BBH Trust

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Prospectus

 

February 28, 2023

 

BBH Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund

Class N Shares (Ticker BBINX)

Class I Shares (Ticker BBIIX)

 

These securities have not been approved or disapproved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or any state securities commission, nor has the SEC or any state securities commission passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
I.   BBH Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund Summary     1
   
II.  Investment Objective, Principal Investment Strategies and Principal Risks     7
   
Investment Objective     7
   
Principal Investment Strategies     7
   
Principal Risks of the Fund     8
   
Portfolio Holdings     11
   
III. Management of the Fund     12
   
IV. Shareholder Information     12
   
Fund Valuation Policies     12
   
Description of Share Classes     13
   
Revenue Sharing     13
   
Account Transactions     13
   
Dividends and Distributions     16
   
Taxes     16
   
V.  Financial Highlights     18

 

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I. BBH INTERMEDIATE MUNICIPAL BOND FUND SUMMARY

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

 

The investment objective of the BBH Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund (the “Fund”) is to protect investor’s capital and generate attractive risk-adjusted returns.

 

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND

 

 

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell the Fund’s Class N Shares and Class I Shares. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and expense example below.

 

Shareholder Fees

(Fees paid directly from your investment)

 

    Class N     Class I  
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases     None       None  
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)     None       None  
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends     None       None  
Redemption Fee on shares held less than 30 days after purchase (as a percentage of amount redeemed, if applicable)     1.00 %     1.00 %
Exchange Fee     None       None  

 

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

 

    Class N     Class I  
Management Fees     0.40 %     0.40 %
Shareholder Service Fee     0.20 %     None  
Distribution (12b-1) Fees     None       None  
Other Expenses     0.10 %     0.06 %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses     0.70 %     0.46 %
Less Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement*     (0.05 )%     0.00 %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement     0.65 %     0.46 %

 

 

 

* Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., through a separately identifiable department (the “Investment Adviser”), has contractually agreed to limit the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.65% for Class N Shares and 0.50% for Class I Shares through March 1, 2024 (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, other expenditures that are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business) (the “Expense Limitation Agreement”). The Expense Limitation Agreement may only be terminated during its term with approval of the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”).

 

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EXAMPLE

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund’s Class N Shares and Class I Shares to the cost of investing in other mutual funds. This example gives effect to the Expense Limitation Agreement for 1 year and the first year of the 3-, 5- and 10-year calculations. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund’s Class N Shares and Class I Shares for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the operating expenses of the Fund’s Class N Shares and Class I Shares remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

    1 Year     3 Years     5 Years     10 Years  
Class N Shares   $ 66     $ 219     $ 385     $ 865  
Class I Shares   $ 47     $ 147     $ 257     $ 578  

 

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 rate 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 above, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 135% of the average value of its portfolio. Excluding variable rate demand notes, during the Fund’s most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 73% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by applying bottom-up fundamental analysis and investing in a long-term, tax-aware manner. The Fund aims to implement the strategy by investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of investment grade municipal bonds rated in the four highest credit ratings categories (AAA to BBB, or equivalent) at the time of purchase by at least one nationally recognized credit rating agency, or, if unrated, deemed to be of comparable quality by the investment adviser. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in municipal bonds that pay interest that is generally excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes. However, certain municipal securities may pay interest that is includable as taxable income for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

The Fund may invest in fixed-, variable- or floating-rate municipal securities issued by states, territories and possessions of the United States and the District of Columbia and their political subdivisions, agencies, and instrumentalities, authorities thereof, and multi-state agencies, issued to obtain funds for various public purposes. These may include general obligation bonds, which typically are backed by the issuer’s ability to levy taxes, and revenue bonds, which typically are backed by a stream of revenue from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other specific revenue source. Municipal securities also include auction rate municipal securities. The Fund may invest up to 15% of the market value of its total assets in securities that may be purchased on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis.

 

The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its total assets in securities that are not municipal securities, if, in the opinion of the Investment Adviser, these securities will enhance after-tax returns for Fund investors. Non-municipal securities investments may include notes and bonds issued by domestic and non-U.S. corporations and financial institutions and the U.S. Government, its agencies and guaranteed issuers. In addition, the Fund may purchase asset-backed securities, mortgage backed securities, auction rate securities and other sovereign debt when the Investment Adviser believes that the additional returns from these securities justify the risk of allocations to these asset classes. Under normal circumstances, the Fund expects the portfolio’s dollar weighted average maturity to be between 3 and 10 years.

 

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The Fund may invest in money market instruments, repurchase agreements and derivative instruments, consisting of futures, swaps and options, to hedge its investments or to seek to enhance returns.

 

The Fund will not invest 25% or more of total assets in municipal obligations relating to similar types of projects or with other similar economic, business, or political characteristics (such as bonds of airport facilities or healthcare providers). For purposes of this policy, securities of the U.S. Government, its agencies, or instrumentalities and municipal obligations backed by the credit of governmental entities are not subject to this 25% limit. The Fund may invest more than 25% of its total assets in municipal securities whose issuers are located in any one state.

 

As part of the Fund’s investment process, the Investment Adviser considers environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) when evaluating investments in municipal bonds and structured products. The Investment Adviser does not evaluate ESG factors for securities issued by the U.S. government and its agencies. ESG factors may include, but are not limited to, the environmental and social risks of the issuer, as well as the issuer’s instituted governance programs.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS OF THE FUND

 

The principal risks of investing in the Fund and the circumstances reasonably likely to adversely affect an investment are listed and described below. The share price of the Fund changes daily, based on market conditions and other factors. A shareholder may lose money by investing in the Fund. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

Investment Risk:

Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or even long periods of time.

 

Market Risk:

The price of a security may fall due to changing economic, political, regulatory or market conditions, or due to a company’s or issuer’s individual situation. Natural disasters, the spread of infectious illness and other public health emergencies, recession, terrorism and other unforeseeable events may lead to increased market volatility and may have adverse effects on world economies and markets generally.

 

Interest Rate Risk:

Interest rate risk refers to the price fluctuation of a bond in response to changes in interest rates. The Fund’s investments in bonds and other fixed income securities will change in value in response to fluctuations in interest rates. In general, bonds with shorter maturities are less sensitive to interest rate movements than those with longer maturities (i.e., when interest rates increase, bond prices fall). Rising interest rates tend to cause the prices of debt securities (especially those with longer maturities) to fall which could result in a decrease of the net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund. Changes in the yield curve will impact the Fund’s investments. For example, when transitioning to recession, yields on shorter term securities tend to fall faster than the yields on longer term securities. When transitioning to expansion, yields on longer term bonds tend to rise less quickly that yields on shorter term securities. The Fund may invest in variable and floating rate securities. Although these instruments are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than fixed rate instruments, the value of variable and floating rate securities may decline if their interest rates do not rise as quickly, or as much, as general interest rates. The Fund’s fixed income investments may be subject to heightened risk associated with rising interest rates given the current historically low interest rate environment.

 

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A potential increase in interest rates may also result in periods of volatility and increased redemptions. As a result of increased redemptions, the Fund may have to liquidate fixed income securities at disadvantageous prices and times, or at a loss, which could adversely affect the performance of the Fund. While the Fund may use futures contracts, swaps and futures options to hedge against anticipated changes in interest rates, there can be no guarantee that the Fund will be able to successfully hedge interest rate exposures.

 

Illiquid Investment Risk:

Illiquid investment risk exists when a particular instrument is difficult to purchase or sell. Size of a transaction or illiquid markets may be factors.

 

Credit Risk:

Credit risk refers to the likelihood that an issuer, guarantor, or the counterparty to a derivative contract or repurchase agreement, will default on interest or principal payments. In addition to the possibility of an issuer being in default, the issuer may request an extension on the maturity of a security. In instances in which the maturity of a security is extended, the value of the security may decline.

 

Municipal Issuer Risk:

The Fund invests principally in municipal securities. The value of municipal securities may be affected by uncertainties in the municipal market related to legislation or litigation involving the taxation of municipal securities or the rights of municipal securities holders in the event of a default or bankruptcy. If a security’s structure fails to function as intended, the security could become taxable or decline in value. Additionally, issuers of municipal obligations may not be able to make timely payments because of general economic downturns or increased governmental costs.

 

Municipal Revenue Sector Risk:

The Fund will not invest 25% or more of its total assets in any one municipal revenue sector relating to bonds backed by revenues from similar types of projects (such as those relating to higher education, healthcare, housing, airports or utilities) or with other similar economic, business, or political characteristics. However, as the Fund’s exposure to such similar projects increases, the Fund will also become more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments relevant to these projects.

 

Geographic Risk:

From time to time the Fund may have a significant position in municipal securities whose issuers are located in a particular state. Under these circumstances, changes in the economic conditions in that state are likely to affect the Fund’s investments and performance.

 

Taxation Risk:

The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) has announced that holders of tax-exempt bonds such as the Fund have certain risks if the bonds were issued in connection with abusive transactions, refinancing irregularities, or the misuse of proceeds from the bond offering. While the Fund endeavors to purchase only bona fide tax-exempt bonds, there is a risk that a bond may be reclassified by the IRS as a taxable bond creating taxable income for the Fund and its shareholders. In this case, the Fund might be required to send to you and file with the IRS information returns for prior calendar years reclassifying some of its exempt-interest dividends as taxable dividends.

 

To qualify to pay exempt-interest dividends, which are treated as items of interest excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes, at least 50% of the value of the total assets of the Fund must consist of obligations exempt from regular federal income tax as of the close of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year. If the proportion of taxable investments held by the Fund exceeds 50% of the Fund’s total assets as of the close of any quarter of any Fund taxable year, the Fund will not for that taxable year satisfy the general eligibility test that otherwise permits it to pay exempt-interest dividends. Additionally, the Fund is generally not a suitable investment for individual retirement accounts (“IRAS”), for other tax-exempt or tax-deferred accounts or for investors who are not sensitive to the federal income tax consequences of their investments.

 

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When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities Risk:

The fund will not invest more than 15% of the market value of its total assets, less liabilities other than the obligations created by when-issued or delayed delivery commitments, in securities that have an extended settlement, which includes when-issued and delayed delivery securities. Between the transaction date and the delivery date, the price of the securities is subject to market fluctuations and may rise or fall depending on market conditions, additionally no interest will accrue until the securities are delivered. If a fund remains substantially fully invested at a time when a purchase is outstanding, the purchases may result in a form of leverage. If the counterparty to a when-issued or delayed-delivery transaction fails to deliver the securities, the fund may receive a less favorable price or yield, or may suffer a loss.

 

Large Shareholder Risk:

Asset allocation decisions, particularly large redemptions, made by an investment adviser whose discretionary clients make up a large percentage of the Fund’s shareholders may adversely impact remaining Fund shareholders.

 

Management Risk:

The Fund is actively managed and its success depends upon the investment skills and analytical abilities of the Investment Adviser to develop and effectively implement strategies that achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Subjective decisions made by the Investment Adviser may cause the Fund to incur losses or to miss profit opportunities on which it may otherwise have capitalized.

 

Call Risk:

If the securities in which the Fund invests are redeemed by the issuer before maturity the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in securities that pay a lower interest rate, which may decrease the Fund’s yield. This will most likely happen when interest rates are declining.

 

Derivatives Risk:

Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset or index. Risks are different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Risks include illiquid investment risk, interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, risk of mis-pricing or improper valuation and the risk of miscorrelation. The Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested.

 

FUND PERFORMANCE

 

The following bar chart and table are designed to give an indication of the risks involved with an investment in the Fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the Fund’s Class N Shares from year to year. The table shows how the average annual returns of the Fund’s Class N Shares and Class I Shares for the periods indicated compared to a broad-based market index. One cannot invest directly in an index.

 

When you consider this information, please remember that the Fund’s performance (before and after taxes) in past years is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated information on the Fund’s performance can be obtained by visiting www.bbhfunds.com or can be obtained by phone at 1-800-575-1265.

 

Total Return for Class N Shares (% Per Calendar Year)

 

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Highest Performing Quarter:   4.00% in 4th quarter of 2022
Lowest Performing Quarter:   (5.39)% in 1st quarter of 2022

 

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Average Annual Total Returns

(For the periods ended December 31, 2022)

The Fund’s performance figures assume that all distributions were reinvested in the Fund. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or IRAs. After-tax returns are shown for only one class and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

 

    1 Year     5 Years     Since Inception (4/1/2014)  
Class N Shares                  
Return Before Taxes     (6.22 )%     1.26 %     2.34 %
Return After Taxes on Distributions     (6.23 )%     1.11 %     2.07 %
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares     (3.02 )%     1.25 %     2.06 %
Class I Shares                        
Return Before Taxes     (6.04 )%     1.46 %     2.50 %
Bloomberg Municipal Bond 1-15 Year Blend Index                        
(reflects no deduction of fees, expenses or taxes)     (5.95 )%     1.44 %     2.10 %

 

INVESTMENT ADVISER

 

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (“BBH&Co.”), through a separately identifiable department, serves as the Fund’s investment adviser. The following individual is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.

 

Portfolio Manager

 

Name   BBH&Co. Title   Portfolio Manager of the Fund Since
Gregory S. Steier   Managing Director   2014

 

PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES

 

Shares of the Fund may be purchased or sold (redeemed) on any business day (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open). Shareholders may redeem shares held directly in the name of a shareholder on the books of the Fund by submitting a redemption request to the Fund’s transfer agent, ALPS Fund Services, Inc. (“Transfer Agent”). If shares are held by a bank, broker or other financial intermediary with which the Fund or its shareholder servicing agent has contracted (“Financial Intermediary”) on behalf of such shareholder, then shareholders must redeem shares through such Financial Intermediary.

 

Investment Minimums

Minimum initial and subsequent purchase amounts vary.

    Class N     Class I  
Initial Purchases   $ 5,000     $ 50,000  
Subsequent Purchases   $ 500     $  5,000  

 

TAX INFORMATION

 

The Fund intends to make distributions that are exempt from regular federal income tax. All or a portion of these distributions, however, may be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax and state and local taxes. The Fund may also make distributions that are taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the two.

 

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PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

 

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary, BBH&Co. may pay the Financial Intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Financial Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your Financial Intermediary’s website for more information.

 

II. INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE, PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND PRINCIPAL RISKS

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

The investment objective of the Fund is to protect investor’s capital and generate attractive risk-adjusted returns. The investment objective may be changed by the Board without a vote of shareholders. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by applying bottom-up fundamental analysis and investing in a long-term, tax-aware manner. The Fund aims to implement the strategy by investing primarily in a diversified portfolio of investment grade municipal bonds rated in the four highest credit ratings categories (AAA to BBB, or equivalent) at the time of purchase by at least one nationally recognized credit rating agency, or, if unrated, deemed to be of comparable quality by the Investment Adviser. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in municipal bonds that pay interest that is generally excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes. However, certain municipal securities may pay interest that is includable as taxable income for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

The Fund may invest in fixed-, variable- or floating-rate municipal securities issued by states, territories and possessions of the United States and the District of Columbia and their political subdivisions, agencies, and instrumentalities, authorities thereof, and multi-state agencies, issued to obtain funds for various public purposes. These may include general obligation bonds, which typically are backed by the issuer’s ability to levy taxes, and revenue bonds, which typically are backed by a stream of revenue from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other specific revenue source. Municipal securities also include auction rate municipal securities. The Fund may invest up to 15% of the market value of its total assets in securities that may be purchased on a when issued or delayed delivery basis.

 

As one of several factors, embedded within the Investment Adviser’s overall approach is the consideration of ESG criteria that could be relevant to an issuer of municipal bonds and structured products. The Investment Adviser does not evaluate ESG factors for securities issued by the U.S. government and its agencies. The Investment Adviser defines ESG as a set of environmental, social and governance factors used to inform its view on the long-term sustainability of the obligors that are considered for investment. Depending on the ESG risks that the revenue generating activities of such obligors face, examples within the environmental factor include, but are not limited to, the obligor’s positioning to manage risks and opportunities related to carbon footprint or resiliency after a natural disaster. Similarly, social considerations examples obligor’s labor relations and tax policies and affordability. Finally, governance matters include, for example, the consideration of an obligor’s quality and timeliness of disclosures, long-term planning or governmental practices. A less favorable ESG profile may not preclude the Fund from investing in a company, as the consideration of these factors is not more influential than the consideration of other investment criteria.

 

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The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its total assets in securities that are not municipal securities, if, in the opinion of the Investment Adviser, these securities will enhance after-tax returns for Fund investors. Non-municipal securities investments may include notes and bonds issued by domestic and non-U.S. corporations and financial institutions and the U.S. Government, U.S. Government agencies and U.S. Government-guaranteed issuers. In addition, the Fund may purchase asset-backed securities, mortgage backed securities, auction rate securities and other sovereign debt when the Investment Adviser believes that the additional returns from these securities justify the risk of allocations to these asset classes. Under normal circumstances, the Fund expects the portfolio’s dollar weighted average maturity to be between 3 and 10 years.

 

The Fund may invest in money market instruments, repurchase agreements and derivative instruments, consisting of futures, swaps and options, to hedge its investments or to seek to enhance returns.

 

The Fund will not invest 25% or more of its total assets in any one municipal revenue sector relating to bonds backed by revenues from similar types of projects (such as those relating to higher education, healthcare, housing, airports or utilities) or with other similar economic, business or political characteristics. For purposes of this policy, securities of the U.S. Government, its agencies, or instrumentalities and municipal obligations backed by the credit of governmental entities are not subject to this 25% limit. The Fund may invest more than 25% of its total assets in municipal securities whose issuers are located in any one state.

 

For temporary defensive purposes in times of adverse or unstable market, economic or political conditions, the Fund can invest up to 100% of its assets in investments that may be inconsistent with the Fund’s principal investment strategies. Generally, the Fund would invest in short-term municipal securities, but could also invest in U.S. Government securities or highly-rated corporate debt securities. The Fund might also hold these types of securities as interim investments pending the investment of proceeds from the sale of Fund shares or the sale of Fund portfolio securities or to meet anticipated redemptions of Fund shares. The income from some temporary defensive investments may not be tax-exempt, and therefore to the extent the Fund invests in these securities, it might not achieve its investment objective.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS OF THE FUND

 

The principal risks of investing in the Fund and the circumstances reasonably likely to adversely affect an investment are listed and described below. The share price of the Fund changes daily, based on market conditions and other factors. A shareholder may lose money by investing in the Fund.

 

Investment Risk:

As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or even long periods of time. The share price of the Fund changes daily, based on market conditions and other factors. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program.

 

Market Risk:

The price of a security may fall due to changing economic, political, regulatory or market conditions, or due to a company’s or issuer’s individual situation. Local, regional, or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the market generally and on specific securities. For example, since December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus has spread globally, which resulted in the temporary closure of many corporate offices, retail stores, manufacturing facilities and factories, and other businesses across the world. As the extent of the impact on global markets from the coronavirus is difficult to predict, the extent to which the coronavirus may negatively affect the Fund’s performance or the duration of any potential business disruption is uncertain. Any potential impact on performance will depend to a large extent on future developments and new information that may emerge regarding the duration and severity of the coronavirus and the actions taken by authorities and other entities to contain the coronavirus or treat its impact.

 

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Interest Rate Risk:

Interest rate risk refers to the price fluctuation of a bond in response to changes in interest rates. The Fund’s investments in bonds and other fixed income securities will change in value in response to fluctuations in interest rates. In general, bonds with shorter maturities are less sensitive to interest rate movements than those with longer maturities, (i.e., when interest rates increase, bond prices fall). As with most funds that invest in debt securities, changes in interest rates are one of the most important factors that could affect the value of your investment. Rising interest rates tend to cause the prices of debt securities (especially those with longer maturities) and the Fund’s share price to fall. Changes in the yield curve will impact the Fund’s investments. For example, when transitioning to recession, yields on shorter term securities tend to fall faster than the yields on longer term securities. When transitioning to expansion, yields on longer term bonds tend to rise less quickly that yields on shorter term securities. The Fund may invest in variable and floating rate securities. Although these instruments are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than fixed rate instruments, the value of variable and floating rate securities may decline if their interest rates do not rise as quickly, or as much, as general interest rates. The Fund’s fixed income investments may be subject to heightened risk associated with rising interest rates given the current historically low interest rate environment.

 

A potential increase in interest rates may also result in periods of volatility and increased redemptions. As a result of increased redemptions, the Fund may have to liquidate fixed income securities at disadvantageous prices and times, or at a loss, which could adversely affect the performance of the Fund. While the Fund may use futures contracts and futures options to hedge against anticipated changes in interest rates, there can be no guarantee that the Fund will be able to successfully hedge interest rate exposures.

 

The concept of duration is useful in assessing the sensitivity of a fixed income fund to interest rate movements, which are usually the main source of risk for most fixed-income funds. Duration measures price volatility by estimating the change in price of a debt security for a 1% change in its yield. For example, a duration of five years means the price of a debt security will change about 5% for every 1% change in its yield. Thus, the higher the duration, the more volatile the security. The weighted average duration of the portfolio is expected to be between 3 and 7 years.

 

Debt securities have a stated maturity date when the issuer must repay the principal amount of the bond. Some debt securities, known as callable bonds, may repay the principal earlier than the stated maturity date. Debt securities are most likely to be called when interest rates are falling because the issuer can refinance at a lower rate. Rising interest rates may also cause investors to pay off mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities later than anticipated, forcing the Fund to keep its money invested at lower rates. Falling interest rates, however, generally cause investors to pay off mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities earlier than expected, forcing the Fund to reinvest the money at a lower interest rate.

 

Mutual funds that invest in debt securities have no real maturity. Instead, they calculate their dollar weighted average maturity. This number is an average of the effective or anticipated maturity of each debt security held by the Fund.

 

Illiquid Investment Risk:

Illiquid investment risk exists when a particular instrument is difficult to purchase or sell. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid (as is the case with many restricted securities), it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price. Additionally, the market for certain investments may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer.

 

Credit Risk:

Credit risk refers to the likelihood that an issuer will default on interest or principal payments. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument may cause it to default or become unable to pay interest or principal due. The Fund cannot collect interest and principal payments on a security or instrument if the issuer defaults. While the Fund attempts to limit credit exposure in a manner consistent with its investment objective, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments. In addition to the possibility of an issuer being in default, the issuer may request an extension on the maturity of a security. In instances in which the maturity of a security is extended, the value of the security may decline.

 

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Municipal Issuer Risk:

The Fund invests principally in municipal securities. The value of municipal securities may be affected by uncertainties in the municipal market related to legislation or litigation involving the taxation of municipal securities or the rights of municipal securities holders in the event of a default or bankruptcy. If a security’s structure fails to function as intended, the security could become taxable or decline in value. Additionally, issuers of municipal obligations may not be able to make timely payments because of general economic downturns or increased governmental costs.

 

There may be economic or political changes that impact the ability of municipal issuers to repay principal and to make interest payments on municipal securities. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of municipal issuers also may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s municipal securities. Constitutional or legislative limits on borrowing by municipal issuers may result in reduced supplies of municipal securities. Moreover, certain municipal securities are backed only by a municipal issuer’s ability to levy and collect taxes.

 

Municipal Revenue Sector Risk:

The Fund will not invest 25% or more of its total assets in any one municipal revenue sector relating to bonds backed by revenues from similar types of projects (such as those relating to higher education, healthcare, housing, airports or utilities) or with other similar economic, business, or political characteristics. However, as the Fund’s exposure to such similar projects increases, the Fund will also become more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments relevant to these projects.

 

Geographic Risk:

From time to time the Fund may have a significant position in municipal securities whose issuers are located in a particular state. Under these circumstances, changes in the economic conditions in that state are likely to affect the Fund’s investments and performance.

 

Taxation Risk:

The IRS has announced that holders of tax-exempt bonds such as the Fund have certain risks if the bonds were issued in connection with abusive transactions, refinancing irregularities, or the misuse of proceeds from the bond offering. While the Fund endeavors to purchase only bona fide tax-exempt bonds, there is a risk that a bond may be reclassified by the IRS as a taxable bond creating taxable income for the Fund and its shareholders. In this case, the Fund might be required to send to you and file with the IRS information returns for prior calendar years reclassifying some of its exempt-interest dividends as taxable dividends.

 

To qualify to pay exempt-interest dividends, which are treated as items of interest excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes, at least 50% of the value of the total assets of the Fund must consist of obligations exempt from regular income tax as of the close of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year. If the proportion of taxable investments held by the Fund exceeds 50% of the Fund’s total assets as of the close of any quarter of any Fund taxable year, the Fund will not for that taxable year satisfy the general eligibility test that otherwise permits it to pay exempt-interest dividends. Additionally, the Fund is generally not a suitable investment for IRAs, for other tax-exempt or tax-deferred accounts or for investors who are not sensitive to the federal income tax consequences of their investments.

 

When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities Risk:

The fund will not invest more than 15% of the market value of its total assets, less liabilities other than the obligations created by when-issued or delayed delivery commitments, in securities that have an extended settlement, which includes when-issued and delayed delivery securities. The Fund will commit to purchasing these securities but delivery of and payment for the securities may take place a month or more after the transaction date. Between the transaction date and the delivery date, the price of the securities is subject to market fluctuations and may rise or fall depending on market conditions, additionally no interest will accrue until the securities are delivered. If a fund remains substantially fully invested at a time when a purchase is outstanding, the purchases may result in a form of leverage. At the time of acquisition, when-issued or delayed delivery securities may be valued at less than the purchase price. If the counterparty to a when-issued or delayed-delivery transaction fails to deliver the securities, the fund may receive a less favorable price or yield, or may suffer a loss.

 

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Large Shareholder Risk:

From time to time, an investment adviser, including BBH&Co., may allocate a portion of the assets of its discretionary clients to the Fund. There is a risk that if a large percentage of Fund shareholders consists of such investment adviser’s discretionary clients, asset allocation decisions, particularly large redemptions, may adversely impact remaining Fund shareholders.

 

Management Risk:

The Fund is actively managed and its success depends upon the investment skills and analytical abilities of the Investment Adviser to develop and effectively implement strategies that achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Subjective decisions made by the Investment Adviser may cause the Fund to incur losses or to miss profit opportunities on which it may otherwise have capitalized.

 

Call Risk:

If the securities in which the Fund invests are redeemed by the issuer before maturity the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in securities that pay a lower interest rate, which may decrease the Fund’s yield. This will most likely happen when interest rates are declining.

 

Derivatives Risk:

Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. The Fund’s use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this section, such as illiquid investment risk, interest rate risk, market risk, counterparty risk and credit risk. They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. By investing in a derivative instrument, the Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial.

 

Investments in the Fund are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government. Shares of the Fund are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed by, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. or any other bank, and the shares are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other federal, state or other governmental agency.

 

PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

 

Information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available on the Fund’s website at www.bbhfunds.com. A complete listing of the Fund’s portfolio holdings as of the end of each month is posted on the website approximately 15 days after the end of the month and remains posted until replaced by the information for the succeeding month.

 

A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).

 

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III. MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND

BBH&Co., a New York limited partnership, located at 140 Broadway, New York, NY 10005 and established in 1818, serves as the investment adviser to the Fund through a separately identifiable department. The Investment Adviser is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

 

Subject to the general supervision of the Board, the Investment Adviser makes the day-to-day investment decisions for the Fund, places the purchase and sale orders for the portfolio transactions of the Fund, and generally manages the Fund’s portfolio of investments. BBH&Co. provides a broad range of investment management services for customers in the United States and abroad. As of December 31, 2022, BBH&Co. managed total assets of approximately $81.2 billion, $690.8 million of which represented total net assets in the Fund.

 

In addition to a continuous investment program, BBH&Co. serves as the Fund’s administrator and provides administrative services such as shareholder communications and tax services.

 

Investment Advisory and Administrative Fee

For investment advisory and administrative services, the Investment Adviser receives a combined fee, computed daily and payable monthly, equal to 0.40% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. This fee compensates the Investment Adviser for its services and its expenses. For the most recent fiscal year, the Fund, after expense waivers and reimbursements, paid the Investment Adviser 0.40% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. A discussion of the Board’s most recent approval of the Fund’s investment advisory contract will be available in the Fund’s Semi-Annual Report for the period ending April 30, 2023.

 

The Investment Adviser has contractually agreed to limit the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, other expenditures that are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business) of the Fund to 0.65% for Class N Shares and 0.50% for Class I Shares through March 1, 2024. The Expense Limitation Agreement may only be terminated during its term with approval of the Fund’s Board.

 

Portfolio Manager

Gregory S. Steier serves as the portfolio manager of the Fund.

 

Gregory S. Steier is a Managing Director of BBH&Co. with 31 years of combined industry and investment experience. Mr. Steier holds a BS and an MBA from New York University. He joined BBH&Co. in 1992 and has served as a Managing Director since 2007.

 

The Fund’s SAI provides additional information about the portfolio manager’s compensation, management of other accounts and ownership of shares of the Fund.

 

IV. SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION

 

Fund Valuation Policies

The Fund’s NAV is normally determined once daily at 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time on each day the NYSE is open for regular trading (“Business Day”). The Fund does not calculate its NAV on days the NYSE is closed for trading. Information that becomes known to the Fund or its agents after the NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not generally be used to retroactively adjust the price of a security or the NAV determined earlier that day. On days in which the NYSE closes early, the NAV may be determined before 4:00 p.m.

 

The determination of the Fund’s NAV is made by subtracting from the value of the total assets of a share class the amount of liabilities attributable to that class and dividing the difference by the number of shares outstanding of that class at the time the determination is made. The value of the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when the Fund is not open for business and not available for purchase or redemption of Fund shares.

 

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The Fund has a valuation policy which requires that if market quotations are unavailable or available but considered unreliable, then that security price should be overridden and fair valuation price be determined and used.

 

The Fund generally values fixed income securities according to prices furnished by brokers and dealers or an independent pricing service using date reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. Prices obtained from pricing services may be based on, among other things, information provided by market markers or estimates of market values obtained from yield data relating to investments or securities with similar characteristics. Fixed income securities with remaining maturities of less than 60 days at the time of purchase are valued at amortized cost, which approximates fair value.

 

Investments for which market quotations or market-based valuations are not readily available, or are available but deemed unreliable, are valued at fair value in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Board. Under the ultimate supervision of the Board, the responsibility for applying the Board-approved fair valuation policies and procedures has been delegated to the Investment Adviser. Market quotes are considered not readily available in circumstances where there is an absence of current or reliable market-based data (e.g., trade information, bid/ask information, broker quotes, pricing services prices), including where events occur after the close of the relevant market, but prior to the NYSE Close, that materially affect the price of the security or other asset. In addition, market quotes are considered not readily available when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the markets on which the securities trade do not open for trading for the entire day and no other market prices are available.

 

Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value of a security. The fair value of one or more securities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining the Fund’s net asset value.

 

Description of Share Classes

The Fund offers Class N Shares and Class I Shares through this Prospectus, each representing interests in a single portfolio of securities. Class N Shares and Class I Shares have different operating expenses, which may affect their performance. Neither Class N Shares nor Class I Shares automatically convert to any other class of shares of the Fund.

 

Revenue Sharing

BBH&Co. may make payments for marketing, promotional or related services provided by Financial Intermediaries that sell shares of the Fund. These payments are often referred to as “revenue sharing payments.” The level of such payments may be based on factors that include, without limitation, differing levels or types of services provided by the intermediary, the expected level of assets or sales of shares, access to an intermediary’s personnel and other factors. Revenue sharing payments are paid from BBH&Co.’s own legitimate profits and its own resources (not from the Fund), and may be in addition to any shareholder servicing payments that are paid by shareholder servicing agents to Financial Intermediaries. In some circumstances, such payments may create an incentive for a Financial Intermediary or its employees or associated persons to recommend or sell shares of a particular Fund to potential shareholders instead of recommending shares offered by competing investment companies.

 

Contact your Financial Intermediary for details about revenue sharing payments.

 

Account Transactions

 

Purchase of Shares

The Fund offers its shares on a continuous basis at the current NAV without a sales charge. Investors may purchase shares on any day the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund executes purchases of its shares at the NAV next determined after the Fund receives the purchase order in good order. Generally, a purchase order is considered to be in good order when the purchase payment is converted to federal funds. The Fund reserves the right to determine the purchase orders for Fund shares that it will accept.

 

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An investor may place purchase orders for Fund shares directly through the Transfer Agent or through a Financial Intermediary. Such orders will be priced at the NAV next calculated after the Fund receives the payment, through the Transfer Agent, in good order. Such orders that are placed directly through the Transfer Agent are held directly in the investor’s name on the books of the Fund and the investor is responsible for arranging for payment of the purchase price of Fund shares.

 

Those investors who buy shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that is authorized to place trades in Fund shares for their customers will have such shares held in the Financial Intermediary’s name pursuant to arrangements made with that customer. Each Financial Intermediary arranges payment for Fund shares on behalf of its customers and may charge a transaction fee payable to the Financial Intermediary on the purchase of Fund shares.

 

Shares of the Fund have not been registered for sale outside the U.S. The Fund generally does not sell shares to investors residing outside the U.S., even if they are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, except to investors with U.S. military APO or FPO addresses.

 

Investment Minimums*

Minimum initial and subsequent purchase amounts vary.

    Class N     Class I**  
Initial Purchases   $ 5,000     $ 50,000  
Subsequent Purchases   $ 500     $ 5,000  

 

 

* The Fund may change these investment minimums from time to time. A Financial Intermediary may also establish and amend, from time to time, minimum initial and/or subsequent purchase requirements for its customers. The Fund may waive the initial and subsequent investment minimums for purchases by financial intermediaries.
** The Fund has waived the investment minimums for all BBH&Co. Partners, employees, Fund Trustees and their respective family members, who wish to invest in the Fund’s Class I Shares.

 

Redemption of Shares

The Fund prices a redemption at the NAV next calculated after the Fund receives the request in good order. The Fund normally determines the Fund’s NAV daily at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on each day that the equity markets of the NYSE are open for a regular day of trading. Under normal market conditions, redemption requests received in good order by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on any Business Day will be executed at that day’s NAV. Orders received after 4:00 p.m. will be executed at the next day’s NAV. Redemption requests received before 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on any Business Day will typically be paid on the Business Day following the date on which the redemption request was received in good order. Redemption requests will be paid by federal funds wire transfer to the shareholder’s designated account. In order to meet the redemption request, the Fund typically expects to use available cash (or cash equivalents) or to sell portfolio securities. These methods may be used during both normal and stressed market conditions.

 

While the Fund typically makes payments of redemption requests in cash, it has reserved the right to pay redemption proceeds by a distribution in-kind of portfolio securities when it deems appropriate.

 

How to Redeem Fund Shares

Shareholders must redeem shares held by a Financial Intermediary through that Financial Intermediary and follow the Financial Intermediary’s procedures for redeeming Fund shares. For more information about how to redeem shares through a Financial Intermediary, contact the Financial Intermediary directly.

 

Shareholders may redeem shares held directly with the Fund by submitting a redemption request to the Transfer Agent. The Fund pays proceeds resulting from such redemption directly to the shareholder generally on the next Business Day after the redemption request is received in good order.

 

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Redemption Fee

Fund shares that are redeemed within 30 days from that date of purchase will be subject to a redemption fee of 1.00% of the total redemption proceeds. The 30-day period shall commence on the next business day following the date your purchase order is received in good order by the Fund and shall apply to any redemption made on or before the 30th day from that date. The redemption fee is payable to the Fund and is intended to reduce the impact on remaining investors in the Fund of the costs incurred by the Fund in meeting redemption requests from investors who are not long-term investors. For purposes of determining whether the redemption fee applies, shares held the longest will be redeemed first. See “Frequent Trading Policy” below for more information.

 

The Fund may sell shares to some banks or trust company accounts, and accounts of certain financial institutions or intermediaries that do not apply the redemption fee to underlying shareholders, often because of administrative or systems limitations. From time to time, with the approval of the Investment Adviser, the redemption fee will not be assessed on redemptions in certain circumstances. For more information on the waiver of the redemption fee, see “Purchases and Redemptions” in the Fund’s SAI.

 

Redemptions by the Fund

The Fund has established a minimum account size of $5,000 for Class N Shares and $50,000 for Class I Shares, which may be changed from time to time in its discretion. Except in circumstances where the minimum account size has been changed or waived, if the value of an account held directly with the Fund falls below the minimum account size because of a redemption of shares, the Fund reserves the right to redeem the shareholder’s remaining shares. If such remaining shares are to be redeemed, the Fund will notify the shareholder and will allow the shareholder 60 days to make an additional investment to meet the minimum requirement before the redemption is processed. In the event that the Fund meets a redemption request through a distribution in-kind, the Fund will analyze a variety of factors when selecting securities, including, but not limited to, tax implications, liquidity implications, portfolio transaction costs, fees and other costs associated with the transaction.

 

Each Financial Intermediary may establish its own minimum account requirements for its customers, which may be lower than those established for accounts held with the Fund.

 

Further Redemption Information

Redemptions of shares result in taxable events for a shareholder who may realize a gain or a loss.

 

The Fund has reserved the right to pay redemption proceeds by a distribution in-kind of a security or securities from the Fund’s portfolio (rather than cash). In the event that the Fund makes an in-kind distribution, you could incur brokerage and transaction charges when converting the securities to cash. Additionally, securities received through an in-kind redemption may be subject to market risk until such time as you can dispose of the securities. The Fund does not expect to make in-kind distributions, but if it does, the Fund will pay, during any 90-day period, your redemption proceeds in cash up to either $250,000 or 1.00% of the Fund’s net assets, whichever is less.

 

The Fund may suspend a shareholder’s right to receive payment with respect to any redemption or postpone the payment of the redemption proceeds for up to seven days after tender, and for such other periods as applicable laws may permit.

 

Frequent Trading Policy

Frequent or short-term trading into and out of the Fund, or time-zone arbitrage (i.e., the purchase and sale of Fund securities in order to profit from price discrepancies between the time the price of the portfolio security is determined and the time the Fund’s NAV is computed), can have adverse consequences for the Fund and shareholders who use the Fund as a long-term investment vehicle. Such trading in significant amounts can disrupt the Fund’s investment strategies (e.g., by requiring it to sell investments at inopportune times or maintain excessive short-term or cash positions to support redemptions), dilute the interests of other shareholders, increase brokerage and administrative costs and affect the timing and amount of taxable gains distributed by the Fund. Investors engaged in such trading may also seek to profit by anticipating changes in the Fund’s NAV in advance of the time the NAV is calculated.

 

The Fund’s Board has approved policies and procedures intended to discourage excessive frequent or short-term trading of the Fund’s shares. As described above, the Fund imposes a 1.00% fee on redemptions of Fund shares made within 30 days from the date of purchase. The Fund also monitors trading in Fund shares in an effort to identify disruptive trading activity.

 

In addition, each agreement among the Fund, its distributor and a Financial Intermediary will contain representations concerning the Financial Intermediary’s policies and procedures to monitor, deter and report instances of market timing.

 

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No matter how the Fund defines its limits on frequent trading of Fund shares, other purchases and sales of Fund shares, not deemed to be frequent trading, may have adverse effects on the management of the Fund’s portfolio and its performance.

 

Redemption fees and restrictions on short-term trading should apply to all shareholders, regardless of the number or type of accounts in which shares are held. However, the Fund anticipates that limitations on its ability to identify trading activity to specific shareholders, including where shares are held through a Financial Intermediary in multiple or omnibus accounts, will mean that these restrictions may not be able to be applied uniformly in all cases.

 

The Investment Adviser may determine from the amount, frequency or pattern of purchases and redemptions that a shareholder is engaged in excessive trading that is or could be detrimental to the Fund and other shareholders and may preclude the shareholder from making further purchases of Fund shares. If your purchase order is rejected, you will not be able to execute that transaction, and the Fund will not be responsible for any losses you may suffer.

 

Dividends and Distributions

The Fund declares dividends daily, and generally distributes net investment income monthly and net realized gains, if any, annually. The Fund may pay additional distributions and dividends at other times if necessary for the Fund to avoid federal income or excise tax. The Fund expects distributions to be primarily from income.

 

Shares normally begin to earn dividends on the business day payment is received in good order by the Fund’s transfer agent. Shares earn dividends through the date of a redemption. Shares redeemed on a Friday or prior to a holiday will continue to earn dividends until the next business day. Generally, if you redeem all of your shares at any time during the month, you will also receive all dividends earned through the date of redemption in the same check. When you redeem only a portion of your shares, all dividends accrued on those shares will be reinvested, or paid in cash, on the next dividend payment date.

 

Unless a shareholder whose shares are held directly in the shareholder’s name on the books of the Fund elects to have dividends and capital gains distributions paid in cash, the Fund automatically reinvests dividends and capital gains distributions in additional Fund shares without reference to the minimum subsequent purchase requirement. There are no sales charges for the reinvestment of dividends.

 

Each Financial Intermediary may establish its own policy with respect to the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions in additional Fund shares.

 

Taxes

Please consult your personal tax adviser regarding your specific questions about federal, state and local taxes. Below is a summary of some important federal income tax issues that affect the Fund and its taxable shareholders. This summary is based on current tax laws, which are subject to change. Unless you are a tax-exempt entity or your investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions and when you sell Fund shares.

 

The Fund has elected and intends to qualify each year for the special tax treatment afforded to regulated investment companies (“RICs”) within the meaning of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. If the Fund maintains its qualification as a RIC and meets certain minimum distribution requirements, then the Fund is generally not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, if the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC or to meet minimum distribution requirements it would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in fund-level taxation and consequently a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.

 

The Fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and net realized capital gains, if any. Dividends paid by the Fund that are derived from interest earned on qualifying tax-exempt obligations will generally be reported as “exempt-interest dividends”, which shareholders may exclude from their gross income for regular federal income tax purposes. In order to pay tax-exempt interest dividends to shareholders, the Fund must invest at least 50% of its net assets in securities that pay interest that is exempt from federal income tax. Exempt-interest dividends may be subject to the alternative minimum tax. The Fund may at times buy tax-exempt securities at a discount from the price at which they were originally issued, especially during periods of rising interest rates. For federal income tax purposes, some or all of this market discount will be included in the Fund’s ordinary income and will be taxable as ordinary income when it is distributed to you. The Fund may not be a suitable investment for IRAs, for other tax-exempt or tax-deferred accounts or for investors who are not sensitive to the federal income tax consequences of their investments.

 

While the Fund intends, under normal circumstances, to invest at least 50% of its net assets in municipal securities that pay interest that is exempt from federal income tax in order to meet the requirements necessary for the Fund to pay out exempt-interest dividends to its shareholders, if the Fund fails to meet this requirement, the income from all of its investments, including its municipal securities, may be subject to federal income tax.

 

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Distributions to shareholders of net investment income received by the Fund from taxable investments, if any, including temporary taxable investments, will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. Any distributions of net capital gain (the excess of the Fund’s net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss) are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have owned your shares. Distributions of short-term capital gains are taxable as ordinary income. Since the Fund’s income is derived from sources that do not pay dividends, it is not expected that any portion of the dividends paid by the fund will qualify for the dividends received deduction available to corporate shareholders or as “qualified dividend income” taxable to non-corporate shareholders at reduced rates.

 

A RIC that receives business interest income may pass through its net business interest income for purposes of the tax rules applicable to the interest expense limitations under Section 163(j) of the Code. A RIC’s total “Section 163(j) Interest Dividend” for a tax year is limited to the excess of the RIC’s business interest income over the sum of its business interest expense and its other deductions properly allocable to its business interest income. A RIC may, in its discretion, designate all or a portion of ordinary dividends as Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, which would allow the recipient shareholder to treat the designated portion of such dividends as interest income for purposes of determining such shareholder’s interest expense deduction limitation under Section 163(j) of the Code. This can potentially increase the amount of a shareholder’s interest expense deductible under Section 163(j) of the Code. In general, to be eligible to treat a Section 163(j) Interest Dividend as interest income, you must have held your shares in the Fund for more than 180 days during the 361-day period beginning on the date that is 180 days before the date on which the share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend. However, the holding period requirement does not apply to the Fund because it declares interest dividends on a daily basis in an amount equal to at least 90 percent of the Fund’s excess section 163(j) interest income and distribute such dividends on a monthly basis. Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, if so designated by the Fund, will be reported to your financial intermediary or otherwise in accordance with the requirements specified by the IRS.

 

The Fund (or its administrative agent) will report to shareholders annually the U.S. federal income tax status of all Fund distributions.

 

Because the Fund may invest in foreign securities, it may be subject to foreign withholding taxes with respect to dividends or interest it receives from sources in foreign countries. If certain requirements are met, the Fund may be eligible to make an election enabling shareholders to claim foreign tax credits or deductions, subject to certain limitations, with respect to certain taxes paid by the Fund. If the Fund makes the election, each shareholder will be required to include in income a share of those taxes and will treat that share of those taxes as though it had been paid directly by the shareholder. The shareholder may then either deduct the taxes deemed paid by it in computing its taxable income or, alternatively, use the foregoing information in calculating the foreign tax credit (subject to significant limitations) against the shareholder’s federal income tax.

 

U.S. individuals with income exceeding certain thresholds are subject to a 3.8% tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income.” This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts. For these purposes, interest, dividends and certain capital gains are generally taken into account in computing a shareholder’s net investment income, but exempt-interest dividends are not taken into account.

 

In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. However, if the Fund declares a dividend in October, November or December, payable to shareholders of record in such a month, and pays it in January of the following year, shareholders will be taxed on the dividend as if it was received in the year in which it was declared.

 

You may want to avoid buying shares when the Fund is about to declare a taxable distribution because such dividend or other distribution will be taxable to you even though it may effectively be a return of a portion of your investment.

 

Exempt-interest dividends are taken into account when determining the taxable portion of your social security or railroad retirement benefits.

 

Each sale or redemption of Fund shares may be a taxable event. Assuming you hold shares of the Fund as a capital asset, the gain or loss on the sale or redemption of the Fund’s shares generally will be treated as a short-term capital gain or loss if you held the shares for 12 months or less or a long-term capital gain or loss if you held the shares for longer than 12 months. Any loss recognized by you on the sale or redemption of Fund shares with a tax holding period of six months or less will be disallowed to the extent of any exempt-interest dividends paid with regards to such shares, and any portion of such loss that exceeds the amount disallowed will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions to you of long-term capital gain with respect to such shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited.

 

If you are neither a citizen nor a resident of the United States, the Fund will withhold federal income tax at the rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be determined in accordance with any applicable treaty) on taxable dividends and other payments that are subject to such withholding. The 30% withholding tax will not apply to dividends that the Fund reports as (a) interest-related dividends, to the extent such dividends are derived from the Fund’s “qualified net interest income,” or (b) short-term capital gain dividends, to the extent such dividends are derived from the Fund’s “qualified short-term gain.” “Qualified net interest income” is the Fund’s net income derived from U.S.-source interest and original issue discount, subject to certain exceptions and limitations. “Qualified short-term gain” generally means the excess of the net short-term capital gain of the Fund for the taxable year over its net long-term capital loss, if any.

 

If you do not provide the Fund with your correct taxpayer identification number and any required certifications, you will be subject to backup withholding on your redemption proceeds, distributions and dividends (including exempt-interest dividends). The backup withholding rate is 24%. Backup withholding will not, however, be applied to payments that have been subject to the 30% withholding tax applicable to shareholders who are neither citizens nor residents of the United States.

 

The tax treatment of the Fund and its shareholders residing in those states and local jurisdictions that have income tax laws might differ from the treatment under federal income tax laws. Therefore, distributions to shareholders may be subject to additional state and local taxes. Shareholders are urged to consult their personal tax advisors regarding any state or local taxes.

 

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For additional information regarding taxes, please refer to the SAI.

 

V. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

 

The Financial Highlights table is intended to help an investor understand the financial performance of the Fund’s Class N Shares and Class I Shares for the past five years. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, whose report, along with the Fund’s financial statements, are included in the Fund’s annual report, which is available upon request.

 

Selected per share data and ratios for a Class N share outstanding throughout each year.

 

    For the years ended October 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  
Net asset value, beginning of year   $ 10.93     $ 10.96     $ 10.76     $ 10.15     $ 10.48  
Income from investment operations:                                        
Net investment income1     0.15       0.13       0.17       0.21       0.21  
Net realized and unrealized gain/(loss)     (1.22 )     (0.02 )     0.25       0.62       (0.23 )
Total income/(loss) from investment operations     (1.07 )     0.11       0.42       0.83       (0.02 )
Dividends and distributions to shareholders:                                        
From net investment income     (0.16 )     (0.13 )     (0.17 )     (0.21 )     (0.21 )
From net realized gains     (0.01 )     (0.01 )     (0.05 )     (0.01 )     (0.10 )
Total dividends and distributions to shareholders     (0.17 )     (0.14 )     (0.22 )     (0.22 )     (0.31 )
Short-term redemption fees1       0.00  2      0.00 2      0.00 2      0.00 2      0.00 2
Net asset value, end of year   $ 9.69     $ 10.93     $ 10.96     $ 10.76     $ 10.15  
Total return3     (9.91 )%     1.01 %     4.00 %     8.21 %     (0.26 )%
Ratios/Supplemental data:                                        
Net assets, end of year (in millions)   $ 55     $ 82     $ 92     $ 54     $ 34  
Ratio of expenses to average net assets before reductions     0.70 %     0.69 %     0.71 %     0.77 %     0.91 %
Fee waiver4     (0.05 )%     (0.04 )%     (0.06 )%     (0.12 )%     (0.26 )%
Expense offset arrangement     %     %     %      (0.00 )%5      (0.00 )%5
Ratio of expenses to average net assets after reductions     0.65 %     0.65 %     0.65 %     0.65 %     0.65 %
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets     1.46 %     1.18 %     1.58 %     2.01 %     2.07 %
Portfolio turnover rate     135 %     45 %     32 %     104 %     146 %
Portfolio turnover rate6     73 %     23 %     19 %     32 %     52 %

 

 

1 Calculated using average shares outstanding for the year.
2 Less than $0.01.
3 Assumes the reinvestment of distributions.
4 The ratio of expenses to average net assets for the years ended October 31, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018, reflect fees reduced as result of a contractual operating expense limitation of the share class to 0.65%. The agreement is effective for period beginning on April 1, 2014 and will terminate on March 1, 2023, unless it is renewed by all parties to the agreement. For the years ended October 31, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018, the waived fees were $31,643, $35,002, $41,531, $55,422 and $63,024, respectively.
5 Less than 0.01%.
6 The portfolio turnover rate excludes variable rate demand notes.

 

18

 

 

Selected per share data and ratios for a Class I share outstanding throughout each year.

    For the years ended October 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  
Net asset value, beginning of year   $ 10.92     $ 10.95     $ 10.75     $ 10.14     $ 10.47  
Income from investment operations:                                        
Net investment income1     0.18       0.15       0.19       0.23       0.23  
Net realized and unrealized gain/(loss)     (1.23 )     (0.02 )     0.25       0.61       (0.24 )
Total income/(loss) from investment operations     (1.05 )     0.13       0.44       0.84       (0.01 )
Dividends and distributions to shareholders:                                        
From net investment income     (0.18 )     (0.15 )     (0.19 )     (0.22 )     (0.22 )
From net realized gains     (0.01 )     (0.01 )     (0.05 )     (0.01 )     (0.10 )
Total dividends and distributions to shareholders     (0.19 )     (0.16 )     (0.24 )     (0.23 )     (0.32 )
Short-term redemption fees1       0.00 2      0.00 2      0.00 2      0.00 2      
Net asset value, end of year   $ 9.68     $ 10.92     $ 10.95     $ 10.75     $ 10.14  
Total return3     (9.74 )%     1.21 %     4.18 %     8.38 %     (0.12 )%
Ratios/Supplemental data:                                        
Net assets, end of year (in millions)   $ 597     $ 788     $ 656     $ 334     $ 129  
Ratio of expenses to average net assets before reductions     0.46 %     0.45 %     0.47 %     0.50 %     0.62 %
Fee waiver4     %     %     %      (0.00 )%5     (0.12 )%
Expense offset arrangement     %     %     %      (0.00 )%5      (0.00 )%5
Ratio of expenses to average net assets after reductions     0.46 %     0.45 %     0.47 %     0.50 %     0.50 %
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets     1.69 %     1.38 %     1.75 %     2.17 %     2.23 %
Portfolio turnover rate     135 %     45 %     32 %     104 %     146 %
Portfolio turnover rate6     73 %     23 %     19 %     32 %     52 %

 

 

1 Calculated using average shares outstanding for the year.
2 Less than $0.01.
3 Assumes the reinvestment of distributions.
4 The ratio of expenses to average net assets for the years ended October 31, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018, reflect fees reduced as result of a contractual operating expense limitation of the share class to 0.50%. The agreement is effective for period beginning on April 1, 2014 and will terminate on March 1, 2023, unless it is renewed by all parties to the agreement. For the years ended October 31, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018, the waived fees were $-, $-, $-, $6,608, and $111,441, respectively.
5 Less than 0.01%.
6 The portfolio turnover rate excludes variable rate demand notes.

 

19

 

 

More information on the Fund is available free upon request, including the following:

 

Annual/Semi-Annual Report

The Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders provide the Fund’s investments, performance and list portfolio holdings. The Fund’s annual report contains a letter from the Fund’s Investment Adviser discussing recent market conditions, economic trends and Fund strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year.

 

To reduce expenses, we mail only one copy of the Fund’s prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents, please call us at 1-800-575-1265 or if your shares are held through a financial institution please contact them directly. We will typically send you individual copies within three business days after receiving your request.

 

Statement of Additional Information

The SAI provides more details about the Fund and its policies and information on the Fund’s non-principal investment strategies. A current SAI is on file with the SEC and is incorporated by reference (and is legally considered part of this Prospectus).

 

To obtain the SAI, Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report without charge:

 

By telephone:   Call 1-800-575-1265
By mail write to the Fund’s shareholder servicing agent:   Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.
    140 Broadway
    New York, New York 10005
By e-mail send your request to:   [email protected]

 

On the Internet:

 

Certain Fund documents, including a recent statement of Fund holdings, can be viewed online or downloaded from Fund’s website at: http://www.bbhfunds.com

 

To obtain other information or to make other shareholder inquiries:

 

By telephone:   Call 1-800-575-1265
By e-mail send your request to:   [email protected]

 

Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: [email protected].

 

Investment Company Act File No. 811-21829

 

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