Fund’s Board of Trustees periodically reviews reports on securities loan transactions for which a Goldman Sachs affiliate has acted as lending agent for compliance with the Underlying Fund’s securities lending procedures. Goldman Sachs also has been approved as a borrower under the Underlying Funds’ securities lending program, subject to certain conditions.
Loan Participations
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in loan participations. A loan participation is an interest in a loan to a U.S. or foreign company or other borrower which is administered and sold by a financial intermediary. In a typical corporate loan syndication, a number of lenders, usually banks (co-lenders), lend a corporate borrower a specified sum pursuant to the terms and conditions of a loan agreement. One of the co-lenders usually agrees to act as the agent bank with respect to the loan.
Participation interests acquired by an Underlying Fund may take the form of a direct or co-lending relationship with the corporate borrower, an assignment of an interest in the loan by a co-lender or another participant, or a participation in the seller’s
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share of the loan. When an Underlying Fund acts as co-lender in connection with a participation interest or when an Underlying Fund acquires certain participation interests, an Underlying Fund will have direct recourse against the borrower if the borrower fails to pay scheduled principal and interest. In cases where an Underlying Fund lacks direct recourse, it will look to the agent bank to enforce appropriate credit remedies against the borrower. In these cases, an Underlying Fund may be subject to delays, expenses and risks that are greater than those that would have been involved if an Underlying Fund had purchased a direct obligation (such as commercial paper) of such borrower. For example, in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the corporate borrower, a loan participation may be subject to certain defenses by the borrower as a result of improper conduct by the agent bank. Moreover, under the terms of the loan participation, an Underlying Fund may be regarded as a creditor of the agent bank (rather than of the underlying corporate borrower), so that an Underlying Fund may also be subject to the risk that the agent bank may become insolvent. The secondary market, if any, for these loan participations may be limited.
An Underlying Fund limits the amount of Total Assets that it will invest in any one issuer or in issuers within the same industry (see the Underlying Fund’s investment restrictions). For purposes of these limitations, an Underlying Fund generally will treat the borrower as the “issuer” of indebtedness held by the Underlying Fund. In the case of participation interests where a bank or other lending institution serves as intermediate participant between the Underlying Fund and the borrower, if the participation interest does not shift to the Underlying Fund the direct debtor-creditor relationship with the borrower, SEC interpretations require the Underlying Fund, in appropriate circumstances, to treat both the lending bank or other lending institution and the borrower as “issuers” for these purposes. Treating an intermediate participant as an issuer of indebtedness may restrict the Underlying Fund’s ability to invest in indebtedness related to a single intermediate participant, or a group of intermediate participants engaged in the same industry, even if the underlying borrowers represent many different companies and industries.
Low Exercise Price Options
From time to time, certain Underlying Funds may use non-standard warrants, including low exercise price warrants or low exercise price options (“LEPOs”), to gain exposure to issuers in certain countries. LEPOs are different from standard warrants in that they do not give their holders the right to receive a security of the issuer upon exercise. Rather, LEPOs pay the holder the difference in price of the underlying security between the date the LEPO was purchased and the date it is sold. Additionally, LEPOs entail the same risks as other over-the-counter derivatives. These include the risk that the counterparty or issuer of the LEPO may not be able to fulfill its obligations, that the holder and counterparty or issuer may disagree as to the meaning or application of contractual terms, or that the instrument may not perform as expected. Additionally, while LEPOs may be listed on an exchange, there is no guarantee that a liquid market will exist or that the counterparty or issuer of a LEPO will be willing to repurchase such instrument when the Underlying Fund wishes to sell it.
Master Limited Partnerships
Certain Underlying Funds may invest in MLPs. MLPs are publicly traded partnerships primarily engaged in the transportation, storage, processing, refining, marketing, exploration, production, and mining of minerals and natural resources. Investments in securities of MLPs involve risks that differ from investments in common stock, including risks related to limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP, risks related to potential conflicts of interest between the MLP and the MLP’s general partner, cash flow risks, dilution risks and risks related to the general partner’s right to require unit-holders to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price, resulting from regulatory changes or other reasons. Certain MLP securities may trade in lower volumes due to their smaller capitalizations. Accordingly, those MLPs may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements, may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable the Underlying Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price, and investment in those MLPs may restrict the Underlying Fund’s ability to take advantage of other investment opportunities.
MLPs are subject to various risks related to the underlying operating companies they control, including dependence upon specialized management skills and the risk that such companies may lack or have limited operating histories. The success of the Underlying Fund’s investments also will vary depending on the underlying industry represented by the MLP’s portfolio. The Underlying Fund must recognize income that it receives from underlying MLPs for tax purposes, even if the Underlying Fund does not receive cash distributions from the MLPs in an amount necessary to pay such tax liability.
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In addition, a percentage of a distribution received by the Underlying Fund as the holder of an MLP interest may be treated as a return of capital, which would reduce the Underlying Fund’s adjusted tax basis in the interests of the MLP, which will result in an increase in the amount of income or gain (or decrease in the amount of loss) that will be recognized by the Underlying Fund for tax purposes upon the sale of any such interests or upon subsequent distributions in respect of such interests. Furthermore, any return of capital distribution received from the MLP may require the Underlying Fund to restate the character of its distributions and amend any shareholder tax reporting previously issued.
MLPs generally do not pay U.S. federal income tax at the partnership level. Rather, each partner is allocated a share of the partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions and expenses. A change in current tax law, or a change in the underlying business mix of a given MLP, could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which would result in the MLP being required to pay U.S. federal income tax (as well as state and local income taxes) on its taxable income. The classification of an MLP as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the MLP. If any MLP in which the Underlying Fund invests were treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it could result in a reduction of the value of the Underlying Fund’s investment in the MLP and lower income to the Underlying Fund.
Mortgage Dollar Rolls
Certain of the Underlying Funds  may enter into mortgage “dollar rolls” in which an Underlying Fund sells securities for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contracts with the same counterparty to repurchase similar, but not identical securities on a specified future date. During the roll period, an Underlying Fund loses the right to receive principal and interest paid on the securities sold. However, an Underlying Fund would benefit to the extent of any difference between the price received for the securities sold and the lower forward price for the future purchase or fee income plus the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the securities sold until the settlement date of the forward purchase. All cash proceeds will be invested in instruments that are permissible investments for the applicable Underlying Fund.
For financial reporting and tax purposes, the Underlying Funds treat mortgage dollar rolls as two separate transactions; one involving the purchase of a security and a separate transaction involving a sale. The Underlying Funds do not currently intend to enter into mortgage dollar rolls for financing and do not treat them as borrowings.
Mortgage dollar rolls involve certain risks including the following: if the broker-dealer to whom an Underlying Fund sells the security becomes insolvent, an Underlying Fund’s right to purchase or repurchase the mortgage-related securities subject to the mortgage dollar roll may be restricted. Also, the instrument which an Underlying Fund is required to repurchase may be worth less than an instrument which an Underlying Fund originally held. Successful use of mortgage dollar rolls will depend upon the ability of an Underlying Fund’s investment adviser to manage an Underlying Fund’s interest rate and mortgage prepayments exposure. For these reasons, there is no assurance that mortgage dollar rolls can be successfully employed. The use of this technique may diminish the investment performance of an Underlying Fund compared to what such performance would have been without the use of mortgage dollar rolls.
Mortgage Loans and Mortgage-Backed Securities
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in Mortgage-Backed Securities.
Mortgage-Backed Securities are subject to both call risk and extension risk. Because of these risks, these securities can have significantly greater price and yield volatility than traditional fixed income securities.
General Characteristics of Mortgage Backed Securities
In general, each mortgage pool underlying Mortgage-Backed Securities consists of mortgage loans evidenced by promissory notes secured by first mortgages or first deeds of trust or other similar security instruments creating a first lien on owner occupied and non-owner occupied one-unit to four-unit residential properties, multi-family (i.e., five-units or more) properties, agricultural properties, commercial properties and mixed use properties (the “Mortgaged Properties”). The Mortgaged Properties may consist of
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detached individual dwelling units, multi-family dwelling units, individual condominiums, townhouses, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, row houses, individual units in planned unit developments, other attached dwelling units (“Residential Mortgaged Properties”) or commercial properties, such as office properties, retail properties, hospitality properties, industrial properties, healthcare related properties or other types of income producing real property (“Commercial Mortgaged Properties”). Residential Mortgaged Properties may also include residential investment properties and second homes. In addition, the Mortgage-Backed Securities which are residential mortgage-backed securities may also consist of mortgage loans evidenced by promissory notes secured entirely or in part by second priority mortgage liens on Residential Mortgaged Properties.
The investment characteristics of adjustable and fixed rate Mortgage-Backed Securities differ from those of traditional fixed income securities. The major differences include the payment of interest and principal on Mortgage-Backed Securities on a more frequent (usually monthly) schedule, and the possibility that principal may be prepaid at any time due to prepayments on the underlying mortgage loans or other assets. These differences can result in significantly greater price and yield volatility than is the case with traditional fixed income securities. As a result, if an Underlying Fund purchases Mortgage-Backed Securities at a premium, a faster than expected prepayment rate will reduce both the market value and the yield to maturity from their anticipated levels. A prepayment rate that is slower than expected will have the opposite effect, increasing yield to maturity and market value. Conversely, if an Underlying Fund purchases Mortgage-Backed Securities at a discount, faster than expected prepayments will increase, while slower than expected prepayments will reduce yield to maturity and market value. To the extent that an Underlying Fund invests in Mortgage-Backed Securities, its investment adviser may seek to manage these potential risks by investing in a variety of Mortgage-Backed Securities and by using certain hedging techniques.
Prepayments on a pool of mortgage loans are influenced by changes in current interest rates and a variety of economic, geographic, social and other factors (such as changes in mortgagor housing needs, job transfers, unemployment, mortgagor equity in the mortgage properties and servicing decisions). The timing and level of prepayments cannot be predicted. A predominant factor affecting the prepayment rate on a pool of mortgage loans is the difference between the interest rates on outstanding mortgage loans and prevailing mortgage loan interest rates (giving consideration to the cost of any refinancing). Generally, prepayments on mortgage loans will increase during a period of falling mortgage interest rates and decrease during a period of rising mortgage interest rates. Accordingly, the amounts of prepayments available for reinvestment by an Underlying Fund are likely to be greater during a period of declining mortgage interest rates. If general interest rates decline, such prepayments are likely to be reinvested at lower interest rates than an Underlying Fund was earning on the Mortgage-Backed Securities that were prepaid. Due to these factors, Mortgage-Backed Securities may be less effective than U.S. Treasury and other types of debt securities of similar maturity at maintaining yields during periods of declining interest rates. Because an Underlying Fund’s investments in Mortgage-Backed Securities are interest-rate sensitive, an Underlying Fund’s performance will depend in part upon the ability of the Underlying Fund to anticipate and respond to fluctuations in market interest rates and to utilize appropriate strategies to maximize returns to the Underlying Fund while attempting to minimize the associated risks to its investment capital. Prepayments may have a disproportionate effect on certain Mortgage-Backed Securities and other multiple class pass-through securities, which are discussed below.
The rate of interest paid on Mortgage-Backed Securities is normally lower than the rate of interest paid on the mortgages included in the underlying pool due to (among other things) the fees paid to any servicer, special servicer and trustee for the trust fund which holds the mortgage pool, other costs and expenses of such trust fund, fees paid to any guarantor, such as Ginnie Mae (as defined below) or to any credit enhancers, mortgage pool insurers, bond insurers and/or hedge providers, and due to any yield retained by the issuer. Actual yield to the holder may vary from the coupon rate, even if adjustable, if the Mortgage-Backed Securities are purchased or traded in the secondary market at a premium or discount. In addition, there is normally some delay between the time the issuer receives mortgage payments from the servicer and the time the issuer (or the trustee of the trust fund which holds the mortgage pool) makes the payments on the Mortgage-Backed Securities, and this delay reduces the effective yield to the holder of such securities.
The issuers of certain mortgage-backed obligations may elect to have the pool of mortgage loans (or indirect interests in mortgage loans) underlying the securities treated as a Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit (“REMIC”), which is subject to special federal income tax rules. A description of the types of mortgage loans and Mortgage-Backed Securities in which certain of the Underlying Funds  may invest is provided below. The descriptions are general and summary in nature, and do not detail every possible variation of the types of securities that are permissible investments for these Underlying Funds.
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Delinquencies, defaults and losses on residential mortgage loans may increase substantially over certain periods, which may affect the performance of the Mortgage-Backed Securities in which certain Underlying Funds may invest. Mortgage loans backing non-agency Mortgage-Backed Securities are more sensitive to economic factors that could affect the ability of borrowers to pay their obligations under the mortgage loans backing these securities. In addition, housing prices and appraisal values in many states and localities over certain periods have declined or stopped appreciating. A sustained decline or an extended flattening of those values may result in additional increases in delinquencies and losses on Mortgage-Backed Securities generally (including the Mortgaged-Backed Securities that the Funds may invest in as described above).
Adverse changes in market conditions and regulatory climate may reduce the cash flow which an Underlying Fund, to the extent it invests in Mortgage-Backed Securities or other asset-backed securities, receives from such securities and increase the incidence and severity of credit events and losses in respect of such securities. In the event that interest rate spreads for Mortgage-Backed Securities and other asset-backed securities widen following the purchase of such assets by an Underlying Fund, the market value of such securities is likely to decline and, in the case of a substantial spread widening, could decline by a substantial amount. Furthermore, adverse changes in market conditions may result in reduced liquidity in the market for Mortgage-Backed Securities and other asset-backed securities (including the Mortgage-Backed Securities and other asset-backed securities in which certain Underlying Funds may invest) and an unwillingness by banks, financial institutions and investors to extend credit to servicers, originators and other participants in the market for Mortgage-Backed and other asset-backed securities. As a result, the liquidity and/or the market value of any Mortgage-Backed or asset-backed securities that are owned by an Underlying Fund may experience declines after they are purchased by an Underlying Fund.
General Regulatory Considerations of Mortgage-Backed Securities
The unprecedented disruption in the mortgage- and asset-backed securities markets in 2008-2009 resulted in significant downward price pressures as well as foreclosures and defaults in residential and commercial real estate. As a result of these events, the liquidity of the mortgage- and asset-backed securities markets was negatively impacted during that time. Following the market dislocation, the U.S. Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), which imposed a new regulatory framework over the U.S. financial services industry and the consumer credit markets in general. Among its other provisions, the Dodd-Frank Act creates a liquidation framework under which the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), may be appointed as receiver following a “systemic risk determination” by the Secretary of Treasury (in consultation with the President) for the resolution of certain nonbank financial companies and other entities, defined as “covered financial companies”, and commonly referred to as “systemically important entities”, in the event such a company is in default or in danger of default and the resolution of such a company under other applicable law would have serious adverse effects on financial stability in the United States, and also for the resolution of certain of their subsidiaries. No assurances can be given that this new liquidation framework would not apply to the originators of asset-backed securities, including Mortgage-Backed Securities, or their respective subsidiaries, including the issuers and depositors of such securities, although the expectation embedded in the Dodd-Frank Act is that the framework will be invoked only very rarely. Guidance from the FDIC indicates that such new framework will largely be exercised in a manner consistent with the existing bankruptcy laws, which is the insolvency regime that would otherwise apply to the sponsors, depositors and issuing entities with respect to asset-backed securities, including Mortgage-Backed Securities. The application of such liquidation framework to such entities could result in decreases or delays in amounts paid on, and hence the market value of, the Mortgage-Backed or asset-backed securities that may be owned by an Underlying Fund.
Certain General Characteristics of Mortgage Loans
Adjustable Rate Mortgage Loans (“ARMs”). Certain of the Underlying Funds  may invest in ARMs. ARMs generally provide for a fixed initial mortgage interest rate for a specified period of time. Thereafter, the interest rates (the “Mortgage Interest Rates”) may be subject to periodic adjustment based on changes in the applicable index rate (the “Index Rate”). The adjusted rate would be equal to the Index Rate plus a fixed percentage spread over the Index Rate established for each ARM at the time of its origination. ARMs allow an Underlying Fund to participate in increases in interest rates through periodic increases in the securities coupon rates. During periods of declining interest rates, coupon rates may readjust downward resulting in lower yields to an Underlying Fund.
Adjustable interest rates can cause payment increases that some mortgagors may find difficult to make. However, certain ARMs may provide that the Mortgage Interest Rate may not be adjusted to a rate above an applicable lifetime maximum rate or below an
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applicable lifetime minimum rate for such ARM. Certain ARMs may also be subject to limitations on the maximum amount by which the Mortgage Interest Rate may adjust for any single adjustment period (the “Maximum Adjustment”). Other ARMs (“Negatively Amortizing ARMs”) may provide instead or as well for limitations on changes in the monthly payment on such ARMs. Limitations on monthly payments can result in monthly payments which are greater or less than the amount necessary to amortize a Negatively Amortizing ARM by its maturity at the Mortgage Interest Rate in effect in any particular month. In the event that a monthly payment is not sufficient to pay the interest accruing on a Negatively Amortizing ARM, any such excess interest is added to the principal balance of the loan, causing negative amortization, and will be repaid through future monthly payments. It may take borrowers under Negatively Amortizing ARMs longer periods of time to build up equity and may increase the likelihood of default by such borrowers. In the event that a monthly payment exceeds the sum of the interest accrued at the applicable Mortgage Interest Rate and the principal payment which would have been necessary to amortize the outstanding principal balance over the remaining term of the loan, the excess (or “accelerated amortization”) further reduces the principal balance of the ARM. Negatively Amortizing ARMs do not provide for the extension of their original maturity to accommodate changes in their Mortgage Interest Rate. As a result, unless there is a periodic recalculation of the payment amount (which there generally is), the final payment may be substantially larger than the other payments. After the expiration of the initial fixed rate period and upon the periodic recalculation of the payment to cause timely amortization of the related mortgage loan, the monthly payment on such mortgage loan may increase substantially which may, in turn, increase the risk of the borrower defaulting in respect of such mortgage loan. These limitations on periodic increases in interest rates and on changes in monthly payments protect borrowers from unlimited interest rate and payment increases, but may result in increased credit exposure and prepayment risks for lenders. When interest due on a mortgage loan is added to the principal balance of such mortgage loan, the related mortgaged property provides proportionately less security for the repayment of such mortgage loan. Therefore, if the related borrower defaults on such mortgage loan, there is a greater likelihood that a loss will be incurred upon any liquidation of the mortgaged property which secures such mortgage loan.
ARMs also have the risk of prepayment. The rate of principal prepayments with respect to ARMs has fluctuated in recent years. The value of Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by ARMs is less likely to rise during periods of declining interest rates than the value of fixed-rate securities during such periods. Accordingly, ARMs may be subject to a greater rate of principal repayments in a declining interest rate environment resulting in lower yields to an Underlying Fund. For example, if prevailing interest rates fall significantly, ARMs could be subject to higher prepayment rates (than if prevailing interest rates remain constant or increase) because the availability of low fixed-rate mortgages may encourage mortgagors to refinance their ARMs to “lock-in” a fixed-rate mortgage. On the other hand, during periods of rising interest rates, the value of ARMs will lag behind changes in the market rate. ARMs are also typically subject to maximum increases and decreases in the interest rate adjustment which can be made on any one adjustment date, in any one year, or during the life of the security. In the event of dramatic increases or decreases in prevailing market interest rates, the value of an Underlying Fund’s investment in ARMs may fluctuate more substantially because these limits may prevent the security from fully adjusting its interest rate to the prevailing market rates. As with fixed-rate mortgages, ARM prepayment rates vary in both stable and changing interest rate environments.
There are two main categories of indices which provide the basis for rate adjustments on ARMs: those based on U.S. Treasury securities and those derived from a calculated measure, such as a cost of funds index or a moving average of mortgage rates. Indices commonly used for this purpose include the one-year, three-year and five-year constant maturity Treasury rates, the three-month Treasury bill rate, the 180-day Treasury bill rate, rates on longer-term Treasury securities, the 11th District Federal Home Loan Bank Cost of Funds, the National Median Cost of Funds, the one-month, three-month, six-month or one-year LIBOR or SOFR, the prime rate of a specific bank, or commercial paper rates. Some indices, such as the one-year constant maturity Treasury rate, closely mirror changes in market interest rate levels. Others, such as the 11th District Federal Home Loan Bank Cost of Funds index, tend to lag behind changes in market rate levels and tend to be somewhat less volatile. The degree of volatility in the market value of ARMs in an Underlying Fund’s portfolio and, therefore, in the NAV of the Underlying Fund’s shares, will be a function of the length of the interest rate reset periods and the degree of volatility in the applicable indices.
Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans. Generally, fixed-rate mortgage loans included in mortgage pools (the “Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans”) will bear simple interest at fixed annual rates and have original terms to maturity ranging from 5 to 40 years. Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans generally provide for monthly payments of principal and interest in substantially equal installments for the term of the mortgage note in sufficient amounts to fully amortize principal by maturity, although certain Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans provide for a large final “balloon” payment upon maturity.
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Certain Legal Considerations of Mortgage Loans. The following is a discussion of certain legal and regulatory aspects of the mortgage loans in which an Underlying Fund may invest. This discussion is not exhaustive, and does not address all of the legal or regulatory aspects affecting mortgage loans. These regulations may impair the ability of a mortgage lender to enforce its rights under the mortgage documents. These regulations may also adversely affect an Underlying Fund’s investments in Mortgage-Backed Securities (including those issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities) by delaying the Underlying Fund’s receipt of payments derived from principal or interest on mortgage loans affected by such regulations.
1.
Foreclosure. A foreclosure of a defaulted mortgage loan may be delayed due to compliance with statutory notice or service of process provisions, difficulties in locating necessary parties or legal challenges to the mortgagee’s right to foreclose. Depending upon market conditions, the ultimate proceeds of the sale of foreclosed property may not equal the amounts owed on the Mortgage-Backed Securities. Furthermore, courts in some cases have imposed general equitable principles upon foreclosure generally designed to relieve the borrower from the legal effect of default and have required lenders to undertake affirmative and expensive actions to determine the causes for the default and the likelihood of loan reinstatement.
2.
Rights of Redemption. In some states, after foreclosure of a mortgage loan, the borrower and foreclosed junior lienors are given a statutory period in which to redeem the property, which right may diminish the mortgagee’s ability to sell the property.
3.
Legislative Limitations. In addition to anti-deficiency and related legislation, numerous other federal and state statutory provisions, including the federal bankruptcy laws and state laws affording relief to debtors, may interfere with or affect the ability of a secured mortgage lender to enforce its security interest. For example, a bankruptcy court may grant the debtor a reasonable time to cure a default on a mortgage loan, including a payment default. The court in certain instances may also reduce the monthly payments due under such mortgage loan, change the rate of interest, reduce the principal balance of the loan to the then-current appraised value of the related mortgaged property, alter the mortgage loan repayment schedule and grant priority of certain liens over the lien of the mortgage loan. If a court relieves a borrower’s obligation to repay amounts otherwise due on a mortgage loan, the mortgage loan servicer will not be required to advance such amounts, and any loss may be borne by the holders of securities backed by such loans. In addition, numerous federal and state consumer protection laws impose penalties for failure to comply with specific requirements in connection with origination and servicing of mortgage loans.
4.
“Due-on-Sale” Provisions. Fixed-rate mortgage loans may contain a so-called “due-on-sale” clause permitting acceleration of the maturity of the mortgage loan if the borrower transfers the property. The Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 sets forth nine specific instances in which no mortgage lender covered by that Act may exercise a “due-on-sale” clause upon a transfer of property. The inability to enforce a “due-on-sale” clause or the lack of such a clause in mortgage loan documents may result in a mortgage loan being assumed by a purchaser of the property that bears an interest rate below the current market rate.
5.
Usury Laws. Some states prohibit charging interest on mortgage loans in excess of statutory limits. If such limits are exceeded, substantial penalties may be incurred and, in some cases, enforceability of the obligation to pay principal and interest may be affected.
6.
Governmental Action, Legislation and Regulation. Legislative, regulatory and enforcement actions seeking to prevent or restrict foreclosures or providing forbearance relief to borrowers of residential mortgage loans may adversely affect the value of Mortgage-Backed Securities (e.g., the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act). Legislative or regulatory initiatives by federal, state or local legislative bodies or administrative agencies, if enacted or adopted, could delay foreclosure or the exercise of other remedies, provide new defenses to foreclosure, or otherwise impair the ability of the loan servicer to foreclose or realize on a defaulted residential mortgage loan included in a pool of residential mortgage loans backing such residential Mortgage-Backed Securities. While the nature or extent of limitations on foreclosure or exercise of other remedies that may be enacted cannot be predicted, any such governmental actions that interfere with the foreclosure process or are designed to protect customers could increase the costs of such foreclosures or exercise of other remedies in respect of residential mortgage loans which collateralize Mortgage-Backed Securities held by an Underlying Fund, delay the timing or reduce the amount of recoveries on defaulted residential mortgage loans which
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collateralize Mortgage-Backed Securities held by an Underlying Fund, and consequently, could adversely impact the yields and distributions an Underlying Fund may receive in respect of its ownership of Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by residential mortgage loans.
Government Guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities. There are several types of government guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities currently available, including guaranteed mortgage pass-through certificates and multiple class securities, which include guaranteed Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit Certificates (“REMIC Certificates”), other collateralized mortgage obligations and stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities. An Underlying Fund is permitted to invest in other types of Mortgage-Backed Securities that may be available in the future to the extent consistent with its investment policies and objective.
An Underlying Fund’s investments in Mortgage-Backed Securities may include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”). Ginnie Mae securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, which means that the U.S. Government guarantees that the interest and principal will be paid when due. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac securities are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, and as a result, they have historically been viewed by the market as high quality securities with low credit risks. From time to time, proposals have been introduced before Congress for the purpose of restricting or eliminating federal sponsorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Trust cannot predict what legislation, if any, may be proposed in the future in Congress as regards such sponsorship or which proposals, if any, might be enacted. Such proposals, if enacted, might materially and adversely affect the availability of government guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities and the liquidity and value of an Underlying Fund’s portfolio.
There is risk that the U.S. Government will not provide financial support to its agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. Underlying Fund may purchase U.S. Government Securities that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, such as those issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. Government Securities held by an Underlying Fund may greatly exceed such issuers’ current resources, including such issuers’ legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that these issuers will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future.
Below is a general discussion of certain types of guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities in which certain of the Underlying Funds may invest.
•  Ginnie Mae Certificates. Ginnie Mae is a wholly-owned corporate instrumentality of the United States. Ginnie Mae is authorized to guarantee the timely payment of the principal of and interest on certificates that are based on and backed by a pool of mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”), or guaranteed by the Veterans Administration (“VA”), or by pools of other eligible mortgage loans. In order to meet its obligations under any guaranty, Ginnie Mae is authorized to borrow from the U.S. Treasury in an unlimited amount. The National Housing Act provides that the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government is pledged to the timely payment of principal and interest by Ginnie Mae of amounts due on Ginnie Mae certificates.
•  Fannie Mae Certificates. Fannie Mae is a stockholder-owned corporation chartered under an act of the U.S. Congress. Generally, Fannie Mae Certificates are issued and guaranteed by Fannie Mae and represent an undivided interest in a pool of mortgage loans (a “Pool”) formed by Fannie Mae. A Pool consists of residential mortgage loans either previously owned by Fannie Mae or purchased by it in connection with the formation of the Pool. The mortgage loans may be either conventional mortgage loans (i.e., not insured or guaranteed by any U.S. Government agency) or mortgage loans that are either insured by the FHA or guaranteed by the VA. However, the mortgage loans in Fannie Mae Pools are primarily conventional mortgage loans. The lenders originating and servicing the mortgage loans are subject to certain eligibility requirements established by Fannie Mae. Fannie Mae has certain contractual responsibilities. With respect to each Pool, Fannie Mae is obligated to distribute scheduled installments of principal and interest after Fannie Mae’s servicing and guaranty fee, whether or not received, to Certificate holders. Fannie Mae also is obligated to distribute to holders of Certificates an amount equal to the full principal balance of any foreclosed mortgage loan, whether or not such principal balance is actually recovered. The obligations of Fannie Mae under its
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guaranty of the Fannie Mae Certificates are obligations solely of Fannie Mae. See “Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae” below.
•  The mortgage loans underlying the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Certificates consist of adjustable rate or fixed-rate mortgage loans with original terms to maturity of up to forty years. These mortgage loans are usually secured by first liens on one-to-four-family residential properties or multi-family projects. Each mortgage loan must meet the applicable standards set forth in the law creating Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. A Freddie Mac Certificate group may include whole loans, participation interests in whole loans, undivided interests in whole loans and participations comprising another Freddie Mac Certificate group.
•  Freddie Mac Certificates. Freddie Mac is a publicly held U.S. Government sponsored enterprise. A principal activity of Freddie Mac currently is the purchase of first lien, conventional, residential and multifamily mortgage loans and participation interests in such mortgage loans and their resale in the form of mortgage securities, primarily Freddie Mac Certificates. A Freddie Mac Certificate represents a pro rata interest in a group of mortgage loans or participations in mortgage loans (a “Freddie Mac Certificate group”) purchased by Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac guarantees to each registered holder of a Freddie Mac Certificate the timely payment of interest at the rate provided for by such Freddie Mac Certificate (whether or not received on the underlying loans). Freddie Mac also guarantees to each registered Certificate holder ultimate collection of all principal of the related mortgage loans, without any offset or deduction, but does not, generally, guarantee the timely payment of scheduled principal. The obligations of Freddie Mac under its guaranty of Freddie Mac Certificates are obligations solely of Freddie Mac. See “Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae” below.
•  The mortgage loans underlying the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Certificates consist of adjustable rate or fixed-rate mortgage loans with original terms to maturity of up to forty years. These mortgage loans are usually secured by first liens on one-to-four family residential properties or multi-family projects. Each mortgage loan must meet the applicable standards set forth in the law creating Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. A Freddie Mac Certificate group may include whole loans, participation interests in whole loans, undivided interests in whole loans and participations comprising another Freddie Mac Certificate group.
Conventional Mortgage Loans. The conventional mortgage loans underlying the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Certificates consist of adjustable rate or fixed-rate mortgage loans normally with original terms to maturity of between five and thirty years. Substantially all of these mortgage loans are secured by first liens on one- to four-family residential properties or multi-family projects. Each mortgage loan must meet the applicable standards set forth in the law creating Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. A Freddie Mac Certificate group may include whole loans, participation interests in whole loans, undivided interests in whole loans and participations comprising another Freddie Mac Certificate group.
Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The volatility and disruption that impacted the capital and credit markets during late 2008 and into 2009 have led to increased market concerns about Freddie Mac’s and Fannie Mae’s ability to withstand future credit losses associated with securities held in their investment portfolios, and on which they provide guarantees, without the direct support of the federal government. On September 6, 2008, both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were placed under the conservatorship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”). Under the plan of conservatorship, the FHFA has assumed control of, and generally has the power to direct, the operations of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and is empowered to exercise all powers collectively held by their respective shareholders, directors and officers, including the power to (1) take over the assets of and operate Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae with all the powers of the shareholders, the directors, and the officers of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and conduct all business of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (2) collect all obligations and money due to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (3) perform all functions of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which are consistent with the conservator’s appointment; (4) preserve and conserve the assets and property of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; and (5) contract for assistance in fulfilling any function, activity, action or duty of the conservator. In addition, in connection with the actions taken by the FHFA, the U.S. Treasury entered into certain preferred stock purchase agreements with each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which established the U.S. Treasury as the holder of a new class of senior preferred stock in each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, which stock was issued in connection with financial contributions from the U.S. Treasury to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The conditions attached to the financial contribution made by the U.S. Treasury to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and the issuance of this senior preferred stock placed significant restrictions on the activities of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae must obtain the consent of the U.S. Treasury to, among other things, (i) make any payment to purchase or redeem its capital stock or pay any dividend other
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than in respect of the senior preferred stock issued to the U.S. Treasury, (ii) issue capital stock of any kind, (iii) terminate the conservatorship of the FHFA except in connection with a receivership, or (iv) increase its debt beyond certain specified levels. In addition, significant restrictions were placed on the maximum size of each of Freddie Mac’s and Fannie Mae’s respective portfolios of mortgages and Mortgage-Backed Securities, and the purchase agreements entered into by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae provide that the maximum size of their portfolios of these assets must decrease by a specified percentage each year. On June 16, 2010, FHFA ordered Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s stock de-listed from the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) after the price of common stock in Fannie Mae fell below the NYSE minimum average closing price of $1 for more than 30 days.
The FHFA and the White House have made public statements regarding plans to consider ending the conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In the event that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are taken out of conservatorship, it is unclear how the capital structure of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would be constructed and what effects, if any, there may be on Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s creditworthiness and guarantees of certain Mortgage-Backed Securities. It is also unclear whether the Treasury would continue to enforce its rights or perform its obligations under the senior preferred stock programs. Should Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s conservatorship end, there could be an adverse impact on the value of their securities, which could cause losses to an Underlying Fund.
Privately Issued Mortgage-Backed Securities. Certain of the Underlying Funds  may invest in privately issued Mortgage-Backed Securities. Privately issued Mortgage-Backed Securities are generally backed by pools of conventional (i.e., non-government guaranteed or insured) mortgage loans. The seller or servicer of the underlying mortgage obligations will generally make representations and warranties to certificate-holders as to certain characteristics of the mortgage loans and as to the accuracy of certain information furnished to the trustee in respect of each such mortgage loan. Upon a breach of any representation or warranty that materially and adversely affects the interests of the related certificate-holders in a mortgage loan, the seller or servicer generally will be obligated either to cure the breach in all material respects, to repurchase the mortgage loan or, if the related agreement so provides, to substitute in its place a mortgage loan pursuant to the conditions set forth therein. Such a repurchase or substitution obligation may constitute the sole remedy available to the related certificate-holders or the trustee for the material breach of any such representation or warranty by the seller or servicer.
Mortgage Pass-Through Securities
Certain Underlying Funds may invest in both government guaranteed and privately issued mortgage pass-through securities (“Mortgage Pass-Throughs”) that are fixed or adjustable rate Mortgage-Backed Securities which provide for monthly payments that are a “pass-through” of the monthly interest and principal payments (including any prepayments) made by the individual borrowers on the pooled mortgage loans, net of any fees or other amounts paid to any guarantor, administrator and/or servicer of the underlying mortgage loans. The seller or servicer of the underlying mortgage obligations will generally make representations and warranties to certificate-holders as to certain characteristics of the mortgage loans and as to the accuracy of certain information furnished to the trustee in respect of each such mortgage loan. Upon a breach of any representation or warranty that materially and adversely affects the interests of the related certificate-holders in a mortgage loan, the seller or servicer generally may be obligated either to cure the breach in all material respects, to repurchase the mortgage loan or, if the related agreement so provides, to substitute in its place a mortgage loan pursuant to the conditions set forth therein. Such a repurchase or substitution obligation may constitute the sole remedy available to the related certificate-holders or the trustee for the material breach of any such representation or warranty by the seller or servicer.
The following discussion describes certain aspects of only a few of the wide variety of structures of Mortgage Pass-Throughs that are available or may be issued.
General Description of Certificates. Mortgage Pass-Throughs may be issued in one or more classes of senior certificates and one or more classes of subordinate certificates. Each such class may bear a different pass-through rate. Generally, each certificate will evidence the specified interest of the holder thereof in the payments of principal or interest or both in respect of the mortgage pool comprising part of the trust fund for such certificates.
Any class of certificates may also be divided into subclasses entitled to varying amounts of principal and interest. If a REMIC election has been made, certificates of such subclasses may be entitled to payments on the basis of a stated principal balance and
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stated interest rate, and payments among different subclasses may be made on a sequential, concurrent, pro rata or disproportionate basis, or any combination thereof. The stated interest rate on any such subclass of certificates may be a fixed rate or one which varies in direct or inverse relationship to an objective interest index.
Generally, each registered holder of a certificate will be entitled to receive its pro rata share of monthly distributions of all or a portion of principal of the underlying mortgage loans or of interest on the principal balances thereof, which accrues at the applicable mortgage pass-through rate, or both. The difference between the mortgage interest rate and the related mortgage pass-through rate (less the amount, if any, of retained yield) with respect to each mortgage loan will generally be paid to the servicer as a servicing fee. Because certain adjustable rate mortgage loans included in a mortgage pool may provide for deferred interest (i.e., negative amortization), the amount of interest actually paid by a mortgagor in any month may be less than the amount of interest accrued on the outstanding principal balance of the related mortgage loan during the relevant period at the applicable mortgage interest rate. In such event, the amount of interest that is treated as deferred interest will generally be added to the principal balance of the related mortgage loan and will be distributed pro rata to certificate-holders as principal of such mortgage loan when paid by the mortgagor in subsequent monthly payments or at maturity.
Ratings. The ratings assigned by a rating organization to Mortgage Pass-Throughs generally address the likelihood of the receipt of distributions on the underlying mortgage loans by the related certificate-holders under the agreements pursuant to which such certificates are issued. A rating organization’s ratings normally take into consideration the credit quality of the related mortgage pool, including any credit support providers, structural and legal aspects associated with such certificates, and the extent to which the payment stream on such mortgage pool is adequate to make payments required by such certificates. A rating organization’s ratings on such certificates do not, however, constitute a statement regarding frequency of prepayments on the related mortgage loans. In addition, the rating assigned by a rating organization to a certificate may not address the possibility that, in the event of the insolvency of the issuer of certificates where a subordinated interest was retained, the issuance and sale of the senior certificates may be recharacterized as a financing and, as a result of such recharacterization, payments on such certificates may be affected. A rating organization may downgrade or withdraw a rating assigned by it to any Mortgage Pass-Through at any time, and no assurance can be made that any ratings on any Mortgage Pass-Throughs included in an Underlying Fund will be maintained, or that if such ratings are assigned, they will not be downgraded or withdrawn by the assigning rating organization.
In the past, rating agencies have placed on credit watch or downgraded the ratings previously assigned to a large number of mortgage-backed securities (which may include certain of the Mortgage-Backed Securities in which certain of the Underlying Funds may have invested or may in the future be invested), and may continue to do so in the future. In the event that any Mortgage-Backed Security held by an Underlying Fund is placed on credit watch or downgraded, the value of such Mortgage-Backed Security may decline and the Underlying Fund may consequently experience losses in respect of such Mortgage-Backed Security.
Credit Enhancement. Mortgage pools created by non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher yield than government and government-related pools because of the absence of direct or indirect government or agency payment guarantees. To lessen the effect of failures by obligors on underlying assets to make payments, Mortgage Pass-Throughs may contain elements of credit support. Credit support falls generally into two categories: (i) liquidity protection and (ii) protection against losses resulting from default by an obligor on the underlying assets. Liquidity protection refers to the provision of advances, generally by the entity administering the pools of mortgages, the provision of a reserve fund, or a combination thereof, to ensure, subject to certain limitations, that scheduled payments on the underlying pool are made in a timely fashion. Protection against losses resulting from default ensures ultimate payment of the obligations on at least a portion of the assets in the pool. Such credit support can be provided by, among other things, payment guarantees, letters of credit, pool insurance, subordination, or any combination thereof.
Subordination; Shifting of Interest; Reserve Fund. In order to achieve ratings on one or more classes of Mortgage Pass-Throughs, one or more classes of certificates may be subordinate certificates which provide that the rights of the subordinate certificate-holders to receive any or a specified portion of distributions with respect to the underlying mortgage loans may be subordinated to the rights of the senior certificate holders. If so structured, the subordination feature may be enhanced by distributing to the senior certificate-holders on certain distribution dates, as payment of principal, a specified percentage (which generally declines over time) of all principal payments received during the preceding prepayment period (“shifting interest credit enhancement”). This will have the effect of accelerating the amortization of the senior certificates while increasing the interest in the trust fund evidenced by the subordinate certificates. Increasing the interest of the subordinate certificates relative to that of the senior
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certificates is intended to preserve the availability of the subordination provided by the subordinate certificates. In addition, because the senior certificate-holders in a shifting interest credit enhancement structure are entitled to receive a percentage of principal prepayments which is greater than their proportionate interest in the trust fund, the rate of principal prepayments on the mortgage loans may have an even greater effect on the rate of principal payments and the amount of interest payments on, and the yield to maturity of, the senior certificates.
In addition to providing for a preferential right of the senior certificate-holders to receive current distributions from the mortgage pool, a reserve fund may be established relating to such certificates (the “Reserve Fund”). The Reserve Fund may be created with an initial cash deposit by the originator or servicer and augmented by the retention of distributions otherwise available to the subordinate certificate-holders or by excess servicing fees until the Reserve Fund reaches a specified amount.
The subordination feature, and any Reserve Fund, are intended to enhance the likelihood of timely receipt by senior certificate-holders of the full amount of scheduled monthly payments of principal and interest due to them and will protect the senior certificate-holders against certain losses; however, in certain circumstances the Reserve Fund could be depleted and temporary shortfalls could result. In the event that the Reserve Fund is depleted before the subordinated amount is reduced to zero, senior certificate-holders will nevertheless have a preferential right to receive current distributions from the mortgage pool to the extent of the then outstanding subordinated amount. Unless otherwise specified, until the subordinated amount is reduced to zero, on any distribution date any amount otherwise distributable to the subordinate certificates or, to the extent specified, in the Reserve Fund will generally be used to offset the amount of any losses realized with respect to the mortgage loans (“Realized Losses”). Realized Losses remaining after application of such amounts will generally be applied to reduce the ownership interest of the subordinate certificates in the mortgage pool. If the subordinated amount has been reduced to zero, Realized Losses generally will be allocated pro rata among all certificate-holders in proportion to their respective outstanding interests in the mortgage pool.
Alternative Credit Enhancement. As an alternative, or in addition to the credit enhancement afforded by subordination, credit enhancement for Mortgage Pass-Throughs may be provided through bond insurers, or at the mortgage loan-level through mortgage insurance, hazard insurance, or through the deposit of cash, certificates of deposit, letters of credit, a limited guaranty or by such other methods as are acceptable to a rating agency. In certain circumstances, such as where credit enhancement is provided by bond insurers, guarantees or letters of credit, the security is subject to credit risk because of its exposure to the credit risk of an external credit enhancement provider.
Voluntary Advances. Generally, in the event of delinquencies in payments on the mortgage loans underlying the Mortgage Pass-Throughs, the servicer may agree to make advances of cash for the benefit of certificate-holders, but generally will do so only to the extent that it determines such voluntary advances will be recoverable from future payments and collections on the mortgage loans or otherwise.
Optional Termination. Generally, the servicer may, at its option with respect to any certificates, repurchase all of the underlying mortgage loans remaining outstanding at such time if the aggregate outstanding principal balance of such mortgage loans is less than a specified percentage (generally 5-10%) of the aggregate outstanding principal balance of the mortgage loans as of the cut-off date specified with respect to such series.
Multiple Class Mortgage-Backed Securities and Collateralized Mortgage Obligations. Certain of the Underlying Funds  may invest in multiple class securities including collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”) and REMIC Certificates. These securities may be issued by U.S. Government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac or by trusts formed by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, mortgage bankers, commercial banks, insurance companies, investment banks and special purpose subsidiaries of the foregoing. In general, CMOs are debt obligations of a legal entity that are collateralized by, and multiple class Mortgage-Backed Securities represent direct ownership interests in, a pool of mortgage loans or Mortgage-Backed Securities the payments on which are used to make payments on the CMOs or multiple class Mortgage-Backed Securities.
Fannie Mae REMIC Certificates are issued and guaranteed as to timely distribution of principal and interest by Fannie Mae. In addition, Fannie Mae will be obligated to distribute the principal balance of each class of REMIC Certificates in full, whether or not sufficient funds are otherwise available.
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Freddie Mac guarantees the timely payment of interest on Freddie Mac REMIC Certificates and also guarantees the payment of principal as payments are required to be made on the underlying mortgage participation certificates (“PCs”). PCs represent undivided interests in specified level payment, residential mortgages or participations therein purchased by Freddie Mac and placed in a PC pool. With respect to principal payments on PCs, Freddie Mac generally guarantees ultimate collection of all principal of the related mortgage loans without offset or deduction but the receipt of the required payments may be delayed. Freddie Mac also guarantees timely payment of principal of certain PCs.
CMOs and guaranteed REMIC Certificates issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are types of multiple class Mortgage-Backed Securities. The REMIC Certificates represent beneficial ownership interests in a REMIC trust, generally consisting of mortgage loans or Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities (the “Mortgage Assets”). The obligations of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac under their respective guaranty of the REMIC Certificates are obligations solely of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, respectively. See “Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.”
CMOs and REMIC Certificates are issued in multiple classes. Each class of CMOs or REMIC Certificates, often referred to as a “tranche,” is issued at a specific adjustable or fixed interest rate and must be fully retired no later than its final distribution date. Principal prepayments on the mortgage loans or the Mortgage Assets underlying the CMOs or REMIC Certificates may cause some or all of the classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates to be retired substantially earlier than their final distribution dates. Generally, interest is paid or accrues on all classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates on a monthly basis.
The principal of and interest on the Mortgage Assets may be allocated among the several classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates in various ways. In certain structures (known as “sequential pay” CMOs or REMIC Certificates), payments of principal, including any principal prepayments, on the Mortgage Assets generally are applied to the classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates in the order of their respective final distribution dates. Thus, no payment of principal will be made on any class of sequential pay CMOs or REMIC Certificates until all other classes having an earlier final distribution date have been paid in full.
Additional structures of CMOs and REMIC Certificates include, among others, “parallel pay” CMOs and REMIC Certificates. Parallel pay CMOs or REMIC Certificates are those which are structured to apply principal payments and prepayments of the Mortgage Assets to two or more classes concurrently on a proportionate or disproportionate basis. These simultaneous payments are taken into account in calculating the final distribution date of each class.
A wide variety of REMIC Certificates may be issued in parallel pay or sequential pay structures. These securities include accrual certificates (also known as “Z-Bonds”), which only accrue interest at a specified rate until all other certificates having an earlier final distribution date have been retired and are converted thereafter to an interest-paying security, and planned amortization class (“PAC”) certificates, which are parallel pay REMIC Certificates that generally require that specified amounts of principal be applied on each payment date to one or more classes or REMIC Certificates (the “PAC Certificates”), even though all other principal payments and prepayments of the Mortgage Assets are then required to be applied to one or more other classes of the PAC Certificates. The scheduled principal payments for the PAC Certificates generally have the highest priority on each payment date after interest due has been paid to all classes entitled to receive interest currently. Shortfalls, if any, are added to the amount payable on the next payment date. The PAC Certificate payment schedule is taken into account in calculating the final distribution date of each class of PAC. In order to create PAC tranches, one or more tranches generally must be created that absorb most of the volatility in the underlying mortgage assets. These tranches tend to have market prices and yields that are much more volatile than other PAC classes.
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities. Commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) are a type of Mortgage Pass-Through that are primarily backed by a pool of commercial mortgage loans. The commercial mortgage loans are, in turn, generally secured by commercial mortgaged properties (such as office properties, retail properties, hospitality properties, industrial properties, healthcare related properties or other types of income producing real property). CMBS generally entitle the holders thereof to receive payments that depend primarily on the cash flow from a specified pool of commercial or multifamily mortgage loans. CMBS will be affected by payments, defaults, delinquencies and losses on the underlying mortgage loans. The underlying mortgage loans generally are secured by income producing properties such as office properties, retail properties, multifamily properties, manufactured housing, hospitality properties, industrial properties and self-storage properties. Because issuers of CMBS have no significant assets other than the underlying commercial real estate loans and because of the significant credit risks inherent in
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the underlying collateral, credit risk is a correspondingly important consideration with respect to the related CMBS. Certain of the mortgage loans underlying CMBS constituting part of the collateral interests may be delinquent, in default or in foreclosure.
Commercial real estate lending may expose a lender (and the related Mortgage-Backed Security) to a greater risk of loss than certain other forms of lending because it typically involves making larger loans to single borrowers or groups of related borrowers. In addition, in the case of certain commercial mortgage loans, repayment of loans secured by commercial and multifamily properties depends upon the ability of the related real estate project to generate income sufficient to pay debt service, operating expenses and leasing commissions and to make necessary repairs, tenant improvements and capital improvements, and in the case of loans that do not fully amortize over their terms, to retain sufficient value to permit the borrower to pay off the loan at maturity through a sale or refinancing of the mortgaged property. The net operating income from and value of any commercial property is subject to various risks, including changes in general or local economic conditions and/or specific industry segments; declines in real estate values; declines in rental or occupancy rates; increases in interest rates, real estate tax rates and other operating expenses; changes in governmental rules, regulations and fiscal policies; acts of God; terrorist threats and attacks and social unrest and civil disturbances. In addition, certain of the mortgaged properties securing the pools of commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may have a higher degree of geographic concentration in a few states or regions. The values of, and income generated by, CMBS may be adversely affected by changing interest rates and other developments impacting the commercial real estate market, such as population shifts and other demographic changes, increasing vacancies (potentially for extended periods) and reduced demand for commercial and office space as well as maintenance or tenant improvement costs and costs to convert properties for other uses. These developments could result from, among other things, changing tastes and preferences (such as for remote work arrangements) as well as cultural, technological, global or local economic and market developments. In addition, changing interest rate environments and associated changes in lending standards and higher refinancing rates may adversely affect the commercial real estate and CMBS markets. The occurrence of any of the foregoing developments would likely increase default risk for the properties and loans underlying these investments as well as impact the value of, and income generated by, these investments. Furthermore, any deterioration in the real estate market or economy or adverse events in such states or regions, may increase the rate of delinquency and default experience (and as a consequence, losses) with respect to mortgage loans related to properties in such state or region. Pools of mortgaged properties securing the commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may also have a higher degree of concentration in certain types of commercial properties. Accordingly, such pools of mortgage loans represent higher exposure to risks particular to those types of commercial properties. Certain pools of commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS consist of a fewer number of mortgage loans with outstanding balances that are larger than average. If a mortgage pool includes mortgage loans with larger than average balances, any realized losses on such mortgage loans could be more severe, relative to the size of the pool, than would be the case if the aggregate balance of the pool were distributed among a larger number of mortgage loans. Certain borrowers or affiliates thereof relating to certain of the commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may have had a history of bankruptcy. Certain mortgaged properties securing the commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may have been exposed to environmental conditions or circumstances. The ratings in respect of certain of the CMBS comprising the Mortgage-Backed Securities may have been withdrawn, reduced or placed on credit watch since issuance. In addition, losses and/or appraisal reductions may be allocated to certain of such CMBS and certain of the collateral or the assets underlying such collateral may be delinquent and/or may default from time to time. These developments could also result in reduced liquidity for CMBS and other real estate-related investments.
CMBS held by an Underlying Fund may be subordinated to one or more other classes of securities of the same series for purposes of, among other things, establishing payment priorities and offsetting losses and other shortfalls with respect to the related underlying mortgage loans. Realized losses in respect of the mortgage loans included in the CMBS pool and trust expenses generally will be allocated to the most subordinated class of securities of the related series. Accordingly, to the extent any CMBS is or becomes the most subordinated class of securities of the related series, any delinquency or default on any underlying mortgage loan may result in shortfalls, realized loss allocations or extensions of its weighted average life and will have a more immediate and disproportionate effect on the related CMBS than on a related more senior class of CMBS of the same series. Further, even if a class is not the most subordinate class of securities, there can be no assurance that the subordination offered to such class will be sufficient on any date to offset all losses or expenses incurred by the underlying trust. CMBS are typically not guaranteed or insured, and distributions on such CMBS generally will depend solely upon the amount and timing of payments and other collections on the related underlying commercial mortgage loans.
Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities. Certain of the Underlying Funds  may invest in stripped mortgage-backed securities (“SMBS”), which are derivative multiclass mortgage securities, issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or
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instrumentalities or non-governmental originators. SMBS are usually structured with two different classes: one that receives substantially all of the interest payments (the interest-only, or “IO” and/or the high coupon rate with relatively low principal amount, or “IOette”), and the other that receives substantially all of the principal payments (the principal-only, or “PO”), from a pool of mortgage loans.
Certain SMBS may not be readily marketable. The market value of POs generally is unusually volatile in response to changes in interest rates. The yields on IOs and IOettes are generally higher than prevailing market yields on other Mortgage-Backed Securities because their cash flow patterns are more volatile and there is a greater risk that the initial investment will not be fully recouped. Underlying Fund's investment in SMBS may require the Underlying Fund to sell certain of its portfolio securities to generate sufficient cash to satisfy certain income distribution requirements. These and other factors discussed in the section above, entitled “Illiquid Investments,” may impact the liquidity of investments in SMBS.
Municipal Securities
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in bonds, notes and other instruments issued by or on behalf of states, territories and possessions of the United States (including the District of Columbia) and their political subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities. Dividends paid by the Underlying Funds that are derived from interest paid on both tax-exempt and taxable Municipal Securities will be taxable to the Underlying Funds’ shareholders.
Municipal Securities are often issued to obtain funds for various public purposes including refunding outstanding obligations, obtaining funds for general operating expenses, and obtaining funds to lend to other public institutions and facilities. Municipal Securities also include certain “private activity bonds” or industrial development bonds, which are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to provide financing aid to acquire sites or construct or equip facilities within a municipality for privately or publicly owned corporations.
Investments in municipal securities are subject to the risk that the issuer could default on its obligations. Such a default could result from the inadequacy of the sources or revenues from which interest and principal payments are to be made, including property tax collections, sales tax revenue, income tax revenue and local, state and federal government funding, or the assets collateralizing such obligations. Municipal securities and issuers of municipal securities may be more susceptible to downgrade, default, and bankruptcy as a result of recent periods of economic stress. In the aftermath of the 2007-2008 financial crisis, several municipalities filed for bankruptcy protection or indicated that they may seek bankruptcy protection in the future. Revenue bonds (as described further below), including private activity bonds, are backed only by specific assets or revenue sources and not by the full faith and credit of the governmental issuer.
The two principal classifications of Municipal Securities are “general obligations” and “revenue obligations.” General obligations are secured by the issuer’s pledge of its full faith and credit for the payment of principal and interest, although the characteristics and enforcement of general obligations may vary according to the law applicable to the particular issuer. Revenue obligations, which include, but are not limited to, private activity bonds, resource recovery bonds, certificates of participation and certain municipal notes, are not backed by the credit and taxing authority of the issuer, and are payable solely from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other specific revenue source. Nevertheless, the obligations of the issuer of a revenue obligation may be backed by a letter of credit, guarantee or insurance. General obligations and revenue obligations may be issued in a variety of forms, including commercial paper, fixed, variable and floating rate securities, tender option bonds, auction rate bonds, zero coupon bonds, deferred interest bonds and capital appreciation bonds.
In addition to general obligations and revenue obligations, there are a variety of hybrid and special types of Municipal Securities. There are also numerous differences in the security of Municipal Securities both within and between these two principal classifications.
For the purpose of applying an Underlying Fund’s investment restrictions, the identification of the issuer of a Municipal Securities which is not a general obligation is made by the Investment Adviser based on the characteristics of the Municipal Security, the most important of which is the source of funds for the payment of principal and interest on such securities.
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An entire issue of Municipal Securities may be purchased by one or a small number of institutional investors, including one or more Underlying Funds. Thus, the issue may not be said to be publicly offered. Unlike some securities that are not publicly offered, a secondary market exists for many Municipal Securities that were not publicly offered initially and such securities may be readily marketable.
The credit rating assigned to Municipal Securities may reflect the existence of guarantees, letters of credit or other credit enhancement features available to the issuers or holders of such Municipal Securities.
The obligations of the issuer to pay the principal of and interest on a Municipal Security are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the Federal Bankruptcy Code, and laws, if any, that may be enacted by Congress or state legislatures extending the time for payment of principal or interest or imposing other constraints upon the enforcement of such obligations. There is also the possibility that, as a result of litigation or other conditions, the power or ability of the issuer to pay when due principal of or interest on a Municipal Security may be materially affected.
From time to time, proposals have been introduced before Congress for the purpose of restricting or eliminating the federal income tax exemption for interest on Municipal Securities. For example, under the Tax Reform Act of 1986, interest on certain private activity bonds must be included in an investor’s federal alternative minimum taxable income. The Trust cannot predict what legislation, if any, may be proposed in the future in Congress as regards the federal income tax status of interest on Municipal Securities or which proposals, if any, might be enacted. Such proposals, if enacted, might materially and adversely affect the liquidity and value of the Municipal Securities in an Underlying Fund’s portfolio.
Municipal Leases, Certificates of Participation and Other Participation Interests. Municipal Securities include leases, certificates of participation and other participation interests. A municipal lease is an obligation in the form of a lease or installment purchase which is issued by a state or local government to acquire equipment and facilities. Income from such obligations is generally exempt from state and local taxes in the state of issuance. Municipal leases frequently involve special risks not normally associated with general obligations or revenue bonds. Leases and installment purchase or conditional sale contracts (which normally provide for title to the leased asset to pass eventually to the governmental issuer) have evolved as a means for governmental issuers to acquire property and equipment without meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements for the issuance of debt. The debt issuance limitations are deemed to be inapplicable because of the inclusion in many leases or contracts of “non-appropriation” clauses that relieve the governmental issuer of any obligation to make future payments under the lease or contract unless money is appropriated for such purpose by the appropriate legislative body on a yearly or other periodic basis. In addition, such leases or contracts may be subject to the temporary abatement of payments in the event the issuer is prevented from maintaining occupancy of the leased premises or utilizing the leased equipment. Although the obligations may be secured by the leased equipment or facilities, the disposition of the property in the event of non-appropriation or foreclosure might prove difficult, time consuming and costly, and result in a delay in recovering or the failure to fully recover an Underlying Fund’s original investment. To the extent that an Underlying Fund invests in unrated municipal leases or participates in such leases, the credit quality rating and risk of cancellation of such unrated leases will be monitored on an ongoing basis.
Certificates of participation represent undivided interests in municipal leases, installment purchase agreements or other instruments. The certificates are typically issued by a trust or other entity which has received an assignment of the payments to be made by the state or political subdivision under such leases or installment purchase agreements.
Certain municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation may be illiquid for the purpose of an Underlying Fund’s limitation on illiquid investments. Other municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation acquired by an Underlying Fund may be determined by its investment adviser to be liquid for the purpose of such limitation. In determining the liquidity of municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation, the investment adviser will consider a variety of factors including: (i) the willingness of dealers to bid for the security; (ii) the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the obligation and the number of other potential buyers; (iii) the frequency of trades or quotes for the obligation; and (iv) the nature of the marketplace trades. In addition, the investment adviser will consider factors unique to particular lease obligations and certificates of participation affecting the marketability thereof. These include the general creditworthiness of the issuer, the importance to the issuer of the property covered by the lease and the likelihood that the marketability of the obligation will be maintained throughout the time the obligation is held by an Underlying Fund.
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Certain of the Underlying Funds may purchase participations in Municipal Securities held by a commercial bank or other financial institution. Such participations provide an Underlying Fund with the right to a pro rata undivided interest in the underlying Municipal Securities. In addition, such participations generally provide an Underlying Fund with the right to demand payment, on not more than seven days’ notice, of all or any part of such Underlying Fund’s participation interest in the underlying Municipal Securities, plus accrued interest. An Underlying Fund will only invest in such participations if, in the opinion of bond counsel, counsel for the issuers of such participations or counsel selected by the investment advisors, the interest from such participation is exempt from regular federal income tax.
Auction Rate Securities. Municipal Securities also include auction rate Municipal Securities and auction rate preferred securities issued by closed-end investment companies that invest primarily in Municipal Securities (collectively, “auction rate securities”). Provided that the auction mechanism is successful, auction rate securities usually permit the holder to sell the securities in an auction at par value at specified intervals. The dividend is reset by “Dutch” auction in which bids are made by broker-dealers and other institutions for a certain amount of securities at a specified minimum yield. The dividend rate set by the auction is the lowest interest or dividend rate that covers all securities offered for sale. While this process is designed to permit auction rate securities to be traded at par value, there is some risk that an auction will fail due to insufficient demand for the securities. In certain recent market environments, auction failures have been more prevalent, which may adversely affect the liquidity and price of auction rate securities. Moreover, between auctions, there may be no secondary market for these securities, and sales conducted on a secondary market may not be on terms favorable to the seller. Thus, with respect to liquidity and price stability, auction rate securities may differ substantially from cash equivalents, notwithstanding the frequency of auctions and the credit quality of the security.
An Underlying Fund’s investments in auction rate securities of closed-end funds are subject to the limitations prescribed by the Act. An Underlying Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management and other fees paid by such closed-end funds in addition to the advisory fees payable directly by the Underlying Funds.
Other Types of Municipal Securities. Other types of Municipal Securities in which certain Underlying Funds may invest include municipal notes, tax-exempt commercial paper, pre-refunded municipal bonds, industrial development bonds, tender option bonds and insured municipal obligations.
Call Risk and Reinvestment Risk. Municipal Securities may include “call” provisions which permit the issuers of such securities, at any time or after a specified period, to redeem the securities prior to their stated maturity. In the event that Municipal Securities held in an Underlying Fund’s portfolio are called prior to the maturity, the Underlying Fund will be required to reinvest the proceeds on such securities at an earlier date and may be able to do so only at lower yields, thereby reducing the Underlying Fund’s return on its portfolio securities.
Non-Diversified Status
Each of the Large Cap Growth Insights Fund, Real Estate Securities Fund, Local Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Global Core Fixed Income Fund, Global Infrastructure Fund and Emerging Markets Debt Fund is “non-diversified” under the Act and may invest more of its assets in fewer issuers than “diversified” funds. These Underlying Funds are subject only to certain federal tax diversification requirements. Under federal tax laws, each of these Underlying Funds may, with respect to 50% of its total assets, invest up to 25% of its total assets in the securities of any issuer. With respect to the remaining 50% of their respective total assets, (i) each Underlying Fund may not invest more than 5% of its total assets in the securities of any one issuer, and (ii) each Underlying Fund may not acquire more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer. These tests apply at the end of each quarter of the taxable year and are subject to certain conditions and limitations under the Code. These tests do not apply to investments in U.S. Government Securities and regulated investment companies.
Optimized Portfolio as Listed Securities
Certain Underlying Funds may invest in optimized portfolio as listed securities (“OPALS”). OPALS represent an interest in a basket of securities of companies primarily located in a specific country generally designed to track an index for that country. Investments in OPALS are subject to the same risks inherent in directly investing in foreign securities and also have the risk that they will not track the underlying index. In addition, because the OPALS are not registered under applicable securities laws, they may only
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be sold to certain classes of investors, and it may be more difficult for the Underlying Fund to sell OPALS than other types of securities. However, the OPALS may generally be exchanged with the issuer for the underlying securities, which may be more readily tradable.
Options on Securities, Securities Indices and Foreign Currencies
Writing Options. Certain of the Underlying Funds may write (sell) call and put options on any securities in which it may invest or any securities index consisting of securities in which it may invest. An Underlying Fund may write such options on securities that are listed on national domestic securities exchanges or foreign securities exchanges or traded in the over-the-counter market. A call option written by an Underlying Fund obligates that Underlying Fund to sell specified securities to the holder of the option at a specified price if the option is exercised at any time on or before the expiration date. Depending upon the type of call option, the purchaser of a call option either (i) has the right to any appreciation in the value of the security over a fixed price (the “exercise price”) on a certain date in the future (the “expiration date”) or (ii) has the right to any appreciation in the value of the security over the exercise price at any time prior to the expiration of the option. If the purchaser exercises the option, an Underlying Fund pays the purchaser the difference between the price of the security and the exercise price of the option. The premium, the exercise price and the market value of the security determine the gain or loss realized by an Underlying Fund as the seller of the call option. An Underlying Fund can also repurchase the call option prior to the expiration date, ending its obligation. In this case, the cost of entering into closing purchase transactions will determine the gain or loss realized by the Underlying Fund. All call options written by an Underlying Fund are covered, which means that such Underlying Fund will own the securities subject to the option as long as the option is outstanding or such Underlying Fund will use the other methods described below. An Underlying Fund’s purpose in writing covered call options is to realize greater income than would be realized on portfolio securities transactions alone. However, an Underlying Fund may forego the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market price of the underlying security.
A put option written by an Underlying Fund would obligate such Underlying Fund to purchase specified securities from the option holder at a specified price if, depending upon the type of put option, either (i) the option is exercised on or before the expiration date or (ii) the option is exercised on the expiration date. All put options written by an Underlying Fund would be covered, which means that such Underlying Fund will identify on its books cash or liquid assets with a value at least equal to the exercise price of the put option (less any margin on deposit) or will use the other methods described below. The purpose of writing such options is to generate additional income for the Underlying Fund. However, in return for the option premium, an Underlying Fund accepts the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying securities at a price in excess of the securities’ market value at the time of purchase.
In the case of a call option, the option is “covered” if an Underlying Fund owns the instrument underlying the call or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that instrument without additional cash consideration (or, if additional cash consideration is required, liquid assets in such amount are identified on the Underlying Fund’s books) upon conversion or exchange of other instruments held by it. A call option is also covered if an Underlying Fund holds a call on the same instrument as the option written where the exercise price of the option held is (i) equal to or less than the exercise price of the option written, or (ii) greater than the exercise price of the option written provided the Underlying Fund identifies liquid assets in the amount of the difference. An Underlying Fund may also cover call options on securities by identifying cash or liquid assets, as permitted by applicable law, with a value, when added to any margin on deposit that is equal to the market value of the securities in the case of a call option. A put option is also covered if an Underlying Fund holds a put on the same instrument as the option written where the exercise price of the option held is (i) equal to or higher than the exercise price of the option written, or (ii) less than the exercise price of the option written provided the Underlying Fund identifies on its books liquid assets in the amount of the difference. Identified cash or liquid assets may be quoted or denominated in any currency.
Each Underlying Fund may also write (sell) call and put options on any securities index comprised of securities in which it may invest. Options on securities indices are similar to options on securities, except that the exercise of securities index options requires cash payments and does not involve the actual purchase or sale of securities. In addition, securities index options are designed to reflect price fluctuations in a group of securities or segment of the securities market rather than price fluctuations in a single security.
An Underlying Fund may cover call options on a securities index by owning securities whose price changes are expected to be similar to those of the underlying index, or by having an absolute and immediate right to acquire such securities without additional cash consideration (or for additional consideration which has been identified by the Underlying Fund on its books) upon conversion
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or exchange of other securities held by it. An Underlying Fund may cover call and put options on a securities index by identifying cash or liquid assets, as permitted by applicable law, with a value when added to any margin on deposit that is equal to the market value of the underlying securities in the case of a call option or the exercise price in the case of a put option or by owning offsetting options as described above.
An Underlying Fund may terminate its obligations under an exchange-traded call or put option by purchasing an option identical to the one it has written. Obligations under over-the-counter options may be terminated only by entering into an offsetting transaction with the counterparty to such option. Such purchases are referred to as “closing purchase transactions.”
Purchasing Options. Each Underlying Fund (other than Financial Square Government Fund) may purchase put and call options on any securities in which it may invest or any securities index comprised of securities in which it may invest. An Underlying Fund may also enter into closing sale transactions in order to realize gains or minimize losses on options it had purchased.
An Underlying Fund may purchase call options in anticipation of an increase, or put options in anticipation of a decrease (“protective puts”), in the market value of securities or other instruments of the type in which it may invest. The purchase of a call option would entitle an Underlying Fund, in return for the premium paid, to purchase specified securities or other instruments at a specified price during the option period. An Underlying Fund would ordinarily realize a gain on the purchase of a call option if, during the option period, the value of such securities exceeded the sum of the exercise price, the premium paid and transaction costs; otherwise the Underlying Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the call option.
The purchase of a put option would entitle an Underlying Fund, in exchange for the premium paid, to sell specified securities or other instruments at a specified price during the option period. The purchase of protective puts is designed to offset or hedge against a decline in the market value of an Underlying Fund’s securities or other instruments. Put options may also be purchased by an Underlying Fund for the purpose of affirmatively benefiting from a decline in the price of securities or other instruments which it does not own. An Underlying Fund would ordinarily realize a gain on the purchase of a call option if, during the option period, the value of the underlying securities or other instruments decreased below the exercise price sufficiently to cover the premium and transaction costs; otherwise the Underlying Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the put option. Gains and losses on the purchase of put options may be offset by countervailing changes in the value of the underlying portfolio securities or other instruments.
An Underlying Fund would purchase put and call options on securities indices for the same purposes as it would purchase options on individual securities. For a description of options on securities indices, see “Writing Options” above.
Special Risks Associated with Options on Currency. An exchange traded options position may be closed out only on an options exchange that provides a secondary market for an option of the same series. Although an Underlying Fund will generally purchase or write only those options for which there appears to be an active secondary market, there is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an exchange will exist for any particular option, or at any particular time. For some options, no secondary market on an exchange may exist. In such event, it might not be possible to effect closing transactions in particular options, with the result that an Underlying Fund would have to exercise its options in order to realize any profit and would incur transaction costs upon the sale of underlying securities pursuant to the exercise of put options. If an Underlying Fund as an option writer is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction in a secondary market, it may not be able to sell the underlying currency (or security quoted or denominated in that currency) or dispose of the identified assets, until the option expires or it delivers the underlying currency upon exercise.
There is no assurance that higher than anticipated trading activity or other unforeseen events might not, at times, render certain of the facilities of the relevant clearinghosue inadequate, and thereby result in the institution by an exchange of special procedures which may interfere with the timely execution of customers’ orders.
An Underlying Fund may purchase and write over-the-counter options. Trading in over-the-counter options is subject to the risk that the other party will be unable or unwilling to close out options purchased or written by an Underlying Fund.
The amount of the premiums which an Underlying Fund may pay or receive may be adversely affected as new or existing institutions, including other investment companies, engage in or increase their option purchasing and writing activities.
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Yield Curve Options. Certain of the Underlying Funds may enter into options on the yield “spread” or differential between two securities. Such transactions are referred to as “yield curve” options. In contrast to other types of options, a yield curve option is based on the difference between the yields of designated securities, rather than the prices of the individual securities, and is settled through cash payments. Accordingly, a yield curve option is profitable to the holder if this differential widens (in the case of a call) or narrows (in the case of a put), regardless of whether the yields of the underlying securities increase or decrease.
An Underlying Fund may purchase or write yield curve options for the same purposes as other options on securities. For example, an Underlying Fund may purchase a call option on the yield spread between two securities if the Underlying Fund owns one of the securities and anticipates purchasing the other security and wants to hedge against an adverse change in the yield spread between the two securities. An Underlying Fund may also purchase or write yield curve options in an effort to increase current income if, in the judgment of its investment adviser, the Underlying Fund will be able to profit from movements in the spread between the yields of the underlying securities. The trading of yield curve options is subject to all of the risks associated with the trading of other types of options. In addition, however, such options present risk of loss even if the yield of one of the underlying securities remains constant, or if the spread moves in a direction or to an extent which was not anticipated.
Yield curve options written by an Underlying Fund will be “covered.” A call (or put) option is covered if an Underlying Fund holds another call (or put) option on the spread between the same two securities and identifies on its books cash or liquid assets sufficient to cover the Underlying Fund’s net liability under the two options. Therefore, an Underlying Fund’s liability for such a covered option is generally limited to the difference between the amount of the Underlying Fund’s liability under the option written by the Underlying Fund less the value of the option held by the Underlying Fund. Yield curve options may also be covered in such other manner as may be in accordance with the requirements of the counterparty with which the option is traded and applicable laws and regulations. Yield curve options are traded over-the-counter, and established trading markets for these options may not exist.
Risks Associated with Options Transactions. There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on a domestic or foreign options exchange will exist for any particular exchange-traded option or at any particular time. If an Underlying Fund is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction with respect to options it has written, the Underlying Fund must sell the underlying securities to the purchasers of the options if the options expire or are exercised. Similarly, if an Underlying Fund is unable to effect a closing sale transaction with respect to options it has purchased, it will have to exercise the options in order to realize any profit and will incur transaction costs upon the purchase or sale of underlying securities.
Reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening or closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or the Options Clearing Corporation may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or (vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options on that exchange that had been issued by the Options Clearing Corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.
There can be no assurance that higher trading activity, order flow or other unforeseen events will not, at times, render certain of the facilities of the Options Clearing Corporation or various exchanges inadequate. Such events have, in the past, resulted in the institution by an exchange of special procedures, such as trading rotations, restrictions on certain types of order or trading halts or suspensions with respect to one or more options. These special procedures may limit liquidity.
An Underlying Fund may purchase and sell both options that are traded on U.S. and foreign exchanges and options traded over-the-counter with broker-dealers who make markets in these options. The ability to terminate over-the-counter options is more limited than with exchange-traded options and may involve the risk that broker-dealers participating in such transactions will not fulfill their obligations.
Transactions by an Underlying Fund in options will be subject to limitations established by each of the exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities on which such options are traded governing the maximum number of options in each class which may
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be written or purchased by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert regardless of whether the options are written or purchased on the same or different exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities or are held in one or more accounts or through one or more brokers. Thus, the number of options which an Underlying Fund may write or purchase may be affected by options written or purchased by other investment advisory clients of the Underlying Funds’ investment advisers. An exchange, board of trade or other trading facility may order the liquidation of positions found to be in excess of these limits, and it may impose certain other sanctions.
The writing and purchase of options is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of options to seek to increase total return involves the risk of loss if an investment adviser is incorrect in its expectation of fluctuations in securities prices or interest rates. The successful use of options for hedging purposes also depends in part on the ability of an investment adviser to manage future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities markets. If an investment adviser is incorrect in its expectation of changes in securities prices or determination of the correlation between the securities indices on which options are written and purchased and the securities in an Underlying Fund’s investment portfolio, the Underlying Fund may incur losses that it would not otherwise incur. The writing of options could increase an Underlying Fund’s portfolio turnover rate and, therefore, associated brokerage commissions or spreads.
Participation Notes
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in participation notes. Some countries, especially emerging markets countries, do not permit foreigners to participate directly in their securities markets or otherwise present difficulties for efficient foreign investment. The Underlying Funds may use participation notes to establish a position in such markets as a substitute for direct investment. Participation notes are issued by banks or broker-dealers and are designed to track the return of a particular underlying equity or debt security, currency or market. When a participation note matures, the issuer of the participation note will pay to, or receive from, the Underlying Fund the difference between the nominal value of the underlying instrument at the time of purchase and that instrument’s value at maturity. Investments in participation notes involve the same risks associated with a direct investment in the underlying security, currency or market that they seek to replicate. In addition, participation notes are generally traded over-the-counter and are subject to counterparty risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that the broker-dealer or bank that issues them will not fulfill its contractual obligation to complete the transaction with an Underlying Fund. Participation notes constitute general unsecured contractual obligations of the banks or broker-dealers that issue them, and an Underlying Fund would be relying on the creditworthiness of such banks or broker-dealers and would have no rights under a participation note against the issuer of the underlying assets. In addition, participation notes may trade at a discount to the value of the underlying securities or markets that they seek to replicate.
Pooled Investment Vehicles
Each Underlying Fund may invest in securities of pooled investment vehicles, including other investment companies and ETFs. An Underlying Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management fees and other expenses paid by pooled investment vehicles in which it invests, in addition to the management fees (and other expenses) paid by the Underlying Fund. An Underlying Fund’s investments in other investment companies are subject to statutory limitations prescribed by the Act, including in certain circumstances a prohibition on the Underlying Fund acquiring more that 3% of the voting shares of any other investment company, and a prohibition on investing more than 5% of the Underlying Fund’s total assets in securities of any one investment company or more than 10% of its total assets in the securities of all investment companies.
Subject to applicable law and/or pursuant to an exemptive rule adopted by the SEC or an exemptive order obtained from the SEC, the Underlying Funds may invest in other investment companies, including ETFs and money market funds, beyond the statutory limits described above or otherwise provided that certain conditions are met. Some of those other investment companies may be funds, for which an Investment Adviser or any of its affiliates serves as investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor. Although the Underlying Funds do not expect to do so in the foreseeable future, each Underlying Fund is authorized to invest substantially all of its assets in a single open-end investment company or series thereof that has substantially the same investment policies and fundamental restrictions as the Underlying Fund. Additionally, for so long as any Underlying Fund serves as an acquired fund of another Goldman Sachs Fund or unaffiliated investment company, the Underlying Fund’s ability to invest in other investment
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companies and private funds may be limited and, under these circumstances, the Underlying Fund’s investments in other investment companies and private funds will be consistent with applicable law and/or exemptive rules adopted by or exemptive orders obtained from the SEC. For example, to the extent that the Underlying Fund serves as an acquired fund in a fund of funds arrangement in reliance on Rule 12d1-4 under the Act, the Underlying Fund would be prohibited from purchasing or otherwise acquiring the securities of an investment company or private fund if, after such purchase or acquisition, the aggregate value of the Underlying Fund’s investments in such investment companies and private funds would exceed 10% of the value of the Underlying Fund’s total assets, subject to the limited exceptions (including for investments in money market funds).
ETFs are shares of pooled investment vehicles issuing shares which are traded like traditional equity securities on a stock exchange. An ETF generally represents a portfolio of securities or other assets, which is often designed to track a particular market segment or index. An investment in an ETF, like one in any pooled investment vehicle, carries risks of its underlying securities. An ETF may fail to accurately track the returns of the market segment or index that it is designed to track, and the price of an ETF’s shares may fluctuate or lose money. In addition, because they, unlike other pooled investment vehicles, are traded on an exchange, ETFs are subject to the following risks: (i) the market price of the ETF’s shares may trade at a premium or discount to the ETF’s NAV; (ii) an active trading market for an ETF may not develop or be maintained; and (iii) there is no assurance that the requirements of the exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the ETF will continue to be met or remain unchanged. In the event substantial market or other disruptions affecting ETFs should occur in the future, the liquidity and value of an Underlying Fund’s shares could also be substantially and adversely affected.
Portfolio Maturity
Dollar-weighted average maturity is derived by multiplying the value of each investment by the time remaining to its maturity, adding these calculations, and then dividing the total by the value of an Underlying Fixed Income Fund's  portfolio. An obligation’s maturity is typically determined on a stated final maturity basis, although there are some exceptions. For example, if an issuer of an instrument takes advantage of a maturity-shortening device, such as a call, refunding, or redemption provision, the date on which the instrument is expected to be called, refunded, or redeemed may be considered to be its maturity date. There is no guarantee that the expected call, refund or redemption will occur and an Underlying  Fixed Income Fund’s average maturity may lengthen beyond the investment adviser's expectations should the expected call refund or redemption not occur. Similarly, in calculating its dollar-weighted average maturity, an Underlying Fund may determine the maturity of a variable or floating rate obligation according to the interest rate reset date, or the date principal can be recovered on demand, rather than the date of ultimate maturity.
Portfolio Turnover
Each Underlying Fund may engage in active short-term trading to benefit from price disparities among different issues of securities or among the markets for equity or fixed income securities, or for other reasons. As a result of active management, it is anticipated that the portfolio turnover rate of each Underlying Fund may vary greatly from year to year as well as within a particular year, and may be affected by changes in the holdings of specific issuers, changes in country and currency weightings, cash requirements for redemption of shares and by requirements which enable the Underlying Funds to receive favorable tax treatment. The Underlying Funds are  not restricted by policy with regard to portfolio turnover and will make changes in their investment portfolio from time to time as business and economic conditions as well as market prices may dictate.
Preferred Stock, Warrants and Stock Purchase Rights
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in preferred stock and in warrants and rights (in addition to those acquired in units or attached to other securities). Preferred stocks are securities that represent an ownership interest providing the holder with claims on the issuer’s earnings and assets before common stock owners but after bond owners. Unlike debt securities, the obligations of an issuer of preferred stock, including dividend and other payment obligations, may not typically be accelerated by the holders of such preferred stock on the occurrence of an event of default (such as a covenant default or filing of a bankruptcy petition) or other non-compliance by the issuer with the terms of the preferred stock. Often, however, on the occurrence of any such event of default or non-compliance by the issuer, preferred stockholders will be entitled to gain representation on the issuer’s board of directors or increase their existing board representation. In addition, preferred stockholders may be granted voting rights with respect to certain issues on the occurrence of any event of default.
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Warrants and other rights are options that entitle the holder to buy equity securities at a specific price for a specific period of time. An Underlying Fund will invest in warrants and rights only if such equity securities are deemed appropriate by the Investment Adviser for investment by the Underlying Fund. Warrants and rights have no voting rights, receive no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer.
Private Investments in Public Equity
Certain of the Underlying Funds may purchase equity securities in a private placement that are issued by issuers who have outstanding, publicly-traded equity securities of the same class (“private investments in public equity” or “PIPEs”). Shares in PIPEs generally are not registered with the SEC until after a certain time period from the date the private sale is completed. This restricted period can last many months. Until the public registration process is completed, PIPEs are restricted as to resale and the Underlying Funds cannot freely trade the securities. Generally such restrictions cause the PIPEs to be illiquid during this time. PIPEs may contain provisions that the issuer will pay specified financial penalties to the holder if the issuer does not publicly register the restricted equity securities within a specified period of time, but there is no assurance that the restricted equity securities will be publicly registered, or that the registration will remain in effect.
Real Estate Investment Trusts
Certain of the Underlying Funds may invest in shares of REITs. REITs are pooled investment vehicles which invest primarily in real estate or real estate related loans. REITs are generally classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs or a combination of equity and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive income primarily from the collection of rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive income from the collection of interest payments. Like regulated investment companies such as the Underlying Funds, REITs are not taxed on income distributed to shareholders provided they comply with certain requirements under the Code. An Underlying Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any expenses paid by REITs in which it invests in addition to the expenses paid by an Underlying Fund.
Investing in REITs involves certain unique risks. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by such REITs, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. REITs are dependent upon management skills, are not diversified (except to the extent the Code requires), and are subject to the risks of financing projects. REITs are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, default by borrowers, self-liquidation, and the possibilities of failing to qualify for the exemption from tax for distributed income under the Code and failing to maintain their exemptions from the Act. REITs (especially mortgage REITs) are also subject to interest rate risks.
Repurchase Agreements
Each Underlying Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties approved by an Underlying Fund’s investment adviser pursuant to procedures approved by the Board of Trustees that furnish collateral at least equal in value or market price to the amount of the repurchase obligation. Certain Underlying Funds may also enter into repurchase agreements involving obligations other than U.S. Government Securities, which may be subject to additional risks. A repurchase agreement is an arrangement under which an Underlying Fund purchases securities and the seller agrees to repurchase the securities within a particular time and at a specified price. Custody of the securities is maintained by an Underlying Fund’s custodian (or sub-custodian). The repurchase price may be higher than the purchase price, the difference being income to an Underlying Fund, or the purchase and repurchase prices may be the same, with interest at a stated rate due to an Underlying Fund together with the repurchase price on repurchase. In either case, the income to an Underlying Fund is unrelated to the interest rate on the security subject to the repurchase agreement.
For purposes of the Act and generally for tax purposes, a repurchase agreement is deemed to be a loan from an Underlying Fund to the seller of the underlying security. F