Catalyst Insider Income Fund

Class A: IIXAX     Class C: IIXCX     Class I: IIXIX

 

Catalyst/SMH High Income Fund

Class A: HIIFX     Class C: HIICX     Class I: HIIIX

 

Catalyst/SMH Total Return Income Fund

Class A: TRIFX     Class C: TRICX Class I: TRIIX

 

Catalyst/MAP Global Balanced Fund

Class A: TRXAX     Class C: TRXCX     Class I: TRXIX

 

Catalyst/CIFC Floating Rate Income Fund

Class A: CFRAX     Class C: CFRCX     Class C-1: CFRFX     Class I: CFRIX

 

Catalyst Enhanced Income Strategy Fund

Class A:EIXAX     Class C: EIXCX     Class I: EIXIX

 

 

 

PROSPECTUS

 

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

 

 

 

This Prospectus provides important information about the Funds that you should know before investing. Please read it carefully and keep it for future reference.

 

The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

FUND SUMMARY: CATALYST INSIDER INCOME FUND   1
FUND SUMMARY: CATALYST/SMH HIGH INCOME FUND   8
FUND SUMMARY: CATALYST/SMH TOTAL RETURN INCOME FUND   14
FUND SUMMARY: CATALYST/MAP GLOBAL BALANCED FUND   22
FUND SUMMARY: CATALYST/CIFC FLOATING RATE INCOME FUND   30
FUND SUMMARY: CATALYST ENHANCED INCOME STRATEGY FUND   43
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS’ PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RELATED RISKS   51
HOW TO BUY SHARES   99
HOW TO REDEEM SHARES   108
VALUING THE FUNDS’ ASSETS   113
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES   113
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS   115
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS   122
APPENDIX A: INTERMEDIARY-SPECIFIC SALES CHARGE REDUCTIONS AND WAIVERS   147
PRIVACY NOTICE   154
FOR MORE INFORMATION   156

 

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FUND SUMMARY: CATALYST INSIDER INCOME FUND

 

Investment Objective:

The Fund’s objective is current income.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:


This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on purchases of Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and is included in the section of the Fund’s prospectus entitled How to Buy Shares on page 102 and Appendix A – Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers, and in the sections of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information entitled Reduction of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 62 and Waivers of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 63.

 

Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)

Class A

Class C

Class I

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases

(as a % of offering price)

4.75% None None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)

(as a % of the original purchase price)

1.00%1 None None

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and other Distributions

None None None
Redemption Fee None None None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

     
Management Fees 0.75% 0.75% 0.75%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 1.00% 0.00%
Other Expenses 0.39% 0.39% 0.39%
Interest Expense 0.01% 0.01% 0.01%
Remaining Other Expenses 0.38% 0.38% 0.38%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.39% 2.14% 1.14%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement 2 (0.38)% (0.38)% (0.38)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement 1.01% 1.76% 0.76%

 

1 The 1.00% maximum deferred sales charge may be assessed in the case of investments at or above the $1 million breakpoint (where you do not pay an initial sales charge) on shares redeemed within two years of purchase.
2 The advisor has contractually agreed to waive management fees and/or reimburse expenses of the Fund to the extent necessary to limit operating expenses (excluding brokerage costs; borrowing costs such as (a) interest and (b) dividends on securities sold short; taxes; underlying fund expenses; and extraordinary expenses, such as regulatory inquiry and litigation expenses) at 1.00%, 1.75% and 0.75% for Class A shares, Class C shares and Class I shares, respectively, through October 31, 2024. This agreement may be terminated by the Trust’s Board of Trustees only on 60 days’ written notice to the Advisor, by the Advisor with the consent of the Board of Trustees and upon the termination of the investment advisory agreement between the Trust and the advisor. Fee waivers and expense reimbursements are subject to possible recoupment by the advisor from the Fund in future years on a rolling three-year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed) so long as such recoupment does not cause the Fund’s expense ratio (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed the lesser of: (i) the Fund’s expense limitation at the time such expenses were waived and (ii) the Fund’s current expense limitation at the time of recoupment.

 

Example:


This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, and then hold or redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example only accounts for the Fund’s expense limitation in place through its expiration period, October 31, 2024, and then depicts the Fund’s total annual expenses thereafter. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

1

 

  

YEAR Class A Class C Class I
1 $573 $179 $78
3 $859 $633 $325
5 $1,165 $1,114 $591
10 $2,033 $2,442 $1,352

 

Portfolio Turnover:


The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. The portfolio turnover rate of the Fund for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 was 43% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies:

 

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in short-term U.S. corporate bonds issued by companies, including real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), whose executives are purchasing shares of the company’s common stock. The Fund may invest in corporate bonds, including convertible bonds, of any credit quality (including “junk” bonds), effective maturity or average modified duration, but intends to hold a majority of the portfolio in investment grade corporate bonds (rated BBB or higher by S&P Global Ratings or the equivalent by another nationally recognized statistical ratings organization) with an average effective maturity of less than four years and an average duration of less than three and a half years.

 

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC (the “Advisor”) uses public information that is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on corporate insider buying activity for its investment decisions. The Advisor’s research and quantitative back-testing of insider trading data over long periods of time has resulted in the development of a proprietary method of analyzing insider trading activity that it believes can substantially reduce the likelihood of bankruptcy. The underlying thesis is that corporate insiders know more about the prospects of the company than anybody else and would not take a stake in the equity of their company if the company were in jeopardy of declaring bankruptcy.

 

The Advisor’s investment process focuses on insider identities (position in the company), motivations, insider trading trends, trading volumes, firm size and other factors to select what the Advisor believes to be the most significant insider buying signals – the signals that are historically associated with companies that have avoided bankruptcy. Corporate bonds meeting the insider activity screen criterion are analyzed and selected in an attempt to establish a portfolio with the target credit quality, duration, maturity and SEC yield. The Advisor generally intends to hold bonds to maturity but positions may be sold if insider trading trends reverse in a manner the Advisor believes to be significant or if the Advisor believes the bonds no longer offer favorable risk-adjusted return potential.

 

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The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” for purposes of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), which means a relatively high percentage of the Fund’s assets may be invested in the securities of a limited number of companies that could be in the same or related economic sectors.

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund:

 

As with any mutual fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective. Investment markets are unpredictable and there will be certain market conditions where the Fund will not meet its investment objective and will lose money. The Fund’s net asset value and returns will vary and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund and those losses could be significant.

 

The following summarizes the principal risks of investing in the Fund. These risks could adversely affect the net asset value, total return and the value of the Fund and your investment.

 

Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible securities are hybrid securities that have characteristics of both fixed income and equity securities and are subject to risks associated with both fixed income and equity securities. The market value of convertible securities and other debt securities tends to fall when prevailing interest rates rise. The value of convertible securities also tends to change whenever the market value of the underlying common or preferred stock fluctuates.

 

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a security will fail to pay principal and interest in a timely manner, reducing the Fund’s total return. The Fund may invest in high-yield, high-risk securities, commonly called “junk bonds,” that are not investment grade and are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. Credit risk may be substantial for the Fund.

 

Fixed Income Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default) and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.

 

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that bond prices overall, including the prices of securities held by the Fund, will decline over short or even long periods of time due to rising interest rates. Bonds with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rates than bonds with shorter maturities. For example, if interest rates go up by 1.0%, the price of a 4% coupon bond will decrease by approximately 1.0% for a bond with 1 year to maturity and approximately 4.4% for a bond with 5 years to maturity. Rising interest rates pose a heightened risk to any longer-term fixed income securities held by the Fund.

 

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Junk Bond Risk. Lower-quality bonds, known as “high yield” or “junk” bonds, present greater risk than bonds of higher quality, including an increased risk of default. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for these bonds and reduce the Fund’s ability to sell its bonds. The lack of a liquid market for these bonds could decrease the Fund’s share price.

 

Management Risk. The portfolio managers’ judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of particular stocks or other securities in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the portfolio managers’ judgment will produce the desired results.

 

Market Risk. Overall stock market risks may also affect the value of the Fund. Factors such as domestic economic growth and market conditions, interest rate levels and political events affect the securities markets.

 

Non-diversification Risk. Because a relatively high percentage of the Fund’s assets may be invested in the securities of a limited number of companies that could be in the same or related economic sectors, the Fund’s portfolio may be more susceptible to any single economic, technological or regulatory occurrence than the portfolio of a diversified fund.

 

Real Estate and REIT Risk. The Fund is subject to the risks of the real estate market as a whole, such as taxation, regulations and economic and political factors that negatively impact the real estate market and the direct ownership of real estate. These may include decreases in real estate values, overbuilding, rising operating costs, interest rates and property taxes. In addition, some real estate related investments are not fully diversified and are subject to the risks associated with financing a limited number of projects. REITs are heavily dependent upon the management team and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation. Subprime mortgages are riskier and potentially less liquid than other mortgage-backed securities.

 

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

 

Financials Sector Risk. Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. The impact of more stringent capital requirements, recent or future regulation of any individual financial company, or recent or future regulation of the financial sector as a whole cannot be predicted.

 

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Security Risk. The value of the Fund may decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual security in the Fund’s portfolio.

 

Performance:

 

The bar chart and accompanying table shown below provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the total return of its Class A shares for each full calendar year since inception. Class C shares and Class I shares have similar annual returns to Class A shares because they are invested in the same portfolio of securities; however, the returns for Class C shares and Class I shares are different from Class A shares because Class C shares and Class I shares have different expenses than Class A shares. The performance table shows average annual total returns for Class A, Class C and Class I shares and how their average annual returns compare over time with those of a broad-based market index which tracks the performance of U.S. investment grade bonds. Sales charges are reflected in the information shown in the table, but the information shown in the bar chart does not reflect sales charges, and, if it did, returns would be lower. How the Fund has performed in the past (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by calling 1-866-447-4228 and on the Fund’s website at www.CatalystMF.com.

 

Annual Total Returns

 

 

Years
2015 -0.66%
2016 6.15%
2017 1.88%
2018 2.63%
2019 5.46%
2020 6.34%
2021 1.89%
2022 -8.09%

During the period shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a quarter was 6.63% (quarter ended June 30, 2020), and the lowest return for a quarter was (5.71)% (quarter ended June 30, 2022). The Fund’s Class A shares year-to-date return as of September 30, 2023 was 6.56%.

 

5

 

 

Average Annual Total Returns

(for the periods ended December 31, 2022)

 

1 Year 5 Year

Since Inception

(7/29/2014)

Class A      
Return Before Taxes (12.49)% 0.53% 0.25%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (13.85)% (0.65)% (0.81)%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (7.38)% (0.07)% (0.26)%
Class C      
Return Before Taxes (8.77)% 0.82% 0.12%
Class I      
Return Before Taxes (7.94)% 1.82% 0.91%

Bloomberg US Govt/Credit 1-3 YR TR Index

(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

(3.69)% 0.92% 0.91%

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rate and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on a shareholder’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant for shareholders who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts or to shares held by non-taxable entities. After-tax returns are only shown for Class A shares. After-tax returns for other share classes will vary.

 

Advisor: Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC is the Fund’s investment advisor.

 

Portfolio Managers: David Miller, Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager of the Advisor, and Charles Ashley, Portfolio Manager of the Advisor, serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers. Messrs. Miller and Ashley are jointly and primarily responsible for the day to day management of the Fund’s portfolio. Mr. Miller has served the Fund in this capacity since the Fund commenced operations in 2014. Mr. Ashley has served the Fund in this capacity since November 2017.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The minimum initial investment in all share classes of the Fund is $2,500 for regular and tax-deferred plans, such as an IRA and 401(k), and $100 for an automatic investment plan account. The minimum subsequent investment in all share classes of the Fund is $50. You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. Redemption requests may be made in writing, by telephone or through a financial intermediary to the Fund or the Transfer Agent and will be paid by check or wire transfer.

 

Tax Information: Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-deferred plan such as an IRA or 401(k) plan. If you are investing in a tax-deferred plan, distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from the plan.

 

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Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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FUND SUMMARY: CATALYST/SMH HIGH INCOME FUND

 

Investment Objective:

 


The Fund’s objective is income with capital appreciation as a secondary objective.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:


This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on purchases of Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and is included in the section of the Fund’s prospectus entitled How to Buy Shares on page 102and Appendix A – Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers, and in the sections of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information entitled Reduction of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 62 and Waivers of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 63.

 

Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)

Class A

Class C

Class I

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases

(as a % of offering price)

4.75% None None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)

(as a % of the original purchase price)

1.00%1 None None

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and other Distributions

None None None
Redemption Fee None None None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

     
Management Fees 1.00% 1.00% 1.00%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 1.00% 0.00%
Other Expenses 1.11% 1.11% 1.11%
Interest Expense 0.04% 0.04% 0.04%
Remaining Other Expenses 1.07% 1.07% 1.07%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 2.36% 3.11% 2.11%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement2 (0.84)% (0.84)% (0.84)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement 1.52% 2.27% 1.27%

 

1 The 1.00% maximum deferred sales charge may be assessed in the case of investments at or above the $1 million breakpoint (where you do not pay an initial sales charge) on shares redeemed within two years of purchase.
2 The advisor has contractually agreed to waive management fees and/or reimburse expenses of the Fund to the extent necessary to limit total annual fund operating expenses (excluding brokerage costs; borrowing costs such as (a) interest and (b) dividends on securities sold short; taxes; underlying fund expenses; and extraordinary expenses, such as regulatory inquiry and litigation expenses) at 1.48%, 2.23% and 1.23% for Class A shares, Class C shares and Class I shares, respectively, through October 31, 2024. This agreement may be terminated by the Trust’s Board of Trustees only on 60 days’ written notice to the Advisor, by the Advisor with the consent of the Board of Trustees, or upon the termination of the investment advisory agreement between the Trust and the advisor. Fee waivers and expense reimbursements are subject to possible recoupment by the advisor from the Fund in future years on a rolling three-year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed) so long as such recoupment does not cause the Fund’s expense ratio (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed the lesser of: (i) the Fund’s expense limitation at the time such expenses were waived and (ii) the Fund’s current expense limitation at the time of recoupment.

 

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Example:


This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then hold or redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example only accounts for the Fund’s expense limitation in place through its expiration period, October 31, 2024, and then depicts the Fund’s total annual expenses thereafter. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

Year Class A Class C Class I
1 $622 $230 $129
3 $1,100 $881 $580
5 $1,603 $1,557 $1,057
10 $2,982 $3,362 $2,375

 

Portfolio Turnover:


The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. The portfolio turnover rate of the Fund for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 was 41% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies:

 

The Fund invests in a non-diversified group of low-quality, high yield corporate bonds and convertible securities. The Fund may invest without limitation in non-investment grade corporate bonds rated Baa or lower by Moody’s or BBB or lower by S&P (also known as “junk” bonds). The Fund may also invest in corporate issues that have defaulted. Because of their low credit quality, these securities typically pay higher interest rates to compensate investors for the substantial credit risk they assume. While there are no restrictions on maturity, the bonds in the Fund’s portfolio generally have an average maturity of less than ten years. The Fund seeks capital appreciation from selling securities above the purchase price. Bonds may appreciate in value through an improvement in credit quality, among other reasons.

 

To select the securities in which to invest, SMH Capital Advisors, LLC, the Fund’s sub-advisor (“Sub-Advisor”), conducts fundamental credit research on each issuer. Securities may be sold when the Sub-Advisor believes that they no longer represent relatively attractive investment opportunities.

 

The Fund invests primarily in, and chooses its investments from, the following types of securities:

 

Corporate debt. Debt obligations (usually called bonds) are loans by an investor to a corporation. They usually have a set interest rate and term.

 

Preferred stocks. Preferred stock is corporate stock that pays set dividends to its holders. Preferred stock has a superior claim on the issuer’s income and assets relative to common stock but a lower claim on assets than corporate bondholders.

 

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Convertible securities. Bonds or preferred stocks which are convertible into, or exchangeable for, common stocks.

 

The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” for purposes of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), which means that it is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the portion of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer.

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund:

 

As with any mutual fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective. Investment markets are unpredictable and there will be certain market conditions where the Fund will not meet its investment objective and will lose money. The Fund’s net asset value and returns will vary and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund and those losses could be significant.

 

The following summarizes the principal risks of investing in the Fund. These risks could adversely affect the net asset value, total return and the value of the Fund and your investment.

 

Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible securities are hybrid securities that have characteristics of both fixed income and equity securities and are subject to risks associated with both fixed income and equity securities. The market value of convertible securities and other debt securities tends to fall when prevailing interest rates rise. The value of convertible securities also tends to change whenever the market value of the underlying common or preferred stock fluctuates.

 

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a security will fail to pay principal and interest in a timely manner, reducing the Fund’s total return. The Fund may invest in high-yield, high-risk securities, commonly called “junk bonds,” that are not investment grade and are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. Credit risk may be substantial for the Fund.

 

Income Risk. Income risk is the risk that the income from the Fund’s portfolio will decline because of falling market interest rates. This can result when the Fund invests the proceeds from new share sales, or from matured or called bonds, at market interest rates that are below the portfolio’s current earnings rate.

 

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that bond prices overall, including the prices of securities held by the Fund, will decline over short or even long periods of time due to rising interest rates. Bonds with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rates than bonds with shorter maturities. For example, if interest rates go up by 1.0%, the price of a 4% coupon bond will decrease by approximately 1.0% for a bond with 1 year to maturity and approximately 4.4% for a bond with 5 years to maturity. Rising interest rates pose a heightened risk to the Fund’s longer-term fixed income securities..

 

10

 

 

Junk Bond Risk. Lower-quality bonds, known as “high yield” or “junk” bonds, present greater risk than bonds of higher quality, including an increased risk of default. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for these bonds and reduce the Fund’s ability to sell its bonds. The lack of a liquid market for these bonds could decrease the Fund’s share price.

 

Lower Quality Debt Risk. Lower-quality debt securities and certain types of other securities involve greater risk of default or price changes due to changes in the credit quality of the issuer.

 

Management Risk. The portfolio managers’ judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of particular securities in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the portfolio managers’ judgment will produce the desired results.

 

Market Risk. Overall stock or bond market risks may also affect the value of the Fund. Factors such as domestic economic growth and market conditions, interest rate levels and political events affect the securities markets.

 

Non-diversification Risk. Because a relatively high percentage of the Fund’s assets may be invested in the securities of a limited number of companies that could be in the same or related economic sectors, the Fund’s portfolio may be more susceptible to any single economic, technological or regulatory occurrence than the portfolio of a diversified fund.

 

Security Risk. The value of the Fund may decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual security in the Fund’s portfolio. There can be no guarantee the securities held by the Fund will appreciate in value.

 

Performance:

 

The bar chart and accompanying table shown below provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the total return of its Class A shares for each of the last ten full calendar years. Class C shares and Class I shares have similar annual returns to Class A shares because they are invested in the same portfolio of securities; however, the returns for Class C shares and Class I shares are different from Class A shares because Class C shares and Class I shares have different expenses than Class A shares. The performance table shows average annual total returns for Class A, Class C and Class I shares and how their average annual returns compare over time with those of a broad-based market index. Sales charges are reflected in the information shown in the table, but the information shown in the bar chart does not reflect sales charges, and, if it did, returns would be lower. How the Fund has performed in the past (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by calling 1-866-447-4228 and on the Fund’s website at www.CatalystMF.com.

 

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Annual Total Returns

 

 

Years

During the period shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a quarter was 12.57% (quarter ended June 30, 2016), and the lowest return for a quarter was (19.81)% (quarter ended September 30, 2015). The Fund’s Class A shares year-to-date return as of September 30, 2023 was 7.95%.

 

Average Annual Total Returns

(for the periods ended December 31, 2022)

 

1 Year 5 Year 10 Year
Class A      
Return Before Taxes (17.59)% 0.89% (0.06)%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (19.58)% (1.21)% (2.65)%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (10.34)% (0.17)% (1.06)%
Class C      
Return Before Taxes (14.11)% 1.11% (0.30)%
1 Year 5 Year

Since Inception*

(7/1/13)

Class I      
Return Before Taxes (13.26)% 2.08% 0.47%

BofA Merrill Lynch US Cash Pay High Yield Index

(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

(11.06)% 2.15%

3.95%

(10 Year)

 

3.98%

(Since 7/1/13)

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rate and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on a shareholder’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant for shareholders who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts or to shares held by non-taxable entities. After-tax returns are only shown for Class A shares. After-tax returns for other share classes will vary.

 

12

 

 

Advisor: Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC (the “Advisor”) is the Fund’s investment advisor.

 

Sub-Advisor: SMH Capital Advisors, LLC serves as the Fund’s sub-advisor.

 

Portfolio Managers: Dwayne Moyers, President, Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Advisor and Lisa Haley, Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Operations Officer and Assistant Portfolio Manager, serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers. Mr. Moyers and Ms. Haley are jointly and primarily responsible for managing the Fund. Mr. Moyers has served the Fund in this capacity since the Fund commenced operations in 2008. Ms. Haley has served the Fund in this capacity since 2023.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The minimum initial investment in each share class of the Fund is $2,500 for a regular account, and tax-deferred plans, such as an IRA or 401(k), and $100 for an automatic investment plan account. The minimum subsequent investment in the Fund is $50. You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. Redemption requests may be made in writing, by telephone or through a financial intermediary to the Fund or the Transfer Agent and will be paid by check or wire transfer.

 

Tax Information: Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-deferred plan such as an IRA or 401(k) plan. If you are investing in a tax-deferred plan, distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from the plan.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

13

 

 

FUND SUMMARY: CATALYST/SMH TOTAL RETURN INCOME FUND

 

Investment Objective:


The Fund’s objective is income and capital appreciation.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:


This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on purchases of Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and is included in the section of the Fund’s prospectus entitled How to Buy Shares on page 102and Appendix A – Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers, and in the sections of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information entitled Reduction of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 62 and Waivers of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 63.

 

Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)

Class A

Class C

Class I

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases

(as a % of offering price)

5.75% None None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)

(as a % of the original purchase price)

1.00%1 None None

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and other Distributions

None None None
Redemption Fee None None None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

     
Management Fees 1.00% 1.00% 1.00%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 1.00% 0.00%
Other Expenses 0.93% 0.93% 0.93%
Interest Expense 0.01% 0.01% 0.01%
Remaining Other Expenses 0.92% 0.92% 0.92%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses2 0.01% 0.01% 0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 2.19% 2.94% 1.94%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement3 (0.59)% (0.59)% (0.59)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement 1.60% 2.35% 1.35%

 

1 The 1.00% maximum deferred sales charge may be assessed in the case of investments at or above the $1 million breakpoint (where you do not pay an initial sales charge) on shares redeemed within two years of purchase.
2 Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies. The total annual fund operating expenses in this fee table will not correlate to the expense ratio in the Fund’s financial highlights because the financial statements include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Fund, not the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies.
3 The advisor has contractually agreed to waive management fees and/or reimburse expenses of the Fund to the extent necessary to limit operating expenses (excluding brokerage costs; borrowing costs such as (a) interest and (b) dividends on securities sold short; taxes; underlying fund expenses; and extraordinary expenses, such as regulatory inquiry and litigation expenses) at 1.58%, 2.33% and 1.33% for Class A shares, Class C shares and Class I shares, respectively, through October 31, 2024. This agreement may be terminated by the Trust’s Board of Trustees only on 60 days’ written notice to the Advisor, by the Advisor with the consent of the Board of Trustees, or upon the termination of the investment advisory agreement between the Trust and the advisor. Fee waivers and expense reimbursements are subject to possible recoupment by the advisor from the Fund in future years on a rolling three-year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed) so long as such recoupment does not cause the Fund’s expense ratio (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed the lesser of: (i) the Fund’s expense limitation at the time such expenses were waived and (ii) the Fund’s current expense limitation at the time of recoupment.

 

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Example:


This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then hold or redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example only accounts for the Fund’s expense limitation in place through its expiration period, October 31, 2024, and then depicts the Fund’s total annual expenses thereafter. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

YEAR Class A Class C Class I
1 $728 $238 $137
3 $1,167 $854 $552
5 $1,631 $1,496 $992
10 $2,910 $3,220 $2,217

 

Portfolio Turnover:


The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. The portfolio turnover rate of the Fund for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 was 15% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies:

 

Normally, the Fund invests primarily in a broad range of income-producing securities. These include equity securities, such as dividend-paying common stocks and REITs and debt securities, such as interest-paying bonds and convertible bonds. The Fund may also invest in preferred stock, master limited partnerships (“MLPs”), and bank notes. The composition of the Fund’s investments in equity, debt and cash or money market instruments may vary substantially depending on various factors, including market conditions.

 

Generally, at least 30% of the Fund’s assets is invested in equity securities. Subject to the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), the Fund may invest in other investment companies (“acquired funds”), including business development companies (“BDCs”) and other closed-end funds, and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). The Fund may invest in companies of any market capitalization but generally focuses on stocks with capitalization between $1 billion and $10 billion.

 

The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in equity securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States, including without limitation sponsored American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its assets in debt securities of non-U.S. issuers.

 

In addition, the Fund may invest without limitation in lower quality, higher yielding debt securities (rated Ba or lower by Moody’s Investors Service or BB or lower by S&P Global Ratings or unrated but determined by the Fund’s sub-advisor, SMH Capital Advisors, LLC (the

 

15

 

 

“Sub-Advisor”) to be of equivalent quality) also known as “junk bonds.” While there are no restrictions on maturity, the bonds in the Fund’s portfolio generally have an average maturity of less than ten years.

 

The Sub-Advisor seeks to invest in attractively valued securities that, in its opinion, represent above-average long-term investment opportunities. The Sub-Advisor seeks investments with yields above the market average and generally focuses on value-oriented securities – those with low price to sales, price to book and price to earnings ratios relative to their growth rates. Securities may be sold when the Sub-Advisor believes that they no longer represent relatively attractive investment opportunities.

 

The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” for purposes of the 1940 Act, which means that it is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the portion of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer.

 

Distribution Policy: The Fund’s distribution policy is to make twelve monthly distributions to shareholders. The Fund may, at the discretion of management, target a specific level of monthly distributions (including any return of capital) from time to time. Shareholders receiving periodic payments from the Fund may be under the impression that they are receiving net profits. However, all or a portion of a distribution may consist of a return of capital. Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is net profit. For more information about the Fund’s distribution policy, please turn to “Additional Information About the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies and Related Risks – Principal Investment Strategies – Catalyst/SMH Total Return Income Fund - Distribution Policy and Goals” section in the Fund’s Prospectus.

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund:

 

As with any mutual fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective. Investment markets are unpredictable and there will be certain market conditions where the Fund will not meet its investment objective and will lose money. The Fund’s net asset value and returns will vary and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund and those losses could be significant.

 

The following summarizes the principal risks of investing in the Fund. These risks could adversely affect the net asset value, total return and the value of the Fund and your investment.

 

ADRs Risk. ADRs, which are typically issued by a bank, are certificates that evidence ownership of shares of a foreign company and are alternatives to purchasing foreign securities directly in their national markets and currencies. ADRs are subject to the same risks as direct investment in foreign companies and involve risks that are not found in investments in U.S. companies. In addition to the risks of investing in foreign securities discussed below, there is no guarantee that an ADR issuer will continue to offer a particular ADR. As a result, the Fund may have difficulty selling the ADR, or selling them quickly and efficiently at the prices at which they have been valued. In a sponsored ADR arrangement, the foreign company assumes the obligation to pay some or all of the depositary’s transaction fees.

 

16

 

 

Business Development Companies (“BDC”) Risk. BDCs may carry risks similar to those of a private equity or venture capital fund. BDC company securities are not redeemable at the option of the shareholder and they may trade in the market at a discount to their net asset value. A BDC is a form of investment company that is required to invest at least 70% of its total assets in securities (typically debt) of private companies, thinly traded U.S. public companies, or short-term high-quality debt securities. The BDCs held by the Fund may leverage their portfolios through borrowings or the issuance of preferred stock. While leverage often serves to increase the yield of a BDC, this leverage also subjects a BDC to increased risks, including the likelihood of increased volatility and the possibility that a BDC’s common share income will fall if the dividend rate of the preferred shares or the interest rate on any borrowings rises.

 

Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible securities are hybrid securities that have characteristics of both fixed income and equity securities and are subject to risks associated with both fixed income and equity securities. The market value of convertible securities and other debt securities tends to fall when prevailing interest rates rise. The value of convertible securities also tends to change whenever the market value of the underlying common or preferred stock fluctuates.

 

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a security will fail to pay principal and interest in a timely manner, reducing the Fund’s total return. The Fund may invest in high-yield, high-risk securities, commonly called “junk bonds,” that are not investment grade and are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. Credit risk may be substantial for the Fund.

 

Distribution Policy Risk. The Fund may, at the discretion of management, target a specific level of monthly distributions (including any return of capital) from time to time. Shareholders receiving periodic payments from the Fund may be under the impression that they are receiving net profits. However, all or a portion of a distribution may consist of a return of capital (i.e., from your original investment). Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is net profit. Shareholders should note that return of capital will reduce the tax basis of their shares and potentially increase the taxable gain, if any, upon disposition of their shares.

 

Equity Security Risk. Common and preferred stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change.

 

Foreign Securities/Investments Risk. Since the Fund’s investments may include ADRs and foreign securities, the Fund is subject to risks beyond those associated with investing in domestic securities. The value of foreign securities is subject is subject to currency fluctuations. Foreign companies are generally not subject to the same regulatory requirements of U.S. companies thereby resulting in less publicly available information about these companies. In addition, foreign accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards generally differ from those applicable to U.S. companies.

 

17

 

 

Income Risk. Income risk is the risk that the income from the Fund’s portfolio will decline because of falling market interest rates. This can result when the Fund invests the proceeds from new share sales, or from matured or called bonds, at market interest rates that are below the portfolio’s current earnings rate.

 

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that bond prices overall, including the prices of securities held by the Fund, will decline over short or even long periods of time due to rising interest rates. Bonds with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rates than bonds with shorter maturities. For example, if interest rates go up by 1.0%, the price of a 4% coupon bond will decrease by approximately 1.0% for a bond with 1 year to maturity and approximately 4.4% for a bond with 5 years to maturity. Rising interest rates pose a heightened risk to the Fund’s longer-term fixed income securities..

 

Junk Bond Risk. Lower-quality bonds, known as “high yield” or “junk” bonds, present greater risk than bonds of higher quality, including an increased risk of default. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for these bonds and reduce the Fund’s ability to sell its bonds. The lack of a liquid market for these bonds could decrease the Fund’s share price.

 

Large Capitalization Stock Risk. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to changing market conditions. Large-capitalization companies may be more mature and subject to more limited growth potential compared with smaller capitalization companies. During different market cycles, the performance of large capitalization companies has trailed the overall performance of the broader securities markets.

 

Lower Quality Debt Risk. Lower-quality debt securities and certain types of other securities involve greater risk of default or price changes due to changes in the credit quality of the issuer.

 

Management Risk. The portfolio managers’ judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of particular securities in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the portfolio managers’ judgment will produce the desired results.

 

Market Risk. Overall stock or bond market risks may also affect the value of the Fund. Factors such as domestic economic growth and market conditions, interest rate levels and political events affect the securities markets.

 

MLP and MLP-Related Securities Risk. Investments in MLPs and MLP-related securities involve risks different from those of investing in common stock including risks related to limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP or MLP-related security, risks related to potential conflicts of interest between an MLP and the MLP’s general partner, cash flow risks, dilution risks (which could occur if the MLP raises capital and then invests it in projects whose return fails to exceed the cost of capital raised) and risks related to the general partner’s limited call right. MLPs and MLP-related

 

18

 

 

securities are generally considered interest-rate sensitive investments. During periods of interest rate volatility, these investments may not provide attractive returns. Depending on the state of interest rates in general, the use of MLPs or MLP-related securities could enhance or harm the overall performance of a Fund.

 

Non-diversification Risk. Because a relatively high percentage of the Fund’s assets may be invested in the securities of a limited number of companies that could be in the same or related economic sectors, the Fund’s portfolio may be more susceptible to any single economic, technological or regulatory occurrence than the portfolio of a diversified fund.

 

Real Estate and REIT Risk. The Fund is subject to the risks of the real estate market as a whole, such as taxation, regulations and economic and political factors that negatively impact the real estate market and the direct ownership of real estate. These may include decreases in real estate values, overbuilding, rising operating costs, interest rates and property taxes. In addition, some real estate related investments are not fully diversified and are subject to the risks associated with financing a limited number of projects. REITs are heavily dependent upon the management team and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation.

 

Security Risk. The value of the Fund may decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual security in the Fund’s portfolio. There can be no guarantee the securities held by the Fund will appreciate in value.

 

Smaller Capitalization Stock Risk. To the extent the Fund invests in the stocks of smaller-sized companies, the Fund may be subject to additional risks, including the risk that earnings and prospects of these companies are more volatile than larger companies.

 

Underlying Fund Risk. Because the Fund may invest in other investment companies, including mutual funds, ETFs, closed-end funds or private funds, the value of your investment will fluctuate in response to the performance of the underlying funds. Investing in underlying funds involves certain additional expenses and certain tax results that would not arise if you invested directly in the underlying funds. By investing in underlying funds, you will bear not only your proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses (including operating costs and investment advisory and administrative fees), but also, indirectly, similar expenses and charges of the underlying funds, including any contingent deferred sales charges and redemption charges. Finally, you may incur increased tax liabilities by investing in the Fund rather than directly in the underlying funds. Each underlying fund is subject to specific risks, depending on the nature of its investment strategy, including liquidity risk and default risk on the assets held by the underlying fund.

 

Performance:

 

The bar chart and accompanying table shown below provides an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the total return of its Class A shares for each of the last ten full calendar years. Class C and Class I shares have similar annual returns to Class A shares because they are invested in the same portfolio of securities; however, the returns for

 

19

 

 

Class C and Class I shares are different from Class A shares because Class C and Class I shares have different expenses than Class A shares. The performance table shows average annual total returns for Class A, Class C and Class I shares and how their average annual returns compare over time with those of a broad-based market index. The average annual total returns are also compared over time to the BofA Merrill Lynch US Cash Pay High Yield Return Index because the Fund’s portfolio generally includes a significant number of high yield bonds, and to a blended index reflecting a portfolio of 50% of both indices. Sales charges are reflected in the information shown in the table, but the information shown in the bar chart does not reflect sales charges, and, if it did, returns would be lower. How the Fund has performed in the past (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by calling 1-866-447-4228 and on the Fund’s website at www.CatalystMF.com.

 

Annual Total Returns

 

 

Years

During the period shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a quarter was 17.82% (quarter ended June 30, 2020), and the lowest return for a quarter was (25.57)% (quarter ended March 31, 2020). The Fund’s Class A shares year-to-date return as of September 30, 2023 was 5.84%.

 

Average Annual Total Returns

(for the periods ended December 31, 2022)

 

  1 Year 5 Year 10 Year
Class A      
Return Before Taxes (17.54)% 3.63% 2.82%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (18.41)% 1.65% 0.68%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (10.24)% 2.02% 1.27%
Class C      
Return Before Taxes (13.00)% 4.09% 2.66%
1 Year 5 Year Since inception
(7/1/13)
Class I      
Return Before Taxes (12.31)% 5.14% 2.76%

S&P 500 Total Return Index

(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

(18.11)% 9.42%

12.56%

(10 Year)

 

11.67%

(Since 7/1/13)

 

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  1 Year 5 Year 10 Year

BofA Merrill Lynch US Cash Pay High Yield Index

(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

(11.06)% 2.15%

3.95%

(10 Year)

 

3.98%

(Since 7/1/13)

Blended Index

(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)*

(14.48)% 5.92%

8.31%

(10 Year)

 

7.90%

(Since 7/1/13)

 

* Blended Index reflects an unmanaged portfolio of 50% of the S&P 500 Total Return Index and 50% of the BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. Cash Pay High Yield Index.

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rate and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on a shareholder’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant for shareholders who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts or to shares held by non-taxable entities. After-tax returns are only shown for Class A shares. After-tax returns for other share classes will vary.

 

Advisor: Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC (“the Advisor”) is the Fund’s investment advisor.

 

Sub-Advisor: SMH Capital Advisors, LLC serves as the Fund’s sub-advisor.

 

Portfolio Managers: Dwayne Moyers, President, Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Advisor and Lisa Haley, Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Operations Officer and Assistant Portfolio Manager, serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers. Mr. Moyers and Ms. Haley are jointly and primarily responsible for managing the Fund. Mr. Moyers has served the Fund in this capacity since the Fund commenced operations in 2008. Ms. Haley has served the Fund in this capacity since 2023.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The minimum initial investment in each share class of the Fund is $2,500 for a regular account, and tax-deferred plans, such as IRA or 401(k), and $100 for an automatic investment plan account. The minimum subsequent investment in the Fund is $50. You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. Redemption requests may be made in writing, by telephone or through a financial intermediary to the Fund or the Transfer Agent and will be paid by check or wire transfer.

 

Tax Information: Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-deferred plan such as an IRA or 401(k) plan. If you are investing in a tax-deferred plan, distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from the plan.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

21

 

 

FUND SUMMARY: CATALYST/MAP GLOBAL BALANCED FUND

 

Investment Objective:


The Fund seeks total return, which consists of current income and capital appreciation.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:


This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on purchases of Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and is included in the section of the Fund’s prospectus entitled How to Buy Shares on page 102 and Appendix A – Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers, and in the sections of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information entitled Reduction of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 62 and Waivers of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 63.

 

Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)

Class A

Class C

Class I

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases

(as a % of offering price)

5.75% None None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)

(as a % of the original purchase price)

1.00%1 None None

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and other Distributions

None None None
Redemption Fee None None None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

     
Management Fees 1.00% 1.00% 1.00%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 1.00% 0.00%
Other Expenses 1.02% 1.02% 1.02%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses2 0.01% 0.01% 0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 2.28% 3.03% 2.03%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement3 (1.05)% (1.05)% (1.05)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement 1.23% 1.98% 0.98%

 

1 The 1.00% maximum deferred sales charge may be assessed in the case of investments at or above the $1 million breakpoint (where you do not pay an initial sales charge) on shares redeemed within two years of purchase.
2 Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies. The total annual fund operating expenses in this fee table will not correlate to the expense ratio in the Fund’s financial highlights because the financial statements include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Fund, not the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies.
3 The advisor has contractually agreed to waive management fees and/or reimburse expenses of the Fund to the extent necessary to limit total annual fund operating expenses (excluding brokerage costs; borrowing costs such as (a) interest and (b) dividends on securities sold short; taxes; underlying fund expenses; and extraordinary expenses, such as regulatory inquiry and litigation expenses) at 1.22%, 1.97% and 0.97% for Class A, Class C shares and Class I shares, respectively, through October 31, 2024. This agreement may be terminated by the Trust’s Board of Trustees only on 60 days’ written notice to the Advisor, by the Advisor with the consent of the Board of Trustees, or upon the termination of the investment advisory agreement between the Trust and the advisor. Fee waivers and expense reimbursements are subject to possible recoupment by the advisor from the Fund in future years on a rolling three-year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed) so long as such recoupment does not cause the Fund’s expense ratio (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed the lesser of: (i) the Fund’s expense limitation at the time such expenses were waived and (ii) the Fund’s current expense limitation at the time of recoupment.

 

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Example:


This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, and then hold or redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example only accounts for the Fund’s expense limitation in place through its expiration period, October 31, 2024, and then depicts the Fund’s total annual expenses thereafter. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

YEAR Class A Class C Class I
1 $693 $201 $100
3 $1,151 $838 $535
5 $1,635 $1,500 $996
10 $2,963 $3,272 $2,274

 

Portfolio Turnover:


The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. The portfolio turnover rate of the Fund for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 was 36% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies:

 

Normally, the Fund invests primarily in a broad range of domestic and international, including emerging markets, fixed income and equity securities. These include debt securities, such as interest-paying bonds and convertible bonds and equity securities, such as dividend-paying common stocks. The Fund may also invest in preferred stocks and write covered calls on equities. The composition of the Fund’s investments in equity, debt and cash or money market instruments may vary substantially depending on various factors, including market conditions. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 25% of its assets in fixed income securities and at least 25% of its assets in equity securities. Fixed income securities include interest-paying bonds and convertible bonds. Equity securities include common stock, preferred stock and options on those securities.

 

The Fund may invest in the securities of companies with market capitalizations of $300 million or more and in the securities of companies of any credit quality. The Fund may invest its assets in equity securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States including, without limitation, sponsored American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). The Fund may also invest its assets in debt securities of non-U.S. issuers. The allocation of the Fund’s investments between domestic and foreign issuers will vary according to market conditions. However, under normal conditions, at least 40% of the Fund’s assets is in securities of issuers domiciled in at least three countries outside of the United States.

 

In addition, the Fund may invest without limitation in lower quality, higher yielding debt securities (rated Ba or lower by Moody’s Investors Service or BB or lower by S&P Global Ratings or unrated but determined by the Fund’s investment sub-advisor, Managed Asset Portfolios, LLC (the “Sub-Advisor”) to be of equivalent quality) also known as “junk bonds.” While there are no restrictions on maturity, the bonds in the Fund’s portfolio will generally have an average maturity of less than ten years.

 

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The Sub-Advisor seeks to invest in attractively valued securities that, in its opinion, represent above-average long-term investment opportunities. The Sub-Advisor seeks investments in securities using a bottom up process to identify temporarily out of favor securities that have an attractive valuation compared to the company’s net assets and earnings power. The Sub-Advisor also seeks securities where a catalyst may unlock the intrinsic value of the company. Securities are subsequently removed from the portfolio when the stock exceeds their estimated fair market value or when there is a change or deterioration at the company that cause the portfolio managers to believe the stock is no longer attractive relative to other investment opportunities.

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund:

 

As with any mutual fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective. Investment markets are unpredictable and there will be certain market conditions where the Fund will not meet its investment objective and will lose money. The Fund’s net asset value and returns will vary and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund and those losses could be significant.

 

The following summarizes the principal risks of investing in the Fund. These risks could adversely affect the net asset value, total return and the value of the Fund and your investment.

 

ADRs Risk. ADRs, which are typically issued by a bank, are certificates that evidence ownership of shares of a foreign company and are alternatives to purchasing foreign securities directly in their national markets and currencies. ADRs are subject to the same risks as direct investment in foreign companies and involve risks that are not found in investments in U.S. companies. In addition to the risks of investing in foreign securities discussed below, there is no guarantee that an ADR issuer will continue to offer a particular ADR. As a result, the Fund may have difficulty selling the ADR, or selling them quickly and efficiently at the prices at which they have been valued. In a sponsored ADR arrangement, the foreign company assumes the obligation to pay some or all of the depositary’s transaction fees.

 

Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible securities are hybrid securities that have characteristics of both fixed income and equity securities and are subject to risks associated with both fixed income and equity securities. The market value of convertible securities and other debt securities tends to fall when prevailing interest rates rise. The value of convertible securities also tends to change whenever the market value of the underlying common or preferred stock fluctuates.

 

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a security will fail to pay principal and interest in a timely manner, reducing the Fund’s total return. The Fund may invest in high-yield, high-risk securities, commonly called “junk bonds,” that are not investment grade and are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. Credit risk may be substantial for the Fund.

 

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Emerging Markets Risk. Emerging market countries may have relatively unstable governments, weaker economies, and less-developed legal systems with fewer security holder rights. Emerging market economies may be based on only a few industries and security issuers may be more susceptible to economic weakness and more likely to default. Emerging market securities also tend to be less liquid. There may also be less reliable or publicly-available information about emerging markets due to non-uniform regulatory, auditing or financial recordkeeping standards, which could cause errors in the implementation of the Fund’s investment strategy. The Fund’s performance may depend on issues other than those that affect U.S. companies and may be adversely affected by different rights and remedies associated with emerging market investments, or the lack thereof, compared to those associated with U.S. companies.

 

Equity Security Risk. Common and preferred stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change.

 

Fixed Income Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default) and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.

 

Foreign Securities/Investments Risk. Since the Fund’s investments may include ADRs and foreign securities, the Fund is subject to risks beyond those associated with investing in domestic securities. The value of foreign securities is subject is subject to currency fluctuations. Foreign companies are generally not subject to the same regulatory requirements of U.S. companies thereby resulting in less publicly available information about these companies. In addition, foreign accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards generally differ from those applicable to U.S. companies.

 

Income Risk. Income risk is the risk that the income from the Fund’s portfolio will decline because of falling market interest rates. This can result when the Fund invests the proceeds from new share sales, or from matured or called bonds, at market interest rates that are below the portfolio’s current earnings rate.

 

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that bond prices overall, including the prices of fixed rate instruments held by the Fund, will decline over short or even long periods of time due to rising interest rates. Bonds with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rates than bonds with shorter maturities. For example, if interest rates go up by 1.0%, the price of a 4% coupon bond will decrease by approximately 1.0% for a bond with 1 year to maturity and approximately 4.4% for a bond with 5 years to maturity. Rising interest rates pose a heightened risk to the Fund’s longer-term fixed income securities..

 

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Junk Bond Risk. Lower-quality bonds, known as “high yield” or “junk” bonds, present greater risk than bonds of higher quality, including an increased risk of default. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for these bonds and reduce the Fund’s ability to sell its bonds. The lack of a liquid market for these bonds could decrease the Fund’s share price.

 

Lower Quality Debt. Lower-quality debt securities and certain types of other securities involve greater risk of default or price changes due to changes in the credit quality of the issuer.

 

Management Risk. The portfolio managers’ judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of particular securities in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the portfolio managers’ judgment will produce the desired results.

 

Market Risk. Overall stock or bond market risks may also affect the value of the Fund. Factors such as domestic economic growth and market conditions, interest rate levels and political events affect the securities markets.

 

Medium (Mid) Capitalization Stock Risk. The earnings and prospects of mid-capitalization companies are more volatile than larger companies, they may experience higher failure rates than larger companies and normally have a lower trading volume than larger companies, which may tend to make their market price fall more disproportionately than larger companies in response to selling pressures.

 

Options Risk. There are risks associated with the sale and purchase of call and put options. As the seller (writer) of a covered call option, the Fund assumes the risk of a decline in the market price of the underlying security below the purchase price of the underlying security less the premium received, and gives up the opportunity for gain on the underlying security above the exercise option price. As the buyer of a put or call option, the Fund risks losing the entire premium invested in the option if the Fund does not exercise the option. As a seller (writer) of a put option, the Fund will lose money if the value of the security falls below the strike price. If unhedged, the Fund’s written call options expose the Fund to potentially unlimited losses.

 

Security Risk. The value of the Fund may decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual security in the Fund’s portfolio. There can be no guarantee the securities held by the Fund will appreciate in value.

 

Smaller Capitalization Stock Risk. To the extent the Fund invests in the stocks of smaller-sized companies, the Fund may be subject to additional risks, including the risk that earnings and prospects of these companies are more volatile than larger companies.

 

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Underlying Fund Risk. Because the Fund may invest in other investment companies, including mutual funds, ETFs, closed-end funds or private funds, the value of your investment will fluctuate in response to the performance of the underlying funds. Investing in underlying funds involves certain additional expenses and certain tax results that would not arise if you invested directly in the underlying funds. By investing in underlying funds, you will bear not only your proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses (including operating costs and investment advisory and administrative fees), but also, indirectly, similar expenses and charges of the underlying funds, including any contingent deferred sales charges and redemption charges. Finally, you may incur increased tax liabilities by investing in the Fund rather than directly in the underlying funds. Each underlying fund is subject to specific risks, depending on the nature of its investment strategy, including liquidity risk and default risk on the assets held by the underlying fund.

 

Performance:

 

The bar chart and accompanying table shown below provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the total return of its Class A shares for each full calendar year since inception. Although Class C and Class I shares have similar annual returns to Class A shares because the classes are invested in the same portfolio of securities, the returns for Class C and Class I shares are different from Class A shares because Class C and Class I shares have different expenses than Class A shares. The performance table shows average annual total returns for Class A, Class C and Class I shares and how their average annual returns compare over time with those of a broad-based market index and two blends of an investment grade U.S. corporate bond index and world equity market index. Sales charges are reflected in the information shown in the table, but the information shown in the bar chart does not reflect sales charges, and, if it did, returns would be lower. How the Fund has performed in the past (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by calling 1-866-447-4228 and on the Fund’s website at www.CatalystMF.com.

 

Annual Total Returns

 

 

Years
2013 10.46%
2014 3.15%
2015 -0.16%
2016 4.79%
2017 11.12%
2018 -3.24%
2019 11.50%
2020 3.61%
2021 9.68%
2022 -7.44%

During the period shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a quarter was 9.18% (quarter ended June 30, 2020), and the lowest return for a quarter was (14.22)% (quarter ended March 31, 2020). The Fund’s Class A shares year-to-date return as of September 30, 2023 was 1.96%.

 

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Average Annual Total Returns

(for the periods ended December 31, 2022)

 

  1 Year 5 Year 10 Year
Class A      
Return Before Taxes (12.77)% 1.35% 3.54%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (12.94)% 0.29% 2.51%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (7.44)% 0.89% 2.56%
Class C      
Return Before Taxes (8.13)% 1.81% 3.38%
  1 Year 5 Year Since inception
(June 6, 2014)
Class I      
Return Before Taxes (7.21)% 2.83% 3.34%

MSCI ACWI Index

(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

(17.96)% 5.75%

8.54%

(10 Year)

 

6.66%

(Since 6/6/14)

50% MSCI ACWI/50% ML A-AAA 1-3YR+ (10.59)% 3.88%

5.15%

(10 Year)

 

4.24%

(Since 6/6/14)

50% MSCI ACWI Value/50% ML A-AAA 1-3YR++ (4.83)% 3.15%

4.50%

(10 Year)

 

3.45%

(Since 6/6/14)

 

+ Represents a 50%/50% blend of the MSCI ACWI Index and the BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. Corp A-AAA 1-3 Year TR Index.
++ Represents a 50%/50% blend of the MSCI ACWI Value Index Gross and the BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. Corp A-AAA 1-3 Year TR Index.

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rate and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on a shareholder’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant for shareholders who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts or to shares held by non-taxable entities. After-tax returns are only shown for Class A shares. After-tax returns for other share classes will vary.

 

Advisor: Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC (the “Advisor”) is the Fund’s investment advisor.

 

Sub-Advisor: Managed Asset Portfolios, LLC serves as the Fund’s sub-advisor.

 

Portfolio Managers: Michael Dzialo, President and Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Advisor, Peter Swan, International Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Advisor, and Karen Culver, Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Advisor serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers. Messrs. Dzialo and Swan, and Ms. Culver are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Messrs. Dzialo and Swan have served the Fund in this capacity since the Fund commenced operations in 2011 and Ms. Culver has served the Fund in this capacity since 2012.

 

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Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The minimum initial investment in each share class of the Fund is $2,500 for a regular and tax deferred plans, such as IRA and 401(k), and $100 for an automatic investment plan account. The minimum subsequent investment in the Fund is $50. You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. Redemption requests may be made in writing, by telephone or through a financial intermediary to the Fund or the Transfer Agent and will be paid by check or wire transfer.

 

Tax Information: Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-deferred plan such as an IRA or 401(k) plan. If you are investing in a tax-deferred plan, distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from the plan.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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FUND SUMMARY: CATALYST/CIFC FLOATING RATE INCOME FUND

 

Investment Objective:


The Fund’s objective is current income.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:


This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on purchases of Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and is included in the section of the Fund’s prospectus entitled How to Buy Shares on page 102 and Appendix A – Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers, and in the sections of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information entitled Reduction of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 62 and Waivers of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 63.

 

Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)

Class A

Class C

Class C-1

Class I

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases

(as a % of offering price)

4.75% None None None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)

(as a % of the original purchase price)

1.00%1 None 1.00%2 None

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and other Distributions

None None None None
Redemption Fee None None None None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

       
Management Fees 1.00% 1.00% 1.00% 1.00%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 1.00% 1.00% 0.00%
Other Expenses 0.30% 0.30% 0.51% 0.30%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses3 0.03% 0.03% 0.03% 0.03%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.58% 2.33% 2.54% 1.33%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement4 (0.40)% (0.40)% (0.61)% (0.40)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement4 1.18% 1.93% 1.93% 0.93%

 

1 The 1.00% maximum deferred sales charge may be assessed in the case of investments at or above the $1 million breakpoint (where you do not pay an initial sales charge) on shares redeemed within two years of purchase.
2 The 1.00% maximum deferred sales charge on Class C-1 shares applies to shares sold within 12 months of purchase.
3 Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies. The total annual fund operating expenses in this fee table will not correlate to the expense ratio in the Fund’s financial highlights because the financial statements include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Fund, not the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies.
4 The advisor has contractually agreed to waive management fees and/or reimburse expenses of the Fund to the extent necessary to limit total annual fund operating expenses (excluding brokerage costs; borrowing costs such as (a) interest and (b) dividends on securities sold short; taxes; underlying fund expenses; and extraordinary expenses, such as regulatory inquiry and litigation expenses) at 1.15%, 1.90%, 1.90% and 0.90% for Class A shares, Class C shares, Class C-1 shares and Class I shares, respectively, through October 31, 2024. This agreement may be terminated by the Trust’s Board of Trustees only on 60 days’ written notice to the Advisor, by the Advisor with the consent of the Board of Trustees, or upon the termination of the investment advisory agreement between the Trust and the advisor. Fee waivers and expense reimbursements are subject to possible recoupment by the advisor from the Fund in future years on a rolling three-year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed) so long as such recoupment does not cause the Fund’s expense ratio (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed the lesser of: (i) the Fund’s expense limitation at the time such expenses were waived and (ii) the Fund’s current expense limitation at the time of recoupment.

 

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Example:


This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example only accounts for the Fund’s expense limitation in place through its expiration period, October 31, 2024, and then depicts the Fund’s total annual expenses thereafter. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

YEAR Class A Class C

Class C-1

(with redemption)

Class C-1

(no redemption)

Class I
1 $590 $196 $296 $196 $95
3 $913 $689 $689 $689 $382
5 $1,259 $1,209 $1,209 $1,209 $691
10 $2,232 $2,635 $2,635 $2,635 $1,567

 

Portfolio Turnover:

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. The portfolio turnover rate of the Fund for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 was 84% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies:

 

In order to accomplish the Fund’s objective, the Fund invests in a portfolio composed mainly of senior secured corporate loans (sometimes referred to as “adjustable rate loans,” “floating rate loans” or “bank loans”). These loans hold a senior position in the capital structure and, at the time of purchase, are typically rated below investment grade. Such loans are considered to be speculative investments. The senior secured corporate loans in which the Fund invests generally are expected to bear interest at floating rate based on SOFR or such other alternative reference rate as has been adopted with respect to each loan in replacement of LIBOR. The Fund may invest in loans with financial maintenance covenants and loans that contain limited, if any, financial maintenance covenants that protect lenders (sometimes referred to as “covenant-lite” obligations). The Fund invests primarily in floating rate loans and other floating rate investments, but also may invest in other debt securities, including high yield securities (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”).

 

The Fund invests a majority of its assets in the securities of U.S. issuers, but may also invest in securities of non-U.S. issuers including, without limitation, securities issued by Canadian, U.K., and European corporations. The Fund has no restrictions on investment maturity. The Fund may invest in both the primary and secondary markets and may invest in secured corporate loans and other debt securities (which may be unsecured) made in connection with highly leveraged transactions, including but not limited to operating loans, leveraged buyout loans and bonds, and leveraged recapitalization loans and bonds. The Fund may also invest in debtor-in-possession loans (i.e., senior obligations issued in connection with restructuring proceedings).

 

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Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. dollar-denominated floating rate secured loans and other floating rate debt instruments, including: floating rate bonds; floating rate notes; floating rate debentures; tranches of floating rate asset-backed securities, including structured notes, made to, or issued by, U.S. and non-U.S. corporations or other business entities; and other investment companies (including exchange traded funds) (“ETFs”) that invest primarily in floating rate assets. The Fund considers the investments of the underlying funds when determining its compliance with this 80% policy. Asset-backed securities include collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”). The Fund may invest in senior or subordinate tranches of a CLO or other structured product. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets, measured at the time of purchase, in a combination of one or more of the following types of U.S. dollar denominated investments: senior or subordinated fixed rate debt instruments, including notes and bonds, whether secured or unsecured; short-term debt obligations, repurchase agreements and cash and cash equivalents that do not otherwise qualify as floating rate debt; and other investment companies including money market funds and ETFs (other than ETFs that invest primarily in floating rate assets). Additionally, the Fund may receive equity securities from capital restructurings related to the floating rate instruments in which it invests. The Fund may sell or hold the equity securities received incidental to these investments for a period of time depending on market conditions. The Fund’s portfolio may be focused on a limited number of industries, asset classes, countries or issuers.

 

In constructing the Fund’s portfolio, the Fund’s sub-advisor, CIFC Investment Management LLC (the “Sub-Advisor”), uses a bottom-up approach that seeks to identify instruments that it believes are either mispriced relative to their risk or have a likelihood of near-term price appreciation. In addition, the Sub-Advisor seeks opportunities that generate income and have profit potential while managing default risk. In its assessment of individual instruments, the Sub-Advisor utilizes a disciplined approach that focuses on credit fundamentals, relative value, and active risk management. The Sub-Advisor monitors the Fund’s investments on an ongoing basis and sells an investment when the value of the investment relative to its risk profile no longer meets the Sub-Advisor’s criteria for inclusion in the portfolio or when a more attractive investment becomes available.

 

The Sub-Advisor also may implement a hedging strategy, when deemed appropriate to reduce risk of loss, that utilizes short sales and derivative instruments, including futures contracts, options, swap contracts, and options on futures and swap contracts. In particular, the Fund may take short positions, or obtain short exposure through derivatives, in U.S. Treasury bonds.

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund:

 

As with any mutual fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective. Investment markets are unpredictable and there will be certain market conditions where the Fund will not meet its investment objective and will lose money. The Fund’s net asset value and returns will vary and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund and those losses could be significant.

 

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The following summarizes the principal risks of investing in the Fund. These risks could adversely affect the net asset value, total return and the value of the Fund and your investment.

 

Bank Loans Risk. The market for bank loans, also known as loans or corporate loans, of which senior secured loans are a type, may not be highly liquid and the Fund may have difficulty selling them. These investments expose the Fund to the credit risk of both the financial institution and the underlying borrower. Bank loans settle on a delayed basis, potentially leading to the sale proceeds of such loans not being available to meet redemptions for a substantial period of time after the sale of the bank loans. Certain bank loans may not be considered “securities,” and purchasers, such as the Fund, therefore may not be entitled to rely on the protections of federal securities laws, including anti-fraud provisions.

 

Changing Fixed Income Market Conditions Risk. Future interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve could cause the value of any Fund that invests in fixed income securities to decrease. Federal Reserve policy changes may expose fixed-income and related markets to heightened volatility and may reduce liquidity for certain Fund investments, which could cause the value of the Fund’s investments and share price to decline. If the Fund invests in derivatives tied to fixed-income markets, the Fund may be more substantially exposed to these risks than a fund that does not invest in derivatives. To the extent the Fund experiences high redemptions because of these policy changes, the Fund may experience increased portfolio turnover, which will increase the costs the Fund incurs and may lower its performance. Furthermore, if rising interest rates cause the Fund to lose enough value, the Fund could also face increased shareholder redemptions, which could force the Fund to liquidate investments at disadvantageous times or prices, therefore adversely affecting the Fund. In addition, decreases in fixed income dealer market-making capacity may persist in the future, potentially leading to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed income markets.

 

CLOs Risk. CLOs are securities backed by an underlying portfolio of loan obligations. CLOs issue classes or “tranches” of debt that vary in risk and yield and may experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, decrease of market value due to collateral defaults and exhaustion of subordinate tranches, market anticipation of defaults and investor aversion to CLO securities as a class. The risks of investing in CLOs depend largely on the tranche invested in and the type of the underlying loans in the tranche of the CLO in which the Fund invests. Subordinate tranche investments involve greater risk of loss than more senior tranches. CLOs also carry risks including, but not limited to, interest rate risk and credit risk.

 

Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that a counterparty to a financial instrument held by the Fund or by a special purpose or structured vehicle invested in by the Fund may become insolvent or otherwise fail to perform its obligations, and the Fund may obtain no or limited recovery of its investment, and any recovery may be significantly delayed.

 

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“Covenant-lite” Obligations Risk. Covenant-lite obligations contain fewer maintenance covenants than other obligations, or no maintenance covenants, and may not include terms that allow the lender to monitor the performance of the borrower and declare a default if certain criteria are breached. Covenant-lite obligations may carry more risk than traditional loans as they allow borrowers to engage in activities that would otherwise be difficult or impossible under a covenant-heavy loan agreement. In the event of default, covenant-lite obligations may exhibit diminished recovery values as the lender may not have the opportunity to negotiate with the borrower prior to default. As a result of its investments in covenant-lite obligations, the Fund may suffer increased losses, especially during a downturn in the credit cycle or changes in market conditions.

 

Credit Risk for Floating Rate Loans. Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a loan or other instrument will not be able to make principal and interest payments when due, reducing the Fund’s total return. The value of the Fund’s shares, and the Fund’s ability to pay dividends, is dependent upon the performance of the assets in its portfolio. Prices of the Fund’s investments can fall if the actual or perceived financial health of the borrowers or issuers of such investments deteriorates, whether because of broad economic or issuer-specific reasons. The Fund could lose money if the issuer of a loan or debt security defaults or fails to pay interest or principal when it is due or otherwise fails to honor its obligations. In the event of bankruptcy of a borrower, the Fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of the collateral securing a senior loan. Senior loans and other floating rate instruments that are rated below investment grade are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the ability of the issuer to make timely principal and interest payments. The credit risk of a particular issuer’s debt security may vary based on its priority for repayment. For example, higher ranking (senior) debt instruments have a higher priority than lower ranking (subordinated) debt instruments. This means that the issuer might not make payments on subordinated debt instruments while continuing to make payments on senior debt instruments. In the event an issuer fails to pay scheduled interest or principal payments on an investment held by the Fund, the Fund will experience a reduction in its income and a decline in the market value of such investment. This will likely reduce the amount of dividends paid by the Fund and likely lead to a decline in the net asset value of the Fund’s shares. Credit risk may be substantial for the Fund.

 

Debtor-In-Possession Loan Risks. Debtor-in-possession (DIP) loans can provide creditors with varying levels of protection, as they may carry super-priority repayment status, be secured by a lien on the borrower’s otherwise unencumbered assets, or be secured by a junior lien on the borrower’s encumbered assets. These financings are subject to the risk that the borrower will not emerge successfully from the bankruptcy/reorganization proceedings and will be forced to liquidate its assets. In the event of liquidation, the Fund’s only recourse will be against the property securing the DIP loan and any remaining unencumbered assets, which might be insufficient to repay the DIP loan in full.

 

Demand for Loans Risk. An increase in demand for loans may benefit the Fund by providing increased liquidity for such loans and higher sales prices, but it may also adversely affect the rate of interest payable on such loans acquired by the Fund and the

 

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rights provided to the Fund under the terms of the applicable loan agreement, and may increase the price of loans that the Fund wishes to purchase in the secondary market. A decrease in the demand for loans may adversely affect the price of loans in the Fund’s portfolio, which could cause the Fund’s net asset value to decline.

 

Derivatives Risk. The use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. These risks include (i) the risk that the counterparty to a derivative transaction may not fulfill its contractual obligations; (ii) risk of mispricing or improper valuation; and (iii) the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. Derivative prices are highly volatile and may fluctuate substantially during a short period of time. Such prices are influenced by numerous factors that affect the markets, including, but not limited to: changing supply and demand relationships; government programs and policies; national and international political and economic events, changes in interest rates, inflation and deflation and changes in supply and demand relationships. Trading derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities. In addition, Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, which governs the use of derivatives and certain related instruments (including non-standard settlement cycle securities, such as bank loans), provides that a transaction with a non-standard settlement cycle will be deemed not to involve a senior security provided that the Fund intends to physically settle the transaction and the transaction will settle within 35 days of its trade date. Compliance with Rule 18f-4 could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s performance and ability to implement its strategies. If more than a limited number of transactions with non-standard settlement cycles (including bank loans), settle later than 35 days of their trade date, such transactions could be deemed “derivatives transactions” for purposes of Rule 18f-4, requiring the Fund to adopt and implement a derivatives risk management program and apply a value-at-risk based limit to its use of derivatives transactions.

 

Equity Securities Incidental to Investments in Loans Risk. The value of equity securities held by the Fund may be affected more rapidly, and to a greater extent, by company-specific developments and general market conditions. These risks may increase fluctuations in the Fund’s net asset value.

 

Focused Investment Risk. The Fund’s portfolio may be focused on a limited number of industries, asset classes, countries, or issuers. Investments focused on a limited number of industries, asset classes, countries, or issuers that are subject to the same or similar risk factors, and investments whose prices are closely correlated, are subject to greater overall risk than investments that are more diversified or whose prices are not as closely correlated. The focus of the Fund’s portfolio in any issuers would subject the Fund to a greater degree of risk with respect to market price volatility or defaults by such issuers, and the focus of the portfolio in any one industry, asset class or country would subject the Fund to a greater degree of risk with respect to economic downturns relating to such industry, asset class, or country.

 

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Foreign Securities/Investment Risk. The value of foreign investments is indirectly subject to currency fluctuations. Foreign companies are generally not subject to the same regulatory requirements of U.S. companies thereby resulting in less publicly available information about these companies. In addition, foreign accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards generally differ from those applicable to U.S. companies. To the extent investments are made in the instruments of issuers from a limited number of countries, events in those countries will have a more significant impact on the Fund. Foreign investments may have less liquid trading markets, extreme price volatility, changes in economic, political, regulatory and social conditions, sustained economic downturns, financial instability, tax burdens, and investment and repatriation restrictions. Withholding and other non-U.S. taxes may decrease the Fund’s return. Non-U.S. issuers may be located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters.

 

Futures Contract Risk. The Fund’s use of futures contracts involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. These risks include (i) leverage risk, which means that a small percentage of assets invested in futures contracts can have a disproportionately large impact; (ii) risk of mispricing or improper valuation; and (iii) the risk that changes in the value of the futures contract may not correlate perfectly with the underlying index. Investments in futures contracts involve leverage, which means a small percentage of assets invested in futures contracts can have a disproportionately large impact on the Fund. This risk could cause the Fund to lose more than the principal amount invested. Futures contracts may become mispriced or improperly valued when compared to the Sub-Advisor’s expectation and may not produce the desired investment results. Additionally, changes in the value of futures contracts may not track or correlate perfectly with the underlying index because of temporary, or even long-term, supply and demand imbalances and because futures contracts do not pay dividends unlike the stocks upon which they are based.

 

Hedging Risk. Hedging is a strategy in which the Fund uses a derivative or other type of security to offset the risks associated with other Fund holdings. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging strategy will reduce risk or that hedging transactions will be either available or cost effective.

 

Income Risk. Income risk is the risk that the income from the Fund’s portfolio will decline because of falling market interest rates. This can result when the Fund invests the proceeds from new share sales, or from matured or called bonds, at market interest rates that are below the portfolio’s current earnings rate.

 

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that bond prices overall, including the prices of fixed rate instruments held by the Fund, will decline over short or even long periods of time due to rising interest rates. Fixed-rate bonds with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rates than bonds with shorter maturities. For example, if interest rates go up by 1.0%, the price of a 4% coupon bond will decrease by approximately 1.0% for a bond with 1 year to maturity and approximately 4.4% for a bond with 5 years to maturity. Rising interest rates pose a heightened risk to the Fund’s longer-term fixed income securities.

 

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In addition, an economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market of these instruments and reduce the Fund’s ability to sell them, negatively impacting the performance of the Fund. The Fund’s floating rate loans are subject to potentially higher interest rate risk as the interest paid on the floating rate loans adjusts periodically based on changes in widely accepted reference rates such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”)). The Federal Reserve recently began raising interest rates in light of inflationary pressures and further rate increases are expected. These inflationary price movements have caused the fixed income securities markets to experience heightened levels of interest rate volatility and liquidity risk. A substantial increase in interest rates could have a material adverse effect on the performance of the Fund.

 

Junk Bond Risk. Lower-quality bonds and other debt including lower-quality loans, known generally as “high yield” or “junk” bonds, present greater risk than bonds of higher quality, including an increased risk of default, illiquidity of the instrument, and changes in value based on public perception of the issuer. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for these bonds and reduce the Fund’s ability to sell its bonds. The lack of a liquid market for these bonds could decrease the Fund’s share price. The credit rating for these instruments could also be further downgraded after they are purchased by the Fund, which would reduce their value. The value of lower-quality investments often fluctuates in response to company, political, or economic developments and can decline significantly over short periods of time or during periods of general or regional economic difficulty. Lower-quality instruments can be thinly traded or have restrictions on resale, making them difficult to sell at an acceptable price.

 

Limited Secondary Market for Floating Rate Loans Risk. There is no organized exchange or board of trade on which floating rate loans are traded. Instead, the secondary market for floating rate loans is a private, unregulated inter-dealer or inter-bank resale market. Floating rate loans usually trade in large denominations. Trades can be infrequent and the market for floating rate loans may experience substantial volatility.

 

Liquidity for Floating Rate Loans Risk. Some instruments held by the Fund may be difficult to sell, or illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Illiquid instruments may also be difficult to value. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid asset to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the Fund may be forced to sell at a loss or be unable to sell an investment, thereby having the effect of decreasing the Fund’s overall level of liquidity.

 

Loan Risk. Investments in bank loans, also known as loans or corporate loans, of which senior loans are a type, may subject the Fund to heightened credit risks because such loans tend to be highly leveraged and potentially more susceptible to the risks of interest deferral, default and/or bankruptcy. Senior floating rate loans are often rated below investment grade, but may also be unrated. The risks associated with these loans can be similar to the risks of below investment grade fixed income instruments. An economic downturn would generally lead to a higher non-payment rate, and a senior floating rate loan may lose significant market value before a default occurs. Moreover, any specific

 

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collateral used to secure a senior floating rate loan may decline in value or become illiquid, which would adversely affect the loan’s value. Unlike the securities markets, there is no central clearinghouse for loan trades, and the loan market has not established enforceable settlement standards or remedies for failure to settle. Therefore, portfolio transactions in loans may have uncertain settlement time periods.

 

Management Risk. The portfolio managers’ judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of particular loans or other instruments in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the portfolio managers’ judgment will produce the desired results.

 

Market Risk. The success of the Fund’s investment activities will be affected by general economic and market conditions, as well as by changes in applicable laws, trade barriers, currency exchange controls, rate of inflation, currency depreciation, asset reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, and national and international political and socioeconomic circumstances in respect of the countries in which the Fund may invest.

 

Options Risk. There are risks associated with the sale and purchase of call and put options. As the seller (writer) of a call option, the Fund assumes the risk of a decline in the market price of the underlying security below the purchase price of the underlying security less the premium received, and gives up the opportunity for gain on the underlying security above the exercise option price. As the buyer of a put or call option, the Fund risks losing the entire premium invested in the option if the Fund does not exercise the option. As a seller (writer) of a put option, the Fund will lose money if the value of the security falls below the strike price. If unhedged, the Fund’s written calls expose the Fund to potentially unlimited losses.

 

Prepayment and Extension Risks for Floating Rate Loans. Prepayment risk is the risk that principal on a debt obligation may be repaid earlier than anticipated. Floating rate loans typically have no or limited call protection and may be prepaid partially or in full at certain times and, in certain circumstances, without penalty. If a floating rate loan is prepaid, the Fund may realize proceeds that are less than the value that had been assigned to the loan and/or may be forced to reinvest the proceeds in assets with lower yields than the loan that was repaid. Prepayment risk on fixed rate investments is the risk that principal on loans or other obligations underlying a security may be repaid prior to the stated maturity date, which may reduce the market value of the security and the anticipated yield-to-maturity. Extension risk is the risk that an issuer will exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected, which may decrease the value of the obligation and prevent the Fund from investing expected repayment proceeds in instruments paying higher yields.

 

Senior Loan Risk. Senior bank loans are subject to the risk that a court could subordinate a senior loan, which typically holds the most senior position in the issuer’s capital structure, to presently existing or future indebtedness or take other action detrimental to the holders of senior loans. Lack of an active trading market, restrictions on resale, irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads, and extended trade settlement periods may impair the Fund’s ability to sell senior loans within its desired time frame or

 

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at an acceptable price. Senior loans are generally less liquid than many other debt instruments and there may be less public information available about senior loans as compared to other debt instruments. Senior loans settle on a delayed basis, potentially leading to the sale proceeds of such loans not being available to meet redemptions for a substantial period of time after the sale of the senior loans. Certain senior loans may not be considered “securities,” and purchasers, such as the Fund, therefore may not be entitled to rely on the protections of federal securities laws, including anti-fraud provisions.

 

Short Selling Risk. The Fund’s use of short positions to eliminate or reduce risk exposure in the Fund’s long positions may not be successful and the Fund may lose money on its long positions. An increase in the value of a security over the price at which it was sold short will result in a loss to the Fund, and there can be no assurance that the Sub-Advisor will be able to close out the position at any particular time or at an acceptable price. The loss from a short position is potentially unlimited. The Fund’s use of short sales will likely result in the creation of leverage in the Fund.

 

Swap Risk. The Fund may use swaps to enhance returns and manage risk. The Fund’s use of swaps involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. These risks include (i) the risk that the counterparty to a derivative transaction may not fulfill its contractual obligations; (ii) risk of mispricing or improper valuation; and (iii) the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index.

 

Underlying Fund Risk. Because the Fund may invest in other investment companies, including mutual funds, ETFs, closed-end funds or private funds, the value of your investment will fluctuate in response to the performance of the underlying funds. Investing in underlying funds involves certain additional expenses and certain tax results that would not arise if you invested directly in the underlying funds. By investing in underlying funds, you will bear not only your proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses (including operating costs and investment advisory and administrative fees), but also, indirectly, similar expenses and charges of the underlying funds, including any contingent deferred sales charges and redemption charges. Finally, you may incur increased tax liabilities by investing in the Fund rather than directly in the underlying funds. Each underlying fund is subject to specific risks, depending on the nature of its investment strategy, including liquidity risk and default risk on the assets held by the underlying fund.

 

Valuation of Loans Risk. The Fund values its assets daily. However, because the secondary market for floating rate loans is limited, it may be difficult to value loans. Reliable market value quotations may not be readily available for some loans and valuation of such loans may require more research than for liquid securities. In addition, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation of loans than for securities with a more developed secondary market because there is less reliable, objective market value data available. In addition, if the Fund purchases a relatively large portion of a loan, the limitations of the secondary market may inhibit the Fund from selling a portion of the loan and reducing its exposure to a borrower when the Sub-Advisor deems it advisable to do so.

 

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Performance:

 

The bar chart and accompanying table shown below provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the total return of its Class A shares for each full calendar year since inception. Performance information for Class C-1 shares will be included after the share class has been in operation for one complete calendar year. Although Class C, Class C-1 and Class I shares have similar annual returns to Class A shares because the classes are invested in the same portfolio of investments, the returns for Class C, Class C-1 and Class I shares are different from Class A shares because Class C, Class C-1 and Class I shares have different expenses than Class A shares. The performance table shows average annual total returns for Class A, Class C and Class I shares and how their average annual returns compare over time with those of a broad-based market index. Sales charges are reflected in the information shown in the table, but the information shown in the bar chart does not reflect sales charges, and, if it did, returns would be lower. How the Fund has performed in the past (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

 

Prior to August 1, 2018, the Fund was managed by a different sub-advisor with different investment strategies and policies. The Fund’s past performance may have been different if the Fund were managed by the current Sub-Advisor and consequently the performance record may be less pertinent for investors considering whether to purchase shares of the Fund. The Fund’s investment strategies changed on November 1, 2020 to permit the Fund to use derivative instruments for hedging purposes.

 

Updated performance information is available at no cost by calling 1-866-447-4228 and on the Fund’s website at www.CatalystMF.com.

 

Annual Total Returns

 

 

Years
2013 8.81%
2014 0.50%
2015 -5.40%
2016 9.61%
2017 6.85%
2018 0.46%
2019 9.77%
2020 2.99%
2021 3.82%
2022 -2.59%

During the period shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a quarter was 8.70% (quarter ended June 30, 2020), and the lowest return for a quarter was (11.08)% (quarter ended March 31, 2020). The Fund’s Class A shares year-to-date return as of September 30, 2023 was 9.71%.

 

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Average Annual Total Returns

(for the periods ended December 31, 2022)

 

1 Year 5 Year 10 Year*
Class A      
Return Before Taxes (7.22)% 1.80% 2.85%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (9.11)% 0.07% 0.94%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (4.28)% 0.64% 1.31%
Class C      
Return Before Taxes (3.34)% 2.03% 2.58%
Class I      
Return Before Taxes (2.34)% 3.06% 3.62%

S&P LSTA Leveraged Loan 100 Index

(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

(0.60)% 3.08%

3.24%
(10 Year)

 

1.82%
(Since 11/1/2022)

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rate and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on a shareholder’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant for shareholders who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts or to shares held by non-taxable entities. After-tax returns are only shown for Class A shares. After-tax returns for other share classes will vary.

 

Advisor: Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC (the “Advisor”) is the Fund’s investment advisor.

 

Sub-Advisor: CIFC Investment Management LLC serves as the Fund’s sub-advisor.

 

Portfolio Managers: Stan Sokolowski (Senior Portfolio Manager, Managing Director and Deputy Chief Investment Officer of the Sub-Advisor), and Rick Lam (CFA, Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Manager and Head of Trading of the Sub-Advisor) serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers and are primarily and jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Mr. Sokolowski has served the Fund in this capacity since August 2018. Mr. Lam has served the Fund in this capacity since July 2023.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The minimum initial investment in each share class of the Fund is $2,500 for a regular account, and for tax-deferred plans such as an IRA or 401(k), and $100 for an automatic investment plan account. The minimum subsequent investment in the Fund is $50. You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. Redemption requests may be made in writing, by telephone or through a financial intermediary to the Fund or the Transfer Agent and will be paid by check or wire transfer.

 

Tax Information: Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-deferred plan such as an IRA or 401(k) plan. If you are investing in a tax-deferred plan, distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from the plan.

 

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Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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FUND SUMMARY: CATALYST ENHANCED INCOME STRATEGY FUND

 

Investment Objective:


The Fund’s investment objective is current income.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:


This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on purchases of Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and is included in the section of the Fund’s prospectus entitled How to Buy Shares on page 102 and Appendix A – Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers, and in the sections of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information entitled Reduction of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 62 and Waiver of Up-Front Sales Charge on Class A Shares on page 63.

 

Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)

Class A

Class C

Class I

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases

(as a % of offering price)

4.75% None None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)

(as a % of the original purchase price)

1.00%1 None None

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and other Distributions

None None None
Redemption Fee None None None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

     
Management Fees 1.50% 1.50% 1.50%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 1.00% 0.00%
Other Expenses 0.28% 0.28% 0.28%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 2.03% 2.78% 1.78%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement 2 (0.28)% (0.28)% (0.28)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement 1.75% 2.50% 1.50%

 

1 The 1.00% maximum deferred sales charge may be assessed in the case of investments at or above the $1 million breakpoint (where you do not pay an initial sales charge) on shares redeemed within two years of purchase.
2 The advisor has contractually agreed to waive management fees and/or reimburse expenses of the Fund to the extent necessary to limit operating expenses (excluding brokerage costs; borrowing costs such as (a) interest and (b) dividends on securities sold short; taxes; underlying fund expenses; and extraordinary expenses, such as regulatory inquiry and litigation expenses) at 1.75%, 2.50% and 1.50% for Class A shares, Class C shares and Class I shares, respectively, through October 31, 2024. This agreement may be terminated by the Fund’s Board of Trustees only on 60 days’ written notice to the Advisor, by the Advisor with the consent of the Board of Trustees, or upon the termination of the investment advisory agreement between the Trust and the advisor. Fee waivers and expense reimbursements are subject to possible recoupment by the advisor from the Fund in future years on a rolling three-year basis (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed) so long as such recoupment does not cause the Fund’s expense ratio (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed the lesser of: (i) the Fund’s expense limitation at the time such expenses were waived and (ii) the Fund’s current expense limitation at the time of recoupment.

 

Example:


This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, and then hold or redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example only accounts for the Fund’s expense limitation in place through its expiration period, October 31, 2024, and then depicts the Fund’s total annual expenses thereafter. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

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YEAR Class A Class C Class I
1 $644 $253 $153
3 $1,056 $836 $533
5 $1,492 $1,445 $938
10 $2,700 $3,089 $2,072

 

Portfolio Turnover:


The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. The portfolio turnover rate of the Fund for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 was 29% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategies:

 

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by primarily investing in agency and non-agency commercial and residential mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) and other fixed income asset-backed securities, including securities backed by aircraft, automobiles, credit card receivables, and student loans.

 

The Fund does not limit its investments to a particular credit quality and may invest in distressed asset backed securities and other below investment grade securities (commonly referred to as “junk”) without limitation. Below investment grade securities are those rated below Baa3 by Moody’s Investor Services or equivalently by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization as well as non-rated securities. The MBS in which the Fund invests are generally liquid, in other words, can be sold at approximately the current market value within 7 calendar days. The Fund may hold up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. In managing the Fund’s investments, the Fund’s sub-advisor, Wynkoop, LLC (the “Sub-Advisor”), seeks to construct an investment portfolio with a weighted average maturity that ranges between 1 and 10 years and a weighted average effective duration that ranges between -9 and 9 years. Duration is a measure of the expected life of a fixed income instrument that is used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. Effective duration is a measure of the Fund’s portfolio duration adjusted for the anticipated effect of interest rate changes on bond and mortgage pre-payment rates. The longer a security’s duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The more sensitive a security is to changes in interest rates, the higher its volatility risk. For example, if a bond has a duration of 5 years, a 1% rise in rates would result in a 5% decline in share price. If a bond has a duration of 10 years, a 1% rise in interest rates would result in a 10% decline in share price. Unique to the residential MBS market are securities, such as interest-only securities, and related derivatives, that have “negative duration.” This means that the value of these instruments normally increases with higher interest rates, the opposite of most other debt instruments. This generally allows some portion of the portfolio’s market risk to be hedged with a purchase, rather than a short sale, and allows the portfolio to realize positive cash flows on the hedge as a result of interest received with respect to that security.

 

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The Sub-Advisor determines the allocation of the Fund’s investments across the various fixed income asset classes based on market supply and which asset classes it views as offering the best risk-adjusted values in the marketplace at a given time. However, the Fund expects to focus its investments in agency and non-agency commercial and residential MBS and, under normal circumstances, invests over 25% of its assets in agency and non-agency commercial and residential MBS. In selecting individual securities for investment by the Fund, the Sub-Advisor selects securities that it believes offer the best risk/return opportunity based on its analyses of a variety of factors including collateral quality, duration, structure, excess interest, credit support, potential for greater upside and less downside, capture, liquidity, and market conditions and favors undervalued investments that produce consistent returns in most interest rate environments. The Sub-Advisor attempts to diversify geographically and among the servicing institutions that service or originate the MBS.

 

Distribution Policy. The Fund’s distribution policy is to make twelve monthly distributions to shareholders. The level of monthly distributions (including any return of capital) is not fixed and is not designed to generate, and is not expected to result in, distributions that equal a fixed percentage of the Fund’s current net asset value per share. Shareholders receiving periodic payments from the Fund may be under the impression that they are receiving net profits. However, all or a portion of a distribution may consist of a return of capital. Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is net profit.

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund:

 

As with any mutual fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its objective. Investment markets are unpredictable and there will be certain market conditions where the Fund will not meet its investment objective and will lose money. The Fund’s net asset value and returns will vary and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund and those losses could be significant.

 

The following summarizes the principal risks of investing in the Fund. These risks could adversely affect the net asset value, total return and the value of the Fund and your investment.

 

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when particular commercial and residential MBS would be difficult to purchase or sell, possibly preventing the Fund from selling such illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, or possibly requiring the Fund to dispose of other investments at unfavorable times or prices in order to satisfy its obligations.

 

Asset-Backed and Mortgage-Backed Security Risk. When the Fund invests in asset-backed securities, mortgage-backed securities or CMOs, the Fund is subject to the risk that, if the issuer fails to pay interest or repay principal, the assets backing these securities may not be sufficient to support payments on the securities.

 

Mortgage-backed securities represent participating interests in pools of residential mortgage loans, some of which are guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities. However, the guarantee of these types of securities relates to the principal and interest payments and not the market value of such securities. In addition,

 

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the guarantee only relates to the mortgage-backed securities held by a Fund and not the purchase of shares of the Fund. Mortgage-backed securities do not have a fixed maturity and their expected maturities may vary when interest rates rise or fall.

 

Mortgage-backed securities issued or guaranteed by private issuers are also known as “non-agency MBS.” Non-agency MBS generally are a greater credit risk than MBS issued by the U.S. government, and the market for non-agency MBS is smaller and may be less liquid that the market for government MBS.

 

Concentration Risk. The Fund may focus its investments to a particular type of securities. Economic, legislative or regulatory developments may occur that significantly affect those securities. This may cause the Fund’s net asset value to fluctuate more than that of a fund that does not focus in that particular type of securities.

 

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a security will fail to pay principal and interest in a timely manner, reducing the Fund’s total return. The Fund may invest in high-yield, high-risk securities, commonly called “junk bonds,” that are not investment grade and are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. Credit risk may be substantial for the Fund.

 

Distribution Policy Risk. The Fund may, at the discretion of management, target a specific level of monthly distributions (including any return of capital) from time to time. Shareholders receiving periodic payments from the Fund may be under the impression that they are receiving net profits. However, all or a portion of a distribution may consist of a return of capital (i.e., from your original investment). Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is net profit. Shareholders should note that return of capital will reduce the tax basis of their shares and potentially increase the taxable gain, if any, upon disposition of their shares.

 

Duration Risk. Longer-term securities may be more sensitive to interest rate changes. Given the potential for increases in those rates, a heightened risk is posed by rising interest rates to a fund whose portfolios include longer-term fixed income securities.

 

Fixed Income Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default) and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund’s share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.

 

Industry Concentration Risk. A fund that concentrates its investments in an industry or group of industries is more vulnerable to adverse market, economic, regulatory, political or other developments affecting such industry or group of industries than a fund that invests its assets more broadly.

 

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Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that bond prices overall, including the prices of securities held by the Fund, will decline over short or even long periods of time due to rising interest rates. Bonds with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rates than bonds with shorter maturities. For example, if interest rates go up by 1.0%, the price of a 4% coupon bond will decrease by approximately 1.0% for a bond with 1 year to maturity and approximately 4.4% for a bond with 5 years to maturity. The maturity and effective duration of the Fund’s investment portfolio may vary materially from its target, from time to time, and there is no assurance that the maturity or effective duration of the Fund’s investment portfolio will not exceed its target. Rising interest rates pose a heightened risk to the Fund’s longer-term fixed income securities.

 

Junk Bond Risk. Lower-quality bonds, known as “high yield” or “junk” bonds, present greater risk than bonds of higher quality, including an increased risk of default. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for these bonds and reduce the Fund’s ability to sell its bonds. The lack of a liquid market for these bonds could decrease the Fund’s share price.

 

Management Risk. The portfolio managers’ judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of particular stocks or other securities in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the portfolio managers’ judgment will produce the desired results.

 

Market Risk. Overall market risks may also affect the value of the Fund. Factors such as domestic economic growth and market conditions, interest rate levels and political events affect the securities markets.

 

Prepayment and Extension Risk. Prepayment risk is the risk that principal on a debt obligation may be repaid earlier than anticipated. Extension risk is the risk that an issuer will exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected. Both prepayment and extension risks may impact the Fund’s profits and/or require it to pay higher yields than were expected.

 

Real Estate Risk. The Fund is subject to the risks of the real estate market as a whole, such as taxation, regulations and economic and political factors that negatively impact the real estate market and the direct ownership of real estate. These may include decreases in real estate values, overbuilding, rising operating costs, interest rates and property taxes. In addition, some real estate related investments are not fully diversified and are subject to the risks associated with financing a limited number of projects.

 

Security Risk. The value of the Fund may decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual security in the Fund’s portfolio.

 

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Sub-Prime Mortgage Risk. Lower-quality notes, such as those considered “sub-prime” are more likely to default than those considered “prime” by a rating evaluation agency or service provider. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for sub-prime notes and reduce the Fund’s ability to sell these securities. The lack of a liquid market for these securities could decrease the Fund’s share price. Additionally, borrowers may seek bankruptcy protection which would delay resolution of security holder claims and may eliminate or materially reduce liquidity. Subprime mortgages are riskier and potentially less liquid than mortgage-backed securities.

 

Performance:

 

The bar chart and accompanying table shown below provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the total return of its Class A shares for each full calendar year since inception. Class C shares and Class I shares have similar annual returns to Class A shares because they are invested in the same portfolio of securities; however, the returns for Class C shares and Class I shares are different from Class A shares because Class C shares and Class I shares have different expenses than Class A shares. The performance table shows average annual total returns for Class A, Class C and Class I shares and how their average annual returns compare over time with those of a broad-based market index and a mortgage-backed securities index. Sales charges are reflected in the information shown in the table, but the information shown in the bar chart does not reflect sales charges, and, if it did, returns would be lower. How the Fund has performed in the past (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.

 

The Fund’s returns in the first quarter of 2019 may not be achievable going forward as the Fund’s assets grow. The active trading strategy of the Fund had a significant impact on returns from launch date, especially when depicted as a percentage. The gains from individual trades had a magnified effect on NAV as a result of the small initial launch capital. As the assets grow, the denominator becomes larger and thus, individual trades do not necessarily have as much of an impact on returns. We continue to deploy our active trading approach, which seeks to take advantage of market inefficiencies and dislocations.

 

Updated performance information is available at no cost by calling 1-866-447-4228 and on the Fund’s website at www.CatalystMF.com.

 

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Annual Total Returns

 

 

Years
2019 16.73%
2020 5.91%
2021 4.30%
2022 -7.05%

During the period shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a quarter was 11.47% (quarter ended March 31, 2019), and the lowest return for a quarter was (6.85)% (quarter ended March 31, 2020). The Fund’s Class A shares year-to-date return as of September 30, 2023 was (2.90)%.

 

Average Annual Total Returns

(for the periods ended December 31, 2022)

 

  1 Year Since inception
(12/31/18)
Class A    
Return Before Taxes (12.39)% 3.10%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (14.51)% 0.81%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (7.29)% 1.46%
Class C    
Return Before Taxes (7.77)% 3.83%
Class I    
Return Before Taxes (6.81)% 4.88%

Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond TR Index

(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

(13.01)% 0.03%

Bloomberg MBS Index

(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

(11.81)% (0.91)%

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rate and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on a shareholder’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant for shareholders who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts or to shares held by non-taxable entities. After-tax returns are only shown for Class A shares. After-tax returns for other share classes will vary.

 

Advisor: Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC (the “Advisor”) is the Fund’s investment advisor.

 

Sub-Advisor: Wynkoop, LLC is the Fund’s investment sub-advisor.

 

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Portfolio Managers: Leland Abrams, Principal and Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Advisor, and Jui Chiew Tan, Portfolio Manager and Trading Analyst of the Sub-Advisor, serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers. Mr. Abrams is the Lead Portfolio Manager of the Fund. Mr. Abrams has served the Fund as a portfolio manager since 2018 and Mr. Tan has served the Fund as a portfolio manager since November 2019.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The minimum initial investment in all share classes of the Fund is $2,500 for regular and tax-deferred plans, such as an IRA or 401(k), and $100 for an automatic investment plan account. The minimum subsequent investment in all share classes of the Fund is $50. You may purchase and redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open. Redemption requests may be made in writing, by telephone or through a financial intermediary to the Fund or the Transfer Agent and will be paid by check or wire transfer.

 

Tax Information: Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-deferred plan such as an IRA or 401(k) plan. If you are investing in a tax-deferred plan, distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from the plan.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS’ PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RELATED RISKS

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES

 

The investment objective of each Fund is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) without shareholder approval. If the Board decides to change a Fund’s investment objective, shareholders will be given 60 days’ advance notice.

 

Fund Investment Objective
Catalyst Insider Income Fund The Fund’s investment objective is current income.
Catalyst/SMH High Income Fund The Fund investment objective is income with capital appreciation as a secondary objective.
Catalyst/SMH Total Return Income Fund The Fund investment objective is income and capital appreciation.
Catalyst/MAP Global Balanced Fund The Fund investment objective is total return, which consists of current income and capital appreciation.
Catalyst/CIFC Floating Rate Income Fund The Fund’s investment objective is current income.
Catalyst Enhanced Income Strategy Fund The Fund’s investment objective is current income.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

Each Fund’s main investment strategies are discussed in the Summary Section for the Fund and are the strategies that the Advisor and/or Sub-Advisor believes are most likely to be important in trying to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. You should note, however, that each Fund may use other non-principal strategies and invest in other instruments not described in this prospectus, which are disclosed in detail in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”). For a copy of the SAI please call toll free at 1-866-447-4228 or visit the Funds’ website at www.CatalystMF.com.

 

Catalyst Insider Income Fund

 

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in short-term U.S. corporate bonds issued by companies, including real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), whose executives are purchasing shares of the company’s common stock. The Fund may invest in corporate bonds, including convertible bonds, of any credit quality (including “junk” bonds), effective maturity or average modified duration, but intends to hold a majority of the portfolio in investment grade corporate bonds (rated BBB or higher by S&P Global Ratings or the equivalent by another nationally recognized statistical ratings organization) with an average effective maturity of less than four years and an average duration of less than three and a half.

 

The Advisor uses public information that is filed with the SEC on corporate insider buying activity for its investment decisions. The Advisor’s research and quantitative back-testing of insider trading data over long periods of time has resulted in the development of a proprietary method of analyzing insider trading activity that it believes can substantially reduce the likelihood of bankruptcy. The underlying thesis is that corporate insiders know more about the prospects of the company than anybody else and would not take a stake in the equity of their company if the company were in jeopardy of declaring bankruptcy.

 

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The Advisor’s investment process focuses on insider identities (position in the company), motivations, insider trading trends, trading volumes, firm size and other factors to select what the Advisor believes to be the most significant insider buying signals – the signals that are historically associated with companies that have avoided bankruptcy. Corporate bonds meeting the insider activity screen criterion are analyzed and selected in an attempt to establish a portfolio with the target credit quality, duration, maturity and SEC yield. The Advisor generally intends to hold bonds to maturity but positions may be sold if insider trading trends reverse in a manner the Advisor believes to be significant or if the Advisor believes the bonds no longer offer favorable risk-adjusted return potential. The Fund actively trades its portfolio investments, which may lead to higher transaction costs that may affect the Fund’s performance.

 

The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” for purposes of the 1940 Act, which means a relatively high percentage of the Fund’s assets may be invested in the securities of a limited number of companies that could be in the same or related economic sectors.

 

Catalyst/SMH High Income Fund

 

The Fund invests in a non-diversified group of low-quality, high yield corporate bonds and convertible securities. The Fund may invest without limitation in non-investment grade corporate bonds rated Baa or lower by Moody’s or BBB or lower by S&P (also known as “junk” bonds). The Fund may also invest in corporate issues that have defaulted. Because of their low credit quality, these securities typically pay higher interest rates to compensate investors for the substantial credit risk they assume. While there are no restrictions on maturity, the bonds in the Fund’s portfolio generally have an average maturity of less than ten years. The Fund seeks capital appreciation from selling securities above the purchase price. Bonds may appreciate in value through an improvement in credit quality, among other reasons.

 

To select the securities in which to invest, SMH Capital Advisors, LLC, the Fund’s sub-advisor (the“Sub-Advisor”), conducts fundamental credit research on each issuer. Securities may be sold when the Sub-Advisor believes that they no longer represent relatively attractive investment opportunities.

 

The Fund invests primarily in, and chooses its investments from, the following types of securities:

 

Corporate debt. Debt obligations (usually called bonds) are loans by an investor to a corporation. They usually have a set interest rate and term.

 

Preferred stocks. Preferred stock is corporate stock that pays set dividends to its holders. Preferred stock has a superior claim on the issuer’s income and assets relative to common stock but a lower claim on assets than corporate bondholders.

 

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Convertible securities. Bonds or preferred stocks which are convertible into, or exchangeable for, common stocks.

 

In addition, the Fund may also invest in other investment companies to the extent permitted by federal law and any exemptions granted to the Fund by the SEC.

 

The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” for purposes of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), which means that it is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the portion of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer.

 

Catalyst/SMH Total Return Income Fund

 

Normally, the Fund invests primarily in a broad range of income-producing securities. These include equity securities, such as dividend-paying common stocks and real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and debt securities, such as interest-paying bonds and convertible bonds. The Fund may also invest in preferred stock, master limited partnerships and bank notes. The composition of the Fund’s investments in equity, debt and cash or money market instruments may vary substantially depending on various factors, including market conditions.

 

Generally, at least 30% of the Fund’s assets is invested in equity securities. Subject to the provisions of the 1940 Act and any applicable exemptive orders, the Fund may invest in other investment companies, including business development companies (“BDCs”) and other closed-end funds, and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). The Fund may invest in companies of any market capitalization but generally focuses on stocks with capitalization between $1 billion and $10 billion.

 

The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in equity securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States, including without limitation sponsored American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). The place of domicile of an issuer is not always clear. The determination of domicile may be based on many factors, such as the company’s country of incorporation, country of headquarter offices, primary exchange, geographic sources of revenue, and geographic location of assets. Domicile is determined at the time of investment. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its assets in debt securities of non-U.S. issuers.

 

In addition, the Fund may invest without limitation in lower quality, higher yielding debt securities (rated Ba or lower by Moody’s Investors Service or BB or lower by S&P Global Ratings or unrated but determined by the Fund’s sub-advisor, SMH Capital Advisors, LLC (the “Sub-Advisor”) to be of equivalent quality), also known as “junk bonds.” While there are no restrictions on maturity, the bonds in the Fund’s portfolio will generally have an average maturity of less than ten years.

 

The Sub-Advisor seeks to invest in attractively valued securities that, in its opinion, represent above-average long-term investment opportunities. The Sub-Advisor seeks investments with yields above the market average and generally focuses on value-oriented securities – those with low price to sales, price to book and price to earnings ratios relative to their growth rates. Securities may be sold when the Sub-Advisor believes that they no longer represent relatively attractive investment opportunities.

 

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The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” for purposes of the 1940 Act, which means that it is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the portion of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer.

 

Distribution Policy and Goals:

 

The Fund’s distribution policy is to make twelve monthly distributions to shareholders. All income will be distributed monthly regardless of whether such income will be treated as return of capital.

 

The Fund generally distributes to shareholders substantially all of its net income (for example, interest and dividends) monthly as well as substantially all of its net capital gains (that is, long-term capital gains from the sale of portfolio securities and short-term capital gains from both the sale of portfolio securities and option premium earned) annually. In addition, pursuant to its distribution policy, the Fund may make distributions that are treated as a return of capital. Return of capital is the portion of a distribution that is the return of your original investment dollars in the Fund. A return of capital is not taxable to a shareholder unless it exceeds a shareholder’s tax cost (“or “tax basis”) in the shares.

 

Returns of capital reduce a shareholder’s tax basis. Once a shareholder’s tax basis is reduced to zero, any further return of capital would be taxable. Shareholders receiving periodic payments from the Fund may be under the impression that they are receiving net profits. However, all or a portion of a distribution may consist of a return of capital (i.e., from your original investment). Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is net profit. Shareholders should note that return of capital will reduce the tax basis of their shares and potentially increase the taxable gain, if any, upon disposition of their shares. As required under the 1940 Act, the Fund provides a notice to shareholders at the time of distribution when such distribution does not consist solely of net income. Additionally, each distribution payment is accompanied by a written statement which discloses the estimated source or sources of each distribution. The IRS requires you to report these amounts, excluding returns of capital, on your income tax return for the year declared. The Fund provides disclosures, with each monthly distribution, that estimate the percentages of the current and year-to-date distributions that represent (1) net investment income, (2) capital gains and (3) return of capital. At the end of the year, the Fund may be required under applicable law to re-characterize distributions made previously during that year among (1) ordinary income, (2) capital gains and (3) return of capital for tax purposes. An additional distribution may be made in December, and other additional distributions may be made with respect to a particular fiscal year in order to comply with applicable law. Distributions declared in December, if paid to shareholders by the end of January, are treated for federal income tax purposes as if received in December.

 

Catalyst/MAP Global Balanced Fund

 

Normally, the Fund invests primarily in a broad range of domestic and international, including emerging markets, fixed income and equity securities. These include debt securities, such as interest-paying bonds and convertible bonds and equity securities, such as dividend-paying common stocks. The Fund may also invest in preferred stocks and write covered calls on equities. The composition of the Fund’s investments in equity, debt and cash or money market

 

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instruments may vary substantially depending on various factors, including market conditions. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 25% of its assets in fixed income securities and at least 25% of its assets in equity securities. Fixed income securities include interest-paying bonds and convertible bonds. Equity securities include common stock, preferred stock and options on those securities.

 

The Fund may invest in the securities of companies with market capitalizations of $300 million or more and in the securities of companies of any credit quality. The Fund may invest its assets in equity securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States, including without limitation sponsored ADRs. The Fund may also invest its assets in debt securities of non-U.S. issuers. The allocation of the Fund’s investments between domestic and foreign issuers will vary according to market conditions. However, under normal conditions, a majority of the Fund’s investments will be in securities of issuers domiciled in at least three countries outside of the United States.

 

The place of domicile of an issuer is not always clear. The determination of domicile may be based on many factors, such as the company’s country of incorporation, country of headquarter offices, primary exchange, geographic sources of revenue, and geographic location of assets. Domicile is determined at the time of investment.

 

In addition, the Fund may invest without limitation in lower quality, higher yielding debt securities (rated Ba or lower by Moody’s Investors Service or BB or lower by S&P Global Ratings or unrated but determined by the Fund’s sub-advisor, Managed Asset Portfolios, LLC (the “Sub-Advisor”), to be of equivalent quality) also known as “junk bonds.” While there are no restrictions on maturity, the bonds in the Fund’s portfolio will generally have an average maturity of less than ten years.

 

The Sub-Advisor seeks to invest in attractively valued securities that, in its opinion, represent above-average long-term investment opportunities. The Sub-Advisor seeks investments in securities using a bottom-up process to identify temporarily out of favor securities that have an attractive valuation compared to the company’s net assets and earnings power. The Sub-Advisor also seeks securities where a catalyst may unlock the intrinsic value of the company. Securities are subsequently removed from the portfolio when the stock exceeds their estimated fair market value or when there is a change or deterioration at the company that cause the portfolio managers to believe the stock is no longer attractive relative to other investment opportunities.

 

Catalyst/CIFC Floating Rate Income Fund

 

In order to accomplish the Fund’s objectives, the Fund invests in a portfolio composed mainly of senior secured corporate loans (sometimes referred to as “adjustable rate loans,” “floating rate loans” or “bank loans”). These loans hold a senior position in the capital structure and, at the time of purchase, are typically rated below investment grade. Such loans are considered to be speculative investments. The senior secured corporate loans in which the Fund invests generally are expected to bear interest at floating rate based on Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) or such other alternative reference rate as has been adopted with respect to each loan in replacement of LIBOR. The Fund may invest in loans with financial maintenance covenants (e.g., covenants that require the obligor to maintain debt service or other financial ratios or contain common restrictions on the ability of the obligor to

 

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significantly change its operations or enter into transactions that could affect its ability to repay such loans) and loans that contain limited, if any, financial maintenance covenants that protect lenders (sometimes referred to as “covenant-lite” obligations). The Fund invests primarily in floating rate loans and other floating rate investments, but also may invest in other debt securities, including high yield securities (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”).

 

The Fund invests a majority of its assets in the securities of U.S. issuers, but may also invest in securities of non-U.S. issuers including, without limitation, securities issued by Canadian, U.K., and European corporations. The Fund has no restrictions on investment maturity. The Fund may invest in both the primary and secondary markets and may invest in secured corporate loans and other debt securities (which may be unsecured) made in connection with highly leveraged transactions, including but not limited to operating loans, leveraged buyout loans and bonds, and leveraged recapitalization loans and bonds. The Fund may also invest in debtor-in-possession loans (i.e., senior obligations issued in connection with restructuring proceedings).

 

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. dollar denominated floating rate secured loans (including corporate loans and bank loans) and other floating rate debt instruments, including: floating rate bonds; floating rate notes; floating rate debentures; tranches of floating rate asset-backed securities, including structured notes, made to, or issued by, U.S. and non-U.S. corporations or other business entities; and other investment companies (including exchange traded funds (“ETFs”)) that invest primarily in floating rate assets. Asset-backed securities include collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”). CLOs are securities collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. The Fund may invest in senior or subordinate tranches of a CLO or other structured product. The Fund considers the investments of the underlying funds when determining its compliance with its 80% policy. The Fund’s 80% policy is a non-fundamental policy of the Fund and may be changed upon 60 days’ notice to shareholders of the Fund.

 

The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets, measured at the time of purchase, in a combination of one or more of the following types of U.S. dollar denominated investments: senior or subordinated fixed rate debt instruments, including notes and bonds, whether secured or unsecured; and short-term debt obligations, repurchase agreements, cash and cash equivalents that do not otherwise qualify as floating rate debt; and other investment companies, including money market funds and ETFs (other than ETFs that invest primarily in floating rate assets), to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. Additionally, the Fund may receive equity securities from capital restructurings related to the floating rate instruments in which it invests. The Fund may sell or hold the equity securities received incidental to these investments for a period of time depending on market conditions. The Fund’s portfolio may be focused on a limited number of industries, asset classes, countries or issuers.

 

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In constructing the Fund’s portfolio, the Fund’s sub-advisor, CIFC Investment Management LLC (the “Sub-Advisor”), uses a bottom-up approach that seeks to identify instruments that it believes are either mispriced relative to their risk or have a likelihood of near-term price appreciation. In addition, the Sub-Advisor seeks opportunities that generate income and have profit potential while managing default risk. In its assessment of individual instruments, the Sub-Advisor utilizes a disciplined approach that focuses on credit fundamentals, relative value, and active risk management. The Sub-Advisor may consider characteristics with respect to a potential investment including cash flows, collateral, structural considerations, management team, operational and legal risk, and industry trends, among others. The Sub-Advisor monitors the Fund’s investments on an ongoing basis and will sell an investment when the value of the investment relative to its risk profile no longer meets the Sub-Advisor’s criteria for inclusion in the portfolio or when a more attractive investment becomes available.

 

The Sub-Advisor also may implement a hedging strategy, when deemed appropriate to reduce risk of loss, that utilizes short sales and derivative instruments, including futures contracts, options, swap contracts, and options on futures and swap contracts. In particular, the Fund may take short positions, or obtain short exposure through derivatives, in U.S. Treasury bonds.

 

Catalyst Enhanced Income Strategy Fund

 

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by primarily investing in agency and non-agency commercial and residential MBS and other fixed income asset-backed securities, including securities backed by aircraft, automobiles, credit card receivables, and student loans.

 

The Fund does not limit its investments to a particular credit quality and may invest in distressed asset backed securities and other below investment grade securities (commonly referred to as “junk”) without limitation. Below investment grade securities are those rated below Baa3 by Moody’s Investor Services or equivalently by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization as well as non-rated securities. The MBS in which the Fund invests are generally liquid, in other words, can be sold at approximately the current market value within 7 calendar days. The Fund may hold up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. In managing the Fund’s investments, the Fund’s sub-advisor, Wynkoop, LLC (the “Sub-Advisor”) seeks to construct an investment portfolio with a weighted average maturity that ranges between 1 and 10 years and a weighted average effective duration that ranges between -9 and 9 years. Duration is a measure of the expected life of a fixed income instrument that is used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. Effective duration is a measure of the Fund’s portfolio duration adjusted for the anticipated effect of interest rate changes on bond and mortgage pre-payment rates. The longer a security’s duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. The more sensitive a security is to changes in interest rates, the higher its volatility risk. For example, if a bond has a duration of 5 years, a 1% rise in rates would result in a 5% decline in share price. If a bond has a duration of 10 years, a 1% rise in interest rates would result in a 10% decline in share price. Unique to the residential MBS market are securities, such as interest-only securities, and related derivatives, that have “negative duration.” This means that the value of these instruments normally increase with higher interest rates, the opposite of most other debt instruments. This generally allows some portion of the portfolio’s market risk to be hedged with a purchase, rather than a short sale, and allows the portfolio to realize positive cash flows on the hedge as a result of interest received with respect to that security.

 

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The Sub-Advisor determines the allocation of the Fund’s investments across the various fixed income asset classes based on market supply and which asset classes it views as offering the best risk-adjusted values in the marketplace at a given time. However, the Fund expects to focus its investments in agency and non-agency commercial and residential MBS and, under normal circumstances, invests over 25% of its assets in agency and non-agency commercial and residential MBS. In selecting individual securities for investment by the Fund, the Sub-Advisor selects securities that it believes offer the best risk/return opportunity based on its analyses of a variety of factors including collateral quality, duration, structure, excess interest, credit support, potential for greater upside and less downside, capture, liquidity, and market conditions and favors undervalued investments that produce consistent returns in most interest rate environments. The Sub-Advisor attempts to diversify geographically and among the servicing institutions that service or originate the MBS.

 

Distribution Policy and Goals:

 

The Fund’s distribution policy is to make monthly distributions to shareholders. All income will be distributed monthly regardless of whether such income will be treated as return of capital. The Fund generally distributes to shareholders substantially all of its net income (for example, interest and dividends) monthly as well as substantially all of its net capital gains (that is, long term capital gains from the sale of portfolio securities and short-term capital gains from both the sale of portfolio securities and option premium earned) annually. In addition, pursuant to its distribution policy, the Fund may make distributions that are treated as a return of capital. Return of capital is the portion of a distribution that is the return of your original investment dollars in the Fund. A return of capital is not taxable to a shareholder unless it exceeds a shareholder’s tax cost (or “tax basis”) in the shares. Returns of capital reduce a shareholder’s tax basis. Once a shareholder’s tax basis is reduced to zero, any further return of capital would be taxable. Shareholders receiving periodic payments from the Fund may be under the impression that they are receiving net profits. However, all or a portion of a distribution may consist of a return of capital (i.e., from your original investment). Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is net profit. Shareholders should note that return of capital will reduce the tax basis of their shares and potentially increase the taxable gain, if any, upon disposition of their shares. As required under the 1940 Act, the Fund provides a notice to shareholders at the time of distribution when such distribution does not consist solely of net income. Additionally, each distribution payment is accompanied by a written statement which discloses the estimated source or sources of each distribution. The IRS requires you to report these amounts, excluding returns of capital, on your income tax return for the year declared. The Fund provides disclosures, with each monthly distribution, that estimate the percentages of the current and year to-date distributions that represent (1) net investment income, (2) capital gains and (3) return of capital. At the end of the year, the Fund may be required under applicable law to re-characterize distributions made previously during that year among (1) ordinary income, (2) capital gains and (3) return of capital for tax purposes. An additional distribution may be made in December, and other additional distributions may be made with respect to a particular fiscal year in order to comply with applicable law. Distributions declared in December, if paid to shareholders by the end of January, are treated for federal income tax purposes as if received in December.

 

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Temporary Defensive Positions

 

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

 

Manager-of-Managers Order (Catalyst/SMH High Income Fund, Catalyst/SMH Total Return Income Fund, Catalyst/CIFC Floating Rate Income Fund and Catalyst Enhanced Income Strategy Fund)

 

The Trust and the Advisor have obtained an exemptive order (the “Order”) from the SEC that permits the Advisor, with the Board’s approval, to enter into sub-advisory agreements with one or more sub-advisors without obtaining shareholder approval. The Order permits the Advisor, subject to the approval of the Board, to replace Sub-Advisors or amend sub-advisory agreements, including fees, without shareholder approval whenever the Advisor and the Board believe such action will benefit the relevant Fund and its shareholders.

 

NON-PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGY

 

In addition to the principal investment strategies discussed above, the Funds may invest in other registered and unregistered investment companies, including affiliated funds.

 

PRINCIPAL AND NON-PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

 

All mutual funds carry a certain amount of risk. As with any mutual fund, there is no guarantee that a Fund will achieve its objective. Investment markets are unpredictable and there will be certain market conditions where a Fund will not meet its investment objective and will lose money. Each Fund’s net asset value and returns will vary and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund and those losses could be significant. An investment in a Fund is not a complete investment program.

 

The table below identifies each Fund’s principal risks and non-principal risks.

 

Key:

Principal Risk: ●

Non-Principal Risk: ○

Not Applicable: -

 

59

 

 

  Insider
Income
High
Income
Total
Return
Income

Global

Balanced

Floating
Rate Income
Enhanced
Income
Strategy
ADR Currency Risk
ADRs Risk
Affiliated Investment Company Risk
Allocation Risk
Asset-Backed and Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk
Bank Loans Risk
Basic Materials Industry Risk
Business Development Companies (“BDC”) Risk
Call Options Risk
Capacity Risk
Cash or Cash Equivalents Risk
Changing Fixed Income Market Conditions Risk
CLOs Risk  ○
Collateralized Bond Obligation Risk
Commodity Risk  ○
Concentration Risk  ○
Conflict of Interest – Advisors/Sub-Advisors Risk -
Conflict of Interest – Portfolio Manager Risk
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk
Convertible Securities Risk
Counterparty Risk
“Covenant-lite” Obligations Risk
Credit Default Swap Risk  ○  ○
Credit Risk
Credit Risk for Floating Rate Loans
Currency Risk
Debtor-In-Possession Loan Risk
Demand for Loans Risk

 

60

 

 

  Insider
Income
High
Income
Total
Return
Income

Global

Balanced

Floating
Rate Income
Enhanced
Income
Strategy
Derivatives Risk
Distribution Policy Risk
Dividend Yield Risk
Duration Risk
Emerging Markets Risk
Energy and Infrastructure Industry Risk
Energy Sector Risk
Equity Securities Incidental to Investments in Loans Risk
Equity Security Risk
Exchange Traded Notes Risk
Financials Sector Risk
Fixed Income Risk
Focused Investment Risk
Foreign Currency Risk
Foreign Exchanges Risk
Foreign Securities/ Investment Risk
Forwards Risk
Futures Contract Risk