11/04/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/04/2024 09:30
Fundamentals First ETF
Exchange-traded fund shares are not individually redeemable
and are listed on Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. under the symbol KNOW
Prospectus Dated October 28, 2024
www.fundamentalsfirstfund.com
Advised by:
Mason Capital Partners
50 Federal Street, 9th Floor
Boston, MA 02110
(617) 228-5190
www.mason-capital.com
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Fundamentals First ETF - Summary | 1 |
Investment Objectives/Goals | 1 |
Portfolio Turnover | 2 |
Principal Investment Strategies | 2 |
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund | 3 |
Performance Information | 7 |
Management | 8 |
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares | 8 |
Tax Information | 8 |
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries | 8 |
Additional Information About Principal Investment Strategies and Related Risks | 9 |
Investment Objectives/Goals | 9 |
Principal Investment Strategies | 9 |
Principal Investment Risks | 10 |
Temporary Investments | 15 |
Management of the Fund | 15 |
Investment Advisor | 15 |
Portfolio Managers | 16 |
Advisor's Prior Related Performance Information | |
Net Asset Value | 17 |
Premium/Discount Information | 18 |
How to Buy and Sell Shares | 18 |
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares | 20 |
Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes | 20 |
Financial Highlights | 23 |
PRIVACY NOTICE | 25 |
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Fundamentals First ETF - Summary
Investment Objectives/Goals
The Fund seeks income and capital growth.
Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Shareholder Fees |
|
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) |
None |
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of offering price) |
None |
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and other Distributions (as a percentage of offering price) |
None |
Redemption Fee (as a % of amount redeemed) |
None |
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
|
Management Fees | 1.00% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | None |
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) | 0.07% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.07% |
(1) | Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are the estimated average indirect costs of investing in other investment companies. The operating expenses in this fee table will not correlate to the expense ratio in the Fund's financial highlights because the financial statements include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Fund. |
Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated. You would incur these hypothetical expenses whether or not you were to redeem your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years |
$109 | $340 | $590 | $1,306 |
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Your expenses paid to the Fund would be the same whether or not you redeem your shares at the end of either time period.
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund's performance. During the fiscal period ended June 30, 2024, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 1%of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund's investment strategy is a long-only, long-term approach as it seeks to buy and hold its investments, provided that such investments meet the investment criteria used by the Fund's adviser. The Fund primarily invests in publicly-traded equity securities and fixed income securities. Equity securities include common stock and American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), both sponsored and unsponsored, and may be made in companies of any market capitalization, industry or geographical location including foreign and emerging market countries. The Fund considers issuers from foreign countries to be those issuers economically tied to a country or countries outside the United States. To determine whether an issuer is economically tied to a country outside the United States, the advisor will consider whether the issuer is headquartered or has its principal place of business in a country outside the United States and the issuer is organized under the laws of the that country. The Fund considers emerging market countries to be those represented in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.
With respect to fixed income securities, the Fund may invest in (1) domestic and foreign corporate bonds and notes (including commercial notes, unsecured promissory notes and variable rate notes) issued by domestic and foreign corporate issuers; (2) U.S. Treasury bills, notes and bonds; and (3) money market instruments including money market funds. The Fund may also gain investment exposure to fixed income securities by investing in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that primarily invest in the same types of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Fixed income holdings may be of any maturity, duration or credit rating, including high-yield bonds (also known as "junk bonds"). The Fund defines high-yield fixed income securities as corporate bonds or other bonds or debt instruments that are generally rated lower than Baa3 by Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") or lower than BBB- by Standard and Poor's Rating Group ("S&P"). The Fund will not invest more than 10% of its assets in high-yield fixed income securities. Investments in any one portfolio holding are limited to 5% of the Fund's assets (except for money market funds and U.S. Treasury securities), measured at the time of purchase. In the event a holding comes to represent more than 5% of the Fund's assets, the Fund will sell a portion of such holding to bring it the position to below 5% of the Fund's assets. Under normal market conditions, the Fund intends to invest approximately 65%-90% of its net assets in equity securities and approximately 10%-35% of its net assets in fixed income securities.
Investments are made once due diligence indicates that a company is deemed to be of sufficient quality and that the securities of that company are attractively priced as assessed by the Investment Team of Mason Capital Partners, the Fund's investment advisor (the "Advisor"). Due diligence includes a fundamental quantitative and qualitative assessment of a company and its securities. Typically, this process includes a review of a company's publicly filed financial statements and press releases as well as discussions with its executive and/or investor relations teams. The Fund is named "Fundamentals First" because the Advisor emphasizes fundamental investment research and analysis in managing the Fund. Fundamental analysis measures a security's intrinsic value by examining related economic and financial factors, as well as market conditions. In conducting its own fundamental research on securities, the Advisor considers company filings and press releases, industry data and its own interviews with company management. The Advisor seeks to invest in companies which it believes have strong management that is focused on delivering shareholder value. The Advisor uses its fundamental analysis process to select investments for the long-term with relatively low turnover. As a long-term investor, the Advisor considers itself to be an "owner" of a company rather than a short-term trader.
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The Advisor may decide to sell a holding if in its opinion the security or the company issuing the security no longer align with the objectives of the Fund. This may include a change to management, corporate structure, financials, future prospects of the business, or any other change that brings into question the potential benefit of holding such security. The Advisor may also sell a holding if the security or underlying company have failed to meet expectations that led to the initial investment. The Advisor may decrease the Fund's exposure to a security without selling it entirely based on the same criteria, or as part of the strategy not to expose more capital to a specific security than is deemed reasonable.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
As with all registered funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Fund.The Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program. Many factors affect the Fund's net asset value and performance.
Principal risks include the following:
● | Market Risk. The Fund is subject to market risk since securities are priced by public markets. Performance of the Fund is tied to the performance of its underlying investments. Securities held within the Fund may decline in value due to general sentiment, due to poor performance of the underlying companies, or for an unknown number of other reasons. The net asset value ("NAV") of the Fund is calculated using the values of securities held within the Fund, so declines in value of securities held within the Fund will directly lead to a decline in net asset value of the Fund. Total return of the Fund may, and likely will, vary for any number of reasons (including but not limited to regional or geopolitical issues, macroeconomic factors, interest rates, or natural disasters). The market frequently moves in unexpected ways over short time frames which is why we believe investment decisions should be viewed in a long-term context. |
● | Security Selection. Fund performance is directly tied to the securities held in the portfolio. The portfolio is made up of securities in companies as selected by Mason Capital Partners. While the portfolio managers of the Fund make a reasonable effort to perform due diligence on securities and the underlying companies, the results may not be satisfactory. |
● | Equity Risk. Common stocks and ADRs may decline in value because of changes in the price of a particular holding or a broad stock market decline. Common stock ranks below preferred stock and debt securities in claims for dividends and for assets of the company in a liquidation or bankruptcy. The value of a common stock or ADR may decline for a number of reasons that directly relate to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events including changes in interest rates. |
● | Asset Allocation. The performance of the Fund is derived from the weighted performance of the securities in the portfolio. Even if a satisfactory set of securities are selected by the Mason Capital team, the decisions of how much weight to ascribe to each position may result in performance that is not satisfactory. The overall strategy of the Fund includes limiting maximum position size to 5% in order to limit risk specific to any one security. Results could vary from a portfolio made up of the same list of securities but with different relative weights. Under normal market conditions, the Fund intends to invest approximately 65%-90% of its net assets in equity securities and approximately 10%-35% of its net assets in fixed income securities. |
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● | Large Capitalization Stock Risk. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to changing market conditions. Large-capitalization companies may be more mature and subject to more limited growth potential compared with smaller capitalization companies. During different market cycles, the performance of large capitalization companies has trailed the overall performance of the broader securities markets. |
● | Small and Medium Capitalization Stock Risk. The earnings and prospects of small and medium sized companies are more volatile than larger companies and may experience higher failure rates than larger companies. Small and medium sized companies normally have a lower trading volume than larger companies, which may cause their market price to be more volatile than larger companies in response to buying and selling pressures. Small and medium sized companies may have more concentrated risks if, among other things, they address fewer markets, sell fewer product lines, have fewer financial resources and lack management experience relative to larger companies and as a result market prices of securities of such companies may be more volatile. |
● | Fixed Income Risk. The Fund is subject to the risks of investing in fixed income securities. The prices of fixed income securities respond to economic developments, particularly interest rate changes, as well as to perceptions about the creditworthiness of individual issuers. Fixed income securities are subject to the following risks: |
o | Call Risk. If interest rates fall, it is possible that issuers of callable securities will "call" (or prepay) their bonds before their maturity date. If a call were exercised by the issuer during or following a period of declining interest rates, the Fund is likely to have to replace such called security with a lower yielding security or securities with greater risks or other less favorable features. If that were to happen, it would decrease the Fund's net investment income. |
o | Credit Risk. The risk that an issuer will fail to pay its obligations when they are due. As a result, the income from an investment might be reduced and the value of the investment might fall. Changes in the economic, social or political conditions that affect an issuer, or type of security or other instrument can increase the risk of default by an issuer or counterparty, which can affect a fixed income security's credit quality or value and an issuer's ability or willingness to pay interest and principal when due. |
o | Duration Risk. Longer-term securities may be more sensitive to interest rate changes. Given the potential for increases in those rates, a heightened risk is posed by rising interest rates to a fund whose portfolios include longer-term fixed income securities. |
o | Extension Risk. The Fund is subject to the risk that an issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation held by the Fund (such as mortgage-backed securities) later than expected. This may happen when there is a rise in interest rates. These events may lengthen the duration (i.e. interest rate sensitivity) and potentially reduce the value of these securities. |
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o | Interest Rate Risk. The Fund is subject to the risk that debt instruments will change in value (either positively or negatively) because of changes in interest rates. Generally, a fixed income security will increase in value when prevailing interest rates fall and decrease in value when prevailing interest rates rise. Longer-term securities are generally more sensitive to interest rate changes than shorter-term securities, but they generally offer higher yields to compensate investors for the associated risks. |
● | Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund holds foreign securities which could expand the breadth of macro risks facing the Fund. Foreign issuers are subject to different disclosure requirements than US companies, which could result in less timely disclosures leading to errant analysis. Foreign securities are also subject to currency fluctuations versus the US dollar which is the functional currency of the Fund. These risks may be magnified in emerging markets which are part of the Fund's investable universe. |
● | Emerging Market Securities Risk. Emerging market countries may have relatively unstable governments, weaker economies, and less-developed legal systems with fewer security holder rights. Emerging market economies may be based on only a few industries and security issuers may be more susceptible to economic weakness and more likely to default. Emerging market securities also tend to be less liquid which could cause security pricing to be volatile and could make it difficult to accumulate or exit a position at a target price. |
● | U.S. Treasury Securities Risk. Treasury securities may differ from other debt securities in their interest rates, maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics and may provide relatively lower returns than those other securities. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating of the U.S. government may cause the value of the Fund's Treasury securities holdings to decline. |
● | ETF Structure Risk. The Fund is structured as an ETF and as a result is subject to special risks, including: |
o | Not Individually Redeemable. Shares are not individually redeemable and may be redeemed by the Fund at NAV only in large blocks known as "Creation Units." You may incur brokerage costs purchasing enough Shares to constitute a Creation Unit. |
o | Market Risk. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the Exchange. An active trading market for the Fund's shares may not be developed or maintained. In times of market stress, market makers or authorized participants may step away from their respective roles in making a market in the shares of the ETF and in executing purchase or redemption orders, which can lead to wider bid-ask spreads and variances between the market price of ETF shares and the underlying value of those shares. |
o | Authorized Participant Risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. There are a limited number of financial institutions that may act as authorized participants that post collateral for certain trades on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that those authorized participants exit the business or are unable to process creation or redemption orders and no other authorized participants are able to step forward to do so, there may be a significantly diminished trading market for the Fund's shares. This could lead to differences between market price and underlying value of shares and shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to net asset value and possibly face trading halts or delisting. If the Fund's shares are traded outside a collateralized settlement system, the number of financial institutions that can act as authorized participants that can post collateral on an agency basis is limited, which may limit the market for the Fund's shares. |
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o | Liquidity Risk. The market for the Fund's shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the market for the Fund's underlying holdings, for example during times of market stress. This adverse effect on the liquidity of the Fund's shares may, in turn, lead to differences between the market value of the Fund's shares and the Fund's net asset value and wider bid/ask spreads. |
o | Cash Transaction Risk. Purchases and redemptions of creation units that are made primarily with cash, rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may cause the Fund to incur additional costs including brokerage costs and taxable capital gains or losses that the Fund may not have incurred if the Fund had made purchases or redemptions in-kind. Such transaction costs could decrease the Fund's net asset value to the extent that the costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant. |
o | Market Price Variance Risk. Individual Shares of the Fund that are listed for trading on the Exchange can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in NAV and supply and demand for Shares. There may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly and you may pay more than NAV when buying Shares on the secondary market, and you may receive less than NAV when you sell those Shares. The market price of Shares, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a "bid-ask spread" charged by the exchange specialists, market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. In times of severe market disruption, the bid-ask spread often increases significantly. This means that Shares may trade at a discount to NAV and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of Shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that you most want to sell your Shares. The Fund's investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. |
o | International Holdings Risk. As a portion of the Fund's underlying securities may trade in a market that is closed when the exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed and traded is open, there may be changes between the last quote from its closed foreign market and the value of such security during the Fund's domestic trading day. Accordingly, this difference in markets could lead to a differences between the market price of the Fund's shares and the underlying value of those shares. |
● | ETF Risk. The Fund may invest in ETFs that primarily invest in the same types of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. The ETFs may be subject to specific risks, depending on the nature of the ETF. The cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in the ETFs in which it invests and may be higher than other funds that invest directly in stocks and bonds. Shares of ETFs may trade at a discount or a premium in market price if there is a limited market in such shares. Shares of the ETFs are also subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund and, thus, indirectly expenses to the shareholders. |
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● | Holding Period Risk. It is the intention of the Fund to hold a position in securities selected for the portfolio by the Advisor for multiple years. Securities may not end up being purchased and sold at their relative low and high prices, respectively, and the returns of the Fund may not reflect the most optimal returns for a specific security during a given time period due to timing of increases or reductions in position size. |
● | Limited History of Operations Risk. The Fund is a new ETF and has a limited history of operations for investors to evaluate. |
● | Depositary Receipts Risk. Sponsored and unsponsored ADRs are receipts issued by an American bank or trust company evidencing ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign issuer. Holders of unsponsored ADRs generally bear all the costs of the ADR facility, whereas foreign issuers typically bear certain costs in a sponsored ADR. The bank or trust company depositary of an unsponsored ADR may be under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the foreign issuer or to pass through voting rights. Many of the risks described above regarding foreign securities apply to investments in ADRs. |
● | Money Market Fund Risk. It is possible for the Fund to lose money by investing in money market funds. The value of money market instruments may be affected by changing interest rates and by changes in the credit ratings of the investments held by the money market fund. |
● | Lower Quality (High-Yield or Junk Bonds) Debt Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in lower quality debt securities, including junk bonds. There is more risk associated with these investments because of reduced creditworthiness and increased risk of default. They are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal. |
● | Commercial Notes Risk. Commercial notes are subject to interest rate and credit risks. Commercial notes are generally unsecured which subjects the Fund to potentially greater losses than the holder of a secured instrument in the event the issuer defaults. |
● | Variable Rate Notes Risk. The market prices of notes with variable interest rates are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than are the market prices of instruments with fixed interest rates. Variable rate notes may decline in value if market interest rates or interest rates paid by such instruments do not move as expected. |
Performance Information
Because the Fund has not been operational for a full calendar year, no performance information is presented for the Fund at this time.In the future, performance information for the Fund will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will show changes in the Fund's performance from year to year and show how the Fund's average annual returns compare with those of a broad-based market index.The Fund's past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.Updated performance information is available at no cost by visiting www.fundamentalsfirstfund.comor by calling 617-228-5190.
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Management
Investment Advisor: The Fund's investment advisor is Albert D. Mason Inc. doing business as Mason Capital Partners ("MCP" or "Advisor").
Portfolio Managers: Albert Mason, Gregg Picillo and Elliot Bruce have each served the Fund as portfolio manager since its inception in January 2024. Each portfolio manager is jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV per Share only in large blocks of shares (each block of Shares is called a "Creation Unit"). Creation Units are issued and redeemed for cash and/or in-kind for securities. Individual Shares may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through brokers. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.
Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on the Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (the "Exchange") and trade at market prices rather than NAV. Shares of the Fund may trade at a price that is greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the "bid-ask spread"). Information on the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, can be found on the Fund's website at www.fundamentalsfirstfund.com.
Tax Information
Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash, are taxable to you at either ordinary income or capital gains tax rates unless you are investing through a tax-free plan. If you are investing through a tax-free plan, you will be taxed upon withdrawal from certain retirement plans and accounts generally subject to federal income tax.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Advisor may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
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Additional Information About Principal Investment Strategies and Related Risks
Investment Objectives/Goals
The Fund seeks income and capital growth.
The Fund's investment objective may be changed by the Board of Trustees upon 60 days' written notice to shareholders. The Fund's investment policies may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval unless otherwise noted in this Prospectus or the Statement of Additional Information.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund primarily invests in publicly traded securities of publicly traded companies and fixed income securities. The majority of the Fund's assets are held in equities with the balance allocated to fixed income securities. The Fund invests in both U.S. and non-U.S. based companies.
Equity securities include common stock and American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs") and may be made in companies of any market capitalization, industry or geographical location including foreign and emerging market countries. The Fund considers issuers from foreign countries to be those issuers economically tied, as described above, to a country or countries outside the United States. The Fund considers emerging market countries to be those represented in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.
With respect to fixed income securities, the Fund may invest in (1) domestic and foreign corporate bonds and notes (including commercial notes, unsecured promissory notes and variable rate notes) issued by domestic and foreign corporate issuers; (2) U.S. Treasury bills, notes and bonds; and (3) money market instruments including money market funds. Commercial notes are unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations primarily to finance short-term credit needs. Certain commercial notes may have floating or variable rates and may contain options, exercisable by either the buyer or the seller, that extend or shorten the maturity of the note. The Fund may also gain investment exposure to fixed income securities by investing in exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") that primarily invest in the same types of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. Such fixed income holdings may be of any maturity, duration or credit rating, including high-yield bonds (also known as "junk bonds"). Duration is a measure of the price sensitivity of a debt security or portfolio of debt securities to relative changes in interest rates. For instance, a duration of "three" means that a security's price would be expected to decrease by approximately 3% with a 1% increase in interest rates. The Fund defines high-yield fixed income securities as corporate bonds or other bonds or debt instruments that are generally rated lower than Baa3 by Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") or lower than BBB- by Standard and Poor's Rating Group ("S&P"). The Fund will not invest more than 10% of its assets in high-yield fixed income securities.
Investments in any one portfolio holding are limited to 5% of the Fund's assets (except for money market funds), measured at the time of purchase. In the event a holding comes to represent more than 5% of the Fund's assets, the Fund will sell a portion of such holding to bring it the position to below 5% of the Fund's assets. Under normal market conditions, the Fund intends to invest approximately 65%-90% of its net assets in equity securities and approximately 10%-35% of its net assets in fixed income securities.
The Fund is not focused on any specific industry, geography or company size. The decision to invest is made at the company level, meaning a company is evaluated as an ongoing business with its own unique structure and nuances. This may lead to certain industries being overweight if several companies in the same space are evaluated favorably. Diversification is a goal of the Fund therefore there is no intention to focus on a specific industry. The intention of the Fund is to invest in high quality companies across many industries, company sizes, and geographies, thereby creating a diversified portfolio of good businesses.
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The Fund intends to only enter into long positions (as opposed to short positions) and does so with the intention of holding for the foreseeable future. Position size of any security within the portfolio may be increased, reduced or exited if the characteristics of that company or its securities change. The investment advisor seeks to mitigate investment risk through its investment selection process but also by position size. An important part of the strategy is to limit exposure to any single company, meaning a position may be reduced simply because that position exceeds its target size as a percentage of the total portfolio in order to limit company specific risk.
An investment decision is made following a fundamental qualitative and quantitative analysis of a company. Considerations include but are not limited to a company's history, culture, management quality, and expectations for the future. The Advisor makes its investment decisions based on meeting with company management, review of financial statements, and SEC filings of companies. Equity positions are considered as part-ownership stakes in ongoing businesses and the expectation upon initiation of a new position is to hold a position for many years. Fixed income investments are expected to be held to maturity and are considered as loans that are expected to be repaid in full.
Investments are made once due diligence indicates that a company is deemed to be of sufficient quality and that the securities of that company are attractively priced as assessed by the Advisor. Due diligence includes a fundamental quantitative and qualitative assessment of a company and its securities. Typically this process includes a review of a company's publicly filed financial statements and press releases as well as discussions with its executive and/or investor relations teams. The Advisor's due diligence process is a holistic review of the past, present, and likely future of a business. The Advisor seeks to understand what drives a business, both relating to its operations (culture, goals, structure, etc.) and its results. The Advisor does not assess all companies in the same way since each industry, sub-industry and company brings with it its own nuances. In general, the Advisor favors companies that have indicated throughout their history an ability to achieve their goals, consistent profitability and growth, friendly shareholder policies, and business models that the Advisor expects to succeed going forward. The Advisor must be able to understand the business and the conditions under which it is likely to be successful in order to assess whether or not the market is offering an attractive opportunity to become a part owner in the business. For fixed income investments, the Advisor must be reasonably confident that the issuer will be able to pay interest and the principal balance of the fixed income instrument at maturity.
The Advisor evaluates the expected returns of an investment relative to the risks assumed. Following a decision to invest in a security, the next step is to decide how much to invest in that security. It is the policy of the Fund to limit position size in any one company so as to limit company specific risks. Position sizes are likely to be larger for investments where the return potential is perceived to far outweigh the risk, typically due to a perceived lower downside risk than a higher upside potential (since speculative upside is often offset by high downside risk). The performance of the Fund is a function of the weighted returns of the underlying securities, so the relative position sizes are important to the performance of the overall Fund.
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Principal Investment Risks
● | Market Risk. The Fund is subject to market risk since securities are priced by public markets. Performance of the Fund is tied to the performance of its underlying investments. Securities held within the Fund may decline in value due to general sentiment, due to poor performance of the underlying companies, or for an unknown number of other reasons. The NAV of the Fund is calculated using the values of securities held within the Fund, so declines in value of securities held within the Fund will directly lead to a decline in net asset value of the Fund. Total return of the Fund may, and likely will, vary for any number of reasons (including but not limited to regional or geopolitical issues, macroeconomic factors, interest rates, or natural disasters). The market frequently moves in unexpected ways over short time frames which is why we believe investment decisions should be viewed in a long-term context. |
● | Security Selection. Fund performance is directly tied to the securities held in the portfolio. The portfolio is made up of securities in companies as selected by Mason Capital Partners. While the portfolio managers of the Fund make a reasonable effort to perform due diligence on securities and the underlying companies, the results may not be satisfactory. |
● | Asset Allocation. The performance of the Fund is derived from the weighted performance of the securities in the portfolio. Even if a satisfactory set of securities are selected by the Mason Capital team, the decisions of how much weight to ascribe to each position may result in performance that is not satisfactory. The overall strategy of the Fund includes limiting maximum position size to 5% in order to limit risk specific to any one security. Results could vary from a portfolio made up of the same list of securities but with different relative weights. Under normal market conditions, the Fund intends to invest approximately 65%-90% of its net assets in equity securities and approximately 10%-35% of its net assets in fixed income securities. |
● | Equity Risk. Common stocks and sponsored and unsponsored ADRs may decline in value because of changes in the price of a particular holding or a broad stock market decline. Common stock ranks below preferred stock and debt securities in claims for dividends and for assets of the company in a liquidation or bankruptcy. The value of a common stock or ADR may decline for a number of reasons that directly relate to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events including changes in interest rates. The common stocks and ADRS held by the Fund may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value, resulting in losses to the Fund. |
● | Large Capitalization Stock Risk. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to changing market conditions. Large-capitalization companies may be more mature and subject to more limited growth potential compared with smaller capitalization companies. During different market cycles, the performance of large capitalization companies has trailed the overall performance of the broader securities markets. |
● | Small and Medium Capitalization Stock Risk. The earnings and prospects of small and medium sized companies are more volatile than larger companies and may experience higher failure rates than larger companies. Small and medium sized companies normally have a lower trading volume than larger companies, which may cause their market price to be more volatile than larger companies in response to buying and selling pressures. Small and medium sized companies may have more concentrated risks if they address fewer markets, sell fewer product lines, have fewer financial resources and lack management experience relative to larger companies and as a result market prices of securities of such companies may be more volatile. |
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● | Fixed Income Risk. The Fund is subject to the risks of investing in fixed income securities. The prices of fixed income securities respond to economic developments, particularly interest rate changes, as well as to perceptions about the creditworthiness of individual issuers. Fixed income securities are subject to the following risks: |
o | Call Risk. If interest rates fall, it is possible that issuers of callable securities will "call" (or prepay) their bonds before their maturity date. If a call were exercised by the issuer during or following a period of declining interest rates, the Fund is likely to have to replace such called security with a lower yielding security or securities with greater risks or other less favorable features. If that were to happen, it would decrease the Fund's net investment income. |
o | Credit Risk. The risk that an issuer will fail to pay its obligations when they are due. As a result, the income from an investment might be reduced and the value of the investment might fall. Changes in the economic, social or political conditions that affect an issuer, or type of security or other instrument can increase the risk of default by an issuer or counterparty, which can affect a fixed income security's credit quality or value and an issuer's ability or willingness to pay interest and principal when due. |
o | Duration Risk. Longer-term securities may be more sensitive to interest rate changes. Given the potential for increases in those rates, a heightened risk is posed by rising interest rates to a fund whose portfolios include longer-term fixed income securities. |
o | Extension Risk. The Fund is subject to the risk that an issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation held by the Fund (such as mortgage-backed securities) later than expected. This may happen when there is a rise in interest rates. These events may lengthen the duration (i.e. interest rate sensitivity) and potentially reduce the value of these securities. |
o | Interest Rate Risk. The Fund is subject to the risk that debt instruments will change in value (either positively or negatively) because of changes in interest rates. Generally, a fixed income security will increase in value when prevailing interest rates fall and decrease in value when prevailing interest rates rise. Longer-term securities are generally more sensitive to interest rate changes than shorter-term securities, but they generally offer higher yields to compensate investors for the associated risks. |
● | Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund holds foreign securities which could expand the breadth of macro risks facing the Fund. Foreign issuers are subject to different disclosure requirements than US companies, which could result in less timely disclosures leading to errant analysis. Foreign securities are also subject to currency fluctuations versus the US dollar which is the functional currency of the Fund. These risks may be magnified in emerging markets which are part of the Fund's investable universe. |
● | Emerging Market Securities Risk. Emerging market countries may have relatively unstable governments, weaker economies, and less-developed legal systems with fewer security holder rights. Emerging market economies may be based on only a few industries and security issuers may be more susceptible to economic weakness and more likely to default. Emerging market securities also tend to be less liquid. |
● | ETF Structure Risk. The Fund is structured as an ETF and as a result is subject to special risks, including: |
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o | Not Individually Redeemable. Shares are not individually redeemable and may be redeemed by the Fund at NAV only in large blocks known as "Creation Units." You may incur brokerage costs purchasing enough Shares to constitute a Creation Unit. |
o | Market Risk. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the Exchange. An active trading market for the Fund's shares may not be developed or maintained. In times of market stress, market makers or authorized participants may step away from their respective roles in making a market in the shares of the ETF and in executing purchase or redemption orders, which can lead to wider bid-ask spreads and variances between the market price of ETF shares and the underlying value of those shares. |
o | Authorized Participant Risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. There are a limited number of financial institutions that may act as authorized participants that post collateral for certain trades on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that those authorized participants exit the business or are unable to process creation or redemption orders and no other authorized participants are able to step forward to do so, there may be a significantly diminished trading market for the Fund's shares. This could lead to differences between market price and underlying value of shares and shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to net asset value and possibly face trading halts or delisting. If the Fund's shares are traded outside a collateralized settlement system, the number of financial institutions that can act as authorized participants that can post collateral on an agency basis is limited, which may limit the market for the Fund's shares. |
o | Liquidity Risk. In stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund's shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the market for the Fund's underlying holdings. This adverse effect on the liquidity of the Fund's shares may, in turn, lead to differences between the market value of the Fund's shares and the Fund's net asset value. |
o | Cash Transaction Risk. Purchases and redemptions of creation units that are made primarily with cash, rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may cause the Fund to incur additional costs including brokerage costs and taxable capital gains or losses that the Fund may not have incurred if the Fund had made redemptions in-kind. |
o | Market Price Variance Risk. Individual Shares of the Fund that are listed for trading on the Exchange can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in NAV and supply and demand for Shares. There may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly and you may pay more than NAV when buying Shares on the secondary market, and you may receive less than NAV when you sell those Shares. The market price of Shares, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a "bid-ask spread" charged by the exchange specialists, market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. In times of severe market disruption, the bid-ask spread often increases significantly. This means that Shares may trade at a discount to NAV and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of Shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that you most want to sell your Shares. The Fund's investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the Fund over a period of time. Investors purchasing and selling Shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund. |
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● | ETF Risk. The Fund may invest in ETFs that primarily invest in the same types of fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest. The ETFs may be subject to specific risks, depending on the nature of the ETF. The cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in the ETFs in which it invests and may be higher than other funds that invest directly in stocks and bonds. Shares of ETFs may trade at a discount or a premium in market price if there is a limited market in such shares. Shares of the ETFs are also subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund and, thus, indirectly expenses to the shareholders. |
● | Holding Period Risk. It is the intention of the Fund to hold a position in securities selected for the portfolio by the Advisor for multiple years. Securities may not end up being purchased and sold at their relative low and high prices, respectively, and the returns of the Fund may not reflect the most optimal returns for a specific security during a given time period due to timing of increases or reductions in position size. |
● | Limited History of Operations Risk. The Fund is a new ETF and has a limited history of operations for investors to evaluate. |
● | Depositary Receipts Risk. Sponsored and unsponsored ADRs are receipts issued by an American bank or trust company evidencing ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign issuer. ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in U.S. securities markets. Unsponsored ADRs may be created without the participation of the foreign issuer. Holders of these ADRs generally bear all the costs of the ADR facility, whereas foreign issuers typically bear certain costs in a sponsored ADR. The bank or trust company depositary of an unsponsored ADR may be under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the foreign issuer or to pass through voting rights. Many of the risks described above regarding foreign securities apply to investments in ADRs. |
● | Money Market Fund Risk. It is possible for the Fund to lose money by investing in money market funds. The value of money market instruments may be affected by changing interest rates and by changes in the credit ratings of the investments held by the money market fund. |
● | Lower Quality (High-Yield or Junk Bonds) Debt Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in lower quality debt securities, including junk bonds. There is more risk associated with these investments because of reduced creditworthiness and increased risk of default. Lower-quality securities are considered to have extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing, to have a current identifiable vulnerability to default or to be in default, to be unlikely to have the capacity to make required interest payments and repay principal when due in the event of adverse business, financial or economic conditions, or to be in default or not current in the payment of interest or principal. They are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal. |
● | Commercial Notes Risk. Commercial notes are subject to interest rate and credit risks. Commercial notes are generally unsecured. If the issuer of a commercial note defaults, the Fund will be a general creditor and will not have any rights to any specific assets of the issuer, potentially subjecting the Fund to greater losses than the holder of a secured instrument. |
● | Variable Rate Notes Risk. The market prices of notes with variable interest rates are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than are the market prices of instruments with fixed interest rates. Variable rate notes may decline in value if market interest rates or interest rates paid by such instruments do not move as expected. Conversely, variable rate notes will not generally rise in value if market interest rates decline. Thus, investing in variable notes generally allows less opportunity for capital appreciation and depreciation than investing in instruments with a fixed interest rate. |
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Temporary Investments. To respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, the Fund may invest 100% of its total assets, without limitation, in high-quality short-term debt securities and money market instruments. These short-term debt securities and money market instruments include: shares of money market mutual funds, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, bankers' acceptances, and U.S. Government securities. While the Fund is in a defensive position, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective. Furthermore, to the extent that the Fund invests in money market mutual funds for cash positions, there will be some duplication of expenses because the Fund pays its pro-rata portion of such money market funds' advisory fees and operational fees.
Portfolio Holdings Disclosure. Portfolio holdings are disclosed on a daily basis on the Fund's website at www.fundamentalsfirstfund.com. A description of the Fund's policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund's portfolio securities is available in the Fund's Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") and on the Fund's website.
Cybersecurity. The computer systems, networks and devices used by the Fund and its service providers to carry out routine business operations employ a variety of protections designed to prevent damage or interruption from computer viruses, network failures, computer and telecommunication failures, infiltration by unauthorized persons and security breaches. Despite the various protections utilized by the Fund and their service providers, systems, networks, or devices potentially can be breached. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result of a cybersecurity breach.
Cybersecurity breaches can include unauthorized access to systems, networks, or devices; infection from computer viruses or other malicious software code; and attacks that shut down, disable, slow, or otherwise disrupt operations, business processes, or website access or functionality. Cybersecurity breaches may cause disruptions and impact the Fund's business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses; interference with the Fund's ability to calculate its NAV; impediments to trading; the inability of the Fund, the Advisor, and other service providers to transact business; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs; as well as the inadvertent release of confidential information.
Similar adverse consequences could result from cybersecurity breaches affecting issuers of securities in which the Fund invests; counterparties with which the Fund engages in transactions; governmental and other regulatory authorities; exchange and other financial market operators, banks, brokers, dealers, insurance companies, and other financial institutions (including financial intermediaries and service providers for the Fund's shareholders); and other parties. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred by these entities in order to prevent any cybersecurity breaches in the future.
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Management of the Fund
Investment Advisor
The investment advisor of the Fund is Albert D. Mason Inc. doing business as Mason Capital Partners, 50 Federal Street 9th Floor, Boston, MA 02110. Mason Capital Partners has been managing private funds and separately managed accounts with the same investment process for over 30 years. The investment team at Mason Capital Partners is responsible for all research and investment decision making for the Fund. As of September 30, 2024, Mason Capital Partners had approximately $205,165,842 in assets under management.
Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the Advisor (the "Management Agreement"), the Fund pays the Advisor, on a monthly basis, a unitary advisory fee at an annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of the Fund) of 1.00%. Under a unitary fee structure, the Advisor is responsible for paying all the operating expenses of the Fund, excluding interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future Rule 12b-1 fees (if any), acquired fund fees and expenses and expenses incidental to a meeting of the Fund's shareholders. A discussion regarding the basis for the Board's approval of the Management Agreement is available in the Fund's annual Form N-CSR for the period ended June 30, 2024.
Portfolio Managers
Albert MasonPartner
Founded Mason Capital Partners in 1978. Mr. Mason has been in the investment business for over 40 years. He earned a business degree with a concentration in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He was with Fidelity Management & Research for a decade and a half in research, management, and operations; he has been an independent investment manager for over 30 years.
Gregg Picillo, CFAPartner
Joined Mason Capital Partners in 2006. Mr. Picillo has worked in the investment industry for over 30 years. He earned a BS in Finance from Merrimack College and an MBA from Suffolk University. He has worked for the Keystone Group, Wellington Management, and J.L. Kaplan Associates. He is a CFA charterholder and taught ethics for the Boston Security Analysts Society™ CFA review course.
Elliot Bruce, CFAPartner
Joined Mason Capital Partners in 2017. Mr. Bruce earned a BS in Mathematics and a BA in Economics from the Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as well as an MBA from Boston College. He is a CFA charterholder.
The SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Managers' compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers, and the Portfolio Managers' ownership of securities in the Fund. The three portfolio managers are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund's portfolio with shared responsibilities for research, security selection and ongoing portfolio management.
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Net Asset Value
The NAV and offering price (NAV plus any applicable sales charges) of each class of shares is determined as of the close of the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) on each day the NYSE is open for business (the "Valuation Time"). NAV is computed by determining, on a per class basis, the aggregate market value of all assets of a Fund, less its liabilities, divided by the total number of shares outstanding ((assets-liabilities)/number of shares = NAV). The NYSE is closed on weekends and New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Washington's Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The NAV takes into account, on a per class basis, the expenses and fees of a Fund, including management, administration, and distribution fees, which are accrued daily.
The Fund's securities or other investment assets for which market quotations are readily available are valued at current market value based upon such market quotations as of the Valuation Time. The Fund may use independent pricing services to assist in calculating the value of the Fund's securities. The Fund may use independent pricing agents to provide current market values. Generally, the Fund's securities are valued each day at the last quoted sales price on each security's primary exchange. Securities traded or dealt in upon one or more securities exchanges (whether domestic or foreign) for which market quotations are readily available and not subject to restrictions against resale shall be valued at the last quoted sales price on the primary exchange or, in the absence of a sale on the primary exchange, at the mean between the current bid and ask prices on such exchange. If market quotations are not readily available, securities will be valued at their fair market value as determined in good faith and evaluated as to the reliability of the fair value method used by the Board on a quarterly basis, in accordance with procedures approved by the Board. Securities primarily traded in the National Association of Securities Dealers' Automated Quotation System ("NASDAQ") National Market System for which market quotations are readily available shall be valued using the NASDAQ Official Closing Price. If market quotations are not readily available, securities will be valued at their fair market value as determined using the "fair value" procedures approved by the Board. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that the fair value determined for a security may be materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of that security. The fair value prices can differ from market prices when they become available or when a price becomes available. The Board will delegate execution of these procedures to a fair value team composed of one or more representatives from each of the (i) Trust, (ii) administrator, and (iii) investment advisor. The team may also enlist third party consultants such as an audit firm or financial officer of a security issuer on an as-needed basis to assist in determining a security-specific fair value. The Board reviews and ratifies the execution of this process and the resultant fair value prices at least quarterly to assure the process produces reliable results. The Board is ultimately responsible for the Fund's fair valuation process.
In addition, market prices for foreign securities are not determined at the same time of day as the NAV for the Fund. The Fund may invest in foreign securities that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges that may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the Fund's portfolio may change on days when you may not be able to buy or sell Fund shares. In computing the NAV, the Fund values foreign securities held by the Fund at the latest closing price on the exchange in which they are traded immediately prior to closing of the NYSE. Prices of foreign securities quoted in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at current rates. If events materially affecting the value of a security in the Fund's portfolio, particularly foreign securities, occur after the close of trading on a foreign market but before the Fund prices its shares, the securities will be valued at fair value. For example, if trading in a portfolio security is halted and does not resume before the Fund calculates its NAV, the investment advisor may need to price the security using the Fund's fair value pricing guidelines. Without a fair value price, short-term traders could take advantage of the arbitrage opportunity and dilute the NAV of long-term investors. Fair valuation of the Fund's portfolio securities can serve to reduce arbitrage opportunities available to short-term traders, but there is no assurance that fair value pricing policies will prevent dilution of the Fund's NAV by short term traders. The determination of fair value involves subjective judgments. As a result, using fair value to price a security may result in a price materially different from the prices used by other funds to determine net asset value or the price that may be realized upon the actual sale of the security.
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With respect to any portion of the Fund's assets that are invested in one or more open-end management investment companies that are registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") the Fund's net asset value is calculated based upon the net asset values of the registered open-end management investment companies in which the Fund invests, and the prospectuses for these companies explain the circumstances under which those companies will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.
Premium/Discount Information
Most investors will buy and sell Shares of the Fund in secondary market transactions through brokers at market prices and the Fund's Shares will trade at market prices. The market price of Shares of a Fund may be greater than, equal to, or less than NAV. Market forces of supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors may affect the trading prices of Shares of the Fund.
Information regarding how often the Shares of the Fund traded at a price above (at a premium to) or below (at a discount to) the NAV of the Fund during the past four calendar quarters, when available, can be found at www.fundamentalsfirstfund.com.
How to Buy and Sell Shares
Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on the Exchange under the symbol KNOW. Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per Share. Shares can be bought and sold on the secondary market throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares, and Shares typically trade in blocks of less than a Creation Unit. There is no minimum investment required. Shares may only be purchased and sold on the secondary market when the Exchange is open for trading. The Exchange is open for trading Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and the following holidays, as observed: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Washington's Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Authorized Participants
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in Creation Units. Only authorized participants may acquire shares directly from the Fund, and only authorized participants may tender their shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV. Authorized participants must be (i) a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC, a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC; or (ii) a Depository Trust Company ("DTC") participant (as discussed below). In addition, each authorized participants must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor, and that has been accepted by the Transfer Agent, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Once created, shares trade in the secondary market in quantities less than a Creation Unit.
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An Authorized Participant that is not a "qualified institutional buyer," as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the Securities Act, will not be able to receive, as part of a redemption, restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
Investors
Individual Fund shares may only be bought and sold by investors, including authorized participants, in the secondary market through a broker or dealer at a market price. Shares are listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded securities.
When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. Because the Fund's shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the bid-ask spread).
Authorized Participants that have entered into agreements with the Fund's distributor may acquire Shares directly from the Fund, and Authorized Participants may tender their Shares for redemption directly to a Fund, at NAV per Share only in large blocks, or Creation Units. Purchases and redemptions directly with the Fund must follow the Fund's procedures, which are described in the SAI.
The Fund may liquidate and terminate at any time without shareholder approval.
Share Trading Prices
The approximate value of Shares of the Fund, an amount representing on a per share basis the sum of the current market price of the securities accepted by the Fund in exchange for Shares of the Fund and an estimated cash component is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. This approximate value should not be viewed as a "real-time" update of the NAV per Share of the Fund because the approximate value may not take into account certain Fund expenses and may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value of the Shares, and the Fund does not make any warranty as to the accuracy of these values.
Book Entry
Shares are held in book entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding Shares of a Fund and is recognized as the owner of all Shares for all purposes.
Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book entry or "street name" form.
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Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares
The Fund's Shares can only be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund in Creation Units by Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund's distributor. The vast majority of trading in the Fund's Shares occurs on the secondary market. Because the secondary market trades do not directly involve the Fund, it is unlikely those trades would cause the harmful effects of market timing, including dilution, disruption of portfolio management, increases in the Fund's trading costs and the realization of capital gains. With regard to the purchase or redemption of Creation Units directly with the Fund, to the extent effected in-kind (i.e., for securities), those trades do not cause the harmful effects that may result from frequent cash trades. To the extent trades are effected in whole or in part in cash, those trades could result in dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective. However, direct trading by Authorized Participants is critical to ensuring that the Fund's Shares trade at or close to NAV. The Fund also employs fair valuation pricing to minimize potential dilution from market timing. In addition, the Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Fund Shares to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effecting trades. These fees increase if an investor substitutes cash in part or in whole for securities, reflecting the fact that the Fund's trading costs increase in those circumstances. Given this structure, the Trust has determined that it is not necessary to adopt policies and procedures to detect and deter market timing of the Fund's Shares.
Distribution and Service Plan
The Fund has adopted a distribution and service plan ("Plan") pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Under the Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay distribution fees to the distributor and other firms that provide distribution and shareholder services ("Service Providers"). If a Service Provider provides these services, the Funds may pay fees at an annual rate not to exceed 0.25% of average daily net assets, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.
No distribution or service fees are currently paid by the Fund and will not be paid by the Fund unless authorized by the Board of Trustees. There are no current plans to impose these fees. In the event Rule 12b-1 fees were charged, over time they would increase the cost of an investment in the Fund.
Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes
Unlike interests in conventional mutual funds, which typically are bought and sold from and to the fund only at closing NAVs, the Fund's Shares are traded throughout the day in the secondary market on a national securities exchange on an intra-day basis and are created and redeemed in-kind and/or for cash in Creation Units at each day's next calculated NAV. In-kind arrangements are designed to protect ongoing shareholders from the adverse effects on the Fund's portfolio that could arise from frequent cash redemption transactions. In a conventional mutual fund, redemptions can have an adverse tax impact on taxable shareholders if the mutual fund needs to sell portfolio securities to obtain cash to meet net fund redemptions. These sales may generate taxable gains for the ongoing shareholders of the mutual fund, whereas the Shares' in-kind redemption mechanism generally will not lead to a tax event for the Fund or its ongoing shareholders.
Ordinarily, dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid annually by a Fund. The Fund distributes its net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders annually.
Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available.
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Taxes
As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in Shares will be taxed. The tax information in this Prospectus is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in Shares.
Unless your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:
● | A Fund makes distributions, |
● | You sell your Shares listed on the Exchange, and |
● | You purchase or redeem Creation Units. |
Taxes on Distributions
As stated above, dividends from net investment income, if any, ordinarily are declared and paid annually by the Fund. The Fund may also pay a special distribution at the end of a calendar year to comply with federal tax requirements. Distributions from the Fund's net investment income, including net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income, except that the Fund's dividends attributable to its "qualified dividend income" (i.e., dividends received on stock of most domestic and certain foreign corporations with respect to which the Fund satisfies certain holding period and other restrictions), if any, generally are subject to federal income tax for non-corporate shareholders who satisfy those restrictions with respect to their Fund shares at the rate for net capital gain. A part of the Fund's dividends also may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction allowed to corporations -- the eligible portion may not exceed the aggregate dividends each Fund receives from domestic corporations subject to federal income tax (excluding REITs) and excludes dividends from foreign corporations -- subject to similar restrictions. However, dividends a corporate shareholder deducts pursuant to that deduction are subject indirectly to the federal alternative minimum tax.
In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax when they are paid, whether you take them in cash or reinvest them in the Fund (if that option is available). Distributions reinvested in additional Shares of the Fund through the means of a dividend reinvestment service, if available, will be taxable to shareholders acquiring the additional Shares to the same extent as if such distributions had been received in cash. Distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held the Shares.
A distribution will reduce the Fund's NAV per Share and may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains (as described above) even though, from an investment standpoint, the distribution may constitute a return of capital. A return of capital is a return to investors of a portion of their original investment in the Fund. Return of capital distributions should not be considered as a dividend or as part of the total return of an investment in Fund shares. Any return of capital distributions with be distributed after the payment of Fund fees and expenses. While the return of capital may not immediately be taxable, it reduces basis, which may result in a shareholder having to pay higher taxes in the future when shares are sold, even if the shareholder sells the shares at a loss from the original investment.
By law, the Fund is required to withhold 28% of your distributions and redemption proceeds if you have not provided the Fund with a correct Social Security number or other taxpayer identification number and in certain other situations.
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Taxes on Exchange-Listed Share Sales
Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Shares is generally treated as a long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for one year or less. The ability to deduct capital losses from sales of Shares may be limited.
Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units
An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or a loss equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the sum of the exchanger's aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus any Cash Component it pays. An Authorized Participant that exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger's basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of the securities received plus any cash equal to the difference between the NAV of the Shares being redeemed and the value of the securities. The Internal Revenue Service ("Service"), however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing "wash sales" or for other reasons. Persons exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.
Any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for one year or less.
If you purchase or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many Shares you purchased or sold and at what price. See "Tax Status" in the SAI for a description of the newly effective requirement regarding basis determination methods applicable to Share redemptions and the Fund's obligation to report basis information to the Service.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in the Shares under all applicable tax laws. See "Tax Status" in the SAI for more information.
Fund Service Providers
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services LLC d/b/a U.S. Bank Global Fund Services is the Fund's administrator and fund accountant. It has its principal office at 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202 and is primarily in the business of providing administrative, fund accounting and regulatory filing services to retail and institutional mutual funds.
U.S. Bank National Association is the Fund's custodian. It has its principal office at 1555 North Rivercenter Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, WI 53212.
Quasar Distributors, LLC (the "Distributor"), located at 111 E Kilbourn Ave., Suite 2200, Milwaukee, WI 53202, is the distributor for the shares of the Fund. The Distributor is a registered broker-dealer and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. ("FINRA").
Thompson Hine LLP, 41 South High Street, Suite 1700, Columbus, OH 43215, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.
Cohen & Company, Ltd. located at 1835 Market Street, Suite 310, Philadelphia, PA 19103 serves as the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm. The independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Fund.
22
Other Information
Continuous Offering
The method by which Creation Units of Shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units of Shares are issued and sold by a Fund on an ongoing basis, a "distribution," as such term is used in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), may occur at any point. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the Securities Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent Shares and sells the Shares directly to customers or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a characterization as an underwriter.
Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not "underwriters" but are effecting transactions in Shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of Shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker-dealer firms should note that dealers who are not "underwriters" but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted with engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the Shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the Securities Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the Securities Act is only available with respect to transactions on a national exchange.
Dealers effecting transactions in the Shares, whether or not participating in this distribution, are generally required to deliver a Prospectus. This is in addition to any obligation of dealers to deliver a Prospectus when acting as underwriters.
Shareholder Actions
With the exception of any claims under the federal securities laws, any legal suit, action, or proceeding arising out of or relating to the Fund's Declaration of Trust and the transactions contemplated thereby, as well as the Fund's By-Laws and the transactions contemplated thereby, shall be instituted in the courts of the State of Massachusetts in each case located in the City of Boston and County of Suffolk, and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such suit, action, or proceeding (thus, shareholders may have to bring suit in an inconvenient and less favorable forum). Any claim under the federal laws, including federal securities laws, shall be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America. As a result, shareholders may have to bring suit in an inconvenient and less favorable forum. There is question regarding the enforceability of this provision since the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of l940 permit shareholders to bring claims arising from these Acts in both state and federal courts.
23
Financial Highlights
The following table is intended to help you better understand the Fund's financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. Total return represents the rate you would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by Cohen & Company, Ltd., an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Fund's financial statements, is included in the Fund's annual Form N-CSR, which is available upon request.
FUNDAMENTALS FIRST ETF FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
Period Ended June 30, 2024(a) |
||||
PER SHARE DATA: | ||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 10.00 | ||
INVESTMENTS OPERATIONS: | ||||
Net investment income(b)(c) | 0.08 | |||
Net realized and unrealized gain on investments(d) | 0.21 | |||
Total from investment operations | 0.29 | |||
LESS DISTRIBUTIONS FROM: | ||||
From net investment income | (0.07 | ) | ||
Total distributions | (0.07 | ) | ||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 10.22 | ||
Total return(e) | 2.88 | % | ||
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA AND RATIOS: | ||||
Net assets, end of period (in thousands) | $ | 2,555 | ||
Ratio of expenses to average net assets(f)(g) | 1.00 | % | ||
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets(f)(g) | 2.15 | % | ||
Portfolio turnover rate(e)(h) | 1 | % |
(a) | Inception date of the Fund was February 21, 2024. |
(b) | Net investment income per share has been calculated based on average shares outstanding during the period. |
(c) | Recognition of net investment income by the Fund is affected by the timing of the declaration of dividends by the underlying exchange traded funds in which the Fund invests. The ratio does not include net investment income of the exchange traded funds in which the Fund invests. |
(d) | Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) per share in the caption are balancing amounts necessary to reconcile the change in net asset value per share for the period and may not reconcile with the aggregate gains and losses in the Statements of Operations. |
(e) | Not annualized for periods less than one year. |
(f) | Annualized for periods less than one year. |
(g) | These ratios exclude the impact of expenses of the underlying exchange traded funds as represented in the Schedule of Investments. Recognition of net investment income by the Fund is affected by the timing of the underlying exchange traded funds in which the Fund invests. |
(h) | Portfolio turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions. |
24
PRIVACY NOTICE
Mason Capital Fund Trust
Rev. September 2023
FACTS |
WHAT DOES MASON CAPITAL FUND TRUST DO WITH YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION? |
Why? | Financial companies choose how they share your personal information. Federal law gives consumers the right to limit some, but not all sharing. Federal law also requires us to tell you how we collect, share, and protect your personal information. Please read this notice carefully to understand what we do. |
What? |
The types of personal information we collect and share depends on the product or service that you have with us. This information can include: ● Social Security number and wire transfer instructions ● account transactions and transaction history ● investment experience and purchase history When you are no longer our customer, we continue to share your information as described in this notice. |
How? | All financial companies need to share customers' personal information to run their everyday business. In the section below, we list the reasons financial companies can share their customers' personal information; the reasons Mason Capital Fund Trust chooses to share; and whether you can limit this sharing. |
Reasons we can share your personal information: | Does Mason Capital Fund Trust share information? | Can you limit this sharing? | |
For our everyday business purposes - such as to process your transactions, maintain your account(s), respond to court orders and legal investigations, or report to credit bureaus. | YES | NO | |
For our marketing purposes - to offer our products and services to you. | NO | We don't share | |
For joint marketing with other financial companies. | NO | We don't share | |
For our affiliates' everyday business purposes - information about your transactions and records. | NO | We don't share | |
For our affiliates' everyday business purposes - information about your credit worthiness. | NO | We don't share | |
For nonaffiliates to market to you | NO | We don't share | |
QUESTIONS? | Call 617-228-5190 |
25
PRIVACY NOTICE
Mason Capital Fund Trust
What we do: | |
How does Mason Capital Fund Trust protect my personal information? |
To protect your personal information from unauthorized access and use, we use security measures that comply with federal law. These measures include computer safeguards and secured files and buildings. Our service providers are held accountable for adhering to strict policies and procedures to prevent any misuse of your nonpublic personal information. |
How does Mason Capital Fund Trust collect my personal information? |
We collect your personal information, for example, when you ● open an account or deposit money ● direct us to buy securities or direct us to sell your securities ● seek advice about your investments We may also collect your personal information from others, such as credit bureaus, affiliates, or other companies. |
Why can't I limit all sharing? |
Federal law gives you the right to limit only: ● sharing for affiliates' everyday business purposes - information about your creditworthiness. ● affiliates from using your information to market to you. ● sharing for nonaffiliates to market to you. State laws and individual companies may give you additional rights to limit sharing. |
Definitions | |
Affiliates |
Companies related by common ownership or control. They can be financial and nonfinancial companies. ● Mason Capital Fund Trust does not share with our affiliates. |
Nonaffiliates |
Companies not related by common ownership or control. They can be financial and nonfinancial companies. ● Mason Capital Fund Trust does not share with nonaffiliates so they can market to you. |
Joint marketing |
A formal agreement between nonaffiliated financial companies that together market financial products or services to you. ● Mason Capital Fund Trust doesn't jointly market. |
26
FUNDAMENTALS FIRST ETF
Advisor |
Mason Capital Partners 50 Federal Street, 9th Floor Boston, MA 02110 |
Distributor |
Quasar Distributors, LLC 111 E Kilbourn Ave., Suite 2200 Milwaukee, WI 53202 |
Legal Counsel |
Thompson Hine LLP Columbus, OH 43215 |
Custodian |
U.S. Bank, National Association 1555 North Rivercenter Drive, Suite 302 Milwaukee, WI 53212 |
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm |
Cohen & Company, Ltd 1835 Market Street, Suite 310 Philadelphia, PA 19103 |
Additional information about the Fund, including the Fund's policies and procedures with respect to disclosure of the Fund's portfolio holdings, is included in the Fund's SAI. The SAI is incorporated into this Prospectus by reference (i.e., legally made a part of this Prospectus). The SAI provides more details about the Fund's policies and management. Additional information about the Fund's investments is also available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders and in Form N-CSR. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's' performance during the last fiscal year. In Form N-CSR, you will find the Fund's annual and semi-annual financial statements.
To obtain a free copy of the SAI, the Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders, Form N-CSR or other information about the Fund, or to make shareholder inquiries about the Fund, please call 617-228-5190 or visit www.fundamentalsfirstfund.com.
Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following E-mail address: [email protected].
Investment Company Act File #811-23853
27
Fundamentals First ETF
Ticker Symbol: KNOW
a series of Mason Capital Fund Trust
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
October 28, 2024
This Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") is not a prospectus and should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus of the Fundamental First ETF (the "Fund") dated October 28, 2024. The Fund's Prospectus is hereby incorporated by reference, which means it is legally part of this document. You can obtain copies of the Fund's Prospectus, annual or semiannual reports without charge by contacting the Fund's Distributor, Quasar Distributors, LLC, or by calling 617-228-5190. You may also obtain a Prospectus by visiting the website at www.fundamentalsfirstfund.com.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE FUND | 1 |
TYPES OF INVESTMENTS | 1 |
TEMPORARY DEFENSIVE POSITION | 21 |
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS | 21 |
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS | 22 |
MANAGEMENT | 24 |
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS | 27 |
INVESTMENT ADVISOR | 28 |
THE DISTRIBUTOR | 29 |
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS | 31 |
ALLOCATION OF PORTFOLIO BROKERAGE | 32 |
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER | 33 |
OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS | 33 |
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES | 34 |
ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING PROGRAM | 35 |
PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND PRICING OF SHARES | 35 |
TAX STATUS | 44 |
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM | 48 |
LEGAL COUNSEL | 49 |
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS | 50 |
APPENDIX A - PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES | A-1 |
i |
THE FUND
The Fund is a diversified series of Mason Capital Fund Trust, a Delaware statutory trust that organized on September 22, 2022 (the "Trust"). The Trust is registered as an open-end management investment company. The Trust is governed by its Board of Trustees (the "Board" or "Trustees").
The Fund may issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest ("Shares"). All Shares of the Fund have equal rights and privileges. Each Share of the Fund is entitled to one vote on all matters as to which shares are entitled to vote. In addition, each Share of the Fund is entitled to participate equally with other Shares (i) in dividends and distributions declared by such Fund and (ii) on liquidation to its proportionate share of the assets remaining after satisfaction of outstanding liabilities. Shares of the Fund are fully paid, non-assessable and fully transferable when issued and have no pre-emptive, conversion or exchange rights. Fractional Shares have proportionately the same rights, including voting rights, as are provided for a full share.
The Fund's investment objectives, restrictions and policies are more fully described here and in the Prospectus. The Board may start other series and offer shares of a new fund under the Trust at any time. The Fund is an exchange-traded fund, which is a registered open-end management company that issues (and redeems) creation units ("Creation Units") to (and from) authorized participants ("Authorized Participants") in exchange for a basket and a cash balancing amount (if any) and the shares of which are listed on a national securities exchange and traded at market-determined prices. An Authorized Participant is a financial institution that is a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows the financial institution to place orders for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units. Creation Units are a specified number of the Fund's shares (e.g., 25,000) that the Fund will issue to (or redeem from) an Authorized Participant in exchange for the deposit (or delivery) of a basket and a cash balancing amount if any.
The Fund will issue and redeem Creation Units principally in exchange for an in-kind deposit of a basket of designated securities (the "Deposit Securities"), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the "Cash Component"), plus a transaction fee. Shares are listed, subject to notice of issuance, on the Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (the "Exchange"). Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at, or above NAV. In the event of the liquidation of the Fund, a share split, reverse split or the like, the Trust may revise the number of Shares in a Creation Unit.
The Fund reserves the right to offer creations and redemptions of Shares for cash. In addition, Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions, including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Trust cash equal to up to 115% of the market value of the missing Deposit Securities. In each instance of such cash creations or redemptions, transaction fees may be imposed and may be higher than the transaction fees associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. See PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND PRICING OF SHARES below.
TYPES OF INVESTMENTS
The investment objective of the Fund and the descriptions of the Fund's principal investment strategies are set forth under "Investment Objective" and Principal Investment Strategies" in the Prospectus. The Fund's investment objectives are not fundamental and may be changed without the approval of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust.
The following pages contain more detailed information and a summary of related risks about the types of instruments in which the Fund may invest directly or indirectly as a principal or non-principal investment strategy. These instruments include other investment companies and strategies that Mason Capital Partners (the "Advisor") employs in pursuit of the Fund's investment objectives.
1 |
Securities of Other Investment Companies
The Fund's investments in ETFs and mutual funds involve certain additional expenses and certain tax results which would not be present in a direct investment in such underlying funds. Due to legal limitations, the Fund isprevented from: 1) purchasing more than 3% of an investment company's (including ETFs) outstanding shares; 2) investing more than 5% of the Fund's assets in any single such investment company, and 3) investing more than 10% of the Fund's assets in investment companies overall; unless: (i) the underlying investment company and/or the Fund has received an order for exemptive relief from such limitations from the SEC; and (ii) the underlying investment company and the Fund take appropriate steps to comply with any conditions in such order. In the alternative, the Fund may rely on Rule 12d1-3, which allows unaffiliated mutual funds to exceed the 5% limitation and the 10% limitation, provided the aggregate sales loads any investor pays (i.e., the combined distribution expenses of both the acquiring fund and the acquired underlying fund) does not exceed the limits on sales loads established by Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") for funds of funds. In addition to ETFs, the Fund may invest in other investment companies such as open-end mutual funds or exchange-traded funds, within the limitations described above. Each investment company is subject to specific risks, depending on the nature of the Fund. Underlying ETFs and mutual funds may employ leverage, which magnifies the changes in the underlying stock or other index upon which they are based.
Open-End Investment Companies
The Fund may invest in investment companies such as open-end funds (mutual funds), closed-end funds, and exchange traded funds (also referred to as "Underlying Funds"). The Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") provides that the mutual funds may not: (1) purchase more than 3% of an investment company's outstanding shares; (2) invest more than 5% of its assets in any single such investment company (the "5% Limit"), and (3) invest more than 10% of its assets in investment companies overall (the "10% Limit"), unless: (i) the underlying investment company and/or the Fund has received an order for exemptive relief from such limitations from the SEC; and (ii) the underlying investment company and the Fund take appropriate steps to comply with any conditions in such order.
The Fund may exceed these statutory limits when permitted by SEC order or other applicable law or regulatory guidance, such as is the case with many ETFs. The SEC recently adopted certain regulatory changes and took other actions related to the ability of an investment company to invest in the securities of another investment company. These changes include, among other things, the rescission of certain SEC exemptive orders permitting investments in excess of the statutory limits and the withdrawal of certain related SEC staff no-action letters, and the adoption of Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act. Rule 12d1-4 permits the Fund to invest in other investment companies beyond the statutory limits, subject to certain conditions. The rescission of the applicable exemptive orders and the withdrawal of the applicable no-action letters is effective on January 19, 2022. After such time, an investment company will no longer be able to rely on the aforementioned exemptive orders and no-action letters, and will be subject instead to Rule 12d1-4 and other applicable rules under Section 12(d)(1).
In addition, Section 12(d)(1)(F) of the 1940 Act provides that the provisions of paragraph 12(d)(1) shall not apply to securities purchased or otherwise acquired by the Fund if (i) immediately after such purchase or acquisition not more than 3% of the total outstanding stock of such registered investment company is owned by the Fund and all affiliated persons of the Fund; and (ii) the Fund has not, and is not proposing to offer or sell any security issued by it through a principal underwriter or otherwise at a public or offering price which includes a sales load of more than 1.5% percent. An investment company that issues shares to the Fund pursuant to paragraph 12(d)(1)(F) shall not be required to redeem its shares in an amount exceeding 1% of such investment company's total outstanding shares in any period of less than thirty days. The Fund (or the Advisor acting on behalf of the Fund) must comply with the following voting restrictions: when the Fund exercises voting rights, by proxy or otherwise, with respect to investment companies owned by the Fund, the Fund will either seek instruction from the Fund's shareholders with regard to the voting of all proxies and vote in accordance with such instructions, or vote the shares held by the Fund in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of such security.
2 |
Further, the Fund may rely on Rule 12d1-3, which allows unaffiliated mutual funds to exceed the 5% Limit and the 10% Limit, pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(F) provided the aggregate sales loads any investor pays (i.e., the combined distribution expenses of both the acquiring fund and the acquired funds) does not exceed the limits on sales loads established by the FINRA for funds of funds.
Under certain circumstances an Underlying Fund may determine to make payment of a redemption by the Fund wholly or partly by a distribution in kind of securities from its portfolio, in lieu of cash, in conformity with the rules of the SEC. In such cases, the Fund may hold securities distributed by an Underlying Fund until the Advisor determines that it is appropriate to dispose of such securities.
Investment decisions by the investment advisors of the Underlying Funds are made independently of the Fund and its Advisor. Therefore, the investment advisor of one Underlying Fund may be purchasing shares of the same issuer whose shares are being sold by the investment advisor of another such fund. The result would be an indirect expense to the Fund without accomplishing any investment purpose. Because other investment companies employ an investment advisor, such investments by the Fund may cause shareholders to bear duplicate fees.
Exchange Traded Funds ("ETFs")
ETFs are generally passive funds that track their related index and have the flexibility of trading like a security. They are managed by professionals and typically provide the investor with diversification, cost and tax efficiency, liquidity and marginability, which are useful for hedging, have the ability to go long and short, and some provide quarterly dividends. Additionally, some ETFs are unit investment trusts ("UITs"). Under certain circumstances, the Advisor may invest in ETFs, known as "inverse funds," which are designed to produce results opposite to market trends. Inverse ETFs are funds designed to rise in price when stock prices are falling.
ETFs typically have two markets. The primary market is where institutions swap "creation units" in block-multiples of, for example, 50,000 shares for in-kind securities and cash. Unlike mutual funds, the primary market for ETFs exists between the Fund and Authorized Participants. The secondary market is where individual investors can trade as little as a single share during trading hours on the exchange. This is different from open-ended mutual funds that are traded at net asset value ("NAV"), which is calculated at the end of a trading day. ETFs share many similar risks with open-end and closed-end funds.
Foreign Securities
Investing in securities of foreign companies and countries involves certain considerations and risks that are not typically associated with investing in U.S. government securities and securities of domestic companies. There may be less publicly available information about a foreign issuer than a domestic one, and foreign companies are not generally subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial standards and requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies. There may also be less government supervision and regulation of foreign securities exchanges, brokers and listed companies than exists in the United States. Interest and dividends paid by foreign issuers may be subject to withholding and other foreign taxes, which may decrease the net return on such investments as compared to dividends and interest paid to the Fund by domestic companies or the U.S. government. There may be the possibility of expropriations, seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits, confiscatory taxation, political, economic or social instability or diplomatic developments that could affect assets of the Fund held in foreign countries. Finally, the establishment of exchange controls or other foreign governmental laws or restrictions could adversely affect the payment of obligations.
3 |
To the extent currency exchange transactions do not fully protect the Fund against adverse changes in currency exchange rates, decreases in the value of currencies of the foreign countries in which the Fund invests relative to the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding decrease in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund's assets denominated in those currencies (and possibly a corresponding increase in the amount of securities required to be liquidated to meet distribution requirements). Conversely, increases in the value of currencies of the foreign countries in which the Fund invests relative to the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding increase in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund's assets (and possibly a corresponding decrease in the amount of securities to be liquidated).
Short Sales
The Fund may sell securities short as an outright investment strategy and to offset potential declines in long positions in similar securities. A short sale is a transaction in which the Fund sells a security it does not own or have the right to acquire (or that it owns but does not wish to deliver) in anticipation that the market price of that security will decline.
When the Fund makes a short sale, the broker-dealer through which the short sale is made must borrow the security sold short and deliver it to the party purchasing the security. The Fund is required to make a margin deposit in connection with such short sales; the Fund may have to pay a fee to borrow particular securities and will often be obligated to pay over any dividends and accrued interest on borrowed securities.
If the price of the security sold short increases between the time of the short sale and the time the Fund covers its short position, the Fund will incur a loss; conversely, if the price declines, the Fund will realize a capital gain. Any gain will be decreased, and any loss will be increased, by the transaction costs described above. 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.
Equity Securities
Equity securities include common stocks, preferred stocks and securities convertible into common stocks, such as convertible bonds, warrants, rights and options. The value of equity securities varies in response to many factors, including but not limited to the activities and financial condition of individual companies, the business market in which individual companies compete and general market and economic conditions. Equity securities fluctuate in value, often based on factors unrelated to the value of the issuer of the securities, and such fluctuations can be significant.
Common Stock
Common stock represents an equity (ownership) interest in a company, and usually possesses voting rights and earns dividends. Dividends on common stock are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of the issuer. Common stock generally represents the riskiest investment in a company. In addition, common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential because increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a company's stock price.
4 |
Preferred Stock
Preferred stock is a class of stock having a preference over common stock as to the payment of dividends and the recovery of investment should a company be liquidated, although preferred stock is usually junior to the debt securities of the issuer. Preferred stock typically does not possess voting rights and its market value may change based on changes in interest rates.
A fundamental risk of investing in common and preferred stock is the risk that the value of the stock might decrease. Stock values fluctuate in response to the activities of an individual company or in response to general market and/or economic conditions. Historically, common stocks have provided greater long-term returns and have entailed greater short-term risks than preferred stocks, fixed income securities and money market investments. The market value of all securities, including common and preferred stocks, is based upon the market's perception of value and not necessarily the book value of an issuer or other objective measures of a company's worth.
Convertible Securities
Convertible securities include fixed income securities that may be exchanged or converted into a predetermined number of shares of the issuer's underlying common stock at the option of the holder during a specified period. Convertible securities may take the form of convertible preferred stock, convertible bonds or debentures, units consisting of "usable" bonds and warrants or a combination of the features of several of these securities. Convertible securities are senior to common stocks in an issuer's capital structure, but are usually subordinated to similar non-convertible securities. While providing a fixed income stream (generally higher in yield than the income derivable from common stock but lower than that afforded by a similar nonconvertible security), a convertible security also gives an investor the opportunity, through its conversion feature, to participate in the capital appreciation of the issuing company depending upon a market price advance in the convertible security's underlying common stock.
Real Estate Investment Trusts
The Fund may invest in securities of real estate investment trusts ("REITs"). REITs are publicly traded corporations or trusts that specialize in acquiring, holding and managing residential, commercial or industrial real estate. A REIT is not taxed at the entity level on income distributed to its shareholders or unitholders if it distributes to shareholders or unitholders at least 95% of its taxable income for each taxable year and complies with regulatory requirements relating to its organization, ownership, assets and income.
REITs generally can be classified as "Equity REITs," "Mortgage REITs" and "Hybrid REITs." An Equity REIT invests the majority of its assets directly in real property and derives its income primarily from rents and from capital gains on real estate appreciation, which are realized through property sales. A Mortgage REIT invests the majority of its assets in real estate mortgage loans and services its income primarily from interest payments. A Hybrid REIT combines the characteristics of an Equity REIT and a Mortgage REIT. Although the Fund can invest in all three kinds of REITs, its emphasis is on investments in Equity REITs.
Investments in the real estate industry involve particular risks. The real estate industry has been subject to substantial fluctuations and declines on a local, regional and national basis in the past and may continue to be in the future. Real property values and income from real property may decline due to general and local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, regulatory limitations on rents, changes in neighborhoods and in demographics, increases in market interest rates, or other factors. Factors such as these may adversely affect companies that own and operate real estate directly, companies that lend to such companies, and companies that service the real estate industry.
5 |
Investments in REITs also involve risks. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the values of and income from the properties they own, while Mortgage REITs may be affected by the credit quality of the mortgage loans they hold. In addition, REITs are dependent on specialized management skills and on their ability to generate cash flow for operating purposes and to make distributions to shareholders or unitholders REITs may have limited diversification and are subject to risks associated with obtaining financing for real property, as well as to the risk of self-liquidation. REITs also can be adversely affected by their failure to qualify for tax-free pass-through treatment of their income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, (the "IRC") or their failure to maintain an exemption from registration under the 1940 Act. By investing in REITs indirectly through the Fund, a shareholder bears not only a proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund, but also may indirectly bear similar expenses of some of the REITs in which it invests.
Warrants
Warrants are options to purchase common stock at a specific price (usually at a premium above the market value of the optioned common stock at issuance) valid for a specific period of time. Warrants may have a life ranging from less than one year to twenty years, or they may be perpetual. However, most warrants have expiration dates after which they are worthless. In addition, a warrant is worthless if the market price of the common stock does not exceed the warrant's exercise price during the life of the warrant. Warrants have no voting rights, pay no dividends, and have no rights with respect to the assets of the corporation issuing them. The percentage increase or decrease in the market price of the warrant may tend to be greater than the percentage increase or decrease in the market price of the optioned common stock.
Depositary Receipts
Sponsored and unsponsored American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), are receipts issued by an American bank or trust company evidencing ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign issuer. ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in U.S. securities markets. Unsponsored ADRs may be created without the participation of the foreign issuer. Holders of these ADRs generally bear all the costs of the ADR facility, whereas foreign issuers typically bear certain costs in a sponsored ADR. The bank or trust company depositary of an unsponsored ADR may be under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the foreign issuer or to pass through voting rights. Many of the risks described below regarding foreign securities apply to investments in ADRs.
Exchange Traded Notes ("ETNs")
ETNs are typically unsecured and unsubordinated notes. ETN returns are based upon the performance of one or more underlying indicators and typically, no periodic coupon payments are distributed and no principal protections exists, even at maturity. ETNs are listed on an exchange and traded in the secondary market. An ETN can be held until maturity, at which time the issuer pays the investor a cash amount equal to the principal amount, subject to the day's market benchmark or strategy factor. When the Fund invests in ETNs, it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. Because fees reduce the amount of return at maturity or upon redemption, if the value of the underlying indicator decreases or does not increase significantly, the Fund may receive less than the principal amount of its investment at maturity or upon redemption. In addition, the value of an ETN also may be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying indicator, changes in the applicable interest rates, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the underlying indicator. Some ETNs that use leverage can, at times, be relatively illiquid, and thus they may be difficult to purchase or sell at a fair price. Leveraged ETNs are subject to the same risk as other instruments that use leverage in any form. There may be restrictions on the Fund's right to redeem its investment in an ETN, which are generally meant to be held until maturity. A decision by the Fund to sell ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. In addition, although an ETN may be listed on an exchange, the issuer may not be required to maintain the listing, and there can be no assurance that a secondary market will exist for an ETN.
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Emerging Markets Securities
Investing in emerging market securities imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in foreign developed countries. These risks include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales; future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in securities denoted in these currencies by the Fund. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries.
Additional risks of emerging markets securities may include: greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability; more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; unavailability of currency hedging techniques; companies that are newly organized and small; differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; and less developed legal systems. In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions. Settlement problems may cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, hold a portion of its assets in cash pending investment, or be delayed in disposing of a portfolio security. Such a delay could result in possible liability to a purchaser of the security.
Certificates of Deposit and Bankers' Acceptances
Certificates of deposit are receipts issued by a depository institution in exchange for the deposit of funds. The issuer agrees to pay the amount deposited plus interest to the bearer of the receipt on the date specified on the certificate. The certificate usually can be traded in the secondary market prior to maturity. Bankers' acceptances typically arise from short-term credit arrangements designed to enable businesses to obtain funds to finance commercial transactions. Generally, an acceptance is a time draft drawn on a bank by an exporter or an importer to obtain a stated amount of funds to pay for specific merchandise. The draft is then "accepted" by a bank that, in effect, unconditionally guarantees to pay the face value of the instrument on its maturity date. The acceptance may then be held by the accepting bank as an earning asset or it may be sold in the secondary market at the going rate of discount for a specific maturity. Although maturities for acceptances can be as long as 270 days, most acceptances have maturities of six months or less.
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Commercial Paper
Commercial paper consists of short-term (usually from 1 to 270 days) unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations in order to finance their current operations. It may be secured by letters of credit, a surety bond or other forms of collateral. Commercial paper is usually repaid at maturity by the issuer from the proceeds of the issuance of new commercial paper. As a result, investment in commercial paper is subject to the risk the issuer cannot issue enough new commercial paper to satisfy its outstanding commercial paper, also known as rollover risk. Commercial paper may become illiquid or may suffer from reduced liquidity in certain circumstances. Like all fixed income securities, commercial paper prices are susceptible to fluctuations in interest rates. If interest rates rise, commercial paper prices will decline. The short-term nature of a commercial paper investment makes it less susceptible to interest rate risk than many other fixed income securities because interest rate risk typically increases as maturity lengths increase. Commercial paper tends to yield smaller returns than longer-term corporate debt because securities with shorter maturities typically have lower effective yields than those with longer maturities. As with all fixed income securities, there is a chance that the issuer will default on its commercial paper obligation.
Information on Time Deposits and Variable Rate Notes
Time deposits are issued by a depository institution in exchange for the deposit of funds. The issuer agrees to pay the amount deposited plus interest to the depositor on the date specified with respect to the deposit. Time deposits do not trade in the secondary market prior to maturity. However, some time deposits may be redeemable prior to maturity and may be subject to withdrawal penalties.
The commercial paper obligations are typically unsecured and may include variable rate notes. The market prices of notes with variable interest rates are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than are the market prices of instruments with fixed interest rates. Variable rate notes may decline in value if market interest rates or interest rates paid by such instruments do not move as expected. Conversely, variable rate notes will not generally rise in value if market interest rates decline. Thus, investing in variable notes generally allows less opportunity for capital appreciation and depreciation than investing in instruments with a fixed interest rate.
Insured Bank Obligations
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") insures the deposits of federally insured banks and savings and loan associations (collectively referred to as "banks") up to $250,000. The Fund may elect to purchase bank obligations in small amounts so as to be fully insured as to principal by the FDIC. Currently, to remain fully insured as to principal, these investments must be limited to $250,000 per bank; if the principal amount and accrued interest together exceed $250,000, the excess principal and accrued interest will not be insured. Insured bank obligations may have limited marketability.
Closed-End Investment Companies
The Fund may invest its assets in closed-end investment companies (or "closed-end funds"), subject to the investment restrictions set forth above. Shares of closed-end funds are typically offered to the public in a one-time initial public offering by a group of underwriters who retain a spread or underwriting commission of between 4% or 6% of the initial public offering price. Such securities are then listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange, the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System (commonly known as "NASDAQ") or, in some cases, may be traded in other over-the-counter markets. Because the shares of closed-end funds cannot be redeemed upon demand to the issuer like the shares of an open-end investment company (such as the Fund), investors seek to buy and sell shares of closed-end funds in the secondary market.
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The Fund generally will purchase shares of closed-end funds only in the secondary market. The Fund will incur normal brokerage costs on such purchases similar to the expenses the Fund would incur for the purchase of securities of any other type of issuer in the secondary market. The Fund may, however, also purchase securities of a closed-end fund in an initial public offering when, in the opinion of the Advisor, based on a consideration of the nature of the closed-end fund's proposed investments, the prevailing market conditions and the level of demand for such securities, they represent an attractive opportunity for growth of capital. The initial offering price typically will include a dealer spread, which may be higher than the applicable brokerage cost if the Fund purchased such securities in the secondary market.
The shares of many closed-end funds, after their initial public offering, frequently trade at a price per share, which is less than the net asset value per share, the difference representing the "market discount" of such shares. This market discount may be due in part to the investment objective of long-term appreciation, which is sought by many closed-end funds, as well as to the fact that the shares of closed-end funds are not redeemable by the holder upon demand to the issuer at the next determined net asset value but rather are subject to the principles of supply and demand in the secondary market. A relative lack of secondary market purchasers of closed-end fund shares also may contribute to such shares trading at a discount to their net asset value.
The Fund may invest in shares of closed-end funds that are trading at a discount to net asset value or at a premium to net asset value. There can be no assurance that the market discount on shares of any closed-end fund purchased by the Fund will ever decrease. In fact, it is possible that this market discount may increase and the Fund may suffer realized or unrealized capital losses due to further decline in the market price of the securities of such closed-end funds, thereby adversely affecting the net asset value of the Fund's shares. Similarly, there can be no assurance that any shares of a closed-end fund purchased by the Fund at a premium will continue to trade at a premium or that the premium will not decrease subsequent to a purchase of such shares by the Fund.
Closed-end funds may issue senior securities (including preferred stock and debt obligations) for the purpose of leveraging the closed-end fund's common shares in an attempt to enhance the current return to such closed-end fund's common shareholders. The Fund's investment in the common shares of closed-end funds that are financially leveraged may create an opportunity for greater total return on its investment, but at the same time may be expected to exhibit more volatility in market price and net asset value than an investment in shares of investment companies without a leveraged capital structure.
United States Government Obligations
These consist of various types of marketable securities issued by the United States Treasury, i.e., bills, notes and bonds. Such securities are direct obligations of the U.S. Government and differ mainly in the length of their maturity. Treasury bills, the most frequently issued marketable government security, have a maturity of up to one year and are issued on a discount basis.
United States Government Agencies
These consist of debt securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government, including the various types of instruments currently outstanding or which may be offered in the future. Agencies include, among others, the Federal Housing Administration, Government National Mortgage Association ("Ginnie Mae"), Farmer's Home Administration, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Maritime Administration, and General Services Administration. Instrumentalities include, for example, each of the Federal Home Loan Banks, the National Bank for Cooperatives, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac"), the Farm Credit Banks, the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"), and the United States Postal Service. These securities are either: (i) backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government (e.g., United States Treasury Bills); (ii) guaranteed by the United States Treasury (e.g., Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities); (iii) supported by the issuing agency's or instrumentality's right to borrow from the United States Treasury (e.g., Fannie Mae Discount Notes); or (iv) supported only by the issuing agency's or instrumentality's own credit (e.g., Tennessee Valley Association).
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Government-related guarantors (i.e. not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government) include Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Fannie Mae is a government-sponsored corporation owned entirely by private stockholders. It is subject to general regulation by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Fannie Mae purchases conventional (i.e., not insured or guaranteed by any government agency) residential mortgages from a list of approved seller/servicers which include state and federally chartered savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks, commercial banks and credit unions and mortgage bankers. Pass-through securities issued by Fannie Mae are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by Fannie Mae but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government.
Freddie Mac was created by Congress in 1970 for the purpose of increasing the availability of mortgage credit for residential housing. It is a government-sponsored corporation formerly owned by the twelve Federal Home Loan Banks and now owned entirely by private stockholders. Freddie Mac issues PCs, which represent interests in conventional mortgages from Freddie Mac's national portfolio. Freddie Mac guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but PCs are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government. Commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers also create pass-through pools of conventional residential mortgage loans. Such issuers may, in addition, be the originators and/or servicers of the underlying mortgage loans as well as the guarantors of the mortgage-related securities. Pools created by such nongovernmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in the former pools. However, timely payment of interest and principal of these pools may be supported by various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance and letters of credit. The insurance and guarantees are issued by governmental entities, private insurers and the mortgage poolers.
On September 7, 2008, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Federal Housing Finance Authority (the "FHFA") announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had been placed into conservatorship, a statutory process designed to stabilize a troubled institution with the objective of returning the entity to normal business operations. The U.S. Treasury Department and the FHFA at the same time established a secured lending facility and a Secured Stock Purchase Agreement with both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to ensure that each entity had the ability to fulfill its financial obligations. The FHFA announced that it does not anticipate any disruption in pattern of payments or ongoing business operations of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.
Fixed Income Securities
Yields on fixed income securities are dependent on a variety of factors, including the general conditions of the money market and other fixed income securities markets, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue. All fixed income securities, including U.S. Government securities, can change in value when there is a change in interest rates or the issuer's actual or perceived creditworthiness or ability to meet its obligations.
There is normally an inverse relationship between the market value of securities sensitive to prevailing interest rates and actual changes in interest rates. In other words, an increase in interest rates produces a decrease in market value. The longer the remaining maturity (and duration) of a security, the greater should be the effect of interest rate changes on the market value of that security. Obligations of issuers of fixed income securities (including municipal securities) are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency, and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the Federal Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978. In addition, the obligations of municipal issuers may become subject to laws enacted in the future by Congress, state legislatures, or referenda extending the time for payment of principal and/or interest, or imposing other constraints upon enforcement of such obligations or upon the ability of municipalities to levy taxes. Changes in the ability of an issuer to make payments of interest and principal and in the market's perception of an issuer's creditworthiness may also affect the market value of the debt securities of that issuer. The possibility exists that the ability of any issuer to pay the principal of and interest on its debt securities may become impaired when due.
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The corporate debt securities in which the Fund may invest include corporate bonds and notes and short-term investments such as commercial paper and variable rate demand notes. Commercial paper (short-term promissory notes) is issued by companies to finance their or their affiliate's current obligations and is frequently unsecured. These obligations include master demand notes that permit investment of fluctuating amounts at varying rates of interest pursuant to a direct arrangement with the issuer of the instrument. The issuer of these obligations often has the right, after a given period, to prepay the outstanding principal amount of the obligations upon a specified number of days' notice. These obligations generally are not traded, nor generally is there an established secondary market for these obligations. To the extent a demand note does not have a 7-day or shorter demand feature and there is no readily available market for the obligation, it is treated as an illiquid security.
The Fund may invest in debt securities, including non-investment grade debt securities. The following describes some of the risks associated with fixed income debt securities:
Interest Rate Risk. Debt securities have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. In general, the price of a debt security can fall when interest rates rise and can rise when interest rates fall. Securities with longer maturities and mortgage securities can be more sensitive to interest rate changes although they usually offer higher yields to compensate investors for the greater risks. The longer the maturity of the security, the greater the impact a change in interest rates could have on the security's price. In addition, short-term and long-term interest rates do not necessarily move in the same amount or the same direction. Short-term securities tend to react to changes in short-term interest rates and long-term securities tend to react to changes in long-term interest rates.
Credit Risk. Fixed income securities have speculative characteristics and changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of issuers of such securities to make principal or interest payments, as compared to issuers of more highly rated securities.
Extension Risk. The Fund is subject to the risk that an issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation held by the Fund (such as mortgage-backed securities) later than expected. This may happen when there is a rise in interest rates. These events may lengthen the duration (i.e. interest rate sensitivity) and potentially reduce the value of these securities.
Prepayment Risk. Certain types of debt securities, such as mortgage-backed securities, have yield and maturity characteristics corresponding to underlying assets. Unlike traditional debt securities, which may pay a fixed rate of interest until maturity when the entire principal amount comes due, payments on certain mortgage-backed securities may include both interest and a partial payment of principal. Besides the scheduled repayment of principal, payments of principal may result from the voluntary prepayment, refinancing, or foreclosure of the underlying mortgage loans.
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Securities subject to prepayment are less effective than other types of securities as a means of "locking in" attractive long-term interest rates. One reason is the need to reinvest prepayments of principal; another is the possibility of significant unscheduled prepayments resulting from declines in interest rates. These prepayments may have to be reinvested at lower rates. As a result, these securities may have less potential for capital appreciation during periods of declining interest rates than other securities of comparable maturities, although they may have a similar risk of decline in market value during periods of rising interest rates. Prepayments may also significantly shorten the effective maturities of these securities, especially during periods of declining interest rates. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, a reduction in prepayments may increase the effective maturities of these securities, subjecting them to a greater risk of decline in market value in response to rising interest rates than traditional debt securities, and, therefore, potentially increasing the volatility of the Fund.
At times, some of the mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest will have higher than market interest rates and therefore may be purchased at a premium above their par value. Prepayments may cause losses in securities purchased at a premium, as unscheduled prepayments, which are made at par, will cause the Fund to experience a loss equal to any unamortized premium.
Risk of Corporate Obligations. Investment in corporate debt obligations involves credit and interest rate risk. The value of fixed income investments will fluctuate with changes in interest rates and bond market conditions, tending to rise as interest rates decline and to decline as interest rates rise. Highly rated corporate debt obligations generally offer less current yield than securities of lower quality, but lower-quality securities generally have less liquidity, greater credit and market risk, and as a result, more price volatility. Longer term bonds are generally more volatile than bonds with shorter maturities.
Ratings as Investment Criteria
High-quality, medium-quality and non-investment grade debt obligations are characterized as such based on their ratings by Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations ("NRSROs"), such as Standard & Poor's or Moody's. In general, the ratings of NRSROs represent the opinions of these agencies as to the quality of securities that they rate. Such ratings, however, are relative and subjective, and are not absolute standards of quality and do not evaluate the market value risk of the securities. Among the factors that are considered is the long-term ability of the issuer to pay principal and interest and general economic trends, as well as an issuer's capital structure, existing debt and earnings history.
In the event that a security receives different ratings from different NRSROs, unless specific disclosure in the Fund's prospectus provides otherwise, the Advisor will treat the security as being rated in the highest rating category received from an NRSRO.
Subsequent to its purchase by the Fund, an issuer of securities may cease to be rated or its rating may be reduced below the minimum required for purchase by the Fund. In addition, it is possible that an NRSRO might not change its rating of a particular issuer to reflect subsequent events. None of these events generally will require sale of such securities, but the Advisor will consider such events in its determination of whether the Fund should continue to hold the securities.
Investment-Grade Debt Securities
The Fund may purchase "investment-grade" bonds, which are those rated Aaa, Aa, A or Baa by Moody's or AAA, AA, A or BBB by Standard & Poor's or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch") or a comparable rating by another NRSRO; or, if unrated, judged to be of equivalent quality as determined by the Advisor. Moody's considers bonds it rates Baa to have speculative elements as well as investment-grade characteristics. To the extent that a Fund invests in higher-grade securities, the Fund will not be able to avail itself of opportunities for higher income which may be available at lower grades.
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Medium-Quality Debt Securities
The Fund may invest in medium-quality obligations, which are obligations rated in the fourth highest rating category by any NRSRO (e.g., rated Baa by Moody's or BBB by Standard & Poor's or Fitch). Medium-quality securities, although considered investment-grade, may have some speculative characteristics and may be subject to greater fluctuations in value than higher-rated securities. In addition, the issuers of medium-quality securities may be more vulnerable to adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances than issuers of higher-rated securities.
Lower Quality (High-Yield) Debt Securities
The Fund may invest in lower quality debt securities. Non-investment grade debt or lower quality/rated securities, commonly known as junk bonds (hereinafter referred to as "lower-quality securities") include (i) bonds rated as low as C by Moody's, Standard & Poor's, or Fitch, (ii) commercial paper rated as low as C by Standard & Poor's, Not Prime by Moody's or Fitch 4 by Fitch; and (iii) unrated debt securities of comparable quality. Lower-quality securities, while generally offering higher yields than investment grade securities with similar maturities, involve greater risks, including the heightened possibility of default or bankruptcy. There is more risk associated with these investments because of reduced creditworthiness and increased risk of default. Under NRSRO guidelines, lower-quality securities and comparable unrated securities will likely have some quality and protective characteristics that are outweighed by large uncertainties or major risk exposures to adverse conditions. Lower-quality securities are considered to have extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing, to have a current identifiable vulnerability to default or to be in default, to be unlikely to have the capacity to make required interest payments and repay principal when due in the event of adverse business, financial or economic conditions, or to be in default or not current in the payment of interest or principal. They are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal. The special risk considerations in connection with investments in these securities are discussed in "High Yield Securities" below.
Information Concerning Duration
Duration is a measure of the average life of a fixed income security that was developed as a more precise alternative to the concepts of "term to maturity" or "average dollar weighted maturity" as measures of "volatility" or "risk" associated with changes in interest rates. Duration incorporates a security's yield, coupon interest payments, final maturity and call features into one measure.
Most debt obligations provide interest ("coupon") payments in addition to final ("par") payment at maturity. Some obligations also have call provisions. Depending on the relative magnitude of these payments and the nature of the call provisions, the market values of debt obligations may respond differently to changes in interest rates.
Traditionally, a debt security's "term-to-maturity" has been used as a measure of the sensitivity of the security's price to changes in interest rates (which is the "interest rate risk" or "volatility" of the security). However, "term-to-maturity" measures only the time until a debt security provides its final payment, taking no account of the pattern of the security's payments prior to maturity. Average dollar weighted maturity is calculated by averaging the terms of maturity of each debt security held with each maturity "weighted" according to the percentage of assets that it represents. Duration is a measure of the expected life of a debt security on a present value basis and reflects both principal and interest payments. Duration takes the length of the time intervals between the present time and the time that the interest and principal payments are scheduled or, in the case of a callable security, expected to be received, and weights them by the present values of the cash to be received at each future point in time. For any debt security with interest payments occurring prior to the payment of principal, duration is ordinarily less than maturity. In general, all other factors being the same, the lower the stated or coupon rate of interest of a debt security, the longer the duration of the security; conversely, the higher the stated or coupon rate of interest of a debt security, the shorter the duration of the security.
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There are some situations where the standard duration calculation does not properly reflect the interest rate exposure of a security. For example, floating and variable rate securities may have final maturities of ten or more years; however, their interest rate exposure corresponds to the frequency of the coupon reset. Another example where the interest rate exposure is not properly captured by duration is the case of mortgage pass-through securities. The stated final maturity of such securities is generally 30 years, but current prepayment rates are more critical in determining the securities' interest rate exposure.
The change in market value of U.S. Government fixed income securities is largely a function of changes in the prevailing level of interest rates. When interest rates are falling, a portfolio with a shorter duration generally will not generate as high a level of total return as a portfolio with a longer duration. When interest rates are stable, shorter duration portfolios generally will not generate as high a level of total return as longer duration portfolios (assuming that long-term interest rates are higher than short-term rates, which is commonly the case). When interest rates are rising, a portfolio with a shorter duration will generally outperform longer duration portfolios. With respect to the composition of a fixed income portfolio, the longer the duration of the portfolio, generally, the greater the anticipated potential for total return, with, however, greater attendant interest rate risk and price volatility than for a portfolio with a shorter duration.
Securities Options
The Fund may purchase and write (i.e., sell) put and call options. Such options may relate to particular securities or stock indices, and may or may not be listed on a domestic or foreign securities exchange and may or may not be issued by the Options Clearing Corporation. Options trading is a highly specialized activity that entails greater than ordinary investment risk. Options may be more volatile than the underlying instruments, and therefore, on a percentage basis, an investment in options may be subject to greater fluctuation than an investment in the underlying instruments themselves.
A call option for a particular security gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy, and the writer (seller) the obligation to sell, the underlying security at the stated exercise price at any time prior to the expiration of the option, regardless of the market price of the security. The premium paid to the writer is in consideration for undertaking the obligation under the option contract. A put option for a particular security gives the purchaser the right to sell the security at the stated exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option, regardless of the market price of the security.
Stock index options are put options and call options on various stock indices. In most respects, they are identical to listed options on common stocks. The primary difference between stock options and index options occurs when index options are exercised. In the case of stock options, the underlying security, common stock, is delivered. However, upon the exercise of an index option, settlement does not occur by delivery of the securities comprising the index. The option holder who exercises the index option receives an amount of cash if the closing level of the stock index upon which the option is based is greater than, in the case of a call, or less than, in the case of a put, the exercise price of the option. This amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the stock index and the exercise price of the option expressed in dollars times a specified multiple. A stock index fluctuates with changes in the market value of the stocks included in the index. For example, some stock index options are based on a broad market index, such as the Standard & Poor's 500® Index or the Value Line Composite Index or a narrower market index, such as the Standard & Poor's 100®. Indices may also be based on an industry or market segment, such as the NYSE Arca Oil Index. Options on stock indices are currently traded on the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq PHLX.
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The Fund's obligation to sell an instrument subject to a call option written by it, or to purchase an instrument subject to a put option written by it, may be terminated prior to the expiration date of the option by the Fund's execution of a closing purchase transaction, which is effected by purchasing on an exchange an option of the same series (i.e., same underlying instrument, exercise price and expiration date) as the option previously written. A closing purchase transaction will ordinarily be effected to realize a profit on an outstanding option, to prevent an underlying instrument from being called, to permit the sale of the underlying instrument or to permit the writing of a new option containing different terms on such underlying instrument. The cost of such a liquidation purchase plus transactions costs may be greater than the premium received upon the original option, in which event the Fund will have paid a loss in the transaction. There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular option. An option writer unable to effect a closing purchase transaction will not be able to sell the underlying instrument until the option expires or the optioned instrument is delivered upon exercise. In such circumstances, the writer will be subject to the risk of market decline or appreciation in the instrument during such period.
If an option purchased by the Fund expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a loss equal to the premium paid. If the Fund enters into a closing sale transaction on an option purchased by it, the Fund will realize a gain if the premium received by the Fund on the closing transaction is more than the premium paid to purchase the option, or a loss if it is less. If an option written by the Fund expires on the stipulated expiration date or if the Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction, it will realize a gain (or loss if the cost of a closing purchase transaction exceeds the net premium received when the option is sold). If an option written by the Fund is exercised, the proceeds of the sale will be increased by the net premium originally received and the Fund will realize a gain or loss.
Certain Risks Regarding Options
There are several risks associated with transactions in options. For example, there are significant differences between the securities and options markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between these markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objectives. In addition, a liquid secondary market for particular options, whether traded over-the-counter or on an exchange, may be absent for reasons which include the following: there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options or underlying securities or currencies; unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; the facilities of an exchange or the Options Clearing Corporation may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading value; or one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options that had been issued by the Options Clearing Corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.
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Successful use by the Fund of options on stock indices will be subject to the ability of the Advisor to correctly predict movements in the directions of the stock market. This requires different skills and techniques than predicting changes in the prices of individual securities. In addition, the Fund's ability to effectively hedge all or a portion of the securities in its portfolio, in anticipation of or during a market decline, through transactions in put options on stock indices, depends on the degree to which price movements in the underlying index correlate with the price movements of the securities held by the Fund. Inasmuch as the Fund's securities will not duplicate the components of an index, the correlation will not be perfect. Consequently, the Fund bears the risk that the prices of its securities being hedged will not move in the same amount as the prices of its put options on the stock indices. It is also possible that there may be a negative correlation between the index and the Fund's securities that would result in a loss on both such securities and the options on stock indices acquired by the Fund.
The hours of trading for options may not conform to the hours during which the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the options markets close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and rate movements can take place in the underlying markets that cannot be reflected in the options markets. The purchase of options is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The purchase of stock index options involves the risk that the premium and transaction costs paid by the Fund in purchasing an option will be lost as a result of unanticipated movements in prices of the securities comprising the stock index on which the option is based.
There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an options exchange will exist for any particular option, or at any particular time, and for some options no secondary market on an exchange or elsewhere may exist. If the Fund is unable to close out a call option on securities that it has written before the option is exercised, the Fund may be required to purchase the optioned securities in order to satisfy its obligation under the option to deliver such securities. If the Fund is unable to effect a closing sale transaction with respect to options on securities that it has purchased, it would have to exercise the option in order to realize any profit and would incur transaction costs upon the purchase and sale of the underlying securities.
Cover for Options Positions
Transactions using options (other than options that the Fund has purchased) expose the Fund to an obligation to another party. The Fund will not enter into any such transactions unless it owns either (i) an offsetting ("covered") position in securities or other options or (ii) cash or liquid securities with a value sufficient at all times to cover its potential obligations not covered as provided in (i) above.
Options on Futures Contracts
The Fund may purchase and sell options on the same types of futures in which it may invest. Options on futures are similar to options on underlying instruments except that options on futures give the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in a futures contract (a long position if the option is a call and a short position if the option is a put), rather than to purchase or sell the futures contract, at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of the option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by the delivery of the accumulated balance in the writer's futures margin account which represents the amount by which the market price of the futures contract, at exercise, exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option on the futures contract. Purchasers of options who fail to exercise their options prior to the exercise date suffer a loss of the premium paid.
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Dealer Options
The Fund may engage in transactions involving dealer options as well as exchange-traded options. Certain additional risks are specific to dealer options. While the Fund might look to a clearing corporation to exercise exchange-traded options, if the Fund were to purchase a dealer option it would need to rely on the dealer from which it purchased the option to perform if the option were exercised. Failure by the dealer to do so would result in the loss of the premium paid by the Fund as well as loss of the expected benefit of the transaction.
Exchange-traded options generally have a continuous liquid market while dealer options may not. Consequently, the Fund may generally be able to realize the value of a dealer option it has purchased only by exercising or reselling the option to the dealer who issued it. Similarly, when the Fund writes a dealer option, it may generally be able to close out the option prior to its expiration only by entering into a closing purchase transaction with the dealer to whom the Fund originally wrote the option. While the Fund will seek to enter into dealer options only with dealers who will agree to and which are expected to be capable of entering into closing transactions with the Fund, there can be no assurance that the Fund will at any time be able to liquidate a dealer option at a favorable price at any time prior to expiration. Unless the Fund, as a covered dealer call option writer, is able to effect a closing purchase transaction, it will not be able to liquidate securities (or other assets) used as cover until the option expires or is exercised. In the event of insolvency of the other party, the Fund may be unable to liquidate a dealer option. With respect to options written by the Fund, the inability to enter into a closing transaction may result in material losses to the Fund.
The Staff of the SEC has taken the position that purchased dealer options are illiquid securities. In such cases, the dealer option would be considered illiquid only to the extent the maximum purchase price under the formula exceeds the intrinsic value of the option. Accordingly, the Fund will treat dealer options as subject to the Fund's limitation on illiquid securities. If the SEC changes its position on the liquidity of dealer options, the Fund will change its treatment of such instruments accordingly.
Spread Transactions
The Fund may purchase covered spread options from securities dealers. These covered spread options are not presently exchange-listed or exchange-traded. The purchase of a spread option gives the Fund the right to put securities that it owns at a fixed dollar spread or fixed yield spread in relationship to another security that the Fund does not own, but which is used as a benchmark. The risk to the Fund, in addition to the risks of dealer options described above, is the cost of the premium paid as well as any transaction costs. The purchase of spread options may be used to protect the Fund against adverse changes in prevailing credit quality spreads, i.e., the yield spread between high quality and lower quality securities. This protection is provided only during the life of the spread options.
Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements. In a repurchase agreement, an investor (such as the Fund) purchases a security (known as the "underlying security") from a securities dealer or bank. Any such dealer or bank must be deemed creditworthy by the Advisor. At that time, the bank or securities dealer agrees to repurchase the underlying security at a mutually agreed upon price on a designated future date. The repurchase price may be higher than the purchase price, the difference being income to the Fund, or the purchase and repurchase prices may be the same, with interest at an agreed upon rate due to the Fund on repurchase. In either case, the income to the Fund generally will be unrelated to the interest rate on the underlying securities. Repurchase agreements must be "fully collateralized," in that the market value of the underlying securities (including accrued interest) must at all times be equal to or greater than the repurchase price. Therefore, a repurchase agreement can be considered a loan collateralized by the underlying securities.
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Repurchase agreements are generally for a short period of time, often less than a week, and may generally be used by the Fund to invest excess cash or as part of a temporary defensive strategy. Repurchase agreements that do not provide for payment within seven days will be treated as illiquid securities. In the event of a bankruptcy or other default by the seller of a repurchase agreement, the Fund could experience both delays in liquidating the underlying security and losses. These losses could result from: (a) possible decline in the value of the underlying security while the Fund is seeking to enforce its rights under the repurchase agreement; (b) possible reduced levels of income or lack of access to income during this period; and (c) expenses of enforcing its rights.
Trading in Futures Contracts
A futures contract provides for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific financial instrument (e.g., units of a stock index) for a specified price, date, time and place designated at the time the contract is made. Brokerage fees are paid when a futures contract is bought or sold and margin deposits must be maintained. Entering into a contract to buy is commonly referred to as buying or purchasing a contract or holding a long position. Entering into a contract to sell is commonly referred to as selling a contract or holding a short position.
Unlike when the Fund purchases or sells a security, no price would be paid or received by the Fund upon the purchase or sale of a futures contract. The margin required for a particular futures contract is set by the exchange on which the contract is traded, and may be significantly modified from time to time by the exchange during the term of the contract. Futures contracts are customarily purchased and sold on margins that may range upward from less than 5% of the value of the contract being traded.
If the price of an open futures contract changes (by increase in underlying instrument or index in the case of a sale or by decrease in the case of a purchase) so that the loss on the futures contract reaches a point at which the margin on deposit does not satisfy margin requirements, the broker will require an increase in the margin. However, if the value of a position increases because of favorable price changes in the futures contract so that the margin deposit exceeds the required margin, the broker will pay the excess to the Fund.
These subsequent payments, called "variation margin," to and from the futures broker, are made on a daily basis as the price of the underlying assets fluctuate making the long and short positions in the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as "marking to the market." The Fund expects to earn interest income on margin deposits.
Although certain futures contracts, by their terms, require actual future delivery of and payment for the underlying instruments, in practice most futures contracts are usually closed out before the delivery date. Closing out an open futures contract purchase or sale is effected by entering into an offsetting futures contract sale or purchase, respectively, for the same aggregate amount of the identical underlying instrument or index and the same delivery date. If the offsetting purchase price is less than the original sale price, the Fund realizes a gain; if it is more, the Fund realizes a loss. Conversely, if the offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, the Fund realizes a gain; if it is less, the Fund realizes a loss. The transaction costs must also be included in these calculations. There can be no assurance, however, that the Fund will be able to enter into an offsetting transaction with respect to a particular futures contract at a particular time. If the Fund is not able to enter into an offsetting transaction, the Fund will continue to be required to maintain the margin deposits on the futures contract.
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For example, one contract in the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index future is a contract to buy 25 pounds sterling multiplied by the level of the UK Financial Times 100 Share Index on a given future date. Settlement of a stock index futures contract may or may not be in the underlying instrument or index. If not in the underlying instrument or index, then settlement will be made in cash, equivalent over time to the difference between the contract price and the actual price of the underlying asset at the time the stock index futures contract expires.
When-Issued, Forward Commitments and Delayed Settlements
The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued, forward commitment or delayed settlement basis. Forward commitments are contractual agreements to carry out a transaction in the future, and delayed settlements are situations in which securities are not received by the settlement date in which they were bought.
The Fund does not intend to engage in these transactions for speculative purposes but only in furtherance of its investment objectives.
The Fund will purchase securities on a when-issued, forward commitment or delayed settlement basis only with the intention of completing the transaction. If deemed advisable as a matter of investment strategy, however, the Fund may dispose of or renegotiate a commitment after it is entered into, and may sell securities it has committed to purchase before those securities are delivered to the Fund on the settlement date. In these cases the Fund may realize a taxable capital gain or loss. When the Fund engages in when-issued, forward commitment and delayed settlement transactions, it relies on the other party to consummate the trade. Failure of such party to do so may result in the Fund incurring a loss or missing an opportunity to obtain a price credited to be advantageous.
The market value of the securities underlying a when-issued purchase, forward commitment to purchase securities, or a delayed settlement and any subsequent fluctuations in their market value is taken into account when determining the market value of the Fund starting on the day the Fund agrees to purchase the securities. The Fund does not earn interest on the securities it has committed to purchase until it has paid for and delivered on the settlement date.
Illiquid and Restricted Securities
The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. An illiquid security is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Illiquid securities include securities subject to contractual or legal restrictions on resale (e.g., because they have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act")) and securities that are otherwise not readily marketable (e.g., because trading in the security is suspended or because market makers do not exist or will not entertain bids or offers). Securities that have not been registered under the Securities Act are referred to as private placements or restricted securities and are purchased directly from the issuer or in the secondary market. Foreign securities that are freely tradable in their principal markets are not considered to be illiquid.
Restricted and other illiquid securities may be subject to the potential for delays on resale and uncertainty in valuation. The Fund might be unable to dispose of illiquid securities promptly or at reasonable prices and might thereby experience difficulty in satisfying redemption requests from shareholders. The Fund might have to register restricted securities in order to dispose of them, resulting in additional expense and delay. Adverse market conditions could impede such a public offering of securities.
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A large institutional market exists for certain securities that are not registered under the Securities Act, including foreign securities. The fact that there are contractual or legal restrictions on resale to the general public or to certain institutions may not be indicative of the liquidity of such investments. Rule 144A under the Securities Act allows such a broader institutional trading market for securities otherwise subject to restrictions on resale to the general public. Rule 144A establishes a "safe harbor" from the registration requirements of the Securities Act for resale of certain securities to qualified institutional buyers. Rule 144A has produced enhanced liquidity for many restricted securities, and market liquidity for such securities may continue to expand as a result of this regulation and the consequent existence of the PORTAL system, which is an automated system for the trading, clearance and settlement of unregistered securities of domestic and foreign issuers sponsored by NASDAQ.
Under guidelines adopted by the Board, the Fund's Advisor may determine that particular Rule 144A securities, and commercial paper issued in reliance on the private placement exemption from registration afforded by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act, are liquid even though they are not registered. A determination of whether such a security is liquid or not is a question of fact. In making this determination, the Advisor will consider, as it deems appropriate under the circumstances and among other factors: (1) the frequency of trades and quotes for the security; (2) the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security; (3) the number of other potential purchasers of the security; (4) dealer undertakings to make a market in the security; (5) the nature of the security (e.g., debt or equity, date of maturity, terms of dividend or interest payments, and other material terms) and the nature of the marketplace trades (e.g., the time needed to dispose of the security, the method of soliciting offers, and the mechanics of transfer); and (6) the rating of the security and the financial condition and prospects of the issuer. In the case of commercial paper, the Advisor will also determine that the paper (1) is not traded flat or in default as to principal and interest, and (2) is rated in one of the two highest rating categories by at least two NRSROs or, if only one NRSRO rates the security, by that NRSRO, or, if the security is unrated, the Advisor determines that it is of equivalent quality.
Rule 144A securities and Section 4(a)(2) commercial paper that have been deemed liquid as described above will continue to be monitored by the Advisor to determine if the security is no longer liquid as the result of changed conditions. Investing in Rule 144A securities or Section 4(a)(2) commercial paper could have the effect of increasing the amount of the Fund's assets invested in illiquid securities if institutional buyers are unwilling to purchase such securities.
Lending Portfolio Securities
For the purpose of achieving income, the Fund may lend its portfolio securities, provided (1) the loan is secured continuously by collateral consisting of U.S. Government securities or cash or cash equivalents (cash, U.S. Government securities, negotiable certificates of deposit, bankers' acceptances or letters of credit) maintained on a daily mark-to-market basis in an amount at least equal to the current market value of the securities loaned, (2) the Fund may at any time call the loan and obtain the return of securities loaned, (3) the Fund will receive any interest or dividends received on the loaned securities, and (4) the aggregate value of the securities loaned will not at any time exceed one-third of the total assets of the Fund. Expenses related to securities lending are not reflected in the Fund's fee table as set forth in the Prospectus. The Fund may bear the entire risk of loss with respect to any reinvested collateral received in connection with securities lending. Revenues generated from the Fund's securities lending activities will be allocated between the Fund and its securities lending agent. The Board or the Advisor may recall a security on loan in time to vote a proxy related to such security if the Board or Advisor determines that it is in the Fund's best interest to do so.
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TEMPORARY DEFENSIVE POSITION
To respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, the Fund may invest 100% of its total assets, without limitation, in high-quality short-term debt securities and money market instruments. These short-term debt securities and money market instruments include: shares of money market mutual funds, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, bankers' acceptances, and U.S. Government securities. While the Fund is in a defensive position, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
The Board has adopted the following investment restrictions that may not be changed without approval by a "majority of the outstanding shares" of the Fund, which, as used in this SAI, means the vote of the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the shares of the Fund represented at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (b) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. The Fund may not:
1. Issue senior securities, except as otherwise permitted under the 1940 Act, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder;
2. Borrow money, except (a) from a bank, provided that immediately after such borrowing there is an asset coverage of 300% for all borrowings of the Fund; or (b) from a bank or other persons for temporary purposes only, provided that such temporary borrowings are in an amount not exceeding 5% of the Fund's total assets at the time when the borrowing is made. This limitation does not preclude the Fund from entering into reverse repurchase transactions, provided that the Fund has an asset coverage of 300% for all borrowings and repurchase commitments of the Fund pursuant to reverse repurchase transactions;
3. Purchase securities on margin, participate on a joint or joint and several basis in any securities trading account, or underwrite securities. (Does not preclude the Fund from obtaining such short-term credit as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of its portfolio securities, and except to the extent that the Fund may be deemed an underwriter under the Securities Act, by virtue of disposing of portfolio securities);
4. Purchase or sell real estate or interests in real estate. This limitation is not applicable to investments in marketable securities that are secured by or represent interests in real estate. This limitation does not preclude the Fund from investing in mortgage-related securities or investing in companies engaged in the real estate business or that have a significant portion of their assets in real estate (including real estate investment trusts);
5. Invest more than 25% of its total assets in the securities of companies engaged in any one industry or group of industries. (Does not apply to investment in the securities of the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities.);
6. Purchase or sell commodities (unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other investments) or commodity futures contracts, except that the Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts and options to the full extent permitted under the 1940 Act, sell foreign currency contracts in accordance with any rules of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, invest in securities or other instruments backed by commodities, and invest in companies that are engaged in a commodities business or have a significant portion of their assets in commodities;
7. Make loans to others, except that the Fund may, in accordance with its investment objective and policies, (i) lend portfolio securities, (ii) purchase and hold debt securities or other debt instruments, including but not limited to loan participations and sub-participations, assignments, and structured securities, (iii) make loans secured by mortgages on real property, (iv) enter into repurchase agreements, (v) enter into transactions where each loan is represented by a note executed by the borrower, and (vi) make time deposits with financial institutions and invest in instruments issued by financial institutions. For purposes of this limitation, the term "loans" shall not include the purchase of a portion of an issue of publicly distributed bonds, debentures or other securities; or
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8. With respect to 75% of the value of its total assets, purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities ("U.S. Government and Agency Securities"), or securities issued by other investment companies) if, as a result, (i) more than 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets would be invested in the securities of that issuer or (ii) the Fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer.
If a restriction on the Fund's investments is adhered to at the time an investment is made, a subsequent change in the percentage of Fund assets invested in certain securities or other instruments of the Fund's investment portfolio, resulting from changes in the value of the Fund's total assets, will not be considered a violation of the restriction; provided, however, that the asset coverage requirement applicable to borrowings shall be maintained in the manner contemplated by applicable law.
With respect to Fundamental Investment Restriction #2 above, if the Fund's asset coverage falls below 300%, the Fund will reduce borrowing within three days thereafter (not including Sundays and holidays) in order to ensure that the Fund has 300% asset coverage.
With respect to Fundamental Investment Restriction #5, if the Fund invests in one or more investment companies that concentrates its investments in a particular industry, the Fund will examine its other investment company holdings to ensure that the Fund is not indirectly concentrating its investments in a particular industry.
Although Fundamental Investment Restriction #7 reserves for the Fund the ability to make loans, there is no present intent to loan money or portfolio securities and additional disclosure will be provided if such a strategy is implemented in the future.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The Trust has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Fund's portfolio holdings. The Fund and its service providers may not receive compensation or any other consideration (which includes any agreement to maintain assets in the Fund or in other investment companies or accounts managed by the Advisor or any affiliated person of the Advisor) in connection with the disclosure of portfolio holdings information of the Fund. The Trust's policy is implemented and overseen by the Chief Compliance Officer of the Trust, subject to the oversight of the Board. Periodic reports regarding these procedures will be provided to the Board. The Trust, the Advisor and the Distributor will not disseminate non-public information concerning the Trust. The Board must approve all material amendments to this policy.
Each Business Day, the Fund's portfolio holdings information is generally provided for dissemination through the facilities of the National Securities Clearing Corporation ("NSCC") and/or other fee-based subscription services to NSCC members and/or subscribers to those other fee-based subscription services, including Authorized Participants (as defined below), and to entities that publish and/or analyze such information in connection with the process of purchasing or redeeming Creation Units or trading shares of the Fund in the secondary market. This information typically reflects the Fund's anticipated holdings as of the next Business Day. Access to information concerning the Fund's portfolio holdings may be permitted to personnel of third party service providers, including the Fund's custodian, transfer agent, auditors and counsel, as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course in a manner consistent with such service providers' agreements with the Trust on behalf of the Fund.
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The Fund discloses on the Advisor's website at www.fundamentalsfirstfund.com at the start of each Business Day the identities and quantities of the securities and other assets held by the Fund that form the basis of the Fund's calculation of its NAV on that Business Day. The portfolio holdings so disclosed will be based on information as of the close of business on the prior Business Day and/or trades that have been completed prior to the opening of business on that Business Day and that are expected to settle on that Business Day. The Fund may also concurrently disclose this portfolio holdings information directly to ratings agencies on a daily basis.
Quarterly Portfolio Schedule. The Trust is required to disclose, after its first and third fiscal quarters, the complete schedule of the Fund's portfolio holdings with the SEC on Form N-PORT. The Trust will also disclose a complete schedule of the Fund's portfolio holdings with the SEC on Form N-CSR after its second and fourth quarters.
Form N-PORT and Form N-CSR for the Fund is available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The Fund's Form N-PORT and Form N-CSR is available without charge, upon request, by calling 617-228-1590 or by visiting www.fundamentalsfirstfund.com.
The Advisor. Personnel of the Advisor, including personnel responsible for managing the Fund's portfolio, may have full daily access to the Fund's portfolio holdings since that information is necessary in order for the Advisor to provide its management, administrative, and investment services to the Fund. As required for purposes of analyzing the impact of existing and future market changes on the prices, availability, as demand and liquidity of such securities, as well as for the assistance of portfolio managers in the trading of such securities, Advisor personnel may also release and discuss certain portfolio holdings with various broker-dealers.
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services LLC d/b/a U.S. Bank Global Fund Services is the Fund's accountant and administrator; therefore, its personnel have full daily access to the Fund's portfolio holdings since that information is necessary in order for them to provide the agreed-upon services for the Trust.
U.S. Bank National Association is custodian for the Fund; therefore, its personnel have full daily access to the Fund's portfolio holdings since that information is necessary in order for them to provide the agreed-upon services for the Trust.
Cohen & Company, Ltd. is the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm; therefore, its personnel have access to the Fund's portfolio holdings in connection with auditing of the Fund's annual financial statements and providing assistance and consultation in connection with SEC filings.
Thompson Hine LLP is counsel to the Trust; therefore, its personnel have access to the Fund's portfolio holdings in connection with review of the Fund's annual and semi-annual shareholder reports and SEC filings.
Additions to List of Approved Recipients
The Trust's Chief Compliance Officer is the person responsible, and whose prior approval is required, for any disclosure of the Fund's portfolio securities at any time or to any persons other than those described above. In such cases, the recipient must have a legitimate business need for the information and must be subject to a duty to keep the information confidential. There are no ongoing arrangements in place with respect to the disclosure of portfolio holdings. In no event shall the Fund, the Advisor, or any other party receive any direct or indirect compensation in connection with the disclosure of information about the Fund's portfolio holdings.
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Compliance with Portfolio Holdings Disclosure Procedures
The Trust's Chief Compliance Officer will report periodically to the Board with respect to compliance with the Fund's portfolio holdings disclosure procedures, and from time to time will provide the Board any updates to the portfolio holdings disclosure policies and procedures.
There is no assurance that the Trust's policies on disclosure of portfolio holdings will protect the Fund from the potential misuse of holdings information by individuals or firms in possession of that information.
MANAGEMENT
The business of the Trust is managed under the direction of the Board in accordance with the Agreement and Declaration of Trust and the Trust's By-Laws (the "Governing Documents"), which have been filed with the SEC and are available upon request. The Board consists of three (3) individuals, two of whom are not "interested persons" (as defined under the 1940 Act) of the Trust or any investment advisor to any series of the Trust ("Independent Trustees"). Pursuant to the Governing Documents of the Trust, the Trustees shall elect officers including a President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Principal Executive Officer and a Principal Accounting Officer. The Board retains the power to conduct, operate and carry on the business of the Trust and has the power to incur and pay any expenses, which, in the opinion of the Board, are necessary or incidental to carry out any of the Trust's purposes. The Trustees, officers, employees and agents of the Trust, when acting in such capacities, shall not be subject to any personal liability except for his own bad faith, willful malfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard of his duties.
Board Leadership Structure
The Trust is led by Elliot Bruce, who has served as the Chairman of the Board since May 2023. Mr. Bruce is considered an "Interested" Trustee as defined in the 1940 Act because of his affiliation with the Advisor. The Board is comprised of Mr. Bruce and two other Independent Trustees. The Independent Trustees have not selected a lead Independent Trustee. Additionally, under certain 1940 Act governance guidelines that apply to the Trust, the Independent Trustees will meet in executive session, at least quarterly. Under the Governing Documents, the Chairman of the Board is responsible for (a) presiding at board meetings, (b) calling special meetings on an as-needed basis, and, more generally, in-practice (c) execution and administration of Trust policies including (i) setting the agendas for board meetings and (ii) providing information to board members in advance of each board meeting and between board meetings. Generally, the Trust believes it is best to have a single leader who is seen by shareholders, business partners and other stakeholders as providing strong leadership. The Trust believes that its Chairman together with the Audit Committee and the full Board provides effective leadership that is in the best interests of the Trust and the Fund's shareholders.
Board Risk Oversight
The Board is comprised of Mr. Bruce, an Interested Trustee, and two Independent Trustees with a standing independent Audit Committee with a separate chair. The Board is responsible for overseeing risk management, and the full Board regularly engages in discussions of risk management and receives compliance reports that inform its oversight of risk management from its Chief Compliance Officer at quarterly meetings and on an ad hoc basis, when and if necessary. The Audit Committee considers financial and reporting risk within its area of responsibilities. Generally, the Board believes that its oversight of material risks is adequately maintained through the compliance-reporting chain where the Chief Compliance Officer is the primary recipient and communicator of such risk-related information, and the Audit Committee's communications with the independent registered public accounting firm.
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Trustee Qualifications
Generally, the Trust believes that each Trustee is competent to serve because of their individual overall merits including: (i) experience, (ii) qualifications, (iii) attributes and (iv) skills.
Elliot Bruce- Interested Trustee - Partner at Mason Capital Partners. Mr. Bruce has been a member of Mason Capital Partners since 2017. Mr. Bruce earned a BS in Mathematics and a BA in Economics from the Commonwealth College at the University of Massachusetts, and an MBA from Boston College. He is a CFA charterholder.
Jerry Richardson- Independent Trustee - Enterprise Sales Manager at Atlassian. Mr. Richardson has been at Atlassian since 2018. Mr. Richardson earned a BS in Finance from the Commonwealth College at Nichols University of Connecticut. Jerry is passionate about the outdoors and macroeconomics.
Mark Koenig- Independent Trustee - Retired Licensed Social Worker and Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor. Mr. Koenig moved to Massachusetts and worked at the Edinburg Center from 2002-2014, ending his career as the PACT Team Leader. Mr. Koenig earned a BBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame and a M.ED. in Social Agency Counseling from the University of Dayton.
The Trust does not believe any one factor is determinative in assessing a Trustee's qualifications, but that the collective experience of each Trustee makes the Board highly effective.
The following tables provide information about Board of Trustees and the senior officers of the Trust. Information about each Trustee is provided below and includes each person's: name, address, year of birth, present position(s) held with the Trust, principal occupations for the past five years. Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each person listed below is c/o Mason Capital Partners, 50 Federal Street, 9th Floor, Boston, MA 02110. Unless otherwise noted, each officer is elected annually by the Board.
Independent Trustees
Name, Address and Year of Birth |
Position |
Term of Office* | Principal Occupation During the Past Five Years | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex** Overseen by Trustee | Other Directorships held by Trustee During the Past Five Years |
Jerry Richardson Year of Birth: 1984 |
Trustee | Indefinite | Enterprise Sales Manager at Atlassian (2018 - Present) | 1 | None |
Mark Koenig Year of Birth: 1959 |
Trustee | Indefinite | Retired the past five years | 1 | None |
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Interested Trustees and Officers
Name and Year of Birth | Position | Term of Office* | Principal Occupation During the Past Five Years | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex** Overseen by Trustee | Other Directorships held by Trustee During the Past Five Years |
Elliot Bruce Year of Birth: 1992 |
Trustee, President and Principal Executive Officer | Indefinite | Analyst (2017 - 2021) and Partner (2022 - Present) at Mason Capital Partners | 1 | None |
Gregg Picillo Year of Birth: 1966 |
Chief Compliance Officer, Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer | Indefinite | Partner at Mason Capital Partners (2006 - Present) | N/A | N/A |
* | The term of office for each Trustee and officer listed above will continue indefinitely until the individual resigns or is removed. |
** | As of the date of this SAI, the Trust was comprised of one active series. |
*** | Mr. Bruce is considered an "Interested Trustee" because of his affiliation with the Advisor. |
Board Committees
Audit Committee
The Board has an Audit Committee that consists of Jerry Richardson and Mark Koenig. Mr. Richardson serves as the chairman of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee's responsibilities include: (i) recommending to the Board the selection, retention or termination of the Trust's independent auditors; (ii) reviewing with the independent auditors the scope, performance and anticipated cost of their audit; (iii) discussing with the independent auditors certain matters relating to the Trust's financial statements, including any adjustment to such financial statements recommended by such independent auditors, or any other results of any audit; (iv) reviewing on a periodic basis a formal written statement from the independent auditors with respect to their independence, discussing with the independent auditors any relationships or services disclosed in the statement that may impact the objectivity and independence of the Trust's independent' auditors and recommending that the Board take appropriate action in response thereto to satisfy itself of the auditor's independence; and (v) considering the comments of the independent auditors and management's responses thereto with respect to the quality and adequacy of the Trust's accounting and financial reporting policies and practices and internal controls. The Audit Committee operates pursuant to an Audit Committee Charter. The Audit Committee is responsible for seeking and reviewing nominee candidates for consideration as Independent Trustees as is from time to time considered necessary or appropriate. The Audit Committee will not consider shareholder nominees. The Audit Committee is also responsible for reviewing and setting Independent Trustee compensation from time to time when considered necessary or appropriate. During the fiscal period ended June 30, 2024, the Audit Committee did not meet.
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Compensation of Trustees and Officers
Each Trustee who is not affiliated with the Trust or an investment advisor to any series of the Trust receives a fee based on the net assets of each fund in the fund complex for his attendance at the regularly scheduled meetings of the Board, to be paid in arrears of each calendar quarter, as well as reimbursement for any reasonable expenses incurred such as expenses related to travel to board meetings and expenses related to board and industry educational events.
No officers receive compensation from the Trust.
The table below details the amount of compensation the Trustees received from the Fund during the fiscal period ended June 30, 2024. Each Independent Trustee is expected to attend all quarterly meetings during the period. The Trust does not have a bonus, profit sharing, pension or retirement plan.
Name and Position | Estimated Aggregate Compensation from the Fund | Estimated Total Compensation From Fund and Fund Complex* Paid to Trustees |
Elliot Bruce, Interested Trustee | $0 | $0 |
Jerry Richardson, Independent Trustee | $2,000 | $2,000 |
Mark Koenig, Independent Trustee | $2,000 | $2,000 |
* | The term "Fund Complex" refers to the active series of the Trust. |
Management and Trustee Ownership
As of September 30, 2024, the Trustees and officers, as a group, owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS
A principal shareholder is any person who owns (either of record or beneficially) 5% or more of the outstanding shares of a fund. A control person is one who owns, either directly or indirectly more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledges the existence of control. A control person is one who owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledged the existence of control.
The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding shares and is recognized as the owner of all shares for all purposes. Investors owning shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. The following persons or "groups" (as that term is used in Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act")) are DTC members reflecting ownership of 5% or more of the Fund's outstanding shares as of September 30, 2024:
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Name and Address | Percentage of Shares Owned |
National Financial Services LLC 499 Washington Boulevard Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
37.56% |
Charles Schwab & Company, Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA 94105 |
33.74% |
J.P. Morgan Chase Bank 14201 Dallas Parkway Dallas, TX 75254 |
18.68% |
BofA Securities, Inc. One Bryant Park New York, NY 10036 |
8.06% |
INVESTMENT ADVISOR
Investment Advisor and Management Agreement
The Trustees selected Mason Capital Partners as the investment advisor to the Fund (the "Advisor"). Albert Mason, by virtue of his ownership of the Advisor, is deemed to control the Advisor and serves as its President.
Under the terms of the management agreement (the "Management Agreement"), the Advisor, subject to the oversight of the Board, provides or arranges to be provided to the Fund such investment advice as it deems advisable and will furnish or arrange to be furnished a continuous investment program for the Fund consistent with the Fund's investment objective and policies. As compensation for its management services, the Advisor is paid a monthly unitary management fee at an annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of the Fund) of 1.00%. Under the unitary fee arrangement, the Advisor is responsible for paying all the operating expenses of the Fund, excluding, interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future Rule 12b-1 fees (if any), acquired fund fees and expenses and expenses incidental to a meeting of the Fund's shareholders.
The Management Agreement will continue for an initial term of two years, and may be renewed on a year-to-year basis thereafter, provided that continuance is approved at least annually by specific approval of the Board or by vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. In either event, it must also be approved by a majority of the Trustees who are neither parties to the agreement nor interested persons as defined in the 1940 Act, at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Management Agreement may be terminated at any time without the payment of any penalty by the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund on not more than 60 days written notice to the Advisor. In the event of its assignment, the Management Agreement will terminate automatically.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board's approval of the Management Agreement is available in the Fund's annual Form N-CSR for the period ended June 30, 2024.
For the fiscal period ended June 30, 2024, the advisory fees incurred by the Fund was $7,439.
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Code of Ethics
The Trust and Advisor have each adopted a joint code of ethics (the "Code") under Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act that governs the personal securities transactions of their board members, officers and employees who may have access to current trading information of the Trust. Under the Code, the Trustees are permitted, subject to the Code, to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund.
The Distributor is neither required to adopt a code of ethics nor subject to the other requirements of Rule 17j-1 per the exception provided in Rule 17j-1I(3) of the 1940 Act. Specifically, the Distributor is not affiliated with the Fund or the Advisor, and no officer of the Distributor serves as an officer of the Fund or the Advisor.
Proxy Voting Policies
The Board has adopted Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures ("Policies") on behalf of the Trust, which delegate the responsibility for voting proxies to the Advisor or its designee, subject to the Board's continuing oversight. The Policies require that the Advisor or its designee vote proxies received in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Fund and shareholders. The Policies also require the Advisor or its designee to present to the Board, at least annually, the Advisor's Proxy Policies, or the proxy policies of the Advisor's designee, and a record of each proxy voted by the Advisor or its designee on behalf of the Fund, including a report on the resolution of all proxies identified by the Advisor as involving a conflict of interest.
A copy of the Advisor's and proxy voting policies is attached hereto as Appendix A.
More information. Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Fund during the most recent 12-month period ending June 30 will be available (1) without charge, upon request, by calling the Fund at 617-228-5190; (2) visiting the Fund's website at www.fundamentalsfirstfund.com; and (3) on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Fund's proxy voting policies and procedures is also available by calling 617-228-5190 and will be sent within three business days of receipt of a request.
THE DISTRIBUTOR
Quasar Distributors, LLC (the "Distributor") serves as the principal underwriter and national distributor for the shares of the Fund pursuant to an underwriting agreement with the Trust (the "Underwriting Agreement"). The Distributor is registered as a broker-dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and each state's securities laws and is a member of the FINRA. The offering of the Fund's shares is continuous. The Underwriting Agreement provides that the Distributor, as agent in connection with the distribution of the Fund's shares, will use reasonable efforts to facilitate the sale of the Fund's shares.
The Underwriting Agreement provides that, unless sooner terminated, it will continue in effect for two years initially and thereafter shall continue from year to year, subject to annual approval by (a) the Board or a vote of a majority of the outstanding shares, and (b) by a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust or of the Distributor by vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
The Underwriting Agreement may be terminated by the Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund on 60 days written notice to the Distributor, or by the Distributor at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Fund. The Underwriting Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment.
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The Distributor may enter into selling agreements with broker-dealers that solicit orders for the sale of shares of the Fund and may allow concessions to dealers that sell shares of the Fund.
The Distributor is not compensated by the Fund. Instead, the Advisor pays the Distributor for certain distribution related services.
Rule 12b-1 Plans
The Trust, with respect to the Fund, has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the "Plan") for Shares pursuant to which the Fund is authorized to pay the Distributor, as compensation for Distributor's account maintenance services under the Plans. The Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, approved a distribution and shareholder servicing fee at the rate of up to 0.25% of the Fund's average daily net assets. Such fees are to be paid by the Fund monthly, or at such other intervals as the Board shall determine. Such fees shall be based upon the Fund's average daily net assets during the preceding month, and shall be calculated and accrued daily. The Fund may pay fees to the Distributor at a lesser rate, as agreed upon by the Board and the Distributor. The Plan authorizes payments to the Distributor as compensation for providing account maintenance services to Fund shareholders, including arranging for certain securities dealers or brokers, administrators and others ("Recipients") to provide these services and paying compensation for these services. The Fund bears its own costs of distribution with respect to its shares. The Plan was adopted in order to permit the implementation of the Fund's method of distribution. No fees are currently paid by the Fund under the Plan, and there are no current plans to impose such fees. In the event such fees were to be charged, over time they would increase the cost of an investment in the Fund.
The services to be provided by Recipients may include, but are not limited to, the following: assistance in the offering and sale of Fund shares and in other aspects of the marketing of the shares to clients or prospective clients of the respective recipients; answering routine inquiries concerning the Fund; assisting in the establishment and maintenance of accounts or sub-accounts in the Fund and in processing purchase and redemption transactions; making the Fund's investment plan and shareholder services available; and providing such other information and services to investors in shares of the Fund as the Distributor or the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, may reasonably request. The distribution services shall also include any advertising and marketing services provided by or arranged by the Distributor with respect to the Fund.
The Distributor is required to provide a written report, at least quarterly to the Board, specifying in reasonable detail the amounts expended pursuant to the Plan and the purposes for which such expenditures were made. Further, the Distributor will inform the Board of any Rule 12b-1 fees to be paid by the Distributor to Recipients.
The Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount of the Distributor's compensation to be paid by the Fund, unless such amendment is approved by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the affected class of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act). All material amendments must be approved by a majority of the Board and a majority of the Independent Trustees who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan (the "Rule 12b-1 Trustees") by votes cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Plan. The Distributor will preserve copies of the Plan, any related agreements, and all reports, for a period of not less than six years from the date of such document and for at least the first two years in an easily accessible place.
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Any agreement related to a Plan will be in writing and provide that: (a) it may be terminated by the Trust or the Funds at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the respective Rule 12b-1 Trustees, or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust or the Fund; (b) it will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act); and (c) it will continue in effect for a period of more than one year from the date of its execution or adoption only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by a majority of the Board and a majority of the Rule 12b-1 Trustees by votes cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such agreement.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
Albert Mason, Gregg Picillo and Elliot Bruce each serve as a portfolio manager to the Fund. As of June 30, 2024, each portfolio manager is responsible for the portfolio management of the following types of accounts in addition to the Fund:
Albert Mason
Total Other Accounts By Type |
Total Number of Accounts by Account Type |
Total Assets By Account Type (in millions) |
Number of Accounts by Type Subject to a Performance Fee |
Total Assets By Account Type Subject to a Performance Fee (in millions) |
Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | 0 | N/A |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 3 | 111 | 0 | 0 |
Other Accounts | 68 | 48 | 0 | 0 |
Gregg Picillo
Total Other Accounts By Type |
Total Number of Accounts by Account Type |
Total Assets By Account Type (in millions) |
Number of Accounts by Type Subject to a Performance Fee |
Total Assets By Account Type Subject to a Performance Fee (in millions) |
Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | 0 | N/A |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 3 | 111 | 0 | 0 |
Other Accounts | 68 | 48 | 0 | 0 |
Elliot Bruce
Total Other Accounts By Type |
Total Number of Accounts by Account Type |
Total Assets By Account Type (in millions) |
Number of Accounts by Type Subject to a Performance Fee |
Total Assets By Account Type Subject to a Performance Fee (in millions) |
Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | 0 | N/A |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 3 | 111 | 0 | 0 |
Other Accounts | 68 | 48 | 0 | 0 |
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Conflicts of Interest
As a general matter, certain conflicts of interest may arise in connection with a portfolio manager's management of the Fund's investments, on the one hand, and the investments of other accounts for which the portfolio manager is responsible, on the other. For example, it is possible that the various accounts managed could have different investment strategies that, at times, might conflict with one another to the possible detriment of the Fund. Alternatively, to the extent that the same investment opportunities might be desirable for more than one account, possible conflicts could arise in determining how to allocate them. Other potential conflicts might include conflicts created by specific portfolio manager compensation arrangements, and conflicts relating to selection of brokers or dealers to execute the Fund's portfolio trades and/or specific uses of commissions from the Fund's portfolio trades (for example, research, or "soft dollars", if any). The Advisor has adopted policies and procedures and has structured the portfolio managers' compensation in a manner reasonably designed to safeguard the Fund from being negatively affected as a result of any such potential conflicts.
Compensation
As of the date of this SAI, Albert Mason and Gregg Picillo receive cash compensation from the Advisor as a percentage of assets under management. Elliot Bruce is compensated with a salary as well as with cash compensation related to his percentage of assets under management.
Ownership of Securities
The following table shows the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by the portfolio managers in the Fund as of the date of June 30, 2024.
Name of Portfolio Manager | Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Albert Mason | $500,001-$1,000,000 |
Gregg Picillo | $0 |
Elliot Bruce | $1-$10,000 |
ALLOCATION OF PORTFOLIO BROKERAGE
Specific decisions to purchase or sell securities for the Fund are made by the portfolio managers who are employees of the Advisor. The Advisor is authorized by the Trustees to allocate the orders placed by them on behalf of the Fund to brokers or dealers who may, but need not, provide research or statistical material or other services to the Fund or the Advisor for the Fund's use. Such allocation is to be in such amounts and proportions as the Advisor may determine.
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In selecting a broker or dealer to execute each particular transaction, the Advisor will take the following into consideration:
● | the best net price available; |
● | the reliability, integrity and financial condition of the broker or dealer; |
● | the size of and difficulty in executing the order; and |
● | the value of the expected contribution of the broker or dealer to the investment performance of the Fund on a continuing basis. |
Brokers or dealers executing a portfolio transaction on behalf of the Fund may receive a commission in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for executing the transaction if the Advisor determines in good faith that such commission is reasonable in relation to the value of brokerage and research services provided to the Fund. In allocating portfolio brokerage, the Advisor may select brokers or dealers who also provide brokerage, research and other services to other accounts over which the Advisor exercises investment discretion. Some of the services received as the result of Fund transactions may primarily benefit accounts other than the Fund, while services received as the result of portfolio transactions effected on behalf of those other accounts may primarily benefit the Fund.
For the fiscal period ended June 30, 2024, the Fund paid $84 in brokerage commissions.
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund's portfolio turnover rate is calculated by dividing the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the fiscal year by the monthly average of the value of the portfolio securities owned by the Fund during the fiscal year. The calculation excludes from both the numerator and the denominator securities with maturities at the time of acquisition of one year or less. High portfolio turnover involves correspondingly greater brokerage commissions and other transaction costs, which is borne directly by the Fund. A 100% turnover rate would occur if all of the Fund's portfolio securities were replaced once within a one-year period. During the fiscal period ended June 30, 2024, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 1% of the average value of its portfolio.
OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS
Fund Administration, Fund Accountant and Dividend Disbursing Agent
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services LLC d/b/a U.S. Bank Global Fund Services serves as the accountant and administrator to the Trust (the "Administrator"), which has its principal office at 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202. The Administrator is primarily in the business of providing administrative, fund accounting and regulatory filing services to retail and institutional mutual funds.
Pursuant to a Fund Administration Servicing Agreement with the Fund, the Administrator provides administrative services to the Fund, subject to the oversight of the Board. The Administrator may provide persons to serve as officers of the Fund. Such officers may be directors, officers or employees of the Administrator or its affiliates.
The Agreement will remain in effect for three years from the effective date of the agreement, and will remain in effect subject to annual approval of the Board for one-year periods thereafter. The Agreement is terminable by the Board or the Administrator on ninety days' written notice and may be assigned provided the non-assigning party provides prior written consent. This Agreement provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Administrator or reckless disregard of its obligations thereunder, the Administrator shall not be liable for any action or failure to act in accordance with its duties thereunder.
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The Administrator provides or causes to provide the Fund with accounting services, including: (i) daily computation of net asset value; (ii) maintenance of security ledgers and books and records as required by the 1940 Act; (iii) production of the Fund's listing of portfolio securities and general ledger reports; (iv) reconciliation of accounting records; (v) calculation of yield and total return for the Fund; (vi) maintaining certain books and records described in Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act, and reconciling account information and balances among the Fund's Custodian and Advisor; and (vii) monitoring and evaluating daily income and expense accruals, and sales and redemptions of shares of the Fund.
For administrative services rendered to the Fund under the Agreement, the Fund pays the Administrator the greater of an annual minimum fee (a flat dollar amount) or an asset-based fee (a percentage), which decreases based upon net assets. For the fund accounting services rendered to the Fund under the Agreement, the Fund pays the Administrator the greater of an annual minimum fee (a flat dollar amount) or an asset-based fee (a percentage), which decreases based upon net assets.
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services LLC d/b/a U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, which has its principal office at 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202, serves as the Fund's dividend disbursing agent pursuant to a Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement.
For the fiscal period ended June 30, 2024, the Fund paid $21,182 for administrative services, fund accounting services and transfer agent services.
Custodian
U.S. Bank National Association located at 1555 North Rivercenter Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, WI 53212 (the "Custodian"), serves as the custodian of the Fund's assets pursuant to a Custodian Agreement by and between the Custodian and the Trust on behalf of the Fund. The Custodian's responsibilities include safeguarding and controlling the Fund's cash and securities, handling the receipt and delivery of securities, and collecting interest and dividends on the Fund's investments. Pursuant to the Custody Agreement, the Custodian also maintains original entry documents and books of record and general ledgers; posts cash receipts and disbursements; and records purchases and sales based upon communications from the Advisor. The Fund may employ foreign sub-custodians that are approved by the Board to hold foreign assets.
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES
Each share of beneficial interest of the Trust has one vote in the election of Trustees. Cumulative voting is not authorized for the Trust. This means that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voting for the election of Trustees can elect 100% of the Trustees if they choose to do so, and, in that event, the holders of the remaining shares will be unable to elect any Trustees.
Shareholders of the Trust and any other future series of the Trust will vote in the aggregate and not by series except as otherwise required by law or when the Board determines that the matter to be voted upon affects only the interest of the shareholders of a particular series or class. Matters such as election of Trustees are not subject to separate voting requirements and may be acted upon by shareholders of the Trust voting without regard to series.
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The Trust is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest. Each share has equal, per-class, dividend, distribution and liquidation rights. There are no conversion or preemptive rights applicable to any shares of the Fund. All shares issued are fully paid and non-assessable.
ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING PROGRAM
The Trust has established an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Program (the "Program") as required by the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 ("USA PATRIOT Act"). To ensure compliance with this law, the Trust's Program provides for the development of internal practices, procedures and controls, designation of anti-money laundering compliance officers, an ongoing training program and an independent audit function to determine the effectiveness of the Program. The Trust's Chief Compliance Officer serves as its Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer.
Procedures to implement the Program include, but are not limited to, determining that the Fund's Distributor and Transfer Agent have established proper anti-money laundering procedures, reporting suspicious and/or fraudulent activity and providing a complete and thorough review of all new opening account applications. The Trust will not transact business with any person or entity whose identity cannot be adequately verified under the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act.
As a result of the Program, the Trust may be required "to freeze" the account of a shareholder if the shareholder appears to be involved in suspicious activity or if certain account information matches information on government lists of known terrorists or other suspicious persons, or the Trust may be required to transfer the account or proceeds of the account to a governmental agency.
PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND PRICING OF SHARES
Calculation of Share Price
The NAV of the Fund's shares is determined by dividing the total value of the Fund's portfolio investments and other assets, less any liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding of the Fund.
The Administrator calculates the Fund's NAV at the close of regular trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) every day that the Exchange is open. NAV is calculated by deducting all of the Fund's liabilities from the total value of its assets and dividing the result by the number of Shares outstanding, rounding to the nearest cent. All valuations are subject to review by the Board or its delegate.
In determining NAV, expenses are accrued and applied daily and securities and other assets for which market quotations are readily available are valued at market value. The NAV for the Fund is calculated and disseminated daily. The value of the Fund's portfolio securities is based on market value when market quotations are readily available.
Exchange-traded securities, such as common and preferred stocks, ETFs, ETPs, ETNs, closed-end funds, REITs, MLPs, REOCs and similar instruments, generally are valued by using market quotations, but may be valued on the basis of prices furnished by a pricing service when the Advisor believes such prices accurately reflect the fair market value of such securities. Securities that are traded on any stock exchange or on the Exchange are generally valued by the pricing service at the last quoted sale price. Lacking a last sale price, an equity security is generally valued by the pricing service at its last bid price. When market quotations are not readily available, when the Advisor determines that the market quotation or the price provided by the pricing service does not accurately reflect the current market value, or when restricted or illiquid securities are being valued, such securities are valued as determined in good faith by the Advisor. If a security's market price is not readily available, the security will be valued at fair value as determined by the Trust's Fair Value Committee in accordance with the Trust's valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The values of assets denominated in foreign currencies are converted into U.S. dollars based on the mean of the current bid and ask prices by major banking institutions and currency dealers.
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Bonds, notes, debentures or similar instruments are valued by a pricing service when the Advisor believes such prices are accurate and reflect the fair market value of such securities. If the Advisor decides that a price provided by the pricing service does not accurately reflect the fair market value of the securities, when prices are not readily available from a pricing service, or when restricted or illiquid securities are being valued, securities are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Advisor, subject to review by the Board. Short-term investments having a maturity of 60 days or less may be amortized to maturity, provided such valuations represent par value.
Futures contracts listed for trading on a futures exchange or board of trade for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the last quoted sales price or, in the absence of a sale, at the mean of the last bid and ask prices.
Even when market quotations are available, they may be stale or unreliable because the validity of market quotations appears to be questionable; the number of quotations is such as to indicate that there is a thin market in the security; a significant event occurs after the close of a market but before the Fund's NAV calculation that may affect a security's value; or the Advisor is aware of any other data that calls into question the reliability of market quotations such as issuer-specific events, which may include a merger or insolvency, events which affect a geographical area or an industry segment, such as political events or natural disasters, or market events, such as a significant movement in the U.S. When market quotations are not readily available, including where the Advisor determines that the closing price of the security is unreliable, the Advisor will value the security at fair value in good faith using procedures approved by the Board. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value determination for a security is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of the security.
Because foreign markets may be open on different days than the days during which a shareholder may purchase Shares, the value of the Fund's investments may change on days when shareholders are not able to purchase Shares.
Creation Units
The Fund sells and redeems Shares in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at the NAV next determined after receipt of an order in proper form on any Business Day. A "Business Day" is any day on which the Exchange is open for business. As of the date of this SAI, the Exchange observes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Washington's Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
A Creation Unit is a large block of shares. The Board may declare a split or a consolidation in the number of Shares outstanding of the Fund or Trust, and make a corresponding change in the number of Shares in a Creation Unit.
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Authorized Participants
To purchase or redeem any Creation Units, you must be, or transact through, an Authorized Participant. In order to be an Authorized Participant, you must be either a broker-dealer or other participant ("Participating Party") in the Continuous Net Settlement System ("Clearing Process") of the National Securities Clearing Corporation ("NSCC") or a participant in DTC with access to the DTC system ("DTC Participant"), and you must execute an agreement ("Participant Agreement") with the Distributor that governs transactions in the Fund's Creation Units.
Investors who are not Authorized Participants but want to transact in Creation Units may contact the Distributor for the names of Authorized Participants. An Authorized Participant may require investors to enter into a separate agreement to transact through it for Creation Units and may require orders for purchases of shares placed with it to be in a particular form. Investors transacting through a broker that is not itself an Authorized Participant and therefore must still transact through an Authorized Participant may incur additional charges. There are expected to be a limited number of Authorized Participants at any one time.
Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor. Market disruptions and telephone or other communication failures may impede the transmission of orders.
Transaction Fees
A fixed fee payable to the Custodian is imposed on each creation and redemption transaction regardless of the number of Creation Units involved in the transaction ("Fixed Fee"). Purchases and redemptions of Creation Units for cash or involving cash-in-lieu (as defined below) are required to pay an additional variable charge to compensate the Fund and its ongoing shareholders for brokerage and market impact expenses relating to Creation Unit transactions ("Variable Charge," and together with the Fixed Fee, the "Transaction Fees"). With the approval of the Board, the Advisor may waive or adjust the Transaction Fees, including the Fixed Fee and/or Variable Charge (shown in the table below), from time to time. In such cases, the Authorized Participant will reimburse the Fund for, among other things, any difference between the market value at which the securities and/or financial instruments were purchased by the Fund and the cash-in-lieu amount, applicable registration fees, brokerage commissions and certain taxes. In addition, purchasers of Creation Units are responsible for the costs of transferring the Deposit Securities to the account of the Fund.
Investors who use the services of a broker, or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. The Transaction Fees for the Fund are listed in the table below.
Fee for In-Kind and Cash Purchases | Maximum Additional Variable Charge for Cash Purchases* |
$500 | 2.00% |
* | As a percentage of the amount invested. |
The Clearing Process
Transactions by an Authorized Participant that is a Participating Party using the NSCC system are referred to as transactions "through the Clearing Process." Transactions by an Authorized Participant that is a DTC Participant using the DTC system are referred to as transactions "outside the Clearing Process." The Clearing Process is an enhanced clearing process that is available only for certain securities and only to DTC participants that are also participants in the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC. In-kind (portions of) purchase orders not subject to the Clearing Process will go through a manual clearing process run by DTC. Portfolio Deposits that include government securities must be delivered through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system ("Federal Reserve System"). Fund Deposits that include cash may be delivered through the Clearing Process or the Federal Reserve System. In-kind deposits of securities for orders outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through the Federal Reserve System (for government securities) or through DTC (for corporate securities).
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Purchasing Creation Units
Portfolio Deposit
The consideration for a Creation Unit generally consists of the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the "Portfolio Deposit." The Cash Component serves the function of compensating for any differences between the net asset value per Creation Unit and the Deposit Securities. Thus, the Cash Component is equal to the difference between (x) the net asset value per Creation Unit of the Fund and (y) the market value of the Deposit Securities. If (x) is more than (y), the Authorized Participant will pay the Cash Component to the Fund. If (x) is less than (y), the Authorized Participant will receive the Cash Component from the Fund.
On each Business Day, prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time), the Advisor through the Custodian makes available through NSCC the name and amount of each Deposit Security in the current Portfolio Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the Fund and the (estimated) Cash Component, effective through and including the previous Business Day, per Creation Unit. The Deposit Securities announced are applicable to purchases of Creation Units until the next announcement of Deposit Securities.
Payment of any stamp duty or the like shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant purchasing a Creation Unit. The Authorized Participant must ensure that all Deposit Securities properly denote change in beneficial ownership.
Custom Orders and Cash-in-lieu
The Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash ("cash-in-lieu") to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security. The Fund may permit or require cash-in-lieu when, for example, a Deposit Security may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC or the Clearing Process. Similarly, the Fund may permit or require cash in lieu of Deposit Securities when, for example, the Authorized Participant or its underlying investor is restricted under U.S. or local securities laws or policies from transacting in one or more Deposit Securities. The Fund will comply with the federal securities laws in accepting Deposit Securities including that the Deposit Securities are sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act. All orders involving cash-in-lieu are considered to be "Custom Orders."
Purchase Orders
To order a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable purchase order to the Distributor.
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Timing of Submission of Purchase Orders
An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable purchase order no later than the earlier of (i) 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time or (ii) the closing time of the bond markets and/or the trading session on the Exchange, on any Business Day in order to receive that Business Day's NAV ("Cut-off Time"). The Cut-off Time for Custom Orders is generally two hours earlier. The Business Day the order is deemed received by the Distributor is referred to as the "Transmittal Date." An order to create Creation Units is deemed received on a Business Day if (i) such order is received by the Distributor by the Cut-off Time on such day and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. Persons placing or effectuating custom orders and/or orders involving cash should be mindful of time deadlines imposed by intermediaries, such as DTC and/or the Federal Reserve Bank wire system, which may impact the successful processing of such orders to ensure that cash and securities are transferred by the "Settlement Date," which is generally the Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date ("T+1"). The Fund reserves the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+1, including a shorter settlement period, if necessary or appropriate under the circumstances and compliant with applicable law. For transactions shorter than T+1, the Fund will accept transactions between 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Eastern time for settlement on that Business Day or between 4:00 p.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern day on the prior Business Day.
Orders Using the Clearing Process
If available, (portions of) orders may be settled through the Clearing Process. In connection with such orders, the Distributor transmits, on behalf of the Authorized Participant, such trade instructions as are necessary to effect the creation order. Pursuant to such trade instructions, the Authorized Participant agrees to deliver the requisite Portfolio Deposit to the Fund, together with such additional information as may be required by the Distributor or Transfer Agent. Cash Components will be delivered using either the Clearing Process or the Federal Reserve System.
Orders Outside the Clearing Process
If the Clearing Process is not available for (portions of) an order, Portfolio Deposits will be made outside the Clearing Process. Orders outside the Clearing Process must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that the creation of Creation Units will be effected through DTC. The Portfolio Deposit transfer must be ordered by the DTC Participant on the Transmittal Date in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of Deposit Securities (whether standard or custom) through DTC to the Fund account by 11:00 a.m., Eastern time, on T+1. The Cash Component, along with any cash-in-lieu and Transaction Fee, must be transferred directly to the Custodian through the Federal Reserve System in a timely manner so as to be received by the Custodian no later than 12:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on T+1. If the Custodian does not receive both the Deposit Securities and the cash by the appointed time, the order may be canceled. A canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day but must conform to that Business Day's Portfolio Deposit. Authorized Participants that submit a canceled order will be liable to the Fund for any losses incurred by the Fund in connection therewith.
Orders involving foreign Deposit Securities are expected to be settled outside the Clearing Process. Thus, upon receipt of an irrevocable purchase order, the Distributor will notify the Advisor and the Custodian of such order. The Custodian, who will have caused the appropriate local sub-custodian(s) of the Fund to maintain an account into which an Authorized Participant may deliver Deposit Securities (or cash-in-lieu), with adjustments determined by the Fund, will then provide information of the order to such local sub-custodian(s). The ordering Authorized Participant will then deliver the Deposit Securities (and any cash-in-lieu) to the Fund's account at the applicable local sub-custodian. The Authorized Participant must also make available on or before the contractual settlement date, by means satisfactory to the Fund, immediately available or same day funds in U.S. dollars estimated by the Fund to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component and Transaction Fee. When a relevant local market is closed due to local market holidays, the local market settlement process will not commence until the end of the local holiday period. Settlement must occur by 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the contractual settlement date.
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Acceptance of Purchase Order
All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Fund. The Fund's determination shall be final and binding.
The Fund reserves the right to reject or revoke acceptance of a purchase order transmitted to it by the Distributor under certain circumstances including but not limited to (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the investor(s), upon obtaining the shares ordered, would own 50% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the Fund; (c) the Deposit Securities delivered do not conform to the Deposit Securities for the applicable date; (d) the acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; or (e) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Distributor and the Advisor make it for all practical purposes impossible to process purchase orders. Examples of such circumstances include acts of God; public service or utility problems resulting in telephone, telecopy or computer failures; fires, floods or extreme weather conditions; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other informational systems affecting the Trust, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC, the Advisor, the Fund's Custodian, a sub-custodian or any other participant in the creation process; and similar extraordinary events. The Distributor shall notify an Authorized Participant of its rejection of the order. The Fund, the Custodian, any sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Portfolio Deposits, and they shall not incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.
Issuance of a Creation Unit
Once the Fund has accepted an order, upon next determination of the Fund's NAV, the Fund will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit, against receipt of payment, at such NAV. The Distributor will transmit a confirmation of acceptance to the Authorized Participant that placed the order.
Except as provided below, a Creation Unit will not be issued until the Fund obtains good title to the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component, along with any cash-in-lieu and Transaction Fee. Except as provided in Appendix C, the delivery of Creation Units will generally occur no later than T+1.
In certain cases, Authorized Participants will create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date. In these instances, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
With respect to orders involving foreign Deposit Securities, when the applicable local sub-custodian(s) have confirmed to the Custodian that the Deposit Securities (or cash -in-lieu) have been delivered to the Fund's account at the applicable local sub-custodian(s), the Distributor and the Advisor shall be notified of such delivery, and the Fund will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit. While, as stated above, Creation Units are generally delivered on T+1, the Fund may settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+1 in order to accommodate foreign market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates (that is the last day the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security), and in certain other circumstances.
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The Fund may issue a Creation Unit prior to receiving good title to the Deposit Securities, under the following circumstances. Pursuant to the applicable Participant Agreement, the Fund may issue a Creation Unit notwithstanding that (certain) Deposit Securities have not been delivered, in reliance on an undertaking by the relevant Authorized Participant to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible, which undertaking is secured by such Authorized Participant's delivery to and maintenance with the Custodian of collateral having a value equal to at least 115% of the value of the missing Deposit Securities ("Collateral"), as adjusted by time to time by the Advisor. Such Collateral will have a value greater than the NAV of the Creation Unit on the date the order is placed. Such collateral must be delivered no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on T+1. The only Collateral that is acceptable to the Fund is cash in U.S. dollars.
While (certain) Deposit Securities remain undelivered, the Collateral shall at all times have a value equal to at least 115% (as adjusted by the Advisor) of the daily marked-to-market value of the missing Deposit Securities. At any time, the Fund may use the Collateral to purchase the missing securities, and the Authorized Participant will be liable to the Fund for any costs incurred thereby or losses resulting therefrom, whether or not they exceed the amount of the Collateral, including any Transaction Fee, any amount by which the purchase price of the missing Deposit Securities exceeds the market value of such securities on the Transmittal Date, brokerage and other transaction costs. The Trust will return any unused Collateral once all of the missing securities have been received by the Fund. More information regarding the Fund's current procedures for collateralization is available from the Distributor.
Cash Purchase Method
When cash purchases of Creation Units are available or specified for the Fund, they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases In the case of a cash purchase, the investor must pay the cash equivalent of the Portfolio Deposit. In addition, cash purchases will be subject to Transaction Fees, as described above.
Redeeming a Creation Unit
Redemption Basket
The consideration received in connection with the redemption of a Creation Unit generally consists of an in-kind basket of designated securities ("Redemption Securities") and a Cash Component. Together, the Redemption Securities and the Cash Component constitute the "Redemption Basket."
There can be no assurance that there will be sufficient liquidity in Shares in the secondary market to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. In addition, investors may incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a Creation Unit.
The Cash Component serves the function of compensating for any differences between the net asset value per Creation Unit and the Redemption Securities. Thus, the Cash Component is equal to the difference between (x) the net asset value per Creation Unit of the Fund and (y) the market value of the Redemption Securities. If (x) is more than (y), the Authorized Participant will receive the Cash Component from the Fund. If (x) is less than (y), the Authorized Participant will pay the Cash Component to the Fund.
If the Redemption Securities on a Business Day are different from the Deposit Securities, prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time), the Advisor through the Custodian makes available through NSCC the name and amount of each Redemption Security in the current Redemption Basket (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the Fund and the (estimated) Cash Component, effective through and including the previous Business Day, per Creation Unit. If the Redemption Securities on a Business Day are different from the Deposit Securities, all redemption requests that day will be processed outside the Clearing Process.
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The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed: (i) for any period during which the Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the Exchange is suspended or restricted; (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares or determination of the ETF's NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstances as permitted by the SEC, including as described below.
Custom Redemptions and Cash-in-lieu
The Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit or require the substitution of cash-in-lieu to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Redemption Security. The Fund may permit or require cash-in-lieu when, for example, a Redemption Security may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC or the Clearing Process. Similarly, the Fund may permit or require cash-in-lieu of Redemption Securities when, for example, the Authorized Participant or its underlying investor is restricted under U.S. or local securities law or policies from transacting in one or more Redemption Securities. The Fund will comply with the federal securities laws in satisfying redemptions with Redemption Securities, including that the Redemption Securities are sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act. All redemption requests involving cash-in-lieu are considered to be "Custom Redemptions."
Redemption Requests
To redeem a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable redemption request to the Distributor.
An Authorized Participant submitting a redemption request is deemed to represent to the Fund that it or, if applicable, the investor on whose behalf it is acting, (i) owns outright or has full legal authority and legal beneficial right to tender for redemption the Creation Unit to be redeemed and can receive the entire proceeds of the redemption, and (ii) all of the Shares that are in the Creation Unit to be redeemed have not been borrowed, loaned or pledged to another party nor are they the subject of a repurchase agreement, securities lending agreement or such other arrangement that would preclude the delivery of such Shares to the Fund. The Fund reserves the absolute right, in its sole discretion, to verify these representations, but will typically require verification in connection with higher levels of redemption activity and/or short interest in the Fund. If the Authorized Participant, upon receipt of a verification request, does not provide sufficient verification of the requested representations, the redemption request will not be considered to be in proper form and may be rejected by the Fund.
Timing of Submission of Redemption Requests
An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable redemption order no later than the Cut-off Time. The Cut-off Time for Custom Orders is generally two hours earlier. The Business Day the order is deemed received by the Distributor is referred to as the "Transmittal Date." A redemption request is deemed received if (i) such order is received by the Distributor by the Cut-off Time on such day and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. Persons placing or effectuating Custom Redemptions and/or orders involving cash should be mindful of time deadlines imposed by intermediaries, such as DTC and/or the Federal Reserve System, which may impact the successful processing of such orders to ensure that cash and securities are transferred by the Settlement Date, as defined above.
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Requests Using the Clearing Process
If available, (portions of) redemption requests may be settled through the Clearing Process. In connection with such orders, the Distributor transmits on behalf of the Authorized Participant, such trade instructions as are necessary to effect the redemption. Pursuant to such trade instructions, the Authorized Participant agrees to deliver the requisite Creation Unit(s) to the Fund, together with such additional information as may be required by the Distributor or Transfer Agent. Cash Components will be delivered using either the Clearing Process or the Federal Reserve System, as described above.
Requests Outside the Clearing Process
If the Clearing Process is not available for (portions of) an order, Redemption Baskets will be delivered outside the Clearing Process. Orders outside the Clearing Process must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that the redemption will be effected through DTC. The Authorized Participant must transfer or cause to be transferred the Creation Unit(s) of shares being redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be delivered through DTC to the Custodian by 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, on T+1. In addition, the Cash Component must be received by the Custodian by 12:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on T+1. If the Custodian does not receive the Creation Unit(s) and Cash Component by the appointed times on T+1, the redemption will be rejected, except in the circumstances described below. A rejected redemption request may be resubmitted the following Business Day.
Orders involving foreign Redemption Securities are expected to be settled outside the Clearing Process. Thus, upon receipt of an irrevocable redemption request, the Distributor will notify the Advisor and the Custodian. The Custodian will then provide information of the redemption to the Fund's local sub-custodian(s). The redeeming Authorized Participant, or the investor on whose behalf it is acting, will have established appropriate arrangements with a broker-dealer, bank or other custody provider in each jurisdiction in which the Redemption Securities are customarily traded and to which such Redemption Securities (and any cash-in-lieu) can be delivered from the Fund's accounts at the applicable local sub-custodian(s).
Acceptance of Redemption Requests
All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust. The Trust's determination shall be final and binding.
Delivery of Redemption Basket
Once the Fund has accepted a redemption request, upon next determination of the Fund's NAV, the Fund will confirm the issuance of a Redemption Basket against receipt of the Creation Unit(s) at such NAV, any cash-in-lieu and Transaction Fee. A Creation Unit tendered for redemption and the payment of the Cash Component, any cash-in-lieu and Transaction Fee will be effected through DTC. The Authorized Participant, or the investor on whose behalf it is acting, will be recorded on the book-entry system of DTC.
The Redemption Basket will generally be delivered to the redeeming Authorized Participant within T+1. Except under the circumstances described below, however, a Redemption Basket generally will not be issued until the Creation Unit(s) are delivered to the Fund, along with the Cash Component, any cash-in-lieu and Transaction Fee.
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In certain cases, Authorized Participants will create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date. In these instances, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
With respect to orders involving foreign Redemption Securities, the Fund may settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+1 in order to accommodate foreign market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates (that is the last day the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security), and in certain other circumstances. When a relevant local market is closed due to local market holidays, the local market settlement process will not commence until the end of the local holiday period.
Cash Redemption Method
When cash redemptions of Creation Units are available or specified for the Fund, they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind redemptions. In the case of a cash redemption, the investor will receive the cash equivalent of the Redemption Basket minus any Transaction Fees, as described above.
TAX STATUS
The following discussion is general in nature and should not be regarded as an exhaustive presentation of all possible tax ramifications. All shareholders should consult a qualified tax advisor regarding their investment in the Fund.
The Fund has qualified and intends to continue to qualify and has elected to be treated as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the IRC, and intends to continue to so qualify, which requires compliance with certain requirements concerning the sources of its income, diversification of its assets, and the amount and timing of its distributions to shareholders. Such qualification does not involve supervision of management or investment practices or policies by any government agency or bureau. By so qualifying, the Fund should not be subject to federal income or excise tax on its net investment income or net capital gain, which are distributed to shareholders in accordance with the applicable timing requirements. Net investment income and net capital gain of the Fund will be computed in accordance with Section 852 of the IRC.
Net investment income is made up of dividends and interest less expenses. Net capital gain for a fiscal year is computed by taking into account any capital loss carryforward of the Fund. Capital losses incurred after January 31, 2011 may now be carried forward indefinitely and retain the character of the original loss. Under pre-enacted laws, capital losses could be carried forward to offset any capital gains for eight years, and carried forward as short-term capital, irrespective of the character of the original loss. Capital loss carry forwards are available to offset future realized capital gains. To the extent that these carry forwards are used to offset future capital gains it is probable that the amount offset will not be distributed to shareholders. For the fiscal period ended June 30, 2024, the Fund had short-term capital loss carryforwards on a tax basis of $47, which does not expire.
The Fund intends to distribute all of its net investment income, any excess of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses, and any excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses in accordance with the timing requirements imposed by the IRC and therefore should not be required to pay any federal income or excise taxes. Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid quarterly by the Fund. The Fund distributes their net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders annually no later than December 31 of each year. Both types of distributions will be in shares of the Fund unless a shareholder elects to receive cash.
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To be treated as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the IRC, the Fund must also (a) derive at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, net income from certain publicly traded partnerships and gains from the sale or other disposition of securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to the business of investing in such securities or currencies, and (b) diversify its holding so that, at the end of each fiscal quarter, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund's assets is represented by cash, U.S. government securities and securities of other regulated investment companies, and other securities (for purposes of this calculation, generally limited in respect of any one issuer, to an amount not greater than 5% of the market value of the Fund's assets and 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer) and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of its assets is invested in the securities of (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies) any one issuer, two or more issuers that the Fund controls and that are determined to be engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses, or the securities of certain publicly traded partnerships.
If the Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M in any fiscal year, it will be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes. As such the Fund would be required to pay income taxes on its net investment income and net realized capital gains, if any, at the rates generally applicable to corporations. Shareholders of the Fund generally would not be liable for income tax on the Fund's net investment income or net realized capital gains in their individual capacities. Distributions to shareholders, whether from the Fund's net investment income or net realized capital gains, would be treated as taxable dividends to the extent of current or accumulated earnings and profits of the Fund.
The Fund is subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on certain undistributed amounts of ordinary income and capital gain under a prescribed formula contained in Section 4982 of the IRC. The formula requires payment to shareholders during a calendar year of distributions representing at least 98% of the Fund's ordinary income for the calendar year and at least 98.2% of its capital gain net income (i.e., the excess of its capital gains over capital losses) realized during the one-year period ending October 31 during such year plus 100% of any income that was neither distributed nor taxed to the Fund during the preceding calendar year. Under ordinary circumstances, the Fund expects to time its distributions so as to avoid liability for this tax.
The following discussion of tax consequences is for the general information of shareholders that are subject to tax. Shareholders that are IRAs or other qualified retirement plans are exempt from income taxation under the IRC.
Distributions of taxable net investment income and the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss are taxable to shareholders as ordinary income.
Distributions of net capital gain ("capital gain dividends") generally are taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gain; regardless of the length of time the shares of the Trust have been held by such shareholders.
Certain U.S. shareholders, including individuals and estates and trusts, are subject to an additional 3.8% Medicare tax on all or a portion of their "net investment income," which should include dividends from the Fund and net gains from the disposition of shares of the Fund. U.S. shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the implications of the additional Medicare tax resulting from an investment in the Fund.
Redemption of Fund shares by a shareholder will result in the recognition of taxable gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and the shareholder's tax basis in his or her Fund shares. Such gain or loss is treated as a capital gain or loss if the shares are held as capital assets. However, any loss realized upon the redemption of shares within six months from the date of their purchase will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as capital gain dividends during such six-month period. All or a portion of any loss realized upon the redemption of shares may be disallowed to the extent shares are purchased (including shares acquired by means of reinvested dividends) within 30 days before or after such redemption.
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Distributions of taxable net investment income and net capital gain will be taxable as described above, whether received in additional cash or shares. Shareholders electing to receive distributions in the form of additional shares will have a cost basis for federal income tax purposes in each share so received equal to the net asset value of a share on the reinvestment date.
All distributions of taxable net investment income and net capital gain, whether received in shares or in cash, must be reported by each taxable shareholder on his or her federal income tax return. Dividends or distributions declared in October, November or December as of a record date in such a month, if any, will be deemed to have been received by shareholders on December 31, if paid during January of the following year. Redemptions of shares may result in tax consequences (gain or loss) to the shareholder and are also subject to these reporting requirements.
Under the IRC, the Fund is required to report to the Internal Revenue Service all distributions of taxable income and capital gains as well as gross proceeds from the redemption or exchange of Fund shares, except in the case of certain exempt shareholders. Under the backup withholding provisions of Section 3406 of the IRC, distributions of taxable net investment income and net capital gain and proceeds from the redemption or exchange of the shares of a regulated investment company may be subject to withholding of federal income tax in the case of non-exempt shareholders who fail to furnish the investment company with their taxpayer identification numbers and with required certifications regarding their status under the federal income tax law, or if the Fund is notified by the IRS or a broker that withholding is required due to an incorrect TIN or a previous failure to report taxable interest or dividends. If the withholding provisions are applicable, any such distributions and proceeds, whether taken in cash or reinvested in additional shares, will be reduced by the amounts required to be withheld.
Options, Futures, Forward Contracts and Swap Agreements
To the extent such investments are permissible for the Fund, the Fund's transactions in options, futures contracts, hedging transactions, forward contracts, straddles and foreign currencies will be subject to special tax rules (including mark-to-market, constructive sale, straddle, wash sale and short sale rules), the effect of which may be to accelerate income to the Fund, defer losses to the Fund, cause adjustments in the holding periods of the Fund's securities, convert long-term capital gains into short-term capital gains and convert short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses. These rules could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders.
Passive Foreign Investment Companies
Investment by the Fund in certain passive foreign investment companies ("PFICs") could subject the Fund to a U.S. federal income tax (including interest charges) on distributions received from the company or on proceeds received from the disposition of shares in the company, which tax cannot be eliminated by making distributions to Fund shareholders. However, the Fund may elect to treat a PFIC as a qualified electing fund ("ETF"), in which case the Fund will be required to include its share of the company's income and net capital gains annually, regardless of whether it receives any distribution from the company.
The Fund also may make an election to mark the gains (and to a limited extent losses) in such 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 accelerate the recognition of income (without the receipt of cash) and increase the amount required to be distributed for the Fund to avoid taxation. Making either of these elections, therefore, may require the Fund to liquidate 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.
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Foreign Currency Transactions
The Fund's transactions in foreign currencies, foreign currency-denominated debt securities and certain foreign currency options, futures contracts and forward contracts (and 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.
Foreign Taxation
Income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax treaties and conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the value of the Fund's total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may be able to elect to "pass through" to the Fund's shareholders the amount of eligible foreign income and similar taxes paid by the Fund. If this election is made, a shareholder generally subject to tax will be required to include in gross income (in addition to taxable dividends actually received) his or her pro rata share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund, and may be entitled either to deduct (as an itemized deduction) his or her pro rata share of foreign taxes in computing his or her taxable income or to use it as a foreign tax credit against his or her U.S. federal income tax liability, subject to certain limitations. In particular, a shareholder must hold his or her shares (without protection from risk of loss) on the ex-dividend date and for at least 15 more days during the 30-day period surrounding the ex-dividend date to be eligible to claim a foreign tax credit with respect to a gain dividend. No deduction for foreign taxes may be claimed by a shareholder who does not itemize deductions. Each shareholder will be notified within 60 days after the close of the Fund's taxable year whether the foreign taxes paid by the Fund will "pass through" for that year.
Generally, a credit for foreign taxes is subject to the limitation that it may not exceed the shareholder's U.S. tax attributable to his or her total foreign source taxable income. For this purpose, if the pass-through election is made, the source of the Fund's income will flow through to shareholders of the Fund. With respect to the Fund, gains from the sale of securities will be treated as derived from U.S. sources and certain currency fluctuation gains, including fluctuation gains from foreign currency-denominated debt securities, receivables and payables will be treated as ordinary income derived from U.S. sources. The limitation on the foreign tax credit is applied separately to foreign source passive income, and to certain other types of income. A shareholder may be unable to claim a credit for the full amount of his or her proportionate share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund. The foreign tax credit can be used to offset only 90% of the revised alternative minimum tax imposed on corporations and individuals and foreign taxes generally are not deductible in computing alternative minimum taxable income.
Original Issue Discount and Pay-In-Kind Securities
Current federal tax law requires the holder of a U.S. Treasury or other fixed income zero coupon security to accrue as income each year a portion of the discount at which the security was purchased, even though the holder receives no interest payment in cash on the security during the year. In addition, pay-in-kind securities will give rise to income, which is required to be distributed and is taxable even though the Fund holding the security receives no interest payment in cash on the security during the year.
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Some of the debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund may be treated as debt securities that are issued originally at a discount. Generally, the amount of the original issue discount ("OID") is treated as interest income and is included in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. A portion of the OID includable in income with respect to certain high-yield corporate debt securities (including certain pay-in-kind securities) may be treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Some of the debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund in the secondary market may be treated as having market discount. Generally, any gain recognized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt security 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 security. Market discount generally accrues in equal daily installments. The Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having market discount, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income.
Some debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of one year or less from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund may be treated as having acquisition discount, or OID in the case of certain types of debt securities. Generally, the Fund is required to include the acquisition discount, or OID, in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. The Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having acquisition discount, or OID, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income.
The Fund that holds the foregoing kinds of securities may be required to pay out as an income distribution each year an amount that is greater than the total amount of cash interest the Fund actually received. Such distributions may be made from the cash assets of the Fund or by liquidation of portfolio securities, if necessary (including when it is not advantageous to do so). The Fund may realize gains or losses from such liquidations. In the event the Fund realizes net capital gains from such transactions, its shareholders may receive a larger capital gain distribution, if any, than they would in the absence of such transactions.
Shareholders of the Fund may be subject to state and local taxes on distributions received from the Fund and on redemptions of the Fund's shares.
A brief explanation of the form and character of the distribution accompany each distribution. In January of each year the Fund issues to each shareholder a statement of the federal income tax status of all distributions.
Shareholders should consult their tax advisors about the application of federal, state and local and foreign tax law in light of their particular situation.
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The firm of Cohen & Company, Ltd. ("Cohen"), located at 1835 Market Street, Suite 310, Philadelphia, PA 19103, serves as the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm for the current fiscal year. Cohen provides services, including performing an annual audit of the Fund's financial statements and providing financial, tax and accounting services as requested.
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LEGAL COUNSEL
Thompson Hine LLP, 41 South High Street, Suite 1700, Columbus, OH 43215, serves as the Trust's legal counsel.
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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The audited financial statements and report of the independent registered public accounting firm required to be included in this SAI are hereby incorporated by reference to the Annual Form N-CSR for the Fund for the fiscal period ended June 30, 2024. You can obtain a copy of the financial statements contained in the Fund's Form N-CSR without charge by calling the Fund at 617-228-5190.
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APPENDIX A - PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES
INTRODUCTION
The Trust is the beneficial owner of its portfolio securities. Accordingly, the Board, acting on behalf of the Trust and each of its series, has the right and the fiduciary obligation to vote proxies relating to the Fund's portfolio securities in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Funds and their shareholders. Accordingly, the Board has adopted this Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures with respect to voting proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Fund.
POLICY
A. | Delegation to the Advisor |
1) | The policy of the Trust is to delegate the responsibility for voting proxies relating to portfolio securities held by a Fund to the Advisor for the Fund as a part of the Advisor's general management of the Fund, subject to the Board's continuing oversight. |
2) | The policy of the Trust is also to adopt the policies and procedures used by the Advisor to a Fund to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities held by its clients, including the Fund (the "Advisor's Proxy Voting Policy"). |
3) | The Advisor shall periodically inform its employees (i) that they are under an obligation to be aware of the potential for conflicts of interest on the part of the Advisor with respect to voting proxies on behalf of a Fund, both as a result of the employee's personal relationships and due to circumstances that may arise during the conduct of the Advisor's business, and (ii) that employees should bring conflicts of interest of which they become aware to the attention of the management of the Advisor. |
4) | The Advisor shall be responsible for coordinating the delivery of proxies by a Fund's custodian to the Advisor or to an agent of the Advisor selected by the Advisor to vote proxies with respect to which the Advisor has such discretion. |
B. | Delegation to Sub-Advisors |
The Advisor to a Fund may, but is not required to, further delegate the responsibility for voting proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Fund to one or more of the Sub-Advisors retained to provide investment advisory services to such Fund, if any (each a "Sub-Advisor"). If such responsibility is delegated to a Sub-Advisor, then the Sub-Advisor shall assume the fiduciary duty and reporting responsibilities of the Advisor under these policy guidelines; however, the Advisor has ultimate responsibility of all proxy voting activities. As used in this Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures, the term "Advisor" includes the Sub-Advisor(s), if any.
FIDUCIARY DUTY
The Advisor of a Fund is a fiduciary to the Fund and must vote proxies in a manner consistent with the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders.
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PROXY VOTING PROCEDURES
A. | Presentation of Advisor's Proxy Voting Policy to The Board |
Initially the Advisor shall present to the Board for its review the Advisor's Proxy Voting Policy. Annually the Board will review a summary of the Advisor's Proxy Voting Policy. In addition, the Advisor shall notify the Board promptly of material changes to the Advisor's Proxy Voting Policy.
B. | Annual Presentation of Proxy Voting Record to the Board |
At least annually, each Advisor shall provide to the Board a record of each proxy voted with respect to portfolio securities held by the Fund during the year. With respect to those proxies that the Advisor has identified as involving a conflict of interest, the Advisor shall submit a separate report indicating the nature of the conflict of interest and how that conflict was resolved with respect to the voting of the proxy. For this purpose, a "conflict of interest" shall be deemed to occur when the Advisor, the Principal Underwriter/Distributor, or an Affiliated Person of the Advisor or a Principal Underwriter/Distributor has a financial interest in a matter presented by a proxy to be voted on behalf of a Fund, other than the obligation the Advisor incurs as Advisor to that Fund, which may compromise the Advisor's independence of judgment and action in voting the proxy.
C. | Resolution of Conflicts of Interest |
Where a proxy proposal raises a material conflict of interest between the interests of the Advisor to a Fund, the Principal Underwriter/Distributor, or an Affiliated Person of the Fund, the Advisor or a Principal Underwriter/Distributor and that of the Fund, the Advisor shall resolve such conflict in the manner described below.
1) | Vote in Accordance with a Predetermined Specific Policy |
To the extent that the Advisor's Proxy Voting Policy includes a pre-determined voting policy for various types of proposals and the Advisor has little or no discretion to deviate from such policy with respect to the proposal in question, the Advisor shall vote in accordance with such pre-determined voting policy.
2) | Notify and Obtain Consent of the Board |
To the extent that the Advisor's Proxy Voting Policy includes a pre-determined voting policy for various proposals and the Advisor has discretion to deviate from such policy, the Advisor shall disclose the conflict to the Board and obtain the Board's consent to the proposed vote prior to voting on such proposal.
a) | Detailed Disclosure to the Board |
To enable the Board to make an informed decision regarding the vote in question, such disclosure to the Board shall include sufficient detail regarding the matter to be voted on and the nature of the conflict. When the Board does not respond to such a conflict disclosure request or denies the request, the Advisor shall abstain from voting the securities held by the relevant Funds.
b) | Use of Independent Third Party |
To the extent there is a conflict of interest between the Advisor, the Principal Underwriter/Distributor, or an Affiliated Person of the Advisor or a Principal Underwriter/Distributor and one or more Funds and the Advisor notifies the Board of such conflict, the Board may vote the proxy in accordance with the recommendation of an independent third party.
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REVOCATION OF AUTHORITY TO VOTE
The delegation by the Board of the authority to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Funds may be revoked by the Board, in whole or in part, at any time.
ANNUAL FILING OF PROXY VOTING RECORD
The Advisor or other delegated third-party shall file an annual report of each proxy voted with respect to portfolio securities held by the Funds during the twelve-month period ended June 30 on Form N-PX not later than August 31 of each year.
PROXY VOTING DISCLOSURES
A. | The Trust shall include in its registration statement: |
1) | A description of this Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures and of the Advisor's Proxy Voting Policy; and |
2) | A statement disclosing that information regarding how the Advisor voted proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Funds during the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30 is available without charge, upon request, by calling the Trust or Advisor's toll-free telephone number or through a specified Internet address, or both, and on the SEC website. |
B. | The Trust shall include in its Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders: |
1) | A statement that a description of this Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures is available without charge, upon request, by calling the Trust or Advisor's toll-free telephone number or through a specified Internet address, or both, and on the SEC website. |
2) | A statement that information regarding how the Trust voted proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Funds during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available without charge, upon request, by calling the Trust or Advisor's toll-free telephone number or through a specified Internet address, or both, and on the SEC website. |
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