485BPOS 1 ttf_485b.htm POST EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT ttf_485b.htm

 
Filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on July 26, 2012
 
1933 Act Registration File No. 333-17391
1940 Act File No. 811-07959

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

FORM N-1A
 
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
x
Pre-Effective Amendment No. ____         
¨
Post-Effective Amendment No. 443
x
                 and
 
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
x
Amendment No. 445
x

 
(Check appropriate box or boxes.)
 
 
ADVISORS SERIES TRUST
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
 
615 East Michigan Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin  53202
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
(Registrant’s Telephone Numbers, Including Area Code) (414) 765-6609

Douglas G. Hess, President
Advisors Series Trust
c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
777 East Wisconsin Avenue, 5th Floor
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
 
Copies to:
 
Domenick Pugliese, Esq.
Paul Hastings LLP
75 East 55th Street
New York, New York 10022
 
 
It is proposed that this filing will become effective
 
o
immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
ý
on July 29, 2012 pursuant to paragraph (b)
o
60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
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on __________ pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
o
75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
o
on __________ 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.

Explanatory Note:  This Post-Effective Amendment No. 443 to the Registration Statement of Advisors Series Trust (the “Trust”) is being filed to add the audited financial statements and certain related financial information for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, for the Trust’s series:  The Teberg Fund.
 
 
 
 

 
 
Client Logo
A Series of Advisors Series Trust


Trading Symbol: TEBRX


www.tebergfund.com






Prospectus
July 29, 2012

















The U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this Prospectus is truthful or complete.  Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
 

 
 
 

 
 
Client Logo
 
 
 
 
 

 

Investment Objective
The investment objective of The Teberg Fund (the “Fund”) is to seek to maximize total return (capital appreciation plus income).

Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

SHAREHOLDER FEES
(fees paid directly from your investment)
 
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
NONE
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)
NONE
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed)
NONE
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees
1.50%
Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Fees
0.25%
Other Expenses
0.63%
Subtotal Annual Fund Operating Expenses
2.38%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses
0.67%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1)
3.05%
Less: Fee Waiver(2)
-0.04%
Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses
3.01%
 
(1)  
The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses for the Fund do not correlate to the Ratio of Expenses to Average Net Assets Before Expense Waiver provided in the Financial Highlights section of the statutory prospectus, which reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (“AFFE”).
 
(2)  
First Associated Investment Advisors, Inc. (the “Advisor”) has contractually agreed to reduce its management fee in the amount of any Rule 12b-1 fees received from transactions involving the Fund.  The Advisor will pay to the Fund the amount of any such Rule 12b-1 fees.  The management fee reduction will remain in effect at least through July 28, 2022, and may be terminated only with the consent of the Fund’s Board of Trustees.

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:
 
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$304
$930
$1,582
$3,327
 
 
 
Portfolio Turnover. The Fund pays transaction costs when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio).  A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account.  These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance.  During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 224.14% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies
To achieve the Fund’s investment objective, the Advisor invests the Fund’s assets primarily in shares of any number of other no-load and load-waived mutual funds, which may include exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), sometimes referred to in this Prospectus as “Underlying Funds.” The Underlying Funds pursue their own investment objectives by investing in particular types of securities (e.g., equity or debt), emphasizing a particular investment style (e.g., value or growth), or emphasizing certain industries or sectors.  Some of the Underlying Funds invest in the stocks of small, medium and large capitalization domestic or international companies while others invest in fixed-income securities of varying maturities (e.g., short-term, intermediate or long-term) and credit qualities (e.g., investment grade or lower than investment grade), including government and corporate bonds, as well as high-yield securities or “junk bonds.”  Over time, the Fund’s asset mix is likely to consist of a combination of equity, fixed-income, or money market funds; however, the Fund reserves the right to invest all of its assets in any one of these asset classes depending upon market conditions and to actively trade in Underlying Funds.  Additionally, the Fund may commit up to 80% of its net assets at any given time to Underlying Funds that invest in high-yield or “junk bond” securities.
 
The Advisor is responsible for constructing and maintaining the allocation of the Fund’s assets in a timely combination of Underlying Funds that maximizes the Fund’s total return.  The Advisor uses a “top down” approach to actively selecting Underlying Funds that begins with an analysis of the general economic outlook.  The next step is to analyze historical market patterns with the goal of determining which categories and sectors are likely to perform well in certain economic conditions.  Next, the Advisor analyzes the historical returns of a broad universe of mutual funds and selects those that exhibit the potential for superior growth based on factors including, but not limited to, their exposure to risk, historical performance, downside records, and competitive position.

To determine when to sell Underlying Funds, the Advisor analyzes how the general economic outlook could impact certain categories and sectors based on historical market patterns.  The Advisor continuously monitors the pricing of each Underlying Fund to identify if it is performing as anticipated with the goal of selling an Underlying Fund when it appears to have reached its expected growth potential.  The Advisor may sell an Underlying Fund prior to reaching this growth level if the economic outlook changes or it appears that the Underlying Fund is not reacting to current conditions as it has to similar periods in the past.
 
 
 
Because the Fund is a “fund of funds,” you will indirectly bear your proportionate share of any fees and expenses charged by the Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests in addition to the expenses of the Fund.  Actual Underlying Fund expenses are expected to vary with changes in the allocation of the Fund’s assets among various Underlying Funds.

Cash Position
In addition to the Underlying Funds, the Fund will also invest in cash or cash equivalents, such as money market mutual funds.  In certain market conditions, the Advisor may determine that it is appropriate for the Fund to hold a substantial cash position of up to 100% of its total assets for an extended period of time.  The Fund expects that it may maintain substantial cash positions when the Advisor determines that such cash investments, given the risks the Advisor believes to be present in the market, are more likely to help the Fund achieve its investment objective than investment in additional Underlying Funds.

Principal Investment Risks
Losing all or a portion of your investment is a risk of investing in the Fund.  The following additional risks could affect the value of your investment:

·  
Management Risk. The risk that investment strategies employed by the Advisor in selecting the Underlying Funds and those used by the Underlying Funds in selecting investments may not result in an increase in the value of your investment equal to other investments or may cause your investment to lose value.
 
·  
Stock Market Risk.  The value of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate based on the performance of the Underlying Funds of which the Fund owns shares and other factors affecting the securities markets generally.
 
·  
Bond Market Risk.  These risks apply to the extent the Underlying Funds hold fixed-income securities.  Interest rate risk is the risk that interest rates may go up resulting in a decrease in the value of the securities held by the Underlying Funds.  Credit risk is the risk that an issuer will not make timely payments of principal and interest.
 
·  
High-Yield Securities Risk.  The fixed-income securities held by Underlying Funds that are rated below investment grade (i.e., “junk bonds”) are subject to additional risk factors such as increased possibility of default, illiquidity of the security, and changes in value based on public perception of the issuer.
 
·  
Small and Medium Capitalization Companies Risk.  Securities of smaller companies in which the Underlying Funds may invest involve greater risk than securities of larger companies because they can be subject to more abrupt or erratic share price changes than securities of larger, more established companies.
 
 
 
·  
Industry or Sector Emphasis Risk.  To the extent that an Underlying Fund invests a substantial portion of its portfolio in a particular industry or sector, such Underlying Fund’s shares may be more volatile and fluctuate more than shares of an Underlying Fund investing in a broader range of securities.
 
·  
Underlying Funds Expense Risk. The Underlying Funds, which may include ETFs, are either open-end or closed-end investment companies.  ETFs are investment companies that are bought and sold on a national securities exchange.  All Underlying Funds have management fees that are part of their costs. To the extent that the Fund invests in Underlying Funds, there will be some duplication of expenses because the Fund would bear its pro rata portion of such funds’ management fees and operational expenses.
 
·  
Cash Position Risk.  If the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in money market instruments for extended periods of time, including while the Fund is investing for temporary defensive purposes, it could reduce the Fund’s potential return and prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective, as the limited returns of cash or money market instruments may lag other investments in a strong market.
 
·  
Portfolio Turnover Risk.  A high portfolio turnover rate (100% or more) has the potential to result in the realization by the Fund and distribution to shareholders of a greater amount of capital gains than if the Fund had a low portfolio turnover rate.  This may mean that you would be likely to have a higher tax liability.  Distributions to shareholders of short-term capital gains are taxed as ordinary income under federal tax laws.  When purchasing Fund securities through a broker, high portfolio turnover generally involves correspondingly greater brokerage commission expenses, which must be borne directly by the Fund.

This Fund may be appropriate for investors who are:

·  
seeking capital appreciation and income consistent with the assumption of an average level of market risk;
·  
willing to leave their money invested in the Fund for at least five years;
·  
able to tolerate a risk that they may experience share price fluctuations or lose money on their investment; or
·  
able to tolerate the risks associated with investments in high-yield securities.
 
Performance
The following performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year.  The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for 1 and 5 years and since inception compare with those of broad measures of market performance. The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.  Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.tebergfund.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at 1-866-209-1964.
Prospectus Bar Graph on Page 4
The Fund’s year-to-date return as of June 30, 2012, was 4.23%.  During the period of time displayed in the bar chart, the Fund’s highest quarterly return was 19.24% for the quarter ended June 30, 2009, and the Fund’s lowest quarterly return was -15.42% for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.

Average Annual Total Returns
(For the periods ended December 31, 2011)
The Teberg Fund
One
Year
Five
Years
Since Inception
(4/01/2002)
Return Before Taxes
-0.79%
1.87%
4.21%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
-1.77%
0.68%
3.27%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-0.34%
1.29%
3.31%
S&P 500® Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
2.11%
-0.25%
2.97%
Dow Jones Industrial Average
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
8.38%
2.37%
4.28%
 
After-tax returns are calculated using the historically highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.  Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”).  The Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares is higher than other return figures when a capital loss occurs upon the redemption of Fund shares.
 
Management
Investment Advisor.  First Associated Investment Advisors, Inc. is the Fund’s investment advisor.

Portfolio Manager.  Curtis A. Teberg has been the portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in April 2002.  Mr. Teberg is the co-founder of the Advisor and has been its President since its inception in 1988.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase or redeem Fund shares on any business day by written request via mail (The Teberg Fund, c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, P.O. Box 701, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701), by wire transfer, by telephone at 1-866-209-1964, or through a financial intermediary.  Investors who wish to purchase or redeem Fund shares through a financial intermediary should contact the financial intermediary directly.  The minimum initial and minimum subsequent investment amounts are shown below.

Minimum and Subsequent Investment Amounts
Type of Account
To Open
Your Account
To Add to
Your Account
Regular Accounts
$2,000
$100
IRAs (Traditional, Roth, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs)
$2,000
$100
Coverdell Education Savings Accounts
$2,000
$100
Uniform Gifts/Transfers to Minors Act Accounts
$2,000
$100
 
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions are taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA.  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 the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund and/or the Advisor may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services.  These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment.  Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

Investment Objective
The investment objective of the Fund is to seek to maximize total return (capital appreciation plus income).  This objective and the investment strategies described below are non-fundamental, which means that they may be changed by action of the Fund’s Board of Trustees (herein referred to as the “Board” or “Trustees”) without shareholder approval.

Investment Strategies
The Fund pursues its objective by investing primarily in shares of any number of Underlying Funds.  The Underlying Funds purchased by the Fund likely will have certain investment policies and use certain investment practices that may be different from those of the Fund.  These other policies and practices may subject the Underlying Funds’ (and, by extension, the Fund’s) assets to varying or greater degrees of risk.
 
The Advisor selects primarily equity mutual funds that the Advisor believes offer superior prospects for capital growth, attractive high-yield bond mutual funds and money market mutual funds (the Fund reserves the right to invest all of its assets in either equity, fixed-income or money market mutual funds depending upon market conditions).  The Advisor uses a “top down” approach to actively selecting Underlying Funds that begins with an analysis of the general economic outlook.  The next step is to analyze historical market patterns with the goal of determining which categories and sectors are likely to perform well in certain economic conditions.  Next, the Advisor analyzes the historical returns of a broad universe of mutual funds and selects those that exhibit the potential for superior growth based on factors including, but not limited to, their exposure to risk, historical performance, downside records, and competitive position.

In selecting the Underlying Funds, the Advisor seeks to construct a portfolio of Underlying Funds that invest across the range of the total market, including stocks of domestic and international companies with small, medium and large average capitalizations, and at various times emphasizes either value or growth styles of investing or a combination.  The Advisor also seeks to include Underlying Funds that invest in fixed-income securities with varying maturities (e.g., short-term, intermediate or long-term) and credit qualities (e.g., investment grade or lower than investment grade); provided, however, that at any given time up to 80% of the Fund’s net assets may be invested in Underlying Funds that invest in high-yield (or “junk bond”) securities.  The term “investment grade” refers to the credit quality of fixed-income securities as established by a recognized rating agency, such as Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group, Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., or Fitch, Inc.  Securities that are rated lower than investment grade (commonly known as “junk bonds”), or high-yield securities, generally provide high income in an effort to compensate investors for their higher risk of default, which is the failure to make required interest or principal payments.  High-yield bond issuers include small or relatively new companies lacking the history or capital to merit investment grade status, former blue chip companies downgraded because of financial problems, companies electing to borrow heavily to finance or avoid takeover or buyout, and firms with heavy debt loads.  In addition, although not its primary investment focus, the Fund also may purchase shares of international and global Underlying Funds that invest in securities of companies located outside of the U.S. when they meet the Advisor’s selective criteria.  Such investments, however, will not comprise more than 5% of the Fund’s portfolio at any given time.
The Advisor believes that investing in other mutual funds provides the Fund with opportunities to achieve greater diversification of portfolio securities and investment techniques than the Fund could achieve by investing directly in individual portfolio securities.  However, the Advisor believes that the best investment returns can be attained by moving assets into funds that currently exhibit the potential for superior growth within a given asset class or fund category.  Continually monitoring and re-balancing the Fund’s investments (if necessary) may help ensure that returns are maximized while maintaining diversification to avoid dependence on one area of the market.  The Advisor also regularly evaluates the macroeconomics of the categories for shifts that may necessitate a re-evaluation of the entire allocation process.  Such trading, however, may result in realization of capital gains that would not otherwise be realized and may also lead to higher transaction costs, which could negatively affect the Fund’s performance.  The Fund cannot accurately predict its future annual portfolio turnover rate. A comparatively high portfolio turnover rate may affect the Fund’s performance because it results in higher brokerage commissions, and higher portfolio turnover rates may result in taxable capital gain distributions to the Fund’s shareholders.  Additionally, there is no limit on, and the Advisor cannot control, the portfolio turnover rates of the Underlying Funds.

The Fund is independent from any of the Underlying Funds in which it invests and has little voice in or control over the investment practices, policies or decisions of those Underlying Funds.  If the Fund disagrees with those practices, policies or decisions, it may have no choice other than to liquidate its investment in that Underlying Fund, which may entail losses.  An Underlying Fund may limit the Fund’s ability to sell its shares of the Underlying Fund at certain times.  In these cases, such investments will be considered illiquid and subject to the Fund’s overall limit on illiquid securities.  For example, no Underlying Fund is required to redeem any of its shares owned by the Fund in an amount exceeding 1% of the Underlying Fund’s shares during any period of less than 30 days.  As a result, to the extent that the Fund owns more than 1% of an Underlying Fund’s shares, the Fund may not be able to liquidate those shares promptly in the event of adverse market conditions or other considerations.
 
To determine when to sell Underlying Funds, the Advisor analyzes how the general economic outlook could impact certain categories and sectors based on historical market patterns.  The Advisor continuously monitors the pricing of the each Underlying Fund to identify if it is performing as anticipated with the goal of selling a fund when it appears to have reached its expected growth potential.  The Advisor may sell an Underlying Fund prior to reaching this growth level if the economic outlook changes or it appears that the Underlying Fund is not reacting to current conditions as it has to similar periods in the past.

As a means to pursue its investment objective, the Fund generally intends to limit its investments to shares of Underlying Funds.  The Fund may, however, to a limited extent invest its assets directly in securities in lieu of indirect investments through other mutual funds.  The Fund’s direct investments would remain consistent with its asset allocation strategy and would typically be close or identical to those securities held by one or more of the Underlying Funds in which the Fund currently invests.

The Fund will invest, whenever possible, in Underlying Funds that do not impose up-front sales loads, deferred sales loads, or Rule 12b-1 distribution fees of more than 0.25%.  If the Fund invests in an Underlying Fund that charges a sales load, it will use available sales load waivers and quantity discounts to minimize or eliminate the sales load.  If the Fund invests in an Underlying Fund that pays Rule 12b-1 distribution fees, the Advisor will purchase the Underlying Fund through its associated broker-dealer, which receives the Rule 12b-1 distribution fee.  Mr. Curtis A. Teberg, who is the President of the Advisor, may receive a portion of the Rule 12b-1 distribution fee because he is a registered representative of this broker-dealer.  Mr. Teberg could retain such amounts or credit such amounts to the Fund.  The Advisor has contractually agreed to reduce its management fee by the amount of Rule 12b-1 fees the Advisor received, whether or not the expense cap has been exceeded.  This contractual commitment is indefinite and may only be changed with the consent of the Fund’s Board.

As a complement to its primary strategy of investing in mutual funds, the Fund may also purchase shares of other types of investment companies, such as closed-end funds and ETFs, and is currently investing a portion of its assets in ETFs.

Cash Investments

In addition to the Underlying Funds, the Fund will also invest in cash or cash equivalents, such as money market mutual funds.  In certain market conditions, the Advisor may determine that it is appropriate for the Fund to hold a substantial cash position of up to 100% of its total assets for an extended period of time.  The Fund expects that it may maintain substantial cash positions when the Advisor determines that such cash investments, given the risks the Advisor believes to be present in the market, are more likely to help the Fund achieve its investment objective than investing in additional Underlying Funds.  Moreover, when market conditions dictate a more defensive investment strategy, the Fund may, on a temporary basis, invest any amount in cash, money market mutual funds, or similar short-term, investment grade securities such as U.S. government securities, repurchase agreements, commercial paper or certificates of deposit.  When the Fund takes such a temporary defensive position, it may not achieve its investment objective.  Additionally, for cash management purposes, the Fund may hold up to 100% of its total assets directly in cash or similar investments, but only after the Advisor has committed available assets to desirable investment opportunities.
 
Principal Risks of Investment
Mutual funds pool shareholders’ money and, using professional investment managers, invest the shareholders’ money in securities.  Although the Fund principally invests in a number of Underlying Funds, this investment strategy does not eliminate investment risk.  Owning securities, including mutual funds, has risks that may cause you to lose money on your investment.  As all investment securities are subject to inherent market risks and fluctuations in value due to earnings, economic and political conditions and other factors, the Fund cannot give any assurance that its investment objective will be achieved.  The following list sets forth more information about the principal risks of the Fund noted earlier in this Prospectus, along with information on additional types of risks that apply to the Fund.  These risks could adversely affect the net asset value (“NAV”) per share and total return of the Fund, and therefore your investment.

·  
Management Risk. The main risk of the Fund is the emphasis placed on the Advisor’s judgment in assembling the combination of investments in the Underlying Funds.  The Advisor’s primary role is to make decisions based on investment research and analysis about the appropriate allocation among and within fund classes and types at any given time.  Although the Fund may have a wide range of equity and fixed-income allocations, the types of equity or fixed-income funds used and in what proportion involve highly subjective judgments, and the Fund is designed to reflect those judgments.  As a consequence, the principal risks of the Fund involve the risks that those judgments may not anticipate actual market movements or the impact of economic conditions generally.  In fact, no matter how well the Advisor evaluates market conditions, you could lose money on your investment in the Fund just as you could with other investments.

·  
Stock Market Risk.  The Fund invests in mutual funds that invest in equity securities.  Equity mutual funds are subject to stock market risks and significant fluctuations in value.  Stock market prices of securities may be adversely affected by many factors, such as an issuer having experienced losses or by the lack of earnings or by the issuer’s failure to meet the market’s expectations with respect to new products or services, or even by factors wholly unrelated to the value or condition of the issuer.  If the stock market declines in value, the Fund is likely to also decline in value.  Furthermore, an Underlying Fund’s focus on certain types of stocks (such as small or large capitalization companies) and style of investing (such as value or growth) subjects it to the risk that its performance may be lower than that of other types of equity funds that focus on other types of stocks or that have a broader investment style (such as the general market).
·  
Bond Market Risk. The Fund may invest in Underlying Funds that are invested in a broad range of bonds or other fixed-income securities.  To the extent that an Underlying Fund is so invested, the return on and value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate with the Underlying Funds’ fixed-income investments.  Fixed-income securities are generally subject to the following types of risks.  Typically, when interest rates rise, the fixed-income security’s market value declines (interest rate risk).  Conversely, typically the longer a fixed-income security’s maturity, the lower its yield and the greater the risk of volatility (maturity risk).  A fixed-income security’s value can also be affected by changes in the security’s credit quality rating or its issuer’s financial condition (credit quality risk).  This means that the underlying company may experience financial problems causing it to be unable to meet its payment obligations.  Other factors may affect the market price and yield of fixed-income securities, including investor demand, changes in the financial condition of issuers of securities, government fiscal policy and domestic or worldwide economic conditions.
 
·  
High-Yield Securities Risk.  Fixed-income securities receiving below investment grade ratings (i.e., “junk bonds”) may have speculative characteristics, and, compared to higher-grade securities, may have a weakened capacity to make principal and interest payments in economic conditions or other circumstances.  High-yield, high risk, and lower-rated securities are subject to additional risk factors, such as increased possibility of default, decreased liquidity, and fluctuations in value due to public perception of the issuer of such securities.  These bonds are almost always uncollateralized and subordinate to other debt that an issuer may have outstanding.  In addition, both individual high-yield securities and the entire high-yield bond market can experience sharp price swings due to a variety of factors, including changes in economic forecasts, stock market activity, large sustained sales by major investors, or, a higher profile default.

·  
Small and Medium Capitalization Companies Risk. To the extent that the Fund invests in Underlying Funds that invest in the equity securities of companies with small and medium size capitalization, the Fund is subject to certain risks.  Companies with small and medium size capitalization often have narrower markets, fewer products or services to offer and more limited managerial and financial resources than do larger, more established companies.  As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face a greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility and risk of loss of the Fund’s assets.
·  
Industry or Sector Emphasis Risk.  The Fund may invest in Underlying Funds that in turn concentrate their investments within one industry or sector or among a broad range of industries or sectors.  To the extent that an Underlying Fund focuses on one or more sectors or industries, it may be subject to the risks affecting that sector or industry more than would a more broadly diversified fund.  For example, to the extent that an Underlying Fund concentrates in the technology sector, it will be subject to the risks of that sector, including competitive pressures of technology companies from new market entrances and technological obsolescence, as well as increased research and development costs and potential for greater governmental regulation.  Furthermore, each industry or sector possesses particular risks that may not affect other industries or sectors.  The Advisor’s judgment about which sectors or industries offer the greatest potential for long-term financial reward will change over time.  Therefore, the Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests may be concentrated in any of a number of different sectors or industries.

·  
Underlying Funds Expense Risk.  The Underlying Funds, including ETFs, are either open-end or closed-end investment companies.  ETFs are investment companies that are bought and sold on a national securities exchange.  All Underlying Funds have management fees that are part of their costs. To the extent that the Fund invests in Underlying Funds (including ETFs), there will be some duplication of expenses because the Fund would bear its pro rata portion of such funds’ management fees and operational expenses.  Because the Fund invests in ETFs, it is subject to additional risks that do not apply to conventional mutual funds, including the risks that the market price of an ETF’s shares may trade at a discount to its NAV per share, an active secondary trading market may not develop or be maintained, and trading may be halted by, or the ETF may be delisted from, the exchange in which they trade, which may impact the Fund’s ability to sell its shares.  The lack of liquidity in a particular ETF could result in it being more volatile than the ETF’s underlying portfolio of securities.  ETFs are also subject to the risks of the underlying securities or sectors the ETF is designed to track.  In addition, there are brokerage commissions paid in connection with buying or selling ETF shares.

·  
Cash Position Risk.  When the Advisor believes it is appropriate, the Fund may, for extended periods of time, hold all or a portion of its assets in cash or cash equivalents such as money market mutual funds.  This could prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective.  For example, should the market advance during this period, the Fund may not participate as much as it would have if it had been more fully invested.  To the extent the Fund uses a money market fund for its cash position, there will be some duplication of expenses because the Fund would bear its pro rata portion of such money market fund’s advisory fees and operational expenses.  Also, the yield paid by a money market fund in which the Fund invests will vary with short-term interest rates.  During periods of rising interest rates, such money market fund’s yield will tend to be lower than prevailing interest rates.
 
 
 
·  
Portfolio Turnover Risk.  A high portfolio turnover rate (100% or more) has the potential to result in the realization by the Fund and distribution to shareholders of a greater amount of capital gains than if the Fund had a low portfolio turnover rate.  This may mean that you would be likely to have a higher tax liability.  Distributions to shareholders of short-term capital gains are taxed as ordinary income under federal tax laws.  The Fund’s tax loss carryforwards may help reduce your tax liability.  A high portfolio turnover rate also leads to higher transaction costs, which could negatively affect the Fund’s performance.

Non-Principal Risks of Investment

·  
Government Obligations Risk.  The Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests may invest in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities.  No assurance can be given that the U.S. government will provide financial support to U.S. government-sponsored agencies or instrumentalities where it is not obligated to do so by law.

·  
Liquidity Risk.  The securities of many of the companies with small and medium size capitalizations may have less “float” (the number of shares that normally trade) and less interest in the market and therefore are subject to liquidity risk.  In addition, high-yield securities generally have more limited trading opportunities than higher credit quality securities, which makes it more difficult to buy or sell a security at a favorable price or time, and therefore they are also subject to liquidity risk.  Liquidity risk is the risk that certain securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and price that the Underlying Fund would like to sell.  If that happens, an Underlying Fund invested in such securities may have to lower the price, sell other securities instead, or forego an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on such Underlying Fund’s (and, by extension, the Fund’s) performance.

Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).  Currently, disclosure of the Fund’s holdings is required to be made quarterly within 60 days of the end of each fiscal quarter in the Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report to Fund shareholders and in the quarterly holdings report on Form N-Q.  The annual and semi-annual portfolio holdings for the Fund will be posted on the Fund’s website at www.tebergfund.com until updated with the next required annual or semi-annual regulatory filing with the SEC.  The Annual and Semi-Annual Reports are available by contacting The Teberg Fund, c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, P.O. Box 701, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-0701, or calling 1-866-209-1964 and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.  The Annual and Semi-Annual Reports are also posted on the Fund’s website.

Investment Advisor
First Associated Investment Advisors, Inc., subject to the general supervision of the Board, is the investment advisor to the Fund and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund in accordance with the Fund’s objectives and policies.  This includes making investment decisions, as well as buying and selling securities.  The Advisor is an SEC-registered investment advisor and is located at 5161 Miller Trunk Highway, Duluth, Minnesota 55811.  The Advisor has provided investment management services for individuals and institutional clients since 1988.
 
The Advisor is ultimately responsible for the investment performance of the Fund because it allocates the Fund’s assets among the various mutual funds in which it invests and monitors the Fund for any necessary re-balancing or reallocation.  For its services, the Advisor is entitled to an annual management fee of 1.50% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.  In addition, the Advisor has entered into an Operating Expenses Limitation Agreement in which it has agreed to keep the Fund’s expenses (excluding AFFE, taxes, leverage interest or brokerage commissions) to 2.50% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.  The term of the Fund’s Operating Expenses Limitation Agreement is indefinite and it can only be terminated upon a vote of the Fund’s Board of Trustees. Under the Operating Expenses Limitation Agreement, the Advisor may recoup reduced management fees or Fund expenses paid for a three-year period under specified conditions.  The Fund must pay its current ordinary operating expenses before the Advisor is entitled to any recoupment of management fees and/or expenses.  For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, the Advisor received management fees of 1.46% of the Fund’s average daily net assets, net of contractual and voluntary waivers.  In addition, the Advisor has contractually agreed to reduce its management fee by the amount of any Rule 12b-1 fees received from its associated broker-dealer from transactions involving the Fund.  The Advisor does not retain a right to recoup any reduction in the management fee with respect to the Rule 12b-1 fee reduction.

The Fund, as a series of the Trust, does not hold itself out as related to any other series of the Trust for purposes of investment and investor services, nor does it share the same investment advisor with any other series.

A discussion regarding the basis of the Board’s approval of the Advisor’s investment advisory agreement is available in the Fund’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012.

Portfolio Manager
Curtis A. Teberg is the portfolio manager of the Fund and has been responsible for its overall day-to-day management since its inception.  Mr. Teberg has been in the investment management business for more than 30 years.  He is the co-founder of the Advisor and has been its President since its inception in 1988.  From August 1988 to February 2002, Mr. Teberg was a registered representative with Walnut Street Securities, Inc., a securities brokerage firm in St. Louis, Missouri.  From February 2002 to April 2011, he was a registered representative with Askar Corp., a securities brokerage firm in Bloomington, Minnesota.  Since May 2011, he has been a registered representative with Polar Investment Counsel, Inc., a securities brokerage firm in Thief River Falls, Minnesota.  Mr. Teberg holds series 7, 24, and 63 licenses.
The SAI provides additional information about the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager and his ownership of securities of the Fund.


Valuation of Fund Shares
Shares of the Fund are sold at NAV per share, which is determined by the Fund as of the close of regular trading (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open for unrestricted business.  The Fund’s NAV per share, however, may be calculated earlier if trading on the NYSE is restricted or as permitted by the SEC.  Additionally, while the Fund does not expect to determine the NAV of its shares on any day when the NYSE is not open for trading (even if there is sufficient trading in its portfolio securities on such days to materially affect the NAV per share), the NAV of the Fund’s shares may be determined on days the NYSE is closed for business if the Board decides it is necessary.  Purchase and redemption requests are priced at the next NAV per share calculated after receipt of such requests.  The NAV per share is determined by dividing the value of the Fund’s securities (consisting primarily of shares of other mutual funds), cash and other assets, minus all expenses and liabilities, by the number of shares outstanding (assets – liabilities / number of outstanding shares = NAV per share).  The NAV per share takes into account the expenses and fees of the Fund, including management, administration and Rule 12b-1 fees, which are accrued daily.
 
The assets of the Fund consist primarily, if not exclusively, of shares of the Underlying Funds valued at their respective NAVs per share.  There may be situations when the Fund is unable to receive an NAV per share from an Underlying Fund.  In such cases, shares of an Underlying Fund will be valued at their fair market value as determined in good faith by the Trust’s Valuation Committee under supervision of the Board.  Most Underlying Fund securities are valued primarily on the basis of current market quotations or on the basis of information furnished by a pricing service.  Certain short-term securities are valued on the basis of amortized cost.  If market quotations or information furnished by a pricing service is not readily available or does not accurately reflect fair value for a security held by an Underlying Fund, or if the value of a security held by an Underlying Fund has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the applicable exchange or market on which the security is principally traded, that security may be valued at its fair market value as determined in good faith in accordance with procedures approved by the Underlying Funds’ Boards of Directors or Trustees.  The NAV per share of the Fund will fluctuate with the value of the securities held by the Underlying Funds in which it principally invests.
Fair Value Pricing
The trading hours for most foreign securities end prior to the close of the NYSE, the time the Fund’s NAV per share is calculated. The occurrence of certain events after the close of foreign markets, but prior to the close of the U.S. market (such as a significant surge or decline in the U.S. market) often will result in an adjustment to the trading prices of foreign securities when foreign markets open on the following business day. If such events occur, the Fund may value foreign securities at fair value, taking into account such events, when it calculates its NAV per share. Fair value determinations are made in good faith in accordance with procedures adopted by the Fund’s Board.

The Board has also developed procedures that utilize fair value procedures to value assets when reliable market quotations are not readily available or when the Fund’s pricing service does not provide a valuation or provides a valuation that in the judgment of the Advisor does not represent fair value. The Fund may also fair value a security if the Fund or the Advisor believes that the market price is stale. Other types of securities that the Fund may hold for which fair value pricing might be required include, but are not limited to:  (a) illiquid securities including “restricted” securities and private placements for which there is no public market; (b) securities of an issuer that has entered into a restructuring; (c) securities whose trading has been halted or suspended; and (d) fixed-income securities that have gone into default and for which there is no current market value quotation.  Further, if events occur that materially affect the value of a security between the time trading ends on that particular security and the close of the normal trading session of the NYSE, the Fund may value the security at its fair value.  Valuing securities at fair value involves greater reliance on judgment than securities that have readily available market quotations. There can be no assurance that the Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to a security if it were to sell the security at approximately the time at which the Fund determines its NAV per share.

When fair value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by the Fund to calculate its NAV per share may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities.  Due to the subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, it is possible that the fair value determined for a particular security may be materially different from the value realized upon such security’s sale.  Therefore, if a shareholder purchases or redeems shares in the Fund that hold securities priced at a fair value, this may have the unintended effect of increasing or decreasing the number of shares received in a purchase or the value of the proceeds received upon a redemption.
 
Buying Shares
Shares of the Fund may be purchased by check or by wire transfer of funds through a bank, through the Automatic Investment Plan or through one or more brokers authorized by the Fund to receive purchase orders.  Initial investments may be made in any amount in excess of the minimum required (see page 6).  To add to existing accounts, the Fund requires a minimum investment of $100 for any type of account.  The minimum investment requirements may be waived from time to time by the Fund.

Shares of the Fund have not been registered for sale outside of the United States.  The Fund generally does not sell shares to investors residing outside the United States, even if they are United States citizens or lawful permanent residents, except to investors with United States military APO or FPO addresses.

In-Kind Purchases and Redemptions
The Fund reserves the right to accept payment for shares in the form of securities that are permissible investments for the Fund.  The Fund also reserves the right to pay redemptions by a distribution “in-kind” of securities (instead of cash) from the Fund.  See the SAI for further information about the terms of these purchases and redemptions.
 
Timing of Requests
Your share price will be the next NAV per share calculated after U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (the “Transfer Agent”) receives your request in good order.  All requests received in good order before 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time, will be processed on that same day.  Requests received after 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time, will receive the next business day’s NAV per share.
 
 
 
When making a purchase request, make sure your request is in good order. 
“Good order” means your purchase request includes:
 
   The name of the Fund;
■   The dollar amount of shares to be purchases;
■   Completed account application or investment stub; and
■   Check payable to "The Teberg Fund."
 
Methods of Buying
Through an authorized broker-dealer or mutual fund marketplace
You can purchase shares of the Fund through any broker-dealer organization or mutual fund marketplace that has been authorized by the Fund.  These broker-dealers are further authorized to designate other intermediaries to receive purchase and redemption orders on the Fund’s behalf.  A purchase order is deemed received by the Fund when an authorized broker-dealer or mutual fund marketplace, or, if applicable, a broker-dealer’s or mutual fund marketplace’s authorized designee, receives the request in good order.  Please keep in mind that your broker-dealer may charge additional fees for its services.
If the broker-dealer or agent receives your request before 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time, you will pay or receive the next NAV per share calculated by the Fund.  The broker-dealer (or agent) is responsible for processing your order correctly and promptly, keeping you advised regarding the status of your individual account, confirming your transactions and ensuring that you receive copies of the Fund’s Prospectus and shareholder reports.

By mail
To open an account, complete an account application and send it together with your check for the amount you wish to invest in the Fund to the following address.  To make additional investments after you have opened your account, write your account number on the check and send it together with the stub from the most recent account statement received from the Transfer Agent.  The Fund will not accept payment in cash or money orders.  The Fund also does not accept cashier’s checks in amounts of less than $10,000.  To prevent check fraud, the Fund will not accept third-party checks, Treasury checks, credit card checks, traveler’s checks or starter checks for the purchase of shares.  The Fund is unable to accept post-dated checks, post-dated on-line bill pay checks, or any conditional order or payment.  All purchases must be in U.S. dollars drawn on a domestic financial institution.  If your payment is returned for any reason, your purchase will be canceled and a $25 fee will be assessed against your account in addition to any loss sustained by the Fund.
 
Regular Mail
The Teberg Fund
c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
P.O. Box 701
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-0701
Overnight Delivery
The Teberg Fund
c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 E. Michigan Street, Third Floor
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202

NOTE:
The Fund does not consider the U.S. Postal Service or other independent delivery services to be its agents.  Therefore, deposit in the mail or with such services, or receipt at U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC’s post office box, of purchase orders or redemption requests does not constitute receipt by the Transfer Agent of the Fund.

By telephone
To make additional investments by telephone, in amounts of $100 or more, you must check the appropriate box on your account application authorizing telephone purchases, as well as provide banking information.  If you have given authorization for telephone transactions and your account has been open for at least 15 days, call the Transfer Agent toll-free at 1-866-209-1964 and you will be allowed to move money from your bank account to your Fund account upon request.  Only bank accounts held at U.S. institutions that are Automated Clearing House (ACH) members may be used for telephone transactions.  For security reasons, requests by telephone will be recorded.  If your call to purchase shares is received prior to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, your purchase will be made on the day of your order.
By wire
To open an account by wire, call 1-866-209-1964 to make arrangements with a customer service representative to obtain an account application.  Upon receipt of your completed account application, a representative will contact you within 24 hours, and will provide your account number and wire instructions.  Your bank can then wire your investment according to the instructions given to you.  If you are making a subsequent investment by wire, please call 1-866-209-1964 prior to sending your wire payment.  Use of the following wiring instructions will ensure proper credit upon receipt:

U.S. Bank National Association
777 East Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
ABA No. 075000022
Credit:  U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
Account No. 112-952-137
Further Credit:       Teberg Fund
(your name or the title on the account)
(your account #)

Wired funds must be received prior to 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time to be eligible for same day pricing.  The Fund and U.S. Bank N.A. are not responsible for the consequences of delays resulting from the banking or Federal Reserve system, or from incomplete wiring instructions.

In compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, please note that the Transfer Agent will verify certain information on your account application as part of the Fund’s Anti-Money Laundering Program.  As requested on the account application, you should provide your full name, date of birth, social security number and permanent street address.  Mailing addresses containing only a P.O. Box will not be accepted.  Please contact the Transfer Agent at 1-866-209-1964 if you need additional assistance when completing your account application.
 
If the Transfer Agent does not have a reasonable belief of the identity of an investor, the account will be rejected or the investor will not be allowed to perform a transaction on the account until such information is received.  The Fund may also reserve the right to close the account within five business days if clarifying information/documentation is not received.
Automatic Investment Plan
Once your account has been opened with the initial minimum investment, you may make additional purchases at regular intervals through the Automatic Investment Plan (“AIP”).  The AIP provides a convenient method to have monies deducted from your bank account, for investment into the Fund, on a monthly basis.  In order to participate in the AIP, each purchase must be in the amount of $100 or more, and your financial institution must be a member of the ACH network.  If your bank rejects your payment, the Transfer Agent will charge a $25 fee to your account.  To begin participating in the AIP, please complete the Automatic Investment Plan section on the account application or call the Transfer Agent at 1-866-209-1964.  Any request to change or terminate your AIP should be submitted to the Transfer Agent at least five business days prior to the automatic investment date.

Selling (Redeeming) Shares
You have the right to redeem all or any portion of your shares of the Fund at its NAV per share on each day the NYSE is open for trading.

Methods of Selling
Through a broker-dealer organization or mutual fund marketplace
If you purchased your shares through a broker-dealer, mutual fund marketplace or other financial organization, your redemption order must be placed through the same organization.  The organization is responsible for sending your redemption order to the Fund on a timely basis.  Please keep in mind that your broker-dealer or mutual fund marketplace may charge additional fees for its services.

By mail
Send your written redemption request to the Transfer Agent at the address below.  Your request should be in good order and contain the Fund’s name, the name(s) on the account, your account number and the dollar amount or the number of shares to be redeemed.  Be sure to have all shareholders sign the letter.  Additional documents are required for certain types of shareholders, such as corporations, partnerships, executors, trustees, administrators, or guardians (i.e., corporate resolutions, or trust documents indicating proper authorization).  Contact the Transfer Agent at 1-866-209-1964 with questions on required documentation.

Shareholders who have an IRA or other retirement plan must indicate on their redemption request whether or not to withhold federal income tax.  Redemption requests failing to indicate an election not to have tax withheld will generally be subject to 10% withholding tax.
 
Regular Mail
The Teberg Fund
c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
P.O. Box 701
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-0701
Overnight Delivery
The Teberg Fund
c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 East Michigan Street, Third Floor
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
 
 
Note:
The Fund does not consider the U.S. Postal Service or other independent delivery services to be its agents. Therefore, deposit in the mail or with such services, or receipt at U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC’s post office box, of purchase orders or redemption requests does not constitute receipt by the Transfer Agent of the Fund.
 
The Transfer Agent may require a signature guarantee for certain redemption requests, such as redemption requests made payable to a name that is different than on the account registration or an address not on record with the Fund.  A signature guarantee assures that your signature is genuine and protects you from unauthorized account redemptions.

A signature guarantee of each owner is required in the following situations:

·  
When ownership is being changed on your account;
·  
When redemption proceeds are payable to or sent to any person, address or bank account not on record;
·  
When a change of address request has been received by the Transfer Agent within the last 30 days; and/or
·  
For all redemptions in excess of $50,000 from any shareholder account.

Non-financial transactions, including establishing or modifying certain services on an account, may require a signature guarantee, signature verification from a Signature Validation Program member or other acceptable form of authentication from a financial institution source.

The Fund and/or the Transfer Agent may require a signature guarantee or signature validation program stamp in other instances based on the circumstances.

Signature guarantees will generally be accepted from domestic banks, brokers, dealers, credit unions, national securities exchanges, registered securities associations, clearing agencies and savings associations, as well as from participants in the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program and the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program.  A notary public is not an acceptable signature guarantor.

By telephone
If you are authorized to perform telephone transactions (either through your account application or by subsequent arrangement in writing with the Fund) you may redeem shares in amounts up to $50,000, but not less than $500, by instructing the Fund by phone at 1-866-209-1964.  A signature verification from a Signature Validation Program member or other acceptable form of authentication from a financial institution source may be required in order to qualify for or to change telephone redemption privileges.
Note: Neither the Fund nor its service providers will be liable for any loss or expense in acting upon instructions that are reasonably believed to be genuine.  To confirm that all telephone instructions are genuine, the Fund will use reasonable procedures, such as requesting that you correctly state:
 
·  
the Fund account number;
·  
the name in which your account is registered;
·  
the social security or tax identification number under which the account is registered; or
·  
the address of the account holder, as stated in the account application.

By wire
To redeem shares by wire payment, call the Fund at 1-866-209-1964 and specify the amount of money you wish to be wired.  Proceeds will be wired using the bank instructions on your account at the time of the redemption.  Your bank may charge a fee to receive wired funds.  The Transfer Agent charges a $15 outgoing wire fee.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan
As another convenience, you may redeem your Fund shares through the Systematic Withdrawal Plan (“SWP”).  Under the SWP, you may choose to receive a specified dollar amount, generated from the redemption of shares in your account, on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis.  In order to participate in the SWP, your account balance must be at least $10,000 and each payment should be a minimum of $100.  If you elect this method of redemption, the Fund will send a check to your address of record, or will send the payment via electronic funds transfer through the ACH network directly to your bank account.  For payment through the ACH network, your bank must be an ACH member and your bank account information must be maintained on your Fund account.  The SWP may be terminated at any time by the Fund.  You may also elect to terminate your participation in the SWP at any time by contacting the Transfer Agent at least five days prior to the next withdrawal.

A withdrawal under the SWP involves a redemption of shares and may result in a gain or loss for federal income tax purposes.  In addition, if the amount withdrawn exceeds any increase in the value of your account (due to asset appreciation or dividends credited to your account, for example) the account ultimately may be depleted.

Payment of Redemption Proceeds to You
You may redeem the Fund’s shares at a price equal to the NAV per share next determined after the Transfer Agent receives your redemption request in good order.  Your redemption request cannot be processed on days the NYSE is closed.  All requests received in good order by the Fund before the close of the regular trading session of the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) will be processed on that day.  Proceeds from the redemption are usually sent on the next business day.  
 
You may have a check sent to your address of record, proceeds may be wired to the bank account previously designated, or funds may be sent via electronic funds transfer through the ACH network, also to the bank account of record.  Wire payments are subject to a $15 fee paid by the shareholder, but the shareholder does not incur any charge when proceeds are sent via the ACH system.  Proceeds sent via ACH are typically available in your bank account within two business days.  In all cases, proceeds will be sent to you within seven calendar days after the Fund receives your redemption request.
 
 
 
When making a written redemption request, make sure your request is in good order.  “Good order” means your letter of instruction includes:
 
The name of the Fund;
The dollar amount of shares to be redeemed;
Signatures of all registered shareholders exactly as the shares are registered, with signatres guaranteed, if applicable; and
The account number.
 
 
 
 
 
If you purchase shares using a check and soon after request a redemption, the Fund will honor the redemption request, but will not send the proceeds until your purchase check has cleared (usually within 12 days).
 
General Transaction Policies
Some of the following policies are mentioned above.  In general, the Fund reserves the right to:

·  
Vary or waive any minimum investment requirement.
 
·  
Refuse, change, discontinue, or temporarily suspend account services, including purchase, exchange, or telephone redemption privileges, for any reason.
 
·  
Reject any purchase or exchange request for any reason.  Generally, the Fund does this if the purchase or exchange is disruptive to the efficient management of the Fund (due to the timing of the investment or an investor’s history of excessive trading).
 
·  
Redeem all shares in your account if your balance falls below the Fund’s minimum investment amount required for your type of account (described under “Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares” in the “Summary Section”).  If, within 60 days of the Fund’s written request, you have not increased your account balance, you may be required to redeem your shares.  The Fund will not require you to redeem shares if the value of your account drops below the investment minimum due to fluctuations of NAV per share.
 
·  
Delay paying redemption proceeds for up to seven days after receiving a request, if an earlier payment could adversely affect the Fund.
 
·  
Reject any purchase or redemption request that does not contain all required documentation.
If you accepted telephone privileges on the account application or requested the options in a letter to the Fund, you may be responsible for any fraudulent telephone orders as long as the Fund has taken reasonable precautions to verify your identity.  In addition, once you place a telephone transaction request, it cannot be canceled or modified.

Telephone trades must be received by or prior to market close.  During periods of high market activity, shareholders may encounter higher than usual call wait times.  Please allow sufficient time to ensure that you will be able to complete your telephone transaction prior to market close.  If you are unable to contact the Fund by telephone, you may also mail the request to the Fund at the address listed under “Buying Shares.”

Your broker-dealer or other financial organization may establish policies that differ from those of the Fund.  For example, the organization may charge transaction fees, set higher minimum investments, or impose certain limitations on buying or selling shares in addition to those identified in this Prospectus.  Contact your broker-dealer or other financial organization for details.

Fund Mailings
Statements and reports that the Fund sends to you include the following:

·  
Confirmation statements (after every transaction that affects your account balance or your account registration);
·  
Annual and Semi-Annual shareholder reports (every six months); and
·  
Quarterly account statements.

Householding
In an effort to decrease costs, the Transfer Agent intends to reduce the number of duplicate prospectuses, annual and semi-annual reports, proxy statements and other regulatory documents you receive by sending only one copy of each to those addresses shared by two or more accounts and to shareholders the Transfer Agent reasonably believes are from the same family or household.  Once implemented, if you would like to discontinue householding for your accounts, please call toll-free at 1-866-209-1964 to request individual copies of these documents.  Once the Fund receives notice to stop householding, we will begin sending individual copies thirty days after receiving your request.  This policy does not apply to account statements.
 
Inactive Accounts
Your mutual fund account may be transferred to your state of residence if no activity occurs within your account during the “inactivity period” specified in your state’s abandoned property laws.

The Fund does not accommodate “market timers.”  The Fund is intended for long-term investors and does not accommodate frequent transactions.  Short-term “market timers” who engage in frequent purchases and redemptions can disrupt the Fund’s investment program and create additional transaction costs that are borne by all shareholders. Funds that invest in overseas securities, where market timers may seek to take advantage of time zone differences, and funds that invest in small cap and other types of investments which are not frequently traded, may be targets of market timers.

The Fund discourages excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices that may disrupt portfolio management strategies and harm Fund performance. The Board has developed a market timing policy, which takes steps to reduce the frequency and effect of these activities in the Fund. The Fund applies these market timing procedures uniformly to all shareholders of the Fund.  These steps include monitoring trading practices and using fair value pricing. Although these efforts are designed to discourage abusive trading practices, these tools cannot eliminate the possibility that such activity will occur. Further, while the Fund makes efforts to identify and restrict frequent trading, the Fund receives purchase and sale orders through financial intermediaries and cannot always know or detect frequent trading that may be facilitated by the use of intermediaries or the use of group or omnibus accounts by those intermediaries.  The Fund seeks to exercise its judgment in implementing these tools to the best of its abilities in a manner that it believes is consistent with shareholder interests.

Monitoring Trading Practices
The Fund uses a variety of techniques to monitor for and detect abusive trading practices. These techniques may change from time to time as determined by the Fund in its sole discretion. To minimize harm to the Fund and its shareholders, the Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order from any shareholder the Fund believes has a history of abusive trading or whose trading, in its judgment, has been or may be disruptive to the Fund. In making this judgment, the Fund may consider trading done in multiple accounts under common ownership or control.  The Fund applies these market timing procedures uniformly to all shareholders of the Fund.

Currently, the Fund reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to identify trading practices as abusive.  The Fund may deem the sale of all or a substantial portion of a shareholder’s purchase of Fund shares to be abusive. In addition, the Fund reserves the right to accept purchases if it believes that such transactions would be consistent with the best interests of Fund shareholders or this policy.

The Fund monitors selected trades in an effort to detect excessive short-term trading activities. If, as a result of this monitoring, the Fund believes that a shareholder has engaged in excessive short-term trading, it may, in its discretion, ask the shareholder to stop such activities or refuse to process purchases in the shareholder’s accounts. In making such judgments, the Fund seeks to act in a manner that it believes is consistent with the best interests of shareholders.
 
 
 
 
Due to the complexity and subjectivity involved in identifying abusive trading activity and the volume of shareholder transactions the Fund handles, there can be no assurance that the Fund’s efforts will identify all trades or trading practices that may be considered abusive. In addition, the Fund’s ability to monitor trades that are placed by individual shareholders within group, or omnibus, accounts maintained by financial intermediaries is limited because the Fund does not have simultaneous access to the underlying shareholder account information. However, the Fund attempts to monitor aggregate trades placed in omnibus accounts and seeks to work with financial intermediaries to discourage shareholders from engaging in abusive trading practices and to impose restrictions on excessive trades.

In compliance with Rule 22c-2 of the 1940 Act, the Fund’s Distributor (as defined below), on behalf of the Fund, will enter into written agreements with each of the Fund’s financial intermediaries, under which the intermediary must, upon request, provide the Fund with certain shareholder and identity trading information so that the Fund can enforce its market timing policies.

Fair Value Pricing
The Fund employs fair value pricing selectively to ensure greater accuracy in its daily NAV per share and to prevent dilution by frequent traders or market timers who seek to take advantage of temporary market anomalies.  The Board has developed procedures which utilize fair value pricing when reliable market quotations are not readily available or the Fund’s pricing service does not provide a valuation (or provides a valuation that in the judgment of the Advisor to the Fund does not represent the security’s fair value), or when, in the judgment of the Advisor, events have rendered the market value unreliable.  Valuing securities at fair value involves reliance on judgment.  Fair value determinations are made in good faith in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board and are reviewed by the Board.  There can be no assurance that the Fund will obtain the fair value assigned to a security if it were to sell the security at approximately the time at which the Fund determines its NAV per share.

More detailed information regarding fair value pricing can be found under the heading titled, “Shareholder Information.”
 
 
 
 

Distributor
Quasar Distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”), 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, serves as distributor and principal underwriter for the shares of the Fund.  The Distributor is a registered broker-dealer and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.  Shares of the Fund are offered on a continuous basis.

Distribution Plan
The Fund has implemented a Distribution Plan in accordance with Rule 12b-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), to provide certain distribution activities for the Fund and its shareholders.  The Distribution Plan allows the Fund to pay fees for the sale, distribution and servicing of its shares.  The Fund may pay up to 0.25% per year of its average daily net assets for such distribution and servicing activities.  As these fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets on an on-going basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges.

Additional Service Fees
In addition to paying fees under the Distribution Plan, the Fund may pay service fees to intermediaries such as banks, broker-dealers, financial advisors or other financial institutions, including affiliates of the Advisor, for sub-administration, sub-transfer agency and other shareholder services associated with shareholders whose shares are held of record in omnibus, other group accounts or accounts traded through registered securities clearing agents.
 
The Advisor, out of its own resources, and without additional cost to the Fund or its shareholders, may provide additional cash payouts or non-cash compensation to intermediaries who sell shares of the Fund, including affiliates of the Advisor.  Such payments and compensation are in addition to the Rule 12b-1 fees and service fees paid by the Fund.  These additional cash payments are generally made to intermediaries that provide shareholder servicing, marketing support and/or access to sales meetings, sales representatives and management representatives of the intermediary.  Cash compensation may also be paid by the Advisor to intermediaries for inclusion of the Fund on a sales list, including a preferred or select sales list, in other sales programs or as an expense reimbursement in cases where the intermediary provides shareholder services to Fund shareholders.  The Advisor may also pay cash compensation in the form of finder’s fees that vary depending on the Fund and the dollar amount of the shares sold.
 

 
 

Dividends and Distributions
The Fund will make distributions of dividends and capital gains, if any, at least annually, typically in December, but the Fund may make an additional payment of dividends or distribution if it deems it desirable at another time during any year.

If you elect to receive dividends and/or capital gains paid in cash, and the U.S. Postal Service cannot deliver the check, or if a check remains outstanding for six months, the Fund reserves the right to reinvest the distribution check in your account, at the Fund’s current NAV per share, and to reinvest all subsequent distributions.

All distributions will be reinvested in Fund shares unless you choose one of the following options: (1) reinvest all dividend distributions in additional Fund shares and receive capital gain distributions in cash; (2) receive all distributions in cash or (3) receive your dividends in cash and reinvest all capital gain distribution in additional Fund shares.  If you wish to change your distribution option, notify the Transfer Agent in writing at least five days prior to the record date of the distribution.

Any dividend or capital gain distribution paid by the Fund has the effect of reducing the NAV per share on the ex-dividend date by the amount of the dividend or capital gain distribution.  You should note that a dividend or capital gain distribution paid on shares purchased shortly before such dividend or capital gain distribution was declared will be subject to income taxes even though the dividend or capital gain distribution represents, in substance, a partial return of capital to you.

Taxation
The Fund has elected and intends to continue to qualify to be taxed as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.  As a regulated investment company, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax if it distributes its taxable income as required by the tax law and satisfies certain other requirements that are described in the SAI.

The Fund intends to make distributions of dividends and capital gains.  For individual shareholders, dividends are taxable to you as ordinary income or, under current law, as qualified dividend income.  The rate you pay on capital gain distributions will depend on how long the Fund held the securities that generated the gains, not on how long you owned your Fund shares.  You will be taxed in the same manner whether you receive your dividends and capital gain distributions in cash or reinvest them in additional Fund shares.  Although distributions are generally taxable when received, certain distributions declared in October, November, or December to shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month but paid in January are taxable as if received the prior December.
 
 
 
If you redeem your Fund shares, part of your redemption proceeds may represent your allocable share of the distributions made by the Fund relating to that tax year.  You will be informed annually of the amount and nature of the Fund’s distribution.  If you sell or exchange your Fund shares, it is considered a taxable event for you.  Depending on the purchase price and the sale price of the shares you sell or exchange, you may have a gain or a loss on the transaction.  You are responsible for any tax liabilities generated by your transaction.

By law, the Fund must withhold, as backup withholding, a percentage (currently 28%) of your taxable distributions and redemption proceeds if you do not provide your correct social security or taxpayer identification number and certify that you are not subject to backup withholding tax, or if the Internal Revenue Service instructs the Fund to do so.  Additional information concerning taxation of the Fund and its shareholders is contained in the SAI.

You should consult your own tax advisor concerning federal, state and local taxation of distributions from the Fund.


Please note that you cannot invest directly in an index.  The figures presented in the average annual total returns table reflect all dividends reinvested.

The S&P 500® Index is an unmanaged capitalization-weighted index of 500 stocks designed to represent the broad domestic economy.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is an unmanaged capitalization weighted index of 30 stocks designed to represent the broad domestic economy.
 
 
 

The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the Fund’s financial performance for the past five years.  Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share.  The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions).  This information has been audited by Tait, Weller & Baker LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Fund’s financial statements, are included in the Fund’s annual report, which is available upon request.

The Financial Highlights represent a capital share outstanding throughout the year.

 
Year Ended March 31

   
2012
   
2011
   
2010
   
2009
   
2008
 
                               
Net asset value, beginning of year
  $ 10.32     $ 9.94     $ 7.13     $ 9.84     $ 11.06  
                                         
Income from investment operations:
                                       
Net investment income(1)
    0.15       0.40       0.43       0.14       0.26  
Net realized and unrealized gain/(loss) on investments
    0.42       0.32       2.89       (2.81 )     (0.44 )
Total from investment operations
    0.57       0.72       3.32       (2.67 )     (0.18 )
                                         
Less distributions:
                                       
From net investment income
    (0.19 )     (0.34 )     (0.51 )     (0.04 )     (0.32 )
From net realized gain on investments
                            (0.72 )
Total distributions
    (0.19 )     (0.34 )     (0.51 )     (0.04 )     (1.04 )
                                         
Net asset value, end of year
  $ 10.70     $ 10.32     $ 9.94     $ 7.13     $ 9.84  
                                         
Total return
    5.72 %     7.36 %     46.59 %     -27.14 %     -1.94 %
                                         
Ratios/supplemental data:
                                       
Net assets, end of year (thousands)
  $ 36,076     $ 36,342     $ 36,738     $ 25,924     $ 35,822  
Ratio of expenses to average net assets:(2)
                                       
Before expense waiver
    2.38 %     2.34 %     2.33 %     2.34 %     2.32 %
After expense waiver
    2.34 %     2.32 %     2.32 %     2.32 %     2.25 %
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets: (2)
                                       
Before expense waiver
    1.38 %     3.87 %     4.52 %     1.64 %     2.27 %
After expense waiver
    1.42 %     3.89 %     4.53 %     1.66 %     2.34 %
Portfolio turnover rate
    224.14 %     86.88 %     142.44 %     183.32 %     198.92 %
_________________________________
(1)
Recognition of net investment income by the Fund is affected by the timing of the declaration of dividends by the underlying investment companies in which the Fund invests.
(2)
Does not include expenses of investment companies in which the Fund invests.
 

 
 
INVESTMENT ADVISOR
First Associated Investment Advisors, Inc.
Duluth, Minnesota


INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Tait, Weller & Baker LLP
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania


LEGAL COUNSEL
Paul Hastings LLP
New York, New York


DISTRIBUTOR
Quasar Distributors, LLC
Milwaukee, Wisconsin


CUSTODIAN
U.S. Bank National Association
Milwaukee, Wisconsin


ADMINISTRATOR, TRANSFER AGENT,
AND FUND ACCOUNTANT
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

 
 

The Fund collects non-public information about you from the following sources:

●           Information we receive about you on applications or other forms;

●           Information you give us orally; and/or

●           Information about your transactions with us or others.

We do not disclose any non-public personal information about our customers or former customers without the customer’s authorization, except as permitted by law or in response to inquiries from governmental authorities. We may share information with affiliated and unaffiliated third parties with whom we have contracts for servicing the Fund.  We will provide unaffiliated third parties with only the information necessary to carry out their assigned responsibilities.  We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to guard your non-public personal information and require third parties to treat your personal information with the same high degree of confidentiality.

In the event that you hold shares of the Fund through a financial intermediary, including, but not limited to, a broker-dealer, bank, or trust company, the privacy policy of your financial intermediary would govern how your non-public personal information would be shared by those entities with unaffiliated third parties.




Where to Find More Information
You can find more information about the Fund in the following documents:

Statement of Additional Information (SAI)
The SAI provides more details about the Fund’s policies and management.  The Fund’s SAI dated July 29, 2012, is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus.

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports
The Fund’s Annual and Semi-Annual Reports (the “Shareholder Reports”) provide the most recent financial reports and portfolio investments.  The Annual Report contains a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year.

The SAI and Shareholder Reports are available on the Fund’s website at www.tebergfund.com.  You may also obtain a free copy of these documents or request other information about the Fund by calling the Fund at 1-866-209-1964, or by writing to:

The Teberg Fund
c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
P.O. Box 701
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-0701

You may write to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Public Reference Room at the regular mailing address or the e-mail address below and ask them to mail you information about the Fund, including the SAI.  They will charge you a fee for this duplicating service.  You can also visit the SEC Public Reference Room and copy documents while you are there.  For more information about the operation of the Public Reference Room, call the SEC at the telephone number below.

Public Reference Section
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Washington, D.C.  20549-1520
publicinfo@sec.gov
(202) 551-8090

Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov.




1940 Act File No. 811-07959
 
 

 
 
Statement of Additional Information
 
Dated July 29, 2012






THE TEBERG FUND
Trading Symbol: TEBRX

A Series of

ADVISORS SERIES TRUST







This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) provides general information about The Teberg Fund (the “Fund”), a series of Advisors Series Trust (the “Trust”).  This SAI is not a prospectus and should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s current Prospectus dated July 29, 2012, as supplemented and amended from time to time.  First Associated Investment Advisors, Inc. (the “Advisor”) is the investment advisor to the Fund.  A copy of the Prospectus may be obtained by contacting the Fund at the address or telephone number below or by visiting the Fund’s website at www.tebergfund.com.
 
The Fund’s financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, are incorporated herein by reference to the Fund’s Annual Report dated March 31, 2012.  A copy of the Annual Report may be obtained without charge by calling or writing the Fund as shown below, or by visiting the Fund’s website at www.tebergfund.com.
 
The Teberg Fund
c/o U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
P.O. Box 701
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-0701
1-866-209-1964
 
 
 
 
 

 

---------------------------------
---------------------------------
 
 
 
 

The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust organized under the laws of the State of Delaware on October 3, 1996, and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as an open-end management investment company.  The Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration of Trust”) permits the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board” or the “Trustees”) to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.01 per share, which may be issued in any number of series.  The Trust consists of various series that represent separate investment portfolios.  The Board may from time to time issue other series, the assets and liabilities of which will be separate and distinct from any other series. This SAI relates only to the Fund.

Registration with the SEC does not involve supervision of the management or policies of the Fund.  The Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI omit certain of the information contained in the Registration Statement filed with the SEC.  Copies of such information may be obtained from the SEC upon payment of the prescribed fee or may be accessed free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

The Fund commenced operations on April 1, 2002.

The Fund pursues its investment objective by investing in shares of other open-end investment companies.  It is anticipated that the Fund will invest in different proportions of various equity, fixed-income, and money market funds.  However, the Fund reserves the right to invest all of its assets in any of these asset classes depending upon market conditions and may commit up to 80% of its net assets at any given time to high-yield “junk bond” funds.

The following discussion of Fund investments and policies supplements the description of the Fund’s investment objective and strategies set forth in the Prospectus.  Except for the fundamental investment limitations listed below (see “Fundamental Investment Limitations”), the Fund’s investment objective, strategies and policies are not fundamental and may be changed by sole action of the Board without shareholder approval.

Diversification
The Fund is diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).  This means that, as to 75% of the Fund’s total assets, (1) no more than 5% may be invested in the securities of a single issuer, and (2) it may not hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of a single issuer.  However, diversification of a mutual fund’s holdings is measured at the time the Fund purchases a security and if the Fund purchases a security and holds it for a period of time, the security may become a larger percentage of the Fund’s total assets due to movements in the financial markets.  If the market affects several securities held by the Fund, the Fund may have a greater percentage of its assets invested in securities of fewer issuers.  Accordingly, the Fund is subject to the risk that its performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of relatively few securities despite qualifying as a “diversified” fund.

Percentage Limitations
Whenever an investment policy or limitation states a maximum percentage of the Fund’s assets that may be invested in any security, either directly or via the underlying mutual funds in which the Fund invests, or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding quality standards, such standard or percentage limitation will be determined immediately after and as a result of the Fund’s acquisition or sale of such security or other asset.  Accordingly, except with respect to borrowing and illiquid securities, any subsequent change in values, net assets, or other circumstances will not be considered when determining whether an investment complies with the Fund’s investment policies and limitations.  In addition, if a bankruptcy or other extraordinary event occurs concerning a particular investment by the Fund, the Fund may receive stock, real estate, or other investments that the Fund would not, or could not, buy.  If this happens, the Fund intends to sell such investments as soon as practicable while trying to maximize the return to its shareholders.
 
 
 
 
Recent Regulatory Events
The U.S. Government, the Federal Reserve, the Treasury, the SEC, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and other governmental and regulatory bodies have recently taken or are considering taking actions to address the financial crisis.  These actions include, but are not limited to, the enactment by the United States Congress of the “Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act,” which was signed into law on July 21, 2010, and imposes a new regulatory framework over the U.S. financial services industry and the consumer credit markets in general, and proposed regulations by the SEC.  Given the broad scope, sweeping nature, and relatively recent enactment of some of these regulatory measures, the potential impact they could have on securities held by the Fund is unknown.  There can be no assurance that these measures will not have an adverse effect on the value or marketability of securities held by the Fund.  Furthermore, no assurance can be made that the U.S. Government or any U.S. regulatory body (or other authority or regulatory body) will not continue to take further legislative or regulatory action in response to the economic crisis or otherwise, and the effect of such actions, if taken, cannot be known.

Recent Economic Events
While the U.S. and global markets had experienced extreme volatility and disruption for an extended period of time, 2010 and the beginning of 2011 witnessed more stabilized economic activity as expectations for an economic recovery increased. However, risks to a robust resumption of growth persist: a weak consumer weighed down by too much debt and increasing joblessness, the growing size of the federal budget deficit and national debt, and the threat of inflation. In 2010, several European Union (“EU”) countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, began to face budget issues, some of which may have negative long-term effects for the economies of those countries and other EU countries. There is continued concern about national-level support for the euro and the accompanying coordination of fiscal and wage policy among European Economic and Monetary Union (“EMU”) member countries. Member countries are required to maintain tight control over inflation, public debt, and budget deficit to qualify for membership in the European EMU. These requirements can severely limit European EMU member countries’ ability to implement monetary policy to address regional economic conditions. A return to unfavorable economic conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to execute its investment strategies.

Investment Company Securities
In accordance with Section 12(D)(1)(F) of the 1940 Act, the Fund currently intends to limit its investments in securities issued by other registered investment companies (except for money market funds) so that not more than 3% of the outstanding stock of any one investment company will be owned by the Fund, or its affiliated persons, as a whole.  This prohibition may prevent the Fund from allocating its investment in the manner the Advisor considers optimal.  The Fund’s strategy of indirect investment through other investment companies is non-fundamental and may therefore be changed, without shareholder approval, to a strategy of direct investment as a means to achieve its investment objectives.  As a shareholder of other investment companies, the Fund bears, along with other shareholders, its pro rata portion of the other investment company’s expenses, including management fees, and such fees and other expenses will be borne indirectly by the Fund’s shareholders.  These expenses are in addition to the advisory and other expenses that the Fund bears directly in connection with its own operations.
 
 
 
 
As a complement to its primary strategy of investing in mutual funds, the Fund may also purchase shares of other types of investment companies, such as closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), and is currently investing a portion of its assets in ETFs.  ETFs are open-end investment companies with shares that are listed on a national securities exchange.  An ETF is similar to a traditional mutual fund, but trades at different prices during the day on a security exchange like a stock.  Similar to investments in other investment companies discussed above, the Fund’s investments in ETFs will involve duplication of management fees and other expenses since the Fund will be investing in another investment company.  In addition, the Fund’s investment in ETFs is also subject to its limitations on investments in investment companies discussed above.  To the extent the Fund invests in ETFs which focus on a particular market segment or industry, the Fund will also be subject to the risks associated with investing in those sectors or industries.  The shares of the ETFs in which the Fund will invest will be listed on a national securities exchange and the Fund will purchase and sell these shares on the secondary market at its current market price, which may be more or less than its net asset value (“NAV”) per share.

As a purchaser of ETF shares on the secondary market, the Fund will be subject to the market risk associated with owning any security whose value is based on market price.  ETF shares historically have tended to trade at or near their NAV per share, but there is no guarantee that they will continue to do so.  Unlike traditional mutual funds, shares of an ETF may be purchased and redeemed directly from the ETF only in large blocks (typically, 50,000 shares or more) and only through participating organizations that have entered into contractual agreements with the ETF.  The Fund does not expect to enter into such agreements and therefore will not be able to purchase and redeem its shares directly from the ETF.

Equity Securities
The Fund may invest in equity securities through its investments in the shares of the underlying funds in which it invests (each an “Underlying Fund” together the “Underlying Funds”).  To a limited extent, the Fund may invest directly in equity securities consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and strategies.  An equity security, or stock, represents a proportionate share of the ownership of a company; its value is based on the success of the company’s business, any income paid to stockholders, the value of its assets, and general market conditions.  Common stocks and preferred stocks are examples of equity securities.  Equity securities, such as common stocks, represent shares of ownership of a corporation.  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.  Some preferred stocks may be convertible into common stock.  Convertible securities are securities (such as debt securities or preferred stock) that may be converted into or exchanged for a specified amount of common stock of the same or different issuer within a particular period of time.

To the extent the Fund invests in the equity securities of small and medium-size companies, directly or through its investments in other mutual funds, it will be exposed to the risks of smaller capitalization companies.  Small and medium-capitalization companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies.  Furthermore, those companies often have limited product lines, or services, markets, or financial resources, or are dependent on a small management group.  In addition, because these stocks are not well-known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership, and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies.  Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund.  As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.
 

 
 
Debt Securities
The Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests may invest in debt securities, including debt securities convertible into common stock.  To a limited extent, the Fund may invest directly in debt securities consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and strategies.  As set forth in the Fund’s prospectus, debt purchased by the Fund may consist of obligations of any rating.  Debt securities in the lowest investment grade categories have speculative characteristics, with changes in the economy or other circumstances more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the bonds to make principal and interest payments than would occur with bonds rated in higher categories.  The Fund, via its Underlying Funds, may invest up to 80% of its net assets at any given time in high-yield securities or “junk bonds” that are considered high risk.  Junk bonds are typically rated below “Baa” by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or “BBB” by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group (“S&P”) or below investment grade by other recognized rating agencies.  The Fund may also invest in Underlying Funds that invest in unrated securities of comparable quality under certain circumstances.  Such bonds are subject to greater market fluctuations and greater risk of loss of income and principal than higher rated bonds for a variety of reasons, including:

·  
Sensitivity to Interest Rate and Economic Change.  The economy and interest rates affect high-yield securities differently than other securities.  For example, the prices of high-yield bonds have been found to be less sensitive to interest rate changes than higher-rated investments, but more sensitive to adverse economic changes or individual corporate developments.  Also, during an economic downturn or substantial period of rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers may experience financial stress which would adversely affect their ability to service their principal and interest obligations, to meet projected business goals, and to obtain additional financing.  If the issuer of a bond defaults, an Underlying Fund may incur additional expenses to seek recovery.  In addition, periods of economic uncertainty and changes can be expected to result in increased volatility or market prices of high-yield bonds and the Underlying Funds’ asset values.

·  
Payment Expectations.  High-yield bonds present certain risks based on payment expectations.  For example, high-yield bonds may contain redemption and call provisions.  If an issuer exercises these provisions in a declining interest rate market, an Underlying Fund would have to replace the security with a lower yielding security, resulting in a decreased return for investors.  Conversely, a high-yield bond’s value will decrease in a rising interest rate market, as will the value of the Underlying Fund’s assets.  If an Underlying Fund experiences unexpected net redemptions, it may be forced to sell its high-yield bonds without regard to their investment merits, thereby decreasing the asset base upon which the Fund’s expenses can be spread and possibly reducing the Fund’s rate of return.

·  
Liquidity and Valuation.  To the extent that there is no established retail secondary market, there may be thin trading of high-yield bonds, and this may impact the Fund’s ability to accurately value high-yield bonds and may hinder the Fund’s ability to dispose of the bonds.  Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of high-yield bonds, especially in a thinly traded market.

·  
Credit Ratings.  Credit ratings evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments, not the market value risk of high-yield bonds.  Also, because credit rating agencies may fail to timely change the credit ratings to reflect subsequent events, Underlying Funds must monitor the issuers of high-yield bonds in their portfolios to determine if the issuers will have sufficient cash flow and profits to meet required principal and interest payments, and to assure the bonds’ liquidity so the Fund can meet redemption requests.

Securities referred to as high-yield securities are deemed speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal over a long period of time.  Special tax considerations are associated with investing in high-yield securities structured as zero coupon or “pay-in-kind” securities.  An Underlying Fund will report the interest on these securities as income even though it receives no cash interest until the security’s maturity or payment date.
 
 
 
 
The payment of principal and interest on most debt securities purchased by the Fund will depend upon the ability of the issuers to meet their obligations.  An issuer’s obligations under its debt securities are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency, and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the Federal Bankruptcy Code, and laws, if any, which may be enacted by federal or state legislatures extending the time for payment of principal or interest, or both, or imposing other constraints upon enforcement of such obligations.  The power or ability of an issuer to meet its obligations for the payment of interest on, and principal of, its debt securities may be materially adversely affected by litigation or other conditions.

The ratings of S & P, Moody’s and other nationally recognized rating agencies represent their opinions as to the quality of debt securities.  It should be emphasized, however, that ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality, and debt securities with the same maturity, interest rate and rating may have different yields while debt securities of the same maturity and interest rate with different ratings may have the same yield.  For a more detailed description of ratings, please see the Appendix.

U.S. Government Obligations
The Fund may invest in mutual funds invested in various types of U.S. Government obligations.  U.S. Government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities.  U.S. Treasury obligations differ mainly in the length of their maturity.  Treasury bills, the most frequently issued marketable government securities, have a maturity of up to one year and are issued on a discount basis.  U.S. Government obligations also include securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or instrumentalities, including government-sponsored enterprises.

Payment of principal and interest on U.S. Government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself.  In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned.  There can be no assurance that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so.  In addition, U.S. Government obligations are subject to fluctuations in market value due to fluctuations in market interest rates.  As a general matter, the value of debt instruments, including U.S. Government obligations, declines when market interest rates increase and rises when market interest rates decrease.  Certain types of U.S. Government obligations are subject to fluctuations in yield or value due to their structure or contract terms.  The Fund will not be eligible to distribute exempt-interest dividends to its shareholders, even if its investments include mutual funds that hold U.S. Government or municipal obligations that generate tax-exempt interest.

Borrowings
The Fund may borrow funds to meet redemptions, to increase its portfolio holdings of securities, or for other emergency purposes.  Such borrowings may be on a secured or unsecured basis at fixed or variable rates of interest.  The 1940 Act requires the Fund to maintain continuous asset coverage of not less than 300% with respect to all borrowings.  This allows the Fund to borrow for such purposes an amount (when taken together with any borrowings for temporary or emergency purposes as described below) equal to as much as 50% of the value of its net assets (not including such borrowings).  If such asset coverage should decline to less than 300% due to market fluctuations or other reasons, the Fund may be required to dispose of some of its portfolio holdings within three days in order to reduce the Fund’s debt and restore the 300% asset coverage, even though it may be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint to dispose of assets at that time.
 
 
 
 
Conversely, if the income from the assets retained with borrowed funds is not sufficient to cover the cost of borrowing, the net income of the Fund will be less than if borrowing were not used, and, therefore, the amount available for distribution to shareholders as dividends will be reduced.  The Fund also may be required to maintain minimum average balances in connection with such borrowing or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit; either of these requirements would increase the cost of borrowing over the stated interest rate.

Borrowing by the Fund creates an opportunity for increased net income, but at the same time, creates special risk considerations.  For example, leveraging may exaggerate the effect on the Fund’s NAV from any increase or decrease in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio.  To the extent the income derived from securities purchased with borrowed funds exceeds the interest the Fund will have to pay, the Fund’s net income will be greater than if borrowing were not used.

Restricted and Illiquid Securities
The Fund may hold up to 15% of its net assets in securities that are illiquid at the time of purchase, which means that there may be legal or contractual restrictions on their disposition, or that there are no readily available market quotations for such a security.  Illiquid securities present the risks that the Fund may have difficulty valuing these holdings and/or may be unable to sell these holdings at the time or price desired.  There are generally no restrictions on the Fund’s ability to invest in restricted securities (that is, securities that are not registered pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”)), except to the extent such securities may be considered illiquid.  Securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A of the 1933 Act will be considered liquid if determined to be so under procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees.

The 1940 Act provides that an Underlying Fund whose shares are purchased by the Fund is obliged to redeem shares held by the Fund only in an amount up to 1% of the Underlying Fund’s outstanding securities during any period of less than 30 days.  Thus, shares of an Underlying Fund held by the Fund in excess of 1% of the Underlying Fund’s securities are considered not readily marketable securities that together with other such securities, may not exceed 15% of the Fund’s net assets.  However, because the Fund has elected to reserve the right to pay redemption requests by a distribution of securities from the Fund’s portfolio, in lieu of cash, these holdings may be treated as liquid.  In some cases, an Underlying Fund may make payment of a redemption by the Fund by distributing securities from its portfolio instead of cash.  Thus it is possible that the Fund could hold securities distributed by an Underlying Fund until such time as the Advisor determines that it is appropriate to dispose of such securities.  Disposing of such securities could cause the Fund to incur additional costs.

Foreign Securities
The Fund may invest up to 5% of its net assets in securities of non-U.S. companies (“foreign securities”) via the Underlying Funds in which it invests.  Investments in foreign securities involve special risks that differ from those associated with investments in domestic securities.  The risks associated with investments in foreign securities relate to political and economic developments abroad, as well as those that result from the differences between the regulation of domestic securities and issuers and foreign securities and issuers.  These risks may include, but are not limited to, expropriation, confiscatory taxation, withholding taxes on interest, limitations on the use or transfer of fund assets, political or social instability and adverse diplomatic developments.  The Fund or an Underlying Fund may be subject to foreign taxes on income generated by the foreign securities in which it invests.  The Fund will not be eligible to pass through to its shareholders a foreign tax credit for U.S. federal income tax purposes with respect to such foreign taxes paid by the Fund or an Underlying Fund.
 
 
 
In addition, there are restrictions on foreign investments in other jurisdictions and there tends to be difficulty in obtaining judgments from abroad and effecting repatriation of capital invested abroad.  Delays could occur in settlement of foreign transactions, which could adversely affect shareholder equity.  Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the domestic economy in such respects as growth of gross national product, the rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payments position.  Furthermore, investing in foreign securities can carry higher returns and risks than those associated with domestic investments.  Foreign securities may be denominated in foreign currencies.  Therefore, the value in U.S. dollars of the Underlying Fund’s net assets and income may be affected by changes in exchange rates and regulations.

The internal politics of certain non-U.S. countries may not be as stable as that of the United States.  Governments in certain non-U.S. 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 non-U.S. 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, or economic recessions or slow downs of those partners, could have a significant adverse effect upon the securities markets of such countries.

A change in the value of any foreign currency against the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding change in the U.S. dollar value of securities held by an Underlying Fund, denominated in that currency.  Furthermore, the interest and dividends payable on certain foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes, thus reducing the net amount of income to be paid to the Fund and that may ultimately be available for distribution.

Other differences between investing in non-U.S. companies and U.S. companies include:
 
·  
information is less publicly available;
·  
there is a lack of uniform financial accounting standards applicable to foreign companies;
·  
market quotations are less readily available;
·  
there are differences in government regulation and supervision of foreign securities exchanges, brokers, listed companies and banks;
·  
there is generally a lower foreign securities market volume;
·  
it is likely that foreign securities may be less liquid or more volatile;
·  
there are generally higher foreign brokerage commissions;
·  
there may be difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations or obtaining court judgments abroad because of differences in the legal systems; and
·  
the mail service between countries may be unreliable.

Emerging Market Countries
The Fund may also invest up to 5% of its net assets in emerging market countries or developing countries via the Underlying Funds in which it invests.  Developing countries may impose restrictions on the Fund’s ability to repatriate investment income or capital.  Even where there is no outright restriction on repatriation of investment income or capital, the mechanics of repatriation may affect certain aspects of the operations of the Fund.  For example, funds may be withdrawn from the People’s Republic of China only in U.S. or Hong Kong dollars and only at an exchange rate established by the government once each week.  Furthermore, some of the currencies in emerging markets have experienced devaluations relative to the U.S. dollar, and major adjustments have been made periodically in certain of such currencies.  Certain developing countries face serious exchange constraints.
 
 
 
 
Governments of some developing countries exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector.  In some countries, the government owns or controls many companies, including the largest in the country.  As such, government actions in the future could have a significant effect on economic conditions in developing countries in these regions, which could affect private sector companies, a portfolio and the value of its securities.  Furthermore, certain developing countries are among the largest debtors to commercial banks and foreign governments.  Trading in debt obligations issued or guaranteed by such governments or their agencies and instrumentalities involves a high degree of risk.

Derivative Securities
The Fund may be invested in derivative securities through the Underlying Funds in which it invests.  The Underlying Funds may invest in a wide range of derivatives, including call and put options, futures, and forward contracts, for hedging purposes as well as direct investment.  There are risks involved in the use of options and futures, including the risk that the prices of the hedging vehicles may not correlate perfectly with the securities held by the Underlying Funds. This may cause the futures or options to react differently from the Underlying Funds’ securities to market changes.  In addition, the investment advisers to the Underlying Funds could be incorrect in their expectations for the direction or extent of market movements.  In these events, the Underlying Funds could lose money on the options of futures contracts.  It is also not certain that a secondary market for positions in options or futures contracts will exist at all times in which event the Underlying Funds will not be able to liquidate their positions without potentially incurring significant transactions costs.

An Underlying Fund may enter into forward currency contracts in anticipation of changes in currency exchange rates.  A forward currency contract is an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract.  For example, an Underlying Fund might purchase a particular currency or enter into a forward currency contract to preserve the U.S. dollar price of securities it intends to or has contracted to purchase.  Alternatively, it might sell a particular currency on either a spot or forward basis to hedge against an anticipated decline in the dollar value of securities it intends to or has contracted to sell.  Although this strategy could minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency, it could also limit any potential gain from an increase in the value of the currency.

When-Issued Purchases, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitments
Certain Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests may purchase or sell particular securities with payment and delivery taking place at a later date.  The price or yield obtained in a transaction may be less favorable than the price or yield available in the market when the securities delivery takes place. When any Underlying Fund agrees to purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis or enter into a forward commitment to purchase securities, its custodian will set aside cash or liquid high grade debt securities equal to the amount of the commitment in a segregated account.  Normally, the custodian will set aside portfolio securities to satisfy a purchase commitment, and in such a case the Underlying Fund may be required subsequently to place additional assets in the segregated account in order to ensure that the value of the account remains equal to the amount of the Underlying Fund’s commitments.  It may be expected that the market value of the Underlying Fund’s net assets will fluctuate to a greater degree when it sets aside portfolio securities to cover such purchase commitments than when it sets aside cash.

When-issued and forward commitment transactions involve the risk that the price or yield obtained in a transaction (and therefore the value of a security) may be less favorable than the price or yield (and therefore the value of a security) available in the market when the securities delivery takes place.  In addition, when the Underlying Fund engages in when-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions, it relies on the other party to consummate the trade.  Failure of such party to do so may result in the Underlying Fund incurring a loss or missing an opportunity to obtain a price considered advantageous.
 
 
 
 
The market value of the securities underlying a when-issued purchase or a forward commitment to purchase securities, and any subsequent fluctuations in their market value, are taken into account when determining the NAV of the Underlying Fund starting on the day that Underlying Fund agrees to purchase the securities. An Underlying Fund does not earn interest on the securities it has committed to purchase until they are paid for and delivered on the settlement date.  When the Underlying Fund makes a forward commitment to sell securities it owns, the proceeds to be received upon settlement are included in such Underlying Fund’s assets.  Fluctuations in the market value of the underlying securities are not reflected in the Underlying Fund’s NAV as long as the commitment remains in effect.

Warrants
Many Underlying Funds have the ability to purchase warrants and similar rights, which are privileges issued by corporations enabling the owners to subscribe to and purchase a specified number of shares of the corporation at the specified price during a specified period of time.  Warrants basically are options to purchase equity securities at a specific price valid for a specific period of time.  They do not represent ownership of the securities, but only the right to buy them.  They have no voting rights, pay no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the company issuing them.  Warrants differ from call options in that warrants are issued by the issuer of the security that may be purchased on their exercise, whereas call options may be written or issued by anyone.  The prices of warrants do not necessarily move parallel to the prices of the underlying securities.

The purchase of warrants involves the risk that the Underlying Fund could lose the purchase value of a warrant if the right to subscribe to additional shares is not exercised prior to the warrant’s expiration.  Also, the purchase of warrants involves the risk that the effective price paid for the warrant added to the subscription price of the related security may exceed the value of the subscribed security’s market price such as when there is no movement in the level of the underlying security.

Industry or Sector Emphasis
The Fund may, from time to time, have larger investments in one market sector or industry via the Underlying Funds in which it invests.  To the extent that the Fund emphasizes one or more sectors or industries, it may be subject to the risks affecting that sector or industry more than would a more broadly diversified fund.  The Fund may direct its investments to any sector or industry via the Underlying Funds in which it invests.  To the extent that an Underlying Fund focuses on one or more sectors or industries, it may be subject to the risks affecting that sector or industry more than would a more broadly diversified fund.  The Advisor’s judgment about which sectors or industries offer the greatest potential for long-term financial reward will change over time.

Short-Term Investments
The Fund and Underlying Funds may invest in any of the following securities and instruments:

·  
Money Market Mutual Funds.  The Fund and Underlying Funds may invest in money market mutual funds in connection with their management of daily cash positions or as a temporary defensive measure.  Generally, money market funds seek to earn a high rate of income consistent with the preservation of capital and maintenance of liquidity. They primarily invest in high quality money market obligations, including securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies and instrumentalities, bank obligations and high-grade corporate instruments.  These investments generally mature within 397 days from the date of purchase.  An investment in a money market fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any government agency.
 
 
 
 
·  
Certificates of Deposit, Bankers’ Acceptances and Time Deposits.  The Fund and Underlying Funds may acquire certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and time deposits.  Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return.  Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are “accepted” by a bank, meaning in effect that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity.  Certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances acquired by the Fund will be dollar-denominated obligations of domestic banks, savings and loan associations or financial institutions which, at the time of purchase, have capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100 million (including assets of both domestic and foreign branches), based on latest published reports, or less than $100 million if the principal amount of such bank obligations are fully insured by the U.S. Government.

In addition to purchasing certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances, to the extent permitted under its investment objective and policies stated above and in its Prospectus, the Fund and Underlying Funds may make interest-bearing time or other interest-bearing deposits in commercial or savings banks.  Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained at a banking institution for a specified period of time at a specified interest rate.

·  
Commercial Paper and Short-Term Notes.  The Fund and Underlying Funds may invest a portion of their assets in commercial paper and short-term notes. Commercial paper consists of unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations. Issues of commercial paper and short-term notes will normally have maturities of less than nine months and fixed rates of return, although such instruments may have maturities of up to one year.  The Fund’s investments in commercial paper and short-term notes, if any, will consist of issues rated at the time of purchase “A-2” or higher by S&P, “Prime-1” or “Prime-2” by Moody’s, or similarly rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, will be determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. These rating symbols are described in the Appendix.

·  
Repurchase Agreements. Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests, as well as the Fund directly, may have a portion of their net assets in cash or cash equivalents for a variety of reasons, including waiting for a suitable investment opportunity or taking a defensive position.  To earn income on this portion of its net assets, the Fund may enter into repurchase agreements.  Under a repurchase agreement, the Fund agrees to buy securities guaranteed as to payment of principal and interest by the U.S. Government or its agencies from a qualified bank or broker-dealer and then to sell the securities back to the bank or broker-dealer after a short period of time (generally, less than seven days) at a higher price.  The bank or broker-dealer must transfer to the Fund’s custodian securities with an initial market value of at least 100% of the dollar amount invested by the Fund in each repurchase agreement.  To the extent that the Fund is invested in these securities directly, the Advisor will monitor the value of such securities daily to determine that the value equals or exceeds the repurchase price.

Repurchase agreements may involve risks in the event of default or insolvency of the bank or broker-dealer, including possible delays or restrictions upon the Fund’s ability to sell the underlying securities.  The Fund’s direct investments in repurchase agreements will be only with parties who meet certain creditworthiness standards, i.e., banks or broker-dealers that the Advisor has determined present no serious risk of becoming involved in bankruptcy proceedings within the time frame contemplated by the repurchase transaction.

The Underlying Funds may also enter into reverse repurchase agreements. Under a reverse repurchase agreement, the Fund agrees to sell a security in its portfolio and then to repurchase the security at an agreed-upon price, date, and interest payment.  A Fund will maintain cash or high-grade liquid debt securities with a value equal to the value of the Fund’s obligation under the agreement, including accrued interest, in a segregated account with the Fund’s custodian bank.  The securities subject to the reverse repurchase agreement will be marked-to-market daily.
 
 
 

 
The use of repurchase agreements by the Fund involves certain risks.  For example, if the other party to a repurchase agreement defaults on its obligation to repurchase the underlying security at a time when the value of the security has declined, the Fund may incur a loss upon disposition of the security.  If the other party to the agreement becomes insolvent and subject to liquidation or reorganization under the bankruptcy code or other laws, a court may determine that the underlying security is collateral for the loan by the Fund not within the control of the Fund, and therefore the realization by the Fund on the collateral may be automatically stayed.  Finally, it is possible that the Fund may not be able to substantiate its interest in the underlying security and may be deemed an unsecured creditor of the other party to the agreement.

Cash Investments
In addition to the Underlying Funds, the Fund will also invest in cash or cash equivalents, such as money market mutual funds.  In certain market conditions, the Advisor may determine that it is appropriate for the Fund to hold a substantial cash position of up to 100% of its total assets for an extended period of time.  The Fund expects that it may maintain substantial cash positions when the Advisor determines that such cash investments, given the risks the Advisor believes to be present in the market, are more likely to help the Fund achieve its investment objective than investing in additional Underlying Funds.  Moreover, when market conditions dictate a more defensive investment strategy, the Fund may, on a temporary basis, invest any amount in cash, money market mutual funds, or similar short-term, investment grade securities such as U.S. government securities, repurchase agreements, commercial paper or certificates of deposit.  When the Fund takes such a temporary defensive position, it may not achieve its investment objective.  Additionally, for cash management purposes, the Fund may hold up to 100% of its total assets directly in cash or similar investments, but only after the Advisor has committed available assets to desirable investment opportunities.

Fundamental Investment Limitations
Unlike the Fund’s investment objective and strategies, the following restrictions may only be changed if the change is approved by holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities.  As used in this SAI, “a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities” means (i) more than 50% of the Fund’s outstanding voting shares or (ii) 67% or more of the Fund’s voting shares present at a shareholder meeting if more than 50% of the Fund’s outstanding voting shares are represented at the meeting in person or by proxy, whichever is less.

The Fund may not:

1.
Purchase or otherwise acquire interests in real estate, real estate mortgage loans or interests therein, except that the Fund may purchase (either directly or via the Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests) securities issued by issuers, including real estate investment trusts, which invest in real estate or interests therein.

2.
Make loans if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of the Fund’s total assets would be loaned to other parties, except that the Fund may (i) purchase or hold debt instruments in accordance with its investment objective and policies; (ii) enter into repurchase agreements; (iii) lend its securities and/or (iv) loan money to other funds within the Trust in accordance with the terms of any applicable rule or regulation or exemptive order pursuant to the 1940 Act.
 
 
 
 
3.
Act as an underwriter except to the extent the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter when disposing of securities it owns or when selling its own shares.

4.
Issue senior securities to the Fund’s presently authorized shares of beneficial interest, except that this restriction shall not be deemed to prohibit the Fund from (i) making any permitted borrowings, loans, mortgages, or pledges, (ii) entering into options, futures contracts, forward contracts, repurchase transactions or reverse repurchase transactions, or (iii) making short sales of securities to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and any rule or order thereunder, or SEC staff interpretation thereof.

5.
Borrow money in an amount exceeding 33 1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets, provided that the Fund may borrow money from other funds within the Trust in accordance with the terms of any applicable rule or regulation or exemptive order pursuant to the 1940 Act.

6.
Concentrate its investments in any one industry or sector if, as a result, more than 80% of the Fund’s total assets will be invested in such industry or sector.  This restriction, however, does not limit the Fund from investing in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, or its agencies or instrumentalities.

7.
Invest in other investment companies except as permitted by the 1940 Act, as amended.
 

The Fund observes the following policy, which is not deemed fundamental and which may be changed without shareholder vote.  The Fund will not:

1.
Invest more than 25% of its total assets in the securities of any specific industry (other than investment companies).  This restriction, however, does not limit the Fund from investing in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, or its agencies or instrumentalities.

2.
Purchase or sell commodities or commodity futures contracts, except that the Fund may purchase and sell foreign currency contracts in accordance with any rules of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.


Board of Trustees
The overall management of the business and affairs of the Trust is vested with its Board.  The Board approves all significant agreements between the Trust and persons or companies furnishing services to it, including the agreements with the Advisor, Administrator, Custodian, Distributor and Transfer Agent (as defined below).  The day-to-day operations of the Trust are delegated to its officers, subject to the Fund’s investment objectives, strategies, and policies and to general supervision by the Board.

The Trustees and officers of the Trust, their ages, positions with the Trust, term of office with the Trust and length of time served, their business addresses and principal occupations during the past five years and other directorships held during the past five years are listed in the table below.
 
 
 
 
Independent Trustees(1)
Name, Address
and Age
Position Held
with the Trust
Term of Office and
Length of Time Served
Principal Occupation
During Past Five Years
Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex
Overseen by Trustee(2)
Other Directorships
Held by Trustee
During Past Five Years
Sallie P. Diederich
(age 62)
615 E. Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Trustee
Indefinite term since January 2011.
Independent Mutual Fund Consultant, (1995 to present); Corporate Controller, Transamerica Fund Management Company (1994 to 1995); Senior Vice President, Putnam Investments (1992 to 1993); Vice President and Controller, American Capital Mutual Funds (1986 to 1992).
1
Trustee, Advisors Series Trust (for series not affiliated with the Fund).
           
Donald E. O’Connor
(age 76)
615 E. Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Trustee
Indefinite term since February 1997.
Retired; former Financial Consultant and former Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of ICI Mutual Insurance Company (until January 1997).
1
Trustee, Advisors Series Trust (for series not affiliated with the Fund); Trustee, The Forward Funds (34 portfolios).
           
George J. Rebhan
(age 78)
615 E. Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Trustee
Indefinite term since May 2002.
Retired; formerly President, Hotchkis and Wiley Funds (mutual funds) (1985 to 1993).
1
Trustee, Advisors Series Trust (for series not affiliated with the Fund); Independent Trustee from 1999 to 2009, E*TRADE Funds.
           
George T. Wofford
(age 72)
615 E. Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Trustee
Indefinite term since February 1997.
Retired; formerly Senior Vice President, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco.
1
Trustee, Advisors Series Trust (for series not affiliated with the Fund).
 
 
 
 
Interested Trustee
Name, Address
and Age
Position Held
with the Trust
Term of Office and
Length of Time Served
Principal Occupation
During Past Five Years
Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex
Overseen by Trustee(2)
Other Directorships
Held by Trustee
During Past Five Years
Joe D. Redwine(3)
(age 65)
615 E. Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Interested Trustee
Indefinite term
since September 2008.
President, CEO, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (May 1991 to present).
1
Trustee, Advisors Series Trust (for series not affiliated with the Fund).
 
 
Officers
Name, Address
and Age
Position Held
with the Trust
Term of Office and Length of Time Served
Principal Occupation
During Past Five Years
Joe D. Redwine
(age 65)
615 E. Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer
Indefinite term since September 2007.
President, CEO, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (May 1991 to present).
       
Douglas G. Hess
(age 45)
615 E. Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
President and
Principal Executive Officer
Indefinite term since June 2003.
Senior Vice President, Compliance and Administration, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (March 1997 to present).
       
Cheryl L. King
(age 50)
615 E. Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Treasurer and
Principal Financial Officer
Indefinite term since December 2007.
Vice President, Compliance and Administration, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (October 1998 to present).
       
Michael L. Ceccato
(age 54)
615 E. Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer and AML Officer
Indefinite term since September 2009.
Vice President, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (February 2008 to present); General Counsel/Controller, Steinhafels, Inc. (September 1995 to February 2008).
       
Jeanine M. Bajczyk, Esq.
(age 47)
615 E. Michigan Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Secretary
Indefinite term since June 2007.
Senior Vice President and Counsel, U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (May 2006 to present); Senior Counsel, Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC (May 2005 to May 2006); Senior Counsel, Strong Financial Corporation (January 2002 to April 2005).
 
(1)  
The Trustees of the Trust who are not “interested persons” of the Trust as defined under the 1940 Act (“Independent Trustees”).
(2)  
The Trust is comprised of numerous portfolios managed by unaffiliated investment advisors.  The term “Fund Complex” applies only to the Fund.  The Fund does not hold itself out as related to any other series within the Trust for investment purposes, nor does it share the same investment advisor with any other series.
(3)  
Mr. Redwine is an “interested person” of the Trust as defined by the 1940 Act.  Mr. Redwine is an interested Trustee of the Trust by virtue of the fact that he is an interested person of Quasar Distributors, LLC, who acts as principal underwriter to the series of the Trust.
 
 
 
 
Compensation
Effective January 1, 2012, Independent Trustees receive an annual retainer of $55,000 allocated among each of the various portfolios comprising the Trust, and an additional $500 per telephonic board meeting, paid by the Trust or applicable portfolios, as well as reimbursement for expenses incurred in connection with attendance at Board meetings.  The Trust has no pension or retirement plan.  No other entity affiliated with the Trust pays any compensation to the Trustees.

 
Name of
Independent Trustee
 
Aggregate
Compensation
from the Fund(1)
 
Pension or Retirement
Benefits Accrued as
Part of Fund Expenses
 
Estimated
Annual Benefits
Upon Retirement
Total Compensation from
Fund and Fund Complex
Paid to Trustees(2)
Sallie P. Diederich
$ 1,322
None
None
$ 1,322
Donald E. O’Connor
$ 1,322
None
None
$ 1,322
George J. Rebhan
$ 1,322
None
None
$ 1,322
George T. Wofford
$ 1,322
None
None
$ 1,322
Name of
Interested Trustee
       
Joe D. Redwine
None
None
None
None
 
(1)
For the Fund’s fiscal year ended March 31, 2012.
(2)
There are currently numerous series comprising the Trust.  The term “Fund Complex” applies only to the Fund and not to any other series of the Trust.  For the Fund’s fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, Independent Trustees’ fees for the Trust were $205,000.

Additional Information Concerning Our Board of Trustees

The Role of the Board
The Board provides oversight of the management and operations of the Trust.  Like all mutual funds, the day-to-day responsibility for the management and operation of the Trust is the responsibility of various service providers to the Trust, such as the Trust’s advisors, distributor, administrator, custodian, and transfer agent, which are each discussed in greater detail in this SAI.  The Board approves all significant agreements between the Trust and its service providers, including the agreements with the advisors, distributor, administrator, custodian and transfer agent.  The Board has appointed various senior individuals of certain of these service providers as officers of the Trust, with responsibility to monitor and report to the Board on the Trust’s day-to-day operations.  In conducting this oversight, the Board receives regular reports from these officers and service providers regarding the Trust’s operations.  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 Trust officers 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, operations or activities.
 
 
 
 
Board Leadership Structure
The Board has structured itself in a manner that it believes allows it to effectively perform its oversight function.  It has established four standing committees, an Audit Committee, a Nominating Committee, a Qualified Legal Compliance Committee (the “QLCC”) and a Valuation Committee, which are discussed in greater detail under “Board Committees,” below.  Currently, more than 75% of the members of the Board are Independent Trustees, which are Trustees that are not affiliated with the Advisor or its affiliates or any other investment advisor in the Trust, and each of the Audit Committee, Nominating Committee and QLCC are comprised entirely of Independent Trustees.  The Independent Trustees have engaged their own independent counsel to advise them on matters relating to their responsibilities in connection with the Trust.

The Chairman of the Board is the Chief Executive Officer of the Trust and a Trustee; he is an “interested person” of the Trust, as defined by the 1940 Act, by virtue of the fact that he is an interested person of Quasar Distributors, LLC, the Trust’s “Distributor” and principal underwriter.  He is also the President and CEO of the Administrator to the Trust.  The President and Principal Executive Officer of the Trust is not a Trustee, but rather is a senior employee of the Administrator who routinely interacts with the unaffiliated investment advisors of the Trust and comprehensively manages the operational aspects of the Funds in the Trust.  The Trust has appointed George J. Rebhan as lead Independent Trustee, who acts as a liaison with the Trust’s service providers, officers, legal counsel, and other Trustees between meetings, helps to set Board meeting agendas, and serves as chair during executive sessions of the Independent Trustees.

The Board reviews its structure annually.  The Trust has determined that it is appropriate to separate the Principal Executive Officer and Board Chairman positions because the day-to day responsibilities of the Principal Executive Officer are not consistent with the oversight role of the Trustees and because of the potential conflict of interest that may arise from the Administrator’s duties with the Trust.  The Board has also determined that the appointment of a lead Independent Trustee, the function and composition of the Audit Committee, the Nominating Committee, and the QLCC are appropriate means to address any potential conflicts of interest that may arise from the Chairman’s status as an Interested Trustee.  Given the specific characteristics and circumstances of the Trust as described above, the Trust has determined that the Board’s leadership structure is appropriate.

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.  Because risk management is a broad concept comprised of many elements (such as, for example, investment risk, issuer and counterparty risk, compliance risk, operational risks, business continuity risks, etc.) the oversight of different types of risks is handled in different ways.  For example, the Audit Committee meets regularly with the Chief Compliance Officer to discuss compliance and operational risks.  The Audit Committee also meets with the Treasurer and the Trust’s independent public accounting firm to discuss, among other things, the internal control structure of the Trust’s financial reporting function.  The full Board receives reports from the Advisor and portfolio managers as to investment risks as well as other risks that may be also discussed in Audit Committee.

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 substantial business and professional backgrounds that indicate they have the ability to critically review, evaluate and access information provided to them.  Certain of these business and professional experiences are set forth in detail in the table above.  In addition, the majority of the Trustees have served on boards for organizations other than the Trust, as well as having served on the Board of the Trust for a number of years.  They therefore have substantial board experience and, in their service to the Trust, have gained substantial insight as to the operation of the Trust.  The Board annually conducts a ‘self-assessment’ wherein the effectiveness of the Board and individual Trustees is reviewed.
 
 
 
 
In addition to the information provided in the table above, below is certain additional information concerning each particular Trustee and certain of their Trustee Attributes. The information provided below, and in the table above, is not all-inclusive.  Many Trustee Attributes involve intangible elements, such as intelligence, integrity, work ethic, the ability to work together, the ability to communicate effectively, the ability to exercise judgment, the ability to ask incisive questions, and commitment to shareholder interests.  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.

Sallie P. Diederich.  Ms. Diederich is experienced with financial, accounting, investment and regulatory matters through her position as an independent mutual fund management consultant.  Prior to establishing her own consulting business, Ms. Diederich gained substantial experience in mutual fund operations and accounting through senior positions at large mutual fund complexes.  Ms. Diederich is a Certified Public Accountant and serves as the Trust’s Audit Committee Financial Expert.

Donald E. O’Connor.  Mr. O’Connor has served on a number of mutual fund boards and is experienced with financial, accounting, investment and regulatory matters through his prior service as a trustee of The Forward Funds, Inc. and his prior position as Chief of the Branch of Market Surveillance at the SEC.  Mr. O’Connor also has substantial experience in mutual fund operations through senior positions at industry trade associations, including Vice President of Operations for the Investment Company Institute covering accounting, transfer agent and custodian industry functions and Chief Operating Officer of ICI Mutual, a captive insurance company focused exclusively on the insurance needs of mutual funds, their directors, officers, and advisors.

George J. Rebhan.  Mr. Rebhan has served on a number of mutual fund boards and is experienced with financial, accounting, investment and regulatory matters through his prior service as a trustee of E*Trade Funds and as President of the Hotchkis and Wiley mutual fund family.  Mr. Rebhan also has substantial investment experience through his former association with a registered investment adviser.

Joe D. Redwine.  Mr. Redwine has substantial mutual fund experience and is experienced with financial, accounting, investment and regulatory matters through his position as President and CEO of U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, a full service provider to mutual funds and alternative investment products.  In addition, he has extensive experience consulting with investment advisers regarding the legal structure of mutual funds, distribution channel analysis and actual distribution of those funds.

George T. Wofford.  Mr. Wofford is experienced in financial, accounting, regulatory and investment matters through his executive experience as a Senior Vice President of Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (“FHLB-SF”) where he was involved with the development of FHLB-SF’s information technology infrastructure as well as legal and regulatory financial reporting.

Board Committees

The Trust has established the following four standing committees and the membership of each committee to assist in its oversight functions, including its oversight of the risks the Trust faces: the Audit Committee, the QLCC, the Nominating Committee and the Valuation Committee.  There is no assurance, however, that the Board’s committee structure will prevent or mitigate risks in actual practice.  The Trust’s committee structure is specifically not intended or designed to prevent or mitigate each Fund’s investment risks.  Each Fund is designed for investors that are prepared to accept investment risk, including the possibility that as yet unforeseen risks may emerge in the future.
 
 
 

The Audit Committee is comprised of all of the Independent Trustees.  It does not include any interested Trustees.  The Audit Committee meets regularly with respect to the various series of the Trust.  The function of the Audit Committee, with respect to each series of the Trust, is to review the scope and results of the audit and any matters bearing on the audit or the Fund’s financial statements and to ensure the integrity of the Fund’s pricing and financial reporting.  During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, the Audit Committee met once with respect to the Fund.

The Audit Committee also serves as the QLCC for the Trust for the purpose of compliance with Rules 205.2(k) and 205.3(c) of the Code of Federal Regulations, regarding alternative reporting procedures for attorneys retained or employed by an issuer who appear and practice before the SEC on behalf of the issuer (the “issuer attorneys”).  An issuer attorney who becomes aware of evidence of a material violation by the Trust, or by any officer, director, employee, or agent of the Trust, may report evidence of such material violation to the QLCC as an alternative to the reporting requirements of Rule 205.3(b) (which requires reporting to the chief legal officer and potentially “up the ladder” to other entities).  The QLCC meets as needed.  The QLCC did not meet during the Fund’s fiscal year ended March 31, 2012.

The Nominating Committee is responsible for seeking and reviewing candidates for consideration as nominees for Trustees as is considered necessary from time to time and meets only as necessary.    The Nominating Committee is currently comprised of Ms. Diederich and Messrs. O’Connor, Rebhan and Wofford.  During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, the Nominating Committee did not meet with respect to the Fund.

The Nominating Committee will consider nominees recommended by shareholders for vacancies on the Board.  Recommendations for consideration by the Nominating Committee should be sent to the President of the Trust in writing together with the appropriate biographical information concerning each such proposed Nominee, and such recommendation must comply with the notice provisions set forth in the Trust’s By-Laws.  In general, to comply with such procedures, such nominations, together with all required biographical information, must be delivered to and received by the President of the Trust at the principal executive office of the Trust between 120 and 150 days prior to the shareholder meeting at which any such nominee would be voted on.

The Board has delegated day-to-day valuation issues to a Valuation Committee that is comprised of one or more Trustees and representatives from the Administrator’s staff.  The function of the Valuation Committee is to value securities held by any series of the Trust for which current and reliable market quotations are not readily available.  Such securities are valued at their respective fair values as determined in good faith by the Valuation Committee and the actions of the Valuation Committee are subsequently reviewed and ratified by the Board of Trustees.  The Valuation Committee meets as needed.  During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, the Valuation Committee met once with respect to the Fund.

Trustee Ownership of Fund Shares and Other Interests

As of December 31, 2011, neither the Independent Trustees nor members of their immediate family, own securities beneficially or of record in the Advisor, the Distributor, as defined below, or any affiliate of the Advisor or Distributor.  Accordingly, neither the Independent Trustees nor members of their immediate family, have direct or indirect interest, the value of which exceeds $120,000, in the Advisor, the Distributor or any of their affiliates.  In addition, during the two most recently completed calendar years, neither the Independent Trustees nor members of their immediate families have conducted any transactions (or series of transactions) in which the amount involved exceeds $120,000 and to which the Advisor, the Distributor or any affiliate thereof was a party.
 
 
 
 
The following table states the dollar range of equity securities of the Fund beneficially owned by the Trustees as of December 31, 2011:
 
Name of Trustee
Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in the Fund
(None, $1-$10,000, $10,001-$50,000,
$50,001-$100,000, Over $100,000)
Aggregate Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Trustee in
Family of Investment Companies
Sallie P. Diederich, Independent Trustee
None
None
Donald E. O’Connor, Independent Trustee
None
None
George J. Rebhan, Independent Trustee
None
None
George T. Wofford, Independent Trustee
None
None
Joe D. Redwine, Interested Trustee
None
None
 
Control Persons, Principal Shareholders, and Management Ownership
A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund.  A control person is one who owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledges the existence of control.  Shareholders with a controlling interest could affect the outcome of voting or the direction of management of the Fund.  As of June 29, 2012, the following shareholders were considered to be either control persons or principal shareholders of the Fund:

Name and Address
%
Ownership
Type of
Ownership
Curtis A. Teberg
5161 Miller Trunk Hwy
Duluth, MN 55811-1203
11.46%
Beneficial

Management Ownership Information.  As of June 29, 2012, the Trustees and officers of the Trust, as a group, beneficially owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.

Investment Advisor
First Associated Investment Advisors, Inc., 5161 Miller Trunk Highway, Duluth, Minnesota 55811, is a Minnesota corporation that serves as the investment advisor to the Fund.  Curtis A. Teberg is the President and sole, controlling shareholder of the Advisor.  The Advisor is an SEC-registered investment advisor.  The Advisor provides investment management services for individuals and institutional clients including pension and profit sharing plans.

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement (the “Agreement”), the Advisor is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund in accordance with its investment objectives and strategies.  Furthermore, the Advisor is ultimately responsible for the investment performance of the Fund because it allocates the Fund’s assets among the various mutual funds in which it invests and monitors the Fund for any necessary re-balancing or re-allocation.  In addition to the services provided by the Advisor pursuant to the Agreement, the Advisor may, from time to time, provide the Fund with office space for managing its affairs, with the services of required personnel, and with certain clerical services and facilities.  These services are provided without reimbursement by the Fund for any costs incurred.
 

 
 
As compensation for the Advisor’s services, the Fund pays it an annual management fee of 1.50% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. In addition to the fees payable to the Advisor, the Fund is responsible for its operating expenses, including: fees and expenses incurred in connection with the issuance, registration and transfer of its shares; brokerage and commission expenses; 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; interest charges on any borrowings; costs and expenses of pricing and calculating its daily NAV per share 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 Trust’s Board of Trustees that are properly payable by the Fund; salaries and expenses of officers and fees and expenses of members of the Trust’s Board of Trustees or members of any advisory board or committee who are not members of, affiliated with or interested persons of the Advisor or Administrator; insurance premiums on property or personnel of the Fund which inure to its benefit, including liability and fidelity bond insurance; the cost of preparing and printing reports, proxy statements, the Prospectus and the SAI of the Fund or other communications for distribution to existing shareholders; legal, auditing and accounting fees; trade association membership dues (including membership dues in the Investment Company Institute allocable to the Fund); 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.

Though the Fund is responsible for its own operating expenses, the Advisor has contractually agreed to waive a portion or all of its management fees payable by the Fund and to pay Fund operating expenses to the extent necessary to limit the Fund’s net annual fund operating expenses (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, leverage interest, taxes and brokerage commissions) to 2.50% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.  Any such waivers made by the Advisor of its management fees or payment of Fund expenses which are the Fund’s obligation are subject to recoupment by the Advisor from the Fund, if so requested by the Advisor, in subsequent fiscal years if the aggregate amount actually paid by the Fund toward the operating expenses for such fiscal year (taking into account the recoupment) does not exceed the applicable limitation on Fund expenses.  The Advisor is permitted to recoup only for management fee waivers and expense payments made in the previous three fiscal years.  Any such recoupment is also contingent upon the Board’s subsequent review and ratification of the recouped amounts.  Such recoupment may not be paid prior to the Fund’s payment of current ordinary operating expenses.
 
At times, the Fund invests in Underlying Funds that pay Rule 12b-1 distribution fees.  The Advisor will purchase the Underlying Fund through its associated broker-dealer and the Advisor may retain some or all of the Rule 12b-1 distribution fee.  Mr. Curtis A. Teberg, who is the president of the Advisor, may be entitled to receive a portion of the Rule 12b-1 distribution fee as a registered representative of the broker-dealer.  From February 2002 to April 2011, Mr. Teberg was a registered representative with Askar Corp., a securities brokerage firm in Bloomington, Minnesota.  Since May 2011, he has been a registered representative with Polar Investment Counsel Inc., a securities brokerage firm in Thief River Falls, Minnesota.  The Advisor has agreed to contractually reduce its management fee in an amount equal to any Rule 12b-1 distribution fees received by Mr. Teberg from transactions involving the Fund, whether or not the expense cap has been exceeded.  The Advisor is not entitled to recoupment of these fees.  The Advisor’s fees are set forth in the table below.
 
 
 
 
Management Fees
For the Fiscal
Year Ended
March 31, 2012
For the Fiscal
Year Ended
March 31, 2011
For the Fiscal
Year Ended
March 31, 2010
       
Management Fees Accrued
$      529,235
$      534,058
$     500,234
Management Fees Reduced
($      12,063)
($         7,855)
($       3,564)
Management Fees Waived
$                 0
$                 0
$                0
Management Fee Paid
$      517,172
$      526,203
$     496,670

Portfolio Manager

Mr. Curtis A. Teberg is the portfolio manager responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.  The following table shows the number of other accounts managed by Mr. Teberg and the total assets in the accounts managed within various categories as of March 31, 2012.

     
With Management Fee
Based on Performance
Type of Accounts
Number of
Accounts
Total
Assets
Number of
Accounts
Total
Assets
Registered Investment Companies
0
$ 0
0
$0
Other Pooled Investments
0
$ 0
0
$0
Other Accounts
14
$1,619,590
0
$0

Material Conflict of Interest.  Mr. Teberg may be presented with potential or actual conflicts of interest.

The management of other accounts may result in his devoting unequal time and attention to the management of the Fund and/or other accounts.  In approving the Advisory Agreement, the Board of Trustees was satisfied that Mr. Teberg would be able to devote sufficient attention to the management of the Fund, and that the Advisor seeks to manage such competing interests for his time and attention.

None of the individual, privately managed accounts has the same investment strategy as the Fund with a portfolio of many different mutual funds from multiple fund families, including ETFs.  The managed portfolios of the other accounts include far fewer funds from one or two fund families and no ETFs.  Most privately managed accounts have shorter-term investment goals or are seeking tax-deferred status.  Therefore, the Advisor does not believe that there are material conflicts between the strategies.  The Advisor has not identified any material conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities because the other accounts consist entirely of open-end mutual funds.

Mr. Teberg may receive a portion of the Rule 12b-1 fees from the Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests.  Mr. Teberg has contractually agreed to reduce the Fund’s management fee in an amount equal to any such Rule 12b-1 fees which he receives.

There are no material conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities because the Fund’s portfolio consists of open-end mutual funds as do the portfolios of private clients.

Compensation. Mr. Teberg receives a fixed annual salary in cash and retirement plan contributions from the Advisor.  Mr. Teberg does not have a deferred compensation plan, and compensation is not determined based upon Fund assets or performance.  Mr. Teberg’s salary is determined during the Advisor’s annual budget process and is based on projections of corporate earnings.  Mr. Teberg may receive a bonus at the end of the Advisor’s fiscal year based on profit-sharing if corporate earnings exceed projections.  Mr. Teberg’s salary would be decreased if corporate earnings did not meet projections.  No part of Mr. Teberg’s salary or bonus is based on the performance of the Fund, the performance of public or privately managed accounts, or assets under management.  Mr. Teberg has a 401(k) retirement plan with a fixed employer-contribution component which includes a voluntary employee salary deferral and a Safe Harbor match.
 
 
 
 
Mr. Teberg does not receive any compensation directly from the Fund.  All compensation is paid by the Advisor from income derived from the Fund and other managed accounts.

Securities Owned in the Fund by Portfolio Manager.  As of March 31, 2012, Mr. Teberg owned the following securities in the Fund:

Name of Portfolio Manager
Dollar Range of Equity
Securities in the Fund
(None, $1-$10,000, $10,001-$50,000,
$50,001-$100,000, $100,001 - $500,000,
$500,001 - $1,000,000, Over $1,000,000)
Curtis A. Teberg
Over $1,000,000


Fund Administrator
Pursuant to an Administration Agreement (the “Administration Agreement”), U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 (“USBFS” or the “Administrator”), acts as administrator for the Fund.  The Administrator provides certain administrative services to the Fund, including, among other responsibilities, coordinating the negotiation of contracts and fees with, and the monitoring of performance and billing of, the Fund’s independent contractors and agents; preparation for signature by an officer of the Trust of all documents required to be filed for compliance by the Trust and the Fund with applicable laws and regulations excluding those of the securities laws of various states; arranging for the computation of performance data, including NAV and yield;  responding to shareholder inquiries; and arranging for the maintenance of books and records of the Fund, and providing, at its own expense, office facilities, equipment and personnel necessary to carry out its duties.  In this capacity, the Administrator does not have any responsibility or authority for the management of the Fund, the determination of investment policy, or for any matter pertaining to the distribution of Fund shares.  Additionally, the Administrator provides CCO services to the Trust under a separate agreement.  The cost for the CCO services is allocated to the Fund by the Board.

For the periods indicated below, the Fund paid the following fees to USBFS:

Fees Paid to:
Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2012
March 31, 2011
March 31, 2010
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
$83,053
$71,207
$66,697

The Administrator also acts as the Fund’s accountant, transfer agent (“Transfer Agent”) and dividend-disbursing agent.
 
 
 
 
Custodian
U.S. Bank National Association (the “Custodian”), located at 1555 North River Center Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, serves as the custodian of the Fund’s assets, holds the Fund’s portfolio securities in safekeeping, and keeps all necessary records and documents relating to its duties. The Custodian is compensated with an asset-based fee plus transaction fees and is reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses.  The Custodian does not participate in decisions relating to the purchase and sale of securities by the Fund.  The Administrator, Transfer Agent, Custodian and the Fund’s Distributor (as defined below) are affiliated entities under the common control of U.S. Bancorp.  The Custodian and its affiliates may participate in revenue sharing arrangements with service providers of mutual funds in which the Fund may invest.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Tait, Weller & Baker LLP (“Tait”), 1818 Market Street, Suite 2400, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, has been retained as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund, whose services include auditing the Fund’s financial statements and the performance of related tax services.

Legal Counsel
Paul Hastings LLP (“Paul Hastings”), 75 East 55th Street, New York, New York 10022, is counsel to the Fund and provides counsel on legal matters relating to the Fund.  Paul Hastings also serves as independent legal counsel to the Board.

Portfolio Turnover Rate
The Fund is actively managed and has no restrictions upon portfolio turnover.  The Fund’s rate of portfolio turnover may be greater than that of many other mutual funds.  A 100% annual portfolio turnover would be achieved if each security in the Fund’s portfolio (other than securities with less than one year remaining to maturity) were replaced once during the year.  Buying and selling securities, including shares of Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests, generally involves some expense to the Fund, such as commissions paid to brokers and other transaction costs.  Trading also may result in realization of capital gains that would not otherwise be realized, and shareholders are taxed on such gains when distributed from the Fund, whether reinvested or otherwise.  Generally, speaking the higher the Fund’s annual portfolio turnover, the greater its brokerage costs and the greater likelihood that it will realize taxable capital gains. Increased brokerage costs may adversely affect the Fund’s performance.  Also, unless you are a tax-exempt investor or you purchase shares through a tax-deferred account, the distribution of capital gains may affect your after-tax return.  Additionally, there is no limit on, and the Advisor cannot control, the portfolio turnover rates of the Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests.  For the past two fiscal years ended March 31, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rates were as follows:

Portfolio turnover rate
Fiscal Year Ended
March 31, 2012
March 31, 2011
The Teberg Fund
224.14%(1)
86.88%

(1)  
The Fund experienced a significant increase in portfolio turnover from the 2011 fiscal year to the 2012 fiscal year due to the Fund’s response to heightened market volatility.


Distributor
Quasar Distributors, LLC, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, is the principal underwriter (the “Distributor”) and the general distributor of the shares of the Fund pursuant to a Distribution Agreement, as amended from time to time, between the Distributor and the Trust (the “Distribution Agreement”).  The Distribution Agreement was approved by the Board in the manner required by the 1940 Act.  The offering of the Fund’s shares is continuous.
 
 
 
 
Distribution Plan
As noted in the Prospectus, the Fund has adopted a Distribution Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the “Plan”).  The Plan provides that the Fund will compensate the Advisor as Distribution Coordinator and the Fund may pay up to an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net assets to the Distributor or other qualified recipient under the Plan.

The Board determined that there is a reasonable likelihood that the Plan will benefit the Fund and its shareholders.  The Plan authorizes the use of Fund assets to pay the Distributor, banks, broker/dealers and other institutions that provide distribution assistance and/or shareholder services such as:

·  
printing and distributing prospectuses to persons other than Fund shareholders;
·  
printing and distributing advertising and sales literature and reports to shareholders used in connection with selling shares of the Fund; and
·  
furnishing personnel and communications equipment to service shareholder accounts and prospective shareholder inquiries.

The Plan requires the Fund to prepare and furnish to the Trustees for their review, at least quarterly, written reports complying with the requirements of the Rule and setting out the amounts expended under the Plan and the purposes for which those expenditures were made.  The Plan provides that so long as it is in effect the selection and nomination of Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust will be committed to the discretion of the Trustees then in office who are not interested persons of the Trust.

The Plan will continue in effect only so long as its continuance is specifically approved at least annually by a majority vote of all the Trustees and a majority vote of those Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan or in any agreements related to the Plan, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Plan.  The Plan for the Fund may be terminated at any time by a majority vote of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operations of the Plan or in any agreement related to the Plan or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.

The Plan may not be amended so as to materially increase the amount of the distribution fees for the Fund unless the amendment is approved by a vote of at least a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.  In addition, no material amendment may be made unless approved by the Trustees in the manner described above for Trustee approval of the Plan.

None of the Trustees or officers of the Fund has any direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan.
 
 
 
 
The following table shows the dollar amounts by category allocated to the Fund for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, for distribution and servicing-related expenses:

The Teberg Fund

     
Advertising/Marketing
 $
60,055
Printing/Postage
 $
 3,495
Payments to Distributor
$
 5,514
Payments to Dealers
 $
10,009
Compensation to Sales Personnel
 $
 8,396
Interest, carrying, or other financing charges
 $
 0
Other
 $
0
Total
 $
87,469

In connection with its duties to arrange for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, the Advisor will select such broker-dealers who will, in the Advisor’s judgment, implement the Fund’s policy to achieve best execution at the best available price.  Consistent with the rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., the Advisor will allocate transactions to such broker-dealers only when it reasonably believes that the commissions and transaction quality is comparable to that available from other qualified broker-dealers, subject to seeking the best available price and execution available and such other policies as the Board may determine.

When allocating transactions to broker-dealers, the Advisor is authorized to consider in determining whether a particular broker-dealer will provide best execution, the broker-dealer’s reliability, integrity, financial condition and risk in positioning the securities involved, as well as the difficulty of the transaction in question, and thus need not pay the lowest spread or commission available if the manager determines in good faith that the amount of commission is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services (as defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) provided by the broker-dealer, viewed either in terms of the particular transaction or the Advisor’s overall responsibilities as to the accounts as to which it exercises investment discretion.  If, on the foregoing basis, the transaction in question could be allocated to two or more broker-dealers, the Advisor is authorized in making such allocation, to consider, whether a broker-dealer has provided research services, as further discussed below.  Such research may be in written form or through direct contact with individuals and may include quotations on portfolio securities and information on particular issuers and industries, as well as on market, economic or institutional activities, and may also include comparison of the performance of the Fund to the performance of various indices and investments for which reliable performance data is available and similar information prepared by recognized mutual fund statistical services.  The Fund recognizes that no dollar value can be placed on such research services or on execution services, that such research services may or may not be useful to the Fund or other accounts of the Advisor and that such research received by such other accounts may or may not be useful to the Fund.  For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2012, March 31, 2011 and March 31, 2010, the Fund paid $20,787, $17,546 and $22,829, respectively, in broker-dealer commissions.

The Advisor will cause the Fund to deal directly with the selling or purchasing principal or market maker without incurring brokerage commissions unless the Advisor determines that a better price or execution may be obtained by paying such commissions.  Purchases from underwriters include a commission or concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter, and principal transactions placed through broker-dealers include a spread between the bid and asked prices.
 
 
 
 
Under the 1940 Act, the Fund may not purchase portfolio securities from any underwriting syndicate of which the Distributor, as principal, is a member except under certain limited circumstances set forth in Rule 10f-3 thereunder.  These conditions relate, among other things, to the reasonableness of the broker-dealer spread, the amount of securities that may be purchased from any one issuer, and the amount of the Fund’s assets that may be invested in a particular issue.  The rule also requires that any purchase made subject to its provisions be reviewed at least quarterly by the Board, including a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust as defined by the 1940 Act.

The Board will review quarterly the Advisor’s performance of its responsibilities in connection with the placement of portfolio transactions on behalf of the Fund.  Such review is conducted for the purpose of determining if the markups and commissions, if any, paid by the Fund are reasonable in relation to the benefits received by the Fund taking into account the competitive practices in the industry.

The Advisor and the Fund maintain portfolio holdings disclosure policies (the “Policies”) that govern the timing and circumstances of disclosure to shareholders and third parties of information regarding the portfolio investments held by the Fund. These Policies have been approved by the Board of Trustees of the Fund. Disclosure of the Fund’s complete holdings is required to be made quarterly within 60 days of the end of each fiscal quarter in the Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report to Fund shareholders and in the quarterly holdings report on Form N-Q. These reports are available, free of charge, on the EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.  The annual and semi-annual portfolio holdings for the Fund will be posted on the Fund’s website at www.tebergfund.com until updated with the next required annual or semi-annual regulatory filing with the SEC.

Pursuant to the Fund’s portfolio holdings disclosure policies, information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings is not distributed to any person unless:

·  
The disclosure is required pursuant to a regulatory request, court order or is legally required in the context of other legal proceedings;

·  
The disclosure is made to a mutual fund rating and/or ranking organization, or person performing similar functions, who is subject to a duty of confidentiality, including a duty not to trade on any non-public information;

·  
The disclosure is made to internal parties involved in the investment process, administration, operation or custody of the Fund, including, but not limited to USBFS and the Trust’s Board of Trustees, attorneys, auditors or accountants;

·  
The disclosure is made: (a) in connection with a quarterly, semi-annual or annual report that is available to the public; or (b) relates to information that is otherwise available to the public; or

·  
The disclosure is made with the prior written approval of either the Trust’s CCO or his or her designee.

 
 
 
Certain of the persons listed above may receive information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings on an ongoing basis.  The Fund believes that these third parties have legitimate objectives in requesting such portfolio holdings information and operate in the best interest of the Fund’s shareholders. These persons are:

·  
A mutual fund rating and/or ranking organization, or person performing similar functions, who is subject to a duty of confidentiality, including a duty not to trade on any non-public information; or

·  
Rating and/or ranking organizations, specifically: Lipper; Morningstar; Standard & Poor’s; Bloomberg; Vickers-Stock Research Corporation; Thomson Financial; and Capital-Bridge, all of which currently receive such information between the fifth and tenth business day of the month following the end of a calendar quarter; or

·  
Internal parties involved in the investment process, administration, operation or custody of the Fund, specifically: USBFS; the Trust’s Board of Trustees; and the Trust’s attorneys and independent registered public accounting firm (currently, Paul Hastings and Tait, respectively), all of which typically receive such information after it is generated.

Any disclosures to additional parties not described above are made with the approval of either the Trust’s CCO or his or her designee, pursuant to the Fund’s Policies.

The Board exercises continuing oversight of the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings by (1) overseeing the implementation and enforcement of the Policies, Codes of Ethics and other relevant policies of the Fund and its service providers by the Trust’s CCO, (2) by considering reports and recommendations by the Trust’s CCO concerning any material compliance matters (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act), and (3) by considering whether to approve any amendment to these Policies.  The Board reserves the right to amend the Policies at any time without prior notice in their sole discretion.

Neither the Advisor nor the Fund may receive compensation in connection with the disclosure of information about Fund portfolio securities.  In the event of a conflict between the interests of the Fund and the interests of the Advisor or an affiliated person of the Advisor, the CCO of the Advisor, in consultation with the Trust’s CCO, shall make a determination in the best interests of the Fund, and shall report such determination to the Advisor’s Board of Directors and to the Fund’s Board of Trustees at the end of the quarter in which such determination was made.  Any employee of the Advisor who suspects a breach of this obligation must report the matter immediately to the CCO or to his or her supervisor.

In addition, material non-public holdings information may be provided without lag as part of the normal investment activities of the Fund to each of the following entities which, by explicit agreement or by virtue of their respective duties to the Fund, are required to maintain the confidentiality of the information disclosed:  Fund Administrator, Fund Accountant, Custodian, Transfer Agent, auditors, counsel to the Fund or the Trustees, broker-dealers (in connection with the purchase or sale of securities or requests for price quotations or bids on one or more securities), and regulatory authorities.  Portfolio holdings information not publicly available with the SEC or through the Fund’s website may only be provided to additional third parties, in accordance with the Policies, when the Fund has a legitimate business purpose and the third party recipient is subject to a confidentiality agreement.

In no event shall the Advisor, its affiliates or employees, or the Fund receive any direct or indirect compensation in connection with the disclosure of information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings.

There can be no assurance that the Policies and these procedures will protect the Fund from potential misuse of that information by individuals or entities to which it is disclosed.

The Trust, the Advisor and the Distributor have each adopted a Code of Ethics (the “Codes”) that govern the conduct of access persons of the Trust, the Advisor and the Distributor who may have access to information about the Fund’s securities transactions.  The Codes recognize that such access persons owe a fiduciary duty to the Fund’s shareholders and must place the interests of shareholders ahead of their own interests.  Among other things, the Codes require, under certain circumstances, pre-clearance of certain personal securities transactions; certain blackout periods for personal trading of securities which may be considered for purchase or sale by the Fund or other Advisory clients; annual and quarterly reporting of personal securities holdings; and limitations on personal trading of initial public offerings.  Violations of the Codes are subject to review by the Trustees and could result in severe penalties.
 

 
 
Detailed information on the purchase and redemption of shares is included in the Fund’s Prospectus.  Shares of the Fund are sold without a sales charge at the next price calculated after receipt of an order for purchase.  In order to purchase shares of the Fund, you must invest the initial minimum investment, which ordinarily must be at least $5,000.  However, the Fund reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to waive the minimum initial investment amount for certain investors, or to waive or reduce the minimum initial investment for 401(k) plans or other tax-deferred retirement plans.  You may purchase shares on any day that the NYSE is open for business by placing orders with the Fund.

The Fund reserves the right to refuse any purchase requests, particularly those that would not be in the best interests of the Fund or its shareholders and could adversely affect the Fund or its operations.  This includes those from any individual or group who, in the Fund’s view, is likely to engage in or has a history of excessive trading (usually defined as more than four transactions out of the Fund within a calendar year).  Furthermore, the Trust may suspend the right to redeem its shares or postpone the date of payment upon redemption for more than three business days (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend or holiday closings) or trading on the NYSE is restricted; (ii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal by the Fund of securities owned by it is not reasonably practicable or it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund fairly to determine the value of its net assets; or (iii) for such other periods as the SEC may permit for the protection of the Fund’s shareholders.

In-Kind Purchases and Redemptions
Payment for shares of the Fund may, in the discretion of the Trust, be made in the form of securities that are permissible investments for the Fund as described in the Prospectus.  For further information about this form of payment, contact the Transfer Agent.  In connection with an in-kind securities payment, the Fund will require, among other things, that the securities be valued on the day of purchase in accordance with the pricing methods used by the Fund and that the Fund receive satisfactory assurances that it will have good and marketable title to the securities received by it; that the securities be in proper form for transfer to the Fund; and that adequate information be provided concerning the basis and other tax matters relating to the securities.

The Fund does not intend to redeem shares in any form except cash.  The Trust, however, has filed a notice of election under Rule 18f-1 of the 1940 Act that allows the Fund to redeem in-kind redemption requests of a certain amount.  Specifically, if the amount you are redeeming is over the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund’s net assets, the Fund has the right to redeem your shares by giving you the amount that exceeds $250,000 or 1% of the Fund’s net assets in securities instead of cash.

Shares of the Fund are sold at NAV per share, which is determined by the Fund as of the close of regular trading (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each day that the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for unrestricted business.  The Fund’s NAV, however, may be calculated earlier if trading on the NYSE is restricted or as permitted by the SEC.  Additionally, while the Fund does not expect to determine the NAV of its shares on any day when the NYSE is not open for trading (even if there is sufficient trading in its portfolio securities on such days to materially affect the NAV per share), the NAV of the Fund’s shares may be determined on days the NYSE is closed for business if the Board decides it is necessary.
 
 
 
 
Purchase and redemption requests are priced at the next NAV per share calculated after receipt of such requests.  The NAV per share is determined by dividing the value of the Fund’s securities (consisting primarily of shares of other mutual funds), cash and other assets, minus all expenses and liabilities, by the number of shares outstanding (assets – liabilities / number of shares = NAV per share).  The NAV per share takes into account the expenses and fees of the Fund, including management, administration and shareholder servicing fees, which are accrued daily.

The assets of the Fund consist primarily, if not exclusively, of shares of Underlying Funds valued at their respective NAVs per share.  There may be situations when the Fund is unable to receive an NAV per share from an Underlying Fund.  In such case, shares of an Underlying Fund will be valued at their fair market value as determined in good faith by the Board.  Most Underlying Fund securities are valued primarily on the basis of current market quotations or on the basis of information furnished by a pricing service.  Certain short-term securities are valued on the basis of amortized costs.  If market quotations or information furnished by a pricing service is not readily available or does not accurately reflect fair value for a security held by an Underlying Fund, or if the value of a security held by an Underlying Fund has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the applicable exchange or market on which the security is principally traded, that security may be valued at its fair market value as determined in good faith in accordance with procedures approved by the Underlying Funds’ Boards of Directors or Trustees.

Generally, the Fund’s investments are valued at market value or, in the absence of a market value, at fair value as determined in good faith by the Advisor and the Trust’s Valuation Committee pursuant to procedures approved by or under the direction of the Board.

The following is a summary of certain tax considerations generally affecting the Fund and its shareholders.  No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of the tax treatment of the Fund or its shareholders, and the discussions here are not intended as substitutes for careful tax planning.  You should consult your personal tax advisor to determine the consequences of state, local, and foreign taxes, and for a more detailed assessment of federal tax consequences for your particular circumstances.

Distributions of Net Investment Income
The Fund receives income generally in the form of dividends and interest on its investments. This income, less expenses incurred in the operation of the Fund, constitutes the Fund’s net investment income from which dividends may be paid to you.  For individual shareholders, any distributions by the Fund from such income will be taxable to you as ordinary income or, in some circumstances under current law, qualified dividend income, whether you receive them in cash or in additional shares.

Distributions of Capital Gain
The Fund may derive capital gain or loss in connection with sales or other dispositions of its interests in the Underlying Funds.  Distributions of net short-term capital gain will be taxable to you as ordinary income.  Distributions from net long-term capital gain reported by the Fund as such will be taxable to you as long-term capital gain, regardless of how long you have held your shares in the Fund.  Distributions of the Underlying Fund’s net short-term capital gain will be ordinary income to the Fund, and, in turn to you, upon its distribution by the Fund.  Distributions of an Underlying Fund’s net long-term capital gain to the Fund will be long-term capital gain to the Fund, and, in turn, to you upon its distribution by the Fund, regardless of how long you have held your shares in the Fund.  Any net capital gain realized by the Fund generally will be distributed at least annually, and may be distributed more frequently, if necessary, to reduce or eliminate excise or income taxes on the Fund.  However, the Fund can give no assurances that its distributions will be sufficient to eliminate all taxes at the Fund level.
 
 
 
 
At March 31, 2012, the Fund had a capital loss carry forward of $270,303, which expires as follows:

Year
Amount
2018
$   137,905
2019
$   132,398
 
$   270,303

Capital losses sustained and not used in a taxable year beginning on or after December 23, 2010 may be carried forward indefinitely to offset capital gains of the Fund in future years.

Information on the Tax Character of Distributions
The Fund will inform you of the amount of your ordinary income and capital gain dividends at the time they are paid, and will advise you of their tax status for federal income tax purposes shortly after the close of each calendar year. If you have not held Fund shares for a full year, the Fund may report and distribute to you, as ordinary income or capital gain, a percentage of income that is not equal to the actual amount of such income earned during the period of your investment in the Fund.

Election to be Taxed as a Regulated Investment Company
The Fund has elected to qualify and intends to continue to qualify to be treated as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code.  As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally pays no federal income tax on the income and gain it distributes to you.  The Board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund as a regulated investment company if it determines such course of action to be beneficial to shareholders.  In such case, the Fund will be subject to federal, and possibly state, corporate taxes on its taxable income and gain, and distributions to you will be taxed as ordinary dividend income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits.

Excise Tax Distribution Requirements
To avoid federal excise taxes, the Code requires the Fund to distribute to you by December 31 of each year, at a minimum, the following amounts: 98% of its taxable ordinary income earned during the calendar year; 98.2% of its realized capital gain earned during the twelve-month period ending October 31; and 100% of any undistributed and untaxed amounts from the prior year. The Fund intends to declare and pay these distributions in December (or to pay them in January, in which case you must treat them as if received in December) but can give no assurances that its distributions will be sufficient to eliminate all taxes.

Redemption of Fund Shares
Redemptions (including redemptions “in-kind”) of Fund shares are taxable transactions for federal and state income tax purposes.  If you redeem your Fund shares, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) will require that you report any gain or loss on your redemption or exchange.  If you hold your shares as a capital asset, the gain or loss that you realize will be capital gain or loss and will be long-term or short-term, generally depending on how long you hold your shares.

Any loss incurred on the redemption of shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributed to you by the Fund on those shares.  All or a portion of any loss that you realize upon the redemption of your Fund shares will be disallowed to the extent that you buy other shares in the Fund (through reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within 30 days before or after your share redemption.  Any loss disallowed under these rules will be added to your tax basis in the new shares you buy.
 
 
 
 
U.S. Government Securities
Some states grant tax-free status to dividends paid to you from interest earned on certain U.S. Government securities, subject in some states to minimum investment or reporting requirements that must be met by the Fund.  Investments in bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government securities generally do not qualify for tax-free treatment. The rules on exclusion of this income are different for corporations.  The Fund will not be eligible to pass through the tax exempt character of interest that the Fund or an Underlying Fund may earn from investments in U.S. Government Securities.

Dividends-Received Deduction for Corporations
Under current law, if you are a corporate shareholder, you should note that it is expected that a portion of the dividends paid by the Fund may qualify for the dividends-received deduction. Provided certain holding period and other requirements are met, you may be allowed to deduct these qualified dividends, thereby reducing the tax that you would otherwise be required to pay on these dividends. The dividends-received deduction will be available only with respect to dividends reported by the Fund as eligible for such treatment.  All dividends (including the deducted portion) must be included in your alternative minimum taxable income calculation.

Investment in Complex Securities
The Fund or an Underlying Fund may invest in complex securities that may be subject to numerous special and complex tax rules.  These rules could affect whether gain or loss recognized by the Fund is treated as ordinary or capital, or as interest or dividend income.  These rules could also accelerate the recognition of income to the Fund (possibly causing the Fund to sell securities to raise the cash for necessary distributions) and/or defer the Fund’s ability to recognize a loss, and, in limited cases, subject the Fund to U.S. federal income tax on income from certain foreign securities.  These rules could therefore affect the amount, timing or character of the income distributed to you by the Fund.

Investment in Foreign Securities
The Fund or an Underlying Fund may invest in foreign securities and may be subject to foreign taxes on income generated by such foreign securities.  The Fund will not be eligible to pass through to its shareholders a foreign tax credit for U.S. federal income tax purposes with respect to such foreign taxes paid by the Fund or an Underlying Fund.

Backup Withholding
Under the Code, the Fund will be required to report to the IRS all distributions of ordinary income and capital gains as well as gross proceeds from the redemption or exchange of Fund shares, except in the case of exempt shareholders, which includes most corporations.  Pursuant to the backup withholding provisions of the Code, distributions of any taxable income and capital gains and proceeds from the redemption of Fund shares may be subject to withholding of federal income tax at the rate of 28% in the case of non-exempt shareholders who fail to furnish the Fund with their taxpayer identification numbers and with required certifications regarding their status under the federal income tax law or if the IRS notifies the Fund that such backup withholding is required.  If the withholding provisions are applicable, any such distributions and proceeds, whether taken in cash or reinvested in additional shares, will be reduced by the amounts required to be withheld.  Corporate and other exempt shareholders should provide the Fund with their taxpayer identification numbers or certify their exempt status in order to avoid possible erroneous application of backup withholding.  Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amounts withheld may be credited against a shareholder’s ultimate federal tax liability if proper documentation is provided.  The Fund reserves the right to refuse to open an account for any person failing to provide a certified taxpayer identification number.
 
 
 
 
Consult Your Tax Advisor
Distributions and the transactions referred to in the preceding paragraphs may be subject to state and local income taxes, and the tax treatment thereof may differ from the federal income tax treatment.  The foregoing discussion of U.S. federal income tax law relates solely to the application of that law to U.S. citizens or residents and U.S. domestic corporations, partnerships, trusts and estates.  Each shareholder who is not a U.S. person should consider the U.S. and foreign tax consequences of ownership of shares of the Fund, including the possibility that such a shareholder may be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at a rate of 30 percent (or at a lower rate under an applicable income tax treaty) on Fund distributions.

In addition, the foregoing discussion of tax law is based on existing provisions of the Code, existing and proposed regulations thereunder, and current administrative rulings and court decisions, all of which are subject to change.  Any such changes could affect the validity of this discussion.  The discussion also represents only a general summary of tax law and practice currently applicable to the Fund and certain shareholders therein, and, as such, is subject to change.  In particular, the consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under the laws of any state, local or foreign taxing jurisdictions are not discussed herein.  Each prospective investor should consult his or her own tax advisor to determine the application of the tax law and practice in his or her own particular circumstances.

The advice herein was prepared for the Fund.  Any person reviewing this discussion should seek advice based on such person’s particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor.

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”).  In order 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 Fund’s Distributor and Transfer Agent have established proper anti-money laundering procedures, reporting suspicious and/or fraudulent activity, checking shareholder names against designated government lists, including Office of Foreign Asset Control (“OFAC”), and 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.

The Board has adopted Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (“Proxy Policies”) on behalf of the Trust which delegate the responsibility for voting proxies to the Advisor, subject to the Board’s continuing oversight.  The Proxy Policies require that the Advisor vote proxies received in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders.  The Proxy Policies also require the Advisor to present to the Board, at least annually, the Advisor’s Proxy Policies and a record of each proxy voted by the Advisor on behalf of the Fund, including a report on the resolution of all proxies identified by the Advisor as involving a conflict of interest.

The Advisor has adopted Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures, which underscore the Advisor’s concern that all proxy voting decisions be made in the best interest of the Fund and that the Advisor will act in a prudent and diligent manner intended to enhance the economic value of the assets of the Fund.
 
 
 
 
A general statement of voting policy and specific voting positions has been established by the Advisor.  This policy is intended to serve as a guideline and to further the economic value of each Underlying Fund held by the Fund.  There will be regular review of this policy.  Each proxy will be considered individually, taking into account the relevant circumstances at the time of each vote.

Where a proxy proposal raises a material conflict between the Advisor’s interests and the Fund’s interests, the Advisor will resolve the conflict by disclosing the conflict to the Board and obtaining the Board’s consent to vote or direct the matter to an independent third party, selected by the Board for a vote determination.

The Trust is required to annually file Form N-PX, which lists the Fund’s complete proxy voting record for the most recent 12-month period ending June 30th.  The Fund’s proxy voting record is available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free 1-866-209-1964 and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

The Advisor, out of its own resources and not out of Fund assets (i.e., without additional cost to the Fund or its shareholders), may provide additional cash payments or non-cash compensation to some, but not all, brokers and other financial intermediaries who sell shares of the Fund. Such payments and compensation are in addition to the service fees and other fees paid by the Fund to such brokers and other financial intermediaries. These arrangements are sometimes referred to as “revenue sharing” arrangements. Revenue sharing arrangements are not financed by the Fund, and thus, do not result in increased fund expenses. They are not reflected in the fees and expenses listed in the Fund’s Prospectus. The Advisor did not have any revenue sharing arrangements with brokers and other financial intermediaries as of the date of this SAI.
 
The Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees 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 Fund’s liquidation, all shareholders would share pro rata in the net assets of the Fund available for distribution to shareholders.

The Declaration of Trust does not require the issuance of stock certificates.  If stock certificates are issued, they must be returned by the registered owners prior to the transfer or redemption of shares represented by such certificates.

The Board has created numerous series of shares, and may create additional series in the future, each of which has separate assets and liabilities.  Income and operating expenses not specifically attributable to a particular fund are allocated fairly among the funds by the Trustees, generally on the basis of the relative net assets of each fund.

Rule 18f-2 under the 1940 Act provides that as to any investment company which has two or more series outstanding and as to any matter required to be submitted to shareholder vote, such matter is not deemed to have been effectively acted upon unless approved by the holders of a “majority” (as defined in the Rule) of the voting securities of each series affected by the matter. Such separate voting requirements do not apply to the election of Trustees or the ratification of the selection of accountants. The Rule contains special provisions for cases in which an advisory contract is approved by one or more, but not all, series. A change in investment policy may go into effect as to one or more series whose holders so approve the change even though the required vote is not obtained as to the holders of other affected series.
 
 
 
 
With respect to the Fund, the Trust may offer more than one class of shares.  The Trust has reserved the right to create and issue additional series or classes.  Each share of a series or class represents an equal proportionate interest in that series or class with each other share of that series or class.  Currently, the Fund has only one class of shares.

The shares of each series or class participate equally in the earnings, dividends and assets of the particular series or class.  Expenses of the Trust which are not attributable to a specific series or class are allocated among all the series in a manner believed by management of the Trust to be fair and equitable.  Shares have no preemptive or conversion rights.  Shares, when issued, are fully paid and non-assessable, except as set forth below.  Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each share held.  Shares of each series or class generally vote together, except when required under federal securities laws to vote separately on matters that only affect a particular class, such as the approval of distribution plans for a particular class.

The Trust is not required to hold annual meetings of shareholders but will hold special meetings of shareholders of a series or class when, in the judgment of the Trustees, it is necessary or desirable to submit matters for a shareholder vote.  Shareholders have, under certain circumstances, the right to communicate with other shareholders in connection with requesting a meeting of shareholders for the purpose of removing one or more Trustees.  Shareholders also have, in certain circumstances, the right to remove one or more Trustees without a meeting.  No material amendment may be made to the Declaration of Trust without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of each portfolio affected by the amendment.  The Declaration of Trust provides that, at any meeting of shareholders of the Trust or of any series or class, a shareholder servicing agent (“Shareholder Servicing Agent”) may vote any shares as to which such Shareholder Servicing Agent is the agent of record and which are not represented in person or by proxy at the meeting, proportionately in accordance with the votes cast by holders of all shares of that portfolio otherwise represented at the meeting in person or by proxy as to which such Shareholder Servicing Agent is the agent of record.  Any shares so voted by a Shareholder Servicing Agent will be deemed represented at the meeting for purposes of quorum requirements.  Any series or class may be terminated at any time by vote of a majority of the shares of that series or by the Trustees by written notice to the shareholders of that series.  Unless each series is so terminated, the Trust will continue indefinitely.

The Declaration of Trust also provides that the Trust shall maintain appropriate insurance (for example, fidelity bonding and errors and omissions insurance) for the protection of the Trust, its shareholders, Trustees, officers, employees and agents covering possible tort and other liabilities.

The Annual Report for the Fund for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, is a separate document supplied upon request and the financial statements, accompanying notes and report of independent registered public accounting firm appearing therein are incorporated by reference in this SAI.
 
 
 
 

SHORT-TERM RATINGS
Standard & Poor’s Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings

A Standard & Poor’s issue credit rating is a current opinion of the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into account the currency in which the obligation is denominated.  The opinion evaluates the obligor’s capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default.  The issue credit rating is not a recommendation to purchase, sell, or hold a financial obligation, inasmuch as it does not comment as to market price or suitability for a particular investor.

Issue credit ratings are based on current information furnished by the obligors or obtained by Standard & Poor’s from other sources it considers reliable. Standard & Poor’s does not perform an audit in connection with any credit rating and may, on occasion, rely on unaudited financial information. Credit ratings may be changed, suspended, or withdrawn as a result of changes in, or unavailability of, such information, or based on other circumstances.

Issue credit ratings can be either long term or short term. Short-term ratings are generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market. In the U.S., for example, that means obligations with an original maturity of no more than 365 days including commercial paper. Short-term ratings are also used to indicate the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to put features on long-term obligations. The result is a dual rating, in which the short-term rating addresses the put feature, in addition to the usual long-term rating. Medium-term notes are assigned long-term ratings.

Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings

A-1
A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

A-2
A short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

A-3
A short-term obligation rated ‘A-3’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
 
B
A short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. Ratings of ‘B-1’, ‘B-2’, and ‘B-3’ may be assigned to indicate finer distinctions within the ‘B’ category. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
 
 
 
 
B-1
A short-term obligation rated ‘B-1’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, but the obligor has a relatively stronger capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.

B-2
A short-term obligation rated ‘B-2’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has an average speculative-grade capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.

B-3
A short-term obligation rated ‘B-3’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has a relatively weaker capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.

C
A short-term obligation rated ‘C’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

D
A short-term obligation rated ‘D’ is in payment default. The ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

Dual Ratings
Standard & Poor’s assigns “dual” ratings to all debt issues that have a put option or demand feature as part of their structure. The first rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second rating addresses only the demand feature. The long-term rating symbols are used for bonds to denote the long-term maturity and the short-term rating symbols for the put option (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+’). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, note rating symbols are used with the short-term issue credit rating symbols (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+’).

Active Qualifiers (Currently applied and/or outstanding)

i
This subscript is used for issues in which the credit factors, terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of interest are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of principal on the obligation. The ‘i’ subscript indicates that the rating addresses the interest portion of the obligation only. The ‘i’ subscript will always be used in conjunction with the ‘p’ subscript, which addresses likelihood of receipt of principal. For example, a rated obligation could be assigned ratings of “AAAp N.R.i” indicating that the principal portion is rated “AAA” and the interest portion of the obligation is not rated.

L
Ratings qualified with ‘L’ apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit insurance limits.
 
 
 
 
p
This subscript is used for issues in which the credit factors, the terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of principal are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of interest on the obligation. The ‘p’ subscript indicates that the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only. The ‘p’ subscript will always be used in conjunction with the ‘i’ subscript, which addresses likelihood of receipt of interest. For example, a rated obligation could be assigned ratings of “AAAp N.R.i” indicating that the principal portion is rated “AAA” and the interest portion of the obligation is not rated.

pi
Ratings with a ‘pi’ subscript are based on an analysis of an issuer’s published financial information, as well as additional information in the public domain. They do not, however, reflect in-depth meetings with an issuer’s management and are therefore based on less comprehensive information than ratings without a ‘pi’ subscript. Ratings with a ‘pi’ subscript are reviewed annually based on a new year’s financial statements, but may be reviewed on an interim basis if a major event occurs that may affect the issuer’s credit quality.

pr
The letters ‘pr’ indicate that the rating is provisional. A provisional rating assumes the successful completion of the project financed by the debt being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements is largely or entirely dependent upon the successful, timely completion of the project. This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the project, makes no comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon failure of such completion. The investor should exercise his own judgment with respect to such likelihood and risk.

Preliminary
Preliminary ratings are assigned to issues, including financial programs, in the following circumstances.

·  
Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal opinions. Assignment of a final rating is conditional on the receipt and approval by Standard & Poor’s of appropriate documentation. Changes in the information provided to Standard & Poor’s could result in the assignment of a different rating. In addition, Standard & Poor’s reserves the right not to issue a final rating.

·  
Preliminary ratings are assigned to Rule 415 Shelf Registrations. As specific issues, with defined terms, are offered from the master registration, a final rating may be assigned to them in accordance with Standard & Poor’s policies. The final rating may differ from the preliminary rating.

t
This symbol indicates termination structures that are designed to honor their contracts to full maturity or, should certain events occur, to terminate and cash settle all their contracts before their final maturity date.

unsolicited
Unsolicited ratings are those credit ratings assigned at the initiative of Standard & Poor’s and not at the request of the issuer or its agents.
 
 
 
 
Inactive Qualifiers (No longer applied or outstanding)

*
This symbol indicated continuance of the ratings is contingent upon Standard & Poor’s receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming investments and cash flows. Discontinued use in August 1998.
 
c
This qualifier was used to provide additional information to investors that the bank may terminate its obligation to purchase tendered bonds if the long-term credit rating of the issuer is below an investment-grade level and/or the issuer’s bonds are deemed taxable. Discontinued use in January 2001.

q
A ‘q’ subscript indicates that the rating is based solely on quantitative analysis of publicly available information. Discontinued use in April 2001.
 
r
The ‘r’ modifier was assigned to securities containing extraordinary risks, particularly market risks, that are not covered in the credit rating. The absence of an ‘r’ modifier should not be taken as an indication that an obligation will not exhibit extraordinary non-credit related risks. Standard & Poor’s discontinued the use of the ‘r’ modifier for most obligations in June 2000 and for the balance of obligations (mainly structured finance transactions) in November 2002.

Local Currency and Foreign Currency Risks
Country risk considerations are a standard part of Standard & Poor’s analysis for credit ratings on any issuer or issue. Currency of repayment is a key factor in this analysis. An obligor’s capacity to repay foreign currency obligations may be lower than its capacity to repay obligations in its local currency due to the sovereign government’s own relatively lower capacity to repay external versus domestic debt. These sovereign risk considerations are incorporated in the debt ratings assigned to specific issues. Foreign currency issuer ratings are also distinguished from local currency issuer ratings to identify those instances where sovereign risks make them different for the same issuer.
 
 
 
 
Moody’s Short-Term Debt Ratings

Short-Term Ratings

Moody’s short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.

Moody’s employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:

P-1
 
Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-2
 
Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-3
 
Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

NP
 
Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

Note: Canadian issuers rated P-1 or P-2 have their short-term ratings enhanced by the senior-most long-term rating of the issuer, its guarantor or support-provider.
 
Short-term vs. Long-term Ratings Chart
 
 
 
 
Fitch’s International Short-Term Credit Ratings

The following ratings scale applies to foreign currency and local currency ratings. A Short-term rating has a time horizon of less than 13 months for most obligations, or up to three years for US public finance, in line with industry standards, to reflect unique risk characteristics of bond, tax, and revenue anticipation notes that are commonly issued with terms up to three years. Short-term ratings thus place greater emphasis on the liquidity necessary to meet financial commitments in a timely manner.

F1
Highest credit quality.  Indicates the Strongest capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

F2
Good credit quality.  A satisfactory capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, but the margin of safety is not as great as in the case of the higher ratings.

F3
Fair credit quality.  The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate; however, near-term adverse changes could result in a reduction to non-investment grade.

B
Speculative.  Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus vulnerability to near-term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

C
High default risk.  Default is a real possibility.  Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.

D
Indicates an entity or sovereign that has defaulted on all of its financial obligations.

Notes to International Long-Term and Short-Term ratings:
The modifiers “+” or “-” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA’ Long-term rating category, to categories below ‘CCC’, or to Short-term ratings other than ‘F1’. (The +/- modifiers are only used to denote issues within the CCC category, whereas issuers are only rated CCC without the use of modifiers.)

Rating Watch: Ratings are placed on Rating Watch to notify investors that there is a reasonable probability of a rating change and the likely direction of such change. These are designated as “Positive”, indicating a potential upgrade, “Negative”, for a potential downgrade, or “Evolving”, if ratings may be raised, lowered or maintained. Rating Watch is typically resolved over a relatively short period.

Rating Outlook: An Outlook indicates the direction a rating is likely to move over a one to two-year period. Outlooks may be positive, stable or negative. A positive or negative Rating Outlook does not imply a rating change is inevitable. Similarly, ratings for which outlooks are ‘stable’ could be upgraded or downgraded before an outlook moves to positive or negative if circumstances warrant such an action.

Occasionally, Fitch Ratings may be unable to identify the fundamental trend. In these cases, the Rating Outlook may be described as evolving.

Program ratings (such as the those assigned to MTN shelf registrations) relate only to standard issues made under the program concerned; it should not be assumed that these ratings apply to every issue made under the program. In particular, in the case of non-standard issues, i.e. those that are linked to the credit of a third party or linked to the performance of an index, ratings of these issues may deviate from the applicable program rating.
 
 
 
 
Variable rate demand obligations and other securities which contain a short-term ‘put’ or other similar demand feature will have a dual rating, such as AAA/F1+. The first rating reflects the ability to meet long-term principal and interest payments, whereas the second rating reflects the ability to honor the demand feature in full and on time.

Fitch’s ratings on U.S. public finance debt securities measure credit quality relative of other U.S. public finance debt securities. Loss rates of most Fitch-rated U.S. public finance debt securities have historically been significantly lower, and are expected to continue to be significantly lower, than other debt instruments rated comparably by Fitch.

Interest Only
 
Interest Only ratings are assigned to interest strips. These ratings do not address the possibility that a security holder might fail to recover some or all of its initial investment due to voluntary or involuntary principal repayments.

Principal Only
 
Principal Only ratings address the likelihood that a security holder will receive their initial principal investment either before or by the scheduled maturity date.

Rate of Return
 
Ratings also may be assigned to gauge the likelihood of an investor receiving a certain predetermined internal rate of return without regard to the precise timing of any cash flows.

‘PIF’
 
The tranche has reached maturity and has been “paid-in-full”, regardless of whether it was amortized or called early.  As the issue no longer exists, it is therefore no longer rated.

‘NR’
 
Denotes that Fitch Ratings does not publicly rate the associated issuer or issuer.

‘WD’
 
Indicates that the rating has been withdrawn and is no longer maintained by Fitch.

Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”) National Short-Term Credit Ratings

National Ratings are an assessment of credit quality relative to the rating of the “best” credit risk in a country. This “best” risk will normally, although not always, be assigned to all financial commitments issued or guaranteed by the sovereign state.

A special identifier for the country concerned will be added at the end of all national ratings. For illustrative purposes, (xxx) has been used, in the table below.

F1(xxx)
Indicates the strongest capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or issues in the same country.  Under their national rating scale, this rating is assigned to the “best” credit risk relative to all others in the same country and is normally assigned to all financial commitments issued or guaranteed by the sovereign state.  Where the credit risk is particularly strong, a “+” is added to the assigned rating.
 
 
 
 
F2(xxx)
Indicates a satisfactory capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or issues in the same country.  However, the margin of safety is not as great as in the case of the higher ratings.

F3(xxx)
Indicates an adequate capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or issues in the same country.  However, such capacity is more susceptible to near-term adverse changes than for financial commitments in higher rated categories.

B (xxx)
Indicates an uncertain capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or issues in the same country.  Such capacity is highly susceptible to near-term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

C (xxx)
Indicates a highly uncertain capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or issues in the same country.  Capacity or meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.

D (xxx)
Indicates actual or imminent payment default.

Note to National Short-Term ratings:
In certain countries, regulators have established credit rating scales, to be used within their domestic markets, using specific nomenclature. In these countries, our National Short-Term Ratings definitions for F1+(xxx), F1(xxx), F2(xxx) and F3(xxx) may be substituted by those regulatory scales, e.g. A1+, A1, A2 and A3.

LONG-TERM RATINGS

Standard & Poor’s Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings

Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on the following considerations:

·  
Likelihood of payment capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

·  
Nature of and provisions of the obligation;

·  
Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors’ rights.

Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

AAA
An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong
 

 
 
AA
An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

A
An obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

BBB
An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

BB, B, CCC, CC, and C
Obligations rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’, ‘CC’, and ‘C’ are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

BB
An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B
An obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CCC
An obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CC
An obligation rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment.

C
A subordinated debt or preferred stock obligation rated ‘C’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘C’ rating may be used to cover a situation where a bankruptcy petition has been filed or similar action taken, but payments on this obligation are being continued. A ‘C’ also will be assigned to a preferred stock issue in arrears on dividends or sinking fund payments, but that is currently paying.

D
An obligation rated ‘D’ is in payment default. The ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.
 
 
 
Plus (+) or minus (-)
The ratings from ‘AA’ to ‘CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

N.R.
This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poor’s does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

Active Qualifiers (Currently applied and/or outstanding)

i
This subscript is used for issues in which the credit factors, terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of interest are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of principal on the obligation. The ‘i’ subscript indicates that the rating addresses the interest portion of the obligation only. The ‘i’ subscript will always be used in conjunction with the ‘p’ subscript, which addresses likelihood of receipt of principal. For example, a rated obligation could be assigned ratings of “AAAp N.R.i” indicating that the principal portion is rated “AAA” and the interest portion of the obligation is not rated.

L
Ratings qualified with ‘L’ apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit insurance limits.

p
This subscript is used for issues in which the credit factors, the terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of principal are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of interest on the obligation. The ‘p’ subscript indicates that the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only. The ‘p’ subscript will always be used in conjunction with the ‘i’ subscript, which addresses likelihood of receipt of interest. For example, a rated obligation could be assigned ratings of “AAAp N.R.i” indicating that the principal portion is rated “AAA” and the interest portion of the obligation is not rated.

pi
Ratings with a ‘pi’ subscript are based on an analysis of an issuer’s published financial information, as well as additional information in the public domain. They do not, however, reflect in-depth meetings with an issuer’s management and are therefore based on less comprehensive information than ratings without a ‘pi’ subscript. Ratings with a ‘pi’ subscript are reviewed annually based on a new year’s financial statements, but may be reviewed on an interim basis if a major event occurs that may affect the issuer’s credit quality.

pr
The letters ‘pr’ indicate that the rating is provisional. A provisional rating assumes the successful completion of the project financed by the debt being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements is largely or entirely dependent upon the successful, timely completion of the project. This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the project, makes no comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon failure of such completion. The investor should exercise his own judgment with respect to such likelihood and risk.
 
 
 
 
Preliminary
Preliminary ratings are assigned to issues, including financial programs, in the following circumstances.

·  
Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal opinions. Assignment of a final rating is conditional on the receipt and approval by Standard & Poor’s of appropriate documentation. Changes in the information provided to Standard & Poor’s could result in the assignment of a different rating. In addition, Standard & Poor’s reserves the right not to issue a final rating.

·  
Preliminary ratings are assigned to Rule 415 Shelf Registrations. As specific issues, with defined terms, are offered from the master registration, a final rating may be assigned to them in accordance with Standard & Poor’s policies. The final rating may differ from the preliminary rating.

t
This symbol indicates termination structures that are designed to honor their contracts to full maturity or, should certain events occur, to terminate and cash settle all their contracts before their final maturity date.

Unsolicited
Unsolicited ratings are those credit ratings assigned at the initiative of Standard & Poor’s and not at the request of the issuer or its agents.

Inactive Qualifiers (No longer applied or outstanding)

*
This symbol indicated continuance of the ratings is contingent upon Standard & Poor’s receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming investments and cash flows. Discontinued use in August 1998.

c
This qualifier was used to provide additional information to investors that the bank may terminate its obligation to purchase tendered bonds if the long-term credit rating of the issuer is below an investment-grade level and/or the issuer’s bonds are deemed taxable. Discontinued use in January 2001.

q
A ‘q’ subscript indicates that the rating is based solely on quantitative analysis of publicly available information. Discontinued use in April 2001.

r
The ‘r’ modifier was assigned to securities containing extraordinary risks, particularly market risks, that are not covered in the credit rating. The absence of an ‘r’ modifier should not be taken as an indication that an obligation will not exhibit extraordinary non-credit related risks. Standard & Poor’s discontinued the use of the ‘r’ modifier for most obligations in June 2000 and for the balance of obligations (mainly structured finance transactions) in November 2002.

Local Currency and Foreign Currency Risks
Country risk considerations are a standard part of Standard & Poor’s analysis for credit ratings on any issuer or issue. Currency of repayment is a key factor in this analysis. An obligor’s capacity to repay foreign currency obligations may be lower than its capacity to repay obligations in its local currency due to the sovereign government’s own relatively lower capacity to repay external versus domestic debt. These sovereign risk considerations are incorporated in the debt ratings assigned to specific issues. Foreign currency issuer ratings are also distinguished from local currency issuer ratings to identify those instances where sovereign risks make them different for the same issuer.
 
 
 
 
Moody’s Long-Term Debt Ratings

Long-Term Obligation Ratings
Moody’s long-term obligation ratings are opinions of the relative credit risk of fixed-income obligations with an original maturity of one year or more. They address the possibility that a financial obligation will not be honored as promised. Such ratings reflect both the likelihood of default and any financial loss suffered in the event of default.

Moody’s Long-Term Rating Definitions:

Aaa
Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, with minimal credit risk.

Aa
Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

A
Obligations rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

Baa
Obligations rated Baa are subject to moderate credit risk. They are considered medium-grade and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

Ba
Obligations rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements and are subject to substantial credit risk.

B
Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

Caa
Obligations rated Caa are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

Ca
Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

C
Obligations rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.
 
 
 
 
Fitch’s International Long-Term Credit Ratings

International Long-Term Credit Ratings (LTCR) may also be referred to as Long-Term Ratings. When assigned to most issuers, it is used as a benchmark measure of probability of default and is formally described as an Issuer Default Rating (IDR). The major exception is within Public Finance, where IDRs will not be assigned as market convention has always focused on timeliness and does not draw analytical distinctions between issuers and their underlying obligations. When applied to issues or securities, the LTCR may be higher or lower than the issuer rating (IDR) to reflect relative differences in recovery expectations.

The following rating scale applies to foreign currency and local currency ratings:

Investment Grade

 
AAA
Highest credit quality.  ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk.  They are assigned only in case of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments.  This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

 
AA
Very high credit quality.  ‘AA’ ratings denote expectations of low credit risk.  They indicate very strong capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.  This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

 
A
High credit quality.  ‘A’ ratings denote expectations of low credit risk.  The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong.  This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to changes in circumstances or in economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

 
BBB
Good credit quality.  ‘BBB’ ratings indicate that there is currently expectations of low credit risk.  The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse changes in circumstances and economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.  This is the lowest investment-grade category.

Speculative Grade

 
BB
Speculative.  ‘BB’ ratings indicate that there is a possibility of credit risk developing, particularly as the result of adverse economic change over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.  Securities rated in this category are not investment grade.
 
B     Highly speculative.
  
·  
For issuers and performing obligations, ‘B’ ratings indicate that significant credit risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is contingent upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.
 
 
 
·  
For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for extremely high recoveries. Such obligations would possess a Recovery Rating of ‘RR1’ (outstanding).
 
  CCC
 
·  
For issuers and performing obligations, default is a real possibility. Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon sustained, favorable business or economic conditions.

·  
For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for average to superior levels of recovery. Differences in credit quality may be denoted by plus/minus distinctions. Such obligations typically would possess a Recovery Rating of ‘RR2’ (superior), or ‘RR3’ (good) or ‘RR4’ (average).

 
CC
 
·  
For issuers and performing obligations, default of some kind appears probable.

·  
For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with a Recovery Rating of ‘RR4’ (average) or ‘RR5’ (below average).

 
C
 
·  
For issuers and performing obligations, default is imminent.

   ·  
For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for below-average to poor recoveries. Such obligations would possess a Recovery Rating of ‘RR6’ (poor).
 
  RD
 
  Indicates an entity that has failed to make due payments (within the applicable grace period) on some but not all material financial obligations, but continues to honor other classes of obligations.
 
  D
 
  Indicates an entity or sovereign that has defaulted on all of its financial obligations. Default generally is defined as one of the following:
 

·  
failure of an obligor to make timely payment of principal and/or interest under the contractual terms of any financial obligation;

·  
the bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other winding-up or cessation of business of an obligor;

·  
the distressed or other coercive exchange of an obligation, where creditors were offered securities with diminished structural or economic terms compared with the existing obligation.
 
  Default ratings are not assigned prospectively; within this context, non-payment on an instrument that contains a deferral feature or grace period will not be considered a default until after the expiration of the deferral or grace period.
 
 
 
  Issuers will be rated ‘D’ upon a default. Defaulted and distressed obligations typically are rated along the continuum of ‘C’ to ‘B’ ratings categories, depending upon their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. Additionally, in structured finance transactions, where analysis indicates that an instrument is irrevocably impaired such that it is not expected to meet pay interest and/or principal in full in accordance with the terms of the obligation’s documentation during the life of the transaction, but where no payment default in accordance with the terms of the documentation is imminent, the obligation may be rated in the ‘B’ or ‘CCC-C’ categories.
 
  Default is determined by reference to the terms of the obligations’ documentation. Fitch will assign default ratings where it has reasonably determined that payment has not been made on a material obligation in accordance with the requirements of the obligation’s documentation, or where it believes that default ratings consistent with Fitch’s published definition of default are the most appropriate ratings to assign.
 
Notes to International Long-Term and Short-Term ratings

The modifiers “+” or “-” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA’ Long-term rating category, to categories below ‘CCC’, or to Short-term ratings other than ‘F1’. (The +/- modifiers are only used to denote issues within the CCC category, whereas issuers are only rated CCC without the use of modifiers.)

Rating Watch: Ratings are placed on Rating Watch to notify investors that there is a reasonable probability of a rating change and the likely direction of such change. These are designated as “Positive”, indicating a potential upgrade, “Negative”, for a potential downgrade, or “Evolving”, if ratings may be raised, lowered or maintained. Rating Watch is typically resolved over a relatively short period.

Rating Outlook: An Outlook indicates the direction a rating is likely to move over a one to two-year period. Outlooks may be positive, stable or negative. A positive or negative Rating Outlook does not imply a rating change is inevitable. Similarly, ratings for which outlooks are ‘stable’ could be upgraded or downgraded before an outlook moves to positive or negative if circumstances warrant such an action. Occasionally, Fitch Ratings may be unable to identify the fundamental trend. In these cases, the Rating Outlook may be described as evolving.

Program ratings (such as the those assigned to MTN shelf registrations) relate only to standard issues made under the program concerned; it should not be assumed that these ratings apply to every issue made under the program. In particular, in the case of non-standard issues, i.e. those that are linked to the credit of a third party or linked to the performance of an index, ratings of these issues may deviate from the applicable program rating.

Variable rate demand obligations and other securities which contain a short-term ‘put’ or other similar demand feature will have a dual rating, such as AAA/F1+. The first rating reflects the ability to meet long-term principal and interest payments, whereas the second rating reflects the ability to honor the demand feature in full and on time.

Fitch’s ratings on U.S. public finance debt securities measure credit quality relative of other U.S. public finance debt securities. Loss rates of most Fitch-rated U.S. public finance debt securities have historically been significantly lower, and are expected to continue to be significantly lower, than other debt instruments rated comparably by Fitch.
 
 
 
 
Interest Only
Interest Only ratings are assigned to interest strips. These ratings do not address the possibility that a security holder might fail to recover some or all of its initial investment due to voluntary or involuntary principal repayments.

Principal Only
Principal Only ratings address the likelihood that a security holder will receive their initial principal investment either before or by the scheduled maturity date.

Rate of Return
Ratings also may be assigned to gauge the likelihood of an investor receiving a certain predetermined internal rate of return without regard to the precise timing of any cash flows.

‘PIF’
The tranche has reached maturity and has been “paid-in-full”, regardless of whether it was amortized or called early.  As the issue no longer exists, it is therefore no longer rated.

‘NR’
Denotes that Fitch Ratings does not publicly rate the associated issue or issuer.

‘WD’
Indicates that the rating has been withdrawn and is no longer maintained by Fitch.
 

 
 
Fitch’s National Long-Term Credit Ratings

National Ratings are an assessment of credit quality relative to the rating of the “best” credit risk in a country. This “best” risk will normally, although not always, be assigned to all financial commitments issued or guaranteed by the sovereign state.

A special identifier for the country concerned will be added at the end of all national ratings. For illustrative purposes, (xxx) has been used, in the table below.

 
AAA(xxx)
AAA’ national ratings denote the highest rating assigned in its national rating scale for that country.  This rating is assigned to the “best” credit risk relative to all other issuers or issues in the same country and will normally be assigned to all financial commitments issued or guaranteed by the sovereign state.

 
AA(xxx)
‘AA’ national ratings denote a very strong credit risk relative to other issuers or issues in the same country.  The credit risk inherent in these financial commitments differs only slightly from the country’s highest rated issuers or issues.

 
A (xxx)
‘A’ national ratings denote a strong credit risk relative to other issuers or issues in the same country.  However, changes in circumstances or economic conditions may affect the capacity for timely repayment of these financial commitments to a greater degree than for financial commitments denoted by a higher rated category.

 
BBB(xxx)
‘BBB’ national ratings denote an adequate credit risk relative to other issuers or issues in the same country.  However, changes in circumstances or economic conditions are more likely to affect the capacity for timely repayment of these financial commitments than for financial commitments denoted by a higher rated category.

 
BB(xxx)
‘BB’ national ratings denote a fairly weak credit risk relative to other issuers or issues in the same country.  Within the context of the country, payment of these financial commitments is uncertain to some degree and capacity for timely repayment remains more vulnerable to adverse economic change over time.

 
B (xxx)
‘B’ national ratings denote a significantly weak credit risk relative to other issuers or issues in the same country.  Financial commitments are currently being met but a limited margin of safety remains and capacity for continued timely payments is contingent upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.

 
CCC(xxx),
CC(xxx),
C(xxx)           
These categories of national ratings denote an extremely weak credit risk relative to other issuers or issues in the same country.  Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon sustained, favorable business or economic developments.
 
 
DDD(xxx),
DD(xxx),
D(xxx)
 
These categories of national ratings are assigned to entities or financial commitments which are currently in default.        
 
 
E(xxx)
Adequate information is not available to meet the obligations of the rating. This category is used as a downgrade when the previous rating is suspended due to a lack of documentation from the issuer necessary to continue surveillance and maintain the rating.
 
 
 
 
MUNICIPAL NOTE RATINGS
 
Standard & Poor’s Note Ratings
 
Short-Term Notes

A Standard & Poor’s U.S. municipal note rating reflects the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes maturing beyond three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. The following criteria will be used in making that assessment:

·  
Amortization schedule - the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; and

·  
Source of payment - the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note.

Note rating symbols are as follows:

SP-1
Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.

SP-2
Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.

SP-3
Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.
 

 
 
Moody’s MIG/VMIG Ratings U.S. Short-Term Ratings
 
US Municipal Short-Term Debt And Demand Obligation Ratings

Short-Term Debt Ratings
There are three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade. These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels -- MIG 1 through MIG 3. In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation.

MIG 1
This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

MIG 2
This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

MIG 3
This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

SG
This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.
Demand Obligation Ratings

In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned; a long or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moody’s evaluation of the degree of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moody’s evaluation of the degree of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand (“demand feature”), using a variation of the MIG rating scale, the Variable Municipal Investment Grade or VMIG rating.

When either the long- or short-term aspect of a VRDO is not rated, that piece is designated NR, e.g., Aaa/NR or NR/VMIG 1.

VMIG rating expirations are a function of each issue’s specific structural or credit features.
 
 
 
 
VMIG 1
This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

VMIG 2
This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

VMIG 3
This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

SG
This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
 
 
 
 
PART C
(The Teberg Fund)

OTHER INFORMATION

Item 28.  Exhibits.

(a)
Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated October 3, 1996, was previously filed with the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A on December 6, 1996, and is incorporated herein by reference.

(b)
Amended and Restated By-Laws dated June 27, 2002, were previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 113 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A on January 28, 2003, and are incorporated herein by reference.

(c)
Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders are incorporated by reference into the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust and Amended and Restated By-Laws.

(d)
Investment Advisory Agreement dated March 11, 2002, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on July 28, 2003, and is incorporated herein by reference.

(e)
Distribution Agreement dated October 4, 2006, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 272 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on July 29, 2008, and is incorporated herein by reference.

(f)
Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts – not applicable.

(g)
Custody Agreement dated June 6, 2006, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 222 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 28, 2006, and is incorporated herein by reference.

 
(i)
Amendment dated June 5, 2008, to the Custody Agreement was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 272 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on July 29, 2008, and is incorporated herein by reference.

(h)
Other Material Contracts.

 
(i)
Fund Administration Servicing Agreement dated June 8, 2006, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 222 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 28, 2006, and is incorporated herein by reference.

 
(ii)
Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement dated June 8, 2006, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 222 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 28, 2006, and is incorporated herein by reference.

   
(A)
Addendum dated March 26, 2009, to the Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 282 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A on April 21, 2009, and is incorporated herein by reference.

 
(iii)
Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement dated June 8, 2006, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 222 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 28, 2006, and is incorporated herein by reference.

 
(iv)
Operating Expenses Limitation Agreement dated April 1, 2009, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 288 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A on July 29, 2009, and is incorporated herein by reference.
 
 
 
 
C-1

 
 
 
(v)
Powers of Attorney.

   
(A)
Power of Attorney (O’Connor, Rebhan, Redwine and Wofford) dated December 11, 2008, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 275 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A on January 23, 2009, and is incorporated herein by reference.

   
(B)
Power of Attorney (Diederich) dated January 6, 2011, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 340 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A on January 14, 2011, and is incorporated herein by reference.

(i)
Legal Opinion dated March 11, 2002, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 93 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on March 11, 2002, and is incorporated herein by reference.

(j)
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm – filed herewith.

(k)
Omitted Financial Statements – not applicable.

(l)
Subscription Agreements dated February 25, 1997, were previously filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A on February 28, 1997, and are incorporated herein by reference.

(m)
Rule 12b-1 Plan was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 272 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on July 29, 2008, and is incorporated herein by reference.

(n)
Rule 18f-3 Plan – not applicable.

(o)
Reserved.

(p)
Codes of Ethics.

 
(i)
Code of Ethics applicable to the Registrant dated June 2012 was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 430 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A on June 22, 2012, and is incorporated herein by reference.

 
(ii)
Code of Ethics for Advisor was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 285 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A on May 29, 2009, and is incorporated herein by reference.

 
(ii)
Code of Ethics for Access Persons of Quasar Distributors, LLC dated September 1, 2005, was previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 257 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A on January 28, 2008, and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 29.  Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with Registrant.

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

Item 30.  Indemnification.

Reference is made to Article VII of the Registrant’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, Article VI of Registrant’s Amended and Restated By-Laws and Paragraph 7 of the Distribution Agreement.

Pursuant to Rule 484 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) the Registrant furnishes the following undertaking:  “Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that, in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.  In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a trustee, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.”
 
 
 
C-2

 
 
Item 31.  Business and Other Connections of the Investment Advisor.

With respect to the Advisor, the response to this Item will be incorporated by reference to the Advisor’s Uniform Application for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) on file with the SEC (File No. 801-60972), dated June 26, 2012.  The Advisor’s Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

Item 32.  Principal Underwriter.

(a)           Quasar Distributors, LLC, the Registrant’s principal underwriter, acts as principal underwriter for the following investment companies:

Academy Funds Trust
Hotchkis & Wiley Funds
Advisors Series Trust
Intrepid Capital Management Funds Trust
Aegis Funds
IronBridge Funds, Inc.
Aegis Value Fund, Inc.
Jacob Funds, Inc.
Allied Asset Advisors Funds
Jensen Portfolio, Inc.
Alpine Equity Trust
Keystone Mutual Funds
Alpine Income Trust
Kirr Marbach Partners Funds, Inc.
Alpine Series Trust
Litman Gregory Funds Trust
Ambassador Funds
LKCM Funds
Artio Global Funds
LoCorr Investment Trust
Barrett Opportunity Fund, Inc.
Lord Asset Management Trust
Brandes Investment Trust
MainGate Trust
Brandywine Blue Fund, Inc.
Managed Portfolio Series
Brandywine Fund, Inc.
Matrix Advisors Value Fund, Inc.
Bridges Investment Fund, Inc.
Merger Fund
Brookfield Investment Funds
Monetta Fund, Inc.
Brown Advisory Funds
Monetta Trust
Buffalo Funds
Nicholas Family of Funds, Inc.
Country Mutual Funds Trust
Permanent Portfolio Family of Funds, Inc.
Cushing MLP Funds Trust
Perritt Funds, Inc.
DoubleLine Funds Trust
Perritt Microcap Opportunities Fund, Inc.
Empiric Funds, Inc.
PineBridge Mutual Funds
ETF Series Solutions
PRIMECAP Odyssey Funds
Evermore Funds Trust
Professionally Managed Portfolios
First American Funds, Inc.
Prospector Funds, Inc.
First American Investment Funds, Inc.
Purisima Funds
First American Strategy Funds, Inc.
Rainier Investment Management Mutual Funds
Fort Pitt Capital Funds
RBC Funds Trust
Glenmede Fund, Inc.
SCS Financial Funds
Glenmede Portfolios
Thompson Plumb Funds, Inc.
Greenspring Fund, Inc.
TIFF Investment Program, Inc.
Guinness Atkinson Funds
Trust for Professional Managers
Harding Loevner Funds, Inc.
USA Mutuals Funds
Hennessy Funds Trust
Wall Street Fund
Hennessy Funds, Inc.
Wexford Trust/PA
Hennessy Mutual Funds, Inc.
Wisconsin Capital Funds, Inc.
Hennessy SPARX Funds Trust
WY Funds
 
 
 
 
C-3

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

Name and Principal
Business Address
Position and Offices with
Quasar Distributors, LLC
Positions and Offices with
Registrant
James R. Schoenike(1)
President, Board Member
None
Andrew M. Strnad(2)
Secretary
None
Joe D. Redwine(1)
Board Member
None
Robert Kern(1)
Board Member
None
Eric W. Falkeis(1)
Board Member
None
Susan LaFond(1)
Treasurer
None
Teresa Cowan(1)
Assistant Secretary
None
John Kinsella(3)
Assistant Treasurer
None
Brett Scribner(3)
Assistant Treasurer
None
(1)  This individual is located at 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53202.
(2)  This individual is located at 6602 East 75th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46250.
(3)  This individual is located at 800 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55402.

(c)   Not applicable.

Item 33.  Location of Accounts and Records.
 
The books and records required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) are maintained at the following locations:
 
Records Relating to:
Are located at:
Registrant’s Fund Administrator, Fund Accountant and
Transfer Agent
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615 East Michigan Street, 3rd Floor
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
 
Registrant’s Custodian
U.S. Bank National Association
1555 North River Center Drive, Suite 302
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212
 
Registrant’s Investment Advisor
First Associated Investment Advisors, Inc.
5161 Miller Trunk Highway
Duluth, Minnesota 55811
 
Registrant’s Distributor
Quasar Distributors, LLC
615 East Michigan Street, 4th Floor
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
 
 
 
 
C-4

 
 
Item 34.  Management Services Not Discussed in Parts A and B.
 
Not Applicable.

Item 35.  Undertakings.

Not Applicable.

 
C-5

 
 
SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act and the 1940 Act, the Registrant certifies that this Post-Effective Amendment No. 443 to its Registration Statement meets all of the requirements for effectiveness under Rule 485(b) and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 443 to its Registration Statement on Form N-1A to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, on the 26th day of July, 2012.

Advisors Series Trust
 

By:   /s/ Douglas G. Hess
       Douglas G. Hess
       President

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 443 to its Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature
Title
Date
     
Sallie P. Diederich*
Trustee
July 26, 2012
Sallie P. Diederich
   
     
Donald E. O’Connor*
Trustee
July 26, 2012
Donald E. O’Connor
   
     
George Rebhan*
Trustee
July 26, 2012
George Rebhan
   
     
George T. Wofford*
Trustee
July 26, 2012
George T. Wofford
   
     
Joe D. Redwine*
Trustee, Chairman and
July 26, 2012
Joe D. Redwine
Chief Executive Officer
 
     
/s/ Cheryl L. King
Treasurer and
July 26, 2012
Cheryl L. King
Principal Financial Officer
 
     
/s/ Douglas G. Hess
President and
July 26, 2012
Douglas G. Hess
Principal Executive Officer
 
     
*By:  /s/ Douglas G. Hess
 
July 26, 2012
    Douglas G. Hess
    Attorney-In Fact pursuant to
    Power of Attorney
   
 

 
 
C-6 

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit
Exhibit No.
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
EX.99.j
 

                                              C-7