foreign government action, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Investments in securities of foreign issuers may be subject to foreign withholding and other taxes. To the extent that the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region or country, the Fund will have more exposure to the investment risks associated with that region or country, although the Advisor does not intend to focus on a specific geographic region or country. Foreign securities can be less liquid and more difficult to value than other securities.
Adverse political, economic or social developments, as well as U.S. and foreign government actions such as the imposition of tariffs, economic and trade sanctions or embargoes, could undermine the value of the Fund's investments, prevent the Fund from realizing the full value of its investments or prevent the Fund from selling securities it holds.
Financial reporting standards for companies based in foreign markets differ from those in the U.S. Additionally, foreign securities markets generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. markets. To the extent that the Fund invests in non-U.S. dollar denominated foreign securities, changes in currency exchange rates may affect the U.S. dollar value of foreign securities or the income or gain received on these securities.
Eurozone Risk. In light of ongoing concerns on the sovereign debt risk of certain countries within the Eurozone, the Fund's investments in the region may be subject to higher volatility, liquidity, currency and default risks. Any adverse events, such as credit downgrade of a sovereign or exit of an EU Member State from the Eurozone, may have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.
Emerging Market Risk. Foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk may be particularly high to the extent that the Fund invests in emerging market securities. These securities may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed foreign countries. In addition to the risks of foreign securities in general, countries in emerging markets are generally more volatile and can have relatively unstable governments, social and legal systems that do not protect shareholders, economies based on only a few industries and securities markets that trade a small number of issues. Taxation, restrictions on foreign investment and on currency convertibility and repatriation, currency fluctuations and other developments in laws and regulations of emerging markets could result in loss to 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. In addition, when investing in emerging market countries, there may be differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers. 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.
Currency Risk. If the Fund invests directly in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, or in derivatives that provide exposure to foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, it will be subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged. As a result, the Fund's investments in foreign currency-denominated securities may reduce the Fund's returns.
Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts Risk. A foreign currency exchange contract involves the Fund's purchase or sale of a specific currency on a spot basis or at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. Forward contracts involve the risk that anticipated currency movements will not be accurately predicted, causing the Fund to sustain losses on these contracts and transaction costs. The use of futures contracts involves the risk of imperfect correlation in movements in the price of the futures contracts, exchange rates and the underlying hedged assets. In addition, although forward contracts limit the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currencies, at the same time they limit any potential gain that might result should the value of the currencies increase.
ADR and GDR Risk. American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs") and Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") may be subject to some of the same risks as direct investment in foreign companies, which includes international trade, currency, political, regulatory and diplomatic risks. In a sponsored ADR arrangement, the foreign issuer assumes the obligation to pay some or all of the depositary's transaction fees. Under an unsponsored ADR arrangement, the foreign issuer assumes no obligations and the depositary's transaction fees are paid directly by the ADR holders. Because unsponsored ADR arrangements are organized independently and without the cooperation of the issuer of the underlying securities, available information concerning the foreign issuer may not be as current as for sponsored ADRs and voting rights with respect to the deposited securities are not passed through. GDRs can involve currency risk since, unlike ADRs, they may not be U.S. dollar-denominated.
Large Shareholder Risk. To the extent that a significant portion of the Fund's shares are held by a limited number of shareholders or their affiliates, there is a risk that the share trading activities of these shareholders could disrupt the Fund's investment strategies, which could have adverse consequences for the Fund and other shareholders (e.g., by requiring the Fund to sell investments at inopportune times or causing the Fund to maintain larger-than-expected cash positions pending acquisition of investments).
Please see "Fund Facts" in the Fund's Prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund.
Performance
The following performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by illustrating the variability of the Fund's returns. The bar chart shows changes in the Fund's performance from year to year for Class I shares. However, the Fund's Class A shares are subject to sales loads. Sales loads are not reflected in the bar chart and if these amounts were reflected, returns would be less than that shown. The table, which includes all applicable fees and sales charges, shows how the Fund's average annual returns for 1 year, 5 years and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance and an additional index that reflects the market sectors in which the Fund invests. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance is available on the Fund's website at https://www.hwcm.com/mutual-funds/resources/literature or by calling the Fund toll-free at 1-866-HW-FUNDS (1-866-493-8637).
The inception date for the Fund's Class I shares is December 31, 2015.