485APOS 1 d489876d485apos.htm 485APOS 485APOS
Table of Contents

As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on March 24, 2023

File Nos. 811-07763

333-10015

 

 

 

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. 125   

and/or

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940   
Amendment No. 126   

(Check appropriate box or boxes)

 

 

LITMAN GREGORY FUNDS TRUST

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

 

1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500, Walnut Creek, California 94596

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

(925) 254-8999

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)

 

 

 

Jeffrey K. Seeley

1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500

Walnut Creek, California 94596

 

Copies of Communications to:

David A. Hearth, Esq.

Paul Hastings LLP

101 California Street, 48th Floor

San Francisco, California 94111

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)  

 

 

Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable following effectiveness.

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)(1)

 

on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

 

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.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

iMGP Funds/Litman Gregory Logo

LITMAN GREGORY FUNDS TRUST

www.imgpfunds.com

Prospectus

(Ticker Symbol)

iMGP Berkshire Dividend Growth ETF ([ ])

Listed on the [NYSE Arca]

[    ], 2023

The information in this Prospectus is not complete and may be changed. A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The securities described herein may not be sold until the registration statement becomes effective. This Prospectus is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state in which the offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

As with all mutual funds, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities, nor has the SEC judged whether the information in this Prospectus is accurate or adequate. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Paper copies of the Fund’s annual and semi-annual shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports. Instead, the reports will be made available on the Fund’s website (www.imgpfunds.com), and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.

You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, you can contact your financial intermediary to request that you receive paper copies of your reports. If you invest directly with the Trust, you can call 1-800-960-0188. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds in the Trust or held with your financial intermediary.

 

 

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Table of Contents
Table of Contents

 

Summary Section

     3  

Summary of Other Important Information Regarding the Fund

     7  

Purchase and Sale of Shares

     7  

Tax Information

     7  

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

     7  

Investment Objective and Principal Investment Strategies

     7  

Evaluation and Selection of Sub-Advisor by the Adviser

     8  

Description of Principal Investment Risks

     9  

Fund Management and Investment Styles

     14  

The Advisor

     14  

The Sub-Advisor

     16  

Shareholder Services

     18  

How to Buy and Sell Shares

     18  

Dividends, Distributions and Taxes

     19  

Distribution

     21  

Premium/Discount Information

     21  

Additional Notices

     21  

Financial Highlights

     21  

Index Descriptions

     21  

For More Information

     Back Cover  

 

2


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Summary Section    iMGP Berkshire Dividend Growth ETF

iMGP Berkshire Dividend Growth ETF

Investment Objective

The iMGP Berkshire Dividend Growth ETF (the “Fund”) seeks dividend income and long-term capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.

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

 

Management Fees

     [0.55 ]% 

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

     [    ]% 

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

     [    ]% 

Other Expenses

     [    ]% 

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

     [0.55 ]% 

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

     [    ]% 

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

     [0.55 ]% 

Example

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

 

One Year

   Three Years  

$[   ]

   $ [   

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when shares of the Fund are held in a taxable account as compared to shares of investment companies that hold investments for a longer period. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund has not yet commenced operations, no portfolio turnover figures are available as of the date of the Prospectus.

 

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Principal Strategies

The Fund is an actively-managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in dividend-paying equity securities, with an emphasis on stocks that have a strong track record of paying dividends or that are expected to increase their dividends over time. The Fund seeks to generate a growing stream of equity income by investing in a select portfolio of high-quality businesses that the Fund’s sub-advisor (the “Sub-Advisor”) believes generally have a high, stable, and growing dividend. The Fund invests primarily in large-capitalization U.S. companies with market capitalizations of $[5] billion or higher at the time of initial purchase.

The Fund seeks to invest in companies that have a current dividend yield that is at least as high as the S&P 500 Index average yield. The Fund may invest in companies with a lower dividend yield, however, if the Sub-Advisor believes that those companies have a clear path to paying higher dividends.

In selecting investments for the Fund, the Sub-Advisor considers the amount of a company’s current dividend, the stability of the dividend, and the growth of the dividend. The Sub-Advisor evaluates a company’s balance sheet as it relates to the stability of the dividend, including how the amount of a company’s leverage could potentially impact that dividend. In addition, the Sub-Advisor looks for companies that have a history of dividend growth, as well as prospects for future dividend growth. In assessing dividend growth, the Sub-Advisor looks for companies with strong return on equity, which is a measure of a company’s profitability in relation to its stockholders’ equity.

The Fund’s portfolio is comprised of 30 to 40 high-quality companies that the Sub-Advisor views as reasonably priced, where the companies are paying and growing dividends over a period of time of [at least one year]. The Fund seeks to provide superior risk-adjusted returns when compared to both the Russell 1000 Value Index and S&P 500 Index.

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in foreign equity securities, American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). Depositary Receipts are receipts typically issued in connection with a U.S. or foreign bank or trust company that evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation.

The Sub-Advisor has discretion to actively manage the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective. Securities may be sold if they underperform or to implement a revised allocation based on a modified view of market conditions. The Fund may also sell a security when the Sub-Advisor believes that the security is overvalued or better investment opportunities are available, to invest in cash and cash equivalents, or to meet redemptions.

Principal Risks

As with all exchange-traded funds, it is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of any bank and is not guaranteed, endorsed or insured by any financial institution, government authority or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The following risks could affect the value of your investment. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), total return and/or ability to meet its objective.

 

   

Dividend Paying Securities Risk. Securities that pay dividends, as a group, may be out of favor with the market and underperform the overall equity market or stocks of companies that do not pay dividends. In addition, changes in the dividend policies of the companies held by the Fund or the capital resources available for such company’s dividend payments may adversely affect the Fund.

 

   

Growth Investing Risk. Growth stocks, as a group, may be out of favor with the market and underperform value stocks or the overall equity market. Growth stocks are generally more sensitive to market movements than other types of stocks primarily because their prices are based heavily on the future expectations of the economy and the stock’s issuing company.

 

   

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest in the securities of large-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of these companies underperform securities of smaller capitalization companies or the market as a whole. Large-capitalization companies may adapt more slowly to new competitive challenges and be subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

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Market Risk. The value of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate based on the performance of the Fund’s investments and other factors affecting the securities markets generally. Certain investments selected for the Fund’s portfolio may be worth less than the price originally paid for them, or less than they were worth at an earlier time. The value of the Fund’s investments may go up or down, sometimes dramatically and unpredictably, based on current market conditions, such as real or perceived adverse political or economic conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates, lack of liquidity in the fixed income markets or adverse investor sentiment.

 

   

Geopolitical Events Risk. The interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform due to inflation (or expectations for inflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, natural disasters, climate change and climate-related events, pandemics, epidemics, terrorism, international conflicts, regulatory events and governmental or quasi-governmental actions. The occurrence of global events similar to those in recent years may result in market volatility and may have long term effects on both the U.S. and global financial markets.

 

   

Foreign Investment Risk. This is the risk that an investment in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may cause the Fund to experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to, among other factors, less publicly available information, less stringent and less uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, less liquid and more volatile markets, higher transaction and custody costs, additional taxes, less investor protection, delayed or less frequent settlement, political or social instability, civil unrest, acts of terrorism, regional economic volatility, and the imposition of sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and/or other governments.

 

   

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF, and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, it is exposed to the following risks:

 

   

Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Limitation Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund (“Shares”) may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

   

Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. The Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used.

 

   

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments

 

   

Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility and volatility in the Fund’s portfolio holdings, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. If an investor purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV of the Shares or sells at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV of the Shares, then the investor may sustain losses that are in addition to any losses caused by a decrease in NAV.

 

   

Trading. Although Shares are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, and may be traded on other U.S. exchanges, there can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares.

 

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Equity Securities Risk. This is the risk that the value of equity securities may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, due to factors affecting the general market, an entire industry or sector, or particular companies. These factors include, without limitation, adverse changes in economic conditions, the general outlook for corporate earnings, interest rates or investor sentiment; increases in production costs; and significant management decisions.

 

   

Management Risk. The Fund is actively-managed and may not meet its investment objective based on the portfolio managers’ success or failure to implement investment strategies for the Fund.

 

   

Models and Data Risk. This is the risk that one or all of the proprietary systematic and quantitative models used by the sub-advisor may fail to identify profitable opportunities at any time. Furthermore, the models may incorrectly identify opportunities and these misidentified opportunities may lead to substantial losses for the Fund. Models may be predictive in nature and such models may result in an incorrect assessment of future events. Data used in the construction of models may prove to be inaccurate or stale, which may result in losses for the Fund.

 

   

Investment Selection Risk. The sub-advisor’s portfolio managers may select investments that underperform and investors’ Fund shares may decline in value. This risk may be more significant when the sub-advisor concentrates the Fund’s holdings in a limited number of securities, as may be the case with the Fund, because concentration can magnify the potential for gains and losses from individual securities.

 

   

New Fund Risk. The Fund is newly formed and has no operating history for investors to evaluate. Its performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies.

 

   

Cybersecurity Risk. With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security, and related risks. Cyber incidents affecting the Fund or its service providers may cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its net asset value, impediments to trading, the inability of shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs.

 

   

Operational Risk. Operational risks include human error, changes in personnel, system changes, faults in communication, and failures in systems, technology, or processes. Various operational events or circumstances are outside the Advisor’s or a sub-advisor’s control, including instances at third parties. The Fund, the Advisor and the sub-advisor 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.

 

   

Regulatory Risk. Governments, agencies or other regulatory bodies may adopt or change laws or regulations that could adversely affect the issuer, or market value, of an instrument held by the Fund or its Subsidiary or that could adversely impact the Fund’s performance.

Performance

The Fund has not commenced investment operations. Once the Fund has a performance record of at least one calendar year, a bar chart and performance table will be included in this Prospectus. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.imgpfunds.com.

 

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Management

 

Investment Advisor

  

Portfolio Manager

  

Managed the

Fund Since:

iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC    Jeremy DeGroot, CFA, Managing Director, Chief Investment Officer and Co-Portfolio Manager    Inception
   Kiko Vallarta, CFA, Vice President and Co-Portfolio Manager    Inception

Sub-Advisor

         
Berkshire Asset Management LLC   

Kenneth Krogulski, CFA

Gerard Mihalick, CFA

Michael Weaver, CFA

  

Inception

Inception

Inception

For important information about the purchase and sale of fund shares, tax information and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to the “Summary of Other Important Information Regarding the Fund” section below.

Summary of Other Important Information Regarding the Fund

Purchase and Sale of Shares

Shares of the Fund (“Shares”) are listed and trade on the [NYSE Arca] (the “Exchange”). Individual Shares may only be bought and sold on the Exchange through a broker or dealer at market prices, rather than at NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than at NAV (premium) or less than at NAV (discount). Investors may also 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”).

The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only Authorized Participants (“APs”) (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a designated amount of U.S. cash and/or a portfolio of securities closely approximating the holdings of the Fund (the “Deposit Securities”).

Information on the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts to NAV, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website www.imgpfunds.com.

Tax Information

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser, or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.

Investment Objective and Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund’s investment objective is to seek dividend income and long-term capital appreciation. [The Fund’s investment objective has been adopted as a non-fundamental investment policy and may be changed by the Fund’s Board of Trustees without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.]

Under normal market conditions, the Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in dividend-paying equity securities, with an emphasis on stocks that have a strong track record of paying dividends or that are expected to increase their dividends over time. The Fund seeks to generate a growing stream of equity income by investing in a select portfolio of high-quality businesses that the Sub-Advisor believes generally have a high, stable, and growing dividend. The Fund invests primarily in large-capitalization U.S. companies with market capitalizations of $[5] billion or higher at the time of initial purchase.

 

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In analyzing potential investments, the Sub-Advisor does not simply consider the highest yielding names in the Fund’s investment universe. The Sub-Advisor also analyzes three aspects of the company’s dividend: (1) the amount of the current dividend, (2) stability of the dividend, and (3) the growth of the dividend. In considering the amount of the current dividend, the Sub-Advisor seeks to invest in companies that have a current dividend yield that is at least as high as the S&P 500 Index average yield, but the Fund may invest in companies with a lower dividend yield, however, if the Sub-Advisor believes that those companies have a clear path to paying higher dividends.

In considering the stability of a company’s dividend, the Sub-Advisor evaluates the company’s balance sheet, including how the amount of the company’s leverage could potentially impact that dividend. Too much debt, when combined with certain business models, can result in dividends being cut or suspended. Equity investors are at the bottom of the capital structure, and so the Sub-Advisor evaluates all of a company’s more senior claims as a means of estimating the ongoing stability of the dividend.

The Sub-Advisor also seeks to identify companies that have a history of dividend growth, as well as prospects for future dividend growth. In assessing the potential for future dividend growth, a key metric the Sub-Advisor considers is the return on equity for a business. The Sub-Advisor analyzes a company’s return on equity using the Dupont formula, which focuses on three separate elements: net profit margin (how much profit the company obtains from its revenues), asset turnover (how effectively the company makes use of its assets) and equity multiplier (a measure of how much the company is leveraged).

Under normal market conditions, the Fund’s portfolio is comprised of 30 to 40 high-quality companies at prices the Sub-Advisor views as reasonably priced, where the companies are paying and growing dividends over a period of time of [at least one year]. The Fund seeks to provide superior risk-adjusted returns when compared to both the Russell 1000 Value Index and S&P 500 Index. In periods of declining markets, the securities in the Fund’s investment portfolio would be expected to perform better than the indexes. However, in periods of strong up markets, the portfolio is unlikely to exhibit greater upside compared to the indexes. Over the course of a full market cycle, the Fund’s investment strategy seeks to have a lower risk profile than the general market. A “market cycle” is the movement from a period of increasing prices and strong performance, or bull market, through a period of weak performance and falling prices, or bear market, and back again to new strength. The term of a full market cycle can vary from three to five years or as long as five to ten years.

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in foreign equity securities, American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). Depositary Receipts are receipts typically issued in connection with a U.S. or foreign bank or trust company that evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation.

The Sub-Advisor has discretion to actively manage the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective. Securities may be sold if they underperform or to implement a revised allocation based on a modified view of market conditions. The Fund may also sell a security when the Sub-Advisor believes that the security is overvalued or better investment opportunities are available, to invest in cash and cash equivalents, or to meet redemptions.

Evaluation and Selection of Sub-Advisor by the Advisor

iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC (“iM Global” or the “Advisor”), as the Fund’s investment adviser, is responsible for hiring and removing sub-advisors. Before hiring a sub-advisor, iM Global performs extensive due diligence. This includes quantitative and qualitative analysis, including (but not limited to) an evaluation of: the investment process, the consistency of its execution and discipline; individual holdings; strategies employed, past mistakes, risk controls, team depth and quality; operations and compliance; and business focus and vision. iM Global’s evaluation process includes review of literature and documents, quantitative historical performance evaluation, extensive discussions with members of the investment team and firm management and background checks through industry contacts. It is iM Global’s objective to hire sub-advisors who it believes are skilled and can deliver strong market cycle returns when taking risk into account. iM Global generally assesses the long-term growth of an investment by considering the increase in the value of the investment over a period greater than five years. iM Global is responsible for the general overall supervision of the Sub-Advisor.

In the event a sub-advisor ceases to manage the Fund’s portfolio, iM Global will select a replacement sub-advisor. The securities that were held in the departing sub-advisor’s portfolio may be retained by the replacement sub-advisor of the Fund or will be liquidated in an orderly manner, taking into account various factors, which may include but are not limited to the market for the security and the potential tax consequences.

 

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Description of Principal Investment Risks

All mutual funds carry a certain amount of risk. The Fund’s returns will vary, and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured, endorsed or guaranteed by any financial institution, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. The principal risks for the Fund are identified in the Fund’s Summary Section and are described in further detail below. Additional information about the principal risks is included in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”).

Investors should be aware that in light of the current uncertainty, volatility and distress in economies, financial markets, and labor and health conditions around the world, the risks described below are heightened significantly compared to normal conditions and therefore subject the Fund’s investments and a shareholder’s investment in the Fund to sudden and substantial losses.

 

Cybersecurity Risk    Information and technology systems relied upon by the Fund, iM Global, the sub-advisor, the Fund’s service providers (including, but not limited to, Fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents, administrators, distributors and other financial intermediaries) and/or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may be vulnerable to damage or interruption from computer viruses, network failures, computer and telecommunication failures, infiltration by unauthorized persons, security breaches, usage errors, power outages and catastrophic events such as fires, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes. Although iM Global has implemented measures to manage risks relating to these types of events, if these systems are compromised, become inoperable for extended periods of time or cease to function properly, significant investment may be required to fix or replace them. The failure of these systems and/or of disaster recovery plans could cause significant interruptions in the operations of the Fund, iM Global, the sub-advisor, the Fund’s service providers and/or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests and may result in a failure to maintain the security, confidentiality or privacy of sensitive data, including personal information relating to investors (and the beneficial owners of investors). Such a failure could also harm the reputation of the Fund, iM Global, the sub-advisor, the Fund’s service providers and/or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, subject such entities and their respective affiliates to legal claims or otherwise affect their business and financial performance.
Dividend Paying Securities Risk    Securities that pay dividends, as a group, may be out of favor with the market and underperform the overall equity market or stocks of companies that do not pay dividends. In addition, changes in the dividend policies of the companies held by the Fund (which may be due to forces outside of a company’s control, such as political, social or other pressures) or the capital resources available for such company’s dividend payments may adversely affect the Fund. In the event a company reduces or eliminates its dividend, the Fund may not only lose the dividend payout but the stock price of the company may also fall. Dividend paying equities may also underperform or outperform based on the overall level of interest rates, as well as changes in the tax treatment of dividends.
Equity Securities Risk    The value of equity securities may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and unexpectedly, due to various factors, including factors affecting the general market, such as adverse changes in economic conditions, the general outlook for corporate earnings, interest rates or investor sentiment. Equity securities may also lose value because of factors affecting an entire industry or sector, such as increases in production costs, and factors directly related to a specific company, such as significant decisions made by its management. Certain equity securities may decline in value even during periods when the prices of equity securities in general are rising, or may not perform as well as the market in general. The prices of equity securities may also experience greater volatility during periods of challenging market conditions such as the one that the market recently experienced. This risk is greater for small- and medium-sized companies, which tend to be more vulnerable to adverse developments than larger companies.

 

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ETF Risks   

The Fund is an ETF, and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, it is exposed to the following risks:

 

•  Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Limitation Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund (“Shares”) may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

•  Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. The Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used.

 

•  Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

•  Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility and volatility in the Fund’s portfolio holdings, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. If an investor purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV of the Shares or sells at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV of the Shares, then the investor may sustain losses that are in addition to any losses caused by a decrease in NAV.

 

Trading. Although Shares are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, and may be traded on other U.S. exchanges, there can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares.

 

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Foreign Investment Risk    Investing in foreign (non-U.S) securities may expose the Fund to risks not typically associated with U.S. investments. These risks include, among others, adverse fluctuations in currency conversion rate, currency blockages, and adverse political, social and economic developments affecting a foreign country. In addition, foreign securities may have less publicly available information and may be more volatile and/or less liquid. Investments in foreign securities could also be affected by factors such as differences in financial reporting, accounting and auditing standards, nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, smaller and less-strict regulation of securities markets, restrictions on receiving investment proceeds from a foreign country, and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations. Economies in foreign countries may also be more susceptible to natural and man-made disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, terrorist attacks, or adverse changes in climate or weather. In addition, many foreign countries with less established health care systems have experienced outbreaks of pandemic or contagious diseases from time to time, including, but not limited to, COVID-19, Ebola, Zika, avian flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. The risks of such phenomena and resulting social, political, economic and environmental damage cannot be quantified. These events can exacerbate market volatility as well as impair economic activity, which can have both short- and immediate-term effects on the valuations of the companies and issuers in which the Fund invests.
Geopolitical Events Risk    The interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform due to inflation (or expectations for inflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, natural disasters, climate change and climate-related events, pandemics, epidemics, terrorism, regulatory events and governmental or quasi-governmental actions. The occurrence of global events similar to those in recent years, such as terrorist attacks around the world, territorial invasions and global economic sanctions implemented in response, natural disasters, social and political discord or debt crises and downgrades, among others, may result in market volatility and may have long term effects on both the U.S. and global financial markets. It is difficult to predict when similar events affecting the U.S. or global financial markets may occur, the effects that such events may have and the duration of those effects. Any such event(s) could have a significant adverse impact on the value and risk profile of the Fund’s portfolio. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic and the aggressive responses taken by many governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines or similar restrictions, as well as the forced or voluntary closure of, or operational changes to, many retail and other businesses, had negative impacts, and in many cases severe negative impacts, on markets worldwide. It is not known how long such impacts, or any future impacts of other significant events described above, will or would last, but there could be

 

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   a prolonged period of global economic slowdown, which may impact your investment in the Fund. Therefore, the Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. During a general market downturn, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Changes in market conditions and interest rates can have the same impact on all types of securities and instruments. In times of severe market disruptions, you could lose your entire investment.
Growth Investing Risk    Growth stocks, as a group, may be out of favor with the market and underperform value stocks or the overall equity market. Growth stocks generally are priced higher than non-growth stocks, in relation to the issuer’s earnings and other measures, because investors believe they have greater growth potential, but there is no guarantee that their growth potential will be realized. Growth stocks are generally more sensitive to market movements than other types of stocks primarily because their prices are based heavily on future expectations. If investors believe an issuing company’s future earnings expectations will not be met, growth stock prices can decline rapidly and significantly. An investment in growth stocks may also be susceptible to rapid price swings during periods of economic uncertainty.
Investment Selection Risk    The Sub-Advisor’s portfolio managers may select investments that underperform, and investors’ Fund shares may decline in value. This risk may be more significant when the Sub-Advisor concentrates its holdings in a limited number of securities as may be the case in the Fund because concentration can magnify the potential for gains and losses from individual securities. The specific investments held in the Fund’s investment portfolio may underperform other funds in the same asset class or benchmarks that are representative of the general performance of the asset class because of a portfolio manager’s choice of securities.
Large-Capitalization Investing Risk    The securities of large-capitalization companies may underperform securities of smaller companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies may also be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes.
Management Risk    The Fund is actively-managed and may not meet its investment objective based on the portfolio managers’ success or failure to implement investment strategies for the Fund.
Market Risk    The market prices of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Securities may decline in value or become illiquid due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value or liquidity of a security may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. Securities may also decline or become illiquid due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline or become illiquid in value simultaneously. Natural disasters, public health emergencies (including pandemics and epidemics), terrorism and other global unforeseeable events may lead to instability in world economies and markets, may lead to increased volatility, and may have adverse long-term effects. The Fund cannot predict the effects of such unforeseeable events in the future on the economy, the markets or the Fund’s investments.

 

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Models and Data Risk    The Fund uses proprietary systematic and quantitative models as part of its investment strategies. These models may fail to identify profitable opportunities at any time. Furthermore, the models may incorrectly identify opportunities and these misidentified opportunities may lead to substantial losses for the Fund. Models may be predictive in nature and such models may result in an incorrect assessment of future events. Data used in the construction of models may prove to be inaccurate or stale, which may result in losses for the Fund.
New Fund Risk    The Fund is newly organized with no performance history for investors to evaluate. A new fund’s performance may not represent how the fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies. If a new fund were to fail to successfully implement its investment strategies or achieve its investment objective, performance may be negatively impacted, and any resulting liquidation could create negative transaction costs for the fund and tax consequences for investors.
Operational Risk    Operational risks include human error, changes in personnel, system changes, faults in communication, and failures in systems, technology, or processes. Various operational events or circumstances are outside the Advisor’s or Sub-Advisor’s control, including instances at third parties. The Fund, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor 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.
Regulatory Risk    Governments, agencies or other regulatory bodies may adopt or change laws or regulations that could adversely affect the issuer, or market value, of an instrument held by the Fund or that could adversely impact the Fund’s performance.

 

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Fund Management and Investment Styles    The Advisor, Multi-Manager Issues & Fees

The Advisor

The Fund is managed by iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC (“iM Global”), 1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500, Walnut Creek, California 94596. iM Global is an affiliate of iM Global Partner US LLC (“iMGPUS”). Pursuant to a shared services agreement, advisory personnel of iMGPUS provide certain services to the Fund. iM Global has overall responsibility for assets under management, recommends the selection of a manager as a sub-advisor of the Fund (a “manager” or “sub-advisor”) to the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of the Litman Gregory Funds Trust (the “Trust”), evaluates the performance of the manager, monitors changes at the manager’s organizations that may impact their abilities to deliver superior future performance, determines when to rebalance the manager’s assets and the amount of cash equivalents (if any) that may be held in addition to cash in the manager’s portfolio, coordinates with the manager with respect to diversification and tax issues and oversees the operational aspects of the Fund.

Jeremy DeGroot is an officer of the Trust and a Co-Portfolio Manager of the Fund. He is also a Managing Director of the Advisor and serves as Chief Investment Officer of Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC (“Litman Gregory”). Prior to joining Litman Gregory in 1999, DeGroot was a Manager in KPMG Peat Marwick’s Economic Consulting Services practice in 1998. From 1989 to 1997, he was a Senior Economist with the Law & Economics Consulting Group, Inc., providing economics and financial analysis to Fortune 500 clients. He has a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of California Berkeley.

Kiko Vallarta is an Assistant Secretary of the Trust and the Co-Portfolio Manager of the Fund. He is also a VP – Portfolio Management of Litman Gregory and the Advisor. Prior to joining Litman Gregory in 2012, Vallarta was an associate at a San Diego-based registered investment adviser, providing investment analysis and client support to their team of investment advisors. He has a BS degree in Finance from San Diego State University, a MS degree in Financial Analysis and Investment Management from St. Mary’s College of California and is a CFA® charter holder.

DeGroot and Vallarta are the individuals at iM Global primarily responsible for monitoring the day-to-day activities of the portfolio manager at the Sub-Advisor and for overseeing all aspects of iM Global’s responsibilities with respect to the Fund.

The Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”) provides additional information about the compensation of each portfolio manager at the sub-advisor, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager, and each such portfolio manager’s ownership of securities of the Fund.

Temporary Defensive Positions: Under adverse market conditions or for temporary defensive purposes, a substantial part of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in cash or short-term, high-quality debt securities. To the extent that the Fund assumes a temporary defensive position, it may not achieve its investment objective during that time. Defensive positions may be initiated by the individual portfolio managers or by iM Global.

Multi-Manager Exemptive Order: The Trust and iM Global have obtained an exemptive order from the SEC that permits iM Global, subject to certain conditions, to hire, terminate and replace sub-advisors with the approval of the Board only and without shareholder approval. Within 60 days of the hiring of any new sub-advisor or the implementation of any proposed material change in a sub-advisory agreement with an existing sub-advisor, shareholders will be furnished information about the new sub-advisor or sub-advisory agreement that would be included in a proxy statement. The order also permits the Fund to disclose sub-advisory fees only in the aggregate in its registration statement. Pursuant to the order, shareholder approval is required before iM Global enters into any sub-advisory agreement with a sub-advisor that is affiliated with the Fund or iM Global.

Portfolio Holdings Information

A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures regarding disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings can be found in the SAI, which can be obtained free of charge by contacting the Fund’s transfer agent (the “Transfer Agent”) at [   ].

Advisory Fees

For the services it provides to the Fund, the Fund pays the Advisor a unified management fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate of 0.[    ]% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

 

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iM Global, not the Fund, is responsible for payment of the sub-advisory fee to the sub-advisor, which is compensated monthly on the basis of the Fund’s net assets. The Advisor is also responsible for each Fund’s ordinary operating expenses other than taxes, brokerage commissions and other transactional expenses, accrued deferred tax liability and extraordinary expenses.

A discussion regarding the Board’s basis for approving the Fund’s investment advisory agreements with iM Global and the Sub-Advisor will be available in the Fund’s Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal period ending [            ].

 

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Fund Management and Investment Styles    The Sub-Advisor

The Sub-Advisor

Kenneth Krogulski, CFA

Gerard Mihalick, CFA

Michael Weaver, CFA

Berkshire Asset Management LLC

46 Public Square, Suite 700

Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701

Kenneth Krogulski, CFA is Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Berkshire Asset Management LLC (“Berkshire”). Ken has 42 years of experience in security analysis and portfolio management. He joined Berkshire in 1990 after serving for 11 years as senior portfolio manager for the First Eastern Bank’s trust company. He is a director of Allied Services and Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (CPIX: NASDAQ). Ken holds a BS from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Wilkes University.

Gerard Mihalick, CFA is a Partner and Portfolio Manager at Berkshire. Gerry has over 25 years of experience in the investment management industry and joined Berkshire in 1995. At Berkshire, Gerry is a member of the firm’s investment committee and has equity research and portfolio management responsibilities. Prior to joining Berkshire, he was employed as a portfolio manager with Fleet Investment Advisors in Rochester, New York. Gerry has served on the board of directors for various local non-profit organizations. Gerry holds a BA from Gettysburg College.

Michael Weaver, CFA is a Partner and Portfolio Manager at Berkshire. Mike has over 20 years of experience in security analysis and portfolio management. At Berkshire, Mike is a member of the firm’s investment committee and has equity research and portfolio management responsibilities. Prior to joining Berkshire in 1999, Mike was a senior portfolio manager for Mellon Private Asset Management. He is a former director of the North Branch Land Trust and the Luzerne Foundation. Mike holds a BA in Economics from the University of Virginia.

The SAI provides additional information about the Sub-Advisor’s method of compensation for its portfolio managers, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, and the portfolio managers’ ownership of securities in the Fund.

Prior Performance for Similar Accounts Managed by the Sub-Advisor

The following tables set forth performance data relating to the historical performance of all private accounts managed by Berkshire Asset Management, LLC for the periods indicated that have investment objectives, policies, strategies and risks substantially similar to those of the Fund. The data is provided to illustrate the past performance of Berkshire Asset Management, LLC in managing substantially similar accounts as measured against a market index and does not represent the performance of the Fund. You should not consider this performance data as an indication of future performance of the Fund.

The private accounts that are included in the performance data set forth below are not subject to the same types of expenses to which the Fund is subject, or to the diversification requirements, specific tax restrictions and investment limitations imposed on the Fund by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Consequently, the performance results for these private accounts could have been adversely affected if the private accounts had been regulated as investment companies under the federal securities laws.

Berkshire Dividend Growth ETF Select Composite

Average Annual Total Returns

For the Periods Ended December 31, 2022

 

     One Year     Five Years     Ten Years     Since Inception
(May 31, 2009)
 

Berkshire Dividend Growth ETF Select Composite Returns (1)

        

Net of fees / expenses*

     -5.48     5.54     9.00     10.22

Gross of fees / expenses

     -2.48     8.54     12.00     13.25

Russell 1000® Value Index

     -7.58     6.64     10.28     11.72

 

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The composite performance does not represent the historical performance of the Fund and should not be interpreted as being indicative of the future performance of the Fund.

 

*

The net returns for the composite are shown net of all actual fees and expenses, including sales loads. The fees and expenses of accounts included in the composite are lower than the anticipated operating expenses of the Fund and, accordingly, the Fund would have lower performance results than those shown for the composite.

Berkshire Asset Management (“Berkshire”) is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm founded in 1986. Berkshire has prepared and presented the foregoing reports in compliance with the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS®), which differs from the SEC method of calculating performance. The GIPS are a set of standardized, industry wide principles that provide investment firms with guidance on how to calculate and report their investment results. The GIPS total return is calculated by using a methodology that incorporates the time-weighted rate of return concept for all assets, which removes the effects of cash flows. The SEC standardized total return is calculated using a standard formula that uses the average annual total return assuming reinvestment of dividends and distributions and deduction of sales loads or charges.

[The net of fees composite returns are net of management fees, trading commissions, and transaction costs and reflect the reinvestment of all income. Actual fees may vary depending on, among other things, the applicable management fee schedule and portfolio size. The Standard Institutional Investment Fee Schedules are as follows:]

 

Management Fees  

Berkshire Dividend Growth ETF Select Strategy:

     [0.40 %] 

A complete list of Berkshire composites and performance results is available upon request.

 

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Shareholder Services    How to Buy and Sell Shares

How to Buy and Sell Shares

The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in Creation Units. Only Authorized Participants (“APs”) may acquire Shares directly from the Fund, and only APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV. APs must be a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC and must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor, and that has been accepted by the Transfer Agent, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Once created, Shares trade in the secondary market in quantities less than a Creation Unit.

Most investors buy and sell individual Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded securities.

When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offer price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. In addition, because secondary market transactions occur at market prices, you may pay more than NAV when you buy Shares, and receive less than NAV when you sell those Shares.

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.

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. DTC’s participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations, and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” through your brokerage account.

Share Trading Prices on the Exchange

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. To provide additional information regarding the indicative value of Shares, the Exchange or a market data vendor disseminates information every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association or other widely disseminated means an updated “intraday indicative value” (“IIV”) for Shares as calculated by an information provider or market data vendor. The Fund is not involved in or responsible for any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IIVs and make no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the IIVs. If the calculation of the IIV is based on the basket of Deposit Securities and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash, such IIV may not represent the best possible valuation of the Fund’s portfolio because the basket of Deposit Securities does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the Fund’s current portfolio at a particular point in time and does not include a reduction for the fees, operating expenses, or transaction costs incurred by the Fund. The IIV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund’s NAV because the IIV may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed only once a day, typically at the end of the business day. The IIV is generally determined by using both current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers that may trade in the Deposit Securities.

Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Shares

The Fund imposes no restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of Shares. In determining not to adopt a policy restricting frequent trading in the Fund, the Board evaluated the risks of market timing activities by the Fund’s shareholders. Purchases and redemptions by APs, who are the only parties that may purchase or redeem Shares directly with the Fund, are an essential part of the ETF process and help keep Share trading prices in line with NAV. As such, the Fund accommodates frequent purchases and redemptions by APs. However, frequent purchases and redemptions for cash may increase tracking error and portfolio transaction costs and may lead to the realization of capital gains. To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions, the Fund employs fair value pricing and may impose transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effecting trades. In addition, the Fund and iM Global reserve the right to reject any purchase order at any time.

 

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Determination of NAV

The Fund’s NAV is calculated as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, each day the NYSE is open for business. The NAV is calculated by dividing the Fund’s net assets by its Shares outstanding.

In calculating its NAV, the Fund generally values its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments. If such information is not available for a security held by the Fund or is determined to be unreliable, the security will be valued at fair value estimates under guidelines established by the Board (as described below).

Fair Value Pricing

Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, the Board has designated the Advisor as the “valuation designee” for the purpose of determinations of fair value for the Fund’s securities whose market prices are not “readily available” or are deemed to be unreliable. For example, such circumstances may arise when: (i) a security has been de-listed or has had its trading halted or suspended; (ii) a security’s primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; (iii) a security’s primary trading market is closed during regular market hours; or (iv) a security’s value is materially affected by events occurring after the close of the security’s primary trading market. Generally, when fair valuing a security, the Advisor will take into account all reasonably available information that may be relevant to a particular valuation including, but not limited to, fundamental analytical data regarding the issuer, information relating to the issuer’s business, recent trades or offers of the security, general and/or specific market conditions and the specific facts giving rise to the need to fair value the security. Fair value determinations are made in good faith and in accordance with the fair value methodologies included in the valuation procedures approved by the Board. Due to the subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, there can be no assurance that the Advisor will be able to obtain the fair value assigned to the security upon the sale of such security.

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 prospectuses and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.

Dividends, Distributions, and Taxes

Dividends and Distributions

The Fund intends to pay out dividends and interest income, if any, annually and distribute net realized capital gains, if any, to its shareholders at least annually. The Fund will declare and pay income and capital gain distributions in cash. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.

Taxes

As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in the Fund will be taxed. If your account is not a tax-deferred retirement account, you should be aware of these tax implications.

Taxes on Distributions. Distributions are subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes. If you live outside of the United States, your distributions could also be taxed by the country in which you reside, as well as potentially subject to U.S. withholding taxes. Your distributions are taxable when they are paid, whether you take them in cash or reinvest them. Distributions declared in December and paid in January, however, are taxable as if they were paid on December 31.

 

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For federal income tax purposes, the Fund’s income and short-term capital gains distributions are taxed as regular or “qualified” dividends; long-term capital gains distributions are taxed as long-term capital gains. Every January, the Fund will send you and the IRS a statement showing the taxable distributions.

Taxes on Transactions. Your redemptions, including transfers between funds, are subject to capital gains tax. A capital gain or loss is the difference between the cost of your shares and the price you receive when you sell them. Whenever you sell shares of the Fund, the Fund will send you a confirmation statement showing how many shares you sold and at what price. You will also receive a consolidated transaction statement every January. It is up to you or your tax preparer, however, to determine whether the sales resulted in a capital gain and, if so, the amount of the tax to be paid. Be sure to keep your regular account statements; the information they contain will be essential in calculating the amount of your capital gains.

“Buying a Dividend.” If you buy shares just before the Fund deducts a distribution from its NAV, you will pay the full price for the shares and then receive a portion of the price back in the form of a taxable distribution.

There are tax requirements that all funds must follow in order to avoid federal income taxation. In its efforts to adhere to these requirements, the Fund may have to limit its investment activity in some types of instruments.

When you sign your account application, you will be asked to certify that your Social Security or Taxpayer Identification number is correct and that you are not subject to 24% withholding for failing to report income to the IRS. If you violate IRS regulations, the IRS can require the Fund to withhold 24% of your taxable distributions and redemptions.

Taxes When Shares are Sold on the Exchange. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Shares generally is treated as a long-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for one year or less. However, any capital loss on a sale of Shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of Capital Gain Dividends paid with respect to such Shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited.

Taxes on Purchases and Redemptions of Creation Units. An AP having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally recognizes a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the exchanging AP’s aggregate basis in the securities delivered plus the amount of any cash paid for the Creation Units. An AP who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanging AP’s basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the securities received, plus any cash received for such Creation Units. The IRS may assert, however, that a loss that is realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units may not be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales” (for an AP who does not mark-to-market their holdings), 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.

Any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if Shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if such Shares have been held for one year or less.

The Fund may include a payment of cash in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities upon the redemption of Creation Units. The Fund may sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment in the proceeds paid upon the redemption of Creation Units.

Taxation of Foreign Shareholders. If you are a nonresident alien individual or a foreign corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, please see the Fund’s SAI for information on how you will be taxed as a result of holding Shares.

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to state and local tax on the Fund’s distributions and sales of Shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Shares under all applicable tax laws. For more information, please see the section entitled “Taxation” in the SAI.

 

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Distribution

ALPS Distributors, Inc. is a broker-dealer registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Distributor distributes Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis and does not maintain a secondary market in Shares. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The Distributor’s principal address is 1290 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203.

The Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Rule 12b-1 Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Rule 12b-1 Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year to pay distribution fees for the sale and distribution of its Shares.

No fees are currently paid by the Fund pursuant to the Rule 12b-1 Plan, and such fees are not expected to be imposed. However, in the event fees are charged pursuant to the Rule 12b-1 Plan in the future, because the fees are ongoing, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.

The Advisor, out of its own resources and legitimate profits and without additional cost to the Fund or its shareholders, may provide cash payments to certain intermediaries, sometimes referred to as revenue sharing. These payments are in addition to or in lieu of any amounts payable to financial intermediaries under the Rule 12b-1 Plan. The Advisor may make revenue sharing payments to intermediaries for shareholder services or distribution-related services, such as: marketing support services; access to third party platforms; access to sales meetings, sales representatives and management representatives of the intermediary; and inclusion of the Fund on a sales list, including a preferred or select sales list, and in other sales programs. The Advisor may also pay cash compensation in the form of finder’s fees that vary depending on the dollar amount of the Shares sold. From time to time, and in accordance with applicable rules and regulations, the Advisor may also provide non-cash compensation to representatives of various intermediaries who sell Shares or provide services to the Fund’s shareholders.

Premium/Discount Information

Information regarding how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV per Share is available, free of charge, on the Fund’s website at www.imgpfunds.com.

Additional Notices

Shares are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by the Exchange. The Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated in the determination of, the timing, prices, or quantities of Shares to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which Shares are redeemable. The Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of Shares in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of Shares.

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.

The Advisor and the Fund make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Shares or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly.

Financial Highlights

The Trust’s registration statement with respect to the Fund became effective on [ ], 2023, as a result, audited financial highlights are not available for the Fund and financial statements for the Fund are not included in the Trust’s shareholder reports as of the date of this Prospectus.

Index Descriptions

[        ]

Direct investment in an index is not possible.

 

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For More Information

Statement of Additional Information:

The SAI contains additional information about the Fund. A current SAI is on file with the SEC, is incorporated by reference, and is legally considered a part of this Prospectus.

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports:

Additional information about the Fund’s investments will be available in the Fund’s Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders, which are available on the Fund’s website (https://www.imgpfunds.com). In the Fund’s Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year.

The SAI is and the Fund’s Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders will be available, without charge, upon request. To request an SAI or the Fund’s Annual or Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders, or to make shareholder inquiries or to obtain other information about the Fund, please call 1-800-960-0188. You may also obtain a copy of the SAI or Fund’s Annual or Semi-Annual Reports, free of charge, by accessing the Fund’s website (https://www.imgpfunds.com), or by writing to the Fund.

SEC Contact Information:

If you have access to the Internet, you can view the SAI, the Fund’s Annual or Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders, when available, and other information about the Fund on the EDGAR Database at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) internet site at www.sec.gov. You may request copies of information available on the EDGAR Database by an electronic request at the following E-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov. The SEC charges a duplicating fee for this service.

Fund Information:

 

Fund

   Abbreviation    Symbol    CUSIP    Fund Number

iMGP Berkshire Dividend Growth ETF

   [   ]    [   ]    [   ]    [   ]

Website:

www.imgpfunds.com

Litman Gregory Funds Trust

P.O. Box 219922

Kansas City, MO 64121-9922

1-800-960-0188

ALPS Distributors, Inc. Denver, Colorado 80203

© 2023 iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC. All rights reserved.

Investment Company Act File No: 811-07763

 

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LITMAN GREGORY FUNDS TRUST

iMGP Berkshire Dividend Growth ETF ([ ])

Listed on [NYSE Arca]

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Dated [    ], 2023

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus, and it should be read in conjunction with the prospectus dated [    ], 2023, as it may be amended from time to time, of iMGP Berkshire Dividend Growth ETF (the “Fund”), a series of the Litman Gregory Funds Trust (the “Trust”), formerly known as the Masters’ Select Funds Trust until August 2011 and the Masters’ Select Investment Trust until December 1997. iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC (the “Advisor” or “iM Global”) is the investment advisor of the Fund. The Advisor has retained an investment manager as sub-advisor (the “Sub-Advisor”), which is responsible for portfolio management of the Fund’s assets. A copy of the Fund’s prospectus and the Trust’s most recent annual report may be obtained from the Trust without charge at 1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500, Walnut Creek, California 94596, telephone 1-800-960-0188.

The Trust’s audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 are incorporated by reference to the Trust’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. The Fund is not included in the Trust’s most recent Annual Report because it commenced investment operations after December 31, 2022, but will be included in the Trust’s next annual report to shareholders following such date.

The information in this Statement of Additional Information is not complete and may be changed. A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The securities described herein may not be sold until the registration statement becomes effective. This Statement of Additional Information is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state in which the offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

FUND HISTORY

     3  

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, POLICIES AND RISKS

     3  

EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING

     10  

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

     10  

PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS DISCLOSURE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

     21  

THE ADVISOR AND THE SUB-ADVISOR

     21  

ADDITIONAL PORTFOLIO MANAGER INFORMATION

     24  

PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

     25  

ADMINISTRATOR

     26  

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE

     27  

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

     29  

BOOK ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM

     29  

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES IN CREATION UNITS

     31  

NET ASSET VALUE

     37  

TAXATION

     38  

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

     45  

ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING PROGRAM

     46  

GENERAL INFORMATION

     46  

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

     47  

APPENDIX

     48  

 

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FUND HISTORY

The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on August 1, 1996 and is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company. The Trust consists of eleven separate series: the iMGP Global Select Fund (formerly, iMGP Equity Fund) (the “Equity Fund”), the iMGP International Fund (formerly, PartnerSelect International Fund) (the “International Fund”), the iMGP Alternative Strategies Fund (formerly, PartnerSelect Alternative Strategies Fund) (the “Alternative Strategies Fund”), the iMGP High Income Fund (formerly, iMGP High Income Alternatives Fund) (the “High Income Fund”), the iMGP SBH Focused Small Value Fund (formerly, PartnerSelect SBH Focused Small Value Fund) (the “SBH Focused Small Value Fund”), the iMGP Oldfield International Value Fund (formerly, PartnerSelect Oldfield International Value Fund) (the “Oldfield International Value Fund”), the iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF (the “DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF”), the iMGP DBi Hedge Strategy ETF (the “DBI Hedge Strategy ETF”), the iMGP Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, iM Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund) (the “Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund”), the iMGP RBA Responsible Global Allocation ETF (the “RBA Responsible Global Allocation ETF”) and the iMGP Berkshire Dividend Growth Fund ETF (the “Berkshire Dividend Growth ETF”).

The iMGP Berkshire Dividend Growth ETF is anticipated to commence operations on [    ], 2023.

The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that is a separate series of the Trust. The Fund offers and issues shares (“Shares”) at its net asset value (“NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of Shares (each, a “Creation Unit”). The Fund expects to offer and issue Creation Units in exchange for an in-kind deposit of specified instruments (each, a “Deposit Security” and collectively the “Deposit Securities”), or for specified instruments together with a specified cash payment. The Fund also reserves the right to make purchases and redemptions of Creation Units in whole or in part on a cash basis. Shares are listed on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”) and trade on the Exchange at market prices that may differ from the Shares’ NAV. As noted above, Shares are also redeemable only in Creation Unit aggregations, generally for a specified cash payment. As a practical matter, only institutions or large investors purchase or redeem Creation Units. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, Shares are not individually redeemable securities.

Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions, including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Trust cash at least equal to a specified percentage of the value of the missing Deposit Securities, as set forth in the Participant Agreement (as defined below). The Trust may impose a transaction fee for each creation or redemption. In all cases, such fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities. As in the case of other publicly traded securities, brokers’ commissions on transactions in the secondary market will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, POLICIES AND RISKS

The investment objective of the Fund is [non-fundamental and therefore may be changed without the approval of the Fund’s shareholders upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders]. The Fund’s investment objective is set forth in the Fund’s prospectus. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The discussion below supplements information contained in the prospectus as to the investment policies of the Fund.

Investment policies or descriptions that are described as percentages of “the Fund’s net assets” are measured as percentages of the Fund’s net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes.

Investors should be aware that in light of the current uncertainty, volatility and distress in economies, financial markets, and labor and health conditions across the world, the risks discussed below are heightened significantly compared to normal conditions and therefore subject the Fund’s investments and a shareholder’s investment in the Fund to sudden and substantial losses.

 

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Equity Securities

The Fund may invest in equity securities consistent with its investment objective and strategies. Common stocks, preferred stocks and convertible securities are examples of equity securities.

All investments in equity securities are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles and the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may fluctuate substantially from day to day. Owning an equity security can also subject the Fund to the risk that the issuer may discontinue paying dividends.

To the extent the Fund invests in the equity securities of small- or medium-size companies, it will be exposed to the risks of small- and medium-size companies. Such companies often have limited product lines or services, have narrower markets for their goods and/or services, and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. In addition, because these companies are not well-known to the investing public, they may not have significant institutional ownership and may be followed by relatively few security analysts, and there will normally be less publicly available information when compared to larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the price and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, as compared to larger-sized companies, the performance of smaller-sized companies can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.

Common Stock. A common stock represents a proportionate share of the ownership of a company and its value is based on the success of the company’s business, the cash a company generates, and the value of a company’s assets. However, over short periods of time, the price of any company, whether successful or not, may increase or decrease in price by a meaningful percentage. In addition to the general risks set forth above, investments in common stocks are subject to the risk that in the event a company in which the Fund invests is liquidated, the holders of preferred stock and creditors of that company will be paid in full before any payments are made to the Fund as a holder of that company’s common stock. It is possible that all assets of that company will be exhausted before any payments are made to the Fund.

Preferred Stock. Preferred stocks are equity securities that often pay dividends at a specific rate and have a preference over common stocks in dividend payments and liquidation of assets. A preferred stock has a blend of the characteristics of a bond and common stock. It can offer the higher yield of a bond and has priority over common stock in equity ownership, but does not have the seniority of a bond and, unlike common stock, its participation in the issuer’s growth may be limited. Although the dividend is set at a fixed annual rate, in some circumstances it can be changed or omitted by the issuer.

Money Market Funds

The Fund may under certain circumstances invest a portion of its assets in money market funds. The 1940 Act generally prohibits the Fund from investing more than 5% of the value of its total assets in any one investment company or more than 10% of the value of its total assets in investment companies as a group, and also restricts its investment in any investment company to 3% of the voting securities of such investment company. There are some exceptions, however, to these limitations pursuant to various rules promulgated by the SEC. For example, Section 12(d)(1)(F) of the 1940 Act provides that the limitations set forth above do not apply to securities purchased or otherwise acquired by the Fund if immediately after such purchase or acquisition not more than 3% of the total outstanding stock of such investment company is owned by the Fund and all affiliated persons of the Fund. The Fund must comply with certain other administrative requirements in order to comply this exception, including, among others, that the Fund (or the Advisor or Sub-Advisor acting on behalf of the Fund) complies with certain voting restrictions when voting the shares of such investment company. The Advisor and the Sub-Advisor will not impose advisory fees on assets of the Fund invested in a money market mutual fund. However, an investment in a money market mutual fund will involve payment by the Fund of its pro rata share of advisory and administrative fees charged by such fund.

 

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Foreign Investments and Currencies

The Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers that are not publicly traded in the United States. The Fund may also invest in depositary receipts and in foreign currency futures contracts and may purchase and sell foreign currency on a spot basis.

Depositary Receipts. Depositary Receipts (“DRs”) include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) or other forms of depositary receipts. DRs are receipts typically issued in connection with a U.S. or foreign bank or trust company which evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation.

Risks of Investing in Foreign Securities. Investments in foreign securities involve certain inherent risks, including the following:

Political and Economic Factors. Individual foreign economies of certain countries may differ favorably or unfavorably from the United States’ economy in such respects as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, diversification and balance of payments position. The internal politics of certain foreign countries may not be as stable as those of the United States. Governments in certain foreign countries also continue to participate to a significant degree, through ownership interest or regulation, in their respective economies. Action by these governments could include restrictions on foreign investment, nationalization, expropriation of goods or imposition of taxes, and could have a significant effect on market prices of securities and payment of interest. The economies of many foreign countries are heavily dependent upon international trade and are accordingly affected by the trade policies and economic conditions of their trading partners. Enactment by these trading partners of protectionist trade legislation could have a significant adverse effect upon the securities markets of such countries.

The European financial markets have continued to experience volatility because of concerns about economic downturns and about high and rising government debt levels of several countries in the European Union and Europe generally. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the Euro and the European securities markets, and may spread to other countries in Europe, including countries that do not use the Euro. These events may affect the value and liquidity of certain of the Fund’s investments. Responses to the financial problems by European Union governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not work, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and others of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world.

The United Kingdom (the “U.K.”) left the EU on January 31, 2020, in a process now commonly referred to as “Brexit.” The U.K. and EU have reached an agreement on the terms of their future trading relationship effective January 1, 2021, which principally relates to the trading of goods rather than services. Further discussions are to be held between the U.K. and EU in relation to matters not covered by the trade agreement, including financial services, and critical aspects of the relationship remain unresolved and subject to further negotiation and agreement. The political, regulatory, and economic consequences of Brexit are uncertain, and the ultimate ramifications may not be known for some time. The effects of Brexit on the U.K. and EU economies and the broader global economy could be significant, resulting in negative impacts, such as business and trade disruptions, increased volatility and illiquidity, and potentially lower economic growth of markets in the U.K., EU, and globally, which could negatively impact the value of a Fund’s investments. Brexit could also lead to legal uncertainty and politically divergent national laws and regulations while the new relationship between the U.K. and EU is further defined and the U.K. determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Additionally, depreciation of the British pound sterling and/or the euro in relation to the U.S. dollar following Brexit could adversely affect Fund investments denominated in the British pound sterling and/or the euro, regardless of the performance of the investment. Any of these effects of Brexit could adversely affect any of the companies to which the Fund has exposure and any other assets in which the Fund invests.

 

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Secessionist movements, such as the Catalan movement in Spain and the independence movement in Scotland, as well as governmental or other responses to such movements, may also create instability and uncertainty in the region. In addition, the national politics of countries in the EU have been unpredictable and subject to influence by disruptive political groups and ideologies. The governments of EU countries may be subject to change and such countries may experience social and political unrest. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. The occurrence of terrorist incidents throughout Europe could also impact financial markets. The impact of these events is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching and could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments.

In addition, Russia’s military invasion in Ukraine has led to, and may lead to additional, sanctions being levied by the United States, the EU and other countries against Russia. Russia’s military invasion and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect global energy and financial markets and thus could affect the value of the Fund’s investments, even beyond any direct exposure the Fund may have to Russian issuers or the adjoining geographic regions.

In addition, the political reunification of China and Taiwan, over which China continues to claim sovereignty, is a highly complex issue that has included threats of invasion by China. Political or economic disturbances (including an attempted unification of Taiwan by force), as well as any economic sanctions implemented in response, may have an adverse impact on the values of investments in either China or Taiwan, or make investments in China and Taiwan impractical or impossible. Any escalation of hostility between China and/or Taiwan would likely have a significant adverse impact on the value of investments in both countries and on economies, markets and individual securities globally, which could negatively affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments.

Currency Fluctuations. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Accordingly, a change in the value of any such currency against the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding change in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund’s assets denominated in that currency. Such changes will also affect the Fund’s income. The value of the Fund’s assets may also be affected significantly by currency restrictions and exchange control regulations enacted from time to time.

Market Characteristics. The Sub-Advisor expects that many foreign securities in which the Fund invests will be purchased in over-the-counter markets or on exchanges located in the countries in which the principal offices of the issuers of the various securities are located, if that is the best available market. Foreign exchanges and markets may be more volatile than those in the United States. While growing in volume, they usually have substantially less volume than U.S. markets, and the Fund’s portfolio securities may be less liquid and more volatile than U.S. Government securities. Moreover, settlement practices for transactions in foreign markets may differ from those in United States markets, and may include delays beyond periods customary in the United States. Foreign security trading practices, including those involving securities settlement where Fund assets may be released prior to receipt of payment or securities, may expose the Fund to increased risk in the event of a failed trade or the insolvency of a foreign broker-dealer.

Transactions in options on securities, futures contracts, futures options and currency contracts may not be regulated as effectively on foreign exchanges as similar transactions in the United States, and may not involve clearing mechanisms and related guarantees. The value of such positions also could be adversely affected by the imposition of different exercise terms and procedures and margin requirements than in the United States. The value of the Fund’s positions may also be adversely impacted by delays in its ability to act upon economic events occurring in foreign markets during non-business hours in the United States.

Legal and Regulatory Matters. Certain foreign countries may have less supervision of securities markets, brokers and issuers of securities, and less financial information available to issuers, than is available in the United States.

 

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Taxes. The interest payable on certain of the Fund’s foreign portfolio securities may be subject to foreign withholding or other taxes, thus reducing the net amount of income available for distribution to the Fund’s shareholders.

Costs. To the extent that the Fund invests in foreign securities, its expense ratio is likely to be higher than those of investment companies investing only in domestic securities, since the cost of maintaining the custody of foreign securities is higher.

Emerging markets. Some of the securities in which the Fund may invest may be located in developing or emerging markets, which entail additional risks, including less social, political and economic stability; smaller securities markets and lower trading volume, which may result in a less liquidity and greater price volatility; national policies that may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including restrictions on investment in issuers or industries, or expropriation or confiscation of assets or property; and less developed legal structures governing private or foreign investment. Natural disasters, public health emergencies (including pandemics and epidemics), terrorism and other global unforeseeable events may lead to instability in world economies and markets, may lead to market volatility, and may have adverse long-term effects. The Fund cannot predict the effects of such unforeseeable events in the future on the economy, the markets or the Fund’s investments.

In considering whether to invest in the securities of a foreign company, the Sub-Advisor considers such factors as the characteristics of the particular company, differences between economic trends and the performance of securities markets within the U.S. and those within other countries, and also factors relating to the general economic, governmental and social conditions of the country or countries where the company is located. The extent to which the Fund will be invested in foreign companies and countries and depository receipts will fluctuate from time to time within the limitations described in the prospectus, depending on the Sub-Advisor’s assessment of prevailing market, economic and other conditions.

Borrowing

The Fund is authorized to borrow money from banks in amounts up to 33-1/3% of their total assets. The Fund is authorized to borrow money in amounts up to 5% of the value of its total assets at the time of such borrowing s for temporary purposes and is authorized to borrow money in excess of the 5% limit as permitted by the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act requires the Fund to maintain continuous asset coverage (i.e., total assets including borrowings less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) of at least 300% of the amount borrowed. If the 300% asset coverage declines as a result of market fluctuations or other reasons, the Fund may be required to sell some of its portfolio holdings within three days to reduce the debt and restore the 300% asset coverage, even though it may be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint to sell securities at that time. The use of borrowing by the Fund involves special risk considerations that may not be associated with other funds having similar objectives and policies. Since substantially all of the Fund’s assets fluctuate in value, whereas the interest obligation resulting from a borrowing will be fixed by the terms of the Fund’s agreement with its lender, the asset value per share of the Fund will tend to increase more when its portfolio securities increase in value and to decrease more when its portfolio assets decrease in value than would otherwise be the case if the Fund did not borrow funds. In addition, interest costs on borrowings may fluctuate with changing market rates of interest and may partially offset or exceed the return earned on borrowed funds. Under adverse market conditions, the Fund might have to sell portfolio securities to meet interest or principal payments at a time when fundamental investment considerations would not favor such sales.

 

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Lending Portfolio Securities

The Fund may lend its investment securities to approved institutional borrowers who need to borrow securities in order to complete certain transactions, such as covering short sales, avoiding failures to deliver securities or completing arbitrage operations. By lending its investment securities, the Fund attempts to increase its net investment income through the receipt of interest on the loan. Any gain or loss in the market price of the securities loaned that might occur during the term of the loan would belong to the Fund. The Fund may lend its investment securities so long as the terms, structure and the aggregate amount of such loans are not inconsistent with the 1940 Act or the rules and regulations or interpretations of the SEC thereunder, which currently require that (i) the loan collateral must be equal to at least 100% of the value of the loaned securities, and the borrower must increase such collateral such that it remains equal to 100% of the value of the loaned securities whenever the price of the loaned securities increases (i.e., mark to market on a daily basis); (ii) the Fund must be able to terminate the loan at any time; (iii) the Fund must receive reasonable interest on the loan, as well as any dividends, interest or other distributions payable on the loaned securities, and any increase in market value; (iv) the Fund may pay reasonable custodial fees in connection with the lending of portfolio securities, which fees must be negotiated by the Fund and the custodian and be approved by the Board; and (v) although the voting rights may pass with the lending of securities, the Board must be obligated to call the loan in time to vote the securities if a material event affecting the investment on loan is to occur.

The primary risk in securities lending is default by the borrower as the value of the borrowed security rises, resulting in a deficiency in the collateral posted by the borrower. The Fund seeks to minimize this risk by computing the value of the security loaned on a daily basis and requiring additional collateral if necessary.

The Board has appointed State Street Bank and Trust Company, the Fund’s custodian, as securities lending agent for the Fund’s securities lending activity. The securities lending agent maintains a list of broker-dealers, banks or other institutions that it has determined to be creditworthy. The Fund will only enter into loan arrangements with borrowers on this list and will not lend its securities to be sold short.

Illiquid Securities

The Fund may not invest more than 15% of the value of its net assets in illiquid securities, including restricted securities that are not deemed to be liquid by the Sub-Advisor. The Advisor and the Sub-Advisor will monitor the amount of illiquid securities in the Fund’s portfolio, under the supervision of the Board, to ensure compliance with the Fund’s investment restrictions. In accordance with procedures approved by the Board, these securities may be valued using techniques other than market quotations, and the values established for these securities may be different than what would be produced through the use of another methodology or if they had been priced using market quotations. Illiquid securities and other portfolio securities that are valued using techniques other than market quotations, including “fair valued” securities, may be subject to greater fluctuation in their value from one day to the next than would be the case if market quotations were used. In addition, there is no assurance that the Fund could sell a portfolio security for the value established for it at any time, and it is possible that the Fund would incur a loss because a portfolio security is sold at a discount to its established value.

Historically, illiquid securities have included securities subject to contractual or legal restrictions on resale because they have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), securities which are otherwise not readily marketable and repurchase agreements having a maturity of longer than seven days. Securities which have not been registered under the Securities Act are referred to as private placement or restricted securities and are purchased directly from the issuer or in the secondary market. Mutual funds do not typically hold a significant amount of these restricted or other illiquid securities because of the potential for delays on resale and uncertainty in valuation. Limitations on resale may have an adverse effect on the marketability of portfolio securities and the Fund might be unable to dispose of restricted or other illiquid securities promptly or at reasonable prices and might thereby experience difficulty satisfying redemption within seven days. The Fund might also have to register such restricted securities in order to dispose of them, resulting in additional expense and delay. Adverse market conditions could impede such a public offering of securities.

In recent years, however, a large institutional market has developed for certain securities that are not registered under the Securities Act, including repurchase agreements, commercial paper, foreign securities, municipal securities and corporate bonds and notes. Institutional investors depend on an efficient institutional market in which the unregistered security can be readily resold or on an issuer’s ability to honor a demand for repayment. The fact

 

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that there are contractual or legal restrictions on resale to the general public or to certain institutions may not be indicative of the liquidity of such investments. If such securities are subject to purchase by institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A promulgated by the SEC under the Securities Act, the Sub-Advisor, pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board, may determine that such securities are not illiquid securities notwithstanding their legal or contractual restrictions on resale. In all other cases, however, securities subject to restrictions on resale will be deemed illiquid.

Risks of Investing in Small Companies

The Fund may invest in securities of small companies. Additional risks of such investments include the markets on which such securities are frequently traded. In many instances the securities of smaller companies are traded only over-the-counter or on a regional securities exchange, and the frequency and volume of their trading is substantially less than is typical of larger companies. Therefore, the securities of smaller companies may be subject to greater and more abrupt price fluctuations. When making large sales, the Fund may have to sell portfolio holdings at discounts from quoted prices or may have to make a series of small sales over an extended period of time due to the trading volume of smaller company securities. Investors should be aware that, based on the foregoing factors, an investment in the Fund may be subject to greater price fluctuations than an investment in a fund that invests exclusively in larger, more established companies. A Sub-Advisor’s research efforts may also play a greater role in selecting securities for the Fund than in a fund that invests in larger, more established companies.

Market Events Risk

Events in certain sectors historically have resulted, and may in the future result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. These events have included, but are not limited to: bankruptcies, corporate restructuring, and other events related to the sub-prime mortgage crisis in 2008; governmental efforts to limit short selling, and high frequency trading; measures to address U.S. federal and state budget deficits; social, political, and economic instability in Europe; economic stimulus by the Japanese central bank; steep declines in oil prices; dramatic changes in currency exchange rates; and China’s economic slowdown. Interconnected global economies and financial markets increase the possibility that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact issuers in a different country or region. Such events may cause significant declines in the values and liquidity of many securities and other instruments. It is impossible to predict whether these conditions will recur. Because such situations may be widespread, it may be difficult to identify both risks and opportunities using past models of the interplay of market forces, or to predict the duration of such events.

A global outbreak of infectious respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 has resulted in certain travel restrictions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, and lower consumer demand, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of COVID-19, and other infectious illness outbreaks that may arise in the future, could adversely affect the economies of many nations or the entire global economy, individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. In addition, the impact of infectious illnesses in emerging market countries may be greater due to generally less established healthcare systems. Public health crises caused by the COVID-19 outbreak or other public health emergencies in the future may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally. The duration of the COVID-19 outbreak and its effects cannot be determined with certainty.

Risks of Increased Reliance on Data Analytics

In recent years, the asset management business has become increasingly dependent on data analytics to support portfolio management, investment operations and compliance. The Advisor’s and Sub-Advisor’s regulators have also substantially increased the extent and complexity of the data analytic component of compliance requirements. A failure to source accurate data from third parties or to correctly analyze, integrate or apply data could result in operational, trade or compliance errors, could cause portfolio losses, and could lead to regulatory concerns.

 

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Investment Restrictions

The Trust (on behalf of the Fund) has adopted the following restrictions as fundamental policies, which may not be changed without the favorable vote of the holders of a “majority of the outstanding voting securities,” as defined in the 1940 Act, of the Fund. Under the 1940 Act, the “vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” means the vote of the holders of the lesser of (i) 67% of the shares of the Fund represented at a meeting at which the holders of more than 50% of its outstanding shares are represented or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.

As a matter of fundamental policy, the Fund will not:

 

  1.

invest 25% or more of its net assets, calculated at the time of purchase and taken at market value, in securities of issuers in any one industry (other than securities issued by the U.S. Government or its agencies, or securities of other investment companies);

 

  2.

borrow money, provided that such Fund may borrow money for temporary purposes in amounts not exceeding one-third of its total assets (including the amount borrowed);

 

  3.

make loans to other persons, except by: (1) purchasing debt securities in accordance with its investment objective, policies and limitations; (2) entering into repurchase agreements; or (3) engaging in securities loan transactions;

 

  4.

underwrite any issue of securities, except to the extent that such Fund may be considered to be acting as underwriter in connection with the disposition of any portfolio security;

 

  5.

purchase or sell real estate, provided that such Fund may invest in obligations secured by real estate or interests therein or obligations issued by companies that invest in real estate or interests therein, including real estate investment trusts;

 

  6.

purchase or sell physical commodities, provided that such Fund may invest in, purchase, sell or enter into futures, forward and spot currency contracts, swap transactions and other derivative financial instruments; or

 

  7.

issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act.

With regard to the statement that the restriction set forth in item (1) above does not apply to securities issued by other investment companies, the SEC staff has maintained that a fund should consider the underlying investments of investment companies in which the fund is invested when determining concentration of the fund, and takes this into account in determining its compliance with the restriction provided in item (1).

EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING

Shares are listed for trading and trade throughout the day on the Exchange.

There can be no assurance that the Fund will continue to meet the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove Shares from the listing under any of the following circumstances: (1) the Exchange becomes aware that the Fund is no longer able to operate in reliance on Rule 6c-11 of the 1940 Act; (2) the Fund no longer complies with the Exchange’s requirements for Shares; or (3) 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 of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.

 

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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.

To provide additional information regarding the indicative value of Shares, the Exchange or a market data vendor disseminates information every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association, or other widely disseminated means, an updated “intraday indicative value” (“IIV”) for the Fund as calculated by an information provider or market data vendor. The Trust is not involved in or responsible for any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IIVs and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the IIVs.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The overall management of the business and affairs of the Trust is vested with its Board, which is responsible for protecting the interests of shareholders. The Trustees are experienced executives who meet throughout the year to oversee the activities of the Fund, review the compensation arrangements between the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor, review contractual arrangements with companies that provide services to the Fund, including the Advisor, Sub-Advisor, and the Fund’s administrator, custodian and transfer agent, and review the Fund’s performance. The day-to-day operations of the Trust are delegated to its officers, subject to the Fund’s investment objectives and policies and to general supervision by the Board. A majority of the Trustees are not otherwise affiliated with the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor.

 

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Table of Contents

Independent Trustees*

 

Name, Address and

Year Born

  

Position(s)

Held with the

Trust

  

Term of

Office

and Length

of

Time Served

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past Five Years

   # of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen
by
Trustee
  

Other
Directorships
Held by

Trustee

During

Past Five

Years

Julie Allecta

1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500

Walnut Creek, CA 94596

(born 1946)

   Chairperson of the Board, Independent Trustee    Open-ended term; Trustee since June 2013    Member of Governing Council and Policy Committee, Independent Directors Council (education for investment company independent directors) since 2014; and Retired Partner, Paul Hastings LLP (law firm, active member) from 1999 to 2009.    11   

Forward Funds (mutual funds)

(4 portfolios)

 

Salient MF Trust (mutual funds) (1 portfolios)

 

Salient Midstream & MLP Fund (closed-end fund) (1 portfolio)

Thomas W. Bird

1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500

Walnut Creek, CA 94596

(born 1957)

   Independent Trustee   

Open-ended term;

served since May 2021

   Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Bird Impact LLC (impact investment vehicle) since 2016; Founder, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer, FARM Group (impact not-for-profit organization) since 1998; Board Member, Sonen Capital LLC(impact asset management firm) 2016 - 2020.    11   

Sonen Capital LLC; One Summit

(not-for-profit organization)

Jennifer M. Borggaard

1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500

Walnut Creek, CA 94596

(born 1969)

   Independent Trustee   

Open-ended term;

served since May 2021

   Co-Founder and Partner, AlderBrook Advisors (management consulting) since 2019; Member, Advisory Committee, Polen Capital (investment advisor) since 2018; Senior Vice President, Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (asset management) 2007-2017.    11   

BroadStreet

Partners Inc.

(insurance); BNY

Mellon

Charitable Gift

Fund;

Anchor Capital

Advisors LLC

(asset management); Boston Financial Management, LLC (asset management)

 

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Table of Contents

Name, Address and

Year Born

  

Position(s)

Held with the

Trust

  

Term of

Office

and Length

of

Time Served

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past Five Years

   # of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen
by
Trustee
  

Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee During

Past Five Years

Jonathan W. DePriest

1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500

Walnut Creek, CA 94596

(born 1968)

   Independent Trustee   

Open-ended term;

served since May 2021

   Consultant (financial services) since 2022; General Counsel, ApplePie Capital, Inc. (franchise financing) 2019-2021; Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Salient Partners, L.P. (asset management) 2015-2019.    11    None

Frederick A. Eigenbrod, Jr., Ph.D.

1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500

Walnut Creek, CA 94596

(born 1941)

   Independent Trustee   

Open-ended term;

served since inception

   Vice President, RoutSource Consulting Services (organizational planning and development) since 2002.    11    None

Harold M. Shefrin, Ph.D.

1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500

Walnut Creek, CA 94596

(born 1948)

   Independent Trustee   

Open-ended term;

served since February 2005

   Professor, Department of Finance, Santa Clara University since 1979.    11    SA Funds – Investment Trust (mutual funds) (10 portfolios)

Interested Trustees & Officers

 

Name, Address and

Year Born

  

Position(s)

Held with the

Trust

  

Term of

Office

and Length

of

Time Served

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past Five Years

   # of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen
by
Trustee
  

Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee/

Officer
During Past
Five

Years

Jeffrey K.
Seeley**

1676 N.
California Blvd.,
Suite 500

Walnut Creek,
CA 94596

(born 1969)

  

Trustee and
President

  

Open-ended
term; Trustee
since May
2021;
President
since March
2023.

   Deputy Chief Executive
Officer, U.S. Chief
Operating Officer and Head
of Distribution, iM Global
Partner US, LLC since
2018; Chief Compliance
Officer of iM Global US
Distributors, LLC since
2019; and Head of
Distribution Resource
Securities from 2017-2018;
and Head of Distribution
and Sales, BP Capital Fund
Advisors from 2015-2017.
   11   

None

 

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Table of Contents

Name, Address and

Year Born

  

Position(s)

Held with the

Trust

  

Term of

Office

and Length

of

Time Served

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past Five Years

   # of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen
by
Trustee
  

Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee/

Officer During
Past Five

Years

Philippe Uzan**

1676 N.
California Blvd.,

Suite 500

Walnut Creek,
CA 94596

(born 1970)

  

Trustee

  

Open-ended
term; served
since March
2023

   Deputy Chief Executive
Officer and Chief
Investment Officer Asset
Management of iM Global
Partner since February
2020; Chief Executive
Officer of UP Quantamental
from June 2019 to January
2020; Chief Investment
Officer and Member of
Executive Committee of
Edmond de Rothschild
Asset Management from
December 2011 to March
2019.
   11   

iM Global
Partner Asset
Management;
iM GP
SICAV
(investment
vehicle); Syz
Capital (asset
management)

John M.
Coughlan

1676 N.
California Blvd.,
Suite 500

Walnut Creek,
CA 94596

(born 1956)

   Treasurer,
Secretary and
Chief
Compliance
Officer
   Open-ended
term; served
as Treasurer
since
inception,
Secretary
since March
2023 and as
Chief
Compliance
Officer from
September
2004 to April
2022 and
from January
2023 to
present.
   Chief Operating Officer and
Chief Compliance Officer
of the Advisor since 2004.
   N/A    None

 

*

Denotes Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, as such term is defined under the 1940 Act (the “Independent Trustees”).

**

Denotes Trustees who are “interested persons” of the Trust, as such term is defined under the 1940 Act, because of their relationship with the Advisor (the “Interested Trustees”).

In addition, Jack Chee, Jason Steuerwalt, and Kiko Vallarta, each a co-portfolio manager at the Advisor, are each an Assistant Secretary of the Trust.

 

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Table of Contents

Additional Information Concerning Our Board of Trustees

The Role of the Board

The Board oversees the management and operations of the Trust. Like most mutual funds, the day-to-day management and operation of the Trust is performed by various service providers to the Trust, such as the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, and the Fund’s distributor, administrator, custodian, and transfer agent, each of which is discussed in greater detail in this SAI. The Board has appointed senior employees of certain of these service providers as officers of the Trust, with the responsibility to monitor and report to the Board on the Trust’s operations. In conducting this oversight, the Board receives regular reports from these officers and service providers regarding the Trust’s operations. For example, investment officers report on the performance of the Fund. The Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer who administers the Trust’s compliance program and regularly reports to the Board as to compliance matters. Some of these reports are provided as part of formal “Board Meetings,” which are typically held quarterly, in person, and involve the Board’s review of recent Trust operations. From time to time, one or more members of the Board may also meet with management in less formal settings, between formal “Board Meetings,” to discuss various topics. In all cases, however, the role of the Board and of any individual Trustee is one of oversight and not of management of the day-to-day affairs of the Trust and its oversight role does not make the Board a guarantor of the Trust’s investments, portfolio pricing, operations or activities.

 

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Board Structure, Leadership

The Board has structured itself in a manner that it believes allows it to perform its oversight function effectively. It has established three standing committees, an Audit Committee, a Governance Committee and a Qualified Legal Compliance Committee, which are discussed in greater detail under “Board of Trustees – Board Committees” below. Each of the three standing committees of the Board is comprised entirely of Independent Trustees. The Board has also elected Ms. Allecta, an Independent Trustee, as the Chairperson of the Board. The Independent Trustees have engaged their own independent counsel to advise them on matters relating to their responsibilities in connection with the Trust. The Board reviews its leadership structure periodically as part of its annual self-assessment process and believes that its structure is appropriate to enable the Board to exercise its oversight of the Trust.

Board Oversight of Risk Management

As part of its oversight function, the Board receives and reviews various risk management reports and assessments and discusses these matters with appropriate management and other personnel. Risk management is a broad concept comprised of many disparate elements (such as, for example, investment risk, issuer and counterparty risk, compliance risk, operational risk, valuation risk and business continuity risk). Consequently, Board oversight of different types of risks is handled in different ways. In the course of providing oversight, the Board and its committees receive reports on the Trust’s activities regarding the Trust’s investment portfolios and its financial accounting and reporting. The Board also receives periodic reports as to how the Advisor conducts service provider oversight and how it monitors for other risks, such as derivatives risk, business continuity risks and risks that might be present with the Sub-Advisor or specific investment strategies. The Audit Committee meets regularly with the Chief Compliance Officer to discuss compliance and operational risks. The Audit Committee’s meetings with the Treasurer and the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm also contribute to its oversight of certain internal control risks. The full Board receives reports from the Advisor as to investment risks as well as other risks that may be also discussed in the Audit Committee.

The Board receives regular reports from the Advisor as the “valuation designee” pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act. As the valuation designee, the Advisor is responsible for determinations of fair value with respect to the Fund’s portfolio holdings, subject to oversight by the Board. The valuation designee reports to the Board on the valuation of the Fund’s portfolio securities, selects pricing agents for the valuation of Fund holdings, and reviews the performance of each such pricing service.

The Trust believes that the Board’s role in risk oversight must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and that its existing role in risk oversight is appropriate. However, not all risks that may affect the Trust can be identified or processes and controls developed to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects, and some risks are beyond any control of the Trust, the Advisor or its affiliates or other service providers.

 

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Table of Contents

Information about Each Trustee’s Qualification, Experience, Attributes or Skills

The Board believes that each of the Trustees has the qualifications, experience, attributes and skills (“Trustee Attributes”) appropriate to their continued service as Trustees of the Trust in light of the Trust’s business and structure. Each of the Trustees has a demonstrated record of business and professional accomplishment that indicates that they have the ability to critically review, evaluate and assess information provided to them. Certain of these business and professional experiences are set forth in detail in the charts above. In addition, certain of the Trustees have served on boards for organizations other than the Trust, and the Trustees have served on the Board of the Trust for a number of years. They therefore have substantial boardroom experience and, in their service to the Trust, have gained substantial insight as to the operation of the Trust and have demonstrated a commitment to discharging oversight duties as Trustees in the interest of shareholders.

In addition to the information provided in the charts above, certain additional information concerning each particular Trustee and certain of their Trustee Attributes is provided below. The information provided below, and in the charts above, is not all-inclusive. Many Trustee Attributes involve intangible elements, such as intelligence, work ethic, and the ability to work together, to communicate effectively, to exercise judgment, to ask incisive questions, to manage people and problems, and to develop solutions. The Board annually conducts a self-assessment wherein the effectiveness of the Board and individual Trustees is reviewed. In conducting its annual self-assessment, the Board has determined that the Trustees have the appropriate attributes and experience to continue to serve effectively as Trustees of the Trust.

The summaries set forth below as to the qualifications, attributes, and skills of the Trustees are furnished in response to disclosure requirements imposed by the SEC, do not constitute any representation or guarantee that the Board or any Trustee has any special expertise or experience, and do not impose any greater or additional responsibility or obligation on, or change any standard of care applicable to, any such person or the Board as a whole than otherwise would be the case.

Mr. Uzan’s Trustee Attributes include his position as Deputy CEO and Global Asset Management Chief Investment Officer of iM Global Partner. In this position, Mr. Uzan is responsible for overseeing at iM Global Partner Group level sub-advisor due diligence, asset class research and portfolio tactical allocation decisions. In particular, the Portfolio Management team in charge of the Funds, led by Mr. DeGroot, reports to him. For the past three years he has been a Board member of the European Union regulated iM Global Partner main fund, the iMGP Sicav. He is frequently quoted in media in the areas of asset allocation and manager selection. As Deputy CEO, he is also actively involved in the potential acquisitions strategy. Mr. Uzan also has prior experience as asset allocator and financial engineer.

Mr. Seeley’s Trustee Attributes include his over twenty-five years of professional experience leading and managing various asset management firms, and his in-depth knowledge of fields including product development, distribution, operations and compliance, including with respect to mutual funds, interval funds and exchange-traded funds. This experience gives him an extensive understanding of regulatory, investment management, and corporate governance issues.

Ms. Allecta’s Trustee Attributes include her significant professional experience in the legal field as counsel to investment companies, private funds, boards of directors and management companies. Ms. Allecta also has mutual fund and closed-end fund board experience, having served on the board of trustees of Forward Funds from 2012 to 2022, the board of trustees of the Salient MF Trust from 2015 to 2022, and the board of directors of the Salient Midstream & MLP Fund from 2017 to 2022. Ms. Allecta has also been a member of the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Council (IDC) since 2014, serving terms as chair of the IDC Policy Committee and a member of the IDC Executive Council. Ms. Allecta served as lead Independent Trustee of the Trust from 2021 to March 2023 and Chairperson of the Board since March 2023.

Mr. Bird’s Trustee Attributes include his thirty years of general management and investment experience, with a focus on impact investing. Mr. Bird has served on the board and board committees of several for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. Mr. Bird’s experience gives him an extensive understanding of regulatory, investment management, and corporate governance issues.

 

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Table of Contents

Ms. Borggaard’s Trustee Attributes include her experience as a financial services executive and board member with broad global experience guiding boutique asset management companies. Ms. Borggaard currently serves on the board of several for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. Ms. Borggaard’s board experience includes providing guidance on diverse business issue including strategy, crisis management, C-suite succession planning, governance, finance, compliance, product development and equity-based total compensation. This experience gives her extensive knowledge of investment, financial management and governance matters.

Mr. DePriest’s Trustee Attributes include his over two decades of experience as legal counsel to advisers to mutual funds, closed-end funds, private funds and other investment vehicles. Through his roles as a senior officer and general counsel of financial services organizations, Mr. DePriest contributes management and oversight experience to boards.

Mr. Eigenbrod’s Trustee Attributes include his significant business advisory experience serving on the Board of Directors for Right Management Consultants providing management and organizational development consulting service as an independent consultant and executive coach.

Mr. Shefrin’s Trustee Attributes include his distinguished academic career as a Professor at Santa Clara University, where he teaches finance. Mr. Shefrin also has a number of years of mutual fund board experience, having served on the board of trustees of SA Funds—Investment Trust since 1999.

Board Committees

The Board has four standing committees as described below:

 

Audit Committee
Members    Description    Committee Meetings During Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2022

Julie Allecta

Jonathan W. DePriest

Harold M. Shefrin, Ph.D. (Chairman)

   Responsible for advising the full Board with respect to accounting, auditing and financial matters affecting the Trust.    3
Qualified Legal Compliance Committee
Members    Description    Committee Meetings During Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2022

Julie Allecta

Jennifer M. Borggaard

Frederick A. Eigenbrod, Jr., Ph.D.

Harold M. Shefrin, Ph.D.

   Responsible for the receipt, review and consideration of any report made or referred to it by an attorney of evidence of a material violation of applicable U.S. federal or state securities law, material breach of a fiduciary duty under U.S. federal or state law or a similar material violation by the Trust or by any officer, Trustee, employee or agent of the Trust    0
Governance Committee

 

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Members    Description    Committee Meetings During Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2022

Julie Allecta

Thomas W. Bird

Frederick A. Eigenbrod, Jr., Ph.D. (Chairman)

   Responsible for seeking, identifying and recommending to the Board qualified Trustee candidates for election or appointment to the Board and overseeing matters of Trust governance, including evaluation of Board performance and process, and the establishment of Trust governance guidelines and procedures, to the extent necessary or desirable.    1
Compensation Committee      
Members       Committee Meetings During Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2022

Jennifer M. Borggaard (Chair)

Harold M. Shefrin, Ph.D.

Jeffrey K. Seeley

   Coordinate review of, and develop recommendations to the Board relating to, the compensation of the Independent Trustees and committee members and the Chief Compliance Officer of the Trust.    0

Trustee Ownership of Fund Shares

As of December 31, 2022, the Trustees owned the following dollar range of shares of the Funds(1).

 

Name of Trustee

  

Fund

  

Dollar Range

of Equity

Securities in

the Funds

  

Aggregate Dollar

Range of Equity

Securities in all

Registered Investment

Companies Overseen

by Trustee in Family of

Investment Companies (2)

Independent Trustees         
Julie Allecta    High Income Fund    E    E
Thomas W. Bird    Alternative Strategies Fund    E    E
   High Income Fund    E   
Jennifer M. Borggaard    Alternative Strategies Fund    D    D
Jonathan W. DePriest    DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF    D    E
   RBA Responsible Global Allocation ETF    C   
Frederick A. Eigenbrod, Jr., Ph.D.    Global Select Fund*    D    E
   International Fund    C   

 

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   Alternative Strategies Fund    D   
   High Income Fund    D   
   Oldfield International Value Fund    C   
Harold M. Shefrin, Ph.D.    International Fund    E    E
Interested Trustees         
Philippe Uzan**       A    A
Jeffrey K. Seeley    International Fund    C    C
   Alternative Strategies Fund    C   

 

(1)

Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Funds:

A=None

B=$1-$10,000

C=$10,001-$50,000

D=$50,001-$100,000

E= Over $100,000

(2)

As of December 31, 2022, the Trustees each oversaw ten registered investment companies in the fund complex.

*

On November 4, 2022, the Fund changed its name from the iMGP Equity Fund to the iMGP Global Select Fund.

**

Mr. Uzan became a Trustee on March 8, 2023.

Trustee Interest in Investment Advisor, Distributor or Affiliates

As of December 31, 2022, the Independent Trustees, and their respective immediate family members, did not own any securities beneficially or of record in the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”) or any of their respective affiliates. Further, the Independent Trustees and their respective immediate family members did not have a direct or indirect interest, the value of which exceeds $120,000, in the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, the Distributor, or any of their respective affiliates during the two most recently completed calendar years.

Compensation

For the year ended December 31, 2022 each Independent Trustee receives an annual fee of $125,000, allocated $13,000 per operational Fund with the remaining balance pro-rated quarterly based on each Fund’s net assets, plus expenses incurred by the Trustees in connection with attendance at meetings of the Board and its committees. Each Independent Trustee also receives an attendance fee in the amount of $6,000 for each special meeting of the Board, to be allocated to each Fund on a prorated basis based on each Fund’s assets. For the year ended December 31, 2022, Ms. Allecta served as the lead Independent Trustee and received an additional annual retainer in the amount of $12,500, allocated to each Fund on a prorated basis based on each Fund’s assets. Effective March 8, 2023, Ms. Allecta was elected as Chair of the Board and receives an annual retainer of $12,500, equal to her previous retainer as lead Independent Trustee, to be allocated to each Fund on a prorated basis based on each Fund’s assets.

As of the date of this SAI, to the best of the knowledge of the Trust, the Board and the officers of the Funds, as a group, owned of record less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.

The table below illustrates the annual compensation paid to each Trustee of the Trust during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

 

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Name of Trustee

  

Aggregate Compensation

from the Trust^

  

Pension or Retirement

Benefits Accrued as part

of Fund Expenses

  

Total Compensation

from the Trust and Fund

Complex paid to

Trustees

Independent Trustees         
Julie Allecta    $[    ]    $0    $[    ]
Thomas W. Bird    $[    ]    $0    $[    ]
Jennifer M. Borggaard    $[    ]    $0    $[    ]
Jonathan W. DePriest    $[    ]    $0    $[    ]
Frederick A. Eigenbrod, Jr., Ph.D.    $[    ]    $0    $[    ]
Harold M. Shefrin, Ph.D.    $[    ]    $0    $[    ]
Interested Trustees         
Jeremy L. DeGroot*, **    None    None    None
Jeffrey K. Seeley*    None    None    None
Philippe Uzan***    None    None    None

 

*

As of December 31, 2022, Mr. DeGroot and Mr. Seeley were each an Interested Trustee because of their relationship with the Advisor and accordingly served on the Board without compensation.

**

Mr. DeGroot served as a Trustee through March 8, 2023.

***

Mr. Uzan became a Trustee on March 8, 2023.

Control Persons and Principal Shareholders

A principal shareholder is any person who owns (either of record or beneficially) 5% or more of the outstanding shares of any class of any Fund. A control person is one who owns, either directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the voting securities of the Fund or acknowledges the existence of such control. A control person can have a significant impact on the outcome of a shareholder vote. Because the Fund is newly formed, no persons own of record or beneficially 5% or more of its outstanding shares as of the date of this SAI.

PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS DISCLOSURE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

The Board has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Fund’s security holdings. The Fund’s entire portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Fund is open for business and through financial reporting and news services including publicly available internet web sites. In addition, the composition of the Deposit Securities is publicly disseminated daily prior to the opening of the Exchange via the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”).

THE ADVISOR AND THE SUB-ADVISOR

The Advisor is a registered investment advisor with the SEC under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). The Advisor is wholly owned by Litman Gregory Wealth Management, LLC. Litman Gregory Wealth Management, LLC is wholly-owned by iM Global Partner US, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of iM Global Partner SAS. iM Global Partner SAS, a holding company, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of iM Square SAS, a Paris-based investment and development platform dedicated to the asset management business, which is owned by Amundi Ventures, Legendre Holdings 36 and a third non-controlling party. Amundi Ventures, a holding company, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amundi SA, a European asset management company. Amundi SA is owned by Credit Agricole SA, public (free float) and employees. Credit Agricole SA is owned by SAS rue de la Boétie, public (free float) and employees. Legendre Holdings 36, a holding company, is majority owned (>75%) by Eurazeo SA, a European investment firm.

 

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Subject to the supervision of the Board, investment management and related services are provided by the Advisor to the Fund, pursuant to an investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”). The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the Advisor are parties to the Advisory Agreement. Shareholders are not parties to, or intended (or “third party”) beneficiaries of, the Advisory Agreement. Rather, the Trust and its respective investment series are the sole intended beneficiaries of the Advisory Agreement. Neither this SAI nor the Prospectus is intended to give rise to any contract rights or other rights in any shareholder, other than any rights conferred by federal or state securities laws that may not be waived.

In addition, individual selection of securities is provided by the Sub-Advisor approved by the Board pursuant, in each case, to an investment sub-advisory agreement (each, a “Management Agreement”). Under the Advisory Agreement, the Advisor has agreed to (i) furnish the Fund with advice and recommendations with respect to the selection and continued employment of Sub-Advisor to manage the actual investment of the Fund’s assets; (ii) direct the allocation of the Fund’s assets among such Sub-Advisor; (iii) oversee the investments made by such Sub-Advisor on behalf of the Fund, subject to the ultimate supervision and direction of the Board; (iv) oversee the actions of the Sub-Advisor with respect to voting proxies for the Fund, filing Section 13 ownership reports with the SEC for the Fund, and taking other actions on behalf of the Fund; (v) maintain the books and records required to be maintained by the Fund except to the extent arrangements have been made for such books and records to be maintained by the administrator, another agent of the Fund or the Sub-Advisor; (vi) furnish reports, statements and other data on securities, economic conditions and other matters related to the investment of the Fund’s assets that the Fund’s administrator or distributor or the officers of the Trust may reasonably request; and (vii) render to the Board such periodic and special reports with respect to the Fund’s investment activities as the Board may reasonably request, including at least one in-person appearance annually before the Board.

The Advisor has agreed, at its own expense, to maintain such staff and employ or retain such personnel and consult with such other persons as it shall from time to time determine to be necessary to the performance of its obligations under the Advisory Agreement. Personnel of the Advisor may serve as officers of the Trust provided they do so without compensation from the Trust. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the staff and personnel of the Advisor shall be deemed to include persons employed or retained by the Advisor to furnish statistical information, research, and other factual information, advice regarding economic factors and trends, information with respect to technical and scientific developments, and such other information, advice and assistance as the Advisor or the Board may desire and reasonably request. With respect to the operation of the Fund, the Advisor has agreed to be responsible for (i) providing the personnel, office space and equipment reasonably necessary for the operation of the Trust and the Fund including the provision of persons qualified to serve as officers of the Trust; (ii) compensating the Sub-Advisor selected to invest the assets of the Fund; (iii) the expenses of printing and distributing extra copies of the Fund’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and sales and advertising materials (but not the legal, auditing or accounting fees incurred thereto) to prospective investors (but not to existing shareholders); and (iv) the costs of any special Board meetings or shareholder meetings convened for the primary benefit of the Advisor or any Sub-Advisor.

Under the Management Agreement for the Fund, the Sub-Advisor agrees to invest the assets of the Fund in accordance with the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Fund as set forth in the Trust’s and the Fund’s governing documents, including, without limitation, the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust and By-Laws; the Fund’s prospectus, statement of additional information, and undertakings; and such other limitations, policies and procedures as the Advisor or the Trustees of the Trust may impose from time to time in writing to the Sub-Advisor. In providing such services, the Sub-Advisor shall at all times adhere to the provisions and restrictions contained in the federal securities laws, applicable state securities laws, the Code, and other applicable law.

Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Sub-Advisor has agreed to (i) furnish the Fund with advice and recommendations with respect to the investment of the Fund’s assets; (ii) effect the purchase and sale of portfolio securities; (iii) manage and oversee the investments, subject to the ultimate supervision and direction of the Board; (iv) vote proxies and take other actions with respect to the securities; (v) maintain the books and records required to be maintained; (vi) furnish reports, statements and other data on securities, economic conditions and other matters related to the investment of the Fund’s assets which the Advisor, Trustees or the officers of the Trust may reasonably request; and (vii) render to the Board such periodic and special reports as the Board may reasonably request.

 

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As compensation for the Advisor’s services (including payment of the Sub-Advisor’s fees), the Fund pays the Advisor an advisory fee at the rate specified in the prospectus. From that advisory fee, the Advisor is responsible for the Fund’s operating expenses, including: fees and expenses incurred in connection with the issuance, registration and transfer of its shares; all expenses of transfer, receipt, safekeeping, servicing and accounting for the cash, securities and other property of the Trust for the benefit of the Fund including all fees and expenses of its custodian, shareholder services agent and accounting services agent; costs and expenses of pricing and calculating its daily NAV and of maintaining its books of account required under the 1940 Act; taxes, if any; a pro rata portion of expenditures in connection with meetings of the Fund’s shareholders and the Board that are properly payable by the Fund; salaries and expenses of officers and fees and expenses of members of the Board or members of any advisory board or committee who are not members of, affiliated with or interested persons of the Advisor; insurance premiums on property or personnel of the Fund that inure to its benefit, including liability and fidelity bond insurance; the cost of preparing and printing reports, proxy statements, prospectuses and statements of additional information of the Fund or other communications for distribution to existing shareholders; legal, auditing and accounting fees; trade association dues; fees and expenses (including legal fees) of registering and maintaining registration of its shares for sale under federal and applicable state and foreign securities laws; all expenses of maintaining and servicing shareholder accounts, including all charges for transfer, shareholder recordkeeping, dividend disbursing, redemption, and other agents for the benefit of the Fund, if any; and all other charges and costs of its operation plus any extraordinary and non-recurring expenses, except as otherwise prescribed in the Advisory Agreement. The Fund remains responsible for taxes, brokerage commissions and other transactional expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, and extraordinary expenses.

Under the Advisory Agreement and the Management Agreement, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor will not be liable to the Trust for any error of judgment by the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor or any loss sustained by the Trust except in the case of a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of compensation for services (in which case any award of damages will be limited as provided in the 1940 Act) or of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the applicable agreement.

The Advisory Agreement and the Management Agreement remain in effect for an initial period not to exceed two years. Thereafter, if not terminated, the Advisory Agreement and the Management Agreement will continue automatically for successive annual periods, provided that such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (i) by a majority vote of the Independent Trustees cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval, and (ii) by the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.

The Advisory Agreement and Management Agreement are terminable by vote of the Board or by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund at any time without penalty, upon 60 days’ written notice to the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor, as applicable. The Advisory Agreement and the Management Agreement also may be terminated by the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor, as applicable, upon 60 days’ written notice to the Fund. The Advisory Agreement and the Management Agreement terminate automatically upon their assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).

In determining whether to renew the Advisory Agreement and the Management Agreement each year, the Board requests and evaluates information provided by the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor, in accordance with Section 15(c) of the 1940 Act. At a Board meeting held on [ ], 2023 the Board considered the approval of the Management Agreement for the Fund for an initial two-year period from the Fund’s commencement of operations. A discussion regarding the Board’s basis for approving the Fund/s investment advisory agreements with Advisor and the Sub-Advisor will be available in the Fund’s Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal period ending June 30, 2023.

The Sub-Advisor is Berkshire Asset Management (“Berkshire”). Berkshire is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm founded in 1986. In 1999 the firm was sold to Legg Mason. In 2007, senior leadership repurchased the firm—forming Berkshire Asset Management, LLC in its current form. The Sub-Advisor is an independent advisor with $4.1 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2022.

 

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Berkshire Asset Management is a fee-based SEC-registered advisory firm serving the portfolio management needs of high net worth and institutional clients specializing in dividend focused equity strategies. The firm was initially focused on direct wealth management solutions but expanded its client base to include third-party advisory relationships with broker dealers, registered investment advisors and turnkey asset management platforms.

In December 2022, iM Global Partner, an affiliate of the Advisor, acquired a 45% minority non-controlling stake in Berkshire Asset Management. Employees of the firm own more than 50% of the firm.

ADDITIONAL PORTFOLIO MANAGER INFORMATION

The following section provides information regarding each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed, material conflicts of interests, and any ownership of securities in the Fund.

Other Accounts Managed by Portfolio Managers

The table below identifies, for each portfolio manager of the Fund, the number of accounts managed (excluding the Fund) and the total assets in such accounts, within each of the following categories: registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles, and other accounts. To the extent that any of these accounts are based on account performance, this information is reflected in separate tables below. Information in all tables is shown as [ ], 2023. Asset amounts are approximate and have been rounded.

 

    

Registered

Investment Companies
(excluding the Fund)

    

Other Pooled

Investment Vehicles

     Other Accounts  

Portfolio Manager

(Firm)

   Number of
Accounts
     Total
Assets
in the
Accounts
     Number
of
Accounts
     Total
Assets
in the
Accounts
     Number
of
Accounts
     Total
Assets
in the
Accounts
 

Jeremy DeGroot (iM Global)

      $           $           $    

Kiki Vallarta (iM Global)

      $           $           $    

Kenneth Krogulski (Berkshire)

      $           $           $    

Gerald Mihalick (Berkshire)

      $           $           $    

Michael Weaver (Berkshire)

      $           $           $    

Material Conflicts of Interest

Actual or apparent material conflicts of interest may arise when a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to more than one investment account or in other circumstances. Portfolio managers of the Sub-Advisor who manage other investment accounts in addition to the Fund may be presented with the potential conflicts described below.

IM GLOBAL

Advisor to the Fund

iM Global has overall responsibility for assets under management and conducts oversight and evaluation of the Fund’s investment managers and other duties. iM Global generally does not make day-to-day decisions with respect to the purchase and sale of portfolio securities by the Fund. Accordingly, no material conflicts of interest are expected to arise between the Fund and other accounts managed by the portfolio managers. iM Global has adopted compliance policies, including allocation policies and a code of ethics, which are intended to prevent or mitigate conflicts of interest, if any, that may arise.

 

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BERKSHIRE ASSET MANAGEMENT

Sub-Advisor to the Fund

Material conflicts of interest that may arise in connection with a portfolio manager’s management of the Fund’s investments and investments of other accounts managed include material conflicts between the investment strategy of the Fund and the investment strategy of the other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, and conflicts associated with the allocation of investment opportunities between the Fund and other accounts managed by the portfolio managers. The Sub-Advisor maintains investment, trade allocation, and account valuation (including fair valuation) policies and procedures to address such conflicts of interest.

Compensation Structure and Methods

The following section describes the structure of, and the methods used to determine the different types of compensation (e.g., salary, bonus, deferred compensation, retirement plans and arrangements) for each of the Fund’s portfolio managers as of the date of this SAI.

IM GLOBAL

Advisor to the Fund

iM Global’s portfolio managers are compensated based on a fixed salary and a distribution of iM Global’s profits commensurate with the portfolio managers’ respective ownership percentages in the parent company of the Advisor.

BERKSHIRE ASSET MANAGEMENT

Sub-Advisor to the Fund

Each portfolio manager receives a fixed salary and owns an equity interest in the Sub-Advisor. Each Portfolio Manager’s compensation is determined by the profitability of the Sub-Advisor and is not based on the performance or value of assets of the Fund.

Portfolio Manager Securities Ownership

The table below identifies the dollar range of Fund shares beneficially owned by each portfolio manager of such Fund, as of the date of this SAI.

 

Portfolio Manager/

Fund(s) Managed

  

Dollar Range of

Securities Owned

Jeremy DeGroot

Kiko Vallarta

Kenneth Krogulski

Gerard Mihalick

Michael Weaver

  

Key of Dollar Ranges for Table: A - None; B - $1 to $10,000; C - $10,001 to $50,000; D - $50,001 to $100,000; E - $100,001 - $500,000; F - $500,001 - $1,000,000; G - Over $1,000,000.

PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

The Board has delegated the responsibility for voting proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Fund to the Advisor as a part of the Advisor’s general management of the Fund, subject to the Board’s continuing oversight. The policy of the Trust is also to adopt the policies and procedures used by the Advisor to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities held by its clients.

 

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The following information is a summary of the proxy voting policies and procedures of the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor.

IM GLOBAL

Advisor to the Fund

It is the Advisor’s policy to vote all proxies received by the Fund in a timely manner. In general, the Advisor will vote in accordance with its pre-determined voting guidelines (the “Guidelines”). However, the Advisor reserves the right to depart from any of the Guidelines and make a voting decision on a case-by-case basis. Although many proxy proposals will be covered by the Guidelines, the Advisor recognizes that some proposals require special consideration, and the Advisor will make a decision on a case-by-case basis in these situations. Where such a case-by-case determination is required, the Advisor’s proxy voting coordinator may, but is not required to, consult with other personnel of the Advisor to determine the appropriate action on the matter.

Unless otherwise instructed by the Fund, the Advisor may, and generally will, delegate the responsibility for voting proxies relating to the Fund’s portfolio securities to one or more of the Sub-Advisor. To the extent such responsibility is delegated to the Sub-Advisor, the Sub-Advisor shall assume the fiduciary duty and reporting responsibilities of the Advisor. Unless otherwise instructed by the Fund or the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor shall apply its own proxy voting policies and procedures.

The Advisor’s duty is to vote in the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders. In situations where the Advisor determines that a proxy proposal raises a material conflict of interest between the interests of the Advisor, the Fund’s principal underwriter, or an affiliated person of the Advisor or the principal underwriter and that of one or more funds, the conflict shall be resolved by voting in accordance with a predetermined voting policy. However, to the extent that (1) no pre-determined voting policy applies to the specific proposal or (2) there is an applicable pre-determined voting policy, but the Advisor has discretion to deviate from such policy, the Advisor shall disclose the conflict to the Board and seek the Board’s direction or consent to the proposed vote prior to voting on such proposal.

BERKSHIRE ASSET MANAGEMENT

Sub-Advisor to the Fund

[To be provided.]

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PROXY VOTING

The actual voting records relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, are available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free, 1-800-960-0188 or by accessing the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures are also available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-960-0188.

ADMINISTRATOR

State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street” or the “Administrator”) serves as the Trust’s administrator pursuant to an Administration Agreement dated September 10, 2014 (the “Administration Agreement”). State Street is a wholly owned subsidiary of State Street Corporation, a publicly held bank holding company. State Street is located at One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111. Pursuant to the Administration Agreement with the Trust, the Administrator has agreed to furnish statistical and research data, clerical services, and stationery and office supplies; prepare various reports for filing with the appropriate regulatory agencies; and prepare various materials required by the SEC or any state securities commission having jurisdiction over the Trust. The Administration Agreement provides that the Administrator performing services thereunder shall not be liable under the Administration Agreement except for the negligence or willful misconduct of the Administrator, its officers or employees. As compensation for these services, the Advisor pays State Street an annual administration fee based upon a percentage of the average net assets of the Fund.

 

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PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE

The Management Agreement states that the Sub-Advisor shall be responsible for broker-dealer selection and for negotiation of brokerage commission rates, provided that the Sub-Advisor shall not direct orders to an affiliated person of the Sub-Advisor without general prior authorization to use such affiliated broker or dealer by the Board. In general, the Sub-Advisor’s primary consideration in effecting a securities transaction will be execution at the most favorable cost or proceeds under the circumstances. In selecting a broker-dealer to execute each particular transaction, the Sub-Advisor may take the following into consideration: the best net price available; the reliability, integrity and financial condition of the broker-dealer; the size of and difficulty in executing the order; and the value of the expected contribution of the broker-dealer to the investment performance of the Fund on a continuing basis. The price to the Fund in any transaction may be less favorable than that available from another broker-dealer if the difference is reasonably justified by other aspects of the portfolio execution services offered.

Subject to such policies as the Advisor and the Board may determine, the Sub-Advisor shall not be deemed to have acted unlawfully or to have breached any duty created by its Management Agreement with the Fund or otherwise solely by reason of its having caused the Fund to pay a broker or dealer that provides (directly or indirectly) brokerage or research services to the Sub-Advisor a commission for effecting a portfolio transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction, if the Sub-Advisor determines in good faith that such amount of commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such broker or dealer, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or the Sub-Advisor’s or Advisor’s overall responsibilities with respect to the Fund or other advisory clients. The Sub-Advisor is further authorized to allocate the orders placed by it on behalf of the Fund to such brokers or dealers who also provide research or statistical material, or other services, to the Trust, the Advisor or any affiliate of either. Such allocation shall be in such amounts and proportions as the Sub-Advisor shall determine. The Sub-Advisor shall report on such allocations regularly to the Advisor and the Trust, indicating the broker-dealers to whom such allocations have been made and the basis for such allocations.

On occasions when the Sub-Advisor deems the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interest of the Fund as well as other clients of the Sub-Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may aggregate the securities to be so purchased or sold in order to obtain the most favorable price or lower brokerage commissions and the most efficient execution. In such event, allocation of the securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Sub-Advisor in the manner it considers to be the most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Fund and to such other clients.

Brokerage with Fund Affiliates. The Fund may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through registered broker-dealer affiliates of the Fund, the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor or the Distributor for a commission in conformity with the 1940 Act, the 1934 Act and rules promulgated by the SEC. These rules require that commissions paid to the affiliate by the Fund for exchange transactions not exceed “usual and customary” brokerage commissions. The rules define “usual and customary” commissions to include amounts which are “reasonable and fair compared to the commission, fee or other remuneration received or to be received by other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or sold on a securities exchange during a comparable period of time.” The Trustees, including those who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, have adopted procedures for evaluating the reasonableness of commissions paid to affiliates and review these procedures periodically.

Securities of “Regular Broker-Dealers.” The Fund is required to identify any securities of its “regular brokers and dealers” (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) that it may hold at the close of its most recent fiscal year. “Regular brokers or dealers” of the Fund are the ten brokers or dealers that, during the most recent fiscal year: (i) received the greatest dollar amounts of brokerage commissions from the Fund’s portfolio transactions; (ii) engaged as principal in the largest dollar amounts of portfolio transactions of the Fund; or (iii) sold the largest dollar amounts of the Shares.

 

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Subject to such policies as the Advisor and the Board may determine, the Sub-Advisor shall not be deemed to have acted unlawfully or to have breached any duty created by its Management Agreement with the Fund or otherwise solely by reason of its having caused the Fund to pay a broker or dealer that provides (directly or indirectly) brokerage or research services to the Sub-Advisor a commission for effecting a portfolio transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction, if the Sub-Advisor determines in good faith that such amount of commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such broker or dealer, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or the Sub-Advisor’s or Advisor’s overall responsibilities with respect to the Fund or other advisory clients. The Sub-Advisor is further authorized to allocate the orders placed by it on behalf of the Fund to such brokers or dealers who also provide research or statistical material, or other services, to the Trust, the Advisor or any affiliate of either. Such allocation shall be in such amounts and proportions as the Sub-Advisor shall determine. The Sub-Advisor shall report on such allocations regularly to the Advisor and the Trust, indicating the broker-dealers to whom such allocations have been made and the basis for such allocations.

On occasions when the Sub-Advisor deems the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interest of the Fund as well as other clients of the Sub-Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may aggregate the securities to be so purchased or sold in order to obtain the most favorable price or lower brokerage commissions and the most efficient execution. In such event, allocation of the securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Sub-Advisor in the manner it considers to be the most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Fund and to such other clients.

Distribution of Fund Shares

The Fund’s principal underwriter is ALPS Distributors, Inc., 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Distributor only in Creation Units on a best efforts basis. The Distributor will not distribute Shares in amounts less than a Creation Unit and does not maintain a secondary market in Shares. The principal business address of the Distributor is 111 East Kilbourn Avenue, Suite 2200, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202.

Under the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor, as agent for the Trust, will review orders for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units, provided that any subscriptions and orders will not be binding on the Trust until accepted by the Trust. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and a member of FINRA.

The Distributor may also enter into agreements with securities dealers (“Soliciting Dealers”) who will solicit purchases of Creation Units of Shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as discussed in “Procedures for Purchase of Creation Units” below) or DTC participants (as defined below).

The Distribution Agreement continues in effect only if its continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board or by vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities and, in either case, by a majority of the Independent Trustees who are not parties to the agreement or interested persons of any such party. The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust on behalf of the Fund on 60 days’ written notice when authorized either by a majority vote of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund or by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees. The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Distributor upon 60 days’ written notice to the Trust. The Distribution Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act).

 

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Distribution Plan

As noted in the prospectus, the Trust has adopted a Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the “Distribution Plan”) on behalf of the Fund. In accordance with the Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year for certain distribution-related activities and shareholder services. Under the Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay a Rule 12b-1 fee to the Distributor and other authorized recipients (the “Distribution Fee”) for distribution and shareholder services on behalf of the Fund. The Plan provides that the Distributor may use all or any portion of such Distribution Fee to finance any activity that is principally intended to result in the sale of the Fund’s shares, subject to the terms of the Plan, or to provide certain shareholder services.

No fees are currently paid pursuant to the Plan by the Fund, and there is no expectation that such fees will be imposed. However, in the event fees are charged to the Fund pursuant to the Plan in the future, because the fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.

Under the Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay a fee (the “Distribution Fee”) to the Distributor and other authorized persons pursuant to the Plan for distribution and shareholder services on behalf of the Fund. Under the Plan, the Distributor may use all or any portion of such Distribution Fee to finance any activity that is principally intended to result in the sale of the Fund’s shares, subject to the terms of the Plan, or to provide certain shareholder services.

Set forth below is a list of the member firms of FINRA to which the Advisor, or its affiliates, made payments out of their revenues in connection with the sale and distribution of the Fund’s shares or for services to the Fund and its shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2022. Such payments are in addition to any Distribution Plan amounts paid to such FINRA member firms. Any additions, modifications, or deletions to the FINRA member firms identified in this list since December 31, 2022 are not reflected:

FINRA member firms

Raymond James

The Advisor or its affiliates may also make payments to selling and shareholder servicing agents that are not FINRA member firms and that sell shares of or provide services to the Fund and its shareholders, such as banks, insurance companies and plan administrators. These firms are not included on the list above, although they may be affiliated with companies on the above list.

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

The portfolio turnover rate is calculated by dividing the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities by the average monthly value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. For purposes of this calculation, portfolio securities exclude all securities having a maturity when purchased of one year or less. High turnover rates are likely to result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses. Because the Fund has not yet commenced operations, no portfolio turnover figures are available as of the date of this SAI.

BOOK ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM

The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) acts as securities depositary for Shares. Shares are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC. Except in limited circumstances set forth below, certificates will not be issued for Shares.

 

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DTC is a limited-purpose trust company that 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 (“NYSE”) and FINRA. Access to the DTC system is also 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 in this SAI as “Beneficial Owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (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 of Shares. The Trust recognizes DTC or its nominee as the record owner of all Shares for all purposes. Beneficial Owners of Shares are not entitled to have Shares registered in their names, and will not receive or be entitled to physical delivery of Share certificates. Each Beneficial Owner must rely on the procedures of DTC and any DTC Participant and/or Indirect Participant through which such Beneficial Owner holds its interests, to exercise any rights of a holder of Shares.

Conveyance of all notices, statements, and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. DTC will make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee a listing of Shares held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall obtain from each such DTC Participant 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 notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, 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.

Share 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 credit immediately DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in the Fund 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 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 determine to discontinue providing its service with respect to the Fund at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Fund and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Fund shall take action either to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost or, if such replacement is unavailable, to issue and deliver printed certificates representing ownership of Shares, unless the Trust makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the Exchange.

 

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PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES IN CREATION UNITS

The Trust issues and sells Shares only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load (but subject to transaction fees, if applicable), at their NAV per share next determined after receipt of an order, on any Business Day, in proper form pursuant to the terms of the Authorized Participant Agreement (“Participant Agreement”). The NAV of Shares is calculated each business day as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE, generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The Fund will not issue fractional Creation Units. A “Business Day” is any day on which the Exchange is open for business.

Fund Deposit. The consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit of the Fund generally consists of a specified cash payment (the “Deposit Cash”) and/or Deposit Securities (defined below) and a Cash Component (defined below). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust reserves the right to offer and issue Shares in exchange for an in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of Deposit Securities per each Creation Unit, constituting a substantial replication of the securities included in the Fund’s portfolio and a Cash Component (defined below), computed as described below. The Trust also reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of a “cash in lieu” amount to be added to the Deposit Cash to replace any Deposit Security. When accepting purchases of Creation Units for all or a portion of Deposit Cash, the Fund may incur additional costs associated with the acquisition of Deposit Securities that would otherwise be provided by an in-kind purchaser.

Together, the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of the Fund. The “Cash Component” is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of Shares (per Creation Unit) and the value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable. If the Cash Component is a positive number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash Component shall be such positive amount. If the Cash Component is a negative number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash Component shall be such negative amount and the creator will be entitled to receive cash in an amount equal to the Cash Component. The Cash Component serves the function of compensating for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable. Computation of the Cash Component excludes any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities, if applicable, which shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant.

The Fund, through NSCC, makes available on each Business Day, prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time), the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security or the required amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the Fund. Such Fund Deposit is subject to any applicable adjustments as described below, to effect purchases of Creation Units of the Fund until such time as the next-announced composition of the Deposit Securities or the required amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, is made available. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Fund may determine on a given Business Day that all purchases, all redemptions, or all purchases and redemptions on that day will be made entirely in cash.

The identity and number of Shares of the Deposit Securities or the amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, required for a Fund Deposit for the Fund may change from time to time.

Procedures for Purchase of Creation Units. To be eligible to place orders with the Transfer Agent to purchase a Creation Unit of the Fund, an entity must be (i) a “Participating Party” (i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC (the “Clearing Process”)), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC; or (ii) a DTC Participant (see “Book Entry Only System”). In addition, each Participating Party or DTC Participant (each, an “Authorized Participant”) must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor, and that has been accepted by the Transfer Agent, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Each Authorized Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms of a Participant Agreement, on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that it will pay to the Trust, an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component together with the creation transaction fee (described below), if applicable, and any other applicable fees and taxes.

 

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All orders to purchase Shares directly from the Fund must be placed for one or more Creation Units and in the manner and by the time set forth in the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form. The order cut-off time for the Fund for orders to purchase Creation Units, including custom orders, is expected to be 2:00 p.m. Eastern time, which time may be modified by the Fund from time-to-time by amendment to the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form. The date on which an order to purchase Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units, as set forth below) is received and accepted is referred to as the “Order Placement Date.”

An Authorized Participant may require an investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order (e.g., to provide for payments of cash, when required). Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and that, therefore, orders to purchase Shares directly from the Fund in Creation Units have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement and only a small number of such Authorized Participants may have international capabilities.

On days when the Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to create Creation Units to be placed earlier in the day. In addition, if a market or markets on which the Fund’s investments are primarily traded is closed, the Fund will also generally not accept orders on such day(s). Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Transfer Agent pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement and in accordance with the applicable order form. On behalf of the Fund, the Transfer Agent will notify the Custodian of such order. The Custodian will then provide such information to the appropriate local sub-custodian(s). Those placing orders through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order to the Transfer Agent by the cut-off time on such Business Day. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure may impede the ability to reach the Transfer Agent or an Authorized Participant.

Fund Deposits must be delivered by an Authorized Participant through the Federal Reserve System (for cash) or through DTC (for corporate securities), through a subcustody agent (for foreign securities) and/or through such other arrangements allowed by the Trust or its agents. With respect to foreign Deposit Securities, the Custodian shall cause the subcustodian of the Fund to maintain an account into which the Authorized Participant shall deliver, on behalf of itself or the party on whose behalf it is acting, such Deposit Securities (or Deposit Cash for all or a part of such securities, as permitted or required), with any appropriate adjustments as advised by the Trust. Foreign Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local subcustodian. The Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the Authorized Participant in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, to the account of the Fund or its agents by no later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (or such other time as specified by the Trust) on the Settlement Date. If the Fund or its agents do not receive all of the Deposit Securities, or the required Deposit Cash in lieu thereof, by such time, then the order may be deemed rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. The “Settlement Date” for the Fund is generally the second Business Day after the Order Placement Date. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash to be delivered, as applicable, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities or cash, as applicable, will be determined by the Trust, whose determination shall be final and binding. The amount of cash represented by the Cash Component must be transferred directly to the Custodian through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by the Custodian no later than the Settlement Date. If the Cash Component and the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, are not received by the Custodian in a timely manner by the Settlement Date, the creation order may be cancelled. Upon written notice to the Transfer Agent, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using a Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then current NAV of the Fund.

 

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The order shall be deemed to be received on the Business Day on which the order is placed provided that the order is placed in proper form prior to the applicable cut-off time and the federal funds in the appropriate amount are deposited by 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time (as set forth on the applicable order form), with the Custodian on the Settlement Date. If the order is not placed in proper form as required, or federal funds in the appropriate amount are not received by 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time (as set forth on the applicable order form) on the Settlement Date, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. A creation request is considered to be in “proper form” if all procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, order form and this SAI are properly followed.

Issuance of a Creation Unit. Except as provided in this SAI, Creation Units will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Trust of the Deposit Securities or payment of Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the subcustodian has confirmed to the Custodian that the required Deposit Securities (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant subcustodian or subcustodians, the Transfer Agent and the Adviser shall be notified of such delivery, and the Trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Units. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the second Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Transfer Agent. The Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting from unsettled orders.

Creation Units may be purchased in advance of receipt by the Trust of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these circumstances, the initial deposit will have a value greater than the NAV of Shares on the date the order is placed in proper form since, in addition to available Deposit Securities, cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Component, plus (ii) an additional amount of cash equal to a percentage of the value as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the undelivered Deposit Securities (the “Additional Cash Deposit”), which shall be maintained in a separate non-interest bearing collateral account. The Authorized Participant must deposit with the Custodian the Additional Cash Deposit, as applicable, by 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (or such other time as specified by the Trust) on the Settlement Date. If the Fund or its agents do not receive the Additional Cash Deposit in the appropriate amount, by such time, then the order may be deemed rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with the Trust, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with the Trust in an amount at least equal to the applicable percentage, as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the daily market value of the missing Deposit Securities. The Participant Agreement will permit the Trust to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time. Authorized Participants will be liable to the Trust for the costs incurred by the Trust in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the value of such Deposit Securities on the day the purchase order was deemed received by the Transfer Agent plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases. The Trust will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Securities have been properly received by the Custodian or purchased by the Trust and deposited into the Trust. In addition, a transaction fee, as described below under “Creation Transaction Fee”, may be charged. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the Settlement Date.

Acceptance of Orders of Creation Units. The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject an order for Creation Units transmitted to it by the Transfer Agent with respect to the Fund including, without limitation, if (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, delivered by the Authorized Participant are not as disseminated through the facilities of the NSCC for that date by the Custodian; (c) the investor(s), upon obtaining Shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares; (d) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (e) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (f) the acceptance of the Fund 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; (g) the acceptance or receipt of the order for a Creation Unit would, in the opinion of counsel to the Trust, be unlawful; or (h) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Custodian, the Transfer Agent and/or the Adviser make it for all practical purposes not feasible to process orders for Creation Units.

 

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Examples of such circumstances include acts of God or 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 Distributor, the Custodian, a sub-custodian, the Transfer Agent, DTC, NSCC, Federal Reserve System, or any other participant in the creation process, and other extraordinary events. The Transfer Agent shall notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of the creator of a Creation Unit of its rejection of the order of such person. The Trust, the Transfer Agent, 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 Fund Deposits nor shall either of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification. The Trust, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian and the Distributor shall not be liable for the rejection of any purchase order for Creation Units.

All questions as to the number of Shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.

Creation Transaction Fee. A fixed purchase (i.e., creation) transaction fee, payable to the Fund’s custodian, may be imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the purchase of Creation Units (“Creation Order Costs”). The standard fixed creation transaction fee for the Fund is $[ ], regardless of the number of Creation Units created in the transaction. The Fund may adjust the standard fixed creation transaction fee from time to time. The fixed creation fee may be waived on certain orders if the Fund’s custodian has determined to waive some or all of the Creation Order Costs associated with the order or another party, such as the Adviser, has agreed to pay such fee.

In addition, a variable fee, payable to the Fund, of up to a maximum of 2% of the value of the Creation Units subject to the transaction may be imposed for cash purchases, non-standard orders, or partial cash purchases of Creation Units. The variable charge is primarily designed to cover additional costs (e.g., brokerage, taxes) involved with buying the securities with cash. The Fund may determine to not charge a variable fee on certain orders when the Adviser has determined that doing so is in the best interests of the shareholders of the Fund. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. Investors are responsible for the fixed costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Fund to their account or on their order.

Risks of Purchasing Creation Units. There are certain legal risks unique to investors purchasing Creation Units directly from the Fund. Because Shares may be issued on an ongoing basis, a “distribution” of Shares could be occurring at any time. Certain activities that a shareholder performs as a dealer could, depending on the circumstances, result in the shareholder being deemed a participant in the distribution in a manner that could render the shareholder a statutory underwriter and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act. For example, a shareholder could be deemed a statutory underwriter if it purchases Creation Units from the Fund, breaks them down into the constituent Shares, and sells those Shares directly to customers, or if a shareholder chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary-market demand for Shares. Whether a person is an underwriter depends upon all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to that person’s activities, and the examples mentioned here should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could cause you to be deemed an underwriter.

Dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary-market transactions), and thus dealing with Shares as part of an “unsold allotment” 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.

 

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Redemption. Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Fund through the Transfer Agent and only on a Business Day. EXCEPT UPON LIQUIDATION OF THE FUND, THE TRUST WILL NOT REDEEM SHARES IN AMOUNTS LESS THAN CREATION UNITS. Investors must accumulate enough Shares in the secondary market to constitute a Creation Unit to have such Shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no assurance, however, 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.

With respect to the Fund, the Custodian, through the NSCC, makes available prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time) on each Business Day, the list of the names and Share quantities of the Fund’s portfolio securities that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (“Fund Securities”). Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities.

Redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit are paid either in-kind or in cash, or combination thereof, as determined by the Trust. With respect to in-kind redemptions of the Fund, redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit will consist of Fund Securities—as announced by the Custodian on the Business Day of the request for redemption received in proper form plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of Shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities (the “Cash Redemption Amount”), less a fixed redemption transaction fee, as applicable, as set forth below. If the Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of Shares, a compensating cash payment equal to the differential is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at the Trust’s discretion, an Authorized Participant may receive the corresponding cash value of the securities in lieu of the in-kind securities value representing one or more Fund Securities.

Redemption Transaction Fee. A fixed redemption transaction fee, payable to the Fund’s custodian, may be imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the redemption of Creation Units (“Redemption Order Costs”). The standard fixed redemption transaction fee for the Fund is $[ ] regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed in the transaction. The Fund may adjust the redemption transaction fee from time to time. The fixed redemption fee may be waived on certain orders if the Fund’s custodian has determined to waive some or all of the Redemption Order Costs associated with the order or another party, such as the Adviser, has agreed to pay such fee.

In addition, a variable fee, payable to the Fund, of up to a maximum of 2% of the value of the Creation Units subject to the transaction may be imposed for cash redemptions, non-standard orders, or partial cash redemptions (when cash redemptions are available) of Creation Units. The variable charge is primarily designed to cover additional costs (e.g., brokerage, taxes) involved with selling portfolio securities to satisfy a cash redemption. The Fund may determine to not charge a variable fee on certain orders when the Adviser has determined that doing so is in the best interests of the shareholders of the Fund.

Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. Investors are responsible for the fixed costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Fund to their account or on their order.

Procedures for Redemption of Creation Units. Orders to redeem Creation Units must be submitted in proper form to the Transfer Agent prior to 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A redemption request is considered to be in “proper form” if (i) an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Trust’s Transfer Agent the Creation Unit(s) being redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the time as set forth in the Participant Agreement and (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Trust is received by the Transfer Agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified in the Participant Agreement. If the Transfer Agent does not receive the investor’s Shares through DTC’s facilities by the times and pursuant to the other terms and conditions set forth in the Participant Agreement, the redemption request shall be rejected.

 

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The Authorized Participant must transmit the request for redemption, in the form required by the Trust, to the Transfer Agent in accordance with procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement, and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant who has executed an Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such Authorized Participant. Investors making a request to redeem Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an Authorized Participant and transfer of Shares to the Trust’s Transfer Agent; such investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to effect redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not Authorized Participants.

Additional Redemption Procedures. In connection with taking delivery of Shares of Fund Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, a redeeming shareholder or Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such shareholder must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank, or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered. Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be made within two business days of the trade date.

The Trust may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and the redeeming investor 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 equal to the NAV of its Shares based on the NAV of Shares next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee, if applicable, and additional charge for requested cash redemptions specified above, to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). The Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the Fund Securities but does not differ in NAV.

Redemptions of Shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserve the right to redeem Creation Units 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 Authorized Participant or an investor for which it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular security included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of Creation Units may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming investor of Shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer” (“QIB”), 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 144A. An Authorized Participant may be required by the Trust to provide a written confirmation with respect to QIB status to receive Fund Securities.

Because the portfolio securities of the Fund may trade on other exchanges on days that the Exchange is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for the Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their Shares, or to purchase or sell Shares on the Exchange, on days when the NAV of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant foreign markets.

The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the Fund (1) for any period during which the Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the Exchange is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of Shares or determination of the NAV of the Shares is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.

 

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NET ASSET VALUE

The NAV of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate and is determined as of the close of trading on the NYSE (currently, 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) each business day that the NYSE is open for trading. The NYSE annually announces the days on which it will not be open for trading. The most recent announcement indicates that the NYSE will not be open on the following days: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King’s Birthday, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. However, the NYSE may close on days not included in that announcement.

The NAV per share is computed by dividing the value of the securities held by the Fund plus any cash or other assets (including interest and dividends accrued but not yet received) minus all liabilities (including accrued expenses) by the total number of shares in the Fund outstanding at such time.

Generally, trading in and valuation of foreign securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of the NYSE. In addition, trading in and valuation of foreign securities may not take place on every day in which the NYSE is open for trading. In that case, the price used to determine the Fund’s NAV on the last day on which such exchange was open will be used, unless the Board determines that a different price should be used. Furthermore, trading takes place in various foreign markets on days in which the NYSE is not open for trading and on which the Fund’s NAV is not calculated. Occasionally, events affecting the values of such securities in U.S. dollars on a day on which the Fund calculates its NAV may occur between the times when such securities are valued and the close of the NYSE which will not be reflected in the computation of the Fund’s NAV unless the Board or its delegates deem that such events would materially affect the NAV, in which case an adjustment would be made.

Generally, the Fund’s investments are valued on the basis of market quotations. Securities or assets for which market quotations are not available, or for which the pricing service approved by the Board does not provide a valuation or provides a valuation that in the judgment of the Sub-Advisor, with the concurrence of the Advisor, is stale or does not represent the fair value of such securities or assets, shall be valued by the Valuation Committee in consultation with the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, and the Administrator pursuant to procedures approved by the Board.

The Fund’s securities, including ADRs, EDRs and GDRs, which are traded on securities exchanges, are generally determined on the basis of the last reported sale price on the exchange on which such securities are traded (or the NASDAQ official closing price for NASDAQ-reported securities, if such price is provided by the Fund’s accountant), as of the close of business on the day the securities are being valued or, lacking any reported sales, at the mean between the last available bid and asked price. Securities that are traded on more than one exchange are valued on the exchange determined by the Sub-Advisor to be the primary market. Securities traded in the over-the-counter market are valued at the mean between the last available bid and asked price prior to the time of valuation. Securities and assets for which market quotations are not readily available (including restricted securities, which are subject to limitations as to their sale) are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by or under the direction of the Board.

Short-term debt obligations with remaining maturities in excess of 60 days are valued at current market prices, as discussed above. Short-term securities with 60 days or less remaining to maturity are, unless conditions indicate otherwise, amortized to maturity based on their cost to the Fund if acquired within 60 days of maturity or, if already held by the Fund on the 60th day, based on the value determined on the 61st day.

Corporate debt securities, mortgage-related securities and asset-backed securities held by the Fund are valued on the basis of valuations provided by dealers in those instruments, by an independent pricing service and approved by the Board, or at fair value as determined in good faith by procedures approved by the Board. Any such pricing service, in determining value, will use information with respect to transactions in the securities being valued, quotations from dealers, market transactions in comparable securities, analyses and evaluations of various relationships between securities and yield to maturity information.

 

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An option that is written by the Fund is generally valued at the last sale price or, in the absence of the last sale price, the last offer price. An option that is purchased by the Fund is generally valued at the last sale price or, in the absence of the last sale price, the last bid price. The value of a futures contract is the last sale or settlement price on the exchange or board of trade on which the future is traded or, if no sales are reported, at the mean between the last bid and asked price. When a settlement price cannot be used, futures contracts will be valued at their fair market value as determined by or under the direction of the Board. If an options or futures exchange closes after the time at which the Fund’s NAV is calculated, the last sale or last bid and asked prices as of that time will be used to calculate the NAV.

Any assets or liabilities initially expressed in terms of foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at the official exchange rate or, alternatively, at the mean of the current bid and asked prices of such currencies against the U.S. dollar last quoted by a major bank that is a regular participant in the foreign exchange market or on the basis of a pricing service that takes into account the quotes provided by a number of such major banks. If neither of these alternatives is available or both are deemed not to provide a suitable methodology for converting a foreign currency into U.S. dollars, the Board in good faith will establish a conversion rate for such currency.

All other assets of the Fund are valued in such manner as the Board in good faith deems appropriate to reflect their fair value.

TAXATION

The following summarizes certain additional U.S. federal income 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 are not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning.

The following general discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences is based on provisions of the Code and the regulations issued thereunder as in effect on the date of this SAI. New legislation, as well as administrative changes or court decisions, may significantly change the conclusions expressed herein, and may have a retroactive effect with respect to the transactions contemplated herein.

Shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisers regarding the application of the provisions of tax law described in this SAI in light of the particular tax situations of the shareholders and regarding specific questions as to federal, state, local, or foreign taxes.

Taxation of the Fund. The Fund intends to qualify each year to be treated as a separate RIC under the Code. As such, the Fund should not be subject to federal income taxes on its net investment income and capital gains, if any, to the extent that it timely distributes such income and capital gains to its shareholders. To qualify for treatment as a RIC, the Fund must distribute annually to its shareholders at least the sum of 90% of its net investment income (generally including the excess of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses) and 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income, if any (the “Distribution Requirement”) and also must meet several additional requirements. Among these requirements are the following: (i) at least 90% of the Fund’s gross income each taxable year must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or foreign currencies and net income derived from interests in qualified publicly traded partnerships (the “Qualifying Income Requirement”); and (ii) at the end of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year, the Fund’s assets must be diversified so that (a) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs, and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect to any one issuer, to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, including the

 

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equity securities of a qualified publicly traded partnership, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested, including through corporations in which the Fund owns a 20% or more voting stock interest, in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, the securities (other than securities of other RICs) of two or more issuers which the Fund controls and which are engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships (the “Diversification Requirement”).

To the extent the Fund makes investments that may generate income that is not qualifying income, including certain derivatives, the Fund will seek to restrict the resulting income from such investments so that the Fund’s non-qualifying income does not exceed 10% of its gross income.

Although the Fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and may distribute its capital gains for any taxable year, the Fund will be subject to federal income taxation to the extent any such income or gains are not distributed. The Fund is treated as a separate corporation for federal income tax purposes. The Fund therefore is considered to be a separate entity in determining its treatment under the rules for RICs described herein. The requirements (other than certain organizational requirements) for qualifying RIC status are determined at the Fund level rather than at the Trust level.

If the Fund fails to satisfy the Qualifying Income Requirement or the Diversification Requirement in any taxable year, the Fund may be eligible for relief provisions if the failures are due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, and if a penalty tax is paid with respect to each failure to satisfy the applicable requirements. Additionally, relief is provided for certain de minimis failures of the Diversification Requirement where the Fund corrects the failure within a specified period of time. To be eligible for the relief provisions with respect to a failure to meet the Diversification Requirement, the Fund may be required to dispose of certain assets. If these relief provisions were not available to the Fund and it were to fail to qualify for treatment as a RIC for a taxable year, all of its taxable income would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and its distributions (including capital gains distributions) generally would be taxable to the shareholders of the Fund as ordinary income dividends, subject to the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders and the lower tax rates on qualified dividend income received by noncorporate shareholders, subject to certain limitations. To requalify for treatment as a RIC in a subsequent taxable year, the Fund would be required to satisfy the RIC qualification requirements for that year and to distribute any earnings and profits from any year in which the Fund failed to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC. If the Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, it would generally be required to pay a fund-level tax on certain net built in gains recognized with respect to certain of its assets upon disposition of such assets within five years of qualifying as a RIC in a subsequent year. The Board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund for treatment as a RIC if it determines such course of action to be beneficial to shareholders. If the Fund determines that it will not qualify as a RIC, the Fund will establish procedures to reflect the anticipated tax liability in the Fund’s NAV.

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 in characterizing Fund distributions for any calendar year. A “qualified late year loss” generally includes net capital loss, net long-term capital loss, or net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year (commonly referred to as “post-October losses”) and certain other late-year losses.

Capital losses in excess of capital gains (“net capital losses”) are not permitted to be deducted against a RIC’s net investment income. Instead, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, potentially subject to certain limitations, the Fund may carry a net capital loss from any taxable year forward indefinitely to offset its capital gains, if any, in years following the year of the loss. To the extent subsequent capital gains are offset by such losses, they will not result in U.S. federal income tax liability to the Fund and may not be distributed as capital gains to its shareholders. Generally, the Fund may not carry forward any losses other than net capital losses. The carryover of capital losses may be limited under the general loss limitation rules if the Fund experiences an ownership change as defined in the Code.

 

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The Fund will be subject to a nondeductible 4% federal excise tax on certain undistributed income if it does not distribute to its shareholders in each calendar year an amount at least equal to 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year plus 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending on October 31 of that year, subject to an increase for any shortfall in the prior year’s distribution. The Fund intends to declare and distribute dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of the excise tax, but can make no assurances that all such tax liability will be eliminated.

If the Fund meets the Distribution Requirement but retains some or all of its income or gains, it will be subject to federal income tax to the extent any such income or gains are not distributed. The Fund may designate certain amounts retained as undistributed net capital gain in a notice to its shareholders, who (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their proportionate shares of the undistributed amount so designated, (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the income tax paid by the Fund on that undistributed amount against their federal income tax liabilities and to claim refunds to the extent such credits exceed their tax liabilities, and (iii) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for federal income tax purposes, in their Shares by an amount equal to the excess of the amount of undistributed net capital gain included in their respective income over their respective income tax credits.

Taxation of Shareholders – Distributions. The Fund intends to distribute annually to its shareholders substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the deduction for dividends paid), and its net tax-exempt income, if any. The Fund intends to distribute annually any net capital gain (net long-term capital gains in excess of net short-term capital losses, taking into account any capital loss carryforwards). The distribution of investment company taxable income (as so computed) and net realized capital gain will be taxable to Fund shareholders regardless of whether the shareholders receive these distributions in cash or reinvest them in additional Shares.

The Fund (or your broker) will report to shareholders annually the amounts of dividends paid from ordinary income, the amount of distributions of net capital gain, the portion of dividends which may qualify for the dividends received deduction for corporations, and the portion of dividends which may qualify for treatment as qualified dividend income, which is taxable to non-corporate shareholders at rates of up to 20%. Distributions from the Fund’s net capital gain will be taxable to shareholders at long-term capital gains rates, regardless of how long shareholders have held their Shares. Distributions may be subject to state and local taxes.

Qualified dividend income includes, in general, subject to certain holding period and other requirements, dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain foreign corporations. Subject to certain limitations, eligible foreign corporations include those incorporated in possessions of the United States, those incorporated in certain countries with comprehensive tax treaties with the United States, and other foreign corporations if the stock with respect to which the dividends are paid is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. Dividends received by the Fund from an ETF or an underlying fund taxable as a RIC or a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) may be treated as qualified dividend income generally only to the extent so reported by such ETF, underlying fund or REIT. If 95% or more of the Fund’s gross income (calculated without taking into account net capital gain derived from sales or other dispositions of stock or securities) consists of qualified dividend income, the Fund may report all distributions of such income as qualified dividend income.

As noted above, dividends received by the Fund from a REIT may be treated as qualified dividend income, but generally only to the extent so reported by such REIT. Additionally, In general, qualified REIT dividends that an investor receives directly from a REIT are automatically eligible for the 20% qualified business income deduction. The IRS has issued final Treasury Regulations that permit a dividend or part of a dividend paid by a RIC and reported as a “section 199A dividend” to be treated by the recipient as a qualified REIT dividend for purposes of the 20% qualified business income deduction, if certain holding period and other requirements have been satisfied by the recipient with respect to its Fund shares.

 

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Fund dividends will not be treated as qualified dividend income if the Fund does not meet holding period and other requirements with respect to dividend paying stocks in its portfolio, or the shareholder does not meet holding period and other requirements with respect to the Shares on which the dividends were paid. Distributions by the Fund of its net short-term capital gains will be taxable as ordinary income.

In the case of corporate shareholders, certain dividends received by the Fund from U.S. corporations (generally, dividends received by the Fund in respect of any share of stock (1) with a tax holding period of at least 46 days during the 91-day period beginning on the date that is 45 days before the date on which the stock becomes ex-dividend as to that dividend and (2) that is held in an unleveraged position) and distributed and appropriately so reported by the Fund may be eligible for the 50% dividends-received deduction. Certain preferred stock must have a holding period of at least 91 days during the 181-day period beginning on the date that is 90 days before the date on which the stock becomes ex-dividend as to that dividend to be eligible. Capital gain dividends distributed to the Fund from other RICs are not eligible for the dividends-received deduction. To qualify for the deduction, corporate shareholders must meet the minimum holding period requirement stated above with respect to their Shares, taking into account any holding period reductions from certain hedging or other transactions or positions that diminish their risk of loss with respect to their Shares, and, if they borrow to acquire or otherwise incur debt attributable to Shares, they may be denied a portion of the dividends-received deduction with respect to those Shares.

Although dividends generally will be treated as distributed when paid, any dividend declared by the Fund in October, November or December and payable to shareholders of record in such a month that is paid during the following January will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as received by shareholders on December 31 of the calendar year in which it was declared.

In addition to the federal income tax, certain individuals, trusts and estates may be subject to a Net Investment Income (“NII”) tax of 3.8%. The NII tax is imposed on the lesser of: (i) the taxpayer’s investment income, net of deductions properly allocable to such income; or (ii) the amount by which the taxpayer’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds certain thresholds ($250,000 for married individuals filing jointly, $200,000 for unmarried individuals and $125,000 for married individuals filing separately). The Fund’s distributions are includable in a shareholder’s investment income for purposes of this NII tax. In addition, any capital gain realized by a shareholder upon a sale or redemption of Fund shares is includable in such shareholder’s investment income for purposes of this NII tax.

Shareholders who have not held Shares for a full year should be aware that the Fund may report and distribute, as ordinary dividends or capital gain dividends, a percentage of income that is not equal to the percentage of the Fund’s ordinary income or net capital gain, respectively, actually earned during the applicable shareholder’s period of investment in the Fund. A taxable shareholder may wish to avoid investing in the Fund shortly before a dividend or other distribution, because the distribution will generally be taxable even though it may economically represent a return of a portion of the shareholder’s investment.

To the extent that the Fund makes a distribution of income received by the Fund in lieu of dividends (a “substitute payment”) with respect to securities on loan pursuant to a securities lending transaction, such income will not constitute qualified dividend income to individual shareholders and will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders.

If the Fund’s distributions exceed its earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made for a taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder’s cost basis in the Fund and result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when Shares on which the distribution was received are sold. After a shareholder’s basis in Shares has been reduced to zero, distributions in excess of earnings and profits will be treated as gain from the sale of the shareholder’s Shares.

 

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Taxation of Shareholders – Sale of Shares. A sale or redemption of Shares may give rise to a gain or loss. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for more than 12 months. Otherwise, the gain or loss on the taxable disposition of Shares will generally be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. Any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss, rather than short-term capital loss, to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions to the shareholder of long-term capital gain with respect to such Shares (including any amounts credited to the shareholder as undistributed capital gains). All or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares may be disallowed if substantially identical Shares are acquired (through the reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly acquired Shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.

The cost basis of Shares acquired by purchase will generally be based on the amount paid for Shares and then may be subsequently adjusted for other applicable transactions as required by the Code. The difference between the selling price and the cost basis of Shares generally determines the amount of the capital gain or loss realized on the sale of Shares. Contact the broker through whom you purchased your Shares to obtain information with respect to the available cost basis reporting methods and elections for your account.

An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a 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 and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus the amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. A person who redeems Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of any securities received plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot currently be deducted under the rules governing “wash sales” (for a person who does not mark-to-market its portfolio) or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

Any capital gain or loss realized upon the creation of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities exchanged for such Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if Shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses will generally be treated as short-term capital gains or losses. Any loss upon a redemption of Creation Units held for six months or less may be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions to the applicable Authorized Participant of long-term capital gain with respect to the Creation Units (including any amounts credited to the Authorized Participant as undistributed capital gains).

The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has the right to reject an order for Creation Units if the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the Creation Units so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares and if, pursuant to Section 351 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 the provision of information necessary to determine beneficial Share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination. If the Fund does issue Creation Units to a purchaser (or a group of purchasers) that would, upon obtaining the Creation Units so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares, the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) will not recognize gain or loss upon the exchange of securities for Creation Units.

Persons purchasing or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisers with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction and whether the wash sales rule applies and when a loss may be deductible.

Taxation of Fund Investments. Certain of the Fund’s investments may be subject to complex provisions of the Code (including provisions relating to hedging transactions, straddles, integrated transactions, foreign currency contracts, forward foreign currency contracts, and notional principal contracts) that, among other things, may affect the Fund’s ability to qualify as a RIC, affect the character of gains and losses realized by the Fund (e.g., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income

 

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to the Fund and defer losses. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also may require the Fund to mark to market certain types of positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out) which may cause the Fund to recognize income without the Fund receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts sufficient to enable the Fund to satisfy the RIC distribution requirements for avoiding Fund-level income and excise taxes. The Fund intends to monitor its transactions, intends to make appropriate tax elections, and intends to make appropriate entries in its books and records in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and preserve the Fund’s qualification for treatment as a RIC. To the extent the Fund invests in an underlying fund that is taxable as a RIC, the rules applicable to the tax treatment of complex securities will also apply to the underlying funds that also invest in such complex securities and investments.

The Fund is required for federal income tax purposes to mark-to-market and recognize as income for each taxable year its net unrealized gains and losses on certain futures contracts as of the end of the year as well as those actually realized during the year that qualify as section 1256 contracts under the Code. Gain or loss from futures contracts on broad-based indexes required to be marked to market will be 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Application of this rule may alter the timing and character of distributions to shareholders. The Fund may be required to defer the recognition of losses on futures contracts and swaps to the extent of any unrecognized gains on offsetting positions held by the Fund. If the Fund is required to mark-to-market certain types of positions in its portfolios (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out), this may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the Distribution Requirement and for avoiding Fund-level income and excise taxes. Accordingly, in order to avoid certain income and excise taxes, the Fund may be required to liquidate its investments at a time when the investment adviser might not otherwise have chosen to do so.

Backup Withholding. The Fund will be required in certain cases to withhold (as “backup withholding”) on amounts payable to any shareholder who (1) fails to provide a correct taxpayer identification number certified under penalty of perjury; (2) is subject to backup withholding by the IRS for failure to properly report all payments of interest or dividends; (3) fails to provide a certified statement that he or she is not subject to “backup withholding”; or (4) fails to provide a certified statement that he or she is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). The backup withholding rate is currently 24%. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s ultimate U.S. tax liability. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that have been subject to the 30% withholding tax on shareholders who are neither citizens nor permanent residents of the United States.

Foreign Shareholders. Any non-U.S. investors in the Fund may be subject to U.S. withholding and estate tax and are encouraged to consult their tax advisors prior to investing in the Fund. Foreign shareholders (i.e., nonresident alien individuals and foreign corporations, partnerships, trusts and estates) are generally subject to U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or a lower tax treaty rate) on distributions derived from taxable ordinary income, as long as the income from the Fund is not effectively connected with the foreign shareholder’s U.S. trade or business. However, distributions of the Fund attributable to U.S.-source portfolio interest income paid may not be subject to this withholding tax if appropriately designated and reported by such Fund (subject to certain additional restrictions in the hands of a foreign shareholder). Additionally, qualifying foreign shareholders generally may be exempt from federal income tax on distributions of the Fund attributable to net long-term and short-term capital gain and on gain realized from the sale or redemption of shares of the Fund, if appropriately designated and reported by such Fund. Special rules apply in the case of a shareholder that is a foreign trust or foreign partnership.

If the income from the Fund is effectively connected with a foreign shareholder’s U.S. trade or business, then ordinary income distributions, capital gain distributions, and any gain realized upon the sale of shares of the Fund will be subject to federal income tax at the rates applicable to U.S. citizens or U.S. corporations.

The Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from the 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Short-term capital gain dividends received by a nonresident alien individual who is present in the U.S. for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the taxable year

 

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are not exempt from this 30% withholding tax. Gains realized by foreign shareholders from the sale or other disposition of Shares generally are not subject to U.S. taxation, unless the recipient is an individual who is physically present in the U.S. for 183 days or more per year (as determined under a special formula). Foreign shareholders who fail to provide an applicable IRS form may be subject to backup withholding on certain payments from the Fund. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that are subject to the 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) withholding tax described in this paragraph. Different tax consequences may result if the foreign shareholder is engaged in a trade or business within the United States. In addition, the tax consequences to a foreign shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of a tax treaty may be different than those described above.

Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), the Fund may be required to withhold a generally nonrefundable 30% tax on (i) distributions of investment company taxable income and (ii) distributions of net capital gain and the gross proceeds of a sale or redemption of Fund shares paid to (A) certain “foreign financial institutions” unless such foreign financial institution agrees to verify, monitor, and report to the IRS the identity of certain of its account holders, among other items (or unless such entity is otherwise deemed compliant under the terms of an intergovernmental agreement between the United States and the entity’s country of residence), and (B) certain “non-financial foreign entities” unless such entity certifies to the Fund that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or provides the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner, among other items. In December 2018, the IRS and Treasury Department released proposed Treasury Regulations that would eliminate FATCA withholding on Fund distributions of net capital gains and the gross proceeds from a sale or redemption of Fund shares. Although taxpayers are entitled to rely on these proposed Treasury Regulations until final Treasury Regulations are issued, these proposed Treasury Regulations have not been finalized, may not be finalized in their proposed form, and are potentially subject to change. This FATCA withholding tax could also affect the Fund’s return on its investments in foreign securities or affect a shareholder’s return if the shareholder holds its Fund shares through a foreign intermediary. You are urged to consult your tax adviser regarding the application of this FATCA withholding tax to your investment in the Fund and the potential certification, compliance, due diligence, reporting, and withholding obligations to which you may become subject in order to avoid this withholding tax.

For foreign shareholders to qualify for an exemption from backup withholding, described above, the foreign shareholder must comply with special certification and filing requirements. Foreign shareholders in the Fund should consult their tax advisors in this regard.

Foreign taxpayers are generally subject to withholding tax at a flat rate of 30% on U.S.-source income that is not effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the U.S. This withholding rate may be lower under the terms of a tax convention.

The tax consequences to a foreign shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may be different from those described herein.

The tax rules of other countries with respect to an investment in the Fund can differ from the federal income taxation rules described above. These foreign rules are not discussed herein. Foreign shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors as to the consequences of foreign tax rules with respect to an investment in the Fund.

Tax-Exempt Shareholders. Certain tax-exempt shareholders, including qualified pension plans, individual retirement accounts, salary deferral arrangements, 401(k) plans, and other tax-exempt entities, generally are exempt from federal income taxation except with respect to their unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”). Tax-exempt entities are not permitted to offset losses from one unrelated trade or business against the income or gain of another unrelated trade or business. Certain net losses incurred prior to January 1, 2018 are permitted to offset gain and income created by an unrelated trade or business, if otherwise available. Under current law, the Fund generally serves to block UBTI from being realized by its tax-exempt shareholders with respect to their shares of Fund income. However, notwithstanding the foregoing, tax-exempt shareholders could realize UBTI by virtue of their investment in the Fund if, for example,

 

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(i) the Fund invests in residual interests of Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits (“REMICs”), (ii) the Fund invests in a REIT that is a taxable mortgage pool (“TMP”) or that has a subsidiary that is a TMP or that invests in the residual interest of a REMIC, or (iii) Shares constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholders within the meaning of section 514(b) of the Code. Charitable remainder trusts are subject to special rules and should consult their tax advisers. The IRS has issued guidance with respect to these issues and prospective shareholders, especially charitable remainder trusts, are strongly encouraged to consult with their tax advisers regarding these issues.

Certain Potential Tax Reporting Requirements. Under U.S. Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss on disposition of 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 IRS Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. Significant penalties may be imposed for the failure to comply with the reporting requirements. 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.

Other Issues. In those states which have income tax laws, the tax treatment of the Fund and of Fund shareholders with respect to distributions by the Fund may differ from federal tax treatment.

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

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

General Policies. Dividends from net investment income, if any, are generally declared and paid annually by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Fund may make distributions on a more frequent basis to comply with the distribution requirements of the Code, in all events in a manner consistent with the provisions of the 1940 Act.

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

The Fund makes additional distributions to the extent necessary (i) to distribute the entire annual taxable income of the Fund, plus any net capital gains and (ii) to avoid imposition of the excise tax imposed by Section 4982 of the Code. Management of the Trust reserves the right to declare special dividends if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the Fund’s eligibility for treatment as a RIC or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income at the Fund level.

Dividend Reinvestment Service. The Trust will not make the DTC book-entry dividend reinvestment service available for use by Beneficial Owners for reinvestment of their cash proceeds, but certain individual broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by Beneficial Owners of the Fund through DTC Participants for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Investors should contact their brokers to ascertain the availability and description of these services. Beneficial Owners should be aware that each broker may require investors to adhere to specific procedures and timetables to participate in the dividend reinvestment service and investors should ascertain from their brokers such necessary details. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole Shares issued by the Trust of the Fund at NAV per Share. Distributions reinvested in additional Shares will nevertheless be taxable to Beneficial Owners acquiring such additional Shares to the same extent as if such distributions had been received in cash.

 

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ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING PROGRAM

The Trust has established an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Program (the “Program”) as required by the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (“USA PATRIOT Act”). To ensure compliance with this law, the Trust’s Program provides for the development of internal practices, procedures and controls, designation of anti-money laundering compliance officers, an ongoing training program and an independent audit function to determine the effectiveness of the Program.

Procedures to implement the Program include, but are not limited to, determining that the Distributor and the Fund’s transfer agent have established proper anti-money laundering procedures, reporting suspicious and/or fraudulent activity and conducting a complete and thorough review of all new opening account applications. The Fund will not transact business with any person or entity whose identity cannot be adequately verified under the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act.

As a result of the Program, the Trust may be required to “freeze” the account of a shareholder if the shareholder appears to be involved in suspicious activity or if certain account information matches information on government lists of known terrorists or other suspicious persons, or the Trust may be required to transfer the account or proceeds of the account to a governmental agency.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust organized on August 1, 1996. The Fund is anticipated to commence operations on [ ], 2023. The Agreement and Declaration of Trust permits the Trust to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of beneficial interest and to divide or combine the shares into a greater or lesser number of shares without thereby changing the proportionate beneficial interest in the Fund. Each share represents an interest in the Fund proportionately equal to the interest of each other share. Upon the Trust’s liquidation, all shareholders would share pro rata in the net assets of the Fund available for distribution to shareholders. The Board has created ten series of shares, and may create additional series in the future, which have separate assets and liabilities. Income and operating expenses not specifically attributable to a particular PartnerSelect Fund or iM Global Fund will be allocated fairly among the Fund by the Trustees, generally on the basis of the relative net assets of each PartnerSelect Fund and iM Global Fund.

The Fund may hold special meetings and mail proxy materials. These meetings may be called to elect or remove Trustees, change fundamental policies, approve an investment advisory contract or for other purposes. Shareholders not attending these meetings are encouraged to vote by proxy. The Fund will mail proxy materials in advance, including a voting card and information about the proposals to be voted on. The number of votes each shareholder is entitled to is based on the number of shares he or she owns. Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each full share held (and fractional votes for fractional shares) and may vote in the election of Trustees and on other matters submitted to meetings of shareholders. It is not contemplated that regular annual meetings of shareholders will be held.

The Global Select Fund, the International Fund, the Alternative Strategies Fund, the High Income Fund, the SBH Focused Small Value Fund, the Oldfield International Value Fund, the iM DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF, the iM DBi Hedge Strategy ETF, the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund and the RBA Responsible Global Allocation Fund are the only operating series of shares of the Trust. The Board may, at its own discretion, create additional series of shares. The Agreement and Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for the Trust’s acts or obligations and provides for indemnification and reimbursement of expenses out of the Trust’s property for any shareholder held personally liable for its obligations.

The Agreement and Declaration of Trust provides that the shareholders have the right to remove a Trustee. Upon the written request of the record holders of 10% of the Trust’s shares, the Trustees will call a meeting of shareholders to vote on the removal of a Trustee. No amendment may be made to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust that would have a material adverse effect on shareholders without the approval of the holders of more than 50% of the Trust’s shares. Shareholders have no preemptive or conversion rights. Shares when issued are fully paid and non-assessable by the Trust, except as set forth above.

 

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The Trust and iM Global have obtained an exemptive order from the SEC, which permits iM Global, subject to certain conditions, to hire, terminate and replace managers with the approval of the Board only and without shareholder approval. Within 60 days of the hiring of any new manager or the implementation of any proposed material change in a sub-advisory agreement with an existing manager, shareholders will be furnished information about the new manager or sub-advisory agreement that would be included in a proxy statement. The order also permits the Fund to disclose sub-advisory fees only in the aggregate in its registration statement. Pursuant to the order, shareholder approval is required before iM Global enters into any sub-advisory agreement with a manager that is affiliated with the Fund or iM Global.

The Trust, the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and the Distributor have adopted codes of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. These codes of ethics permit, subject to certain conditions, personnel of the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and the Distributor, to invest in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund.

The Trust’s custodian, State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”), One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111 is responsible for holding the Fund’s assets and acting as the Trust’s accounting services agent. The Fund’s transfer agent is State Street. The Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm, [ ], also assists with the Fund’s tax returns. The Trust’s legal counsel is Paul Hastings LLP, 101 California Street, 48th Floor, San Francisco, California 94111.

The Fund reserves the right, if conditions exist that make cash payments undesirable, to honor any request for redemption or repurchase order by making payment in whole or in part in readily marketable securities chosen by the Fund and valued as they are for purposes of computing the Fund’s NAV (a redemption in kind). If payment is made in securities, a shareholder may incur transaction expenses in converting these securities into cash.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The report of [ ], the independent registered public accounting firm of the Trust, with respect to the audited financial statements of the other series of the Trust, is incorporated herein in its entirety in reliance upon such report of [ ] and on the authority of such firm as experts in auditing and accounting. As the Fund has not commenced operations, there are no financial statements available at this time. Shareholders of the Fund will be informed of the Fund’s progress through periodic reports when those reports become available. Shareholders may receive a copy of the audited and unaudited financial statements at no additional charge when requesting a copy of the SAI.

 

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APPENDIX

Description of Ratings

The following terms are generally used to describe the credit quality of debt securities:

Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.: Corporate Bond Ratings

Aaa--Bonds which are rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality and carry the smallest degree of investment risk. Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally stable margin, and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair the fundamentally strong position of such issues.

Aa---Bonds which are rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk. Together with the Aaa group they comprise what are generally known as high grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of protection may not be as large as in Aaa securities or fluctuation of protective elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements present which make the long term risks appear somewhat larger than in Aaa securities.

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

A--Bonds which are rated A possess many favorable investment attributes and are to be considered as upper medium grade obligations and subject to low credit risk. Factors giving security to principal and interest are considered adequate but elements may be present which suggest a susceptibility to impairment sometime in the future.

Baa--Bonds which are rated Baa are considered as medium grade obligations, subject to moderate credit risk, i.e., they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest payments and principal security appear adequate for the present but certain protective elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great period of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in fact have speculative characteristics as well.

Standard & Poor’s Corporation: Corporate Bond Ratings

AAA--This is the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor’s to a debt obligation and indicates an extremely strong capacity to pay principal and interest.

AA--Bonds rated AA also qualify as high-quality debt obligations. Capacity to pay principal and interest is very strong, and in the majority of instances they differ from AAA issues only in small degree.

A--Bonds rated A have a strong capacity to pay principal and interest, although they are somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions.

BBB--Bonds rated BBB are regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay principal and interest. Whereas they normally exhibit adequate protection parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay principal and interest for bonds in this category than for bonds in the A category.

 

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Commercial Paper Ratings

Moody’s commercial paper ratings are assessments of the issuer’s ability to repay punctually promissory obligations. Moody’s employs the following three designations, all judged to be investment grade, to indicate the relative repayment capacity of rated issuers: Prime 1--highest quality; Prime 2--higher quality; Prime 3--high quality.

A Standard & Poor’s commercial paper rating is a current assessment of the likelihood of timely payment. Ratings are graded into four categories, ranging from “A” for the highest quality obligations to “D” for the lowest.

Issues assigned the highest rating, A, are regarded as having the greatest capacity for timely payment. Issues in this category are delineated with the numbers “1”, “2” and “3” to indicate the relative degree of safety. The designation A-1 indicates that the degree of safety regarding timely payment is either overwhelming or very strong. A “+” designation is applied to those issues rated “A-1” which possess extremely strong safety characteristics. Capacity for timely payment on issues with the designation “A-2” is strong. However, the relative degree of safety is not as high as for issues designated A-1. Issues carrying the designation “A-3” have a satisfactory capacity for timely payment. They are, however, somewhat more vulnerable to the adverse effect of changes in circumstances than obligations carrying the higher designations.

 

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LITMAN GREGORY FUNDS TRUST

PART C

OTHER INFORMATION

Item 28. Exhibits

 

(a)   

Articles of Incorporation.

  

(1)   Agreement and Declaration of Trust is incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s initial Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on August 12, 1996

  

(A)  Amendment to Agreement and Declaration of Trust is incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on November 15, 1996

  

(B)  Amendment to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated December 4, 2008 is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on September 2, 2011

  

(C)  Amendment to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated August 31, 2011 is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on September 2, 2011

(b)   

By-laws are incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 57 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2014

(c)   

Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders – See Articles III and V of Agreement and Declaration of Trust and Article II of Third Amended and Restated By-Laws

(d)   

Investment Advisory Contracts

  

(1)   Unified Investment Advisory Agreement between Litman Gregory Funds Trust and Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC dated June 1, 2021, as amended September 20, 2021, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on January 20, 2022

  

(2)   Amended Appendix A and Appendix B to the Unified Investment Advisory Agreement dated April 22, 2022, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 116 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2022

  

(3)   Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement between Litman Gregory Funds Trust and iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC dated April 22, 2022, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 116 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2022

  

(4)   Sub-Advisory Agreements

  

(A)  Global Select Fund (formerly, the Equity Fund)

  

1.  Investment Management Agreement with Nuance Investments, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 87 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2019

  

2.  Investment Management Agreement with Polen Capital Management, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on November 4, 2022

  

3.  Investment Management Agreement with Scharf Investments, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on November 4, 2022

  

(B)  International Fund

  

1.  Investment Management Agreement with Harris Associates L.P. is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 59 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2015

 

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2.  Investment Management Agreement with Lazard Asset Management LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 59 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2015

  

3.  Investment Management Agreement with Polen Capital Management, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on January 20, 2022

  

(C)  Alternative Strategies Fund

  

1.  Investment Management Agreement with Blackstone Credit Systematic Strategies LLC (formerly DCI, LLC) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 103 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2021

  

2.  Investment Management Agreement with DoubleLine Capital LP is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 59 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2015

  

3.  Investment Management Agreement with First Pacific Advisors, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 59 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2015

  

4.  Investment Management Agreement with Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P. is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 59 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2015

  

5.  Investment Management Agreement with Water Island Capital LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 59 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2015

  

6.  Investment Management Agreement with Dynamic Beta investments, LLC incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on November 4, 2022

  

(D)  High Income Fund

  

1.  Investment Management Agreement with Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 85 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on September 6, 2018

  

2.  Investment Management Agreement with Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 87 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2019

  

3.  Investment Management Agreement with Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 85 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on September 6, 2018

  

(E)  SBH Focused Small Value Fund

  

1.  Investment Management Agreement with Segall Bryant & Hamill, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 98 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on July 22, 2020

  

(F)  Oldfield International Value Fund

  

1.  Investment Management Agreement with Oldfield Partners LLP is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 102 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on November 6, 2020

  

(G)  Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund

  

1.  Investment Management Agreement with Dolan McEniry Capital Management, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on January 20, 2022

  

(H)  DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF and DBi Hedge Strategy ETF

  

1.  Investment Management Agreement with Dynamic Beta investments, LLC on behalf of DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on January 20, 2022

  

2.  Investment Management Agreement with Dynamic Beta investments, LLC on behalf of DBi Hedge Strategy ETF is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on January 20, 2022

 

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3.  Form of Investment Management Agreement between iM DBi Cayman Managed Futures Subsidiary and Dynamic Beta investments, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 105 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on August 17, 2021

  

(I)   RBA Responsible Global Allocation ETF

  

1.  Investment Management Agreement with Richard Bernstein Advisors, LLC, is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 116 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2022

  

(J)   Berkshire Dividend Growth ETF

  

1.  Investment Management Agreement with Berkshire Asset Management, LLC - to be filed by amendment

(e)   

Underwriting Contracts

  

(1)   Distribution Agreement with ALPS Distributors, Inc. dated April 26, 2018 is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 79 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2018

  

(2)   Distribution Letter Agreement with ALPS Distributors, Inc. dated April 16, 2018 is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 79 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2018

  

(3)   Amendment No. 3 dated July 31, 2020 to the Distribution Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 103 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2021

  

(4)   Amendment No. 4 dated October 15, 2020 to the Distribution Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 103 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2021

  

(5)   Amendment No. 5 dated November 30, 2020 to the Distribution Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 103 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2021

  

(6)   Form of Amendment to the Distribution Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 105 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on August 17, 2021

  

(7)   Form of Authorized Participant Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 105 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on August 17, 2021

  

(8)   Form of Amendment to the Distribution Agreement– to be filed by amendment

(f)   

Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts – None

(g)   

Custodian Agreements

  

(1)   Custody Agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company dated January 2, 1997 is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 59 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2015

  

(A)  Amendment dated September 20, 2018 to the Custody Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 87 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2019

  

(B)  Amendment dated July 30, 2020 to the Custody Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 103 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2021

  

(C)  Amendment dated October 30, 2020 to the Custody Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 103 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2021

  

(D)  Amendment dated August 31, 2021 to the Custody Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 107 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on October 1, 2021

  

(E)  Form of Amendment to the Custody Agreement – to be filed by amendment

 

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(h)   

Other Material Contracts

  

(1)   Administration Agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company dated September 10, 2014 is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 59 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2015

  

(A)  Amendment dated September 20, 2018 to the Administration Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 87 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2019

  

(B)  Amendment dated July 30, 2020 to the Administration Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 103 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2021

  

(C)  Amendment dated October 30, 2020 to the Administration Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 103 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2021

  

(D)  Amendment dated August 31, 2021 to the Administration Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 107 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on October 1, 2021

  

(E)  Form of Amendment to the Administration Agreement – to be filed by amendment

  

(2)   Power of Attorney dated May 26, 2021 is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 104 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on June 4, 2021

  

(3)   Restated Contractual Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 59 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2015

  

(A)  Amendment dated August 31, 2011 to the Restated Contractual Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 59 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2015

  

(B)  Amendment dated May 20, 2013 to the Restated Contractual Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 56 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on February 26, 2014

  

(C)  Amendment dated January 1, 2017 to the Restated Contractual Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 64 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 28, 2017

  

(D)  Amendment dated August 28, 2018 to the Restated Contractual Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 85 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on September 6, 2018

  

(E)  Amendment dated July 31, 2020 to the Restated Contractual Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 98 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on July 22, 2020

  

(F)  Amendment dated October 30, 2020 to the Restated Contractual Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 103 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2021

  

(G)  Amendment to the Restated Contractual Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement – to be filed by amendment

  

(4)   Operating Expenses Limitation Agreement

  

(A)  Operating Expenses Limitation Agreement dated August 28, 2018 for the High Income Alternatives Fund is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 85 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on September 6, 2018

  

(B)  Operating Expenses Limitation Agreement dated July 31, 2020 for the SBH Focused Small Value Fund is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 98 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on July 22, 2020

  

(C)  Operating Expenses Limitation Agreement dated October 30, 2020 for the Oldfield International Value Fund is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 103 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2021

 

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(D)  Operating Expenses Limitation Agreement dated September 30, 2021 for the Dolan McEniry Corporate Bond Fund is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on July 29, 2022

  

(E)  Operating Expenses Limitation Agreement for the Global Select Fund – incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on November 4, 2022

(i)   

Legal Opinion

  

(1)   Consent of Counselfiled herewith

(j)   

Other Opinions

  

(1)   Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firmto be filed by amendment

(k)   

Omitted Financial Statements – None

(l)   

Initial Capital Agreements

  

(1)   Subscription Agreement (initial seed capital only) is incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on December 17, 1996

(m)   

Rule 12b-1 Plan

  

(1)   Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Plan is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on January 20, 2022

(n)   

Rule 18f-3 Plan

  

(1)   Multiple Class Plan is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on January 20, 2022

(o)   

Reserved

(p)   

Codes of Ethics

  

(1)   Code of Ethics for Litman Gregory Funds Trust is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on January 20, 2022

  

(2)   Code of Ethics for iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on January 20, 2022

  

(3)   Code of Ethics for ALPS Distributors, Inc. is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 79 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2018

  

(4)   Codes of Ethics for the Sub-Advisors

  

(A)  First Pacific Advisors, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 106 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on September 17, 2021

  

(B)  Nuance Investments, LLC incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on November 4, 2022

  

(C)  Harris Associates L.P. is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 116 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2022

  

(D)  DoubleLine Capital LP is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 104 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on June 4, 2021

  

(E)  Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P. is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on November 4, 2022

  

(F)  Water Island Capital, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 106 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on September 17, 2021

  

(G)  Lazard Asset Management LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 79 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2018

  

(H)  Blackstone Credit Systematic Strategies LLC (formerly DCI, LLC) is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 103 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2021

 

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(I)   Segall Bryant & Hamill, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 87 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2019

  

(J)   Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 85 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on September 6, 2018

  

(K)  Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on January 20, 2022

  

(L)  Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on November 4, 2022

  

(M)  Oldfield Partners LLP is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 102 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on November 6, 2020

  

(N)  Dolan McEniry Capital Management, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on January 20, 2022

  

(O)  Dynamic Beta investments, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 105 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on August 17, 2021

  

(P)  Polen Capital Management, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 116 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2022

  

(Q)  Richard Bernstein Advisors, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on January 20, 2022

  

(R)  Scharf Investments, LLC is incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 120 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A, filed with the SEC on July 29, 2022

Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Fund

No person is directly or indirectly controlled by or under common control with the Registrant.

Item 30. Indemnification

Article VI of Registrant’s By-Laws states as follows:

Section 1. AGENTS, PROCEEDINGS AND EXPENSES. For the purpose of this Article, “agent” means any person who is or was a Trustee, officer, employee or other agent of this Trust or is or was serving at the request of this Trust as a Trustee, director, officer, employee or agent of another foreign or domestic corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise or was a Trustee, director, officer, employee or agent of a foreign or domestic corporation which was a predecessor of another enterprise at the request of such predecessor entity; “proceeding” means any threatened, pending or completed action or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative; and “expenses” includes without limitation attorney’s fees and any expenses of establishing a right to indemnification under this Article.

Section 2. ACTIONS OTHER THAN BY TRUST. This Trust shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any proceeding (other than an action by or in the right of this Trust) by reason of the fact that such person is or was an agent of this Trust, against expenses, judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such proceeding, if it is determined that person acted in good faith and reasonably believed:

(a) in the case of conduct in his official capacity as a Trustee of the Trust, that his conduct was in the Trust’s best interests, and

(b) in all other cases, that his conduct was at least not opposed to the Trust’s best interests, and

(c) in the case of a criminal proceeding, that he had no reasonable cause to believe the conduct of that person was unlawful.

 

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The termination of any proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent shall not of itself create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in the best interests of this Trust or that the person had reasonable cause to believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful.

Section 3. ACTIONS BY THE TRUST. This Trust shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action by or in the right of this Trust to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that that person is or was an agent of this Trust, against expenses actually and reasonably incurred by that person in connection with the defense or settlement of that action if that person acted in good faith, in a manner that person believed to be in the best interests of this Trust and with such care, including reasonable inquiry, as an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances.

Section 4. EXCLUSION OF INDEMNIFICATION. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained herein, there shall be no right to indemnification for any liability arising by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or the reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of the agent’s office with this Trust.

No indemnification shall be made under Sections 2 or 3 of this Article:

(a) In respect of any claim, issue, or matter as to which that person shall have been adjudged to be liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received by him, whether or not the benefit resulted from an action taken in the person’s official capacity; or

(b) In respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which that person shall have been adjudged to be liable in the performance of that person’s duty to this Trust, unless and only to the extent that the court in which that action was brought shall determine upon application that in view of all the circumstances of the case, that person was not liable by reason of the disabling conduct set forth in the preceding paragraph and is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for the expenses which the court shall determine.

(c) Of amounts paid in settling or otherwise disposing of a threatened or pending action, with or without court approval, or of expenses incurred in defending a threatened or pending action which is settled or otherwise disposed of without court approval, unless the required approval set forth in Section 6 of this Article is obtained.

Section 5. SUCCESSFUL DEFENSE BY AGENT. To the extent that an agent of this Trust has been successful on the merits in defense of any proceeding referred to in Sections 2 or 3 of this Article or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, before the court or other body before whom the proceeding was brought, the agent shall be indemnified against expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the agent in connection therewith, provided that the Board of Trustees, including a majority who are disinterested, non-party Trustees, also determines that based upon a review of the facts, the agent was not liable by reason of the disabling conduct referred to in Section 4 of this Article.

Section 6. REQUIRED APPROVAL. Except as provided in Section 5 of this Article, any indemnification under this Article shall be made by this Trust only if authorized in the specific case on a determination that indemnification of the agent is proper in the circumstances because the agent has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Sections 2 or 3 of this Article and is not prohibited from indemnification because of the disabling conduct set forth in Section 4 of this Article, by:

(a) A majority vote of a quorum consisting of Trustees who are not parties to the proceeding and are not interested persons of the Trust (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940); or

(b) A written opinion by an independent legal counsel.

Section 7. ADVANCE OF EXPENSES. Expenses incurred in defending any proceeding may be advanced by this Trust before the final disposition of the proceeding upon a written undertaking by or on behalf of the agent, to repay the amount of the advance if it is ultimately determined that he or she is not entitled to indemnification, together with at least one of the following as a condition to the advance: (i) security for the undertaking; or (ii) the existence of insurance protecting the Trust against losses arising by reason of any lawful advances; or (iii) a determination by a majority of a

 

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quorum of Trustees who are not parties to the proceeding and are not interested persons of the Trust, or by an independent legal counsel in a written opinion, based on a review of readily available facts that there is reason to believe that the agent ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification. Determinations and authorizations of payments under this Section must be made in the manner specified in Section 6 of this Article for determining that the indemnification is permissible.

Section 8. OTHER CONTRACTUAL RIGHTS. Nothing contained in this Article shall affect any right to indemnification to which persons other than Trustees and officers of this Trust or any subsidiary hereof may be entitled by contract or otherwise.

Section 9. LIMITATIONS. No indemnification or advance shall be made under this Article, except as provided in Sections 5 or 6 in any circumstances where it appears:

(a) that it would be inconsistent with a provision of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the Trust, a resolution of the shareholders, or an agreement in effect at the time of accrual of the alleged cause of action asserted in the proceeding in which the expenses were incurred or other amounts were paid which prohibits or otherwise limits indemnification; or

(b) that it would be inconsistent with any condition expressly imposed by a court in approving a settlement.

Section 10. INSURANCE. Upon and in the event of a determination by the Board of Trustees of this Trust to purchase such insurance, this Trust shall purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any agent of this Trust against any liability asserted against or incurred by the agent in such capacity or arising out of the agent’s status as such, but only to the extent that this Trust would have the power to indemnify the agent against that liability under the provisions of this Article and the Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the Trust.

Section 11. FIDUCIARIES OF EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN. This Article does not apply to any proceeding against any Trustee, investment manager or other fiduciary of an employee benefit plan in that person’s capacity as such, even though that person may also be an agent of this Trust as defined in Section 1 of this Article. Nothing contained in this Article shall limit any right to indemnification to which such a Trustee, investment manager, or other fiduciary may be entitled by contract or otherwise which shall be enforceable to the extent permitted by applicable law other than this Article.

In addition to the indemnification provisions provided for in the Registrant’s By-Laws, the Registrant has also entered into indemnification agreements (the “Indemnification Agreements”) with each of the Trustees and with its Chief Compliance Officer (collectively, the “Indemnitees”). The Indemnification Agreements set forth the procedure by which Indemnitees are to request and receive advancement of expenses and indemnification. The Indemnification Agreements provide that, in any determination for advancement of expenses or indemnification, the Indemnitees are entitled to a rebuttable presumption that they did not engage in conduct that would disqualify them from eligibility to receive advancement of expenses or for indemnification. The Indemnification Agreements also set forth the procedure by which an independent counsel may be chosen if independent counsel is to make a determination of any Indemnitee’s qualification for advancement of expenses or indemnification.

Item 31. Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser

The information required by this item is contained in the Form ADVs of the following entities and is incorporated herein by reference:

 

Name of Investment Adviser    File No.
iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC
(formerly Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC
   801-52710
Name of Sub-Advisors   
Blackstone Credit Systematic Strategies LLC
(formerly DCI, LLC)
   801-63857
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.    801-60256
Dolan McEniry Capital Management, LLC    801-54756

 

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DoubleLine Capital LP    801-70942
Dynamic Beta investments, LLC    801-77106
First Pacific Advisors, LLC    801-67160
Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC    801-66786
Harris Associates L.P.    801-50333
Lazard Asset Management LLC    801-61701
Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P.    801-170
Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC    801-61757
Nuance Investments, LLC    801-69682
Oldfield Partners LLP    801-72023
Polen Capital Management, LLC    801-15180
Richard Bernstein Advisors, LLC    801-71501
Scharf Investments, LLC    801-18799
Segall Bryant & Hamill, LLC    801-47232
Water Island Capital, LLC    801-57341

Item 32. Principal Underwriters

(a) ALPS Distributors, Inc., the Registrant’s principal underwriter, acts as principal underwriter for the following investment companies:

 

1 WS Credit Income Fund 1290 Funds abrdn ETFs

Alpha Alternative Assets Fund

ALPS Series Trust

Alternative Credit Income Fund

Apollo Diversified Credit Fund (fka Griffin Institutional Access Credit Fund)

Apollo Diversified Real Estate Fund (fka Griffin Institutional Access Real Estate Fund)

The Arbitrage Funds

AQR Funds

Axonic Alternative Income Fund

Axonic Funds

BBH Trust

Bluerock High Income Institutional Credit Fund

Bluerock Total Income + Real Estate Fund

Brandes Investment Trust

Bridge Builder Trust

Cambria ETF Trust

Centre Funds

CIM Real Estate Assets & Credit Fund

CION Ares Diversified Credit Fund

Columbia ETF Trust

Columbia ETF Trust I

Columbia ETF Trust II

CRM Mutual Fund Trust

DBX ETF Trust

Emerge ETF Trust

ETF Series Solutions (Vident Series)

Flat Rock Opportunity Fund

Financial Investors Trust

Firsthand Funds

FS Credit Income Fund

FS Energy Total Return Fund

FS Multi-Alternative Income Fund

FS Series Trust

 

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FS Multi-Alternative Income Fund

Goehring & Rozencwajg Investment Funds

Goldman Sachs ETF Trust

GraniteShares ETF Trust

Hartford Funds Exchange-Traded Trust

Heartland Group. Inc.

IndexIQ ETF Trust and Index IQ Active ETF Trust

Investment Managers Series Trust II (AXS – Advised Funds)

Janus Detroit Street Trust

Lattice Strategies Trust

Litman Gregory Funds Trust

Longleaf Partners Funds Trust

Manager Directed Portfolios (Spyglass Growth Fund)

Mass Mutual Premier Funds and Mass Mutual Advantage Funds

Meridian Fund, Inc.

MVP Private Markets Fund

Natixis ETF Trust

Natixis ETF Trust II

Opportunistic Credit Interval Fund

PRIMECAP Odyssey Funds

Principal Exchange-Traded Funds

RiverNorth Funds

RiverNorth Opportunities Fund, Inc.

RiverNorth/DoubleLine Strategic Opportunity Fund, Inc.

SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust

SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust

Sprott Funds Trust

Stone Harbor Investment Funds

Stone Ridge Residential Real Estate Income Fund I, Inc.

Stone Ridge Trust

Stone Ridge Trust II

Stone Ridge Trust III

Stone Ridge Trust IV

Stone Ridge Trust V

Stone Ridge Trust VI

Thrivent ETF Trust

USCF ETF Trust

Wasatch Funds

WesMark Funds

Wilmington Funds

XAI Octagon Credit Trust

X-Square Balanced Fund, LLC

X-Square Series Trust

YieldStreet Prism Fund

 

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(b) To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, the directors and executive officers of ALPS Distributors, Inc. are as follows:

 

Name*

 

Position with Underwriter

 

Positions with Fund

Stephen J. Kyllo   President, Chief Operating Officer, Director, Chief Compliance Officer   None
Patrick J. Pedonti**   Vice President, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary   None
Eric Parsons   Vice President, Controller and Assistant Treasurer   None
Jason White***   Secretary   None
Richard C. Noyes   Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Assistant Secretary   None
Liza Orr   Vice President, Senior Counsel   None
Jed Stahl   Vice President, Senior Counsel   None
Terence Digan   Vice President   None
James Stegall   Vice President   None
Gary Ross   Senior Vice President   None
Hilary Quinn   Vice President   None

 

*

Except as otherwise noted, the principal business address for each of the above directors and executive officers is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203.

**

The principal business address for Messrs. Pedonti and Frank is 333 W. 11th Street, 5th Floor, Kansas City, Missouri 64105.

 

(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 (the “1940 Act”), and the rules thereunder are maintained at the following locations:

 

Records Relating to:

  

Are located at:

Registrant’s Investment Adviser   

iM Global Partner Fund Management, LLC (formerly, Litman Gregory Fund Advisors, LLC)

1676 N. California Blvd., Suite 500

Walnut Creek, CA 94596

Registrant’s Fund Administrator   

State Street Bank and Trust Company

One Lincoln Street

Boston, MA 02116

Registrant’s Custodian/Fund Accountant   

State Street Bank and Trust Company

1776 Heritage Drive

Quincy, MA 02171

Registrant’s Distributor   

ALPS Distributors, Inc.

1290 Broadway, Suite 1100

Denver, CO 80203

Registrant’s Transfer Agent   

DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc. (formerly, Boston Financial Data Services, Inc.)

330 West 9th Street

Kansas City, MO 64105

 

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The documents required to be maintained by paragraphs (5), (6), (10) and (11) of Rule 31a-1(b) under the 1940 Act will be maintained by the Registrant’s respective Sub-Advisors:

 

Blackstone Credit Systematic Strategies LLC
(formerly, DCI, LLC)

201 Spear Street, Suite 250

San Francisco, CA 94105

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.

140 Broadway

New York, NY 10005

Dolan McEniry Capital Management, LLC

120 North LaSalle Street

Suite 1510

Chicago, IL 60602

DoubleLine Capital LP

2002 N. Tampa Street, Suite 200

Tampa, FL 33602

Dynamic Beta investments, LLC

12 East 49th Street

New York, NY 10017

First Pacific Advisors, LLC

11601 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1200

Los Angeles, CA 90025

Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC

100 Wilshire Boulevard, 5th Floor

Santa Monica, CA 90401

Harris Associates L.P.

111 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 4600

Chicago, IL 60606

Lazard Asset Management LLC

30 Rockefeller Plaza

New York, NY 10112

Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P.

One Financial Center

Boston, MA 02111

Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC

1290 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10104

Nuance Investments, LLC

4900 Main Street, Suite 220

Kansas City, MO 64112

Oldfield Partners LLP

11 Grosvenor Place

London SW1X 7HH – United Kingdom

Polen Capital Management, LLC

1825 NW Corporate Boulevard, Suite 300

Boca Raton, FL 33431

Richard Bernstein Advisors, LLC

1251 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 4102

New York, NY 10020

Scharf Investments, LLC

16450 Los Gatos Boulevard, Suite 207

Los Gatos, CA 95032

Segall Bryant & Hamill, LLC

540 West Madison Street, Suite 1900

Chicago, IL 60661

 

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Water Island Capital, LLC

41 Madison Avenue, 42nd Floor

New York, NY 10010

Item 34. Management Services

The Registrant has disclosed all management-related service contracts in Parts A and B.

Item 35. Undertakings

Registrant hereby undertakes to:

 

(1)

Furnish each person to whom a Prospectus is delivered a copy of Registrant’s latest annual report to shareholders, upon request and without charge.

 

(2)

If requested to do so by the holders of at least 10% of the Trust’s outstanding shares, call a meeting of shareholders for the purposes of voting upon the question of removal of a trustee and assist in communications with other shareholders.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement on Form N-1A has been signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Walnut Creek and State of California, on the 24th day of March 2023.

 

LITMAN GREGORY FUNDS TRUST

By:

 

/s/ Jeffrey K. Seeley

 

Jeffrey K. Seeley

 

President

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 125 to its Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature

  

Title

 

Date

/s/ Julie Allecta*

Julie Allecta

   Chairman of the Board, Trustee   March 24, 2023

/s/ Thomas W. Bird*

Thomas W. Bird

   Trustee   March 24, 2023

/s/ Jennifer M. Borggaard*

Jennifer M. Borggaard

   Trustee   March 24, 2023

/s/ Jonathan W. DePriest*

Jonathan W. DePriest

   Trustee   March 24, 2023

/s/ Frederick A. Eigenbrod, Jr.*

Frederick A. Eigenbrod, Jr.

   Trustee   March 24, 2023

/s/ Jeffrey K. Seeley*

Jeffrey K. Seeley

   Trustee and President   March 24, 2023

/s/ Harold M. Shefrin*

Harold M. Shefrin

   Trustee   March 24, 2023

/s/ Philippe Uzan

Philippe Uzan

   Trustee   March 24, 2023

/s/ John M. Coughlan

John M. Coughlan

  

Treasurer,

(Principal Financial Officer)

  March 24, 2023

 

* By: /s/ John M. Coughlan
John M. Coughlan, Attorney-in-Fact


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INDEX TO EXHIBITS

 

(i)    (1)    Consent of Counsel