AMG FUNDS II

AMG GW&K GLOBAL ALLOCATION FUND

CLASS N: MBEAX

CLASS I: MBESX

CLASS Z: MBEYX

AMG GW&K ENHANCED CORE BOND ESG FUND

CLASS N: MFDAX

CLASS I: MFDSX

CLASS Z: MFDYX

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This Statement of Additional Information is not a Prospectus. It contains additional information regarding the activities and operations of the Funds. It should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GENERAL INFORMATION

Each Fund has established three classes of shares: Class N, Class I and Class Z. Effective October 1, 2016, existing Investor Class, Service Class and Institutional Class shares of the GW&K Global Allocation Fund were renamed Class N, Class I and Class Z, respectively, and existing Investor Class, Service Class and Institutional Class shares of the GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund were renamed Class N, Class S and Class I, respectively. Effective February 27, 2017, existing Class S and Class I shares of the GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund were renamed Class I and Class Z shares, respectively. Effective immediately after the close of business on May 31, 2019, Class C shares of the GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund automatically converted to Class N shares.

Effective April 28, 2014, Managers AMG GW&K Fixed Income Fund changed its name to AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond Fund. Effective May 1, 2019, AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond Fund changed its name to AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund.

Effective April 28, 2014, Managers AMG Chicago Equity Partners Balanced Fund changed its name to AMG Chicago Equity Partners Balanced Fund. Effective April 17, 2020, AMG Chicago Equity Partners Balanced Fund changed its name to AMG GW&K Global Allocation Fund.

Effective April 28, 2014, Managers Trust II changed its name to AMG Funds II and the Funds’ investment manager changed its name from Managers Investment Group LLC to AMG Funds LLC.

AMG Funds LLC (the “Investment Manager”), a subsidiary of Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (“AMG”), serves as investment manager to the Funds and is responsible for the Funds’ overall administration. It selects and recommends, subject to the approval of the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Trustees”), an independent asset manager, or a team of independent asset managers (the “Subadviser” or “Subadvisers”) to manage each Fund’s investment portfolio. The Investment Manager also monitors the performance, security holdings and investment strategies of these Subadvisers and researches any potential new Subadvisers for the Funds. See “Management of the Funds” for more information.

Investments in the Funds are not:

ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT POLICIES

The following is additional information regarding the investment policies used by each Fund in an attempt to achieve its investment objective as stated in its Prospectus. The Trust is an open-end management investment company, and each of the Funds is a diversified series of the Trust.

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Investment Techniques and Associated Risks

The following are descriptions of the types of securities and instruments that may be purchased by the Funds to the extent such investments are permitted by applicable law. The information below does not describe every type of investment, technique or risk to which each Fund may be exposed. Each Fund reserves the right, without notice, to make any investment, or use any investment technique, except to the extent that such activity would require a shareholder vote, as discussed below under “Fundamental Investment Restrictions.”

Asset-backed securities directly or indirectly represent a participation interest in, or are secured by and are payable from, a stream of payments generated from particular assets, such as automobile and credit card receivables and home equity loans or other asset-backed securities collateralized by those assets. Asset-backed securities provide periodic payments that generally consist of both principal and interest payments that must be guaranteed by a letter of credit from an unaffiliated bank for a specified amount and time.

Asset-backed securities are subject to certain risks. These risks generally arise out of the security interest in the assets collateralizing the security. For example, credit card receivables are generally unsecured and the debtors are entitled to a number of protections from the state and through federal consumer laws, many of which give the debtor the right to offset certain amounts of credit card debts thereby reducing the amounts due. In general, these types of loans have a shorter life than mortgage loans and are less likely to have substantial prepayments, although in a period of declining interest rates, pre-payments on asset-backed securities may increase and a Fund may be unable to reinvest those prepaid amounts in investments providing the same rate of interest as the pre-paid obligations. Asset-backed securities also involve the risk that borrowers may default on the obligations backing them and that the values of and interest earned on such investments will decline as a result. Loans made to lower quality borrowers, including those of sub-prime quality, involve a higher risk of default. Therefore, the values of asset-backed securities backed by lower quality loans, including those of sub-prime quality, may suffer significantly greater declines in value due to defaults, payment delays or a perceived increased risk of default, especially during periods when economic conditions worsen.

During periods of deteriorating economic conditions, such as recessions or periods of rising unemployment, delinquencies and losses generally increase, sometimes dramatically, with respect to securitizations involving loans, sales contracts, receivables and other obligations underlying asset-backed securities.

The Funds also invest in mortgage-backed securities, which are asset-backed securities associated with mortgage loans. Mortgage-backed securities and the risks associated with them are discussed under “Mortgage-Related Securities” below.

In General. The Funds may invest in below investment grade securities, subject to any limitations set forth in the Prospectus and this SAI. Below investment grade securities (also referred to as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds”) are securities rated below BBB by S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) or Baa by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), securities comparably rated by another Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (“NRSRO”), or unrated securities of equivalent quality, as determined by each Fund’s Subadviser. See Appendix A for further discussion regarding securities ratings. Below investment grade securities are deemed by the rating agencies to be predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Below investment grade securities, while generally offering higher yields than investment grade securities with similar maturities, involve greater risks, including the possibility of default or bankruptcy. The special risk considerations in connection with investments in these securities are discussed below.

Below investment grade securities generally offer a higher yield than that available from higher-rated issues with similar maturities, as compensation for holding a security that is subject to greater risk. Below investment grade securities are deemed by rating agencies to be predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal and may involve major risk or exposure to adverse conditions. Lower-rated securities involve higher risks in that they are especially subject to (1) adverse changes in general economic conditions and in the industries in which the issuers are engaged, (2) adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuers, (3) price fluctuation in response to changes in interest rates and (4) limited liquidity and secondary market support.

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Subsequent to purchase by a Fund, an issue of debt securities may cease to be rated or its rating may be reduced, so that the securities would no longer be eligible for future purchase by that Fund. A Fund may continue to hold such a security after its rating has been reduced.

Effect of Interest Rates and Economic Changes. All interest-bearing securities typically experience appreciation when interest rates decline and depreciation when interest rates rise. The market values of below investment grade securities tend to reflect individual corporate developments to a greater extent than do higher rated securities, which react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. Below investment grade securities also tend to be more sensitive to economic conditions than are higher-rated securities. As a result, they generally involve more credit risks than securities in the higher-rated categories. During an economic downturn or a sustained period of rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers of below investment grade securities may experience financial stress which may adversely affect their ability to service their debt obligations, meet projected business goals, and obtain additional financing. Periods of economic uncertainty and changes would also generally result in increased volatility in the market prices of these securities and thus in a Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”).

Payment Expectations. Below investment grade securities may contain redemption, call or prepayment provisions which permit the issuer of such securities to, at its discretion, redeem the securities. During periods of falling interest rates, issuers of these securities are likely to redeem or prepay the securities and refinance them with debt securities with a lower interest rate. To the extent an issuer is able to refinance the securities, or otherwise redeem them, a Fund may have to replace the securities with a lower yielding security, which would result in a lower return.

Credit Ratings. Credit ratings issued by credit-rating agencies are designed to evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments of rated securities. They do not, however, evaluate the market value risk of lower-quality securities and, therefore, may not fully reflect the risks of an investment. In addition, credit rating agencies may or may not make timely changes in a rating to reflect changes in the economy or in the condition of the issuer that affect the market value of the security. With regard to an investment in below investment grade securities, the achievement of a Fund’s investment objective may be more dependent on the Fund’s Subadviser’s own credit analysis than is the case for higher rated securities. Although a Fund’s Subadviser considers security ratings when making investment decisions, it does not rely solely on the ratings assigned by the rating services. Rather, a Fund’s Subadviser performs research and independently assesses the value of particular securities relative to the market. A Fund’s Subadviser’s analysis may include consideration of the issuer’s experience and managerial strength, changing financial condition, borrowing requirements or debt maturity schedules, and the issuer’s responsiveness to changes in business conditions and interest rates. It also considers relative values based on anticipated cash flow, interest or dividend coverage, asset coverage and earnings prospects.

A Fund’s Subadviser buys and sells debt securities principally in response to its evaluation of an issuer’s continuing ability to meet its obligations, the availability of better investment opportunities, and its assessment of changes in business conditions and interest rates.

Liquidity and Valuation. Below investment grade securities may lack an established retail secondary market, and to the extent a secondary trading market does exist, it may be less liquid than the secondary market for higher rated securities. The lack of a liquid secondary market may negatively impact a Fund’s ability to dispose of particular securities. The lack of a liquid secondary market for certain securities may also make it more difficult for a Fund to obtain accurate market quotations for purposes of valuing the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of below investment grade securities, especially in a thinly traded market.

Because of the many risks involved in investing in below investment grade securities, the success of such investments is dependent upon the credit analysis of the Fund’s Subadviser. Although the market for below investment grade securities is not new, and the market has previously weathered economic downturns, the past performance of the market for such securities may not be an accurate indication of its performance during future economic downturns or periods of rising interest rates. Differing yields on debt securities of the same maturity are a function of several factors, including the relative financial strength of the issuers.

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The GW&K Global Allocation Fund may invest up to 30% of its net assets in below investment grade securities.

The GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in below investment grade securities.

Under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), the Funds may borrow from any bank, provided that immediately after any such borrowing there is an asset coverage of at least 300% for all borrowings by a Fund and provided further, that in the event that such asset coverage shall at any time fall below 300%, a Fund shall, within three days (not including Sundays and holidays) thereafter or such longer period as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) may prescribe by rules and regulations, reduce the amount of its borrowings to such an extent that the asset coverage of such borrowings shall be at least 300%. The 1940 Act also permits an open-end investment company to borrow money from a bank or other person provided that such loan is for temporary purposes only and is in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of the investment company’s total assets at the time when the loan is made. A loan is presumed to be for temporary purposes if it is repaid within sixty days and is not extended or renewed. Typically, a Fund may pledge up to 33 1/3% of its total assets to secure these borrowings. The Trust, on behalf of each Fund, has entered into a master interfund lending agreement that would allow each Fund to borrow, for temporary purposes only, from other eligible funds in the AMG Fund Complex, subject to each Fund’s fundamental investment restrictions and provided such borrowings do not exceed the amount permitted by Section 18 of the 1940 Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder, as modified by the below mentioned and any other applicable exemptive order or other relief. The GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund may borrow up to 33 1/3% of its total assets through the interfund lending program, and the GW&K Global Allocation Fund may borrow up to 5% of its total assets under the interfund lending program. Please see “Interfund Lending” below for more information. If a Fund’s asset coverage for borrowings falls below 300%, the Fund will take prompt action to reduce its borrowings even though it may be disadvantageous at that time from an investment point of view. A Fund will incur costs when it borrows, including payment of interest and any fee necessary to maintain a line of credit, and may be required to maintain a minimum average balance. If a Fund is permitted to borrow money to take advantage of investment opportunities, if the income and appreciation on assets acquired with such borrowed funds exceed their borrowing cost, a Fund’s investment performance will increase, whereas if the income and appreciation on assets acquired with borrowed funds are less than their borrowing costs, investment performance will decrease. If a Fund borrows to invest in securities and the related gains from the investment and/or any hedging activity exceed the cost of borrowing and/or losses on hedging, the NAV of the shares will rise more than would otherwise be the case. On the other hand, if the investment performance of the additional securities purchased fails to cover their cost (including any interest paid on the money borrowed) to a Fund, the NAV of the Fund’s shares will decrease faster than would otherwise be the case. This speculative characteristic is known as “leverage.”

The Funds may invest in cash equivalents to the extent that such investments are consistent with each Fund’s investment objective, policies and restrictions, and as discussed in each Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI. A description of the various types of cash equivalents that may be purchased by the Funds appears below.

Bankers Acceptances. Bankers acceptances are short-term credit instruments used to finance the import, export, transfer or storage of goods. These instruments become “accepted” when a bank guarantees their payment upon maturity. Eurodollar bankers acceptances are bankers acceptances denominated in U.S. dollars and are “accepted” by foreign branches of major U.S. commercial banks.

Certificates of Deposit. Certificates of deposit are issued against money deposited into a bank (including eligible foreign branches of U.S. banks) or savings and loan association (“S&L”) for a definite period of time. They earn a specified rate of return and are normally negotiable.

Obligations of Domestic and Foreign Banks—General. The Funds may purchase obligations of domestic and foreign banks and foreign branches of domestic banks; provided, however, that the GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund may only invest in these types of instruments so long as they are U.S. dollar denominated. Banks

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are subject to extensive governmental regulations. These regulations place limitations on the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments which may be made by the bank and the interest rates and fees which may be charged on these loans and commitments. The profitability of the banking industry depends on the availability and costs of capital funds for the purpose of financing loans under prevailing money market conditions. General economic conditions also play a key role in the operations of the banking industry. Exposure to credit losses arising from potential financial difficulties of borrowers may affect the ability of the bank to meet its obligations under a letter of credit.

Repurchase Agreements. In a repurchase agreement, a Fund buys a security from a bank or a broker-dealer that has agreed to repurchase the same security at a mutually agreed-upon date and price. The resale price normally reflects the purchase price plus a mutually agreed-upon interest rate. This interest rate is effective for the period of time a Fund is invested in the agreement and is not related to the coupon rate on the underlying security.

Repurchase agreements are subject to certain risks that may adversely affect a Fund. If a seller defaults, a Fund may incur a loss if the value of the collateral securing the repurchase agreement declines and may incur disposition costs in connection with liquidating the collateral. In addition, if bankruptcy proceedings are commenced with respect to a seller of the security, the Fund’s ability to dispose of the collateral may be delayed or limited.

Short-Term Corporate Debt Securities. Short-term corporate debt securities include bills, notes, debentures, money market instruments and similar instruments and securities, and are generally used by corporations and other issuers to borrow money from investors for such purposes as working capital or capital expenditures. The issuer pays the investor a variable or fixed rate of interest and normally must repay the amount borrowed on or before maturity. The investment return of corporate debt securities reflects interest earnings and changes in the market value of the security. The market value of a corporate debt obligation may be expected to rise and fall inversely with interest rates generally. In addition to interest rate risk, corporate debt securities also involve the risk that the issuers of the securities may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by an instrument. The rate of return or return of principal on some debt obligations may be linked or indexed to the level of exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and a foreign currency or currencies.

Time Deposits. Time deposits in banks or S&Ls are generally similar to certificates of deposit, but are uncertificated.

Restrictions on Investments in Banking and Savings Industry Obligations. The Funds will not invest in obligations issued by a commercial bank or S&L unless:

1. The bank or S&L has total assets of at least $1 billion, or the equivalent in other currencies, and the institution has outstanding securities rated A or better by Moody’s or S&P, or, if the institution has no outstanding securities rated by Moody’s or S&P, it has, in the determination of the Fund’s Subadviser, similar creditworthiness to institutions having outstanding securities so rated;

2. In the case of a U.S. bank or S&L, its deposits are federally insured; and

3. In the case of a foreign bank, the security is, in the determination of the Fund’s Subadviser, of an investment quality comparable with other debt securities that may be purchased by the Fund. These limitations do not prohibit investments in securities issued by foreign branches of U.S. banks, provided such U.S. banks meet the foregoing requirements.

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A collateralized bond obligation (“CBO”) is a type of asset-backed security. Specifically, a CBO is a bond which is backed by a diversified pool of high risk, high yield fixed-income securities. The pool of high yield securities is separated into “tiers” representing different degrees of credit quality. The top tier of CBOs is backed by the pooled securities with the highest degree of credit quality and pays the lowest interest rate. Lower-tier CBOs represent lower degrees of credit quality and pay higher interest rates to compensate for the attendant risk. The bottom tier typically receives the residual interest payments (i.e., money that is left over after the higher tiers have been paid) rather than a fixed interest rate. The return on the bottom tier of CBOs is especially sensitive to the rate of defaults in the collateral pool.

Commercial paper refers to promissory notes that represent an unsecured debt of a corporation or finance company. They have a maturity of less than nine (9) months. Eurodollar commercial paper refers to promissory notes payable in U.S. dollars by European issuers.

The Funds, subject to their applicable investment policies, may invest in corporate debt securities issued by U.S. and foreign companies, banks and other corporate entities.

Corporate debt securities include bills, notes, debentures, money market instruments and similar instruments and securities, and are generally used by corporations and other issuers to borrow money from investors for such purposes as working capital or capital expenditures. The issuer pays the investor a variable or fixed rate of interest and normally must repay the amount borrowed on or before maturity. The investment return of corporate debt securities reflects interest earnings and changes in the market value of the security. The market value of a corporate debt obligation may be expected to rise and fall inversely with interest rates generally. In addition to interest rate risk, corporate debt securities also involve the risk that the issuers of the securities may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by an instrument. The rate of return or return of principal on some debt obligations may be linked or indexed to the level of exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and a foreign currency or currencies.

The Funds may invest in depositary receipts, including, but not limited to, Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Non-Voting Depositary Receipts (“NVDRs”). GDRs are negotiable certificates held in the bank of one country representing a specific number of shares of a stock traded on an exchange of another country. ADRs are negotiable receipts issued by a United States bank or trust company, trade in U.S. markets and evidence ownership of securities in a foreign company which have been deposited with such bank or trust’s office or agent in a foreign country. EDRs are European receipts evidencing a similar arrangement. NVDRs are trading instruments issued by the Thai NVDR Company Limited, a subsidiary wholly owned by The Stock Exchange of Thailand (the “SET”), intended to stimulate trading activity in the Thai stock market. NVDRs are automatically regarded as listed securities in the SET. Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets and EDRs, in bearer form, are designed for use in European securities markets. GDRs are receipts that may trade in U.S. or non-U.S. markets. Positions in these securities are not necessarily denominated in the same currency as the common stocks into which they may be converted. With respect to investments in NVDRs, investors will receive all financial benefits, e.g., dividends and right issues, as if they had invested in a company’s ordinary shares, except that NVDR holders do not have the voting rights associated with the shares.

Investing in depositary receipts presents risks not present to the same degree as investing in domestic securities even though the Funds will purchase, sell and be paid dividends on depositary receipts in U.S. dollars. These risks include fluctuations in currency exchange rates, which are affected by international balances of payments and other economic and financial conditions; government intervention; speculation; and other factors. With respect to certain foreign countries, there is the possibility of expropriation or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation and political, social and economic instability. A Fund may be required to pay foreign

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withholding or other taxes on certain of its depositary receipts. A Fund may not be eligible to elect or may not elect to permit United States shareholders to claim a credit or deduction for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent of any foreign income taxes paid by the Fund. In such case, the foreign taxes paid or withheld will nonetheless reduce the Fund’s taxable income. See “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters” below. Unsponsored depositary receipts are offered by companies which are not prepared to meet either the reporting or accounting standards of the United States. While readily exchangeable with stock in local markets, unsponsored depositary receipts may be less liquid than sponsored depositary receipts. Additionally, there generally is less publicly available information with respect to unsponsored depositary receipts.

The following describes certain derivative instruments and products in which the Funds may invest and risks associated therewith. 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. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks, such as liquidity risk, correlation risk, market risk, credit risk, leveraging risk, counterparty risk, tax risk and management risk, as well as risks arising from changes in applicable requirements.

The Funds might not employ any of the strategies described below or be permitted by applicable law to do so, and no assurance can be given that any strategy used will succeed. Also, suitable derivative and/or hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Funds will be able to identify or employ a desirable derivative and/or hedging transaction at any time or from time to time or that any such transactions will be successful. The Funds may use some of the following derivative instruments for hedging purposes.

Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. To the extent permitted by applicable law or regulation, a Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts, including futures contracts on global equity and fixed-income securities, interest rate futures contracts, foreign currency futures contracts and futures contracts on security indices (including broad-based security indices), for any purpose. The Funds may invest in foreign currency futures contracts and options thereon (“options on futures”) that are traded on a U.S. or foreign exchange or board of trade, or similar entity, or quoted on an automated quotation system as an adjunct to their securities activities. The Funds may purchase and sell futures contracts on various securities indices (“Index Futures”), including indices of U.S. government securities, foreign government securities, equity securities or fixed-income securities, and related options. Through the use of Index Futures and related options, a Fund may create economic exposure in its portfolio to long and short positions in the global (U.S. and non-U.S.) equity, bond and currency markets without incurring the substantial brokerage costs which may be associated with investment in the securities of multiple issuers. The Funds may enter into futures contracts for the purchase or sale of fixed-income securities, equity securities or foreign currencies, and may also use options on securities or currency futures contracts.

A futures contract provides for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified quantity of a financial instrument, foreign currency or the cash value of an index at a specified price and time. An Index Future is an agreement pursuant to which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount of cash equal to the difference between the value of a securities index (“Index”) at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the index contract was originally written. Although the value of an Index might be a function of the value of certain specified securities, no physical delivery of these securities is made. A unit is the value of the relevant Index from time to time. Entering into a contract to buy units is commonly referred to as buying or purchasing a contract or holding a long position in an Index. Index Futures contracts can be traded through major commodity brokers. As described below, a Fund will be required to segregate initial margin in the name of the futures broker upon entering into an Index Future. Variation margin will be paid to and received from the broker on a daily basis as the contracts are marked to market, as a settlement between a Fund and the broker of the amount one would owe the other if the futures contract expired.. For example, when a Fund has purchased an Index Future and the price of the relevant Index has risen, that position will have increased in value and the Fund will receive from the broker a variation margin payment equal to that increase in value. Conversely, when a Fund has purchased an Index Future and the price of the relevant Index has declined, the position would be less valuable and the Fund would be required to make a variation margin payment to the broker.

The Funds will ordinarily be able to close open positions on the futures exchanges on which Index Futures are traded at any time up to and including the expiration day. All positions which remain open at the close of the

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last business day of the contract’s life are required to settle on the next business day (based upon the value of the relevant Index on the expiration day), with settlement made with the appropriate clearing house. However, there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular futures contract at any specific time. Thus, it may not be possible to close a futures position, and a Fund would be obligated to meet margin requirements (as discussed below) until the position is closed. Additional or different margin requirements as well as settlement procedures may be applicable to foreign stock Index Futures at the time a Fund purchases such instruments. Positions in Index Futures may be closed out by a Fund only on the futures exchanges upon which the Index Futures are then traded.

The following example illustrates generally the manner in which Index Futures operate. The S&P 100 Index is composed of 100 selected common stocks, most of which are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). The S&P 100 Index assigns relative weightings to the common stocks included in the Index, and the Index fluctuates with changes in the market values of those common stocks. In the case of the S&P 100 Index, contracts are to buy or sell 100 units. Thus, if the value of the S&P 100 Index were $180, one contract would be worth $18,000 (100 units x $180). The Index Future specifies that no delivery of the actual stocks making up the Index will take place. Instead, settlement in cash must occur upon the termination of the contract, with the settlement being the difference between the contract price and the actual level of the Index at the expiration of the contract. For example, if a Fund enters into a futures contract to buy 100 units of the S&P 100 Index at a specified future date at a contract price of $180 and the S&P 100 Index value is $184 on that future date, the Fund will gain $400 (100 units x gain of $4). If a Fund enters into a futures contract to sell 100 units of the Index at a specified future date at a contract price of $180 and the S&P 100 Index value is $182 on that future date, the Fund will lose $200 (100 units x loss of $2). Any transaction costs must also be included in these calculations.

A public market exists in futures contracts covering a number of Indices as well as financial instruments and foreign currencies, including but not limited to: the S&P 500; the S&P Midcap 400; the Nikkei 225; the NYSE Composite; U.S. Treasury bonds; U.S. Treasury notes; Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”) Certificates; three-month U.S. Treasury bills; 90-day commercial paper; bank certificates of deposit; Eurodollar certificates of deposit; the Australian dollar; the Canadian dollar; the British pound; the Japanese yen; the Swiss franc; the Mexican peso; and certain multinational currencies, such as the euro. It is expected that other futures contracts in which a Fund may invest will be developed and traded in the future.

Interest Rate Futures Contracts. An interest rate futures contract is an obligation traded on an exchange or board of trade that requires the purchaser to accept delivery, and the seller to make delivery, of a specified quantity of the underlying financial instrument, such as U.S. Treasury bills and bonds, in a stated delivery month at a price fixed in the contract. Interest rate futures contracts may be purchased on debt securities such as U.S. Treasury bills and bonds, Eurodollar instruments, U.S. Treasury notes and interest rate swaps.

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When a Fund purchases or sells a futures contract, the Fund is required to deposit with its futures commission merchant an amount of margin set by the clearing house on which the contract is cleared and the Fund’s futures commission merchant. This initial margin may be modified by the exchange or the futures commission merchant during the term of the contract. Margin requirements on foreign exchanges may be different than U.S. exchanges. The initial margin is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the futures contract which is returned to a Fund upon termination of the contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. A Fund expects to earn interest income on its initial margin deposits. A futures contract held by a Fund is valued daily at the official settlement price of the exchange on which it is traded. Each day a Fund pays or receives cash, called “variation margin,” equal to the daily change in value of the futures contract. This process is known as “marking to market” and is generally considered a settlement between the Fund and the exchange of the amount one would owe the other if the futures contract expired. If a Fund has insufficient cash to meet daily variation margin requirements, it might need to sell securities at a time when such sales are disadvantageous. In computing daily NAV, a Fund will mark to market its open futures positions.

A Fund is also required to deposit and maintain margin with respect to put and call options on futures contracts written by it. Such margin deposits will vary depending on the nature of the underlying futures contract (and the related initial margin requirements), the current market value of the option, and other futures positions held by a Fund.

Although some futures contracts call for making or taking delivery of the underlying securities, generally these obligations are closed out prior to delivery by offsetting purchases or sales of matching futures contracts (i.e., with the same exchange, underlying security or index, and delivery month). If an offsetting purchase price is less than the original sale price, a Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is more, the Fund realizes a capital loss. Conversely, if an offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, a Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is less, the Fund realizes a capital loss. Any transaction costs must also be included in these calculations. Positions in futures and options on futures may be closed only on an exchange or board of trade that provides a secondary market. However, there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for a particular contract at a particular time. In such event, it may not be possible to close a futures contract or options position, and a Fund would be obligated to meet margin requirements until the position is closed. The inability to close options and futures positions also could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s ability to effectively hedge.

Limitations on Use of Futures and Options on Futures. The Funds may only enter into futures contracts or options on futures which are standardized and traded on a U.S. or foreign exchange, board of trade, or similar entity, or quoted on an automated quotation system, or in the case of options on futures, for which an established over-the-counter (“OTC”) option market exists. The Funds may utilize futures contracts and related options for any purpose, including for investment purposes and for “bona fide hedging” purposes (as such term is defined in applicable regulations of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”)), for example, to hedge against changes in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates or securities prices. For instance, a Fund may invest to a significant degree in Index Futures on stock indices and related options (including those which may trade outside of the United States) as an alternative to purchasing individual stocks in order to adjust their exposure to a particular market.

When purchasing a futures contract, a Fund may segregate or earmark (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid by the Fund’s Subadviser in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees that, when added to the amounts deposited with a futures commission merchant as margin, are equal to the market value of the futures contract on the Fund’s records. Alternatively, a Fund may “cover” its position by purchasing a put option on the same futures contract with a strike price as high or higher than the price of the contract held by the Fund.

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When selling a futures contract, a Fund may segregate or earmark (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid by the Fund’s Subadviser in accordance with procedures established by the Trustees that are equal to the market value of the instruments underlying the contract. Alternatively, a Fund may “cover” its position by owning the instruments underlying the contract (or, in the case of an Index Future, a portfolio with a volatility substantially similar to that of the Index on which the futures contract is based), or by holding a call option permitting the Fund to purchase the same futures contract at a price no higher than the price of the contract written by the Fund (or at a higher price if the difference is maintained in liquid assets with the Fund’s custodian).

When selling a call option on a futures contract, a Fund may segregate or earmark (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid by the Fund’s Subadviser in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees that, when added to the amounts deposited with a futures commission merchant as margin, equal the total market value of the futures contract underlying the call option. Alternatively, a Fund may cover its position by entering into a long position in the same futures contract at a price no higher than the strike price of the call option, by owning the instruments underlying the futures contract, or by holding a separate call option permitting the Fund to purchase the same futures contract at a price not higher than the strike price of the call option sold by the Fund.

When selling a put option on a futures contract, a Fund may segregate or earmark (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid by the Fund’s Subadviser in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees that equal the purchase price of the futures contract, less any margin on deposit. Alternatively, a Fund may cover the position either by entering into a short position in the same futures contract, or by owning a separate put option permitting it to sell the same futures contract so long as the strike price of the purchased put option is the same or higher than the strike price of the put option sold by the Fund.

With respect to futures contracts that are not legally required to “cash settle,” a Fund may cover the open position by setting aside or earmarking liquid assets in an amount equal to the market value of the futures contract. With respect to futures that are required to “cash settle,” however, a Fund is permitted to segregate or earmark liquid assets in an amount equal to the Fund’s daily mark-to-market (i.e., net) obligation, if any (in other words, the Fund’s daily net liability, if any), rather than the full notional value of the futures contract. By segregating assets equal to only its net obligation under cash-settled futures, a Fund will have the ability to employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund were required to segregate assets equal to the full notional value of the futures contract.

Risks Associated with Futures and Options on Futures. There are several risks associated with the use of futures contracts and options on futures as hedging techniques. A purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the futures contract. Some of the risk may be caused by an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the futures contract and the price of the security or other investment being hedged. The hedge will not be fully effective where there is such imperfect correlation. Also, an incorrect correlation could result in a loss on both the hedged securities in a Fund and the hedging vehicle, so that the portfolio return might have been greater had hedging not been attempted. For example, if the price of the futures contract moves more than the price of the hedged security, a Fund would experience either a loss or gain on the future which is not completely offset by movements in the price of the hedged securities. In addition, there are significant differences between the securities and futures markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between the markets, causing a given hedge not to achieve its objectives. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends on circumstances such as variations in speculative market demand for futures and options on futures on securities, including technical influences in futures trading and options on futures, and differences between the financial instruments being hedged and the instruments underlying the standard contracts available for trading in such respects as interest rate levels, maturities, and creditworthiness of issuers. To compensate for imperfect correlations, a Fund may purchase or sell futures contracts in a greater dollar amount than the hedged securities if the volatility of the hedged securities is historically greater than the volatility of the futures contracts. Conversely, a Fund may purchase or sell fewer contracts if the volatility of the price of the hedged securities is historically less than that of the futures contracts. The risk of imperfect correlation generally tends to diminish as the maturity date of the futures contract approaches. A decision as to whether, when and how to hedge involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived hedge may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected interest rate trends. Also, suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances.

Additionally, the price of Index Futures may not correlate perfectly with movement in the relevant index due to certain market distortions. First, all participants in the futures market are subject to margin deposit and

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maintenance requirements. Rather than meeting additional margin deposit requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions which could distort the normal relationship between the index and futures markets. Second, the deposit requirements in the futures market are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities market, and as a result, the futures market may attract more speculators than does the securities market. Increased participation by speculators in the futures market may also cause temporary price distortions. In addition, trading hours for foreign stock Index Futures may not correspond perfectly to hours of trading on the foreign exchange to which a particular foreign stock Index Future relates. This may result in a disparity between the price of Index Futures and the value of the relevant index due to the lack of continuous arbitrage between the Index Futures price and the value of the underlying index.

Futures exchanges may limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in certain futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of the current trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a futures contract subject to the limit, no more trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movements during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses because the limit may work to prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. For example, futures prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of positions and subjecting some holders of futures contracts to substantial losses.

Each Fund’s ability to engage in options and futures transactions and to sell related securities might also be limited by tax considerations and by certain regulatory requirements. See “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters” below for more information.

Forward Currency Contracts. The GW&K Global Allocation Fund may enter into forward currency contracts for any purpose, including to attempt to hedge currency exposure or to enhance return. A forward currency contract is an obligation to purchase or sell a currency against another currency at a future date and price as agreed-upon by the parties. The Fund may either accept or make delivery of the currency at the maturity of the forward contract or, prior to maturity, enter into a closing transaction involving the purchase or sale of an offsetting contract. Secondary markets generally do not exist for forward currency contracts, with the result that closing transactions generally can be made for forward currency contracts only by negotiating directly with the counterparty. Thus, there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to close out a forward currency contract at a favorable price prior to maturity.

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Forward currency contracts are not traded on regulated exchanges. When the Fund enters into a forward currency contract, it incurs the risk of default by the counterparty to the transaction. See “Derivatives Counterparty Risk” below.

The Fund will not (1) commit more than 15% of its total assets computed at market value at the time of commitment to foreign currency futures or forward currency contracts, or (2) enter into a foreign currency contract with a term of greater than one year.

Options. A Fund may purchase and sell both put options and call options on a variety of underlying securities and instruments, including, but not limited to, specific securities, securities indices, futures contracts and foreign currencies. A call option gives the purchaser the right to buy, and obligates the writer to sell, the underlying security or instrument at the agreed-upon price during the option period. A put option gives the purchaser the right to sell, and obligates the writer to buy, the underlying security or instrument at the agreed-upon price during the option period. Purchasers of options pay an amount, known as a premium, to the option writer in exchange for the right under the option contract.

The Funds may purchase call options for any purpose. For example, a call option may be purchased by a Fund as a long hedge. Call options also may be used as a means of participating in an anticipated price increase of a security or instrument on a more limited risk basis than would be possible if the security or instrument itself were purchased. In the event of a decline in the price of the underlying security or instrument, use of this strategy would serve to limit a Fund’s potential loss to the option premium paid; conversely, if the market price of the underlying security or instrument increases above the exercise price and the Fund either sells or exercises the option, any profit realized would be reduced by the premium. Any transaction costs must also be included in these calculations.

The Funds may purchase put options for any purpose. For example, a put option may be purchased by a Fund as a short hedge. The put option enables a Fund to sell the underlying security or instrument at the predetermined exercise price; thus the potential for loss to the Fund below the exercise price is limited to the option premium paid. If the market price of the underlying security or instrument is lower than the exercise price of the put option, any profit a Fund realizes on the sale of the security or instrument would be reduced by the premium paid for the put option less any amount for which the put option may be sold.

The Funds may write call or put options for any purpose. For example, writing put or call options can enable a Fund to enhance income or yield by reason of the premiums paid by the purchasers of such options. However, a Fund may also suffer a loss as a result of writing options. For example, if the market price of the security or instrument underlying a put option declines to less than the exercise price of the option, minus the premium received, a Fund would suffer a loss. Each Fund will segregate or earmark assets or otherwise “cover” written call or put options in accordance with applicable SEC guidelines.

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security or instrument depreciates to a price lower than the exercise price of the put option, it can be expected that the put option will be exercised and a Fund will be obligated to purchase the underlying security or instrument at more than its market value. If the put option is an OTC option, any securities or other assets used as cover may be considered illiquid. A Fund would generally write covered put options in circumstances where the Fund’s Subadviser wishes to purchase the underlying security or currency for that Fund’s portfolio at a price lower than the current market price of the security or currency.

The value of an option position will be affected by, among other things, the current market value of the underlying security or instrument, the time remaining until expiration, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price of the underlying security or instrument, the historical price volatility of the underlying security or instrument and general market conditions.

A Fund may effectively terminate its right or obligation under an option by entering into a closing transaction. For example, a Fund may terminate its obligation under a call or put option that it had written by purchasing an identical call or put option; this is known as a closing purchase transaction. Conversely, a Fund may terminate a position in a put or call option it had purchased by writing an identical put or call option; this is known as a closing sale transaction. Closing transactions permit a Fund to realize profits or limit losses on an option position prior to its exercise or expiration.

Risks of Options. Options offer large amounts of leverage, which will result in a Fund’s NAV being more sensitive to changes in the value of the related instrument. The Funds may purchase or write both exchange-traded and OTC options. Exchange-traded options in the United States are issued by a clearing organization affiliated with the exchange on which the option is listed that, in effect, guarantees completion of every exchange-traded option transaction. In contrast, OTC options are contracts between a Fund and its counterparty (usually a securities dealer or a bank) with no clearing organization guarantee. Thus, when a Fund purchases an OTC option, it relies on the counterparty from whom it purchased the option to make or take delivery of the underlying investment upon exercise of the option. Failure by the counterparty to do so would result in the loss of any premium paid by a Fund as well as the loss of any expected benefit of the transaction.

A Fund’s ability to establish and close out positions in exchange-listed options depends on the existence of a liquid market. However, there can be no assurance that such a market will exist at any particular time. Closing transactions can be made for OTC options only by negotiating directly with the counterparty or by a transaction in the secondary market if any such market exists. There can be no assurance that a Fund will in fact be able to close out an OTC option position at a favorable price prior to expiration. In the event of insolvency of the counterparty, a Fund might be unable to close out an OTC option position at any time prior to its expiration, if at all.

If a Fund were unable to effect a closing transaction for an option it had purchased, due to the absence of a counterparty or secondary market, the imposition of price limits or otherwise, it would have to exercise the option to realize any profit. The inability to enter into a closing purchase transaction for a covered call option written by a Fund could cause material losses because the Fund would be unable to sell the investment used as cover for the written option until the option expires or is exercised.

Options have varying expiration dates. The exercise price of the options may be below, equal to or above the current market value of the underlying security or instrument. Options purchased by a Fund that expire unexercised have no value, and the Fund will realize a loss in the amount of the premium paid and any transaction costs. If an option written by a Fund expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a gain equal to the premium received at the time the option was written. Transaction costs must be included in these calculations.

Options on Indices. To the extent permitted by applicable law or regulation, the Funds may invest in options on indices, including broad-based security indices. Puts and calls on indices are similar to puts and calls on other investments except that all settlements are in cash and gain or loss depends on changes in the index in question rather than on price movements in individual securities, futures contracts or other investments. When a Fund writes a call on an index, it receives a premium and agrees that, prior to the expiration date, the purchaser of the call, upon exercise of the call, will receive from the Fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the

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call is based is greater than the exercise price of the call. The amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the call times a specified multiple (“multiplier”), which determines the total dollar value for each point of such difference. When a Fund buys a call on an index, it pays a premium and has the same rights as to such call as are indicated above. When a Fund buys a put on an index, it pays a premium and has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the seller of the put, upon the Fund’s exercise of the put, to deliver to the Fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the put is based is less than the exercise price of the put, which amount of cash is determined by the multiplier, as described above for calls. When a Fund writes a put on an index, it receives a premium and the purchaser of the put has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the Fund to deliver to it an amount of cash equal to the difference between the closing level of the index and exercise price times the multiplier if the closing level is less than the exercise price.

Risks of Options on Indices. The risks of investments in options on indices may be greater than options on securities, futures contracts or other investments. Because index options are settled in cash, when a Fund writes a call on an index it cannot provide in advance for its potential settlement obligations by acquiring and holding the underlying index. A Fund can offset some of the risk of writing a call index option by holding a diversified portfolio of securities or instruments similar to those on which the underlying index is based. However, a Fund cannot, as a practical matter, acquire and hold a portfolio containing exactly the same securities or instruments as underlie the index and, as a result, bears a risk that the value of the securities or instruments held will vary from the value of the index.

Even if a Fund could assemble a portfolio that exactly reproduced the composition of the underlying index, it still would not be fully covered from a risk standpoint because of the “timing risk” inherent in writing index options. When an index option is exercised, the amount of cash that the holder is entitled to receive is determined by the difference between the exercise price and the closing index level on the date when the option is exercised. As with other kinds of options, a Fund as the call writer will not learn of the assignment until the next business day at the earliest. The time lag between exercise and notice of assignment poses no risk for the writer of a covered call on a specific underlying security or instrument, such as common stock, because there the writer’s obligation is to deliver the underlying security or instrument, not to pay its value as of a fixed time in the past. So long as the writer already owns the underlying security or instrument, it can satisfy its settlement obligations by simply delivering it, and the risk that its value may have declined since the exercise date is borne by the exercising holder. In contrast, even if the writer of an index call holds investments that exactly match the composition of the underlying index, it will not be able to satisfy its assignment obligations by delivering those investments against payment of the exercise price. Instead, it will be required to pay cash in an amount based on the closing index value on the exercise date. By the time it learns that it has been assigned, the index may have declined, with a corresponding decline in the value of its portfolio. This “timing risk” is an inherent limitation on the ability of index call writers to cover their risk exposure by holding security or instrument positions.

If a Fund has purchased an index option and exercises it before the closing index value for that day is available, it runs the risk that the level of the underlying index may subsequently change. If such a change causes the exercised option to fall out-of-the-money, a Fund will be required to pay the difference between the closing index value and the exercise price of the option (times the applicable multiplier) to the assigned writer.

Risks Related to OTC Options. Unlike exchange-traded options, which are standardized with respect to the underlying instrument, expiration date, contract size, and strike price, the terms of OTC options (options not traded on exchanges) generally are established through negotiation with the other party to the option contract. While this type of arrangement allows a Fund great flexibility to tailor the option to its needs, OTC options generally involve greater risk than exchange-traded options, which are guaranteed by the clearing organization of the exchanges where they are traded. In addition, OTC options are generally considered illiquid by the SEC.

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contract period against a decline in the dollar value of a currency in which it holds or anticipates holding securities. If the currency’s value should decline against the dollar, the loss in currency value should be offset, in whole or in part, by an increase in the value of the put. If the value of the currency instead should rise against the dollar, any gain to a Fund would be reduced by the premium paid for the put option. Any transaction costs must also be included in these calculations. A currency call option might be purchased, for example, in anticipation of, or to attempt to protect against, a rise in the value against the dollar of a currency in which a Fund anticipates purchasing securities.

The Funds may buy or sell put and call options on foreign currencies either on exchanges or in the OTC market. Currency options traded on U.S. or other exchanges may be subject to position limits which may limit the ability of a Fund to reduce foreign currency risk using such options. Listed options are third party contracts (i.e., performance of the obligations of the purchaser and seller is guaranteed by the exchange or clearing corporation), and have standardized strike prices and expiration dates. OTC options differ from listed options in that they are bilateral contracts with strike prices, expiration dates and other terms negotiated between buyer and seller, and generally do not have as much market liquidity as exchange-traded options. Under definitions adopted by the CFTC and SEC, many foreign currency options are considered swaps for certain purposes, including determination of whether such instruments need to be exchange-traded and centrally cleared, as discussed further in “Risks of Government Regulation of Derivatives” below.

Additional Risks of Futures Contracts, Options on Futures Contracts, Options on Securities and Forward Currency Exchange Contracts and Options thereon. Options on securities, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and options on currencies may be traded on foreign exchanges. Such transactions may not be regulated as effectively as similar transactions in the United States; may not involve a clearing mechanism and related guarantees; and are subject to the risk of governmental actions affecting trading in, or the prices of, foreign securities. Some foreign exchanges may be principal markets so that no common clearing facility exists and a Fund may look only to the broker with whom a position is held for performance of the contract. The value of such positions also could be adversely affected by (i) other complex foreign political, legal and economic factors, (ii) lesser availability than in the United States of data on which to make trading decisions, (iii) delays in a Fund’s ability to act upon economic events occurring in foreign markets during non-business hours in the United States, (iv) the imposition of different exercise and settlement terms and procedures and margin requirements than in the United States and (v) lesser trading volume. In addition, unless a Fund hedges against fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which trading is done on foreign exchanges, any profits that the Fund might realize in trading could be eliminated by adverse changes in the exchange rate, or the Fund could incur losses as a result of those changes.

The value of some derivative instruments in which a Fund may invest may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates, and, like the other investments of the Fund, the ability of the Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend in part upon the ability of the Fund’s Subadviser to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. If a Fund’s Subadviser incorrectly forecasts such factors and has taken positions in derivative instruments contrary to prevailing market trends, a Fund could be exposed to risk of loss. In addition, a Fund’s use of such instruments may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed to shareholders at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments.

Certain of a Fund’s investments in derivative instruments may produce a difference between its book income and its taxable income. If such a difference arises, and a Fund’s book income is less than its taxable income, the Fund could be required to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment and to avoid an entity-level tax. A Fund may be required to accrue and distribute income that it is deemed to earn from certain derivative investments on a current basis, even though the Fund does not receive the income currently. A Fund may have to sell other investments to obtain cash needed to make income distributions, which may reduce the Fund’s assets, increase its expense ratio and decrease its rate of return. For U.S. federal income tax information regarding derivative instruments, see “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters” below.

Swaps, Caps, Floors and Collars. To the extent permitted by applicable law or regulation, the Funds may engage in swap transactions, including, but not limited to swap agreements on interest rates, security indices, specific securities and currency exchange rates.

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A Fund may enter into swap transactions for any legal purpose consistent with its investment objective and policies, such as attempting to obtain or preserve a particular return or spread at a lower cost than obtaining a return or spread through purchases and/or sales of instruments in other markets, to protect against currency fluctuations, as a duration management technique, to protect against any increase in the price of securities a Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date, or to gain exposure to certain markets in a more cost-efficient manner. Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a few weeks to a number of years. Swap agreements are individually negotiated and structured to include exposure to a variety of types of investments or market factors. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” such as the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate, or in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index. The “notional amount” of a swap transaction is the agreed upon basis for calculating the payments that the parties have agreed to exchange.

Whether a Fund’s use of swap agreements will be successful in furthering its investment objective will depend on many factors, including the Fund’s Subadviser’s ability to predict correctly whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments. Certain restrictions imposed on a Fund by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) may limit the Fund’s ability to use swap agreements.

Because swaps are two-party contracts that may be subject to contractual restrictions on transferability and termination and because they may have terms of greater than seven calendar days, swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid. If a swap is not liquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses, and a Fund’s obligation under such agreement, together with other illiquid assets and securities, will not exceed 15% of a Fund’s net assets.

Moreover, a Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. A Fund will enter into swap agreements only with counterparties that meet certain standards of creditworthiness. Transactions in some types of swaps (including certain interest rate swaps and credit default swaps) are required to be centrally cleared. In a transaction involving those swaps, a Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than the original counterparty to the derivatives transaction (i.e., a bank or broker), so the Fund is subject to the credit risk of the clearing house and the member of the clearing house (“clearing member”) through which it holds its cleared position, rather than the credit risk of its original counterparty to the derivative transaction. See also “Derivatives Counterparty Risk” and “Risks of Government Regulation of Derivatives” below.

Many OTC derivatives are complex and their valuation often requires modeling and judgment, which increases the risk of mispricing or incorrect valuation. The pricing models used may not produce valuations that are consistent with the values a Fund realizes when it closes or sells an OTC derivative. Valuation risk is more pronounced when a Fund enters into OTC derivatives with specialized terms because the market value of those derivatives in some cases is determined in part by reference to similar derivatives with more standardized terms. Incorrect valuations may result in increased cash payment requirements to counterparties, undercollateralization and/or errors in calculation of the Fund’s NAV.

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A Fund may enter into interest rate swaps, caps, floors, and collars on either an asset-based or liability-based basis depending on whether it is hedging its assets or its liabilities, and will only enter into such transactions on a net basis, i.e., the two payment streams are netted out, with a Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. The amount of the excess, if any, of a Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each interest rate swap, cap, floor, or collar will be accrued on a daily basis and an amount of cash or liquid securities having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained in a segregated account by the custodian. If a Fund enters into an interest rate or currency swap on other than a net basis it will maintain a segregated account in the full amount accrued on a daily basis of its obligations with respect to the swap.

The Funds may seek to protect the value of its investments from interest rate fluctuations by entering into interest rate swaps and the purchase or sale of interest rate caps, floors and collars. A Fund expects to enter into these transactions primarily to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or portion of its portfolio. A Fund may also enter into these transactions to protect against an increase in the price of securities a Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date. Each Fund intends to use these transactions as a hedge and not as speculative investments.

Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by a Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest, e.g., an exchange of floating rate payments for fixed rate payments. The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate cap. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate floor. An interest rate collar combines elements of buying a cap and selling a floor.

A Fund may enter into interest rate swaps, caps, floors, and collars on either an asset-based or liability-based basis depending on whether it is hedging its assets or its liabilities, and will only enter into such transactions on a net basis, i.e., the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. The amount of the excess, if any, of a Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each interest rate swap, cap, floor, or collar will be accrued on a daily basis and an amount of cash or liquid securities having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained in a segregated account by the custodian.

There can be no assurance that a Fund will be able to enter into swaps, caps, floors or collars on favorable terms. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that the Funds will be able to terminate a swap or sell or offset caps, floors or collars notwithstanding any terms in the agreements providing for such termination.

Synthetic Derivative Securities. Synthetic derivative securities are synthetic securities created out of other securities or derivatives. The most common of these is a collateralized mortgage obligation which is described more fully below. They also include custodial receipts which are collections of existing securities structured to emulate the cash flows of a third. For example, in one form of custodial receipt, a pool of specified securities, representing a particular market sector, will be sold into a trust. The trust will serve as a pass-through vehicle, packaging the securities and passing on the cash flows of the securities in the form of monthly distributions to the investors in the trust. The investors are thereby enabled an opportunity to capture a return similar to that of the market sector represented by the securities held in the trust.

Participatory Notes and Non-Standard Warrants. From time to time, the GW&K Global Allocation Fund may use nonstandard warrants, including participatory notes (“P-Notes”), to gain exposure to issuers in certain countries. P-Notes are a type of equity-linked derivative that generally are traded OTC and constitute general unsecured contractual obligations of the banks or broker-dealers that issue them. Generally, banks and broker-dealers associated with non-U.S.-based brokerage firms buy securities listed on certain foreign exchanges and then issue P-Notes which are designed to replicate the performance of certain issuers and markets. The performance results of P-Notes will not replicate exactly the performance of the issuers or markets that the notes seek to replicate due to transaction costs and other expenses. The return on a P-Note that is linked to a particular underlying security generally is increased to the extent of any dividends paid in connection with the underlying security. However, the holder of a P-Note typically does not receive voting or other rights as it would if it directly owned the underlying

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security, and P-Notes present similar risks to investing directly in the underlying security. Additionally, P-Notes entail the same risks as other OTC derivatives. These include the risk that the counterparty or issuer of the P-Note may not be able to fulfill its obligations, that the holder and counterparty or issuer may disagree as to the meaning or application of contractual terms, or that the instrument may not perform as expected. Additionally, while P-Notes may be listed on an exchange, there is no guarantee that a liquid market will exist or that the counterparty or issuer of a P-Note will be willing to repurchase such instrument when the Fund wishes to sell it.

Derivatives Counterparty Risk. A Fund will be subject to credit risk with respect to the counterparties to derivative contracts. There can be no assurance that a counterparty will be able or willing to meet its obligations. Events that affect the ability of a Fund’s counterparties to comply with the terms of the derivative contracts may have an adverse effect on the Fund. If the counterparty defaults, the Fund will have contractual remedies, but there can be no assurance that the Fund will succeed in enforcing contractual remedies. Counterparty risk still exists even if a counterparty’s obligations are secured by collateral because a Fund’s interest in collateral may not be perfected or additional collateral may not be promptly posted as required. Counterparty risk also may be more pronounced if a counterparty’s obligations exceed the amount of collateral held by a Fund, if any, a Fund is unable to exercise its interest in collateral upon default by the counterparty, or the termination value of the instrument varies significantly from the marked-to-market value of the instrument. If a counterparty becomes insolvent, a Fund may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery under the derivative contract in a bankruptcy or other reorganization proceeding or may obtain a limited or no recovery of amounts due to it under the derivative contract.

Transactions in certain types of derivatives including futures and options on futures as well as some types of swaps are required to be centrally cleared. In a transaction involving such derivatives, a Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house so the Fund is subject to the credit risk of the clearing house and the member of the clearing house (the “clearing member”) through which it holds its position. Credit risk of market participants with respect to such derivatives is concentrated in a few clearing houses, and it is not clear how an insolvency proceeding of a clearing house would be conducted and what impact an insolvency of a clearing house would have on the financial system. A clearing member is generally obligated to segregate all funds received from customers with respect to cleared derivatives transactions from the clearing member’s proprietary assets. However, all funds and other property received by a clearing broker from its customers are generally held by the clearing member on a commingled basis in an omnibus account, and the clearing member may invest those funds in certain instruments permitted under the applicable regulations. The assets of a Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the bankruptcy of the Fund’s clearing member, because the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing broker’s customers for a relevant account class. In addition, if a clearing member does not comply with applicable regulations or its agreement with a Fund, or in the event of fraud or misappropriation of customer assets by a clearing member, the Fund could have only an unsecured creditor claim in an insolvency of the clearing member with respect to the margin held by the clearing member.

Risks of Government Regulation of Derivatives. It is possible that government regulation of various types of derivative instruments, including futures and swap agreements, may limit or prevent a Fund from using such instruments as a part of its investment strategy, and could ultimately prevent a Fund from being able to achieve its investment objective. Rules and regulations could, among other things, restrict a Fund’s ability to engage in, or increase the cost to a Fund of derivatives transactions, for example, by making some types of derivatives no longer available to the Fund, increasing margin or capital requirements, or otherwise limiting liquidity or increasing transaction costs. It is impossible to predict fully the effects of legislation and regulation in this area, but the effects could be substantial and adverse.

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it holds out its use of such commodity interests. In the event that a Fund’s investments in commodity interests are not within the thresholds set forth in the exclusion, the Investment Manager may be required to register as a “commodity pool operator” and/or “commodity trading advisor” with the CFTC with respect to that Fund. The Investment Manager’s eligibility to claim the exclusion with respect to a Fund will be based upon, among other things, the level and scope of a Fund’s investment in commodity interests, the purposes of such investments and the manner in which the Fund holds out its use of commodity interests. Each Fund’s ability to invest in commodity interests (including, but not limited to, futures and swaps on broad-based securities indexes and interest rates) is limited by the Investment Manager’s intention to operate the Fund in a manner that would permit the Investment Manager to continue to claim the exclusion under Rule 4.5, which may adversely affect the Fund’s total return. In the event the Investment Manager becomes unable to rely on the exclusion in Rule 4.5 and is required to register with the CFTC as a commodity pool operator with respect to a Fund, the Fund’s expenses may increase, adversely affecting the Fund’s total return.

The futures markets are subject to comprehensive statutes, regulations, and margin requirements. The CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency, including, for example, the implementation of higher margin requirements, the establishment of daily price limits and the suspension of trading.

The CFTC and certain futures exchanges have established limits, referred to as “position limits,” on the maximum net long or net short positions which any person may hold or control in particular options and futures contracts. In addition, starting January 1, 2023, federal position limits will apply to swaps that are economically equivalent to futures contracts that are subject to CFTC set speculative limits. All positions owned or controlled by the same person or entity, even if in different accounts, may must be aggregated for purposes of complying with speculative limits. Thus, even if a Fund does not intend to exceed applicable position limits, it is possible that different clients managed by Investment Manager and its affiliates may be aggregated for this purpose. Although it is possible that the trading decisions of the Investment Manager (acting in its capacity as investment manager of a Fund) may have to be modified and that positions held by a Fund may have to be liquidated in order to avoid exceeding such limits, the Investment Manager (acting in its capacity as investment manager of a Fund) believes that this is unlikely. The modification of investment decisions or the elimination of open positions, if it occurs, may adversely affect the profitability of a Fund.

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Also, as noted above, in the event of a counterparty’s (or its affiliate’s) insolvency, a Fund’s ability to exercise remedies, such as the termination of transactions, netting of obligations and realization on collateral, could be stayed or eliminated. New special resolution regimes adopted in the United States, the EU and various other jurisdictions provide government authorities with broad authority to intervene when a financial institution is experiencing financial difficulty and may prohibit a Fund from exercising termination rights based on the financial institution’s insolvency. In particular, in the EU, governmental authorities could reduce, eliminate or convert to equity the liabilities to the Funds of a counterparty experiencing financial difficulties (sometimes referred to as a “bail in”).

Additional Risk Factors in Cleared Derivatives Transactions. Transactions in some types of swaps (including interest rate swaps and credit default swaps on North American and European indices) are required to be centrally cleared, and additional types of swaps may be required to be centrally cleared in the future. In a transaction involving those swaps (“cleared derivatives”), a Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house, rather than a bank or broker. Since the Funds are not members of clearing houses and only clearing members can participate directly in the clearing house, the Funds will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives transactions, a Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through its accounts at clearing members. Clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house.

In some ways, cleared derivative arrangements are less favorable to mutual funds than bilateral arrangements. For example, a Fund may be required to provide more margin for cleared derivatives transactions than for bilateral derivatives transactions. Also, in contrast to a bilateral derivatives transaction, following a period of notice to a Fund, a clearing member generally can require termination of an existing cleared derivatives transaction at any time or an increase in margin requirements above the margin that the clearing member required at the beginning of a transaction. Clearing houses also have broad rights to increase margin requirements for existing transactions or to terminate those transactions at any time. Any increase in margin requirements or termination of existing cleared derivatives transactions by the clearing member or the clearing house could interfere with the ability of a Fund to pursue its investment strategy. Further, any increase in margin requirements by a clearing member could expose a Fund to greater credit risk to its clearing member, because margin for cleared derivatives transactions in excess of a clearing house’s margin requirements typically is held by the clearing member. Also, a Fund is subject to risk if it enters into a derivatives transaction that is required to be cleared (or that the Investment Manager or the Fund’s Subadviser expects to be cleared), and no clearing member is willing or able to clear the transaction on the Fund’s behalf. In those cases, the transaction might have to be terminated, and a Fund could lose some or all of the benefit of the transaction, including loss of an increase in the value of the transaction and/or loss of hedging protection. In addition, the documentation governing the relationship between a Fund and clearing members is drafted by the clearing members and generally is less favorable to the Fund than typical bilateral derivatives documentation. For example, documentation relating to cleared derivatives generally includes a one-way indemnity by the Fund in favor of the clearing member for losses the clearing member incurs as the Fund’s clearing member and typically does not provide the Fund any remedies if the clearing member defaults or becomes insolvent. While futures contracts entail similar risks, the risks likely are more pronounced for cleared swaps due to their more limited liquidity and market history.

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Some types of cleared derivatives are required to be executed on an exchange or on a swap execution facility. A swap execution facility is a trading platform where multiple market participants can execute derivatives by accepting bids and offers made by multiple other participants in the platform. While this execution requirement is designed to increase transparency and liquidity in the cleared derivatives market, trading on a swap execution facility can create additional costs and risks for a Fund. For example, swap execution facilities typically charge fees, and if a Fund executes derivatives on a swap execution facility through a broker intermediary, the intermediary may impose fees as well. Also, a Fund may be required to indemnify a swap execution facility, or a broker intermediary who executes cleared derivatives on a swap execution facility on the Fund’s behalf, against any losses or costs that may be incurred as a result of the Fund’s transactions on the swap execution facility. If a Fund wishes to execute a package of transactions that include a swap that is required to be executed on a swap execution facility as well as other transactions (for example, a transaction that includes both a security and an interest rate swap that hedges interest rate exposure with respect to such security), it is possible the Fund could not execute all components of the package on the swap execution facility. In that case, the Fund would need to trade certain components of the package on the swap execution facility and other components of the package in another manner, which could subject the Fund to the risk that certain of the components of the package would be executed successfully and others would not, or that the components would be executed at different times, leaving the Fund with an unhedged position for a period of time.

Segregated Accounts or Cover. Each Fund will comply with SEC guidelines regarding covering certain financial transactions, including options, futures contracts, options on futures, forward contracts, swaps and other derivative transactions, and will, if the guidelines require, segregate or earmark on its books cash or other liquid assets in the prescribed amount as determined daily. In addition to the methods of segregating assets or otherwise “covering” such transactions described in this SAI, a Fund may cover the transactions using other methods currently or in the future permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or orders issued by the SEC thereunder. For these purposes, interpretations and guidance provided by the SEC staff may be taken into account when deemed appropriate by a Fund.

Assets used as cover cannot be sold while the position in the corresponding instrument is open, unless they are replaced with other appropriate assets. As a result, the commitment of a large portion of a Fund’s assets to cover in accounts could impede portfolio management or the Fund’s ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.

The Funds may invest some of their assets in the securities of emerging market countries. Investments in securities in emerging market countries may be considered to be speculative and may have additional risks from those associated with investing in the securities of U.S. issuers. There may be limited information available to investors that is publicly available, and generally emerging market issuers are not subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial standards and requirements like those required by U.S. issuers.

Investors should be aware that the value of a Fund’s investments in emerging markets securities may be adversely affected by changes in the political, economic or social conditions, embargoes, economic sanctions, expropriation, nationalization, limitation on the removal of funds or assets, controls, tax regulations and other restrictions in emerging market countries. These risks may be more severe than those experienced in foreign countries. Emerging market securities trade with less frequency and volume than domestic securities and, therefore, may have greater price volatility and lack liquidity. Furthermore, there is often no legal structure governing private or foreign investment or private property in some emerging market countries. This may adversely affect a Fund’s operations and the ability to obtain a judgment against an issuer in an emerging market country.

The Funds may invest in equity securities subject to any restrictions set forth in the Prospectus and this SAI. Equity securities may include securities listed on any domestic or foreign securities exchange and securities traded in the OTC market. More information on the various types of equity investments in which the Funds may invest appears below. The GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in equity securities.

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Common Stock. Common stocks are securities that represent a unit of ownership in a corporation. A Fund’s transactions in common stock represent “long” transactions where the Fund owns the securities being sold, or will own the securities being purchased. Prices of common stocks will rise and fall due to a variety of factors, which include changing economic, political or market conditions that affect particular industries or companies.

Convertible Securities. A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred stock or other security that may be converted into or exchanged for a prescribed amount of common stock of the same or a different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt or the dividend paid on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Before conversion, convertible securities ordinarily provide a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than those of common stocks of the same or similar issuers, but lower than the yield on non-convertible debt. Convertible securities are usually subordinated to comparable tier non-convertible securities but rank senior to common stock in a corporation’s capital structure.

The value of a convertible security is a function of (1) its yield in comparison with the yields of other securities of comparable maturity and quality that do not have a conversion privilege and (2) its worth, at market value, if converted into the underlying common stock. Convertible securities are typically issued by smaller capitalized companies, whose stock prices may be volatile. The price of a convertible security often reflects such variations in the price of the underlying common stock in a way that non-convertible debt does not. A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security’s governing instrument, which could have an adverse effect on a Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

Initial Public Offerings (“IPOs”). The Funds may purchase securities in IPOs. These securities are subject to many of the same risks as investing in companies with smaller market capitalizations. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. The prices of securities sold in IPOs may be highly volatile. At any particular time or from time to time, a Fund may not be able to invest in securities issued in IPOs, or invest to the extent desired, because, for example, only a small portion (if any) of the securities being offered in an IPO may be made available to the Fund. In addition, under certain market conditions, a relatively small number of companies may issue securities in IPOs. Similarly, as the number of funds to which IPO securities are allocated increases, the number of securities issued to any one fund may decrease. The investment performance of a Fund during periods when it is unable to invest significantly or at all in IPOs may be lower than during periods when a Fund is able to do so. In addition, as a Fund increases in size, the impact of IPOs on the Fund’s performance will generally decrease.

Preferred Stock. Preferred stock pays dividends at a specified rate and generally has preference over common stock in the payment of dividends and the liquidation of the issuer’s assets but is junior to the debt securities of the issuer in those same respects. Unlike interest payments on debt securities, dividends on preferred stock are generally payable at the discretion of the issuer’s board of directors, and shareholders may suffer a loss of value if dividends are not paid. Preferred shareholders generally have no legal recourse against the issuer if dividends are not paid. The market prices of preferred stocks are subject to changes in interest rates and are more sensitive to changes in the issuer’s creditworthiness than are the prices of debt securities. Under ordinary circumstances, preferred stock does not carry voting rights. Prices of preferred stocks may rise and fall rapidly and unpredictably due to a variety of factors, which include changing economic, political or market conditions that affect particular industries or companies.

Secondary Offerings. A Fund may invest in secondary offerings. A secondary offering is a registered offering of a large block of a security that has been previously issued to the public. A secondary offering can occur when an investor sells to the public a large block of stock or other securities it has been holding in its portfolio. In a sale of this kind, all of the profits go to the seller rather than the issuer. Secondary offerings can also originate when the issuer issues new shares of its stock over and above those sold in its IPO, usually in order to raise additional capital. However, because an increase in the number of shares devalues those that have already been issued, many companies make a secondary offering only if their stock prices are high or they are in need of capital. Secondary offerings may have a magnified impact on the performance of a Fund with a small asset base. Secondary offering shares frequently are volatile in price. Therefore, a Fund may hold secondary offering shares for a very short period of time. This may increase the portfolio turnover rate of a Fund and may lead to increased expenses for the Fund, such as commissions and transaction costs. In addition, secondary offering shares can experience an immediate drop in value if the demand for the securities does not continue to support the offering price.

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Eurodollar obligations are U.S. dollar obligations issued outside the United States by domestic or foreign entities. Yankeedollar obligations are U.S. dollar obligations issued inside the United States by foreign entities.

Subject to applicable limits set forth in each Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI, a Fund may invest in or utilize

foreign currencies and other foreign currency-related transactions. These instruments may be used for a variety of reasons, including to hedge against foreign exchange risk arising from a Fund’s investment or anticipated investment in securities denominated in foreign currencies, to increase exposure to a foreign currency for investment or hedging purposes, or to shift exposure of foreign currency fluctuations from one currency to another.

A Fund may (but is not required to) hedge some or all of its exposure to foreign currencies derived through its investments to reduce the risk of loss due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates. Suitable currency hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that a Fund will engage in such transactions at any given time or from time to time when it may be beneficial to do so. Foreign currency transactions may also be unsuccessful and may result in losses or may eliminate any chance for a Fund to benefit from favorable fluctuations in relevant foreign currencies.

The value of a Fund’s portfolio securities computed in U.S. dollars will vary with increases and decreases in the exchange rate between the currencies in which the Fund has invested and the U.S. dollar. A decline in the value of any particular currency against the U.S. dollar will cause a decline in the U.S. dollar value of a Fund’s holdings of securities denominated in such currency and, therefore, will cause an overall decline in the Fund’s NAV and net investment income and capital gains, if any, to be distributed in U.S. dollars to shareholders by the Fund. A Fund may be required to liquidate other assets in order to make up the shortfall. The rate of exchange between the

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U.S. dollar and other currencies is influenced by many factors, including the supply and demand for particular currencies, central bank efforts to support particular currencies, the movement of interest rates, the price of oil, the pace of activity in the industrial countries, including the United States, and other economic and financial conditions affecting the world economy.

The Funds will not invest in a foreign currency or in securities denominated in a foreign currency if such currency is not at the time of investment considered by a Fund’s Subadviser to be fully exchangeable into U.S. dollars without legal restriction. The Funds may purchase securities that are issued by the government, a corporation, or a financial institution of one nation but denominated in the currency of another nation. To the extent that a Fund invests in ADRs, the depositary bank generally pays cash dividends in U.S. dollars regardless of the currency in which such dividends originally are paid by the issuer of the underlying security.

Several of the countries in which the Funds may invest restrict, to varying degrees, foreign investments in their securities markets. Governmental and private restrictions take a variety of forms, including (i) limitation on the amount of funds that may be invested into or repatriated from the country (including limitations on repatriation of investment income and capital gains), (ii) prohibitions or substantial restrictions on foreign investment in certain industries or market sectors, such as defense, energy and transportation, (iii) restrictions (whether contained in the charter of an individual company or mandated by the government) on the percentage of securities of a single issuer which may be owned by a foreign investor, (iv) limitations on the types of securities which a foreign investor may purchase and (v) restrictions on a foreign investor’s right to invest in companies whose securities are not publicly traded. In some circumstances, these restrictions may limit or preclude investment in certain countries. Investments in such countries may only be permitted through foreign government approved or authorized investment vehicles, which may include other investment companies. Therefore, the Funds may invest in such countries through the purchase of shares of investment companies organized under the laws of such countries. In addition, it may be less expensive and more expedient for a Fund to invest in a foreign investment company in a country which permits direct foreign investment. Please see “Investment Company Securities” below for more information on the risks of investing in other investment companies.

A Fund’s interest and dividend income from, or proceeds from the sale or other disposition of the securities of, foreign issuers may be subject to non-U.S. withholding and other foreign taxes. A Fund also may be subject to taxes on trading profits in some countries. In addition, certain countries impose a transfer or stamp duties tax on certain securities transactions. The imposition of these taxes may decrease the net return on foreign investments as compared to dividends and interest paid to a Fund by domestic companies, and thus increase the cost to the Fund of investing in any country imposing such taxes. A Fund may not be eligible to elect or may not elect to permit United States shareholders to claim a credit or deduction for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent of any foreign income taxes paid by a Fund. In such case, the foreign taxes paid or withheld will nonetheless reduce the Fund’s taxable income. See “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters” below.

Each Fund may invest in debt securities of foreign issuers that may or may not be U.S. dollar-denominated.

The risks of foreign investing are of greater concern in the case of investments in emerging markets which may exhibit greater price volatility and risk of principal, have less liquidity and have settlement arrangements which are less efficient than in developed markets. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, which regulates auditors of U.S. public companies, is unable to inspect audit work papers in certain foreign countries. Investors in foreign countries often have limited rights and few practical remedies to pursue shareholder claims, including class actions or fraud claims, and the ability of the SEC, the U.S. Department of Justice and other authorities to bring and enforce actions against foreign issuers or foreign persons is limited. Furthermore, the economies of emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon international trade and, accordingly, have been and may continue to be adversely affected by trade barriers, managed adjustments in relative currency values, and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade. These emerging market economies also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade. See “Emerging Market Securities” above.

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including the markets for certain securities and commodities such as oil and natural gas. Following Russia’s actions, various countries, including the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, as well as the EU, issued broad-ranging economic sanctions against Russia. Sanctions threatened or imposed by these jurisdictions, and other intergovernmental actions that have been or may be undertaken in the future, against Russia, Russian entities or Russian individuals, may result in the devaluation of Russian currency, a downgrade in the country’s credit rating, an immediate freeze of Russian assets, a decline in the value and liquidity of Russian securities, property or interests, and/or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy or a Fund. The scope and scale of sanctions in place at a particular time may be expanded or otherwise modified in a way that may have negative effects on a Fund. Sanctions, or the threat of new or modified sanctions, could impair the ability of a Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive, deliver or otherwise transact in certain affected securities or other investment instruments. Sanctions could also result in Russia taking counter measures or other actions in response, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These sanctions, and the resulting disruption of the Russian economy, may cause volatility in other regional and global markets and may negatively impact the performance of various sectors and industries, as well as companies in other countries, which could have a negative effect on the performance of a Fund, even if a Fund does not have direct exposure to securities of Russian issuers.

The Funds may enter into agreements known as guaranteed investment contracts (“GICs”) with banks and insurance companies. GICs provide to a Fund a fixed rate of return for a fixed period of time, similar to any fixed-income security. While there is no ready market for selling GICs and they typically are not assignable, a Fund will only invest in GICs if the financial institution permits a withdrawal of the principal (together with accrued interest) after the Fund gives seven days’ notice. Like any fixed-income security, if market interest rates at the time of such withdrawal have increased from the guaranteed rate, a Fund would be required to pay a premium or penalty upon such withdrawal. If market rates declined, a Fund would receive a premium on withdrawal. Since GICs are considered illiquid, each Fund will not invest more than 15% of its net assets in GICs and other illiquid assets (see “Illiquid Securities, Private Placements and Certain Unregistered Securities” below).

Each Fund may invest in privately placed, restricted, Rule 144A or other unregistered securities. Rule 144A securities are securities that are eligible for resale without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act. Each Fund may not acquire illiquid holdings if, as a result, more than 15% of its net assets would be in illiquid investments. If a Fund determines at any time that it owns illiquid securities in excess of 15% of its net assets, it will cease to undertake new commitments to acquire illiquid securities until its holdings are no longer in excess of 15% of its NAV, and, depending on circumstances, may take additional steps to reduce its holdings of illiquid securities. Subject to these limitations, each Fund may acquire investments that are illiquid or have limited liquidity, such as private placements or investments that are not registered under the 1933 Act and cannot be offered for public sale in the United States without first being registered under the 1933 Act. An investment is considered “illiquid” if the Funds reasonably expect the investment cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven (7) calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. The price a Fund’s portfolio may pay for illiquid securities or receive upon resale may be lower than the price paid or received for similar securities with a more liquid market. Accordingly, the valuation of these securities will take into account any limitations on their liquidity.

The SEC has adopted a liquidity risk management rule (the “Liquidity Rule”) that requires the Funds to establish a liquidity risk management program (the “LRMP”). The Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees (defined infra), have designated the Investment Manager to administer the Funds’ LRMP and the Investment Manager has formed a Liquidity Risk Management Committee to which it has delegated responsibilities for the ongoing operation and management of the LRMP. Under the LRMP, the Investment Manager assesses, manages, and periodically reviews the Funds’ liquidity risk. The Liquidity Rule defines “liquidity risk” as the risk that a Fund could not meet requests to redeem shares issued by the Fund without significant dilution of remaining investors’ interests in the Fund. The liquidity of each Fund’s portfolio investments is determined based on relevant market, trading and investment-specific considerations under the LRMP. To the extent that an investment is deemed to be an illiquid investment or a less liquid investment, a Fund can expect to be exposed to greater liquidity risk. Rule 144A securities may be determined to be liquid or illiquid in accordance with the guidelines established by the Investment Manager and approved by the Trustees. The Trustees will monitor compliance with these guidelines on a periodic basis.

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Investment in these securities entails the risk to a Fund that there may not be a buyer for these securities at a price that the Fund believes represents the security’s value should the Fund wish to sell the security. If a security the Fund holds must be registered under the 1933 Act before it may be sold, the Fund may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expenses. In addition, in these circumstances, a considerable time may elapse between the time of the decision to sell and the time a Fund may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions develop, a Fund may obtain a less favorable price than when it first decided to sell the security.

To the extent they may invest in fixed-income securities, the Funds may invest in inflation-linked bonds, which are issued by the United States government and foreign governments with a nominal return indexed to the inflation rate in prices. Governments that issue inflation-indexed bonds may use different conventions for purposes of structuring their bonds and different inflation factors, with the same underlying principal of linking real returns and inflation.

For purposes of explanation, a United States TIPS bond will be used as an example of how inflation-linked bonds work. Inflation-linked bonds, like nominal bonds, pay coupons on a principal amount. For U.S. TIPS, and most inflation-linked bonds, the value of the principal is adjusted for inflation. In the United States the index used to measure inflation is the non-seasonally adjusted U.S. City Average All Items Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”). Interest payments are paid every six months, and are equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted value of the principal. The final payment of principal of the security will not be less than the original par amount of the security at issuance.

The principal of the inflation-linked security is indexed to the non-seasonally adjusted CPI-U. To calculate the inflation-adjusted principal value for a particular valuation date, the value of the principal at issuance is multiplied by the index ratio applicable to that valuation date. The index ratio for any date is the ratio of the reference CPI applicable to such date, to the reference CPI applicable to the original issue date. Semi-annual coupon interest is determined by multiplying the inflation-adjusted principal amount by one-half of the stated rate of interest on each interest payment date.

Inflation-adjusted principal or the original par amount, whichever is larger, is paid on the maturity date as specified in the applicable offering announcement. If at maturity the inflation-adjusted principal is less than the original principal value of the security, an additional amount is paid at maturity so that the additional amount plus the inflation-adjusted principal equals the original principal amount. Some inflation-linked securities may be stripped into principal and interest components. In the case of a stripped security, the holder of the stripped principal component would receive this additional amount. The final interest payment, however, will be based on the final inflation-adjusted principal value, not the original par amount.

If a Fund invests in U.S. Treasury inflation-linked securities, it will be required to treat as original issue discount any increase in the principal amount of the securities that occurs during the course of its taxable year. If a Fund purchases such inflation-linked securities that are issued in stripped form, either as stripped bonds or coupons, it will be treated as if it had purchased a newly issued debt instrument having “original issue discount.” If a Fund holds an obligation with original issue discount, it is required to accrue as ordinary income a portion of such original issue discount even though it receives no corresponding interest payment in cash. A Fund may have to sell other investments to obtain cash needed to make income distributions, which may reduce a Fund’s assets, increase its expense ratio and decrease its rate of return.

To satisfy redemption requests or to cover unanticipated cash shortfalls (due to “sales fails” or other factors), the Funds have entered into a master interfund lending agreement (“Interfund Lending Agreement”) under which a Fund would lend money and borrow money for temporary purposes directly to and from another eligible fund in the AMG Fund Complex through a credit facility (each an “Interfund Loan”), subject to meeting the

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conditions of an SEC exemptive order granted to the Fund permitting such interfund lending. No Fund may borrow more than the lesser of the amount permitted by Section 18 of the 1940 Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder, as modified by the above mentioned and any other applicable SEC exemptive order or other relief, or the amount permitted by its fundamental investment restrictions. All Interfund Loans will consist only of uninvested cash reserves that a Fund otherwise would invest in short-term repurchase agreements or other short-term instruments either directly or through a money market fund.

If a Fund has outstanding borrowings, any Interfund Loans to the Fund (a) will be at an interest rate equal to or lower than any outstanding bank loan, (b) will be secured at least on an equal priority basis with at least an equivalent percentage of collateral to loan value as any outstanding bank loan that requires collateral, (c) will have a maturity no longer than any outstanding bank loan (and in any event not over seven days) and (d) will provide that, if an event of default occurs under any agreement evidencing an outstanding bank loan to the Fund, the event of default will automatically (without need for action or notice by the lending fund) constitute an immediate event of default under the Interfund Lending Agreement entitling the lending fund to call the Interfund Loan (and exercise all rights with respect to any collateral) and that such call will be made if the lending bank exercises its right to call its loan under its agreement with the borrowing fund.

A Fund may make an unsecured borrowing through the credit facility if its outstanding borrowings from all sources immediately after the interfund borrowing total 10% or less of its total assets; provided, that if the Fund has a secured loan outstanding from any other lender, including but not limited to another eligible fund in the AMG Fund Complex, the Fund’s Interfund Loan will be secured on at least an equal priority basis with at least an equivalent percentage of collateral to loan value as any outstanding loan that requires collateral. If a Fund’s total outstanding borrowings immediately after an interfund borrowing would be greater than 10% of its total assets, the Fund may borrow through the credit facility only on a secured basis. A Fund may not borrow through the credit facility nor from any other source if its total outstanding borrowings immediately after the interfund borrowing would exceed the limits imposed by Section 18 of the 1940 Act or the Fund’s fundamental investment restrictions.

No Fund may lend to another eligible fund in the AMG Fund Complex through the interfund lending credit facility if the Interfund Loan would cause its aggregate outstanding loans through the credit facility to exceed 15% of the lending fund’s current net assets at the time of the Interfund Loan. A Fund’s Interfund Loans to any one fund shall not exceed 5% of the lending fund’s net assets. The duration of Interfund Loans is limited to the time required to receive payment for securities sold, but in no event may the duration exceed seven days. Interfund Loans effected within seven days of each other will be treated as separate loan transactions for purposes of this condition. Each Interfund Loan may be called on one business day’s notice by a lending fund and may be repaid on any day by a borrowing fund.

The limitations detailed above and the other conditions of the SEC exemptive order permitting interfund lending are designed to minimize the risks associated with interfund lending for both the lending fund and the borrowing fund. However, no borrowing or lending activity is without risk. When a Fund borrows money from another fund, there is a risk that the Interfund Loan could be called on one day’s notice or not renewed, in which case the Fund may have to borrow from a bank at higher rates if an Interfund Loan were not available from another fund. A delay in repayment to a lending fund could result in a lost opportunity or additional lending costs.

Inverse floating obligations, also referred to as residual interest bonds, have interest rates that decline when market rates increase and vice versa. They are typically purchased directly from the issuing agency. These obligations entail certain risks. They may be more volatile than fixed-rate securities, especially in periods where interest rates are fluctuating. In order to limit this risk, the Funds’ Subadviser may purchase inverse floaters that have a shorter maturity or contain limitations on their interest rate movements.

Each Fund may invest some portion of its assets in shares of other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and money market funds, to the extent that they may facilitate achieving the investment objective of the Fund or to the extent that they afford the principal or most practical means of access to a particular market or markets or they represent attractive investments in their own right. A Fund’s purchase of shares

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of investment companies may result in the payment by a shareholder of duplicative management fees. The Investment Manager and Subadviser for each Fund will consider such fees in determining whether to invest in other investment companies. The Funds will invest only in investment companies, or classes thereof, that do not charge a sales load; however, a Fund may invest in investment companies with distribution plans and fees, and may pay customary brokerage commissions to buy and sell shares of certain investment companies, such as closed-end investment companies and ETFs.

The return on a Fund’s investments in investment companies will be reduced by the operating expenses, including investment advisory and administrative fees, of such companies. A Fund’s investments in a closed-end investment company may require the payment of a premium above the NAV of the investment company’s shares, and the market price of the investment company thereafter may decline without any change in the value of the investment company’s assets. A Fund, however, will not invest in any investment company or trust unless it is believed that the potential benefits of such investment are sufficient to warrant the payment of any such premium.

As an exception to the above, a Fund has the authority to invest all of its assets in the securities of a single open-end investment company with substantially the same fundamental investment objectives, restrictions, and policies as that of the Fund. A Fund will notify its shareholders prior to initiating such an arrangement.

Mortgage-related securities include collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”), mortgage-backed bonds and “pass-throughs.” Pass-throughs, which are certificates that are issued by governmental, government-related or private organizations, are backed by pools of mortgage loans and provide investors with monthly payments. Pools that are created by non-government issuers generally have a higher rate of interest than pools of government and government related issuers. This is because there is no express or implied government backing associated with non-government issuers. Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage pass-through securities may be guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (in the case of securities guaranteed by the GNMA), or guaranteed by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government (in the case of securities guaranteed by Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”) or Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”)). Mortgage pass-through securities created by non-governmental issuers (such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers, and other secondary market issuers) may be uninsured or may be supported by various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance, and letters of credit, which may be issued by governmental entities, private insurers, or the mortgage poolers.

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The Funds may invest only in mortgage-related (or other asset-backed) securities either (i) issued by U.S. Government sponsored corporations or (ii) having a rating of A or higher by Moody’s or S&P, an equivalent rating by another NRSRO, or, if not rated by an NRSRO, have been determined to be of equivalent investment quality by the Fund’s Subadviser.

In the case of privately issued mortgage-related and asset-backed securities, the Funds take the position that such instruments do not represent interests in any particular industry or group of industries. If new types of mortgage-related securities are developed and offered to investors, investments in such securities will be considered.

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations. CMOs are obligations that are fully collateralized by a portfolio of mortgages or mortgage-related securities. The issuer’s obligation to make interest and principal payments is secured by the underlying portfolio of mortgages or mortgage-backed securities. CMOs are issued with a number of classes or series, which have different maturities representing interests in some or all of the interest or principal on the underlying collateral or a combination thereof. Payments of interest or principal on some classes or series of CMOs may be subject to contingencies, or some classes or series may bear some or all of the risk of default on the underlying mortgages. CMOs of different classes are generally retired in sequence as the underlying mortgage loans in the mortgage pools are repaid. In the event of sufficient early prepayments on such mortgages, the class or series of CMO first to mature generally will be retired prior to its stated maturity. Thus, the early retirement of a particular class or series of a CMO held by the Funds would have the same effect as the prepayment of mortgages underlying a mortgage-backed pass-through security. Therefore, a Fund may be subject to greater or lesser prepayment risk depending on the type of CMOs in which the Fund invests. Although the mortgage-related securities securing these obligations may be subject to a government guarantee or third-party support, the obligation itself is not so guaranteed. Therefore, if the collateral securing the obligation is insufficient to make payment on the obligation, a Fund could sustain a loss.

CMOs also include securities representing the interest in any excess cash flow and/or the value of any collateral remaining after the issuer has applied cash flow from the underlying mortgages or mortgage-backed securities to the payment of principal of and interest on all other CMOs and the administrative expenses of the issuer (“Residuals”). Residuals have value only to the extent that income from such underlying mortgages or mortgage-backed securities exceeds the amounts necessary to satisfy the issuer’s debt obligations represented by all other outstanding classes or series of the CMOs. In addition, if a CMO bears interest at an adjustable rate, the cash flows on the related Residual will also be extremely sensitive to the level of the index upon which the rate adjustments are based.

Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits. Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits (“REMICs”) are CMO vehicles that qualify for special tax treatment under the Code and invest in mortgages principally secured by interests in real property and other investments permitted by the Code. In reliance on an interpretation by the SEC, the investments of the Funds in certain qualifying CMOs and REMICs are not subject to the limitations of the 1940 Act on acquiring interests in other investment companies. CMOs and REMICs issued by an agency or instrumentality of the U.S. Government are considered U.S. government securities for the purposes of the Funds’ investment policies and limitations.

GNMA Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates. GNMA Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates (“Ginnie Maes”) are undivided interests in a pool of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration, the Farmers Home Administration or the Veterans Administration. They entitle the holder to receive all payments of principal and interest, net of fees due to GNMA and the issuer. Payments are made to holders of Ginnie Maes whether payments are actually received on the underlying mortgages. This is because Ginnie Maes are guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the United States. GNMA has the unlimited authority to borrow funds from the U.S. Treasury to make payments to these holders.

FNMA Guaranteed Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates. FNMA Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates are undivided interests in a pool of conventional mortgages. They are secured by the first mortgages or deeds of trust on residential properties. There is no obligation to distribute monthly payments of principal and interest on the mortgages in the pool. They are guaranteed only by FNMA and are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.

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FHLMC Guaranteed Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates. FHLMC, a corporate instrumentality of the U.S. Government, issues participation certificates which represent interests in pools of conventional mortgage loans. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and the ultimate collection of principal, and maintains reserves to protect holders against losses due to default, but these securities are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

Mortgage-Backed Bonds. Mortgage-backed bonds are general obligations of the issuer fully collateralized directly or indirectly by a pool of mortgages. The mortgages serve as collateral for the issuer’s payment obligations on the bonds but interest and principal payments on the mortgages are not passed through either directly (as with GNMA certificates and FNMA and FHLMC pass-through securities) or on a modified basis (as with CMOs). Accordingly, a change in the rate of prepayments on the pool of mortgages could change the effective maturity of a CMO but not that of a mortgage-backed bond (although, like many bonds, mortgage-backed bonds may be callable by the issuer prior to maturity). Although the mortgage-related securities securing these obligations may be subject to a government guarantee or third-party support, the obligation itself is not so guaranteed. Therefore, if the collateral securing the obligation is insufficient to make payment on the obligation, a Fund could sustain a loss.

Recent Events Regarding FNMA and FHLMC Securities. On September 6, 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) placed FNMA and FHLMC into conservatorship. As the conservator, FHFA succeeded to all rights, titles, powers and privileges of FNMA and FHLMC and of any stockholder, officer or director of FNMA and FHLMC with respect to FNMA and FHLMC and the assets of FNMA and FHLMC. FHFA selected a new chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors for each of FNMA and FHLMC. In connection with the conservatorship, the U.S. Treasury entered into a Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with each of FNMA and FHLMC pursuant to which the U.S. Treasury will purchase up to an aggregate of $100 billion of each of FNMA and FHLMC to maintain a positive net worth in each enterprise. This agreement contains various covenants, discussed below, that severely limit each enterprise’s operations. In exchange for entering into these agreements, the U.S. Treasury received $1 billion of each enterprise’s senior preferred stock and warrants to purchase 79.9% of each enterprise’s common stock. In 2009, the U.S. Treasury announced that it was doubling the size of its commitment to each enterprise under the Senior Preferred Stock Program to $200 billion. The U.S. Treasury’s obligations under the Senior Preferred Stock Program are for an indefinite period of time for a maximum amount of $200 billion per enterprise. In 2009, the U.S. Treasury further amended the Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement to allow the cap on the U.S. Treasury’s funding commitment to increase as necessary to accommodate any cumulative reduction in FNMA’s and FHLMC’s net worth through the end of 2012. In August 2012, the Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement was further amended to, among other things, accelerate the wind down of the retained portfolio, terminate the requirement that FNMA and FHLMC each pay a 10% dividend annually on all amounts received under the funding commitment, and require the submission of an annual risk management plan to the U.S. Treasury.

FNMA and FHLMC are continuing to operate as going concerns while in conservatorship and each remain liable for all of its obligations, including its guaranty obligations, associated with its mortgage-backed securities. The Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement is intended to enhance each of FNMA’s and FHLMC’s ability to meet its obligations. The FHFA has indicated that the conservatorship of each enterprise will end when the director of FHFA determines that FHFA’s plan to restore the enterprise to a safe and solvent condition has been completed.

Under the Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008 (the “Reform Act”), which was included as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, FHFA, as conservator or receiver, has the power to repudiate any contract entered into by FNMA or FHLMC prior to FHFA’s appointment as conservator or receiver, as applicable, if FHFA determines, in its sole discretion, that performance of the contract is burdensome and that repudiation of the contract promotes the orderly administration of FNMA’s or FHLMC’s affairs. The Reform Act requires FHFA to exercise its right to repudiate any contract within a reasonable period of time after its appointment as conservator or receiver. FHFA, in its capacity as conservator, has indicated that it has no intention to repudiate the guaranty obligations of FNMA or FHLMC because FHFA views repudiation as incompatible with the goals of the conservatorship. However, in the event that FHFA, as conservator or if it is later appointed as receiver for FNMA or FHLMC, were to repudiate any such guaranty obligation, the conservatorship or receivership estate, as applicable, would be liable for actual direct compensatory damages in accordance with the provisions of the Reform Act. Any such liability could be satisfied only to the extent of FNMA’s or FHLMC’s assets available therefor. In the event of repudiation, the payments of interest to holders of FNMA or FHLMC mortgage-backed securities would be reduced if payments on the mortgage loans represented in the mortgage loan groups related to such mortgage-

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backed securities are not made by the borrowers or advanced by the servicer. Any actual direct compensatory damages for repudiating these guaranty obligations may not be sufficient to offset any shortfalls experienced by such mortgage-backed security holders. Further, in its capacity as conservator or receiver, FHFA has the right to transfer or sell any asset or liability of FNMA or FHLMC without any approval, assignment or consent. Although FHFA has stated that it has no present intention to do so, if FHFA, as conservator or receiver, were to transfer any such guaranty obligation to another party, holders of FNMA or FHLMC mortgage-backed securities would have to rely on that party for satisfaction of the guaranty obligation and would be exposed to the credit risk of that party.

In addition, certain rights provided to holders of mortgage-backed securities issued by FNMA and FHLMC under the operative documents related to such securities may not be enforced against FHFA, or enforcement of such rights may be delayed, during the conservatorship or any future receivership. The operative documents for FNMA and FHLMC mortgage-backed securities may provide (or with respect to securities issued prior to the date of the appointment of the conservator may have provided) that upon the occurrence of an event of default on the part of FNMA or FHLMC, in its capacity as guarantor, which includes the appointment of a conservator or receiver, holders of such mortgage-backed securities have the right to replace FNMA or FHLMC as trustee if the requisite percentage of mortgage-backed securities holders consent. The Reform Act prevents mortgage-backed security holders from enforcing such rights if the event of default arises solely because a conservator or receiver has been appointed. The Reform Act also provides that no person may exercise any right or power to terminate, accelerate or declare an event of default under certain contracts to which FNMA or FHLMC is a party, or obtain possession of or exercise control over any property of FNMA or FHLMC, or affect any contractual rights of FNMA or FHLMC, without the approval of FHFA, as conservator or receiver, for a period of 45 or 90 days following the appointment of FHFA as conservator or receiver, respectively.

In addition, in a February 2011 report to Congress from the Treasury Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Obama administration provided a plan to reform America’s housing finance market. The plan would reduce the role of and eventually eliminate FNMA and FHLMC. Notably, the plan does not propose similar significant changes to GNMA, which guarantees payments on mortgage-related securities backed by federally insured or guaranteed loans such as those issued by the Federal Housing Association or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The report also identified three proposals for Congress and the administration to consider for the long-term structure of the housing finance markets after the elimination of FNMA and FHLMC, including implementing: (i) a privatized system of housing finance that limits government insurance to very limited groups of creditworthy low- and moderate-income borrowers; (ii) a privatized system with a government backstop mechanism that would allow the government to insure a larger share of the housing finance market during a future housing crisis; and (iii) a privatized system where the government would offer reinsurance to holders of certain highly-rated mortgage-related securities insured by private insurers and would pay out under the reinsurance arrangements only if the private mortgage insurers were insolvent.

The conditions attached to the financial contribution made by the Treasury to FHLMC and FNMA and the issuance of senior preferred stock place significant restrictions on the activities of FHLMC and FNMA. FHLMC and FNMA must obtain the consent of the Treasury to, among other things, (i) make any payment to purchase or redeem its capital stock or pay any dividend other than in respect of the senior preferred stock, (ii) issue capital stock of any kind, (iii) terminate the conservatorship of the FHFA except in connection with a receivership, or (iv) increase its debt beyond certain specified levels. In addition, significant restrictions are placed on the maximum size of each of FHLMC’s and FNMA’s respective portfolios of mortgages and mortgage-backed securities, and the purchase agreements entered into by FHLMC and FNMA provide that the maximum size of their portfolios of these assets must decrease by a specified percentage each year. The future status and role of FHLMC and FNMA could be impacted by (among other things) the actions taken and restrictions placed on FHLMC and FNMA by the FHFA in its role as conservator, the restrictions placed on FHLMC’s and FNMA’s operations and activities as a result of the senior preferred stock investment made by the U.S. Treasury, market responses to developments at FHLMC and FNMA, and future legislative and regulatory action that alters the operations, ownership, structure and/or mission of these institutions, each of which may, in turn, impact the value of, and cash flows on, any mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by FHLMC and FNMA, including any such mortgage-backed securities held by a Fund.

On June 3, 2019, under the FHFA’s “Single Security Initiative,” FHLMC and FNMA entered into a joint initiative to develop a common securitization platform for the issuance of a “uniform mortgage-backed security” or “UMBS,” in place of their separate offerings of “to be announced” (TBA)-eligible mortgage-backed securities. The

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Single Security Initiative seeks to generally align the characteristics of FHLMC and FNMA mortgage-backed securities. The effects it may have on the market for mortgage-backed securities are uncertain and the issuance of UMBS may not achieve the intended results and may have unanticipated or adverse effects on the market for mortgage-backed securities.

A Fund’s ability to invest in UMBS to the same degree that the Fund currently invests in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities is uncertain. While Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have taken steps for a smooth transition to the issuance of UMBS, there may be factors that affect the timing of the transition to UMBS or the ability of market participants, including the Funds, to adapt to the issuance of UMBS. A Fund may need to consider the tax and accounting issues raised by investments in UMBS and/or the exchange of legacy Freddie Mac securities for UMBS. Additionally, there could be divergence in prepayment rates of UMBS issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which could lead to differences in the prices of Fannie Mae- and Freddie Mac-issued UMBS if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fail to align programs, policies and practices that affect prepayments.

Risks Associated with Mortgage-Related and other Asset-Backed Securities. There are certain risks associated with mortgage-related securities, such as prepayment risk and default risk. Although there is generally a liquid market for these investments, those certificates issued by private organizations may not be readily marketable. The value of mortgage-related securities depends primarily on the level of interest rates, the coupon rates of the certificates and the payment history of the underlying mortgages. The risk of defaults associated with mortgage-related securities is generally higher in the case of mortgage-backed investments that include so-called “sub-prime” mortgages.

Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities have yield and maturity characteristics corresponding to their underlying assets. Unlike traditional debt securities, which must pay a fixed rate of interest until maturity when the entire principal amount becomes due, payments on certain mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities include both interest and a partial payment of principal. This partial payment of principal may comprise a scheduled principal payment as well as an unscheduled payment from the voluntary prepayment, refinancing, or foreclosure of the underlying loans. As a result of these unscheduled payments of principal, or prepayments on the underlying securities, the price and yield of mortgage-backed securities can be adversely affected. For example, during periods of declining interest rates, prepayments can be expected to accelerate, and the Funds would be required to reinvest the proceeds at the lower interest rates then available.

Ongoing developments in the residential and commercial mortgage markets may have additional consequences for the market for mortgage-backed securities. During the periods of deteriorating economic conditions, such as recessions or periods of rising unemployment, delinquencies and losses generally increase, sometimes dramatically, with respect to securitizations involving mortgage loans. Many sub-prime mortgage pools have become distressed during the periods of economic distress and may trade at significant discounts to their face value during such periods.

Prepayments of mortgages that underlie securities purchased at a premium could result in capital losses because the premium may not have been fully amortized at the time the obligation is prepaid. In addition, like other interest-bearing securities, the values of mortgage-backed securities generally fall when interest rates rise, but when interest rates fall, their potential for capital appreciation is limited due to the existence of the prepayment feature.

Municipal securities, including residual interest bonds, are issued by or on behalf of states, territories, and possessions of the United States and the District of Columbia and by their political subdivisions, agencies, and instrumentalities. The interest on these obligations is generally not includable in gross income of most investors for U.S. federal income tax purposes, though interest on certain municipal securities may be included for purposes of the federal Alternative Minimum Tax (“AMT”). Issuers of municipal obligations do not usually seek assurances from governmental taxing authorities with respect to the tax-free nature of the interest payable on such obligations. Rather, issuers seek opinions of bond counsel as to such tax status. The Funds do not expect to be eligible to pass through to their shareholders the tax-exempt character of interest on such obligations.

Municipal issuers of securities are not usually subject to the securities registration and public reporting requirements of the SEC and state securities regulators. As a result, the amount of information available about the

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financial condition of an issuer of municipal obligations may not be as extensive as that which is made available by corporations whose securities are publicly traded. The two principal classifications of municipal securities are general obligation securities and limited obligation (or revenue) securities. There are, in addition, a variety of hybrid and special types of municipal obligations as well as numerous differences in the financial backing for the payment of municipal obligations (including general fund obligation leases described below), both within and between the two principal classifications. Long term municipal securities are typically referred to as “bonds” and short term municipal securities are typically called “notes.”

Payments due on general obligation bonds are secured by the issuer’s pledge of its full faith and credit including, if available, its taxing power. Issuers of general obligation bonds include states, counties, cities, towns and various regional or special districts. The proceeds of these obligations are used to fund a wide range of public facilities such as the construction or improvement of schools, roads and sewer systems.

The principal source of payment for a limited obligation bond or revenue bond is generally the net revenue derived from particular facilities financed with such bonds. In some cases, the proceeds of a special tax or other revenue source may be committed by law for use to repay particular revenue bonds. For example, revenue bonds have been issued to lend the proceeds to a private entity for the acquisition or construction of facilities with a public purpose such as hospitals and housing. The loan payments by the private entity provide the special revenue source from which the obligations are to be repaid.

Each Fund that invests in municipal securities will limit its investment in municipal leases to no more than 5% of its total assets.

Municipal Notes. Municipal notes generally are used to provide short-term capital funding for municipal issuers and generally have maturities of one year or less. Municipal notes of municipal issuers include tax anticipation notes, revenue anticipation notes and bond anticipation notes:

Tax Anticipation Notes are issued to raise working capital on a short-term basis. Generally, these notes are issued in anticipation of various seasonal tax revenues being paid to the issuer, such as property, income, sales, use and business taxes, and are payable from these specific future taxes.

Revenue Anticipation Notes are issued in anticipation of the receipt of non-tax revenue, such as federal revenues or grants.

Bond Anticipation Notes are issued to provide interim financing until long term financing can be arranged.

Municipal Commercial Paper. Issues of municipal commercial paper typically represent short-term, unsecured, negotiable promissory notes. Agencies of state and local governments issue these obligations in addition to or in lieu of notes to finance seasonal working capital needs or to provide interim construction financing and are paid from revenues of the issuer or are refinanced with long term debt. In most cases, municipal commercial paper is backed by letters of credit, lending agreements, note repurchase agreements or other credit facility agreements offered by banks or other institutions.

The Funds may invest in pay-in-kind bonds. These bonds pay “interest” through the issuance of additional bonds, thereby adding debt to the issuer’s balance sheet. The market prices of these securities are likely to respond to changes in interest rates to a greater degree than the prices of securities paying interest currently. Pay-in-kind bonds carry additional risk in that, unlike bonds that pay interest throughout the period to maturity, a Fund will realize no cash until the cash payment date and the Fund may obtain no return at all on its investment if the issuer defaults.

The holder of a pay-in-kind bond must accrue income with respect to these securities prior to the receipt of cash payments thereon. A Fund may have to sell other investments to obtain cash needed to make income distributions, which may reduce the Fund’s assets, increase its expense ratio and decrease its rate of return.

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The Funds may invest in REITs, which are pooled investment vehicles that invest primarily in income-producing real estate or real estate related loans or interest, subject to any restrictions set forth in the Prospectus and this SAI.

REITs are generally classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs or a combination of equity and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive income primarily from the collection of rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive income from the collection of interest payments. Like regulated investment companies such as the Funds, REITs are not taxed on income distributed to shareholders provided that they comply with certain requirements under the Code. A Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any expenses paid by REITs in which it invests in addition to the expenses paid by the Fund.

Each Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements and dollar roll agreements with commercial banks and registered broker-dealers to seek to enhance returns. In a reverse repurchase agreement, a Fund sells a security and agrees to repurchase the same security at a price and on a date mutually agreed-upon by the parties. The difference between the repurchase price and the original price is the reverse repurchase agreement rate, which reflects the interest rate in effect for the term of the agreement. Dollar rolls are transactions in which a Fund sells securities for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contracts to repurchase substantially similar (same type and coupon) securities on a specified future date. During the roll period, the Fund forgoes principal and interest paid on the securities. The Fund is compensated by the difference between the current sales price and the forward price for the future purchase (often referred to as the “drop”) as well as by the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the initial sale.

A Fund will earmark or establish a segregated account with its custodian in which it will maintain liquid assets equal in value to its obligations in respect of reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls. Reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities retained by the Fund may decline below the price of the securities the Fund has sold but is obligated to repurchase under the agreement. In the event the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement or dollar roll files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the Fund’s use of the proceeds of the agreement may be restricted pending a determination by the other party, or its trustee or receiver, whether or not to enforce the Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities. For the purposes of the 1940 Act, reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls can be viewed as the borrowing of money by a Fund and, therefore, a form of leverage which may magnify any gains or losses for the Fund, but for which the Fund is not required to have 300% asset coverage. The GW&K Global Allocation Fund may only enter into reverse repurchase agreements up to 33 1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets taken at market value (computed at the time the loan is made), including the amount borrowed.

Rights are short-term obligations issued in conjunction with new stock issues. Warrants give the holder the right to buy an issuer’s securities at a stated price for a stated time. The holder of a right or warrant has the right to purchase a given number of shares of a security of a particular issuer at a specified price until expiration of the right or warrant. While rights normally have a short life, usually two to four weeks, warrants normally have a life that is

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measured in years. Such investments provide greater potential for profit than a direct purchase of the same amount of the securities. Prices of warrants do not necessarily move in tandem with the prices of the underlying securities, and warrants are considered speculative investments. They pay no dividends and confer no rights other than a purchase option. If a warrant or right is not exercised by the date of its expiration, a Fund would lose its entire investment in such warrant or right. In pursuing its investment strategies, a Fund may invest in an issuer’s debt securities that carry warrants to purchase equity securities.

Each Fund may lend its portfolio securities in order to realize additional income. This lending is subject to a Fund’s policies and restrictions. A Fund may lend its investment securities so long as (i) the loan is secured by collateral having a market value at all times not less than 102% (105% in the case of certain foreign securities) of the value of the securities loaned, (ii) such collateral is marked to market on a daily basis, (iii) the loan is subject to termination by the Fund at any time, and (iv) the Fund receives reasonable interest on the loan. When cash is received as collateral, each Fund will invest the cash received in short-term instruments to earn additional income. The Fund will bear the risk of any loss on any such investment; however, the Funds’ securities lending agent has agreed to indemnify each Fund against loss on the investment of the cash collateral. A Fund may pay reasonable finders, administrative and custodial fees to persons that are unaffiliated with the Fund for services in connection with loans of portfolio securities. While voting rights may pass with the loaned portfolio securities, to the extent possible, the loan will be recalled on a reasonable efforts basis and the securities voted by the Fund. The Bank of New York Mellon serves as the Funds’ securities lending agent.

The Funds may engage in “short sales against the box,” which involve selling short a security in which a Fund currently holds a position or that the Fund has a right to acquire, while at the same time maintaining its current position in that security or retaining the right to acquire the security. In order to engage in a short sale against the box, a Fund arranges with a broker or other counterparty, which may be the Fund’s custodian, to borrow the security being sold short. A Fund must deposit with or for the benefit of the broker or other counterparty collateral, consisting of cash, or marketable securities, to secure the Fund’s obligation to replace the security and segregate liquid assets, so that the total of the amounts deposited with the broker or other counterparty and segregated is equal to the current value of the securities sold short. In addition, a Fund must pay the broker or other counterparty any dividends or interest paid on the borrowed security during the time the short position is open. In order to close out its short position, the Fund will replace the security by purchasing the security at the price prevailing at the time of replacement or taking the security the Fund otherwise holds and delivering it to the broker or other counterparty. If the price of the security sold short has increased since the time of the short sale, the Fund will incur a loss in addition to the costs associated with establishing, maintaining and closing out the short position. A Fund’s loss on a short sale is potentially unlimited because there is no upward limit on the price the security sold short could attain. If the price of the security sold short has decreased since the time of the short sale, the Fund will experience a gain to the extent the difference in price is greater than the costs associated with establishing, maintaining and closing out the short position. The successful use of short selling may be adversely affected by imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the security sold short and the securities being hedged.

A Fund may also engage in short sales “not against the box,” which are generally short sales of securities in which the Fund does not currently hold a long position. Short sales that are not made “against the box” create opportunities to increase a Fund’s return but, at the same time, involve special risk considerations and may be considered a speculative technique. Since a Fund in effect profits from a decline in the price of the securities sold short without the need to invest the full purchase price of the securities on the date of the short sale, the Fund’s NAV per share will tend to increase more when the securities it has sold short decrease in value, and to decrease more when the securities it has sold short increase in value, than would otherwise be the case if it had not engaged in short sales. Similar to short sales against the box, short sales not against the box theoretically involve unlimited loss potential, as the market price of securities sold short may continuously increase. Under adverse market conditions, a Fund might have difficulty purchasing securities to meet its short sale delivery obligations, and might have to sell portfolio securities to raise the capital necessary to meet its short sale obligations at a time when fundamental investment considerations would not favor such sales.

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The character of the gain realized on short sales of securities that a Fund does not own is determined by reference to the securities used to close the short sale and is therefore generally short-term. Any such short-term gain will be taxed as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders. See “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters” below.

The SEC and other (including non-U.S.) regulatory authorities have imposed, and may in the future impose, restrictions on short selling, either on a temporary or permanent basis, which may include placing limitations on specific companies and/or industries with respect to which a Fund may enter into short positions. Any such restrictions may hinder a Fund in, or prevent it from, fully implementing its investment strategies, and may negatively affect performance.

A Fund may invest in stock, rights, warrants, and other securities of special purpose acquisition companies (“SPACs”) or similar special purpose entities. A SPAC is a publicly traded company that raises investment capital in the form of a blind pool via an IPO for the purpose of acquiring an existing company. The shares of a SPAC are typically issued in “units” that include one share of common stock and one right or warrant (or partial right or warrant) conveying the right to purchase additional shares or partial shares. At a specified time following the SPAC’s IPO (generally 1-2 months), the rights and warrants may be separated from the common stock at the election of the holder, after which they become freely tradeable. After going public and until an acquisition is completed, a SPAC generally invests the proceeds of its IPO (less a portion retained to cover expenses), which are held in trust, in U.S. government securities, money market securities and cash. To the extent the SPAC is invested in cash or similar securities, this may impact a Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. If a SPAC does not complete an acquisition within a specified period of time after going public, the SPAC is dissolved, at which point the invested funds are returned to the SPAC’s shareholders (less certain permitted expenses) and any rights or warrants issued by the SPAC expire worthless.

Because SPACs and similar entities are in essence blank check companies without an operating history or ongoing business other than seeking acquisitions, the value of their securities is particularly dependent on the ability of the entity’s management to identify and complete a profitable acquisition. Some SPACs may pursue acquisitions only within certain industries or regions, which may increase the volatility of their prices. In addition, the securities issued by a SPAC, which are typically traded in the over-the-counter market, may be considered illiquid and/or be subject to restrictions on resale.

Step down perpetual preferred securities are issued by a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) making a mortgage loan to a single borrower. The dividend rate paid by these securities is initially relatively high, but declines yearly. The securities are subject to call if the REIT suffers an unfavorable tax event, and to tender by the issuer’s equity holder in the tenth year; both events could be on terms unfavorable to the holder of the preferred securities. The value of these securities will be affected by changes in the value of the underlying mortgage loan. The REIT is not diversified, and the value of the mortgaged property may not cover its obligations. Step down perpetual preferred securities are considered restricted securities under the 1933 Act.

The Funds may invest in structured notes as part of its overall investment strategy, subject to any restrictions set forth in the Prospectus and this SAI. Structured notes are privately negotiated debt obligations in which the principal and/or interest is determined by reference to the performance of a benchmark asset, market or interest rate, such as selected securities, an index of securities or specified interest rates, or the differential performance of two assets or markets, such as indices reflecting bonds. Depending on the terms of the note, a Fund may forgo all or part of the interest and principal that would be payable on a comparable conventional note. The rate of return on structured notes may be determined by applying a multiplier to the performance or differential performance of the referenced index(es) or other asset(s). Application of a multiplier involves leverage which will serve to magnify the potential for gain and the risk of loss. Like other sophisticated strategies, a Fund’s use of structured notes may not work as intended; for example, by reducing the duration of the Fund’s portfolio, structured notes may limit the Fund’s return when having a longer duration would be beneficial (for instance, when interest rates decline). Structured instruments may be considered illiquid.

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The Funds may invest, as part of their overall investment strategy, in equity-linked notes. An equity-linked note is a note, typically issued by a company or financial institution, whose performance is tied to a single stock, a basket of stocks, or a stock index. Generally, upon the maturity of the note, the holder receives a return of principal based on the capital appreciation of the linked securities. The terms of an equity-linked note may also provide for the periodic interest payments to holders at either a fixed or floating rate. Because the notes are equity linked, a Fund may lose some or all of its investment in a note due to a decline in value of the linked security or securities. The maximum return on a note may be limited to a specified amount, so even if the Subadviser’s view of the underlying stock(s) or index is correct, the gain may be limited. There is no guarantee that a specific, or any, return or yield on an investment will be made. To the extent a Fund invests in equity-linked notes issued by foreign issuers, it will be subject to the risks associated with the debt securities of foreign issuers and with securities denominated in foreign currencies. There is also the possibility that a note issuer may default on its obligations under the note.

The Funds may invest, as part of their overall investment strategy, in other types of “hybrid” instruments that combine the characteristics of securities, futures and options. For example, the principal amount or interest rate of a hybrid could be tied (positively or negatively) to the price of some currency or securities index or another interest rate (each a “benchmark”). The interest rate or (unlike most debt obligations) the principal amount payable at maturity of a hybrid security may be increased or decreased, depending on changes in the value of the benchmark. Hybrids can be used as an efficient means of pursuing a variety of investment goals, including duration management and increased total return. Hybrids may not bear interest or pay dividends. The value of a hybrid or its interest rate may be a multiple of a benchmark and, as a result, may be leveraged and move (up or down) more steeply and rapidly than the benchmark. These benchmarks may be sensitive to economic and political events that cannot be readily foreseen by the purchaser of a hybrid. Under certain conditions, the redemption value of a hybrid could be zero. Thus, an investment in a hybrid may entail significant market risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional, U.S. dollar-denominated bond that has a fixed principal amount and pays a fixed rate or floating rate of interest. The purchase of hybrids also exposes a Fund to the credit risk of the issuer of the hybrids. These risks may cause significant fluctuations in the NAV of a Fund.

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

The Funds may invest in direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury. These obligations include Treasury bills, notes and bonds, all of which have their principal and interest payments backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

The Funds may invest in obligations issued by the agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government. These obligations may or may not be backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States. Securities which are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States include obligations of the GNMA, the Farmers Home Administration and the Export-Import Bank. For those securities which are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, a Fund must principally look to the federal agency guaranteeing or issuing the obligation for ultimate repayment and therefore may not be able to assert a claim against the United States itself for repayment in the event that the issuer does not meet its commitments. The securities in which the Funds may invest that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States include, but are not limited to: (a) obligations of the Tennessee Valley Authority, the FHLMC, the Federal Home Loan Banks and the U.S. Postal Service, each of which has the right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury to meet its obligations; (b) securities issued by the FNMA, which are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the agency’s obligations; and (c) obligations of the Federal Farm Credit System and the Student Loan Marketing Association, each of whose obligations may be satisfied only by the individual credits of the issuing agency. Such securities may involve increased risk, including loss of principal and interest, compared to government debt securities that are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury.

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Securities issued by international organizations, such as Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian-American Development Bank and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the “World Bank”), are not U.S. government securities. These international organizations, while not U.S. Government agencies or instrumentalities, have the ability to borrow from member countries, including the United States.

Variable rate securities provide for automatic establishment of a new interest rate at fixed intervals (i.e., daily, monthly, semi-annually, etc.). Floating rate securities provide for automatic adjustment of the interest rate whenever some specified interest rate index changes. The amount of interest to be paid to the holder is typically contingent on another rate (“contingent security”) such as the yield on 90-day Treasury bills. Variable rate securities may also include debt securities which have an interest rate which resets in the opposite direction of the rate of the contingent security.

The Funds may invest in participation interests purchased from banks in variable rate obligations owned by banks. A participation interest gives a Fund an undivided interest in the obligation in the proportion that the Fund’s participation interest bears to the total principal amount of the obligation, and provides a demand repayment feature. Each participation is backed by an irrevocable letter of credit or guarantee of a bank (which may be the bank issuing the participation interest or another bank). The bank letter of credit or guarantee must meet the prescribed investment quality standards for the Funds. A Fund has the right to sell the participation instrument back to the issuing bank or draw on the letter of credit on demand for all or any part of the Fund’s participation interest in the underlying obligation, plus accrued interest.

Each Fund may purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis. The purchase price and the interest rate payable, if any, on the securities are fixed on the purchase commitment date or at the time the settlement date is fixed. The value of these securities is subject to market fluctuation. For fixed-income securities, no interest accrues to a Fund until a settlement takes place. At the time a Fund makes a commitment to purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis, it will record the transaction, reflect the daily value of the securities when determining its NAV, and if applicable, calculate the maturity for the purposes of determining its average maturity from the date of the transaction. At the time of settlement, a when-issued or delayed-delivery security may be valued below the amount of its purchase price. A Fund may dispose of these securities before the issuance thereof. However, absent extraordinary circumstances not presently foreseen, it is each Fund’s policy not to divest itself of its right to acquire these securities prior to the settlement date thereof.

In connection with these transactions, a Fund will earmark or maintain a segregated account with its custodian containing liquid assets in an amount which is at least equal to the commitments. On the delivery dates of the transactions, a Fund will meet its obligations from maturities or sales of the securities held in the segregated account and/or from cash flow. If a Fund chooses to dispose of the right to acquire a when-issued or delayed-delivery security prior to its acquisition, it could incur a loss or a gain due to market fluctuation. Furthermore, a Fund may be at a disadvantage if the other party to the transaction defaults. When-issued or delayed-delivery transactions may allow a Fund to hedge against changes in interest rates.

Each Fund may enter into contracts to purchase securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond customary settlement time (“forward commitments”) if the Fund holds until the settlement date, in a segregated account, cash or liquid assets in an amount sufficient to meet the purchase price, or if the Fund enters into offsetting contracts for the forward sale of other securities it owns. Forward commitments may be considered securities in themselves, and involve a risk of loss if the value of the security to be purchased declines prior to the settlement date. Where such purchases are made through dealers, a Fund relies on the dealer to consummate the sale. The dealer’s failure to do so may result in a loss to the Fund of an advantageous return or price. Although a Fund will generally enter into a forward commitment with the intention of acquiring securities for its portfolio or for delivery pursuant to options contracts it has entered into, a Fund may dispose of a commitment prior to settlement if the Investment Manager and the Fund’s Subadviser deem it appropriate to do so. A Fund may realize short-term profits or losses upon the sale of forward commitments.

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The Funds may invest in zero coupon bonds. “Zero coupon” bonds are issued at a significant discount from face value and pay interest only at maturity rather than at intervals during the life of the security. Zero coupon bonds tend to be more volatile than other securities with similar stated maturities, but which make regular payments of either principal or interest.

A Fund is required to accrue and distribute imputed income from zero coupon securities on a current basis, even though it does not receive the income currently. A Fund may have to sell other investments to obtain cash needed to make income distributions, which may reduce a Fund’s assets, increase its expense ratio and decrease its rate of return.

Additional Risks

Market Disruption and Geopolitical Risk

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Unexpected political, regulatory and diplomatic events within the United States and abroad, such as the U.S.-China “trade war” that intensified in 2018, may affect investor and consumer confidence and may adversely impact financial markets and the broader economy, perhaps suddenly and to a significant degree. The current political climate and the further escalation of a trade war between China and the United States may have an adverse effect on both the U.S. and Chinese economies, as each country has recently imposed tariffs on the other country’s products. In January 2020, the U.S. and China signed a “Phase 1” trade agreement that reduced some U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods while boosting Chinese purchases of American goods. However, this agreement left in place a number of existing tariffs, and it is unclear whether further trade agreements may be reached in the future. Events such as these and their impact on the Funds are difficult to predict and it is unclear whether further tariffs may be imposed or other escalating actions may be taken in the future.

Cyber Security Risk

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breakdowns of, a Fund, the Investment Manager, the Subadviser, or a custodian, transfer agent, or other affiliated or third-party service provider may adversely affect the Fund or its shareholders. For instance, cyber-attacks may interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, affect a Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential Fund information, impede trading, cause reputational damage, and subject the Fund to regulatory fines, penalties or financial losses, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and additional compliance costs. Cyber-attacks may render records of Fund assets and transactions, shareholder ownership of Fund shares, and other data integral to the functioning of the Funds inaccessible or inaccurate or incomplete. The Funds may also incur substantial costs for cyber security risk management in order to prevent cyber incidents in the future. The Funds and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result. While the Investment Manager has established business continuity plans and systems designed to prevent cyber-attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. The Funds rely on third-party service providers for many of their day-to-day operations, and are subject to the risk that the protections and protocols implemented by those service providers will be ineffective to protect the Funds from cyber-attack. The Investment Manager does not control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by third-party service providers, and such third-party service providers may have limited indemnification obligations to the Investment Manager or the Funds. Similar types of cyber security risks also are present for issuers of securities in which the Funds invest, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause a Fund’s investment in such securities to lose value.

Diversification Requirements for the Funds

Each Fund intends to meet the diversification requirements of the 1940 Act as in effect from time to time. Currently under the 1940 Act, a “diversified” fund generally may not, with respect to 75% of its total assets, invest more than 5% of its total assets in the securities of any one issuer or own more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer (except, in each case, U.S. Government securities, cash, cash items and the securities of other investment companies). The remaining 25% of a fund’s total assets is not subject to this limitation. A fund that is non-diversified can invest a greater percentage of its assets in a single issuer or a group of issuers, and, as a result, may be subject to greater credit, market, and other risks than a diversified fund. The poor performance by a single issuer may have a greater impact on the performance of a non-diversified fund. A non-diversified fund’s shares tend to be more volatile than shares of a diversified fund and are more susceptible to the risks of focusing investments in a small number of issuers or industries, and the risks of a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence.

Industry Concentration

The 1940 Act requires the Funds to state the extent, if any, to which they intend to concentrate investments in a particular industry. While the 1940 Act does not define what constitutes “concentration” in an industry, the staff of the SEC takes the position that, in general, investments of more than 25% of a fund’s assets in an industry constitutes concentration. The SEC staff has also taken the position that a policy relating to industry concentration does not apply to investments in “government securities” (as defined in the 1940 Act) or in tax-exempt securities issued by U.S. federal, state and municipal governments or political subdivisions of U.S. federal, state and municipal governments.

Fundamental Investment Restrictions

The following investment restrictions have been adopted by the Trust with respect to the Funds. Except as otherwise stated, these investment restrictions are “fundamental” policies. A “fundamental” policy is defined in the 1940 Act to mean that the restriction cannot be changed without the vote of a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” of the Funds. A majority of the outstanding voting securities is defined in the 1940 Act as the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the voting securities present at a meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy, or (b) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities.

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Fundamental Investment Restrictions of the GW&K Global Allocation Fund

(1) Issue senior securities.

(2) Borrow money, except (i) in amounts not to exceed 33 1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the amount borrowed) taken at market value from banks or through reverse repurchase agreements or forward roll transactions, (ii) up to an additional 5% of its total assets for temporary purposes, (iii) in connection with short-term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of portfolio securities and (iv) the Fund may purchase securities on margin to the extent permitted by applicable law.

(3) Underwrite the securities of other issuers, except to the extent that, in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities, the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act.

(4) Purchase or sell real estate, except that the Fund may (i) acquire or lease office space for its own use, (ii) invest in securities of issuers that invest in real estate or interests therein, (iii) invest in securities that are secured by real estate or interests therein, (iv) purchase and sell mortgage-related securities and (v) hold and sell real estate acquired by the Fund as a result of the ownership of securities.

(5) Purchase or sell commodities, except the Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts (including futures contracts on commodities) and options thereon.

(6) Make loans, except that the Fund may (i) lend portfolio securities in accordance with the Fund’s investment policies up to 33 1/3% of the Fund’s total assets taken at market value, (ii) enter into repurchase agreements, (iii) purchase all or a portion of an issue of debt securities, bank loan participation interests, bank certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, debentures or other securities, whether or not the purchase is made upon the original issuance of the securities and (iv) lend portfolio securities and participate in an interfund lending program with other series of the Trust provided that no such loan may be made if, as a result, the aggregate of such loans would exceed 33 1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets.

(7) With respect to 75% of its total assets, purchase securities of an issuer (other than the U.S. Government, its agencies, instrumentalities or authorities or repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government securities and other investment companies), if: (a) such purchase would cause more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets taken at market value to be invested in the securities of such issuer; or (b) such purchase would at the time result in more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer being held by the Fund.

(8) Invest more than 25% of its total assets in the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry (excluding the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities).

Any restriction on investments or use of assets, including, but not limited to, market capitalization, geographic, rating and/or any other percentage restrictions, set forth in this SAI or the Fund’s Prospectus shall be measured only at the time of investment, and any subsequent change, whether in the value, market capitalization, rating, percentage held or otherwise, will not constitute a violation of the restriction, other than with respect to investment restriction (2) above related to borrowings by the Fund.

For purposes of investment restriction (1) above, issuing senior securities shall not be considered to include (without limitation): borrowing money, making loans, the issuance of shares of beneficial interest in multiple classes or series, the deferral of Trustees’ fees, the purchase or sale of derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward commitments and swaps, and entering into repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, roll transactions and short sales, in accordance with the Fund’s investment policies and applicable law.

For purposes of investment restriction (2) above, borrowing shall not be considered to include (without limitation): investments in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward commitments and swaps, short sales and roll transactions made in accordance with the Fund’s investment policies.

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For purposes of investment restriction (5) above, commodities shall not be considered to include options on securities, securities indices and currency, forward foreign currency exchange contracts, forward commitments, securities index put or call warrants and repurchase agreements entered into in accordance with the Fund’s investment policies.

For purposes of investment restriction (5) above, at the time of the establishment of the restriction, swap contracts on financial instruments or rates were not within the understanding of the term “commodities,” and notwithstanding any federal legislation or regulatory action by the CFTC that subject such swaps to regulation by the CFTC, the Fund will not consider such instruments to be commodities for purposes of this restriction.

For purposes of fundamental investment restriction (6) above, the Fund will lend portfolio securities to other series of trusts managed by the Investment Manager pursuant to an interfund lending program provided that the Fund complies with the conditions of an SEC exemptive order granted to the Fund permitting such interfund lending.

Unless otherwise provided, for purposes of investment restriction (8) above, the term “industry” shall be defined by reference to the Global Industry Classification Standard put forth by S&P and Morgan Stanley Capital International.

Fundamental Investment Restrictions of the GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund

The GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund:

(1) May issue senior securities to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the rules or regulations thereunder, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time, or by regulatory guidance or interpretations of, or any exemptive order or other relief issued by the SEC or any successor organization or their staff under, such Act, rules or regulations.

(2) May borrow money to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the rules or regulations thereunder, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time, or by regulatory guidance or interpretations of, or any exemptive order or other relief issued by the SEC or any successor organization or their staff under, such Act, rules or regulations.

(3) May lend money to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the rules or regulations thereunder, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time, or by regulatory guidance or interpretations of, or any exemptive order or other relief issued by the SEC or any successor organization or their staff under, such Act, rules or regulations.

(4) May underwrite securities to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the rules or regulations thereunder, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time, or by regulatory guidance or interpretations of, or any exemptive order or other relief issued by the SEC or any successor organization or their staff under, such Act, rules or regulations.

(5) May purchase and sell commodities to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the rules or regulations thereunder, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time, or by regulatory guidance or interpretations of, or any exemptive order or other relief issued by the SEC or any successor organization or their staff under, such Act, rules or regulations.

(6) May purchase and sell real estate to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the rules or regulations thereunder, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time, or by regulatory guidance or interpretations of, or any exemptive order or other relief issued by the SEC or any successor organization or their staff under, such Act, rules or regulations.

(7) May purchase securities of any issuer only when consistent with the maintenance of its status as a diversified company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the rules or regulations thereunder, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time, or under regulatory guidance or interpretations of such Act, rules or regulations.

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(8) May not concentrate investments in a particular industry or group of industries, as concentration is defined or interpreted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and the rules and regulations thereunder, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time, and under regulatory guidance or interpretations of such Act, rules or regulations.

Any restriction on investments or use of assets, including, but not limited to, market capitalization, geographic, rating and/or any other percentage restrictions, set forth in this SAI or in the Prospectus shall be measured only at the time of investment, and any subsequent change, whether in the value, market capitalization, rating, percentage held or otherwise, will not constitute a violation of the restriction, other than with respect to investment restriction (2) above related to borrowings by the Fund.

Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions of the GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund

The following restrictions are designated as non-fundamental with respect to the GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund and may be changed by the Trust’s Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.

The GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund may not (except as noted):

(1) With respect to in excess of 15% of the Fund’s assets, sell securities short, except that the Fund may, without limit, make short sales against the box.

(2) Purchase any below investment grade security if, as a result, more than 35% of the Fund’s assets would be invested in below investment grade securities.

Portfolio Turnover

Generally, each Fund purchases securities for investment purposes and not for short-term trading profits. However, a Fund may sell securities without regard to the length of time that the security is held in the portfolio when the Fund believes the sale is consistent with the Fund’s investment strategies and in the Fund’s best interest to do so. A higher degree of portfolio activity may increase brokerage costs to the Fund and may increase shareholders’ tax liability.

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Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

The Trust has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent selective disclosure of the Funds’ portfolio holdings to third parties, other than disclosures that are consistent with the best interests of shareholders of a Fund. Each Fund will disclose its portfolio holdings on a monthly basis on or about the 10th business day of the following month by posting this information on the Funds’ website. The Chief Compliance Officer of the Trust may designate an earlier or later date for public disclosure of a Fund’s portfolio holdings. In addition, each Fund (i) may disclose the top 10 portfolio holdings at any time following the disclosure of portfolio holdings, and (ii) may disclose statistical information regarding such Fund’s portfolio allocation characteristics on or about 10 business days after each month-end, or may disclose such information if it is derived from publicly available portfolio holdings, in each case, by posting the information on the Fund’s website. Non-public portfolio holdings may also be disclosed by a Fund or its duly authorized service providers to certain third parties, including mutual fund evaluation services, rating agencies, lenders or providers of borrowing facilities, if (i) the Chief Compliance Officer of the Trust has made a determination that the disclosure of portfolio holdings information in the manner and at the time proposed is consistent with a legitimate business purpose of the Fund; and (ii) the recipient has been informed in writing that it is subject to a duty of confidentiality with respect to that information and undertakes not to trade in securities or other property on the basis of that information unless and until that information is made publicly available. The Board of Trustees receives reports of any potential exceptions to, or violations of, the Trust’s policies and procedures governing disclosure of portfolio holdings that are deemed to constitute a material compliance matter. The Chief Compliance Officer or his designee is responsible for monitoring compliance with these procedures, including requesting information from service providers.

The Trust has arrangements with the persons indicated below to make available information about a Fund’s portfolio securities. The Trust’s policies and procedures prohibit any person or entity from receiving compensation or consideration of any kind in connection with the release of information relating to a Fund’s portfolio holdings.

The entities to which the Funds voluntarily disclose portfolio holdings information are required, either by explicit agreement or by virtue of their respective duties to the Funds, to maintain the confidentiality of the information disclosed. There can be no assurance that the Trust’s policies and procedures regarding selective disclosure of the Funds’ portfolio holdings will protect the Funds from potential misuse of that information by individuals or entities to which it is disclosed.

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TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

There is no stated term of office for Trustees. Trustees serve until their death, resignation, retirement, removal, bankruptcy, adjudicated incompetence or other incapacity to perform the duties of the office of a Trustee in accordance with the Trust’s organizational documents and the Board’s policy that Trustees retire at the end of the calendar year in which a Trustee reaches the age of 75. The Chairman of the Board, the President, the Treasurer and the Secretary and such other Officers as the Trustees may in their discretion from time to time elect each hold office until his or her successor is elected and qualified, or until he or she sooner dies, resigns, is removed or becomes disqualified. Each Officer holds office at the pleasure of the Trustees.

Independent Trustees

The Trustees in the following table are not “interested persons” of the Trust within the meaning of the 1940 Act (“Independent Trustees”). Eric Rakowski serves as the Independent Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

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Information About Each Trustee’s Experience, Qualifications, Attributes or Skills

Trustees of the Trust, together with information as to their positions with the Trust, principal occupations and other board memberships for the past five years, and experience, qualifications, attributes or skills for serving as Trustees are shown in the tables above. The summaries relating to the experience, qualifications, attributes and skills of the Trustees are required by the registration form adopted by the SEC, do not constitute holding out the Board or any Trustee as having any special expertise or experience, and do not impose any greater responsibility or liability on any such person or on the Board as a whole than would otherwise be the case. The Board believes that the significance of each Trustee’s experience, qualifications, attributes or skills is an individual matter (meaning that experience that is important for one Trustee may not have the same value for another) and that these factors are best evaluated at the Board level, with no single Trustee, or particular factor, being indicative of Board effectiveness. However, the Board believes that Trustees need to be able to critically review, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, and to interact effectively with Trust management, service providers and counsel, in order to exercise effective business judgment in the performance of their duties. The Board believes that each of its members has these abilities. Experience relevant to having these abilities may be achieved through a Trustee’s educational background; business, professional training or practice (e.g., finance or law), or academic positions; experience from service as a board member (including the Board) or as an executive of investment funds, significant private or not-for-profit entities or other organizations; and/or other life experiences. To assist them in evaluating matters under federal and state law, the Independent Trustees are counseled by their own separate, independent legal counsel, who participates in Board meetings and interacts with the Investment Manager, and also may benefit from information provided by the Trust’s and the Investment Manager’s legal counsel. Both Independent Trustee and Trust counsel have significant experience advising funds and fund board members. The Board and its committees have the ability to engage other experts, including the Funds’ independent public accounting firm, as appropriate. The Board evaluates its performance on an annual basis.

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Officers

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Trustee Share Ownership

Board Leadership Structure and Risk Oversight

The Board’s role in management of the Trust is oversight, including oversight of the Funds’ risk management process. The Board meets regularly on at least a quarterly basis and at these meetings the officers of the Funds and the Funds’ Chief Compliance Officer report to the Board on a variety of matters. A portion of each regular meeting is devoted to an executive session of the Independent Trustees, the Independent Trustees’ separate, independent legal counsel, and the Funds’ Chief Compliance Officer, at which no members of management are present. In a separate executive session of the Independent Trustees and the Independent Trustees’ independent legal counsel, the Independent Trustees consider a variety of matters that are required by law to be considered by the Independent Trustees, as well as matters that are scheduled to come before the full Board, including fund governance, compliance, and leadership issues. When considering these matters, the Independent Trustees are advised by their independent legal counsel. The Board reviews its leadership structure periodically and believes that its structure is appropriate to enable the Board to exercise its oversight of the Funds.

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AMG Funds II has retained AMG Funds LLC as the Funds’ investment adviser and administrator. The Investment Manager is responsible for the Funds’ overall administration and operations, including management of the risks that arise from the Funds’ investments and operations. Employees of the Investment Manager serve as several of the Funds’ officers, including the Funds’ President. The Board provides oversight of the services provided by the Investment Manager and the Funds’ officers, including their risk management activities. On an annual basis, the Funds’ Chief Compliance Officer conducts a compliance review and risk assessment and prepares a written report relating to the review that is provided to the Board for review and discussion. The assessment includes a broad-based review of the risks inherent to the Funds, the controls designed to address those risks, and selective testing of those controls to determine whether they are operating effectively and are reasonably designed. In the course of providing oversight, the Board and the Committees receive a wide range of reports on the Funds’ activities, including regarding each Fund’s investment portfolio, the compliance of the Funds with applicable laws, and the Funds’ financial accounting and reporting. The Board receives periodic reports from the Funds’ Chief Legal Officer on the Investment Manager’s risk management activities. The Board also receives periodic reports from the Funds’ Chief Compliance Officer regarding the compliance of the Funds with federal and state securities laws and the Funds’ internal compliance policies and procedures. In addition, the Board receives periodic reports from the portfolio managers of the Funds’ Subadviser and the Investment Manager’s investment research team regarding the management of the Funds, including their investment risks. The Board also receives periodic reports from the Funds’ Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and other senior personnel of the Investment Manager regarding the Investment Manager’s general business operations.

Board Committees

As described below, the Board of Trustees has two standing Committees, each of which is chaired by an Independent Trustee. The Board has not established a formal risk oversight committee. However, much of the regular work of the Board and its standing Committees addresses aspects of risk oversight.

Audit Committee

Governance Committee

The Board of Trustees has a Governance Committee consisting of all of the Independent Trustees. Eric Rakowski serves as the chairman of the Governance Committee. Under the terms of its charter, the Governance Committee is empowered to perform a variety of functions on behalf of the Board, including responsibility to make recommendations with respect to the following matters: (i) individuals to be appointed or nominated for election as Independent Trustees; (ii) the designation and responsibilities of the chairperson of the Board (who shall be an Independent Trustee) and Board committees, such other officers of the Board, if any, as the Governance Committee

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Trustees’ Compensation

Compensation Table:

CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES

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GW&K Global Allocation Fund—Class N

GW&K Global Allocation Fund—Class I

GW&K Global Allocation Fund—Class Z

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GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund—Class N

GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund—Class I

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GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund—Class Z

Management Ownership

MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS

Investment Manager

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Subadviser

The assets of each Fund are managed by a Subadviser selected by the Investment Manager, subject to the review and approval of the Trustees. The Investment Manager has entered into advisory agreements with the Subadviser known as “Subadvisory Agreements.” The SEC has given the Trust an exemptive order permitting the Investment Manager, on behalf of the Funds, to hire new unaffiliated Subadvisers for the Funds without prior shareholder approval, but subject to shareholder notification within 90 days of the hiring of such a Subadviser. The Investment Manager and its corporate predecessors have over 20 years of experience in evaluating subadvisers for individuals and institutional investors.

For its investment management services, the Investment Manager receives an investment management fee from each Fund. A portion of the investment management fee paid by each Fund to the Investment Manager is used to pay the subadvisory fees of the Subadviser that manages the assets of the Fund. Because GW&K Investment Management, LLC (“GW&K”) is an affiliate of the Investment Manager, the Investment Manager indirectly benefits from the compensation received by the Subadviser.

The Subadviser or its affiliated broker-dealer may execute portfolio transactions for a Fund and receive brokerage commissions, or markups/markdowns, in connection with the transaction as permitted by Sections 17(a) and 17(e) of the 1940 Act, and the rules thereunder, and the terms of any exemptive order issued by the SEC. The Board of Trustees has approved procedures in conformity with Rule 10f-3 under the 1940 Act whereby a Fund may purchase securities that are offered in underwritings in which an affiliate of the Fund’s Subadviser participates. For underwritings where a Subadviser affiliate participates as a principal underwriter, certain restrictions may apply that could, among other things, limit the amount of securities that a Fund could purchase in the underwritings.

Management and Subadvisory Agreements

The Management Agreement and the Subadvisory Agreements provide for an initial term of two years and thereafter shall continue in effect from year to year so long as such continuation is specifically approved at least annually (i) by either the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as

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defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, and (ii) in either event by the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to the agreements or “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of any such party, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such continuance.

The Management Agreement may be terminated, without penalty, by vote of the Board of Trustees, by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust (as defined in the 1940 Act), by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act) upon 60 days’ written notice to the Investment Manager, and by the Investment Manager upon 60 days’ written notice to the Trust. The Subadvisory Agreements may be terminated, without penalty, by vote of the Board of Trustees, by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the applicable Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act), by the Investment Manager, and by the Subadviser, in each case upon 60 days’ prior written notice to the other party. The Management Agreement and the Subadvisory Agreements terminate automatically in the event of assignment, as defined in the 1940 Act and the regulations thereunder.

The Management Agreement provides that the Investment Manager is specifically responsible for the following advisory services:

In performing the functions set forth above and supervising the Subadviser, the Investment Manager:

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The Funds pay all expenses not borne by the Investment Manager or the Subadviser including, but not limited to, the charges and expenses of the Funds’ custodian and transfer agent, independent auditors and legal counsel for the Funds and the Trust’s Independent Trustees, 12b-1 fees, if any, all brokerage commissions, transfer taxes and transaction taxes in connection with portfolio transactions, all taxes and filing fees, the fees and expenses for registration or qualification of the Funds’ shares under federal and state securities laws, all expenses of shareholders’ and Trustees’ meetings and of preparing, printing and mailing reports to shareholders and the compensation of Trustees who are not directors, officers or employees of the Investment Manager, the Subadviser or their affiliates, other than affiliated registered investment companies. The Investment Manager compensates all executive and clerical personnel and Trustees of the Trust if such persons are employees of the Investment Manager or its affiliates.

The Subadvisory Agreements require the Subadviser to provide fair and equitable treatment to the respective Funds in the selection of portfolio investments and the allocation of investment opportunities. However, they do not obligate the Subadviser to acquire for the Funds a position in any investment which any of the Subadviser’s other clients may acquire. The Funds shall have no first refusal, co-investment or other rights in respect of any such investment, either for the Funds or otherwise.

Although the Subadviser makes investment decisions for the Funds independent of those for their other clients, it is likely that similar investment decisions will be made from time to time. When the Funds and other clients of the Subadviser are simultaneously engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security, the transactions are, to the extent feasible and practicable, averaged as to price and the amount is allocated between the Funds and the other client(s) pursuant to a formula considered equitable by the Subadviser. In specific cases, this system could have an adverse effect on the price or volume of the security to be purchased or sold by a Fund. However, the Trustees believe, over time, that coordination and the ability to participate in volume transactions should benefit the Funds.

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The Trust has obtained from the SEC an exemptive order which permits the Investment Manager, subject to certain conditions and oversight by the Board of Trustees, to enter into subadvisory agreements with unaffiliated subadvisers approved by the Trustees but without the requirement of shareholder approval. Under the terms of this exemptive order, the Investment Manager is able, subject to certain conditions (including a 90-day notification requirement discussed below) and approval by the Board of Trustees but without shareholder approval, to hire new unaffiliated subadvisers for the Funds, change the terms of a subadvisory agreement for an unaffiliated subadviser, or continue the employment of an unaffiliated subadviser after events that under the 1940 Act and the subadvisory agreement would be deemed to be an automatic termination of the subadvisory agreement provided that the Investment Manager provides notification to shareholders within 90 days of the hiring of an unaffiliated subadviser. The Investment Manager, subject to oversight by the Trustees, has ultimate responsibility to oversee the subadvisers and recommend their hiring, termination, and replacement. Although shareholder approval will not be required for the termination of subadvisory agreements, shareholders of a Fund will continue to have the right to terminate such subadvisory agreements for the Fund at any time by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. The Investment Manager may not change a subadviser to the Funds without approval of the Board of Trustees and, to the extent required by the 1940 Act, shareholder approval. Affiliated subadvisers selected by the Investment Manager are subject to shareholder approval.

Compensation of the Investment Manager and the Subadviser

As compensation for the investment management services rendered and related expenses under the Management Agreement, each Fund has agreed to pay the Investment Manager an investment management fee, at the annual rates included in the table below, which is computed daily as a percentage of the value of the average daily net assets of the applicable Fund and may be paid monthly.

As compensation for the investment management services rendered and related expenses under the Subadvisory Agreements, the Investment Manager has agreed to pay the Subadviser a portion of the investment management fee (net of any mutually agreed-upon fee waivers and reimbursements) for managing the portfolio, which is also computed daily and paid monthly based on the average daily net assets that the Subadviser manages. The fee paid to the Subadviser is paid out of the fee the Investment Manager receives from each Fund and does not increase a Fund’s expenses.

For each Fund, the Subadviser has agreed to reimburse the Investment Manager for certain fees and expenses incurred by the Investment Manager or the Distributor on behalf of the Fund, by the Investment Manager, or by the Distributor, which may include, but are not limited to, shareholder servicing fees and distribution-related expenses.

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Expense Limitations

From time to time, the Investment Manager may agree to limit a Fund’s expenses by agreeing to waive all or a portion of the investment management fee and certain other fees it would otherwise be entitled to receive from a Fund and/or pay or reimburse certain Fund expenses above a specified maximum amount (i.e., an “expense limitation”). The Investment Manager may waive all or a portion of its fees and/or pay or reimburse Fund expenses for a number of reasons, such as passing on to a Fund and its shareholders the benefit of reduced portfolio management fees resulting from a waiver by the Subadviser of all or a portion of the fees it would otherwise be entitled to receive from the Investment Manager with respect to a Fund, or attempting to make a Fund’s performance more competitive as compared to similar funds. The tables below and, if applicable, the Annual Fund Operating Expenses table (including footnotes thereto) located in the front of a Fund’s Prospectus reflect the impact of the Fund’s contractual expense limitations, if any, in effect during the periods shown. In general, for a period of up to 36 months after the date any amounts are paid, waived or reimbursed by the Investment Manager pursuant to a

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Fund’s contractual expense limitation, the Investment Manager may recover such amounts from the Fund provided that such repayment would not cause the Fund’s total annual operating expenses (exclusive of the items noted in the Prospectus) to exceed either (i) the expense limitation in effect at the time such amounts were paid, waived or reimbursed, or (ii) the expense limitation in effect at the time of such repayment by the Fund. In general, contractual expense limitations are only terminated at the end of a term, and shareholders will generally be notified of any change on or about the time that it becomes effective.

The Investment Manager also serves as the administrator to the Funds and receives compensation from the Trust pursuant to an administration agreement between the Trust and the Investment Manager. For more information about the administration agreement, see “Administrative Services” below.

Portfolio Managers of the Funds

GW&K Investment Management, LLC (“GW&K”)

Daniel L. Miller, CFA and William P. Sterling, PhD are the portfolio managers jointly and primarily responsible for asset allocation for the GW&K Global Allocation Fund. Aaron C. Clark, CFA and Thomas A. Masi, CFA are the portfolio managers jointly and primarily responsible for the equity portion of the GW&K Global Allocation Fund. Ms. Kane is the portfolio manager primarily responsible for the fixed income portion of the GW&K Global Allocation Fund.

Mary F. Kane, CFA and Stephen J. Repoff, CFA are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund.

Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers

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Potential Material Conflicts of Interest

GW&K’s portfolio managers simultaneously manage multiple types of portfolios, including separate accounts, wrap fee programs and sub advised mutual funds, according to the same or a similar investment strategy as the applicable Fund. However, the portfolios managed by a portfolio manager may not have portfolio compositions identical to those of the Fund managed by the portfolio manager due, for example, to specific investment limitations or guidelines present in some portfolios or funds but not others. The portfolio managers may purchase securities for one portfolio and not another portfolio, and the performance of securities purchased for one portfolio may vary from the performance of securities purchased for other portfolios. A portfolio manager may place transactions on behalf of other accounts that are directly or indirectly contrary to investment decisions made on behalf of a Fund, or make investment decisions that are similar to those made for a Fund, both of which have the potential to adversely impact a Fund depending on market conditions. For example, a portfolio manager may purchase a security in one portfolio while appropriately selling that same security in another portfolio. In addition, some of these portfolios have fee structures that are or have the potential to be higher than the advisory fees paid by a Fund, which can cause potential conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities between a Fund and the other accounts. However, the compensation structure for portfolio managers (see “Portfolio Manager Compensation” below) generally does not provide any incentive to favor one account over another because that part of a manager’s bonus based on performance is not based on the performance of one account to the exclusion of others.

While GW&K has policies and procedures to help ensure accounts are treated fairly and equitably over time not all accounts within a strategy will be managed the same at all times. Different client guidelines and/or differences within the investment strategies may lead to the use of different investment practices for accounts within the same or similar investment strategy.

Portfolio Manager Compensation

Portfolio manager compensation is a formula that balances investment management results and growth of the product. Compensation is comprised of a fixed base salary which is determined by the individual’s experience and position relative to market data, as well as a bonus that incorporates 3 components:

The bonus is not based specifically on the performance of a Fund nor is it based specifically on the assets held by the Fund.

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Portfolio Managers’ Ownership of Fund Shares

GW&K Global Allocation Fund

Mr. Miller: None

Mr. Sterling: None

Mr. Clark: None

Mr. Masi: None

Ms. Kane: None

GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund

Ms. Kane: None

Mr. Repoff: None

Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures

Codes of Ethics

The Trust, the Investment Manager, the Distributor and the Subadviser have adopted codes of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These codes of ethics, which generally permit personnel subject to the codes to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by a Fund, contain procedures that are designed to avoid the conflicts of interest that may be presented by personal securities investing.

Administrative Services

Effective October 1, 2016, the Investment Manager entered into an Amended and Restated Administration Agreement (the “Fund Administration Agreement”) with the Trust on behalf of the Funds. Under the Fund Administration Agreement, the Investment Manager also serves as administrator of the Funds and is responsible for certain aspects of managing the Funds’ operations, including administration and shareholder servicing. The administrative and shareholder services to be provided include, but are not limited to, processing and/or coordinating Fund share purchases and redemptions, responding to inquiries from shareholders, providing omnibus level support for financial intermediaries who perform sub-accounting for shares held of record by financial intermediaries for the benefit of other beneficial owners and other general and administrative responsibilities for the Funds. For providing these services, each Fund pays the Investment Manager 0.15% of its average daily net assets per annum. The Fund Administration Agreement generally may be terminated by the Investment Manager upon at least 60 days’ prior written notice to the Trust, and by the Trust upon at least 60 days’ prior written notice to the Investment Manager.

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Distribution Arrangements

Under a Distribution Agreement between the Trust and the Distributor (the “Distribution Agreement”), the Distributor serves as the principal distributor and underwriter for the Funds. The Distributor is a registered broker-dealer and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. (“FINRA”). Shares of the Funds will be continuously offered and will be sold directly to prospective purchasers and through brokers, dealers or other financial intermediaries who have executed selling agreements with the Distributor. Subject to the compensation arrangement discussed below with respect to the Funds, generally the Distributor bears all or a portion of the expenses of providing services pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, including the payment of the expenses relating to the distribution of each Fund’s Prospectus for sales purposes and any advertising or sales literature. Any costs and expenses not allocated to the Distributor shall be borne by the Investment Manager or an affiliate of the Investment Manager as agreed-upon between the Distributor and the Investment Manager from time to time. The Distributor is not obligated to sell any specific amount of shares of any Fund.

The Distribution Agreement may be terminated by either party under certain specified circumstances and will automatically terminate on assignment in the same manner as the Management Agreement. The Distribution Agreement remains in effect for one year from the date of its execution and thereafter from year to year, provided that each such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (i) by vote of the Trustees of the Trust and (ii) by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Distribution Agreement or any plan adopted by the Trust under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Distribution Agreement.

For sales of Fund shares, the Distributor may provide promotional incentives including cash compensation to certain brokers, dealers, or financial intermediaries whose representatives have sold or are expected to sell significant amounts of shares of one or more of the Funds. Other programs may provide, subject to certain conditions, additional compensation to brokers, dealers, or financial intermediaries based on a combination of aggregate shares sold and increases of assets under management. All of the above payments will be made pursuant to the Rule 12b-1 distribution and service plan described below and possibly supplemented by payments by the Distributor or its affiliates out of their own assets, or, in the case of such shares that are not subject to a Rule 12b-1 distribution and service plan, only by the Distributor or its affiliates out of their own assets.

Rule 12b-1 Distribution and Service Plan

The Trust has adopted a distribution and services plan with respect to Class N shares of the Funds (the “Plan”), in accordance with the requirements of Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act and the requirements of the applicable rules of FINRA regarding asset-based sales charges. Class N, Class I, and Class Z shares of the Funds are sold without a front end or contingent deferred sales load, and Class I and Class Z shares of the Funds are not subject to the expenses of any Rule 12b-1 distribution and services plan.

Pursuant to the Plan, each Fund may compensate the Distributor, brokers, dealers or other financial intermediaries (in each case, not limited to expenses incurred) for engaging, directly or indirectly, in any activity primarily intended to result in the sale of Class N shares, for the reimbursement of related expenses, and for the maintenance and personal service (“servicing”) provided to existing shareholders of that class. The Plan authorizes payments of up to 0.25% annually of each Fund’s average daily net assets attributable to its Class N shares.

The portion of payments made by Class N shares of a Fund under the Plan for servicing may not exceed an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily NAV of the Fund’s shares of that class owned by clients of any broker, dealer or financial intermediary.

In accordance with the terms of the Plan, the Distributor provides to each Fund, for review by the Trustees, a quarterly written report of the amounts expended under the Plan and the purpose for which such expenditures were made. In the Trustees’ quarterly review of the Plan, they will review the level of compensation the Plan provides in considering the continued appropriateness of the Plan.

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Under its terms, the Plan remains in effect from year to year provided such continuance is approved annually by vote of the Trustees, including the Trustees who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan or any related agreements, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such continuance. The Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount to be spent under the Plan without approval of the shareholders of the affected share class, and material amendments to the Plan must also be approved by the Trustees in a manner described therein. The Plan may be terminated at any time, without payment of any penalty, by vote of the majority of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operations of the Plan or any related agreements, or by “the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the applicable Fund or share class.

Custodian

The Custodian is authorized to deposit securities in securities depositories or to use the services of sub-custodians, including foreign sub-custodians, to the extent permitted by and subject to the regulations of the SEC.

Transfer Agent

BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc., 4400 Computer Drive, Westborough, Massachusetts 01581 (the “Transfer Agent”), is the transfer agent for the Funds and also serves as the dividend disbursing agent for the Funds.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 101 Seaport Boulevard, Suite 500, Boston, Massachusetts 02210, is the independent registered public accounting firm for the Funds. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP conducts an annual audit of the financial statements of each Fund, assists in the preparation and/or review of each Fund’s federal and state income tax returns and may provide other audit, tax and related services.

Securities Lending

The Board of Trustees has approved each Fund’s participation in a securities lending program. Under the securities lending program, the Trust has retained The Bank of New York Mellon to serve as its securities lending agent.

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BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES

The Subadvisory Agreements provide that the Subadviser places all orders for the purchase and sale of securities that are held in a Fund’s portfolio. In executing portfolio transactions and selecting brokers or dealers, it is the policy and principal objective of the Subadviser to seek to obtain best price and execution. It is expected that securities will ordinarily be purchased in the primary markets. The Subadviser shall consider all factors that it deems relevant when assessing best price and execution for the Funds, including the breadth of the market in the security, the price of the security, the financial condition and execution capability of the broker or dealer and the reasonableness of the commission, if any (for the specific transaction and on a continuing basis).

In addition, when selecting brokers to execute transactions and in evaluating the best available net price and execution, the Subadviser is authorized by the Trustees to consider the “brokerage and research services” (as defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended), provided by the broker. The Subadviser is also authorized to cause the Funds to pay a commission to a broker who provides such brokerage and research services for executing a portfolio transaction which is in excess of the amount of commission another broker would

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have charged for effecting that transaction. The Subadviser must determine in good faith, however, that such commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided viewed in terms of that particular transaction or in terms of all the accounts over which the Subadviser exercises investment discretion. Brokerage and research services received from such brokers will be in addition to, and not in lieu of, the services required to be performed by the Subadviser. The Funds may purchase and sell portfolio securities through brokers who provide the Subadviser with research services. Brokerage commissions may be used for the general benefit of all other clients of the Subadviser where legally and contractually permissible.

The revised EU Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (“MiFID II”), which became effective January 3, 2018, requires EU investment managers in the scope of the EU Markets in Financial Instruments Directive to pay for research services from brokers and dealers directly out of their own resources or by establishing “research payment accounts” for each client, rather than through client commissions. MiFID II’s research requirements present various compliance and operational considerations for investment advisers and broker-dealers serving clients in both the United States and the EU. It is possible that a Subadviser subject to MiFID II will cause a Fund to pay for research services with soft dollars in circumstances where the Subadviser is prohibited from causing its other client accounts to do so, including where the Subadviser aggregates trades on behalf of a Fund and those other client accounts. In such situations, a Fund would bear the additional amounts for the research services and the Fund’s Subadviser’s other client accounts would not, although the Subadviser’s other client accounts might nonetheless benefit from those research services.

The Trustees will periodically review the total amount of commissions paid by the Funds to determine if the commissions paid over representative periods of time were reasonable in relation to commissions being charged by other brokers and the benefits to the Funds of using particular brokers or dealers. It is possible that certain of the services received by the Subadviser attributable to a particular transaction will primarily benefit one or more other accounts for which investment discretion is exercised by the Subadviser.

The fees of the Subadviser are not reduced by reason of its receipt, if any, of such brokerage and research services. Generally, the Subadviser does not provide any services to the Funds except portfolio investment management and related recordkeeping services. The Investment Manager may request that the Subadviser employ certain specific brokers who have agreed to pay certain Fund expenses. The use of such brokers is subject to best price and execution, and there is no specific amount of brokerage that is required to be placed through such brokers.

Brokerage Commissions

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Brokerage Recapture Arrangements

The Trust has entered into or may enter into arrangements with various brokers pursuant to which a portion of the commissions paid by a Fund may be directed by the Fund to pay expenses of the Fund. Consistent with its policy and principal objective of seeking best price and execution, the Subadviser may consider these brokerage recapture arrangements in selecting brokers to execute transactions for the Fund. There is no specific amount of brokerage that is required to be placed through such brokers. In all cases, brokerage recapture arrangements relate solely to expenses of a Fund and not to expenses of the Investment Manager or the Subadviser.

Fund Ownership of Broker-Dealer Securities

PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND PRICING OF SHARES

Purchasing Shares

Investors may open accounts directly with the Funds or through their financial planners or investment professionals, or directly with the Trust in circumstances as described in the current Prospectus. Shares may also be purchased through bank trust departments on behalf of their clients and tax-exempt employee welfare, pension and profit-sharing plans. The Trust reserves the right to determine which customers and which purchase orders the Trust will accept.

The Investment Manager, the Subadviser, and/or the Distributor may pay compensation (out of their own funds and not as an expense of the Funds) to certain affiliated or unaffiliated brokers, dealers, or other financial intermediaries or service providers in connection with the sale or retention of Fund shares and/or shareholder servicing. This compensation may provide such affiliated or unaffiliated entities with an incentive to favor sales of shares of a Fund over other investment options. Any such payments will not change the NAV or the price of a Fund’s shares.

Certain investors may purchase or sell a Fund’s shares through a third party such as a bank, broker-dealer (including through a fund supermarket platform), trust company or other financial intermediary (each of the above, a “Financial Intermediary”) that may impose transaction fees or other charges in connection with this service. Shares purchased in this way may be treated as a single account for purposes of the minimum initial investment. Each Fund has authorized one or more Financial Intermediaries to (i) receive purchase and redemption orders on its behalf and (ii) designate other intermediaries to receive purchase and redemption orders on the Fund’s behalf. A Fund will be deemed to have received a purchase or redemption order when an authorized Financial Intermediary or an authorized Financial Intermediary’s authorized designee receives the order. These orders will be priced at a Fund’s NAV next calculated after they are so received by an authorized Financial Intermediary or such Financial Intermediary’s authorized designee and accepted by the Fund. The Funds may from time to time make payments to Financial

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Intermediaries for certain services, such as account maintenance, recordkeeping or sub-accounting, forwarding communications to shareholders, providing shareholders with account statements, transaction processing and customer liaison services. Investors who do not wish to receive the services of a Financial Intermediary may consider investing directly with the Trust. Shares held through a Financial Intermediary may be transferred into the investor’s name by contacting the Financial Intermediary or the Transfer Agent. Certain Financial Intermediaries may receive compensation from the Investment Manager, a Subadviser and/or the Distributor out of their legitimate profits in exchange for selling shares or for recordkeeping or other shareholder related services.

Purchase orders received by the Trust by 4:00 p.m. New York time at the address listed in the current Prospectus, on any day that the NYSE is open for business will receive the NAV computed that day. Purchase orders received after 4:00 p.m. from certain processing organizations that have entered into contractual arrangements with the Funds will also receive that day’s offering price, provided that the orders the processing organization transmits to the Funds were received in proper form by the processing organization before 4:00 p.m. The broker-dealer, omnibus processor or investment professional is responsible for promptly transmitting orders to the Trust. Orders transmitted to the Trust at the address indicated in the Prospectus will be promptly forwarded to the Transfer Agent.

Federal funds or bank wires used to pay for purchase orders must be in U.S. dollars and received in advance, except for certain processing organizations that have entered into contractual arrangements with the Trust. Purchases made by check are effected when the check is received, but are accepted subject to collection at full face value in U.S. funds and must be drawn in U.S. dollars on a U.S. bank.

To ensure that checks are collected by the Trust, if shares purchased by check or by Automated Clearing House funds (“ACH”) are sold before the check has cleared, the redemption proceeds will not be processed until the check has cleared. This may take up to 15 calendar days unless arrangements are made with the Investment Manager. However, during this 15 calendar day period, such shareholder may exchange such shares into any series of the Trust, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds III or AMG Funds IV, subject to applicable restrictions such as minimum investment amounts. The 15 calendar day holding period for redemptions would still apply to shares received through such exchanges.

If the check accompanying any purchase order does not clear, or if there are insufficient funds in your bank account, the transaction will be canceled and you will be responsible for any loss the Trust incurs. For current shareholders, the Trust can redeem shares from any identically registered account in the Trust as reimbursement for any loss incurred. The Trust has the right to prohibit or restrict all future purchases in the Trust in the event of any nonpayment for shares. The Funds and the Distributor reserve the right to reject any order for the purchase of shares in whole or in part. The Trust reserves the right to cancel any purchase order for which payment has not been received by the third business day following placement of the order.

In the interest of economy and convenience, share certificates will not be issued. All share purchases are confirmed to the record holder and credited to such holder’s account on the Trust’s books maintained by the Transfer Agent.

Redeeming Shares

Any redemption orders received in proper form by the Trust before 4:00 p.m. New York time on any day that the NYSE is open for business will receive the NAV determined at the close of regular business of the NYSE on that day. Redemption orders received after 4:00 p.m. from certain processing organizations that have entered into contractual arrangements with the Funds will also be redeemed at the NAV computed that day, provided that the orders the processing organization transmits to the Funds were received in proper form by the processing organization before 4:00 p.m.

Redemption orders received after 4:00 p.m. New York time will be redeemed at the NAV determined at the close of trading on the next business day. Redemption orders transmitted to the Trust at the address indicated in the current Prospectus will be promptly forwarded to the Transfer Agent. If you are trading through a broker-dealer or investment adviser, such investment professional is responsible for promptly transmitting orders. There is no redemption charge. The Trust reserves the right to redeem a shareholder account if its value (i) falls below $500 for Class N shares of each Fund, $25,000 for Class I shares of each Fund or $50,000 for Class Z shares of each Fund

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due to redemptions the shareholder makes, or (ii) is below $100, but, in each case, not until after the Fund gives the shareholder at least 60 days’ notice and the opportunity to increase the account balance to the minimum account balance amount. Whether the Trust will exercise its right to redeem shareholder accounts will be determined by the Investment Manager on a case-by-case basis.

A Fund may pay all or a portion of redemption proceeds with a distribution in kind of its portfolio securities, in lieu of cash, in conformity with applicable law, when such payment is in the best interest of the Fund. If shares are redeemed in kind, the redeeming shareholder might incur transaction costs in converting the assets to cash and the assets will be subject to market and other risks until they are sold. The method of valuing portfolio securities is described under “Net Asset Value,” below, and such valuation will be made as of the same time the redemption price is determined.

Investors should be aware that redemptions from a Fund may not be processed if a redemption request is not submitted in proper form. To be in proper form, the request must include the shareholder’s taxpayer identification number, account number, Fund number and signatures of all account holders. All redemptions will be mailed to the address of record on the shareholder’s account. In addition, if shares purchased by check or ACH are sold before the check has cleared, the redemption proceeds will not be sent to the shareholder until the check has cleared. This may take up to 15 calendar days unless arrangements are made with the Investment Manager. The Trust reserves the right to suspend the right of redemption and to postpone the date of payment upon redemption beyond seven days as follows: (i) during periods when the NYSE is closed for business other than weekends and holidays or when trading on the NYSE is restricted as determined by the SEC by rule or regulation, (ii) during periods in which an emergency, as determined by the SEC, exists that causes disposal by a Fund of, or evaluation of the NAV of, portfolio securities to be unreasonable or impracticable, or (iii) for such other periods as the SEC may permit.

A Fund or the Transfer Agent may temporarily delay for more than seven days the disbursement of redemption proceeds from the account of a “Specified Adult” (as that term is defined in FINRA Rule 2165) based on a reasonable belief that financial exploitation of the Specified Adult has occurred, is occurring, has been attempted, or will be attempted, subject to certain conditions.

Exchange of Shares

As described in each Fund’s Prospectus, an investor may exchange shares of a Fund for shares of the same class of other funds in the Trust or for shares of other funds managed by the Investment Manager, subject to the applicable investment minimum. Not all funds managed by the Investment Manager offer all classes of shares or are open to new investors. In addition to exchanging into other funds managed by the Investment Manager as described above, an investor also may exchange shares of the Funds through the Investment Manager for shares in the Agency share class of the JPMorgan Fund (see below for more information about the JPMorgan Fund). Because an exchange is the sale of shares of the Fund exchanged out of and the purchase of shares of the fund exchanged into, the usual purchase and redemption procedures, requirements and restrictions apply to each exchange. The value of the shares exchanged must meet the minimum purchase requirement of the fund and class for which you are exchanging them, except that there is no minimum purchase requirement to exchange into the JPMorgan Fund if you exchange out of the Fund through the Investment Manager. Investors may exchange only into accounts that are registered in the same name with the same address and taxpayer identification number. In addition, an investor who intends to continue to maintain an account in a Fund may make an exchange out of the Fund only if following the exchange the investor would continue to meet the Fund’s minimum investment amount. Settlement on the purchase of shares of another fund will occur when the proceeds from the redemption become available. Shareholders subject to U.S. federal income tax may recognize capital gains or losses on the exchange for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The Trust reserves the right to discontinue, alter or limit the exchange privilege at any time, subject to applicable law. Holding your shares through a financial intermediary, such as a broker, may affect your ability to use the exchange privilege or other investor services.

The JPMorgan Fund is advised, offered and distributed by JPMorgan Asset Management and its affiliates, but an investor may place an exchange order in the same manner as the investor places other exchange orders and as described in each Fund’s Prospectus, subject to the restrictions above. The Investment Manager has entered into a Service Agreement and Supplemental Payment Agreement with the JPMorgan Fund’s distributor and investment adviser, respectively, that provide for a cash payment to the Investment Manager with respect to the average daily

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NAV of the total number of shares of the JPMorgan Fund held by customers investing through the Investment Manager. This cash payment compensates the Investment Manager for providing, directly or through an agent, administrative, sub-transfer agent and other shareholder services, and not investment advisory or distribution related services.

Cost Basis Reporting

Upon the sale, redemption or exchange of a Fund’s shares, the Fund or, in the case of shares purchased through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary may be required to provide you and the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) with cost basis and certain other related tax information about the Fund’s shares you redeemed or exchanged. See each Fund’s current Prospectus for more information.

Net Asset Value

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determinable pursuant to the Board’s valuation procedures, if the Investment Manager believes the quotation, price or market based valuation to be unreliable, or in certain other circumstances, the portfolio instrument may be valued at fair value, as determined in good faith and pursuant to procedures established by and under the general supervision of the Board. All portfolio instrument valuations described above on a valuation date shall be valuations of such instruments as of or prior to the close of business of the NYSE.

Frequent Purchase and Redemption Arrangements

The Trust does not have any arrangements with any person to permit frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares, and no compensation or other consideration is received by the Funds, the Investment Manager or any other party in this regard.

Dividends and Distributions

Each Fund declares and pays dividends and distributions as described in each Fund’s Prospectus. If a shareholder has elected to receive dividends and/or their distributions in cash and the postal or other delivery service is unable to deliver the checks to the shareholder’s address of record, the dividends and/or distributions will automatically be converted to having the dividends and/or distributions reinvested in additional shares. No interest will accrue on amounts represented by uncashed dividend or redemption checks.

CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX MATTERS

The following summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations is intended for general informational purposes only. This discussion is not tax advice. This discussion does not address all aspects of taxation (including state, local, and foreign taxes) that may be relevant to particular shareholders in light of their own investment or tax circumstances, or to particular types of shareholders (including insurance companies, tax-advantaged retirement plans, financial institutions or broker-dealers, foreign corporations, and persons who are not citizens or residents of the United States) subject to special treatment under U.S. federal income tax laws. This summary is based on the Code, the regulations thereunder, published rulings and court decisions, in effect as of the date of this SAI. These laws are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis.

YOU ARE ADVISED TO CONSULT YOUR OWN TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE SPECIFIC TAX CONSEQUENCES OF AN INVESTMENT IN A FUND IN LIGHT OF YOUR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES. THIS DISCUSSION IS NOT INTENDED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR CAREFUL TAX PLANNING.

U.S. Federal Income Taxation of the Funds—in General

Each Fund has elected to be treated and intends to qualify and to be eligible to be treated each taxable year as a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of the Code. In order to qualify as such and to be so treated, each Fund must, among other things:

(a) derive at least 90% of its gross income in each taxable year from (i) dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies and (ii) net income derived from interests in “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (as defined below) (all such income, “Qualifying Income”);

(b) invest the Fund’s assets in such a manner that, as of the close of each quarter of its taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. Government securities and securities of other regulated investment companies, and other securities limited in respect of any one issuer (except with regard to certain investment companies furnishing capital to development corporations) to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is invested, including through corporations in which the Fund owns a 20% or more voting stock interest, in (x) the securities (other than U.S. Government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies) of any one issuer, or two or more issuers each of which the Fund owns 20% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock entitled to vote, and that are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or (y) the securities of one or more “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (as defined below); and

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(c) distribute with respect to each taxable year at least 90% of the sum of its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code without regard to the deduction for dividends paid—generally, taxable ordinary income and the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses) and net tax-exempt interest income, for such year.

In general, for purposes of the 90% gross income requirement described in paragraph (a) above, income derived from a partnership will be treated as Qualifying Income to a Fund only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership which would be Qualifying Income if realized by the Fund. However, 100% of the net income derived from an interest in a “qualified publicly traded partnership” (a partnership (x) the interests in which are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof, and (y) that derives less than 90% of its income from the Qualifying Income described in paragraph (a)(i) above) will be treated as Qualifying Income. In general, such entities will be treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes because they meet the passive income requirement under Section 7704(c)(2) of the Code. In addition, although in general the passive loss rules of the Code do not apply to regulated investment companies, such rules do apply to a regulated investment company with respect to items attributable to an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership. For purposes of the diversification test in paragraph (b) above, the term “outstanding voting securities of such issuer” will include the equity securities of a qualified publicly traded partnership. Also, for purposes of the diversification test in paragraph (b) above, the identification of the issuer (or, in some cases, issuers) of a particular Fund investment can depend on the terms and conditions of that investment. In some cases, identification of the issuer (or issuers) is uncertain under current law, and an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to issuer identification for a particular type of investment may adversely affect a Fund’s ability to meet the diversification test in paragraph (b) above.

Gains from foreign currencies (including foreign currency options, foreign currency futures and foreign currency forward contracts) currently constitute Qualifying Income for purposes of the 90% test. However, the Treasury Department has the authority to issue regulations (possibly retroactively) excluding from the definition of Qualifying Income a Fund’s foreign currency gains to the extent that such income is not directly related to the Fund’s principal business of investing in stock or securities. This could affect the qualification of a Fund as a regulated investment company.

If a Fund qualifies for treatment as a regulated investment company, the Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction) and net capital gain (net long-term capital gains in excess of net short-term capital losses, in each case determined with reference to capital losses carried forward from prior years), if any, that it distributes in a timely manner to its shareholders in the form of dividends (including Capital Gain Dividends, as defined below).

If a Fund were to fail to meet the income, diversification or distribution tests described above, the Fund could in some cases cure such failure, including by paying a Fund-level tax, paying interest, making additional distributions or disposing of certain assets. If a Fund were ineligible to or otherwise did not cure such failure for any taxable year, or if a Fund were otherwise to fail to qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company for such taxable year, it would lose the beneficial tax treatment accorded regulated investment companies under Subchapter M of the Code and all of its taxable income would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders. All distributions by such a Fund, including any distributions of net tax-exempt income, if any, and net long-term capital gains, would be taxable to shareholders in the same manner as other regular corporate dividends to the extent of the Fund’s current or accumulated earnings and profits. Some portions of such distributions might be eligible for treatment as “qualified dividend income” for individuals and for the “dividends-received deduction” for corporate shareholders, in each case as described below. A Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial distributions before requalifying as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment.

If a Fund were to fail to distribute in a calendar year at least an amount equal to the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for such calendar year and 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending on October 31 of such calendar year (or November 30 or December 31 of that year if the Fund is permitted to elect and so elects), plus any such amounts retained from the prior year, the Fund would be subject to a nondeductible 4%

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excise tax on the undistributed amounts. For purposes of the required excise tax distribution, a Fund’s ordinary gains and losses from the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of property that would otherwise be taken into account after October 31 of a calendar year (or November 30 of that year, if the Fund is eligible to make and makes the election described above) generally are treated as arising on January 1 of the following calendar year; in the case of a Fund with a December 31 year end that is eligible to make and makes the election described above, no such gains or losses will be so treated. Also, for these purposes, a Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it is subject to corporate income tax for the taxable year ending within the calendar year. A dividend paid by a Fund to shareholders in January of a year generally is deemed to have been paid by such a Fund on December 31 of the preceding year, if the dividend was declared and payable to shareholders of record on a date in October, November, or December of that preceding year. Each Fund intends generally to make sufficient distributions to avoid the imposition of this 4% excise tax, although there can be no assurance that it will be able to do so.

In determining its net capital gain, including in connection with determining the amount available to support a Capital Gain Dividend (as defined below), its taxable income, and its earnings and profits, a regulated investment company generally may elect to treat part or all of any post-October capital loss (defined as any “net capital loss” attributable to the portion, if any, of the taxable year after October 31, or, if there is no such loss, the net long-term capital loss or net short-term capital loss attributable to any such portion of the taxable year) or late-year ordinary loss (generally, the sum of its (i) net ordinary loss, if any, from the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of property, attributable to the portion, if any, of the taxable year after October 31, and (ii) other net ordinary loss attributable to the portion, if any, of the taxable year after December 31) as if incurred in the succeeding taxable year.

Capital losses in excess of capital gains (“net capital losses”) are not permitted to be deducted against a Fund’s net investment income. Instead, potentially subject to certain limitations, a Fund may carry net capital losses from any taxable year forward to subsequent taxable years to offset capital gains, if any, realized during such subsequent taxable years. Distributions from capital gains are generally made after applying any available capital loss carryforwards. Capital loss carryforwards are reduced to the extent they offset current-year net realized capital gains, whether a Fund retains or distributes such gains. If a Fund incurs or has incurred net capital losses, those losses will be carried forward to one or more subsequent taxable years without expiration to offset capital gains realized during such subsequent taxable years; any such carryforward losses will retain their character as short-term or long-term. A Fund must apply such carryforwards first against gains of the same character. See each Fund’s most recent annual shareholder report for such Fund’s available capital loss carryforwards as of the end of its most recently ended fiscal year.

Taxation of the Funds’ Investments

Certain Debt Obligations; Original Issue Discount; Market Discount. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, some debt obligations with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance (and zero-coupon debt obligations with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) will be treated as having original issue discount (“OID”). OID is, very generally, the excess of the stated redemption price at maturity of a debt obligation over the issue price. OID is treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as interest income earned by a Fund, which will comprise a part of the Fund’s investment company taxable income or net tax-exempt income, if any, required to be distributed to shareholders as described above, whether or not cash on the debt obligation is actually received. Generally, the amount of OID accrued each year is determined on the basis of a constant yield to maturity which takes into account the compounding of interest (as potentially reduced by any amortizable bond premium—see below).

Some debt obligations with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance that are acquired by a Fund in the secondary market may be treated as having “market discount.” Very generally, market discount is the excess of the stated redemption price of a debt obligation (or in the case of an obligation issued with OID, its “revised issue price”) over the purchase price of such obligation. Generally, any gain recognized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt obligation having market discount is treated as ordinary income to the extent the gain, or principal payment, does not exceed the “accrued market discount” on such debt obligation. Alternatively, a Fund may elect to accrue market discount currently, in which case the Fund will be required to include the accrued market discount in the Fund’s income (as ordinary income) and thus distribute it over the term of the debt obligation, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt obligation. The rate at which the market discount accrues, and thus is included in the Fund’s income, will depend upon which of the permitted accrual methods the Fund elects.

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Some debt obligations with a fixed maturity date of one year or less from the date of issuance may be treated as having OID, or, in certain cases, “acquisition discount” (very generally, the excess of the stated redemption price over the purchase price). Generally, a Fund will be required to include the OID or acquisition discount in income (as ordinary income) and thus distribute it over the term of the debt obligation, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt obligation. A Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt obligations having acquisition discount or OID, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income.

Pay-in-kind bonds also will give rise to income which is required to be distributed and is taxable even though a Fund holding the obligation receives no interest payment in cash on the obligation during the year.

If a Fund holds the foregoing kinds of obligations, or other obligations subject to special rules under the Code, it may be required to pay out as an income distribution each year an amount which is greater than the total amount of cash interest the Fund actually received. Such distributions may be made from the cash assets of a Fund or, if necessary, by selling portfolio obligations, including at a time when it may not be advantageous to do so. These dispositions may cause a Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed to shareholders at ordinary income tax rates) and, in the event a Fund realizes net capital gains from such transactions, its shareholders may receive a larger Capital Gain Dividend (see “Federal Income Taxation of Shareholders” below) than if a Fund had not held such obligations.

Securities Issued or Purchased at a Premium. Very generally, where a Fund purchases a bond at a price that exceeds the stated principal amount (or revised issue price)—that is, at a premium—the premium is amortizable over the remaining term of the bond. In the case of a taxable bond, if a Fund makes an election applicable to all such bonds it purchases, which election is irrevocable without the consent of the IRS, the Fund reduces the current taxable income from the bond by the amortizable premium and reduces its tax basis in the bond (or the upward basis adjustment attributable to any OID) by the amount of such offset; upon the disposition or maturity of such bonds acquired on or after January 4, 2013, the Fund is permitted to deduct, against stated interest from other bonds, any remaining premium allocable to a prior period. In the case of a tax-exempt bond, tax rules require a Fund to reduce its tax basis by the amount of amortizable premium.

Junk Bonds. To the extent such investments are permissible, each Fund may invest in debt obligations that are in the lowest rating categories or are unrated, including debt obligations of issuers not currently paying interest or who are in default. If a Fund invests in high-yield OID obligations issued by corporations (including tax-exempt obligations), a portion of the OID accruing on the obligation may be treated as taxable dividend income. In such cases, if the issuer of the high-yield discount obligation is a domestic corporation, dividend payments by the Fund attributable to such portion of accrued OID may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders.

Investments in debt obligations that are at risk of or in default present special tax issues for a Fund. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as whether or to what extent a Fund should recognize market discount on a debt obligation, when a Fund may cease to accrue interest, OID or market discount, when and to what extent a Fund may take deductions for bad debts or worthless securities and how a Fund should allocate payments received on obligations in default between principal and income. These and other related issues will be addressed by each Fund when, as and if it invests in such securities, in order to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its eligibility for treatment as a regulated investment company and does not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.

Issuer Deductibility of Interest. A portion of the interest paid or accrued on certain high-yield discount obligations owned by a Fund may not be deductible to (and thus, may affect the cash flow of) the issuer and will instead be treated as a dividend paid by the issuer for purposes of the dividends-received deduction (described below). In such cases, if the issuer of the high-yield discount obligations is a domestic corporation, dividend payments by the Fund may be eligible for the corporate dividends-received deduction (described below) to the extent attributable to the deemed dividend portion of such accrued interest.

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REITs. Any investment by a Fund in the equity securities of REITs qualifying as real estate investment trusts under Subchapter M of the Code may result in the Fund’s receipt of cash in excess of the REIT’s earnings; if the Fund distributes these amounts, these distributions could constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Dividends received by a Fund from a REIT will not qualify for the corporate dividends-received deduction and generally will not constitute qualified dividend income (see “Federal Income Taxation of Shareholders” below).

Mortgage-Related Securities. The Funds may invest directly or indirectly (e.g. through REITs) in residual interests in REMICs, including by investing in residual interests in CMOs with respect to which an election to be treated as a REMIC is in effect, or equity interests in taxable mortgage pools (“TMPs”). Under a notice issued by the IRS in October 2006 and Treasury regulations that have yet to be issued, but may apply retroactively, a portion of a Fund’s income (including income allocated to the Fund from a REIT or other pass-through entity) that is attributable to a residual interest in a REMIC or an equity interest in a TMP (referred to in the Code as an “excess inclusion”) will be subject to U.S. federal income tax in all events. This notice also provides, and the regulations are expected to provide, that excess inclusion income of a regulated investment company, such as a Fund, will be allocated to shareholders of the regulated investment company in proportion to the dividends received by such shareholders, with the same consequences as if the shareholders held the related interest directly. As a result, a Fund, if investing in such interests, may not be a suitable investment for charitable remainder trusts (see “Tax-Exempt Shareholders” below).

In general, excess inclusion income allocated to shareholders (i) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions), (ii) will constitute unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) to entities (including a qualified pension plan, an individual retirement account, a 401(k) plan, a Keogh plan or other tax-exempt entity) subject to tax on UBTI, thereby potentially requiring such an entity that is allocated excess inclusion income, and otherwise might not be required to file a tax return, to file a tax return and pay tax on such income, and (iii) in the case of a non-U.S. shareholder, will not qualify for any reduction in U.S. federal withholding tax. A shareholder will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on such inclusions notwithstanding any exemption from such income tax otherwise available under the Code.

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Certain of a Fund’s investments may be subject to provisions of the Code that (i) require inclusion of unrealized gains in the Fund’s income for purposes of the excise tax and the distribution requirements applicable to regulated investment companies; (ii) defer recognition of realized losses; (iii) cause adjustments in the holding periods of portfolio securities; (iv) convert capital gains into ordinary income; (v) characterize both realized and unrealized gains or losses as short-term or long-term, irrespective of the holding period of the investment; and (vi) require inclusion of unrealized gains or losses in the Fund’s income for purposes of determining whether 90% of the Fund’s gross income is Qualifying Income. Such provisions may apply to, among other investments, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, options on securities, options on security indices, forward contracts, swaps, credit default swaps, short sales, securities loans or other similar transactions, and foreign securities. Each Fund will monitor its transactions and may make certain tax elections available to it in order to mitigate the impact of these rules and prevent disqualification of the Fund as a regulated investment company.

In general, option premiums received by a Fund are not immediately included in the income of the Fund. Instead, the premiums are recognized when the option contract expires, the option is exercised by the holder, or the Fund transfers or otherwise terminates the option (e.g., through a closing transaction). If a call option written by a Fund is exercised and the Fund sells or delivers the underlying stock, the Fund generally will recognize capital gain or loss equal to (a) the sum of the strike price and the option premium received by the Fund minus (b) the Fund’s basis in the stock. Such gain or loss generally will be short-term or long-term depending upon the holding period of the underlying stock. If securities are purchased by a Fund pursuant to the exercise of a put option written by it, the Fund generally will subtract the premium received for purposes of computing its cost basis in the securities purchased. Gain or loss arising in respect of a termination of a Fund’s obligation under an option other than through the exercise of the option will be short-term gain or loss depending on whether the premium income received by the Fund is greater or less than the amount paid by the Fund, if any, in terminating the transaction. Thus, for example, if an option written by a Fund expires unexercised, the Fund generally will recognize short-term gain equal to the premium received.

The tax treatment of certain positions entered into by a Fund (including regulated futures contracts, certain foreign currency positions and certain listed non-equity options) will be governed by Section 1256 of the Code (“section 1256 contracts”). Gains or losses on section 1256 contracts generally are considered to be 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gains or losses (“60/40”), although certain foreign currency gains and losses from such contracts may be treated as ordinary in character (See “Foreign Currency Transactions and Hedging” below). Also, section 1256 contracts held by a Fund at the end of each taxable year (and, for purposes of the 4% excise tax, on certain other dates as prescribed under the Code) are “marked to market” with the result that unrealized gains or losses are treated as though they were realized and the resulting gain or loss is treated as ordinary or 60/40 gain or loss, as applicable.

The timing and character of income and losses arising in respect of swap contracts are, in many instances, unclear. In addition, the tax treatment of a payment made or received on a swap contract held by a Fund, and in particular, whether such payment is, in whole or in part, capital or ordinary in character, will vary depending upon the terms of the particular swap contract.

Transactions in options, futures and forward contracts, and swaps undertaken by a Fund may result in “straddles” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The straddle rules may affect the character of gains (or losses) realized by a Fund, and losses realized by a Fund on positions that are part of a straddle may be deferred under the straddle rules, rather than being taken into account in calculating the taxable income for the taxable year in which the losses are realized. In addition, certain carrying charges (including interest expenses) associated with positions in a straddle may be required to be capitalized rather than deducted currently. Certain elections that a Fund may make with respect to its straddle positions may also affect the amount, character, and timing of the recognition of gains or losses from the affected positions.

The straddle rules may increase the amount of short-term capital gain realized by a Fund, which is taxed as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders. Because application of the straddle rules may affect the character of gains or losses, defer losses and/or accelerate the recognition of gains or losses from the affected straddle positions, the amount which must be distributed to shareholders as ordinary income or long-term capital gain may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to a fund that did not engage in such transactions. The consequences to a Fund of certain transactions under the straddle rules remain unclear.

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Foreign Currency Transactions and Hedging. Any transaction by a Fund in foreign currencies, foreign currency-denominated debt obligations or certain foreign currency options, futures contracts or forward contracts (or similar instruments) may give rise to ordinary income or loss to the extent such income or loss results from fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency concerned. Any such net gains could require a larger dividend toward the end of the calendar year. Any such net losses will generally reduce and potentially require the recharacterization of prior ordinary income distributions. Such ordinary income treatment may accelerate Fund distributions to shareholders and increase the distributions taxed to shareholders as ordinary income. Any net ordinary losses so created cannot be carried forward by the Fund to offset income or gains earned in subsequent taxable years. However, in certain circumstances, a Fund may elect to treat gains or losses from certain foreign currency positions as capital gains or losses.

Book-Tax Differences. Certain of a Fund’s investments in derivative instruments and foreign currency-denominated instruments, and any of a Fund’s transactions in foreign currencies and hedging activities, are likely to produce a difference between the Fund’s book income and the sum of the Fund’s taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any). If such a difference arises, and a Fund’s book income exceeds the sum of its taxable income (including realized capital gains) and net tax-exempt income (if any), the distribution (if any) of such excess generally will be treated as (i) a dividend to the extent of the Fund’s remaining earnings and profits (including earnings and profits arising from tax-exempt income), (ii) thereafter, as a return of capital to the extent of the recipient’s basis in its shares, and (iii) thereafter, as gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset. In the alternative, if a Fund’s book income is less than the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the Fund could be required to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment.

Repurchase Agreements and Securities Loans. Any distribution of income that is attributable to (i) income received by a Fund in lieu of dividends with respect to securities on loan pursuant to a securities lending transaction or (ii) dividend income received by a Fund on securities it temporarily purchased from a counterparty pursuant to a repurchase agreement that is treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a loan by the Fund, will not constitute qualified dividend income to individual shareholders and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders, in each case as described below. In addition, withholding taxes accrued on dividends during the period that such security was not directly held by a Fund will not qualify as a foreign tax paid by the Fund and therefore cannot be passed through to shareholders even if the Fund were otherwise to meet the requirements described in “Foreign Taxes,” below.

Passive Foreign Investment Companies. Under the Code, investments in certain foreign investment companies that qualify as “passive foreign investment companies” (“PFICs”) are subject to special tax rules. A PFIC is any foreign corporation in which (i) 75% or more of the gross income for the taxable year is passive income, or (ii) the average percentage of the assets (generally by value, but by adjusted tax basis in certain cases) that produce or are held for the production of passive income is at least 50%. Generally, “passive income” for this purpose means dividends, interest (including income equivalent to interest), royalties, rents, annuities, the excess of gains over losses from certain property transactions and commodities transactions, and foreign currency gains. Passive income for this purpose does not include rents and royalties received by the foreign corporation from active business and certain income received from related persons.

Equity investments by a Fund in certain PFICs could subject the Fund to a U.S. federal income tax or other charge (including interest charges) on distributions received from the PFIC or on proceeds received from the disposition of shares in the PFIC, which tax cannot be eliminated by making distributions to that Fund’s shareholders. However, in certain circumstances, a Fund may avoid this tax treatment by electing to treat the PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” (i.e., make a “QEF” election), in which case the Fund will be required to include its share of the PFIC’s income and net capital gains annually, regardless of whether it receives any distribution from the PFIC. Alternatively, a Fund may elect to mark the gains (and to a limited extent losses) in its PFIC holdings “to the market” as though it had sold (and repurchased) its holdings in those PFICs on the last day of the Fund’s taxable year. Such gains and losses are treated as ordinary income and loss. The QEF and mark-to-market elections may have the effect of accelerating the recognition of income (without the receipt of cash) and increasing the amount required to be distributed for the Fund to avoid taxation. Making either of these elections therefore may require a Fund to sell other investments (including when it is not advantageous to do so) to meet its distribution requirement, which also may accelerate the recognition of gain and affect the Fund’s total return. If a Fund indirectly invests in

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PFICs by virtue of the Fund’s investment in underlying U.S. funds, it may not make such elections; rather, the underlying U.S. funds directly investing in PFICs would decide whether to make such elections. Because it is not always possible to identify a foreign corporation as a PFIC, a Fund may incur the tax and interest charges described above in some instances. Dividends paid by PFICs will not be eligible to be treated as “qualified dividend income.” See “Federal Income Taxation of Shareholders,” below.

Investments in Other Registered Investment Companies. A Fund’s investments in shares of other mutual funds, ETFs or other companies that are treated as regulated investment companies (each, an “underlying RIC”), as well as certain investments in REITs, can cause the Fund to be required to distribute greater amounts of net investment income or net capital gain than the Fund would have distributed had it invested directly in the securities held by the underlying RIC, rather than in shares of the underlying RIC. Further, the amount or timing of distributions from a Fund qualifying for treatment as a particular character (e.g., long-term capital gain, exempt interest, eligibility for dividends-received deduction, etc.) will not necessarily be the same as it would have been had the Fund invested directly in the securities held by the underlying RIC.

If a Fund receives dividends from an underlying RIC, and the underlying RIC reports such dividends as “qualified dividend income,” then the Fund is permitted in turn to report a portion of its distributions as qualified dividend income, provided the Fund meets holding period and other requirements with respect to shares of the underlying RIC.

If a Fund receives dividends from an underlying RIC and the underlying RIC reports such dividends as eligible for the dividends-received deduction, then the Fund is permitted in turn to report its distributions derived from those dividends as eligible for the dividends-received deduction as well, provided the Fund meets holding period and other requirements with respect to shares of the underlying RIC. Qualified dividend income and the dividends-received deduction are described below.

Taxation of Certain Investments. Including as described above, certain of each Fund’s investments will create taxable income in excess of the cash they generate. In such cases, a Fund may be required to sell assets (including when it is not advantageous to do so) to generate the cash necessary to distribute to its shareholders all of its income and gains and therefore to eliminate any tax liability at the Fund level. These dispositions may cause a Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed to shareholders at ordinary income tax rates) and, in the event the Fund realizes net capital gains from such transactions, its shareholders may receive a larger Capital Gain Dividend (as defined below) than if the Fund had not held such investments. The character of a Fund’s taxable income will, in many cases, be determined on the basis of reports made to the Fund by the issuers of the securities in which they invest. The tax treatment of certain securities in which a Fund may invest is not free from doubt and it is possible that an IRS examination of the issuers of such securities could result in adjustments to the income of such Fund.

Foreign Taxes. Income, proceeds and gains received by a Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. This will decrease a Fund’s yield on securities subject to such taxes. Tax treaties between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. It is impossible to determine the effective rate of foreign tax in advance because the amount of a Fund’s assets to be invested within various countries is not known. If more than 50% of a Fund’s assets at the end of its taxable year consists of the securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may elect to permit shareholders to claim a credit or deduction on their U.S. federal income tax returns for their pro rata portions of qualified taxes paid by the Fund to foreign countries in respect of foreign securities that the Fund has held for at least the minimum period specified in the Code. In such a case, shareholders will include in gross income from foreign sources their pro rata shares of such taxes paid by the Fund. A shareholder’s ability to claim an offsetting foreign tax credit or deduction in respect of foreign taxes paid by the Fund is subject to certain limitations imposed by the Code, which may result in the shareholder’s not receiving a full credit or deduction (if any) for the amount of such taxes. Shareholders who do not itemize deductions on their U.S. federal income tax returns may claim a credit (but not a deduction) for such foreign taxes. Shareholders that are not subject to U.S. federal income tax, and those who invest in the Fund through tax-advantaged accounts (including those who invest through individual retirement accounts or other tax-advantaged retirement plans), generally will receive no benefit from any tax credit or deduction passed through by the Fund.

If a Fund is not eligible to or does not make the above election, the Fund’s taxable income will be reduced by the foreign taxes paid or withheld, and shareholders will not be entitled separately to claim a credit or deduction with respect to such taxes. Shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the treatment of foreign source income and foreign taxes under the U.S. federal income tax laws.

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The Funds do not expect to be eligible to elect to permit shareholders separately to claim a credit or deduction with respect to foreign taxes incurred by a Fund.

Federal Income Taxation of Shareholders

The Code generally imposes a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on the net investment income of certain individuals, trusts and estates to the extent their income exceeds certain threshold amounts. For these purposes, “net investment income” generally includes, among other things, (i) distributions paid by a Fund of net investment income and capital gains as described above, and (ii) any net gain from the sale, redemption, exchange, or other taxable disposition of Fund shares. Shareholders are advised to consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of this additional tax on their investment in a Fund. Each Fund intends to distribute at least annually to its shareholders all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction) and its net tax-exempt income, if any, and may distribute its net capital gain. Taxable income that is retained by a Fund will be subject to tax at the Fund level at regular corporate rates. Each Fund may also retain for investment its net capital gain. If a Fund retains any net capital gain, it will be subject to tax at the Fund level at regular corporate rates on the amount retained, but may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a timely notice to its shareholders who (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their shares of such undistributed amount, and (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Fund on such undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds on a properly filed U.S. tax return to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. If a Fund makes this designation, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will be increased by an amount equal under current law to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder under clause (ii) of the preceding sentence. A Fund is not required to, and there can be no assurance a Fund will, make this designation if it retains all or a portion of its net capital gain in a taxable year.

Distributions are taxable to shareholders as described herein whether shareholders receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional shares through a dividend reinvestment plan.

Distributions by a Fund will result in a reduction in the fair market value of such Fund’s shares. A distribution may be taxable to the shareholder, even though, from an investment standpoint, it may constitute a partial return of capital. In particular, a shareholder that purchases shares of a Fund just prior to a taxable distribution will then receive a return of investment upon distribution which may nevertheless be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income or capital gain.

“Qualified dividend income” received by an individual will be taxed at the reduced rates applicable to net capital gain. In order for some portion of the dividends received by a Fund shareholder to be qualified dividend income, a Fund must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to some portion of the dividend-paying stocks in its portfolio and the shareholder must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to the Fund’s shares.

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In general, a dividend will not be treated as qualified dividend income (at either the Fund or shareholder level) (i) if the dividend is received with respect to any share of stock held for fewer than 61 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date which is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend (or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date), (ii) to the extent that the recipient is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property, (iii) if the recipient elects to have the dividend income treated as investment income for purposes of the limitation on deductibility of investment interest, or (iv) if the dividend is received from a foreign corporation that is (a) not eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States (with the exception of dividends paid on stock of such a foreign corporation readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States) or (b) treated as a PFIC. Distributions received by a Fund from REITs generally will not constitute qualified dividend income.

In general, distributions of investment income reported by a Fund as derived from qualified dividend income will be treated as qualified dividend income by a shareholder taxed as an individual provided the shareholder meets the holding period and other requirements described above with respect to the Fund’s shares.

If the aggregate qualified dividend income received by a Fund during any taxable year is 95% or more of its “gross income,” then 100% of the Fund’s dividends (other than Capital Gain Dividends) will be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income. For this purpose, the only capital gain included in the term “gross income” is the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss.

A portion of the dividends paid by the Funds to shareholders that are corporations (other than S corporations) may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction (subject to a holding period requirement imposed by the Code) to the extent such dividends are derived from dividends received from U.S. corporations. However, any distributions received by a Fund from PFICs and REITs will not qualify for the corporate dividends-received deduction. A dividend received by a Fund will not be treated as a dividend eligible for the dividends-received deduction (i) if it has been received with respect to any share of stock that the Fund has held for less than 46 days (91 days in the case of certain preferred stock) during the 91-day period beginning on the date which is 45 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend (during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date in the case of certain preferred stock) or (ii) to the extent that the Fund is under an obligation (pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property. Moreover, the dividends-received deduction may otherwise be disallowed or reduced (i) if the corporate shareholder fails to satisfy the foregoing requirements with respect to its shares of the Fund or (ii) by application of various provisions of the Code (for instance, the dividends-received deduction is reduced in the case of a dividend received on debt-financed portfolio stock (generally, stock acquired with borrowed funds)).

Although interest from municipal bonds generally is exempt from U.S. federal income tax, a Fund can pass through the exempt character of such income to its shareholders only for taxable years in which, at the end of each quarter, at least 50% of the value of its total assets: (i) consists of securities generating interest that is exempt from U.S. federal income tax under Section 103(a) of the Code, or (ii) consists of interests in other regulated investment companies. It is unlikely that a Fund will satisfy either of these requirements.

The ultimate tax characterization of a Fund’s distributions made in a taxable year cannot be determined until after the end of that taxable year. As a result, there is a possibility that a Fund may make total distributions during a taxable year in an amount that exceeds the net investment income and net capital gains the Fund realizes that year, in which case the excess generally will be treated as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital reduces a shareholder’s tax basis in such Fund’s shares, with any amounts exceeding such basis treated as gain from the sale of such shares. A return of capital is not taxable, but it reduces a shareholder’s tax basis in its Fund shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on the subsequent taxable disposition by a shareholder of those shares.

As required by federal law, detailed federal tax information with respect to each calendar year will be furnished to each shareholder early in the succeeding year.

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Sale, Exchange or Redemption of Shares

The sale, exchange, or redemption of shares of a Fund may give rise to a gain or loss. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares of a Fund will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than 12 months. Otherwise, the gain or loss on the taxable disposition of Fund shares will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. However, any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares of a Fund held by a shareholder for six months or less will be treated as long-term, rather than short-term, to the extent of any Capital Gain Dividends received (or deemed received) by the shareholder with respect to those shares. Further, all or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Fund shares will be disallowed under the Code’s “wash sale” rule if other substantially identical shares of such Fund are purchased within 30 days before or after the disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly purchased shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.

Upon the sale, exchange or redemption of shares of a Fund, the Fund or, in the case of shares purchased through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary may be required to provide a shareholder and the IRS with cost basis and certain other related tax information about the Fund shares the shareholder sold, exchanged or redeemed. See each Fund’s Prospectus for more information.

Backup Withholding

Each Fund generally is required to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and redemption proceeds paid to any individual shareholder who fails to properly furnish the Fund with a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify to such Fund that he or she is not subject to such withholding.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against a shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the IRS.

Tax-Exempt Shareholders

Income of a regulated investment company, such as a Fund, that would be UBTI if earned directly by a tax-exempt entity will not generally be attributed as UBTI to a tax-exempt shareholder of the Fund. Notwithstanding this “blocking” effect, a tax-exempt shareholder could realize UBTI by virtue of its investment in a Fund if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Section 514(b) of the Code.

A tax-exempt shareholder may also recognize UBTI if a Fund recognizes “excess inclusion income” derived from direct or indirect investments in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs, as described above, if the amount of such income recognized by the Fund exceeds the Fund’s investment company taxable income (after taking into account deductions for dividends paid by the Fund).

In addition, special tax consequences apply to charitable remainder trusts (“CRTs”) that invest in regulated investment companies that invest directly or indirectly in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs. Under legislation enacted in December 2006, a CRT (as defined in Section 664 of the Code) that realizes UBTI for a taxable year must pay an excise tax annually of an amount equal to such UBTI. Under IRS guidance issued in October of 2006, a CRT will not recognize UBTI as a result of investing in a Fund that recognizes “excess inclusion income.” Rather, if at any time during any taxable year a CRT (or one of certain other tax-exempt shareholders, such as the United States, a state or political subdivision or an agency or instrumentality thereof, and certain energy cooperatives) is a record holder of a share in a Fund that recognizes “excess inclusion income,” then the Fund will be subject to a tax on that portion of its “excess inclusion income” for the taxable year that is allocable to such shareholders at the highest federal corporate income tax rate. The extent to which this IRS guidance remains applicable in light of the December 2006 legislation is unclear. To the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, a Fund may elect to specially allocate any such tax to the applicable CRT, or other disqualified organization shareholder, and thus reduce such shareholder’s distributions for the year by the amount of the tax that relates to such shareholder’s interest in the Fund. CRTs and other tax-exempt investors are urged to consult their tax advisors concerning the consequences of investing in a Fund.

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Special tax rules apply to investments through defined contribution plans and other tax-qualified plans. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the suitability of shares of a Fund as an investment through such plans.

Foreign Shareholders

Distributions by a Fund to shareholders that are not “U.S. persons” within the meaning of the Code (“foreign shareholders”) properly reported by the Fund as (1) Capital Gain Dividends, (2) short-term capital gain dividends, and (3) interest-related dividends, each as defined and subject to certain conditions described below, generally are not subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax.

In general, the Code defines (1) “short-term capital gain dividends” as distributions of net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses and (2) “interest-related dividends” as distributions from U.S.-source interest income of types similar to those not subject to U.S. federal income tax if earned directly by an individual foreign shareholder, in each case to the extent such distributions are properly reported as such by a Fund in a written notice to shareholders. The exceptions to withholding for Capital Gain Dividends and short-term capital gain dividends do not apply to (A) distributions to an individual foreign shareholder who is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the distribution and (B) distributions attributable to gain that is treated as effectively connected with the conduct by the foreign shareholder of a trade or business within the United States under special rules regarding the disposition of U.S. real property interests as described below. The exception to withholding for interest-related dividends does not apply to distributions to a foreign shareholder (A) that has not provided a satisfactory statement that the beneficial owner is not a U.S. person, (B) to the extent that the dividend is attributable to certain interest on an obligation if the foreign shareholder is the issuer or is a 10% shareholder of the issuer, (C) that is within certain foreign countries that have inadequate information exchange with the United States, or (D) to the extent the dividend is attributable to interest paid by a person that is a related person of the foreign shareholder and the foreign shareholder is a controlled foreign corporation. If a Fund invests in a regulated investment company that pays Capital Gain Dividends, short-term capital gain dividends or interest-related dividends to the Fund, such distributions retain their character as not subject to withholding if properly reported when paid by the Fund to foreign shareholders. A Fund is permitted to report such part of its dividends as interest-related and/or short-term capital gain dividends as are eligible, but is not required to do so. In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if a Fund reports all or a portion of a payment as an interest-related or short-term capital gain dividend to shareholders.

Foreign shareholders should contact their intermediaries regarding the application of these rules to their accounts.

Distributions by a Fund to foreign shareholders other than Capital Gain Dividends, short-term capital gain dividends, and interest-related dividends (e.g. dividends attributable to foreign-source dividend and interest income or to short-term capital gains or U.S. source interest income to which the exception from withholding described above does not apply) are generally subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate).

A foreign shareholder is not, in general, subject to U.S. federal income tax on gains (and is not allowed a deduction for losses) realized on the sale of shares of a Fund unless (i) such gain is effectively connected with the conduct by the foreign shareholder of a trade or business within the United States, (ii) in the case of a foreign shareholder that is an individual, the shareholder is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the sale and certain other conditions are met, or (iii) the special rules relating to gain attributable to the sale or exchange of “U.S. real property interests” (“USRPIs”) apply to the foreign shareholder’s sale of shares of the Fund (as described below).

Special rules would apply if a Fund were a qualified investment entity (“QIE”) because it is either a “U.S. real property holding corporation” (“USRPHC”) or would be a USRPHC but for the operation of certain exceptions to the definition of USRPIs described below. Very generally, a USRPHC is a domestic corporation that holds USRPIs the fair market value of which equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market values of the corporation’s USRPIs, interests in real property located outside the United States, and other trade or business assets. USRPIs are generally defined as any interest in U.S. real property and any interest (other than solely as a creditor) in a USRPHC or, very generally, an entity that has been a USRPHC in the last five years. A RIC that holds, directly or

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indirectly, significant interests in REITs may be a USRPHC. Interests in domestically controlled QIEs, including REITs and regulated investment companies that are QIEs, not-greater-than-10% interests in publicly traded classes of stock in REITs and not-greater-than-5% interests in publicly traded classes of stock in regulated investment companies generally are not USRPIs, but these exceptions do not apply for purposes of determining whether the Fund is a QIE. If an interest in a Fund were a USRPI, the Fund would be required to withhold U.S. tax on the proceeds of a share redemption by a greater-than-5% foreign shareholder, in which case such foreign shareholder generally would also be required to file U.S. tax returns and pay any additional taxes due in connection with the redemption.

If a Fund were a QIE, under a special “look through” rule, any distributions by the Fund to a foreign shareholder (including, in certain cases, distributions made by the Fund in redemption of its shares) attributable directly or indirectly to (i) distributions received by the Fund from a lower-tier regulated investment company or REIT that the Fund is required to treat as USRPI gain in its hands and (ii) gains realized on the disposition of USRPIs by the Fund, would retain their character as gains realized from USRPIs in the hands of the Fund’s foreign shareholders and would be subject to U.S. tax withholding. In addition, such distributions could result in the foreign shareholder being required to file a U.S. tax return and pay tax on the distributions at regular U.S. federal income tax rates. The consequences to a foreign shareholder, including the rate of such withholding and character of such distributions (e.g., as ordinary income or USRPI gain), would vary depending upon the extent of the foreign shareholder’s current and past ownership of a Fund.

Foreign shareholders of a Fund also may be subject to “wash sale” rules to prevent the avoidance of the tax-filing and -payment obligations discussed above through the sale and repurchase of Fund shares.

Each Fund generally does not expect that it will be a QIE.

Foreign shareholders should consult their tax advisors and, if holding shares through intermediaries, their intermediaries, concerning the application of these rules to their investment in a Fund.

Foreign shareholders with respect to whom income from a Fund is effectively connected with a trade or business conducted by the foreign shareholder within the United States will in general be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the income derived from the Fund at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, residents or domestic corporations, whether such income is received in cash or reinvested in shares of the Fund and, in the case of a foreign corporation, may also be subject to a branch profits tax. If a foreign shareholder is eligible for the benefits of a tax treaty, any effectively connected income or gain will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis only if it is also attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by the shareholder in the United States. More generally, foreign shareholders who are residents in a country with an income tax treaty with the United States may obtain different tax results than those described herein, and are urged to consult their tax advisors.

Tax Shelter Reporting Regulations

Under Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss on disposition of a Fund’s shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on IRS Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a regulated investment company are not excepted. Future guidance may extend the current exception from this reporting requirement to shareholders of most or all regulated investment companies. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

Shareholder Reporting Obligations With Respect to Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts

Shareholders that are U.S. persons and own, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of a Fund by vote or value could be required to report annually their “financial interest” in the Fund’s “foreign financial accounts,” if any, on FinCEN Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (“FBAR”). Shareholders should consult a tax advisor regarding the applicability to them of this reporting requirement.

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Other Reporting and Withholding Requirements

Sections 1471-1474 of the Code and the U.S. Treasury regulations and IRS guidance issued thereunder (collectively, “FATCA”) generally require a Fund to obtain information sufficient to identify the status of each of its shareholders under FATCA or under an applicable intergovernmental agreement (an “IGA”) between the United States and a foreign government. If a shareholder of a Fund fails to provide the requested information or otherwise fails to comply with FATCA or an IGA, the Fund may be required to withhold under FATCA at a rate of 30% with respect to that shareholder on ordinary dividends it pays. The IRS and the Department of Treasury have issued proposed regulations providing that these withholding rules will not apply to the gross proceeds of share redemptions or Capital Gain Dividends a Fund pays. If a payment by a Fund is subject to FATCA withholding, the Fund is required to withhold even if such payment would otherwise be exempt from withholding under the rules applicable to foreign shareholders described above (e.g., short-term capital gain dividends, and interest-related dividends).

Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the applicability of FATCA and any other reporting requirements with respect to the prospective investor’s own situation, including investments through an intermediary.

State and Local Taxes

Each Fund is a series of a Massachusetts business trust. Under current law, neither the Trust nor either of the Funds is liable for any income or franchise tax in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, provided that each Fund continues to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code. However, each Fund may be subject to state and/or local taxes in other jurisdictions in which such Fund is deemed to be doing business. In addition, the treatment of each Fund and its shareholders in those states which have income tax laws might differ from treatment under the U.S. federal income tax laws. Shareholders should consult with their own tax advisors concerning the state and local tax consequences of investing in a Fund.

EACH SHAREHOLDER SHOULD CONSULT A TAX ADVISOR ABOUT THE APPLICATION OF FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND FOREIGN TAX LAWS TO AN INVESTMENT IN A FUND IN LIGHT OF THE SHAREHOLDER’S PARTICULAR TAX SITUATION.

OTHER INFORMATION

Massachusetts Business Trust

Each Fund is a series of a “Massachusetts business trust.” A copy of the Declaration of Trust for the Trust (the “Declaration of Trust”) is on file in the office of the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Declaration of Trust and the By-Laws of the Trust (the “By-Laws”) are designed to make the Trust similar in most respects to a Massachusetts business corporation. The principal distinction between the two forms concerns shareholder liability and is described below.

Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of such a trust may, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for the obligations of the trust. This is not the case for a Massachusetts business corporation. However, the Declaration of Trust of the Trust provides that the shareholders shall not be subject to any personal liability for the acts or obligations of a Fund and that every written agreement, obligation, instrument or undertaking made on behalf of a Fund shall contain a provision to the effect that the shareholders are not personally liable thereunder.

No personal liability will attach to the shareholders under any undertaking containing such provision when adequate notice of such provision is given, except possibly in a few jurisdictions. With respect to all types of claims in the latter jurisdictions, (i) tort claims, (ii) contract claims where the provision referred to is omitted from the undertaking, (iii) claims for taxes, and (iv) certain statutory liabilities in other jurisdictions, a shareholder may be held personally liable to the extent that claims are not satisfied by a Fund. However, upon payment of such liability, the shareholder will be entitled to reimbursement from the general assets of the Fund. The Trustees of the Trust intend to conduct the operations of the Trust in a way as to avoid, as far as possible, ultimate liability of the shareholders of the Funds.

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The Declaration of Trust further provides that the name of the Trust refers to the Trustees collectively as Trustees, not as individuals or personally, that no Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Funds or to a shareholder, and that no Trustee, officer, employee or agent is liable to any third persons in connection with the affairs of the Funds, except if the liability arises from his or its own bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard of his or its duties to such third persons. It also provides that all third persons shall look solely to the property of the Funds for any satisfaction of claims arising in connection with the affairs of the Funds. With the exceptions stated, the Trust’s Declaration of Trust provides that a Trustee, officer, employee or agent is entitled to be indemnified against all liability in connection with the affairs of the Funds.

The Trust is not required to hold annual meetings of its shareholders. However, shareholders of the Trust have the right to call a meeting to take certain actions as provided in the Declaration of Trust upon written request of the holder or holders of 10% or more of the total number of the Trust’s outstanding shares.

The Trust shall continue without limitation of time subject to the provisions in the Declaration of Trust concerning termination by action of the shareholders or by action of the Trustees upon notice to the shareholders.

Description of Shares

The Trust is an open-end management investment company organized as a Massachusetts business trust in which each Fund represents a separate series of shares of beneficial interest. See “Massachusetts Business Trust” above. The Trustees may classify or reclassify any series of the Trust into one or more classes. The Trustees have authorized the issuance of three classes of shares of each Fund—Class N, Class I and Class Z shares.

The Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of one or more series and to divide or combine the shares of any series, if applicable, without changing the proportionate beneficial interest of each shareholder in a Fund or assets of another series, if applicable. Each share of a Fund represents an equal proportional interest in the Fund with each other share. Upon liquidation of a Fund, shareholders are entitled to share pro rata in the net assets of the Fund available for distribution to such shareholders. See “Massachusetts Business Trust” above. Shares of the Funds have no preemptive or conversion rights and are fully paid and nonassessable. The rights of redemption and exchange are described in each Fund’s Prospectus and in this SAI.

The shareholders of the Trust are entitled to one vote for each whole share held of a Fund (or a proportionate fractional vote in respect of a fractional share), on matters on which shares of a Fund shall be entitled to vote. Subject to the 1940 Act, the Trustees themselves have the power to alter the number and the terms of office of the Trustees, to lengthen their own terms, or to make their terms of unlimited duration subject to certain removal procedures, and appoint their own successors, provided however, that immediately after such appointment the requisite majority of the Trustees have been elected by the shareholders of the Trust. The voting rights of shareholders are not cumulative so that holders of more than 50% of the shares voting can, if they choose, elect all Trustees being selected while the shareholders of the remaining shares would be unable to elect any Trustees. It is the intention of the Trust not to hold annual meetings of shareholders. The Trustees may call meetings of shareholders for action by shareholder vote as may be required by either the 1940 Act or by the Trust’s Declaration of Trust.

The Trustees have authorized the issuance and sale to the public of shares of several series of the Trust. The Trustees may authorize the issuance of shares of additional series of the Trust. The proceeds from the issuance of any additional series would be invested in separate, independently managed portfolios with distinct investment objectives, policies and restrictions, and share purchase, redemption and NAV procedures. All consideration received by the Trust for shares of any additional series, and all assets in which such consideration is invested, would belong to that series, subject only to the rights of creditors of the Trust and would be subject to the liabilities related thereto. Shareholders of any additional series will approve the adoption of any management contract, distribution agreement and any changes in the investment policies of any such additional series, to the extent required by the 1940 Act.

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Conduct of the Trust’s Business

Forum for Adjudication of Disputes. The By-Laws provide that unless the Trust consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Trust or the shareholders, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any Trustee, officer, or other agent of the Trust to the Trust or the Trust’s shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Massachusetts Business Corporation Act or the Declaration of Trust or the By-Laws, (iv) any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of the Declaration of Trust or the By-Laws or any agreement contemplated by any provision of the 1940 Act, the Declaration of Trust or the By-Laws, or (v) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall be within the federal or state courts in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (each, a “Covered Action”). The By-Laws further provide that if any Covered Action is filed in a court other than in a federal or state court sitting within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (a “Foreign Action”) in the name of any shareholder, such shareholder shall be deemed to have consented to (i) the personal jurisdiction of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in connection with any action brought in any such courts to enforce the preceding sentence (an “Enforcement Action”) and (ii) having service of process made upon such shareholder in any such Enforcement Action by service upon such shareholder’s counsel in the Foreign Action as agent for such shareholder.

Any person purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in shares of beneficial interest of the Trust will be (i) deemed to have notice of and consented to the foregoing paragraph and (ii) deemed to have waived any argument relating to the inconvenience of the forum referenced above in connection with any action or proceeding described in the foregoing paragraph.

This forum selection provision may limit a shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with Trustees, officers or other agents of the Trust and its service providers, which may discourage such lawsuits with respect to such claims. If a court were to find the forum selection provision contained in the By-Laws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, the Trust may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions.

Derivative and Direct Claims of Shareholders. The By-Laws contain provisions regarding derivative and direct claims of shareholders. As used in the By-Laws, a “direct” shareholder claim refers to (i) a claim based upon alleged violations of a shareholder’s individual rights independent of any harm to the Trust, including a shareholder’s voting rights under Article 11 of the By-Laws, rights to receive a dividend payment as may be declared from time to time, rights to inspect books and records, or other similar rights personal to the shareholder and independent of any harm to the Trust; and (ii) a claim for which a direct shareholder action is expressly provided under the U.S. federal securities laws. Any other claim asserted by a shareholder, including without limitation any claims purporting to be brought on behalf of the Trust or involving any alleged harm to the Trust, are considered a “derivative” claim as used in the By-Laws.

A shareholder may not bring or maintain any court action or other proceeding asserting a derivative claim or any claim asserted on behalf or for the benefit of the Trust or involving any alleged harm to the Trust without first making demand on the Trustees requesting the Trustees to bring or maintain such action, proceeding or claim. Such demand shall not be excused under any circumstances, including claims of alleged interest on the part of the Trustees, unless the shareholder makes a specific showing that irreparable nonmonetary injury to the Trust would otherwise result. The Trustees shall consider such demand within 90 days of its receipt by the Trust. In their sole discretion, the Trustees may submit the matter to a vote of shareholders of the Trust or any series or class of shares, as appropriate. Any decision by the Trustees to bring, maintain or settle (or not to bring, maintain or settle) such court action, proceeding or claim, or to submit the matter to a vote of shareholders, shall be binding upon the shareholders, and no suit, proceeding or other action shall be commenced or maintained after a decision to reject a demand. Any Trustee acting in connection with any demand or any proceeding relating to a claim on behalf or for the benefit of the Trust who is not an “interested person” (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) will be deemed to be independent and disinterested with respect to such demand, proceeding or claim.    

A shareholder may not bring or maintain a court action or other proceeding asserting a direct claim against the Trust, the Trustees, or officers predicated upon an express or implied right of action under the Declaration of Trust or U.S. federal securities laws (excepting direct shareholder actions expressly provided by U.S. federal

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securities laws), unless the shareholder has obtained authorization from the Trustees to bring the action. The requirement of authorization shall not be excused under any circumstances, including claims of alleged interest on the part of the Trustees. The Trustees shall consider such request within 90 days after its receipt by the Trust. In their sole discretion, the Trustees may submit the matter to a vote of shareholders of the Trust or of any series or class of shares, as appropriate. Any decision by the Trustees to settle or to authorize (or not to settle or to authorize) such court action, proceeding or claim, or to submit the matter to a vote of shareholders, shall be binding upon the shareholder seeking authorization.

Any person purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in shares of beneficial interest of the Trust will be deemed to have notice of and consented to the foregoing provisions. These provisions may limit a shareholder’s ability to bring a claim against the Trustees, officers or other agents of the Trust and its service providers, which may discourage such lawsuits with respect to such claims.

Additional Information

This SAI and each Fund’s Prospectus do not contain all of the information included in the Trust’s Registration Statement filed with the SEC under the 1933 Act. Pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC, certain portions have been omitted. The Trust’s Registration Statement, including the Exhibits filed therewith, may be examined on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Statements contained in this SAI and each Fund’s Prospectus concerning the contents of any contract or other document are not necessarily complete, and in each instance, reference is made to the copy of such contract or other document filed as an Exhibit to the Trust’s Registration Statement. Each such statement is qualified in all respects by such reference.

No dealer, salesman or any other person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations, other than those contained in each Fund’s Prospectus or this SAI, in connection with the offer of shares of the Funds and, if given or made, such other representations or information must not be relied upon as having been authorized by the Trust, the Funds or the Distributor. Each Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI do not constitute an offer to sell or solicit an offer to buy any of the securities offered thereby in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful for the Funds or the Distributor to make such offer in such jurisdictions.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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APPENDIX A

DESCRIPTION OF BOND RATINGS ASSIGNED BY

S&P GLOBAL RATINGS AND MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC.

A Fund’s investments may range in quality from securities rated in the lowest category in which the Fund is permitted to invest to securities rated in the highest category (as rated by Moody’s or S&P or, if unrated, determined by the Subadviser to be of comparable quality). The percentage of a Fund’s assets invested in securities in a particular rating category will vary. The following is a description of Moody’s and S&P’s rating categories applicable to fixed income securities.

Moody’s Investors Service

Global Rating Scales

Ratings assigned on Moody’s global long-term and short-term rating scales are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entities. Long-term ratings are assigned to issuers or obligations with an original maturity of one year or more and reflect both on the likelihood of a default or impairment on contractual financial obligations and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default or impairment. The contractual financial obligations addressed by Moody’s ratings are those that call for, without regard to enforceability, the payment of an ascertainable amount, which may vary based upon standard sources of variation (e.g., floating interest rates), by an ascertainable date. Moody’s rating addresses the issuer’s ability to obtain cash sufficient to service the obligation, and its willingness to pay. Moody’s ratings do not address non-standard sources of variation in the amount of the principal obligation (e.g., equity indexed), absent an express statement to the contrary in a press release accompanying an initial rating. Short-term ratings are assigned for obligations with an original maturity of thirteen months or less and reflect both on the likelihood of a default or impairment on contractual financial obligations and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default or impairment. Moody’s issues ratings at the issuer level and instrument level on both the long-term scale and the short-term scale. Typically, ratings are made publicly available although private and unpublished ratings may also be assigned.

Moody’s differentiates structured finance ratings from fundamental ratings (i.e., ratings on nonfinancial corporate, financial institution, and public sector entities) on the global long-term scale by adding (sf ) to all structured finance ratings. The addition of (sf ) to structured finance ratings should eliminate any presumption that such ratings and fundamental ratings at the same letter grade level will behave the same. The (sf ) indicator for structured finance security ratings indicates that otherwise similarly rated structured finance and fundamental securities may have different risk characteristics. Through its current methodologies, however, Moody’s aspires to achieve broad expected equivalence in structured finance and fundamental rating performance when measured over a long period of time.

Global Long-Term Rating Scale

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Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a “(hyb)” indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.*

* By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.

Global Short-Term Rating Scale

US Municipal Short-Term Debt and Demand Obligation Ratings

Short-Term Obligation Ratings

Moody’s uses the global short-term Prime rating scale for commercial paper issued by US municipalities and nonprofits. These commercial paper programs may be backed by external letters of credit or liquidity facilities, or by an issuer’s self-liquidity.

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For other short-term municipal obligations, Moody’s uses one of two other short-term rating scales, the Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and Variable Municipal Investment Grade (VMIG) scales discussed below.

Moody’s uses the MIG scale for US municipal cash flow notes, bond anticipation notes and certain other short-term obligations, which typically mature in three years or less. Under certain circumstances, Moody’s uses the MIG scale for bond anticipation notes with maturities of up to five years.

Demand Obligation Ratings

In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned. The components are a long-term rating and a short-term demand obligation rating. The long-term rating addresses the issuer’s ability to meet scheduled principal and interest payments. The short-term demand obligation rating addresses the ability of the issuer or the liquidity provider to make payments associated with the purchase-price-upon-demand feature (“demand feature”) of the VRDO. The short-term demand obligation rating uses the VMIG scale. VMIG ratings with liquidity support use as an input the short-term Counterparty Risk Assessment of the support provider, or the long-term rating of the underlying obligor in the absence of third party liquidity support. Transitions of VMIG ratings of demand obligations with conditional liquidity support differ from transitions on the Prime scale to reflect the risk that external liquidity support will terminate if the issuer’s long-term rating drops below investment grade.

Moody’s typically assigns the VMIG short-term demand obligation rating if the frequency of the demand feature is less than every three years. If the frequency of the demand feature is less than three years but the purchase price is payable only with remarketing proceeds, the short-term demand obligation rating is “NR”.

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S&P Global Ratings

Issue Credit Rating Definitions

An S&P Global Ratings issue credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into account the currency in which the obligation is denominated. The opinion reflects S&P Global Ratings’ view of the obligor’s capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and this opinion may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default.

Issue credit ratings can be either long-term or short-term. Short-term issue credit ratings are generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market, typically with an original maturity of no more than 365 days. Short-term issue credit ratings are also used to indicate the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to put features on long-term obligations. Medium-term notes are assigned long-term ratings.

Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings*

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* Ratings from ‘AA’ to ‘CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the rating categories.

Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings

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SPUR (S&P Underlying Rating)

A SPUR is an opinion about the stand-alone capacity of an obligor to pay debt service on a credit-enhanced debt issue, without giving effect to the enhancement that applies to it. These ratings are published only at the request of the debt issuer or obligor with the designation SPUR to distinguish them from the credit-enhanced rating that applies to the debt issue. S&P Global Ratings maintains surveillance of an issue with a published SPUR.

Municipal Short-Term Note Ratings

An S&P Global Ratings U.S. municipal note rating reflects S&P Global Ratings’ opinion about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to the notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes with an original maturity of more than three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. In determining which type of rating, if any, to assign, S&P Global Ratings’ analysis will review the following considerations:

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Municipal short-term note rating symbols are as follows:

Dual Ratings

Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+’ or ‘A-1+/A-1’). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+’).

Active Qualifiers (Currently applied and/or outstanding)

S&P Global Ratings uses the following qualifiers that limit the scope of a rating. The structure of the transaction can require the use of a qualifier such as a ‘p’ qualifier, which indicates the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only. A qualifier appears as a suffix and is part of the rating.

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Inactive Qualifiers (No longer applied or outstanding)

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Local Currency and Foreign Currency Ratings

S&P Global Ratings’ issuer credit ratings make a distinction between foreign currency ratings and local currency ratings. A foreign currency rating on an issuer can differ from the local currency rating on it when the obligor has a different capacity to meet its obligations denominated in its local currency versus obligations denominated in a foreign currency.

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APPENDIX B

GW&K INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, LLC

PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

INTRODUCTION

II. Responsibility and Oversight

GW&K is responsible for maintaining and administering these policies and procedures. GW&K will:

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III. Conflicts of Interest

Voting of Measures Outside of or Contrary to Glass Lewis & Co. Recommendations

IV. Disclosure

Clients may obtain Glass Lewis’s proxy voting guidelines or information about how GW&K voted proxies for securities held in their account by submitting a written request to:

Proxy Policy Administrator

GW&K Investment Management, LLC

222 Berkeley Street, 15th Floor

Boston, Massachusetts 02116

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V. Recordkeeping

GW&K will maintain the following records in accordance with regulatory requirements:

VI. Oversight and Documentation

Proxy Committee

GW&K’s Legal & Compliance Department is responsible for periodically assessing firm compliance with this policy and the effectiveness of its implementation.

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