485APOS 1 d160958d485apos.htm 485APOS 485APOS
AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON JUNE 21, 2021.
No. 333-221046
No. 811-23304

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Pre-Effective Amendment No.
Post-Effective Amendment No. 106
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
Amendment No. 107

Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515
(Address of Principal Executive Office)
Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (800) 983-0903
Adam Henkel, Esquire
3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515

With Copies to:
Alan P. Goldberg
Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP
191 North Wacker Drive, Suite 1601
Chicago, Illinois 60606
Eric S. Purple
Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP
2000 K Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20006

APPROXIMATE DATE OF PROPOSED PUBLIC OFFERING:
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box)
immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
on (date) pursuant to paragraph (b)
60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)
on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)
75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of rule 485
If appropriate, check the following box:
This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.
 
 
This post-effective amendment no. 106 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, for Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed
Fund Trust (the “Trust”) relates to the registration of a new series of the Trust named Invesco Racial and Gender Diversity ETF.


Subject to Completion – dated June 21, 2021

Prospectus
[          ], 2021

Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust
[TICKER]
Invesco Racial and Gender Diversity ETF
NYSE Arca, Inc.
The U.S. 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.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.


Summary Information
Investment Objective
The Invesco Racial and Gender Diversity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the investment results (before fees and expenses) of the Invesco US Inclusion Index (the “Underlying Index”).
Fund Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees
[X.XX]%
Other Expenses(1)
[X.XX]%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
[X.XX]%
(1) “Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
Example. This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.
The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include brokerage commissions that investors may pay to buy and sell Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, your costs, based on these assumptions, would be:
1 Year
3 Years
$[          ]
$[          ]
Portfolio Turnover. The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund's performance. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and portfolio turnover data therefore is not available.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund generally will invest at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Underlying Index. Strictly in accordance with its guidelines and mandated procedures, Invesco Indexing LLC (the “Index Provider”) compiles and maintains the Underlying Index, which is comprised of exchange-listed stocks of U.S. large- and mid-capitalization companies with diverse executive leadership and inclusive corporate policies, as determined by criteria established by the Index Provider. The Index Provider is affiliated with Invesco Capital Management LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”), and Invesco Distributors, Inc., the Fund’s distributor (the “Distributor”).
The Index Provider selects securities for inclusion in the Underlying Index from an initial opportunity set comprised of U.S. large- and mid-capitalization equity securities (the “Index Universe”) within the Invesco Indexing Investable Universe, which is designed to capture the investable segment of the global equity market. For a security in the Index Universe to be eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index, an issuer must: (i) have representation in corporate leadership (defined as board members and/or non-executive officers) by persons of color and by women that ranks in the top 50% (by security count) of both the Index Universe and the company’s
sector; (ii) have a non-negative growth rate in representation in corporate leadership by persons of color and by women as measured by the average year-over-year percentage change for the past three years; and (iii) have a “diversity score” that ranks in the top 50% of companies in the applicable sector. The diversity score is a numerical metric provided by a third-party data provider, which is designed to measure the relative strength of a company’s diversity programs and anti-discrimination policies.
The Underlying Index excludes securities of issuers that (i) are materially involved in the production of tobacco, cannabis or weapons, and those involved in the retail sale of cannabis and assault weapons, (ii) are non-compliant with the United Nations’ Global Compact; (iii) have an overall environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) score provided by a third-party research provider that that ranks in the bottom 10% of the Index Universe, or (iv) have high involvement in controversies with negative ESG implications, based on data provided a third-party research provider.
All securities from the Index Universe that meet the eligibility criteria and do not satisfy any of the exclusionary criteria are selected for inclusion in the Underlying Index. At each annual rebalance, securities in the Underlying Index are generally weighted proportionally to their float-adjusted market-capitalization.
As of [ ], 2021, the Underlying Index was comprised of [ ] constituents with market capitalizations ranging from approximately $[ ] to $[ ].
The Fund employs a “full replication” methodology in seeking to track the Underlying Index, meaning that the Fund generally invests in all of the securities comprising the Underlying Index in proportion to their weightings in the Underlying Index.
The Fund is “non-diversified” and therefore is not required to meet certain diversification requirements under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., invest more than 25% of the value of its net assets) in securities of issuers in any one industry or group of industries only to the extent that the Underlying Index reflects a concentration in that industry or group of industries. The Fund will not otherwise concentrate its investments in securities of issuers in any one industry or group of industries.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
The following summarizes the principal risks of investing in the Fund.
The Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
Market Risk. Securities in the Underlying Index are subject to market fluctuations. You should anticipate that the value of the Shares will decline, more or less, in correlation with any decline in value of the securities in the Underlying Index. Additionally, natural or environmental disasters, widespread disease or other public health issues, war, acts of terrorism or other events could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”).
COVID-19 Risk. The current outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, has resulted in instances of market closures and dislocations, extreme volatility, liquidity constraints and increased trading costs. Efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 have resulted in travel restrictions, closed international borders, disruptions of healthcare systems, business operations and supply chains, layoffs, lower consumer demand, defaults and other significant economic impacts, all of which have disrupted global economic activity across many industries and may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks, locally or globally. The ongoing effects of COVID-19 are unpredictable and may result in significant and prolonged effects on the Fund’s performance.
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Index Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not utilize an investing strategy that seeks returns in excess of its Underlying Index. Therefore, the Fund would not necessarily buy or sell a security unless that security is added or removed, respectively, from its Underlying Index, even if that security generally is underperforming. Additionally, the Fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with its Underlying Index, and, therefore, any changes to the Underlying Index’s rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes to the Fund’s rebalance schedule.
Values-Based Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities whose issuers reflect the values of diverse executive leadership and inclusive corporate policies, as set forth in the Underlying Index’s methodology. The Fund’s performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified. Investing only in a portfolio of securities of issuers that reflect these values may affect the Fund’s exposure to certain types of investments and may adversely impact the Fund’s performance depending on whether such investments are in or out of favor in the market. The criteria used to select companies for investment may result in the Fund investing in securities, industries or sectors that underperform the market as a whole or underperform other funds screened for ESG standards. Further, there is a risk that information used by the Index Provider to evaluate ESG factors may not be readily available, complete or accurate, which could negatively impact the Index Provider’s ability to apply its ESG standards when compiling the Underlying Index, and which may negatively impact the Fund’s performance.
Equity Risk. Equity risk is the risk that the value of equity securities, including common stocks, may fall due to both changes in general economic conditions that impact the market as a whole, as well as factors that directly relate to a specific company or its industry. Such general economic conditions include changes in interest rates, periods of market turbulence or instability, or general and prolonged periods of economic decline and cyclical change. It is possible that a drop in the stock market may depress the price of most or all of the common stocks that the Fund holds. In addition, equity risk includes the risk that investor sentiment toward one or more industries will become negative, resulting in those investors exiting their investments in those industries, which could cause a reduction in the value of companies in those industries more broadly. The value of a company's common stock may fall solely because of factors, such as an increase in production costs, that negatively impact other companies in the same region, industry or sector of the market. A company's common stock also may decline significantly in price over a short period of time due to factors specific to that company, including decisions made by its management or lower demand for the company's products or services. For example, an adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report or the failure to make anticipated dividend payments, may depress the value of common stock.
Mid-Capitalization Company Risk. Investing in securities of mid-capitalization companies involves greater risk than customarily is associated with investing in larger, more established companies. These companies' securities may be more volatile and less liquid than those of more established companies and may have returns that vary, sometimes significantly, from the overall securities market. Mid-capitalization companies tend to have less experienced management as well as limited product and market diversification and financial resources compared to larger capitalization companies. Often mid-capitalization companies and the industries in which they focus are still evolving and, as a result, they may be more sensitive to changing market conditions.
Non-Diversified Fund Risk. Because the Fund is non-diversified and can invest a greater portion of its assets in securities of individual issuers than a diversified fund, changes in the market value of a single investment could cause greater fluctuations in Share price than would occur in a diversified fund. This may increase the Fund's volatility and cause the performance of a relatively small number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund's performance.
Industry Concentration Risk. In following its methodology, the Underlying Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers operating in a single industry or industry group. To the extent that the Underlying Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or industry group, the Fund will also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or industry group, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or industry groups. Such industry-based risks, any of which may adversely affect the companies in which the Fund invests, may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand in a particular industry; competition for resources, adverse labor relations, political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in an industry. In addition, at times, such industry or industry group may be out of favor and underperform other industries or the market as a whole.
Issuer-Specific Changes Risk. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.
Non-Correlation Risk. The Fund's return may not match the return of the Underlying Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses not applicable to the Underlying Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund's securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Underlying Index. In addition, the performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary due to asset valuation differences and differences between the Fund's portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions, costs or liquidity constraints.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only authorized participants (“APs”) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as APs and such APs have no obligation to submit creation or redemption orders. Consequently, there is no assurance that APs will establish or maintain an active trading market for the Shares. This risk may be heightened to the extent that securities held by the Fund are traded outside a collateralized settlement system. In that case, APs may be required to post collateral on certain trades on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants), which only a limited number of APs may be able to do. In addition, to the extent that APs exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other AP is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units (as defined below), this may result in a significantly diminished trading market for Shares, and Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to the Fund's NAV and to face trading halts and/or delisting. Investments in non-U.S. securities, which may have lower trading volumes, may increase this risk.
Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for the Shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. Any of these factors may lead to the Shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund's NAV.
Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks.
Performance
As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not commenced operations and therefore does not have a performance history. Once available, the
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Fund's performance information will be accessible on the Fund's website at www.invesco.com/ETFs and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.
Management of the Fund
Investment Adviser. Invesco Capital Management LLC.
Portfolio Managers
The following individuals are responsible jointly and primarily for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
Name
Title with Adviser/Trust
Date Began
Managing
the Fund
Peter Hubbard
Head of Equities and Director of
Portfolio Management of the
Adviser; Vice President of the Trust
[          ]
Michael Jeanette
Senior Portfolio Manager of the
Adviser
[          ]
Pratik Doshi
Portfolio Manager of the Adviser
[          ]
Tony Seisser
Portfolio Manager of the Adviser
[          ]
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only with APs and only in large blocks of [          ] Shares (each block of Shares is called a “Creation Unit”) or multiples thereof (“Creation Unit Aggregations”), generally in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a basket of securities. However, the Fund also reserves the right to permit or require Creation Units to be issued in exchange for cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the Shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.
Individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker or dealer at a market price. Because the Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV, or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”).
Recent information, including information on the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at www.invesco.com/ETFs.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions generally will be taxed as ordinary income, capital gains or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case your distributions may be taxed as ordinary income when withdrawn from such account.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund’s distributor or its related companies may pay the intermediary for certain Fund-related activities, including those that are designed to make the intermediary more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, such as the Fund, as well as for marketing, education or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson or financial adviser to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or financial adviser or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

Additional Information About the Fund’s Strategies and Risks
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund generally will invest at least 80% of its total assets in components of its Underlying Index. The Fund operates as an index fund and will not be actively managed. The Fund uses an “indexing” investment approach to seek to track the investment results, before fees and expenses, of its Underlying Index. The Adviser seeks correlation over time of 0.95 or better between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its Underlying Index; a figure of 1.00 would represent perfect correlation. Another means of evaluating the relationship between the returns of the Fund and its Underlying Index is to assess the “tracking error” between the two. Tracking error means the variation between the Fund’s annual return and the return of its Underlying Index, expressed in terms of standard deviation. The Fund seeks to have a tracking error of less than 5%, measured on a monthly basis over a one-year period by taking the standard deviation of the difference in the Fund’s returns versus the Underlying Index’s returns. Because the Fund uses an indexing approach to try to achieve its investment objective, the Fund does not take temporary defensive positions during periods of adverse market, economic or other conditions.
The Fund employs a “full replication” methodology in seeking to track its Underlying Index, meaning that it generally will invest in all of the securities comprising the Underlying Index in proportion to their weightings in the Underlying Index. However, under various circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to purchase all of the securities in those same weightings. In those circumstances, the Fund may purchase a sample of securities in its Underlying Index. A “sampling” methodology means that the Adviser uses a quantitative analysis to select securities from the Underlying Index universe to obtain a representative sample of securities that have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics similar to the Underlying Index in terms of key risk factors, performance attributes and other characteristics. These include industry weightings, market capitalization, return variability, earnings valuation, yield and other financial characteristics of securities. When employing a sampling methodology, the Adviser bases the quantity of holdings in the Fund on a number of factors, including asset size of the Fund, and generally expects the Fund to hold less than the total number of securities in the Underlying Index. However, the Adviser reserves the right to invest the Fund in as many securities as it believes necessary to achieve the Fund’s investment objective.
There also may be instances in which the Adviser may choose to (i) overweight or underweight a component of the Underlying Index, (ii) purchase securities not contained in the Underlying Index that the Adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain components of the Underlying Index, or (iii) utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques in seeking to track the Underlying Index. The Fund may sell securities included in its Underlying Index in anticipation of their removal from the Underlying Index, or purchase securities not included in its Underlying Index in anticipation of their addition to the Underlying Index.
Additional information about the construction of the Fund’s Underlying Index is set forth below.
Invesco US Inclusion Index
The Underlying Index includes constituents of the Invesco Indexing Investable Universe (the “Investable Universe”), which is designed to capture the investable segment of the global equity market. Publicly-listed equity securities or securities that exhibit equity-like characteristics are eligible for inclusion in the Investable Universe. The Investment Universe excludes limited partnerships, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, warrants, rights and investment trusts (other than real estate investment trusts). The Investable Universe includes securities that meet certain security-level liquidity criteria, including trading history, free float, size and trading volume minimums. Each security in the Investable Universe is categorized as being
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of a particular country, region, developing or emerging market, market-capitalization size, sector and industry based on the Investable Universe Methodology. In accordance with the Investable Universe Methodology, a security is assigned a country based on a review of three criteria: (i) where a company has its headquarters; (ii) where a company is incorporated; and (iii) the country most relevant for trading the company’s securities. For developed and emerging markets separately, each eligible security in the Investable Universe is ranked by total market capitalization. Companies in the top 96% of total market capitalization for developed markets and the top 98% of total market capitalization for emerging markets are included in the Investable Universe. To reduce turnover, current constituents will remain in the Investable Universe at each annual rebalance if they are in the top 99% of total market capitalization for developed markets and the top 99.5% of total market capitalization for emerging markets. The Investable Universe is rebalanced annually in June. In addition, constituents may be added to or removed from the Investable Universe in March, September and December.
The Index Provider selects components for inclusion in the Underlying Index from the Investable Universe that are categorized as equities of U.S. large or mid-capitalization companies (the “Index Universe”). For a security to be eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index, an issuer must: (i) have representation in corporate leadership (defined as board members and/or non-executive officers) by persons of color and by women that ranks in both the top 50% (by security count) of the index universe and the company’s sector; (ii) have a non-negative growth rate in representation in corporate leadership by persons of color and by women as measured by the average year-over-year percentage change for the past three years; and (iii) have a “diversity score” that ranks in the top 50% of companies in the applicable sector. The diversity score is a numerical metric provided by a third-party data provider, which is designed to measure the relative strength of a company’s diversity programs and anti-discrimination policies.
The Underlying Index excludes securities of issuers that (i) are materially involved in the production of tobacco, cannabis or weapons, and those involved in the retail sale of cannabis and assault weapons, (ii) are non-compliant with the United Nations’ Global Compact; (iii) have an overall ESG score provided by a third-party research provider that that ranks in the bottom 10% of the index universe, or (iv) have high involvement in controversies with negative ESG implications, based on data provided a third-party research provider.
All securities from the Index Universe that meet the eligibility criteria and do not satisfy any of the exclusionary criteria are selected for inclusion in the Underlying Index. At each annual rebalance, securities in the Underlying Index are generally weighted proportionally to their float-adjusted market-capitalization, subject to a maximum index weight of 10%. In addition, if an index constituent has an index weight greater than 5%, the aggregate index weight of all constituents with individual weights greater than 5% is capped at 50%, and any weight in excess of 50% is distributed among the remaining constituents on a pro rata basis.
The Underlying Index is rebalanced annually effective the third Friday in June. In addition, a constituent may be removed from the Underlying Index in March, September and December if the constituent (i) is removed from the Investable Universe, (ii) meets any of the exclusionary criteria noted above, or (ii) ranks in the bottom 10% of its sector or the Index Universe according to its representation in corporate leadership by persons of color or by women, or by its Diversity Score will be removed. The Fund is rebalanced and updated in accordance with the Underlying Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
The following provides additional information regarding certain of the principal risks identified under “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund” in the Fund's “Summary Information” section. Any of the following risks may impact the Fund’s NAV which could result in the Fund trading at a premium or discount to NAV.
Market Risk. Securities in the Underlying Index are subject to market fluctuations, and the Fund could lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. You should anticipate that the value of the Shares will decline, more or less, in correlation with any decline in value of the securities in the Underlying Index. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Additionally, natural or environmental disasters, widespread disease or other public health issues, war, acts of terrorism or other events could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.
COVID-19 Risk. The current outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, has resulted in instances of market closures and dislocations, extreme volatility, liquidity constraints and increased trading costs. Efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 have resulted in travel restrictions, closed international borders, disruptions of healthcare systems, business operations and supply chains, layoffs, lower consumer demand, defaults and other significant economic impacts, all of which have disrupted global economic activity across many industries and may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks, locally or globally. The ongoing effects of COVID-19 are unpredictable and may result in significant and prolonged effects on the Fund’s performance.
Index Risk. Unlike many investment companies that are “actively managed,” the Fund is a “passive” investor and therefore does not utilize an investing strategy that seeks returns in excess of the Underlying Index. Therefore, the Fund would not necessarily buy or sell a security unless that security is added or removed, respectively, from the Underlying Index, even if that security generally is underperforming. If a specific security is removed from the Underlying Index, the Fund may be forced to sell such security at an inopportune time or for a price lower than the security’s current market value. The Underlying Index may not contain the appropriate mix of securities for any particular economic cycle. Additionally, the Fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with the Underlying Index, and, therefore, any changes to the Underlying Index’s rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes to the Fund’s rebalance schedule. Further, unlike with an actively managed fund, the Adviser does not use techniques or defensive strategies designed to lessen the impact of periods of market volatility or market decline. This means that, based on certain market and economic conditions, the Fund’s performance could be lower than other types of funds with investment advisers that actively manage their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or defend against market events.
Values-Based Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities whose issuers reflect the values of diverse executive leadership and inclusive corporate policies, as set forth in the Underlying Index’s methodology. The Fund’s performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified. Investing only in a portfolio of securities of issuers that reflect these values may affect the Fund’s exposure to certain types of investments and may adversely impact the Fund’s performance depending on whether such investments are in or out of favor in the market. The criteria used to select companies for investment may result in the Fund investing in securities, industries or sectors that underperform the market as a whole or underperform other funds screened for ESG standards. Further, there is a risk that information used by the Index Provider to evaluate ESG factors may not be readily available, complete or accurate, which could negatively impact the Index Provider’s ability to apply its ESG standards when compiling the Underlying Index, and which may negatively impact the Fund’s performance.
Equity Risk. Equity risk is the risk that the value of equity securities, including common stocks, will fall. The value of an equity security may fall due to changes in general economic conditions that impact the market as a
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whole and that are relatively unrelated to an issuer or its industry. These conditions include changes in interest rates, specific periods of overall market turbulence or instability, or general and prolonged periods of economic decline and cyclical change. An issuer's common stock in particular may be especially sensitive to, and more adversely affected by, these general movements in the stock market; it is possible that a drop in the stock market may depress the price of most or all of the common stocks that the Fund holds.
In addition, equity risk includes the risk that investor sentiment toward, and perceptions regarding, one or more particular industries or economic sectors will become negative, resulting in those investors exiting their investments in those industries, which could cause a reduction in the value of companies in those industries or sectors more broadly. Price changes of equity securities may occur in a particular region, industry, or sector of the market, and as a result, the value of an issuer's common stock may fall solely because of factors, such as increases in production costs, that negatively impact other companies in the same industry or in a number of different industries.
Equity risk also includes the financial risks of a specific company, including that the value of the company's securities may fall as a result of factors directly relating to that company, such as decisions made by its management or lower demand for the company's products or services. In particular, the common stock of a company may decline significantly in price over short periods of time. For example, an adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of common stock; similarly, the common stock of an issuer may decline in price if the issuer fails to make anticipated dividend payments because, among other reasons, the issuer experiences a decline in its financial condition.
Mid-Capitalization Company Risk. Securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile and thinly traded (that is, less liquid) than those of more established companies. These securities may have returns that vary, sometimes significantly, from the overall securities market. Often, mid-capitalization companies and the industries in which they focus are still evolving and, as a result, they may be more sensitive to changing market conditions. In addition, mid-capitalization companies are typically less financially stable than larger, more established companies, and they may depend on a small number of essential personnel, making them more vulnerable to loss of personnel. Mid-capitalization companies also normally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments concerning their products. As such, mid-capitalization companies typically are more likely to be adversely affected than large-capitalization companies by changes in earnings results, business prospects, investor expectations or poor economic or market conditions.
Non-Diversified Fund Risk. Because the Fund is considered non-diversified and can invest a greater portion of its assets in securities of individual issuers than a diversified fund, changes in the market value of a single investment could cause greater fluctuations in Share price than would occur in a diversified fund. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively small number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
Industry Concentration Risk. In following its methodology, the Underlying Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers operating in a single industry or industry group. To the extent that the Underlying Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or industry group, the Fund will also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or industry group, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or industry groups. Such industry-based risks, any of which may adversely affect the companies in which the Fund invests, may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand in a particular industry, competition for resources, adverse labor relations, political or world events,
obsolescence of technologies, and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in an industry. In addition, at times, such industry or industry group may be out of favor and underperform other industries or the market as a whole. Information about the Fund’s exposure to a particular industry or industry group will be available in the Fund’s Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders, as well as on required forms filed with the SEC.
Issuer-Specific Changes Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform worse than the market as a whole, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Non-Correlation Risk. The Fund’s returns may not match the returns of the Underlying Index (that is, it may experience tracking error) for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses not applicable to the Underlying Index and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Underlying Index. To the extent that the Fund has recently commenced operations and/or otherwise has a relatively small amount of assets, such transaction costs could have a proportionally greater impact on the Fund. Additionally, if the Fund uses a sampling approach, it may result in returns for the Fund that are not as well-correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index.
The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary due to asset valuation differences and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions, costs or liquidity constraints. Additionally, if the Fund issues or redeems Creation Units principally for cash, it will incur higher costs in buying or selling securities than if it issued and redeemed Creation Units principally in-kind, which may contribute to tracking error. The Fund may fair value certain of the securities it holds. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices, the Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index may be adversely affected. Since the Underlying Index is not subject to the tax diversification requirements to which the Fund must adhere, the Fund may be required to deviate its investments from the securities contained in, and relative weightings of, the Underlying Index. The Fund may not invest in certain securities included in the Underlying Index due to liquidity constraints. Liquidity constraints also may delay the Fund’s purchase or sale of securities included in the Underlying Index. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities to realize losses, causing it to deviate from the Underlying Index.
The Fund generally attempts to remain fully invested in the constituents of the Underlying Index. However, the Adviser may not fully invest the Fund’s assets at times, either as a result of cash flows into the Fund, to retain a reserve of cash to meet redemptions and expenses, or because of low assets.
The investment activities of one or more of the Adviser’s affiliates, including other subsidiaries of the Adviser’s parent company, Invesco Ltd., for their proprietary accounts and for client accounts also may adversely impact the Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index. For example, in regulated industries, certain emerging or international markets and under corporate and regulatory ownership definitions, there may be limits on the aggregate amount of investment by affiliated investors that may not be exceeded, or that may not be exceeded without the grant of a license or other regulatory or corporate consent, or, if exceeded, may cause the Adviser, the Fund or other client accounts to suffer disadvantages or
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business restrictions. As a result, the Fund may be restricted in its ability to acquire particular securities due to positions held by the Fund and the Adviser’s affiliates.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only APs may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as APs, and such APs have no obligation to submit creation or redemption orders. Consequently, there is no assurance that APs will establish or maintain an active trading market for the Shares. The risk may be heightened to the extent that securities held by the Fund are traded outside a collateralized settlement system. In that case, APs may be required to post collateral on certain trades on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants), which only a limited number of APs may be able to do. In addition, to the extent that APs exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other AP is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units, this may result in a significantly diminished trading market for Shares, and Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and to face trading halts and/or delisting. Investments in non-U.S. securities, which may have lower trading volumes, may increase this risk.
Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. Although Shares are listed for trading on a securities exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for Shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or APs, that Shares will continue to trade on any such exchange or that Shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing on an exchange. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the Shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods. Further, the Fund may experience low trading volume and wide bid/ask spreads. Bid/ask spreads vary over time based on trading volume and market liquidity (including for the underlying securities held by the Fund), and are generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s portfolio holdings, which may cause a variance in the market price of Shares and their underlying value.
Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address these risks.
Non-Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund, after investing at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise its Underlying Index, may invest its remaining assets in securities (including other funds) not included in its Underlying Index, and in money market instruments, including repurchase agreements and other funds, including affiliated funds, that invest exclusively in money market instruments (subject to applicable limitations under the 1940 Act or exemptions therefrom) convertible securities, structured notes (notes on which the amount of principal repayment and interest payments is based on the movement of one or more specified factors, such as the movement of a particular security or securities index) and in futures contracts, options and options on futures contracts. The Fund may use options, futures contracts, convertible securities and structured notes to seek performance that corresponds to its Underlying Index and to manage cash flows. The Adviser anticipates that it may take approximately two business days (a business day is any day that the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open) for
additions to, and deletions from the Underlying Index to fully settle in the portfolio composition of the Fund.
The Fund's investment objective constitutes a non-fundamental policy that the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of the Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (the “Trust”) may change without shareholder approval upon 60 days' prior written notice to shareholders.
The fundamental and non-fundamental policies of the Fund are set forth in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) under the section “Investment Restrictions.”
Borrowing Money
The Fund may borrow money up to the limits set forth in the Fund’s SAI under the section “Investment Restrictions.”
Securities Lending
The Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions. In connection with such loans, the Fund receives liquid collateral equal to at least 102% (105% for international securities) of the value of the loaned portfolio securities. This collateral is marked-to-market on a daily basis.
Additional Risks of Investing in the Fund
The following provides additional risk information regarding investing in the Fund.
Affiliated Index Provider Risk. The Index Provider of the Underlying Index is an affiliated person of the Adviser, which poses the appearance of a conflict of interest. For example, a potential conflict could arise between an affiliated person of the Index Provider or the Adviser and the Fund if that entity attempted to use information regarding changes and composition of the Underlying Index to the detriment of the Fund. Additionally, potential conflicts could arise with respect to the personal trading activity of personnel of the affiliated person who may have access to, or knowledge of, pending changes to the Underlying Index's composition methodology or the constituent securities in the Underlying Index prior to the time that information is publicly disseminated. If shared, such knowledge could facilitate “front-running” (which describes an instance in which other persons trade ahead of the Fund). Although the Adviser and the Index Provider have taken steps designed to ensure that these potential conflicts are mitigated (e.g., via the adoption of policies and procedures that are designed to minimize potential conflicts of interest and the implementation of informational barriers designed to minimize the potential for the misuse of information about the Underlying Index), there can be no assurance that such measures will be successful.
Convertible Securities Risk. A convertible security generally is a preferred stock that may be converted within a specified period of time into common stock. Convertible securities nevertheless remain subject to the risks of both debt securities and equity securities. As with other equity securities, the value of a convertible security tends to increase as the price of the underlying stock goes up, and to decrease as the price of the underlying stock goes down. Declining common stock values therefore also may cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline. Like a debt security, a convertible security provides a fixed income stream and also tends to decrease in value when interest rates rise. Moreover, many convertible securities have credit ratings that are below investment grade and are subject to the same risks as lower-rated debt securities.
Cybersecurity Risk. The Fund, like all companies, may be susceptible to operational and information security risks. Cybersecurity failures or breaches of the Fund or its service providers or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
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Derivatives Risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives, such as futures and options. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their value from an underlying asset, such as a security, index or exchange rate. Their use is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Derivatives may be riskier than other types of investments and may be more volatile and less liquid than other securities.
Derivatives may be used to create synthetic exposure to an underlying asset or to hedge a portfolio risk. If the Fund uses derivatives to “hedge” a portfolio risk, the change in value of a derivative may not correlate as expected with the underlying asset being hedged, and it is possible that the hedge therefore may not succeed. In addition, given their complexity, derivatives may be difficult to value.
Derivatives are subject to a number of risks including credit risk, interest rate risk, and market risk. Credit risk refers to the possibility that a counterparty will be unable and/or unwilling to perform under the agreement. Interest rate risk refers to fluctuations in the value of an asset resulting from changes in the general level of interest rates. Over-the-counter derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk (sometimes referred to as “default risk”), which is the risk that the other party to the contract will not fulfill its contractual obligations.
Derivatives may be especially sensitive to changes in economic and market conditions, and their use may give rise to a form of leverage. Leverage may cause the portfolio of the Fund to be more volatile than if the portfolio had not been leveraged because leverage can exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of securities held by the Fund. For some derivatives, such leverage could result in losses that exceed the original amount invested in the derivative.
Index Provider Risk. The Fund seeks to track the investment results, before fees and expenses, of its Underlying Index, as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider gives descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider generally does not provide any warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in the Underlying Index, and it generally does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with its methodology. Errors made by the Index Provider with respect to the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data within its Underlying Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, if at all. Additionally, because the Index Provider is relatively new to the business of creating indexes generally, and to compiling and maintaining the Underlying Index specifically, there may be a greater risk that errors will not be detected as quickly as they might be in the case of an index that has been maintained over time by a different index provider or licensed to a multitude of different users. Therefore, gains, losses or costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Index Rebalancing Risk. Pursuant to the methodology that the Index Provider uses to calculate and maintain the Underlying Index, a security may be removed from the Underlying Index in the event that it does not comply with the eligibility requirements of the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund may be forced to sell securities at inopportune times or for prices other than at current market values or may elect not to sell such securities on the day that they are removed from the Underlying Index, due to market conditions or otherwise. Due to these factors, the variation between the Fund’s annual return and the return of its Underlying Index may increase significantly.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled rebalances also expose the Fund to additional
tracking error risk. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index Provider may increase the Fund’s costs and market exposure.
Money Market Funds Risk. Money market funds are subject to management fees and other expenses, and the Fund's investments in money market funds will cause it to bear proportionately the costs incurred by the money market funds' operations while simultaneously paying its own management fees and expenses. An investment in a money market fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency; it is possible to lose money by investing in a money market fund. To the extent that the Fund invests in money market funds, the Fund will be subject to the same risks that investors experience when investing in money market funds. These risks may include the impact of significant fluctuations in assets as a result of the cash sweep program or purchase and redemption activity in those funds.
Money market funds are open-end registered investment companies that historically have traded at a stable $1.00 per share price. However, money market funds that do not meet the definition of a “retail money market fund” or “government money market fund” under the 1940 Act are required to transact at a floating NAV per share (i.e., in a manner similar to how all other non-money market mutual funds transact), instead of at a $1.00 stable share price. Money market funds may also impose liquidity fees and redemption gates for use in times of market stress. If the Fund invested in a money market fund with a floating NAV, the impact on the trading and value of the money market instrument may negatively affect the Fund's return potential.
Natural Disaster/Epidemic Risk. Natural or environmental disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis and other severe weather-related phenomena generally, and widespread disease, including pandemics and epidemics, have been and may be highly disruptive to economies and markets, adversely impacting individual companies, sectors, industries, markets, currencies, interest and inflation rates, credit ratings, investor sentiment, and other factors affecting the value of the Fund’s investments. Additionally, if a sector or sectors in which the Underlying Index is concentrated is negatively impacted to a greater extent by such events, the Fund may experience heightened volatility. Given the increasing interdependence among global economies and markets, conditions in one country, market, or region are increasingly likely to adversely affect markets, issuers, and/or foreign exchange rates in other countries, including the U.S. Any such events could have a significant adverse impact on the value of the Fund’s investments.
Repurchase Agreements Risk. Repurchase agreements are agreements pursuant to which the Fund acquires securities from a third party with the understanding that the seller will repurchase them at a fixed price on an agreed date. Repurchase agreements may be characterized as loans secured by the underlying securities. If the seller of securities under a repurchase agreement defaults on its obligation to repurchase the underlying securities, as a result of its bankruptcy or otherwise, the Fund will seek to dispose of such securities, which action could involve costs or delays. If the seller becomes insolvent and subject to liquidation or reorganization under applicable bankruptcy or other laws, the Fund’s ability to dispose of the underlying securities may be restricted. If the seller fails to repurchase the securities, the Fund may suffer a loss to the extent proceeds from the sale of the underlying securities are less than the repurchase prices.
Risks of Futures and Options. The Fund may enter into U.S. futures contracts, options and options on futures contracts to simulate full investment in its Underlying Index, or to manage cash flows. The Fund will not use futures or options for speculative purposes. The Fund intends to use futures and options contracts to limit its risk exposure to levels comparable to direct investment in securities.
An option gives a holder the right to buy or sell a specific security or an index at a specified price within a specified period of time. An option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right, in return for the premium
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paid, to assume a position in the underlying futures contract at a specified price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option. Options can offer large amounts of leverage, which may result in the Fund’s NAV being more sensitive to changes in the value of the related instrument. The purchase of put or call options could be based upon predictions as to anticipated trends; such predictions could prove to be incorrect resulting in loss of part or all of the premium paid. The risk of trading uncovered call options in some strategies (e.g., selling uncovered stock index futures contracts) potentially is unlimited.
Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific instrument or index at a specified future time and at a specified price. Because futures contracts project price levels in the future, market circumstances may cause a discrepancy between the price of the stock index future and the movement in the Underlying Index. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would remain required to make daily cash payments to maintain its required margin. There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular futures contract at any particular time. The risk of loss in trading futures contracts potentially is unlimited.
The Fund must segregate liquid assets or take other appropriate measures to “cover” open positions in futures contracts. For futures contracts that do not cash settle, the Fund must segregate liquid assets equal to the full notional value of the futures contracts while the positions are open. For futures contracts that do cash settle, the Fund is permitted to set aside liquid assets in an amount equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market net obligations (i.e., the Fund’s daily net liability) under the futures contract, if any, rather than their full notional value.
Securities Lending Risk. Securities lending involves a risk of loss because the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. If the Fund lends its securities and is unable to recover the securities loaned, it may sell the collateral and purchase a replacement security in the market. Lending securities entails a risk of loss to the Fund if and to the extent that the market value of the loaned securities increases and the collateral is not increased accordingly. Any cash received as collateral for loaned securities will be invested in an affiliated money market fund. This investment is subject to market appreciation or depreciation and the Fund will bear any loss on the investment of its cash collateral.
Shares May Trade at Prices Different than NAV. The NAV of the Shares generally will fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The market prices of Shares generally will fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV, as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on the exchange on which the Fund trades. The Adviser cannot predict whether the Shares will trade below, at, or above the Fund’s NAV. Price differences may be due largely to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for the Shares will be related, but not identical, to the same forces influencing the prices of the securities in the Fund’s Underlying Index trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions or the existence of extreme market volatility may result in trading prices that differ significantly from NAV.
Structured Notes Risk. Investments in structured notes involve risks including interest rate risk, credit risk and market risk. Depending on the factors used, changes in interest rates and movement of such factors may cause significant price fluctuations. Structured notes may be less liquid than other types of securities and more volatile than the reference factor underlying the note. This means that the Fund may lose money if the issuer of the note defaults, as the Fund may not be able to readily close out its investment in such notes without incurring losses.
Trading Issues Risk. Investors buying or selling Shares in the secondary market may pay brokerage commissions or other charges, which may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. Moreover, trading in Shares on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”) may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In
addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. Foreign exchanges may be open on days when Shares are not priced, and therefore, the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell Shares.

Tax Structure of ETFs
Unlike interests in conventional mutual funds, which typically are bought and sold only at closing NAVs, Shares are traded throughout the day in the secondary market on a national securities exchange, and are created and redeemed principally in-kind in Creation Units at each day’s next calculated NAV. These in-kind arrangements are designed to protect shareholders from the adverse effects on the Fund’s portfolio that could arise from frequent cash creation and redemption transactions. In a conventional mutual fund, redemptions can have an adverse tax impact on taxable shareholders because the mutual fund may need to sell portfolio securities to obtain cash to meet such redemptions. These sales may generate taxable gains that must be distributed to the shareholders of the mutual fund, whereas the Shares’ in-kind redemption mechanism generally will not lead to such taxable events for the Fund or its shareholders.
The Fund may recognize gains as a result of rebalancing its securities holdings to reflect changes in the securities included in the Fund’s Underlying Index. The Fund also may be required to distribute any such gains to its shareholders to avoid adverse federal income tax consequences. For information concerning the tax consequences of distributions, see the section entitled “Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes” in this Prospectus.

Portfolio Holdings
A description of the Trust's policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Fund’s SAI, which is available at www.invesco.com/ETFs.

Management of the Fund
Invesco Capital Management LLC is a registered investment adviser with its offices at 3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700, Downers Grove, IL 60515. Invesco Capital Management LLC serves as the investment adviser to the Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust and Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, a family of ETFs, with combined assets under management of $[          ] as of [          ], 2021.
As the Fund’s investment adviser, the Adviser has overall responsibility for selecting and continuously monitoring the Fund’s investments, managing the Fund’s business affairs, and providing certain clerical, bookkeeping and other administrative services for the Trust.
Portfolio Managers
The Adviser uses a team of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other investment specialists in managing the Fund. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages the Adviser's extensive resources. In this regard, Peter Hubbard, Michael Jeanette, Pratik Doshi and Tony Seisser (the “Portfolio Managers”) are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
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Each Portfolio Manager is responsible for various functions related to portfolio management, including investing cash flows, coordinating with other team members to focus on certain asset classes, implementing investment strategies and researching and reviewing investment strategy.
Each Portfolio Manager has limitations on his authority for risk management and compliance purposes that the Adviser believes to be appropriate.
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Peter Hubbard, Head of Equities and Director of Portfolio Management of the Adviser, has been responsible for the management of the Fund since [          ]. He has been responsible for the management of certain funds in the Invesco family of ETFs since June 2007 and has been associated with the Adviser since 2005.
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Michael Jeanette, Senior Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has been responsible for the management of the Fund since [          ]. He has been responsible for the management of certain funds in the Invesco family of ETFs since August 2008 and has been associated with the Adviser since 2008.
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Pratik Doshi, Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has been responsible for the management of the Fund since [          ]. He has been responsible for the management of certain funds in the Invesco family of ETFs since October 2019 and has been associated with the Adviser since 2018. Prior to joining the Adviser, Mr. Doshi earned his MBA from the University of Chicago from 2016 to 2018. Prior to that, Mr. Doshi was a Vice President at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch from 2014 to 2016.
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Tony Seisser, Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has been responsible for the management of the Fund since [          ]. He has been responsible for the management of certain funds in the Invesco family of ETFs since August 2014 and has been associated with the Adviser since 2013.
The Fund's SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Managers’ compensation structure, other accounts that the Portfolio Managers manage and the Portfolio Managers' ownership of Shares.
Advisory Fees
Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Trust (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”), the Fund pays the Adviser an annual management fee equal to [          ]% of its average daily net assets (the “Advisory Fee”).
The Advisory Fee paid by the Fund to the Adviser is an annual unitary management fee. Out of the unitary management fee, the Adviser pays for substantially all expenses of the Fund, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services, except for advisory fees, distribution fees, if any, brokerage expenses, taxes, interest, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any, litigation expenses, and other extraordinary expenses, including proxy expenses (except for such proxies related to: (i) changes to the Investment Advisory Agreement, (ii) the election of any Board member who is an “interested person” of the Trust, or (iii) any other matters that directly benefit the Adviser).
The Fund may invest in money market funds that are managed by affiliates of the Adviser and other funds (including ETFs) managed by the Adviser or affiliates of the Adviser (collectively, “Underlying Affiliated Investments”). The indirect portion of the advisory fees that the Fund incurs through such Underlying Affiliated Investments is in addition to the Advisory Fee payable to the Adviser by the Fund. Therefore, the Adviser has agreed to waive the Advisory Fee payable by the Fund in an amount equal to the lesser of: (i) 100% of the net advisory fees earned by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser that are attributable to the Fund's Underlying Affiliated Investments or (ii) the Advisory Fee available to be waived. These waivers do not apply to the Fund's investment of cash collateral received for securities lending. These waivers are in place through at least August 31, 2023, and there is no guarantee that the Adviser will extend them past that date.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to the Fund will be available in
the Fund’s [Semi-Annual/Annual] Report to Shareholders for the fiscal [year/period] ended [          ].

How to Buy and Sell Shares
The Fund issues or redeems its Shares at NAV per Share only in Creation Units or Creation Unit Aggregations.
Most investors buy and sell Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares are listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. There is no minimum investment. Although Shares generally are purchased and sold in “round lots” of 100 Shares, brokerage firms typically permit investors to purchase or sell Shares in smaller “odd lots,” at no per share price differential. 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.
The Shares trade on the Exchange under the symbol “[TICKER].”
Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per Share.
APs may acquire Shares directly from the Fund, and APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV per Share, only in Creation Units or Creation Unit Aggregations, and in accordance with the procedures described in the SAI.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will pay out redemption proceeds to a redeeming AP within two days after the AP’s redemption request is received, in accordance with the process set forth in the Fund’s SAI and in the agreement between the AP and the Fund’s distributor. However, the Fund reserves the right, including under stressed market conditions, to take up to seven days after the receipt of a redemption request to pay an AP, all as permitted by the 1940 Act. If the Fund has foreign investments in a country where local market holiday(s) prevent the Fund from delivering such foreign investments to an AP in response to a redemption request, the Fund may take up to 15 days after the receipt of the redemption request to deliver such investments to the AP.
The Fund anticipates meeting redemption requests either by paying redemption proceeds to an AP primarily through in-kind redemptions or in cash. Cash used for redemptions will be raised from the sale of portfolio assets or may come from existing holdings of cash or cash equivalents. If the Fund holds Rule 144A securities, an AP that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), will not be able to receive those Rule 144A securities.
The Fund may liquidate and terminate at any time without shareholder approval.
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 and is recognized as the record 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 stocks that you hold in book entry or “street name” form.
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Share Trading Prices
The trading prices of Shares on the Exchange may differ from the Fund’s daily NAV. Market forces of supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors may affect the trading prices of Shares.

Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Shares
Shares may be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund only in Creation Units by APs. The vast majority of trading in Shares occurs on the secondary market and does not involve the Fund directly. In-kind purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by APs and cash trades on the secondary market are unlikely to cause many of the harmful effects of frequent purchases and/or redemptions of Shares. Cash purchases or redemptions of Creation Units, however, can result in increased tracking error, disruption of portfolio management, dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, and may lead to the realization of capital gains. These consequences may increase as the frequency of cash purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by APs increases. However, direct trading by APs is critical to ensuring that Shares trade at or close to NAV.
To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares, the Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs the Fund incurs in effecting trades. In addition, the Adviser monitors trades by APs for patterns of abusive trading and the Fund reserves the right not to accept orders from APs that the Adviser has determined may be disruptive to the management of the Fund, or otherwise are not in the best interests of the Fund. For these reasons, the Board has not adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares of the Fund.

Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes
Dividends and Other Distributions
Generally, dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid quarterly by the Fund. The Fund also intends to distribute its net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders annually.
Dividends and other distributions may be declared and paid more frequently to comply with the distribution requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and to avoid a federal excise tax imposed on regulated investment companies.
Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available.
Taxes
The Fund intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company (RIC) and, as such, is not subject to entity-level tax on the income and gain it distributes. If you are a taxable investor, dividends and distributions you receive generally are taxable to you whether you reinvest distributions in additional Shares or take them in cash. Every year, you will be sent information showing the amount of dividends and distributions you received during the prior calendar year. In addition, investors in taxable accounts should be aware of the following basic tax points as supplemented below where relevant:
Fund Tax Basics
■ 
The Fund earns income generally in the form of dividends or interest on its investments. This income, less expenses incurred in the operation of
the Fund, constitutes the Fund's net investment income from which dividends may be paid to shareholders. If you are a taxable investor, distributions of net investment income generally are taxable to you as ordinary income.
■ 
Distributions of net short-term capital gains are taxable to you as ordinary income. A higher portfolio turnover rate (a measure of how frequently assets within the Fund are bought and sold) is more likely to generate short-term capital gains than a lower portfolio turnover rate.
■ 
Distributions of net long-term capital gains are taxable to you as long-term capital gains no matter how long you have owned your Shares.
■ 
A portion of income dividends paid by the Fund may be reported as qualified dividend income eligible for taxation by individual shareholders at long-term capital gain rates, provided certain holding period requirements are met. These reduced rates generally are available for dividends derived from the Fund's investment in stocks of domestic corporations and qualified foreign corporations. Should the Fund invest primarily in debt securities, either none or only a nominal portion of the dividends paid by the Fund will be eligible for taxation at these reduced rates.
■ 
The use of derivatives by the Fund may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of ordinary income or short-term capital gain, distributions from which are taxable to individual shareholders at ordinary income tax rates rather than at the more favorable tax rates for long-term capital gain.
■ 
Distributions declared to shareholders with a record date in December–if paid to you by the end of January–are taxable for federal income tax purposes as if received in December.
■ 
Any long-term or short-term capital gains realized on the sale of your Shares will be subject to federal income tax.
■ 
Upon termination of the Fund, a shareholder will receive a liquidating distribution(s) which should be treated as payment in exchange for the Fund shares held by the shareholder. As a result, each shareholder should recognize gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in his or her shares and the liquidating distribution(s) he or she receives, except to the extent the Fund’s shares are held in a tax-advantaged arrangement. A liquidating distribution may be subject to backup withholding as described below.
■ 
A shareholder's cost basis information will be provided on the sale of any of the shareholder's Shares, subject to certain exceptions for exempt recipients. Please contact the broker (or other nominee) that holds your Shares with respect to the reporting of your cost basis and available elections for your account.
■ 
At the time you purchase your Shares, the Fund's NAV may reflect undistributed income or undistributed capital gains. A subsequent distribution to you of such amounts, although constituting a return of your investment, would be taxable. Buying Shares just before the Fund declares an income dividend or capital gains distribution is sometimes known as “buying a dividend.” In addition, the Fund's NAV may, at any time, reflect net unrealized appreciation, which may result in future taxable distributions to you.
■ 
By law, if you do not provide the Fund with your proper taxpayer identification number and certain required certifications, you may be subject to backup withholding on any distributions of income, capital gains, or proceeds from the sale of your Shares. The Fund also must withhold if the IRS instructs it to do so. When withholding is required, the amount will be 24% of any distributions or proceeds paid.
■ 
An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from taxable dispositions of Shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person's
10        

“modified adjusted gross income” (in the case of an individual) or “adjusted gross income” (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds a threshold amount. This Medicare tax, if applicable, is reported by you on, and paid with, your federal income tax return.
■ 
You will not be required to include the portion of dividends paid by the Fund derived from interest on U.S. government obligations in your gross income for purposes of personal and, in some cases, corporate income taxes in many state and local tax jurisdictions. The percentage of dividends that constitutes dividends derived from interest on federal obligations will be determined annually. This percentage may differ from the actual percentage of interest received by the Fund on federal obligations for the particular days on which you hold shares.
■ 
Fund distributions and gains from the sale of Shares generally are subject to state and local income taxes.
■ 
If the Fund qualifies to pass through the tax benefits from foreign taxes it pays on its investments, and elects to do so, then any foreign taxes it pays on these investments may be passed through to you. You will then be required to include your pro-rata share of these taxes in gross income, even though not actually received by you, and will be entitled either to deduct your share of these taxes in computing your taxable income, or to claim a foreign tax credit for these taxes against your U.S. federal income tax.
■ 
Foreign investors should be aware that U.S. withholding, special certification requirements to avoid U.S. backup withholding and claim any treaty benefits, and estate taxes may apply to an investment in the Fund.
■ 
Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), a 30% withholding tax is imposed on income dividends made by the Fund to certain foreign entities, referred to as foreign financial institutions or non-financial foreign entities, that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. After December 31, 2018, FATCA withholding also would have applied to certain capital gain distributions, return of capital distributions and the proceeds arising from the sale of Shares; however, based on proposed regulations issued by the IRS, which can be relied upon currently, such withholding is no longer required unless final regulations provide otherwise (which is not expected). The Fund may disclose the information that it receives from its shareholders to the IRS, non-U.S. taxing authorities or other parties as necessary to comply with FATCA or similar laws. Withholding also may be required if a foreign entity that is a shareholder of the Fund fails to provide the Fund with appropriate certifications or other documentation concerning its status under FATCA.
Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units
To the extent that the Fund permits in-kind transactions, an AP that exchanges equity securities for a Creation Unit generally will recognize a capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time of exchange (plus any cash received by the AP as part of the issue) and the sum of the AP's aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus any cash component paid. Similarly, an AP that redeems a Creation Unit in exchange for securities generally will recognize a capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the AP's basis in the Creation Units (plus any cash paid by the AP as part of the redemption) and the aggregate market value of the securities received (plus any cash received by the AP as part of the redemption). The IRS, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for a Creation Unit, or of a Creation Unit for securities, cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales” or on the ground that there has been no significant change in the AP's economic position. An AP exchanging securities should consult its own tax advisor(s) with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss otherwise might not be deductible.
Any capital gain or loss realized on a redemption of a Creation Unit generally is 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, assuming that such Creation Units are held as a capital asset. If you purchase or redeem one or more Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many Shares you purchased or sold and at what price.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the more important possible consequences under current federal, state and local tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to state, local and/or foreign tax on the Fund's distributions and sales and/or redemptions of Shares. Consult your personal tax advisor(s) about the potential tax consequences of an investment in the Shares under all applicable tax laws.

Distributor
Invesco Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”) serves as the distributor of Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Shares. The Distributor is an affiliate of the Adviser and the Index Provider.

Net Asset Value
The NAV for the Fund will be calculated and disseminated daily on each day that the NYSE is open for trading. The Bank of New York Mellon (“BNYM”) normally calculates the Fund’s NAV as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time). The Fund’s NAV is based on prices at the time of closing, and U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market or exchange. NAV is calculated by deducting all of the Fund’s liabilities from the total value of its assets and then dividing the result by the number of Shares outstanding, rounding to the nearest cent. Generally, the portfolio securities are recorded in the NAV no later than the trade date plus one day. All valuations are subject to review by the Trust’s 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. Securities listed or traded on an exchange (except convertible securities) generally are valued at the last trade price or official closing price that day as of the close of the exchange where the security primarily trades. Investment companies are valued using such company’s NAV per share, unless the shares are exchange-traded, in which case they will be valued at the last trade price or official closing price on the exchanges on which they primarily trade. Deposits, other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks and financial institutions, and cash equivalents are valued at their daily account value. Debt obligations (including convertible securities) and unlisted securities normally are valued on the basis of prices provided by independent pricing services. Pricing services generally value debt securities assuming orderly transactions of institutional round lot size, but the Fund may hold or transact in the same securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots often trade at lower prices than institutional round lots, and their value may be adjusted accordingly. Futures contracts are valued at the final settlement price set by an exchange on which they are principally traded. Listed options are valued at the mean between the last bid and asked prices from the exchange on which they principally trade. Options not listed on an exchange are valued by an independent source at the mean between the last bid and asked prices. Swaps generally are valued using pricing provided from independent pricing services. Unlisted securities will be valued using pricing provided from independent pricing services or by another method that the Adviser, in its judgment, believes will better reflect
11        

the security’s fair value in accordance with the Trust’s valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Adviser may use various pricing services or discontinue the use of any pricing service at any time.
At times, a listed security’s market price may not be readily available. Moreover, even when market quotations are available for a security, they may be stale or unreliable. A security’s last market quotation may become stale because, among other reasons, (i) the security is not traded frequently, (ii) the security ceased trading before its exchange closed; (iii) market or issuer-specific events occurred after the security ceased trading; or (iv) the passage of time between when the security’s trading market closes and when the Fund calculates its NAV caused the quotation to become stale. A security’s last market quotation may become unreliable because of (i) certain security-specific events, including a merger or insolvency, (ii) events which affect a geographical area or an industry segment, such as political events or natural disasters, or (iii) market events, such as a significant movement in the U.S. market. When a security’s market price is not readily available, or the Adviser determines that such price is stale or unreliable, the Adviser 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. If the Fund holds securities that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges, the value of such securities may change on days when you will not be able to purchase or sell your Shares. In addition, if the Fund seeks to track an index, the use of fair value pricing could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by that index, which may increase the Fund’s tracking error.

Fund Service Providers
BNYM, 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286, is the administrator, custodian and fund accounting and transfer agent for the Fund.
Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP, 191 North Wacker Drive, Suite 1601, Chicago, Illinois 60606, and 2000 K Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20006, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.
[ ] serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. [ ] is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Fund and assists in the preparation and/or review of the Fund’s federal and state income tax returns.
12        


Financial Highlights
The Fund is new and has no performance history as of the date of this Prospectus. Financial information for the Fund therefore is not available.
13        


Index Provider
Invesco Indexing LLC is the Index Provider for the Underlying Index. The Adviser has entered into a license agreement with Invesco Indexing LLC to use the Underlying Index. The Adviser pays licensing fees to Invesco Indexing LLC. The Adviser, in turn, has entered into a sublicensing arrangement with the Fund to permit the Fund to use its Underlying Index. The Fund does not pay a fee for the use of its Underlying Index. The Index Provider has entered into an arrangement with Research Affiliates, LLC (“RA”), pursuant to which RA provides certain consulting services in connection with the Underlying Index. The Index Provider (or an affiliated entity) pays a consulting fee to RA. Also, the Adviser and the Distributor entered into a co-branding and co-marketing agreement with RA in connection with the marketing and client support for the Fund. The Adviser pays a marketing fee to RA from its management fees. RA is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser or the Distributor.
Invesco Indexing LLC is affiliated with the Adviser and the Distributor. The Adviser has in place a code of ethics designed to prevent misuse of non-public index information, and the Adviser and the Index Provider have each implemented significant informational barriers to prevent impermissible sharing of non-public index information.

Disclaimers
Invesco Indexing LLC. The name of the Underlying Index is a trademark of Invesco Indexing LLC and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by the Adviser. The Fund and its Shares are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Invesco Indexing LLC and Invesco Indexing LLC makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in Shares. Invesco Indexing LLC makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the shareholders of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly or the ability of any data supplied by Invesco Indexing LLC to track general market performance. Invesco Indexing LLC is an affiliate of the Adviser and its relationship to the Adviser includes the licensing of certain trademarks and trade names of Invesco Indexing LLC and of the data supplied by Invesco Indexing LLC, which is determined and composed by Invesco Indexing LLC. Invesco Indexing LLC has no obligation to take the needs of the Adviser or the shareholders of the Fund into consideration in determining or composing the data supplied by Invesco Indexing LLC. Invesco Indexing LLC is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the prices of the Shares or the timing of the issuance or sale of the Shares. Invesco Indexing LLC has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund or its Shares.
The Adviser does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein, and the Adviser shall have no liability for any errors, omissions, restatements, re-calculations or interruptions therein. The Adviser makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Fund, owners of the Shares or any other person or entity from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. The Adviser makes no express or implied warranties and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Adviser have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits) arising out of matters relating to the use of the Underlying Index, even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

Premium/Discount Information
Information showing the number of days the market price of the Shares was greater (at a premium) and less (at a discount) than the Fund’s NAV for the most recently completed calendar year and the most recently completed calendar quarters since that year (or the life of the Fund, if shorter), is available at www.invesco.com/ETFs.

Other Information
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies (and companies relying on Sections 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act) in the securities of other investment companies. However, registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust, including that such investment companies enter into a participation agreement with the Trust on behalf of the Fund prior to exceeding the limits imposed by Section 12(d)(1). Additionally, the Fund is permitted, pursuant to another SEC exemptive order that the SEC has issued to the Trust, to invest in other registered investment companies beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in that order. If the Fund relies on this exemptive relief, however, other investment companies may not invest in the Fund beyond the statutory provisions of Section 12(d)(1).
Continuous Offering
The method by which Creation Unit Aggregations of Shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Unit Aggregations of Shares are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, a “distribution,” as such term is used in 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 Unit Aggregations after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent Shares and sells such Shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving the 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 also should note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in Shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of Shares, generally are required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3)(C) 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(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of
14        

Rule 153 under the Securities Act only is available with respect to transactions on a national exchange.
Delivery of Shareholder Documents–Householding
Householding is an option available to certain investors of the Fund. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Householding for the Fund is available through certain broker-dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of the Prospectus and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you currently are enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.
For More Information
For more detailed information on the Trust, the Fund and the Shares, you may request a copy of the Fund’s SAI. The SAI provides detailed information about the Fund and is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. This means that the SAI legally is a part of this Prospectus. Additional information about the Fund’s investments also will appear in the Fund’s Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders, when available. 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 its most recent fiscal year, when available. If you have questions about the Fund or Shares or you wish to obtain the SAI, Annual Report and/or Semi-Annual
Report, when available, free of charge, or to make shareholder inquiries, please:
Call:
Invesco Distributors, Inc. at 1-800-983-0903
Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time
Write:
Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust
c/o Invesco Distributors, Inc.
11 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1000
Houston, Texas 77046-1173
Visit:
www.invesco.com/ETFs
Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC's internet site at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.
No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about the Fund and its Shares not contained in this Prospectus, and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep this Prospectus for future reference.
Dealers effecting transactions in the Shares, whether or not participating in this distribution, generally are required to deliver a Prospectus. This is in addition to any obligation of dealers to deliver a Prospectus when acting as underwriters.
The Trust's registration number under the 1940 Act is 811-23304.
15        

Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust
 
3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700
 
www.invesco.com/ETFs
Downers Grove, IL 60515
P-[          ]-PRO-1
800.983.0903  @InvescoETFs


The information in this Statement of Additional Information is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Statement of Additional Information is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to Completion - dated June 21, 2021

Investment Company Act File No. 811-23304

 

 

Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust

 

 

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Dated [                 ], 2021

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus dated [    ], 2021, for the Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (the “Trust”), relating to the series of the Trust listed below (the “Fund”), as the Prospectus may be revised from time to time (the “Prospectus”).

 

Fund

 

Principal U.S. Listing Exchange

 

Ticker

Invesco Racial and Gender Diversity ETF

  NYSE Arca, Inc.   [    ]

Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the Prospectus may be obtained without charge by writing to the Trust’s Distributor, Invesco Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”), 11 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1000, Houston, Texas 77046-1173, or by calling toll free 1-800-983-0903.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUND

     1  

EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING

     1  

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

     2  

INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS

     3  

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

     14  

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

     14  

MANAGEMENT

     15  

BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS AND COMMISSIONS ON AFFILIATED TRANSACTIONS

     29  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE TRUST

     30  

CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNIT AGGREGATIONS

     33  

TAXES

     39  

DETERMINATION OF NAV

     50  

DIVIDENDS AND OTHER DISTRIBUTIONS

     51  

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

     51  

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

     51  

APPENDIX A

     A-1  

 

i


GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUND

The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on October 30, 2015 and is authorized to have multiple series or portfolios. The Trust is an open-end management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Trust currently consists of [46] funds. This SAI relates to one series of the Trust: Invesco Racial and Gender Diversity ETF. The Fund is “non-diversified,” and as such, the Fund’s investments are not required to meet certain diversification requirements under the 1940 Act. The shares of the Fund are referred to in this SAI as “Shares.”

The investment objective of the Fund is to seek to track the investment results (before fees and expenses) of a specific benchmark index (the “Underlying Index”). Invesco Capital Management LLC (the “Adviser”), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Invesco Ltd., manages the Fund. Invesco Indexing, LLC (“Invesco Indexing”), is the index provider for the Underlying Index. Invesco Indexing is affiliated with the Adviser and the Distributor.

The Fund issues and redeems Shares at net asset value (“NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of Shares set forth in the Fund’s Prospectus (each a “Creation Unit” or a “Creation Unit Aggregation”). The Fund generally issues and redeems Shares at NAV in Creation Unit Aggregations principally in exchange for a basket of securities included in the Underlying Index (the “Deposit Securities”), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component”), plus certain transaction fees. However, the Fund also reserves the right to permit or require Creation Units to be issued in whole or in part in exchange for cash.

The Fund is expected to be approved for listing, subject to notice of issuance, on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca” or the “Exchange”). Shares will trade throughout the day on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at, or above NAV. In the event of the liquidation of the Fund, the Trust may decrease the number of Shares in a Creation Unit.

The Fund may issue Shares in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions, including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Trust cash at least equal to 105% of the market value of the missing Deposit Securities. To offset the added brokerage and other transaction costs the Fund incurs with using cash to purchase or sell the requisite Deposit Securities, during each instance of cash creations or redemptions, the Fund may impose transaction fees that generally are higher than the transaction fees associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. For more information, see the section below titled “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations.”

EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING

There can be no assurance that the Fund, once listed, will continue to meet the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Shares. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove Shares from listing if: (i) following the initial 12- month period beginning at the commencement of trading of the Fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the Shares; (ii) the Fund is no longer eligible to operate in reliance on Rule 6c-11 under the 1940 Act; (iii) the Fund fails to meet certain continued listing standards of the Exchange; or (iv) such other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will remove the Shares from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.

As in the case of other stocks traded on the Exchange, brokers’ commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.

The Trust reserves the right to adjust the price levels of Shares in the future to help maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund.

The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by the Exchange. The Exchange makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Shares or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Fund to track the total return performance of the Underlying Index or the ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. The Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of Shares to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. The Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of the Shares of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of the Shares.

The Exchange does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Underlying Index or the data included therein. The Exchange makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Trust on behalf of the Fund, owners of the Shares, or any other person or entity from the use of the Underlying Index or the data included therein. The Exchange makes no

 

1


express or implied warranties, and hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or the data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Exchange have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

The Fund has adopted as fundamental policies the investment restrictions numbered (1) through (7) below. Except as otherwise noted below, the Fund, as a fundamental policy, may not:

(1) Invest more than 25% of the value of its net assets in securities of issuers in any one industry or group of industries, except to the extent that the Underlying Index that the Fund replicates concentrates in an industry or group of industries. This restriction does not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities.

(2) Borrow money, except the Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted by (i) the 1940 Act, (ii) the rules and regulations promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the 1940 Act, or (iii) an exemption or other relief applicable to the Fund from the provisions of the 1940 Act.

(3) Act as an underwriter of another issuer’s securities, except to the extent that the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio securities.

(4) Make loans to other persons, except through (i) the purchase of debt securities permissible under the Fund’s investment policies, (ii) repurchase agreements or (iii) the lending of portfolio securities, provided that no such loan of portfolio securities may be made by the Fund if, as a result, the aggregate of such loans would exceed 331/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets.

(5) Purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund (i) from purchasing or selling options, futures contracts or other derivative instruments, or (ii) from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities).

(6) Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prohibit the Fund from purchasing or selling securities or other instruments backed by real estate or of issuers engaged in real estate activities).

(7) Issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.

Except for restrictions (2), (4)(iii), and (7), if the Fund adheres to a percentage restriction at the time of investment, a later increase in percentage resulting from a change in market value of the investment or the total assets, or the sale of a security out of its portfolio, will not constitute a violation of that restriction. With respect to restrictions (2), (4) (iii), and (7), in the event that the Fund’s borrowings, repurchase agreements and loans of portfolio securities at any time exceed 331/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the amount borrowed and the collateral received) less the Fund’s liabilities (other than borrowings or loans) due to subsequent changes in the value of the Fund’s assets or otherwise, within three days (excluding Sundays and holidays), the Fund will take corrective action to reduce the amount of its borrowings, repurchase agreements and loans of portfolio securities to an extent that such borrowings, repurchase agreements and loans of portfolio securities will not exceed 331/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the amount borrowed and the collateral received) less the Fund’s liabilities (other than borrowings or loans).

The foregoing fundamental investment policies cannot be changed as to the Fund without approval by holders of a “majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities.” As defined in the 1940 Act, this means the vote of (i) 67% or more of the Fund’s Shares present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the Fund’s Shares are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the Fund’s Shares, whichever is less.

In addition to the foregoing fundamental investment policies, the Fund also is subject to the following non-fundamental investment restrictions and policies, which may be changed by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) without shareholder approval. The Fund may not:

(1) Sell securities short, unless the Fund owns or has the right to obtain securities equivalent in kind and amount to the securities sold short at no added cost, and provided that transactions in options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts or other derivative instruments are not deemed to constitute selling securities short.

(2) Purchase securities on margin, except that the Fund may obtain such short-term credits as are necessary for the clearance of transactions; and provided that margin deposits in connection with futures contracts, options on futures contracts or other derivative instruments shall not constitute purchasing securities on margin.

 

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(3) Purchase securities of open-end or closed-end investment companies except in compliance with the 1940 Act, although the Fund may not acquire any securities of registered open-end investment companies or registered unit investment trusts in reliance on Sections 12(d)(1)(F) and 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act.

(4) Invest in direct interests in oil, gas or other mineral exploration programs or leases; however, the Fund may invest in the securities of issuers that engage in these activities.

(5) Invest in illiquid investments if, as a result of such investment, more than 15% of the Fund’s net assets would be invested in illiquid investments.

The Fund’s investment objective is a non-fundamental policy that the Board may change without approval by shareholders upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.

INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS

Investment Strategies

The Fund’s investment objective is to seek to track the investment results, before fees and expenses, of its Underlying Index. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in securities that comprise the Underlying Index. The Fund operates as an index fund and will not be actively managed.

The Fund attempts to replicate, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Underlying Index by generally investing in all of the securities comprising the Underlying Index in proportion to their weightings in the Underlying Index, although the Fund may use sampling techniques for the purpose of complying with regulatory or investment restrictions or when sampling is deemed appropriate to track the Underlying Index.

Investment Risks

A discussion of the principal risks associated with an investment in the Fund is contained in the Fund’s Prospectus in the “Summary Information—Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund,” “Additional Information About the Fund’s Strategies and Risks— Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund” and “—Additional Risks of Investing in the Fund” sections. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, these sections.

An investment in the Fund should be made with an understanding that the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the financial condition of the issuers of the portfolio securities, the value of securities in general and other factors that affect the market.

An investment in the Fund also should be made with an understanding of the risks inherent in an investment in securities, including the risk that the financial condition of issuers may become impaired or that the general condition of the securities market may deteriorate (either of which may cause a decrease in the value of the portfolio securities and thus in the value of Shares). Securities are susceptible to general securities market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence and perceptions of the companies issuing the securities change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies, inflation and interest rates, economic expansion or contraction, and global or regional political, economic or banking crises.

The Fund is not actively managed, and therefore, the adverse financial condition of any one issuer will not result in the elimination of its securities from the Fund’s portfolio unless the index provider removes the securities of such issuer from the Underlying Index.

Correlation and Tracking Error. Correlation measures the degree of association between the returns of the Fund and its Underlying Index. The Fund seeks a correlation over time of 0.95 or better between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index; a figure of 1.00 would indicate perfect correlation. Correlation is calculated at the Fund’s fiscal year-end by comparing the Fund’s average monthly total returns, before fees and expenses, to its Underlying Index’s average monthly total returns over the prior one-year period or since inception if the Fund has been in existence for less than one year. Another means of evaluating the degree of correlation between the returns of the Fund and its Underlying Index is to assess the “tracking error” between the two. Tracking error means the variation between the Fund’s annual return and the return of its Underlying Index, expressed in terms of standard deviation. The Fund seeks to have a tracking error of less than 5%, measured on a monthly basis over a one-year period by taking the standard deviation of the difference in the Fund’s returns versus the Underlying Index’s returns.

 

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An investment in the Fund should be made with an understanding that the Fund will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the Underlying Index, because the total return that the securities generate will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the securities and other Fund expenses, whereas such transaction costs and expenses are not included in the calculation of the Underlying Index. Also, to the extent that the Fund were to issue and redeem Creation Units principally for cash, it will incur higher costs in buying and selling securities than if it issued and redeemed Creation Units principally in-kind.

In addition, the use of a representative sampling approach (which may arise for a number of reasons, including a large number of securities within the Underlying Index, or the limited assets of the Fund) may cause the Fund not to be as well correlated with the return of its Underlying Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. It is also possible that, for short periods of time, the Fund may not replicate fully the performance of the Underlying Index due to the temporary unavailability of certain Underlying Index securities in the secondary market or due to other extraordinary circumstances. Such events are unlikely to continue for an extended period of time because the Fund is required to correct such imbalances by means of adjusting the composition of its portfolio holdings. It also is possible that the composition of the Fund may not replicate exactly the composition of the Underlying Index if the Fund has to adjust its portfolio holdings to continue to qualify as a “regulated investment company” (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of Chapter 1 of Subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).

Common Stocks and Other Equity Securities. Holders of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the issuer, generally have inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the rights of creditors, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Unlike debt securities, which typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity (whose value, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior thereto), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither a fixed principal amount nor a maturity.

Preferred Stock. Preferred stock, unlike common stock, often offers a stated dividend rate payable from a corporation’s earnings. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred stocks may be less attractive, causing the price of preferred stocks to decline. Preferred stock may have mandatory sinking fund provisions, as well as call/redemption provisions prior to maturity, a negative feature when interest rates decline. Dividends on some preferred stock may be “cumulative,” requiring all or a portion of prior unpaid dividends to be paid before dividends are paid on the issuer’s common stock. Preferred stock generally also has a preference over common stock on the distribution of a corporation’s assets in the event of liquidation of the corporation, and may be “participating,” which means that it may be entitled to a dividend exceeding the stated dividend in certain cases. In some cases an issuer may offer auction rate preferred stock, which means that the dividend to be paid is set by auction and will often be reset at stated intervals. The rights of preferred stocks on the distribution of a corporation’s assets in the event of a liquidation generally are subordinate to the rights associated with a corporation’s debt securities

Lending Portfolio Securities. From time to time, the Fund (as the Adviser shall so determine) may lend its portfolio securities (principally to brokers, dealers or other financial institutions) to generate additional income. Such loans are callable at any time and are secured continuously by segregated cash collateral equal to at least 102% (105% for international securities) of the market value, determined daily, of the loaned securities. The Fund may lend portfolio securities to the extent of one-third of its total assets. The Fund will loan its securities only to parties that the Adviser has determined are in good standing and when, in the Adviser’s judgment, the potential income earned would justify the risks.

The Fund will not have the right to vote securities while they are on loan, but it will recall securities on loan if the Adviser determines that the shareholder meeting is called for purposes of voting on material events that could have a material impact on the Fund’s loaned securities and for which the vote could be material to the Fund. The Fund would receive income in lieu of dividends on loaned securities and may, at the same time, generate income on the loan collateral or on the investment of any cash collateral.

Securities lending involves a risk of loss because the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. If the borrower defaults on its obligation to return the securities loaned because of insolvency or other reasons, the Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering securities loaned or gaining access to the collateral. If the Fund is not able to recover the securities loaned, the Fund may sell the collateral and purchase a replacement security in the market. Lending securities entails a risk of loss to the Fund if, and to the extent that, the market value of the loaned securities increases and the collateral is not increased accordingly. Securities lending also involves exposure to operational risk (the risk of loss resulting from errors in the settlement and accounting process) and “gap risk” (the risk that the return on cash collateral reinvestments will be less than the fees paid to the borrower).

Any cash received as collateral for loaned securities will be invested, in accordance with the Fund’s investment guidelines, in an affiliated money market fund. Investing this cash subjects that investment to market appreciation or depreciation. For purposes of determining whether the Fund is complying with its investment policies, strategies and restrictions, the Fund or the Adviser will consider the loaned securities as assets of the Fund, but will not consider any collateral received as a Fund asset. The Fund will bear any loss on the investment of cash collateral. The Fund may have to pay the borrower a fee based on the amount of cash collateral.

 

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For a discussion of the federal income tax considerations relating to lending portfolio securities, see “Taxes.”

Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, which are agreements pursuant to which the Fund acquires securities from a third party with the understanding that the seller will repurchase them at a fixed price on an agreed date. These agreements may be made with respect to any of the portfolio securities in which the Fund is authorized to invest. Repurchase agreements may be characterized as loans secured by the underlying securities. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with (i) member banks of the Federal Reserve System having total assets in excess of $500 million and (ii) securities dealers (“Qualified Institutions”). The Adviser will monitor the continued creditworthiness of Qualified Institutions.

The use of repurchase agreements involves certain risks. For example, if the seller of securities under a repurchase agreement defaults on its obligation to repurchase the underlying securities, as a result of its bankruptcy or otherwise, the Fund will seek to dispose of such securities, which action could involve costs or delays. If the seller becomes insolvent and subject to liquidation or reorganization under applicable bankruptcy or other laws, the Fund’s ability to dispose of the underlying securities may be restricted. Finally, it is possible that the Fund may not be able to substantiate its interest in the underlying securities. To minimize this risk, the custodian will hold the securities underlying the repurchase agreement at all times in an amount at least equal to the repurchase price, including accrued interest. If the seller fails to repurchase the securities, the Fund may suffer a loss to the extent proceeds from the sale of the underlying securities are less than the repurchase price.

The resale price reflects the purchase price plus an agreed upon market rate of interest. The collateral is marked-to-market daily.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the sale of securities with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment and have the characteristics of borrowing. The securities purchased with the funds obtained from the agreement and securities collateralizing the agreement will have maturity dates no later than the repayment date. Generally, the effect of such transactions is that the Fund can recover all or most of the cash invested in the portfolio securities involved during the term of the reverse repurchase agreement, while in many cases the Fund is able to keep some of the interest income associated with those securities. Such transactions are only advantageous if the Fund has an opportunity to earn a greater rate of return on the cash derived from these transactions than the interest cost of obtaining the same amount of cash. Opportunities to realize earnings from the use of the proceeds equal to or greater than the interest required to be paid may not always be available and the Fund intend to use the reverse repurchase technique only when the Adviser believes it will be advantageous to the Fund. The use of reverse repurchase agreements may exaggerate any interim increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s assets. The custodian bank will maintain a separate account for the Fund with securities having a value equal to or greater than such commitments. Under the 1940 Act, reverse repurchase agreements are considered borrowings.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”). REITs pool investors’ funds for investments primarily in real estate properties, to the extent allowed by law. Investment in REITs may be the most practical available means for the Fund to invest in the real estate industry. As a shareholder in a REIT, the Fund would bear its ratable share of the REIT’s expenses, including its advisory and administration fees. At the same time, the Fund would continue to pay its own investment advisory fees and other expenses, as a result of which the Fund and its shareholders in effect would be absorbing duplicate levels of fees with respect to investments in REITs. A REIT may focus on particular projects, such as apartment complexes, or geographic regions, such as the southeastern United States, or both.

REITs generally can be classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs and hybrid REITs. Equity REITs generally invest a majority of their assets in income-producing real estate properties to generate cash flow from rental income and gradual asset appreciation. The income-producing real estate properties in which equity REITs invest typically include properties such as office, retail, industrial, hotel and apartment buildings, self-storage, specialty and diversified and healthcare facilities. Equity REITs can realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive their income primarily from interest payments on the mortgages. Hybrid REITs combine the characteristics of both equity REITs and mortgage REITs.

REITs can be listed and traded on national securities exchanges or can be traded privately between individual owners. The Fund may invest in both publicly and privately traded REITs.

The Fund conceivably could own real estate directly as a result of a default on the securities it owns. Therefore, the Fund may be subject to certain risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate, including difficulties in valuing and trading real estate, declines in the values of real estate, risks related to general and local economic conditions, adverse changes in the climate for real estate, environmental liability risks, increases in property taxes and operated expenses, changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, limitations on rents, changes in neighborhood values, the appeal of properties to tenants and increases in interest rates.

 

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In addition to the risks described above, equity REITs may be affected by any changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. Equity and mortgage REITs depend upon management skill, are not diversified and therefore are subject to the risk of financing single or a limited number of projects. REITs also are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers, self-liquidation and the possibility of failing to qualify for conduit income tax treatment under the Code and/or failing to maintain an exemption from the 1940 Act. Changes in interest rates also may affect the value of debt securities held by the Fund. By investing in REITs indirectly through the Fund, a shareholder will bear not only his/her proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund, but also, indirectly, similar expenses of the REITs.

Money Market Instruments. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in high-quality money market instruments on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity. The instruments in which the Fund may invest include: (i) short-term obligations issued by the U.S. Government; (ii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), fixed time deposits and bankers’ acceptances of U.S. and foreign banks and similar institutions; (iii) commercial paper rated at the date of purchase “Prime-1” by Moody’s or “A-1+” or “A-1” by S&P or, if unrated, of comparable quality, as the Adviser determines; (iv) repurchase agreements; and (v) money market mutual funds, including affiliated money market funds. CDs are short-term negotiable obligations of commercial banks. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Banker’s acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.

U.S. Government Obligations. The Fund may invest in short-term U.S. Government obligations. U.S. Government obligations are a type of bond and include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities. These include bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury, as well as “stripped” or “zero coupon” U.S. Treasury obligations representing future interest or principal payments on U.S. Treasury notes or bonds.

Stripped securities are created when the issuer separates the interest and principal components of an instrument and sells them as separate securities. In general, one security is entitled to receive the interest payments on the underlying assets (the interest only or “IO” security) and the other to receive the principal payments (the principal only or “PO” security). Some stripped securities may receive a combination of interest and principal payments. The yields to maturity on IOs and POs are sensitive to the expected or anticipated rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the related underlying assets, and principal payments may have a material effect on yield to maturity. If the underlying assets experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, the Fund may not fully recoup its initial investment in IOs. Conversely, if the underlying assets experience less than anticipated prepayments of principal, the yield on POs could be adversely affected. Stripped securities may be highly sensitive to changes in interest rates and rates of prepayment.

Short-term obligations of certain agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury; others, such as those of the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; others, such as those of the former Student Loan Marketing Association (“SLMA”), are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the agency’s obligations; still others, although issued by an instrumentality chartered by the U.S. Government, like the Federal Farm Credit Bureau (“FFCB”), are support only by the credit of the instrumentality.

In 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) placed the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) into conservatorship. Since that time, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have received significant capital support through U.S. Treasury preferred stock purchases as well as U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve purchases of their mortgage-backed securities. While the purchase programs for mortgage-backed securities ended in 2010, the U.S. Treasury continued its support for the entities’ capital as necessary to prevent a negative net worth. However, no assurance can be given that the Federal Reserve, U.S. Treasury, or FHFA initiatives discussed above will ensure that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will remain successful in meeting their obligations with respect to the debt and mortgage-backed securities they issue. In addition, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are also the subject of several continuing class action lawsuits and investigations by federal regulators, which (along with any resulting financial restatements) may adversely affect the guaranteeing entities. Importantly, the future of the entities is in serious question as the U.S. Government is considering multiple options, ranging from significant reform, nationalization, privatization, consolidation, or abolishment of the entities.

The FHFA and the U.S. Treasury (through its agreements to purchase preferred stock of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) also have imposed strict limits on the size of the mortgage portfolios of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In August 2012, the U.S. Treasury amended its preferred stock purchase agreements to provide that the portfolios of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be wound down at an annual rate of 15 percent (up from the previously agreed annual rate of 10 percent), requiring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to reach the $250 billion target four years earlier than previously planned. Further, when a ratings agency downgraded long-term

 

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U.S. Government debt in August 2011, the agency also downgraded the bond ratings of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, from AAA to AA+, based on their direct reliance on the U.S. Government (although that rating did not directly relate to their mortgage-backed securities). The U.S. Government’s commitment to ensure that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have sufficient capital to meet their obligations was, however, unaffected by the downgrade.

The U.S. Treasury has put in place a set of financing agreements to help ensure that these entities continue to meet their obligations to holders of bonds they have issued or guaranteed. The U.S. Government may choose not to provide financial support to U.S. Government-sponsored agencies or instrumentalities if it is not legally obligated to do so, in which case, if the issuer were to default, the Fund holding securities of such issuer might not be able to recover their investment from the U.S. Government.

Other Investment Companies. The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), non-exchange traded U.S. registered open-end investment companies (mutual funds), closed-end investment companies, or non-U.S. investment companies traded on foreign exchanges beyond the limits permitted under the 1940 Act, subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to an affiliate of the Trust in 2012 pursuant to Section 12(d)(2)(J) of the 1940 Act (the “2012 Order”). Absent such exemptive relief, the Fund’s investments in investment companies would be limited to, subject to certain exceptions, (i) 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any one investment company, (ii) 5% of the Fund’s total assets with respect to any one investment company and (iii) 10% of the Fund’s total assets of investment companies in the aggregate. However, as a non-fundamental restriction, the Fund may not acquire any securities of registered open-end investment companies or registered unit investment trusts in reliance on Sections 12(d)(1)(F) and 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act.

Under the pertinent terms of the 2012 Order, the Fund may invest in registered investment companies in excess of the limitations imposed by Sections 12(d)(1)(A) and 12(d)(1)(C) of the 1940 Act. The total amount of securities held by the Fund, both individually and when aggregated with all other shares of the acquired fund held by other registered investment companies or private investment pools advised by the Adviser or its affiliates (as well as shares held by the Adviser and its affiliates) cannot exceed 25% of the outstanding voting securities of the acquired investment company, and none of these entities (including the Fund) may individually or collectively exert a controlling influence over the acquired investment company. The Fund may not rely on the 2012 Order to acquire an investment company that itself has ownership of investment company shares in excess of the limitations contained in Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act. To the extent necessary to comply with the provisions of the 1940 Act or the 2012 Order, on any matter upon which an underlying investment company’s shareholders are solicited to vote, the Adviser will vote the underlying investment company shares in the same general proportion as shares held by other shareholders of the underlying investment company.

In addition, an affiliate of the Trust previously obtained exemptive relief in 2007 (which extends to the Trust) that allows other investment companies to acquire shares of the Fund in excess of the limitations imposed by Section 12(d)(1)(A) (the “2007 Order”). This relief is conditioned on those acquiring funds obtaining a participation agreement signed by both the acquiring fund and the Fund that it wishes to acquire in excess of the 12(d)(1)(A) limitations. If the Fund relies on the 2012 Order, it will not enter into a participation agreement pursuant to the 2007 Order, and if the Fund has a signed participation agreement in effect pursuant to the 2007 Order, it will not rely on the 2012 Order.

Illiquid Investments. The Fund may not acquire any illiquid investment if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. For purposes of this 15% limitation, illiquid investment means 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, as determined pursuant to the 1940 Act and applicable rules and regulations thereunder. The Fund will monitor its portfolio liquidity on an ongoing basis to determine whether, in light of current circumstances, the appropriate level of liquidity is being maintained, and will take steps to ensure it adjusts its liquidity consistent with the policies and procedures adopted by the Trust on behalf of the Fund. The existence of a liquid trading market for certain securities may depend on whether dealers will make a market in such securities. There can be no assurance that dealers will make or maintain a market or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of Shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for the Fund’s portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.

Borrowing. The Fund may borrow money up to the limits set forth in the section “Investment Restrictions” to meet shareholder redemptions, for temporary or emergency purposes and for other lawful purposes. Borrowed money will cost the Fund interest expense and/or other fees. The costs of borrowing may reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing also may cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations to repay borrowed monies. To the extent that the Fund has outstanding borrowings, it will be leveraged. Leveraging generally exaggerates the effect on NAV of any increase or decrease in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio securities.

 

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Cybersecurity Risk. The Fund, like all companies, may be susceptible to operational and information security risks. Cybersecurity failures or breaches of the Fund or service providers or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invest, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

Natural Disaster/Epidemic Risk. Natural or environmental disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis and other severe weather-related phenomena generally, and widespread disease, including pandemics and epidemics, have been and may be highly disruptive to economies and markets, adversely impacting individual companies, sectors, industries, markets, currencies, interest and inflation rates, credit ratings, investor sentiment, and other factors affecting the value of a Fund’s investments. Additionally, if a sector or sectors in which an index is concentrated is negatively impacted to a greater extent by such events, a Fund may experience heightened volatility. Given the increasing interdependence among global economies and markets, conditions in one country, market, or region are increasingly likely to adversely affect markets, issuers, and/or foreign exchange rates in other countries, including the U.S. Any such events could have a significant adverse impact on the value of a Fund’s investments.

COVID-19. The current outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, has resulted in instances of market closures and dislocations, extreme volatility, liquidity constraints and increased trading costs. Efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 have resulted in travel restrictions, closed international borders, disruptions of healthcare systems, business operations and supply chains, layoffs, lower consumer demand, defaults and other significant economic impacts, all of which have disrupted global economic activity across many industries and may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks, locally or globally. The ongoing effects of COVID-19 are unpredictable and may result in significant and prolonged effects on a Fund’s performance.

Business Development Companies (“BDCs”). The 1940 Act imposes certain restraints upon the operations of BDCs. For example, BDCs are required to invest at least 70% of their total assets primarily in securities of private companies or thinly traded U.S. public companies, cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high-quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. Generally, little public information exists for private and thinly traded companies and there is a risk that investors may not be able to make a fully informed investment decision. With investments in debt instruments, there is a risk that the issuer may default on its payments or declare bankruptcy. Additionally, a BDC may only incur indebtedness in amounts such that the BDC’s asset coverage equals at least 200% after such incurrence. These limitations on asset mix and leverage may prohibit the way that the BDC raises capital. BDCs generally invest in less mature private companies which involve greater risk than well-established publicly-traded companies.

Convertible Securities. A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred stock, right, warrant or other security that may be converted into or exchanged for a prescribed amount of common stock or other security of the same or a different issuer or into cash within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security generally entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt securities or the dividend paid on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Before conversion, convertible securities generally have characteristics similar to both debt and equity securities. As with other equity securities, the value of a convertible security tends to increase as the price of the underlying stock goes up, and to decrease as the price of the underlying stock goes down. Declining common stock values therefore also may cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline. Like a debt security, a convertible security provides a fixed income stream with generally higher yields than those of common stock of the same or similar issuers, which tends to decrease in value when interest rates rise.

Convertible securities generally rank senior to common stock in a corporation’s capital structure but are usually subordinated to comparable nonconvertible securities. Convertible securities generally do not participate directly in any dividend increases or decreases of the underlying securities although the market prices of convertible securities may be affected by any dividend changes or other changes in the underlying securities. Many convertible securities have credit ratings that are below investment grade and are subject to the same risks as lower-rated debt securities.

Structured Notes. Structured notes are debt obligations that also contain an embedded derivative component with characteristics that adjust the obligation’s risk/return profile. Generally, the performance of a structured note will track that of the underlying debt obligation and the derivative embedded within it. The Fund has the right to receive periodic interest payments from the issuer of the structured notes at an agreed-upon interest rate and a return of the principal at the maturity date.

Structured notes are typically privately negotiated transactions between two or more parties. The Fund bears the risk that the issuer of the structured note would default or become bankrupt, which may result in the loss of principal investment and periodic interest payments expected to be received for the duration of its investment in the structured notes.

 

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In the case of structured notes on credit default swaps, the Fund would be subject to the credit risk of the corporate credit instruments underlying the credit default swaps. If one of the underlying corporate credit instruments defaults, the Fund may receive the security or credit instrument that has defaulted, or alternatively a cash settlement may occur, and the Fund’s principal investment in the structured note would be reduced by the corresponding face value of the defaulted security.

The market for structured notes may be, or suddenly can become, illiquid. The other parties to the transaction may be the only investors with sufficient understanding of the derivative to be interested in bidding for it. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid, and unpredictable changes in the prices for structured notes. In certain cases, a market price for a credit-linked security may not be available. The collateral for a structured note may be one or more credit default swaps, which are subject to additional risks.

Derivatives Risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying asset, index, interest rate or currency exchange rate. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks including credit risk, interest rate risk, and market risk. They also involve the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. The counterparty to a derivative contract might default on its obligations. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund that invests in derivatives may change quickly and without warning.

For some derivatives, it is possible to lose more than the amount invested in the derivative. Derivatives may be used to create synthetic exposure to an underlying asset or to hedge a portfolio risk. If the Fund uses derivatives to “hedge” a portfolio risk, it is possible that the hedge may not succeed. This may happen for various reasons, including unexpected changes in the value of the rest of the portfolio of the Fund. Over-the-counter derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party to the contract will not fulfill its contractual obligation to complete the transaction with the Fund.

In particular, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), was signed into law in July 2010 and has changed radically the way in which the U.S. financial system is supervised and regulated. Title VII of the Dodd- Frank Act sets forth legislative framework for over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives, including financial instruments, such as swaps, in which the Fund may invest. Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act makes broad changes to the OTC derivatives market, grants significant authority to the SEC and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) to regulate OTC derivatives and market participants, and requires clearing and exchange trading of many OTC derivatives transactions. The CFTC and SEC finalized the definition of “swap” and “security-based swap.” These definitions provide the parameters around which contracts are subject to further regulation under the Dodd-Frank Act.

Provisions in the Dodd-Frank Act also include capital and margin requirements and the mandatory use of clearinghouse mechanisms for and exchange trading of many OTC derivative transactions. Swap dealers, major market participants and swap counterparties are subject to additional regulations, requirements, compliance burdens and associated costs. The law and the rules may negatively impact the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective either through limits or requirements imposed on it or upon its counterparties. In particular, position limits imposed on the Fund or its counterparties may impact the Fund’s ability to invest in futures, options and swaps in a manner that efficiently meets its investment objective. Requirements, even if not directly applicable to the Fund, include capital requirements, changes to the CFTC speculative position limits regime and mandatory clearing, may increase the cost of the Fund’s investments and cost of doing business, which would adversely affect investors.

On October 28, 2020, the SEC adopted new Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act, which governs the use of derivatives by registered investment companies. New Rule 18f-4 imposes limits on the amount of derivatives the Fund can enter into and replaces the asset segregation framework previously used by funds to comply with Section 18 of the 1940 Act, among other requirements. The Adviser will continue to evaluate the potential impact of the new governmental regulation on the Fund, which may result in changes to the Fund’s strategies.

Leverage Risk. The use of derivatives may give rise to a form of leverage. Leverage may cause the portfolio of the Fund to be more volatile than if the portfolio had not been leveraged because leverage can exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of securities held by the Fund.

Futures and Options. The Fund may enter into futures contracts, options and options on futures contracts. These futures contracts and options will be used to simulate full investment in the Underlying Index, to facilitate trading or to reduce transaction costs. The Fund will only enter into futures contracts and options on futures contracts that are traded on a U.S. exchange. The Fund will not use futures or options for speculative purposes.

 

9


A call option gives a holder the right to purchase a specific security or an index at a specified price (“exercise price”) within a specified period of time. A put option gives a holder the right to sell a specific security or an index at a specified price within a specified period of time. The initial purchaser of a call option pays the “writer,” i.e., the party selling the option, a premium which is paid at the time of purchase and is retained by the writer whether or not such option is exercised. The Fund may purchase put options to hedge its portfolio against the risk of a decline in the market value of securities held and may purchase call options to hedge against an increase in the price of securities it is committed to purchase. The Fund may write put and call options along with a long position in options to increase its ability to hedge against a change in the market value of the securities it holds or is committed to purchase.

Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific instrument or index at a specified future time and at a specified price. Stock index contracts are based on indices that reflect the market value of common stock of the firms included in the indices. The Fund may enter into futures contracts to purchase security indices when the Adviser anticipates purchasing the underlying securities and believes prices will rise before the purchase will be made. The custodian will segregate assets committed to futures contracts to the extent required by law.

An option on a futures contract, as contrasted with the direct investment in such a contract, gives the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in the underlying futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option. Upon exercise of an option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the accumulated balance in the writer’s futures margin account that represents the amount by which the market price of the futures contract 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. The potential for loss related to the purchase of an option on a futures contract is limited to the premium paid for the option plus transaction costs. Because the value of the option is fixed at the point of purchase, there are no daily cash payments by the purchaser to reflect changes in the value of the underlying contract; however, the value of the option changes daily and that change would be reflected in the NAV of the Fund. The potential for loss related to writing call options on equity securities or indices is unlimited. The potential for loss related to writing put options is limited only by the aggregate strike price of the put option less the premium received.

The Fund may purchase and write put and call options on futures contracts that are traded on a U.S. exchange as a hedge against changes in value of its portfolio securities, or in anticipation of the purchase of securities, and may enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate existing positions. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can be affected.

Upon entering into a futures contract, the Fund will be required to deposit with the broker an amount of cash or cash equivalents in the range of approximately 5% to 7% of the contract amount (this amount is subject to change by the exchange on which the contract is traded). This amount, known as “initial margin,” is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the contract and is returned to the Fund upon termination of the futures contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Subsequent payments, known as “variation margin,” to and from the broker will be made daily as the price of the index underlying the futures contract fluctuates, making the long and short positions in the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as “marking-to-market.” At any time prior to expiration of a futures contract, the Fund may elect to close the position by taking an opposite position, which will operate to terminate the existing position in the contract.

Risks of Futures and Options Transactions. There are several risks accompanying the utilization of futures contracts and options on futures contracts. First, there is no guarantee that a liquid market will exist for a futures contract at a specified time. The Fund would utilize futures contracts only if an active market exists for such contracts.

Furthermore, because, by definition, futures contracts project price levels in the future and not current levels of valuation, market circumstances may result in a discrepancy between the price of the future and the movement in the Fund’s Underlying Index. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain its required margin. In such situations, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. In addition, the Fund may be required to deliver the instruments underlying futures contracts it has sold.

The risk of loss in trading futures contracts or uncovered call options in some strategies (e.g., selling uncovered stock index futures contracts) potentially is unlimited. The Fund does not plan to use futures and options contracts in this way. The risk of a futures position may still be large as traditionally measured due to the low margin deposits required. In many cases, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate and substantial loss or gain to the investor relative to the size of a required margin deposit. The Fund, however, intends to utilize futures and options contracts in a manner designed to limit their risk exposure to levels comparable to direct investment in stocks.

Utilization of futures and options on futures by the Fund involves the risk of imperfect or even negative correlation to the Underlying Index if the index underlying the futures contract differs from the Underlying Index of the Fund.

 

10


There also is the risk of loss of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom the Fund has an open position in the futures contract or option; however, this risk substantially is minimized because (a) of the regulatory requirement that the broker has to “segregate” customer funds from its corporate funds, and (b) in the case of regulated exchanges in the United States, the clearing corporation stands behind the broker to make good losses in such a situation. The purchase of put or call options could be based upon predictions by the Adviser as to anticipated trends, which predictions could prove to be incorrect and a part or all of the premium paid therefore could be lost.

Because the futures market imposes less burdensome margin requirements than the securities market, an increased amount of participation by speculators in the futures market could result in price fluctuations. Certain financial futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount by which the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. It is possible that futures contract prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and subjecting the Fund to substantial losses. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin.

Although the Fund intend to enter into futures contracts only if there is an active market for such contracts, there is no assurance that an active market will exist for the contracts at any particular time.

Swap Agreements. The Fund may enter into swap agreements, including, but not limited to, total return swaps, index swaps, interest rate swaps, municipal market data rate locks and credit default swaps. The Fund may utilize swap agreements in an attempt to gain exposure to the securities in a market without actually purchasing those securities, or to hedge a position. Swap agreements are contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a day to more than one-year and may be negotiated bilaterally and traded over-the-counter (“OTC”) between two parties or, in some instances, must be transacted through a futures commission merchant and cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a “basket” of securities or ETFs. Forms of swap agreements include (i) interest rate caps, under which, in return for a premium, one party agrees to make payments to the other to the extent that interest rates exceed a specified rate, or “cap,” (ii) interest rate floors, under which, in return for a premium, one party agrees to make payments to the other to the extent that interest rates fall below a specified level, or “floor,” and (iii) interest rate collars, under which a party sells a cap and purchases a floor or vice versa in an attempt to protect itself against interest rate movements exceeding given minimum or maximum levels.

Another form of swap agreement is a credit default swap. A credit default swap enables the Fund to buy or sell protection against a defined credit event of an issuer or a basket of securities or ETFs. Generally, the seller of credit protection against an issuer or basket of securities receives a periodic payment to compensate against potential default events. If a default event occurs, the seller must pay the buyer the full notional value of the reference obligation in exchange for the reference obligation. If no default occurs, the counterparty will pay the stream of payments and have no further obligations to the Fund selling the credit protection.

In contrast, the buyer of a credit default swap would have the right to deliver a referenced debt obligation and receive the par (or other agreed-upon) value of such debt obligation from the counterparty in the event of a default or other credit event (such as a credit downgrade) by the reference issuer, such as a U.S. or foreign corporation, with respect to its debt obligations. In return, the buyer of the credit protection would pay the counterparty a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract provided that no event of default has occurred. If no default occurs, the counterparty would keep the stream of payments and would have no further obligations to the Fund purchasing the credit protection.

The Fund also may enhance income by selling credit protection or attempt to mitigate credit risk by buying protection. Credit default swaps could result in losses if the creditworthiness of an issuer or a basket of securities is not accurately evaluated.

Most swap agreements (but generally not credit default swaps) that the Fund might enter into require the parties to calculate the obligations of the parties to the agreement on a “net basis.” Swap agreements may not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets. Consequently, the Fund’s obligations (or rights) and risk of loss under such a swap agreement would generally be equal only to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the “net amount”). Other swap agreements, such as credit default swaps, may require initial premium (discount) payments as well as periodic payments (receipts) related to the interest leg of the swap or to the default of a reference obligation.

The Fund is required to cover its swaps positions in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act or the rules and SEC interpretations thereunder in order to limit the risk associated with the use of leverage and other related risks. The Fund’s obligations under a swap agreement (other than a collateral default swap (“CDS”) for which the Fund is the seller) would be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owing to the Fund) and any accrued but unpaid net amounts owed to a swap counterparty would be covered by segregating assets determined to be liquid. Obligations under swap agreements so covered would not be construed to be “senior securities” for

 

11


purposes of the Fund’s investment restriction concerning senior securities and, accordingly, would not treat them as subject to the Fund’s borrowing restrictions. For swaps that are not cash settled, the Fund will earmark or segregate cash or liquid assets with a value at least equal to the full notional amount of the swaps (minus any amounts owed to the Fund) or enter into offsetting transactions. For swaps that are cash settled, the Fund may designate or segregate on its records cash or liquid assets equal to the Fund’s next daily marked-to-market net obligations under the swaps, if any, rather than the full notional amount. Such segregation will ensure that the Fund has assets available to satisfy its obligations with respect to the transaction and will limit any potential leveraging of the Fund’s portfolio. By earmarking or designating assets equal to only its net obligation under cash-settled swaps, the Fund will have the ability to employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund were required to earmark or segregate assets equal to the full notional amount of such swaps.

Because they may be two party contracts and because they may have terms of greater than seven days, swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid for the Fund’s illiquid investment limitations. The Fund would not enter into any swap agreement unless the Adviser believes that the other party to the transaction is creditworthy. The Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty, or in the case of a credit default swap in which the Fund is selling credit protection, the default of a third party issuer.

The Fund may enter into swap agreements to invest in a market without owning or taking physical custody of the underlying securities in circumstances in which direct investment is restricted for legal reasons or is otherwise impracticable. The counterparty to any swap agreement would typically be a bank, investment banking firm or broker-dealer or, in the case of a cleared swap, the clearinghouse. The counterparty would generally agree to pay the Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the swap agreement would have increased in value had it been invested in the particular stocks, plus the dividends that would have been received on those stocks. The Fund would agree to pay to the counterparty a floating rate of interest on the notional amount of the swap agreement plus the amount, if any, by which the notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in such stocks. Therefore, the return to the Fund on any swap agreement should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends on the stocks less the interest paid by the Fund on the notional amount.

Swap agreements typically are settled on a net basis (but generally not credit default swaps), which means that the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Payments may be made at the conclusion of a swap agreement or periodically during its term.

Other swap agreements, such as credit default swaps, may require initial premium (discount) payments as well as periodic payments (receipts) related to the interest leg of the swap or to the default of a reference obligation. The Fund would earmark and reserve assets necessary to meet any accrued payment obligations when it is the buyer of a credit default swap. In cases where the Fund is the seller of a credit default swap, if the credit default swap provides for physical settlement, the Fund would be required to earmark and reserve the full notional amount of the credit default swap.

The Fund may also enter into swaps on an index, including credit default index swaps (“CDX”), which are swaps on an index of credit default swaps. For example, a commercial mortgage-backed index (“CMBX”) is a type of CDX made up of 25 tranches of commercial mortgage-backed securities rather than CDS. Unlike other CDX contracts where credit events are intended to capture an event of default, CMBX involves a pay-as-you-go settlement process designed to capture non-default events that affect the cash flow of the reference obligation. Pay-as-you-go settlement involves ongoing, two-way payments over the life of a contract between the buyer and the seller of protection and is designed to closely mirror the cash flow of a portfolio of cash commercial mortgage-backed securities.

The swap market has grown substantially in recent years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap documentation. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid in comparison with the markets for other similar instruments that are traded in the OTC market. The Adviser under the supervision of the Board, is responsible for determining and monitoring the liquidity of Fund transactions in swap agreements.

Certain standardized swaps are subject to mandatory central clearing. Central clearing is expected to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity, but central clearing does not make swap transactions risk-free. The Dodd-Frank Act and related regulatory developments will ultimately require the clearing and exchange-trading of many OTC derivative instruments that the CFTC and SEC have defined as “swaps.” Mandatory exchange-trading and clearing will occur on a phased-in basis based on the type of market participant and CFTC approval of contracts for central clearing. The Adviser will continue to monitor developments in this area, particularly to the extent regulatory changes affect the ability of the Fund to enter into swap agreements. Depending on the Fund’s size and other factors, the margin required under the rules of the clearinghouse and by the clearing member may be in excess of the collateral required to be posted by the Fund to support its obligations under a similar bilateral swap. However, regulators are expected to adopt rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on uncleared swaps in the near future, which could change this comparison. Regulators are in the process of developing rules that would require trading and execution of most liquid swaps on trading facilities. Moving trading to an exchange-type system may increase market transparency and liquidity but may require the

 

12


Fund to incur increased expenses to access the same types of swaps. Rules adopted in 2012 also require centralized reporting of detailed information about many types of cleared and uncleared swaps. Reporting of swap data may result in greater market transparency, but may subject the Fund to additional administrative burdens and the safeguards established to protect trader anonymity may not function as expected. Swaps traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to margin requirements which, once implemented, may increase the cost to the Fund of engaging in such transactions.

The use of swap agreements, including credit default swaps, is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. If a counterparty’s creditworthiness declines, the value of the swap would likely decline. Moreover, there is no guarantee that the Fund could eliminate its exposure under an outstanding swap agreement by entering into an offsetting swap agreement with the same or another party.

Restrictions on the Use of Futures Contracts, Options on Futures Contracts and Swaps. Rule 4.5 of the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) significantly limits the ability of certain regulated entities, including registered investment companies such as the Trust, to rely on an exclusion that would not require its investment adviser to register with the CFTC as a commodity pool operator (“CPO”). However, under Rule 4.5, the investment adviser of a registered investment company may claim exclusion from registration as a CPO only if the registered investment company that it advises uses futures contracts solely for “bona fide hedging purposes” or limits its use of futures contracts for non-bona fide hedging purposes such that (i) the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish non-bona fide hedging positions with respect to futures contracts do not exceed 5% of the liquidation value of the registered investment company’s portfolio, or (ii) the aggregate “notional value” of the non-bona fide hedging commodity interests do not exceed 100% of the liquidation value of the registered investment company’s portfolio (taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). The Adviser has claimed exclusion on behalf of each Fund under Rule 4.5 which effectively limits the Funds’ use of futures, options on futures, swaps, or other commodity interests. The Fund currently intends to comply with the terms of Rule 4.5 so as to avoid regulation as a commodity pool, and as a result, the ability of the Fund to utilize futures, options on futures, swaps, or other commodity interests may be limited in accordance with the terms of the rule, as well as any limits set forth in the Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI. The Fund therefore is not subject to CFTC registration or regulation as a commodity pool.

The terms of the CPO exclusion require the Fund, among other things, to adhere to certain limits on its investments in “commodity interests.” Commodity interests include commodity futures, commodity options and swaps, which in turn include non- deliverable forwards. The Fund is permitted to invest in these instruments as described in this SAI. However, the Fund is not intended as a vehicle for trading in the commodity futures, commodity options or swaps markets. The CFTC has neither reviewed nor approved the Adviser’s reliance on these exclusions, or the Fund, its investment strategies or the Prospectus.

While not anticipated, should the Fund invest in futures contracts for purposes that are not solely for “bona fide hedging” in excess of the limitations imposed by Rule 4.5, the Fund may be subject to regulation under the CEA and CFTC Rules as a commodity pool. Registration as a commodity pool may have negative effects on the ability of the Fund to engage in its planned investment program, while registration as a CPO imposes additional laws, regulations and enforcement policies, which could increase compliance costs and may affect the operations and financial performance of the Fund.

Warrants and Rights. The Fund may invest in warrants or rights (other than those acquired in units or attached to other securities), which entitle the purchaser to buy equity securities at a specific price for a specific period of time. Warrants and rights have no voting rights, receive no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer.

LIBOR Transition Risk. The Fund may invest in financial instruments (including variable or floating rate loans, debt securities, and derivatives such as interest rate futures) that are tied to the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”). LIBOR is a common benchmark interest rate index used to make adjustments to variable-rate loans and to determine interest rates for a variety of financial instruments and borrowing arrangements. The Fund’s investments may pay interest at floating rates based on LIBOR, may be subject to interest caps or floors based on LIBOR, or may otherwise reference LIBOR as a reference rate to determine payment obligations, financing terms, hedging strategies or investment value.

On July 27, 2017, the head of the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021, and it is currently expected that LIBOR will cease to be published after that time. Although many LIBOR rates will be phased out at the end of 2021 as originally intended, a selection of widely used USD LIBOR rates will continue to be published until June 2023 in order to assist with the transition. There remains uncertainty regarding the effect of the LIBOR transition process and therefore any impact of a transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or the instruments in which the Fund invests cannot yet be determined. There is no assurance that the composition or characteristics of any alternative reference rate will be similar to or produce the same value or economic equivalence as LIBOR or that instruments using an alternative rate will have the same volume or liquidity. As a result, the transition process might lead to increased volatility and reduced liquidity in markets that currently rely on LIBOR to determine interest rates; a reduction in the value of some LIBOR-based investments; increased difficulty in borrowing or refinancing and diminished effectiveness of any applicable hedging strategies against instruments whose terms currently include

 

13


LIBOR; and/or costs incurred in connection with temporary borrowings and closing out positions and entering into new agreements. Additionally, while some existing LIBOR-based instruments may contemplate a scenario where LIBOR is no longer available by providing for an alternative or “fallback” rate-setting methodology, there may be significant uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of any such alternative methodologies to replicate LIBOR. Not all existing LIBOR-based instruments have such fallback provisions and there remains uncertainty regarding the willingness and ability of issuers to add alternative rate-setting provisions in certain existing instruments. These effects could occur prior to the end of 2021 as the utility of LIBOR as a reference rate could deteriorate during the transition period. Any such effects of the transition away from LIBOR and the adoption of alternative reference rates could result in losses to the Fund.

Industry initiatives are underway to identify and begin the implementation of alternative reference rates; however, there are challenges to converting certain securities and transactions to a new reference rate. In June 2017, the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a group of large U.S. banks working with the Federal Reserve, announced a replacement for LIBOR, the Secured Overnight Funding Rate (SOFR). The Federal Reserve Bank of New York began publishing the SOFR in April 2018, which is a broad measure of the cost of overnight borrowing of cash collateralized by Treasury securities. SOFR is intended to serve as a reference rate for U.S. dollar-based debt and derivatives and ultimately reduce the markets’ dependence on LIBOR. Bank working groups and regulators in other countries have suggested other alternatives for their markets, including the Sterling Overnight Interbank Average Rate in the United Kingdom.

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

The Fund calculates its portfolio turnover rate by dividing the value of the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the fiscal period by the monthly average of the value of portfolio securities owned by the Fund during the fiscal period. A 100% portfolio turnover rate would occur, for example, if all of the portfolio securities (other than short-term securities) were purchased and sold once during the fiscal period. Portfolio turnover rates will vary from year to year, depending on market conditions. At the date of this SAI, the Fund is new and has no operating history, and therefore portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

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 also discloses a complete schedule of the Fund’s portfolio holdings with the SEC on Form N-CSR after its second and fourth fiscal quarters.

The Trust’s Forms N-PORT and Forms N-CSR on behalf of the Fund will be available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. The Trust’s Forms N-PORT and Forms N-CSR will be available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-630- 933-9600 or 1-800-983-0903 or by writing to the Invesco-Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust at 3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515.

Portfolio Holdings Policy. The Trust has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings. The Board must approve all material amendments to this policy.

Each business day before the opening of regular trading on the Exchange, the Fund discloses on its website (www.invesco.com/ETFs) the portfolio holdings that will form the basis for the Fund’s next calculation of NAV per Share. The Trust, the Adviser and The Bank of New York Mellon (“BNYM” or the “Administrator”) will not disseminate non-public information concerning the Trust.

Access to information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings may be permitted at other times: (i) 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; or (ii) in instances when the Fund’s President and/or Chief Compliance Officer determines that (x) such disclosure serves a reasonable business purpose and is in the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders; and (y) in making such disclosure, no conflict exists between the interests of the Fund’s shareholders and those of the Adviser or the Distributor.

 

14


MANAGEMENT

The primary responsibility of the Board is to represent the interests of the Fund and to provide oversight of the management of the Fund. The Trust currently has 10 Trustees. Nine Trustees are not “interested,” as that term is defined under the 1940 Act, and have no affiliation or business connection with the Adviser or any of its affiliated persons and do not own any stock or other securities issued by the Adviser (the “Independent Trustees”). The remaining Trustee (the “Interested Trustee”) is affiliated with the Adviser.

The Independent Trustees of the Trust, their term of office and length of time served, their principal business occupations during at least the past five years, the number of portfolios in the Fund Complex (defined below) that they oversee and other directorships, if any, that they hold are shown below. The “Fund Complex” includes all open- and closed-end funds (including all of their portfolios) advised by the Adviser and any affiliated person of the Adviser. As of the date of this SAI, the “Fund Family” consists of the Trust and five other ETF trusts advised by the Adviser.

 

Name, Address and
Year of Birth
of Independent Trustees

  

Position(s)

Held
with Trust

  

Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served*

  

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years

  

Number of
Portfolios in
Fund
Complex
Overseen

by
Independent
Trustees

  

Other Directorships
Held by
Independent
Trustees
During the Past 5
Years

Ronn R. Bagge—1958

c/o Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Vice Chairman of the Board; Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee and Trustee    Vice Chairman since 2018; Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee and Trustee since 2016    Founder and Principal, YQA Capital Management LLC (1998-Present); formerly, Owner/CEO of Electronic Dynamic Balancing Co., Inc. (high-speed rotating equipment service provider).    [    ]    Trustee and Investment Oversight Committee member, Mission Aviation Fellowship (2017-Present).

Todd J. Barre—1957

c/o Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Trustee    Since 2016    Assistant Professor of Business, Trinity Christian College (2010-2016); formerly, Vice President and Senior Investment Strategist (2001-2008), Director of Open Architecture and Trading (2007-2008), Head of Fundamental Research (2004-2007) and Vice President and Senior Fixed Income Strategist (1994-2001), BMO Financial Group/Harris Private Bank    [    ]    None

Edmund P.

Giambastiani, Jr.—1948

c/o Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Trustee    Since 2019   

President, Giambastiani Group LLC (national

security and energy

consulting) (2007-

Present); Director, The Boeing Company (2009-Present); Director, First Eagle Alternative Credit LLC (2020-Present); Advisory Board Member, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (federally-funded research development) (2010-Present); Defense Advisory Board Member, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (2013-Present); formerly, Trustee, MITRE Corporation (federally funded research development) (2008-2020); Director, THL Credit, Inc. (alternative credit investment manager (2016-2020); Chairman (2015-2016), Lead Director (2011-2015) and Director (2008-2011), Monster Worldwide, Inc. (career services); United States Navy, career nuclear submarine officer (1970-2007); Seventh Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2005-2007); first NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (2003-2005); Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command (2002-2005).

   [    ]    Trustee, U.S. Naval Academy Foundation Athletic & Scholarship Program (2010-Present); formerly, Trustee, certain funds of the Oppenheimer Funds complex (2013-2019); Advisory Board Member, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University (2012-2016).

 

15


Name, Address and
Year of Birth
of Independent Trustees

  

Position(s)

Held
with Trust

  

Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served*

  

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years

  

Number of
Portfolios in
Fund
Complex
Overseen

by
Independent
Trustees

  

Other Directorships
Held by
Independent
Trustees
During the Past 5
Years

Victoria J. Herget—1951

c/o Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Trustee    Since 2019   

Formerly, Managing Director (1993-2001), Principal (1985-1993), Vice President (1978-1985) and Assistant Vice President (1973-1978), Zurich Scudder Investments (investment adviser) (and its

predecessor firms).

   [    ]    Trustee (2000-Present) and Chair (2010-2017), Newberry Library; Trustee, Mather LifeWays (2001-Present); Trustee, Chikaming Open Lands (2014-Present); formerly, Trustee, certain funds in the Oppenheimer Funds complex (2012-2019); Board Chair (2008-2015) and Director (2004-2018), United Educators Insurance Company; Independent Director, First American Funds (2003-2011); Trustee (1992-2007), Chair of the Board of Trustees (1999-2007), Investment Committee Chair (1994-1999) and Investment Committee member (2007-2010), Wellesley College; Trustee, BoardSource (2006-2009); Trustee, Chicago City Day School (1994-2005).

Marc M. Kole—1960

c/o Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Chairman of the Audit Committee and Trustee    Chairman of the Audit Committee and Trustee since 2016    Managing Director of Finance (2020-Present) and Senior Director of Finance (2015-2020), By The Hand Club for Kids (not-for-profit); formerly, Chief Financial Officer, Hope Network (social services) (2008-2012); Assistant Vice President and Controller, Priority Health (health insurance) (2005-2008); Regional Chief Financial Officer, United Healthcare (2005); Chief Accounting Officer, Senior Vice President of Finance, Oxford Health Plans (2000-2004); Audit Partner, Arthur Andersen LLP (1996-2000).    [    ]   

Formerly, Treasurer (2018-2021), Finance Committee Member (2015-2021) and Audit Committee Member (2015), Thornapple Evangelical Covenant Church; Board and Finance Committee Member (2009-2017) and Treasurer (2010-2015, 2017),

NorthPointe Christian Schools.

Yung Bong Lim—1964

c/o Invesco Capital Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Chairman of the Investment Oversight Committee and Trustee    Chairman of the Investment Oversight Committee and Trustee since 2016    Managing Partner, RDG Funds LLC (real estate) (2008-Present); formerly, Managing Director, Citadel LLC (1999-2007).    [    ]    Board Director, Beacon Power Services, Corp. (2019-Present); formerly, Advisory Board Member, Performance Trust Capital Partners, LLC (2008-2020)

 

16


Name, Address and
Year of Birth
of Independent Trustees

  

Position(s)

Held
with Trust

  

Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served*

  

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years

  

Number of
Portfolios in
Fund
Complex
Overseen

by
Independent
Trustees

  

Other Directorships
Held by
Independent
Trustees
During the Past 5
Years

Joanne Pace—1958

c/o Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Trustee    Since 2019    Formerly, Senior Advisor, SECOR Asset Management, LP (2010-2011); Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, Morgan Stanley Investment Management (2006-2010); Partner and Chief Operating Officer, FrontPoint Partners, LLC (alternative investments) (2005-2006); Managing Director (2003-2005), Global Head of Human Resources and member of Executive Board and Operating Committee (2004-2005), Global Head of Operations and Product Control (2003-2004), Credit Suisse (investment banking); Managing Director (1997-2003), Controller and Principal Accounting Officer (1999-2003), Chief Financial Officer (temporary assignment) for the Oversight Committee, Long Term Capital Management (1998-1999), Morgan Stanley.    [    ]    Board Director, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (2012-Present); Advisory Board Director, The Alberleen Group LLC (2012-Present); Governing Council Member (2016-Present) and Chair of Education Committee (2017-Present), Independent Directors Council (IDC); Council Member, New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s Leadership Council on Children’s and Women’s Health (2012-Present); formerly, Board Member, 100 Women in Finance (2015-2020); Trustee, certain funds in the Oppenheimer Funds complex (2012-2019); Lead Independent Director and Chair of the Audit and Nominating Committee of The Global Chartist Fund, LLC, Oppenheimer Asset Management (2011-2012); Board Director, Managed Funds Association (2008-2010); Board Director (2007-2010) and Investment Committee Chair (2008-2010), Morgan Stanley Foundation.

 

17


Name, Address and
Year of Birth
of Independent Trustees

  

Position(s)

Held
with Trust

  

Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served*

  

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years

  

Number of
Portfolios in
Fund
Complex
Overseen

by
Independent
Trustees

  

Other Directorships
Held by
Independent
Trustees
During the Past 5
Years

Gary R. Wicker—1961

c/o Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Trustee    Since 2016   

Senior Vice President of Global Finance and Chief Financial Officer, RBC Ministries (publishing company) (2013-Present); formerly, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Zondervan Publishing (a division of Harper Collins/NewsCorp) (2007-2012); Senior Vice President and Group Controller (2005- 2006), Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (2003-2004), Chief Financial Officer (2001-2003), Vice President, Finance and Controller (1999-2001) and Assistant Controller (1997-1999), divisions of The Thomson Corporation (information services provider); Senior Audit Manager (1994-1997),

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

   [    ]    Board Member and Treasurer, Our Daily Bread Ministries Canada (2015-Present); Board and Finance Committee Member, West Michigan Youth For Christ (2010-Present).

Donald H. Wilson—1959

c/o Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road,

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Chairman of the Board and Trustee    Chairman and Trustee since 2016   

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, McHenry Bancorp Inc. and McHenry Savings Bank (subsidiary) (2018-Present); formerly, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Stone Pillar Advisors, Ltd. (2010-2017); President and Chief Executive Officer, Stone Pillar Investments, Ltd. (advisory services to the financial sector) (2016- 2018); Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer,

Community Financial Shares, Inc. and Community Bank—Wheaton/Glen Ellyn (subsidiary) (2013-2015); Chief Operating Officer, AMCORE Financial, Inc. (bank holding company) (2007-2009); Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, AMCORE Financial, Inc. (2006-2007); Senior Vice President and Treasurer, Marshall & Ilsley Corp. (bank holding company) (1995-2006).

   [    ]    Director, Penfield Children’s Center (2004-Present); Board Chairman, Gracebridge Alliance, Inc. (2015-Present).

 

*

This is the date the Independent Trustee began serving the Trust. Each Independent Trustee serves an indefinite term, until his or her successor is elected.

The Interested Trustee and the executive officers of the Trust, their term of office and length of time served, their principal business occupations during at least the past five years, the number of portfolios in the Fund Complex overseen by the Interested Trustee and the other directorships, if any, held by the Interested Trustee, are shown below.

 

18


Name, Address and
Year of Birth
of Interested Trustees

  

Position(s)

Held
with Trust

  

Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served*

  

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years

  

Number of
Portfolios in
Fund
Complex
Overseen

by
Interested
Trustees

  

Other Directorships
Held by
Interested

Trustees
During the Past 5
Years

Kevin M. Carome—1956

Invesco Ltd.

Two Peachtree Pointe

1555 Peachtree St., N.E.,

Suite 1800

Atlanta, GA 30309

   Trustee    Since 2015   

Senior Managing Director, Secretary and General Counsel, Invesco Ltd. (2007-Present); Director, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (2009-Present); Director (2006-Present) and Executive Vice President (2008-Present), Invesco North American Holdings, Inc.; Executive Vice President (2008-Present), Invesco Investments (Bermuda) Ltd.; Manager, Horizon Flight Works LLC; and Executive Vice President (2014-Present), INVESCO Asset Management (Bermuda) Ltd.; formerly, Director and Secretary (2012-2020), Invesco Services (Bahamas) Private Limited; Director, Invesco Finance PLC (2011-2019); Director, INVESCO Asset Management (Bermuda) Ltd. (2014-2019); Director and Executive Vice President, Invesco Finance, Inc. (2011-2018); Director (2006-2018) and Executive Vice President (2008-2018), Invesco Group Services, Inc.,

Invesco Holding Company (US), Inc.; Director, Invesco Holding Company Limited (2007- 2019); Director and Chairman, INVESCO Funds Group, Inc., Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (2003- 2006); Director, Invesco Investments (Bermuda) Ltd. (2008-2016); Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Liberty

   [    ]    None
         Financial Companies, Inc. (2000-2001); General Counsel of certain investment management subsidiaries of Liberty Financial Companies, Inc. (1998-2000); Associate General Counsel, Liberty Financial Companies, Inc. (1993-1998); Associate, Ropes & Gray LLP.      

 

*

This is the date the Interested Trustee began serving the Trust. The Interested Trustee serves an indefinite term, until his successor is elected.

 

19


Name, Address and
Year of Birth
of Executive Officer

  

Position(s)

Held
with Trust

  

Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served*

  

Principal Occupation(s)
During at Least the Past 5 Years

Anna Paglia — 1974

Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   President and Principal Executive Officer    Since 2020    President and Principal Executive Officer, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2020-Present); Managing Director and Global Head of ETFs and Indexed Strategies, Chief Executive Officer and Principal Executive Officer, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2020-Present); Chief Executive Officer, Manager and Principal Executive Officer, Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2020-Present); Authorized Person, Accretive Asset Management LLC (2018-Present); Vice President, Invesco Indexing LLC (2020-Present); formerly, Secretary, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust and Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (2011-2020), Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust (2014-2020) and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2015-2020); Head of Legal (2010-2020) and Secretary (2015-2020), Invesco Capital Management LLC; Manager and Assistant Secretary, Invesco Indexing LLC (2017-2020); Head of Legal and Secretary, Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2018-2020); Partner, K&L Gates LLP (formerly, Bell Boyd & Lloyd LLP) (2007-2010); and Associate Counsel at Barclays Global Investors Ltd. (2004-2006).

Adrien Deberghes — 1967

Invesco Capital

Management LLC,

11 Greenway Plaza

Suite 1000

Houston, TX 77046

   Vice President    Since 2020    Vice President, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2020-Present); Head of the Fund Office of the CFO and Fund Administration, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (2020-Present); Principal Financial Officer, Treasurer and Vice President, The Invesco Funds (2020-Present); Vice President, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (2020-Present); formerly, Senior Vice President and Treasurer, Fidelity Investments (2008-2020).
Kelli Gallegos — 1970
Invesco Capital
Management LLC,
11 Greenway Plaza
Suite 1000
Houston, TX 77046
   Vice President
and Treasurer
   Since 2018    Vice President, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (2020-Present); Principal Financial and Accounting Officer- Pooled Investments, Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2018-Present); Vice President and Treasurer, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2018-Present); Principal Financial and Accounting Officer-Pooled Investments, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2018-Present); Vice President (2016-Present), Principal Financial Officer (2016-2020) and Assistant Treasurer (2008-Present), The Invesco Funds; formerly, Assistant Treasurer, Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2018); Assistant Treasurer, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust and Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (2012-2018), Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust (2014-2018) and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2016-2018); Assistant Treasurer, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2013-2018); and Principal Financial Officer (2016-2020) and Assistant Vice President (2008-2016), The Invesco Funds.
Adam Henkel — 1980
Invesco Capital
Management LLC
3500 Lacey Road
Suite 700
Downers Grove, IL 60515
   Secretary    Since 2020    Head of Legal and Secretary, Invesco Capital Management LLC and Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2020-present); Secretary, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2020-Present); Head of Legal and Secretary, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2020-Present); Assistant Secretary, Invesco Capital Markets, Inc. (2020-Present); Manager and Assistant Secretary, Invesco Indexing LLC (2020-Present); Assistant Secretary, Invesco Investment Advisers LLC (2020-Present); formerly, Assistant Secretary of Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust and Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust (2014-2020); Chief Compliance Officer of Invesco Capital Management LLC (2017); Chief Compliance Officer of Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust and Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust (2017);Senior Counsel, Invesco, Ltd. (2013-2020); Assistant Secretary, Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2018-2020).

 

20


Name, Address and
Year of Birth
of Executive Officer

  

Position(s)

Held
with Trust

  

Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served*

  

Principal Occupation(s)
During at Least the Past 5 Years

Peter Hubbard — 1981

Invesco Capital

Management LLC

3500 Lacey Road

Suite 700

Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Vice President    Since 2009    Vice President, Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2018-Present); Vice President, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (2009-Present), Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust (2014-Present) and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2016-Present); Vice President and Director of Portfolio Management, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2010-Present); formerly, Vice President of Portfolio Management, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2008-2010); Portfolio Manager, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2007-2008); Research Analyst, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2005-2007); Research Analyst and Trader, Ritchie Capital, a hedge fund operator (2003-2005).
Michael McMaster — 1962
Invesco Capital
Management LLC,
11 Greenway Plaza
Suite 1000
Houston, TX 77046
   Chief Tax Officer    Since 2020    Vice President and Head of Global Fund Services Tax, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (2020-Present); Chief Tax Officer, Vice President and Assistant Treasurer, The Invesco Funds (2020-Present); Assistant Treasurer, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2020-Present); Chief Tax Officer and Assistant Treasurer, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2020-Present); Assistant Treasurer, Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2020-Present); formerly, Senior Vice President, Managing Director of Tax Services, U.S. Bank Global Fund Services (GFS) (2007-2020).

Sheri Morris — 1964

Invesco Capital
Management LLC,
11 Greenway Plaza
Suite 1000
Houston, TX 77046

   Vice President    Since 2012    Head of Global Fund Services, Invesco Ltd. (2019-Present); Vice President, OppenheimerFunds, Inc. (2019-Present); President and Principal Executive Officer, The Invesco Funds (2016-Present); Treasurer, The Invesco Funds (2008-Present); Senior Vice President, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Institutional (N.A.), Inc.) (registered investment adviser) (2020-Present) and Vice President, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (2012-Present), Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust (2014-Present) and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2016-Present); formerly, Vice President and Principal Financial Officer, The Invesco Funds (2008-2016); Treasurer, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust and Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (2011-2013); Vice President, Invesco Aim Advisers, Inc., Invesco Aim Capital Management, Inc. and Invesco Aim Private Asset Management, Inc.; Treasurer, Assistant Vice President and Assistant Treasurer, The Invesco Funds and Assistant Vice President, Invesco Advisers, Inc., Invesco Aim Capital Management, Inc. and Invesco Aim Private Asset Management, Inc.; Vice President, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (2009-2020).
Rudolf E. Reitmann — 1971
Invesco Capital
Management LLC
3500 Lacey Road
Suite 700
Downers Grove, IL 60515
   Vice President    Since 2013    Head of Global Exchange Traded Funds Services, Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2018-Present); Vice President, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (2013-Present), Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust (2014-Present) and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2016-Present); Head of Global Exchange Traded Funds Services, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2013-Present); Vice President, Invesco Capital Markets, Inc. (2018-Present).

Melanie Zimdars — 1976
Invesco Capital
Management LLC
3500 Lacey Road

Suite 700
Downers Grove, IL 60515

   Chief
Compliance
Officer
   Since 2017    Chief Compliance Officer, Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (2018-Present); Chief Compliance Officer, Invesco Capital Management LLC (2017-Present); Chief Compliance Officer, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust and Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust (2017-Present); formerly, Vice President and Deputy Chief Compliance Officer, ALPS Holding, Inc. (2009-2017); Mutual Fund Treasurer/ Chief Financial Officer, Wasatch Advisors, Inc. (2005-2008); Compliance Officer, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (2001-2005).

 

*

This is the date the Officer began serving the Trust in their current position. Each Officer serves an indefinite term, until his or her successor is elected..

The Fund is newly established. As of the date of this SAI, none of the Trustees held equity securities in the Fund. As of December 31, 2020, each Trustee held in the aggregate over $100,000 in equity securities in all of the registered investment companies overseen by the Trustees in the Fund Family, except Admiral Giambastiani, who held in aggregate $10,001-$50,000, and Ms. Herget, who held no equity securities as of December 31, 2020. The dollar range of equity shares for Mr. Lim includes shares of certain funds in which Mr. Lim is deemed to be invested pursuant to the Trust’s deferred compensation plan (“DC Plan”), which is described below.

 

21


As of the date of this SAI, as to each Independent Trustee and his or her immediate family members, no person owned beneficially or of record securities in an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund, or a person (other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund.

Board and Committee Structure. As noted above, the Board is responsible for oversight of the Fund, including oversight of the duties performed by the Adviser for the Fund under the investment advisory agreement, as amended and restated, between the Adviser and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”). The Board generally meets in regularly scheduled meetings five times a year and may meet more often as required. During the Trust’s fiscal year ended August 31, 2021, the Board held [ ] meetings.

The Board has three standing committees, the Audit Committee, the Investment Oversight Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee, and has delegated certain responsibilities to those Committees.

Mr. Kole (Chair), Ms. Pace, and Messrs. Wicker and Wilson currently serve as members of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee has the responsibility, among other things, to: (i) approve and recommend to the Board the selection of the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm, (ii) review the scope of the independent registered public accounting firm’s audit activity, (iii) review the audited financial statements and (iv) review with such independent registered public accounting firm the adequacy and the effectiveness of the Trust’s internal controls over financial reporting. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2021, the Audit Committee held [ ] meetings.

Mr. Bagge, Dr. Barre, Admiral Giambastiani, Ms. Herget and Mr. Lim (Chair) currently serve as members of the Investment Oversight Committee. The Investment Oversight Committee has the responsibility, among other things, (i) to review fund investment performance, including tracking error and correlation to its underlying index, (ii) to review any proposed changes to the Fund’s investment policies, comparative benchmark indices or underlying index, and (iii) to review the Fund’s market trading activities and portfolio transactions. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2021, the Investment Oversight Committee held [ ] meetings.

Mr. Bagge (Chair), Dr. Barre, Admiral Giambastiani, Ms. Herget, Messrs. Kole and Lim, Ms. Pace, and Messrs. Wicker and Wilson currently serve as members of the Nominating and Governance Committee. The Nominating and Governance Committee has the responsibility, among other things, to identify and recommend individuals for Board membership and evaluate candidates for Board membership. The Board will consider recommendations for trustees from shareholders. Nominations from shareholders should be in writing and sent to the Secretary of the Trust to the attention of the Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee, as described below under the caption “Shareholder Communications.” During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2021, the Nominating and Governance Committee held [ ] meetings.

Mr. Wilson, one of the Independent Trustees, serves as the chair of the Board (the “Independent Chair”). The Independent Chair, among other things, chairs the Board meetings, participates in the preparation of the Board agendas and serves as a liaison between, and facilitates communication among, the other Independent Trustees, the full Board, the Adviser and other service providers with respect to Board matters. Mr. Bagge, as Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee, serves as Vice Chair of the Board (the “Vice Chair”). In the absence of the Independent Chair, the Vice Chair is responsible for all of the Independent Chair’s duties and may exercise any of the Independent Chair’s powers. The Chairs of each Committee also serve as liaisons between the Adviser and other service providers and the other Independent Trustees for matters pertaining to the respective Committee. The Board believes that its current leadership structure is appropriate taking into account the assets and number of funds in the Fund Family overseen by the Trustees, the size of the Board and the nature of the funds’ business, as the Interested Trustee and officers of the Trust provide the Board with insight as to the daily management of the funds while the Independent Chair promotes independent oversight of the funds by the Board.

Risk Oversight. The Fund is subject to a number of risks, including operational, investment and compliance risks. The Board, directly and through its Committees, as part of its oversight responsibilities, oversees the services provided by the Adviser and the Trust’s other service providers in connection with the management and operations of the Fund, as well as their associated risks. Under the oversight of the Board, the Trust, the Adviser and other service providers have adopted policies, procedures and controls to address these risks. The Board, directly and through its Committees, receives and reviews information from the Adviser, other service providers, the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm, Trust counsel and counsel to the Independent Trustees to assist it in its oversight responsibilities. This information includes, but is not limited to, reports regarding the Fund’s investments, including Fund performance and investment practices, valuation of Fund portfolio securities, and compliance. The Board also reviews, and must approve any proposed changes to, the Fund’s investment objective, policies and restrictions, and reviews any areas of non-compliance with the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions. The Audit Committee monitors the Trust’s accounting policies, financial reporting and internal control system and reviews any internal audit reports impacting the Trust. As part of its compliance oversight, the Board reviews the annual compliance report issued by the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer on the policies and procedures of the Trust and its service providers, proposed changes to those policies and procedures and quarterly reports on any material compliance issues that arose during the period.

 

22


Experience, Qualifications and Attributes. As noted above, the Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for identifying, evaluating and recommending trustee candidates. The Nominating and Governance Committee reviews the background and the educational, business and professional experience of trustee candidates and the candidates’ expected contributions to the Board. Trustees selected to serve on the Board are expected to possess relevant skills and experience, time availability and the ability to work well with the other Trustees. In addition to these qualities and based on each Trustee’s experience, qualifications and attributes and the Trustees’ combined contributions to the Board, the following is a brief summary of the information that led to the conclusion that each Board member should serve as a Trustee.

Mr. Bagge has served as a trustee and Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee with the Fund Family since 2003 and as Vice Chair with the Fund Family since 2018. He founded YQA Capital Management, LLC in 1998 and has since served as a principal. Mr. Bagge serves as a Trustee and a member of the Investment Oversight Committee of Mission Aviation Fellowship. Previously, Mr. Bagge was the owner and CEO of Electronic Dynamic Balancing Company from 1988 to 2001. He began his career as a securities analyst for institutional investors, including CT&T Asset Management and J.C. Bradford & Co. The Board considered that Mr. Bagge has served as a board member or advisor for several privately held businesses and charitable organizations and the executive, investment and operations experience that Mr. Bagge has gained over the course of his career and through his financial industry experience.

Dr. Barre has served as a trustee with the Fund Family since 2010. He served as Assistant Professor of Business at Trinity Christian College from 2010 to 2016. Additionally, he earned his Doctor of Business Administration degree from Anderson University in 2019 with final dissertation research focused on exchange-traded funds. Previously, he served in various positions with BMO Financial Group/Harris Private Bank, including Vice President and Senior Investment Strategist (2001-2008), Director of Open Architecture and Trading (2007-2008), Head of Fundamental Research (2004-2007) and Vice President and Senior Fixed Income Strategist (1994-2001). From 1983 to 1994, Dr. Barre was with the Office of the Manager of Investments at Commonwealth Edison Co. He also was a staff accountant at Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co. from 1981 to 1983. The Board considered the executive, financial and investment experience that Dr. Barre has gained over the course of his career and through his financial industry experience.

Mr. Carome has served as a trustee with the Fund Family since 2010. He has served as the Senior Managing Director and General Counsel of Invesco Ltd. since 2007, and has held various senior executive positions with Invesco Ltd. since 2003. Previously, he served in various positions with Liberty Financial Companies, Inc., including Senior Vice President and General Counsel (2000- 2001), General Counsel of certain investment management subsidiaries (1998-2000) and Associate General Counsel (1993-1998). Prior to his employment with Liberty Financial Companies, Inc., Mr. Carome was an associate with Ropes & Gray LLP. The Board considered Mr. Carome’s senior executive position with Invesco Ltd.

Admiral Giambastiani has served as a trustee with the Fund Family since 2019. He founded Giambastiani Group LLC in 2007 and has since served as its President. He has served as a Director of The Boeing Company since 2009, as Trustee of the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation Athletic & Scholarship Program since 2010, as Advisory Board Member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory since 2010, as Defense Advisory Board Member of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory since 2013, and as a Director of First Eagle Alternative Credit LLC since 2020. Previously, he served as Trustee of MITRE Corporation (2008-2020), Director of THL Credit, Inc. (2016-2020), Trustee of certain funds in the Oppenheimer Funds complex (2013-2019), an Advisory Board Member of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University (2012-2016), and Chairman (2015-2016), Lead Director (2011-2015) and Director (2008-2011) of Monster Worldwide, Inc. Admiral Giambastiani also served in the United States Navy as a career nuclear submarine officer (1970-2007), as Seventh Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2005-October 2007), as the first NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (2003-2005) and Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command (2002-2005). Since his retirement from the U.S. Navy in October 2007, Admiral Giambastiani has also served on numerous U.S. Government advisory boards, investigations and task forces for the Secretaries of Defense, State and Interior and the Directors of National Intelligence and Central Intelligence Agency. He recently completed serving as a federal commissioner on the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission. The Board considered the executive and operations experience that Admiral Giambastiani has gained over the course of his career and through his financial industry experience.

Ms. Herget has served as a trustee with the Fund Family since 2019. She has served as Trustee of Mather LifeWays since 2001, as Chair (2010-2017) and Trustee of Newberry Library since 2000, and as Trustee of Chikaming Open Lands since 2014. Previously, she served as Board Chair (2008-2015) and Director (2004-2018) of United Educators Insurance Company, as Trustee of certain funds in the Oppenheimer Funds complex (2012-2019) and as Independent Director of the First American Funds (2003-2011). Ms. Herget served as Managing Director (1993-2001), Principal (1985-1993), Vice President (1978-1985) and Assistant Vice President (1973- 1978) of Zurich Scudder Investments (and its predecessor firms), as Trustee (1992-2007), Chair of the Board of Trustees (1999-2007),

 

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Investment Committee Chair (1994-1999) and Investment Committee member (2007-2010) of Wellesley College and as Trustee of Board Source (2006-2009) and Chicago City Day School (1994-2005). The Board considered the executive, financial and investment experience that Ms. Herget has gained over the course of her career and through her financial industry experience.

Mr. Kole has served as a trustee with the Fund Family since 2006 and Chairman of the Audit Committee with the Fund Family since 2008. He has been Managing Director of Finance since 2020, and was Senior Director of Finance (2015-2020), of By The Hand Club for Kids. Previously, he was the Chief Financial Officer of Hope Network from 2008 to 2012 and he was the Assistant Vice President and Controller at Priority Health from 2005 to 2008, Regional Chief Financial Officer of United Healthcare from 2004 to 2005, Chief Accounting Officer and Senior Vice President of Finance of Oxford Health Plans from 2000 to 2004 and Audit Partner at Arthur Andersen LLP from 1996 to 2000. Mr. Kole served as Treasurer (2018-2021), Finance Committee Member (2015-2021) and Audit Committee Member (2015) of Thornapple Evangelical Covenant Church and served as Board and Finance Committee Member (2009-2017) and Treasurer (2010-2015, 2017) of NorthPointe Christian Schools. The Board has determined that Mr. Kole qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the SEC. The Board considered the executive, financial and operations experience that Mr. Kole has gained over the course of his career and through his financial industry experience.

Mr. Lim has served as a trustee with the Fund Family since 2013 and Chairman of the Investment Oversight Committee with the Fund Family since 2014. He has been a Managing Partner of RDG Funds LLC since 2008. Previously, he was a Managing Director and the Head of the Securitized Products Group of Citadel LLC (1999-2007). Prior to his employment with Citadel LLC, he was a Managing Director with Salomon Brothers Inc. Mr. Lim has served as a Board Director of Beacon Power Services, Corp. since 2019, and he served as an Advisory Board Member of Performance Trust Capital Partners, LLC (2008-2020) and as a Board Director of Beacon Power Services, Corp. (2019-Present). The Board considered the executive, financial, operations and investment experience that Mr. Lim has gained over the course of his career and through his financial industry experience.

Ms. Pace has served as a trustee with the Fund Family since 2019. She has served as Board Director of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey since 2012, as an Advisory Board Director of The Alberleen Group LLC since 2012, as Governing Council Member (since 2016) and Chair of Education Committee (since 2017) of Independent Directors Council (IDC) and as a Council Member of New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s Leadership Council on Children’s and Women’s Health since 2012. Previously, she has served as a Board Member of 100 Women in Finance (2015-2020), a Trustee of certain funds in the Oppenheimer Funds complex (2012-2019), as Senior Advisor of SECOR Asset Management, LP (2010-2011), as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Stanley Investment Management (2006-2010) and as Partner and Chief Operating Officer of FrontPoint Partners, LLC (2005-2006). Ms. Pace also held the following positions at Credit Suisse: Managing Director (2003-2005); Global Head of Human Resources and member of Executive Board and Operating Committee (2004-2005); and Global Head of Operations and Product Control (2003-2004). She also held the following positions at Morgan Stanley: Managing Director (1997-2003); Controller and Principal Accounting Officer (1999-2003) and Chief Financial Officer (temporary assignment) for the Oversight Committee, Long Term Capital Management (1998-1999). She also served as Lead Independent Director and Chair of the Audit and Nominating Committee of The Global Chartist Fund, LLC of Oppenheimer Asset Management (2011-2012), as Board Director of Managed Funds Association (2008-2010) and as Board Director of Morgan Stanley Foundation (2007-2010) and Investment Committee Chair (2008- 2010). The Board has determined that Ms. Pace qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the SEC. The Board considered the executive, financial, operations and investment experience that Ms. Pace has gained over the course of her career and through her financial industry experience.

Mr. Wicker has served as a trustee with the Fund Family since 2013. He has served as Senior Vice President of Global Finance and Chief Financial Officer at RBC Ministries since 2013. Previously, he was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Zondervan Publishing from 2007 to 2012. Prior to his employment with Zondervan Publishing, he held various positions with divisions of The Thomson Corporation, including Senior Vice President and Group Controller (2005-2006), Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (2003-2004), Chief Financial Officer (2001-2003), Vice President, Finance and Controller (1999-2001) and Assistant Controller (1997-1999). Prior to that, Mr. Wicker was Senior Manager in the Audit and Business Advisory Services Group of Price Waterhouse (1994-1996). Mr. Wicker has served as a Board Member and Treasurer of Our Daily Bread Ministries Canada (2015-Present) and as a Board and Finance Committee Member of West Michigan Youth For Christ (2010- Present). The Board has determined that Mr. Wicker qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the SEC. The Board considered the executive, financial and operations experience that Mr. Wicker has gained over the course of his career and through his financial industry experience.

Mr. Wilson has served as a trustee with the Fund Family since 2006 and as the Independent Chair with the Fund Family since 2012. He also served as lead Independent Trustee in 2011. He has served as the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of McHenry Bancorp Inc. and McHenry Savings Bank since 2018. Previously, he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Stone Pillar Advisors, Ltd. (2010-2017). He was also President and Chief Executive Officer of Stone Pillar Investments, Ltd. (2016-2018). Mr. Wilson was also the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Community Financial Shares, Inc. and its subsidiary, Community Bank—Wheaton/Glen Ellyn (2013-2015). He also was the Chief Operating Officer (2007-2009) and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (2006-2007) of AMCORE Financial, Inc. Mr. Wilson also served as Senior Vice President and

 

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Treasurer of Marshall & Ilsley Corp. from 1995 to 2006. He started his career with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, serving in several roles in the bank examination division and the economic research division. Mr. Wilson has served as a Director of Penfield Children’s Center (2004-Present) and as Board Chairman of Gracebridge Alliance, Inc. (2015-Present). The Board has determined that Mr. Wilson qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the SEC. The Board considered the executive, financial and operations experience that Mr. Wilson has gained over the course of his career and through his financial industry experience.

This disclosure is not intended to hold out any Trustee as having any special expertise and shall not impose greater duties, obligations or liabilities on the Trustees. The Trustees’ principal occupations during at least the past five years are shown in the above tables.

For his or her services as a Trustee of the Trust and other trusts in the Fund Family, each Independent Trustee receives an annual retainer of $320,000 (the “Retainer”). The Retainer for the Independent Trustees is allocated half pro rata among all the funds in the Fund Family and the other half is allocated among all of the funds in the Fund Family based on average net assets. The Independent Chair receives an additional $120,000 per year for his service as the Independent Chair, allocated in the same manner as the Retainer. The chair of the Audit Committee receives an additional fee of $35,000 per year and the chairs of the Investment Oversight Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee each receive an additional fee of $20,000 per year, each allocated in the same manner as the Retainer. Each Trustee also is reimbursed for travel and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred in attending Board and committee meetings.

The DC Plan allows each Independent Trustee to defer payment of all or a portion of the fees that the Trustee receives for serving on the Board throughout the year. Each eligible Trustee generally may elect to have deferred amounts credited with a return equal to the total return of one or more registered investment companies within the Fund Family that are offered as investment options under the DC Plan. At the Trustee’s election, distributions are either in one lump sum payment, or in the form of equal annual installments over a period of years designated by the Trustee. The rights of an eligible Trustee and the beneficiaries to the amounts held under the DC Plan are unsecured, and such amounts are subject to the claims of the creditors of a fund. The Independent Trustees are not eligible for any pension or profit sharing plan in their capacity as Trustees.

The following sets forth the fees paid to each Trustee for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2021.

 

Name of Trustee

   Aggregate
Compensation
From Trust (1)
     Pension or Retirement
Benefits
accrued as part of
Fund Expenses
     Total Compensation
Paid From Fund
Complex (2)
 

Independent Trustees

        

Ronn R. Bagge

   $      N/A      $

Todd J. Barre

   $      N/A      $

Edmund P. Giambastiani, Jr.

   $      N/A      $

Victoria J. Herget

   $      N/A      $

Marc M. Kole

   $      N/A      $

Yung Bong Lim

   $      N/A      $

Joanne Pace

   $      N/A      $

Gary R. Wicker

   $      N/A      $

Donald H. Wilson

   $      N/A      $

Interested Trustee

        

Kevin M. Carome

     N/A        N/A        N/A  

 

(1)

Because the Fund had not commenced operations as of August 31, 2021, the Fund did not pay any portion of the amounts shown in this table.

(2)

The amounts shown in this column represent the aggregate compensation paid by all funds of the trusts in the Fund Family for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2021 before deferral by the Trustees under the DC Plan. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2021, Mr. Lim deferred 100% of his compensation, which amounts are reflected in the above table.

Portfolio Holdings. As of the date of this SAI, the Trustees and officers, as a group, owned none of the Fund’s outstanding Shares.

Principal Holders and Control Persons. The Fund is new and, as of the date of this SAI, no person owned of record more than 5% of the outstanding Shares.

Shareholder Communications. Shareholders may send communications to the Trust’s Board by addressing the communications directly to the Board (or individual Board members) and/or otherwise clearly indicating in the salutation that the communication is for the Board (or individual Board members). Shareholders may send the communication to either the Trust’s office or directly to such

 

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Board members at the address specified for each Trustee. Management will review and generally respond to other shareholder communications the Trust receives that are not directly addressed and sent to the Board. Such communications will be forwarded to the Board at management’s discretion based on the matters contained therein.

Investment Adviser. The Adviser provides investment tools and portfolios for advisers and investors. The Adviser is committed to theoretically sound portfolio construction and empirically verifiable investment management approaches. Its asset management philosophy and investment discipline is rooted deeply in the application of intuitive factor analysis and model implementation to enhance investment decisions.

The Adviser acts as investment adviser for, and manages the investment and reinvestment of, the assets of the Fund. The Adviser also administers the Trust’s business affairs, provides office facilities and equipment and certain clerical, bookkeeping and administrative services, and permits any of its officers or employees to serve without compensation as Trustees or officers of the Trust if elected to such positions.

Invesco Capital Management LLC, organized February 7, 2003, is located at 3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515. Invesco Ltd. is the parent company of Invesco Capital Management LLC and is located at Two Peachtree Pointe, 1555 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30309. Invesco Ltd. and its subsidiaries are an independent global investment management group.

Portfolio Managers. The Adviser uses a team of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages the Adviser’s extensive resources. In this regard, Peter Hubbard, Michael Jeanette, Tony Seisser and Pratik Doshi (the “Portfolio Managers”) are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.

As of August 31, 2021, Mr. Hubbard managed [ ] registered investment companies with approximately $[ ] billion in assets, [ ] other pooled investment vehicles with approximately $[ ] billion in assets and [ ] other account with approximately $[ ] million in assets.

As of August 31, 2020, Mr. Jeanette managed [ ] registered investment companies with approximately $[ ] billion in assets, [ ] other pooled investment vehicles with approximately $[ ] billion in assets and [ ] other account with approximately $[ ] million in assets.

As of August 31, 2020, Mr. Seisser managed [ ] registered investment companies with approximately $[ ] billion in assets, [ ] other pooled investment vehicles with approximately $[ ] billion in assets and [ ] other account with approximately $[ ] million in assets.

As of August 31, 2020, Mr. Doshi managed [ ] registered investment companies with approximately $[ ] billion in assets, [ ] other pooled investment vehicles with approximately $[ ] billion in assets and [ ] other account with approximately $[ ] million in assets.

To the extent that any of these registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles or other accounts pay advisory fees that are based on performance (“performance-based fees”), information on those accounts is specifically broken out.

Because the portfolio managers of the Adviser may manage assets for other investment companies, pooled investment vehicles and/or other accounts, there may be an incentive to favor one client over another, resulting in conflicts of interest. A conflict of interest could exist to the extent that the Adviser has proprietary investments in certain accounts, where portfolio managers have personal investments in certain accounts or when certain accounts are investment options in the Adviser’s employee benefits and/or deferred compensation plans. The Adviser has adopted trade allocation and other policies and procedures that it believes are reasonably designed to address these and other conflicts of interest.

Although the other funds that the Portfolio Managers manage may have different investment strategies, the Adviser does not believe that management of these different funds presents a material conflict of interest for the Portfolio Managers or the Adviser.

Description of Compensation Structure. The Portfolio Managers are compensated with a fixed salary amount by the Adviser. The Portfolio Managers are eligible, along with other senior employees of the Adviser, to participate in a year-end discretionary bonus pool. The Compensation Committee of the Adviser will review management bonuses and, depending upon the size, the Compensation Committee may approve the bonus in advance. There is no policy regarding, or agreement with, the Portfolio Managers or any other senior executive of the Adviser to receive bonuses or any other compensation in connection with the performance of any of the accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers.

 

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Portfolio Holdings. As of the date of this SAI, the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, and none of the Portfolio Managers beneficially own any Shares.

Investment Advisory Agreement. Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Trust (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”), the Fund has agreed to pay the Adviser for its services an annual fee equal to a percentage of its average daily net asses set forth in the chart below (the “Advisory Fee”):

 

Fund

   Advisory Fee  

Invesco Racial and Gender Diversity ETF

     ]% 

The Advisory Fee paid by the Fund to the Adviser set forth in the table above is an annual unitary management fee. Out of the unitary management fee, the Adviser pays for substantially all expenses of the Fund, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services, except for advisory fees, distribution fees, if any, brokerage expenses, taxes, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any, interest, litigation expenses and other extraordinary expenses, including proxy expenses (except for such proxies related to: (i) changes to the Investment Advisory Agreement, (ii) the election of any Board member who is an “interested person” of the Trust, or (iii) any other matters that directly benefit the Adviser).

The Fund may invest in money market funds that are managed by affiliates of the Adviser and other funds (including ETFs) managed by the Adviser or affiliates of the Adviser (collectively, “Underlying Affiliated Investments”). The indirect portion of the advisory fees that the Fund incurs through such Underlying Affiliated Investments is in addition to the Advisory Fee payable to the Adviser by the Fund. Therefore, the Adviser has agreed to waive the Advisory Fee payable by the Fund in an amount equal to the lesser of: (i) 100% of the net advisory fees earned by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser that are attributable to the Fund’s Underlying Affiliated Investments or (ii) the Advisory Fee available to be waived. These waivers do not apply to the Fund’s investment of cash collateral received for securities lending. These waivers are in place through at least [August 31, 2023], and there is no guarantee that the Adviser will extend them past that date.

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser will not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Fund in connection with the performance of the Investment Advisory Agreement, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Adviser in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard of its duties and obligations thereunder. The Investment Advisory Agreement continues in effect only if approved annually by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees. The Investment Advisory Agreement terminates automatically upon assignment and is terminable at any time without penalty as to the Fund by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities on 60 days’ written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser on 60 days’ written notice to the Fund.

Payments to Financial Intermediaries. The Adviser, the Distributor and/or their affiliates may enter into contractual arrangements with certain broker-dealers, and other financial intermediaries that the Adviser, the Distributor and/or their affiliates believe may benefit the Fund. Pursuant to such arrangements, the Adviser, the Distributor and/or their affiliates may provide cash payments or non-cash compensation to intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund. Such payments are designed to make registered representatives and other professionals more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as participating in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, data collection and provision, technology support, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems. The Adviser, the Distributor and/or their affiliates also may pay intermediaries for certain printing, publishing and mailing costs associated with the Fund or materials relating to exchange-traded funds in general.

In addition, the Adviser, the Distributor and/or their affiliates may make payments to intermediaries that make Shares available to their clients or for otherwise promoting the Fund. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. Any payments made pursuant to such arrangements may vary in any year and may be different for different intermediaries. In certain cases, the payments described in the preceding sentence may be subject to certain minimum payment levels.

Any payments described above by the Adviser, the Distributor and/or their affiliates will be made from their own assets and not from the assets of the Fund. Although a portion of the Adviser’s revenue comes directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the Fund, payments to financial intermediaries are not financed by the Fund and therefore do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, the Fund or reduce the amount received by a shareholder as proceeds from the redemption of Shares. As a result, such payments are not reflected in the fees and expenses listed in the fees and expenses sections of the Fund’s Prospectus.

The Adviser periodically assesses the advisability of continuing to make these payments. Payments to a financial intermediary may be significant to that intermediary, and amounts that intermediaries pay to your adviser, broker or other investment professional, if any, may also be significant to such adviser, broker or investment professional. Because an intermediary may make decisions about

 

27


what investment options it will make available or recommend, and what services to provide in connection with various products, based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive, such payments create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its clients. For example, these financial incentives may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund over other investments. The same conflict of interest exists with respect to your financial adviser, broker or investment professionals if he or she receives similar payments from his or her intermediary firm.

As of the date of this SAI, as amended or supplemented from time to time, the intermediary receiving such payments include CLS Investments, LLC, LPL Financial, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, Pershing LLC, Riskalyze, Inc. and TD Ameritrade. Any additions, modifications, or deletions to this list of financial intermediaries that have occurred since the date noted above are not included in the list.

Please contact your salesperson, adviser, broker or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments or financial incentives his or her intermediary firm may receive. Any payments made, or financial incentives offered, by the Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates to an intermediary may create the incentive for the intermediary to encourage customers to buy Shares.

Administrator. BNYM serves as administrator for the Fund. Its principal address is 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286.

BNYM serves as Administrator for the Fund pursuant to a fund administration and accounting agreement (the “Administrative Services Agreement”) with the Trust. Under the Administrative Services Agreement, BNYM is obligated, on a continuous basis, to provide such administrative services as the Board reasonably deems necessary for the proper administration of the Trust and the Fund. BNYM generally will assist in many aspects of the Trust’s and the Fund’s operations, including accounting, bookkeeping and record keeping services (including, without limitation, the maintenance of such books and records as are required under the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder, except as maintained by other service providers), assisting in preparing reports to shareholders or investors; assist in the preparation and filing of tax returns; supply financial information and supporting data for reports to and filings with the SEC; and supply supporting documentation for meetings of the Board.

Pursuant to the Administrative Services Agreement, the Trust has agreed to indemnify the Administrator for certain liabilities, including certain liabilities arising under the federal securities laws, unless such loss or liability results from negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties.

The administrative fees paid to BNYM are included in each Fund’s unitary management fee.

Custodian, Transfer Agent and Fund Accounting Agent. BNYM, (the “Custodian” or “Transfer Agent”), located at 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286, also serves as custodian for the Fund pursuant to a custodian agreement (the “Custodian Agreement”). As Custodian, BNYM holds the Fund’s assets, calculates the NAV of Shares and calculates net income and realized capital gains or losses. BNYM also serves as transfer agent for the Fund pursuant to a transfer agency agreement. Further, BNYM serves as Fund accounting agent pursuant to the fund accounting agreement. As compensation for the foregoing services, BNYM may be reimbursed for its out-of-pocket costs and receive transaction fees and asset-based fees, which are accrued daily and paid monthly by the Adviser from the Advisory Fee.

Distributor. Invesco Distributors, Inc. (previously defined as the “Distributor”) is the distributor of the Fund’s Shares. The Distributor’s principal address is 11 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1000, Houston, Texas 77046-1173. The Distributor has entered into a distribution agreement (the “Distribution Agreement”) with the Trust pursuant to which it distributes the Fund’s Shares. The Fund continuously offers Shares for sale through the Distributor only in Creation Unit Aggregations, as described in the Prospectus and below under the heading “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations.”

The Distribution Agreement for the Fund provides that it may be terminated as to the Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at least 60 days’ written notice by the Trust to the Distributor (i) by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees or (ii) by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund. The Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).

Aggregations. The Distributor does not distribute Shares in less than Creation Unit Aggregations. The Distributor will deliver a Prospectus (or a Summary Prospectus) and, upon request, this SAI to persons purchasing Creation Unit Aggregations and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”).

 

28


The Distributor also may enter into agreements with securities dealers (“Soliciting Dealers”) who will solicit purchases of Creation Unit Aggregations of the Shares. Such Soliciting Dealers also may be Participating Parties (as defined in “Procedures for Creation of Creation Unit Aggregations” below) and DTC Participants (as defined in “DTC Acts as Securities Depository for Shares” below).

Securities Lending Arrangement. The Fund may participate in a securities lending program (the “Program”) pursuant to a securities lending agreement that establishes the terms of the loan, including collateral requirements. While collateral may consist of cash, U.S. Government securities, letters of credit, or such other collateral as may be permitted under the Fund’s investment policies, the Adviser currently accepts only cash collateral under the Program. Funds participating in the Program may lend securities to securities brokers and other borrowers. The Adviser renders certain administrative services to funds that engage in securities lending activities, which includes: (a) overseeing participation in the Program to ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory and investment guidelines; (b) assisting the securities lending agent or principal (the agent) in determining which specific securities are available for loan; (c) monitoring the agent to ensure that securities loans are effected in accordance with the Adviser’s instructions and with procedures adopted by the Board; (d) monitoring the creditworthiness of the agent and borrowers to ensure that securities loans are effected in accordance with the Adviser’s risk policies; (e) preparing appropriate periodic Board reports with respect to securities lending activities; (f) responding to agent inquiries; and (g) performing such other duties as may be necessary.

BNYM serves as the securities lending agent for the Program and provides the following services for the Fund in connection with securities lending activities: (i) entering into loans with approved entities subject to guidelines or restrictions provided by the Fund; (ii) receiving and holding collateral from borrowers, and facilitating the investment and reinvestment of cash collateral; (iii) monitoring daily the value of the loaned securities and collateral, including receiving and delivering additional collateral as necessary from/to borrowers; (iv) negotiating loan terms; (v) selecting securities to be loaned subject to guidelines or restrictions provided by the Fund; (vi) recordkeeping and account servicing; (vii) monitoring dividend/distribution activity and material proxy votes relating to loaned securities; and (viii) arranging for return of loaned securities to the Fund at loan termination.

Index Provider. Invesco Indexing is the index provider for the Underlying Index. The Adviser has entered into a license agreement with Invesco Indexing to use the Underlying Index. The Adviser pays licensing fees to Invesco Indexing from the Adviser’s management fees or other resources for the use of the Underlying Indexes and related trademarks and trade names. The Adviser, in turn, has entered into a sub-licensing arrangement with the Fund to permit each Fund to use its respective Underlying Index. The Fund does not pay a fee for the use of its respective Underlying Index.

The Invesco US Inclusion Index is the Underlying Index for the Fund. Invesco Indexing is affiliated with the Adviser and the Distributor. The Adviser has in place a code of ethics designed to prevent misuse of non-public index information.

BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS AND COMMISSIONS ON AFFILIATED TRANSACTIONS

The policy of the Adviser regarding purchases and sales of securities is to give primary consideration to obtaining the most favorable prices and efficient executions of transactions under the circumstances. Consistent with this policy, when securities transactions are effected on a stock exchange, the Adviser’s policy is to pay commissions that are considered fair and reasonable without necessarily determining that the lowest possible commissions are paid in all circumstances. In seeking to determine the reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid in any transaction, the Adviser relies upon its experience and knowledge regarding commissions various brokers generally charge. The sale of Shares by a broker-dealer is not a factor in the selection of broker-dealers.

In seeking to implement its policies, the Adviser effects transactions with those brokers and dealers that the Adviser believes provide the most favorable prices and are capable of providing efficient executions. The Adviser currently does not participate in soft dollar transactions.

The Adviser assumes general supervision over placing orders on behalf of the Fund for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities by the Fund and one or more other investment companies or clients supervised by the Adviser are considered at or about the same time, the Adviser allocates transactions in such securities among the Fund, the several investment companies and clients in a manner deemed equitable to all. In some cases, this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security as far as the Fund is concerned. However, in other cases, it is possible that the ability to participate in volume transactions and to negotiate lower brokerage commissions will be beneficial to the Fund. The primary consideration is prompt execution of orders at the most favorable net price under the circumstances.

Purchases and sales of fixed-income securities for the Fund usually are principal transactions and ordinarily are purchased directly from the issuer or from an underwriter or broker-dealer. The Fund does not usually pay brokerage commissions in connection with such purchases and sales, although purchases of new issues from underwriters of securities typically include a commission or concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter, and purchases from dealers serving as market-makers typically include a dealer’s mark-up (i.e., a spread between the bid and the ask prices).

 

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When the Fund purchases a newly issued security at a fixed price, the Adviser may designate certain members of the underwriting syndicate to receive compensation associated with that transaction. Certain dealers have agreed to rebate a portion of such compensation directly to the Fund to offset the Fund’s management expenses.

Affiliated Transactions. The Adviser may place trades with Invesco Capital Markets, Inc. (“ICMI”) a broker-dealer with whom it is affiliated, provided the Adviser determines that ICMI’s trade execution abilities and costs are at least comparable to those of non- affiliated brokerage firms with which the Adviser could otherwise place similar trades. ICMI receives brokerage commissions in connection with effecting trades for the Fund and, therefore, use of ICMI presents a conflict of interest for the Adviser. Trades placed through ICMI, including the brokerage commissions paid to ICMI, are subject to procedures adopted by the Board.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE TRUST

The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered under the 1940 Act. The Trust was organized as a Delaware Statutory trust on October 30, 2015 pursuant to a Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration”).

The Trust is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares in one or more series or “funds.” The Board has the right to establish additional series in the future, to determine the preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges thereof and to modify such preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges, without shareholder approval. The Declaration provides that the assets associates solely with any series shall be held and accounted for separately from the assets of the Trust generally or of any other series, and that liabilities belonging to a particular series shall be enforceable only against the assets belonging to that series and not against the assets of the Trust generally or against the assets belonging to any other series.

Each Share issued by the Fund has a pro rata interest in the assets of the Fund. Shares have no preemptive, exchange, subscription or conversion rights and are freely transferable. Each Share is entitled to participate equally in dividends and other distributions declared by the Board with respect to the Fund and in the net distributable assets of the Fund on liquidation.

Each Share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a shareholder vote is required consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder. Shares of all funds of the Trust vote together as a single class except as otherwise required by the 1940 Act, or if the matter being voted on affects only a particular fund, and, if a matter affects a particular fund differently from other funds, the shares of that fund will vote separately on such matter.

The Declaration provides that by becoming a shareholder of the Fund, each shareholder shall be held expressly to have agreed to be bound by the provisions of the Declaration. The Trustees may, except in limited circumstances, amend or supplement the Declaration of Trust without shareholder vote. The holders of Shares are required to disclose information on direct or indirect ownership of Shares as may be required to comply with various laws applicable to the Fund, and ownership of Shares may be disclosed by the Fund if so required by law or regulation.

The Trust is not required and does not intend to hold annual meetings of shareholders. Shareholders owning more than 331/3% of the outstanding Shares of the Trust have the right to call a special meeting to remove one or more Trustees or for any other purpose by written request provided that (1) such request shall state the purposes of such meeting and the matters proposed to be acted on, and (2) the shareholders requesting such meeting shall have paid to the Trust the reasonably estimated cost of preparing and mailing the notice thereof, which the Secretary shall determine and specify to such shareholders.

The Trust’s bylaws require that to the fullest extent permitted by law, including Section 3804(e) of the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, any other court in the State of Delaware with subject matter jurisdiction, shall be the sole and exclusive forum for any shareholder (including a beneficial owner of shares) to bring derivatively or directly (i) any claim, suit, action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Trust, (ii) any claim, suit, action or proceeding asserting a claim for breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any Trustee, officer or employee, if any, of the Trust to the Trust or the Trust’s shareholders, (iii) any claim, suit, action or proceeding asserting a claim against the Trust, its Trustees, officers or employees, if any, arising pursuant to any provision of Delaware statutory or common law, or any federal or state securities law, in each case as amended from time to time, or the Trust’s Declaration of Trust or bylaws; or (iv) any claim, suit, action or proceeding asserting a claim against the Trust, its Trustees, officers or employees, if any, governed by the internal affairs doctrine.

The Trust does not have information concerning the beneficial ownership of Shares held by DTC Participants (as defined below).

Shareholders may make inquiries by writing to the Trust, c/o the Distributor, Invesco Distributors, Inc., 11 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1000, Houston, Texas 77046-1173.

 

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Book Entry Only System. The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Book Entry.”

DTC Acts as Securities Depository for Shares. Shares are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.

DTC, a limited purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (the “DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. (“NYSE”) and FINRA. Access to the DTC system also is available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (the “Indirect Participants”).

Beneficial ownership of Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in Shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial Owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records DTC maintains (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase and sale of Shares.

Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the Shares held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding Shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such DTC Participant may transmit such notice, statement or communication, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

Fund distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all Shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall immediately credit DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in Shares as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of Shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.

The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such Shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants.

DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to Shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.

Proxy Voting. The Board has delegated responsibility for decisions regarding proxy voting for securities the Fund holds to the Adviser. The Adviser will vote such proxies in accordance with its proxy policies and procedures, which are summarized in Appendix A to this SAI. The Board periodically will review the Fund’s proxy voting record.

The Trust is required to disclose annually the Fund’s complete proxy voting record on Form N-PX covering the period July 1 through June 30 and file it with the SEC no later than August 31. Form N-PX for the Fund also will be available at no charge upon request by calling 1-800-983-0903 or by writing to Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust at 3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515. The Trust’s Form N-PX will also be available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

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Code of Ethics. Pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act, the Board has adopted a Code of Ethics for the Trust, the Adviser and the Distributor (collectively the “Ethics Code”). The Ethics Code is intended to ensure that the interests of shareholders and other clients are placed ahead of any personal interest, that no undue personal benefit is obtained from the person’s employment activities and that actual and potential conflicts of interest are avoided.

The Ethics Code applies to the personal investing activities of Trustees and Officers of the Trust, the Adviser and the Distributor (“Access Persons”). Rule 17j-1 and the Ethics Code are designed to prevent unlawful practices in connection with the purchase or sale of securities by Access Persons. Under the Ethics Code, Access Persons may engage in personal securities transactions, but must report their personal securities transactions for monitoring purposes. The Ethics Code permits personnel subject to the Ethics Code to invest in securities subject to certain limitations, including securities that the Fund may purchase or sell. In addition, certain Access Persons must obtain approval before investing in initial public offerings or private placements. The Ethics Code is on file with the SEC and is available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at www.sec.gov. The Ethics Code may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by e-mail at publicinfo@sec.gov.

Additional Information Concerning Invesco Indexing. Invesco Indexing, the Index Provider of the Underlying Index, is an affiliated person of the Adviser. As is the case with any use of an affiliated index provider by any ETF, this relationship poses potential conflicts. For example, a conflict exists that an affiliated person of the Index Provider or the Adviser could attempt to influence the index security selection process for an Underlying Index to the benefit of a Fund. Additionally, potential conflicts could arise with respect to the personal trading activity of personnel of the affiliated person who may have access to or knowledge of changes to an Underlying Index’s composition methodology or the constituent securities in an Underlying Index prior to the time that information is publicly disseminated. The Adviser believes that existing protections under the 1940 Act and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”) help mitigate these potential conflicts of interest, as discussed below.

The Adviser has adopted written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act and the rules thereunder, pursuant to Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act. These include policies and procedures that are designed to minimize potential conflicts of interest among the Fund and any other client accounts managed by the Adviser, and include cross trading policies, as well as policies designed to ensure the equitable allocation of portfolio transactions and brokerage commissions. In addition, the Adviser has adopted policies and procedures as required under Section 204A of the Advisers Act, which are reasonably designed in light of the nature of its business to prevent the misuse, in violation of the Advisers Act or the Exchange Act or the rules thereunder, of material non-public information by the Adviser or associated persons (“Inside Information Policy”). In accordance with the Adviser’s Code of Ethics (discussed below) and the Insider Information Policy, personnel of the Adviser and Invesco Indexing with knowledge about the operation of the Fund (which would include information about its Underlying Index) are prohibited from disclosing such information to any other person, except as authorized in the course of their employment, until such information is made public. Furthermore, the Adviser and Invesco Indexing have also adopted informational barrier policies designed to restrict the flow of information in a manner that minimizes the potential for the misuse of information regarding changes to the Underlying Index’s composition, methodology, or the constituent securities in the Underlying Index prior to the time that information is publicly disseminated.

The portfolio managers responsible for day-to-day portfolio management of the Fund are employees of the Adviser. As noted above, the Adviser has also adopted a Code of Ethics Code pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act and Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act, which contains provisions reasonably necessary to prevent “Access Persons” (as such term is defined in Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act) from engaging in any conduct prohibited in Rule 17j-1 (generally, fraudulent and manipulative activity with respect to the Fund).

Finally, the Fund will be fully “transparent,” meaning that the Fund will post on the Fund’s website on each day the Fund is open for business (before commencement of trading of Shares on the Exchange), the identities and quantities of the portfolio holdings that will form the basis for the Fund’s calculation of NAV at the end of the business day. This practice is intended, among other reasons, to reduce the likelihood of any attempts at “front-running” (where other persons would trade ahead of the Fund and the investors assembling the Deposit Securities for purchases of Creation Units), which is a risk of any pooled investment vehicle, including the Fund.

 

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CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNIT AGGREGATIONS

General

The Trust issues and sells Shares only in Creation Unit Aggregations on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at the Fund’s NAV next determined after receipt of an order in “proper form” (as defined below) 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 is closed in observance of the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. On days when the Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to be placed earlier in the day.

The number of Shares that constitute a Creation Unit Aggregation for the Fund is set forth in the Fund’s Prospectus. In its discretion, the Trust reserves the right to increase or decrease the number of Shares that constitutes a Creation Unit Aggregation for the Fund.

Role of the Authorized Participant

The Fund only may issue Creation Units to, or redeem Creation Units from, an authorized participant, referred to herein as an “AP.” To be eligible to place orders for the purchase or redemption of a Creation Unit, an AP must have executed a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows the AP to place such orders (“Participant Agreement”). In addition, an AP must be a member or participant of a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC. An AP may place orders for the creation or redemption of Creation Units through the clearing process of the Continuous Net Settlement System (the “Clearing Process”) of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”), Euroclear, the Fed Book-Entry System and/or DTC, subject to the procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement. (APs that participate in the Clearing Process are sometimes referred to as a “Participating Party,” and APs that are eligible to utilize the Fed Book Entry System and/or DTC are sometimes referred to as a “DTC Participant.”) Transfers of securities settling through Euroclear or other foreign depositories may require AP access to such facilities.

Pursuant to the terms of its Participant Agreement, an AP will agree, and on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that the AP will make available in advance of each purchase of Shares an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component, together with the transaction fees described below. An AP acting on behalf of an investor may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such AP with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Cash Component. Investors who are not APs make appropriate arrangements with an AP to submit orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units of the Fund. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed a Participant Agreement and that, therefore, orders to purchase Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an AP. In such cases, there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of APs. A list of current APs may be obtained from the Distributor. In addition, the Distributor may be appointed as the proxy of the AP and may be granted a power of attorney under the Participant Agreement.

Creations

Portfolio Deposit. The consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a portfolio of securities, assets or other positions constituting a substantial replication of the Fund’s portfolio holdings (the “Deposit Securities”) and an amount of cash denominated in U.S. dollars (the “Cash Component”) computed as described below, plus any applicable administrative or other transaction fees, also as discussed below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “Portfolio Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit Aggregation of the Fund.

The “Cash Component” is an amount equal to the difference between the aggregate NAV of the Shares per Creation Unit and the “Deposit Amount,” which is an amount equal to the total aggregate market value (per Creation Unit) of the Deposit Securities. The Cash Component, which is sometimes called the “Balancing Amount,” serves to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount. Payment of any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities are the sole responsibility of the AP purchasing the Creation Unit.

Each business day before the opening of regular trading on the Exchange where the Fund’s Shares are traded (usually 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time), the Fund discloses on its website (www.invesco.com/ETFs) the Deposit Securities and/or the amount of the applicable Cash Component to be included in the current Portfolio Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the Fund. Such Portfolio Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, to effect purchases of Creation Units of the Fund until such time as the next-announced Portfolio Deposit is made available.

 

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The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities required for a Portfolio Deposit will change as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected within the Fund from time to time by the Adviser with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The composition of the Deposit Securities also may change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the securities of the Underlying Index. Such adjustments will reflect changes known to the Adviser by the time of determination of the Deposit Securities in the composition of the Underlying Index or resulting from stock splits and other corporate actions.

The Adviser expects that the Deposit Securities should correspond pro rata, to the extent practicable, to the securities held by the Fund. However, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require an order containing the substitution of an amount of cash—i.e., a “cash in lieu” amount—to be added, at its discretion, to the Cash Component to replace one or more Deposit Securities. For example, a cash substitution may be permitted or required for any Deposit Securities that (i) may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery, (ii) may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC or the Clearing Process (discussed below), (iii) might not be eligible for trading by an AP or the investor on whose behalf the AP is acting, or (iv) in certain other situations at the sole discretion of the Trust. Additionally, the Trust may permit or require the submission of a portfolio of securities or cash that differs from the composition of the published portfolio(s) (a “Custom Order”). The Fund also may permit or require the consideration for Creation Unit Aggregations to consist solely of cash (see “—Cash Creations” below).

Cash Creations. If the Fund permits or requires partial or full cash creations, such purchases shall be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases. In the case of a cash creation, the AP must pay the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser, plus the Deposit Amount (i.e., the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to provide through an in-kind purchase, as described in the subsection “—Portfolio Deposit” above).

Trading costs, operational processing costs and brokerage commissions associated with using cash to purchase requisite Deposit Securities will be incurred by the Fund and will affect the value of the Shares; therefore, the Fund may require APs to pay transaction fees to offset brokerage and other costs associated with using cash to purchase the requisite Deposit Securities (see “Creation and Redemption Transaction Fees” below).

Creation Orders

Procedures for Creation of Creation Unit Aggregations. Orders must be transmitted by an AP, in such form and by such transmission method acceptable to the Transfer Agent or Distributor, pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, and such procedures may change from time to time. APs purchasing Creation Units of funds that invest in domestic equity securities (“Domestic Equity Funds”) may transfer Deposit Securities in one of two ways: (i) through the Clearing Process (see “Placing Creation Orders Using the Clearing Process”), or (ii) with the Fund “outside” the Clearing Process through the facilities of DTC (see “Placing Creation Orders Outside the Clearing Process”). The Clearing Process is not currently available for purchases or redemptions of Creation Units of funds that invest in foreign securities (“International Equity Funds”). Accordingly, APs submitting creation orders for such funds must effect those transactions outside the Clearing Process, as described further below.

All orders to purchase Creation Units, whether through or outside the Clearing Process, must be received by the Transfer Agent and/or Distributor no later than the order cut-off time designated in the Participant Agreement (“Order Cut-Off Time”) on the relevant Business Day in order for the creation of Creation Units to be effected based on the NAV of Shares as determined on such date. With certain exceptions, the Order Cut-Off Time for the Fund, as set forth in the Participant Agreement, usually is the closing time of the regular trading session on the NYSE—i.e., ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time. In the case of Custom Orders, the Order Cut-Off Time is no later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern time. Additionally, on days when the NYSE, the Exchange or the bond markets close earlier than normal, the Trust may require creation orders to be placed earlier in the day. The Business Day on which an order is placed and deemed received is referred to as the “Transmittal Date.”

Orders must be transmitted by an AP by telephone, online portal or other transmission method acceptable to the Transfer Agent and the Distributor. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure, may impede the ability to reach the Transfer Agent, the Distributor or an AP. APs placing creation orders should afford sufficient time to permit proper submission of the order. Orders effected outside the Clearing Process likely will require transmittal by the DTC Participant earlier on the Transmittal Date than orders effected through the Clearing Process. APs placing orders outside the Clearing Process should ascertain all deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve Bank wire system. Additional transaction fees may be imposed with respect to transactions effected outside the Clearing Process (see “Creation and Redemption Transaction Fees” below).

A creation order is considered to be in “proper form” if: (i) a properly completed irrevocable purchase order has been submitted by the AP (either on its own or another investor’s behalf) not later than the Fund’s specified Order Cut-Off Time on the Transmittal Date, and (ii) arrangements satisfactory to the Fund are in place for payment of the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due, and (iii) all other procedures regarding placement of a creation order set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. Special procedures are specific to Custom Orders, as set forth in the Participant Agreement.

 

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All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities to be delivered, and the validity, form, eligibility (including time of receipt) and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Fund, and the Fund’s determination shall be final and binding.

Placing Creation Orders Using the Clearing Process. The Clearing Process is the process of creating or redeeming Creation Unit Aggregations through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC. Portfolio Deposits made through the Clearing Process must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed a Participant Agreement. The Participant Agreement authorizes the Transfer Agent to transmit, on behalf of the Participating Party, such trade instructions to the NSCC as are necessary to effect the Participating Party’s creation order. Pursuant to such trade instructions, the Participating Party agrees to deliver the Portfolio Deposit to the Transfer Agent, together with such additional information as may be required by the Distributor.

Placing Creation Orders Outside the Clearing Process. Portfolio Deposits made outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place a creation order outside the Clearing Process need not be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that the creation instead will be effected through a transfer of securities and cash directly through DTC.

APs purchasing Creation Units of Shares of International Equity Funds must have international trading capabilities. Once the Custodian has been notified of an order to purchase Creation Units of an International Equity Fund, it will provide such information to the relevant sub-custodian(s) of each such Fund. The Custodian shall then cause the sub-custodian(s) of each such Fund to maintain an account into which the AP shall deliver, on behalf of itself or the party on whose behalf it is acting, the Portfolio Deposit. Deposit Securities must be maintained by the applicable local sub-custodian(s).

Acceptance of Creation Orders. The Transfer Agent will deliver to the AP a confirmation of acceptance of a creation order within 15 minutes of the receipt of a submission received in proper form. A creation order is deemed to be irrevocable upon the delivery of the confirmation of acceptance, subject to the conditions below.

The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor in respect of the Fund if: (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s), upon obtaining the Shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares; (iii) the Deposit Securities delivered are not as designated for that date by the Custodian; (iv) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (v) acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (vi) acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Trust or the Adviser, have an adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of Beneficial Owners; or (vii) there exist circumstances outside the control of the Trust that make it impossible to process creation orders for all practical purposes. Examples of such circumstances include acts of God; public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Trust, the Adviser, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC, the Federal Reserve, the Transfer Agent, a sub- custodian or any other participant in the creation process, and similar extraordinary events. The Transfer Agent shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit (and/or the AP acting on its behalf) of the rejection of such creation order. The Trust, 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, nor shall any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.

Issuance of a Creation Unit

Except as provided herein, a Creation Unit will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Fund of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Fund may issue Creation Units to an AP, notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Portfolio Deposit has not been delivered in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the AP to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible. To secure such undertaking, the AP must deposit and maintain cash collateral in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Component, plus (ii) at least 105% of the market value of the undelivered Deposit Securities. In such circumstances, the creation order shall be deemed to be received on the Transmittal Date, provided that (i) such order is placed in proper form prior to the Order Cut-Off Time, and (ii) requisite federal funds in an appropriate amount are delivered by certain deadlines on the contractual settlement date, as set forth in such Participant Agreement (typically, 11:00 a.m., Eastern time on such date for equity funds). If such order is not placed in proper form prior to the Order Cut-Off Time, and/or all other deadlines and conditions set forth in the Participant Agreement relating to such additional deposits are not met, then the order may be deemed to be canceled, and the AP shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. The Trust may use such collateral at any time to buy Deposit Securities for the Fund, and the AP agrees to accept liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such Deposit Securities and the value of the collateral, which may be sold by the Trust at such time, and in such manner, as the Trust may determine in its sole discretion.

 

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Using the Clearing Process. An AP that is a Participating Party is required to transfer to the Transfer Agent: (i) the requisite Deposit Securities expected to be delivered through NSCC, and (ii) the Cash Component, if any, to the Transfer Agent by means of the Trust’s Clearing Process. In each case, the delivery must occur by the “regular way” settlement date—i.e., generally, the second Business Day following the Transmittal Date (“T+2”). At that time, the Transfer Agent shall initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Shares and the Cash Component, if any, through the Clearing Process so as to be received no later than on the “regular way” settlement date (i.e., T+2).

Outside the Clearing Process—Domestic Equity Funds. An AP that is a DTC Participant that orders a creation outside the Clearing Process is required to transfer to the Transfer Agent: (i) the requisite Deposit Securities through DTC, and (ii) the Cash Component, if any, through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system. Such Deposit Securities must be received by the Transfer Agent by 11:00 a.m., Eastern time on the “regular way” settlement date (i.e., T+2), while the Cash Component must be received by 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on that same date. Otherwise, the creation order shall be canceled. For creation units issued principally for cash (see “—Cash Creations” above), the DTC Participant shall be required to transfer the Cash Component through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system to be received by 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Contractual Settlement Date (as defined below). At that time, the Transfer Agent shall initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Shares through DTC and the Cash Component, if any, through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system so as to be received by the purchaser no later than T+2 (except as otherwise set forth in the Participant Agreement).

Outside the Clearing Process—International Equity Funds. Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local sub-custodian on or before 11 a.m., Eastern time, on the Contractual Settlement Date. The “Contractual Settlement Date” is the earlier of (i) the date upon which all of the required Deposit Securities, the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due are delivered to the Trust and (ii) the latest day for settlement on the customary settlement cycle in the jurisdiction where any of the securities of the relevant Fund are customarily traded. The AP also must make available by the Contractual Settlement Date funds estimated by the Trust to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component, if any. For Creation Units issued principally for cash, the DTC Participant shall be required to transfer the Cash Component through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system to be received by 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Contractual Settlement Date. When the sub-custodian confirms to the Custodian that the required securities included in the Portfolio Deposit (or, when permitted in the sole discretion of the Trust, the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian, the Custodian shall notify the Distributor and Transfer Agent, and the Trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit of Shares via DTC so as to be received by the purchaser no later than T+2.

Creation and Redemption Transaction Fees

Creation and redemption transactions for the Fund are subject to an administrative fee, payable to BNYM, in the amount listed in the table below, irrespective of the size of the order. As shown in the table below, the administrative fee has a base amount for the Fund; however, BNYM may increase the administrative fee to a maximum of four times the base amount for administration and settlement of non-standard orders requiring additional administrative processing by BNYM. These fees may be changed by the Trust

 

Fund

   Base
Administrative Fee
(Payable to BNYM)
     Maximum
Administrative Fee
(Payable to BNYM)
 

Invesco Racial and Gender Diversity ETF

   $    $

Additionally, the Adviser may charge an additional, variable fee (sometimes referred to as a “cash-in-lieu” fee) to the extent the Fund permits APs to create or redeem Creation Units for cash, or otherwise substitute cash for any Deposit Security. Such cash-in- lieu fees are payable to the Fund and are charged to defray the transaction cost to the Fund of buying (or selling) Deposit Securities, to cover spreads and slippage costs and to protect existing shareholders. The cash-in-lieu fees will be negotiated between the Adviser and the AP and may be different for any given transaction, Business Day or AP; however in no instance will such cash-in-lieu fees exceed 2% of the value of a Creation Unit. From time to time, the Adviser, in its sole discretion, may adjust the Fund’s cash-in-lieu fees or reimburse APs for all or a portion of the creation or redemption transaction fees.

Redemptions

Shares may be redeemed only by APs at their NAV per Share next determined after receipt by the Distributor of a redemption request in proper form. The Fund will not redeem Shares in amounts less than a Creation Unit. Beneficial Owners of Shares may sell their Shares in the secondary market, but they must accumulate enough Shares to constitute a Creation Unit to redeem those Shares

 

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with the Fund. There can be no assurance that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.

Fund Securities. The redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of a portfolio of securities (the “Fund Securities”), plus or minus an amount of cash denominated in U.S. dollars (the “Cash Redemption Amount”), representing an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Shares being redeemed, as next determined after receipt of a request in proper form, and the total aggregate market value of the Fund Securities, less any applicable administrative or other transaction fees, as discussed above. The Cash Redemption Amount is calculated in the same manner as the Balancing Amount. To the extent that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the Shares being redeemed, a Cash Redemption Amount payment equal to the differential is required to be paid by the redeeming shareholder.

Each business day before the opening of regular trading on the Exchange where the Fund’s Shares are traded (usually 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time), the Fund discloses the Fund Securities that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day, as well as the Cash Redemption Amount. The Fund Securities and the corresponding Cash Redemption Amount are applicable to effect redemptions of Creation Units of the Fund until such time as the next-announced composition of the Fund Securities and Cash Redemption Amount is made available.

The Adviser expects that the Fund Securities should correspond pro rata, to the extent practicable, to the securities held by the Fund. However, Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creations of Creation Units. The Trust also may provide such redeemer a Custom Order, which, as described above, is a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the published list of Fund Securities, but in no event will the total value of the securities delivered and the cash transmitted differ from the NAV. In addition, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require an amount of cash to be added, at its discretion, to the Cash Redemption Amount to replace one or more Fund Securities (see “—Cash Redemptions” below).

Cash Redemptions. If it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities, the Trust may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that the Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit. In either case, the investor will receive a cash payment in an amount equal to the NAV of its Shares next determined after a redemption request is received (less any redemption transaction fees imposed, as specified above).

Redemptions of Shares will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations for cash to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws. An AP 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 Fund Securities that are restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144. The AP may request the redeeming beneficial owner of the Shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment.

Redemption Requests

Procedures for Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations. Orders must be transmitted by an AP, in such form and by such transmission method acceptable to the Transfer Agent or Distributor, pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, and such procedures may change from time to time. APs seeking to redeem Shares of Domestic Equity Funds may transfer Creation Units through the Clearing Process (see “Placing Redemption Requests Using the Clearing Process”) or outside the Clearing Process through the facilities of DTC (see “Placing Redemption Requests Outside the Clearing Process”). As noted above, the Clearing Process is not currently available for redemptions of Creation Units of International Equity Funds; accordingly, APs seeking to redeem Shares of such funds must effect such transactions outside the Clearing Process.

All requests to redeem Creation Units, whether through the Clearing Process, or outside the Clearing Process through DTC or otherwise, must be received by the Distributor no later than the Order Cut-Off Time on the relevant Business Day. As with creation orders, requests for redemption of Custom Orders must be received by 3:00 p.m., Eastern time, and a fund, as set forth in the Participant Agreement, may have different Order Cut-Off Times for redemptions.

A redemption request will be considered to be in “proper form” if (i) a duly completed request form is received by the Distributor from the AP on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor at the specified Order Cut-Off Time, and (ii) arrangements satisfactory to the Fund are in place for the AP to transfer or cause to be transferred to the Fund the Creation Unit of such Fund being redeemed on or before contractual settlement of the redemption request. Special procedures are specific to Custom Orders, as set forth in the Participant Agreement.

 

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As discussed herein, a redeeming investor will pay a transaction fee to offset the Fund’s trading costs, operational processing costs, brokerage commissions and other similar costs incurred in transferring the Fund Securities from its account to the account of the redeeming investor. An entity redeeming Shares in Creation Units outside the Clearing Process may be required to pay a higher transaction fee than would have been charged had the redemption been effected through the Clearing Process. A redeeming investor receiving cash in lieu of one or more Fund Securities may also be assessed a higher transaction fee on the cash in lieu portion. This higher transaction fee will be assessed in the same manner as the transaction fee incurred in purchasing Creation Units.

Placing Redemption Requests Using the Clearing Process. Requests to redeem Creation Units through the Clearing Process must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed a Participant Agreement, in such form and by such transmission method acceptable to the Transfer Agent or Distributor, pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement.

Placing Redemption Requests Outside the Clearing Process. Orders to redeem Creation Units outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place a redemption order outside the Clearing Process need not be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that redemption instead will be effected through a transfer of Fund Shares directly through DTC.

In the case of Shares of International Equity Funds, upon redemption of Creation Units and taking delivery of the Fund Securities into the account of the redeeming shareholder or an AP acting on behalf of such investor, such person must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a broker-dealer, bank or other custody provider in each jurisdiction in which any of such Fund Securities are customarily traded.

Acceptance of Redemption Requests. The Transfer Agent will deliver to the AP a confirmation of acceptance of a request to redeem Shares in Creation Units within 15 minutes of the receipt of a submission received in proper form. A redemption order is deemed to be irrevocable upon the delivery of the confirmation of acceptance.

The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the NYSE 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 Fund’s NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstances as is permitted by the SEC.

Issuance of Fund Securities

To the extent contemplated by a Participant Agreement, in the event an AP has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Unit to be redeemed to the Distributor, on behalf of the Fund, by the closing time of the regular trading session on the Exchange on the date such redemption request is submitted, the Distributor will nonetheless accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the AP to deliver the missing Shares as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by the AP’s delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash having a value at least equal to 105% of the value of the missing Shares. The Trust may use such collateral at any time to purchase the missing Shares, and will subject the AP to liability for any shortfall between the cost of the Fund acquiring such Shares and the value of the collateral, which may be sold by the Trust at such time, and in such manner, as the Trust may determine in its sole discretion.

Using the Clearing Process. An AP that is a Participating Party is required to transfer to the Transfer Agent: (i) the requisite Shares, and (ii) the Cash Redemption Amount, if any, to the Transfer Agent by means of the Trust’s Clearing Process. In each case, the delivery must occur by the “regular way” settlement date (i.e., T+2). At that time, the Transfer Agent shall initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount, if any, through the Clearing Process so as to be received no later than on the “regular way” settlement date (i.e., T+2).

Outside the Clearing Process—Domestic Equity Funds. An AP that is a DTC Participant making a redemption request outside the Clearing Process is required to transfer to the Transfer Agent: (i) the requisite Shares through DTC, and (ii) the Cash Redemption Amount, if any, through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system. Such Shares and Cash Redemption Amount must be received by the Transfer Agent by 11:00 a.m., Eastern time on the Contractual Settlement Date. At that time, the Transfer Agent shall initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Fund Securities through DTC and the Cash Redemption Amount, if any, through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system so as to be received no later than T+2 (except as otherwise set forth in the Participant Agreement).

 

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Outside the Clearing Process—International Equity Funds. A redeeming AP must maintain appropriate securities broker-dealer, bank or other custody arrangements to which account such in-kind redemption proceeds will be delivered. If neither the redeeming beneficial owner nor the AP acting on its behalf has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of the Fund Securities in the applicable jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities in such jurisdiction, the beneficial owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.

Arrangements satisfactory to the Trust must be in place for the AP to transfer Creation Units through DTC on or before the settlement date. At that time, the Transfer Agent shall initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Fund Securities through DTC and the global sub-custodian network and the Cash Redemption Amount, if any, through the Federal Reserve Bank wire system so as to be received generally no later than by such time as set forth in the Participation Agreement.

Regular Holidays

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Fund may effect deliveries of Creation Units and Fund Securities on a basis other than T+2 in order to accommodate local holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates or under certain other circumstances. The ability of the Trust to effect in-kind creations and redemptions on a T+2 basis is subject, among other things, to the condition that, in the time between the order date and the delivery date, there are no days that are holidays in an applicable foreign market. For every occurrence of one or more such intervening holidays that are not holidays observed in the U.S., the redemption settlement cycle will be extended by the number of such intervening holidays. In addition the proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays or changes in local securities delivery practices, and/or other unforeseeable closings in a foreign market due to emergencies also may prevent the Fund from delivering securities within the normal settlement period. However, in no case will the Fund take more than 15 days after the receipt of the redemption request to deliver such securities to an AP.

TAXES

The following is a summary of certain additional tax considerations generally affecting the Fund and its shareholders that are not described in the Prospectus. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of the tax treatment of the Fund or its shareholders, and the discussion here and in the Prospectus is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning.

This section is based on the Code and applicable regulations in effect on the date of this SAI. Future legislative, regulatory or administrative changes including provisions of current law that sunset and thereafter no longer apply, or court decisions may significantly change the tax rules applicable to the Fund and its shareholders. Any of these changes or court decisions may have a retroactive effect.

The following is for general information only and is not tax advice. All investors should consult their own tax advisors as to the federal, state, local and foreign tax provisions applicable to them.

Taxation of the Fund

The Fund has elected and intends to qualify each year as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. If the Fund qualifies, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on the portion of its investment company taxable income (i.e., generally, taxable interest, dividends, net short-term capital gains and other taxable ordinary income net of expenses without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and net capital gain (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that it distributes.

Qualification as a RIC. In order to qualify for treatment as a RIC, the Fund must satisfy the following requirements:

 

   

Distribution Requirement—the Fund must distribute an amount equal to the sum of at least 90% of its investment company taxable income and 90% of its net tax-exempt income, if any, for the tax year (certain distributions made by the Fund after the close of its tax year are considered distributions attributable to the previous tax year for purposes of satisfying this requirement).

 

   

Income Requirement—the Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, certain payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived from its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies and net income derived from qualified publicly traded partnerships (QPTPs).

 

   

Asset Diversification Test—the Fund must satisfy the following asset diversification test at the close of each quarter of the Fund’s tax year: (1) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets must consist of cash and cash items, U.S. Government Securities, securities of other regulated investment companies, and securities of other issuers (as to which

 

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the Fund has not invested more than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets in securities of an issuer and as to which the Fund does not hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer); and (2) no more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government Securities or securities of other regulated investment companies) or of two or more issuers which the Fund controls and which are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses, or, collectively, in the securities of QPTPs.

In some circumstances, the character and timing of income realized by the Fund for purposes of the Income Requirement or the identification of the issuer for purposes of the Asset Diversification Test is uncertain under current law with respect to a particular investment, and an adverse determination or future guidance by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) with respect to such type of investment may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to satisfy these requirements. See, “Tax Treatment of Portfolio Transactions” below with respect to the application of these requirements to certain types of investments. In other circumstances, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio holdings in order to meet the Income Requirement, Distribution Requirement, or Asset Diversification Test, which may have a negative impact on the Fund’s income and performance. In lieu of potential disqualification, the Fund is permitted to pay a tax for certain failures to satisfy the Asset Diversification Test or Income Requirement, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect.

The Fund may use “equalization accounting” (in lieu of making some cash distributions) in determining the portion of its income and gains that has been distributed. If the Fund uses equalization accounting, it will allocate a portion of its undistributed investment company taxable income and net capital gain to redemptions of Shares and will correspondingly reduce the amount of such income and gains that it distributes in cash. However, the Fund intends to make cash distributions for each taxable year in an aggregate amount that is sufficient to satisfy the Distribution Requirement without taking into account its use of equalization accounting. If the IRS determines that the Fund’s allocation is improper and/or that the Fund has under-distributed its income and gain for any taxable year, the Fund may be liable for federal income and/or excise tax.

If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify as a RIC, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at the corporate income tax rate without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders, and the dividends would be taxable to the shareholders as ordinary income (or possibly as qualified dividend income) to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. Failure to qualify as a RIC thus would have a negative impact on the Fund’s income and performance. Subject to savings provisions for certain inadvertent failures to satisfy the Income Requirement or Asset Diversification Test which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, it is possible that the Fund will not qualify as a RIC in any given tax year. Even if such savings provisions apply, the Fund may be subject to a monetary sanction of $50,000 or more. Moreover, the Board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund as a RIC if it determines such a course of action to be beneficial to shareholders.

Portfolio turnover. For investors that hold their Shares in a taxable account, a high portfolio turnover rate may result in higher taxes. This is because a fund with a high turnover rate may accelerate the recognition of capital gains and more of such gains are likely to be taxable as short-term rather than long-term capital gains in contrast to a comparable fund with a low turnover rate. Any such higher taxes would reduce the Fund’s after-tax performance. See “Taxation of Fund Distributions—Capital gain dividends” below.

For non-U.S. investors, any such acceleration of the recognition of capital gains that results in more short-term and less long- term capital gains being recognized by the Fund may cause such investors to be subject to increased U.S. withholding taxes. See “Foreign Shareholders—U.S. withholding tax at the source” below. For ETFs, for which in-kind redemptions are the primary redemption mechanism and, therefore, a fund may be less likely to sell securities in order to generate cash for redeeming shareholders, which a mutual fund might do. This provides a greater opportunity for ETFs to defer the recognition of gain on appreciated securities which it may hold thereby reducing the distribution of capital gains to its shareholders.

Capital loss carryovers. The capital losses of the Fund, if any, do not flow through to shareholders. Rather, the Fund may use its capital losses, subject to applicable limitations, to offset its capital gains without being required to pay taxes on or distribute to shareholders such gains that are offset by the losses. If the Fund has a “net capital loss” (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains), the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year. Any net capital losses of the Fund that are not used to offset capital gains may be carried forward indefinitely to reduce any future capital gains realized by the Fund in succeeding taxable years. The amount of capital losses that can be carried forward and used in any single year is subject to an annual limitation if there is a more than 50% “change in ownership” of the Fund. An ownership change generally results when shareholders owning 5% or more of the Fund increase their aggregate holdings by more than 50% over a three-year look- back period. An ownership change could result in capital loss carryovers being used at a slower rate, thereby reducing the Fund’s ability to offset capital gains with those losses. An increase in the amount of taxable gains distributed to the Fund’s shareholders could result from an ownership change. The Fund undertakes no obligation to avoid or prevent an ownership change, which can occur in the normal course of shareholder purchases and redemptions or as a result of engaging in a tax-free reorganization with another fund. Moreover, because of circumstances beyond the Fund’s control, there can be no assurance that the Fund will not experience, or has not already experienced, an ownership change.

 

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Deferral of late year losses. The Fund may elect to treat part or all of any “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund’s taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits. The effect of this election is to treat any such “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year, which may change the timing, amount, or characterization of Fund distributions (see “Taxation of Fund Distributions—Capital gain dividends” below). A “qualified late year loss” includes:

(i) any net capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, or, if there is no such loss, any net long-term capital loss or any net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year (post-October capital losses), and

(ii) the sum of (1) the excess, if any, of (a) specified losses incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, over (b) specified gains incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year and (2) the excess, if any, of (a) ordinary losses incurred after December 31 of the current taxable year, over (b) the ordinary income incurred after December 31 of the current taxable year.

The terms “specified losses” and “specified gains” mean ordinary losses and gains from the sale, exchange, or other disposition of property (including the termination of a position with respect to such property), foreign currency losses and gains, and losses and gains resulting from holding stock in a passive foreign investment company (PFIC) for which a mark-to-market election is in effect. The terms “ordinary losses” and “ordinary income” mean other ordinary losses and income that are not described in the preceding sentence.

Undistributed capital gains. The Fund may retain or distribute to shareholders its net capital gain for each taxable year. The Fund currently intends to distribute net capital gains. If the Fund elects to retain its net capital gain, the Fund will be taxed thereon (except to the extent of any available capital loss carryovers) at the corporate income tax rate. If the Fund elects to retain its net capital gain, it is expected that the Fund also will elect to have shareholders treated as if each received a distribution of its pro rata share of such gain, with the result that each shareholder will be required to report its pro rata share of such gain on its tax return as long-term capital gain, will receive a refundable tax credit for its pro rata share of tax paid by the Fund on the gain and will increase the tax basis for its Shares by an amount equal to the deemed distribution less the tax credit.

Federal excise tax. To avoid a 4% non-deductible excise tax, the Fund must distribute by December 31 of each year an amount equal to at least: (1) 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year, (2) 98.2% of capital gain net income (the excess of the gains from sales or exchanges of capital assets over the losses from such sales or exchanges) for the one-year period ended on October 31 of such calendar year, and (3) any prior year undistributed ordinary income and capital gain net income. The Fund may elect to defer to the following year any net ordinary loss incurred for the portion of the calendar year which is after the beginning of the Fund’s taxable year. Also, the Fund will defer any “specified gain” or “specified loss” which would be properly taken into account for the portion of the calendar after October 31. Any net ordinary loss, specified gain, or specified loss deferred shall be treated as arising on January 1 of the following calendar year. Generally, the Fund may make sufficient distributions to avoid liability for federal income and excise tax, but can give no assurances that all or a portion of such liability will be avoided. In addition, under certain circumstances temporary timing or permanent differences in the realization of income and expense for book and tax purposes can result in the Fund having to pay an excise tax.

Purchase of Shares. As a result of tax requirements, the Trust on behalf of the Fund has the right to reject an order to purchase Shares if the purchaser (or group of purchasers acting in concert with each other) would, upon obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares and if, pursuant to Sections 351 and 362 of the Code, the Fund would have a basis in the Deposit Securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial Share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.

Foreign income tax. Investment income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to foreign income tax withheld at the source, and the amount of tax withheld generally will be treated as an expense of the Fund. The United States has entered into tax treaties with many foreign countries that entitle the Fund to a reduced rate of, or exemption from, tax on such income. Some countries require the filing of a tax reclaim or other forms to receive the benefit of the reduced tax rate; whether or when the Fund will receive the tax reclaim is within the control of the individual country. Information required on these forms may not be available such as shareholder information; therefore, the Fund may not receive the reduced treaty rates or potential reclaims. Other countries have conflicting and changing instructions and restrictive timing requirements which may cause the Fund not to receive the reduced treaty rates or potential reclaims. Other countries may subject capital gains realized by the Fund on sale or disposition of securities of that country to taxation. It is impossible to determine the effective rate of foreign tax in advance since the

 

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amount of the Fund’s assets to be invested in various countries is not known. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may elect to pass- through foreign taxes paid by the Fund to shareholders, although it reserves the right not to do so. If the Fund makes such an election and obtains a refund of foreign taxes paid by the Fund in a prior year, the Fund may be eligible to reduce the amount of foreign taxes reported to its shareholders, generally by the amount of the foreign taxes refunded, for the year in which the refund is received.

Taxation of Fund Distributions. The Fund anticipates distributing substantially all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain for each taxable year. Distributions by the Fund will be treated in the manner described below regardless of whether such distributions are paid in cash or reinvested in additional Shares. You will receive information annually as to the federal income tax consequences of distributions made (or deemed made) during the year.

Distributions of ordinary income. The Fund receives income generally in the form of dividends and/or interest on its investments. The Fund may also recognize ordinary income from other sources, including, but not limited to, certain gains on foreign currency-related transactions. This income, less expenses incurred in the operation of the Fund, constitutes the Fund’s net investment income from which dividends may be paid to you. If you are a taxable investor, distributions of net investment income generally are taxable as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits. In the case of a fund whose strategy includes investing in stocks of corporations, a portion of the income dividends paid to you may be qualified dividends eligible to be taxed at reduced rates.

Capital gain dividends. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long the Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Shares. In general, the Fund will recognize long-term capital gain or loss on the sale or other disposition of assets it has owned for more than one year, and short-term capital gain or loss on investments it has owned for one year or less. Distributions of net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short- term capital loss) that are properly reported to Fund shareholders as capital gain dividends generally will be taxable to a shareholder receiving such distributions as long-term capital gain. Long-term capital gain rates applicable to individuals are 0%, 15%, 20% or 25% depending on the nature of the capital gain and the individual’s taxable income. Distributions of net short-term capital gains for a taxable year in excess of net long-term capital losses for such taxable year generally will be taxable to a shareholder receiving such distributions as ordinary income.

Qualified dividend income for individuals. Ordinary income dividends reported as derived from qualified dividend income will be taxed in the hands of individuals and other noncorporate shareholders at the rates applicable to long-term capital gain. Qualified dividend income means dividends paid to the Fund (a) by domestic corporations, (b) by foreign corporations that are either (i) incorporated in a possession of the United States, or (ii) are eligible for benefits under certain income tax treaties with the United States that include an exchange of information program, or (c) with respect to stock of a foreign corporation that is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. Both the Fund and the investor must meet certain holding period requirements to qualify Fund dividends for this treatment. Income derived from investments in derivatives, fixed-income securities, U.S. REITs, PFICs, and income received “in lieu of” dividends in a securities lending transaction generally is not eligible for treatment as qualified dividend income. If the qualifying dividend income received by the Fund is equal to 95% (or a greater percentage) of the Fund’s gross income (exclusive of net capital gain) in any taxable year, all of the ordinary income dividends paid by the Fund will be qualifying dividend income.

Qualified REIT dividends. Under 2017 legislation commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act “qualified REIT dividends” (i.e., ordinary REIT dividends other than capital gain dividends and portions of REIT dividends designated as qualified dividend income) are treated as eligible for a 20% deduction by noncorporate taxpayers. This deduction, if allowed in full, equates to a maximum effective tax rate of 29.6% (37% top rate applied to income after 20% deduction). The Fund may choose to report the special character of “qualified REIT dividends”. The amount of a RIC’s dividends eligible for the 20% deduction for a taxable year is limited to the excess of the RIC’s qualified REIT dividends for the taxable year over allocable expenses. A noncorporate shareholder receiving such dividends would treat them as eligible for the 20% deduction, provided the shareholder meets certain holding period requirements for its shares in the RIC (i.e., generally, RIC shares must be held by the shareholder for more than 45 days during the 91- day period beginning on the date that is 45 days before the date on which the shares become ex-dividend with respect to such dividend).

Corporate dividends-received deduction. Ordinary income dividends reported to Fund shareholders as derived from qualified dividends from domestic corporations will qualify for the 50% dividends-received deduction generally available to corporations. The availability of the dividends-received deduction is subject to certain holding period and debt financing restrictions imposed under the Code on the corporation claiming the deduction. Income derived by the Fund from investments in derivatives, fixed-income and foreign securities generally is not eligible for this treatment.

Return of capital distributions. Distributions by the Fund that are not paid from earnings and profits will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of (and in reduction of) the shareholder’s tax basis in his or her Shares; any excess will be treated as gain from the sale of his or her Shares. Thus, the portion of a distribution that constitutes a return of capital will decrease the shareholder’s tax basis

 

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in his or her Shares (but not below zero), and will result in an increase in the amount of gain (or decrease in the amount of loss) that will be recognized by the shareholder for tax purposes on the later sale of such Shares. Return of capital distributions can occur for a number of reasons including, among others, the Fund overestimates the income to be received from certain investments such as those classified as partnerships or equity REITs. See “Tax Treatment of Portfolio Transactions—Investments in U.S. REITs.”

Impact of realized but undistributed income and gains, and net unrealized appreciation of portfolio securities. At the time of your purchase of Shares, the price of the Shares may reflect undistributed income, undistributed capital gains, or net unrealized appreciation of portfolio securities held by the Fund. A subsequent distribution to you of such amounts, although constituting a return of your investment, would be taxable and would be taxed as either ordinary income (some portion of which may be taxed as qualified dividend income) or capital gain unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. The Fund may be able to reduce the amount of such distributions by utilizing its capital loss carryovers, if any.

Pass-through of foreign tax credits. If more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a fiscal year is invested in foreign securities, or if the Fund is a qualified fund of funds (i.e., a fund at least 50% of the value of the total assets of which, at the close of each quarter of the taxable year, is represented by interests in other RICs), the Fund may elect to “pass-through” the amount of foreign income tax paid by the Fund (the Foreign Tax Election) in lieu of deducting such amount in determining its investment company taxable income. Pursuant to the Foreign Tax Election, shareholders will be required: (i) to include in gross income, even though not actually received, their respective pro-rata shares of the foreign income tax paid by the Fund that are attributable to any distributions they receive; and (ii) either to deduct their pro-rata share of foreign tax in computing their taxable income or to use it (subject to various Code limitations) as a foreign tax credit against federal income tax (but not both). No deduction for foreign tax may be claimed by a noncorporate shareholder who does not itemize deductions or who is subject to the alternative minimum tax. Shareholders may be unable to claim a credit for the full amount of their proportionate shares of the foreign income tax paid by the Fund due to certain limitations that may apply. The Fund reserves the right not to pass-through the amount of foreign income taxes paid by the Fund. Additionally, any foreign tax withheld on payments made “in lieu of” dividends or interest will not qualify for the pass-through of foreign tax credits. See “Tax Treatment of Portfolio Transactions—Securities lending” below.

Tax credit bonds. If the Fund holds, directly or indirectly, one or more “tax credit bonds” (including build America bonds, clean renewable energy bonds and qualified tax credit bonds) on one or more applicable dates during a taxable year, the Fund may elect to permit its shareholders to claim a tax credit on their income tax returns equal to each shareholder’s proportionate share of tax credits from the applicable bonds that otherwise would be allowed to the Fund. In such a case, shareholders must include in gross income (as interest) their proportionate share of the income attributable to their proportionate share of those offsetting tax credits. A shareholder’s ability to claim a tax credit associated with one or more tax credit bonds may be subject to certain limitations imposed by the Code. (Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the build America bonds, clean renewable energy bonds and certain other qualified bonds may no longer be issued after December 31, 2017.) Even if the Fund is eligible to pass-through tax credits, the Fund may choose not to do so.

U.S. Government interest. Income earned on certain U.S. Government obligations is exempt from state and local personal income taxes if earned directly by you. States also grant tax-free status to dividends paid to you from interest earned on direct obligations of the U.S. Government, subject in some states to minimum investment or reporting requirements that must be met by the Fund. Income on investments by the Fund in certain other obligations, such as repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government obligations, commercial paper and federal agency-backed obligations (e.g., GNMA or FNMA obligations), generally does not qualify for tax-free treatment. The rules on exclusion of this income are different for corporations.

Dividends declared in December and paid in January. Ordinarily, shareholders are required to take distributions by the Fund into account in the year in which the distributions are made. However, dividends declared in October, November or December of any year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month will be deemed to have been received by the shareholders (and made by the Fund) on December 31 of such calendar year if such dividends are actually paid in January of the following year. Shareholders will be advised annually as to the U.S. federal income tax consequences of distributions made (or deemed made) during the year in accordance with the guidance that has been provided by the IRS.

Medicare tax. A 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on net investment income earned by certain individuals, estates and trusts. “Net investment income,” for these purposes, means investment income, including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from taxable dispositions of Shares, reduced by the deductions properly allocable to such income. In the case of an individual, the tax will be imposed on the lesser of (1) the shareholder’s net investment income or (2) the amount by which the shareholder’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds $250,000 (if the shareholder is married and filing jointly or a surviving spouse), $125,000 (if the shareholder is married and filing separately) or $200,000 (in any other case). This Medicare tax, if applicable, is reported by you on, and paid with, your federal income tax return.

 

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Sale of Fund Shares. A sale of Shares is a taxable transaction for federal and state income tax purposes. If you sell your Shares, the IRS requires you to report any gain or loss on your sale. If you held your Shares as a capital asset, the gain or loss that you realize will be a capital gain or loss and will be long-term or short-term, generally depending on how long you have held your Shares. Capital losses in any year are deductible only to the extent of capital gains plus, in the case of a noncorporate taxpayer, $3,000 of ordinary income.

Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units. An AP that exchanges equity securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a capital gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time of purchase (plus any cash received by the AP as part of the issue) and the AP’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered (plus any cash paid by the AP as part of the issue). An AP that exchanges Creation Units for equity securities generally will recognize a capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the AP’s basis in the Creation Units (plus any cash paid by the AP as part of the redemption) and the aggregate market value of the securities received (plus any cash received by the AP as part of the redemption). The IRS, 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 on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Persons exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.

Under current federal tax laws, 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 a short-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for one year or less, assuming that such Creation Units are held as a capital asset.

If the Fund redeems Creation Units in cash, it may recognize more capital gains than it will if it redeems Creation Units in-kind.

Tax Basis Information. A shareholder’s cost basis information will be provided on the sale of any of the shareholder’s Shares, subject to certain exceptions for exempt recipients. Please contact the broker (or other nominee) that holds your Shares with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for your account.

Wash Sales. All or a portion of any loss that you realize on a sale of your Shares will be disallowed to the extent that you buy other Shares in the Fund (through reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within 30 days before or after your Share sale. Any loss disallowed under these rules will be added to your tax basis in the new Shares.

Sales at a Loss Within Six Months of Purchase. Any loss incurred on a sale of Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributed to you by the Fund on those Shares.

Reportable transactions. Under Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to Shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder (or certain greater amounts over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

Tax Treatment of Portfolio Transactions. Set forth below is a general description of the tax treatment of certain types of securities, investment techniques and transactions that may apply to the Fund. This section should be read in conjunction with the discussion above under “Investment Strategies and Restrictions” and “Investment Policies and Risks” for a detailed description of the various types of securities and investment techniques that apply to the Fund.

In general. In general, gain or loss recognized by the Fund on the sale or other disposition of portfolio investments will be a capital gain or loss. Such capital gain and loss may be long-term or short-term depending, in general, upon the length of time a particular investment position is maintained and, in some cases, upon the nature of the transaction. Property held for more than one year generally will be eligible for long-term capital gain or loss treatment. The application of certain rules described below may serve to alter the manner in which the holding period for a security is determined or may otherwise affect the characterization as long-term or short-term, and also the timing of the realization and/or character, of certain gains or losses.

Certain fixed-income investments. Gain recognized on the disposition of a debt obligation purchased by the Fund at a market discount (generally, at a price less than its principal amount) will be treated as ordinary income to the extent of the portion of the market discount that accrued during the period of time the Fund held the debt obligation unless the Fund made a current inclusion election to accrue market discount into income as it accrues. If the Fund purchases a debt obligation (such as a zero coupon security or pay-in-kind security) that was originally issued at a discount, the Fund generally is required to include in gross income each year the portion of the original issue discount that accrues during such year. Therefore, the Fund’s investment in such securities may cause the Fund to recognize income and make distributions to shareholders before it receives any cash payments on the securities. To generate cash to satisfy those distribution requirements, the Fund may have to sell portfolio securities that it otherwise might have continued to hold or to use cash flows from other sources such as the sale of Shares.

 

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Investments in debt obligations that are at risk of or in default present tax issues for the Fund. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as whether and to what extent the Fund should recognize market discount on a debt obligation, when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent the Fund may take deductions for bad debts or worthless securities and how the Fund should allocate payments received on obligations in default between principal and income. These and other related issues will be addressed by the Fund in order to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its status as a RIC.

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

The tax treatment of certain futures contracts entered into by the Fund as well as listed non-equity options written or purchased by the Fund on U.S. exchanges (including options on futures contracts, broad-based equity indices and debt securities) may be governed by section 1256 of the Code (section 1256 contracts). Gains or losses on section 1256 contracts generally are considered 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gains or losses (60/40), although certain foreign currency gains and losses from such contracts may be treated as ordinary in character. Also, any section 1256 contracts held by the Fund at the end of each taxable year (and, for purposes of the 4% excise tax, on certain other dates as prescribed under the Code) are “marked-to-market” with the result that unrealized gains or losses are treated as though they were realized and the resulting gain or loss is treated as ordinary or 60/40 gain or loss, as applicable. Section 1256 contracts do not include any interest rate swap, currency swap, basis swap, interest rate cap, interest rate floor, commodity swap, equity swap, equity index swap, credit default swap, or similar agreement.

In addition to the special rules described above in respect of options and futures transactions, the Fund’s transactions in other derivative instruments (including options, forward contracts and swap agreements) as well as its other hedging, short sale, or similar transactions, may be subject to one or more special tax rules (including the constructive sale, notional principal contract, straddle, wash sale and short sale rules). These rules may affect whether gains and losses recognized by the Fund are treated as ordinary or capital or as short-term or long-term, accelerate the recognition of income or gains to the Fund, defer losses to the Fund, and cause adjustments in the holding periods of the Fund’s securities. These rules, therefore, could affect the amount, timing and/or character of distributions to shareholders. Moreover, because the tax rules applicable to derivative financial instruments are in some cases uncertain under current law, an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to these rules (which determination or guidance could be retroactive) may affect whether the Fund has made sufficient distributions and otherwise satisfied the relevant requirements to maintain its qualification as a RIC and avoid a fund-level tax.

Certain of the Fund’s investments in derivatives and foreign currency-denominated instruments, and the Fund’s transactions in foreign currencies and hedging activities, may produce a difference between its book income and its taxable income. If the Fund’s book income is less than the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the Fund could be required to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a RIC. If the Fund’s book income exceeds the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the distribution of any such excess will be treated as (i) a dividend to the extent of the Fund’s remaining earnings and profits (including current earnings and profits arising from tax-exempt income, reduced by related deductions), (ii) thereafter, as a return of capital to the extent of the recipient’s basis in the shares, and (iii) thereafter, as gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset.

Foreign currency transactions. The Fund’s transactions in foreign currencies, foreign currency-denominated debt obligations 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. This treatment could increase or decrease the Fund’s ordinary income distributions to you, and may cause some or all of the Fund’s previously distributed income to be classified as a return of capital. In certain cases, the Fund may make an election to treat such gain or loss as capital.

 

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PFIC investments. The Fund may invest in securities of foreign companies that may be classified under the Code as PFICs. In general, a foreign company is classified as a PFIC if at least one-half of its assets constitute investment-type assets or 75% or more of its gross income is investment-type income. When investing in PFIC securities, the Fund intends to mark-to-market these securities under certain provisions of the Code and recognize any unrealized gains as ordinary income at the end of the Fund’s fiscal and excise tax years. Deductions for losses are allowable only to the extent of any current or previously recognized gains. These gains (reduced by allowable losses) are treated as ordinary income that the Fund is required to distribute, even though it has not sold or received dividends from these securities. You should also be aware that the designation of a foreign security as a PFIC security will cause its income dividends to fall outside of the definition of qualified foreign corporation dividends. These dividends generally will not qualify for the reduced rate of taxation on qualified dividends when distributed to you by the Fund. Foreign companies are not required to identify themselves as PFICs. Due to various complexities in identifying PFICs, the Fund can give no assurances that it will be able to identify portfolio securities in foreign corporations that are PFICs in time for the Fund to make a mark-to-market election. If the Fund is unable to identify an investment as a PFIC and thus does not make a mark-to-market election, the Fund may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” or gain from the disposition of such shares even if such income is distributed as a taxable dividend by the Fund to its shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on the Fund in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains.

Investments in non-U.S. REITs. While non-U.S. REITs often use complex acquisition structures that seek to minimize taxation in the source country, an investment by the Fund in a non-U.S. REIT may subject the Fund, directly or indirectly, to corporate taxes, withholding taxes, transfer taxes and other indirect taxes in the country in which the real estate acquired by the non-U.S. REIT is located. The Fund’s pro rata share of any such taxes will reduce the Fund’s return on its investment. The Fund’s investment in a non- U.S. REIT may be considered an investment in a PFIC, as discussed above in “Tax Treatment of Portfolio Transactions—PFIC investments.” Additionally, foreign withholding taxes on distributions from the non-U.S. REIT may be reduced or eliminated under certain tax treaties, as discussed above in “Taxation of the Fund—Foreign income tax.” Also, the Fund in certain limited circumstances may be required to file an income tax return in the source country and pay tax on any gain realized from its investment in the non-U.S. REIT under rules similar to those in the United States which tax foreign persons on gain realized from dispositions of interests in U.S. real estate.

Investments in U.S. REITs. A U.S. REIT is not subject to federal income tax on the income and gains it distributes to shareholders. Dividends paid by a U.S. REIT, other than capital gain distributions, will be taxable as ordinary income up to the amount of the U.S. REIT’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. Capital gain dividends paid by a U.S. REIT to the Fund will be treated as long-term capital gains by the Fund and, in turn, may be distributed by the Fund to its shareholders as a capital gain distribution. Because of certain noncash expenses, such as property depreciation, an equity U.S. REIT’s cash flow may exceed its taxable income. The equity U.S. REIT, and in turn the Fund, may distribute this excess cash to shareholders in the form of a return of capital distribution. However, if a U.S. REIT is operated in a manner that fails to qualify as a REIT, an investment in the U.S. REIT would become subject to double taxation, meaning the taxable income of the U.S. REIT would be subject to federal income tax at the corporate income tax rate without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders and the dividends would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income (or possibly as qualified dividend income) to the extent of the U.S. REIT’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. Also, see “Tax Treatment of Portfolio Transactions—Investment in taxable mortgage pools (excess inclusion income)” and “Foreign Shareholders—U.S. withholding tax at the source” with respect to certain other tax aspects of investing in U.S. REITs.

Investment in taxable mortgage pools (excess inclusion income). Under a Notice issued by the IRS, the Code and Treasury regulations to be issued, a portion of the Fund’s income from a U.S. REIT that is attributable to the REIT’s residual interest in a real estate mortgage investment conduit (“REMIC”) or equity interests in a “taxable mortgage pool” (referred to in the Code as an excess inclusion) will be subject to federal income tax in all events. The excess inclusion income of a RIC will be allocated to shareholders of the RIC in proportion to the dividends received by such shareholders, with the same consequences as if the shareholders held the related REMIC residual interest or, if applicable, taxable mortgage pool directly. In general, excess inclusion income allocated to shareholders (i) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions), (ii) will constitute unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) to entities (including qualified pension plans, individual retirement accounts, 401(k) plans, Keogh plans or other tax-exempt entities) subject to tax on UBTI, thereby potentially requiring such an entity that is allocated excess inclusion income, and otherwise might not be required to file a tax return, to file a tax return and pay tax on such income, and (iii) in the case of a foreign stockholder, will not qualify for any reduction in U.S. federal withholding tax. In addition, if at any time during any taxable year a “disqualified organization” (which generally includes certain cooperatives, governmental entities, and tax- exempt organizations not subject to UBTI) is a record holder of a share in a RIC, then the RIC will be subject to a tax equal to that portion of its excess inclusion income for the taxable year that is allocable to the disqualified organization, multiplied by the corporate income tax rate. The Notice imposes certain reporting requirements upon regulated investment companies that have excess inclusion income. There can be no assurance that the Fund will not allocate to shareholders excess inclusion income.

 

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These rules are potentially applicable to the Fund with respect to any income it receives from the equity interests of certain mortgage pooling vehicles, either directly or, as is more likely, through an investment in a U.S. REIT. It is unlikely that these rules will apply to a fund that has a non-REIT strategy.

Investments in partnerships and QPTPs. For purposes of the Income Requirement, income derived by the Fund from a partnership that is not a QPTP will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership that would be qualifying income if realized directly by the Fund. While the rules are not entirely clear with respect to the Fund investing in a partnership outside a master-feeder structure, for purposes of testing whether the Fund satisfies the Asset Diversification Test, the Fund generally is treated as owning a pro rata share of the underlying assets of a partnership. See “Taxation of the Fund— Qualification as a RIC.” In contrast, different rules apply to a partnership that is a QPTP. A QPTP is a partnership (a) the interests in which are traded on an established securities market, (b) that is treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, and (c) that derives less than 90% of its income from sources that satisfy the Income Requirement (e.g., because it invests in commodities). All of the net income derived by the Fund from an interest in a QPTP will be treated as qualifying income but the Fund may not invest more than 25% of its total assets in one or more QPTPs. However, there can be no assurance that a partnership classified as a QPTP in one year will qualify as a QPTP in the next year. Any such failure to annually qualify as a QPTP might, in turn, cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a RIC. Although, in general, the passive loss rules of the Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to the Fund with respect to items attributable to an interest in a QPTP. Fund investments in partnerships, including in QPTPs, may result in the Fund being subject to state, local or foreign income, franchise or withholding tax liabilities.

If a master-limited partnership (“MLP”) is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes (whether or not a QPTP), all or a portion of the dividends received by a fund from the MLP likely will be treated as a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes because of accelerated deductions available with respect to the activities of such MLPs. Further, because of these accelerated deductions, on the disposition of interests in such an MLP, a fund likely will realize taxable income in excess of economic gain with respect to those MLP interests (or if the fund does not dispose of the MLP, the fund could realize taxable income in excess of cash flow with respect to the MLP in a later period), and the fund must take such income into account in determining whether the fund has satisfied its Distribution Requirement. A fund may have to borrow or liquidate securities to satisfy its Distribution Requirement and to meet its redemption requests, even though investment considerations might otherwise make it undesirable for the fund to sell securities or borrow money at such time. In addition, any gain recognized, either upon the sale of a fund’s MLP interest or sale by the MLP of property held by it, including in excess of economic gain thereon, treated as so-called “recapture income,” will be treated as ordinary income. Therefore, to the extent a fund invests in MLPs, fund shareholders might receive greater amounts of distributions from the fund taxable as ordinary income than they otherwise would in the absence of such MLP investments.

Although MLPs are generally expected to be treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, some MLPs may be treated as PFICs or “regular” corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The treatment of particular MLPs for U.S. federal income tax purposes will affect the extent to which a fund can invest in MLPs and will impact the amount, character, and timing of income recognized by the Fund.

Investments in convertible securities. Convertible debt is ordinarily treated as a “single property” consisting of a pure debt interest until conversion, after which the investment becomes an equity interest. If the security is issued at premium (i.e., for cash in excess of the face amount payable on retirement), the creditor-holder may amortize the premium over the life of the bond. If the security is issued for cash at a price below its face amount, the creditor-holder must accrue original issue discount in income over the life of the debt. The creditor-holder’s exercise of the conversion privilege is treated as a nontaxable event. Mandatorily convertible debt (e.g., an exchange-traded note or ETN issued in the form of an unsecured obligation that pays a return based on the performance of a specified market index, exchange currency, or commodity) is often, but not always, treated as a contract to buy or sell the reference property rather than debt. Similarly, convertible preferred stock with a mandatory conversion feature is ordinarily, but not always, treated as equity rather than debt. Dividends received generally are qualified dividend income and eligible for the corporate dividends-received deduction. In general, conversion of preferred stock for common stock of the same corporation is tax-free. Conversion of preferred stock for cash is a taxable redemption. Any redemption premium for preferred stock that is redeemable by the issuing company might be required to be amortized under original issue discount principles. A change in the conversion ratio or conversion price of a convertible security on account of a dividend paid to the issuer’s other shareholders may result in a deemed distribution of stock to the holders of the convertible security equal to the value of their increased interest in the equity of the issuer.

Thus, an increase in the conversion ratio of a convertible security can be treated as a taxable distribution of stock to a holder of the convertible security (without a corresponding receipt of cash by the holder) before the holder has converted the security.

Securities lending. While securities are loaned out by the Fund, the Fund generally will receive from the borrower amounts equal to any dividends or interest paid on the borrowed securities. For federal income tax purposes, payments made “in lieu of” dividends are not considered dividend income. These distributions will neither qualify for the reduced rate of federal income taxation for individuals on qualified dividends income, if otherwise available, nor the 50% dividends received deduction for corporations.

 

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Also, any foreign tax withheld on payments made “in lieu of” dividends or interest will not qualify for the pass-through of foreign tax credits to shareholders. Additionally, in the case of a fund with a strategy of investing in tax-exempt securities, any payments made “in lieu of” tax-exempt interest will be considered taxable income to the Fund, and thus, to the investors, even though such interest may be tax-exempt when paid to the borrower.

Tax Certification and Backup Withholding. Tax certification and backup withholding tax laws may require that you certify your tax information when you become an investor in the Fund. For U.S. citizens and resident aliens, this certification is made on IRS Form W-9. Under these laws, the Fund must withhold a portion of your taxable distributions and sales proceeds unless you:

 

   

provide your correct Social Security or taxpayer identification number;

 

   

certify that this number is correct;

 

   

certify that you are not subject to backup withholding; and

 

   

certify that you are a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien).

Withholding also is imposed if the IRS requires it. When withholding is required, the amount will be 24% of any distributions or proceeds paid. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the IRS. Certain payees and payments are exempt from backup withholding and information reporting.

Non-U.S. investors have special U.S. tax certification requirements. See “Foreign Shareholders—Tax certification and backup withholding.”

Foreign Shareholders. Shareholders who, as to the United States, are nonresident alien individuals, foreign trusts or estates, foreign corporations, or foreign partnerships (foreign shareholder), may be subject to U.S. withholding and estate tax and are subject to special U.S. tax certification requirements.

Taxation of a foreign shareholder depends on whether the income from the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by such shareholder.

U.S. withholding tax at the source. If the income from the Fund is not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business carried on by a foreign shareholder, distributions to such shareholder will be subject to U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate) upon the gross amount of the distribution, subject to certain exemptions including those for dividends reported as:

 

   

exempt-interest dividends paid by the Fund from its net interest income earned on municipal securities;

 

   

capital gain dividends paid by the Fund from its net long-term capital gains (other than those from disposition of a U.S. real property interest), unless you are a nonresident alien present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the calendar year; and

 

   

interest-related dividends paid by the Fund from its qualified net interest income from U.S. sources and short-term capital gain dividends.

The Fund may report interest-related dividends or short-term capital gain dividends, but reserves the right not to do so. Additionally, the Fund’s reporting of interest-related dividends or short-term capital gain dividends may not be passed through to shareholders by intermediaries who have assumed tax reporting responsibilities for this income in managed or omnibus accounts due to systems limitations or operational constraints. Moreover, notwithstanding such exemptions from U.S. withholding at the source, any dividends and distributions of income and capital gains, including the proceeds from the sale of your Shares, will be subject to backup withholding at a rate of 24% if you fail to properly certify that you are not a U.S. person.

Foreign shareholders may be subject to U.S. withholding tax at a rate of 30% on the income resulting from an election to pass- through foreign tax credits to shareholders, but may not be able to claim a credit or deduction with respect to the withholding tax for the foreign tax treated as having been paid by them.

Amounts reported as capital gain dividends (a) that are attributable to certain capital gain dividends received from a qualified investment entity (“QIE”) (generally defined as either (i) a U.S. REIT or (ii) a RIC classified as a “U.S. real property holding corporation” or which would be if the exceptions for holding 5% or less of a class of publicly traded shares or an interest in a domestically controlled QIE did not apply), or (b) that are realized by the Fund on the sale of a “U.S. real property interest” (including gain realized on the sale of shares in a QIE other than one that is domestically controlled), will not be exempt from U.S. federal income tax and may be subject to U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate) if the Fund by reason of having a REIT strategy is classified as a QIE. If the Fund is so classified, foreign shareholders owning more than 5% of the Shares may be treated as

 

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realizing gain from the disposition of a U.S. real property interest, causing Fund distributions to be subject to U.S. withholding tax at the corporate income tax rate, and requiring the filing of a nonresident U.S. income tax return. In addition, if the Fund is classified as a QIE, anti-avoidance rules apply to certain wash sale transactions. Namely, if the Fund is a domestically-controlled QIE and a foreign shareholder disposes of its Shares prior to the Fund paying a distribution attributable to the disposition of a U.S. real property interest and the foreign shareholder later acquires an identical stock interest in a wash sale transaction, the foreign shareholder may still be required to pay U.S. tax on the Fund’s distribution. Also, the sale of Shares of the Fund, if classified as a “U.S. real property holding corporation,” could also be considered a sale of a U.S. real property interest with any resulting gain from such sale being subject to U.S. tax as income “effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business.”

Income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. If the income from the Fund is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business carried on by a foreign shareholder, then ordinary income dividends, capital gain dividends and any gains realized upon the sale of Shares of the Fund will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the rates applicable to U.S. citizens or domestic corporations and require the filing of a nonresident U.S. income tax return.

Tax certification and backup withholding. Foreign shareholders may have special U.S. tax certification requirements to avoid backup withholding (at a rate of 24%) and, if applicable, to obtain the benefit of any income tax treaty between the foreign shareholder’s country of residence and the United States. To claim these tax benefits, the foreign shareholder must provide a properly completed Form W- 8BEN (or other Form W-8, where applicable, or their substitute forms) to establish his or her status as a non-U.S. investor, to claim beneficial ownership over the assets in the account, and to claim, if applicable, a reduced rate of or exemption from withholding tax under the applicable treaty. A Form W-8BEN provided without a U.S. taxpayer identification number remains in effect for a period of three years beginning on the date that it is signed and ending on the last day of the third succeeding calendar year unless an earlier change of circumstances makes the information given on the form incorrect, and the shareholder must then provide a new W-8BEN to avoid the prospective application of backup withholding. Forms W-8BEN with U.S. taxpayer identification numbers remain valid indefinitely, or until the investor has a change of circumstances that renders the form incorrect and necessitates a new form and tax certification. Certain payees and payments are exempt from backup withholding.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”). Under FATCA, a 30% withholding tax is imposed on income dividends made by the Fund to certain foreign entities, referred to as foreign financial institutions (“FFI”) or non-financial foreign entities (“NFFE”). After December 31, 2018, FATCA withholding also would have applied to certain capital gain distributions, return of capital distributions and the proceeds arising from the sale of Shares; however, based on proposed regulations issued by the IRS, which can be relied upon currently, such withholding is no longer required unless final regulations provide otherwise (which is not expected). The FATCA withholding tax generally can be avoided: (a) by an FFI, if it reports certain direct and indirect ownership of foreign financial accounts held by U.S. persons with the FFI and (b) by an NFFE, if it: (i) certifies that it has no substantial U.S. persons as owners or (ii) if it does have such owners, reporting information relating to them. The U.S. Treasury has negotiated intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) with certain countries and is in various stages of negotiations with a number of other foreign countries with respect to one or more alternative approaches to implement FATCA.

An FFI can avoid FATCA withholding if it is deemed compliant or by becoming a “participating FFI,” which requires the FFI to enter into a U.S. tax compliance agreement with the IRS under section 1471(b) of the Code (FFI agreement) under which it agrees to verify, report and disclose certain of its U.S. accountholders and meet certain other specified requirements.

The FFI will either report the specified information about the U.S. accounts to the IRS, or, to the government of the FFI’s country of residence (pursuant to the terms and conditions of applicable law and an applicable IGA entered into between the U.S. and the FFI’s country of residence), which will, in turn, report the specified information to the IRS. An FFI that is resident in a country that has entered into an IGA with the U.S. to implement FATCA will be exempt from FATCA withholding provided that the FFI shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.

An NFFE that is the beneficial owner of a payment from the Fund can avoid the FATCA withholding tax generally by certifying that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or by providing the name, address and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner. The NFFE will report the information to the applicable withholding agent, which will, in turn, report the information to the IRS.

Such foreign shareholders also may fall into certain exempt, excepted or deemed compliant categories as established by U.S. Treasury regulations, IGAs, and other guidance regarding FATCA. An FFI or NFFE that invests in the Fund will need to provide documentation properly certifying the entity’s status under FATCA in order to avoid FATCA withholding. Non-U.S. investors should consult their own tax advisors regarding the impact of these requirements on their investment in the Fund. The requirements imposed by FATCA are different from, and in addition to, the U.S. tax certification rules to avoid backup withholding described above. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of these requirements to their own situation.

 

49


U.S. estate tax. Transfers by gift of Shares of the Fund by a foreign shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual will not be subject to U.S. federal gift tax. An individual who, at the time of death, is a foreign shareholder will nevertheless be subject to U.S. federal estate tax with respect to Shares at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens and residents, unless a treaty exemption applies. If a treaty exemption is available, a decedent’s estate may nonetheless need to file a U.S. estate tax return to claim the exemption in order to obtain a U.S. federal transfer certificate. The transfer certificate will identify the property (i.e., Shares) as to which the U.S. federal estate tax lien has been released. In the absence of a treaty, there is a $13,000 statutory estate tax credit (equivalent to an estate with assets of $60,000).

Local Tax Considerations. Rules of state and local taxation of ordinary income, qualified dividend income and capital gain dividends may differ from the rules for U.S. federal income taxation described above. Distributions may also be subject to additional state, local and foreign taxes depending on each shareholder’s particular situation.

******

The foregoing discussion is a summary only and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of Shares should consult their own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of investing in Shares, including under federal, state, local and other tax laws. Finally, the foregoing discussion is based on applicable provisions of the Code, regulations, judicial authority, and administrative interpretations in effect on the date hereof, all of which are subject to change, which change may be retroactive. Changes in any applicable authority could materially affect the conclusions discussed above, possibly retroactively, and such changes often occur.

DETERMINATION OF NAV

The NAV for the Fund will be calculated and disseminated daily on each day that the NYSE is open for trading. The Custodian normally calculates the Fund’s NAV as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time). The Fund’s NAV is based on prices at the time of closing. U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market or exchange. NAV is calculated by deducting all of the Fund’s liabilities from the total value of its assets and then dividing the result by the number of Shares outstanding, rounding to the nearest cent. Generally, the portfolio securities are recorded in the NAV no later than the trade date plus one day. All valuations are subject to review by the Trust’s 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. Securities listed or traded on an exchange (except convertible securities) generally are valued at the last trade price or official closing price that day as of the close of the exchange where the security primarily trades. Investment companies are valued using such company’s NAV per share, unless the shares are exchange-traded, in which case they will be valued at the last trade price or official closing price on the exchanges on which they primarily trade. Deposits, other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks and financial institutions, and cash equivalents are valued at their daily account value. Debt obligations (including convertible securities) and unlisted securities normally are valued on the basis of prices provided by independent pricing services. Pricing services generally value debt securities assuming orderly transactions of institutional round lot size, but the Fund may hold or transact in the same securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots often trade at lower prices than institutional round lots, and their value may be adjusted accordingly. Futures contracts are valued at the final settlement price set by an exchange on which they are principally traded. Listed options are valued at the mean between the last bid and asked prices from the exchange on which they principally trade. Options not listed on an exchange are valued by an independent source at the mean between the last bid and asked prices. Swaps generally are valued using pricing provided from independent pricing services. Unlisted securities will be valued using pricing provided from independent pricing services or by another method that the Adviser, in its judgment, believes will better reflect the security’s fair value in accordance with the Trust’s valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Adviser may use various pricing services or discontinue the use of any pricing service at any time.

At times, a listed security’s market price may not be readily available. Moreover, even when market quotations are available for a security, they may be stale or unreliable. A security’s last market quotation may become stale because, among other reasons, (i) the security is not traded frequently, (ii) the security ceased trading before its exchange closed; (iii) market or issuer-specific events occurred after the security ceased trading; or (iv) the passage of time between when the security’s trading market closes and when the Fund calculates its NAV caused the quotation to become stale. A security’s last market quotation may become unreliable because of (i) certain security-specific events, including a merger or insolvency, (ii) events which affect a geographical area or an industry segment, such as political events or natural disasters, or (iii) market events, such as a significant movement in the U.S. market. When a security’s market price is not readily available, or the Adviser determines that such price is stale or unreliable, the Adviser 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

 

50


the security. If the Fund holds securities that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges, the value of such securities may change on days when you will not be able to purchase or sell your Shares. In addition, if the Fund seeks to track an index, the use of fair value pricing could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by that index, which may increase the Fund’s tracking error.

Additional information regarding the current NAV per share of the Fund can be found at www.invesco.com/ETFs.

DIVIDENDS AND OTHER DISTRIBUTIONS

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes.”

General Policies. Generally, dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid quarterly by the Fund.

Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Trust may make distributions on a more frequent basis. The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the status of the Fund as a RIC or to avoid imposition of income tax or excise taxes on undistributed income.

Dividends and other distributions on Shares are distributed, as described below, on a pro rata basis to Beneficial Owners of the Shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants to Beneficial Owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund.

Dividend Reinvestment Service. No reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by Beneficial Owners of Shares for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial Owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require Beneficial Owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

Counsel. Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP, located at 191 North Wacker Drive, Suite 1601, Chicago, Illinois 60606, and 2000 K Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20006, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. [                 ], located at [                ], serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. [                 ] has been retained to audit the Fund’s annual financial statements and perform other related audit services.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The Fund is new and has no performance history as of the date of this SAI. Financial information therefore is not yet available. The audited financial statements for the Fund will appear in the Trust’s Annual Report to shareholders when available. When available, you may request a copy of the Trust’s Annual Report at no charge by calling 1-800-983-0903 during normal business hours.

 

51


APPENDIX A

 

LOGO

INVESCO’S POLICY STATEMENT ON GLOBAL CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND PROXY VOTING

Effective January 2021

Contents

 

I.

 

Introduction

     1  
  A. Our Commitment to Environmental, Social and Governance Investment Stewardship and Proxy Voting      1  
  B. Applicability of Policy      2  

II.

  Global Proxy Voting Operational Procedures      2  
  A. Proprietary Proxy Voting Platform      2  
  B. Oversight of Voting Operations      3  
  C. Disclosures and Record Keeping      3  
  D. Global Invesco Proxy Advisory Committee      4  
  E. Market and Operational Limitations      4  
  F. Securities Lending      5  
  G. Conflicts of Interest      5  
  H. Use of Third-Party Proxy Advisory Services      6  
  I. Review of Policy      7  

III.

  Our Good Governance Principles      7  
  A. Transparency      7  
  B. Accountability      8  
  C. Board Composition      9  
  D. Long Term Stewardship of Capital      11  
  E. Environmental, Social and Governance Risk Oversight      11  
  F. Executive Compensation and Alignment      12  

I. Introduction

Invesco Ltd. and its affiliated investment advisers (collectively, “Invesco”, the “Company”, “our” or “we”) has adopted and implemented this Policy Statement on Global Corporate Governance and Proxy Voting (“Policy”) which it believes describes policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that proxies are voted in the best interests of its clients. This Policy is intended to help Invesco’s clients understand our commitment to responsible investing and proxy voting, as well as the good governance principles that inform our approach to engagement and voting at shareholder meetings.

 

  A.

Our Commitment to Environmental, Social and Governance Investment Stewardship and Proxy Voting

Our commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles is a core element of our ambition to be the most client centric asset manager. We aspire to incorporate ESG considerations into all of our investment capabilities in the context of financial materiality and in the best interest of our clients. Our Global ESG team functions as a center of excellence, providing specialist insights on research, engagement, voting, integration, tools, and client and product solutions with investment teams implementing ESG approaches appropriate to asset class and investment style. Much of our work is rooted in fundamental research and frequent dialogue with companies.

Invesco views proxy voting as an integral part of its investment management responsibilities. The proxy voting process at Invesco focuses on protecting clients’ rights and promoting governance structures and practices that reinforce the accountability of corporate management and boards of directors to shareholders. The voting decision lies with our portfolio managers and

 

A-1


analysts with input and support from our Global ESG team and Proxy Operations functions. Our proprietary proxy voting platform (“PROXYintel”) facilitates implementation of voting decisions and rationales across global investment teams. Our good governance principles, governance structure and processes are designed to ensure that proxy votes are cast in accordance with clients’ best interests.

As a large active investor, Invesco is well placed to use our ESG expertise and beliefs to engage with portfolio companies in ways which drive corporate change that we believe will enhance shareholder value. We take our responsibility as active owners very seriously and see engagement as an opportunity to encourage continual improvement and ensure that our clients’ interests are represented and protected. Dialogue with portfolio companies is a core part of the investment process. Invesco may engage with investee companies to discuss environmental, social and governance issues throughout the year or on specific ballot items to be voted on.

Our passive strategies and certain other client accounts managed in accordance with fixed income, money market and index strategies (including exchange traded funds) will typically vote in line with the majority holder of the active-equity shares held by Invesco outside of those strategies. Invesco refers to this approach as “Majority Voting”. This process of Majority Voting ensures that our passive strategies benefit from the engagement and deep dialogue of our active investors, which Invesco believes benefits shareholders in passively-managed accounts. In the absence of overlap between the active and passive holders, the passive holders vote in line with our internally developed voting guidelines (as defined below). Portfolio managers and analysts for accounts employing Majority Voting retain full discretion to override Majority Voting and to vote the shares as they determine to be in the best interest of those accounts, absent certain types of conflicts of interest, which are discussed elsewhere in this Policy.

 

  B.

Applicability of Policy

Invesco may be granted by its clients the authority to vote the proxies of securities held in client portfolios. Invesco’s investment teams vote proxies on behalf of Invesco-sponsored funds and both fund and non-fund advisory clients that have explicitly granted Invesco authority in writing to vote proxies on their behalf. In the case of institutional or sub-advised clients, Invesco will vote the proxies in accordance with this Policy unless the client agreement specifies that the client retains the right to vote or has designated a named fiduciary to direct voting.

This Policy applies to all entities in Exhibit A. Due to regional or asset class specific considerations, there may be certain entities that have local proxy voting guidelines or policies and procedures that differ from this Policy. In the event that local policies and the Global Policy differ, the local policy will apply. These entities are also listed in Exhibit A and include proxy voting guidelines specific to; Invesco Asset Management (Japan) Limited, Invesco Asset Management (India) Pvt. Ltd, Invesco Taiwan Ltd and Invesco Capital Markets, Inc. for Invesco Unit Investment Trusts. In Europe, we comply with the Shareholder Rights Directive and publish our disclosures and voting practices in this regard.

II. Global Proxy Voting Operational Procedures

Invesco’s global proxy voting operational procedures are in place to implement the provisions of this Policy (the “Procedures”). At Invesco, proxy voting is conducted by our investment teams through PROXYintel. Our investment teams globally are supported by Invesco’s centralized team of ESG professionals and proxy voting specialists. Invesco’s Global ESG team oversees the proxy policy, operational procedures, inputs to analysis and research and leads the Global Invesco Proxy Advisory Committee (“Global IPAC”). Invesco’s global proxy administration team is responsible for operational implementation including vote execution oversight.

Invesco aims to vote all proxies where we have been granted voting authority in accordance with this Policy as implemented by the Procedures. Our portfolio managers and analysts review voting items based on their individual merits and retain full discretion on vote execution conducted through our proprietary proxy voting platform. Invesco may supplement its internal research with information from independent third-parties, such as proxy advisory firms.

 

  A.

Proprietary Proxy Voting Platform

Invesco’s proprietary proxy voting platform is supported by a dedicated team of internal proxy specialists. PROXYintel streamlines the proxy voting process by providing our investment teams globally with direct access to meeting information and proxies, external proxy research and ESG ratings, as well as related functions, such as management of conflicts of interest issues, significant votes, global reporting and record-keeping capabilities. Managing these processes internally, as opposed to relying on third parties, is designed to provide Invesco greater quality control, oversight and independence in the proxy administration process.

 

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Historical proxy voting information is stored to build institutional knowledge across the Invesco complex with respect to individual companies and proxy issues. Certain investment teams also use PROXYintel to access third-party proxy research and ESG ratings.

Our proprietary systems facilitate internal control and oversight of the voting process. Invesco may choose to leverage this capability to automatically vote proxies based on its internally developed voting guidelines and in circumstances where Majority Voting applies.

 

  B.

Oversight of Voting Operations

Invesco’s Proxy Governance and Voting Manager provides oversight of the proxy voting verification processes facilitated by a dedicated proxy administration team which include; (i) the monthly global vote audit review of votes cast containing documented rationales of conflicts of interest votes, market and operational limitations; (ii) the quarterly sampling of proxy votes cast to determine that (a) Invesco is voting consistently with this Policy and (b) third-party proxy advisory firms’ methodologies in formulating the vote recommendation are consistent with their publicly disclosed guidelines; and (iii) quarterly review of rationales with the Global IPAC of occasions where a portfolio manager may take a position that may not be in accordance with Invesco’s good governance principles and our internally developed voting guidelines.

To the extent material errors are identified in the proxy voting process, such errors are reviewed and reported to, as appropriate, the Global Head of ESG, Global Proxy Governance and Voting Manager, legal and compliance, the Global IPAC and relevant boards and clients, where applicable. Invesco’s Global Head of ESG and Proxy Governance and Voting Manager provide proxy voting updates and reporting to the Global IPAC, various boards and clients. Invesco’s proxy voting administration and operations are subject to periodic review by Internal Audit and Compliance groups.

 

  C.

Disclosures and Record Keeping

Unless otherwise required by local or regional requirements, Invesco maintains voting records in either electronic format or hard copy for at least 6 years. Invesco makes available its proxy voting records publicly in compliance with regulatory requirements and industry best practices in the regions below:

 

   

In accordance with the US Securities and Exchange Commission regulations, Invesco will file a record of all proxy voting activity for the prior 12 months ending June 30th for each U.S. registered fund. That filing is made on or before August 31st of each year. Each year, the proxy voting records are made available on Invesco’s website here. Moreover, and to the extent applicable, the U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), including Department of Labor regulations and guidance thereunder, provide that the named fiduciary generally should be able to review not only the investment manager’s voting procedure with respect to plan-owned stock, but also to review the actions taken in individual proxy voting situations. In the case of institutional and sub-advised Clients, Clients may contact their client service representative to request information about how Invesco voted proxies on their behalf. Absent specific contractual guidelines, such requests may be made on a semi-annual basis.

 

   

In the UK and Europe, Invesco publicly discloses our proxy votes monthly in compliance with the UK Stewardship Code and for the European Shareholder Rights Directive annually here.

 

   

In Canada, Invesco publicly discloses our annual proxy votes each year here by August 31st, covering the 12-month period ending June 30th in compliance with the National Instrument 81-106 Investment Fund Continuous Disclosure.

 

   

In Japan, Invesco publicly discloses our proxy votes annually in compliance with the Japan Stewardship Code.

 

   

In India, Invesco publicly discloses our proxy votes quarterly in compliance with The Securities and Exchange Board of India (“SEBI”) Circular on stewardship code for all mutual funds and all categories of Alternative Investment Funds in relation to their investment in listed equities. SEBI has implemented principles on voting for Mutual Funds through circulars dated March 15, 2010 and March 24, 2014, which prescribed detailed mandatory requirements for Mutual Funds in India to disclose their voting policies and actual voting by Mutual Funds on different resolutions of investee companies.

 

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In Hong Kong, Invesco Hong Kong Limited will provide proxy voting records upon request in compliance with the Securities and Futures Commission (“SFC”) Principles of Responsible Ownership.

 

   

In Taiwan, Invesco publicly discloses our proxy voting policy and proxy votes annually in compliance with Taiwan’s Stewardship Principles for Institutional Investors.

 

  D.

Global Invesco Proxy Advisory Committee

Guided by its philosophy that investment teams should manage proxy voting, Invesco has created the Global IPAC. The Global IPAC is an investments-driven committee comprised of representatives from various investment management teams globally, Invesco’s Global Head of ESG and chaired by its Global Proxy Governance and Voting Manager. The Global IPAC provides a forum for investment teams to monitor, understand and discuss key proxy issues and voting trends within the Invesco complex, to assist Invesco in meeting regulatory obligations, to review votes not aligned with our good governance principles and to consider conflicts of interest in the proxy voting process, all in accordance with this Policy.

In fulfilling its responsibilities, the Global IPAC meets as necessary, but no less than semi-annually, and has the following responsibilities and functions: (i) acts as a key liaison between the Global ESG team and local proxy voting practices to ensure compliance with this Policy; (ii) provides insight on market trends as it relates to stewardship practices; (iii) monitors proxy votes that present potential conflicts of interest; (iv) the Conflict of Interest sub-committee will make voting decisions on submissions made by portfolio managers on conflict of interest issues to override the Policy; and (v) reviews and provides input, at least annually, on this Policy and related internal procedures and recommends any changes to the Policy based on, but not limited to, Invesco’s experience, evolving industry practices, or developments in applicable laws or regulations.

In addition to the Global IPAC, for some clients, third parties (e.g., U.S. fund boards) provide oversight of the proxy voting process.

 

  E.

Market and Operational Limitations

In the great majority of instances, Invesco will vote proxies. However, in certain circumstances, Invesco may refrain from voting where the economic or other opportunity costs of voting exceeds any benefit to clients. Moreover, ERISA fiduciaries, in voting proxies or exercising other shareholder rights, must not subordinate the economic interests of plan participants and beneficiaries to unrelated objectives. These matters are left to the discretion of the relevant portfolio manager. Such circumstances could include, for example:

 

   

In some countries the exercise of voting rights imposes temporary transfer restrictions on the related securities (“share blocking”). Invesco generally refrains from voting proxies in share blocking countries unless Invesco determines that the benefit to the client(s) of voting a specific proxy outweighs the client’s temporary inability to sell the security.

 

   

Some companies require a representative to attend meetings in person to vote a proxy, additional documentation or the disclosure of beneficial owner details to vote. Invesco may determine that the costs of sending a representative, signing a power-of-attorney or submitting additional disclosures outweigh the benefit of voting a particular proxy.

 

   

Invesco may not receive proxy materials from the relevant fund or client custodian with sufficient time and information to make an informed independent voting decision.

 

   

Invesco held shares on the record date but has sold them prior to the meeting date.

In some non-U.S. jurisdictions, although Invesco uses reasonable efforts to vote a proxy, proxies may not be accepted or rejected due to changes in the agenda for a shareholder meeting for which Invesco does not have sufficient notice, a proxy voting service may not be offered by the custodian in the local market or due to operational issues experienced by third-parties involved in the process or by the issuer or sub-custodian. In addition, despite the best efforts of Invesco and its proxy voting agent, there may be instances where our votes may not be received or properly tabulated by an issuer or the issuer’s agent.

 

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  F.

Securities Lending

Invesco’s funds may occasionally participate in a securities lending program. In circumstances where shares are on loan, the voting rights of those shares are transferred to the borrower. If the security in question is on loan as part of a securities lending program, Invesco may determine that the benefit to the client of voting a particular proxy outweighs the benefits of securities lending. In those instances, Invesco may determine to recall securities that are on loan prior to the meeting record date, so that we will be entitled to vote those shares. There may be instances where Invesco may be unable to recall shares or may choose not to recall shares. The relevant portfolio manager will make these determinations.

 

  G.

Conflicts of Interest

There may be occasions where voting proxies may present a perceived or actual conflict of interest between Invesco, as investment manager, and one or more of Invesco’s clients or vendors.

Firm-Level Conflicts of interest

A conflict of interest may exist if Invesco has a material business relationship with either the company soliciting a proxy or a third party that has a material interest in the outcome of a proxy vote or that is actively lobbying for a particular outcome of a proxy vote. Such relationships may include, among others, a client relationship, serving as a vendor whose products / services are material or significant to Invesco, serving as a distributor of Invesco’s products, a significant research provider or broker to Invesco.

Invesco identifies potential conflicts of interest based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the materiality of the relationship between the issuer or its affiliates to Invesco.

Invesco’s proxy administration team maintains a list of all such issuers for which a conflict of interest exists (“Global Conflicts List”). Material firm-level conflicts of interests are identified by individuals and groups within Invesco globally based on criteria established by the proxy administration team. The Global Conflicts List is updated periodically by the proxy administration team so as to seek to ensure an updated view is available when conducting conflicts checks. Operating procedures and associated governance are designed to seek to ensure conflicts of interest are appropriately considered ahead of voting proxies. The Global IPAC Conflict of Interest Sub-committee maintains oversight of the process. Companies on the Global Conflicts List will be voted in line with the principles below as implemented by Invesco’s internally developed voting guidelines. To the extent a portfolio manager disagrees with the Policy, our processes and procedures seek to ensure justification and rationales are fully documented and presented to the Global IPAC Sub-committee for a majority vote of its members.

As an additional safeguard, persons from Invesco’s marketing, distribution and other customer-facing functions may not serve on the Global IPAC. For the avoidance of doubt, Invesco may not consider Invesco Ltd.’s pecuniary interest when voting proxies on behalf of clients. To avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, Invesco will not vote proxies issued by Invesco Ltd. that may be held in client accounts.

Personal Conflicts of Interest

A conflict also may exist where an Invesco employee has a known personal or business relationship with other proponents of proxy proposals, participants in proxy contests, corporate directors, or candidates for directorships. Under Invesco’s Global Code of Conduct, Invesco entities and individuals must act in the best interests of clients and must avoid any situation that gives rise to an actual or perceived conflict of interest.

 

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All Invesco personnel with proxy voting responsibilities are required to report any known personal or business conflicts of interest regarding proxy issues with which they are involved. In such instances, the individual(s) with the conflict will be excluded from the decision-making process relating to such issues.

Voting Fund of Funds

There may be conflicts that can arise from Invesco voting on matters when shares of Invesco-sponsored funds are held by other Invesco funds or entities. The scenarios below set out how Invesco votes in these instances.

 

   

In the United States, as required by law, proportional voting applies.

 

   

Shares of an Invesco-sponsored fund held by other Invesco funds will be voted in the same proportion as the votes of external shareholders of the underlying fund, where required by law.

 

   

Shares of an unaffiliated registered fund held by one or more Invesco funds will be voted in the same proportion as the votes of external shareholders of the underlying fund where the thresholds are met as required by federal securities law or any exemption therefrom.

 

   

To the extent proportional voting is required by law, but not operationally possible, Invesco will not vote the shares.

 

   

For US fund of funds where proportional voting is not required by law, Invesco will still apply proportional voting. In the event this is not operationally possible, Invesco will vote in line with our internally developed voting guidelines (as defined below).

 

   

For non-US fund of funds Invesco will vote in line with our above-mentioned firm-level conflicts of interest process unless we have local policies in place as per Exhibit A.

 

  H.

Use of Third-Party Proxy Advisory Services

Invesco may supplement its internal research with information from independent third-parties, such as proxy advisory firms. Globally, Invesco leverages research from Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”) and Glass Lewis (“GL”). Invesco generally retains full and independent discretion with respect to proxy voting decisions.

ISS and GL both provide research reports, including vote recommendations, to Invesco and its portfolio managers and analysts. Invesco retains ISS to provide recommendations based on Invesco’s internally developed custom guidelines. Updates to previously issued proxy research reports may be provided to incorporate newly available information or additional disclosure provided by the issuer regarding a matter to be voted on, or to correct factual errors which may result in the issuance of revised proxy vote recommendations. Invesco’s proxy administration team may periodically monitor for these research alerts issued by ISS and GL that are shared with our investment teams. There may be instances where these updates may not be provided in a timely manner ahead of the vote deadline.

Invesco also retains ISS to assist with services that include receipt of proxy ballots, vote execution through PROXYintel and vote disclosure in Canada, the UK and Europe to meet regulatory reporting obligations.

As part of its fiduciary obligation to clients, Invesco performs extensive initial and ongoing due diligence on the proxy advisory firms it engages globally. This includes reviews of information regarding the capabilities of their research staff, methodologies for formulating voting recommendations, the adequacy and quality of personnel and technology, as applicable, and internal controls, policies and procedures, including those relating to possible conflicts of interest.

The proxy advisory firms Invesco engages globally complete an annual due diligence questionnaire submitted by Invesco, and Invesco conducts annual due diligence meetings in part to discuss their responses to the questionnaire. In addition, Invesco monitors and communicates with these firms and monitors their compliance with Invesco’s performance and policy standards. ISS and GL disclose conflicts to Invesco through a review of their policies, procedures and practices regarding potential conflicts of interests (including inherent internal conflicts) as well as disclosure of the work ISS and GL perform for corporate issuers and the payments they receive from such issuers. Invesco conducts semiannual roundtables with external proxy and

 

A-6


governance experts and our Global IPAC to ensure transparency, dialogue and engagement with the firms. These meetings provide Invesco with an opportunity to assess the firms’ capabilities, conflicts of interest and service levels, as well as provide investment professionals with direct insight into the advisory firms’ stances on key governance and proxy topics and their policy framework/methodologies.

Invesco’s compliance function completes a review of the System and Organizational Controls (“SOC”) Reports for each proxy advisory firm to ensure the related controls operated effectively to provide reasonable assurance.

In addition to ISS and GL, Invesco may use regional third-party research providers to access regionally specific research.

 

  I.

Review of Policy

The Global IPAC and Invesco’s Global ESG team, proxy administration team, compliance and legal teams annually communicate and review this Policy and our internally developed voting guidelines to seek to ensure that they remain consistent with clients’ best interests, regulatory requirements, governance trends and industry best practices. At least annually, this Policy and our internally developed voting guidelines are reviewed by various groups within Invesco to ensure that they remain consistent with Invesco’s views on best practice in corporate governance and long-term investment stewardship.

 

III.

Our Good Governance Principles

Invesco’s good governance principles outline our views on best practice in corporate governance and long-term investment stewardship. These principles have been developed by our global investment teams in collaboration with the Global ESG team. The broad philosophy and guiding principles in this section inform our approach to investment stewardship and proxy voting. These principles are not intended to be exhaustive or prescriptive.

Our portfolio managers and analysts retain full discretion on vote execution except where otherwise specified in this Policy. The final voting decisions may incorporate the unique circumstances affecting companies, regional best practices and any dialogue we have had with company management. To the extent a portfolio manager chooses to vote a proxy in a way that is not aligned with the principles below, such manager’s rationales are fully documented.

The following guiding principles apply to operating companies. We apply a separate approach to investment companies and unit investment trusts. Where appropriate, these guidelines are supplemented by additional internal guidance that considers regional variations in best practices, disclosure and region-specific voting items.

The following are high-level governance principles that Invesco endorses:

 

  A.

Transparency

Investors require accurate, timely and complete information in order to make informed investment decisions and effectively carry out their stewardship obligations. Invesco supports the highest standards in corporate transparency, including but not limited to the following areas:

Financial reporting: Company accounts and reporting must accurately reflect the underlying economic position of a company. Arrangements that may constitute an actual or perceived conflict with this objective should be avoided.

 

   

We will generally vote against the incumbent audit committee chair, or nearest equivalent, where the non-audit fees paid to the independent auditor exceed audit fees for two consecutive years or other problematic accounting practices are identified such as fraud, misapplication of audit standards or persistent material weaknesses/deficiencies in internal controls over financial reporting.

 

   

We will generally not support the ratification of the independent auditor and/or ratification of their fees payable if non-audit fees exceed audit and audit related fees or there are significant auditing controversies or questions regarding the independence of the external auditor. We will consider an auditor’s length of service as a company’s independent auditor in applying this policy.

 

A-7


  B.

Accountability

Robust shareholder rights and strong board oversight help ensure that management adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct, are held to account for poor performance and responsibly deliver value creation for stakeholders over the long-term. We therefore encourage companies to adopt governance features that ensure board and management accountability. In particular, we consider the following as key mechanisms for enhancing accountability to investors:

One share one vote: Voting rights are an important tool for investors to hold boards and management teams accountable. Unequal voting rights may limit the ability of investors to exercise their stewardship obligations.

 

   

We generally do not support proposals that establish or perpetuate dual classes of voting shares, double voting rights or other means of differentiated voting or disproportionate board nomination rights.

 

   

We generally support proposals to decommission differentiated voting rights.

 

   

Where unequal voting rights are established, we expect these to be accompanied by reasonable safeguards to protect minority shareholders’ interests.

Anti-takeover devices: Mechanisms designed to prevent or unduly delay takeover attempts may unduly limit the accountability of boards and management teams to shareholders.

 

   

We generally will not support proposals to adopt antitakeover devices such as poison pills. Exceptions may be warranted at entities without significant operations and to preserve the value of net operating losses carried forward or where the applicability of the pill is limited in scope and duration.

 

   

In addition, we will generally not support capital authorizations or amendments to corporate articles or bylaws at operating companies that may be utilized for antitakeover purposes, for example, the authorization of classes of shares of preferred stock with unspecified voting, dividend, conversion or other rights (“blank check” authorizations).

Shareholder rights: We support the rights of shareholders to hold boards and management teams accountable for company performance. We generally support best practice aligned proposals to enhance shareholder rights, including but not limited to the following:

 

   

Adoption of proxy access rights

 

   

Rights to call special meetings

 

   

Rights to act by written consent

 

   

Reduce supermajority vote requirements

 

   

Remove antitakeover provisions

 

   

Requirement that directors are elected by a majority vote

In addition, we oppose practices that limit shareholders’ ability to express their views at a general meeting such as bundling unrelated proposals or several significant article or bylaw amendments into a single voting item. We will generally vote against these proposals unless we are satisfied that all the underlying components are aligned with our views on best practice.

Director Indemnification: Invesco recognizes that individuals may be reluctant to serve as corporate directors if they are personally liable for all related lawsuits and legal costs. As a result, reasonable limitations on directors’ liability can benefit a company and its shareholders by helping to attract and retain qualified directors while preserving recourse for shareholders in the event of misconduct by directors. Accordingly, unless there is insufficient information to make a decision about the nature of the proposal, Invesco will generally support proposals to limit directors’ liability and provide indemnification and/or exculpation, provided that the arrangements are reasonably limited in scope to directors acting in good faith and, in relation to criminal matters, limited in scope to directors having reasonable grounds for believing the conduct was lawful.

 

A-8


Responsiveness: Boards should respond to investor concerns in a timely fashion, including reasonable requests to engage with company representatives regarding such concerns, and address matters that receive significant voting dissent at general meetings of shareholders.

 

   

We will generally vote against the lead independent director and/or the incumbent chair of the governance committee, or nearest equivalent, in cases where the board has not adequately responded to items receiving significant voting opposition from shareholders at an annual or extraordinary general meeting.

 

   

We will generally vote against the lead independent director and/or incumbent chair of the governance committee, or nearest equivalent, where the board has not adequately responded to a shareholder proposal which has received significant support from shareholders.

 

   

We will generally vote against the incumbent chair of the compensation committee if there are significant ongoing concerns with a company’s compensation practices that have not been addressed by the committee or egregious concerns with the company’s compensation practices for two years consecutively.

 

   

In addition, we will generally vote against the incumbent compensation committee chair where there are ongoing concerns with a company’s compensation practices and there is no opportunity to express dissatisfaction by voting against an advisory vote on executive compensation, remuneration report (or policy) or nearest equivalent.

 

  C.

Board Composition

Annual director elections: Board members should generally stand for election annually and individually.

 

   

We will generally support proposals requesting that directors stand for election annually.

 

   

We will generally vote against the incumbent governance committee chair or lead independent director if a company has a declassified board structure that is not being phased out. This policy will not apply in regions where market practice is for directors to stand for election on a staggered basis or for boards that do not oversee significant commercial operations.

 

   

When a board is presented for election as a slate (i.e., shareholders are unable to vote against individual nominees and must vote for or against the entire nominated slate of directors) and this approach is not aligned with local market practice, we will generally vote against the slate in cases where we otherwise would vote against an individual nominee.

 

   

Where market practice is to elect directors as a slate we will generally support the nominated slate unless there are governance concerns with several of the individuals included on the slate or we have broad concerns with the composition of the board such as a lack independence.

Board size: We will generally defer to the board with respect to determining the optimal number of board members, provided that the proposed board size is sufficiently large to represent shareholder interests and sufficiently limited to remain effective.

Definition of independence: Invesco considers local market definitions of director independence but applies a proprietary standard for assessing director independence considering a director’s status as a current or former employee of the business, any commercial or consulting relationships with the company, the level of shares beneficially owned or represented and familial relationships, among others.

Board and committee independence: The board of directors, board committees and regional equivalents should be sufficiently independent from management, substantial shareholders and conflicts of interest. We consider local market practices in this regard and in general we look for a balance across the board of directors. Above all, we like to see signs of robust challenge and discussion in the boardroom.

 

A-9


   

We will generally vote against one or more non-independent directors when a board is less than majority independent, but we will take into account local market practice with regards to board independence in limited circumstances where this standard is not appropriate.

 

   

We will generally vote against non-independent directors serving on the audit committee.

 

   

We will generally vote against non-independent directors serving on the compensation committee.

 

   

We will generally vote against non-independent directors serving on the nominating committee.

 

   

In relation to the board, compensation committee and nominating committee we will consider the appropriateness of significant shareholder representation in applying this policy. This exception will generally not apply to the audit committee.

Separation of Chair and CEO roles: We believe that independent board leadership generally enhances management accountability to investors. Companies deviating from this best practice should provide a strong justification and establish safeguards to ensure that there is independent oversight of a board’s activities (e.g., by appointing a lead or senior independent director with clearly defined powers and responsibilities).

 

   

We will generally vote against the incumbent nominating committee chair where the board chair is not independent unless a lead independent or senior director is appointed.

 

   

We will generally support shareholder proposals requesting that the board chair be an independent director.

 

   

We will generally not vote against a CEO or executive serving as board chair solely on the basis of this issue, however, we may do so in instances where we have significant concerns regarding a company’s corporate governance, capital allocation decisions and/or compensation practices.

Attendance and over boarding: Directors serving on the board should attend at least 75% of their board and committee meetings, where applicable. In addition, directors should not have excessive external board or managerial commitments that may interfere with their ability to execute the duties of a director.

 

   

We will generally vote against directors who do not attend 75% of their meetings unless there are extenuating circumstances such as health matters or family emergencies.

 

   

We will generally vote against directors who have more than four total mandates at public operating companies. We apply a lower threshold for directors with significant commitments such as executive positions and chairmanships.

Diversity: We encourage companies to continue to evolve diversity and inclusion practices. Boards should be comprised of directors with a variety of relevant skills and industry expertise together with a diverse profile of individuals of different genders, ethnicities, skills, tenures and backgrounds in order to provide robust challenge and debate. We consider diversity at the board level, within the executive management team and in the succession pipeline.

 

   

We will generally vote against the incumbent nominating committee chair of a board where women constitute less than two board members or 25% of the board, whichever is lower, for two or more consecutive years, unless incremental improvements are being made to diversity practices.

 

   

In addition, we will consider a company’s performance on broader types of diversity which may include diversity of skills, non-executive director tenure, ethnicity or other factors where appropriate and reasonably determinable. We will generally vote against the incumbent nominating committee chair if there are multiple concerns on diversity issues.

 

A-10


   

We generally believe that an individual board’s nominating committee is best positioned to determine whether director term limits would be an appropriate measure to help achieve these goals and, if so, the nature of such limits. Invesco generally opposes proposals to limit the tenure of outside directors through mandatory retirement ages.

 

  D.

Long Term Stewardship of Capital

Capital allocation: Invesco expects companies to responsibly raise and deploy capital towards the long-term, sustainable success of the business. In addition, we expect capital allocation authorizations and decisions to be made with due regard to shareholder dilution, rights of shareholders to ratify significant corporate actions and pre-emptive rights, where applicable.

Share issuance and repurchase authorizations: We generally support authorizations to issue shares up to 20% of a company’s issued share capital for general corporate purposes. Shares should not be issued at a substantial discount to the market price or be repurchased at a substantial premium to the market price.

Stock splits: We generally support management proposals to implement a forward or reverse stock split, provided that a reverse stock split is not being used to take a company private. In addition, we will generally support requests to increase a company’s common stock authorization if requested in order to facilitate a stock split.

Increases in authorized share capital: We will generally support proposals to increase a company’s number of authorized common and/or preferred shares, provided we have not identified concerns regarding a company’s historical share issuance activity or the potential to use these authorizations for antitakeover purposes. We will consider the amount of the request in relation to the company’s current authorized share capital, any proposed corporate transactions contingent on approval of these requests and the cumulative impact on a company’s authorized share capital, for example, if a reverse stock split is concurrently submitted for shareholder consideration.

Mergers, acquisitions, proxy contests, disposals and other corporate transactions: Invesco’s investment teams will review proposed corporate transactions including mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, proxy contests, private placements, dissolutions and divestitures based on a proposal’s individual investment merits. In addition, we broadly approach voting on other corporate transactions as follows:

 

   

We will generally support proposals to approve different types of restructurings that provide the necessary financing to save the company from involuntary bankruptcy.

 

   

We will generally support proposals to enact corporate name changes and other proposals related to corporate transactions that we believe are in shareholders’ best interests.

 

   

We will generally support reincorporation proposals, provided that management have provided a compelling rationale for the change in legal jurisdiction and provided further that the proposal will not significantly adversely impact shareholders’ rights.

 

   

With respect to contested director elections, we consider the following factors, among others, when evaluating the merits of each list of nominees: the long term performance of the company relative to its industry, management’s track record, any relevant background information related to the contest, the qualifications of the respective lists of director nominees, the strategic merits of the approaches proposed by both sides including the likelihood that the proposed goals can be met, positions of stock ownership in the company.

 

  E.

Environmental, Social and Governance Risk Oversight

Director responsibility for risk oversight: The board of directors are ultimately responsible for overseeing management and ensuring that proper governance, oversight and control mechanisms are in place at the companies they oversee. Invesco may take voting action against director nominees in response to material governance or risk oversight failures that adversely affect shareholder value.

 

A-11


Invesco considers the adequacy of a company’s response to material oversight failures when determining whether any voting action is warranted. In addition, Invesco will consider the responsibilities delegated to board subcommittees when determining if it is appropriate to hold certain director nominees accountable for these material failures.

Material governance or risk oversight failures at a company may include, without limitation:

 

  i.

significant bribery, corruption or ethics violations;

 

 

  ii.

events causing significant environmental degradation;

 

 

  iii.

significant health and safety incidents; or

 

 

  iv.

failure to ensure the protection of human rights.

 

Reporting of financially material ESG information: Companies should report on their environmental, social and governance opportunities and risks where material to their business operations.

 

   

Where Invesco finds significant gaps in terms of management and disclosure of environmental, social and governance risk policies, we will generally vote against the annual reporting and accounts or an equivalent resolution.

Shareholder proposals addressing environmental and social risks: Invesco may support shareholder resolutions requesting that specific actions be taken to address environmental and social issues or mitigate exposure to material environmental and social risks, including reputational risk, related to these issues. When considering such proposals, we will consider a company’s track record managing these risks, the efficacy of the proposal’s request and whether the requested action is unduly burdensome.

 

   

We generally do not support resolutions where insufficient information has been provided in advance of the vote or a lack of disclosure inhibits our ability to make fully informed voting decisions.

 

   

We will generally support shareholder resolutions requesting that companies provide additional information on material environmental, social and governance risks facing their businesses, provided that such requests are not unduly burdensome or duplicative with a company’s existing reporting. These may include but are not limited to the following: gender pay gap reporting requests, political contributions and lobbying disclosure, information on data security, privacy, and internet practices, and reporting on climate change risks.

Ratification of board and/or management acts: We will generally support proposals to ratify the actions of the board of directors, supervisory board and/or executive decision-making bodies, provided there are no material oversight failures as described above. When such oversight concerns are identified, we will consider a company’s response to any issues raised and may vote against ratification proposals instead of, or in addition to, director nominees.

 

  F.

Executive Compensation and Alignment

Invesco supports compensation polices and equity incentive plans that promote alignment between management incentives and shareholders’ long-term interests. We pay close attention to local market practice and may apply stricter or modified criteria where appropriate.

Advisory votes on executive compensation, remuneration policy and remuneration reports: We will generally not support compensation related proposals where more than one of the following is present:

 

  i.

there is an unmitigated misalignment between executive pay and company performance for at least two consecutive years;

 

  ii.

there are problematic compensation practices which may include among others incentivizing excessive risk taking or circumventing alignment between management and shareholders’ interests via repricing of underwater options;

 

  iii.

vesting periods for long term incentive awards are less than three years;

 

  iv.

the company “front loads” equity awards;

 

A-12


  v.

there are inadequate risk mitigating features in the program such as clawback provisions;

 

  vi.

excessive, discretionary one-time equity grants are awarded to executives;

 

  vii.

less than half of variable pay is linked to performance targets, except where prohibited by law.

Invesco will consider company reporting on pay ratios as part of our evaluation of compensation proposals, where relevant.

Equity plans: Invesco generally supports equity compensation plans that promote the proper alignment of incentives with shareholders’ long-term interests, and generally votes against plans that are overly dilutive to existing shareholders, plans that contain objectionable structural features which may include provisions to reprice options without shareholder approval, plans that include evergreen provisions or plans that provide for automatic accelerated vesting upon a change in control.

Employee stock purchase plans: We generally support employee stock purchase plans that are reasonably designed to provide proper incentives to a broad base of employees, provided that the price at which employees may acquire stock represents a reasonable discount from the market price.

Severance Arrangements: Invesco considers proposed severance arrangements (sometimes known as “golden parachute” arrangements) on a case-by-case basis due to the wide variety among their terms. Invesco acknowledges that in some cases such arrangements, if reasonable, may be in shareholders’ best interests as a method of attracting and retaining high quality executive talent. We generally vote in favor of proposals requiring shareholder ratification of senior executives’ severance agreements where the proposed terms and disclosure align with good market practice.

 

A-13


Exhibit A

Invesco Advisers, Inc.

Invesco Asset Management (India) Pvt. Ltd*1

Invesco Asset Management (Japan) Limited*1

Invesco Asset Management (Schweiz) AG

Invesco Asset Management Deutschland GmbH

Invesco Asset Management Limited1

Invesco Asset Management Singapore Ltd

Invesco Asset Management Spain

Invesco Australia Ltd

Invesco Canada Ltd.1

Invesco Capital Management LLC

Invesco Capital Markets, Inc.*1

Invesco Hong Kong Limited

Invesco Investment Advisers LLC

Invesco Investment Management (Shanghai) Limited

Invesco Investment Management Limited

Invesco Managed Accounts, LLC

Invesco Management S.A

Invesco Overseas Investment Fund Management (Shanghai) Limited

Invesco Pensions Limited

Invesco Private Capital, Inc.

Invesco Real Estate Management S.a.r.l1

Invesco Senior Secured Management, Inc.

Invesco Taiwan Ltd*1

Invesco Trust Company

Oppenheimer Funds, Inc.

WL Ross & Co. LLC

* Invesco entities with specific proxy voting guidelines

 

A-14


INVESCO EXCHANGE-TRADED SELF-INDEXED FUND TRUST
PART C. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 28. Exhibits.
Exhibit
Number
Description
(a)
(1)
(a)
 
 
(b)
 
(2)
(a)
 
 
(b)
(b)
 
 
(c)
 
(1)
 
 
(2)
(d)
(1)
(a)
Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement dated February 18, 2021 between the Registrant and Invesco
Capital Management LLC, for unitary fee Funds. (*)
 
 
(b)
Schedule A (as of April 30, 2021) to the Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement between the
Registrant and Invesco Capital Management LLC, for unitary fee funds. (*)
 
(2)
(a)
Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement dated February 18, 2021 between the Registrant and Invesco
Capital Management LLC, for non-unitary fee Funds. (*)
 
 
(b)
Schedule A (as of April 30, 2021) to the Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement between the
Registrant and Invesco Capital Management LLC, for non-unitary fee funds. (*)
 
(3)
(a)
 
 
(b)
 
(4)
 
 
(5)
(a)
 
 
(b)
 
(6)
 
(e)
(1)
(a)
 
 
(b)
Schedule A (as of April 30, 2021) to the Master Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Invesco
Distributors, Inc. (*)
 
 
(c)
(f)
 
 
Not applicable.
(g)
(1)
(a)
 
 
(b)
 
(2)
 
(h)
(1)
(a)

Exhibit
Number
Description
 
 
(b)
 
 
(c)
 
(2)
(a)
 
 
(b)
 
(3)
 
 
(4)
 
(i)
 
 
Opinion and Consent of Counsel (*)
(j)
 
 
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. – None
(k)
 
 
Not applicable.
(l)
 
 
Not applicable.
(m)
 
 
Not applicable.
(n)
 
 
Not applicable.
(o)
 
 
Not applicable.
(p)
 
 
(q)
 
 
101.INS
 
XBRL Instance Document – the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL
tags are embedded within the inline XBRL document
101.SCH
 
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL
 
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF
 
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB
 
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document
101.PRE
 
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
(1)
Incorporated by reference to the Trust’s initial Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed on October 20, 2017.
(2)
Incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed on
March 30, 2018.
(3)
Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed on
May 17, 2018.
(4)
Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 8 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed on
July 5, 2018.
(5)
Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 272 to the Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust’s Registration
Statement on Form N-1A, filed on October 24, 2018.
(6)
Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 26 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed on
November 21, 2018.

Exhibit
Number
Description
(7)
Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 382 to the Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund
Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed on December 28, 2018.
(8)
Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 30 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed on
December 28, 2018.
(9)
Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 41 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed on
May 16, 2019.
(10)
Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 53 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed on
September 4, 2019.
(11)
Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 400 to the Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund
Trust’s Registration Statement on Form POS EX, filed on April 24, 2020.
(12)
Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 282 to the Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust’s Registration
Statement on Form N-1A, filed on August 27, 2020.
(13)
Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 89 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed on
September 8, 2020.
(14)
Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 96 to the Trust’s Registration Statement of Form N-1A, filed on
December 18, 2020.
(15)
Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 100 to the Trust’s Registration Statement of Form N-1A, filed on
February 17, 2021.
(16)
Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 776 to the Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II’s Registration
Statement on Form N-1A, filed on June 8, 2021.
*
To be filed by further amendment.
Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Fund.
None.
Item 30. Indemnification.
The Registrant (also, the “Trust”) is organized as a Delaware statutory trust and is operated pursuant to an Agreement and Declaration of Trust, dated October 30, 2015 (the “Declaration of Trust”).
Reference is made to Article IX of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust:
Subject to the exceptions and limitations contained in this Section 9.5, every person who is, or has been, a Trustee, officer, or employee of the Trust, including persons who serve at the request of the Trust as directors, trustees, officers, employees or agents of another organization in which the Trust has an interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise (hereinafter referred to as a “Covered Person”), shall be indemnified by the Trust or the applicable Series to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his being or having been such a Trustee, director, officer, employee or agent and against amounts paid or incurred by him in settlement thereof.
No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a Covered Person to the extent such indemnification is prohibited by applicable federal law.
The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled, shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be such a Covered Person and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.
Subject to applicable federal law, expenses of preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim, action, suit or proceeding subject to a claim for indemnification under this Section 9.5 shall be advanced by the Trust or the applicable Series prior to final disposition thereof upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the recipient to repay such amount if it is ultimately determined that he is not entitled to indemnification under this Section 9.5.

To the extent that any determination is required to be made as to whether a Covered Person engaged in conduct for which indemnification is not provided as described herein, or as to whether there is reason to believe that a Covered Person ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification, the Person or Persons making the determination shall afford the Covered Person a rebuttable presumption that the Covered Person has not engaged in such conduct and that there is reason to believe that the Covered Person ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.
As used in this Section 9.5, the words “claim,” “action,” “suit” or “proceeding” shall apply to all claims, demands, actions, suits, investigations, regulatory inquiries, proceedings or any other occurrence of a similar nature, whether actual or threatened and whether civil, criminal, administrative or other, including appeals, and the words “liability” and “expenses” shall include without limitation, attorneys’ fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties and other liabilities.
Further Indemnification. Nothing contained herein shall affect any rights to indemnification to which any Covered Person or other Person may be entitled by contract or otherwise under law or prevent the Trust from entering into any contract to provide indemnification to any Covered Person or other Person. Without limiting the foregoing, the Trust may, in connection with the acquisition of assets subject to liabilities pursuant to Section 4.2 hereof or a merger or consolidation pursuant to Section 10.2 hereof, assume the obligation to indemnify any Person including a Covered Person or otherwise contract to provide such indemnification, and such indemnification shall not be subject to the terms of this Article IX.
Amendments and Modifications. Without limiting the provisions of Section 11.1(b) hereof, in no event will any amendment, modification or change to the provisions of this Declaration or the Bylaws adversely affect in any manner the rights of any Covered Person to (a) indemnification under Section 9.5 hereof in connection with any proceeding in which such Covered Person becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of being or having been a Trustee, officer or employee of the Trust or (b) any insurance payments under policies maintained by the Trust, in either case with respect to any act or omission of such Covered Person that occurred or is alleged to have occurred prior to the time such amendment, modification or change to this Declaration or the Bylaws.
Item 31. Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser.
Reference is made to the caption “Management of the Fund” in each Prospectus constituting Part A, which is included in this Registration Statement, and “Management” in the Statement of Additional Information constituting Part B, which is included in this Registration Statement.
The information as to the directors and executive officers of Invesco Capital Management LLC is set forth in Invesco Capital Management LLC’s Form ADV filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2021 (and as amended through the date hereof) is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 32. Principal Underwriters.
(a) The sole principal underwriter for the Registrant is Invesco Distributors, Inc., which acts as distributor for the Registrant and the following other funds:
AIM Counselor Series Trust (Invesco Counselor Series Trust)
AIM Equity Funds (Invesco Equity Funds)
AIM Funds Group (Invesco Funds Group)
AIM Growth Series (Invesco Growth Series)
AIM International Mutual Funds (Invesco International Mutual Funds)
AIM Investment Funds (Invesco Investment Funds)
AIM Investment Securities Funds (Invesco Investment Securities Funds)
AIM Sector Funds (Invesco Sector Funds)
AIM Tax-Exempt Funds (Invesco Tax-Exempt Funds)
AIM Treasurer’s Series Trust (Invesco Treasurer’s Series Trust)
AIM Variable Insurance Funds (Invesco Variable Insurance Funds)
Invesco Management Trust
Invesco Senior Loan Fund
Short-Term Investments Trust

Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust
Invesco Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Commodity Fund Trust
Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II
Invesco Exchange-Traded Fund Trust
Invesco India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust
Invesco Exchange-Traded Self-Indexed Fund Trust
(b) The following are the Officers and Managers of Invesco Distributors, Inc., the Registrant’s underwriter.
NAME AND PRINCIPAL
BUSINESS ADDRESS*
POSITIONS AND OFFICES
WITH REGISTRANT
POSITIONS AND OFFICES
WITH UNDERWRITER
John McDonough
None
Director and Chief Executive Officer
Clint Harris
None
President
Ben Utt
None
Executive Vice President
Mark W. Gregson
None
Chief Financial Officer and Financial and
Operations Principal
Trisha B. Hancock
None
Chief Compliance Officer and Senior
Vice President
Rocco Benedetto
None
Senior Vice President
Paul Blease
None
Senior Vice President
David Borrelli
None
Senior Vice President
Ken Brodsky
None
Senior Vice President
George Fahey
None
Senior Vice President
Jay Fortuna
None
Senior Vice President
John Hoffman
None
Senior Vice President
Eliot Honaker
None
Senior Vice President
Brian Kiley
None
Senior Vice President
Brian Levitt
None
Senior Vice President
Kevin Neznek
None
Senior Vice President
Tony Oh
None
Senior Vice President
Adam Rochlin
None
Senior Vice President
Benjamin Stewart
None
Senior Vice President
Paul E. Temple
None
Senior Vice President
Gary K. Wendler
None
Senior Vice President, Director,
Marketing Research & Analysis
Donna White
None
Senior Vice President
Jeffrey H. Kupor
Chief Legal Officer
Secretary
Annette Janecka Lege
None
Treasurer
Crissie Wisdom
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance
Officer
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance
Officer
John M. Zerr
None
Senior Vice President
*
The principal business address for all directors and executive officers is Invesco Distributors, Inc., 11 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1000, Houston, Texas 77046-1173.

(c) Not applicable.
Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records.
All accounts, books and other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder, are held in physical possession at the offices, as applicable, of: (1) the Registrant, (2) the Registrant’s investment adviser and (3) the Registrant’s custodian and administrator.
1.
INVESCO EXCHANGE-TRADED SELF-INDEXED FUND TRUST
3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700
Downers Grove, Illinois 60515
2.
Invesco Capital Management LLC
3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700
Downers Grove, Illinois 60515
3.
The Bank of New York Mellon
240 Greenwich Street
New York, New York 10286
Item 34. Management Services.
Not applicable.
Item 35. Undertakings.
None.

SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Downers Grove and State of Illinois, on the 21st day of June, 2021.
INVESCO EXCHANGE-TRADED SELF-INDEXED FUND TRUST
By:
/s/ Anna Paglia
 
Anna Paglia
Title:
President
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated on the dates indicated.
SIGNATURE
TITLE
DATE
/s/ Anna Paglia
President
June 21, 2021
Anna Paglia
 
 
/s/ Kelli Gallegos
Treasurer
June 21, 2021
Kelli Gallegos
 
 
/s/ Adam Henkel
Secretary
June 21, 2021
Adam Henkel
 
 
*/s/ Ronn R. Bagge
Vice Chairman and Trustee
June 21, 2021
Ronn R. Bagge
 
 
*/s/ Todd J. Barre
Trustee
June 21, 2021
Todd J. Barre
 
 
*/s/ Kevin M. Carome
Trustee
June 21, 2021
Kevin M. Carome
 
 
*/s/ Edmund P. Giambastiani, Jr.
Trustee
June 21, 2021
Edmund P. Giambastiani, Jr.
 
 
*/s/ Victoria J. Herget
Trustee
June 21, 2021
Victoria J. Herget
 
 
*/s/ Marc M. Kole
Trustee
June 21, 2021
Marc M. Kole
 
 
*/s/ Yung Bong Lim
Trustee
June 21, 2021
Yung Bong Lim
 
 
*/s/ Joanne Pace
Trustee
June 21, 2021
Joanne Pace
 
 
*/s/ Gary R. Wicker
Trustee
June 21, 2021
Gary R. Wicker
 
 
*/s/ Donald H. Wilson
Chairman and Trustee
June 21, 2021
Donald H. Wilson
 
 
*By: /s/ Adam Henkel
 
June 21, 2021
Adam Henkel
 
 
Attorney-In-Fact
 
 
*
Adam Henkel signs this Registration Statement pursuant to powers of attorney filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 89 to the Trust’s Registration Statement and incorporated by reference herein.