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Table of Contents

PART B

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

DATED APRIL 27, 2012, AS AMENDED JULY 2, 2012

INSTITUTIONAL SHARES

SERVICE SHARES

GOLDMAN SACHS STRUCTURED U.S. EQUITY FUND

GOLDMAN SACHS STRUCTURED SMALL CAP EQUITY FUND

GOLDMAN SACHS STRATEGIC GROWTH FUND

GOLDMAN SACHS LARGE CAP VALUE FUND

GOLDMAN SACHS MID CAP VALUE FUND

GOLDMAN SACHS GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES FUND

GOLDMAN SACHS EQUITY INDEX FUND

GOLDMAN SACHS STRATEGIC INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUND

GOLDMAN SACHS GOVERNMENT INCOME FUND

GOLDMAN SACHS CORE FIXED INCOME FUND

GOLDMAN SACHS MONEY MARKET FUND

(PORTFOLIOS OF GOLDMAN SACHS VARIABLE INSURANCE TRUST)

Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust

71 South Wacker Drive

Chicago, Illinois 60606

This Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”) is not a Prospectus. This SAI should be read in conjunction with the Prospectuses for Service Shares of the Goldman Sachs Structured U.S. Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Structured Small Cap Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Mid Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth Opportunities Fund, Goldman Sachs Equity Index Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic International Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Government Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Core Fixed Income Fund and Goldman Sachs Money Market Fund (each, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”) dated April 27, 2012 and the Prospectuses for Institutional Shares of the Goldman Sachs Structured U.S. Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Structured Small Cap Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Mid Cap Value Fund and Goldman Sachs Strategic International Equity Fund dated April 27, 2012 (collectively, the “Prospectuses”), as they each may be further amended and/or supplemented from time to time. The Prospectuses may be obtained without charge from Goldman, Sachs & Co. by calling the telephone number, or writing to one of the addresses, listed below.

The audited financial statements and related reports of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent registered public accounting firm for each Fund, contained in each Fund’s 2011 Annual Report are incorporated herein by reference in the section “FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.” No other parts of any Annual Report are incorporated by reference herein. A Fund’s Annual Report may be obtained upon request and without charge by writing Goldman, Sachs & Co., P.O. Box 06050, Chicago, Illinois 60606 or by calling Goldman, Sachs & Co., at the telephone number on the back cover of the Funds’ Prospectuses.

GSAM® is a registered service mark of Goldman, Sachs & Co.


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

INTRODUCTION

     B-1   

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES

     B-2   

DESCRIPTION OF INVESTMENT SECURITIES AND PRACTICES

     B-8   

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

     B-63   

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

     B-67   

MANAGEMENT SERVICES

     B-81   

POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

     B-95   

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE

     B-102   

NET ASSET VALUE

     B-106   

SHARES OF THE TRUST

     B-109   

TAXATION

     B-112   

PROXY VOTING

     B-115   

PAYMENTS TO INTERMEDIARIES

     B-116   

OTHER INFORMATION

     B-121   

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

     B-124   

DISTRIBUTION AND SERVICE PLAN

     B-124   

APPENDIX A DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS

     1-A   

APPENDIX B GSAM PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES SUMMARY

     1-B   

APPENDIX C STATE STREET GLOBAL ADVISORS PROXY VOTING POLICY

     1-C   

The date of this SAI is April 27, 2012, as amended July 2, 2012.

 

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GOLDMAN SACHS ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P.    GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO.
Investment Adviser to:    Distributor

Goldman Sachs Structured U.S. Equity Fund

   200 West Street

Goldman Sachs Structured Small Cap Equity Fund

   New York, New York 10282

Goldman Sachs Strategic Growth Fund

  

Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Fund

  

Goldman Sachs Mid Cap Value Fund

   GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO.

Goldman Sachs Growth Opportunities Fund

   Transfer Agent

Goldman Sachs Equity Index Fund

   71 South Wacker Drive

Goldman Sachs Government Income Fund

   Chicago, IL 60606

Goldman Sachs Core Fixed Income Fund

  

Goldman Sachs Money Market Fund

  
200 West Street   
New York, New York 10282   

GOLDMAN SACHS ASSET MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL

   SSgA Funds Management, Inc.
Investment Adviser to:    Investment Sub-Adviser to:

Goldman Sachs Strategic International Equity Fund

  

Goldman Sachs Equity Index Fund

Christchurch Court    State Street Financial Center
10-15 Newgate Street    One Lincoln Street
London, England EC1A7HD    Boston, Massachusetts 02111-2900

Toll free (in U.S.)....... 800-621-2550

 

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INTRODUCTION

Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust (the “Trust”) is an open-end, management investment company. Service Shares and Institutional Shares of the Trust may be purchased and held by the separate accounts (“Separate Accounts”) of participating life insurance companies (“Participating Insurance Companies”) for the purpose of funding variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies. Service Shares and Institutional Shares of the Trust are not offered directly to the general public. The following series of the Trust are described in this SAI: Goldman Sachs Structured U.S. Equity Fund (“Structured U.S. Equity Fund”), Goldman Sachs Structured Small Cap Equity Fund (“Structured Small Cap Equity Fund”), Goldman Sachs Strategic Growth Fund (prior to April 30, 2010, known as Goldman Sachs Capital Growth Fund) (“Strategic Growth Fund”), Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Fund (prior to April 30, 2010, known as Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Fund) (“Large Cap Value Fund”), Goldman Sachs Mid Cap Value Fund (“Mid Cap Value Fund”), Goldman Sachs Growth Opportunities Fund (“Growth Opportunities Fund”), Goldman Sachs Equity Index Fund (“Equity Index Fund”), Goldman Sachs Strategic International Equity Fund (“Strategic International Equity Fund”), Goldman Sachs Government Income Fund (“Government Income Fund”), Goldman Sachs Core Fixed Income Fund (“Core Fixed Income Fund”) and Goldman Sachs Money Market Fund (“Money Market Fund”) (each a “Fund”, and collectively, the “Funds”).

The Growth Opportunities Fund, Equity Index Fund, Government Income Fund, Core Fixed Income Fund and Money Market Fund were created to acquire the assets and liabilities of the Allmerica Select Capital Appreciation Fund, Allmerica Equity Index Fund, Allmerica Government Bond Fund, Allmerica Select Investment Grade Income Fund and Allmerica Money Market Fund, respectively, of Allmerica Investment Trust (the “Predecessor Allmerica Funds”). On January 9, 2006, the Predecessor Allmerica Funds were reorganized into their corresponding Goldman Sachs Funds. These Predecessor Allmerica Funds, for purposes of the reorganization, are considered to be the accounting survivors.

Each Fund is a series of Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust, which was formed under the laws of the State of Delaware on September 16, 1997. The Trustees of the Trust have authority under the Declaration of Trust to create and classify shares of beneficial interest into separate series and to classify and reclassify any series or portfolio of shares into one or more classes without further action by shareholders. Pursuant thereto, the Trustees have created the Funds. Additional series and classes may be added in the future from time to time. Each Fund currently offers Service Shares, and the Structured U.S. Equity Fund, Structured Small Cap Equity Fund, Strategic Growth Fund, Large Cap Value Fund, Mid Cap Value Fund and Strategic International Equity Fund also offer Institutional Shares. See “SHARES OF THE TRUST.”

Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“GSAM”), an affiliate of Goldman, Sachs & Co. (“Goldman Sachs”), serves as the investment adviser to each Fund except the Strategic International Equity Fund. Goldman Sachs Asset Management International (“GSAMI”), an affiliate of Goldman Sachs, serves as the investment adviser to the Strategic International Equity Fund. SSgA Funds Management, Inc. (“SSgA FM”) serves as investment sub-adviser to the Equity Index Fund. GSAM and GSAMI are sometimes referred to individually herein as an “Investment Adviser” and collectively as the “Investment Advisers.” SSgA FM is referred to herein as the “Sub-Adviser.” In addition, Goldman Sachs serves as each Fund’s distributor and transfer agent. Except for the Money Market Fund, each Fund’s custodian is JPMorganChase Bank, N.A. (“JPMorganChase”). The Bank of New York Mellon (“BNYM”) is the custodian for the Money Market Fund.

The following information relates to and supplements the description of each Fund’s investment policies contained in the Prospectuses. See the Prospectuses for more complete descriptions of the Funds’ investment objectives and policies. Investing in the Funds entails certain risks, and there is no assurance that a Fund will achieve its objective. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the same meaning as in the Prospectuses.

 

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INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES

Each Fund has a distinct investment objective and policies. There can be no assurance that a Fund’s objective will be achieved. Each Fund is a diversified open-end management company as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”). The investment objective and policies of each Fund, and the associated risks of each Fund, are discussed in the Funds’ Prospectuses, which should be read carefully before an investment is made. All investment objectives and investment policies not specifically designated as fundamental may be changed without shareholder approval. However, with respect to the Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity, Large Cap Value, Mid Cap Value, Strategic International Equity, Equity Index, Government Income and Core Fixed Income Funds, to the extent required by U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) regulations including Rule 35d-1 of the Act and the SEC’s interpretive positions thereunder, shareholders will be provided with sixty (60) days notice in the manner prescribed by the SEC before any change in a Fund’s policy to invest at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) in the particular type of investment suggested by its name. Additional information about the Funds, their policies, and the investment instruments they may hold, is provided below.

Each of the Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity, Strategic Growth, Large Cap Value, Mid Cap Value, Growth Opportunities, Equity Index and Strategic International Equity Funds may be referred to in this SAI individually as an “Equity Fund” and collectively as the “Equity Funds.” Each of the Government Income and Core Fixed Income Funds may be referred to in this SAI individually as a “Fixed Income Fund” and together as the “Fixed Income Funds.”

Each Fund’s share price will fluctuate with market, economic and, to the extent applicable, foreign exchange conditions, so that an investment in any of the Funds may be worth more or less when redeemed than when purchased (although the Money Market Fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund). None of the Funds should be relied upon as a complete investment program.

The following discussion supplements the information in the Funds’ Prospectuses.

General Information Regarding the Equity Funds (Other than the Equity Index and Strategic International Equity Funds)

The Investment Adviser may purchase for the Equity Funds common stocks, preferred stocks, interests in real estate investment trusts, convertible debt obligations, convertible preferred stocks, equity interests in trusts, partnerships, joint ventures, limited liability companies and similar enterprises, other investment companies (including exchange traded funds (“ETFs”)), warrants and stock purchase rights and synthetic and derivative instruments that have economic characteristics similar to equity securities (“equity investments”). The Investment Adviser utilizes first-hand fundamental research, including visiting company facilities to assess operations and to meet decision-makers, in choosing an Equity Fund’s securities. The Investment Adviser may also use macro analysis of numerous economic and valuation variables to anticipate changes in company earnings and the overall investment climate. The Investment Adviser is able to draw on the research and market expertise of the Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research Department and other affiliates of the Investment Adviser, as well as information provided by other securities dealers. Equity investments in an Equity Fund’s portfolio will generally be sold when the Investment Adviser believes that the market price fully reflects or exceeds the investments’ fundamental valuation or when other more attractive investments are identified.

Value Style Funds. The Large Cap Value and Mid Cap Value Funds are managed using a value oriented approach. The Investment Adviser evaluates securities using fundamental analysis and intends to purchase equity investments that are, in its view, underpriced relative to a combination of such companies’ long-term earnings prospects, growth rate, free cash flow and/or dividend-paying ability. Consideration will be given to the business quality of the issuer. Factors positively affecting the Investment Adviser’s view of that quality include the competitiveness and degree of regulation in the markets in which the company operates, the existence of a management team with a record of success, the position of the company in the markets in which it operates, the level of the company’s financial leverage and the sustainable return on capital invested in the business. The Funds may also purchase securities of companies that have experienced difficulties and that, in the opinion of the Investment Adviser, are available at attractive prices.

 

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Growth Style Funds. The Strategic Growth and Growth Opportunities Funds are managed using a growth oriented approach. Equity investments for these Funds are selected based on their long-term prospects for above average growth. The Investment Adviser employs an investment strategy with three primary components. The first is to buy a business with the belief that wealth is created by the long-term ownership of a growing business. The second is to buy a high-quality business that exhibits high-quality growth criteria including strong business franchise, favorable long-term trends and excellent management. The third component of the strategy is to buy the business at an attractive valuation. The Investment Adviser maintains a long-term outlook when implementing this disciplined investment process.

Quantitative Style Equity Funds. The Structured U.S. Equity and Structured Small Cap Equity Funds (the “Structured Equity Funds”) are managed using both quantitative and fundamental techniques.

Investment Process. The Investment Adviser begins with a broad universe of U.S. equity investments for the Structured Equity Funds. As described more fully below, the Investment Adviser uses a proprietary multifactor model (the “Multifactor Model”) that attempts to forecast the returns of different markets, currencies and individual securities.

In building a diversified portfolio for each Structured Equity Fund, the Investment Adviser utilizes optimization techniques to seek to construct the most efficient risk/return portfolio given each Structured Equity Fund’s benchmark. Each portfolio is primarily composed of securities that the Investment Adviser believes maximize the portfolio’s risk/return tradeoff characteristics. Each portfolio holds industry weightings similar to those of the relevant Fund’s benchmark.

Multifactor Model. The Multifactor Model used by the Structured Equity Funds is a rigorous computerized rating system that seeks to forecast the returns of different equity markets, currencies and individual equity investments according to fundamental investment characteristics. The Structured Equity Funds use one Multifactor Model that seeks to forecast the returns of securities in the relevant forecast universe. The Multifactor Model incorporates common variables including measures of price, value, momentum, profitability, earnings quality, management impact and analyst sentiment. All of the factors used in the Multifactor Model have been shown to significantly impact the performance of the securities, currencies and markets in the forecast universe.

The weightings assigned to the factors in the individual equity Multifactor Model used by the Structured Equity Funds are derived using a statistical formulation that considers each factor’s historical performance, volatility and stability of ranking in different market environments. As such, the U.S. Multifactor Model is designed to evaluate each security using factors that are statistically related to returns over the long run. Because they include many disparate factors, the Investment Adviser believes that the Multifactor Model is broader in scope and provides a more thorough evaluation than traditional investment processes. Securities and markets ranked highest by the Multifactor Model do not have one dominant investment characteristic; rather, they possess an attractive combination of investment characteristics. By using a variety of relevant factors to select securities, currencies or markets, the Investment Adviser believes that the Fund will be better balanced and have more consistent performance than an investment portfolio that uses only one or two factors to select such investments.

The Investment Adviser will monitor, and may occasionally suggest and make changes to, the method by which securities, currencies or markets are selected for or weighted in a Fund. Such changes (which may be the result of changes in the Multifactor Model or the method of applying the Multifactor Model) may include: (i) evolutionary changes to the structure of the Multifactor Model (e.g., the addition of new factors or a new means of weighting the factors); (ii) changes in trading procedures (e.g., trading frequency or the manner in which a Fund uses futures); or (iii) changes in the method by which securities, currencies or markets are weighted in a Fund. Any such changes will preserve a Fund’s basic investment philosophy of combining qualitative and quantitative methods of selecting securities using a disciplined investment process.

 

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Other Information. Since normal settlement for equity investments is three trading days (for certain international markets settlement may be longer), the Equity Funds will need to hold cash balances to satisfy shareholder redemption requests. Such cash balances will normally range from 2% to 5% of a Fund’s net assets in order to keep their effective equity exposure close to 100%. The Structured U.S. Equity Fund may enter into futures transactions only with respect to the Standard & Poor’s 500 Composite Stock Price Index (the “S&P 500® Index”), and the Structured Small Cap Equity Fund may enter into futures transactions only with respect to a representative index. For example, if cash balances are equal to 5% of the net assets, a Fund may enter into long futures contracts covering an amount equal to 5% of the Fund’s net assets. As cash balances fluctuate based on new contributions or withdrawals, a Fund may enter into additional contracts or close out existing positions.

Information About the Equity Index Fund

The Equity Index Fund will attempt to replicate the investment results of the S&P 500 Index while minimizing transactional costs and other expenses. Stocks in the S&P 500 Index are ranked in accordance with their statistical weighting from highest to lowest. The method used to select investments for the Equity Index Fund involves investing in common stocks in approximately the order of their weighting in the S&P 500 Index, beginning with those having the highest weighting. The Fund uses the S&P 500 Index as the performance standard because it represents over 70 percent of the total market value of all publicly-traded common stocks in the U.S. and is widely regarded as representative of the performance of common stocks publicly-traded in the United States. Many, but not all, of the stocks in the S&P 500 Index are issued by companies that are among the 500 largest as measured by the aggregate market value of their outstanding stock (market price per share multiplied by number of shares outstanding). Inclusion of a stock in the S&P 500 Index does not imply that Standard & Poor’s, a division of McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“S&P”), has endorsed it as an investment. With respect to investing in common stocks, there can be no assurance of capital appreciation, and there is a substantial risk of market decline.

The Equity Index Fund’s ability to duplicate the performance of the S&P 500 Index will be influenced by the size and timing of cash flows into or out of the Fund, the liquidity of the securities included in the S&P 500 Index, transaction and operating expenses and other factors. In addition, the Investment Adviser may be restricted from purchasing certain securities on behalf of the Fund due to various regulatory requirements applicable to such securities. Such regulatory requirements (e.g. regulations applicable to banking entities, insurance companies and public utility holdings companies) may limit the amount of securities that may be owned by accounts over which an investment adviser or its affiliates have discretionary authority or control. As a result, there may be times when the Fund is unable to purchase securities that would otherwise be purchased to replicate the performance of the S&P 500 Index. These factors, among others, may result in “tracking error,” which is a measure of the degree to which the Fund’s results differ from those of the S&P 500 Index.

Tracking error is measured by the difference between total return for the S&P 500 Index with dividends reinvested and total return for the Fund with dividends reinvested prior to deductions for fund or product expenses. Tracking error is monitored by the Sub-Adviser on a regular basis. All tracking error deviations are reviewed to determine the effectiveness of investment policies and techniques. If the tracking error deviation exceeds industry standards for the Fund’s asset size, the Sub-Adviser will bring the deviation to the attention of the Trustees.

While the Board of Trustees of the Trust has selected the S&P 500 Index as the index the Fund will attempt to replicate, the Trustees reserve the right to select another index at any time without seeking shareholder approval if they believe that the S&P 500 Index no longer represents a broad spectrum of common stocks that are publicly traded in the United States or if there are legal, economic or other factors limiting the use of any particular index. If the Trustees change the index which the Equity Index Fund attempts to replicate, the Equity Index Fund may incur significant transaction costs in switching from one index to another.

 

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The Equity Index Fund will invest only in those stocks, and in such amounts, as the Investment Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser determines to be necessary or appropriate for the Equity Index Fund to approximate the S&P 500 Index. As the size of the Equity Index Fund increases, the Equity Index Fund may purchase a larger number of stocks included in the S&P 500 Index, and the percentage of its assets invested in most stocks included in the S&P 500 Index will approach the percentage that each such stock represents in the S&P 500 Index. However, there is no minimum or maximum number of stocks included in the S&P 500 Index which the Equity Index Fund will hold. Under normal circumstances, it is expected that the Equity Index Fund will hold approximately 500 different companies included in the S&P 500 Index. The Equity Index Fund may compensate for the omission of a stock that is included in the S&P 500 Index, or for purchasing stocks in other than the same proportions that they are represented in the S&P 500 Index, by purchasing stocks which are believed to have characteristics which correspond to those of the omitted stocks.

The Equity Index Fund may invest in short-term debt securities to maintain liquidity, or pending investment in stocks. Such investments will not be made for defensive purposes or in anticipation of a general decline in the market price of stocks in which the Equity Index Fund invests; investors in the Equity Index Fund bear the risk of general declines in the stock markets. The Equity Index Fund also may take advantage of tender offers, resulting in higher returns than are reflected in the performance of the S&P 500 Index. In addition, the Equity Index Fund may hold warrants, preferred stocks and debt securities, whether or not convertible into common stock or with rights attached, if acquired as a result of in-kind dividend distributions, mergers, acquisitions or other corporate activity involving the common stocks held by the Equity Index Fund. Such investment transactions and securities holdings may result in positive or negative tracking error.

The Equity Index Fund may purchase or sell futures contracts on stock indexes for hedging purposes and in order to maintain equity exposure while maintaining sufficient liquidity to meet possible net redemptions. The effectiveness of a strategy of investing in stock index futures contracts will depend upon the continued availability of futures contracts based on the S&P 500 Index or which tend to move together with stocks included in the S&P 500 Index. The Equity Index Fund will not enter into futures contracts on stock indexes for speculative purposes.

The Equity Index Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in foreign securities (not including its investments in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”)). The Equity Index Fund may also invest up to 15% of its net assets in securities that are not deemed liquid.

Because of its policy of tracking the S&P 500 Index, the Equity Index Fund is not managed according to traditional methods of active investment management, which involve the buying and selling of securities based upon investment analysis of economic, financial and market factors. Consequently, the projected adverse financial performance of a company normally would not result in the sale of the company’s stock, and projected superior financial performance by a company normally would not lead to an increase in the holdings of the company. From time to time, the Sub-Adviser may make adjustments in the portfolio because of cash flows, mergers, changes in the composition of the S&P 500 Index and other similar reasons.

Standard & Poor’s is not in any way affiliated with the Equity Index Fund or the Trust. “Standard & Poor’s,” “Standard & Poor’s 500,” “S&P 500” and “500” are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Corporation.

Information About the Strategic International Equity Fund

The Strategic International Equity Fund is managed using an active international approach, which utilizes a consistent process of stock selection undertaken by research teams located within each of the major investment regions, including Europe, Japan, Asia, the U.S. and the emerging markets. In selecting securities, the Investment Adviser uses a bottom-up strategy based on first-hand fundamental research that is designed to give broad exposure to the available opportunities while seeking to add return primarily through stock selection. Equity investments for the Fund are evaluated based on three key factors—the business, the management and the valuation. The Investment Adviser ordinarily seeks securities that have, in the Investment Adviser’s opinion, superior earnings growth potential, sustainable franchise value with management attuned to creating shareholder value and relatively discounted valuations. In addition, the Investment Adviser seeks to ensure that deviations from the benchmark are justifiable.

 

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Information About the Government Income Fund

The Government Income Fund is designed for investors who seek a high level of current income, consistent with safety of principal and the high credit quality of securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises (“U.S. Government Securities”), without incurring the administrative and account burdens involved in direct investment.

The Government Income Fund’s overall returns are generally likely to move in the opposite direction from interest rates. Therefore, when interest rates decline, the Government Income Fund’s return is likely to increase. In exchange for accepting a higher degree of share price fluctuation, investors have the potential to achieve a higher return from the Government Income Fund than from shorter-term investments.

High Current Income. The Government Income Fund is designed to have a higher current yield than a money market fund, since it can invest in longer-term, higher yielding securities, and may utilize certain investment techniques not available to a money market fund. Similarly, the Government Income Fund’s yield is expected to exceed that offered by bank certificates of deposit and money market accounts. However, the Government Income Fund does not maintain a constant net asset value (“NAV”) per share and is subject to greater fluctuation in the value of its shares than a money market fund. Unlike bank certificates of deposit and money market accounts, investments in shares of the Government Income Fund are not insured or guaranteed by any government agency. The Government Income Fund seeks to provide high current income without, however, sacrificing credit quality.

Liquidity. Because the Government Income Fund’s shares may be redeemed upon request of a shareholder on any business day at NAV, the Government Income Fund offers greater liquidity than many competing investments such direct investments in certain securities in which the Government Income Fund may invest.

A Sophisticated Investment Process. The Government Income Fund’s investment process starts with a review of trends for the overall economy as well as for different sectors of the U.S. government and Mortgage-Backed Securities (as defined below) markets. Goldman Sachs’ portfolio managers then analyze yield spreads, implied volatility and the shape of the yield curve. In planning the Government Income Fund’s portfolio investment strategies, the Investment Adviser is able to draw upon the economic and fixed income research resources of Goldman Sachs. The Investment Adviser will use a sophisticated analytical process involving Goldman Sachs’ proprietary mortgage prepayment model and option-adjusted spread model to structure and maintain the Government Income Fund’s investment portfolio. In determining the Government Income Fund’s investment strategy and in making market timing decisions, the Investment Adviser will have access to information from Goldman Sachs’ economists, fixed income analysts and mortgage specialists.

Convenience of a Fund Structure. The Government Income Fund eliminates many of the complications that direct ownership of U.S. Government Securities and Mortgage-Backed Securities entails. The Government Income Fund automatically reinvests all principal payments within the Fund and distributes only current income each month, thereby conserving principal and eliminating the investor’s need to segregate and reinvest the principal portion of each payment on his own.

Information About the Core Fixed Income Fund

The Core Fixed Income Fund is designed for investors seeking a total return consisting of capital appreciation and income that exceeds the total return of the Barclays Capital Aggregate Bond Index (the “Index”), without incurring the administrative and accounting burdens involved in direct investment. Such investors also prefer liquidity, experienced professional management and administration, a sophisticated investment process, and the convenience of a mutual fund structure. The Core Fixed Income Fund may be appropriate as part of a balanced investment strategy consisting of stocks, bonds and cash or as a complement to positions in other types of fixed income investments.

 

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The Index currently includes U.S. Government Securities and fixed-rate, publicly issued, U.S. dollar-denominated fixed income securities rated at least Baa3 by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or if a Moody’s rating is unavailable, the comparable Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group (“Standard & Poor’s”) rating is used. The securities currently included in the Index have at least one year remaining to maturity; and are issued by the following types of issuers, with each category receiving a different weighting in the Index: U.S. Treasury; agencies, authorities or instrumentalities of the U.S. government; issuers of Mortgage-Backed Securities; utilities; industrial issuers; financial institutions; foreign issuers; and issuers of asset-backed securities. In pursuing its investment objective, the Fund uses the Index as its performance benchmark, but the Fund will not attempt to replicate the Index. The Fund may, therefore, invest in securities that are not included in the Index. The Index is a trademark of Barclays Capital. Inclusion of a security in the Index does not imply an opinion by Barclays Capital as to its attractiveness or appropriateness for investment. Although Barclays Capital obtains factual information used in connection with the Index from sources which it considers reliable, Barclays Capital claims no responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of such information and has no liability to any person for any loss arising from results obtained from the use of the Index data.

The Core Fixed Income Fund’s overall returns are generally likely to move in the opposite direction from interest rates. Therefore, when interest rates decline, the Core Fixed Income Fund’s return is likely to increase. Conversely, when interest rates increase, the Core Fixed Income Fund’s return is likely to decline. However, the Investment Adviser believes that, given the flexibility of managers to invest in a diversified portfolio of securities, the Core Fixed Income Fund’s return is not likely to decline as quickly as that of other fixed income funds with a comparable average portfolio duration. In exchange for accepting a higher degree of potential share price fluctuation, investors have the opportunity to achieve a higher return from the Core Fixed Income Fund than from shorter-term investments.

A number of investment strategies will be used to achieve the Core Fixed Income Fund’s investment objective, including market sector selection, determination of yield curve exposure, and issuer selection. In addition, the Investment Adviser will attempt to take advantage of pricing inefficiencies in the fixed income markets. Market sector selection is the underweighting or overweighting of one or more of the five market sectors (i.e., U.S. Treasuries, U.S. government agencies, corporate securities, Mortgage-Backed Securities and asset-backed securities) in which the Fund primarily invests. The decision to overweight or underweight a given market sector is based on expectations of future yield spreads among different sectors. Yield curve exposure strategy consists of overweighting or underweighting different maturity sectors to take advantage of the shape of the yield curve. Issuer selection is the purchase and sale of corporate securities based on a corporation’s current and expected credit standing. To take advantage of price discrepancies between securities resulting from supply and demand imbalances or other technical factors, the Fund may simultaneously purchase and sell comparable, but not identical, securities. The Investment Adviser will usually have access to the research of, and proprietary technical models developed by, Goldman Sachs and will apply quantitative and qualitative analysis in determining the appropriate allocations among the categories of issuers and types of securities.

A Sophisticated Investment Process. The Core Fixed Income Fund will attempt to control its exposure to interest rate risk, including overall market exposure and the spread risk of particular sectors and securities, through active portfolio management techniques. The Core Fixed Income Fund’s investment process starts with a review of trends for the overall economy as well as for different sectors of the fixed income securities markets. Goldman Sachs’ portfolio managers then analyze yield spreads, implied volatility and the shape of the yield curve. In planning the Core Fixed Income Fund’s portfolio investment strategies, the Investment Adviser is able to draw upon the economic and fixed income research resources of Goldman Sachs. The Investment Adviser will use a sophisticated analytical process including Goldman Sachs’ proprietary mortgage prepayment model and option-adjusted spread model to assist in structuring and maintaining the Core Fixed Income Fund’s investment portfolio. In determining the Core Fixed Income Fund’s investment strategy and making market timing decisions, the Investment Adviser will have access to input from Goldman Sachs’ economists, fixed income analysts and mortgage specialists.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF INVESTMENT SECURITIES AND PRACTICES

Corporate Debt Obligations

The Money Market Fund may invest in corporate debt obligations to the extent described in its Prospectus and as permitted by Rule 2a-7 under the Act. Each other Fund may invest in corporate debt obligations, including obligations of industrial, utility and financial issuers. Corporate debt obligations include bonds, notes, debentures and other obligations of corporations to pay interest and repay principal. The Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity and Equity Index Funds may only invest in debt securities that are cash equivalents. Corporate debt obligations are subject to the risk of an issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligations and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as market interest rates, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity.

Corporate debt obligations rated BBB or Baa are considered medium grade obligations with speculative characteristics, and adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances may weaken their issuers’ capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Medium to lower rated and comparable non-rated securities tend to offer higher yields than higher rated securities with the same maturities because the historical financial condition of the issuers of such securities may not have been as strong as that of other issuers. The price of corporate debt obligations will generally fluctuate in response to fluctuations in supply and demand for similarly rated securities. In addition, the price of corporate debt obligations will generally fluctuate in response to interest rate levels. Fluctuations in the prices of portfolio securities subsequent to their acquisition will not affect cash income from such securities but will be reflected in a Fund’s NAV. Because medium to lower rated securities generally involve greater risks of loss of income and principal than higher rated securities, investors should consider carefully the relative risks associated with investment in securities which carry medium to lower ratings and in comparable unrated securities. In addition to the risk of default, there are the related costs of recovery on defaulted issues. The Investment Adviser will attempt to reduce these risks through portfolio diversification and by analysis of each issuer and its ability to make timely payments of income and principal, as well as broad economic trends and corporate developments.

The Investment Adviser employs its own credit research and analysis, which includes a study of an issuer’s existing debt, capital structure, ability to service debt and to pay dividends, sensitivity to economic conditions, operating history and current earnings trend. The Investment Adviser continually monitors the investments in a Fund’s portfolio and evaluates whether to dispose of or to retain corporate debt obligations whose credit ratings or credit quality may have changed. If after its purchase, a portfolio security is assigned a lower rating or ceases to be rated, a Fund may continue to hold the security if the Investment Adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders.

High Yield (Non-Investment Grade) Securities

The Strategic Growth, Large Cap Value, Mid Cap Value, Growth Opportunities and Strategic International Equity Funds may invest in bonds rated BB or below by Standard & Poor’s or Ba or below by Moody’s (B or higher by Standard & Poor’s or by Moody’s for the Mid Cap Value Fund) or comparable rated and unrated securities. These bonds are commonly referred to as “junk bonds,” are non-investment grade, and are considered speculative. The ability of issuers of high yield securities to make principal and interest payments may be questionable because such issuers are often less creditworthy or are highly leveraged. High yield securities are also issued by governmental issuers that may have difficulty in making all scheduled interest and principal payments. In some cases, high yield securities may be highly speculative, have poor prospects for reaching investment grade standing and be in default. As a result, investment in such bonds will entail greater risks than those associated with investment in investment grade bonds (i.e., bonds rated AAA, AA, A or BBB by Standard & Poor’s or Aaa, Aa, A or Baa by Moody’s). Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher quality debt securities, and the ability of a Fund to achieve its investment objective may, to the extent of its investments in high yield securities, be more dependent upon such creditworthiness analysis than would be the case if the Fund were investing in higher quality securities. See Appendix A for a description of the corporate bond and preferred stock ratings by Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, Fitch, Inc. (“Fitch”) and Dominion Bond Rating Service Limited (“DBRS”).

 

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The market values of high yield securities tend to reflect individual corporate or municipal developments to a greater extent than do those of higher rated securities, which react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. Issuers of high yield securities that are highly leveraged may not be able to make use of more traditional methods of financing. Their ability to service debt obligations may be more adversely affected by economic downturns or their inability to meet specific projected business forecasts than would be the case for issuers of high rated securities. Negative publicity about the junk bond market and investor perceptions regarding lower-rated securities, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may depress the prices for such high yield securities. In the lower quality segments of the fixed income securities market, changes in perceptions of issuers’ creditworthiness tend to occur more frequently and in a more pronounced manner than do changes in higher quality segments of the fixed income securities market, resulting in greater yield and price volatility. Another factor which causes fluctuations in the prices of high yield securities is the supply and demand for similarly rated securities. In addition, the prices of investments fluctuate in response to the general level of interest rates. Fluctuations in the prices of portfolio securities subsequent to their acquisition will not affect cash income from such securities but will be reflected in a Fund’s NAV.

The risk of loss from default for the holders of high yield securities is significantly greater than is the case for holders of other debt securities because such high yield securities are generally unsecured and are often subordinated to the rights of other creditors of the issuers of such securities. Investment by a Fund in already defaulted securities poses an additional risk of loss should nonpayment of principal and interest continue in respect of such securities. Even if such securities are held to maturity, recovery by a Fund of its initial investment and any anticipated income or appreciation is uncertain. In addition, a Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent that it is required to seek recovery relating to the default in the payment of principal or interest on such securities or otherwise protect its interests. A Fund may be required to liquidate other portfolio securities to satisfy annual distribution obligations of the Fund in respect of accrued interest income on securities which are subsequently written off, even though the Fund has not received any cash payments of such interest.

The secondary market for high yield securities is concentrated in relatively few markets and is dominated by institutional investors, including mutual funds, insurance companies and other financial institutions. Accordingly, the secondary market for such securities may not by as liquid as and may be more volatile than the secondary market for higher-rated securities. In addition, the trading volume for high yield securities is generally lower than that of higher rated securities and the secondary market for high yield securities could contract under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer. These factors may have an adverse effect on the ability of a Fund to dispose of particular portfolio investments when needed to meet its redemption requests or other liquidity needs. The Investment Adviser could find it difficult to sell these investments or may be able to sell the investments only at prices lower than if such investments were widely traded. Prices realized upon the sale of such lower rated or unrated securities, under these circumstances, may be less than the prices used in calculating the NAV of a Fund to obtain precise valuations of the high yield securities in their portfolios.

The adoption of new legislation could adversely affect the secondary market for high yield securities and the financial condition of issuers of these securities. The form of any future legislation, and the probability of such legislation being enacted, is uncertain.

Non-investment grade or high yield securities also present risks based on payment expectations. High yield securities frequently contain “call” or buy-back features which permit the issuer to call or repurchase the security from its holder. If an issuer exercises such a “call option” and redeems the security, a Fund may have to replace such security with a lower-yielding security, resulting in a decreased return for investors. In addition, if a Fund experiences net redemptions of its shares, it may be forced to sell its higher-rated securities, resulting in a decline in the overall credit quality of its portfolio and increasing its exposure to the risks of high yield securities.

 

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Credit ratings issued by credit rating agencies are designed to evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments of rated securities. They do not, however, evaluate the market value risk of high yield securities and, therefore, may not fully reflect the true risks of an investment. In addition, credit rating agencies may or may not make timely changes in a rating to reflect changes in the economy or in the conditions of the issuer that affect the market value of the security. Consequently, credit ratings are used only as a preliminary indicator of investment quality. Investments in non-investment grade and comparable unrated obligations will be more dependent on the Investment Adviser’s credit analysis than would be the case with investments in investment-grade debt obligations.

An economic downturn could severely affect the ability of highly leveraged issuers of junk bond investments to service their debt obligations or to repay their obligations upon maturity. Factors having an adverse impact on the market value of junk bonds will have an adverse effect on a Fund’s NAV to the extent it invests in such investments. In addition, the Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in payment of principal or interest on its portfolio holdings.

Commercial Paper and Other Short-Term Corporate Obligations

The Money Market Fund may invest in commercial paper, including variable amount master demand notes and asset-backed commercial paper. The commercial paper purchased by the Money Market Fund consists of direct U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of domestic or foreign issuers.

The other Funds may invest in commercial paper and other short-term obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. corporations, non-U.S. corporations or other entities. Commercial paper represents short-term unsecured promissory notes issued in bearer form by banks or bank holding companies, corporations and finance companies.

The Money Market Fund may invest in other short-term obligations, including short-term funding agreements payable in U.S. dollars and issued or guaranteed by U.S. corporations, foreign corporations or other entities. A funding agreement is a contract between an issuer and a purchaser that obligates the issuer to pay a guaranteed rate of interest on a principal sum deposited by the purchaser. Funding agreements will also guarantee a stream of payments over time. A funding agreement has a fixed maturity date and may have either a fixed or variable interest rate that is based on an index and guaranteed for a set time period. Because there is generally no secondary market for these investments, funding agreements purchased by the Money Market Fund may be regarded as illiquid.

U.S. Government Securities

Each Fund may invest in U.S. Government Securities. Some U.S. Government Securities (such as Treasury bills, notes and bonds, which differ only in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance) are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Others, such as obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises, are supported either by (i) the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, (ii) the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the issuer or (iii) only the credit of the issuer. The U.S. government is under no legal obligation, in general, to purchase the obligations of its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. No assurance can be given that the U.S. government will provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises in the future.

U.S. Government Securities include (to the extent consistent with the Act) securities for which the payment of principal and interest is backed by an irrevocable letter of credit issued by the U.S. government, or its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. U.S. Government Securities may also include (to the extent consistent with the Act) participations in loans made to foreign governments or their agencies that are guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. government or its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. The secondary market for certain of these participations is extremely limited. In the absence of a suitable secondary market, such participations are regarded as illiquid.

 

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Each Fund may also purchase U.S. Government Securities in private placements and may also invest in separately traded principal and interest components of securities guaranteed or issued by the U.S. Treasury that are traded independently under the separate trading of registered interest and principal of securities program (“STRIPS”). Each Fund (other than the Money Market Fund) may also invest in zero coupon U.S. Treasury Securities and in zero coupon securities issued by financial institutions which represent a proportionate interest in underlying U.S. Treasury Securities. A zero coupon security pays no interest to its holder during its life and its value consists of the difference between its face value at maturity and its cost. The market prices of zero coupon securities generally are more volatile than the market prices of securities that pay interest periodically.

Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities. The Funds may invest in Treasury inflation-protected securities or “TIPS,” which are U.S. Government securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. The interest rate on TIPS is fixed at issuance, but over the life of the bond this interest may be paid on an increasing or decreasing principal value that has been adjusted for inflation. Although repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity is guaranteed, the market value of TIPS is not guaranteed, and will fluctuate.

The values of TIPS generally fluctuate in response to changes in real interest rates, which are in turn tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If inflation were to rise at a faster rate than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in the value of TIPS. In contrast, if nominal interest rates were to increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in the value of TIPS. If inflation is lower than expected during the period a Fund holds TIPS, a Fund may earn less on the TIPS than on a conventional bond. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation (for example, due to changes in the currency exchange rates), investors in TIPS may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the bonds’ inflation measure. There can be no assurance that the inflation index for TIPS will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services.

Any increase in principal value of TIPS caused by an increase in the consumer price index is taxable in the year the increase occurs, even though a Fund holding TIPS will not receive cash representing the increase at that time. As a result, a Fund could be required at times to liquidate other investments, including when it is not advantageous to do so, in order to satisfy its distribution requirements as a regulated investment company.

If a Fund invests in TIPS, it will be required to treat as original issue discount any increase in the principal amount of the securities that occurs during the course of its taxable year. If a Fund purchases such inflation protected securities that are issued in stripped form either as stripped bonds or coupons, it will be treated as if it had purchased a newly issued debt instrument having original issue discount.

Because a Fund is required to distribute substantially all of its net investment income (including accrued original issue discount), a Fund’s investment in either zero coupon bonds or TIPS may require a Fund to distribute to shareholders an amount greater than the total cash income it actually receives. Accordingly, in order to make the required distributions, a Fund may be required to borrow or liquidate securities.

Bank Obligations

Bank obligations in which each Fund may invest include certificates of deposit, unsecured bank promissory notes, bankers’ acceptances, fixed time deposits and other debt obligations. Bank obligations may be issued or guaranteed by U.S. banks or foreign banks. 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. Fixed time deposits are bank obligations payable at a stated maturity date and bearing interest at a fixed rate. Fixed time deposits may be withdrawn on demand by the investor, but may be subject to

 

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early withdrawal penalties which vary depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligation. There are no contractual restrictions on the right to transfer a beneficial interest in a fixed time deposit to a third party, although there is no market for such deposits. Bank notes and bankers’ acceptances rank junior to domestic deposit liabilities of the bank and pari passu with other senior, unsecured obligations of the bank. Bank notes are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other insurer. Deposit notes are generally insured by the FDIC only to the extent of $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each account ownership category.

The Money Market Fund will invest more than 25% of its total assets in bank obligations (whether foreign or domestic), including bank commercial paper. However, if adverse economic conditions prevail in the banking industry (such as substantial losses on loans, increases in non-performing assets and charge-offs and declines in total deposits) the Fund may, for defensive purposes, temporarily invest less than 25% of its total assets in bank obligations. As a result, the Fund may be especially affected by favorable and adverse developments in or related to the banking industry. The activities of U.S. banks and most foreign banks are subject to comprehensive regulations which, in the case of U.S. regulations, have undergone substantial changes in the past decade. The enactment of new legislation or regulations, as well as changes in interpretation and enforcement of current laws, may affect the manner of operations and profitability of domestic and foreign banks. Significant developments in the U.S. banking industry have included increased competition from other types of financial institutions, increased acquisition activity and geographic expansion. Banks may be particularly susceptible to certain economic factors, such as interest rate changes and adverse developments in the market for real estate. Fiscal and monetary policy and general economic cycles can affect the availability and cost of funds, loan demand and asset quality and thereby impact the earnings and financial conditions of banks.

Banks are subject to extensive but different governmental regulations which may limit both the amount and types of loans which may be made and interest rates which may be charged. In addition, the profitability of the banking industry is largely dependent upon the availability and cost of funds for the purpose of financing lending operations under prevailing money market conditions. General economic conditions as well as exposure to credit losses arising from possible financial difficulties of borrowers play an important part in the operation of this industry.

Certificates of deposit are certificates evidencing the obligation of a bank to repay funds deposited with it for a specified period of time at a specified rate. Certificates of deposit are negotiable instruments and are similar to saving deposits but have a definite maturity and are evidenced by a certificate instead of a passbook entry. Banks are required to keep reserves against all certificates of deposit. Fixed time deposits are bank obligations payable at a stated maturity date and bearing interest at a fixed rate. Fixed time deposits may be withdrawn on the demand by the investor, but may be subject to early withdrawal penalties which vary depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligation. The Funds may invest in deposits in U.S. and European banks satisfying the standards set forth above.

Zero Coupon, Deferred Interest, Pay-in-Kind and Capital Appreciation Bonds

Each Fund (other than the Money Market Fund) may invest in zero coupon bonds. The Fixed Income Funds also may invest in deferred interest, pay-in-kind (“PIK”) and capital appreciation bonds. Zero coupon, deferred interest and capital appreciation bonds are debt securities issued or sold at a discount from their face value and which do not entitle the holder to any periodic payment of interest prior to maturity or a specified date. The original issue discount varies depending on the time remaining until maturity or cash payment date, prevailing interest rates, the liquidity of the security and the perceived credit quality of the issuer. These securities also may take the form of debt securities that have been stripped of their unmatured interest coupons, the coupons themselves or receipts or certificates representing interests in such stripped debt obligations or coupons. The market prices of zero coupon, deferred interest, capital appreciation bonds and PIK securities generally are more volatile than the market prices of interest bearing securities and are likely to respond to a greater degree to changes in interest rates than interest bearing securities having similar maturities and credit quality.

PIK securities may be debt obligations or preferred shares that provide the issuer with the option of paying interest or dividends on such obligations in cash or in the form of additional securities rather than cash. Similar to zero coupon bonds and deferred interest bonds, PIK securities are designed to give an issuer flexibility in managing cash flow. PIK securities

 

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that are debt securities can be either senior or subordinated debt and generally trade flat (i.e., without accrued interest). The trading price of PIK debt securities generally reflects the market value of the underlying debt plus an amount representing accrued interest since the last interest payment.

Zero coupon, deferred interest, capital appreciation and PIK securities involve the additional risk that, unlike securities that periodically pay interest to maturity, a Fund will realize no cash until a specified future payment date unless a portion of such securities is sold and, if the issuer of such securities defaults, a Fund may obtain no return at all on its investment. In addition, even though such securities do not provide for the payment of current interest in cash, the Funds are nonetheless required to accrue income on such investments for each taxable year and generally are required to distribute such accrued amounts (net of deductible expenses, if any) to avoid being subject to tax. Because no cash is generally received at the time of the accrual, a Fund may be required to liquidate other portfolio securities to obtain sufficient cash to satisfy federal tax distribution requirements applicable to the Fund. A portion of the discount with respect to stripped tax-exempt securities or their coupons may be taxable. See “TAXATION.”

Variable Rate Demand Obligations

The Money Market Fund may purchase variable rate demand obligations. These obligations permit the investment of fluctuating amounts at varying rates of interest pursuant to direct arrangements between the Money Market Fund, as lender, and the borrower. Variable rate demand obligations are not generally transferable, and are not ordinarily rated. The Money Market Fund may invest in them only if the Investment Adviser believes that the notes are of comparable quality to the other obligations in which the Money Market Fund may invest.

Variable and Floating Rate Securities

The interest rates payable on certain debt securities in which a Fund may invest are not fixed and may fluctuate based upon changes in market rates. A variable rate obligation has an interest rate which is adjusted at pre-designated periods in response to changes in the market rate of interest on which the interest rate is based. Variable and floating rate obligations are less effective than fixed rate instruments at locking in a particular yield. Nevertheless, such obligations may fluctuate in value in response to interest rate changes if there is a delay between changes in market interest rates and the interest reset date for the obligation, or for other reasons.

The Money Market Fund may purchase variable and floating rate demand instruments that are municipal obligations or other debt securities issued by corporations and other non-governmental issuers that possess a floating or variable interest rate adjustment formula. These instruments permit the Fund to demand payment of the principal balance plus unpaid accrued interest upon a specified number of days notice to the issuer or its agent. The demand feature may be backed by a bank letter of credit or guarantee, or the credit enhancement issued with respect to such instrument.

The terms of the variable or floating rate demand instruments that the Money Market Fund may purchase provide that interest rates are adjustable at intervals ranging from daily up to 397 calendar days, and the adjustments are based upon current market levels, the prime rate of a bank or other appropriate interest rate adjustment index as provided in the respective instruments. Some of these instruments are payable on demand on a daily basis or on not more than seven days notice. Others, such as instruments with quarterly or semi-annual interest rate adjustments, may be put back to the issuer on designated days, usually on not more than thirty days notice. Still others are automatically called by the issuer unless the Money Market Fund instructs otherwise. The Trust, on behalf of the Money Market Fund, intends to exercise the demand only (i) upon a default under the terms of the debt security; (ii) as needed to provide liquidity to the Fund; (iii) to maintain the respective quality standards of the Fund’s investment portfolio; or (iv) to attain a more optimal portfolio structure. The Money Market Fund will determine the variable or floating rate demand instruments that it will purchase in accordance with procedures approved by the Trustees to minimize credit risks. To be eligible for purchase by the Money Market Fund, a variable or floating rate demand instrument which is unrated must have high quality characteristics similar to other obligations in which the Fund may invest. The Investment Adviser may determine that an unrated variable or floating rate demand instrument meets the Money Market Fund’s quality criteria by reason of being backed by a letter of credit, guarantee, or demand feature issued by an entity that meets the quality criteria for the Fund. Thus, either the credit of the issuer of the obligation or the provider of the credit support or both will meet the quality standards of the Money Market Fund.

 

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As stated in the Prospectus, the Money Market Fund may consider the maturity of a long-term variable or floating rate demand instrument to be shorter than its ultimate stated maturity under specified conditions. The acquisition of variable or floating rate demand notes for the Money Market Fund must also meet the requirements of rules issued by the SEC applicable to the use of the amortized cost method of securities valuation. The Money Market Fund will also consider the liquidity of the market for variable and floating rate instruments, and in the event that such instruments are illiquid, the Fund’s investments in such instruments will be subject to the limitation on illiquid investments.

The Money Market Fund may invest in variable or floating rate participation interests in municipal obligations held by financial institutions (usually commercial banks). Such participation interests provide the Money Market Fund with a specific undivided interest (up to 100%) in the underlying obligation and the right to demand payment of its proportional interest in the unpaid principal balance plus accrued interest from the financial institution upon a specific number of days notice. In addition, the participation interest may be backed by an irrevocable letter of credit or guarantee from the institution. The financial institution usually is entitled to a fee for servicing the obligation and providing the letter of credit.

The Fixed Income Funds may invest in “leveraged” inverse floating rate debt instruments (“inverse floaters”), including “leveraged inverse floaters.” The interest rate on inverse floaters resets in the opposite direction from the market rate of interest to which the inverse floater is indexed. An inverse floater may be considered to be leveraged to the extent that its interest rate varies by a magnitude that exceeds the magnitude of the change in the index rate of interest. The higher the degree of leverage inherent in inverse floaters is associated with greater volatility in their market values. Accordingly, the duration of an inverse floater may exceed its stated final maturity. Certain inverse floaters may be deemed to be illiquid securities for purposes of each Fixed Income Fund’s limitation on illiquid investments.

Custodial Receipts and Trust Certificates

The Money Market Fund may acquire U.S. Government Securities, municipal obligations or other debt instruments in the form of custodial receipts that evidence ownership of future interest payments, principal payments or both on certain U.S. Government Securities, municipal obligations or other debt instruments. Such securities are held in custody by a bank on behalf of the owners. These custodial receipts are known by various names, including “Treasury Receipts,” “Treasury Investors Growth Receipts” (“TIGRs”), and “Certificates of Accrual on Treasury Securities” (“CATS”). Although custodial receipts involving U.S. Government Securities are not considered U.S. Government Securities for certain securities law purposes, the securities underlying such receipts are issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies, authorities or instrumentalities.

Each other Fund may invest in custodial receipts and trust certificates (which may be underwritten by securities dealers or banks), representing interests in securities held by a custodian or trustee. The securities so held may include U.S. Government Securities, municipal securities or other types of securities in which the Funds may invest. The custodial receipts or trust certificates are underwritten by securities dealers or banks and may evidence ownership of future interest payments, principal payments or both on the underlying securities, or, in some cases, the payment obligation of a third party that has entered into an interest rate swap or other arrangement with the custodian or trustee. For certain securities laws purposes, custodial receipts and trust certificates may not be considered obligations of the U.S. Government or other issuer of the securities held by the custodian or trustee. As a holder of custodial receipts and trust certificates, the Funds will bear their proportionate share of the fees and expenses charged to the custodial account or trust. The Funds may also invest in separately issued interests in custodial receipts and trust certificates.

 

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Although under the terms of a custodial receipt or trust certificate the Funds would typically be authorized to assert their rights directly against the issuer of the underlying obligation, the Funds could be required to assert through the custodian bank or trustee those rights as may exist against the underlying issuers. Thus, in the event an underlying issuer fails to pay principal and/or interest when due, the Funds may be subject to delays, expenses and risks that are greater than those that would have been involved if the Funds had purchased a direct obligation of the issuer. In addition, in the event that the trust or custodial account in which the underlying securities have been deposited is determined to be an association taxable as a corporation, instead of a non-taxable entity, the yield on the underlying securities would be reduced in recognition of any taxes paid.

Certain custodial receipts and trust certificates may be synthetic or derivative instruments that have interest rates that reset inversely to changing short-term rates and/or have embedded interest rate floors and caps that require the issuer to pay an adjusted interest rate if market rates fall below or rise above a specified rate. Because some of these instruments represent relatively recent innovations, and the trading market for these instruments is less developed than the markets for traditional types of instruments, it is uncertain how these instruments will perform under different economic and interest-rate scenarios. Also, because these instruments may be leveraged, their market values may be more volatile than other types of fixed income instruments and may present greater potential for capital gain or loss. The possibility of default by an issuer or the issuer’s credit provider may be greater for these derivative instruments than for other types of instruments. In some cases, it may be difficult to determine the fair value of a derivative instrument because of a lack of reliable objective information and an established secondary market for some instruments may not exist. In many cases, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) has not ruled on the tax treatment of the interest or payments received on the derivative instruments and, accordingly, purchases of such instruments are based on the opinion of counsel to the sponsors of the instruments.

Mortgage Loans and Mortgage-Backed Securities

Each Fund (other than the Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity and Equity Index Funds) may invest in mortgage loans and mortgage pass-through securities and other securities representing an interest in or collateralized by adjustable and fixed-rate mortgage loans, including collateralized mortgage obligations, real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”) and stripped mortgage-backed securities, as described below (“Mortgage-Backed Securities”).

Mortgage-Backed Securities are subject to both call risk and extension risk. Because of these risks, these securities can have significantly greater price and yield volatility than traditional fixed income securities.

General Characteristics of Mortgage Backed Securities.

In general, each mortgage pool underlying Mortgage-Backed Securities consists of mortgage loans evidenced by promissory notes secured by first mortgages or first deeds of trust or other similar security instruments creating a first lien on owner occupied and non-owner occupied one-unit to four-unit residential properties, multi-family (i.e., five-units or more) properties, agricultural properties, commercial properties and mixed use properties (the “Mortgaged Properties”). The Mortgaged Properties may consist of detached individual dwelling units, multi-family dwelling units, individual condominiums, townhouses, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, row houses, individual units in planned unit developments, other attached dwelling units (“Residential Mortgaged Properties”) or commercial properties, such as office properties, retail properties, hospitality properties, industrial properties, healthcare related properties or other types of income producing real property (“Commercial Mortgaged Properties”). Residential Mortgaged Properties may also include residential investment properties and second homes. In addition, the Mortgage-Backed Securities which are residential mortgage-backed securities may also consist of mortgage loans evidenced by promissory notes secured entirely or in part by second priority mortgage liens on Residential Mortgaged Properties.

The investment characteristics of adjustable and fixed rate Mortgage-Backed Securities differ from those of traditional fixed income securities. The major differences include the payment of interest and principal on Mortgage-Backed Securities on a more frequent (usually monthly) schedule, and the possibility that principal may be prepaid at any time due to prepayments on the underlying mortgage loans or other assets. These differences can result in significantly greater price and yield volatility than is the case with traditional fixed income securities. As a result, if a Fund purchases Mortgage-Backed Securities at a premium, a faster than expected prepayment rate will reduce both the market value and

 

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the yield to maturity from those which were anticipated. A prepayment rate that is slower than expected will have the opposite effect, increasing yield to maturity and market value. Conversely, if a Fund purchases Mortgage-Backed Securities at a discount, faster than expected prepayments will increase, while slower than expected prepayments will reduce yield to maturity and market value. To the extent that a Fund invests in Mortgage-Backed Securities, the Investment Adviser may seek to manage these potential risks by investing in a variety of Mortgage-Backed Securities and by using certain hedging techniques.

Prepayments on a pool of mortgage loans are influenced by changes in current interest rates and a variety of economic, geographic, social and other factors (such as changes in mortgagor housing needs, job transfers, unemployment, mortgagor equity in the mortgage properties and servicing decisions). The timing and level of prepayments cannot be predicted. A predominant factor affecting the prepayment rate on a pool of mortgage loans is the difference between the interest rates on outstanding mortgage loans and prevailing mortgage loan interest rates (giving consideration to the cost of any refinancing). Generally, prepayments on mortgage loans will increase during a period of falling mortgage interest rates and decrease during a period of rising mortgage interest rates. Accordingly, the amounts of prepayments available for reinvestment by a Fund are likely to be greater during a period of declining mortgage interest rates. If general interest rates decline, such prepayments are likely to be reinvested at lower interest rates than a Fund was earning on the mortgage-backed securities that were prepaid. Due to these factors, mortgage-backed securities may be less effective than U.S. Treasury and other types of debt securities of similar maturity at maintaining yields during periods of declining interest rates. Because a Fund’s investments in Mortgage-Backed Securities are interest-rate sensitive, a Fund’s performance will depend in part upon the ability of the Fund to anticipate and respond to fluctuations in market interest rates and to utilize appropriate strategies to maximize returns to the Fund, while attempting to minimize the associated risks to its investment capital. Prepayments may have a disproportionate effect on certain Mortgage-Backed Securities and other multiple class pass-through securities, which are discussed below.

The rate of interest paid on Mortgage-Backed Securities is normally lower than the rate of interest paid on the mortgages included in the underlying pool due to (among other things) the fees paid to any servicer, special servicer and trustee for the trust fund which holds the mortgage pool, other costs and expenses of such trust fund, fees paid to any guarantor, such as Ginnie Mae (as defined below) or to any credit enhancers, mortgage pool insurers, bond insurers and/or hedge providers, and due to any yield retained by the issuer. Actual yield to the holder may vary from the coupon rate, even if adjustable, if the Mortgage-Backed Securities are purchased or traded in the secondary market at a premium or discount. In addition, there is normally some delay between the time the issuer receives mortgage payments from the servicer and the time the issuer (or the trustee of the trust fund which holds the mortgage pool) makes the payments on the Mortgage-Backed Securities, and this delay reduces the effective yield to the holder of such securities.

The issuers of certain mortgage-backed obligations may elect to have the pool of mortgage loans (or indirect interests in mortgage loans) underlying the securities treated as a REMIC, which is subject to special federal income tax rules. A description of the types of mortgage loans and Mortgage-Backed Securities in which a Fund may invest is provided below. The descriptions are general and summary in nature, and do not detail every possible variation of the types of securities that are permissible investments for a Fund.

Certain General Characteristics of Mortgage Loans

Adjustable Rate Mortgage Loans (“ARMs”). The Funds mentioned above may invest in ARMs. ARMs generally provide for a fixed initial mortgage interest rate for a specified period of time. Thereafter, the interest rates (the “Mortgage Interest Rates”) may be subject to periodic adjustment based on changes in the applicable index rate (the “Index Rate”). The adjusted rate would be equal to the Index Rate plus a fixed percentage spread over the Index Rate established for each ARM at the time of its origination. ARMs allow a Fund to participate in increases in interest rates through periodic increases in the securities coupon rates. During periods of declining interest rates, coupon rates may readjust downward resulting in lower yields to a Fund.

 

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Adjustable interest rates can cause payment increases that some mortgagors may find difficult to make. However, certain ARMs may provide that the Mortgage Interest Rate may not be adjusted to a rate above an applicable lifetime maximum rate or below an applicable lifetime minimum rate for such ARM. Certain ARMs may also be subject to limitations on the maximum amount by which the Mortgage Interest Rate may adjust for any single adjustment period (the “Maximum Adjustment”). Other ARMs (“Negatively Amortizing ARMs”) may provide instead or as well for limitations on changes in the monthly payment on such ARMs. Limitations on monthly payments can result in monthly payments which are greater or less than the amount necessary to amortize a Negatively Amortizing ARM by its maturity at the Mortgage Interest Rate in effect in any particular month. In the event that a monthly payment is not sufficient to pay the interest accruing on a Negatively Amortizing ARM, any such excess interest is added to the principal balance of the loan, causing negative amortization, and will be repaid through future monthly payments. It may take borrowers under Negatively Amortizing ARMs longer periods of time to build up equity and may increase the likelihood of default by such borrowers. In the event that a monthly payment exceeds the sum of the interest accrued at the applicable Mortgage Interest Rate and the principal payment which would have been necessary to amortize the outstanding principal balance over the remaining term of the loan, the excess (or “accelerated amortization”) further reduces the principal balance of the ARM. Negatively Amortizing ARMs do not provide for the extension of their original maturity to accommodate changes in their Mortgage Interest Rate. As a result, unless there is a periodic recalculation of the payment amount (which there generally is), the final payment may be substantially larger than the other payments. After the expiration of the initial fixed rate period and upon the periodic recalculation of the payment to cause timely amortization of the related mortgage loan, the monthly payment on such mortgage loan may increase substantially which may, in turn, increase the risk of the borrower defaulting in respect of such mortgage loan. These limitations on periodic increases in interest rates and on changes in monthly payments protect borrowers from unlimited interest rate and payment increases, but may result in increased credit exposure and prepayment risks for lenders. When interest due on a mortgage loan is added to the principal balance of such mortgage loan, the related mortgaged property provides proportionately less security for the repayment of such mortgage loan. Therefore, if the related borrower defaults on such mortgage loan, there is a greater likelihood that a loss will be incurred upon any liquidation of the mortgaged property which secures such mortgage loan.

ARMs also have the risk of prepayment. The rate of principal prepayments with respect to ARMs has fluctuated in recent years. The value of Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by ARMs is less likely to rise during periods of declining interest rates than the value of fixed-rate securities during such periods. Accordingly, ARMs may be subject to a greater rate of principal repayments in a declining interest rate environment resulting in lower yields to a Fund. For example, if prevailing interest rates fall significantly, ARMs could be subject to higher prepayment rates (than if prevailing interest rates remain constant or increase) because the availability of low fixed-rate mortgages may encourage mortgagors to refinance their ARMs to “lock-in” a fixed-rate mortgage. On the other hand, during periods of rising interest rates, the value of ARMs will lag behind changes in the market rate. ARMs are also typically subject to maximum increases and decreases in the interest rate adjustment which can be made on any one adjustment date, in any one year, or during the life of the security. In the event of dramatic increases or decreases in prevailing market interest rates, the value of a Fund’s investment in ARMs may fluctuate more substantially because these limits may prevent the security from fully adjusting its interest rate to the prevailing market rates. As with fixed-rate mortgages, ARM prepayment rates vary in both stable and changing interest rate environments.

There are two main categories of indices which provide the basis for rate adjustments on ARMs: those based on U.S. Treasury securities and those derived from a calculated measure, such as a cost of funds index or a moving average of mortgage rates. Indices commonly used for this purpose include the one-year, three-year and five-year constant maturity Treasury rates, the three-month Treasury bill rate, the 180-day Treasury bill rate, rates on longer-term Treasury securities, the 11th District Federal Home Loan Bank Cost of Funds, the National Median Cost of Funds, the one-month, three-month, six-month or one-year London Interbank Offered Rate, the prime rate of a specific bank, or commercial paper rates. Some indices, such as the one-year constant maturity Treasury rate, closely mirror changes in market interest rate levels. Others, such as the 11th District Federal Home Loan Bank Cost of Funds index, tend to lag behind changes in market rate levels and tend to be somewhat less volatile. The degree of volatility in the market value of ARMs in a Fund’s portfolio and, therefore, in the NAV of the Fund’s shares, will be a function of the length of the interest rate reset periods and the degree of volatility in the applicable indices.

 

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Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans. Generally, fixed-rate mortgage loans included in mortgage pools (the “Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans”) will bear simple interest at fixed annual rates and have original terms to maturity ranging from 5 to 40 years. Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans generally provide for monthly payments of principal and interest in substantially equal installments for the term of the mortgage note in sufficient amounts to fully amortize principal by maturity, although certain Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans provide for a large final “balloon” payment upon maturity.

Certain Legal Considerations of Mortgage Loans. The following is a discussion of certain legal and regulatory aspects of the mortgage loans in which the Funds may invest. This discussion is not exhaustive, and does not address all of the legal or regulatory aspects affecting mortgage loans. These regulations may impair the ability of a mortgage lender to enforce its rights under the mortgage documents. These regulations may also adversely affect a Fund’s investments in Mortgage-Backed Securities (including those issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities) by delaying the Fund’s receipt of payments derived from principal or interest on mortgage loans affected by such regulations.

Foreclosure. A foreclosure of a defaulted mortgage loan may be delayed due to compliance with statutory notice or service of process provisions, difficulties in locating necessary parties or legal challenges to the mortgagee’s right to foreclose. Depending upon market conditions, the ultimate proceeds of the sale of foreclosed property may not equal the amounts owed on the Mortgage-Backed Securities. Furthermore, courts in some cases have imposed general equitable principles upon foreclosure generally designed to relieve the borrower from the legal effect of default and have required lenders to undertake affirmative and expensive actions to determine the causes for the default and the likelihood of loan reinstatement.

Rights of Redemption. In some states, after foreclosure of a mortgage loan, the borrower and foreclosed junior lienors are given a statutory period in which to redeem the property, which right may diminish the mortgagee’s ability to sell the property.

Legislative Limitations. In addition to anti-deficiency and related legislation, numerous other federal and state statutory provisions, including the federal bankruptcy laws and state laws affording relief to debtors, may interfere with or affect the ability of a secured mortgage lender to enforce its security interest. For example, a bankruptcy court may grant the debtor a reasonable time to cure a default on a mortgage loan, including a payment default. The court in certain instances may also reduce the monthly payments due under such mortgage loan, change the rate of interest, reduce the principal balance of the loan to the then-current appraised value of the related mortgaged property, alter the mortgage loan repayment schedule and grant priority of certain liens over the lien of the mortgage loan. If a court relieves a borrower’s obligation to repay amounts otherwise due on a mortgage loan, the mortgage loan servicer will not be required to advance such amounts, and any loss may be borne by the holders of securities backed by such loans. In addition, numerous federal and state consumer protection laws impose penalties for failure to comply with specific requirements in connection with origination and servicing of mortgage loans.

“Due-on-Sale” Provisions. Fixed-rate mortgage loans may contain a so-called “due-on-sale” clause permitting acceleration of the maturity of the mortgage loan if the borrower transfers the property. The Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 sets forth nine specific instances in which no mortgage lender covered by that Act may exercise a “due-on-sale” clause upon a transfer of property. The inability to enforce a “due-on-sale” clause or the lack of such a clause in mortgage loan documents may result in a mortgage loan being assumed by a purchaser of the property that bears an interest rate below the current market rate.

Usury Laws. Some states prohibit charging interest on mortgage loans in excess of statutory limits. If such limits are exceeded, substantial penalties may be incurred and, in some cases, enforceability of the obligation to pay principal and interest may be affected.

 

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Recent Governmental Action, Legislation and Regulation. The rise in the rate of foreclosures of properties in certain states or localities has resulted in legislative, regulatory and enforcement action in such states or localities seeking to prevent or restrict foreclosures, particularly in respect of residential mortgage loans. Actions have also been brought against issuers and underwriters of residential mortgage-backed securities collateralized by such residential mortgage loans and investors in such residential mortgage-backed securities. Legislative or regulatory initiatives by federal, state or local legislative bodies or administrative agencies, if enacted or adopted, could delay foreclosure or the exercise of other remedies, provide new defenses to foreclosure, or otherwise impair the ability of the loan servicer to foreclose or realize on a defaulted residential mortgage loan included in a pool of residential mortgage loans backing such residential Mortgage-Backed Securities. While the nature or extent of limitations on foreclosure or exercise of other remedies that may be enacted cannot be predicted, any such governmental actions that interfere with the foreclosure process could increase the costs of such foreclosures or exercise of other remedies in respect of residential mortgage loans which collateralize Mortgage-Backed Securities held by a Fund, delay the timing or reduce the amount of recoveries on defaulted residential mortgage loans which collateralize Mortgage-Backed Securities held by a Fund, and consequently, could adversely impact the yields and distributions a Fund may receive in respect of its ownership of Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by residential mortgage loans. For example, the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009 authorized bankruptcy courts to assist bankrupt borrowers by restructuring residential mortgage loans secured by a lien on the borrower’s primary residence. Bankruptcy judges are permitted to reduce the interest rate of the bankrupt borrower’s residential mortgage loan, extend its term to maturity to up to 40 years or take other actions to reduce the borrower’s monthly payment. As a result, the value of, and the cash flows in respect of, the Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by these residential mortgage loans may be adversely impacted, and, as a consequence, a Fund’s investment in such Mortgage-Backed Securities could be adversely impacted. Other federal legislation, including the Home Affordability Modification Program (“HAMP”), encourages servicers to modify residential mortgage loans that are either already in default or are at risk of imminent default. Furthermore, HAMP provides incentives for servicers to modify residential mortgage loans that are contractually current. This program, as well other legislation and/or governmental intervention designed to protect consumers, may have an adverse impact on servicers of residential mortgage loans by increasing costs and expenses of these servicers while at the same time decreasing servicing cash flows. Such increased financial pressures may have a negative effect on the ability of servicers to pursue collection on residential mortgage loans that are experiencing increased delinquencies and defaults and to maximize recoveries on the sale of underlying residential mortgaged properties following foreclosure. Other legislative or regulatory actions include insulation of servicers from liability for modification of residential mortgage loans without regard to the terms of the applicable servicing agreements. The foregoing legislation and current and future governmental regulation activities may have the effect of reducing returns to a Fund to the extent it has invested in Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by these residential mortgage loans.

Mortgage Pass-Through Securities

To the extent consistent with its investment policies, each Fund (other than the Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity and Equity Index Funds) may invest in both government guaranteed and privately issued mortgage pass-through securities (“Mortgage Pass-Throughs”) that are fixed or adjustable rate Mortgage-Backed Securities which provide for monthly payments that are a “pass-through” of the monthly interest and principal payments (including any prepayments) made by the individual borrowers on the pooled mortgage loans, net of any fees or other amounts paid to any guarantor, administrator and/or servicer of the underlying mortgage loans. The seller or servicer of the underlying mortgage obligations will generally make representations and warranties to certificate-holders as to certain characteristics of the mortgage loans and as to the accuracy of certain information furnished to the trustee in respect of each such mortgage loan. Upon a breach of any representation or warranty that materially and adversely affects the interests of the related certificate-holders in a mortgage loan, the seller or servicer generally may be obligated either to cure the breach in all material respects, to repurchase the mortgage loan or, if the related agreement so provides, to substitute in its place a mortgage loan pursuant to the conditions set forth therein. Such a repurchase or substitution obligation may constitute the sole remedy available to the related certificate-holders or the trustee for the material breach of any such representation or warranty by the seller or servicer.

The following discussion describes certain aspects of only a few of the wide variety of structures of Mortgage Pass-Throughs that are available or may be issued.

 

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General Description of Certificates. Mortgage Pass-Throughs may be issued in one or more classes of senior certificates and one or more classes of subordinate certificates. Each such class may bear a different pass-through rate. Generally, each certificate will evidence the specified interest of the holder thereof in the payments of principal or interest or both in respect of the mortgage pool comprising part of the trust fund for such certificates.

Any class of certificates may also be divided into subclasses entitled to varying amounts of principal and interest. If a REMIC election has been made, certificates of such subclasses may be entitled to payments on the basis of a stated principal balance and stated interest rate, and payments among different subclasses may be made on a sequential, concurrent, pro rata or disproportionate basis, or any combination thereof. The stated interest rate on any such subclass of certificates may be a fixed rate or one which varies in direct or inverse relationship to an objective interest index.

Generally, each registered holder of a certificate will be entitled to receive its pro rata share of monthly distributions of all or a portion of principal of the underlying mortgage loans or of interest on the principal balances thereof, which accrues at the applicable mortgage pass-through rate, or both. The difference between the mortgage interest rate and the related mortgage pass-through rate (less the amount, if any, of retained yield) with respect to each mortgage loan will generally be paid to the servicer as a servicing fee. Because certain adjustable rate mortgage loans included in a mortgage pool may provide for deferred interest (i.e., negative amortization), the amount of interest actually paid by a mortgagor in any month may be less than the amount of interest accrued on the outstanding principal balance of the related mortgage loan during the relevant period at the applicable mortgage interest rate. In such event, the amount of interest that is treated as deferred interest will generally be added to the principal balance of the related mortgage loan and will be distributed pro rata to certificate-holders as principal of such mortgage loan when paid by the mortgagor in subsequent monthly payments or at maturity.

Government Guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities. There are several types of government guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities currently available, including guaranteed mortgage pass-through certificates and multiple class securities, which include guaranteed Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit Certificates (“REMIC Certificates”), other collateralized mortgage obligations and stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities. A Fund is permitted to invest in other types of Mortgage-Backed Securities that may be available in the future to the extent consistent with its investment policies and objective.

A Fund’s investments in Mortgage-Backed Securities may include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”). Ginnie Mae securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, which means that the U.S. Government guarantees that the interest and principal will be paid when due. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac securities are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, and as a result, they are generally viewed by the market as high quality securities with low credit risks. From time to time, proposals have been introduced before Congress for the purpose of restricting or eliminating federal sponsorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that issue guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities. The Trust cannot predict what legislation, if any, may be proposed in the future in Congress as regards such sponsorship or which proposals, if any, might be enacted. Such proposals, if enacted, might materially and adversely affect the availability of government guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities and the liquidity and value of a Fund’s portfolio.

There is risk that the U.S. Government will not provide financial support to its agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. A Fund may purchase U.S. Government Securities that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, such as those issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. Government Securities held by a Fund may greatly exceed such issuers’ current resources, including such issuers’ legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that these issuers will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future.

 

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Below is a general discussion of certain types of guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities in which a Fund may invest.

 

   

Ginnie Mae Certificates. Ginnie Mae is a wholly-owned corporate instrumentality of the United States. Ginnie Mae is authorized to guarantee the timely payment of the principal of and interest on certificates that are based on and backed by a pool of mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”), or guaranteed by the Veterans Administration (“VA”), or by pools of other eligible mortgage loans. In order to meet its obligations under any guaranty, Ginnie Mae is authorized to borrow from the United States Treasury in an unlimited amount. The National Housing Act provides that the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government is pledged to the timely payment of principal and interest by Ginnie Mae of amounts due on Ginnie Mae certificates.

 

   

Fannie Mae Certificates. Fannie Mae is a stockholder-owned corporation chartered under an act of the United States Congress. Generally, Fannie Mae Certificates are issued and guaranteed by Fannie Mae and represent an undivided interest in a pool of mortgage loans (a “Pool”) formed by Fannie Mae. A Pool consists of residential mortgage loans either previously owned by Fannie Mae or purchased by it in connection with the formation of the Pool. The mortgage loans may be either conventional mortgage loans (i.e., not insured or guaranteed by any U.S. Government agency) or mortgage loans that are either insured by the FHA or guaranteed by the VA. However, the mortgage loans in Fannie Mae Pools are primarily conventional mortgage loans. The lenders originating and servicing the mortgage loans are subject to certain eligibility requirements established by Fannie Mae. Fannie Mae has certain contractual responsibilities. With respect to each Pool, Fannie Mae is obligated to distribute scheduled installments of principal and interest after Fannie Mae’s servicing and guaranty fee, whether or not received, to Certificate holders. Fannie Mae also is obligated to distribute to holders of Certificates an amount equal to the full principal balance of any foreclosed mortgage loan, whether or not such principal balance is actually recovered. The obligations of Fannie Mae under its guaranty of the Fannie Mae Certificates are obligations solely of Fannie Mae. See “Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae” below.

 

   

Freddie Mac Certificates. Freddie Mac is a publicly held U.S. Government sponsored enterprise. A principal activity of Freddie Mac currently is the purchase of first lien, conventional, residential and multifamily mortgage loans and participation interests in such mortgage loans and their resale in the form of mortgage securities, primarily Freddie Mac Certificates. A Freddie Mac Certificate represents a pro rata interest in a group of mortgage loans or participations in mortgage loans (a “Freddie Mac Certificate group”) purchased by Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac guarantees to each registered holder of a Freddie Mac Certificate the timely payment of interest at the rate provided for by such Freddie Mac Certificate (whether or not received on the underlying loans). Freddie Mac also guarantees to each registered Certificate holder ultimate collection of all principal of the related mortgage loans, without any offset or deduction, but does not, generally, guarantee the timely payment of scheduled principal. The obligations of Freddie Mac under its guaranty of Freddie Mac Certificates are obligations solely of Freddie Mac. See “Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae” below.

The mortgage loans underlying the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Certificates consist of adjustable rate or fixed-rate mortgage loans with original terms to maturity of up to forty years. These mortgage loans are usually secured by first liens on one-to-four-family residential properties or multi-family projects. Each mortgage loan must meet the applicable standards set forth in the law creating Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. A Freddie Mac Certificate group may include whole loans, participation interests in whole loans, undivided interests in whole loans and participations comprising another Freddie Mac Certificate group.

Conventional Mortgage Loans. The conventional mortgage loans underlying the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Certificates consist of adjustable rate or fixed-rate mortgage loans normally with original terms to maturity of between five and thirty years. Substantially all of these mortgage loans are secured by first liens on one- to four-family residential properties or multi-family projects. Each mortgage loan must meet the applicable standards set forth in the law creating Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. A Freddie Mac Certificate group may include whole loans, participation interests in whole loans, undivided interests in whole loans and participations comprising another Freddie Mac Certificate group.

 

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Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The volatility and disruption that impacted the capital and credit markets during late 2008 and into 2009 have led to increased market concerns about Freddie Mac’s and Fannie Mae’s ability to withstand future credit losses associated with securities held in their investment portfolios, and on which they provide guarantees, without the direct support of the federal government. On September 6, 2008, both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were placed under the conservatorship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”). Under the plan of conservatorship, the FHFA has assumed control of, and generally has the power to direct, the operations of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and is empowered to exercise all powers collectively held by their respective shareholders, directors and officers, including the power to (1) take over the assets of and operate Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae with all the powers of the shareholders, the directors, and the officers of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and conduct all business of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (2) collect all obligations and money due to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (3) perform all functions of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which are consistent with the conservator’s appointment; (4) preserve and conserve the assets and property of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; and (5) contract for assistance in fulfilling any function, activity, action or duty of the conservator. In addition, in connection with the actions taken by the FHFA, the U.S. Treasury Department (the “Treasury”) has entered into certain preferred stock purchase agreements with each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which establish the Treasury as the holder of a new class of senior preferred stock in each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, which stock was issued in connection with financial contributions from the Treasury to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The conditions attached to the financial contribution made by the Treasury to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and the issuance of this senior preferred stock place significant restrictions on the activities of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae must obtain the consent of the Treasury to, among other things, (i) make any payment to purchase or redeem its capital stock or pay any dividend other than in respect of the senior preferred stock to the Treasury, (ii) issue capital stock of any kind, (iii) terminate the conservatorship of the FHFA except in connection with a receivership, or (iv) increase its debt beyond certain specified levels. In addition, significant restrictions are placed on the maximum size of each of Freddie Mac’s and Fannie Mae’s respective portfolios of mortgages and mortgage-backed securities, and the purchase agreements entered into by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae provide that the maximum size of their portfolios of these assets must decrease by a specified percentage each year. On June 16, 2010, FHFA ordered Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s stock de-listed from the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) after the price of common stock in Fannie Mae fell below the NYSE minimum average closing price of $1 for more than 30 days.

The future status and role of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae could be impacted by (among other things) the actions taken and restrictions placed on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by the FHFA in its role as conservator, the restrictions placed on Freddie Mac’s and Fannie Mae’s operations and activities as a result of the senior preferred stock investment made by the Treasury, market responses to developments at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and future legislative and regulatory action that alters the operations, ownership, structure and/or mission of these institutions, each of which may, in turn, impact the value of, and cash flows on, any Mortgage-Backed Securities guaranteed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, including any such Mortgage-Backed Securities held by a Fund.

Privately Issued Mortgage-Backed Securities. Each Fund (except the Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity and Equity Index Funds) may invest in privately issued Mortgage-Backed Securities. Privately issued Mortgage-Backed Securities are generally backed by pools of conventional (i.e., non-government guaranteed or insured) mortgage loans. The seller or servicer of the underlying mortgage obligations will generally make representations and warranties to certificate-holders as to certain characteristics of the mortgage loans and as to the accuracy of certain information furnished to the trustee in respect of each such mortgage loan. Upon a breach of any representation or warranty that materially and adversely affects the interests of the related certificate-holders in a mortgage loan, the seller or servicer generally will be obligated either to cure the breach in all material respects, to repurchase the mortgage loan or, if the related agreement so provides, to substitute in its place a mortgage loan pursuant to the conditions set forth therein. Such a repurchase or substitution obligation may constitute the sole remedy available to the related certificate-holders or the trustee for the material breach of any such representation or warranty by the seller or servicer.

 

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Ratings. The ratings assigned by a rating organization to Mortgage Pass-Throughs generally address the likelihood of the receipt of distributions on the underlying mortgage loans by the related certificate-holders under the agreements pursuant to which such certificates are issued. A rating organization’s ratings normally take into consideration the credit quality of the related mortgage pool, including any credit support providers, structural and legal aspects associated with such certificates, and the extent to which the payment stream on such mortgage pool is adequate to make payments required by such certificates. A rating organization’s ratings on such certificates do not, however, constitute a statement regarding frequency of prepayments on the related mortgage loans. In addition, the rating assigned by a rating organization to a certificate may not address the possibility that, in the event of the insolvency of the issuer of certificates where a subordinated interest was retained, the issuance and sale of the senior certificates may be recharacterized as a financing and, as a result of such recharacterization, payments on such certificates may be affected. A rating organization may downgrade or withdraw a rating assigned by it to any Mortgage Pass-Through at any time, and no assurance can be made that any ratings on any Mortgage Pass-Throughs included in a Fund will be maintained, or that if such ratings are assigned, they will not be downgraded or withdrawn by the assigning rating organization.

Recently, rating agencies have placed on credit watch or downgraded the ratings previously assigned to a large number of mortgage-backed securities (which may include certain of the Mortgage-Backed Securities in which a Fund may have invested or may in the future be invested), and may continue to do so in the future. In the event that any Mortgage-Backed Security held by a Fund is placed on credit watch or downgraded, the value of such Mortgage-Backed Security may decline and the Fund may consequently experience losses in respect of such Mortgage-Backed Security.

Credit Enhancement. Mortgage pools created by non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher yield than government and government-related pools because of the absence of direct or indirect government or agency payment guarantees. To lessen the effect of failures by obligors on underlying assets to make payments, Mortgage Pass-Throughs may contain elements of credit support. Credit support falls generally into two categories: (i) liquidity protection and (ii) protection against losses resulting from default by an obligor on the underlying assets. Liquidity protection refers to the provision of advances, generally by the entity administering the pools of mortgages, the provision of a reserve fund, or a combination thereof, to ensure, subject to certain limitations, that scheduled payments on the underlying pool are made in a timely fashion. Protection against losses resulting from default ensures ultimate payment of the obligations on at least a portion of the assets in the pool. Such credit support can be provided by, among other things, payment guarantees, letters of credit, pool insurance, subordination, or any combination thereof.

Subordination; Shifting of Interest; Reserve Fund. In order to achieve ratings on one or more classes of Mortgage Pass-Throughs, one or more classes of certificates may be subordinate certificates which provide that the rights of the subordinate certificate-holders to receive any or a specified portion of distributions with respect to the underlying mortgage loans may be subordinated to the rights of the senior certificate holders. If so structured, the subordination feature may be enhanced by distributing to the senior certificate-holders on certain distribution dates, as payment of principal, a specified percentage (which generally declines over time) of all principal payments received during the preceding prepayment period (“shifting interest credit enhancement”). This will have the effect of accelerating the amortization of the senior certificates while increasing the interest in the trust fund evidenced by the subordinate certificates. Increasing the interest of the subordinate certificates relative to that of the senior certificates is intended to preserve the availability of the subordination provided by the subordinate certificates. In addition, because the senior certificate-holders in a shifting interest credit enhancement structure are entitled to receive a percentage of principal prepayments which is greater than their proportionate interest in the trust fund, the rate of principal prepayments on the mortgage loans may have an even greater effect on the rate of principal payments and the amount of interest payments on, and the yield to maturity of, the senior certificates.

In addition to providing for a preferential right of the senior certificate-holders to receive current distributions from the mortgage pool, a reserve fund may be established relating to such certificates (the “Reserve Fund”). The Reserve Fund may be created with an initial cash deposit by the originator or servicer and augmented by the retention of distributions otherwise available to the subordinate certificate-holders or by excess servicing fees until the Reserve Fund reaches a specified amount.

 

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The subordination feature, and any Reserve Fund, are intended to enhance the likelihood of timely receipt by senior certificate-holders of the full amount of scheduled monthly payments of principal and interest due to them and will protect the senior certificate-holders against certain losses; however, in certain circumstances the Reserve Fund could be depleted and temporary shortfalls could result. In the event that the Reserve Fund is depleted before the subordinated amount is reduced to zero, senior certificate-holders will nevertheless have a preferential right to receive current distributions from the mortgage pool to the extent of the then outstanding subordinated amount. Unless otherwise specified, until the subordinated amount is reduced to zero, on any distribution date any amount otherwise distributable to the subordinate certificates or, to the extent specified, in the Reserve Fund will generally be used to offset the amount of any losses realized with respect to the mortgage loans (“Realized Losses”). Realized Losses remaining after application of such amounts will generally be applied to reduce the ownership interest of the subordinate certificates in the mortgage pool. If the subordinated amount has been reduced to zero, Realized Losses generally will be allocated pro rata among all certificate-holders in proportion to their respective outstanding interests in the mortgage pool.

Alternative Credit Enhancement. As an alternative, or in addition to the credit enhancement afforded by subordination, credit enhancement for Mortgage Pass-Throughs may be provided through bond insurers, or at the mortgage loan-level through mortgage insurance, hazard insurance, or through the deposit of cash, certificates of deposit, letters of credit, a limited guaranty or by such other methods as are acceptable to a rating agency. In certain circumstances, such as where credit enhancement is provided by bond insurers, guarantees or letters of credit, the security is subject to credit risk because of its exposure to the credit risk of an external credit enhancement provider.

Voluntary Advances. Generally, in the event of delinquencies in payments on the mortgage loans underlying the Mortgage Pass-Throughs, the servicer may agree to make advances of cash for the benefit of certificate-holders, but generally will do so only to the extent that it determines such voluntary advances will be recoverable from future payments and collections on the mortgage loans or otherwise.

Optional Termination. Generally, the servicer may, at its option with respect to any certificates, repurchase all of the underlying mortgage loans remaining outstanding at such time if the aggregate outstanding principal balance of such mortgage loans is less than a specified percentage (generally 5-10%) of the aggregate outstanding principal balance of the mortgage loans as of the cut-off date specified with respect to such series.

Multiple Class Mortgage-Backed Securities and Collateralized Mortgage Obligations. Each Fund (except Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap and Equity Index Funds) may invest in multiple class securities including collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”) and REMIC Certificates. These securities may be issued by U.S. Government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac or by trusts formed by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, mortgage bankers, commercial banks, insurance companies, investment banks and special purpose subsidiaries of the foregoing. In general, CMOs are debt obligations of a legal entity that are collateralized by, and multiple class Mortgage-Backed Securities represent direct ownership interests in, a pool of mortgage loans or Mortgage-Backed Securities the payments on which are used to make payments on the CMOs or multiple class Mortgage-Backed Securities.

Fannie Mae REMIC Certificates are issued and guaranteed as to timely distribution of principal and interest by Fannie Mae. In addition, Fannie Mae will be obligated to distribute the principal balance of each class of REMIC Certificates in full, whether or not sufficient funds are otherwise available.

Freddie Mac guarantees the timely payment of interest on Freddie Mac REMIC Certificates and also guarantees the payment of principal as payments are required to be made on the underlying mortgage participation certificates (“PCs”). PCs represent undivided interests in specified level payment, residential mortgages or participations therein purchased by Freddie Mac and placed in a PC pool. With respect to principal payments on PCs, Freddie Mac generally guarantees ultimate collection of all principal of the related mortgage loans without offset or deduction but the receipt of the required payments may be delayed. Freddie Mac also guarantees timely payment of principal of certain PCs.

 

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CMOs and guaranteed REMIC Certificates issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are types of multiple class Mortgage-Backed Securities. The REMIC Certificates represent beneficial ownership interests in a REMIC trust, generally consisting of mortgage loans or Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities (the “Mortgage Assets”). The obligations of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac under their respective guaranty of the REMIC Certificates are obligations solely of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, respectively. See “Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.”

CMOs and REMIC Certificates are issued in multiple classes. Each class of CMOs or REMIC Certificates, often referred to as a “tranche,” is issued at a specific adjustable or fixed interest rate and must be fully retired no later than its final distribution date. Principal prepayments on the mortgage loans or the Mortgage Assets underlying the CMOs or REMIC Certificates may cause some or all of the classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates to be retired substantially earlier than their final distribution dates. Generally, interest is paid or accrues on all classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates on a monthly basis.

The principal of and interest on the Mortgage Assets may be allocated among the several classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates in various ways. In certain structures (known as “sequential pay” CMOs or REMIC Certificates), payments of principal, including any principal prepayments, on the Mortgage Assets generally are applied to the classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates in the order of their respective final distribution dates. Thus, no payment of principal will be made on any class of sequential pay CMOs or REMIC Certificates until all other classes having an earlier final distribution date have been paid in full.

Additional structures of CMOs and REMIC Certificates include, among others, “parallel pay” CMOs and REMIC Certificates. Parallel pay CMOs or REMIC Certificates are those which are structured to apply principal payments and prepayments of the Mortgage Assets to two or more classes concurrently on a proportionate or disproportionate basis. These simultaneous payments are taken into account in calculating the final distribution date of each class.

A wide variety of REMIC Certificates may be issued in parallel pay or sequential pay structures. These securities include accrual certificates (also known as “Z-Bonds”), which only accrue interest at a specified rate until all other certificates having an earlier final distribution date have been retired and are converted thereafter to an interest-paying security, and planned amortization class (“PAC”) certificates, which are parallel pay REMIC Certificates that generally require that specified amounts of principal be applied on each payment date to one or more classes or REMIC Certificates (the “PAC Certificates”), even though all other principal payments and prepayments of the Mortgage Assets are then required to be applied to one or more other classes of the PAC Certificates. The scheduled principal payments for the PAC Certificates generally have the highest priority on each payment date after interest due has been paid to all classes entitled to receive interest currently. Shortfalls, if any, are added to the amount payable on the next payment date. The PAC Certificate payment schedule is taken into account in calculating the final distribution date of each class of PAC. In order to create PAC tranches, one or more tranches generally must be created that absorb most of the volatility in the underlying mortgage assets. These tranches tend to have market prices and yields that are much more volatile than other PAC classes.

Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities. Commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”). are a type of Mortgage Pass-Through that are primarily backed by a pool of commercial mortgage loans. The commercial mortgage loans are, in turn, generally secured by commercial mortgaged properties (such as office properties, retail properties, hospitality properties, industrial properties, healthcare related properties or other types of income producing real property). CMBS generally entitle the holders thereof to receive payments that depend primarily on the cash flow from a specified pool of commercial or multifamily mortgage loans. CMBS will be affected by payments, defaults, delinquencies and losses on the underlying mortgage loans. The underlying mortgage loans generally are secured by income producing properties such as office properties, retail properties, multifamily properties, manufactured housing, hospitality properties, industrial properties and self storage properties. Because issuers of CMBS have no significant assets other than the underlying commercial real estate loans and because of the significant credit risks inherent in the underlying collateral, credit risk is a correspondingly important consideration with respect to the related CMBS Securities. Certain of the mortgage loans underlying CMBS Securities constituting part of the collateral interests may be delinquent, in default or in foreclosure.

 

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Commercial real estate lending may expose a lender (and the related Mortgage-Backed Security) to a greater risk of loss than certain other forms of lending because it typically involves making larger loans to single borrowers or groups of related borrowers. In addition, in the case of certain commercial mortgage loans, repayment of loans secured by commercial and multifamily properties depends upon the ability of the related real estate project to generate income sufficient to pay debt service, operating expenses and leasing commissions and to make necessary repairs, tenant improvements and capital improvements, and in the case of loans that do not fully amortize over their terms, to retain sufficient value to permit the borrower to pay off the loan at maturity through a sale or refinancing of the mortgaged property. The net operating income from and value of any commercial property is subject to various risks, including changes in general or local economic conditions and/or specific industry segments; declines in real estate values; declines in rental or occupancy rates; increases in interest rates, real estate tax rates and other operating expenses; changes in governmental rules, regulations and fiscal policies; acts of God; terrorist threats and attacks and social unrest and civil disturbances. In addition, certain of the mortgaged properties securing the pools of commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may have a higher degree of geographic concentration in a few states or regions. Any deterioration in the real estate market or economy or adverse events in such states or regions, may increase the rate of delinquency and default experience (and as a consequence, losses) with respect to mortgage loans related to properties in such state or region. Pools of mortgaged properties securing the commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may also have a higher degree of concentration in certain types of commercial properties. Accordingly, such pools of mortgage loans represent higher exposure to risks particular to those types of commercial properties. Certain pools of commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS consist of a fewer number of mortgage loans with outstanding balances that are larger than average. If a mortgage pool includes mortgage loans with larger than average balances, any realized losses on such mortgage loans could be more severe, relative to the size of the pool, than would be the case if the aggregate balance of the pool were distributed among a larger number of mortgage loans. Certain borrowers or affiliates thereof relating to certain of the commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may have had a history of bankruptcy. Certain mortgaged properties securing the commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may have been exposed to environmental conditions or circumstances. The ratings in respect of certain of the CMBS comprising the Mortgage-Backed Securities may have been withdrawn, reduced or placed on credit watch since issuance. In addition, losses and/or appraisal reductions may be allocated to certain of such CMBS and certain of the collateral or the assets underlying such collateral may be delinquent and/or may default from time to time.

CMBS held by a Fund may be subordinated to one or more other classes of securities of the same series for purposes of, among other things, establishing payment priorities and offsetting losses and other shortfalls with respect to the related underlying mortgage loans. Realized losses in respect of the mortgage loans included in the CMBS pool and trust expenses generally will be allocated to the most subordinated class of securities of the related series. Accordingly, to the extent any CMBS is or becomes the most subordinated class of securities of the related series, any delinquency or default on any underlying mortgage loan may result in shortfalls, realized loss allocations or extensions of its weighted average life and will have a more immediate and disproportionate effect on the related CMBS than on a related more senior class of CMBS of the same series. Further, even if a class is not the most subordinate class of securities, there can be no assurance that the subordination offered to such class will be sufficient on any date to offset all losses or expenses incurred by the underlying trust. CMBS are typically not guaranteed or insured, and distributions on such CMBS generally will depend solely upon the amount and timing of payments and other collections on the related underlying commercial mortgage loans.

Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities. The Fixed Income Funds may invest in stripped mortgage-backed securities (“SMBS”), which are derivative multiclass mortgage securities, issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities or non-governmental originators. SMBS are usually structured with two different classes: one that receives substantially all of the interest payments (the interest-only, or “IO” and/or the high coupon rate with relatively low principal amount, or “IOette”), and the other that receives substantially all of the principal payments (the principal-only, or “PO”), from a pool of mortgage loans.

 

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Certain SMBS may not be readily marketable and will be considered illiquid for purposes of a Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid securities. The Investment Adviser may determine that SMBS which are U.S. Government Securities are liquid for purposes of a Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid securities. The market value of POs generally is unusually volatile in response to changes in interest rates. The yields on IOs and IOettes are generally higher than prevailing market yields on other Mortgage-Backed Securities because their cash flow patterns are more volatile and there is a greater risk that the initial investment will not be fully recouped. A Fixed Income Fund’s investment in SMBS may require the Fund to sell certain of its portfolio securities to generate sufficient cash to satisfy certain income distribution requirements.

Asset-Backed and Receivables-Backed Securities

Each Fund (except the Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity and Equity Index Funds) may invest in asset-backed and receivables-backed securities. Asset-backed and receivables-backed securities represent participations in, or are secured by and payable from, assets such as motor vehicle installment sales, installment loan contracts, leases of various types of real and personal property, receivables from revolving credit (credit card) agreements, and other categories of receivables. Such assets are securitized through the use of trusts and special purpose corporations. Payments or distributions of principal and interest may be guaranteed up to certain amounts and for a certain time period by a letter of credit or a pool insurance policy issued by a financial institution unaffiliated with the trust or corporation, or other credit enhancements may be present. The value of a Fund’s investments in asset-backed and receivables-backed securities may be adversely affected by prepayment of the underlying obligations. In addition, the risk of prepayment may cause the value of these investments to be more volatile than a Fund’s other investments.

Through the use of trusts and special purpose corporations, various types of assets, including automobile loans, computer leases, trade receivables and credit card receivables, are being securitized in pass-through structures similar to mortgage pass-through structures. Consistent with their respective investment objectives and policies, the Funds may invest in these and other types of asset-backed securities that may be developed. This SAI may be amended or supplemented as necessary to reflect the intention of one or more Funds to invest in asset-backed securities with characteristics that are materially different from the securities described in the preceding paragraph. However, a Fund will generally not invest in an asset-backed security if the income received with respect to its investment constitutes rental income or other income not treated as qualifying income under the 90% test described in “TAXATION” below.

As set forth below, several types of asset-backed and receivables-backed securities are offered to investors, including for example, Certificates for Automobile Receivablessm (“CARSsm”) and interests in pools of credit card receivables. CARSsm represent undivided fractional interests in a trust (“CAR Trust”) whose assets consist of a pool of motor vehicle retail installment sales contracts and security interests in the vehicles securing the contracts. Payments of principal and interest on CARSsm are passed through monthly to certificate holders, and are guaranteed up to certain amounts and for a certain time period by a letter of credit issued by a financial institution unaffiliated with the trustee or originator of the CAR Trust. An investor’s return on CARSsm may be affected by early prepayment of principal on the underlying vehicle sales contracts. If the letter of credit is exhausted, the CAR Trust may be prevented from realizing the full amount due on a sales contract because of state law requirements and restrictions relating to foreclosure sales of vehicles and the obtaining of deficiency judgments following such sales or because of depreciation, damage or loss of a vehicle, the application of federal and state bankruptcy and insolvency laws, or other factors. As a result, certificate holders may experience delays in payments or losses if the letter of credit is exhausted.

Asset-backed securities and receivables-backed securities are often subject to more rapid repayment than their stated maturity date would indicate as a result of the pass-through of prepayments of principal on the underlying loans. During periods of declining interest rates, prepayment of loans underlying asset-backed securities can be expected to accelerate. Accordingly, a Fund’s ability to maintain positions in such securities will be affected by reductions in the principal amount of such securities resulting from prepayments, and its ability to reinvest the returns of principal at comparable yields is subject to generally prevailing interest rates at that time. To the extent that a Fund invests in asset-backed securities, the values of such Fund’s portfolio securities will vary with changes in market interest rates generally and the differentials in yields among various kinds of asset-backed securities.

 

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Asset-backed securities present certain additional risks because asset-backed securities generally do not have the benefit of a security interest in collateral that is comparable to mortgage assets. Credit card receivables are generally unsecured and the debtors on such receivables are entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which give such debtors the right to set off certain amounts owed on the credit cards, thereby reducing the balance due. Automobile receivables generally are secured, but by automobiles rather than residential real property. Most issuers of automobile receivables permit the loan servicers to retain possession of the underlying obligations. If the servicer were to sell these obligations to another party, there is a risk that the purchaser would acquire an interest superior to that of the holders of the asset-backed securities. In addition, because of the large number of vehicles involved in a typical issuance and technical requirements under state laws, the trustee for the holders of the automobile receivables may not have a proper security interest in the underlying automobiles. Therefore, if the issuer of an asset-backed security defaults on its payment obligations, there is the possibility that, in some cases, a Fund will be unable to possess and sell the underlying collateral and that the Fund’s recoveries on repossessed collateral may not be available to support payments on these securities.

Asset-backed securities are often backed by a pool of assets representing the obligations of a number of different parties. To lessen the effect of failures by obligors on underlying assets to make payments, the securities may contain elements of credit support which fall into two categories: (i) liquidity protection, and (ii) protection against losses resulting from ultimate default by an obligor or servicer. Liquidity protection refers to the provision of advances, generally by the entity administering the pool of assets, the provision of a reserve fund, or a combination thereof to ensure, subject to certain limitations that scheduled payments on the underlying pool are made in a timely fashion. Protection against losses resulting from default ensures ultimate payment of the obligations on at least a portion of the assets in the pool. This protection may be provided through guarantees, policies or letters of credit obtained by the issuer or sponsor from third parties, through various means of structuring the transactions or through a combination of such approaches. The degree of credit support provided for each issue is generally based on historical information reflecting the level of credit risk associated with the underlying assets. Delinquency or loss in excess of that anticipated or failure of the credit support could adversely affect the value of or return on an investment in such a security.

The availability of asset-backed securities may be affected by legislative or regulatory developments. It is possible that such developments could require a Fund to dispose of any then-existing holdings of such securities.

To the extent consistent with its investment objective and policies, each Fund may invest in new types of mortgage-related securities and in other asset-backed securities that may be developed in the future.

Recent Events Relating to the Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Markets and the Overall Economy

The recent and unprecedented disruption in the residential mortgage-backed securities market (and in particular, the “subprime” residential mortgage market), the broader mortgage-backed securities market and the asset-backed securities market have resulted (and continue to result) in downward price pressures and increasing foreclosures and defaults in residential and commercial real estate. Concerns over inflation, energy costs, geopolitical issues, the availability and cost of credit, the mortgage market and a depressed real estate market have contributed to increased volatility and diminished expectations for the economy and markets going forward, and have contributed to dramatic declines in the housing market, with falling home prices and increasing foreclosures and unemployment, and significant asset write-downs by financial institutions. These conditions have prompted a number of financial institutions to seek additional capital, to merge with other institutions and, in some cases, to fail or seek bankruptcy protection. Since 2008, the market for Mortgage-Backed Securities (as well as other asset-backed securities) has been particularly adversely impacted by, among other factors, the failure and subsequent sale of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. to J.P. Morgan Chase, the merger of Bank of America Corporation and Merrill Lynch & Co., the insolvency of Washington Mutual Inc., the failure and subsequent bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., the extension of approximately $152 billion in emergency credit by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to American International Group Inc., and, as described above, the conservatorship and the control by the U.S. government of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Furthermore, the global markets have seen an increase in volatility due to uncertainty surrounding the level and sustainability of sovereign debt of certain countries that

 

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are part of the European Union, including Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Italy, as well as the sustainability of the European Union itself. Recent concerns over the level and sustainability of the sovereign debt of the United States have aggravated this volatility. No assurance can be made that this uncertainty will not lead to further disruption of the credit markets in the United States or around the globe. These events, coupled with the general global economic downturn, have resulted in a substantial level of uncertainty in the financial markets, particularly with respect to mortgage-related investments.

The continuation or worsening of this general economic downturn may lead to further declines in income from, or the value of, real estate, including the real estate which secures the Mortgage-Backed Securities held by a Fund. Additionally, a lack of credit liquidity, adjustments of mortgages to higher rates and decreases in the value of real property have occurred and may continue to occur or worsen, and potentially prevent borrowers from refinancing their mortgages, which may increase the likelihood of default on their mortgage loans. These economic conditions, coupled with high levels of real estate inventory and elevated incidence of underwater mortgages, may also adversely affect the amount of proceeds the holder of a mortgage loan or mortgage-backed securities (including the Mortgaged-Backed Securities in which Funds may invest) would realize in the event of a foreclosure or other exercise of remedies. Moreover, even if such Mortgage-Backed Securities are performing as anticipated, the value of such securities in the secondary market may nevertheless fall or continue to fall as a result of deterioration in general market conditions for such Mortgage-Backed Securities or other asset-backed or structured products. Trading activity associated with market indices may also drive spreads on those indices wider than spreads on mortgage-backed securities, thereby resulting in a decrease in value of such mortgage-backed securities, including the mortgage-backed securities owned by the Fund.

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, which, if enacted, would significantly alter the manner in which asset-backed securities, including Mortgage-Backed Securities, are issued. Given the broad scope, sweeping nature, and relatively recent enactment of some of these regulatory measures, the potential impact they could have on any of the asset-backed or Mortgage-Backed Securities held by the Funds is unknown. There can be no assurance that these measures will not have an adverse effect on the value or marketability of any asset-backed or Mortgage-Backed Securities held by the Funds. 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.

Among its other provisions, the Dodd-Frank Act creates a liquidation framework under which the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”), may be appointed as receiver following a “systemic risk determination” by the Secretary of Treasury (in consultation with the President) for the resolution of certain nonbank financial companies and other entities, defined as “covered financial companies”, and commonly referred to as “systemically important entities”, in the event such a company is in default or in danger of default and the resolution of such a company under other applicable law would have serious adverse effects on financial stability in the United States, and also for the resolution of certain of their subsidiaries. No assurances can be given that this new liquidation framework would not apply to the originators of asset-backed securities, including Mortgage-Backed Securities, or their respective subsidiaries, including the issuers and depositors of such securities, although the expectation embedded in the Dodd-Frank Act is that the framework will be invoked only very rarely. Recent guidance from the FDIC indicates that such new framework will largely be exercised in a manner consistent with the existing bankruptcy laws, which is the insolvency regime that would otherwise apply to the sponsors, depositors and issuing entities with respect to asset-backed securities, including Mortgage-Backed Securities. The application of such liquidation framework to such entities could result in decreases or delays in amounts paid on, and hence the market value of, the Mortgage-Backed or asset-backed securities that are owned by a Fund.

 

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Recently, delinquencies, defaults and losses on residential mortgage loans have increased substantially and may continue to increase, which may affect the performance of the Mortgage-Backed Securities in which certain Funds may invest. Mortgage loans backing non-agency Mortgage-Backed Securities are more sensitive to economic factors that could affect the ability of borrowers to pay their obligations under the mortgage loans backing these securities. In addition, in recent months housing prices and appraisal values in many states and localities have declined or stopped appreciating. A continued decline or an extended flattening of those values may result in additional increases in delinquencies and losses on mortgage-backed securities generally (including the Mortgaged-Backed Securities that a Fund may invest in as described above).

The foregoing adverse changes in market conditions and regulatory climate may reduce the cash flow which a Fund, to the extent it invests in Mortgage-Backed Securities or other asset-backed securities, receives from such securities and increase the incidence and severity of credit events and losses in respect of such securities. In addition, interest rate spreads for Mortgage-Backed Securities have widened and are more volatile when compared to the recent past due to these adverse changes in market conditions. In the event that interest rate spreads for Mortgage-Backed Securities and other asset-backed securities continue to widen following the purchase of such assets by a Fund, the market value of such securities is likely to decline and, in the case of a substantial spread widening, could decline by a substantial amount. Furthermore, these adverse changes in market conditions have resulted in reduced liquidity in the market for mortgage-backed securities and other asset-backed securities (including the Mortgaged-Backed Securities and other asset-backed securities in which a Fund may invest) and increasing unwillingness by banks, financial institutions and investors to extend credit to servicers, originators and other participants in the market for Mortgage-Backed and other asset-backed securities. As a result, the liquidity and/or the market value of any Mortgage-Backed or asset-backed securities that are owned by the Fund may experience further declines after they are purchased by a Fund.

Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts

Each Fund (other than the Money Market Fund) may purchase and sell futures contracts and may also purchase and write call and put options on futures contracts. The Structured Small Cap Equity Fund may only enter into such transactions with respect to a representative index. The Structured U.S. Equity Fund may enter into futures transactions only with respect to the S&P 500 Index. The other Funds may purchase and sell futures contracts based on various securities, securities indices, foreign currencies and other financial instruments and indices (except that the Government Income Fund may not purchase and sell future contracts based on foreign currencies). Financial futures contracts used by the Fixed Income Funds include interest rate futures contracts including, among others, Eurodollar futures contracts. Eurodollar futures contracts are U.S. dollar-denominated futures contracts that are based on the implied forward London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) of a three-month deposit. Each Fund may engage in futures and related options transactions in order to seek to increase total return or to hedge against changes in interest rates, securities prices or, to the extent a Fund invests in foreign securities, currency exchange rates, or to otherwise manage its term structure, sector selection and duration in accordance with its investment objective and policies. Each Fund may also enter into closing purchase and sale transactions with respect to such contracts and options. The Trust, on behalf of each Fund, has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act and, therefore, is not subject to registration or regulation as a pool operator under that Act with respect to the Funds.

Futures contracts entered into by a Fund have historically been traded on U.S. exchanges or boards of trade that are licensed and regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) or with respect to certain funds, on foreign exchanges. More recently, certain futures may also be traded either over-the-counter or on trading facilities such as derivatives transaction execution facilities, exempt boards of trade or electronic trading facilities that are licensed and/or regulated to varying degrees by the CFTC. Also, certain single stock futures and narrow based security index futures may be traded either over-the-counter or on trading facilities such as contract markets, derivatives transaction execution facilities and electronic trading facilities that are licensed and/or regulated to varying degrees by both the CFTC and the SEC, or on foreign exchanges.

 

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Neither the CFTC, National Futures Association, SEC nor any domestic exchange regulates activities of any foreign exchange or boards of trade, including the execution, delivery and clearing of transactions, or has the power to compel enforcement of the rules of a foreign exchange or board of trade or any applicable foreign law. This is true even if the exchange is formally linked to a domestic market so that a position taken on the market may be liquidated by a transaction on another market. Moreover, such laws or regulations will vary depending on the foreign country in which the foreign futures or foreign options transaction occurs. For these reasons, a Fund’s investments in foreign futures or foreign options transactions may not be provided the same protections in respect of transactions on United States exchanges. In particular, persons who trade foreign futures or foreign options contracts may not be afforded certain of the protective measures provided by the Commodity Exchange Act, the CFTC’s regulations and the rules of the National Futures Association and any domestic exchange, including the right to use reparations proceedings before the CFTC and arbitration proceedings provided by the National Futures Association or any domestic futures exchange. Similarly, those persons may not have the protection of the United States securities laws.

Futures Contracts. A futures contract may generally be described as an agreement between two parties to buy and sell particular financial instruments for an agreed price during a designated month (or to deliver the final cash settlement price, in the case of a contract relating to an index or otherwise not calling for physical delivery at the end of trading in the contract).

When interest rates are rising or securities prices are falling, a Fund can seek through the sale of futures contracts to offset a decline in the value of its current portfolio securities. When interest rates are falling or securities prices are rising, a Fund, through the purchase of futures contracts, can attempt to secure better rates or prices than might later be available in the market when it effects anticipated purchases. Similarly, each Fund (other than the Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity, Equity Index and Government Income Funds) can purchase and sell futures contracts on a specified currency in order to seek to increase total return or to protect against changes in currency exchange rates. For example, each Fund (other than the Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity, Equity Index and Government Income Funds) can purchase futures contracts on foreign currency to establish the price in U.S. dollars of a security quoted or denominated in such currency that such Fund has acquired or expects to acquire, or to seek to affect anticipated changes in the value of a currency in which such Fund’s portfolio securities, or securities that it intends to purchase, are quoted or denominated. As another example, certain Funds may enter into futures transactions to seek a closer correlation between a Fund’s overall currency exposures and the currency exposures of a Fund’s performance benchmark.

Positions taken in the futures market are not normally held to maturity, but are instead liquidated through offsetting transactions which may result in a profit or a loss. While a Fund will usually liquidate futures contracts on securities or currency in this manner, a Fund may instead make or take delivery of the underlying securities or currency whenever it appears economically advantageous for the Fund to do so. A clearing corporation associated with the exchange on which futures are traded guarantees that, if still open, the sale or purchase will be performed on the settlement date.

Hedging Strategies Using Futures Contracts. Hedging, by use of futures contracts, seeks to establish with more certainty than would otherwise be possible the effective price, rate of return or currency exchange rate on portfolio securities or securities that a Fund owns or proposes to acquire. A Fund may, for example, take a “short” position in the futures market by selling futures contracts to seek to hedge against an anticipated rise in interest rates or a decline in market prices or (other than the Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity, Equity Index and Government Income Funds) foreign currency rates that would adversely affect the dollar value of such Fund’s portfolio securities. Similarly, each Fund (other than the Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity, Equity Index and Government Income Funds) may sell futures contracts on a currency in which its portfolio securities are quoted or denominated, or sell futures contracts on one currency to seek to hedge against fluctuations in the value of securities quoted or denominated in a different currency if there is an established historical pattern of correlation between the two currencies. If, in the opinion of the applicable Investment Adviser or Sub-Adviser, there is a sufficient degree of correlation between price trends for a Fund’s portfolio securities and futures contracts based on other financial instruments, securities indices or other indices, a Fund may also enter into such futures contracts as part of its hedging strategy. Although under some circumstances prices of securities in a Fund’s portfolio may be more or less volatile than prices of such futures contracts, the Investment

 

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Advisers or Sub-Adviser will attempt to estimate the extent of this volatility difference based on historical patterns and compensate for any such differential by having a Fund enter into a greater or lesser number of futures contracts or by attempting to achieve only a partial hedge against price changes affecting a Fund’s portfolio securities. When hedging of this character is successful, any depreciation in the value of portfolio securities will be substantially offset by appreciation in the value of the futures position. On the other hand, any unanticipated appreciation in the value of a Fund’s portfolio securities would be substantially offset by a decline in the value of the futures position.

On other occasions, a Fund may take a “long” position by purchasing such futures contracts. This may be done, for example, when a Fund anticipates the subsequent purchase of particular securities when it has the necessary cash, but expects the prices or currency exchange rates then available in the applicable market to be less favorable than prices or rates that are currently available.

Options on Futures Contracts. The acquisition of put and call options on futures contracts will give a Fund the right (but not the obligation), for a specified price, to sell or to purchase, respectively, the underlying futures contract at any time during the option period. As the purchaser of an option on a futures contract, a Fund obtains the benefit of the futures position if prices move in a favorable direction but limits its risk of loss in the event of an unfavorable price movement to the loss of the premium and transaction costs.

The writing of a call option on a futures contract generates a premium which may partially offset a decline in the value of a Fund’s assets. By writing a call option, a Fund becomes obligated, in exchange for the premium, to sell a futures contract if the option is exercised, which may have a value higher than the exercise price. The writing of a put option on a futures contract generates a premium, which may partially offset an increase in the price of securities that a Fund intends to purchase. However, a Fund becomes obligated (upon the exercise of the option) to purchase a futures contract if the option is exercised, which may have a value lower than the exercise price. Thus, the loss incurred by a Fund in writing options on futures is potentially unlimited and may exceed the amount of the premium received. A Fund will incur transaction costs in connection with the writing of options on futures.

The holder or writer of an option on a futures contract may terminate its position by selling or purchasing an offsetting option on the same financial instrument. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can be effected. A Fund’s ability to establish and close out positions on such options will be subject to the development and maintenance of a liquid market.

Other Considerations. A Fund will engage in transactions in futures contracts and related options transactions only to the extent such transactions are consistent with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) for maintaining its qualification as a regulated investment company for federal income tax purposes. Transactions in futures contracts and options on futures involve brokerage costs, require margin deposits and, in certain cases, require the Fund to segregate cash or liquid assets. A Fund may cover its transactions in futures contracts and related options through the segregation of cash or liquid assets or by other means, in any manner permitted by applicable law.

While transactions in futures contracts and options on futures may reduce certain risks, such transactions themselves entail certain other risks. Thus, unanticipated changes in interest rates, securities prices or currency exchange rates may result in a poorer overall performance for a Fund than if it had not entered into any futures contracts or options transactions. When futures contracts and options are used for hedging purposes, perfect correlation between a Fund’s futures positions and portfolio positions may be impossible to achieve, particularly where futures contracts based on individual equity or corporate fixed income securities are currently not available. In the event of an imperfect correlation between a futures position and a portfolio position which is intended to be protected, the desired protection may not be obtained and a Fund may be exposed to risk of loss.

In addition, it is not possible for a Fund to hedge fully or perfectly against currency fluctuations affecting the value of securities quoted or denominated in foreign currencies because the value of such securities is likely to fluctuate as a result of independent factors unrelated to currency fluctuations. The profitability of a Fund’s trading in futures depends upon the ability of the Investment Adviser or Sub-Adviser to analyze correctly the futures markets.

 

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Options on Securities and Securities Indices

Writing Covered Options. Each Fund (other than the Money Market Fund) may write (sell) covered call and put options on any securities in which it may invest or on any securities index composed of securities in which it may invest. A Fund may purchase and write such options on securities that are listed on national domestic securities exchanges or foreign securities exchanges or traded in the over-the-counter market. A call option written by a Fund obligates that Fund to sell specified securities to the holder of the option at a specified price if the option is exercised on or before the expiration date. Depending upon the type of call option, the purchaser of a call option either (i) has the right to any appreciation in the value of the security over a fixed price (the “exercise price”) on a certain date in the future (the “expiration date”) or (ii) has the right to any appreciation in the value of the security over the exercise price at any time prior to the expiration of the option. If the purchaser does not exercise the option, a Fund pays the purchaser the difference between the price of the security and the exercise price of the option. The premium, the exercise price and the market value of the security determine the gain or loss realized by a Fund as the seller of the call option. A Fund can also repurchase the call option prior to the expiration date, ending its obligation. In this case, the cost of entering into closing purchase transactions will determine the gain or loss realized by the Fund. All call options written by a Fund are covered, which means that such Fund will own the securities subject to the option as long as the option is outstanding or such Fund will use the other methods described below. A Fund’s purpose in writing covered call options is to realize greater income than would be realized on portfolio securities transactions alone. However, a Fund may forego the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market price of the underlying security.

A put option written by a Fund would obligate such Fund to purchase specified securities from the option holder at a specified price if, depending upon the type of put option, either (i) the option is exercised at any time on or before the expiration date or (ii) the option is exercised on the expiration date. All put options written by a Fund would be covered, which means that such Fund will segregate cash or liquid assets with a value at least equal to the exercise price of the put option (less any margin on deposit) or will use the other methods described below. The purpose of writing such options is to generate additional income for the Fund. However, in return for the option premium, each Fund accepts the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying securities at a price in excess of the securities’ market value at the time of purchase.

In the case of a call option, the option is “covered” if a Fund owns the instrument underlying the call or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that instrument without additional cash consideration (or, if additional cash consideration is required, liquid assets in such amount are segregated) upon conversion or exchange of other instruments held by it. A call option is also covered if a Fund holds a call on the same instrument as the option written where the exercise price of the option held is (i) equal to or less than the exercise price of the option written, or (ii) greater than the exercise price of the option written provided the Fund segregates liquid assets in the amount of the difference. A Fund may also cover options on securities by segregating cash or liquid assets, as permitted by applicable law, with a value, when added to any margin on deposit, that is equal to the market value of the securities in the case of a call option. A put option is also covered if a Fund holds a put on the same instrument as the option written where the exercise price of the option held is (i) equal to or higher than the exercise price of the option written, or (ii) less than the exercise price of the option written provided the Fund segregates liquid assets in the amount of the difference. In the case of the Core Fixed Income Fund, segregated cash or liquid assets may be quoted or denominated in any currency.

A Fund may also write (sell) covered call and put options on any securities index comprised of securities in which it may invest. Options on securities indices are similar to options on securities, except that the exercise of securities index options requires cash payments and does not involve the actual purchase or sale of securities. In addition, securities index options are designed to reflect price fluctuations in a group of securities or segment of the securities market rather than price fluctuations in a single security.

 

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A Fund may cover call options on a securities index by owning securities whose price changes are expected to be similar to those of the underlying index, or by having an absolute and immediate right to acquire such securities without additional cash consideration (or for additional consideration which has been segregated by the Fund) upon conversion or exchange of other securities in its portfolio. A Fund may also cover call and put options on a securities index by segregating cash or liquid assets, as permitted by applicable law, with a value, when added to any margin on deposit, that is equal to the market value of the underlying securities in the case of a call option or the exercise price in the case of a put option or by owning offsetting options as described above.

A Fund may terminate its obligations under an exchange-traded call or put option by purchasing an option identical to the one it has written. Obligations under over-the-counter options may be terminated only by entering into an offsetting transaction with the counterparty to such option. Such purchases are referred to as “closing purchase transactions.”

Purchasing Options. Each Fund (other than the Money Market Fund) may purchase put and call options on any securities in which it may invest or options on any securities index comprised of securities in which it may invest. A Fund may also, to the extent that it invests in foreign securities, purchase put and call options on foreign currencies. A Fund may also enter into closing sale transactions in order to realize gains or minimize losses on options it had purchased.

A Fund may purchase call options in anticipation of an increase in the market value of securities of the type in which it may invest. The purchase of a call option would entitle a Fund, in return for the premium paid, to purchase specified securities at a specified price during the option period. A Fund would ordinarily realize a gain on the purchase of a call option if, during the option period, the value of such securities exceeded the sum of the exercise price, the premium paid and transaction costs; otherwise such a Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the call option.

A Fund may purchase put options in anticipation of a decline in the market value of securities in its portfolio (“protective puts”) or in securities in which it may invest. The purchase of a put option would entitle a Fund, in exchange for the premium paid, to sell specified securities at a specified price during the option period. The purchase of protective puts is designed to offset or hedge against a decline in the market value of a Fund’s securities. Put options may also be purchased by a Fund for the purpose of affirmatively benefiting from a decline in the price of securities which it does not own. A Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of the underlying securities decreased below the exercise price sufficiently to more than cover the premium and transaction costs; otherwise such a Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the put option. Gains and losses on the purchase of protective put options would tend to be offset by countervailing changes in the value of the underlying portfolio securities.

A Fund would purchase put and call options on securities indices for the same purposes as it would purchase options on individual securities. For a description of options on securities indices, see “Writing Covered Options” above.

Yield Curve Options. The Fixed Income Funds may enter into options on the yield “spread” or differential between two securities. Such transactions are referred to as “yield curve” options. In contrast to other types of options, a yield curve option is based on the difference between the yields of designated securities, rather than the prices of the individual securities, and is settled through cash payments. Accordingly, a yield curve option is profitable to the holder if this differential widens (in the case of a call) or narrows (in the case of a put), regardless of whether the yields of the underlying securities increase or decrease.

A Fixed Income Fund may purchase or write yield curve options for the same purposes as other options on securities. For example, a Fixed Income Fund may purchase a call option on the yield spread between two securities if the Fund owns one of the securities and anticipates purchasing the other security and wants to hedge against an adverse change in the yield spread between the two securities. A Fixed Income Fund may also purchase or write yield curve options in an effort to increase current income if, in the judgment of the Investment Adviser, the Fund will be able to profit from movements in the spread between the yields of the underlying securities. The trading of yield curve options is subject to all of the risks associated with the trading of other types of options. In addition, however, such options present a risk of loss even if the yield of one of the underlying securities remains constant, or if the spread moves in a direction or to an extent which was not anticipated.

 

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Yield curve options written by a Fixed Income Fund will be “covered.” A call (or put) option is covered if the Fund holds another call (or put) option on the spread between the same two securities and segregates cash or liquid assets sufficient to cover the Fund’s net liability under the two options. Therefore, a Fixed Income Fund’s liability for such a covered option is generally limited to the difference between the amount of the Fund’s liability under the option written by the Fund less the value of the option held by the Fund. Yield curve options may also be covered in such other manner as may be in accordance with the requirements of the counterparty with which the option is traded and applicable laws and regulations. Yield curve options are traded over-the-counter, and established trading markets for these options may not exist.

Risks Associated with Options Transactions. There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an options exchange will exist for any particular exchange—traded option or at any particular time. If a Fund is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction with respect to covered options it has written, the Fund will not be able to sell the underlying securities or dispose of segregated assets until the options expire or are exercised. Similarly, if a Fund is unable to effect a closing sale transaction with respect to options it has purchased, it will have to exercise the options in order to realize any profit and will incur transaction costs upon the purchase or sale of underlying securities.

Reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening or closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or the Options Clearing Corporation may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or (vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options on that exchange that had been issued by the Options Clearing Corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.

There can be no assurance that higher trading activity, order flow or other unforeseen events might, at times, render certain of the facilities of the Options Clearing Corporation or various exchanges inadequate. Such events have, in the past, resulted in the institution by an exchange of special procedures, such as trading rotations, restrictions on certain types of order or trading halts or suspensions with respect to one or more options. These special procedures may limit liquidity.

Each Fund (other than the Money Market Fund) may purchase and sell both options that are traded on U.S. and foreign exchanges and options traded over-the-counter with broker-dealers who make markets in these options. The ability to terminate over-the-counter options is more limited than with exchange-traded options and may involve the risk that broker-dealers participating in such transactions will not fulfill their obligations.

Transactions by each Fund in options on securities and indices will be subject to limitations established by each of the exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities on which such options are traded governing the maximum number of options in each class which may be written or purchased by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert, regardless of whether the options are written or purchased on the same or different exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facility or are held in one or more accounts or through one or more brokers. Thus, the number of options which a Fund may write or purchase may be affected by options written or purchased by other investment advisory clients of the Investment Advisers. An exchange, board of trade or other trading facility may order the liquidation of positions found to be in excess of these limits, and it may impose certain other sanctions.

 

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The writing and purchase of options is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of options to seek to increase total return involves the risk of loss if the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of fluctuations in securities prices or interest rates. The successful use of options for hedging purposes also depends in part on the ability of the Investment Adviser to manage future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities (or currency) markets. If the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of changes in securities prices or determination of the correlation between the securities or securities indices on which options are written and purchased and the securities in a Fund’s investment portfolio, the Fund may incur losses that it would not otherwise incur. The writing of options could increase a Fund’s portfolio turnover rate and, therefore, associated brokerage commissions or spreads.

Preferred Stock, Warrants and Stock Purchase Rights

Each Equity Fund and Core Fixed Income Fund may invest in preferred stock and in warrants and rights (in addition to those acquired in units or attached to other securities). Preferred stocks are securities that represent an ownership interest providing the holder with claims on the issuer’s earnings and assets before common stock owners but after bond owners. Unlike debt securities, the obligations of an issuer of preferred stock, including dividend and other payment obligations, may not typically be accelerated by the holders of such preferred stock on the occurrence of an event of default (such as a covenant default or filing of a bankruptcy petition) or other non-compliance by the issuer with the terms of the preferred stock. Often, however, on the occurrence of any such event of default or non-compliance by the issuer, preferred stockholders will be entitled to gain representation on the issuer’s board of directors or increase their existing board representation. In addition, preferred stockholders may be granted voting rights with respect to certain issues on the occurrence of any event of default.

Warrants and other rights are options that entitle the holder to buy equity securities at a specific price for a specific period of time. A Fund will invest in warrants and rights only if such equity securities are deemed appropriate by the Investment Adviser for investment by the Fund. The Structured Equity Funds have no present intention of acquiring warrants or rights. Warrants and rights have no voting rights, receive no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer.

Foreign Securities

Each Equity Fund and the Core Fixed Income Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers. The Strategic Growth, Growth Opportunities and Equity Index Funds may invest in the aggregate up to 25%, 25% and 15%, respectively, of their total assets (not including securities lending collateral and any investment of that collateral) in foreign securities. The Mid Cap Value and Large Cap Value Funds may invest in the aggregate up to 25% of their net assets plus any borrowings in securities of foreign issuers. The Strategic International Equity Fund will invest primarily in foreign securities under normal circumstances. The Strategic International Equity Fund is intended for long-term investors who can accept the risks associated with investing primarily in equity and equity-related securities of foreign issuers, including emerging country issuers, as well as the risks associated with investments quoted or denominated in foreign currencies. With respect to the Structured U.S. Equity and Structured Small Cap Equity Funds, equity securities of foreign issuers must be traded in the United States. The Core Fixed Income Fund may also invest in securities of foreign issuers and in fixed income securities quoted or denominated in a currency other than U.S. dollars.

Investments in foreign securities may offer potential benefits not available from investments solely in U.S. dollar-denominated or quoted securities of domestic issuers. Such benefits may include the opportunity to invest in foreign issuers that appear, in the opinion of the applicable Investment Adviser, to offer the potential for better long-term growth of capital and income than investments in U.S. securities, the opportunity to invest in foreign countries with economic policies or business cycles different from those of the United States and the opportunity to reduce fluctuations in portfolio value by taking advantage of foreign securities markets that do not necessarily move in a manner parallel to U.S. markets. Investing in the securities of foreign issuers also involves, however, certain special risks, including those discussed in the Funds’ Prospectuses and those set forth below, which are not typically associated with investing in U.S. dollar-denominated securities or quoted securities of U.S. issuers. Many of these risks are more pronounced for investments in emerging countries.

 

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With respect to investments in certain foreign countries, there exist certain economic, political and social risks, including the risk of adverse political developments, nationalization, military unrest, social instability, war and terrorism, confiscation without fair compensation, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, limitations on the movement of funds and other assets between different countries, or diplomatic developments, any of which could adversely affect a Fund’s investments in those countries. Governments in certain foreign countries continue to participate to a significant degree, through ownership interest or regulation, in their respective economies. Action by these governments could have a significant effect on market prices of securities and dividend payments.

Many countries throughout the world are dependent on a healthy U.S. economy and are adversely affected when the U.S. economy weakens or its markets decline. Additionally, many foreign country economies are heavily dependent on international trade and are adversely affected by protective trade barriers and economic conditions of their trading partners. Protectionist trade legislation enacted by those trading partners could have a significant adverse affect on the securities markets of those countries. Individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payments position.

Investments in foreign securities often involve currencies of foreign countries. Accordingly, a Fund may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency rates and in exchange control regulations and may incur costs in connection with conversions between various currencies. Certain Funds may be subject to currency exposure independent of their securities positions. To the extent that a Fund is fully invested in foreign securities while also maintaining net currency positions, it may be exposed to greater combined risk.

Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. They generally are determined by the forces of supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or anticipated changes in interest rates and other complex factors, as seen from an international perspective. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks or the failure to intervene or by currency controls or political developments in the United States or abroad.

Because foreign issuers generally are not subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies, there may be less publicly available information about a foreign company than about a U.S. company. Volume and liquidity in most foreign securities markets are less than in the United States markets and securities of many foreign companies are less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. companies. The securities of foreign issuers may be listed on foreign securities exchanges or traded in foreign over-the-counter markets. Fixed commissions on foreign securities exchanges are generally higher than negotiated commissions on U.S. exchanges, although each Fund endeavors to achieve the most favorable net results on its portfolio transactions. There is generally less government supervision and regulation of foreign securities exchanges, brokers, dealers and listed and unlisted companies than in the United States, and the legal remedies for investors may be more limited than the remedies available in the United States.

Foreign markets also have different clearance and settlement procedures, and in certain markets there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such transactions. Such delays in settlement could result in temporary periods when some of a Fund’s assets are uninvested and no return is earned on such assets. The inability of a Fund to make intended security purchases due to settlement problems could cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities. Inability to dispose of portfolio securities due to settlement problems could result either in losses to the Fund due to subsequent declines in value of the portfolio securities, or, if the Fund has entered into a contract to sell the securities, in possible liability to the purchaser.

 

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Each Equity Fund may invest in foreign securities which take the form of sponsored and unsponsored ADRs and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) and (except for the Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity and Equity Index Funds) may also invest in European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) or other similar instruments representing securities of foreign issuers (together, “Depositary Receipts”). ADRs represent the right to receive securities of foreign issuers deposited in a domestic bank or a correspondent bank. ADRs are traded on domestic exchanges or in the U.S. over-the-counter market and, generally, are in registered form. EDRs and GDRs are receipts evidencing an arrangement with a non-U.S. bank similar to that for ADRs and are designed for use in the non-U.S. securities markets. EDRs and GDRs are not necessarily quoted in the same currency as the underlying security.

To the extent an Equity Fund acquires Depositary Receipts through banks which do not have a contractual relationship with the foreign issuer of the security underlying the Depositary Receipts to issue and service such unsponsored Depositary Receipts, there may be an increased possibility that the Fund would not become aware of and be able to respond to corporate actions such as stock splits or rights offerings involving the foreign issuer in a timely manner. In addition, the lack of information may result in inefficiencies in the valuation of such instruments. Investment in Depositary Receipts does not eliminate all the risks inherent in investing in securities of non-U.S. issuers. The market value of Depositary Receipts is dependent upon the market value of the underlying securities and fluctuations in the relative value of the currencies in which the Depositary Receipts and the underlying securities are quoted. However, by investing in Depositary Receipts, such as ADRs, that are quoted in U.S. dollars, a Fund may avoid currency risks during the settlement period for purchases and sales.

As described more fully below, each Equity Fund (except the Equity Index Fund) and the Core Fixed Income Fund may invest in countries with emerging economies or securities markets. Political and economic structures in many of such countries may be undergoing significant evolution and rapid development, and such countries may lack the social, political and economic stability characteristic of more developed countries. Certain of such countries have in the past failed to recognize private property rights and have at times nationalized or expropriated the assets of private companies. As a result, the risks described above, including the risks of nationalization or expropriation of assets, may be heightened. See “Investing in Emerging Countries” below.

Investing in Europe. The Funds (except the Government Income and the Money Market Funds) may operate in euros and/ or may hold euros and/or euro-denominated bonds and other obligations. The euro requires participation of multiple sovereign states forming the Euro zone and is therefore sensitive to the credit, general economic and political position of each such state, including each state’s actual and intended ongoing engagement with and/or support for the other sovereign states then forming the European Union, in particular those within the Euro zone. Changes in these factors might materially adversely impact the value of securities a Fund has invested in.

European countries can be significantly affected by the tight fiscal and monetary controls that the European Economic and Monetary Union (“EMU”) imposes for membership. Europe’s economies are diverse, its governments are decentralized, and its cultures vary widely. Several EU countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Portugal, have faced 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 EMU member countries. Member countries are required to maintain tight control over inflation, public debt, and budget deficit to qualify for membership in the EMU. These requirements can severely limit the ability of EMU member countries to implement monetary policy to address regional economic conditions.

Money Market Fund. The Money Market Fund may invest in certificates of deposit, commercial paper, unsecured bank promissory notes, bankers’ acceptances, fixed time deposits and other debt obligations issued or guaranteed by major foreign banks which have more than $1 billion in total assets at the time of purchase, U.S. branches of such foreign banks (Yankee obligations), foreign branches of such foreign banks and foreign branches of U.S. banks. Under current SEC rules relating to the use of the amortized cost method of portfolio securities valuation, the Money Market Fund is restricted to purchasing U.S. dollar-denominated securities, but is not otherwise precluded from purchasing eligible securities of foreign issuers. The Money Market Fund may invest in U.S. dollar-denominated obligations (limited to commercial paper and other notes) issued or guaranteed by a foreign government, its agencies, instrumentalities or

 

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sponsored enterprises. The Money Market Fund may also invest in U.S. dollar-denominated obligations issued or guaranteed by any entity located or organized in a foreign country that maintains a short-term foreign currency rating in the highest short-term ratings category by the requisite number of nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”). The Money Market Fund may not invest more than 25% of its total assets in the securities of any one foreign government. While the Money Market Fund may invest only in U.S. dollar-denominated obligations, the prices of certain of the Money Market Fund’s holdings may nevertheless be sensitive to changes in value of the euro and the underlying events that affect its value.

Investing in Emerging Countries. The securities markets of emerging countries are less liquid and subject to greater price volatility and have a smaller market capitalization, than the U.S. securities markets. In certain countries, there may be fewer publicly traded securities and the market may be dominated by a few issues or sectors. Issuers and securities markets in such countries are not subject to as extensive and frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements or as comprehensive government regulations as are issuers and securities markets in the U.S. In particular, the assets and profits appearing on the financial statements of emerging country issuers may not reflect their financial position or results of operations in the same manner as financial statements for U.S. issuers. Substantially less information may be publicly available about emerging country issuers than is available about issuers in the United States.

Emerging country securities markets are typically marked by a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of ownership of such securities by a limited number of investors. The markets for securities in certain emerging countries are in the earliest stages of their development. Even the markets for relatively widely traded securities in emerging countries may not be able to absorb, without price disruptions, a significant increase in trading volume or trades of a size customarily undertaken by institutional investors in the securities markets of developed countries. The limited size of many of these securities markets can cause prices to be erratic for reasons apart from factors that affect the soundness and competitiveness of the securities issuers. For example, prices may be unduly influenced by traders who control large positions in these markets. Additionally, market making and arbitrage activities are generally less extensive in such markets, which may contribute to increased volatility and reduced liquidity of such markets. The limited liquidity of emerging country securities may also affect a Fund’s ability to accurately value its portfolio securities or to acquire or dispose of securities at the price and time it wishes to do so or in order to meet redemption requests.

With respect to investments in certain emerging market countries, antiquated legal systems may have an adverse impact on the Funds. For example, while the potential liability of a shareholder in a U.S. corporation with respect to acts of the corporation is generally limited to the amount of the shareholder’s investment, the notion of limited liability is less clear in certain emerging market countries. Similarly, the rights of investors in emerging market companies may be more limited than those of shareholders of U.S. corporations.

Transaction costs, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups, in emerging countries may be higher than in the United States and other developed securities markets. In addition, existing laws and regulations are often inconsistently applied. As legal systems in emerging countries develop, foreign investors may be adversely affected by new or amended laws and regulations. In circumstances where adequate laws exist, it may not be possible to obtain swift and equitable enforcement of the law.

Foreign investment in the securities markets of certain emerging countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions may limit a Fund’s investment in certain emerging countries and may increase the expenses of the Fund. Certain emerging countries require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons or limit investment by foreign persons to only a specified percentage of an issuer’s outstanding securities or a specific class of securities which may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of the company available for purchase by nationals. In addition, the repatriation of both investment income and capital from emerging countries may be subject to restrictions which require governmental consents or prohibit repatriation entirely for a period of time. Even where there is no outright restriction on repatriation of capital, the mechanics of repatriation may affect certain aspects of the operation of a Fund. A Fund may be required to establish special custodial or other arrangements before investing in certain emerging countries.

 

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Emerging countries may be subject to a substantially greater degree of economic, political and social instability and disruption than is the case in the United States, Japan and most Western European countries. This instability may result from, among other things, the following: (i) authoritarian governments or military involvement in political and economic decision making, including changes or attempted changes in governments through extra-constitutional means; (ii) popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic or social conditions; (iii) internal insurgencies; (iv) hostile relations with neighboring countries; (v) ethnic, religious and racial disaffection or conflict; and (vi) the absence of developed legal structures governing foreign private investments and private property. Such economic, political and social instability could disrupt the principal financial markets in which the Funds may invest and adversely affect the value of the Funds’ assets. A Fund’s investments can also be adversely affected by any increase in taxes or by political, economic or diplomatic developments.

The economies of emerging countries may differ unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources, self-sufficiency and balance of payments. Many emerging countries have experienced in the past, and continue to experience, high rates of inflation. In certain countries inflation has at times accelerated rapidly to hyperinflationary levels, creating a negative interest rate environment and sharply eroding the value of outstanding financial assets in those countries. Other emerging countries, on the other hand, have recently experienced deflationary pressures and are in economic recessions. The economies of many emerging countries are heavily dependent upon international trade and are accordingly affected by protective trade barriers and the economic conditions of their trading partners. In addition, the economies of some emerging countries are vulnerable to weakness in world prices for their commodity exports.

A Fund’s income and, in some cases, capital gains from foreign stocks and securities will be subject to applicable taxation in certain of the countries in which it invests, and treaties between the U.S. and such countries may not be available in some cases to reduce the otherwise applicable tax rates. See “TAXATION.”

From time to time, certain of the companies in which a Fund may invest may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargos imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. A company may suffer damage to its reputation if it is identified as a company which operates in, or has dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. As an investor in such companies, the Fund will be indirectly subject to those risks. Iran is subject to several United Nations sanctions and is an embargoed country by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of Treasury.

Investing in Eastern Europe. In addition to the risks listed above under “Foreign Securities,” “Investing in Emerging Countries” and “Investing in Europe,” investing in Eastern Europe presents additional risks.

Certain of the Funds may seek investment opportunities within Eastern Europe. Most Eastern European countries had a centrally planned, socialist economy for a substantial period of time. The governments of many Eastern European countries have more recently been implementing reforms directed at political and economic liberalization, including efforts to decentralize the economic decision-making process and move towards a market economy. However, business entities in many Eastern European countries do not have an extended history of operating in a market-oriented economy, and the ultimate impact of Eastern European countries’ attempts to move toward more market-oriented economies is currently unclear. In addition, any change in the leadership or policies of Eastern European countries may halt the expansion of or reverse the liberalization of foreign investment policies now occurring and adversely affect existing investment opportunities.

 

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Where a Fund invests in securities issued by companies incorporated in or whose principal operations are located in Eastern Europe, other risks may also be encountered. Legal, political, economic and fiscal uncertainties in Eastern European markets may affect the value of the Funds investment in such securities. The currencies in which these investments may be denominated may be unstable, may be subject to significant depreciation and may not be freely convertible. Existing laws and regulations may not be consistently applied. The markets of the countries of Eastern Europe are still in the early stages of their development, have less volume, are less highly regulated, are less liquid and experience greater volatility than more established markets. Settlement of transactions may be subject to delay and administrative uncertainties. Custodians are not able to offer the level of service and safekeeping, settlement and administration services that is customary in more developed markets, and there is a risk that the Fund will not be recognized as the owner of securities held on its behalf by a sub-custodian.

Investing in Asia. In addition to the risks listed above under “Foreign Securities” and “Investing in Emerging Countries,” investing in Asia presents additional risks.

Although many countries in Asia have experienced a relatively stable political environment over the last decade, there is no guarantee that such stability will be maintained in the future. As an emerging region, many factors may affect such stability on a country-by-country as well as on a regional basis – increasing gaps between the rich and poor, agrarian unrest and stability of existing coalitions in politically-fractionated countries – and may result in adverse consequences to a Fund.

The legal infrastructure in each of the countries in Asia is unique and often undeveloped. In most cases, securities laws are evolving and far from adequate for the protection of the public from serious fraud. Investment in Asian securities involves considerations and possible risks not typically involved with investment in other issuers, including changes in governmental administration or economic or monetary policy or changed circumstances in dealings between nations. The application of tax laws (e.g., the imposition of withholding taxes on dividend or interest payments) or confiscatory taxation may also affect investment in Asian securities. Higher expenses may result from investments in Asian securities than would from investments in other securities because of the costs that must be incurred in connection with conversions between various currencies and brokerage commissions that may be higher than more established markets. Asian securities markets also may be less liquid, more volatile and less subject to governmental supervision than elsewhere. Investments in countries in the region could be affected by other factors not present elsewhere, including lack of uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, inadequate settlement procedures and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations.

Certain countries in Asia are especially prone to natural disasters, such as flooding, drought and earthquakes. Combined with the possibility of man-made disasters, the occurrence of such disasters may adversely affect companies in which a Fund is invested and, as a result, may result in adverse consequences to the Fund.

Many of the countries in Asia have experienced rising inflation. Should the governments and central banks of the countries in Asia fail to control inflation, this may have an adverse effect on the performance of a Fund’s investments in Asian securities.

Several of the countries in Asia remain dependent on the U.S. economy as their largest export customer, and future barriers to entry into the U.S. market could adversely affect a Fund’s performance. Intraregional trade is becoming an increasingly significant percentage of total trade for the countries in Asia. Consequently, the intertwined economies are becoming increasingly dependent on each other, and any barriers to entry to markets in Asia in the future may adversely affect a Fund’s performance.

Investing in Greater China. In addition to the risks listed above under “Foreign Securities,” “Investing in Emerging Countries” and “Investing in Asia,” investing in China presents additional risks.

Investing in Greater China involves risks and special considerations not typically associated with investing in other more established economies or securities markets. Such risks may include: (a) greater social, economic and political uncertainty (including the risk of war); (b) nationalization or expropriation of assets or confiscatory taxation; (c)

 

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dependency on exports and the corresponding importance of international trade; (d) increasing competition from Asia’s other low-cost emerging economies; (e) greater price volatility and significantly smaller market capitalization of securities markets; (f) substantially less liquidity, particularly of certain share classes of Chinese securities; (g) currency exchange rate fluctuations and the lack of available currency hedging instruments; (h) higher rates of inflation; (i) controls on foreign investment and limitations on repatriation of invested capital and on the Fund’s ability to exchange local currencies for U.S. dollars; (j) greater governmental involvement in and control over the economy; (k) uncertainty regarding the People’s Republic of China’s commitment to economic reforms; (l) the fact that Chinese companies, particularly those located in the China region, may be smaller, less seasoned and newly-organized companies; (m) the difference in, or lack of, auditing and financial reporting standards which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; (n) the fact that statistical information regarding the economy of Greater China may be inaccurate or not comparable to statistical information regarding the U.S. or other economies; (o) the less extensive, and still developing, regulation of the securities markets, business entities and commercial transactions; (p) the fact that the settlement period of securities transactions in foreign markets may be longer; (q) the fact that it may be more difficult, or impossible, to obtain and/or enforce a judgment than in other countries; (r) the rapid and erratic nature of growth, particularly in the People’s Republic of China, resulting in inefficiencies and dislocations; and (s) economic sensitivity to environmental events, including natural disasters such as earthquakes, droughts, floods and tsunamis.

Although the government of the People’s Republic of China has more recently been implementing reforms directed at political and economic liberalization, including efforts to decentralize the economic decision-making process and move towards a market economy, governmental involvement in the economy remains significant. Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies that may be connected to governmental influence, a lack of publicly available information and/or political and social instability. Also, because Greater China had a centrally planned, socialist economy for a substantial period of time, business entities in Greater China do not have an extended history of operating in a market-oriented economy, and the ultimate impact of the People’s Republic of China’s attempts to move toward a more market-oriented economy is currently unclear. Any change in leadership or policies may halt the expansion of or reverse the liberalization of foreign investment policies now occurring and adversely affect existing investment opportunities.

Following the establishment of the People’s Republic of China by the Communist Party in 1949, the Chinese government renounced various debt obligations incurred by the People’s Republic of China’s predecessor governments, which obligations remain in default, and expropriated assets without compensation. There can be no assurance that the government will not take similar action in the future.

Greater China’s economy, particularly its export-oriented industries, may be adversely impacted by trade or political disputes with major trading partners, including the U.S. In particular, the growing trade surplus with the U.S. has increased the risk of trade disputes, which could potentially have adverse effects on the country’s management of its currency, as well as on some export dependent sectors. Greater China’s aging infrastructure, growing income inequality and worsening environmental conditions also are factors that may affect the Chinese economy. Social cohesion in Greater China is being tested by growing income inequality and larger scale environmental degradation. Social instability could threaten Greater China’s political systems and economic growth, which could decrease the value of a Fund’s investments.

Additionally, internal social unrest or conflicts with other countries, including military conflicts in response to such events, could disrupt economic development in Greater China. A state of hostility continues to exist between the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan, and territorial border disputes persist with certain neighboring countries. Chinese economic development is also vulnerable to developments on the Korean peninsula, including political tension or military actions.

Investing in Japan. In addition to the risks listed above under “Foreign Securities” and “Investing in Asia,” investing in Japan presents additional risks.

 

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Japan’s economy is heavily dependent upon international trade and is especially sensitive to any adverse effects arising from trade tariffs and other protectionist measures, as well as the economic condition of its trading partners. Japan’s high volume of exports has caused trade tensions with Japan’s primary trading partners, particularly with the United States. The relaxing of official and de facto barriers to imports, or hardships created by the actions of trading partners, could adversely affect Japan’s economy. Because the Japanese economy is so dependent on exports, any fall-off in exports may be seen as a sign of economic weakness, which may adversely affect Japanese markets. In addition, Japan’s export industry, its most important economic sector, depends heavily on imported raw materials and fuels, including iron ore, copper, oil and many forest products. As a result, Japan is sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices, and a substantial rise in world oil or commodity prices could have a negative effect on its economy.

The Japanese yen has fluctuated widely during recent periods and may be affected by currency volatility elsewhere in Asia, especially Southeast Asia. A weak yen is disadvantageous to U.S. shareholders investing in yen-denominated securities. A strong yen, however, could be an impediment to strong continued exports and economic recovery, because it makes Japanese goods sold in other countries more expensive and reduces the value of foreign earnings repatriated to Japan.

Performance of the global economy could have a major impact upon equity returns in Japan. As a result of the strong correlation with the economy of the U.S., Japan’s economy and its stock market are vulnerable to any unfavorable economic conditions in the U.S. and poor performance of U.S. stock markets. The growing economic relationship between Japan and its other neighboring countries in the Southeast Asia region, especially China, also exposes Japan’s economy to changes to the economic climates in those countries.

Like many European countries, Japan is experiencing a deterioration of its competitiveness. Japan is reforming its political process and deregulating its economy to address this situation. However, there is no guarantee that these efforts will succeed in making the performance of the Japanese economy more competitive.

Sovereign Debt Obligations. The Strategic International Equity and Core Fixed Income Funds may invest in sovereign debt obligations. The Money Market Fund may invest in U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of foreign governments. Sovereign debt obligations include securities, instruments and obligations issued or guaranteed by a foreign government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. Investments in sovereign debt obligations involve special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. The issuer of the sovereign debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and the Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a default. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt, and the Fund’s NAV, may be more volatile than prices of debt obligations of U.S. issuers. In the past, the governments of certain emerging countries have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest and declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debts.

A sovereign debtor’s willingness or ability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign currency reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange, the relative size of the debt service burden, the sovereign debtor’s policy toward principal international lenders and local political constraints. Sovereign debtors may also be dependent on expected disbursements from foreign governments, multinational agencies and other entities to reduce principal and interest arrearages on their debt. The failure of a sovereign debtor to implement economic reforms, achieve specified levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of the third parties’ commitments to lend funds to the sovereign debtor, which may further impair such debtor’s ability or willingness to timely service its debts.

Brady Bonds. Certain foreign debt obligations, customarily referred to as “Brady Bonds,” are created through the exchange of existing commercial bank loans to foreign entities for new obligations in connection with debt restructuring under a plan introduced by former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Nicholas F. Brady (the “Brady Plan”). Brady Bonds may be fully or partially collateralized or uncollateralized and issued in various currencies (although most are U.S. dollar

 

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denominated). In the event of a default on collateralized Brady Bonds for which obligations are accelerated, the collateral for the payment of principal will not be distributed to investors, nor will such obligations be sold and the proceeds distributed. The collateral will be held by the collateral agent to the scheduled maturity of the defaulted Brady Bonds, which will continue to be outstanding, at which time the face amount of the collateral will equal the principal payments which would have then been due on the Brady Bonds in the normal course. In light of the residual risk of the Brady Bonds and, among other factors, the history of default with respect to commercial bank loans by public and private entities of countries issuing Brady Bonds, investments in Brady Bonds may be speculative.

Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts. The Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity, Strategic Growth, Large Cap Value, Mid Cap Value, Growth Opportunities and Equity Index Funds may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts for hedging purposes and to seek to protect against anticipated changes in future foreign currency exchange rates. The Core Fixed Income Fund may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts for hedging purposes and to seek to increase total return. The Strategic International Equity Fund may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts for hedging purposes, to seek to protect against anticipated changes in future foreign currency exchange rates and to seek to increase total return. A forward foreign currency exchange contract involves 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. These contracts are traded in the interbank market between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. A forward contract generally has no deposit requirement, and no commissions are generally charged at any stage for trades.

At the maturity of a forward contract a Fund may either accept or make delivery of the currency specified in the contract or, at or prior to maturity, enter into a closing transaction involving the purchase or sale of an offsetting contract. Closing transactions with respect to forward contracts are often, but not always, effected with the currency trader who is a party to the original forward contract.

A Fund may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts in several circumstances. First, when a Fund enters into a contract for the purchase or sale of a security denominated or quoted in a foreign currency, or when a Fund anticipates the receipt in a foreign currency of dividend or interest payments on such a security which it holds, the Fund may desire to “lock in” the U.S. dollar price of the security or the U.S. dollar equivalent of such dividend or interest payment, as the case may be. By entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of dollars, of the amount of foreign currency involved in the underlying transactions, the Fund will attempt to protect itself against an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the subject foreign currency during the period between the date on which the security is purchased or sold, or on which the dividend or interest payment is declared, and the date on which such payments are made or received.

Additionally, when the Investment Adviser believes that the currency of a particular foreign country may suffer a substantial decline against the U.S. dollar, it may enter into a forward contract to sell, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars, the amount of foreign currency approximating the value of some or all of such Fund’s portfolio securities quoted or denominated in such foreign currency. The precise matching of the forward contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be possible because the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of those securities between the date on which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. Using forward contracts to protect the value of a Fund’s portfolio securities against a decline in the value of a currency does not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of the securities. It simply establishes a rate of exchange, which a Fund can achieve at some future point in time. The precise projection of short-term currency market movements is not possible, and short-term hedging provides a means of fixing the U.S. dollar value of only a portion of a Fund’s foreign assets.

Certain Funds may engage in cross-hedging by using forward contracts in one currency to hedge against fluctuations in the value of securities quoted or denominated in a different currency. In addition, certain Funds may enter into foreign currency transactions to seek a closer correlation between a Fund’s overall currency exposures and the currency exposures of a Fund’s performance benchmark.

 

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Unless otherwise covered in accordance with applicable regulations, cash or liquid assets of a Fund will be segregated in an amount equal to the value of the Fund’s total assets committed to the consummation of forward foreign currency exchange contracts. If the value of the segregated assets declines, additional cash or liquid assets will be segregated so that the value of the assets will equal the amount of a Fund’s commitments with respect to such contracts. The Core Fixed Income Fund will not enter into a forward contract with a term of greater than one year.

While a Fund may enter into forward contracts to reduce currency exchange rate risks, transactions in such contracts involve certain other risks. Thus, while the Fund may benefit from such transactions, unanticipated changes in currency prices may result in a poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not engaged in any such transactions. Moreover, there may be imperfect correlation between a Fund’s portfolio holdings of securities quoted or denominated in a particular currency and forward contracts entered into by such Fund. Such imperfect correlation may cause a Fund to sustain losses which will prevent the Fund from achieving a complete hedge or expose the Fund to risk of foreign exchange loss.

Markets for trading foreign forward currency contracts offer less protection against defaults than is available when trading in currency instruments on an exchange. Forward contracts are subject to the risk that the counterparty to such contract will default on its obligations. Because a forward foreign currency exchange contract is not guaranteed by an exchange or clearinghouse, a default on the contract would deprive a Fund of unrealized profits, transaction costs or the benefits of a currency hedge or force the Fund to cover its purchase or sale commitments, if any, at the current market price. In addition, the institutions that deal in forward currency contracts are not required to continue to make markets in the currencies they trade and these markets can experience periods of illiquidity. A Fund will not enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts, currency swaps or other privately negotiated currency instruments unless the credit quality of the unsecured senior debt or the claims-paying ability of the counterparty is considered to be investment grade by the Investment Adviser or Sub-Adviser. To the extent that a portion of a Fund’s total assets, adjusted to reflect the Fund’s net position after giving effect to currency transactions, is denominated or quoted in the currencies of foreign countries, the Fund will be more susceptible to the risk of adverse economic and political developments within those countries.

Writing and Purchasing Currency Call and Put Options. A Fund may, to the extent that it invests in foreign securities, write and purchase put and call options on foreign currencies for the purpose of protecting against declines in the U.S. dollar value of foreign portfolio securities and against increases in the U.S. dollar cost of foreign securities to be acquired. As with other kinds of option transactions, however, the writing of an option on foreign currency will constitute only a partial hedge, up to the amount of the premium received. If and when a Fund seeks to close out an option, the Fund could be required to purchase or sell foreign currencies at disadvantageous exchange rates, thereby incurring losses. The purchase of an option on foreign currency may constitute an effective hedge against exchange rate fluctuations; however, in the event of exchange rate movements adverse to a Fund’s position, the Fund may forfeit the entire amount of the premium plus related transaction costs. Options on foreign currencies may be traded on U.S. and foreign exchanges or over-the-counter.

Options on currency may also be used for cross–hedging purposes, which involves writing or purchasing options on one currency to seek to hedge against changes in exchange rates for a different currency with a pattern of correlation, or to seek to increase total return when the Investment Adviser or Sub-Adviser anticipates that the currency will appreciate or depreciate in value, but the securities quoted or denominated in that currency do not present attractive investment opportunities and are not included in the Fund’s portfolio.

A call option written by a Fund obligates the Fund to sell a specified currency to the holder of the option at a specified price if the option is exercised before the expiration date. A put option written by a Fund obligates the Fund to purchase a specified currency from the option holder at a specified price if the option is exercised before the expiration date. The writing of currency options involves a risk that a Fund will, upon exercise of the option, be required to sell currency subject to a call at a price that is less than the currency’s market value or be required to purchase currency subject to a put

 

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at a price that exceeds the currency’s market value. Written put and call options on foreign currencies may be covered in a manner similar to written put and call options on securities and securities indices described under “Options on Securities and Securities Indices—Writing Covered Options” above.

A Fund may terminate its obligations under a call or put option by purchasing an option identical to the one it has written. Such purchases are referred to as “closing purchase transactions.” A Fund may enter into closing sale transactions in order to realize gains or minimize losses on options purchased by the Fund.

A Fund may purchase call options on foreign currency in anticipation of an increase in the U.S. dollar value of currency in which securities to be acquired by the Fund are quoted or denominated. The purchase of a call option would entitle the Fund, in return for the premium paid, to purchase specified currency at a specified price during the option period. A Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of such currency exceeded the sum of the exercise price, the premium paid and transaction costs; otherwise the Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the call option.

A Fund may purchase put options in anticipation of a decline in the U.S. dollar value of currency in which securities in its portfolio are quoted or denominated (“protective puts”). The purchase of a put option would entitle a Fund, in exchange for the premium paid, to sell specified currency at a specified price during the option period. The purchase of protective puts is usually designed to offset or hedge against a decline in the dollar value of a Fund’s portfolio securities due to currency exchange rate fluctuations. A Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of the underlying currency decreased below the exercise price sufficiently to more than cover the premium and transaction costs; otherwise the Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the put option. Gains and losses on the purchase of protective put options would tend to be offset by countervailing changes in the value of underlying currency or portfolio securities.

As noted, in addition to using options for the hedging purposes described above, the Funds may use options on currency to seek to increase total return. The Funds may write (sell) covered put and call options on any currency in order to realize greater income than would be realized on portfolio securities transactions alone. However, in writing covered call options for additional income, the Funds may forego the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market value of the underlying currency. Also, when writing put options, the Funds accept, in return for the option premium, the risk that they may be required to purchase the underlying currency at a price in excess of the currency’s market value at the time of purchase.

Special Risks Associated with Options on Currency. An exchange-traded options position may be closed out only on an options exchange that provides a secondary market for an option of the same series. Although a Fund will generally purchase or write only those options for which there appears to be an active secondary market, there is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an exchange will exist for any particular option, or at any particular time. For some options no secondary market on an exchange may exist. In such event, it might not be possible to effect closing transactions in particular options, with the result that a Fund would have to exercise its options in order to realize any profit and would incur transaction costs upon the sale of underlying securities pursuant to the exercise of put options. If a Fund as a covered call option writer is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction in a secondary market, it will not be able to sell the underlying currency (or security quoted or denominated in that currency), or dispose of the segregated assets, until the option expires or it delivers the underlying currency upon exercise.

There is no assurance that higher than anticipated trading activity or other unforeseen events might not, at times, render certain of the facilities of the Options Clearing Corporation inadequate, and thereby result in the institution by an exchange of special procedures which may interfere with the timely execution of customers’ orders.

A Fund may purchase and write over-the-counter options to the extent consistent with its limitation on investments in illiquid securities. Trading in over-the-counter options is subject to the risk that the other party will be unable or unwilling to close out options purchased or written by a Fund.

 

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The amount of the premiums, which a Fund may pay or receive, may be adversely affected as new or existing institutions, including other investment companies, engage in or increase their option purchasing and writing activities.

Convertible Securities

Each Fund (other than the Government Income and Money Market Funds) may invest in convertible securities. Convertible securities are bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stocks or other securities 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 at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest that is generally paid or accrued on debt or a dividend that is paid or accrued on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Convertible securities have unique investment characteristics, in that they generally (i) have higher yields than common stocks, but lower yields than comparable non-convertible securities, (ii) are less subject to fluctuation in value than the underlying common stock due to their fixed income characteristics and (iii) provide the potential for capital appreciation if the market price of the underlying common stock increases.

The value of a convertible security is a function of its “investment value” (determined by its yield in comparison with the yields of other securities of comparable maturity and quality that do not have a conversion privilege) and its “conversion value” (the security’s worth, at market value, if converted into the underlying common stock). The investment value of a convertible security is influenced by changes in interest rates, with investment value normally declining as interest rates increase and increasing as interest rates decline. The credit standing of the issuer and other factors may also have an effect on the convertible security’s investment value. The conversion value of a convertible security is determined by the market price of the underlying common stock. If the conversion value is low relative to the investment value, the price of the convertible security is governed principally by its investment value. To the extent the market price of the underlying common stock approaches or exceeds the conversion price, the price of the convertible security will be increasingly influenced by its conversion value. A convertible security generally will sell at a premium over its conversion value by the extent to which investors place value on the right to acquire the underlying common stock while holding a fixed income security.

A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security’s governing instrument. If a convertible security held by a Fund is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to permit the issuer to redeem the security, convert it into the underlying common stock or sell it to a third party. Any of these actions could have an adverse effect on a Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective, which, in turn, could result in losses to the Fund.

In evaluating a convertible security, the Investment Adviser or Sub-Adviser will give primary emphasis to the attractiveness of the underlying common stock. Convertible debt securities are equity investments for purposes of each Equity Funds’ investment policies.

Currency Swaps

The Mid Cap Value, Large Cap Value, Strategic Growth, Growth Opportunities, Strategic International Equity and Core Fixed Income Funds may enter into currency swaps for both hedging purposes and to seek to increase total return. Currency swaps involve the exchange by a Fund with another party of their respective rights to make or receive payments in specified currencies.

A great deal of flexibility is possible in the way swap transactions are structured. Currency swaps usually involve the delivery of a gross payment stream in one designated currency in exchange for the gross payment stream in another designated currency. Therefore, the payment stream under a currency swap is subject to the risk that the other party to the swap will default on its contractual delivery obligations. To the extent that a Fund’s potential exposure in a transaction involving a swap is covered by the segregation of cash or liquid assets or otherwise, the Fund and the Investment Adviser believe that swaps do not constitute senior securities under the Act and, accordingly, will not treat them as being subject to the Fund’s borrowing restrictions.

 

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The Strategic International Equity Fund will not enter into swap transactions unless the unsecured commercial paper, senior debt or claims paying ability of the other party thereto is considered to be investment grade by the Investment Adviser. The Core Fixed Income Fund will not enter into any currency swap transactions unless the unsecured commercial paper, senior debt or claims-paying ability of the other party thereto is rated investment grade by Standard & Poor’s or Moody’s, or, if unrated by such rating organization, determined to be of comparable quality by the Investment Adviser. If there is a default by the other party to such a transaction, a Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. The swap market has grown substantially in recent years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap documentation. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid in comparison with the markets for other similar instruments which are traded in the interbank market. The Investment Adviser, under the supervision of the Board of Trustees, is responsible for determining and monitoring the liquidity of the Funds’ transactions in swaps.

The use of currency swaps is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. If an Investment Adviser is incorrect in its forecasts of market values, interest rates and currency exchange rates, the investment performance of a Fund would be less favorable than it would have been if this investment technique were not used.

Equity Swaps

Each Equity Fund may enter into equity swap contracts to invest in a market without owning or taking physical custody of securities in various circumstances, including circumstances where direct investment in the securities is restricted for legal reasons or is otherwise impracticable. Equity swaps may also be used for hedging purposes or to seek to increase total return. The counterparty to an equity swap contract will typically be a bank, investment banking firm or broker/dealer. Equity swap contracts may be structured in different ways. For example, a counterparty may agree to pay a Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the equity swap contract would have increased in value had it been invested in particular stocks (or an index of stocks), plus the dividends that would have been received on those stocks. In these cases, the Fund may agree to pay to the counterparty a floating rate of interest on the notional amount of the equity swap contract plus the amount, if any, by which that notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in such stocks. Therefore, the return to the Fund on the equity swap contract should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends on the stocks less the interest paid by the Fund on the notional amount. In other cases, the counterparty and a Fund may each agree to pay the other the difference between the relative investment performances that would have been achieved if the notional amount of the equity swap contract had been invested in different stocks (or indices of stocks).

An Equity Fund will generally enter into equity swaps on a net basis, which means that the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Payments may be made at the conclusion of an equity swap contract or periodically during its term. Equity swaps normally do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to equity swaps is normally limited to the net amount of payments that a Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the other party to an equity swap defaults, a Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that such Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any. Inasmuch as these transactions are entered into for hedging purposes or are offset by segregated cash or liquid assets to cover the Fund’s exposure, the Funds and their Investment Advisers believe that transactions do not constitute senior securities under the Act and, accordingly, will not treat them as being subject to a Fund’s borrowing restrictions.

An Equity Fund will not enter into swap transactions unless the unsecured commercial paper, senior debt or claims paying ability of the other party thereto is considered to be investment grade by the Investment Adviser. An Equity Fund’s ability to enter into certain swap transactions may be limited by tax considerations.

 

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Interest Rate Swaps, Mortgage Swaps, Credit Swaps, Total Return Swaps, Options on Swaps and Interest Rate Caps, Floors and Collars

Each Fixed Income Fund may enter into interest rate, mortgage, credit and total return swaps, and may enter into index swaps for hedging purposes or to seek to increase total return. Each Fixed Income Fund may also enter into interest rate caps, floors and collars. Each Fixed Income Fund may also purchase and write (sell) options contracts on swaps, commonly referred to as swaptions. Each Fixed Income Fund may enter into swap transactions for hedging purposes or to seek to increase total return. As examples, a Fund may enter into swap transactions for the purpose of attempting to obtain or preserve a particular return or spread at a lower cost than obtaining a return or spread through purchases and/or sales of instruments in other markets, as a duration management technique, to protect against any increase in the price of securities a Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date, or to gain exposure to certain markets in an economical way.

Swap agreements are two party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are generally calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate, in a particular foreign currency or security, or in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index. Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by a Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest, such as an exchange of fixed-rate payments for floating rate payments. Mortgage swaps are similar to interest rate swaps in that they represent commitments to pay and receive interest. The notional principal amount, however, is tied to a reference pool or pools of mortgages. Written credit swaps involve the receipt of floating or fixed rate payments in exchange for assuming potential credit losses of an underlying security, or pool of securities. Credit swaps give one party to a transaction the right to dispose of or acquire an asset (or group of assets or exposure to the performance of an index), or the right to receive from or make a payment to the other party, upon the occurrence of specified credit events. Total return swaps are contracts that obligate a party to pay or receive interest in exchange for payment by the other party of the total return generated by a security, a basket of securities, an index, or an index component. A swaption is an option to enter into a swap agreement. Like other types of options, the buyer of a swaption pays a non-refundable premium for the option and obtains the right, but not the obligation, to enter into an underlying swap on agreed-upon terms. The seller of a swaption, in exchange for the premium, becomes obligated (if the option is exercised) to enter into an underlying swap on agreed-upon terms. The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined interest rate, to receive payment of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate cap. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling the interest rate floor. An interest rate collar is the combination of a cap and a floor that preserves a certain return within a predetermined range of interest rates.

A great deal of flexibility is possible in the way swap transactions are structured. However, generally a Fund will enter into interest rate, total return, credit, mortgage and index swaps on a net basis, which means that the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Interest rate, total return, credit, mortgage and index swaps do not normally involve the delivery of securities, other underlying assets or principal. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to interest rate, total return, credit, mortgage and index swaps is normally limited to the net amount of payments that a Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the other party to an interest rate, total return, credit, mortgage or index swap defaults, a Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that such Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any. A credit swap may have as reference obligations one or more securities that may, or may not, be currently held by a Fund. The protection “buyer” in a credit swap is generally obligated to pay the protection “seller” an upfront or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the swap provided that no credit event, such as a default, on a reference obligation has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the “par value” (full notional value) of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity described in the swap, or the seller may be required to deliver the related net cash amount, if the swap is cash settled. A Fund may be either the buyer or seller in the transaction. If the Fund is a buyer and

 

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no credit event occurs, the Fund may recover nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer generally may elect to receive the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity whose value may have significantly decreased. As a seller, a Fund generally receives an upfront payment or a rate of income throughout the term of the swap provided that there is no credit event. As the seller, a Fund would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, a Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. If a credit event occurs, the value of any deliverable obligation received by the Fund as seller, coupled with the upfront or periodic payments previously received, may be less than the full notional value it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss of value to the Fund. To the extent that a Fund’s exposure in a transaction involving a swap or an interest rate floor, cap or collar is covered by the segregation of cash or liquid assets or is covered by other means in accordance with SEC guidance, the Fixed Income Funds and the Investment Adviser believe that the transactions do not constitute senior securities under the Act and, accordingly, will not treat them as being subject to a Fund’s borrowing restrictions.

The Fixed Income Funds will not enter into any interest rate, total return, mortgage or credit swap transactions unless the unsecured commercial paper, senior debt or claims-paying ability of the other party is rated either A or A-1 or better by Standard & Poor’s or A or P-1 or better by Moody’s or their equivalent ratings. If there is a default by the other party to such a transaction, a Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction.

The use of interest rate, mortgage, credit and total return swaps, as well as interest rate caps, floors and collars, is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of a swap requires an understanding not only of the reference asset, reference rate, or index, but also of the swap itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the swap under all possible market conditions. If the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its forecasts of market values, credit quality, interest rates and currency exchange rates, the investment performance of a Fixed Income Fund would be less favorable than it would have been if this investment instruments were not used.

In addition, these transactions can involve greater risks than if a Fund had invested in the reference obligation directly since in addition to general market risks, swaps are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk, credit risk, and pricing risk. Because they are two party contracts and because they may have terms of greater than seven days, swap transactions may be considered to be illiquid. Moreover, a Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap counterparty. Many swaps are complex and often valued subjectively. Swaps may be subject to pricing risk, which exists when a particular swap becomes extraordinarily expensive relative to historical prices or the price of corresponding cash market instruments. Under certain market conditions it may not be economically feasible to imitate a transaction or liquidate a position in time to avoid a loss or take advantage of an opportunity. If a swap transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.

The swap market has grown substantially in recent years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap documentation. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid in comparison with the markets for other similar instruments which are traded in the interbank market. The Investment Adviser, under the supervision of the Board of Trustees, is responsible for determining and monitoring the liquidity of the Funds’ transactions in swaps, caps, floors and collars.

Real Estate Investment Trusts

Each Equity Fund may invest in shares of REITs. REITs are pooled investment vehicles which invest primarily in real estate or real estate related loans. REITs are generally classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs or a combination of equity and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive income primarily from the collection of rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive income from

 

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the collection of interest payments. Like regulated investment companies such as the Equity Funds, REITs are not taxed on income distributed to shareholders provided they comply with certain requirements under the Code. An Equity Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any expenses paid by REITs in which it invests in addition to the expenses paid by a Fund.

Investing in REITs involves certain unique risks. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by such REITs, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. REITs are dependent upon management skills, are not diversified (except to the extent the Code requires), and are subject to the risks of financing projects. REITs are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, default by borrowers, self-liquidation, and the possibilities of failing to qualify for the exemption from tax for distributed income under the Code and failing to maintain their exemptions from the Act. REITs (especially mortgage REITs) are also subject to interest rate risks.

Lending of Portfolio Securities

The Structured U.S. Equity and Structured Small Cap Equity Funds may lend their portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other institutions, including Goldman Sachs. By lending its securities, a Fund attempts to increase its net investment income.

Securities loans are required to be secured continuously by collateral in cash, cash equivalents, letters of credit or U.S. Government Securities equal to at least 100% of the value of the loaned securities. This collateral must be valued, or “marked to market,” daily. Borrowers are required to furnish additional collateral to the Fund as necessary to fully cover their obligations.

With respect to loans that are collateralized by cash, the Fund may reinvest that cash in short-term investments and pay the borrower a pre-negotiated fee or “rebate” from any return earned on the investment. Investing the collateral subjects it to market depreciation or appreciation, and a Fund is responsible for any loss that may result from its investment of the borrowed collateral. Cash collateral may be invested in, among other things, other registered or unregistered funds, including private investing funds or money market funds that are managed by the Investment Adviser or its affiliates and which pay the Investment Adviser or its affiliates for their services. If the Fund would receive non-cash collateral, the Fund receives a fee from the borrower equal to a negotiated percentage of the market value of the loaned securities.

For the duration of any securities loan, the Fund will continue to receive the equivalent of the interest, dividends or other distributions paid by the issuer on the loaned securities. The Fund will not have the right to vote its loaned securities during the period of the loan, but a Fund may attempt to recall a loaned security in anticipation of a material vote if it desires to do so. A Fund will have the right to terminate a loan at any time and recall the loaned securities within the normal and customary settlement time for securities transactions.

Securities lending involves certain risks. The Fund may lose money on its investment of cash collateral, resulting in a loss of principal, or may fail to earn sufficient income on its investment to cover the fee or rebate it has agreed to pay the borrower. A Fund may incur losses in connection with its securities lending activities that exceed the value of the interest income and fees received in connection with such transactions. Securities lending subjects a Fund to the risk of loss resulting from problems in the settlement and accounting process, and to additional credit, counterparty and market risk. These risks could be greater with respect to non-U.S. securities. Engaging in securities lending could have a leveraging effect, which may intensify the other risks associated with investments in the Fund. In addition, a Fund bears the risk that the price of the securities on loan will increase while they are on loan, or that the price of the collateral will decline in value during the period of the loan, and that the counterparty will not provide, or will delay in providing, additional collateral. A Fund also bears the risk that a borrower may fail to return securities in a timely manner or at all, either because the borrower fails financially or for other reasons. If a borrower of securities fails financially, a Fund may also lose its rights in the collateral. A Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering loaned securities or in gaining access to and liquidating the collateral, which could result in actual financial loss and which could interfere with portfolio management decisions or the exercise of ownership rights in the loaned securities. If a Fund is not able to recover the

 

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securities lent, the Fund may sell the collateral and purchase replacement securities in the market. However, the Fund will incur transaction costs on the purchase of replacement securities. These events could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. In determining whether to lend securities to a particular borrower, and throughout the period of the loan, the creditworthiness of the borrower will be considered and monitored. Loans will only be made to firms deemed to be of good standing, and where the consideration that can be earned currently from securities loans of this type is deemed to justify the attendant risk. It is intended that the value of securities loaned by a Fund will not exceed one-third of the value of a Fund’s total assets (including the loan collateral).

The Fund will consider the loaned securities as assets of the Fund, but will not consider any collateral as a Fund asset except when determining total assets for the purpose of the above one-third limitation. Loan collateral (including any investment of the collateral) is not subject to the percentage limitations stated elsewhere in this SAI or in the Prospectuses regarding investing in fixed income securities and cash equivalents.

The Funds’ Board of Trustees has approved the Structured U.S. Equity and Structured Small Cap Equity Funds’ participation in a securities lending program and has adopted policies and procedures relating thereto. Under the current securities lending program, the Funds have retained an affiliate of the Investment Adviser to serve as the securities lending agent for the Funds.

For its services, the securities lending agent may receive a fee from the Funds, including a fee based on the returns earned on the Funds’ investment of cash received as collateral for the loaned securities. In addition, the Funds may make brokerage and other payments to Goldman Sachs and its affiliates in connection with the Funds’ portfolio investment transactions. The Funds’ Board of Trustees periodically reviews securities loan transactions for which a Goldman Sachs affiliate has acted as lending agent for compliance with the Funds’ securities lending procedures. Goldman Sachs also has been approved as a borrower under the Funds’ securities lending program, subject to certain conditions.

When-Issued Securities and Forward Commitments

Each Fund may purchase securities on a when-issued basis or purchase or sell securities on a forward commitment basis beyond the customary settlement time. These transactions involve a commitment by a Fund to purchase or sell securities at a future date. The price of the underlying securities (usually expressed in terms of yield) and the date when the securities will be delivered and paid for (the settlement date) are fixed at the time the transaction is negotiated. When-issued purchases and forward commitment transactions are negotiated directly with the other party, and such commitments are not traded on exchanges. A Fund will generally purchase securities on a when-issued basis or purchase or sell securities on a forward commitment basis only with the intention of completing the transaction and actually purchasing or selling the securities. If deemed advisable as a matter of investment strategy, however, a Fund may dispose of or negotiate a commitment after entering into it. A Fund may also sell securities it has committed to purchase before those securities are delivered to the Fund on the settlement date. A Fund may realize a capital gain or loss in connection with these transactions. For purposes of determining a Fund’s duration, the maturity of when-issued or forward commitment securities will be calculated from the commitment date. A Fund is generally required to segregate, until three days prior to the settlement date, cash and liquid assets in an amount sufficient to meet the purchase price unless the Fund’s obligations are otherwise covered. Alternatively, a Fund may enter into offsetting contracts for the forward sale of other securities that it owns. Securities purchased or sold on a when-issued or forward commitment basis involve a risk of loss if the value of the security to be purchased declines prior to the settlement date or if the value of the security to be sold increases prior to the settlement date.

Investment in Unseasoned Companies

Each Equity Fund may invest in companies (including predecessors) which have operated less than three years. The securities of such companies may have limited liquidity, which can result in their being priced higher or lower than might otherwise be the case. In addition, investments in unseasoned companies are more speculative and entail greater risk than do investments in companies with an established operating record.

 

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Other Investment Companies

Each Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). A Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management fees and other expenses paid by investment companies in which it invests, in addition to the management fees (and other expenses) paid by the Fund. A Fund’s investments in other investment companies are subject to statutory limitations prescribed by the Act, including in certain circumstances a prohibition on the Fund acquiring more that 3% of the voting shares of any other investment company, and a prohibition on investing more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets in securities of any one investment company or more than 10% of its total assets in the securities of all investment companies. Many ETFs, however, have obtained exemptive relief from the SEC to permit unaffiliated funds (such as the Funds) to invest in their shares beyond these statutory limits, subject to certain conditions and pursuant to contractual arrangements between the ETFs and the investing funds. A Fund may rely on these exemptive orders in investing in ETFs. Moreover, pursuant to an exemptive order obtained from the SEC or under an exemptive rule adopted by the SEC, the Funds may invest in investment companies and money market funds for which an Investment Adviser or any of its affiliates serves as investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor. However, to the extent that a Fund invests in a money market fund for which an Investment Adviser or any of its affiliates acts as investment adviser, the management fees payable by the Fund to the Investment Adviser will, to the extent required by the SEC, be reduced by an amount equal to the Fund’s proportionate share of the management fees paid by such money market fund to its investment adviser. Although the Funds do not expect to do so in the foreseeable future, each Fund is authorized to invest substantially all of its assets in a single open-end investment company or series thereof that has substantially the same investment objective, policies and fundamental restrictions as the Fund. Additionally, to the extent that any Fund serves as an “underlying Fund” to another Goldman Sachs Fund, that Fund may invest a percentage of its assets in other investment companies if those instruments are consistent with applicable law and/or exemptive relief obtained from the SEC.

Each Fund (other than the Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity, Government Income and Money Market Funds) may purchase shares of investment companies investing primarily in foreign securities, including “country funds.” Country funds have portfolios consisting primarily of securities of issuers located in specified foreign countries or regions.

ETFs are shares of unaffiliated investment companies issuing shares which are traded like traditional equity securities on a national stock exchange. An ETF represents a portfolio of securities, which is often designed to track a particular market segment or index. An investment in an ETF, like one in any investment company, carries the same risks as those of its underlying securities. An ETF may fail to accurately track the returns of the market segment or index that it is designed to track, and the price of an ETF’s shares may fluctuate or lose money. In addition, because they, unlike other investment companies, are traded on an exchange, ETFs are subject to the following risks: (i) the market price of the ETF’s shares may trade at a premium or discount to the ETF’s NAV; (ii) an active trading market for an ETF may not develop or be maintained; and (iii) there is no assurance that the requirements of the exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the ETF will continue to be met or remain unchanged. In the event substantial market or other disruptions affecting ETFs should occur in the future, the liquidity and value of a Fund’s shares could also be substantially and adversely affected.

Repurchase Agreements

Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with banks, brokers and securities dealers which furnish collateral at least equal in value or market price to the amount of their repurchase obligation. The Strategic International Equity and Core Fixed Income Funds may also enter into repurchase agreements involving certain foreign government securities. A repurchase agreement is an arrangement under which a Fund purchases securities and the seller agrees to repurchase the securities within a particular time and at a specified price for the duration of the agreement. Custody of the securities is maintained by a Fund’s custodian (or subcustodian). The repurchase price may be higher than the purchase price, the difference being income to a Fund, or the purchase and repurchase prices may be the same, with interest at a stated rate due to a Fund together with the repurchase price on repurchase. In either case, the income to a Fund is unrelated to the interest rate on the security subject to the repurchase agreement.

 

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For purposes of the Act and generally for tax purposes, a repurchase agreement is deemed to be a loan from a Fund to the seller of the security. For other purposes, it is not always clear whether a court would consider the security purchased by a Fund subject to a repurchase agreement as being owned by a Fund or as being collateral for a loan by a Fund to the seller. In the event of commencement of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings with respect to the seller of the security before repurchase of the security under a repurchase agreement, a Fund may encounter delay and incur costs before being able to sell the security. Such a delay may involve loss of interest or a decline in price of the security. If the court characterizes the transaction as a loan and a Fund has not perfected a security interest in the security, a Fund may be required to return the security to the seller’s estate and be treated as an unsecured creditor of the seller. As an unsecured creditor, a Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and interest involved in the transaction.

Apart from the risk of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, there is also the risk that the seller may fail to repurchase the security. However, if the market value of the security subject to the repurchase agreement becomes less than the repurchase price (including accrued interest), a Fund will direct the seller of the security to deliver additional securities so that the market value of all securities subject to the repurchase agreement equals or exceeds the repurchase price.

Each Fund may not invest in repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days if, as a result thereof, more than 15% of the net assets of that Fund taken at market value (with respect to the Money Market Fund, 5% of its total assets measured using the amortized cost method of valuation) would be invested in such investments and other securities which are not readily marketable. Certain repurchase agreements which provide for settlement in more than seven days can be liquidated before the nominal fixed term on seven days or less notice. Such repurchase agreements will be regarded as liquid instruments.

In addition, each Fund, together with other registered investment companies having advisory agreements with the Investment Adviser or its affiliates, may transfer uninvested cash balances into a single joint account, the daily aggregate balance of which will be invested in one or more repurchase agreements.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements

The Fixed Income Fund may borrow money by entering into transactions called reverse repurchase agreements. Under these arrangements, a Fund will sell portfolio securities to dealers in U.S. Government Securities or members of the Federal Reserve System, with an agreement to repurchase the security on an agreed date, price and interest payment. In the case of the Core Fixed Income Fund, these reverse repurchase agreements may involve foreign government securities. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the possible risk that the value of portfolio securities a Fund relinquishes may decline below the price the Fund must pay when the transaction closes. Borrowings may magnify the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested resulting in an increase in the speculative character of a Fund’s outstanding shares.

When a Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it places in a separate custodial account either liquid assets or other high-grade debt securities that have a value equal to or greater than the repurchase price. The account is thereafter monitored to make sure that an appropriate value is maintained. Reverse repurchase agreements are considered to be borrowings under the Act.

Restricted and Illiquid Securities

Each Fund may purchase securities that are not registered or offered in an exempt non-public offering (“Restricted Securities”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“1933 Act”), including securities eligible for resale to “qualified institutional buyers” pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act. However, a Fund will not invest more than 15% of its net assets (with respect to the Money Market Fund, 5% of its total assets measured using the amortized cost method of valuation) in illiquid investments, which include (as applicable for each Fund) securities (both foreign and

 

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domestic) that are not readily marketable, certain SMBS, certain municipal leases and participation interests, certain over-the-counter options, repurchase agreements and time deposits with a notice or demand period of more than seven days, and certain Restricted Securities, unless it is determined, based upon a continuing review of the trading markets for the specific instrument, that such instrument is liquid. The Trustees have adopted guidelines under which the Investment Advisers and Sub-Adviser determine and monitor the liquidity of the Funds’ portfolio securities. This investment practice could have the effect of increasing the level of illiquidity in a Fund to the extent that qualified institutional buyers become for a time uninterested in purchasing these instruments.

The purchase price and subsequent valuation of Restricted Securities may reflect a discount from the price at which such securities trade when they are not restricted, since the restriction may make them less liquid. The amount of the discount from the prevailing market price is expected to vary depending upon the type of security, the character of the issuer, the party who will bear the expenses of registering the Restricted Securities and prevailing supply and demand conditions.

Trust Preferreds

The Fixed Income Funds may invest in trust preferred securities. A trust preferred or capital security is a long dated bond (for example 30 years) with preferred features. The preferred features are that payment of interest can be deferred for a specified period without initiating a default event. From a bondholder’s viewpoint, the securities are senior in claim to standard preferred but are junior to other bondholders. From the issuer’s viewpoint, the securities are attractive because their interest is deductible for tax purposes like other types of debt instruments.

Municipal Securities

General. The Government Income, Core Fixed Income and Money Market Funds may invest in fixed income securities issued by or on behalf of states, territories and possessions of the United States (including the District of Columbia) and their political subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities thereof (“Municipal Securities”), the interest on which is exempt from regular federal income tax (i.e., excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes but not necessarily exempt from the federal alternative minimum tax or from the income taxes of any state or local government). In addition, Municipal Securities include participation interests in such securities the interest on which is, in the opinion of bond counsel or counsel selected by the Investment Adviser, excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes. The Money Market Fund may invest in tax-exempt Municipal Securities when yields on such securities are attractive compared to other taxable investments. The Funds may revise their definition of Municipal Securities in the future to include other types of securities that currently exist, the interest on which is or will be, in the opinion of such counsel, excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes, provided that investing in such securities is consistent with each Fund’s investment objective and policies. The Fixed Income Funds and Money Market Fund may also invest in taxable Municipal Securities.

The yields and market values of Municipal Securities are determined primarily by the general level of interest rates, the creditworthiness of the issuers of Municipal Securities and economic and political conditions affecting such issuers. The yields and market prices of Municipal Securities may be adversely affected by changes in tax rates and policies, which may have less effect on the market for taxable fixed income securities. Moreover, certain types of Municipal Securities, such as housing revenue bonds, involve prepayment risks which could affect the yield on such securities. The credit rating assigned to municipal securities may reflect the existence of guarantees, letters of credit or other credit enhancement features available to the issuers or holders of such municipal securities.

Dividends paid by the Funds that are derived from interest paid on both tax-exempt and taxable Municipal Securities will be taxable to the Funds’ shareholders.

 

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Municipal Securities are often issued to obtain funds for various public purposes including refunding outstanding obligations, obtaining funds for general operating expenses, and obtaining funds to lend to other public institutions and facilities. Municipal Securities also include certain “private activity bonds” or industrial development bonds, which are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to provide financing aid to acquire sites or construct or equip facilities within a municipality for privately or publicly owned corporations.

Investments in Municipal Securities are subject to the risk that the issuer could default on its obligations. Such a default could result from the inadequacy of the sources or revenues from which interest and principal payments are to be made or the assets collateralizing such obligations. Revenue bonds, including private activity bonds, are backed only by specific assets or revenue sources and not by the full faith and credit of the governmental issuer.

The two principal classifications of Municipal Securities are “general obligations” and “revenue obligations.” General obligations are secured by the issuer’s pledge of its full faith and credit for the payment of principal and interest, although the characteristics and enforcement of general obligations may vary according to the law applicable to the particular issuer. Revenue obligations, which include, but are not limited to, private activity bonds, resource recovery bonds, certificates of participation and certain municipal notes, are not backed by the credit and taxing authority of the issuer, and are payable solely from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other specific revenue source. Nevertheless, the obligations of the issuer of a revenue obligation may be backed by a letter of credit, guarantee or insurance. General obligations and revenue obligations may be issued in a variety of forms, including commercial paper, fixed, variable and floating rate securities, tender option bonds, auction rate bonds, zero coupon bonds, deferred interest bonds and capital appreciation bonds.

In addition to general obligations and revenue obligations, there is a variety of hybrid and special types of Municipal Securities. There are also numerous differences in the security of Municipal Securities both within and between these two principal classifications.

For the purpose of applying a Fund’s investment restrictions, the identification of the issuer of a Municipal Security which is not a general obligation is made by the Investment Adviser based on the characteristics of the Municipal Security, the most important of which is the source of funds for the payment of principal and interest on such securities.

An entire issue of Municipal Securities may be purchased by one or a small number of institutional investors, including one or more Funds. Thus, the issue may not be said to be publicly offered. Unlike some securities that are not publicly offered, a secondary market exists for many Municipal Securities that were not publicly offered initially and such securities may be readily marketable.

Municipal Securities purchased for the Funds may be subject to a Fund’s policy on holdings of illiquid securities. The Investment Adviser determines whether a Municipal Security liquid based on whether it may be sold in a reasonable time consistent with the customs of the municipal markets (usually seven days) at a price (or interest rate) which accurately reflects its value. The Investment Adviser believes that the quality standards applicable to the Funds’ investments enhance liquidity. In addition, stand-by commitments and demand obligations also enhance liquidity.

The credit rating assigned to Municipal Securities may reflect the existence of guarantees, letters of credit or other credit enhancement features available to the issuers or holders of such Municipal Securities.

The obligations of the issuer to pay the principal of and interest on a Municipal Security 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, that may be enacted by Congress or state legislatures extending the time for payment of principal or interest or imposing other constraints upon the enforcement of such obligations. There is also the possibility that, as a result of litigation or other conditions, the power or ability of the issuer to pay when due principal of or interest on a Municipal Security may be materially affected.

 

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Municipal Leases, Certificates of Participation and Other Participation Interests. The Government Income, Core Fixed Income and Money Market Funds may invest in municipal leases, certificates of participation and other participation interests. A municipal lease is an obligation in the form of a lease or installment purchase which is issued by a state or local government to acquire equipment and facilities. Income from such obligations is generally exempt from state and local taxes in the state of issuance. Municipal leases frequently involve special risks not normally associated with general obligations or revenue bonds. Leases and installment purchase or conditional sale contracts (which normally provide for title to the leased asset to pass eventually to the governmental issuer) have evolved as a means for governmental issuers to acquire property and equipment without meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements for the issuance of debt. The debt issuance limitations are deemed to be inapplicable because of the inclusion in many leases or contracts of “non-appropriation” clauses that relieve the governmental issuer of any obligation to make future payments under the lease or contract unless money is appropriated for such purpose by the appropriate legislative body on a yearly or other periodic basis. In addition, such leases or contracts may be subject to the temporary abatement of payments in the event the issuer is prevented from maintaining occupancy of the leased premises or utilizing the leased equipment. Although the obligations may be secured by the leased equipment or facilities, the disposition of the property in the event of non-appropriation or foreclosure might prove difficult, time consuming and costly, and result in a delay in recovering or the failure to fully recover a Fund’s original investment. To the extent that a Fund invests in unrated municipal leases or participates in such leases, the credit quality rating and risk of cancellation of such unrated leases will be monitored on an ongoing basis.

Certificates of participation represent undivided interests in municipal leases, installment purchase agreements or other instruments. The certificates are typically issued by a trust or other entity which has received an assignment of the payments to be made by the state or political subdivision under such leases or installment purchase agreements.

Certain municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation may be deemed to be illiquid for the purpose of the Funds’ limitation on investments in illiquid securities. Other municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation acquired by a Fund may be determined by the Investment Adviser, pursuant to guidelines adopted by the Trustees of the Trust, to be liquid securities for the purpose of such limitation. In determining the liquidity of municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation, the Investment Adviser will consider a variety of factors, including: (i) the willingness of dealers to bid for the security; (ii) the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the obligation and the number of other potential buyers; (iii) the frequency of trades or quotes for the obligation; and (iv) the nature of the marketplace trades. In addition, the Investment Adviser will consider factors unique to particular lease obligations and certificates of participation affecting the marketability thereof. These include the general creditworthiness of the issuer, the importance to the issuer of the property covered by the lease and the likelihood that the marketability of the obligation will be maintained throughout the time the obligation is held by a Fund.

The Funds may purchase participations in Municipal Securities held by a commercial bank or other financial institution. Such participations provide a Fund with the right to a pro rata undivided interest in the underlying Municipal Securities. In addition, such participations generally provide a Fund with the right to demand payment, on not more than seven days notice, of all or any part of such Fund’s participation interest in the underlying Municipal Securities, plus accrued interest.

Municipal Notes. Municipal Securities in the form of notes generally are used to provide for short-term capital needs, in anticipation of an issuer’s receipt of other revenues or financing, and typically have maturities of up to three years. Such instruments may include tax anticipation notes, revenue anticipation notes, bond anticipation notes, tax and revenue anticipation notes and construction loan notes. Tax anticipation notes are issued to finance the working capital needs of governments. Generally, they are issued in anticipation of various tax revenues, such as income, sales, property, use and business taxes, and are payable from these specific future taxes. Revenue anticipation notes are issued in expectation of receipt of other kinds of revenue, such as federal revenues available under federal revenue sharing programs. Bond anticipation notes are issued to provide interim financing until long-term bond financing can be arranged. In most cases, the long-term bonds then provide the funds needed for repayment of the notes. Tax and revenue anticipation notes combine the funding sources of both tax anticipation notes and revenue anticipation notes. Construction loan notes are sold to provide construction financing. These notes are secured by mortgage notes insured by the FHA; however, the proceeds from the insurance may be less than the economic equivalent of the payment of principal and interest on the

 

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mortgage note if there has been a default. The obligations of an issuer of municipal notes are generally secured by the anticipated revenues from taxes, grants or bond financing. An investment in such instruments, however, presents a risk that the anticipated revenues will not be received or that such revenues will be insufficient to satisfy the issuer’s payment obligations under the notes or that refinancing will be otherwise unavailable.

The Money Market Fund may acquire securities in the form of custodial receipts which evidence ownership of future interest payments, principal payments or both on certain state and local governmental and authority obligations when, in the opinion of bond counsel, if any, interest payments with respect to such custodial receipts are excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes. Such obligations are held in custody by a bank on behalf of the holders of the receipts. These custodial receipts are known by various names, including “Municipal Receipts” (“MRs”) and “Municipal Certificates of Accrual on Tax-Exempt Securities” (“M-CATS”). There are a number of other types of notes issued for different purposes and secured differently from those described above.

Tax-Exempt Commercial Paper. Issues of commercial paper typically represent short-term, unsecured, negotiable promissory notes. These obligations are issued by state and local governments and their agencies to finance working capital needs of municipalities or to provide interim construction financing and are paid from general revenues of municipalities or are refinanced with long-term debt. In most cases, tax-exempt commercial paper is backed by letters of credit, lending agreements, note repurchase agreements or other credit facility agreements offered by banks or other institutions.

Pre-Refunded Municipal Securities. The principal of and interest on pre-refunded Municipal Securities are no longer paid from the original revenue source for the securities. Instead, the source of such payments is typically an escrow fund consisting of U.S. Government Securities. The assets in the escrow fund are derived from the proceeds of refunding bonds issued by the same issuer as the pre-refunded Municipal Securities. Issuers of Municipal Securities use this advance refunding technique to obtain more favorable terms with respect to securities that are not yet subject to call or redemption by the issuer. For example, advance refunding enables an issuer to refinance debt at lower market interest rates, restructure debt to improve cash flow or eliminate restrictive covenants in the indenture or other governing instrument for the pre-refunded Municipal Securities. However, except for a change in the revenue source from which principal and interest payments are made, the pre-refunded Municipal Securities remain outstanding on their original terms until they mature or are redeemed by the issuer. Pre-refunded Municipal Securities are often purchased at a price which represents a premium over their face value.

Private Activity Bonds. The Government Income, Core Fixed Income and Money Market Funds may each invest in certain types of Municipal Securities, generally referred to as industrial development bonds (and referred to under current tax law as private activity bonds), which are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to obtain funds to provide privately operated housing facilities, airport, mass transit or port facilities, sewage disposal, solid waste disposal or hazardous waste treatment or disposal facilities and certain local facilities for water supply, gas or electricity. Other types of industrial development bonds, the proceeds of which are used for the construction, equipment, repair or improvement of privately operated industrial or commercial facilities, may constitute Municipal Securities, although the current federal tax laws place substantial limitations on the size of such issues.

Tender Option Bonds. A tender option bond is a Municipal Security (generally held pursuant to a custodial arrangement) having a relatively long maturity and bearing interest at a fixed rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term, tax-exempt rates. The bond is typically issued with the agreement of a third party, such as a bank, broker-dealer or other financial institution, which grants the security holders the option, at periodic intervals, to tender their securities to the institution and receive the face value thereof. As consideration for providing the option, the financial institution receives periodic fees equal to the difference between the bond’s fixed coupon rate and the rate, as determined by a remarketing or similar agent at or near the commencement of such period, that would cause the securities, coupled with the tender option, to trade at par on the date of such determination. Thus, after payment of this fee, the security holder effectively holds a demand obligation that bears interest at the prevailing short-term, tax-exempt rate. However, an institution will not be obligated to accept tendered bonds in the event of certain defaults or a significant downgrade in the

 

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credit rating assigned to the issuer of the bond. The liquidity of a tender option bond is a function of the credit quality of both the bond issuer and the financial institution providing liquidity. Tender option bonds are deemed to be liquid unless, in the opinion of the Investment Adviser, the credit quality of the bond issuer and the financial institution is deemed, in light of a Fund’s credit quality requirements, to be inadequate and the bond would not otherwise be readily marketable. The tender option will be taken into consideration in determining the maturity of tender option bonds and the average portfolio maturity and average portfolio life of the Money Market Fund.

Serial Bonds, Put Bonds and Moral Obligation Bonds. Municipal bonds with a series of maturity dates are called serial bonds. The serial bonds which the Money Market Fund may purchase are limited to short-term serial bonds—those with original or remaining maturities of thirteen months or less. The Money Market Fund may purchase long-term bonds provided that they have a remaining maturity of thirteen months or less or, in the case of bonds called for redemption, the date on which the redemption payment must be made is within thirteen months. The Money Market Fund may also purchase long-term bonds (sometimes referred to as “Put Bonds”), which are subject to the Fund’s commitment to put the bond back to the issuer at par at a designated time within thirteen months and the issuer’s commitment to so purchase the bond at such price and time. The Money Market Fund also may invest in “moral obligation” bonds. Moral obligations bonds are supported by the moral commitment but not the legal obligation of a state or municipality. In particular, these instruments permit governmental issuers to acquire property and equipment without meeting constitutional and statutory requirements for the issuance of debt. If, however, the governmental issuer does not periodically appropriate money to enable it to meet its payment obligations under these instruments, it cannot be legally compelled to do so. If a default occurs, it is likely that the Money Market Fund would be unable to obtain another acceptable source of payment.

Auction Rate Securities. The Government Income and Core Fixed Income Funds may invest in auction rate securities. Auction rate securities include auction rate Municipal Securities and auction rate preferred securities issued by closed-end investment companies that invest primarily in Municipal Securities (collectively, “auction rate securities”). Provided that the auction mechanism is successful, auction rate securities usually permit the holder to sell the securities in an auction at par value at specified intervals. The dividend is reset by “Dutch” auction in which bids are made by broker-dealers and other institutions for a certain amount of securities at a specified minimum yield. The dividend rate set by the auction is the lowest interest or dividend rate that covers all securities offered for sale. While this process is designed to permit auction rate securities to be traded at par value, there is some risk that an auction will fail due to insufficient demand for the securities. In certain recent market environments, auction failures have been more prevalent, which may adversely affect the liquidity and price of auction rate securities. Moreover, between auctions, there may be no secondary market for these securities, and sales conducted on a secondary market may not be on terms favorable to the seller. Thus, with respect to liquidity and price stability, auction rate securities may differ substantially from cash equivalents, notwithstanding the frequency of auctions and the credit quality of the security. A Fund will take the time remaining until the next scheduled auction date into account for purpose of determining the securities’ duration.

Dividends on auction rate preferred securities issued by a closed-end fund may be designated as exempt from federal income tax to the extent they are attributable to exempt income earned by the fund on the securities in its portfolio and distributed to holders of the preferred securities, provided that the preferred securities are treated as equity securities for federal income tax purposes and the closed-end fund complies with certain tests under the Code.

A Fund’s investments in auction rate securities of closed-end funds are subject to the limitations prescribed by the Act and certain state securities regulations. The Funds will indirectly bear their proportionate share of any management and other fees paid by such closed-end funds in addition to the advisory fees payable directly by the Funds.

Insurance and Letters of Credit. The Government Income and Core Fixed Income Funds may invest in “insured” tax-exempt Municipal Securities. Insured Municipal Securities are securities for which scheduled payments of interest and principal are guaranteed by a private (non-governmental) insurance company. The insurance only entitles a Fund to receive the face or par value of the securities held by the Fund. The insurance does not guarantee the market value of the Municipal Securities or the value of the shares of a Fund.

 

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The Funds may utilize new issue or secondary market insurance. A new issue insurance policy is purchased by a bond issuer who wishes to increase the credit rating of a security. By paying a premium and meeting the insurer’s underwriting standards, the bond issuer is able to obtain a high credit rating (usually, Aaa from Moody’s or AAA from Standard & Poor’s) for the issued security. Such insurance is likely to increase the purchase price and resale value of the security. New issue insurance policies generally are non-cancelable and continue in force as long as the bonds are outstanding.

A secondary market insurance policy is purchased by an investor (such as a Fund) subsequent to a bond’s original issuance and generally insures a particular bond for the remainder of its term. The Funds may purchase bonds which have already been insured under a secondary market insurance policy by a prior investor, or the Funds may directly purchase such a policy from insurers for bonds which are currently uninsured.

An insured Municipal Security acquired by a Fund will typically be covered by only one of the above types of policies. All of the insurance policies used by a Fund will be obtained only from insurance companies rated, at the time of purchase, A by Moody’s or Standard & Poor’s, or if unrated, determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable quality.

The Money Market Fund may purchase municipal instruments that are backed by letters of credit issued by foreign banks that have a branch, agency or subsidiary in the United States. Such letters of credit, like other obligations of foreign banks, may involve credit risks in addition to those of domestic obligations, including risks relating to future political and economic developments, nationalization, foreign governmental restrictions such as exchange controls and difficulties in obtaining or enforcing a judgment against a foreign bank (including branches).

Call Risk and Reinvestment Risk. Municipal Securities may include “call” provisions which permit the issuers of such securities, at any time or after a specified period, to redeem the securities prior to their stated maturity. In the event that Municipal Securities held in a Fund’s portfolio are called prior to the maturity, the Fund will be required to reinvest the proceeds on such securities at an earlier date and may be able to do so only at lower yields, thereby reducing the Fund’s return on its portfolio securities.

Mortgage Dollar Rolls

The Fixed Income Funds may enter into mortgage “dollar rolls” in which a Fund sells securities for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contracts with the same counterparty to repurchase similar, but not identical securities on a specified future date. During the roll period, a Fund loses the right to receive principal and interest paid on the securities sold. However, a Fund would benefit to the extent of any difference between the price received for the securities sold and the lower forward price for the future purchase or fee income plus the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the securities sold until the settlement date of the forward purchase. All cash proceeds will be invested in instruments that are permissible investments for the applicable Fund. Each Fixed Income Fund will segregate until the settlement date cash or liquid assets, as permitted by applicable law, in an amount equal to its forward purchase price.

For financial reporting and tax purposes, the Fixed Income Funds treat mortgage dollar rolls as two separate transactions: one involving the purchase of a security and a separate transaction involving a sale. The Funds do not currently intend to enter into mortgage dollar rolls for financing and do not treat them as borrowings.

Mortgage dollar rolls involve certain risks including the following: if the broker-dealer to whom a Fixed Income Fund sells the security becomes insolvent, a Fund’s right to purchase or repurchase the mortgage-related securities subject to the mortgage dollar roll may be restricted. Also, the instrument which a Fund is required to repurchase may be worth less than an instrument which a Fund originally held. Successful use of mortgage dollar rolls will depend upon the Investment Adviser’s ability to manage a Fund’s interest rate and mortgage prepayments exposure. For these reasons, there is no assurance that mortgage dollar rolls can be successfully employed. The use of this technique may diminish the investment performance of a Fund compared with what such performance would have been without the use of mortgage dollar rolls.

 

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Collateralized Debt Obligations

The Core Fixed Income Fund may invest in collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”), which include collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”), collateralized bond obligations (“CBOs”), and other similarly structured securities. CBOs and CLOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of high risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. CDOs may charge management fees and other administrative expenses.

For both CBOs and CLOs, the cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the “equity” tranche which bears the bulk of defaults from the bonds or loans in the trust and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Since it is partially protected from defaults, a senior tranche from a CBO trust or CLO trust typically has higher ratings and lower yields than its underlying securities, and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CBO or CLO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CBO or CLO securities as a class.

The risks of an investment in a CDO depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the CDO in which the Fund invests. Normally, CBOs, CLOs and CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities. However, an active dealer market may exist for CDOs that qualify under the Rule 144A “safe harbor” from the registration requirements of the Securities Act for resales of certain securities to qualified institutional buyers, and such CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as liquid securities. In addition to the normal risks associated with fixed income securities discussed elsewhere in this SAI and the Fund’s Prospectuses (e.g., interest rate risk and default risk), CDOs carry additional risks including, but are not limited to, the risk that: (i) distributions from collateral securities may not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the Fund may invest in CDOs that are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.

Short Sales Against the Box

Each Equity Fund (other than the Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity and Equity Index Funds) may engage in short sales against the box. In a short sale, the seller sells a borrowed security and has a corresponding obligation to the lender to return the identical security. The seller does not immediately deliver the securities sold and is said to have a short position in those securities until delivery occurs. While a short sale is made by selling a security the seller does not own, a short sale is “against the box” to the extent that the seller contemporaneously owns or has the right to obtain, at no added cost, securities identical to those sold short. It may be entered into by a Fund, for example, to lock in a sales price for a security the Fund does not wish to sell immediately. If a Fund sells securities short against the box, it may protect itself from loss if the price of the securities declines in the future, but will lose the opportunity to profit on such securities if the price rises.

If a Fund effects a short sale of securities at a time when it has an unrealized gain on the securities, it may be required to recognize that gain as if it had actually sold the securities (as a “constructive sale”) on the date it effects the short sale. However, such constructive sale treatment may not apply if a Fund closes out the short sale with securities other than the appreciated securities held at the time of the short sale and if certain other conditions are satisfied. Uncertainty regarding the tax consequences of effecting short sales may limit the extent to which the Fund may effect short sales.

 

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Portfolio Turnover

Each Fund may engage in active short-term trading to benefit from price disparities among different issues of securities or among the markets for equity securities, or for other reasons. As a result of active management, it is anticipated that the portfolio turnover rate of a Fund may vary greatly from year to year as well as within a particular year, and may be affected by changes in the holdings of specific issuers, changes in country and currency weightings, cash requirements for redemption of shares and by requirements which enable the Funds to receive favorable tax treatment. The Funds are not restricted by policy with regard to portfolio turnover and will make changes in their investment portfolio from time to time as business and economic conditions as well as market prices may dictate. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, the Core Fixed Income Fund’s portfolio turnover rate increased from its portfolio turnover rate from the prior year due to an increase in the purchases and sales of securities as a result of volatile market conditions and an increase in “To Be Announced” securities transactions. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, the Structured Small Cap Equity Fund’s portfolio turnover rate decreased from its portfolio turnover rate from the prior year due to differences in market opportunities and a change in investment model and rebalancing parameters. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, the Strategic International Equity Fund’s portfolio turnover rate increased from its portfolio turnover rate from the prior year due to changes in the Fund’s investment process. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, the Government Income Fund’s portfolio turnover rate increased from its portfolio turnover rate from the prior year due to an increase in the purchases and sales of securities as a result of an increase in “To Be Announced” securities transactions.

Temporary Investments

Each Fund (except the Equity Index and Money Market Funds) may (to the extent that it is permitted to invest in the following), for temporary defensive purposes, invest a certain percentage of its total assets in: U.S. Government Securities; commercial paper rated at least A-2 by Standard & Poor’s, P-2 by Moody’s or having a comparable rating by another NRSRO (or, if unrated, determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable quality); certificates of deposit; bankers’ acceptances; repurchase agreements; non-convertible preferred stocks and non-convertible corporate bonds with a remaining maturity of less than one year; ETFs; other investment companies; and cash items.

The Equity Index Fund will not make investments for defensive purposes, but may invest in short-term debt securities to maintain liquidity, or pending investment in stocks.

The Money Market Fund may for temporary defensive purposes invest less than 25% of its assets in bank obligations, if adverse economic conditions prevail in the banking industry (such as substantial losses on loans, increases in non-performing assets and charge-offs and declines in total deposits). Due to adverse market conditions or the prevailing interest rate environment, or when the Investment Adviser believes there is an insufficient supply of appropriate money market instruments in which to invest, the Money Market Fund may hold uninvested cash in lieu of such instruments. Cash assets are not income-generating and, as a result, the Money Market Fund Fund’s current yield may be adversely affected during periods when such positions are held. Cash positions may also subject the Money Market Fund to additional risks and costs, such as increased exposure to the creditworthiness of the custodian bank holding the assets and any fees imposed for large cash balances.

When a Fund’s assets are invested in such instruments (or are uninvested), the Fund may not be achieving its investment objective.

Special Note Regarding Market Events

Events in the financial sector over the past several years have resulted in reduced liquidity in credit and fixed income markets and in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestically and internationally. While entire markets have been impacted, issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets have been particularly affected. These events and the potential for continuing market turbulence may have an adverse effect on the Funds’ investments. It is uncertain how long these conditions will continue.

 

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The instability in the financial markets led the U.S. government to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and certain segments of the financial markets. Federal, state, and foreign governments, regulatory agencies, and self -regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the Funds invest, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the Funds’ ability to achieve their investment objectives.

Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such ownership or disposition may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation and performance of the Funds’ portfolio holdings.

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

The investment restrictions set forth below have been adopted by the Trust as fundamental policies that cannot be changed with respect to a Fund without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the Act) of the affected Fund. The investment objective of each Fund and all other investment policies or practices of each Fund are considered by the Trust not to be fundamental and accordingly may be changed without shareholder approval. For purposes of the Act, a “majority” of the outstanding voting securities means the lesser of the vote of (i) 67% or more of the shares of the Trust or a Fund present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Trust or a Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the shares of the Trust or a Fund.

For purposes of the following limitations, any limitation which involves a maximum percentage shall not be considered violated unless an excess over the percentage occurs immediately after, and is caused by, an acquisition or encumbrance of securities or assets of, or borrowings by, a Fund. With respect to investment restriction number (1) below, each Fund is currently classified as a diversified open-end management company under the Act. With respect to the Funds’ fundamental investment restriction number (3) below, asset coverage of at least 300% (as defined in the Act), inclusive of any amounts borrowed, must be maintained at all times.

Fundamental Investment Restrictions

As a matter of fundamental policy, a Fund may not:

All Funds

 

  (1) Make any investment inconsistent with the Fund’s classification as a diversified company under the Act. This restriction does not, however, apply to any Fund classified as a non-diversified company under the Act;

All Funds Except the Money Market Fund

 

  (2)

Invest 25% or more of its total assets in the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry (excluding the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities). (For the purposes of this restriction, state and municipal governments and their agencies, authorities and instrumentalities are not deemed to be industries; telephone companies are considered to be a separate industry from water, gas or electric utilities; personal credit finance companies and business credit finance companies are deemed to be separate industries; and wholly-owned finance

 

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  companies are considered to be in the industry of their parents if their activities are primarily related to financing the activities of their parents.) This restriction does not apply to investments in municipal securities which have been pre-refunded by the use of obligations of the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities.

Money Market Fund

 

  (2) Invest 25% or more of its total assets in the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry (excluding the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities). (For the purposes of this restriction, state and municipal governments and their agencies, authorities and instrumentalities are not deemed to be industries; telephone companies are considered to be a separate industry from water, gas or electric utilities; personal credit finance companies and business credit finance companies are deemed to be separate industries; and wholly-owned finance companies are considered to be in the industry of their parents if their activities are primarily related to financing the activities of their parents.) This restriction does not apply to investments in municipal securities which have been pre-refunded by the use of obligations of the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Money Market Fund will invest more than 25% of the value of its total assets in bank obligations (whether foreign or domestic) except that if adverse economic conditions prevail in the banking industry, the Money Market Fund may, for defensive purposes, temporarily invest less than 25% of its total assets in bank obligations;

Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity, Strategic Growth, Large Cap Value, Mid Cap Value and Strategic International Equity Funds

 

  (3) Borrow money, except (a) the Fund may borrow from banks (as defined in the Act) or through reverse repurchase agreements in amounts up to 33-1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed), (b) the Fund may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, borrow up to an additional 5% of its total assets for temporary purposes, (c) the Fund may obtain such short-term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of portfolio securities, (d) the Fund may purchase securities on margin to the extent permitted by applicable law and (e) the Fund may engage in transactions in mortgage dollar rolls which are accounted for as financings.

The following interpretation applies to, but is not part of, this fundamental policy: In determining whether a particular investment in portfolio instruments or participation in portfolio transactions is subject to this borrowing policy, the accounting treatment of such instrument or participation shall be considered, but shall not by itself be determinative. Whether a particular instrument or transaction constitutes a borrowing shall be determined by the Board, after consideration of all of the relevant circumstances.

Growth Opportunities, Equity Index, Government Income and Core Fixed Income Funds

 

  (3) Borrow money, except (a) the Fund, to the extent permitted by applicable law, may each borrow from banks (as defined in the Act), other affiliated investment companies and other persons or through reverse repurchase agreements in amounts up to 33-1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed), (b) the Fund may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, borrow up to an additional 5% of its total assets for temporary purposes, (c) the Fund may obtain such short-term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of portfolio securities, (d) the Fund may purchase securities on margin to the extent permitted by applicable law and (e) the Fund may engage in transactions in mortgage dollar rolls which are accounted for as financings.

 

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The following interpretation applies to, but is not part of, this fundamental policy: In determining whether a particular investment in portfolio instruments or participation in portfolio transactions is subject to this borrowing policy, the accounting treatment of such instrument or participation shall be considered, but shall not by itself be determinative. Whether a particular instrument or transaction constitutes a borrowing shall be determined by the Board, after consideration of all of the relevant circumstances.

Money Market Fund

 

  (3) Borrow money, except (a) the Fund, to the extent permitted by applicable law, may borrow from banks (as defined in the Act), other affiliated investment companies and other persons or through reverse repurchase agreements in amounts up to 33-1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed), (b) the Fund may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, borrow up to an additional 5% of its total assets for temporary purposes, (c) the Fund may obtain such short-term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of portfolio securities, (d) the Fund may purchase securities on margin to the extent permitted by applicable law and (e) the Fund may engage in transactions in mortgage dollar rolls which are accounted for as financings. (Notwithstanding the foregoing fundamental policy that would allow the Fund to borrow through reverse repurchase agreements, as of April 27, 2012, the Fund does not engage in reverse repurchase transactions as a matter of non-fundamental policy which may be changed or amended by action of the Board of Trustees without approval of shareholders);

The following interpretation applies to, but is not part of, this fundamental policy: In determining whether a particular investment in portfolio instruments or participation in portfolio transactions is subject to this borrowing policy, the accounting treatment of such instrument or participation shall be considered, but shall not by itself be determinative. Whether a particular instrument or transaction constitutes a borrowing shall be determined by the Board, after consideration of all of the relevant circumstances.

Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity, Strategic Growth, Large Cap Value, Mid Cap Value and Strategic International Equity Funds

 

  (4) Make loans, except through (a) the purchase of debt obligations in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies, (b) repurchase agreements with banks, brokers, dealers and other financial institutions and (c) loans of securities as permitted by applicable law;

Growth Opportunities, Equity Index, Government Income, Core Fixed Income and Money Market Funds

 

  (4) Make loans, except through (a) the purchase of debt obligations in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies, (b) repurchase agreements with banks, brokers, dealers and other financial institutions, (c) loans of securities as permitted by applicable law, and (d) loans to affiliates of such Funds to the extent permitted by law;

All Funds

 

  (5) Underwrite securities issued by others, except to the extent that the sale of portfolio securities by the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriting;

All Funds Except the Core Fixed Income Fund

 

  (6) Purchase, hold or deal in real estate, although a Fund may purchase and sell securities that are secured by real estate or interests therein, securities of real estate investment trusts and mortgage-related securities and may hold and sell real estate acquired by a Fund as a result of the ownership of securities;

 

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Core Fixed Income Fund

 

  (6) Hold or deal in real estate (including real estate limited partnerships) or oil, gas or mineral leases, although the Fund may purchase and sell securities that are secured by real estate or interests therein, may purchase mortgage-related securities and may hold and sell real estate acquired by the Fund as a result of the ownership of securities;

All Funds

 

  (7) Invest in commodities or commodity contracts, except that the Fund may invest in currency and financial instruments and contracts that are commodities or commodity contracts; or

All Funds

 

  (8) Issue senior securities to the extent such issuance would violate applicable law.

For purposes of the 25% investment requirement for the Money Market Fund stated in restriction (2) above, the Fund considers “bank obligations” to include obligations either issued or guaranteed by banks (whether foreign or domestic).

Each Fund may, notwithstanding any other fundamental investment restriction or policy, invest some or all of its assets in a single open-end investment company or series thereof with substantially the same investment objective, restrictions and policies as the Fund.

Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions

In addition to the fundamental policies mentioned above, the Trustees have adopted the following non-fundamental policies which can be changed or amended by action of the Trustees without approval of shareholders. Again, for purposes of the following limitations, any limitation which involves a maximum percentage shall not be considered violated unless an excess over the percentage occurs immediately after, and is caused by, an acquisition of securities by a Fund.

A Fund may not:

 

  (a) Invest in companies for the purpose of exercising control or management;

 

  (b) Invest more than 15% of the Fund’s net assets (with respect to the Money Market Fund, 5% of the Fund’s total assets) in illiquid investments including illiquid repurchase agreements with a notice or demand period of more than seven days, securities which are not readily marketable and restricted securities not eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act;

 

  (c) Purchase additional securities if the Fund’s borrowings, as permitted by the Fund’s borrowing policy, exceed 5% of its net assets. (Mortgage dollar rolls are not subject to this limitation); or

 

  (d) Make short sales of securities, except that a Fund may make short sales against the box.

Additional Restrictions Applicable to the Money Market Fund

The Money Market Fund must also comply, as a non-fundamental policy, with Rule 2a-7 under the Act. While a detailed and technical rule, Rule 2a-7 has four basic requirements: portfolio maturity, portfolio quality, portfolio diversification and portfolio liquidity.

 

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Portfolio maturity. Rule 2a-7 requires that, as determined in accordance with Rule 2a-7: (i) the maximum maturity of any security in the Money Market Fund’s portfolio not exceed 13 months; (ii) the Money Market Fund’s average portfolio maturity not exceed 60 days; and (iii) the Money Market Fund’s average portfolio life not exceed 120 days.

Portfolio quality. The Money Market Fund, as a matter of non-fundamental policy, only invests in “First Tier Securities” (as defined in the Rule). Securities which are rated in the highest short-term rating category by at least two NRSROs or, if only one NRSRO has assigned a rating, by that NRSRO, are First Tier Securities. Unrated securities may also be First Tier if they are of comparable quality as determined by the Investment Adviser. In accordance with certain rules, the rating of a demand feature or guarantee of a security may be deemed to be the rating of the underlying security. NRSROs include Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, Fitch and Dominion Bond Rating Service Limited. See Appendix A for a description of their rating categories.

Portfolio diversification. The Money Market Fund may not invest more than 5% of its total assets in the securities of any one issuer (except U.S. Government Securities, repurchase agreements collateralized by such securities, certain securities that are backed by escrowed U.S. Government Securities, and certain securities subject to a guarantee or unconditional demand feature). The Money Market Fund may, however, invest up to 25% of its total assets in the First Tier Securities of a single issuer for a period of up to three business days after the purchase thereof. Subject to certain exceptions, immediately after the acquisition of any demand features or guarantees (i.e., generally, the right to sell the security at a price equal to its approximate amortized cost (for a demand feature) or principal amount (for a guarantee) plus accrued interest), with respect to 75% of the assets of the Money Market Fund, no more than 10% of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in securities issued by or subject to demand features or guarantees issued by the same issuer.

Portfolio liquidity. The Money Market Fund is required to maintain a sufficient degree of liquidity necessary to meet reasonably foreseeable redemption requests. In addition, the Money Market Fund: (i) must hold at least 10% of its total assets in “daily liquid assets” (consisting of cash, direct obligations of the U.S. Government and securities that will mature or are subject to a demand feature that is exercisable and payable within one business day); (ii) must hold at least 30% of its total assets in “weekly liquid assets” (consisting of cash, direct obligations of the U.S. Government, agency discount notes with remaining maturities of 60 days or less and securities that will mature or are subject to a demand feature that is exercisable and payable within five business days); and (iii) may not acquire an illiquid security if, after the purchase, more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets would consist of illiquid securities.

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

The Trust’s Leadership Structure

The business and affairs of the Funds are managed under the direction of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”), subject to the laws of the State of Delaware and the Trust’s Declaration of Trust. The Trustees are responsible for deciding matters of overall policy and reviewing the actions of the Trust’s service providers. The officers of the Trust conduct and supervise each Fund’s daily business operations. Trustees who are not deemed to be “interested persons” of the Trust as defined in the Act are referred to as “Independent Trustees.” Trustees who are deemed to be “interested persons” of the Trust are referred to as “Interested Trustees.” The Board is currently composed of seven Independent Trustees and two Interested Trustees. The Board has selected an Independent Trustee to act as Chairman, whose duties include presiding at meetings of the Board and acting as a focal point to address significant issues that may arise between regularly scheduled Board and Committee meetings. In the performance of the Chairman’s duties, the Chairman will consult with the other Independent Trustees and the Funds’ officers and legal counsel, as appropriate. The Chairman may perform other functions as requested by the Board from time to time.

The Board meets as often as necessary to discharge its responsibilities. Currently, the Board conducts regular, in-person meetings at least six times a year, and holds special in-person or telephonic meetings as necessary to address specific issues that require attention prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting. In addition, the Independent Trustees

 

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meet at least annually to review, among other things, investment management agreements, distribution (Rule 12b-1) and/or service plans and related agreements, transfer agency agreements and certain other agreements providing for the compensation of Goldman Sachs and/or its affiliates by the Funds, and to consider such other matters as they deem appropriate.

The Board has established six standing committees – Audit, Governance and Nominating, Compliance, Valuation, Dividend and Contract Review Committees. The Board may establish other committees, or nominate one or more Trustees to examine particular issues related to the Board’s oversight responsibilities, from time to time. Each Committee meets periodically to perform its delegated oversight functions and reports its findings and recommendations to the Board. For more information on the Committees, see the section “STANDING BOARD COMMITTEES,” below.

The Trustees have determined that the Trust’s leadership structure is appropriate because it allows the Trustees to effectively perform their oversight responsibilities.

Trustees of the Trust

Information pertaining to the Trustees of the Trust as of June 15, 2012 is set forth below.

Independent Trustees

 

Name,

Address and Age1

 

Position(s)

Held with the

Trust

 

Term of

Office and

Length of

Time

Served2

 

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee3
 

Other

Directorships

Held by Trustee4

Ashok N. Bakhru

Age: 70

  Chairman of the Board of Trustees   Since 1996 (Trustee since 1991)   Mr. Bakhru is retired. He is President, ABN Associates (1994-1996 and 1998-Present); Director, Apollo Investment Corporation (a business development company) (2008-Present); Member of Cornell University Council (1992-2004 and 2006-Present); and was formerly Trustee, Scholarship America (1998-2005); Trustee, Institute for Higher Education Policy (2003-2008); Director, Private Equity Investors–III and IV (1998-2007), and Equity-Linked Investors II (April 2002-2007).   104   Apollo Investment Corporation
(a business development company)
      Chairman of the Board of Trustees—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.    

Donald C. Burke

Age: 52

  Trustee   Since 2010   Mr. Burke is retired. He is Director, Avista Corp. (2011-Present); and was formerly a Director, BlackRock Luxembourg and Cayman Funds (2006-2010); President and Chief Executive Officer, BlackRock U.S. Funds (2007-2009); Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (2006-2009); Managing Director, Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, L.P. (“MLIM”) (2006); First Vice President, MLIM (1997-2005); Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, MLIM U.S. Funds (1999-2006).   104   Avista Corp.
(an energy company)
      Trustee—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.    

 

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Name,

Address and Age1

 

Position(s)

Held with the

Trust

 

Term of

Office and

Length of

Time

Served2

 

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee3
 

Other

Directorships

Held by Trustee4

John P. Coblentz, Jr.

Age: 71

  Trustee   Since 2003   Mr. Coblentz is retired. Formerly, he was Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP (1975-2003); Director, Emerging Markets Group, Ltd. (2004-2006); and Director, Elderhostel, Inc. (2006-Present).   104   None
      Trustee—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.    

Diana M. Daniels

Age: 62

  Trustee   Since 2007   Ms. Daniels is retired. Formerly, she was Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, The Washington Post Company (1991-2006). Ms. Daniels is a Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Cornell University (2009-Present); Member, Advisory Board, Psychology Without Borders (international humanitarian aid organization) (since 2007), and former Member of the Legal Advisory Board, New York Stock Exchange (2003-2006) and of the Corporate Advisory Board, Standish Mellon Management Advisors (2006-2007).   104   None
      Trustee—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.    

Joseph P. LoRusso

Age: 55

  Trustee   Since 2010   Mr. LoRusso is retired. Formerly, he was President, Fidelity Investments Institutional Services Co. (“FIIS”) (2002-2008); Director, FIIS (2002-2008); Director, Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company (2003-2007); Executive Officer, Fidelity Distributors Corporation (2007-2008).   104   None
      Trustee—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.    

Jessica Palmer

Age: 63

  Trustee   Since 2007   Ms. Palmer is retired. She is Director, Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture (2011-Present); and was formerly a Consultant, Citigroup Human Resources Department (2007-2008); Managing Director, Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking (previously, Salomon Smith Barney/Salomon Brothers) (1984-2006). Ms. Palmer was a Member of the Board of Trustees of Indian Mountain School (private elementary and secondary school) (2004-2009).   104   None
      Trustee—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.    

 

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Name,

Address and Age1

 

Position(s)

Held with the

Trust

 

Term of

Office and

Length of

Time

Served2

 

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee3
 

Other

Directorships

Held by Trustee4

Richard P. Strubel

Age: 72

  Trustee   Since 1987  

Mr. Strubel is retired. Formerly, he was Director, Cardean Learning Group (provider of educational services via the internet) (2003-2008); Trustee Emeritus, The University of Chicago (1987-Present).

 

Trustee—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

  104   The Northern Trust Mutual Fund Complex (64 Portfolios) (Chairman of the Board of Trustees); Gildan Activewear Inc. (a clothing marketing and manufacturing company)

Interested Trustees

 

Name,

Address and Age1

 

Position(s)

Held with the

Trust

 

Term of

Office and

Length of

Time

Served2

 

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee3
 

Other

Directorships

Held by Trustee4

James A. McNamara*

Age: 49

  President and Trustee   Since 2007   Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998-Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998-December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993-April 1998).   104   None
      President—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (November 2007-Present); Senior Vice President—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (May 2007-November 2007); and Vice President—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (2001-2007).    
      Trustee—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (since November 2007 and December 2002-May 2004).    

Alan A. Shuch*

Age: 62

  Trustee   Since 1990   Advisory Director—GSAM (May 1999-Present); Consultant to GSAM (December 1994-May 1999); and Limited Partner, Goldman Sachs (December 1994-May 1999).   104   None
      Trustee—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.    

 

 

* These persons are considered to be “Interested Trustees” because they hold positions with Goldman Sachs and own securities issued by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Each Interested Trustee holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor.

 

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1 Each Trustee may be contacted by writing to the Trustee, c/o Goldman Sachs, 200 West Street, New York, New York, 10282, Attn: Peter V. Bonanno.
2 Each Trustee holds office for an indefinite term until the earliest of: (a) the election of his or her successor; (b) the date the Trustee resigns or is removed by the Board of Trustees or shareholders, in accordance with the Trust’s Declaration of Trust; (c) the conclusion of the first Board meeting held subsequent to the day the Trustee attains the age of 74 years (in accordance with the current resolutions of the Board of Trustees, which may be changed by the Trustees without shareholder vote); or (d) the termination of the Trust.
3 The Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex consists of the Trust, Goldman Sachs Trust, Goldman Sachs Municipal Opportunity Fund, and Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund. As of April 27, 2012, the Trust consisted of 12 portfolios, Goldman Sachs Trust consisted of 90 portfolios (87 of which currently offer shares to the public), and the Goldman Sachs Municipal Opportunity Fund did not offer shares to the public.
4 This column includes only directorships of companies required to report to the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (i.e., “public companies”) or other investment companies registered under the Act.

The significance or relevance of a Trustee’s particular experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills is considered by the Board on an individual basis. Experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills common to all Trustees include the ability to critically review, evaluate and discuss information provided to them and to interact effectively with the other Trustees and with representatives of the Investment Adviser and its affiliates, other service providers, legal counsel and the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm, the capacity to address financial and legal issues and exercise reasonable business judgment, and a commitment to the representation of the interests of the Funds and their shareholders. The Governance and Nominating Committee’s charter contains certain other factors that are considered by the Governance and Nominating Committee in identifying and evaluating potential nominees to serve as Independent Trustees. Based on each Trustee’s experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills, considered individually and with respect to the experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills of other Trustees, the Board has concluded that each Trustee should serve as a Trustee. Below is a brief discussion of the experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills of each individual Trustee as of April 27, 2012 that led the Board to conclude that such individual should serve as a Trustee.

Ashok N. Bakhru. Mr. Bakhru has served as a Trustee since 1991 and Chairman of the Board since 1996. Mr. Bakhru serves as President of ABN Associates, a management and financial consulting firm, and is a Director of Apollo Investment Corporation, a business development company. Previously, Mr. Bakhru was the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Coty Inc., a multinational cosmetics, fragrance and personal care company. Previously, Mr. Bakhru held several senior management positions at Scott Paper Company, a major manufacturer of paper products, including Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Bakhru also serves on the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Council and the Board of Governors of the Investment Company Institute. He also serves on the Advisory Board of BoardIQ, an investment publication. In addition, Mr. Bakhru has served as Director of Equity-Linked Investments II and Private Equity Investors III and IV, which are private equity partnerships based in New York City. Mr. Bakhru was also a Director of Arkwright Mutual Insurance Company. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Bakhru is experienced with financial and investment matters.

Donald C. Burke. Mr. Burke has served as Trustee since 2010. Mr. Burke serves as a Director of Avista Corp., an energy company. Mr. Burke was a Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc., where he was President and Chief Executive Officer of BlackRock’s U.S. funds and a director and chairman of several offshore funds advised by BlackRock. As President and Chief Executive Officer of BlackRock’s U.S. funds, he was responsible for all accounting, tax and regulatory reporting requirements for over 300 open-end and closed-end BlackRock funds. Previously, he was a Managing Director, First Vice President and Vice President of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, L.P. (“MLIM”), where he worked for 16 years prior to MLIM’s merger with BlackRock, and was instrumental in the integration of BlackRock’s and MLIM’s operating infrastructure following the merger. While at MLIM, he was Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of MLIM’s U.S. funds and Head of Global Operations and Client Services, where he was responsible for the development and maintenance of MLIM’s operating infrastructure across the Americas, Europe and the Pacific Rim. He also developed controls for the MLIM U.S. funds’ financial statement certification process to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, worked with fund auditors in connection with the funds’ annual audits and established the department responsible for all tax issues impacting the MLIM U.S. funds. Previously, Mr. Burke was Tax Manager at

 

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Deloitte & Touche, where he was designated as one of the firm’s lead specialists in the investment company industry, and advised multinational corporations, partnerships, universities and high net worth individuals in tax matters. Mr. Burke is a certified public accountant. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Burke is experienced with accounting, financial and investment matters.

John P. Coblentz, Jr. Mr. Coblentz has served as Trustee since 2003. Mr. Coblentz has been designated as the Board’s “audit committee financial expert” given his extensive accounting and finance experience. Mr. Coblentz was a partner with Deloitte & Touche LLP for 28 years. While at Deloitte & Touche LLP, Mr. Coblentz was lead partner responsible for all auditing and accounting services to a variety of large, global companies, a significant portion of which operated in the financial services industry. Mr. Coblentz was also the national managing partner for the firm’s risk management function, a member of the firm’s Management Committee and the first managing partner of the firm’s Financial Advisory Services practice, which brought together the firm’s mergers and acquisition services, forensic and dispute services, corporate finance, asset valuation and reorganization businesses under one management structure. He served as a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. Mr. Coblentz also currently serves as a Director of Elderhostel, Inc., a not-for-profit organization. Mr. Coblentz is a certified public accountant. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Coblentz is experienced with accounting, financial and investment matters.

Diana M. Daniels. Ms. Daniels has served as Trustee since 2007. Ms. Daniels also serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Cornell University. Ms. Daniels held several senior management positions at The Washington Post Company and its subsidiaries, where she worked for 29 years. While at The Washington Post Company, Ms. Daniels served as Vice Present, General Counsel, Secretary to the Board of Directors and Secretary to the Audit Committee. Previously, Ms. Daniels served as Vice President and General Counsel of Newsweek, Inc. Ms. Daniels has also served as a member of the Corporate Advisory Board of Standish Mellon Management Advisors and of the Legal Advisory Board of New York Stock Exchange. Ms. Daniels is also a member of the American Law Institute and of the Advisory Council of the Inter-American Press Association. Based on the foregoing, Ms. Daniels is experienced with legal, financial and investment matters.

Joseph P. LoRusso. Mr. LoRusso has served as Trustee since 2010. Mr. LoRusso held a number of senior management positions at Fidelity Investments for over 15 years, where he was most recently President of Fidelity Investments Institutional Services Co. (“FIIS”). As President of FIIS, Mr. LoRusso oversaw the development, distribution and servicing of Fidelity’s investment and retirement products through various financial intermediaries. Previously, he served as President, Executive Vice President and Senior Vice President of Fidelity Institutional Retirement Services Co., where he helped establish Fidelity’s 401(k) business and built it into the largest in the U.S. In these positions, he oversaw sales, marketing, implementation, client services, operations and technology. Mr. LoRusso also served on Fidelity’s Executive Management Committee. Prior to his experience with Fidelity, he was Second Vice President in the Investment and Pension Group of John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance, where he had responsibility for developing and running the company’s 401(k) business. Previously, he worked at The Equitable (now a subsidiary of AXA Financial), where he was Product Manager of the company’s then-nascent 401(k) business, and at Arthur Andersen & Co. (now Accenture), as a Senior Consultant within the firm’s consulting practice. Based on the foregoing, Mr. LoRusso is experienced with financial and investment matters.

Jessica Palmer. Ms. Palmer has served as Trustee since 2007. Ms. Palmer serves as a Director of Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture, a not-for-profit organization. Ms. Palmer worked at Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking (previously, Salomon Smith Barney/Salomon Brothers) for over 20 years, where she was a Managing Director. While at Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking, Ms. Palmer was Head of Global Risk Management, Chair of the Global Commitment Committee, Co-Chair of International Investment Banking (New York) and Head of Fixed Income Capital Markets. Ms. Palmer was also a member of the Management Committee and Risk Management Operating Committee of Citigroup, Inc. Prior to that, Ms. Palmer was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs in its international corporate finance department. Ms. Palmer was also Assistant Vice President of the International Division at Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Ms. Palmer was also a member of the Board of Trustees of a private elementary and secondary school. Based on the foregoing, Ms. Palmer is experienced with financial and investment matters.

 

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Richard P. Strubel. Mr. Strubel has served as Trustee since 1987. Mr. Strubel also serves as Chairman of the Northern Funds, a family of retail and institutional mutual funds managed by The Northern Trust Company. He also serves on the board of Gildan Activewear Inc., which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). Mr. Strubel was Vice-Chairman of the Board of Cardean Learning Group (formerly known as Unext), and previously served as Unext’s President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Strubel was Managing Director of Tandem Partners, Inc., a privately-held management services firm, and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Microdot, Inc. Previously, Mr. Strubel served as President of Northwest Industries, then a NYSE-listed company, a conglomerate with various operating entities located around the country. Before joining Northwest, Mr. Strubel was an associate and later managing principal of Fry Consultants, a management consulting firm based in Chicago. Mr. Strubel is also a Trustee Emeritus of the University of Chicago and is an adjunct professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Strubel is experienced with financial and investment matters.

James A. McNamara. Mr. McNamara has served as Trustee and President of the Trust since 2007 and has served as an officer of the Trust since 2001. Mr. McNamara is a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs. Mr. McNamara is currently head of Global Third Party Distribution at GSAM, where he was previously head of U.S. Third Party Distribution. Prior to that role, Mr. McNamara served as Director of Institutional Fund Sales. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Mr. McNamara was Vice President and Manager at Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation. Based on the foregoing, Mr. McNamara is experienced with financial and investment matters.

Alan A. Shuch. Mr. Shuch has served as a Trustee since 1990. Mr. Shuch is an Advisory Director to Goldman Sachs. Mr. Shuch serves on the Board of Trustees of a number of offshore funds managed by GSAM. He serves on GSAM’s Valuation and Brokerage Allocation Committees. Prior to retiring as a general partner of Goldman Sachs in 1994, Mr. Shuch was president and chief operating officer of GSAM which he founded in 1988. Mr. Shuch joined the Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Division in 1976. He was instrumental in building Goldman Sachs’ Corporate Bond Department and served as co-head of the Global Fixed Income Sales and the High Yield Bond and Preferred Stock Departments. He headed the Portfolio Restructuring and Fixed Income Quantitative and Credit Research Departments. Mr. Shuch also served on a variety of firm-wide committees including the International Executive, New Product and Strategic Planning Committees and was a member of the Stone Street/Bridge Street Private Equity Board. Mr. Shuch serves on Wharton’s Graduate Executive Board. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Shuch is experienced with financial and investment matters.

 

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Officers of the Trust

Information pertaining to the officers of the Trust as of June 15, 2012 is set forth below.

 

Name, Age And Address

 

Position(s) Held

With the Trust

 

Term of Office and

Length of Time

Served1

 

Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years

James A. McNamara

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 49

  Trustee and President   Since 2007   Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998-Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998-December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993-April 1998).
      President—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (November 2007-Present); Senior Vice President—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (May 2007-November 2007); and Vice President—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (2001-2007).
      Trustee—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (November 2007-Present and December 2002—May 2004).

Scott McHugh

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 40

  Treasurer and Senior Vice President   Since 2009   Vice President, Goldman Sachs (February 2007-Present); Assistant Treasurer of certain mutual funds administered by DWS Scudder (2005-2007); and Director (2005-2007), Vice President (2000-2005), Assistant Vice President (1998-2000), Deutsche Asset Management or its predecessor (1998-2007).
      Treasurer—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (October 2009-Present); Senior Vice President—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (November 2009-Present); and Assistant Treasurer—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (May 2007-October 2009).

George F. Travers

30 Hudson Street

Jersey City, NJ 07302

Age: 44

  Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer   Since 2009   Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (2007-Present); Managing Director, UBS Ag (2005-2007); and Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP (1990-2005, partner from 2000-2005).
      Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

Philip V. Giuca, Jr.

30 Hudson Street

Jersey City, NJ 07302

Age: 50

  Assistant Treasurer   Since 1997  

Vice President, Goldman Sachs (May 1992-Present).

 

Assistant Treasurer—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

Peter Fortner

30 Hudson Street

Jersey City, NJ 07302

Age: 54

  Assistant Treasurer   Since 2000   Vice President, Goldman Sachs (July 2000-Present); Principal Financial Officer, Commerce Bank Mutual Fund Complex (2008-Present); Associate, Prudential Insurance Company of America (November 1985-June 2000); and Assistant Treasurer, certain closed-end funds administered by Prudential (1999-2000).
      Assistant Treasurer—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

 

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Name, Age And Address

 

Position(s) Held

With the Trust

 

Term of Office and

Length of Time

Served1

 

Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years

Kenneth G. Curran

30 Hudson Street

Jersey City, NJ 07302

Age: 48

  Assistant Treasurer   Since 2001  

Vice President, Goldman Sachs (November 1998-Present); and Senior Tax Manager, KPMG Peat Marwick (accountants) (August 1995-October 1998).

 

Assistant Treasurer—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

Jesse Cole

71 South Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

Age: 49

  Vice President   Since 1998   Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 2006-Present); Vice President, GSAM (June 1998-Present); and Vice President, AIM Management Group, Inc. (investment adviser) (April 1996-June 1998).
      Vice President—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

Kerry K. Daniels

71 South Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

Age: 49

  Vice President   Since 2000  

Manager, Financial Control—Shareholder Services, Goldman Sachs (1986-Present).

 

Vice President—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

Mark Hancock

71 South Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

Age: 44

  Vice President   Since 2007   Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (November 2005-Present); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (August 2000-November 2005); Senior Vice President—Dreyfus Service Corp (1999-2000); and Vice President—Dreyfus Service Corp (1996-1999).
      Vice President—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

Jeffrey D. Matthes

30 Hudson Street

Jersey City, NJ 07302

Age: 42

  Vice President   Since 2007  

Vice President, Goldman Sachs (December 2004-Present); and Associate, Goldman Sachs (December 2002-December 2004).

 

Vice President—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

Carlos W. Samuels

30 Hudson Street

Jersey City, NJ 07302

Age: 37

  Vice President   Since 2007   Vice President, Goldman Sachs (December 2007-Present); Associate, Goldman Sachs (December 2005-December 2007); Analyst, Goldman Sachs (January 2004-December 2005).
      Vice President—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

Miriam Cytryn

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 53

  Vice President   Since 2008   Vice President, GSAM (2008-Present); Vice President of Divisional Management, Investment Management Division (2007-2008); Vice President and Chief of Staff, GSAM US Distribution (2003-2007); and Vice President of Employee Relations, Goldman Sachs (1996-2003).
      Vice President—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

 

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Name, Age And Address

 

Position(s) Held

With the Trust

 

Term of Office and

Length of Time

Served1

 

Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years

Glen Casey

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 47

  Vice President   Since 2008  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (2007-Present); and Vice President, Goldman Sachs (1997-2007).

 

Vice President—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

Mark Heaney

Christchurch Court

10-15 Newgate Street

London, EC1A 7HD, UK

Age: 44

  Vice President   Since 2010   Executive Director, GSAM (May 2005-Present); Director of Operations (UK and Ireland), Invesco Asset Management (May 2004-March 2005); Global Head of Investment Administration, Invesco Asset Management (September 2001-May 2004); Managing Director (Ireland), Invesco Asset Management (March 2000-September 2001); Director of Investment Administration, Invesco Asset Management (December 1998-March 2000).
      Vice President—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

Peter V. Bonanno

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 44

  Secretary   Since 2003   Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 2006-Present); Associate General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (2002-Present); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (1999-2006); and Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (1999-2002).
      Secretary—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (2006-Present); and Assistant Secretary—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (2003-2006).

David Fishman

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 47

  Assistant Secretary   Since 2001  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 2001-Present); and Vice President, Goldman Sachs (1997-December 2001).

 

Assistant Secretary—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

Danny Burke

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 49

  Assistant Secretary   Since 2001  

Vice President, Goldman Sachs (1987-Present).

 

Assistant Secretary—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

 

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Name, Age And Address

 

Position(s) Held

With the Trust

 

Term of Office and

Length of Time

Served1

 

Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years

Deborah Farrell

30 Hudson Street

Jersey City, NJ 07302

Age: 40

  Assistant Secretary   Since 2007  

Vice President, Goldman Sachs (2005-Present); Associate, Goldman Sachs (2001-2005); and Analyst, Goldman Sachs (1994-2005).

 

Assistant Secretary—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

Patrick T. O’Callaghan

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 40

  Assistant Secretary   Since 2009  

Vice President, Goldman Sachs (2000-Present); Associate, Goldman Sachs (1998-2000); Analyst, Goldman Sachs (1995-1998).

 

Assistant Secretary—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

James A. McCarthy

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 48

  Assistant Secretary   Since 2009  

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (2003-Present); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (1996-2003); Portfolio Manager, Goldman Sachs (1995-1996).

 

Assistant Secretary—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

Andrew Murphy

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 39

  Assistant Secretary   Since 2010   Vice President, Goldman Sachs (April 2009-Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (April 2009-Present); Attorney, Axiom Legal (2007-2009); Vice President and Counsel, AllianceBernstein, L.P. (2001-2007).
      Assistant Secretary—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

Robert Griffith

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 37

  Assistant Secretary   Since 2011   Vice President, Goldman Sachs (August 2011-Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (August 2011-Present); Vice President and Counsel, Nomura Holding America, Inc. (2010-2011); Associate, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP (2005-2010).
      Assistant Secretary—Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

Caroline Kraus

200 West Street

New York, NY 10282

Age: 35

  Assistant Secretary   Since 2012   Vice President, Goldman Sachs (August 2006–Present); Associate General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (2012–Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (August 2006–December 2011); Associate, Weil, Gotshal & Manges–LLP (2002-2006).
      Assistant Secretary — Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.

 

 

1 

Officers hold office at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Each officer holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor.

Standing Board Committees

The Audit Committee oversees the audit process and provides assistance to the Board with respect to fund accounting, tax compliance and financial statement matters. In performing its responsibilities, the Audit Committee selects and recommends annually to the Board an independent registered public accounting firm to audit the books and records of the Trust for the ensuing year, and reviews with the firm the scope and results of each audit. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee held four meetings during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011.

The Governance and Nominating Committee has been established to: (i) assist the Board in matters involving mutual fund governance, which includes making recommendations to the Board with respect to the effectiveness of the Board in carrying out its responsibilities in governing the Funds and overseeing their management; (ii) select and nominate candidates for appointment or election to serve as Independent Trustees; and (iii) advise the Board on ways to improve its effectiveness. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Governance and Nominating Committee. The Governance and

 

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Nominating Committee held two meetings during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011. As stated above, each Trustee holds office for an indefinite term until the occurrence of certain events. In filling Board vacancies, the Governance and Nominating Committee will consider nominees recommended by shareholders. Nominee recommendations should be submitted to the Trust at its mailing address stated in the Funds’ Prospectuses and should be directed to the attention of the Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust Governance and Nominating Committee.

The Compliance Committee has been established for the purpose of overseeing the compliance processes: (i) of the Funds; and (ii) insofar as they relate to services provided to the Funds, of the Funds’ investment advisers, distributor, administrator (if any), and transfer agent, except that compliance processes relating to the accounting and financial reporting processes, and certain related matters, are overseen by the Audit Committee. In addition, the Compliance Committee provides assistance to the Board with respect to compliance matters. The Compliance Committee met three times during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Compliance Committee.

The Valuation Committee is authorized to act for the Board in connection with the valuation of portfolio securities held by the Funds in accordance with the Trust’s Valuation Procedures. Messrs. McNamara and Shuch serve on the Valuation Committee, together with certain employees of GSAM who are not Trustees. The Valuation Committee met twelve times during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011. The Valuation Committee reports periodically to the Board.

The Dividend Committee is authorized, subject to the ratification of Trustees who are not members of the committee, to declare dividends and capital gain distributions consistent with each Fund’s Prospectus. Messrs. McNamara and McHugh serve on the Dividend Committee. The Dividend Committee met twelve times during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011.

The Contract Review Committee has been established for the purpose of overseeing the processes of the Board for reviewing and monitoring performance under the Funds’ investment management, distribution, transfer agency, and certain other agreements with the Funds’ Investment Advisers and their affiliates. The Contract Review Committee is also responsible for overseeing the Board’s processes for considering and reviewing performance under the operation of the Funds’ distribution, service, shareholder administration and other plans, and any agreements related to the plans, whether or not such plans and agreements are adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act. The Contract Review Committee also provides appropriate assistance to the Board in connection with the Board’s approval, oversight and review of the Funds’ other service providers including, without limitation, the Funds’ custodian/accounting agent, sub-transfer agents, professional (legal and accounting) firms and printing firms. The Contract Review Committee met three times during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Contract Review Committee.

Risk Oversight

The Board is responsible for the oversight of the activities of the Funds, including oversight of risk management. Day-to-day risk management with respect to the Funds is the responsibility of GSAM or other service providers (depending on the nature of the risk), subject to supervision by GSAM. The risks of the Funds include, but are not limited to, investment risk, compliance risk, operational risk, reputational risk, credit risk and counterparty risk. Each of GSAM and the other service providers have their own independent interest in risk management and their policies and methods of risk management may differ from the Funds and each other’s in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. As a result, the Board recognizes that it is not possible to identify all of the risks that may affect the Funds or to develop processes and controls to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects, and that some risks are simply beyond the control of the Funds or GSAM, its affiliates or other service providers.

The Board effectuates its oversight role primarily through regular and special meetings of the Board and Board committees. In certain cases, risk management issues are specifically addressed in presentations and discussions. For example, GSAM has an independent dedicated Market Risk Group that assists GSAM in managing investment risk.

 

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Representatives from the Market Risk Group regularly meet with the Board to discuss their analysis and methodologies. In addition, investment risk is discussed in the context of regular presentations to the Board on Fund strategy and performance. Other types of risk are addressed as part of presentations on related topics (e.g. compliance policies) or in the context of presentations focused specifically on one or more risks. The Board also receives reports from GSAM management on operational risks, reputational risks and counterparty risks relating to the Funds.

Board oversight of risk management is also performed by various Board committees. For example, the Audit Committee meets with both the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm and the GSAM’s internal audit group to review risk controls in place that support the Funds as well as test results, and the Compliance Committee meets with the CCO and representatives of GSAM’s compliance group to review testing results of the Funds’ compliance policies and procedures and other compliance issues. Board oversight of risk is also performed as needed between meetings through communications between the GSAM and the Board. The Board may, at any time and in its discretion, change the manner in which it conducts risk oversight. The Board’s oversight role does not make the Board a guarantor of the Fund’s investments or activities.

Trustee Ownership of Fund Shares

The following table shows the dollar range of shares beneficially owned by each Trustee in the Funds and other portfolios of the Trust and Goldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund as of December 31, 2011. Shares of the Funds are offered only to separate accounts of participating insurance companies for the purpose of funding various annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies and are not available for direct investment by the Trustees.

 

Name of Trustee

   Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in
the Funds1
   Aggregate Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in All
Portfolios in Fund Complex
Overseen By Trustee2

Ashok N. Bakhru

      Over $100,000

Donald C. Burke

      Over $100,000

John P. Coblentz, Jr.

      Over $100,000

Diana M. Daniels

      Over $100,000

Joseph P. LoRusso

      Over $100,000

James A. McNamara

      Over $100,000

Jessica Palmer

      Over $100,000

Alan A. Shuch

      Over $100,000

Richard P. Strubel

      Over $100,000

 

 

1 

Includes the value of shares beneficially owned by each Trustee in each Fund described in this SAI. Shares of the Funds are not offered directly to the public.

2 

As of December 31, 2011, the Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex consisted of the Trust, Goldman Sachs Trust, Goldman Sachs Municipal Opportunity Fund and Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund. As of December 31, 2011, the Trust consisted of 12 portfolios (11 of which offered shares to the public), the Goldman Sachs Trust consisted of 90 portfolios (83 of which offered shares to the public) and the Goldman Sachs Municipal Opportunity Fund did not offer shares to the public.

As of April 10, 2012, the Trustees and Officers of the Trust as a group owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of beneficial interest of each Fund.

Board Compensation

Each Independent Trustee is compensated with a unitary annual fee for his or her services as a Trustee of the Trust and as a member of the Governance and Nominating Committee, Compliance Committee, Contract Review Committee, and Audit Committee in lieu of each Independent Trustee receiving an annual fee plus additional fees for each meeting attended. Under this compensation structure, the Chairman and “audit committee financial expert” receive additional compensation for their services. The Independent Trustees are also reimbursed for travel expenses incurred in connection with attending such meetings. The Trust may also pay the incidental costs of a Trustee to attend training or other types of conferences relating to the investment company industry.

 

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The following tables set forth certain information with respect to the compensation of each Trustee of the Trust for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011:

 

      Trustee Compensation  

Name of Trustee

   Structured
U.S.

Equity
Fund
     Structured
Small Cap
Equity
Fund
     Strategic
Growth
Fund
     Large Cap
Value
Fund
     Mid Cap
Value
Fund
     Strategic
International
Equity
Fund
 

Ashok N. Bakhru1

   $ 3,362       $ 3,228       $ 3,343       $ 3,777       $ 3,580       $ 3,273   

Donald C. Burke

     2,172         2,084         2,158         2,439         2,311         2,113   

John P. Coblentz, Jr.2

     2,513         2,411         2,497         2,821         2,674         2,444   

Diana M. Daniels

     2,172         2,084         2,158         2,439         2,311         2,113   

Joseph P. LoRusso

     2,172         2,084         2,158         2,439         2,311         2,113   

James A. McNamara3

     —           —           —           —           —           —     

Jessica Palmer

     2,172         2,084         2,158         2,439         2,311         2,113   

Alan A. Shuch3

     —           —           —           —           —           —     

Richard P. Strubel

     2,172         2,084         2,158         2,439         2,311         2,113   

 

Name of Trustee

   Growth
Opportunities
Fund
     Equity
Index
Fund
     Government
Income
Fund
     Core
Fixed
Income
Fund
     Money
Market
Fund
 

Ashok N. Bakhru1

   $ 3,245       $ 3,258       $ 3,204       $ 3,247       $ 3,221   

Donald C. Burke

     2,095         2,103         2,068         2,096         2,079   

John P. Coblentz, Jr.2

     2,424         2,433         2,393         2,425         2,406   

Diana M. Daniels

     2,095         2,103         2,068         2,096         2,079   

Joseph P. LoRusso

     2,095         2,103         2,068         2,096         2,079   

James A. McNamara3

     —           —           —           —           —     

Jessica Palmer

     2,095         2,103         2,068         2,096         2,079   

Alan A. Shuch3

     —           —           —           —           —     

Richard P. Strubel

     2,095         2,103         2,068         2,096         2,079   

 

Name of Trustee

   Pension  or
Retirement
Benefits Accrued  as
Part of the Trust’s
Expenses
     Total Compensation
From Fund
Complex
(including the
Funds)*
 

Ashok N. Bakhru1

        —         $ 395,000   

Donald C. Burke

        —           255,000   

John P. Coblentz, Jr.2

        —           295,000   

Diana M. Daniels

        —           255,000   

Joseph P. LoRusso

        —           255,000   

James A. McNamara3

        —           —     

Jessica Palmer

        —           255,000   

Alan A. Shuch3

        —           —     

Richard P. Strubel

        —           255,000   

 

 

* As of December 31, 2011, the Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex consisted of the Trust, Goldman Sachs Trust, Goldman Sachs Municipal Opportunity Fund and Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund. As of December 31, 2011, the Trust consisted of 12 portfolios (11 of which offered shares to the public), the Goldman Sachs Trust consisted of 90 portfolios (83 of which offered shares to the public) and the Goldman Sachs Municipal Opportunity Fund did not offer shares to the public.
1 

Includes compensation as Board Chairman.

2 

Includes compensation as “audit committee financial expert,” as defined in Item 3 of Form N-CSR.

3 

Messrs. McNamara and Shuch are Interested Trustees, and as such, receive no compensation from the Funds or the Fund Complex.

 

 

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Miscellaneous

The Trust, its Investment Advisers and principal underwriter have adopted codes of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the Act that permit personnel subject to their particular codes of ethics to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Funds.

MANAGEMENT SERVICES

Investment Advisers and Sub-Adviser

As stated in the Funds’ Prospectuses, GSAM (formerly, Goldman Sachs Funds Management, L.P.), 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, serves as Investment Adviser to the each Fund except the Strategic International Equity Fund. GSAM is a subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and an affiliate of Goldman Sachs. Prior to the end of April 2003, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, a business unit of the Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs served as the Fund’s investment adviser. On or about April 26, 2003, GSAM assumed Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s investment advisory responsibilities for the Funds. GSAMI, Christchurch Court, 10-15 Newgate Street, London, England EC1A7HD, serves as Investment Adviser to the Strategic International Equity Fund. As a company with unlimited liability under the laws of England, GSAMI is regulated by the Investment Management Regulatory Organization Limited, a United Kingdom self regulatory organization, in the conduct of its investment advisory business. GSAMI is also an affiliate of Goldman Sachs. SSgA Funds Management, Inc., State Street Financial Center, One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111-2900, serves as Sub-Adviser to the Equity Index Fund. See “Service Providers” in the Funds’ Prospectuses for a description of the applicable Investment Adviser’s or Sub-Adviser’s duties to the Funds.

Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a financial holding company and a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm. Goldman Sachs is a leader in developing portfolio strategies and in many fields of investing and financing, participating in financial markets worldwide and serving individuals, institutions, corporations and governments. Goldman Sachs is also among the principal market sources for current and thorough information on companies, industrial sectors, markets, economies and currencies, and trades and makes markets in a wide range of equity and debt securities 24 hours a day. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in countries throughout the world. It has trading professionals throughout the United States, as well as in London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Seoul, Sao Paulo and other major financial centers around the world. The active participation of Goldman Sachs in the world’s financial markets enhances its ability to identify attractive investments. Goldman Sachs has agreed to permit the Funds to use the name “Goldman Sachs” or a derivative thereof as part of each Fund’s name for as long as each Fund’s Management Agreement is in effect.

The Investment Advisers are able to draw on the substantial research and market expertise of Goldman Sachs, whose investment research effort is one of the largest in the industry. The Global Investment Research division provides original fundamental insights and analysis for clients in the equity, fixed income and currency and commodities markets. The group covers areas such as economics, portfolio strategy, derivatives and equity and credit securities in more than 25 stock markets and 50 economies and regions around the world. The in-depth information and analyses generated by Goldman Sachs’ research analysts are available to the Investment Advisers subject to Chinese Wall restrictions.

In addition, many of Goldman Sachs’ economists, securities analysts, portfolio strategists and credit analysts have consistently been highly ranked in respected industry surveys conducted in the United States and abroad. Goldman Sachs is also among the leading investment firms using quantitative analytics (now used by a growing number of investors) to structure and evaluate portfolios. For example, Goldman Sachs’ options evaluation model analyzes a security’s term, coupon and call option providing an overall analysis of the security’s value relative to its interest risk.

 

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In managing the Funds, the Investment Advisers have access to Goldman Sachs’ economics research. The Economics Research Department based in London, conducts economic, financial and currency markets research which analyzes economic trends and interest and exchange rate movements worldwide. The Economics Research Department tracks factors such as inflation and money supply figures, balance of trade figures, economic growth, commodity prices, monetary and fiscal policies, and political events that can influence interest rates and currency trends. The success of Goldman Sachs’ international research team has brought wide recognition to its members. The team has earned top rankings in various external surveys such as Pensions and Investments, Forbes and Dalbar. These rankings acknowledge the achievements of the firm’s economists, strategists and equity analysts.

In allocating assets among foreign countries and currencies for the Funds which can invest in foreign securities, the Investment Advisers will have access to the Global Asset Allocation Model. The model is based on the observation that the prices of all financial assets, including foreign currencies, will adjust until investors globally are comfortable holding the pool of outstanding assets. Using the model, the Investment Advisers will estimate the total returns from each currency sector which are consistent with the average investor holding a portfolio equal to the market capitalization of the financial assets among those currency sectors. These estimated equilibrium returns are then combined with the expectations of Goldman Sachs’ research professionals to produce an optimal currency and asset allocation for the level of risk suitable for a Fund given its investment objectives and criteria.

With respect to the Government Income Fund and Core Fixed Income Fund, GSAM expects to utilize Goldman Sachs’ sophisticated option-adjusted analytics to help make strategic asset allocations within the markets for U.S. Government Securities, Mortgage-Backed Securities and other securities and to employ this technology periodically to re-evaluate the Funds’ investments as market conditions change. Goldman Sachs has also developed a prepayment model designed to estimate mortgage prepayments and cash flows under different interest rate scenarios. Because a Mortgage-Backed Security incorporates the borrower’s right to prepay the mortgage, GSAM uses a sophisticated option-adjusted spread (OAS) model to measure expected returns. A security’s OAS is a function of the level and shape of the yield curve, volatility and GSAM’s expectation of how a change in interest rates will affect prepayment levels. Since the OAS model assumes a relationship between prepayments and interest rates, GSAM considers it a better way to measure a security’s expected return and absolute and relative values than yield to maturity. In using OAS technology, GSAM will first evaluate the absolute level of a security’s OAS and consider its liquidity and its interest rate, volatility and prepayment sensitivity. GSAM will then analyze its value relative to alternative investments and to its own investments. GSAM will also measure a security’s interest rate risk by computing an option adjusted duration (OAD). GSAM believes a security’s OAD is a better measurement of its price sensitivity than cash flow duration, which systematically misstates portfolio duration. GSAM also evaluates returns for different mortgage market sectors and evaluates the credit risk of individual securities. This sophisticated technical analysis allows GSAM to develop portfolio and trading strategies using Mortgage-Backed Securities that are believed to be superior investments on a risk-adjusted basis and which provide the flexibility to meet the respective Fund’s duration targets and cash flow pattern requirements.

Because the OAS is adjusted for the differing characteristics of the underlying securities, the OAS of different Mortgage-Backed Securities can be compared directly as an indication of their relative value in the market. GSAM also expects to use OAS-based pricing methods to calculate projected security returns under different, discrete interest rate scenarios, and Goldman Sachs’ proprietary prepayment model to generate yield estimates under these scenarios. The OAS, scenario returns, expected returns, and yields of securities in the mortgage market can be combined and analyzed in an optimal risk-return matching framework.

GSAM will use OAS analytics to choose what they believe is an appropriate portfolio of investments for the Government Income Fund and Core Fixed Income Fund from a universe of eligible investments. In connection with initial portfolio selections, in addition to using OAS analytics as an aid to meeting each Fund’s particular composition and performance targets, GSAM will also take into account important market criteria like the available supply and relative liquidity of various mortgage securities in structuring the portfolio.

 

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GSAM also expects to use OAS analytics to evaluate the mortgage market on an ongoing basis. Changes in the relative value of various Mortgage-Backed Securities could suggest tactical trading opportunities for the Government Income Fund and Core Fixed Income Fund. GSAM will have access to both current market analysis as well as historical information on the relative value relationships among different Mortgage-Backed Securities. Current market analysis and historical information is available in the Goldman Sachs database for most actively traded Mortgage-Backed Securities.

Goldman Sachs has agreed to provide GSAM, on a non-exclusive basis, use of its mortgage prepayment model, OAS model and any other proprietary services which it now has or may develop, to the extent such services are made available to other similar customers. Use of these services by the Investment Adviser with respect to a Fund does not preclude Goldman Sachs from providing these services to third parties or using such services as a basis for trading for its own account or the account of others.

The fixed income research capabilities of Goldman Sachs available to GSAM include the Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Research Department and the Credit Department. The Fixed Income Research Department monitors developments in U.S. and foreign fixed income markets, assesses the outlooks for various sectors of the markets and provides relative value comparisons, as well as analyzes trading opportunities within and across market sectors. The Fixed Income Research Department is at the forefront in developing and using computer-based tools for analyzing fixed income securities and markets, developing new fixed income products and structuring portfolio strategies for investment policy and tactical asset allocation decisions. The Credit Department tracks specific governments, regions and industries and from time to time may review the credit quality of a Fund’s investments.

The Management Agreement for the Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Small Cap Equity, Strategic Growth, Large Cap Value, Mid Cap Value and Strategic International Equity Funds was initially approved by the Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Management Agreement or “interested persons” (as such term is defined in the Act) of any party thereto (the “non-interested Trustees”), on October 21, 1997. The Management Agreements were initially approved by the Trustees, including a majority of the non-interested Trustees, with respect to the Growth Opportunities, Equity Index, Government Income, Core Fixed Income and Money Market Funds on August 4, 2005. Each Management Agreement with respect to these Funds was most recently approved by the Trustees, including a majority of the non-interested Trustees, on June 16, 2011. A discussion regarding the Board of Trustees’ basis for approving the Management Agreements is available in the Funds’ semi-annual reports dated June 30, 2011.

The Management Agreements will remain in effect with respect to the Funds until June 30, 2012 and will continue in effect with respect to each Fund from year to year thereafter provided such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by (i) the vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities or a majority of the Trustees of the Trust, and (ii) the vote of a majority of the non-interested Trustees of the Trust, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. Each Management Agreement will terminate automatically with respect to a Fund if assigned (as defined in the Act). Each Management Agreement is also terminable at any time without penalty by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund on 60 days written notice to the Investment Adviser and by the Investment Adviser on 60 days written notice to the Trust.

Pursuant to the Management Agreements, the Investment Advisers are entitled to receive the fees listed below, payable monthly based on each Fund’s average daily net assets.

 

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Fund

  

Contractual Rate

   Actual Rate
For the Fiscal
Year Ended
December 31, 2011

Structured U.S. Equity

  

0.62% on the first $1 billion

0.59% on the next $1 billion

0.56% on the next $3 billion

0.55% on the next $3 billion

0.54% over $8 billion

   0.62%

Structured Small Cap Equity

  

0.75% on the first $2 billion

0.68% on the next $3 billion

0.65% on the next $3 billion

0.64% over $8 billion

   0.72%*

Strategic Growth

  

0.75% on the first $1 billion

0.68% on the next $1 billion

0.65% on the next $3 billion

0.64% on the next $3 billion

0.63% over $8 billion

   0.73%*

Large Cap Value

  

0.75% on the first $1 billion

0.68% on the next $1 billion

0.65% on the next $3 billion

0.64% on the next $3 billion

0.63% over $8 billion

   0.73%*

Mid Cap Value

  

0.80% on the first $2 billion

0.72% on the next $3 billion

0.68% on the next $3 billion

0.67% over $8 billion

   0.79%*

Growth Opportunities

  

1.00% on the first $2 billion

0.90% on the next $3 billion

0.86% on the next $3 billion

0.84% over $8 billion

   0.99%*

Equity Index

   0.30%    0.21%**

Strategic International Equity

  

0.85% on the first $1 billion

0.77% on the next $1 billion

0.73% on the next $3 billion

0.72% on the next $3 billion

0.71% over $8 billion

   0.83%*

Government Income

  

0.54% on the first $1 billion

0.49% on the next $1 billion

0.47% on the next $3 billion

0.46% on the next $3 billion

0.45% over $8 billion

   0.54%

Core Fixed Income

  

0.40% on the first $1 billion

0.36% on the next $1 billion

0.34% on the next $3 billion

0.33% on the next $3 billion

0.32% over $8 billion

   0.40%

Money Market

   0.205%    0.21%

 

 

* Effective as of June 30, 2011, the Investment Adviser agreed to waive a portion of its management fee in order to achieve effective net management fee rates of 0.70%, 0.71%, 0.73%, 0.77%, 0.97% and 0.81% for the Structured Small Cap Equity,

 

 

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Strategic Growth, Large Cap Value, Mid Cap Value, Growth Opportunities and Strategic International Equity Funds, respectively. These waiver arrangements will remain in effect through at least April 27, 2013, and prior to such date the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangements without the approval of the Board of Trustees. Prior to June 30, 2011, the Investment Adviser agreed to waive a portion of its management fee equal to 0.02% of the Structured Small Cap Equity Fund’s average daily net assets.

** The Investment Adviser agreed to waive a portion of the management fee equal to 0.09% of the annual contractual rate applicable to the Fund’s average daily net assets between $0 and $400 million, and equal to 0.10% of the annual contractual rate applicable to the Fund’s average daily net assets exceeding $400 million. This waiver will remain in effect through at least April 27, 2013, and prior to such date, the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2011, December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, the amount of fees incurred by each Fund then in existence pursuant to the Management Agreements was as follows:

 

     2011      2010      2009  
     With Fee      Without Fee      With Fee      With Fee      With Fee      Without Fee  
     Waiver      Waiver      Waiver      Waiver      Waiver      Waiver  

Structured U.S. Equity Fund

   $ 2,524,975       $ 2,524,975       $ 2,647,044       $ 2,647,044       $ 2,688,744       $ 2,688,744   

Structured Small Cap Equity Fund

     880,218         922,033         885,416         909,674         723,608         743,432   

Strategic Growth Fund

     2,616,159         2,686,875         2,502,684         2,502,684         2,219,517         2,219,517   

Large Cap Value Fund

     9,005,713         9,107,113         7,366,601         7,366,601         4,652,542         4,652,542   

Mid Cap Value Fund

     6,761,487         6,881,096         7,128,198         7,128,198         6,838,817         6,838,817   

Strategic International Equity Fund

     1,797,405         1,836,944         1,934,150         1,934,150         1,846,787         1,846,787   

Growth Opportunities Fund

     1,522,249         1,545,406         1,278,061         1,278,061         1,074,987         1,074,987   

Equity Index Fund

     386,085         551,550         453,253         565,058         512,023         540,961   

Government Income Fund

     374,434         374,434         406,645         406,645         433,855         433,855   

Core Fixed Income Fund

     639,022         639,022         724,347         724,347         716,363         716,363   

Money Market Fund

     282,960         282,960         291,650         341,205         561,528         589,957   

In addition to providing advisory services under its Management Agreement(s), each Investment Adviser also: (i) supervises all non-advisory operations of each Fund that it advises; (ii) provides personnel to perform such executive, administrative and clerical services as are reasonably necessary to provide effective administration of each Fund; (iii) arranges for at each Fund’s expense (a) the preparation of all required tax returns, (b) the preparation and submission of reports to existing shareholders, (c) the periodic updating of prospectuses and statements of additional information and (d) the preparation of reports to be filed with the SEC and other regulatory authorities; (iv) maintains each Fund’s records; and (v) provides office space and all necessary office equipment and services.

 

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The Sub-Advisory Agreement between GSAM and the Sub-Adviser with respect to the Equity Index Fund was initially approved by the Trustees, including a majority of the non-interested Trustees, on August 4, 2005. The Sub-Advisory Agreement was most recently approved by the Trustees, including a majority of the non-interested Trustees, on June 16, 2011. A discussion regarding the Board of Trustees’ basis for approving the Sub-Advisory Agreement is available in the Equity Index Fund’s semi-annual report dated June 30, 2011.

The Sub-Advisory Agreement will remain in effect until June 30, 2012 and will continue in effect from year to year thereafter provided such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by (i) the vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities or a majority of the Trustees of the Trust, and (ii) the vote of a majority of the non-interested Trustees of the Trust, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically if assigned (as defined in the Act). The Sub-Advisory Agreement is also terminable at any time without penalty by the Trustees of the Trust or by GSAM or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund on 60 days written notice to the Sub-Adviser and by the Sub-Adviser on 60 days written notice to the Trust.

For the services provided and expenses assumed under the Sub-Advisory Agreement, GSAM pays the Sub-Adviser a monthly management fee at the following annual rates of the average daily net assets of the Equity Index Fund:

0.03% on the first $50 million;

0.02% on the next $200 million;

0.01% on the next $750 million; and

0.008% over $1 billion.

For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2011, December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, GSAM has made payments to the Sub-Adviser pursuant to this Sub-Advisory Agreement of $41,757, $42,688 and $40,688, respectively.

Portfolio Managers — Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers

The following table discloses accounts within each type of category listed below for which the portfolio managers are jointly and primarily responsible for day to day portfolio management.

Please note that all of the fixed income portfolios are managed on a team basis. While lead portfolio managers may be associated with accounts in their specific strategy, the entire team is familiar with our general strategies and objectives and multiple individuals are involved in the management of a portfolio. We believe this approach ensures a high degree of continuity of portfolio management style and knowledge.

For each portfolio manager listed below, the total number of accounts managed is a reflection of accounts within the strategy they oversee or manage, as well as accounts which participate in the sector they manage. There are multiple portfolio managers involved with each account.

The Equity Index Fund is managed by the Global Equity Beta Solutions Team. Portfolio managers John Tucker and Kristin Carcio jointly and primarily have the day-to-day responsibility for management of the Fund. The following table reflects the Accounts Managed by the Global Structured Products Team.

 

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     Number of Accounts Managed and Total Assets by Account Type*    Number of Accounts and Total Assets for Which Advisory  Fee is Performance Based*
     Registered                        Registered                    
     Investment    Other Pooled    Other    Investment    Other Pooled    Other
     Companies    Investment Vehicles    Accounts    Companies    Investment Vehicles    Accounts
Name of    Number of    Assets    Number of    Assets    Number of    Assets    Number of    Assets    Number of    Assets    Number of    Assets
Portfolio Manager    Accounts    Managed    Accounts    Managed    Accounts    Managed    Accounts    Managed    Accounts    Managed    Accounts    Managed

Structured U.S. Equity Fund

                                   

Quantitative Investment Strategies Team

                                   

Osman Ali

   36    $11 billion    59    $5.8 billion    1216    $30.8 billion    0    $0    6    $500 million    27    $7.6 billion

Ron Hua

   36    $11 billion    59    $5.8 billion    1216    $30.8 billion    0    $0    6    $500 million    27    $7.6 billion

Len Ioffe

   36    $11 billion    59    $5.8 billion    1216    $30.8 billion    0    $0    6    $500 million    27    $7.6 billion

Stan Radchenko

   36    $11 billion    59    $5.8 billion    1216    $30.8 billion    0    $0    6    $500 million    27    $7.6 billion

Structured Small Cap Equity Fund

                                   

Quantitative Investment Strategies Team

                                   

Osman Ali

   36    $11 billion    59    $5.8 billion    1216    $30.8 billion    0    $0    6    $500 million    27    $7.6 billion

Ron Hua

   36    $11 billion    59    $5.8 billion    1216    $30.8 billion    0    $0    6    $500 million    27    $7.6 billion

Len Ioffe

   36    $11 billion    59    $5.8 billion    1216    $30.8 billion    0    $0    6    $500 million    27    $7.6 billion

Stan Radchenko

   36    $11 billion    59    $5.8 billion    1216    $30.8 billion    0    $0    6    $500 million    27    $7.6 billion

Strategic Growth Fund

                                   

Growth Team

                                   

Steven M. Barry

   34    $11.1 billion    1    $17 million    208    $6.2 billion    0    $0    0    $0    7    $1.2 billion

Joseph B. Hudepohl

   18    $3.4 billion    0    $0    94    $2.4 billion    0    $0    0    $0    5    $267 million

Timothy M. Leahy

   18    $3.4 billion    0    $0    94    $2.4 billion    0    $0    0    $0    5    $267 million

Large Cap Value Fund

                                   

Value Team

                                   

John Arege

   21    $18.3 billion    0    $0    102    $5.3 billion    0    $0    1    $16 million    1    $37 million

Andrew Braun

   18    $17.7 billion    0    $0    99    $5.1 billion    0    $0    1    $16 million    1    $37 million

Charles “Brook” Dane

   4    $4.1 billion    0    $0    83    $4.7 billion    0    $0    1    $16 million    1    $37 million

Sean Gallagher

   19    $17.8 billion    0    $0    99    $5.1 billion    0    $0    1    $16 million    1    $37 million

Mid Cap Value Fund

                                   

Value Team

                                   

Dolores Bamford

   17    $17.2 billion    0    $0    99    $5.1 billion    0    $0    1    $16 million    1    $37 million

Andrew Braun

   18    $17.7 billion    0    $0    99    $5.1 billion    0    $0    1    $16 million    1    $37 million

Sean Gallagher

   19    $17.8 billion    0    $0    99    $5.1 billion    0    $0    1    $16 million    1    $37 million

Growth Opportunities Fund

                                   

Growth Team

                                   

Steven M. Barry

   34    $11.1 billion    1    $17 million    208    $6.2 billion    0    $0    0    $0    7    $1.2 billion

Scott G. Kolar

   15    $6.6 billion    0    $0    22    $693 million    0    $0    0    $0    1    $91 million

Jeffrey Rabinowitz

   15    $6.6 billion    0    $0    22    $693 million    0    $0    0    $0    1    $91 million

Equity Index Fund

                                   

John Tucker**

   102    $83.6 billion    268    $281.1 billion    327    $276.3 billion    0    $0    0    $0    0    $0

Kristin Carcio**

   102    $83.6 billion    268    $281.1 billion    327    $276.3 billion    0    $0    0    $0    0    $0

 

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     Number of Accounts Managed and Total Assets by Account Type*    Number of Accounts and Total Assets for Which Advisory  Fee is Performance Based*
     Registered
Investment
Companies
   Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles
   Other
Accounts
   Registered
Investment
Companies
   Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles
   Other
Accounts
Name of    Number of    Assets    Number of    Assets    Number of    Assets    Number of    Assets    Number of    Assets    Number of    Assets
Portfolio Manager    Accounts    Managed    Accounts    Managed    Accounts    Managed    Accounts    Managed    Accounts    Managed    Accounts    Managed

Strategic International Equity Fund

                                   

Active International Portfolio Management Team

                                   

Hiroyuki Ito

   3    $234 million    8    $739 million    6    $91 million    0    $0    0    $0    0    $0

Alexis Deladerrière

   2    $199 million    0    $0    1    $0    0    $0    0    $0    0    $0

Edward Perkin

   2    $199 million    6    $306 million    10    $2.3 billion    0    $0    0    $0    0    $0

Government Income Fund

                                   

U.S. Fixed Income Team

                                   

Michael Swell

   102    $164 billion    259    $137.8 billion    2,609    $218.9 billion    0    $0    11    $1.9 billion    77    $24.2 billion

Mark Van Wyk

   72    $13.6 billion    208    $51.8 billion    890    $192 billion    0    $0    11    $1.9 billion    77    $24.2 billion

Core Fixed Income Fund

                                   

U.S. Fixed Income Team

                                   

Jonathan A. Beinner

   102    $164 billion    259    $137.8 billion    2,609    $218.9 billion    0    $0    11    $1.9 billion    77    $24.2 billion

Michael Swell

   102    $164 billion    259    $137.8 billion    2,609    $218.9 billion    0    $0    11    $1.9 billion    77    $24.2 billion

 

 

* 

Unless otherwise noted, this information is as of December 31, 2011.

** 

Passive equity assets are managed on a team basis. The table refers to State Street Global Advisors (“SSgA”), comprised of all the Investment management affiliates of State Street Corporation including SSgA FM.

 

 

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Conflicts of Interest (GSAM and GSAMI). The Investment Advisers’ portfolio managers are often responsible for managing one or more of the Funds as well as other accounts, including proprietary accounts, separate accounts and other pooled investment vehicles, such as unregistered hedge funds. A portfolio manager may manage a separate account or other pooled investment vehicle which may have materially higher fee arrangements than the Funds and may also have a performance-based fee. The side-by-side management of these funds may raise potential conflicts of interest relating to cross trading, the allocation of investment opportunities and the aggregation and allocation of trades.

The Investment Advisers have a fiduciary responsibility to manage all client accounts in a fair and equitable manner. They seek to provide best execution of all securities transactions and aggregate and then allocate securities to client accounts in a fair and timely manner. To this end, the Investment Advisers have developed policies and procedures designed to mitigate and manage the potential conflicts of interest that may arise from side-by-side management. In addition, the Investment Advisers and the Funds have adopted policies limiting the circumstances under which cross-trades may be effected between a Fund and another client account. The Investment Advisers conduct periodic reviews of trades for consistency with these policies. For more information about conflicts of interests that may arise in connection with the portfolio manager’s management of the Funds’ investments and the investments of other accounts, see “POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST —Allocation of Investment Opportunities Among the Funds and Other Accounts and Goldman Sachs’ and the Investment Adviser’s Activities on Behalf of Other Accounts.”

Conflicts of Interest (Sub-Adviser). A portfolio manager may be subject to potential conflicts of interest because he or she is responsible for other accounts in addition to the Equity Index Fund. Potential conflicts may arise out of (a) the portfolio manager’s execution of different investment strategies for various accounts or (b) the allocation of investment opportunities among the portfolio manager’s accounts with the same strategy.

A potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the portfolio manager’s responsibility for multiple accounts with similar investment guidelines. Under these circumstances, a potential investment may be suitable for more than one of the portfolio manager’s accounts, but the quantity of the investment available for purchase is less than the aggregate amount the accounts would ideally devote to the opportunity. Similar conflicts may arise when multiple accounts seek to dispose of the same investment. The portfolio manager may also manage accounts whose objectives and policies differ from that of the Fund. These differences may be such that under certain circumstances, trading activity appropriate for one account managed by the portfolio manager may have adverse consequences for another account managed by the portfolio manager. For example, an account may sell a significant position in a security, which could cause the market price of that security to decrease, while the Funds maintained their positions in that security.

A potential conflict may arise when the portfolio manager is responsible for accounts that have different advisory fees — the difference in fees could create an incentive for the portfolio manager to favor one account over another, for example, in terms of access to investment opportunities. Another potential conflict may arise when the portfolio manager has an investment in one or more accounts that participates in transactions with other accounts. His or her investment(s) may create an incentive for the portfolio manager to favor one account over another. SSgA FM has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to address these potential material conflicts. For instance, portfolio managers within SSgA FM are normally responsible for all accounts within a certain investment discipline, and do not, absent special circumstances, differentiate among the various accounts when allocating resources. Additionally, SSgA FM has processes and procedures for allocating investment opportunities among portfolios that are designed to provide a fair and equitable allocation. The potential conflicts described are applicable to SSgA FM as our portfolio managers manage several accounts with similar guidelines and differing fee schedules.

Portfolio Managers — Compensation

Compensation for portfolio managers of the Investment Advisers is comprised of a base salary and discretionary variable compensation. The base salary is fixed from year to year. Year-end discretionary variable compensation is primarily a function of each portfolio manager’s individual performance and his or her contribution to overall team

 

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performance; the performance of the Investment Advisers and Goldman Sachs; the team’s net revenues for the past year which in part is derived from advisory fees, and for certain accounts, performance-based fees; and anticipated compensation levels among competitor firms. Portfolio managers are rewarded, in part, for their delivery of investment performance, measured on a pre-tax basis, which is reasonably expected to meet or exceed the expectations of clients and fund shareholders in terms of: excess return over an applicable benchmark, peer group ranking, risk management and factors specific to certain funds such as yield or regional focus. Performance is judged over 1-3- and 5-year time horizons.

The benchmarks for these Funds are:

Structured U.S. Equity Fund: S&P 500 Index

Structured Small Cap Equity Fund: Russell 2000® Index

Strategic Growth Fund: Russell 1000® Growth Index

Large Cap Value Fund: Russell 1000® Value Index

Mid Cap Value Fund: Russell Midcap® Value Index

Growth Opportunities Fund: Russell Midcap® Growth Index

Equity Index Fund: S&P 500 Index

Strategic International Equity Fund: MSCI EAFE (unhedged) Index

Government Income Fund: Barclays Capital Government/Mortgage Index

Core Fixed Income Fund: Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

The discretionary variable compensation for portfolio managers is also significantly influenced by: (1) effective participation in team research discussions and process; and (2) management of risk in alignment with the targeted risk parameter and investment objective of the fund. Other factors may also be considered including: (1) general client/shareholder orientation and (2) teamwork and leadership. Portfolio managers may receive equity-based awards as part of their discretionary variable compensation.

Other Compensation—In addition to base salary and discretionary variable compensation, the Investment Advisers have a number of additional benefits in place including (1) a 401k program that enables employees to direct a percentage of their pretax salary and bonus income into a tax-qualified retirement plan; and (2) investment opportunity programs in which certain professionals may participate subject to certain eligibility requirements.

Sub-Adviser’s Portfolio Management Team — Equity Index Fund. The compensation of SSgA FM’s investment professionals is based on a number of factors. The first factor considered is external market. Through a compensation survey process, SSgA seeks to understand what its competitors are paying people to perform similar roles. This data is then used to determine a competitive baseline in the areas of base pay, bonus, and other incentives. The second factor taken into consideration is the size of the pool available for compensation. SSgA is a part of State Street Corporation, and therefore works within its corporate environment on determining the overall level of its incentive compensation pool. Once determined, this pool is then allocated to the various locations and departments of SSgA and its affiliates. The discretionary determination of the allocation amounts to these locations and departments is influenced by the competitive market data, as well as the overall performance of the group. Further note that the employee’s manager, in conjunction with the senior management of the employee’s business unit, would be responsible for individual compensation decisions. These decisions are based on the performance of the employee and, as mentioned above, on the performance of the firm and business unit.

Portfolio Managers — Portfolio Managers’ Ownership of Securities in the Funds They Manage

Shares of the Funds are only offered to separate accounts of participating insurance companies for the purpose of funding various annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies and are not available for direct investment by the portfolio managers as of December 31, 2011.

 

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Name of Portfolio Manager

  

Dollar Range of Equity Securities Beneficially

Owned by Portfolio Manager

Structured U.S. Equity Fund

  

Osman Ali

   Structured U.S. Equity Fund: None

Ron Hua

   Structured U.S. Equity Fund: None

Len Ioffe

   Structured U.S. Equity Fund: None

Stan Radchenko

   Structured U.S. Equity Fund: None

Structured Small Cap Equity Fund

  

Osman Ali

   Structured U.S. Equity Fund: None

Ron Hua

   Structured Small Cap Equity Fund: None

Len Ioffe

   Structured Small Cap Equity Fund: None

Stan Radchenko

   Structured U.S. Equity Fund: None

Strategic Growth Fund

  

Steven M. Barry

   Strategic Growth Fund: None

Joseph B. Hudepohl

   Strategic Growth Fund: None

Timothy M. Leahy

   Strategic Growth Fund: None

Large Cap Value Fund

  

John Arege

   Large Cap Value Fund: None

Andrew Braun

   Large Cap Value Fund: None

Charles “Brook” Dane

   Large Cap Value Fund: None

Sean Gallagher

   Large Cap Value Fund: None

Mid Cap Value Fund

  

Dolores Bamford

   Mid Cap Value Fund: None

Andrew Braun

   Mid Cap Value Fund: None

Sean Gallagher

   Mid Cap Value Fund: None

Growth Opportunities Fund

  

Steven M. Barry

   Growth Opportunities Fund: None

Scott G. Kolar

   Growth Opportunities Fund: None

Jeffrey Rabinowitz

   Growth Opportunities Fund: None

Equity Index Fund

  

John Tucker

   Equity Index Fund: None

Kristin Carcio

   Equity Index Fund: None

Strategic International Equity Fund

  

Edward Perkin

   Strategic International Equity Fund: None

Hiroyuki Ito

   Strategic International Equity Fund: None

Alexis Deladerrière

   Strategic International Equity Fund: None

Government Income Fund

  

Michael Swell

   Government Income Fund: None

Mark Van Wyk

   Government Income Fund: None

Core Fixed Income Fund

  

Jonathan A. Beinner

   Core Fixed Income Fund: None

Michael Swell

   Core Fixed Income Fund: None

Distributor and Transfer Agent

Goldman Sachs, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, serves as the exclusive distributor of shares of the Funds pursuant to a “best efforts” arrangement as provided by a distribution agreement with the Trust on behalf of each Fund. Shares of the Funds are offered and sold on a continuous basis by Goldman Sachs, acting as agent. Pursuant to the distribution agreement, each Fund is responsible for, among other things, the payment of all fees and expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of any registration statement and prospectus covering the issue and sale of shares, and the registration and qualification of shares for sale with the SEC and in the various states, including registering the Fund as a broker or dealer. Each Fund will also pay the fees and expenses of preparing, printing and mailing prospectuses annually to existing shareholders and any notice, proxy statement, report, prospectus or other communication

 

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to shareholders of the Fund, printing and mailing confirmations of purchases of shares, any issue taxes or any initial transfer taxes, a portion of toll-free telephone service for shareholders, wiring funds for share purchases and redemptions (unless paid by the shareholder who initiates the transaction), printing and postage of business reply envelopes and a portion of the computer terminals used by both the Fund and the Distributor.

The Distributor will pay for, among other things, printing and distributing prospectuses or reports prepared for its use in connection with the offering of the shares to variable annuity and variable insurance accounts and preparing, printing and mailing any other literature or advertising in connection with the offering of the shares to variable annuity and variable insurance accounts. The Distributor will pay all fees and expenses in connection with its qualification and registration as a broker or dealer under federal and state laws, a portion of the toll-free telephone service and of computer terminals, and of any activity which is primarily intended to result in the sale of shares issued by each Fund.

As agent, the Distributor currently offers shares of each Fund on a continuous basis to the separate accounts of Participating Insurance Companies in all states in which such Fund may from time to time be registered or where permitted by applicable law. The distribution agreement provides that the Distributor accepts orders for shares at NAV without sales commission or load being charged. The Distributor has made no firm commitment to acquire shares of any Fund.

Goldman Sachs, 71 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606, serves as the Trust’s transfer agent. Under its transfer agency agreement with the Trust, Goldman Sachs has undertaken with the Trust with respect to each Fund to: (i) record the issuance, transfer and redemption of shares, (ii) provide purchase and redemption confirmations and quarterly statements, as well as certain other statements, (iii) provide certain information to the Trust’s custodian and the relevant sub-custodian in connection with redemptions, (iv) provide dividend crediting and certain disbursing agent services, (v) maintain shareholder accounts, (vi) provide certain state Blue Sky and other information, (vii) provide shareholders and certain regulatory authorities with tax related information, (viii) respond to shareholder inquiries, and (ix) render certain other miscellaneous services. The fees charged for transfer agency services are calculated daily and payable monthly at an annual rate of 0.02% of the average daily net assets of each Fund. Goldman Sachs may pay to certain intermediaries who perform transfer agent services to shareholders a networking or sub-transfer agent fee. These payments will be made from the transfer agency fees noted above and in the Funds’ Prospectuses.

As compensation for the services rendered to the Trust by Goldman Sachs as transfer agent and the assumption by Goldman Sachs of the expenses related thereto, Goldman Sachs received fees net of waivers for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2011, December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009 from the Funds as follows under the fee schedules then in effect:

 

      2011     2010     2009  
      Institutional
Shares
     Service Shares     Institutional
Shares
     Service Shares     Institutional
Shares
     Service Shares  

Structured U.S. Equity Fund

   $ 60,052       $ 21,392      $ 63,821       $ 21,560      $ 64,366       $ 20,429   

Structured Small Cap Equity Fund

     19,629         4,956        19,492         4,764        16,766         3,057   

Strategic Growth Fund

     22,432         49,212        23,453         43,280        21,576         37,606   

Large Cap Value Fund

     93,132         154,116        96,334         100,658        82,335         41,723   

Mid Cap Value Fund

     141,018         30,995        149,015         21,941        149,015         21,941   

Strategic International Equity Fund

     13,819         29,400        15,205         30,300        15,049         26,433   

Growth Opportunities Fund

     N/A         30,906        N/A         25,559        N/A         21,498   

Equity Index Fund

     N/A         36,767        N/A         37,667        N/A         36,061   

Government Income Fund

     N/A         13,867        N/A         15,060        N/A         16,067   

Core Fixed Income Fund

     N/A         31,948        N/A         36,214        N/A         35,815   

Money Market Fund

     N/A         26,093     N/A         26,925 **      N/A         33,712   

 

 

* For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, Goldman Sachs voluntarily waived $1,513 in fees.
** For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, the effective transfer agency fee rate for this Fund after voluntary fee waivers was 0.01%.

 

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Expenses

The Trust, on behalf of each Fund, is responsible for the payment of each Fund’s respective expenses. The expenses include, without limitation, the fees payable to the Investment Advisers, the fees and expenses of the Trust’s custodian and subcustodians, transfer agent fees and expenses, brokerage fees and commissions, filing fees for the registration or qualification of the Trust’s shares under federal or state securities laws, expenses of the organization of the Funds, fees and expenses incurred by the Trust in connection with membership in investment company organizations including, but not limited to, the Investment Company Institute, taxes, interest, costs of liability insurance, fidelity bonds or indemnification, any costs, expenses or losses arising out of any liability of, or claim for damages or other relief asserted against, the Trust for violation of any law, legal, tax and auditing fees and expenses (including the cost of legal and certain accounting services rendered by employees of Goldman Sachs and its affiliates with respect to the Trust), expenses of preparing and setting in type Prospectuses, SAIs, proxy material, reports and notices and the printing and distributing of the same to the Trust’s shareholders and regulatory authorities, any fees and expenses assumed by a Fund pursuant to its distribution and service plan, compensation and expenses of its “non-interested” Trustees, the fees and expenses of pricing services, dividend expenses on short sales and extraordinary expenses, if any, incurred by the Trust. Except for fees and expenses under the distribution and service plan applicable to Service Shares and transfer agency fees and expenses, all Fund expenses are borne on a non-class specific basis.

The imposition of the Investment Adviser’s fees, as well as other operating expenses, will have the effect of reducing the total return to investors. From time to time, the Investment Adviser may waive receipt of its fees and/or voluntarily assume certain expenses of a Fund, which would have the effect of lowering that Fund’s overall expense ratio and increasing total return to investors at the time such amounts are waived or assumed, as the case may be.

The Investment Advisers have agreed to reduce or limit certain “Other Expenses” (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, transfer agency fees and expenses, taxes, interest, brokerage fees, litigation, indemnification, shareholder meeting and other extraordinary expenses) for the following Funds to the extent such expenses exceed, on an annual basis, the following percentage of each Fund’s average daily net assets through at least April 27, 2013:

 

Fund

   Other Expenses
Limit
 

Structured U.S. Equity Fund

     0.004

Structured Small Cap Equity Fund

     0.094

Strategic Growth Fund

     0.114

Large Cap Value Fund

     0.114

Mid Cap Value Fund

     0.054

Growth Opportunities Fund

     0.004

Equity Index Fund

     0.004

Strategic International Equity Fund

     0.144

Government Income Fund

     0.004

Core Fixed Income Fund

     0.004

Money Market Fund

     0.004

Prior to this date, the Investment Advisers may not terminate the arrangements without the approval of the Board of Trustees. These arrangements may be modified or terminated by the Investment Advisers after such date, although the Investment Advisers do not presently intend to do so. The Funds’ “Other Expenses” may be further reduced by any custody and transfer agency fee credits received by the Funds.

Fees and expenses borne by the Funds relating to legal counsel, registering shares of a Fund, holding meetings and communicating with shareholders may include an allocable portion of the cost of maintaining an internal legal and compliance department. Each Fund may also bear an allocable portion of the Investment Adviser’s costs of performing certain accounting services not being provided by a Fund’s custodian.

 

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For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2011, December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, the amounts of certain “Other Expenses” of each Fund were reduced or otherwise limited by the Investment Advisers as follows under the expense limitations that were then in effect:

 

Fund

   2011      2010      2009  

Structured U.S. Equity Fund

   $ 261,034       $ 246,638       $ 177,467   

Structured Small Cap Equity Fund

     148,416         122,328         0   

Strategic Growth Fund

     0         0         0   

Large Cap Value Fund

     0         0         0   

Mid Cap Value Fund

     0         0         0   

Strategic International Equity Fund

     54,262         63,235         0   

Growth Opportunities Fund

     216,266         203,535         168,490   

Equity Index Fund

     228,162         260,221         136,689   

Government Income Fund

     215,497         203,537         190,888   

Core Fixed Income Fund

     251,147         244,575         216,638   

Money Market Fund

     256,529         201,937         188,210   

These Funds have entered into certain expense offset arrangements with the custodian resulting in a reduction on each Fund’s expenses. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2011, December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, each Fund’s custody fees were reduced by the following approximate amounts under such arrangement:

 

Fund

   2011      2010      2009  

Structured U.S. Equity Fund

   $         2,607       $         —         $         —     

Structured Small Cap Equity Fund

     766         —           —     

Strategic Growth Fund

     1,844         —           —     

Large Cap Value Fund

     8,642         —           —     

Mid Cap Value Fund

     3,103         —           —     

Strategic International Equity Fund

     —           —           —     

Growth Opportunities Fund

     1,241         —           57   

Equity Index Fund

     705         —           —     

Government Income Fund

     5,718         —           —     

Core Fixed Income Fund

     6,843         —           —     

Money Market Fund

     71         90         23   

Custodian

Except for the Money Market Fund, JPMorganChase, 270 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10017, is the custodian of each Fund’s portfolio securities and cash. BNYM, One Wall Street, New York, New York 10286, is the custodian of the Money Market Fund. JPMorganChase and BNYM also maintain the Trust’s accounting records for the Funds for which they serve as custodian. JPMorganChase and BNYM may appoint domestic and foreign sub-custodians and use depositories from time to time to hold certain securities and other instruments purchased by the Trust in foreign countries and to hold cash and currencies for the Trust.

 

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Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 125 High Street, Boston, MA 02110, is the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm. In addition to audit services, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP prepares the Funds’ federal and state tax returns, and provides assistance on certain non-audit matters.

POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

General Categories of Conflicts Associated with the Funds

Goldman Sachs (which, for purposes of this “POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST” section, shall mean, collectively, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., the Investment Adviser and their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managers, members, officers and employees) is a worldwide, full-service investment banking, broker-dealer, asset management and financial services organization and a major participant in global financial markets. As such, Goldman Sachs provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base. In those and other capacities, Goldman Sachs advises clients in all markets and transactions and purchases, sells, holds and recommends a broad array of investments for its own accounts and for the accounts of clients and of its personnel, through client accounts and the relationships and products it sponsors, manages and advises (such Goldman Sachs or other client accounts (including the Funds), relationships and products collectively, the “Accounts”). Goldman Sachs has direct and indirect interests in the global fixed income, currency, commodity, equities, bank loan and other markets, and the securities and issuers, in which the Funds may directly and indirectly invest. As a result, Goldman Sachs’ activities and dealings, including on behalf of the Funds, may affect the Funds in ways that may disadvantage or restrict the Funds and/or benefit Goldman Sachs or other Accounts. For purposes of this “POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST” section, “Funds” shall mean, collectively, the Funds and any of the other Goldman Sachs Funds.

The following are descriptions of certain conflicts and potential conflicts that may be associated with the financial or other interests that the Investment Adviser and Goldman Sachs may have in transactions effected by, with, and on behalf of the Funds. They are not, and are not intended to be, a complete enumeration or explanation of all of the potential conflicts of interest that may arise. Additional information about potential conflicts of interest regarding the Investment Adviser and Goldman Sachs is set forth in the Investment Adviser’s Form ADV, which prospective shareholders should review prior to purchasing Fund shares. A copy of Part 1 and Part 2 of the Investment Adviser’s Form ADV is available on the SEC’s website (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov). A copy of Part 2 of the Investment Adviser’s Form ADV will be provided to shareholders or prospective shareholders upon request.

Other Activities of Goldman Sachs, the Sale of Fund Shares and the Allocation of Investment Opportunities

Sales Incentives and Related Conflicts Arising from Goldman Sachs’ Financial and Other Relationships with Intermediaries

Goldman Sachs and its personnel, including employees of the Investment Adviser, may have relationships (both involving and not involving the Funds, and including without limitation placement, brokerage, advisory and board relationships) with distributors, consultants and others who recommend, or engage in transactions with or for, the Funds. Such distributors, consultants and other parties may receive compensation from Goldman Sachs or the Funds in connection with such relationships. As a result of these relationships, distributors, consultants and other parties may have conflicts that create incentives for them to promote the Funds.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, Goldman Sachs and the Funds may make payments to authorized dealers and other financial intermediaries and to salespersons (collectively, “Intermediaries”) from time to time to promote the Funds. These payments may be made out of Goldman Sachs’ assets, or amounts payable to Goldman Sachs. These payments may create an incentive for a particular Intermediary to highlight, feature or recommend the Funds.

 

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Allocation of Investment Opportunities Among the Funds and Other Accounts

The Investment Adviser may manage or advise multiple Accounts (including Accounts in which Goldman Sachs and its personnel have an interest) that have investment objectives that are similar to the Funds and may seek to make investments or sell investments in the same securities or other instruments, sectors or strategies as the Funds. This may create potential conflicts, particularly in circumstances where the availability of such investment opportunities is limited (e.g., in local and emerging markets, high yield securities, fixed income securities, regulated industries, small capitalization and initial public offerings/new issues) or where the liquidity of such investment opportunities is limited.

The Investment Adviser does not receive performance-based compensation in respect of its investment management activities on behalf of the Funds, but may simultaneously manage Accounts for which the Investment Adviser receives greater fees or other compensation (including performance-based fees or allocations) than it receives in respect of the Funds. The simultaneous management of Accounts that pay greater fees or other compensation and the Funds may create a conflict of interest as the Investment Adviser may have an incentive to favor Accounts with the potential to receive greater fees. For instance, the Investment Adviser may be faced with a conflict of interest when allocating scarce investment opportunities given the possibly greater fees from Accounts that pay performance-based fees. To address these types of conflicts, the Investment Adviser has adopted policies and procedures under which it will allocate investment opportunities in a manner that it believes is consistent with its obligations as an investment adviser. However, the amount, timing, structuring or terms of an investment by the Funds may differ from, and performance may be lower than, the investments and performance of other Accounts.

To address these potential conflicts, the Investment Adviser has developed allocation policies and procedures that provide that personnel of the Investment Adviser making portfolio decisions for Accounts will make purchase and sale decisions and allocate investment opportunities among Accounts consistent with its fiduciary obligations. These policies and procedures may result in the pro rata allocation of limited opportunities across eligible Accounts managed by a particular portfolio management team, but in many other cases the allocations reflect numerous other factors as described below. Accounts managed by different portfolio management teams are generally viewed separately for allocation purposes. There will be cases where certain Accounts receive an allocation of an investment opportunity when the Funds do not.

Personnel of the Investment Adviser involved in decision-making for Accounts may make allocation related decisions for the Funds and other Accounts by reference to one or more factors, including without limitation: the Account’s portfolio and its investment horizons, objectives, guidelines and restrictions (including legal and regulatory restrictions); strategic fit and other portfolio management considerations, including different desired levels of investment for different strategies; the expected future capacity of the applicable Accounts; limits on the Investment Adviser’s brokerage discretion; cash and liquidity considerations; and the availability of other appropriate investment opportunities. Suitability considerations, reputational matters and other considerations may also be considered. The application of these considerations may cause differences in the performance of different Accounts that have similar strategies. In addition, in some cases the Investment Adviser may make investment recommendations to Accounts where the Accounts make the investment independently of the Investment Adviser, which may result in a reduction in the availability of the investment opportunity for other Accounts (including the Funds) irrespective of the Investment Adviser’s policies regarding allocation of investments. Additional information about the Investment Adviser’s allocation policies is set forth in Item 6 (“PERFORMANCE-BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENT—Side-by-Side Management”) of the Investment Adviser’s Form ADV.

The Investment Adviser may, from time to time, develop and implement new trading strategies or seek to participate in new investment opportunities and trading strategies. These opportunities and strategies may not be employed in all Accounts or pro rata among Accounts where they are employed, even if the opportunity or strategy is consistent with the objectives of such Accounts.

 

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During periods of unusual market conditions, the Investment Adviser may deviate from its normal trade allocation practices. For example, this may occur with respect to the management of unlevered and/or long-only Accounts that are typically managed on a side-by-side basis with levered and/or long-short Accounts.

Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing, the Funds may or may not receive, but in any event will have no rights with respect to, opportunities sourced by Goldman Sachs businesses and affiliates. Such opportunities or any portion thereof may be offered to other Accounts, Goldman Sachs, all or certain investors in the Funds, or such other persons or entities as determined by Goldman Sachs in its sole discretion. The Funds will have no rights and will not receive any compensation related to such opportunities.

Goldman Sachs’ Financial and Other Interests May Incentivize Goldman Sachs to Promote the Sale of Fund Shares

Goldman Sachs and its personnel have interests in promoting sales of Fund shares, and the compensation from such sales may be greater than the compensation relating to sales of interests in other Accounts. Therefore, Goldman Sachs and its personnel may have a financial interest in promoting Fund shares over interests in other Accounts.

Management of the Funds by the Investment Adviser

Potential Restrictions and Issues Relating to Information Held by Goldman Sachs

Goldman Sachs has established certain information barriers and other policies to address the sharing of information between different businesses within Goldman Sachs. As a result of information barriers, the Investment Adviser generally will not have access, or will have limited access, to information and personnel in other areas of Goldman Sachs, and generally will not be able to manage the Funds with the benefit of information held by such other areas. Such other areas, including without limitation, Goldman Sachs’ prime brokerage and administration businesses, will have broad access to detailed information that is not available to the Investment Adviser, including information in respect of markets and investments, which, if known to the Investment Adviser, might cause the Investment Adviser to seek to dispose of, retain or increase interests in investments held by the Funds or acquire certain positions on behalf of the Funds, or take other actions. Goldman Sachs will be under no obligation or fiduciary or other duty to make any such information available to the Investment Adviser or personnel of the Investment Adviser involved in decision-making for the Funds. In addition, Goldman Sachs will not have any obligation to make available any information regarding its trading activities, strategies or views, or the activities, strategies or views used for other Accounts, for the benefit of the Funds.

Valuation of the Fund’s Investments

The Investment Adviser, while not the primary valuation agent of the Funds, performs certain valuation services related to securities and assets in the Funds. The Investment Adviser values securities and assets in the Funds according to its valuation policies and may value an identical asset differently than another division or unit within Goldman Sachs or another Account values the asset, including because such other division or unit or Account has information regarding valuation techniques and models or other information that it does not share with the Investment Adviser. This is particularly the case in respect of difficult-to-value assets. The Investment Adviser may face a conflict with respect to such valuations as they affect the Investment Adviser’s compensation.

Goldman Sachs’ and the Investment Adviser’s Activities on Behalf of Other Accounts

The Investment Adviser’s decisions and actions on behalf of the Funds may differ from those on behalf of other Accounts. Advice given to, or investment or voting decisions made for, one or more Accounts may compete with, affect, differ from, conflict with, or involve timing different from, advice given to or investment decisions made for the Funds.

 

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The extent of Goldman Sachs’ activities in the global financial markets may have potential adverse effects on the Funds. Goldman Sachs, the clients it advises, and its personnel have interests in and advise Accounts which have investment objectives or portfolios similar to or opposed to those of the Funds, and/or which engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities and other instruments as the Funds. Transactions by such Accounts may involve the same or related securities or other instruments as those in which the Funds invest, and may negatively affect the Funds or the prices or terms at which the Funds’ transactions may be effected. For example, Accounts may engage in a strategy while the Funds are undertaking the same or a differing strategy, any of which could directly or indirectly disadvantage the Funds. The Funds and Goldman Sachs may also vote differently on or take or refrain from taking different actions with respect to the same security, which may be disadvantageous to the Funds. Accounts may also invest in or extend credit to different classes of securities or different parts of the capital structure of the same issuer and classes of securities that are subordinate or senior to, securities in which the Funds invest. As a result, Goldman Sachs and the Accounts may pursue or enforce rights or activities, or refrain from pursuing or enforcing rights or activities, with respect to a particular issuer in which the Funds have invested. The Funds could sustain losses during periods in which Goldman Sachs and other Accounts achieve profits. The negative effects described above may be more pronounced in connection with transactions in, or the Funds’ use of, small capitalization, emerging market, distressed or less liquid strategies.

Goldman Sachs and its personnel may make investment decisions or recommendations, provide differing investment views or have views with respect to research or valuations that are inconsistent with, or adverse to, the interests and activities of the Funds. Research, analyses or viewpoints may be available to clients or potential clients at different times. Goldman Sachs will not have any obligation to make available to the Funds any research or analysis prior to its public dissemination. The Investment Adviser is responsible for making investment decisions on behalf of the Funds and such investment decisions can differ from investment decisions or recommendations by Goldman Sachs on behalf of other Accounts. Goldman Sachs may, on behalf of other Accounts and in accordance with its management of such Accounts, implement an investment decision or strategy ahead of, or contemporaneously with, or behind similar investment decisions or strategies made for the Funds. The relative timing for the implementation of investment decisions or strategies among Accounts and the Funds may disadvantage the Funds. Certain factors, for example, market impact, liquidity constraints, or other circumstances, could result in the Funds receiving less favorable trading results or incurring increased costs associated with implementing such investment decisions or strategies, or being otherwise disadvantaged.

Subject to applicable law, the Investment Adviser may cause the Funds to invest in securities, bank loans or other obligations of companies affiliated with Goldman Sachs or in which Goldman Sachs or Accounts have an equity, debt or other interest, or to engage in investment transactions that may result in other Accounts being relieved of obligations or otherwise divesting of investments, which may enhance the profitability of Goldman Sachs’ or other Accounts’ investments in and activities with respect to such companies.

When the Investment Adviser wishes to place an order for different types of Accounts (including the Funds) for which aggregation is not practicable, the Investment Adviser may use a trade sequencing and rotation policy to determine which type of Account is to be traded first. Under this policy, each portfolio management team may determine the length of its trade rotation period and the sequencing schedule for different categories of clients within this period provided that the trading periods and these sequencing schedules are designed to be fair and equitable over time. The portfolio management teams currently base their trading periods and rotation schedules on the relative amounts of assets managed for different client categories (e.g., unconstrained client accounts, “wrap program” accounts, etc.) and, as a result, the Funds may trade behind other Accounts. Within a given trading period, the sequencing schedule establishes when and how frequently a given client category will trade first in the order of rotation. The Investment Adviser may deviate from the predetermined sequencing schedule under certain circumstances, and the Investment Adviser’s trade sequencing and rotation policy may be amended, modified or supplemented at any time without prior notice to clients.

 

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Investments in Goldman Sachs Funds

To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Funds may invest in money market and other funds sponsored, managed or advised by Goldman Sachs. In connection with any such investments, a Fund, to the extent permitted by the Act, will pay all advisory, administrative or Rule 12b-1 fees applicable to the investment, and fees to the Investment Adviser in its capacity as manager of the Funds will not be reduced thereby (i.e., there could be “double fees” involved in making any such investment because Goldman Sachs could receive fees with respect to both the management of the Funds and such money market fund). In such circumstances, as well as in all other circumstances in which Goldman Sachs receives any fees or other compensation in any form relating to the provision of services, no accounting or repayment to the Funds will be required.

Goldman Sachs May In-Source or Outsource

Subject to applicable law, Goldman Sachs, including the Investment Adviser, may from time to time and without notice to investors, in-source or outsource certain processes or functions in connection with a variety of services that it provides to the Funds in its administrative or other capacities. Such in-sourcing or outsourcing may give rise to additional conflicts of interest.

Distributions of Assets Other Than Cash

With respect to redemptions from the Funds, the Funds may, in certain circumstances, have discretion to decide whether to permit or limit redemptions and whether to make distributions in connection with redemptions in the form of securities or other assets, and in such case, the composition of such distributions. In making such decisions, the Investment Adviser may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities with respect to redeeming investors and remaining investors.

Goldman Sachs May Act in a Capacity Other Than Investment Adviser to the Funds

Principal and Cross Transactions

When permitted by applicable law and the Investment Adviser’s policies, the Investment Adviser, acting on behalf of the Funds, may enter into transactions in securities and other instruments with or through Goldman Sachs, and may cause the Funds to engage in transactions in which the Investment Adviser acts as principal on its own behalf (principal transactions), advises both sides of a transaction (cross transactions) and acts as broker for, and receives a commission from, the Funds on one side of a transaction and a brokerage account on the other side of the transaction (agency cross transactions). There may be potential conflicts of interest or regulatory issues relating to these transactions which could limit the Investment Adviser’s decision to engage in these transactions for the Funds. Goldman Sachs may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities to the parties in such transactions, and has developed policies and procedures in relation to such transactions and conflicts. Any principal, cross or agency cross transactions will be effected in accordance with fiduciary requirements and applicable law (which may include disclosure and consent).

Goldman Sachs May Act in Multiple Commercial Capacities

To the extent permitted by applicable law, Goldman Sachs may act as broker, dealer, agent, lender or advisor or in other commercial capacities for the Funds or issuers of securities held by the Funds. Goldman Sachs may be entitled to compensation in connection with the provision of such services, and the Funds will not be entitled to any such compensation. Goldman Sachs will have an interest in obtaining fees and other compensation in connection with such services that are favorable to Goldman Sachs, and may take commercial steps in its own interests in connection with providing such services that negatively affect the Funds. For example, Goldman Sachs may require repayment of all or part of a loan at any time and from time to time or cause the Funds to default, liquidate its assets or redeem positions more rapidly (and at significantly lower prices) than might otherwise be desirable. In addition, due to its access to and knowledge of funds, markets and securities based on its other businesses, Goldman Sachs may make decisions based on information or take (or refrain from taking) actions with respect to interests in investments of the kind held directly or indirectly by the Funds in a manner that may be adverse to the Funds. Goldman Sachs may also derive benefits from providing services to the Funds, which may enhance Goldman Sachs’ relationships with various parties, facilitate additional business development and enable Goldman Sachs to obtain additional business and generate additional revenue.

 

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To the extent permitted by applicable law, Goldman Sachs may create, write, sell, issue, invest in or act as placement agent or distributor of derivative instruments related to the Funds, or with respect to underlying securities or assets of the Funds, or which may be otherwise based on or seek to replicate or hedge the performance of the Funds. Such derivative transactions, and any associated hedging activity, may differ from and be adverse to the interests of the Funds.

Goldman Sachs may make loans or enter into asset-based or other credit facilities or similar transactions that are secured by a client’s assets or interests, including Fund shares, interests in an Account or assets in which the Funds or an Account has an interest. In connection with its rights as lender, Goldman Sachs may take actions that adversely affect the Account and which may in turn adversely affect the Funds (e.g., a Fund holding the same type of security that is providing the credit support to the borrower Account may be disadvantaged when the borrower Account liquidates assets in response to an action taken by Goldman Sachs).

Code of Ethics and Personal Trading

Each of the Funds and Goldman Sachs, as each Fund’s Investment Adviser and distributor, has adopted a Code of Ethics (the “Code of Ethics”) in compliance with Section 17(j) of the Act designed to provide that personnel of the Investment Adviser, and certain additional Goldman Sachs personnel who support the Investment Adviser, comply with applicable federal securities laws and place the interests of clients first in conducting personal securities transactions. The Code of Ethics imposes certain restrictions on securities transactions in the personal accounts of covered persons to help avoid conflicts of interest. Subject to the limitations of the Code of Ethics, covered persons may buy and sell securities or other investments for their personal accounts, including investments in the Funds, and may also take positions that are the same as, different from, or made at different times than, positions taken by the Funds. The Codes of Ethics can be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-202-942-8090. The Codes of Ethics are also available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. Copies may also be obtained after paying a duplicating fee by writing the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, DC 20549-0102, or by electronic request to publicinfo@sec.gov. Additionally, Goldman Sachs personnel, including personnel of the Investment Adviser, are subject to firm-wide policies and procedures regarding confidential and proprietary information, information barriers, private investments, outside business activities and personal trading.

Proxy Voting by the Investment Adviser

The Investment Adviser has adopted policies and procedures designed to prevent conflicts of interest from influencing proxy voting decisions that it makes on behalf of advisory clients, including the Funds, and to help ensure that such decisions are made in accordance with its fiduciary obligations to its clients. Notwithstanding such proxy voting policies and procedures, proxy voting decisions made by the Investment Adviser with respect to securities held by the Funds may benefit the interests of Goldman Sachs and Accounts other than the Funds. For a more detailed discussion of these policies and procedures, see the section of this SAI entitled “PROXY VOTING.”

Potential Limitations and Restrictions on Investment Opportunities and Activities of the Investment Adviser and the Funds

The Investment Adviser may restrict its investment decisions and activities on behalf of the Funds in various circumstances, including as a result of applicable regulatory requirements, information held by Goldman Sachs, Goldman Sachs’ internal policies and/or potential reputational risk or disadvantage to Accounts, including the Funds, and Goldman Sachs. As a result, the Investment Adviser might not engage in transactions for the Funds in consideration of Goldman Sachs’ activities outside the Funds (e.g., the Investment Adviser may refrain from making investments for the Funds that would cause Goldman Sachs to exceed position limits or cause Goldman Sachs to have additional disclosure obligations

 

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and may limit purchases or sales of securities in respect of which Goldman Sachs is engaged in an underwriting or other distribution). In addition, the Investment Adviser is not permitted to obtain or use material non-public information in effecting purchases and sales in public securities transactions for the Funds. The Investment Adviser may also limit the activities and transactions engaged in by the Funds, and may limit its exercise of rights on behalf of or in respect of the Funds, for reputational or other reasons, including where Goldman Sachs is providing (or may provide) advice or services to an entity involved in such activity or transaction, where Goldman Sachs or an Account is or may be engaged in the same or a related transaction to that being considered on behalf of the Funds, where Goldman Sachs or an Account has an interest in an entity involved in such activity or transaction, or where such activity or transaction or the exercise of such rights on behalf of or in respect of the Funds could affect Goldman Sachs, the Investment Adviser or their activities.

Brokerage Transactions

The Investment Adviser may select broker-dealers (including affiliates of the Investment Adviser) that furnish the Investment Adviser, the Funds, their affiliates and other Goldman Sachs personnel with proprietary or third party brokerage and research services (collectively, “brokerage and research services”) that provide, in the Investment Adviser’s view, appropriate assistance to the Investment Adviser in the investment decision-making process. As a result, the Investment Adviser may pay for such brokerage and research services with “soft” or commission dollars.

Brokerage and research services may be used to service the Funds and any or all other Accounts, including in connection with Accounts other than those that pay commissions to the broker-dealer relating to the brokerage and research service arrangements. As a result, the brokerage and research services (including soft dollar benefits) may disproportionately benefit other Accounts relative to the Funds based on the amount of commissions paid by the Funds in comparison to such other Accounts. The Investment Adviser does not attempt to allocate soft dollar benefits proportionately among clients or to track the benefits of brokerage and research services to the commissions associated with a particular Account or group of Accounts.

Aggregation of Trades by the Investment Adviser

The Investment Adviser follows policies and procedures pursuant to which it may combine or aggregate purchase or sale orders for the same security for multiple clients (sometimes called “bunching”) (including Accounts that are proprietary to Goldman Sachs), so that the orders can be executed at the same time. The Investment Adviser aggregates orders when the Investment Adviser considers doing so appropriate and in the interests of its clients generally. In addition, under certain circumstances trades for the Funds may be aggregated with Accounts that contain Goldman Sachs assets.

When a bunched order is completely filled, the Investment Adviser generally will allocate the securities purchased or proceeds of sale pro rata among the participating Accounts, based on the purchase or sale order. If an order is filled at several different prices, through multiple trades (whether at a particular broker-dealer or among multiple broker-dealers), generally all participating Accounts will receive the average price and pay the average commission, however, this may not always be the case (due to, e.g., odd lots, rounding, market practice or constraints applicable to particular Accounts).

The Investment Adviser does not bunch or aggregate orders for different Funds, or net buy and sell orders for the same Fund, if portfolio management decisions relating to the orders are made separately, or if bunching, aggregating or netting is not appropriate or practicable from the Investment Adviser’s operational or other perspective. The Investment Adviser may be able to negotiate a better price and lower commission rate on aggregated trades than on trades for Funds that are not aggregated, and incur lower transaction costs on netted trades than trades that are not netted. Where transactions for a Fund are not aggregated with other orders, or not netted against orders for the Fund, the Fund may not benefit from a better price and lower commission rate or lower transaction cost.

 

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PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE

The Investment Advisers and Sub-Adviser are responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for the Funds, the selection of brokers and dealers to effect the transactions and the negotiation of brokerage commissions, if any. Purchases and sales of securities on a securities exchange are effected through brokers who charge a negotiated commission for their services. Increasingly, securities traded over-the-counter also involve the payment of negotiated brokerage commissions. Orders may be directed to any broker including, to the extent and in the manner permitted by applicable law, Goldman Sachs.

In the over-the-counter market, most securities have historically traded on a “net” basis with dealers acting as principal for their own accounts without a stated commission, although the price of a security usually includes a profit to the dealer. In underwritten offerings, securities are purchased at a fixed price which includes an amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter’s concession or discount. On occasion, certain money market instruments may be purchased directly from an issuer, in which case no commissions or discounts are paid.

In placing orders for portfolio securities of a Fund, the Investment Advisers and Sub-Adviser are generally required to give primary consideration to obtaining the most favorable execution and net price available. This means that an Investment Adviser or Sub-Adviser will seek to execute each transaction at a price and commission, if any, which provides the most favorable total cost or proceeds reasonably attainable in the circumstances. As permitted by Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Section 28(e)”), the Fund may pay a broker who provides brokerage and research services to the Fund an amount of disclosed commission in excess of the commission which another broker would have charged for effecting that transaction. Such practice is subject to a good faith determination by the Trustees that such commission is reasonable in light of the services provided and to such policies as the Trustees may adopt from time to time. While the Investment Advisers and Sub-Adviser generally seek reasonably competitive spreads or commissions, a Fund will not necessarily be paying the lowest spread or commission available. Within the framework of this policy, the Investment Advisers and Sub-Adviser will consider research and investment services provided by brokers or dealers who effect or are parties to portfolio transactions of a Fund, the Investment Advisers and their affiliates, the Sub-Adviser, or their other clients. Such research and investment services are those which brokerage houses customarily provide to institutional investors and include research reports on particular industries and companies; economic surveys and analyses; recommendations as to specific securities; research products including quotation equipment and computer related programs; advice concerning the value of securities, the advisability of investing in, purchasing or selling securities and the availability of securities or the purchasers or sellers of securities; analyses and reports concerning issuers, industries, securities, economic factors and trends, portfolio strategy and performance of accounts; services relating to effecting securities transactions and functions incidental thereto (such as clearance and settlement); and other lawful and appropriate assistance to the Investment Advisers and Sub-Adviser in the performance of their decision-making responsibilities.

Such services are used by the Investment Advisers and Sub-Adviser in connection with all of their investment activities, and some of such services obtained in connection with the execution of transactions for a Fund may be used in managing other investment accounts. Conversely, brokers furnishing such services may be selected for the execution of transactions of such other accounts, whose aggregate assets may be larger than those of a Fund’s, and the services furnished by such brokers may be used by the Investment Advisers and Sub-Adviser in providing management services for the Trust. The Investment Advisers may also participate in so-called “commission sharing arrangements” and “client commission arrangements” under which an Investment Adviser may execute transactions through a broker-dealer and request that the broker-dealer allocate a portion of the commissions or commission credits to another firm that provides research to the Investment Adviser. The Investment Advisers exclude from use under these arrangements those products and services that are not fully eligible under applicable law and regulatory interpretations — even as to the portion that would be eligible if accounted for separately.

 

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The research services received as part of commission sharing and client commission arrangements will comply with Section 28(e) and may be subject to different legal requirements in the jurisdictions in which the Investment Advisers do business. Participating in commission sharing and client commission arrangements may enable the Investment Advisers to consolidate payments for research through one or more channels using accumulated client commissions or credits from transactions executed through a particular broker-dealer to obtain research provided by other firms. Such arrangements also help to ensure the continued receipt of research services while facilitating best execution in the trading process. The Investment Advisers believe such research services are useful in their investment decision-making process by, among other things, ensuring access to a variety of high quality research, access to individual analysts and availability of resources that the Investment Advisers might not be provided access to absent such arrangements.

On occasions when an Investment Adviser or Sub-Adviser deems the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interest of a Fund as well as its other customers (including any other fund or other investment company or advisory account for which such Investment Adviser acts as investment adviser or sub-investment adviser), the Investment Adviser or Sub-Adviser, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may aggregate the securities to be sold or purchased for the Fund with those to be sold or purchased for such other customers in order to obtain the best net price and most favorable execution under the circumstances. In such event, allocation of the securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the applicable Investment Adviser or Sub-Adviser in the manner it considers to be equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to such Fund and such other customers. In some instances, this procedure may adversely affect the price and size of the position obtainable for a Fund.

Commission rates in the U.S. are established pursuant to negotiations with the broker based on the quality and quantity of execution services provided by the broker in the light of generally prevailing rates. The allocation of orders among brokers and the commission rates paid are reviewed periodically by the Trustees.

Certain Funds may participate in a commission recapture program. Under the program, participating broker-dealers rebate a percentage of commissions earned as Fund portfolio transactions to the particular Fund from which they were generated. The rebated commissions are expected to be treated as realized capital gains of the Funds.

Subject to the above considerations, the Investment Advisers and Sub-Adviser may use Goldman Sachs or an affiliate as a broker for a Fund. In order for Goldman Sachs or an affiliate, acting as agent, to effect any portfolio transactions for each Fund, the commissions, fees or other remuneration received by Goldman Sachs or an affiliate must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions, fees or other remuneration received by other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities or futures contracts. Furthermore, the Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not “interested” Trustees, have adopted procedures which are reasonably designed to provide that any commissions, fees or other remuneration paid to Goldman Sachs are consistent with the foregoing standard. Brokerage transactions with Goldman Sachs are also subject to such fiduciary standards as may be imposed upon Goldman Sachs by applicable law.

Commission rates in the U.S. are established pursuant to negotiations with the broker based on the quality and quantity of execution services provided by the broker in the light of generally prevailing rates. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2011, December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, each Fund paid brokerage commissions as follows. The amount of brokerage commissions paid by a Fund may vary substantially from year to year because of differences in shareholder purchase and redemption activity, portfolio turnover rates and other factors.

 

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Fiscal Year Ended

December 31, 2011:

   Total
Brokerage
Commissions
Paid*
     Total
Brokerage
Commissions
Paid to
Goldman Sachs*
    Total
Amount of
Transactions
on which
Commissions
Paid*
    Amount of
Transactions
Effected through
Brokers Providing
Research
     Brokerage
Commissions
Paid
to Brokers
Providing
Research**
 

Structured U.S. Equity Fund

   $ 18,408       $ 0 (0 %)    $ 556,324,777 (0 %)    $ —         $ —     

Structured Small Cap Equity Fund

     7,348         0 (0 %)    $ 139,571,214 (0 %)      —           —     

Strategic Growth Fund

     181,421         0 (0 %)    $ 251,405,916 (0 %)      178,192,844         133,796   

Large Cap Value Fund

     2,033,079         23,298 (0 %)    $ 2,385,165,071 (0 %)      1,775,525,270         1,548,681   

Mid Cap Value Fund

     1,363,173         77,433 (6 %)    $ 1,373,536,897 (0 %)      1,065,151,721         1,012,438   

Growth Opportunities Fund

     137,740         0 (0 %)    $ 180,048,250 (0 %)      138,214,139         102,645   

Equity Index

     8,352         0 (0 %)    $ 53,652,243 (0 %)      —           —     

Strategic International Equity Fund

     720,788         0 (0 %)    $ 804,384,524 (0 %)      575,782,422         694,618   

Government Income

     4,135         0 (0 %)    $ 330,078,652 (0 %)      —           —     

Core Fixed Income

     8,174         17 (0 %)    $ 684,788,514 (0 %)      —           —     

Money Market

     —           —          —          —           —     

 

 

* The figures in the table report brokerage commissions only from securities transactions. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, Goldman Sachs and other affiliated broker/dealers earned approximately $2,614, $866, $6,037, $6, $1,204, $8,174 and $4,135, in brokerage commissions from portfolio transactions, including futures transactions, executed on behalf of the Structured U.S. Equity Fund, Structured Small Cap Equity Fund, Strategic International Equity Fund, Growth Opportunities Fund, Equity Index Fund, Core Fixed Income Fund, and Government Income Fund, respectively. Percentages next to each dollar figure represent percentages of total amount of commissions paid to, or transactions effected through, Goldman Sachs and other affiliated broker-dealers.
** The information above reflects the full commission amounts paid to brokers that provide research to the Investment Advisers. Only a portion of such commission pays for research and the remainder of such commission is to compensate the broker for execution services, commitment of capital and other services related to the execution of brokerage transactions.

 

Fiscal Year Ended

December 31, 2010:

   Total
Brokerage
Commissions
Paid*
     Total
Brokerage
Commissions
Paid to
Goldman Sachs*
    Total
Amount of
Transactions
on which

Commissions
Paid*
 

Structured U.S. Equity Fund

   $ 15,250       $ 0 (0 %)    $ 454,609,449 (0 %) 

Structured Small Cap Equity Fund

     13,008         0 (0 %)      211,085,233 (0 %) 

Strategic Growth Fund

     171,477         0 (0 %)      272,823,250 (0 %) 

Large Cap Value Fund

     1,580,299         73,630 (5 %)      1,969,366,384 (6 %) 

Mid Cap Value Fund

     1,773,566         0 (0 %)      1,658,147,484 (0 %) 

Growth Opportunities Fund

     108,937         1,002 (1 %)      146,357,998 (0 %) 

Equity Index

     11,387         0 (0 %)      50,955,968 (0 %) 

Strategic International Equity Fund

     688,962         0 (0 %)      618,672,641 (0 %) 

Government Income

     3,911         0 (0 %)      299,496,233 (0 %) 

Core Fixed Income

     12,514         0 (0 %)      945,032,858 (0 %) 

Money Market

     —           —          —     

 

 

* The figures in the table report brokerage commissions only from securities transactions. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, Goldman Sachs and other affiliated broker/dealers earned approximately $2,453, $1,279, $73,630, $1,002, $77, $6,808, $86 and $137, in brokerage commissions from portfolio transactions, including futures transactions, executed on behalf of the Structured U.S. Equity Fund, Structured Small Cap Equity Fund, Large Cap Value Fund, Growth Opportunities Fund, Equity Index Fund, Strategic International Equity Fund, Government Income Fund and Core Fixed Income Fund, respectively.

 

 

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Percentages next to each dollar figure represent percentages of total amount of commissions paid to, or transactions effected through, Goldman Sachs and other affiliated broker-dealers.

 

Fiscal Year Ended

December 31, 2009:

   Total
Brokerage
Commissions
Paid*
     Total
Brokerage
Commissions
Paid to
Goldman Sachs*
    Total
Amount of
Transactions
on which
Commissions
Paid*
 

Structured U.S. Equity Fund

   $ 77,975       $ —(0 %)    $ 1,287,796,333(0 %) 

Structured Small Cap Equity Fund

     58,827         —(0 %)      435,533,630(0 %) 

Capital Growth Fund

     339,896         —(0 %)      405,956,407(0 %) 

Growth and Income Fund

     1,336,989         99,773(7 %)      1,263,484,525(7 %) 

Mid Cap Value Fund

     2,585,010         —(0 %)      1,975,912,874(0 %) 

Growth Opportunities Fund

     170,305         1,548(1 %)      167,444,328(1 %) 

Equity Index

     17,301         —(0 %)      53,222,869(0 %) 

Strategic International Equity Fund

     699,863         —(0 %)      562,391,622(0 %) 

Government Income

     5,183         —(0 %)      429,053,825(0 %) 

Core Fixed Income

     13,962         —(0 %)      1,147,713,051(0 %) 

Money Market

     —           —          —     

 

 

* The figures in the table report brokerage commissions only from securities transactions. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, Goldman Sachs and other affiliated broker/dealers earned approximately $1,600, $400, $1,800, $24,500, $30,900, $1,000, $5,900, $100 and $100, in brokerage commissions from portfolio transactions, including futures transactions, executed on behalf of the Structured U.S. Equity Fund, Structured Small Cap Equity Fund, Capital Growth Fund, Growth and Income Fund, Mid Cap Value Fund, Equity Index Fund, Strategic International Equity Fund, Government Income Fund and Core Fixed Income Fund, respectively. Percentages next to each dollar figure represent percentages of total amount of commissions paid to, or transactions effected through, Goldman Sachs and other affiliated broker-dealers.

Funds’ Investments in Regular Broker-Dealers

As of December 31, 2011, the Funds held the following amounts of securities of their regular broker-dealers, as defined in Rule 10b-1 under the Act, or their parents ($ in thousands):

 

Fund

  

Broker/Dealer

   Amount  

Structured U.S. Equity Fund

   Citigroup, Inc.    $ 535   
   Bank of America Securities LLC    $ 1,142   
   Wells Fargo    $ 3,215   
   JPMorgan Chase    $ 551   

Large Cap Value Fund

   JPMorgan Chase & Co.    $ 50,831   
   Morgan Stanley    $ 17,400   

Mid Cap Value Fund

   JPMorgan Chase & Co.    $ 19,827   

Equity Index Fund

   Bank of America Securities LLC    $ 832   
   Citigroup, Inc.    $ 1,141   
   JPMorgan Chase & Co.    $ 1,871   
   Morgan Stanley    $ 334   
   State Street Corp.    $ 293   
   Wells Fargo & Co.    $ 2,154   

Strategic International Equity Fund

   BNP Paribas    $ 2,144   
   UBS    $ 3,103   
   Royal Bank of Scotland PLC    $ 1,210   

 

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Fund

  

Broker/Dealer

   Amount  

Government Income Fund

   Bank of America    $ 345   
   Citigroup, Inc.    $ 1,927   
   JPMorgan Chase & Co.    $ 263   

Core Fixed Income Fund

   Bank of America Securities LLC    $ 750   
   Citigroup, Inc.    $ 977   
   JPMorgan Chase & Co.    $ 1,471   
   Morgan Stanley    $ 3,261   
   RBS Securities Inc.    $ 730   
   Wells Fargo & Co.    $ 873   

Money Market Fund

   JPMorgan Chase Bank    $ 4,000   

NET ASSET VALUE

General. In accordance with procedures adopted by the Trustees of the Trust, the NAV per share of each class of each Fund is calculated by determining the value of the net assets attributed to each class of that Fund and dividing by the number of outstanding shares of that class. All securities are valued on each Business Day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (normally, but not always, 4:00 p.m. New York time) or such other time as the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ market may officially close. The term “Business Day” means any day the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading which is Monday through Friday except for holidays. The New York Stock Exchange is closed on the following holidays: New Year’s Day (observed), Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday (observed), Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. Certain Fund shares may be priced on such days if the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (“SIFMA”) recommends that bond markets remain open for all or part of the day.

The time at which transactions and shares are priced and the time by which orders must be received may be changed in case of an emergency or if regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange is stopped at a time other than 4:00 p.m. New York Time. The Trust reserves the right to reprocess purchase, redemption and exchange transactions that were initially processed at an NAV other than the Fund’s official closing NAV that is subsequently adjusted, and to recover amounts from (or distribute amounts to) shareholders based on the official closing NAV. The Trust reserves the right to advance the time by which purchase and redemption orders must be received for same business day credit as otherwise permitted by the SEC. In addition, each Fund may compute its NAV as of any time permitted pursuant to any exemption, order or statement of the SEC or its staff.

The value of all assets and liabilities expressed in foreign currencies will be converted into U.S. dollar values at current exchange rates of such currencies against U.S. dollars last quoted by any major bank or a pricing service. If such quotations are not available, the rate of exchange will be determined in good faith by or under procedures established by the Board of Trustees.

Generally, trading in securities on European, Asian and Far Eastern securities exchanges and on over—the—counter markets in these regions is substantially completed at various times prior to the close of business on each Business Day in New York (i.e., a day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading). In addition, European, Asian or Far Eastern securities trading generally or in a particular country or countries may not take place on all Business Days in New York. Furthermore, trading takes place in various foreign markets on days which are not Business Days in New York and days on which the Funds’ NAVs are not calculated. Such calculation does not take place contemporaneously with the determination of the prices of the majority of the portfolio securities used in such calculation. The Funds’ investments are

 

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valued based on market quotations which may be furnished by a pricing service or provided by securities dealers or, in the case of foreign equity securities, “fair value” prices are provided by an independent fair value service (if available), in accordance with fair value procedures approved by the Trustees, and are intended to reflect more accurately the value of those securities at the time the Funds’ NAV is calculated. Fair value prices are used because many foreign markets operate at times that do not coincide with those of the major U.S. markets. Events that could affect the values of foreign portfolio holdings may occur between the close of the foreign market and the time of determining the NAV, and would not otherwise be reflected in the NAV. If the independent fair value service does not provide a fair value for a particular security or if the value does not meet the established criteria for the Funds, the most recent closing price for such a security on its principal exchange will generally be its fair value on such date.

The Investment Adviser, consistent with its procedures and applicable regulatory guidance, may (but need not) determine to make an adjustment to the previous closing prices of either domestic or foreign securities in light of significant events, to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities at the time of determining a Fund’s NAV. Significant events that could affect a large number of securities in a particular market may include, but are not limited to: situations relating to one or more single issuers in a market sector; significant fluctuations in U.S. or foreign markets; market dislocations; market disruptions or market closings; equipment failures; natural or man-made disasters or act of God; armed conflicts; governmental actions or other developments; as well as the same or similar events which may affect specific issuers or the securities markets even though not tied directly to the securities markets. Other significant events that could relate to a single issuer may include, but are not limited to: corporate actions such as reorganizations, mergers and buy-outs; corporate announcements, including those relating to earnings, products and regulatory news; significant litigation; low trading volume; trading limits; or suspensions.

The proceeds received by each Fund and each other series of the Trust from the issue or sale of its shares, and all net investment income, realized and unrealized gain and proceeds thereof, subject only to the rights of creditors, will be specifically allocated to such Fund or particular series and constitute the underlying assets of that Fund or series. The underlying assets of each Fund will be segregated on the books of account, and will be charged with the liabilities in respect of such Fund and with a share of the general liabilities of the Trust. Expenses of the Trust with respect to the Funds and the other series of the Trust are generally allocated in proportion to the NAVs of the respective Funds or series except where allocations of expenses can otherwise be fairly made.

Equity Funds. Portfolio securities of an Equity Fund for which accurate market quotations are readily available are valued as follows: (i) securities listed on any U.S. or foreign stock exchange or on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations System (“NASDAQ”) will be valued at the last sale price or the official closing price on the exchange or system in which they are principally traded on the valuation date. If there is no sale on the valuation day, securities traded will be valued at the closing bid price, or if a closing bid price is not available, at either the exchange or system defined close price on the exchange or system in which such securities are principally traded. If the relevant exchange or system has not closed by the above-mentioned time for determining a Fund’s NAV, the securities will be valued at the last sale price or official closing price, or if not available at the bid price at the time the NAV is determined; (ii) over-the-counter securities not quoted on NASDAQ will be valued at the last sale price on the valuation day or, if no sale occurs, at the last bid price at the time NAV is determined; (iii) equity securities for which no prices are obtained under sections (i) or (ii) including those for which a pricing service supplies no exchange quotation or a quotation that is believed by the portfolio manager/trader to be inaccurate, will be valued at their fair value in accordance with procedures approved by the Board of Trustees; (iv) fixed income securities, with the exception of short term securities with remaining maturities of 60 days or less, will be valued using evaluated prices provided by a recognized pricing service (e.g., Interactive Data Corp., Reuters, etc.) or dealer-supplied bid quotations; (v) fixed income securities for which accurate market quotations are not readily available are valued by the Investment Adviser based on valuation models that take into account various factors such as spread and daily yield changes on government or other securities in the appropriate market (i.e., matrix pricing); (vi) short term fixed income securities with a remaining maturity of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, which the Trustees have determined to approximate fair value; and (vii) all other instruments, including those for which a pricing service supplies no exchange quotation or a quotation that is believed by the portfolio manager/trader to be inaccurate, will be valued in accordance with the valuation procedures approved by the Board of Trustees.

 

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Fixed Income Funds. For the purpose of calculating the NAV of the Fixed Income Funds, investments are valued under valuation procedures established by the Trustees. Portfolio securities for which market quotations are readily available, other than money market instruments, are valued via electronic feeds to the custodian bank containing dealer supplied bid quotations or bid quotations from a recognized pricing service. Securities for which a pricing service either does not supply a quotation or supplies a quotation that is believed by the Investment Adviser to be inaccurate will be valued based on bid side broker quotations.

Securities for which the custodian bank is unable to obtain an external price as provided above or with respect to which the Investment Adviser believes an external price does not reflect accurate market values, will be valued by the Investment Adviser in good faith based on yield equivalents, a pricing matrix or other sources, under valuation procedures established by the Trustees. The pricing services may use valuation models or matrix pricing, which considers yield or price with respect to comparable bonds, quotations from bond dealers or by reference to other securities that are considered comparable in such characteristics as rating, interest rate and maturity date, to determine current value. Other securities are valued as follows: (i) overnight repurchase agreements will be valued at cost; (ii) term repurchase agreements (i.e., those whose maturity exceeds seven days) and swaps, caps, collars and floors will be valued at the average of the bid quotations obtained daily from at least one dealer; (iii) debt securities with a remaining maturity of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, which the Trustees have determined to approximate fair value; (iv) spot and forward foreign currency exchange contracts will be valued using a pricing service such as Reuters (if quotations are unavailable from a pricing service or, if the quotations by the Investment Adviser are believed to be inaccurate, the contracts will be valued by calculating the mean between the last bid and asked quotations supplied by at least one independent dealer in such contracts); (v) exchange-traded options and futures contracts will be valued by the custodian bank at the last sale price on the exchange where such contracts and options are principally traded if accurate quotations are readily available; and (vi) over-the-counter options will be valued by a broker identified by the portfolio manager/trader. If accurate market quotations are not readily available, or if the Investment Adviser believes that such quotations or prices do not accurately reflect fair value, the fair value of the Funds’ investments may be determined based on yield equivalents, a pricing matrix or other sources, under valuation procedures established by the Trustees.

Money Market Fund. The Money Market Fund’s securities are valued using the amortized cost method of valuation in an effort to maintain a constant NAV of $1.00 per share, which the Board of Trustees has determined to be in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders. This method involves valuing a security at cost on the date of acquisition and thereafter assuming a constant accretion of a discount or amortization of a premium to maturity, regardless of the impact of fluctuating interest rates and other factors on the market value of the instrument. While this method provides certainty in valuation, it may result in periods during which value, as determined by amortized cost, is higher or lower than the price the Fund would receive if it sold the instrument. During such periods, the yield to an investor in the Fund may differ somewhat from that obtained in a similar investment company which uses available market quotations to value all of its portfolio securities. During periods of declining interest rates, the quoted yield on shares of the Fund may tend to be higher than a like computation made by a fund with identical investments utilizing a method of valuation based upon market prices and estimates of market prices for all of its portfolio instruments. Thus, if the use of amortized cost resulted in a lower aggregate portfolio value on a particular day, a prospective investor in the Fund would be able to obtain a somewhat higher yield if he or she purchased shares of the Fund on that day, than would result from investment in a fund utilizing solely market values, and existing investors in the Fund would receive less investment income. The converse would apply in a period of rising interest rates.

The Trustees have established procedures designed to stabilize, to the extent reasonably possible, the Money Market Fund’s price per share as computed for the purpose of sales and redemptions at $1.00. Such procedures include review of the Fund by the Trustees, at such intervals as they deem appropriate, to determine whether the Fund’s NAV calculated by using available market quotations (or an appropriate substitute which reflects market conditions) deviates from $1.00 per share based on amortized cost, as well as review of methods used to calculate the deviation. If such deviation exceeds 1/2

 

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of 1%, the Trustees will promptly consider what action, if any, will be initiated. In the event the Trustees determine that a deviation exists which may result in material dilution or other unfair results to investors or existing shareholders, they will take such corrective action as they regard to be necessary and appropriate, including the sale of portfolio instruments prior to maturity to realize capital gains or losses or to shorten average portfolio maturity; withholding part or all of dividends or payment of distributions from capital or capital gains; redeeming shares in kind; or establishing a NAV per share by using available market quotations or equivalents. In addition, in order to stabilize the NAV per share at $1.00, the Trustees have the authority (i) to reduce or increase the number of shares outstanding on a pro rata basis, and (ii) to offset each shareholder’s pro rata portion of the deviation between the NAV per share and $1.00 from the shareholder’s accrued dividend account or from future dividends. The Fund may hold cash for the purpose of stabilizing its NAV per share. Holdings of cash, on which no return is earned, would tend to lower the yield on the Fund’s shares.

In order to continue to use the amortized cost method of valuation for the Fund’s investments, the Fund must comply with Rule 2a-7 under the Act.

Errors and Corrective Actions

The Investment Adviser will report to the Board of Trustees any material breaches of investment objective, policies or restrictions and any material errors in the calculation of the NAV of a Fund or the processing of purchases and redemptions. Depending on the nature and size of an error, corrective action may or may not be required. Corrective action may involve a prospective correction of the NAV only, correction of any erroneous NAV and compensation to a Fund, or correction of any erroneous NAV, compensation to a Fund and reprocessing of individual shareholder transactions. The Trust’s policies on errors and corrective action limit or restrict when corrective action will be taken or when compensation to a Fund or its shareholders will be paid, and not all mistakes will result in compensable errors. As a result, neither a Fund nor its shareholders who purchase or redeem shares during periods in which errors accrue or occur may be compensated in connection with the resolution of an error. Shareholders will generally not be notified of the occurrence of a compensable error or the resolution thereof absent unusual circumstances. As discussed in more detail under “NET ASSET VALUE,” a Fund’s portfolio securities may be priced based on quotations for those securities provided by pricing services. There can be no guarantee that a quotation provided by a pricing service will be accurate.

SHARES OF THE TRUST

Each Fund is a series of Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust, which was formed under the laws of the state of Delaware on September 16, 1997. The Trustees have authority under the Trust’s Declaration of Trust to create and classify shares of beneficial interest in separate series, without further action by shareholders. The Trustees also have authority to classify and reclassify any series or portfolio of shares into one or more classes. As of April 27, 2012, the Trustees have classified shares in each Fund as a class of shares called Service Shares, and have also classified additional shares in the following Funds as a second class of shares called Institutional Shares: Structured U.S. Equity Fund, Structured Small Cap Equity Fund, Strategic Growth Fund, Large Cap Value Fund, Mid Cap Value Fund and Strategic International Equity Fund. Additional series and classes may be added in the future.

Each Institutional Share and Service Share of a Fund represents a proportionate interest in the assets belonging to the applicable class of the Fund. All expenses of a Fund are borne at the same rate by each class of shares, except that fees and expenses under distribution and service plans are borne exclusively by Service Shares. The Trustees may determine in the future that it is appropriate to allocate other expenses differently among classes of shares and may do so to the extent consistent with the rules of the SEC and positions of the IRS. Each class of shares may have different minimum investment requirements and be entitled to different shareholder services. In addition, the fees and expenses under the distribution and service plan for Service Shares may be subject to voluntary fee waivers or reimbursements, as discussed more fully in the Funds’ Prospectuses.

 

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It is possible that a participating insurance company or its affiliate may offer different classes of shares (i.e., Institutional Shares and Service Shares) to its customers and thus receive different compensation with respect to different classes of shares of each Fund. Dividends paid by each Fund, if any, with respect to each class of shares will be calculated in the same manner, at the same time on the same day and will be in the same amount, except for differences caused by the fact that the respective plan fees relating to a particular class will be borne exclusively by that class. Similarly, the NAV per share may differ depending upon the class of shares purchased.

Certain aspects of the shares may be altered after advance notice to shareholders if it is deemed necessary in order to satisfy certain tax regulatory requirements.

When issued for the consideration described in the Funds’ Prospectuses, shares are fully paid and non-assessable. The Trustees may, however, cause shareholders, or shareholders of a particular series or class, to pay certain custodian, transfer, servicing or similar agent charges by setting off the same against declared but unpaid dividends or by reducing share ownership (or by both means). In the event of liquidation, shareholders are entitled to share pro rata in the net assets of the applicable class of the relevant Fund available for distribution to such shareholders. All shares are freely transferable and have no preemptive, subscription or conversion rights. The Trustees may require shareholders to redeem Shares for any reason under terms set by the Trustees.

The Act requires that where more than one series of shares exists, each series must be preferred over all other series in respect of assets specifically allocated to such series. In addition, Rule 18f-2 under the Act provides that any matter required to be submitted by the provisions of the Act or applicable state law, or otherwise, to the holders of the outstanding voting securities of an investment company such as the Trust shall not be deemed to have been effectively acted upon unless approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of each series affected by such matter. Rule 18f-2 further provides that a series shall be deemed to be affected by a matter unless the interests of each series in the matter are substantially identical or the matter does not affect any interest of such series. However, Rule 18f-2 exempts the selection of independent public accountants, the approval of principal distribution contracts and the election of trustees from the separate voting requirements of Rule 18f-2.

The Trust is not required to hold annual meetings of shareholders and does not intend to hold such meetings. In the event that a meeting of shareholders is held, each share of the Trust will be entitled, as determined by the Trustees without the vote or consent of the shareholders, either to one vote for each share or to one vote for each dollar of NAV represented by such share on all matters presented to shareholders including the election of Trustees (this method of voting being referred to as “dollar based voting”). However, to the extent required by the Act or otherwise determined by the Trustees, series and classes of the Trust will vote separately from each other. Shareholders of the Trust do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of Trustees. Meetings of shareholders of the Trust, or any series or class thereof, may be called by the Trustees, certain officers or upon the written request of holders of 10% or more of the shares entitled to vote at such meetings. The Trustees will call a special meeting of shareholders for the purpose of electing Trustees if, at any time, less than a majority of Trustees holding office at the time were elected by shareholders. The shareholders of the Trust will have voting rights only with respect to the limited number of matters specified in the Declaration of Trust and such other matters as the Trustees may determine or may be required by law.

The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification of Trustees, officers, employees and agents of the Trust unless the recipient is adjudicated (i) to be liable by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such person’s office or (ii) not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that such person’s actions were in the best interest of the Trust. The Declaration of Trust provides that, if any shareholder or former shareholder of any series is held personally liable solely by reason of being or having been a shareholder and not because of the shareholder’s acts or omissions or for some other reason, the shareholder or former shareholder (or the shareholder’s heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives or general successors) shall be held harmless from and indemnified against all loss and expense arising from such liability. The Trust, acting on behalf of any affected series, must, upon request by such shareholder, assume the defense of any claim made against such shareholder for any act or obligation of the series and satisfy any judgment thereon from the assets of the series.

 

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The Declaration of Trust permits the termination of the Trust or of any series or class of the Trust (i) by a majority of the affected shareholders at a meeting of shareholders of the Trust, series or class; or (ii) by a majority of the Trustees without shareholder approval if the Trustees determine, in their sole discretion, that such action is in the best interest of the Trust, such series, such class or their respective shareholders. The Trustees may consider such factors as they, in their sole discretion, deem appropriate in making such determination, including (i) the inability of the Trust or any series or class to maintain its assets at an appropriate size; (ii) changes in laws or regulations governing the Trust, series, or class or affecting assets of the type in which it invests; or (iii) economic developments or trends having a significant adverse impact on the business or operations of the Trust or series.

The Declaration of Trust authorizes the Trustees without shareholder approval to cause the Trust, or any series thereof, to merge or consolidate with any corporation, association, trust or other organization or sell or exchange all or substantially all of the property belonging to the Trust or any series thereof. In addition, the Trustees, without shareholder approval, may adopt a master-feeder structure by investing all or a portion of the assets of a series of the Trust in the securities of another open-end investment company with substantially the same investment objective, restrictions and policies.

The Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees to amend the Declaration of Trust without a shareholder vote. However, shareholders of the Trust have the right to vote on any amendment (i) that would adversely affect the voting rights of shareholders; (ii) that is required by law to be approved by shareholders; (iii) that would amend the provisions of the Declaration of Trust regarding amendments and supplements thereto; or (iv) that the Trustees determine to submit to shareholders.

The Trustees may appoint separate Trustees with respect to one or more series or classes of the Trust’s shares (the “Series Trustees”). Series Trustees may, but are not required to, serve as Trustees of the Trust or any other series or class of the Trust. To the extent provided by the Trustees in the appointment of Series Trustees, the Series Trustees may have, to the exclusion of any other Trustees of the Trust, all the powers and authorities of Trustees under the Declaration of Trust with respect to such Series or Class, but may have no power or authority with respect to any other series or class.

Shareholder and Trustee Liability

Under Delaware Law, the shareholders of the Funds are not generally subject to liability for the debts or obligations of the Trust. Similarly, Delaware law provides that a series of the Trust will not be liable for the debts or obligations of any other series of the Trust. However, no similar statutory or other authority limiting statutory trust shareholder liability exists in other states. As a result, to the extent that a Delaware statutory trust or a shareholder is subject to the jurisdiction of courts of such other states, the courts may not apply Delaware law and may thereby subject the Delaware statutory trust shareholders to liability. To guard against this risk, the Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of a series. Notice of such disclaimer will normally be given in each agreement, obligation or instrument entered into or executed by a series of the Trust. The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification by the relevant series for all loss suffered by a shareholder as a result of an obligation of the series. The Declaration of Trust also provides that a series shall, upon request, assume the defense of any claim made against any shareholder for any act or obligation of the series and satisfy any judgment thereon. In view of the above, the risk of personal liability of shareholders of a Delaware statutory trust is remote.

In addition to the requirements under Delaware law, the Declaration of Trust provides that shareholders of a series may bring a derivative action on behalf of the series only if the following conditions are met: (a) shareholders eligible to bring such derivative action under Delaware law who hold at least 10% of the outstanding shares of the series, or 10% of the outstanding shares of the class to which such action relates, shall join in the request for the Trustees to commence such action; and (b) the Trustees must be afforded a reasonable amount of time to consider such shareholder request and to investigate the basis of such claim. The Trustees will be entitled to retain counsel or other advisers in considering the merits of the request and may require an undertaking by the shareholders making such request to reimburse the series for the expense of any such advisers in the event that the Trustees determine not to bring such action.

 

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The Declaration of Trust further provides that the Trustees will not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law, but nothing in the Declaration of Trust protects a Trustee against liability to which he or she would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.

TAXATION

Shares of the Funds are offered to Separate Accounts that fund variable annuity contracts and variable insurance policies issued by Participating Insurance Companies. See the prospectuses for such contracts for a discussion of the special taxation of insurance companies with respect to the Separate Accounts, the variable annuity contracts, variable insurance policies and the holders thereof.

The following is only a summary of certain additional tax considerations generally affecting the Funds and their shareholders that are not described in the Prospectuses. The discussions below and in the Prospectuses are not intended as substitutes for careful tax planning. Each prospective investor is urged to consult his or her own tax adviser with respect to the specific federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of investing in a Fund. The summary is based on the laws in effect on April 27, 2012, which are subject to change.

General

The holders of variable life insurance policies or annuity contracts should not be subject to tax with respect to distributions made on, or redemptions of, Fund shares, assuming that the variable life insurance policies and annuity contracts qualify under the Code, as life insurance or annuities, respectively, and that the Separate Account shareholders are treated as owners of the Fund shares. Thus, this summary does not describe the tax consequences to a holder of a life insurance policy or annuity contract as a result of the ownership of such policies or contracts. Policy or contract holders must consult the prospectuses of their respective policies or contracts for information concerning the federal income tax consequences of owning such policies or contracts. This summary also does not describe the tax consequences applicable to the owners of the Fund shares because the Fund shares will be sold only to insurance companies. Thus, purchasers of Fund shares must consult their own tax advisers regarding the federal, state, and local tax consequences of owning Fund shares.

Each of the Funds has elected to be treated and intends to qualify for each of its taxable years as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of Subtitle A, Chapter 1, of the Code. Qualification as a regulated investment company under the Code requires, among other things, that (1) a Fund derive at least 90% of its gross income for its taxable year from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans and gains from the sale or other disposition of stocks or securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures, and forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies (the “90% gross income test”); and (2) the Fund diversify its holdings so that, at the close of each quarter of its taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of such Fund’s total (gross) assets is comprised of cash, cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities limited in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the value of such Fund’s total assets and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total (gross) assets is invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. government securities and securities of other regulated investment companies) or two or more issuers controlled by the Fund and engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or certain publicly traded partnerships. For purposes of the 90% gross income test, income that a Fund earns from equity interests in certain entities that are not treated as corporations (e.g., partnerships or trusts) for U.S. tax purposes will generally have the same character for such Fund as in the hands of such an entity; consequently, a Fund may be required to limit its equity

 

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investments in such entities that earn fee income, rental income, or other nonqualifying income. In addition, future Treasury regulations could provide that qualifying income under the 90% gross income test will not include gains from foreign currency transactions that are not directly related to a Fund’s principal business of investing in stock or securities or options and futures with respect to stock or securities. Using foreign currency positions or entering into foreign currency options, futures and forward or swap contracts for purposes other than hedging currency risk with respect to securities in a Fund’s portfolio or anticipated to be acquired may not qualify as “directly-related” under these tests.

If a Fund complies with such provisions, then in any taxable year in which such Fund distributes, in compliance with the Code’s timing and other requirements, at least 90% of its “investment company taxable income” (which includes dividends, taxable interest, taxable accrued original issue discount and market discount income, income from securities lending, any net short term capital gain in excess of net long term capital loss, certain net realized foreign exchange gains and any other taxable income other than “net capital gain,” as defined below, and is reduced by deductible expenses), and at least 90% of the excess of its gross tax-exempt interest income (if any) over certain disallowed deductions, such Fund (but not its shareholders) will be relieved of federal income tax on any income of the Fund, including long term capital gains, distributed to shareholders. However, if a Fund retains any investment company taxable income or “net capital gain” (the excess of net long term capital gain over net short term capital loss), it will be subject to a tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained, or, if the shortfall in distributions is large enough, a Fund could be disqualified as a regulated investment company.

Each Fund intends to distribute for each taxable year to its shareholders all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income, net capital gain and any net tax-exempt interest. Exchange control or other foreign laws, regulations or practices may restrict repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds of securities sales by foreign investors such as the Strategic International Equity Fund and may therefore make it more difficult for such a Fund to satisfy the distribution requirements described above, as well as the excise tax distribution requirements described below. However, each Fund generally expects to be able to obtain sufficient cash to satisfy such requirements from new investors, the sale of securities or other sources. If for any taxable year a Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, it will be taxed on all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain at corporate rate without any deduction for dividends paid.

Each Fund intends to comply with the diversification requirements imposed by Section 817(h) of the Code and the regulations thereunder. Under Code Section 817(h), a variable life insurance or annuity contract will not be treated as a life insurance policy or annuity contract, respectively, under the Code, unless the Separate Account upon which such contract or policy is based is “adequately diversified.” A Separate Account will be adequately diversified if it satisfies one of two alternative tests set forth in the Treasury regulations. Specifically, the Treasury regulations provide that, except as permitted by the “safe harbor” discussed below, as of the end of each calendar quarter (or within 30 days thereafter) no more than 55% of the Separate Account’s total assets may be represented by any one investment, no more than 70% by any two investments, no more than 80% by any three investments and no more than 90% by any four investments. For this purpose, all securities of the same issuer are considered a single investment, and each U.S. government agency and instrumentality is considered a separate issuer. As a safe harbor, a Separate Account will be treated as being adequately diversified if the diversification requirements under Subchapter M are satisfied and no more than 55% of the value of the account’s total assets are cash and cash items, U.S. government securities and securities of other regulated investment companies. In addition, a Separate Account with respect to a variable life insurance contract is treated as adequately diversified to the extent of its investment in securities issued by the United States Treasury.

For purposes of these alternative diversification tests, a Separate Account investing in shares of a regulated investment company generally will be entitled to “look through” the regulated investment company to its pro rata portion of the regulated investment company’s assets, provided that the shares of such regulated investment company are held only by insurance companies and certain fund managers (a “Closed Fund”). Each Fund will be a Closed Fund.

 

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If the Separate Account upon which a variable contract is based is not “adequately diversified” under the foregoing rules for each calendar quarter, then (i) the variable contract is not treated as a life insurance contract or annuity contract under the Code for all subsequent periods during which such account is not “adequately diversified” and (ii) the holders of such contract must include as ordinary income the “income on the contract” for each taxable year. Further, the income on a life insurance contract for all prior taxable years is treated as received or accrued during the taxable year of the policyholder in which the contract ceases to meet the definition of a “life insurance contract” under the Code. The “income on the contract” is, generally, the excess of (i) the sum of the increase in the net surrender value of the contract during the taxable year and the cost of the life insurance protection provided under the contract during the year, over (ii) the premiums paid under the contract during the taxable year. In addition, if a Fund did not constitute a Closed Fund, the holders of the contracts and annuities which invest in the Fund through a Separate Account might be treated as owners of Fund shares and might be subject to tax on distributions made by the Fund.

In order to avoid a 4% federal excise tax, each Fund may be required to distribute (or be deemed to have distributed) by December 31 of each calendar year at least 98% of its taxable ordinary income for such year, at least 98.2% of the excess of its capital gains over its capital losses (generally computed on the basis of the one-year period ending on October 31 of such year), and all taxable ordinary income and the excess of capital gains over capital losses for any previous year that were not distributed for such year and on which the Fund paid no federal income tax. However, the excise tax does not apply to a Fund whose only shareholders during the year generally are segregated asset accounts and tax-exempt investors.

For federal income tax purposes, each Fund is permitted to carry forward a net capital loss in any year to offset its own capital gains, if any, during the eight years following the loss for losses in tax years beginning before December 22, 2010, and indefinitely for losses arising in subsequent years. As of December 31, 2011, the following Funds had capital loss carryforwards approximating the amounts indicated, expiring in the years indicated:

 

Year1

   Structured U.S.
Equity
     Structured Small
Cap Equity
     Strategic Growth      Large
Cap Value
     Strategic
Int. Equity
     Equity
Index
     Core Fixed Income  

Expiring 2012

     —           —           —           —           —         $ 2,961,297         —     

Expiring 2016

   $ 68,354,723       $ 10,064,202       $ 23,475,963         —         $ 57,900,490         —           —     

Expiring 2017

   $ 139,998,215       $ 17,973,195       $ 43,614,413       $ 43,690,156       $ 63,558,058       $ 4,133,732       $ 4,144,705   

Expiring 2018

     —           —           —           —           —           —         $ 4,488,774   

 

 

(1) Expiration occurs on December 31 of the year indicated.

Certain of the Funds will be subject to foreign taxes on their income (possibly including, in some cases, capital gains) from foreign securities. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes in some cases.

Investments in lower-rated securities may present special tax issues for a Fund to the extent actual or anticipated defaults may be more likely with respect to such securities. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when a Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount, or market discount; when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless securities; how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income; and whether exchanges of debt obligations in a workout context are taxable. These and other issues will be addressed by a Fund, in the event it invests in such securities, in order to seek to eliminate or minimize any adverse tax consequences.

State and Local

Each Fund may be subject to state or local taxes in jurisdictions in which such Fund may be deemed to be doing business. In addition, in those states or localities which have income tax laws, the treatment of such Fund and its shareholders under such laws may differ from their treatment under federal income tax laws, and investment in such Fund may have tax consequences for shareholders different from those of a direct investment in such Fund’s portfolio securities.

 

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PROXY VOTING

The Trust, on behalf of the Funds, has delegated the voting of portfolio securities to the Investment Advisers and Sub-Adviser. For client accounts for which the Investment Advisers have voting discretion, the Investment Advisers have adopted policies and procedures (the “Proxy Voting Policy”) for the voting of proxies. Under the Proxy Voting Policy, the Investment Advisers’ guiding principles in performing proxy voting are to make decisions that favor proposals that tend to maximize a company’s shareholder value and are not influenced by conflicts of interest. To implement these guiding principles for investments in publicly-traded equities, the Investment Advisers have developed customized proxy voting guidelines (the “Guidelines”) that they generally apply when voting on behalf of client accounts. Attached as Appendix B is a summary of the Guidelines. These Guidelines address a wide variety of individual topics, including, among other matters, shareholder voting rights, anti-takeover defenses, board structures, the election of directors, executive and director compensation, reorganizations, mergers, issues of corporate social responsibility and various shareholder proposals.

The Proxy Voting Policy, including the Guidelines, is reviewed periodically to ensure that it continues to be consistent with the Investment Advisers’ guiding principles. The Guidelines embody the positions and factors the Investment Advisers generally consider important in casting proxy votes.

The Investment Advisers have retained a third-party proxy voting service (“Proxy Service”), currently Institutional Shareholder Services, to assist in the implementation and administration of certain proxy voting-related functions including, without limitation, operational, recordkeeping and reporting services. The Proxy Service also prepares a written analysis and recommendation (a “Recommendation”) of each proxy vote that reflects the Proxy Service’s application of the Guidelines to particular proxy issues. While it is the Investment Advisers’ policy generally to follow the Guidelines and Recommendations from the Proxy Service, the Investment Advisers’ portfolio management teams (“Portfolio Management Teams”) may on certain proxy votes seek approval to diverge from the Guidelines or a Recommendation by following an “override” process. Such decisions are subject to a review and approval process, including a determination that the decision is not influenced by any conflict of interest. A Portfolio Management Team that receives approval through the override process to cast a proxy vote that diverges from the Guidelines and/or a Recommendation may vote differently than other Portfolio Management Teams that did not seek to override that vote. In forming their views on particular matters, the Portfolio Management Teams are also permitted to consider applicable regional rules and practices, including codes of conduct and other guides, regarding proxy voting, in addition to the Guidelines and Recommendations. The Investment Advisers may hire other service providers to replace or supplement the Proxy Service with respect to any of the services the Investment Advisers currently receive from the Proxy Service.

From time to time, the Investment Advisers may face regulatory, compliance, legal or logistical limits with respect to voting securities that it may purchase or hold for client accounts, which can affect the Investment Advisers’ ability to vote such proxies, as well as the desirability of voting such proxies. Among other limits, federal, state and foreign regulatory restrictions or company specific ownership limits, as well as legal matters related to consolidated groups, may restrict the total percentage of an issuer’s voting securities that the Investment Advisers can hold for clients and the nature of the Investment Advisers’ voting in such securities. The Investment Advisers’ ability to vote proxies may also be affected by, among other things: (i) late receipt of meeting notices; (ii) requirements to vote proxies in person: (iii) restrictions on a foreigner’s ability to exercise votes; (iv) potential difficulties in translating the proxy; (v) requirements to provide local agents with unrestricted powers of attorney to facilitate voting instructions; and (vi) requirements that investors who exercise their voting rights surrender the right to dispose of their holdings for some specified period in proximity to the shareholder meeting.

GSAM conducts periodic due diligence meetings with the Proxy Service which include, but are not limited to, a review of the Proxy Service’s general organizational structure, new developments with respect to research and technology, work flow improvements and internal due diligence with respect to conflicts of interest.

 

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The Investment Advisers have adopted policies and procedures designed to prevent conflicts of interest from influencing its proxy voting decisions that the Investment Advisers make on behalf of a client account and to help ensure that such decisions are made in accordance with the Investment Advisers’ fiduciary obligations to its clients. These policies and procedures include the Investment Advisers’ use of the Guidelines and Recommendations from the Proxy Service, the override approval process previously discussed, and the establishment of information barriers between the Investment Adviser and other businesses within The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Notwithstanding such proxy voting policies and procedures, actual proxy voting decisions of the Investment Advisers may have the effect of benefitting the interests of other clients or businesses of other divisions or units of Goldman Sachs and/or its affiliates, provided that the Investment Advisers believe such voting decisions to be in accordance with their fiduciary obligations.

SSgA Funds Management, Inc., the Sub-Adviser to the Equity Index Fund, has also adopted policies and procedures for the voting of proxies. SSgA FM seeks to vote proxies in the best interests of its clients. In the ordinary course, this entails voting proxies in a way which SSgA FM believes will maximize the monetary value of each portfolio’s holdings. A more detailed description of SSgA FM’s proxy voting policy is included in Appendix C of the SAI.

Voting decisions with respect to fixed income securities and the securities of privately held issuers generally will be made by a Fund’s managers based on their assessment of the particular transactions or other matters at issue.

Information regarding how the Funds voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available on or through the Funds’ website at www.goldmansachsfunds.com and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

PAYMENTS TO INTERMEDIARIES

The Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may make payments to participating insurance companies, and other financial intermediaries and securities dealers (“Intermediaries”) from time to time to promote the sale, distribution and/or servicing of shares of the Funds. These payments (“Additional Payments”) are made out of the Investment Adviser’s, Distributor’s and/or their affiliates’ own assets (which may come directly or indirectly from fees paid by the Funds), are not an additional charge to the Funds or their shareholders, and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of a Fund’s shares or the amount a Fund receives as proceeds from such purchases. Although paid by the Investment Adviser, Distributor, and/or their affiliates, the Additional Payments are in addition to the distribution and service fees paid by the Funds to the Intermediaries as described in the Funds’ Prospectuses and this SAI.

The Additional Payments are intended to compensate Intermediaries for, among other things: marketing shares of the Funds, which may consist of payments relating to Funds included on preferred or recommended fund lists or in certain sales programs from time to time sponsored by the Intermediaries; access to the Intermediaries’ registered representatives or salespersons, including at conferences and other meetings; assistance in training and education of personnel; “finders” or “referral fees” for directing investors to the Funds; marketing support fees for providing assistance in promoting the sale of Fund shares (which may include promotions in communications with the Intermediaries’ customers, registered representatives and salespersons); and/or other specified services intended to assist in the distribution and marketing of the Funds. In addition, the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may make Additional Payments (including through sub-transfer agency and networking agreements) for subaccounting, administrative and/or shareholder processing services that are in addition to the transfer agent, shareholder administration, servicing and processing fees paid by the Funds. These Additional Payments may exceed amounts earned on these assets by the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates for the performance of these or similar services. The Additional Payments may be a fixed dollar amount; may be based on the number of customer accounts maintained by an Intermediary; may be based on a percentage of the value of shares sold to, or held by, customers of the Intermediary involved; or may be calculated on another basis. The Additional Payments are negotiated with each Intermediary based on a range of factors, including but not limited to the Intermediary’s ability to attract and retain assets (including particular classes of Fund shares), target markets, customer relationships, quality of service and industry reputation. Although the individual components may be higher or lower and the total amount of Additional Payments made to any Intermediary in any given year will vary, the amount of these Additional Payments (excluding payments made through sub-transfer agency and networking agreements), on average, is normally not expected to exceed 0.50% (annualized) of the amount sold or invested through an Intermediary.

These Additional Payments may be significant to certain Intermediaries, and may be an important factor in an Intermediary’s willingness to support the sale of the Funds through its distribution system.

The Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may be motivated to make Additional Payments since they promote the sale of Fund shares to clients of Intermediaries and the retention of those investments by those clients. To the extent Intermediaries sell more shares of the Funds or retain shares of the Funds in their clients’ accounts, the Investment Adviser and Distributor benefit from the incremental management and other fees paid by the Funds with respect to those assets.

 

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In addition, certain Intermediaries may have access to certain research and investment services from the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates. Such research and investment services (“Additional Services”) may include research reports, economic analysis, portfolio analysis tools, business planning services, certain marketing and investor education materials and strategic asset allocation modeling. The Intermediary may not pay for these products or services. The cost of the Additional Services and the particular services provided may vary from Intermediary to Intermediary.

The Additional Payments made by the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates or the Additional Services received by an Intermediary may vary with respect to the type of fund (e.g., equity fund, fixed income fund or money market fund) sold by the Intermediary. In addition, the Additional Payment arrangements may include breakpoints in compensation which provide that the percentage rate of compensation varies as the dollar value of the amount sold or invested through an Intermediary increases.

The presence of these Additional Payments or Additional Services, the varying fee structure and the basis on which an Intermediary compensates its registered representatives or salespersons may create an incentive for a particular Intermediary, registered representative or salesperson to highlight, feature or recommend funds, including the Funds, or other investments based, at least in part, on the level of compensation paid. Additionally, if one mutual fund sponsor makes greater distribution payments than another, an Intermediary may have an incentive to recommend one fund complex over another. Similarly, if an Intermediary receives more distribution assistance for one share class versus another, that Intermediary may have an incentive to recommend that share class. Because Intermediaries may be paid varying amounts per class for sub-transfer agency and related recordkeeping services, the service requirements of which also may vary by class, this may create an additional incentive for financial firms and their financial advisors to favor one fund complex over another, or one fund class over another. You should consider whether such incentives exist when evaluating any recommendations from an Intermediary to purchase or sell Shares of the Funds and when considering which share class is most appropriate for you.

For the year ended December 31, 2011, the Investment Adviser, Distributor and their affiliates made Additional Payments out of their own assets to approximately 157 Intermediaries, totaling approximately $97.4 billion (excluding payments made through sub-transfer agency and networking agreements and certain other types of payments described below), with respect to all of the Funds of the Trust, all of the funds in an affiliated investment company, Goldman Sachs Trust, and the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund, an affiliated closed-end investment company. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates had contractual arrangements to make Additional Payments to the Intermediaries of the Trust, Goldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund listed below (or their affiliates or successors), among others. This list will change over time, and any additions, modifications or deletions thereto that have occurred since December 31, 2011 are not reflected. Additional Intermediaries may receive payments in 2012 and in future years. Certain arrangements are still being negotiated, and there is a possibility that payments will be made retroactively to Intermediaries not listed below.

ADP Broker Dealer, Inc

American Enterprise Investment Services Inc

Allstate Life Insurance Co

Amalga Trust Company

Amalgamated Bank of Chicago

American National Trust and Investment Management Company (dba Old National Trust Company)

American United Life Insurance Co

Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

Ascensus, Inc

Associated Trust NA & Associated Investment Services Inc.

AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company

 

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Banc of America Securities, LLC

BancorpSouth

Bank Hapoalim B.M.

Bank of New York

Bank of Oklahoma

Bankers Trust

Barclays Capital Inc.

BB&T Capital Markets

BMO Nesbitt Burns (Harris)

BOSC, Inc.

Branch Banking & Trust Company

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co

C.M. Life Insurance Company

Financial Network Investment Corporation

Multi Financial Securities Corporation

PrimeVest Financial Services

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Inc. and CME Shareholder Servicing, LLC.

Citibank N.A.

Citibank N.A. — Agency and Trust Department

Citigroup Global Markets, Inc.

Citigroup Private Bank at Citibank N.A.

Citizens Bank Wealth Management N.A.

Comerica Bank

Comerica Securities

Commerce Bank N.A.

Companion Life Insurance Company

Compass Bank

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

Connecticut General Life Insurance Company

Daily Access Corporation

Dain Rauscher Inc.

Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas

DeWaay Financial Network LLC

Diversified Investment Advisors

Dubuque Bank & Trust

Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P.

Farmers New World Life Insurance Co.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC and National Financial Services LLC

Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc

Fifth Third Bank

First National Bank of Omaha

First Trust Corporation

Fulton Bank N.A.

Fulton Financial Advisors, National Association

GE Life and Annuity Assurance Company

Genworth Financial Trust Company

Great West Life & Annuity Insurance Company

Greatbanc Trustco

Guardian Insurance and Annuity Company, Inc

 

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GWFS Equities, Inc.

Harris Trust & Savings Bank

Hartford Life Insurance Co.

Hartford Securities Distribution Company Inc.

Hewitt Associates LLC

Horace Mann Life Insurance Company

HSBC Bank USA

Hunt Dupree & Rhine

ING Institutional Plan Services, LLC / ING Investment Advisors, LLC

ING Life Insurance & Annuity Company / ING Financial Advisers, LLC / ING Institutional Plan Services, LLC

Invesmart, Inc.

J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.

Jefferson Pilot Financial Insurance Company

JP Morgan Retirement Plan Services, LLC

JPMorgan Securities, Inc.

Kemper Investors Life Insurance Company

Key Bank Capital Markets

LaSalle Bank N.A.

Law Debenture Trust Company of New York

Lincoln Benefit Life Company

Lincoln Financial Advisors

Lincoln National Life Insurance Company and Lincoln Life & Annuity Company of New York

Lincoln Retirement Services Company, LLC

M&I Brokerage Services, Inc.

M&T Securities, Inc.

Marshall & Ilsley Trust Company N.A.

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company

Mellon Bank N.A.

Mellon HR Solutions

Mercer HR Services, LLC

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated

Mid-Atlantic Capital Corporation

Midland National Life Insurance Company

Minnesota Life Insurance Company

Morgan Keegan and Company, Inc.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC

MSCS Financial Services

National Security Life and Annuity Company

Nationwide Financial Services, Inc.

Newport Retirement Services, Inc

Northern Trust Securities Inc.

NYLife Distributors, Inc.

Ohio National Life Insurance Company

Pershing, LLC

PNC Bank, N.A.

PNC Bank, National Organization

PNC Capital Markets

Principal Life Insurance Company

Princor Financial Services

Protective Life Insurance Company

PruCo Life Insurance Company & PruCo Life Insurance Company of New Jersey

 

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Prudential Financial, Inc

Prudential Life Insurance Company

Raymond James & Associates, Inc. and Raymond James Financial Services

Regions Bank

Reliance Trust Company

Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc.

Scott & Stringfellow Inc.

Security Benefit Life Insurance Company

Signature Bank

Standard Insurance Company

State Street Global Markets, LLC and State Street Bank and Trust Company

Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (US)

Sungard Institutional Brokerage, Inc

SunTrust Bank

SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc.

SVB Securities

Synovus Securities

T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc

The Princeton Retirement Group, Inc & GPC Securities, Inc

The Prudential Insurance Company of America

The Travelers Insurance Company

Transamerica Life Insurance Company and Transamerica Financial Life Insurance Company

Treasury Curve

Trustmark National Bank

UBATCO & Co.

UBS Financial Services, Inc.

UMB Bank

Union Bank

United of Omaha Life Insurance Company

US Bank

US Bank National Association

Valic Retirement Services

Vanguard Group

Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC.

Wachovia Securities, LLC.

Wells Fargo Advisors LLC

Wells Fargo Bank and Its Affiliates

Wells Fargo Bank National Association

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

Wells Fargo Corporate Trust Services

Wells Fargo Investment, LLC.

Wilmington Trust Company

Zions First National Bank

Your Intermediary may charge you additional fees or commissions other than those disclosed in the Prospectuses. Shareholders should contact their Intermediary for more information about the Additional Payments or Additional Services they receive and any potential conflicts of interest, as well as for information regarding any fees and/or commissions it charges. For additional questions, please contact Goldman Sachs Funds at 1-800-621-2550.

 

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Not included on the list above are other subsidiaries of Goldman Sachs who may receive revenue from the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates through intra-company compensation arrangements and for financial, distribution, administrative and operational services.

Furthermore, the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may, to the extent permitted by applicable regulations, contribute to various non-cash and cash incentive arrangements to promote the sale of Fund shares, as well as sponsor various educational programs, sales contests and/or promotions. The Investment Adviser, Distributor and their affiliates may also pay for the travel expenses, meals, lodging and entertainment of Intermediaries and their salespersons and guests in connection with educational, sales and promotional programs subject to applicable FINRA regulations. Other compensation may also be offered from time to time to the extent not prohibited by applicable federal or state laws or FINRA regulations. This compensation is not included in, and is made in addition to, the Additional Payments described above.

OTHER INFORMATION

Selective Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

The Board of Trustees of the Trust and the Investment Advisers have adopted a policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings in accordance with regulations that seek to ensure that disclosure of information about portfolio securities is in the best interest of Fund shareholders and to address the conflicts between the interests of Fund shareholders and its service providers. The policy provides that neither a Fund nor its Investment Advisers, Distributor or any agent, or any employee thereof (“Fund Representative”) will disclose a Fund’s portfolio holdings information to any person other than in accordance with the policy. For purposes of the policy, “portfolio holdings information” means the Fund’s actual portfolio holdings, as well as nonpublic information about its trading strategies or pending transactions. Under the policy, neither a Fund nor any Fund Representative may solicit or accept any compensation or other consideration in connection with the disclosure of portfolio holdings information. A Fund Representative may provide portfolio holdings information to third parties if such information has been included in the Fund’s public filings with the SEC or is disclosed on the Funds’ publicly accessible website. Information posted on the Fund’s website may be separately provided to any person commencing the day after it is first published on the Funds’ website.

Portfolio holdings information that is not filed with the SEC or posted on the publicly available website may be provided to third parties only if the third party recipients are required to keep all portfolio holdings information confidential and are prohibited from trading on the information they receive. Disclosure to such third parties must be approved in advance by the Investment Adviser’s legal or compliance department. Disclosure to providers of auditing, custody, proxy voting and other similar services for the Funds, as well as rating and ranking organizations, will generally be permitted; however, information may be disclosed to other third parties (including, without limitation, individuals, institutional investors, and intermediaries that sell shares of the Fund,) only upon approval by the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer, who must first determine that the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for doing so. In general, each recipient of non-public portfolio holdings information must sign a confidentiality and non-trading agreement, although this requirement will not apply when the recipient is otherwise subject to a duty of confidentiality. In accordance with the policy, the identity of those recipients who receive non-public portfolio holdings information on an ongoing basis is as follows: the Investment Advisers and their affiliates, the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm, the Funds’ custodian, and the Funds’ legal counsel- Dechert LLP, the Funds’ financial printer- RR Donnelley, the Funds’ proxy voting service- ISS and the Investment Company Institute (Money Market Fund only). These entities are obligated to keep such information confidential. Third party providers of custodial or accounting services to the Funds may release non-public portfolio holdings information of the Funds only with the permission of Fund Representatives. From time to time portfolio holdings information may be provided to broker-dealers solely in connection with a Fund seeking portfolio securities trading suggestions. In providing this information reasonable precautions, including limitations on the scope of the portfolio holdings information disclosed, are taken to avoid any potential misuse of the disclosed information. All marketing materials prepared by the Trust’s principal underwriter is reviewed by Goldman Sachs’ Compliance department for consistency with the Trust’s portfolio holdings disclosure policy.

 

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The Equity Funds (except for the Structured Equity Funds) currently intend to publish on the Trust’s website (http://www.goldmansachsfunds.com) complete portfolio holdings for each Equity Fund as of the end of each calendar quarter subject to a fifteen calendar day lag between the date of the information and the date on which the information is disclosed. In addition, the Equity Funds (except for the Structured Equity Funds) intend to publish on their website month-end top ten holdings subject to a fifteen calendar day lag between the date of the information and the date on which the information is disclosed. The Structured Equity Funds currently intend to publish on the Trust’s website complete portfolio holdings for each Structured Equity Fund as of the end of each fiscal quarter subject to a 60 calendar-day lag between the date of the information and the date on which the information is disclosed. The Structured Equity Funds may however, at their discretion, publish these holdings earlier than 60 calendar days, if deemed necessary by the Funds. In addition, the Structured Equity Funds intend to publish on their website calendar quarter-end top ten holdings subject to a fifteen calendar-day lag between the date of the information and the date on which the information is disclosed. The Fixed Income Funds currently intend to publish complete portfolio holdings on their website as of the end of each fiscal quarter, subject to a thirty calendar day lag, and to post selected holdings information on a monthly basis subject to a fifteen calendar day lag. The Money Market Fund publishes on its website a schedule of its portfolio holdings (and certain related information as required by Rule 2a-7) as of the last business day of each month, no later than five business days after the end of the prior month. This information is available on the Money Market Fund’s website for at least six months. In addition, the Money Market Fund files more detailed portfolio holdings information with the SEC on Form N-MFP no later than five business days after the end of each month, which will be publicly available on the SEC’s website 60 days after the end of the month to which the information pertains. The Money Market Fund’s website contains a link to an SEC website where the Fund’s most recent 12 months of publicly available information may be obtained. A Fund may publish on the website complete portfolio holdings information more frequently if it has a legitimate business purpose for doing so.

Under the policy, Fund Representatives will initially supply the Board of the Trustees with a list of third parties who receive portfolio holdings information pursuant to any ongoing arrangement. In addition, the Board is to receive information, on a quarterly basis, regarding any other disclosures of non-public portfolio holdings information that were permitted during the preceding quarter. In addition, the Board of Trustees is to approve at its meetings a list of Fund Representatives who are authorized to disclose portfolio holdings information under the policy. As of April 27, 2012, only certain officers of the Trust as well as certain senior members of the compliance and legal groups of the Investment Adviser have been approved by the Board of Trustees to authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings information.

Miscellaneous

A Fund will redeem shares solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the NAV of the Fund during any 90-day period for any one shareholder. Each Fund, however, reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to pay redemptions by a distribution in kind of securities (instead of cash) if (i) the redemption exceeds the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the NAV of the Fund at the time of redemption; or (ii) with respect to lesser redemption amounts, the redeeming shareholder requests in writing a distribution in kind of securities instead of cash. The securities distributed in kind would be valued for this purpose using the same method employed in calculating each Fund’s NAV per share. See “NET ASSET VALUE.” If a shareholder receives redemption proceeds in kind, the shareholder should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the redemption.

The right of a shareholder to redeem shares and the date of payment by each Fund may be suspended for more than seven days for any period during which the New York Stock Exchange is closed, other than the customary weekends or holidays, or when trading on such Exchange is restricted as determined by the SEC; or during any emergency, as determined by the SEC, as a result of which it is not reasonably practicable for such Fund to dispose of securities owned by it or fairly to determine the value of its net assets; or for such other period as the SEC may by order permit for the protection of shareholders of such Fund. (The Trust may also suspend or postpone the recordation of the transfer of shares upon the occurrence of any of the foregoing conditions.)

 

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As stated in the Funds’ Prospectuses, the Trust may authorize Intermediaries and other institutions that provide recordkeeping, reporting and processing services to their customers to accept on the Trust’s behalf purchase, redemption and exchange orders placed by or on behalf of their customers and, if approved by the Trust, to designate other intermediaries to accept such orders. These institutions may receive payments from the Trust or Goldman Sachs for their services. Certain Intermediaries or institutions may enter into sub-transfer agency agreements with the Trust or Goldman Sachs with respect to their services.

In the interest of economy and convenience, the Trust does not issue certificates representing the Funds’ shares. Instead, the Transfer Agent maintains a record of each shareholder’s ownership. Each shareholder receives confirmation of purchase and redemption orders from the Transfer Agent. Fund shares and any dividends and distributions paid by the Funds are reflected in account statements from the Transfer Agent.

The Funds’ Prospectuses and this SAI do not contain all the information included in the Registration Statement filed with the SEC under the 1933 Act with respect to the securities offered by the Prospectuses. Certain portions of the Registration Statement have been omitted from the Prospectuses and this SAI pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. The Registration Statement including the exhibits filed therewith may be examined at the office of the SEC in Washington, D.C.

Statements contained in the Funds’ Prospectuses or in this SAI as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to are not necessarily complete, and, in each instance, reference is made to the copy of such contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement of which the Prospectuses and this SAI form a part, each such statement being qualified in all respects by such reference.

Line of Credit

As of December 31, 2011, the Funds participated in a $580,000,000 committed, unsecured revolving line of credit facility together with other funds of the Trust and registered investment companies having management or investment advisory agreements with GSAM or its affiliates. Pursuant to the terms of this facility, the Funds and other borrowers may increase the credit amount by an additional $340,000,000, for a total of up to $920,000,000. This facility is to be used for temporary emergency purposes or to allow for an orderly liquidation of securities to meet redemption requests. The interest rate on borrowings is based on the federal funds rate. The facility also requires a fee to be paid by the Funds based on the amount of the commitment that has not been utilized. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, the Funds did not have any borrowings under the facility.

Large Trade Notifications

The Transfer Agent may from time to time receive notice that an Authorized Dealer or other financial intermediary has received an order for a large trade in a Fund’s shares. The Fund may determine to enter into portfolio transactions in anticipation of that order, even though the order will not be processed until the following business day. This practice provides for a closer correlation between the time shareholders place trade orders and the time a Fund enters into portfolio transactions based on those orders, and permits the Fund to be more fully invested in investment securities, in the case of purchase orders, and to more orderly liquidate their investment positions, in the case of redemption orders. On the other hand, the Authorized Dealer or other financial intermediary may not ultimately process the order. In this case, the Fund may be required to borrow assets to settle the portfolio transactions entered into in anticipation of that order, and would therefore incur borrowing costs. The Fund may also suffer investment losses on those portfolio transactions. Conversely, the Fund would benefit from any earnings and investment gains resulting from such portfolio transactions.

 

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Corporate Actions

From time to time, the issuer of a security held in a Fund’s portfolio may initiate a corporate action relating to that security. Corporate actions relating to equity securities may include, among others, an offer to purchase new shares, or to tender existing shares, of that security at a certain price. Corporate actions relating to debt securities may include, among others, an offer for early redemption of the debt security, or an offer to convert the debt security into stock. Certain corporate actions are voluntary, meaning that a Fund may only participate in the corporate action if it elects to do so in a timely fashion. Participation in certain corporate actions may enhance the value of a Fund’s investment portfolio.

In cases where a Fund or its Investment Adviser receives sufficient advance notice of a voluntary corporate action, the Investment Adviser will exercise its discretion, in good faith, to determine whether the Fund will participate in that corporate action. If a Fund or its Investment Adviser does not receive sufficient advance notice of a voluntary corporate action, the Fund may not be able to timely elect to participate in that corporate action. Participation or lack of participation in a voluntary corporate action may result in a negative impact on the value of a Fund’s investment portfolio.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The audited financial statements and related report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent registered public accounting firm for each of the Funds, contained in the Funds’ 2011 Annual Reports are incorporated herein by reference. The financial statements in each Fund’s Annual Report have been incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing. No other portions of any Annual Report are incorporated by reference herein. A copy of the Annual Reports may be obtained upon request and without charge by writing Goldman, Sachs & Co., P.O. Box 06050, Chicago, Illinois 60606-6306 or by calling Goldman, Sachs & Co., at the telephone number on the back cover of the Funds’ Prospectuses.

DISTRIBUTION AND SERVICE PLAN

Distribution and Service Plan. As described in the Funds’ Prospectuses for Service Shares, the Trust has adopted, on behalf of Service Shares of each Fund, a distribution and service plan (the “Plan”). See “Shareholder Guide – Distribution Services and Fees” in the Service Shares Prospectuses. The fees payable under the Plan are subject to Rule 12b-1 under the Act, and finance distribution and other services that are provided to investors in the Funds and enable the Funds to offer investors the choice of investing in Service Shares when investing in the Funds. In addition, fees payable under the Plan may be used to assist the Funds in reaching and maintaining asset levels that are efficient for the Funds’ operations and investments.

The Plan for each Fund was most recently approved on June 16, 2011 by a majority vote of the Trustees of the Trust, including a majority of the non-interested Trustees of the Trust who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of approving the Plan.

The compensation for distribution services payable under the Plan to Goldman Sachs may not exceed 0.25% per annum of a Fund’s average daily net assets attributable to Service Shares of such Fund. Under the Plan, the distributor at its discretion may use compensation for distribution services paid under the Plan for personal and account maintenance services and expenses so long as such total compensation under the Plan does not exceed the maximum cap on “service fees” imposed by FINRA. Goldman Sachs has implemented waivers with respect to the Structured U.S. Equity and Growth Opportunities Funds, under which their distribution and service fees are not expected to exceed an annual rate of 0.21% and 0.16%, respectively, of the Funds’ average daily net assets attributable to Service Shares. Each waiver will continue through at least April 27, 2013, and prior to such date, Goldman Sachs may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the trustees. The waivers may be modified or terminated by Goldman Sachs at its discretion and without shareholder approval after such date, although Goldman Sachs does not presently intend to do so.

 

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The Plan is a compensation plan which provides for the payment of a specified fee without regard to the expenses actually incurred by Goldman Sachs. If such fee exceeds Goldman Sachs’ expenses, Goldman Sachs may realize a profit from these arrangements. The distribution fees received by Goldman Sachs under the Plan may be sold by Goldman Sachs as distributor to entities which provide financing for payments to participating insurance companies in respect of sales of Service Shares. To the extent such fees are not paid to such dealers, Goldman Sachs may retain such fees as compensation for its services and expenses of distributing the Funds’ Service Shares.

Under the Plan, Goldman Sachs, as distributor of each Fund’s Service Shares, will provide to the Trustees of the Trust for their review, and the Trustees of the Trust will review at least quarterly, a written report of the services provided and amounts expended by Goldman Sachs under the Plan and the purposes for which such services were performed and expenditures were made.

The Plan will remain in effect until June 30, 2012, and from year to year thereafter, provided that such continuance is approved annually by a majority vote of the Trustees of the Trust, including a majority of the non-interested Trustees of the Trust who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan. The Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount of distribution compensation described therein without approval of a majority of the outstanding Service Shares of the affected Fund, but may be amended without shareholder approval to increase materially the amount of non-distribution compensation. All material amendments of the Plan must also be approved by the Trustees of the Trust in the manner described above. The Plan may be terminated at any time as to any Fund without payment of any penalty by a vote of a majority of the non-interested Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the Service Shares of the affected Fund. If the Plan was terminated by the Trustees of the Trust and no successor plan was adopted, the Fund would cease to make payments to Goldman Sachs under the Plan and Goldman Sachs would be unable to recover the amount of any of its unreimbursed expenditures. So long as the Plan is in effect, the selection and nomination of non-interested Trustees of the Trust will be committed to the discretion of the non-interested Trustees of the Trust. The Trustees of the Trust have determined that in their judgment there is a reasonable likelihood that the Plan will benefit the Funds and their Service Shareholders.

The amount of the distribution and service fees paid by each Fund’s Service Shares to Goldman Sachs pursuant to the Plan was as follows for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2011, December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009.

 

      2011      2010      2009  

Fund

   With Fee
Waivers
    Without Fee
Waivers
     With Fee
Waivers
    Without Fee
Waivers
     With Fee
Waivers
     Without Fee
Waivers
 

Structured U.S. Equity Fund

   $ 224,633      $ 267,422       $ 226,396      $ 269,520       $ 214,535       $ 255,400   

Structured Small Cap Equity Fund

     61,957        61,957         59,553        59,553         38,216         38,216   

Strategic Growth Fund

     615,196        615,196         541,046        541,046         470,112         470,112   

Large Cap Value Fund

     1,926,605        1,926,605         1,258,319        1,258,319         521,575         521,575   

Mid Cap Value Fund

     387,474        387,474         313,386        313,386         274,288         274,288   

Strategic International Equity Fund

     367,533        367,533         378,783        378,783         330,440         330,440   

Growth Opportunities Fund

     247,267        386,351         204,491        319,515         171,999         268,746   

Equity Index Fund

     459,624        459,624         470,879        470,879         450,799         450,799   

Government Income Fund

     173,349        173,349         188,261        188,261         200,859         200,859   

Core Fixed Income Fund

     399,388        399,388         452,716        452,716         447,726         447,726   

Money Market Fund

     100,961     345,073         138,543 **      336,566         246,731         421,398   

 

 

* During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, Goldman Sachs agreed to waive a portion of its distribution and service plan fees payable by the Fund. Actual distribution and service plan fees paid during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 were equal to 0.07% of the average net assets of the Fund. Goldman Sachs anticipates that this waiver will be temporary, and it may modify or terminate this waiver at any time in its discretion without shareholder approval.

 

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** During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, Goldman Sachs agreed to waive a portion of its distribution and service plan fees payable by the Fund. Actual distribution and service plan fees paid during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010 were equal to 0.10% of average net assets of the Fund.

During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, Goldman Sachs incurred the following distribution expenses under the Plan on behalf of the Funds’ Service Shares.

 

Fund

  Compensation
to Participating
Insurance Companies
and Other
Intermediaries*
    Compensation
and Expenses of the
Distributor

and Its Sales
Personnel
    Allocable
Overhead,
Telephone  and travel
Expenses
    printing and
mailing of
Prospectuses to
Other than
Current
Shareholders
    Preparation and
Distribution of
Sales literature
and Advertising
    Totals  

Structured U.S. Equity Fund

  $ 224,105      $ 21,881      $ 38,112      $ 3,816      $ 6,376      $ 294,291   

Structured Small Cap Equity Fund

    —          6,748        11,713        1,173        1,960        21,594   

Strategic Growth Fund

    584,168        84,423        146,815        14,700        24,562        854,668   

Large Cap Value Fund

    —          358,942        624,508        62,530        104,480        1,150,460   

Mid Cap Value Fund

    365,411        57,956        100,836        10,096        16,870        551,169   

Strategic International Equity Fund

    347,122        38,895        67,811        6,790        11,345        471,962   

Growth Opportunities Fund

    233,342        60,965        106,020        10,615        17,737        428,679   

Equity Index Fund

    460,722        6,750        11,704        1,172        1,958        482,306   

Government Income Fund

    169,270        5,623        8,683        869        1,453        185,898   

Core Fixed Income Fund

    399,848        16,968        28,856        2,889        4,828        453,389   

Money Market Fund

    99,275        2        3        —          —          99,280   

 

 

* Advance commissions paid to dealers of 1% on Service Shares are considered deferred assets which are amortized over a period of 18 months; amounts presented above reflect amortization expense recorded during the period presented.

Principal Holders of Securities

As of April 10, 2012, the following shareholders were shown in the Trust’s records as owning 5% or more of any class of a Fund’s shares. Except as listed below, the Trust does not know of any other person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of any class of a Fund’s shares:

Structured U.S. Equity Fund

 

Class

  

Name/Address

   Percentage of Class

Institutional

   IDS Life Insurance Co., Investment Accounting—Managed Assets, 1646 AXP Financial Center, Minneapolis, MN 55474-0001        63.14 %

Institutional

   Protective Variable Annuity Separate Account, 2801 Highway 280 S, Birmingham, AL 35223-2407        13.56  

Institutional

   The Ohio National Life Insurance Co., FBO its Separate Accounts, One Financial Way, Cincinnati, OH 45242-5851        10.50  

Service

   Annuity Company to Commonwealth Annuity and Life Insurance Company, Attn: Separate Account, 132 Turnpike Rd. Ste 210, Southborough, MA 01772-2132        92.62  

 

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Structured Small Cap Equity Fund

 

Class

  

Name/Address

   Percentage of Class

Institutional

   Protective Variable Annuity Separate Account, 2801 Highway 280 S, Birmingham, AL 35223-2407        39.62 %

Institutional

   Principal Life Insurance Co., FBO Principal Investment Plus Variable Annuity, 711 High Street, Des Moines, IA 50392-9992        6.68  

Institutional

   IDS Life Insurance Co. Investment Accounting—Managed Assets, 1646 AXP Financial Center, Minneapolis, MN 55474-0001        14.13  

Institutional

   Protective Variable Life Separate Account, 2801 Highway 280 S, Birmingham, AL 35223-2407        6.33  

Institutional

   Allstate Life Insurance Co., Glenbrook Life and Annuity & Co., Attn: Financial Control, L1B, Product Valuation, 1 SW Security Benefit Pl, Topeka, KS 66636-1000        10.13  

Service

   Protective Variable Annuity Separate Account, 2801 Highway 280 S, Birmingham, AL 35223-2407        98.09  

Strategic Growth Fund

 

Class

  

Name/Address

   Percentage of Class

Institutional

   Mass Mutual Life Insurance, Attn: RS Fund Operations, 1295 State St. MIP C105, Springfield, MA 01111-0001        5.94 %

Institutional

   The Ohio National Life Insurance Co., FBO its Separate Accounts, One Financial Way, Cincinnati, OH 45242-5851        11.75  

Institutional

   Farmers New World Life, 3003 77th Avenue SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040-2890        9.11  

Institutional

   Protective Variable Life Separate Account, 2801 Highway 280 S, Birmingham, AL 35223-2407        7.91  

Institutional

   The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, 1300 S Clinton Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802-3506        5.28  

Institutional

   Protective Variable Annuity Separate Account, 2801 Highway 280 S, Birmingham, AL 35223-2407        40.36  

Institutional

   AGL Insurance Co. Plat. Investor Survivor, Variable Products Accounting G 4-01, 2727A Allen Parkway # -D1 MSC 4, Houston, TX 77019-2107        5.01  

Service

   Protective Variable Annuity Separate Account, 2801 Highway 280 S, Birmingham, AL 35223-2407        31.76  

Service

   Annuity Company to Commonwealth Annuity and Life Insurance Company, Attn: Separate Account, 132 Turnpike Rd. Ste 210, Southborough, MA 01772-2132        59.42  

Large Cap Value Fund

 

Class

  

Name/Address

   Percentage of Class

Institutional

   The Ohio National Life Insurance Co., FBO its Separate Accounts, One Financial Way, Cincinnati, OH 45242-5851        73.81 %

Institutional

   Protective Variable Annuity Separate Account, 2801 Highway 280 S, Birmingham, AL 35223-2407        16.97  

Service

   Protective Variable Annuity Separate Account, 2801 Highway 280 S, Birmingham, AL 35223-2407        16.35  

Service

   The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, 1300 S Clinton Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802-3506        17.72  

Service

   The Ohio National Life Insurance Co., FBO its Separate Accounts, One Financial Way, Cincinnati, OH 45242-5851        64.02  

 

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Mid Cap Value Fund

 

Class

  

Name/Address

   Percentage of Class

Institutional

   Nationwide Insurance Co. Cuts., FGO NWPP, c/o IPO Portfolio Accounting, PO Box 182029, Columbus, OH 43218-2029        6.48 %

Institutional

   GE Life & Annuity Asurance Co., Attn: Variable Accounting, 6620 W. Broad St. Bldg 2, Richmond, VA 23230-1721        9.48  

Institutional

   American Enterprise Life Insurance Corp., 1646 AXP Financial Center, Minneapolis, MN 55474-0001        6.03  

Institutional

   DS Life Insurance Co., Investment Accounting—Managed Assets, 1646 AXP Financial Center, Minneapolis, MN 55474-0001        54.41  

Institutional

   Nationwide Insurance Company, c/o IPO Portfolio Accounting, A/C NWVA, PO Box 182029, Columbus, OH 43218-2029        7.26  

Service

   Protective Variable Annuity Separate Account, 2801 Highway 280 S, Birmingham, AL 35223-2407        30.04  

Service

   Annuity Company to Commonwealth Annuity and Life Insurance Company, Attn: Separate Account, 132 Turnpike Rd. Ste 210, Southborough, MA 01772-2132        53.77  

Growth Opportunities Fund

 

Class

  

Name/Address

   Percentage of Class

Service

   Protective Variable Annuity Separate Account, 2801 Highway, 280 S. Birmingham. AL 35223-2407        35.57 %

Service

   Annuity Company to Commonwealth Annuity and Life Insurance Company, Attn: Separate Account, 132 Turnpike Rd Ste 210, Southborough, MA 01772-2132        58.53  

Equity Index Fund

 

Class

  

Name/Address

   Percentage of Class

Service

   Annuity Company to Commonwealth Annuity and Life Insurance Company, Attn: Separate Account, 132 Turnpike Rd. Ste 210, Southborough, MA 01772-2132        92.55 %

Service

   First Allmerica Financial Life Insurance Company, Attn: Separate Account, 440 Lincoln Street, Worcester, MA 01653-0002        7.45  

Strategic International Equity Fund

 

Class

  

Name/Address

   Percentage of Class

Institutional

   Protective Variable Life Separate Account, 2801 Highway 280 S, Birmingham, AL 35223-2407        10.84 %

Institutional

   Protective Variable Annuity Separate Account, 2801 Highway 280 S, Birmingham, AL 35223-2407        80.47  

Service

   Protective Variable Annuity Separate Account, 2801 Highway 280 S, Birmingham, AL 35223-2407        39.82  

Service

   Annuity Company to Commonwealth Annuity and Life Insurance Company, Attn: Separate Account, 132 Turnpike Rd. Ste 210, Southborough, MA 01772-2132        54.87  

Government Income Fund

 

Class

  

Name/Address

   Percentage of Class

Service

   Minnesota Life Insurance Company, 400 Robert St N. Ste A, Saint Paul, MN 55101-2099        20.89 %

Service

   Annuity Company to Commonwealth Annuity and Life Insurance Company, Attn: Separate Account S-291, 132 Turnpike Rd. Ste 210, Southborough, MA 01772-2132        72.18  

Service

   First Allmerica Financial Life Insurance Company, Attn: Separate Account S-291, 440 Lincoln Street, Worcester, MA 01653-0002        6.93  

 

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Core Fixed Income Fund

 

Class

  

Name/Address

   Percentage of Class

Service

   First Allmerica Financial Life Insurance Company, Attn: Separate Account, 440 Lincoln Street, Worcester, MA 01653-0002        6.19 %

Service

   Annuity Company to Commonwealth Annuity and Life Insurance Company, Attn: Separate Account, 132 Turnpike Rd. Ste 210, Southborough, MA 01772-2132        93.81  

Money Market Fund

 

Class

  

Name/Address

   Percentage of Class

Service

   Annuity Company to Commonwealth Annuity and Life Insurance Company, Attn: Separate Account, 132 Turnpike Rd. Ste 210, Southborough, MA 01772-2132        94.44 %

Service

   First Allmerica Financial Life Insurance Company, Attn: Separate Account, 440 Lincoln Street, Worcester, MA 01653-0002        5.56  

 

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APPENDIX A

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS

Short-Term Credit Ratings

A Standard & Poor’s short-term issue credit rating is a current opinion of the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation having an original maturity of no more than 365 days. The following summarizes the rating categories used by Standard & Poor’s for short-term issues:

“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.

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.

 

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Moody’s Investors Service (“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.

Fitch, Inc. / Fitch Ratings Ltd. (“Fitch”) short-term 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 U.S. 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. The following summarizes the rating categories used by Fitch for short-term obligations:

“F1” – Securities possess the highest credit quality. This designation indicates the strongest capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

“F2” – Securities possess good credit quality. This designation indicates 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” – Securities possess fair credit quality. This designation indicates that 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” – Securities possess speculative credit quality. This designation indicates minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

“C” – Securities possess high default risk. Default is a real possibility. This designation indicates a capacity for meeting financial commitments which 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.

“NR” – This designation indicates that Fitch does not publicly rate the associated issuer or issue.

“WD” – This designation indicates that the rating has been withdrawn and is no longer maintained by Fitch.

The following summarizes the ratings used by Dominion Bond Rating Service Limited (“DBRS”) for commercial paper and short-term debt:

“R-1 (high)” — Short-term debt rated “R-1 (high)” is of the highest credit quality, and indicates an entity possessing unquestioned ability to repay current liabilities as they fall due. Entities rated in this category normally maintain strong

 

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liquidity positions, conservative debt levels, and profitability that is both stable and above average. Companies achieving an “R-1 (high)” rating are normally leaders in structurally sound industry segments with proven track records, sustainable positive future results, and no substantial qualifying negative factors. Given the extremely tough definition DBRS has established for an “R-1 (high)”, few entities are strong enough to achieve this rating.

“R-1 (middle)” – Short-term debt rated “R-1 (middle)” is of superior credit quality and, in most cases, ratings in this category differ from “R-1 (high)” credits by only a small degree. Given the extremely tough definition DBRS has established for the “R-1 (high)” category, entities rated “R-1 (middle)” are also considered strong credits, and typically exemplify above average strength in key areas of consideration for the timely repayment of short-term liabilities.

“R-1 (low)” – Short-term debt rated “R-1 (low)” is of satisfactory credit quality. The overall strength and outlook for key liquidity, debt and profitability ratios are not normally as favorable as with higher rating categories, but these considerations are still respectable. Any qualifying negative factors that exist are considered manageable, and the entity is normally of sufficient size to have some influence in its industry.

“R-2 (high)” – Short-term debt rated “R-2 (high)” is considered to be at the upper end of adequate credit quality. The ability to repay obligations as they mature remains acceptable, although the overall strength and outlook for key liquidity, debt, and profitability ratios is not as strong as credits rated in the “R-1 (low)” category. Relative to the latter category, other shortcomings often include areas such as stability, financial flexibility, and the relative size and market position of the entity within its industry.

“R-2 (middle)” – Short-term debt rated “R-2 (middle)” is considered to be of adequate credit quality. Relative to the “R-2 (high)” category, entities rated “R-2 (middle)” typically have some combination of higher volatility, weaker debt or liquidity positions, lower future cash flow capabilities, or are negatively impacted by a weaker industry. Ratings in this category would be more vulnerable to adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

“R-2 (low)” – Short-term debt rated “R-2 (low)” is considered to be at the lower end of adequate credit quality, typically having some combination of challenges that are not acceptable for an “R-2 (middle)” credit. However, “R-2 (low)” ratings still display a level of credit strength that allows for a higher rating than the “R-3” category, with this distinction often reflecting the issuer’s liquidity profile.

“R-3” – Short-term debt rated “R-3” is considered to be at the lowest end of adequate credit quality, one step up from being speculative. While not yet defined as speculative, the “R-3” category signifies that although repayment is still expected, the certainty of repayment could be impacted by a variety of possible adverse developments, many of which would be outside the issuer’s control. Entities in this area often have limited access to capital markets and may also have limitations in securing alternative sources of liquidity, particularly during periods of weak economic conditions.

“R-4” – Short-term debt rated “R-4” is speculative. “R-4” credits tend to have weak liquidity and debt ratios, and the future trend of these ratios is also unclear. Due to its speculative nature, companies with “R-4” ratings would normally have very limited access to alternative sources of liquidity. Earnings and cash flow would typically be very unstable, and the level of overall profitability of the entity is also likely to be low. The industry environment may be weak, and strong negative qualifying factors are also likely to be present.

“R-5” – Short-term debt rated “R-5” is highly speculative. There is a reasonably high level of uncertainty as to the ability of the entity to repay the obligations on a continuing basis in the future, especially in periods of economic recession or industry adversity. In some cases, short term debt rated “R-5” may have challenges that if not corrected, could lead to default.

“D” – A security rated “D” implies the issuer has either not met a scheduled payment or the issuer has made it clear that it will be missing such a payment in the near future. In some cases, DBRS may not assign a “D” rating under a bankruptcy announcement scenario, as allowances for grace periods may exist in the underlying legal documentation. Once assigned, the “D” rating will continue as long as the missed payment continues to be in arrears, and until such time as the rating is discontinued or reinstated by DBRS.

 

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Long-Term Credit Ratings

The following summarizes the ratings used by Standard & Poor’s for long-term issues:

“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.

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 “C” rating is assigned to obligations that are currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, obligations that have payment arrearages allowed by the terms of the documents, or obligations of an issuer that is the subject of a bankruptcy petition or similar action which have not experienced a payment default. Among others, the ‘C’ rating may be assigned to subordinated debt, preferred stock or other obligations on which cash payments have been suspended in accordance with the instrument’s terms.

“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.

 

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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.

“NR” – 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.

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.

The following summarizes the ratings used by Moody’s for long-term debt:

“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.

The following summarizes long-term ratings used by Fitch:

“AAA” – Securities considered to be of the 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” – Securities considered to be of very high credit quality. “AA” ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

 

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“A” – Securities considered to be of 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” – Securities considered to be of 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.

“BB” – Securities considered to be 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” – Securities considered to be 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.

Plus (+) or minus (-) may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the “AAA” category or to categories below “CCC”.

“NR” –Denotes that Fitch does not publicly rate the associated issue or issuer.

“WD”—Indicates that the rating has been withdrawn and is no longer maintained by Fitch.

The following summarizes the ratings used by DBRS for long-term debt:

“AAA” — Long-term debt rated “AAA” is of the highest credit quality, with exceptionally strong protection for the timely repayment of principal and interest. Earnings are considered stable, the structure of the industry in which the entity operates is strong, and the outlook for future profitability is favorable. There are few qualifying factors present that would detract from the performance of the entity. The strength of liquidity and coverage ratios is unquestioned and the entity has established a credible track record of superior performance. Given the extremely high standard that DBRS has set for this category, few entities are able to achieve a “AAA” rating.

 

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“AA” – Long-term debt rated “AA” is of superior credit quality, and protection of interest and principal is considered high. In many cases they differ from long-term debt rated “AAA” only to a small degree. Given the extremely restrictive definition DBRS has for the “AAA” category, entities rated “AA” are also considered to be strong credits, typically exemplifying above-average strength in key areas of consideration and unlikely to be significantly affected by reasonably foreseeable events.

“A” – Long-term debt rated “A” is of satisfactory credit quality. Protection of interest and principal is still substantial, but the degree of strength is less than that of “AA” rated entities. While “A” is a respectable rating, entities in this category are considered to be more susceptible to adverse economic conditions and have greater cyclical tendencies than higher-rated securities.

“BBB” – Long-term debt rated “BBB” is of adequate credit quality. Protection of interest and principal is considered acceptable, but the entity is fairly susceptible to adverse changes in financial and economic conditions, or there may be other adverse conditions present which reduce the strength of the entity and its rated securities.

“BB” Long-term debt rated “BB” is defined to be speculative and non-investment grade, where the degree of protection afforded interest and principal is uncertain, particularly during periods of economic recession. Entities in the “BB” range typically have limited access to capital markets and additional liquidity support. In many cases, deficiencies in critical mass, diversification, and competitive strength are additional negative considerations.

“B” – Long-term debt rated “B” is considered highly speculative and there is a reasonably high level of uncertainty as to the ability of the entity to pay interest and principal on a continuing basis in the future, especially in periods of economic recession or industry adversity.

“CCC”, “CC” and “C” –Long-term debt rated in any of these categories is very highly speculative and is in danger of default of interest and principal. The degree of adverse elements present is more severe than long-term debt rated “B.” Long-term debt rated below “B” often have features which, if not remedied, may lead to default. In practice, there is little difference between these three categories, with “CC” and “C” normally used for lower ranking debt of companies for which the senior debt is rated in the “CCC” to “B” range.

“D” A security rated “D” implies the issuer has either not met a scheduled payment of interest or principal or that the issuer has made it clear that it will miss such a payment in the near future. In some cases, DBRS may not assign a “D” rating under a bankruptcy announcement scenario, as allowances for grace periods may exist in the underlying legal documentation. Once assigned, the “D” rating will continue as long as the missed payment continues to be in arrears, and until such time as the rating is discontinued or reinstated by DBRS.

(“high”, “low”) – Each rating category is denoted by the subcategories “high” and “low”. The absence of either a “high” or “low” designation indicates the rating is in the “middle” of the category. The “AAA” and “D” categories do not utilize “high”, “middle”, and “low” as differential grades.

Municipal Note Ratings

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.

 

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Note rating symbols are as follows:

“SP-1” – The issuers of these municipal notes exhibit a strong capacity to pay principal and interest. Those issues determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service are given a plus (+) designation.

“SP-2” – The issuers of these municipal notes exhibit a satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.

“SP-3” – The issuers of these municipal notes exhibit speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.

Moody’s uses 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. The following summarizes the ratings used by Moody’s for these short-term obligations:

“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.

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.

 

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“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.

Fitch uses the same ratings for municipal securities as described above for other short-term credit ratings.

About 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 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.

Moody’s credit ratings must be construed solely as statements of opinion and not as statements of fact or recommendations to purchase, sell or hold any securities.

Fitch’s credit ratings provide an opinion on the relative ability of an entity to meet financial commitments, such as interest, preferred dividends, repayment of principal, insurance claims or counterparty obligations. Fitch credit ratings are used by investors as indications of the likelihood of receiving their money back in accordance with the terms on which they invested. Fitch’s credit ratings cover the global spectrum of corporate, sovereign (including supranational and sub-national), financial, bank, insurance, municipal and other public finance entities and the securities or other obligations they issue, as well as structured finance securities backed by receivables or other financial assets.

DBRS credit ratings are not buy, hold or sell recommendations, but rather the result of qualitative and quantitative analysis focusing solely on the credit quality of the issuer and its underlying obligations.

 

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Effective: February 2012

APPENDIX B

GSAM Proxy Voting Guidelines Summary

The following is a summary of the material GSAM Proxy Voting Guidelines (the “Guidelines”), which form the substantive basis of GSAM’s Policy on Proxy Voting for Client Accounts (“Policy”). As described in the main body of the Policy, one or more GSAM portfolio management teams may diverge from the Guidelines and a related Recommendation on any particular proxy vote or in connection with any individual investment decision in accordance with the override process described in the Policy.

US proxy items:

 

1. Operational Items

   page 1-B

2. Board of Directors

   page 2-B

3. Executive and Director Compensation

   page 4-B

4. Proxy Contests and Access

   page 7-B

5. Shareholder Rights and Defenses

   page 8-B

6. Mergers and Corporate Restructurings

   page 8-B

7. State of Incorporation

   page 9-B

8. Capital Structure

   page 9-B

9. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Issues

   page 9-B

International proxy items:

 

  

1. Operational Items

   page 11-B

2. Board of Directors

   page 12-B

3. Compensation

   page 14-B

4. Board Structure

   page 14-B

5. Capital Structure

   page 15-B

6. Other

   page 17-B

7. Environmental, Climate Change and Social Issues

   page 17-B

The following section is a summary of the Guidelines, which form the substantive basis of the Policy with respect to U.S. public equity investments.

1. Operational Items

Auditor Ratification

Vote FOR proposals to ratify auditors, unless any of the following apply within the last year:

 

   

An auditor has a financial interest in or association with the company, and is therefore not independent;

 

   

There is reason to believe that the independent auditor has rendered an opinion which is neither accurate nor indicative of the company’s financial position;

 

   

Poor accounting practices are identified that rise to a serious level of concern, such as: fraud; misapplication of GAAP; or material weaknesses identified in Section 404 disclosures; or

 

   

Fees for non-audit services are excessive.

Non-audit fees are excessive if:

 

   

Non-audit fees exceed audit fees + audit-related fees + tax compliance/preparation fees.

 

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Vote CASE-BY-CASE on shareholder proposals asking companies to prohibit or limit their auditors from engaging in non-audit services taking into account issues that are consistent with Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) rules adopted to fulfill the mandate of Sarbanes Oxley such as an audit firm providing services that would impair its independence or the overall scope and disclosure of fees for all services done by the audit firm.

Vote CASE-BY-CASE on shareholder proposals asking for audit firm rotation, taking into account:

 

   

The tenure of the audit firm;

 

   

The length of rotation specified in the proposal;

 

   

Any significant audit-related issues at the company;

 

   

The number of Audit Committee meetings held each year;

 

   

The number of financial experts serving on the committee;

 

   

Whether the company has a periodic renewal process where the auditor is evaluated for both audit quality and competitive price; and

 

   

Whether the auditors are being changed without explanation.

2. Board of Directors

The Board of Directors should promote the interests of shareholders by acting in an oversight and/or advisory role; the board should consist of a majority of independent directors and should be held accountable for actions and results related to their responsibilities. When evaluating board composition, GSAM believes a diversity of ethnicity, gender and experience is an important consideration.

Classification of Directors

Where applicable, the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ Listing Standards definition is to be used to classify directors as insiders or affiliated outsiders. General definitions are as follows:

 

   

Inside Director

 

   

Employee of the company or one of its affiliates

 

   

Among the five most highly paid individuals (excluding interim CEO)

 

   

Listed as an officer as defined under Section 16 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934

 

   

Current interim CEO

 

   

Beneficial owner of more than 50 percent of the company’s voting power (this may be aggregated if voting power is distributed among more than one member of a defined group)

 

   

Affiliated Outside Director

 

   

Board attestation that an outside director is not independent

 

   

Former CEO or other executive of the company within the last 3 years

 

   

Former CEO or other executive of an acquired company within the past three years

 

   

Independent Outside Director

 

   

No material connection to the company other than a board seat

Additionally, GSAM will consider compensation committee interlocking directors to be affiliated (defined as CEOs who sit on each other’s compensation committees).

Voting on Director Nominees in Uncontested Elections

Vote on director nominees should be determined on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

Vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from individual directors who:

 

   

Attend less than 75 percent of the board and committee meetings without a disclosed valid excuse for each of the last two years;

 

   

Sit on more than six public company boards;

 

   

Are CEOs of public companies who sit on the boards of more than two public companies besides their own—withhold only at their outside boards.

Other items considered for an AGAINST vote include specific concerns about the individual or the company, such as criminal wrongdoing or breach of fiduciary responsibilities, sanctions from government or authority, violations of laws and regulations, or other issues related to improper business practice.

 

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Vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from Inside Directors and Affiliated Outside Directors (per the Classification of Directors above) when:

 

   

The inside or affiliated outside director serves on the audit, compensation, or nominating (vote against affiliated directors only for nominating) committees;

 

   

The company lacks an audit compensation, or nominating (vote against affiliated directors only for nominating) committee so that the full board functions as that committee and insiders are participating in voting on matters that independent committees should be voting on;

 

   

The full board is less than majority independent (in this case withhold from affiliated outside directors); at controlled companies, GSAM will vote against the election of affiliated outsiders and nominees affiliated with the parent and will not vote against the executives of the issuer.

Vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from members of the appropriate committee for the following reasons (or independent Chairman or lead director in cases of a classified board and members of appropriate committee are not up for reelection). Extreme cases may warrant a vote against the entire board.

 

   

Material failures of governance, stewardship, or fiduciary responsibilities at the company;

 

   

Egregious actions related to the director(s)’ service on other boards that raise substantial doubt about his or her ability to effectively oversee management and serve the best interests of shareholders at any company;

 

   

At the previous board election, any director received more than 50 percent withhold/against votes of the shares cast and the company has failed to address the underlying issue(s) that caused the high withhold/against vote (members of the Nominating or Governance Committees);

 

   

The board failed to act on a shareholder proposal that received approval of the majority of shares cast for the previous two consecutive years (a management proposal with other than a FOR recommendation by management will not be considered as sufficient action taken); an adopted proposal that is substantially similar to the original shareholder proposal will be deemed sufficient; (vote against members of the committee of the board that is responsible for the issue under consideration). If GSAM did not support the shareholder proposal in both years, GSAM will still vote against the committee member (s)

Vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from the members of the Audit Committee if:

 

   

The non-audit fees paid to the auditor are excessive;

 

   

The company receives an adverse opinion on the company’s financial statements from its auditor; or

 

   

There is persuasive evidence that the audit committee entered into an inappropriate indemnification agreement with its auditor that limits the ability of the company, or its shareholders, to pursue legitimate legal recourse against the audit firm.

Vote CASE-BY-CASE on members of the Audit Committee and/or the full board if poor accounting practices, which rise to a level of serious concern are identified, such as: fraud; misapplication of GAAP; and material weaknesses identified in Section 404 disclosures.

Examine the severity, breadth, chronological sequence and duration, as well as the company’s efforts at remediation or corrective actions in determining whether negative vote recommendations are warranted against the members of the Audit Committee who are responsible for the poor accounting practices, or the entire board.

See section 3 on executive and director compensation for reasons to withhold from members of the Compensation Committee.

In limited circumstances, GSAM may vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from all nominees of the board of directors (except from new nominees who should be considered on a CASE-BY-CASE basis and except as discussed below) if:

 

   

The company’s poison pill has a dead-hand or modified dead-hand feature for two or more years. Vote against/withhold every year until this feature is removed; however, vote against the poison pill if there is one on the ballot with this feature rather than the director;

 

   

The board adopts or renews a poison pill without shareholder approval, does not commit to putting it to shareholder vote within 12 months of adoption (or in the case of an newly public company, does not commit to put the pill to a shareholder vote within 12 months following the IPO), or reneges on a commitment to put the pill to a vote, and has not yet received a withhold/against recommendation for this issue;

 

   

The board failed to act on takeover offers where the majority of the shareholders tendered their shares;

 

   

If in an extreme situation the board lacks accountability and oversight, coupled with sustained poor performance relative to peers.

 

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Shareholder proposal regarding Independent Chair (Separate Chair/CEO)

Vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

GSAM will generally recommend a vote AGAINST shareholder proposals requiring that the chairman’s position be filled by an independent director, if the company satisfies 3 of the 4 following criteria:

 

   

Designated lead director, elected by and from the independent board members with clearly delineated and comprehensive duties;

 

   

Two-thirds independent board;

 

   

All independent key committees; or

 

   

Established, disclosed governance guidelines.

Majority Vote Shareholder Proposals

GSAM will vote FOR proposals requesting that the board adopt majority voting in the election of directors provided it does not conflict with the state law where the company is incorporated.

GSAM also looks for companies to adopt a post-election policy outlining how the company will address the situation of a holdover director.

Cumulative Vote Shareholder Proposals

GSAM will generally support shareholder proposals to restore or provide cumulative voting unless:

 

   

The company has adopted majority vote standard with a carve-out for plurality voting in situations where there are more nominees than seats, and a director resignation policy to address failed elections.

3. Executive and Director Compensation

Pay Practices

Good pay practices should align management’s interests with long-term shareholder value creation. Detailed disclosure of compensation criteria is preferred; proof that companies follow the criteria should be evident and retroactive performance target changes without proper disclosure is not viewed favorably. Compensation practices should allow a company to attract and retain proven talent. Some examples of poor pay practices include: abnormally large bonus payouts without justifiable performance linkage or proper disclosure, egregious employment contracts, excessive severance and/or change in control provisions, repricing or replacing of underwater stock options/stock appreciation rights without prior shareholder approval, and excessive perquisites. A company should also have an appropriate balance of short-term vs. long-term metrics and the metrics should be aligned with business goals and objectives.

If the company maintains problematic or poor pay practices, generally vote first:

 

   

AGAINST Management Say on Pay (MSOP) Proposals or;

 

   

AGAINST an equity-based incentive plan proposal if excessive non-performance-based equity awards are the major contributor to a pay-for-performance misalignment, then;

 

   

If no MSOP or equity-based incentive plan proposal item is on the ballot, AGAINST/WITHHOLD on compensation committee members

 

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Equity Compensation Plans

Vote CASE-BY-CASE on equity-based compensation plans. Reasons to vote AGAINST the equity plan could include the following factors:

 

   

The plan is a vehicle for poor pay practices;

 

   

The plan expressly permits the repricing of stock options/stock appreciation rights (SARs) without prior shareholder approval OR does not expressly prohibit the repricing without shareholder approval;

 

   

The CEO is a participant in the proposed equity-based compensation plan and there is a disconnect between CEO pay and the company’s performance where over 50 percent of the year-over-year increase is attributed to equity awards;

 

   

The company’s three year burn rate and Shareholder Value Transfer (SVT) calculations both materially exceed industry group metrics; or

 

   

There is a long-term disconnect between CEO pay and the company’s total shareholder return in conjunction with the qualitative overlay as outlined in the policy guidelines OR the company has a poor record of compensation practices, which is highlighted either in analysis of the compensation plan or the evaluation of the election of directors.

Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (Say-on-Pay, MSOP) Management Proposals

Vote CASE-BY-CASE on management proposals for an advisory vote on executive compensation. For U.S. companies, consider the following factors in the context of each company’s specific circumstances and the board’s disclosed rationale for its practices. In general two or more of the following in conjunction with a long-term pay-for-performance disconnect will warrant an AGAINST vote. If there is not a long-term pay for performance disconnect GSAM will look for multiple problematic factors to be present to warrant a vote against.

Relative Considerations:

 

   

Assessment of performance metrics relative to business strategy, as discussed and explained in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis (CD&A) section of a company’s proxy;

 

   

Evaluation of peer groups used to set target pay or award opportunities;

 

   

Alignment of long-term company performance and executive pay trends over time;

 

   

Assessment of disparity between total pay of the CEO and other Named Executive Officers (NEOs).

Design Considerations:

 

   

Balance of fixed versus performance-driven pay;

 

   

Assessment of excessive practices with respect to perks, severance packages, supplemental executive pension plans, and burn rates.

Communication Considerations:

 

   

Evaluation of information and board rationale provided in CD&A about how compensation is determined (e.g., why certain elements and pay targets are used, and specific incentive plan goals, especially retrospective goals);

Assessment of board’s responsiveness to investor input and engagement on compensation issues (e.g., in responding to majority-supported shareholder proposals on executive pay topics).

Other considerations include:

 

   

Board responsiveness to the majority vote outcome of previous frequency on pay votes

 

   

Boards responsiveness if company received 70% or less shareholder support in the previous years MSOP vote

 

   

Abnormally large bonus payouts without justifiable performance linkage or proper disclosure:

 

   

Includes performance metrics that are changed, canceled, or replaced during the performance period without adequate explanation of the action and the link to performance

 

   

Egregious employment contracts

 

   

Excessive severance and/or change in control provisions

 

   

Repricing or replacing of underwater stock options/stock appreciation rights without prior shareholder approval

 

   

Excessive Perquisites

 

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The following reasons could warrant a vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from the members of the Compensation Committee:

 

   

The company fails to submit one-time transfers of stock options to a shareholder vote;

 

   

The company fails to fulfill the terms of a burn rate commitment they made to shareholders; or

 

   

The company has backdated options.

Other Compensation Proposals and Policies

Employee Stock Purchase Plans — Non-Qualified Plans

Vote CASE-BY-CASE on nonqualified employee stock purchase plans. Vote FOR nonqualified employee stock purchase plans with all the following features:

 

   

Broad-based participation (i.e., all employees of the company with the exclusion of individuals with 5 percent or more of beneficial ownership of the company);

 

   

Limits on employee contribution, which may be a fixed dollar amount or expressed as a percent of base salary;

 

   

Company matching contribution up to 25 percent of employee’s contribution, which is effectively a discount of 20 percent from market value; and

 

   

No discount on the stock price on the date of purchase since there is a company matching contribution.

Option Exchange Programs/Repricing Options

Vote CASE-BY-CASE on management proposals seeking approval to exchange/reprice options, taking into consideration:

 

   

Historic trading patterns—the stock price should not be so volatile that the options are likely to be back “in-the-money” over the near term;

 

   

Rationale for the re-pricing

 

   

If it is a value-for-value exchange

 

   

If surrendered stock options are added back to the plan reserve

 

   

Option vesting

 

   

Term of the option—the term should remain the same as that of the replaced option;

 

   

Exercise price—should be set at fair market or a premium to market;

 

   

Participants—executive officers and directors should be excluded.

Vote FOR shareholder proposals to put option repricings to a shareholder vote.

Other Shareholder Proposals on Compensation

Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (Frequency on Pay)

Vote for annual frequency.

Golden Coffins/Executive Death Benefits

Generally vote FOR proposals calling on companies to adopt a policy of obtaining shareholder approval for any future agreements and corporate policies that could oblige the company to make payments or awards following the death of a senior executive in the form of unearned salary or bonuses, accelerated vesting or the continuation in force of unvested equity grants, perquisites and other payments or awards made in lieu of compensation. This would not apply to any benefit programs or equity plan proposals for which the broad-based employee population is eligible.

Stock retention holding period

Vote FOR Shareholder proposals asking for a policy requiring that senior executives retain a significant percentage of shares acquired through equity compensation programs if the policy allows retention for two years or less following the termination of their employment (through retirement or otherwise) and a holding threshold percentage of 50% or less.

Also consider:

 

   

Whether the company has any holding period, retention ratio, or officer ownership requirements in place.

Elimination of accelerated vesting in the event of a change in control

Vote AGAINST shareholder proposals seeking a policy eliminating the accelerated vesting of time-based equity awards in the event of a change in control.

 

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Tax Gross-Up Proposals

Generally vote FOR proposals asking companies to adopt a policy of not providing tax gross-up payments to executives, except where gross-ups are provided pursuant to a plan, policy, or arrangement applicable to management employees of the company, such as a relocation or expatriate tax equalization policy.

Performance-based equity awards and pay-for-superior-performance proposals

Generally support unless there is sufficient evidence that the current compensation structure is already substantially performance-based. GSAM considers performance-based awards to include awards that are tied to shareholder return or other metrics that are relevant to the business.

4. Proxy Contests and Access

Voting for Director Nominees in Contested Elections

Vote CASE-BY-CASE on the election of directors in contested elections, considering the following factors:

 

   

Long-term financial performance of the target company relative to its industry;

 

   

Management’s track record;

 

   

Background to the proxy contest;

 

   

Qualifications of director nominees (both slates);

 

   

Strategic plan of dissident slate and quality of critique against management;

 

   

Likelihood that the proposed goals and objectives can be achieved (both slates);

 

   

Stock ownership positions.

Proxy Access

Vote CASE-BY-CASE on shareholder or management proposals asking for open proxy access.

GSAM may support proxy access as an important right for shareholders and as an alternative to costly proxy contests. While this could be an important shareholder right, the following will be taken into account when evaluating the shareholder proposals:

 

   

The ownership thresholds, percentage and duration proposed (GSAM will not support if the ownership threshold is less than 3%); The maximum proportion of directors that shareholders may nominate each year (GSAM will not support if the proportion of directors is greater than 25%);

 

   

The method of determining which nominations should appear on the ballot if multiple shareholders submit nominations.

Reimbursing Proxy Solicitation Expenses

Vote CASE-BY-CASE on proposals to reimburse proxy solicitation expenses. When voting in conjunction with support of a dissident slate, vote FOR the reimbursement of all appropriate proxy solicitation expenses associated with the election.

 

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5. Shareholders Rights & Defenses

Shareholder Ability to Act by Written Consent

Generally vote FOR shareholder proposals that provide shareholders with the ability to act by written consent, unless:

 

   

The company already gives shareholders the right to call special meetings at a threshold of 25% or lower; and

 

   

The company has a history of strong governance practices.

Shareholder Ability to Call Special Meetings

Generally vote FOR management proposals that provide shareholders with the ability to call special meetings.

Generally vote FOR shareholder proposals that provide shareholders with the ability to call special meetings at a threshold of 25% or lower if the company currently does not give shareholders the right to call special meetings. However, if a company already gives shareholders the right to call special meetings at a threshold of at least 25%, do not support shareholder proposals to further reduce the threshold.

Advance Notice Requirements for Shareholder Proposals/Nominations

Vote CASE-BY-CASE on advance notice proposals, giving support to proposals that allow shareholders to submit proposals/nominations reasonably close to the meeting date and within the broadest window possible, recognizing the need to allow sufficient notice for company, regulatory and shareholder review.

Poison Pills

Vote FOR shareholder proposals requesting that the company submit its poison pill to a shareholder vote or redeem it UNLESS the company has: (1) A shareholder-approved poison pill in place; or (2) the company has adopted a policy concerning the adoption of a pill in the future specifying certain shareholder friendly provisions.

Vote FOR shareholder proposals calling for poison pills to be put to a vote within a time period of less than one year after adoption.

Vote CASE-BY-CASE on management proposals on poison pill ratification, focusing on the features of the shareholder rights plan.

In addition, the rationale for adopting the pill should be thoroughly explained by the company. In examining the request for the pill, take into consideration the company’s existing governance structure, including: board independence, existing takeover defenses, and any problematic governance concerns.

6. Mergers and Corporate Restructurings

Vote CASE-BY-CASE on mergers and acquisitions taking into account the following based on publicly available information:

 

   

Valuation;

 

   

Market reaction;

 

   

Strategic rationale;

 

   

Management’s track record of successful integration of historical acquisitions;

 

   

Presence of conflicts of interest; and

 

   

Governance profile of the combined company.

 

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7. State of Incorporation

Reincorporation Proposals

GSAM may support management proposals to reincorporate as long as the reincorporation would not substantially diminish shareholder rights. GSAM may not support shareholder proposals for reincorporation unless the current state of incorporation is substantially less shareholder friendly than the proposed reincorporation, there is a strong economic case to reincorporate or the company has a history of making decisions that are not shareholder friendly.

Exclusive venue for shareholder lawsuits

Generally Vote FOR on exclusive venue proposals, taking into account:

 

   

Whether the company has been materially harmed by shareholder litigation outside its jurisdiction of incorporation, based on disclosure in the company’s proxy statement;

 

   

Whether the company has the following good governance features:

 

   

An annually elected board;

 

   

A majority vote standard in uncontested director elections; and

 

   

The absence of a poison pill, unless the pill was approved by shareholders.

8. Capital Structure

Common Stock Authorization

Votes on proposals to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance are determined on a CASE-BY-CASE basis. We consider company-specific factors that include, at a minimum, the following:

 

   

Past Board performance;

 

   

The company’s use of authorized shares during the last three years;

 

   

One- and three-year total shareholder return;

 

   

The board’s governance structure and practices;

 

   

The current request;

 

   

Disclosure in the proxy statement of specific reasons for the proposed increase;

 

   

The dilutive impact of the request as determined through an allowable increase, which examines the company’s need for shares and total shareholder returns; and

 

   

Risks to shareholders of not approving the request.

9. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Issues

Overall Approach

GSAM recognizes that Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors can affect investment performance, expose potential investment risks and provide an indication of management excellence and leadership. When evaluating ESG proxy issues GSAM balances the purpose of a proposal with the overall benefit to shareholders.

Shareholder proposals considered under this category could include: Reports asking for details on 1) labor and safety policies, 2) impact on the environment of the company’s oil sands or fracturing operations or 3) water-related risks

When evaluating social and environmental shareholder proposals the following factors should be considered:

 

   

Whether adoption of the proposal is likely to enhance or protect shareholder value;

 

   

Whether the information requested concerns business issues that relate to a meaningful percentage of the company’s business;

 

   

The degree to which the company’s stated position on the issues raised in the proposal could affect its reputation or sales, or leave it vulnerable to a boycott or selective purchasing;

 

   

Whether the company has already responded in some appropriate manner to the request embodied in the proposal;

 

   

What other companies have done in response to the issue addressed in the proposal;

 

   

Whether the proposal itself is well framed and the cost of preparing the report is reasonable;

 

   

Whether the subject of the proposal is best left to the discretion of the board;

 

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Whether the company has material fines or violations in the area and if so, if appropriate actions have already been taken to remedy going forward;

 

   

Whether the requested information is available to shareholders either from the company or from a publicly available source; and

 

   

Whether providing this information would reveal proprietary or confidential information that would place the company at a competitive disadvantage.

Sustainability, climate change reporting

Generally vote FOR proposals requesting the company to report on its policies, initiatives, and oversight mechanisms related to social, economic, and environmental sustainability, or how the company may be impacted by climate change. The following factors will be considered:

 

   

The company’s current level of publicly-available disclosure including if the company already discloses similar information through existing reports or policies

 

   

If the company has formally committed to the implementation of a reporting program based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines or a similar standard within a specified time frame;

 

   

If the company’s current level of disclosure is comparable to that of its industry peers; and

 

   

If there are significant controversies, fines, penalties, or litigation associated with the company’s environmental performance.

Establishing goals or targets for emissions reduction

Vote CASE-BY-CASE on proposals that call for the adoption of GHG reduction goals from products and operations, taking into account:

 

   

Overly prescriptive requests for the reduction in GHG emissions by specific amounts or within a specific time frame;

 

   

Whether company disclosure lags behind industry peers;

 

   

Whether the company has been the subject of recent, significant violations, fines, litigation, or controversy related to GHG emissions;

 

   

The feasibility of reduction of GHGs given the company’s product line and current technology and;

 

   

Whether the company already provides meaningful disclosure on GHG emissions from its products and operations.

Political Contributions and Trade Association Spending/Lobbying Expenditures and Initiatives

Generally vote AGAINST proposals asking the company to affirm political nonpartisanship in the workplace so long as:

 

   

There are no recent, significant controversies, fines or litigation regarding the company’s political contributions or trade association spending; and

 

   

The company has procedures in place to ensure that employee contributions to company-sponsored political action committees (PACs) are strictly voluntary and prohibits coercion.

Vote CASE-BY-CASE on proposals to improve the disclosure of a company’s political contributions and trade association spending, considering:

 

   

Recent significant controversy or litigation related to the company’s political contributions or governmental affairs;

 

   

The public availability of a company policy on political contributions and trade association spending including information on the types of organizations supported, the business rationale for supporting these organizations, and the oversight and compliance procedures related to such expenditures of corporate assets; and

GSAM will not necessarily vote for the proposal merely to encourage further disclosure of trade association or lobbying spending.

Vote AGAINST proposals barring the company from making political contributions. Businesses are affected by legislation at the federal, state, and local level and barring political contributions can put the company at a competitive disadvantage.

Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

A company should have a clear, public Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) statement and/or diversity policy. Generally vote FOR proposals seeking to amend a company’s EEO statement or diversity policies to additionally prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

 

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Labor and Human Rights Standards

Generally vote FOR proposals requesting a report or implementation of a policy on company or company supplier labor and/or human rights standards and policies unless such information is already publicly disclosed considering:

 

   

The degree to which existing relevant policies and practices are disclosed;

 

   

Whether or not existing relevant policies are consistent with internationally recognized standards;

 

   

Whether company facilities and those of its suppliers are monitored and how;

 

   

Company participation in fair labor organizations or other internationally recognized human rights initiatives;

 

   

Scope and nature of business conducted in markets known to have higher risk of workplace labor/human rights abuse;

 

   

Recent, significant company controversies, fines, or litigation regarding human rights at the company or its suppliers;

 

   

The scope of the request; and

 

   

Deviation from industry sector peer company standards and practices.

The following section is a broad summary of the Guidelines, which form the basis of the Policy with respect to non-U.S. public equity investments. Applying these guidelines is subject to certain regional and country-specific exceptions and modifications and is not inclusive of all considerations in each market.

1. Operational Items

Financial Results/Director and Auditor Reports

Vote FOR approval of financial statements and director and auditor reports, unless:

 

   

There are concerns about the accounts presented or audit procedures used; or

 

   

The company is not responsive to shareholder questions about specific items that should be publicly disclosed.

Appointment of Auditors and Auditor Fees

Vote FOR the reelection of auditors and proposals authorizing the board to fix auditor fees, unless:

 

   

There are serious concerns about the accounts presented, audit procedures used or audit opinion rendered;

 

   

There is reason to believe that the auditor has rendered an opinion, which is neither accurate nor indicative of the company’s financial position;

 

   

Name of the proposed auditor has not been published;

 

   

The auditors are being changed without explanation; non-audit-related fees are substantial or are in excess of standard annual audit-related fees; or the appointment of external auditors if they have previously served the company in an executive capacity or can otherwise be considered affiliated with the company.

Appointment of Statutory Auditors

Vote FOR the appointment or reelection of statutory auditors, unless:

 

   

There are serious concerns about the statutory reports presented or the audit procedures used;

 

   

Questions exist concerning any of the statutory auditors being appointed; or

 

   

The auditors have previously served the company in an executive capacity or can otherwise be considered affiliated with the company.

Allocation of Income

Vote FOR approval of the allocation of income, unless:

 

   

The dividend payout ratio has been consistently low without adequate explanation; or

 

   

The payout is excessive given the company’s financial position.

Stock (Scrip) Dividend Alternative

Vote FOR most stock (scrip) dividend proposals.

Vote AGAINST proposals that do not allow for a cash option unless management demonstrates that the cash option is harmful to shareholder value.

Amendments to Articles of Association

Vote amendments to the articles of association on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

 

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Change in Company Fiscal Term

Vote FOR resolutions to change a company’s fiscal term unless a company’s motivation for the change is to postpone its AGM.

Lower Disclosure Threshold for Stock Ownership

Vote AGAINST resolutions to lower the stock ownership disclosure threshold below 5 percent unless specific reasons exist to implement a lower threshold.

Amend Quorum Requirements

Vote proposals to amend quorum requirements for shareholder meetings on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

Transact Other Business

Vote AGAINST other business when it appears as a voting item.

2. Board of Directors

Director Elections

Vote FOR management nominees in the election of directors, unless:

 

   

Adequate disclosure has not been provided in a timely manner; or

 

   

There are clear concerns over questionable finances or restatements; or

 

   

There have been questionable transactions or conflicts of interest; or

 

   

There are any records of abuses against minority shareholder interests; or

 

   

The board fails to meet minimum corporate governance standards. or

 

   

There are reservations about:

 

   

Director terms

 

   

Bundling of proposals to elect directors

 

   

Board independence

 

   

Disclosure of named nominees

 

   

Combined Chairman/CEO

 

   

Election of former CEO as Chairman of the Board

 

   

Overboarded directors

 

   

Composition of committees

 

   

Director independence

 

   

Specific concerns about the individual or company, such as criminal wrongdoing or breach of fiduciary responsibilities;

 

   

Repeated absences at board meetings have not been explained (in countries where this information is disclosed); or

 

   

Unless there are other considerations which may include sanctions from government or authority, violations of laws and regulations, or other issues related to improper business practice, failure to replace management, or egregious actions related to service on other boards.

Vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis in contested elections of directors, e.g., the election of shareholder nominees or the dismissal of incumbent directors, determining which directors are best suited to add value for shareholders.

The analysis will generally be based on, but not limited to, the following major decision factors:

 

   

Company performance relative to its peers;

 

   

Strategy of the incumbents versus the dissidents;

 

   

Independence of board candidates;

 

   

Experience and skills of board candidates;

 

   

Governance profile of the company;

 

   

Evidence of management entrenchment;

 

   

Responsiveness to shareholders;

 

   

Whether a takeover offer has been rebuffed;

 

   

Whether minority or majority representation is being sought.

 

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Vote FOR employee and/or labor representatives if they sit on either the audit or compensation committee and are required by law to be on those committees.

Vote AGAINST employee and/or labor representatives if they sit on either the audit or compensation committee, if they are not required to be on those committees.

Classification of directors

Executive Director

 

   

Employee or executive of the company;

 

   

Any director who is classified as a non-executive, but receives salary, fees, bonus, and/or other benefits that are in line with the highest-paid executives of the company.

Non-Independent Non-Executive Director (NED)

 

   

Any director who is attested by the board to be a non-independent NED;

 

   

Any director specifically designated as a representative of a significant shareholder of the company;

 

   

Any director who is also an employee or executive of a significant shareholder of the company;

 

   

Beneficial owner (direct or indirect) of at least 10% of the company’s stock, either in economic terms or in voting rights (this may be aggregated if voting power is distributed among more than one member of a defined group, e.g., family members who beneficially own less than 10% individually, but collectively own more than 10%), unless market best practice dictates a lower ownership and/or disclosure threshold (and in other special market-specific circumstances);

 

   

Government representative;

 

   

Currently provides (or a relative provides) professional services to the company, to an affiliate of the company, or to an individual officer of the company or of one of its affiliates in excess of $10,000 per year;

 

   

Represents customer, supplier, creditor, banker, or other entity with which company maintains transactional/commercial relationship (unless company discloses information to apply a materiality test);

 

   

Any director who has conflicting or cross-directorships with executive directors or the chairman of the company;

 

   

Relative of a current employee of the company or its affiliates;

 

   

Relative of a former executive of the company or its affiliates;

 

   

A new appointee elected other than by a formal process through the General Meeting (such as a contractual appointment by a substantial shareholder);

 

   

Founder/co-founder/member of founding family but not currently an employee;

 

   

Former executive (5 year cooling off period);

 

   

Years of service is generally not a determining factor unless it is recommended best practice in a market and/or in extreme circumstances, in which case it may be considered;

 

   

Any additional relationship or principle considered to compromise independence under local corporate governance best practice guidance.

Independent NED

 

   

No material connection, either directly or indirectly, to the company other than a board seat.

Employee Representative

 

   

Represents employees or employee shareholders of the company (classified as “employee representative” but considered a non-independent NED).

 

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Discharge of Directors

Generally vote FOR the discharge of directors, including members of the management board and/or supervisory board, unless there is reliable information about significant and compelling controversies that the board is not fulfilling its fiduciary duties warranted by:

 

   

A lack of oversight or actions by board members which invoke shareholder distrust related to malfeasance or poor supervision, such as operating in private or company interest rather than in shareholder interest; or

 

   

Any legal issues (e.g., civil/criminal) aiming to hold the board responsible for breach of trust in the past or related to currently alleged actions yet to be confirmed (and not only the fiscal year in question), such as price fixing, insider trading, bribery, fraud, and other illegal actions; or

 

   

Other egregious governance issues where shareholders may bring legal action against the company or its directors; or

 

   

Vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis where a vote against other agenda items are deemed inappropriate.

3. Compensation

Good pay practices should align management’s interests with long-term shareholder value creation. Detailed disclosure of compensation criteria is preferred; proof that companies follow the criteria should be evident and retroactive performance target changes without proper disclosure is not viewed favorably. Compensation practices should allow a company to attract and retain proven talent. Some examples of poor pay practices include: abnormally large bonus payouts without justifiable performance linkage or proper disclosure, egregious employment contracts, excessive severance and/or change in control provisions, repricing or replacing of underwater stock options/stock appreciation rights without prior shareholder approval, and excessive perquisites. A company should also have an appropriate balance of short-term vs. long-term metrics and the metrics should be aligned with business goals and objectives.

Director Compensation

Vote FOR proposals to award cash fees to non-executive directors unless the amounts are excessive relative to other companies in the country or industry.

Vote non-executive director compensation proposals that include both cash and share-based components on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

Vote proposals that bundle compensation for both non-executive and executive directors into a single resolution on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

Vote AGAINST proposals to introduce retirement benefits for non-executive directors.

Compensation Plans

Vote compensation plans on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

Director, Officer, and Auditor Indemnification and Liability Provisions

Vote proposals seeking indemnification and liability protection for directors and officers on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

Vote AGAINST proposals to indemnify auditors.

4. Board Structure

Vote FOR proposals to fix board size.

Vote AGAINST the introduction of classified boards and mandatory retirement ages for directors.

Vote AGAINST proposals to alter board structure or size in the context of a fight for control of the company or the board.

 

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Chairman CEO combined role (for applicable markets)

GSAM will generally recommend a vote AGAINST shareholder proposals requiring that the chairman’s position be filled by an independent director, if the company satisfies 3 of the 4 following criteria:

 

   

2/3 independent board, or majority in countries where employee representation is common practice;

 

   

A designated, or a rotating, lead director, elected by and from the independent board members with clearly delineated and comprehensive duties;

 

   

Fully independent key committees; and/or

 

   

Established, publicly disclosed, governance guidelines and director biographies/profiles.

5. Capital Structure

Share Issuance Requests

General Issuances:

Vote FOR issuance requests with preemptive rights to a maximum of 100 percent over currently issued capital.

Vote FOR issuance requests without preemptive rights to a maximum of 20 percent of currently issued capital.

Specific Issuances:

Vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis on all requests, with or without preemptive rights.

Increases in Authorized Capital

Vote FOR non-specific proposals to increase authorized capital up to 100 percent over the current authorization unless the increase would leave the company with less than 30 percent of its new authorization outstanding.

Vote FOR specific proposals to increase authorized capital to any amount, unless:

 

   

The specific purpose of the increase (such as a share-based acquisition or merger) does not meet guidelines for the purpose being proposed; or

 

   

The increase would leave the company with less than 30 percent of its new authorization outstanding after adjusting for all proposed issuances.

Vote AGAINST proposals to adopt unlimited capital authorizations.

Reduction of Capital

Vote FOR proposals to reduce capital for routine accounting purposes unless the terms are unfavorable to shareholders.

Vote proposals to reduce capital in connection with corporate restructuring on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

Capital Structures

Vote FOR resolutions that seek to maintain or convert to a one-share, one-vote capital structure.

Vote AGAINST requests for the creation or continuation of dual-class capital structures or the creation of new or additional super voting shares.

Preferred Stock

Vote FOR the creation of a new class of preferred stock or for issuances of preferred stock up to 50 percent of issued capital unless the terms of the preferred stock would adversely affect the rights of existing shareholders.

Vote FOR the creation/issuance of convertible preferred stock as long as the maximum number of common shares that could be issued upon conversion meets guidelines on equity issuance requests.

 

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Vote AGAINST the creation of a new class of preference shares that would carry superior voting rights to the common shares.

Vote AGAINST the creation of blank check preferred stock unless the board clearly states that the authorization will not be used to thwart a takeover bid.

Vote proposals to increase blank check preferred authorizations on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

Debt Issuance Requests

Vote non-convertible debt issuance requests on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, with or without preemptive rights.

Vote FOR the creation/issuance of convertible debt instruments as long as the maximum number of common shares that could be issued upon conversion meets guidelines on equity issuance requests.

Vote FOR proposals to restructure existing debt arrangements unless the terms of the restructuring would adversely affect the rights of shareholders.

Pledging of Assets for Debt

Vote proposals to approve the pledging of assets for debt on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

Increase in Borrowing Powers

Vote proposals to approve increases in a company’s borrowing powers on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

Share Repurchase Plans

GSAM will generally recommend FOR share repurchase programs if the terms comply with the following criteria:

 

   

A repurchase limit of up to 10 percent of outstanding issued share capital (15 percent in U.K./Ireland);

 

   

A holding limit of up to 10 percent of a company’s issued share capital in treasury (“on the shelf”); and

 

   

Duration of no more than 5 years, or such lower threshold as may be set by applicable law, regulation, or code of governance best practice.

In markets where it is normal practice not to provide a repurchase limit, the proposal will be evaluated based on the company’s historical practice. In such cases, the authority must comply with the following criteria:

 

   

A holding limit of up to 10 percent of a company’s issued share capital in treasury (“on the shelf”); and

 

   

Duration of no more than 5 years.

In addition, vote AGAINST any proposal where:

 

   

The repurchase can be used for takeover defenses;

 

   

There is clear evidence of abuse;

 

   

There is no safeguard against selective buybacks;

 

   

Pricing provisions and safeguards are deemed to be unreasonable in light of market practice.

Reissuance of Repurchased Shares

Vote FOR requests to reissue any repurchased shares unless there is clear evidence of abuse of this authority in the past.

 

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Capitalization of Reserves for Bonus Issues/Increase in Par Value

Vote FOR requests to capitalize reserves for bonus issues of shares or to increase par value.

6. Other

Reorganizations/Restructurings

Vote reorganizations and restructurings on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Vote CASE-BY-CASE on mergers and acquisitions taking into account the following based on publicly available information:

 

   

Valuation;

 

   

Market reaction;

 

   

Strategic rationale;

 

   

Management’s track record of successful integration of historical acquisitions;

 

   

Presence of conflicts of interest; and

 

   

Governance profile of the combined company.

Mandatory Takeover Bid Waivers

Vote proposals to waive mandatory takeover bid requirements on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

Antitakeover Mechanisms

Generally vote AGAINST all antitakeover proposals, unless they are structured in such a way that they give shareholders the ultimate decision on any proposal or offer.

Reincorporation Proposals

Vote reincorporation proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

Expansion of Business Activities

Vote FOR resolutions to expand business activities unless the new business takes the company into inappropriately risky areas.

Related-Party Transactions

Vote related-party transactions on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering factors including, but not limited to, the following:

 

   

The parties on either side of the transaction;

 

   

The nature of the asset to be transferred/service to be provided;

 

   

The pricing of the transaction (and any associated professional valuation);

 

   

The views of independent directors (where provided);

 

   

The views of an independent financial adviser (where appointed);

 

   

Whether any entities party to the transaction (including advisers) is conflicted; and

 

   

The stated rationale for the transaction, including discussions of timing.

Shareholder Proposals

Vote all shareholder proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

Vote FOR proposals that would improve the company’s corporate governance or business profile at a reasonable cost.

Vote AGAINST proposals that limit the company’s business activities or capabilities or result in significant costs being incurred with little or not benefit.

7. Environmental, climate change and social issues

Please refer to page 9 for our current approach to these important topics.

 

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APPENDIX C

STATE STREET GLOBAL ADVISORS PROXY VOTING POLICY

March 2012

Introduction

SSgA Funds Management, Inc. (“SSgA FM”) is a registered investment adviser and a wholly owned subsidiary of State Street Corporation, a leading provider of financial services to institutional investors. As an investment manager, SSgA FM has discretionary proxy voting authority over most of its client accounts, and SSgA FM votes these proxies in the manner that we believe will most likely protect and promote the long term economic value of client investments and as set forth in the SSgA FM Proxy Voting Guidelines (the “Proxy Voting Guidelines”).

Proxy Voting Procedure

Oversight

The SSgA FM Corporate Governance Team is responsible for implementing the Proxy Voting Guidelines, case-by-case voting items, issuer engagement activities, and research and analysis of governance-related issues impacting shareholder value. The implementation of the Proxy Voting Guidelines is overseen by the SSgA FM Global Proxy Review Committee (“SSgA FM PRC”), a committee of investment, compliance and legal professionals, who provide guidance on proxy issues as described in more detail below. The SSgA FM PRC reports to the SSgA Investment Committee, and may refer certain significant proxy items to that committee. In addition to voting proxies, SSgA:

 

  1) describes its proxy voting procedures to its clients in Part II of its Form ADV;

 

  2) provides the client with this written proxy policy, upon request;

 

  3) discloses to its clients how they may obtain information on how FM voted the client’s proxies;

 

  4) matches proxies received with holdings as of record date;

 

  5) generally applies its proxy voting policy consistently and keeps records of votes for each client;

 

  6) documents the reason(s) for voting for all non-routine items; and

 

  7) keeps records of such proxy voting available for inspection by the client or governmental agencies.

Oversight of the proxy voting process is ultimately the responsibility of the SSgA Investment Committee. The SSgA Investment Committee reviews and approves amendments to the Proxy Voting Guidelines.

Proxy Voting Process

SSgA FM retains Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”), a firm with expertise in proxy voting and corporate governance, to support our proxy voting process. SSgA FM utilizes ISS’s services in three ways: (1) as SSgA FM’s proxy voting agent (providing SSgA FM with vote execution and administration services); (2) applying SSgA FM’s Proxy Voting Guidelines; and (3) provides research and analysis relating to general corporate governance issues and specific proxy items.

On most routine proxy voting items (e.g., retention of auditors), ISS will effect the proxy votes in accordance with the Proxy Voting Guidelines and our standing instructions, which the SSgA FM Corporate Governance Team reviews with ISS on an annual basis or on a case-by-case basis as required. The guidance permits ISS to apply the Proxy Voting Guidelines without consulting us on each proxy and in a manner that is consistent with our investment view. On matters not directly covered by the Proxy Voting Guidelines, and we conclude there is no likelihood of impacting shareholder value, ISS may effect proxy votes in accordance with its own recommendations.

 

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In other cases, the Corporate Governance Team will evaluate the proxy solicitation to determine how to vote consistent with SSgA FM’s investment views and to maximize the value of our client accounts. In general, the Corporate Governance Team will engage in this additional review for:

 

  (i) proxies that involve special circumstances and require additional research and discussion (e.g. a material merger or acquisition, or a material governance issue with the potential to become a significant precedent in corporate governance); and

 

  (ii) proxies that are not directly addressed by our policies and which are reasonably anticipated to have an impact on the current or potential value of a security or which we do not consider to be routine.

In some instances, the SSgA FM Corporate Governance Team may refer significant issues which are not addressed by our Proxy Voting Guidelines or guidance to ISS to the SSgA FM PRC for a determination of the proxy vote. In addition, in determining whether to refer a proxy vote to the SSgA FM PRC, the SSgA FM Corporate Governance Team will examine whether there is a material conflict of interest between the interests of our client and those of SSgA FM or its affiliates (as explained in greater detail below under “Conflict of Interest”). If there is no material conflict, we examine the proposals that involve special circumstances or are not addressed by our policy or guidance in detail in seeking to determine what vote would be in the best interest of our clients (i.e., to maximize the economic value of our clients’ securities).

Conflict of Interest

From time to time, SSgA FM will review a proxy which may present a potential conflict of interest. In general, we do not believe matters that fall within our Proxy Voting Guidelines and are voted consistently with the Proxy Voting Guidelines present any potential conflicts, since the vote on the matter has effectively been determined without reference to the soliciting entity; however, where matters do not fall within our Proxy Voting Guidelines or where we believe that voting in accordance with the Proxy Voting Guidelines is unwarranted, we conduct an additional review to determine whether there is a conflict of interest. Although various relationships could be deemed to give rise to a conflict of interest, SSgA has determined that two categories of relationships present a serious concern to warrant an alternative process: (1) clients of SSgA FM or its affiliates which are among the top 100 clients of State Street Corporation or its affiliates based upon revenue; and (2) the 10 largest broker-dealers used by SSgA, based upon revenue (a “Material Relationship”).

In circumstances where either (i) the matter does not fall clearly within the Proxy Voting Guidelines or (ii) SSgA FM determines that voting in accordance with such policies or guidance is not in the best interests of its clients, the Director of SSgA FM’s Corporate Governance Team will determine whether a Material Relationship exists. If so the matter is referred to the SSgA FM PRC. The SSgA FM PRC then reviews the matter and determines whether a conflict of interest exists, and if so, how to best resolve such conflict. For example, the SSgA FM PRC may (i) determine that the proxy vote does not give rise to a conflict due to the issues presented, (ii) refer the matter to the SSgA Investment Committee for further evaluation or (iii) retain an independent fiduciary to determine the appropriate vote.

Engagement

SSgA FM conducts issuer engagement activity to support SSgA FM’s voting principles. SSgA FM believes engagement with portfolio companies is often the most active and productive way shareholders can exercise their ownership rights, with the goal of increasing shareholder value. SSgA FM regularly engages with companies to discuss corporate governance issues and to provide insight about the principles and practices that drive our voting decisions. In our discussions, we highlight the attributes and practices that we believe enhance the quality of corporate governance at companies. Some engagement topics include takeover defenses, merger transactions, proxy contests, board elections, sustainability issues, executive compensation, equity compensation plans and other topical issues of interest to our clients as shareholders. Through our discussions, we seek to strengthen the quality of corporate governance with boards and management, which helps protect shareholder value.

 

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The SSgA FM Governance Team is dedicated to providing governance research, analysis, issuer engagement and voting services. The SSgA FM Governance Team has no fixed set of priorities that dictate engagement practices. Instead, we view engagement practices as being dependent upon facts and circumstances, while giving consideration to the size of our total position of the issuer and/or the potential negative governance practices, performance profile, and circumstance at hand.

Nature and Form of Engagement

SSgA FM believes issuer engagement can take many forms and be triggered under numerous circumstances. The following methods represent how SSgA FM defines engagement methods:

Reactive

Reactive engagement is initiated by the issuers and typically represents a majority of SSgA FM’s engagement activity. SSgA FM routinely discusses specific voting issues and items with the issuer community. These are viewed as an opportunity to address not only voting items, but also a wide range of governance items that impact shareholder value.

Recurring

Recurring engagement takes advantage of SSgA FM’s strong relationships with many of its largest holdings. SSgA FM maintains regular face-to-face meetings with these issuers, allowing SSgA FM to reinforce key tenets of good corporate governance and actively advise these issuers around concerns that SSgA FM feels may impact long-term shareholder value.

Dynamic

Using screening tools designed to capture a mix of SSgA FM’s largest exposures to issuers demonstrating severe negative governance profiles, SSgA FM will actively seek direct dialogue with the board and management. In these cases, the dynamic engagement process represents the most meaningful chance for SSgA FM to protect long-term shareholder value from excessive risk due to governance related risks.

SSgA FM believes active engagement is best conducted individually and directly with company management or board members. Collaborative engagement, where multiple shareholders communicate with company representatives, such as shareholder conference calls, can serve as a potential forum for issues that are not identified by SSgA FM as requiring active engagement.

When Does SSgA FM Engage Issuers?

SSgA FM uses various methods to monitor its investments to determine which issuers require dynamic engagement. A blend of quantitative and qualitative research and data is used to identify potential engagement opportunities. SSgA FM sources internal and external research and screening tools to support the engagement process.

Voting and Engagement

SSgA FM believes engagement and voting activity have a direct relationship. Issuer engagement seeks to address significant shareholder concerns and governance issues. Logically, successful issuer engagement should reduce the need to vote against management. The integration and exercise of both these rights leads to a meaningful shareholder tool that seeks to achieve enhanced shareholder value on behalf of SSgA FM clients.

 

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Developed and Non-Developed Markets

SSgA FM engagement philosophy applies across all global markets. We have found the opportunity and effectiveness of engagement activity directly correlates to the level of ownership and voting rights provided by local market laws. From market to market, engagement activity may take different forms in order to best achieve long term engagement goals.

Engagement in developed markets is a mature process for SSgA FM. In some cases, engagement activity is institutionalized into local best practices, such as the UK Stewardship Code overseen by Financial Reporting Commission (FRC). In the UK, disclosure standards are high, allowing shareholders simple access to the key components of governance, such as board and by-law structure, remuneration policies and practices, sustainability data and reporting, among others. Further, shareholder rights are relatively high allowing for SSgA FM to engage on a variety of issues.

In many non-OECD markets we often supplement direct company engagement with participation in shareholder advocacy groups that seek change at a market level. This type of “top-down” approach should have a positive long-term impact by addressing shortcomings in local market laws on disclosure and shareholder rights.

Summary of Proxy Voting Guidelines

Directors and Boards

The election of directors is one of the most important fiduciary duties SSgA FM performs as a shareholder. SSgA FM believes that well-governed companies can protect and pursue shareholder interests better and withstand the challenges of an uncertain economic environment. As such, SSgA FM seeks to vote director elections, in a way, which we as a fiduciary, believe will maximize the monetary value of each portfolio’s holdings.

The role of the board, in SSgA FM’s view, is to carry out its responsibilities in the best long-term interest of the company and its shareholders. A strong and effective board oversees management, provides guidance on strategic matters, selects the CEO and other senior executives, creates a succession plan, and performs risk oversight and performance assessment of the CEO and management. In contrast, management implements the business strategy and runs the company’s day-to-day operations. As part of SSgA FM’s engagement process, SSgA FM routinely discusses the importance of the board with issuers.

SSgA FM believes the quality of a board is a measure of director independence and company governance practices. In voting to elect nominees, SSgA FM considers many factors. SSgA FM believes independent directors are crucial to good corporate governance and help management establish sound corporate governance policies and practices. A sufficiently independent board will most effectively monitor management, maintain appropriate governance practices, and perform oversight functions necessary to protect shareholder interests.

Accounting and Audit Related Issues

SSgA FM believes audit committees are critical and necessary as part of the board’s risk oversight role. We expect auditors to provide assurance as of a company’s financial condition. Having trust in the accuracy of financial statements is important for shareholders to make decisions. Subsequently, SSgA FM believes that it is imperative for audit committees to select outside auditors who are independent from management.

SSgA FM believes the audit committee is responsible for appointing, compensating, retaining and overseeing the issuer’s outside audit firm. In addition, SSgA FM believes the audit committee should approve audit and non-audit services performed by outside audit firms.

Capital Structure, Reorganization and Mergers

Though SSgA FM does not seek involvement in the day-to-day operations of an organization, SSgA FM recognizes the need for oversight and input into management decisions that may affect a company’s value. Altering the capital structure of a company is a critical decision for management, and in making such a critical decision, SSgA FM believes the company should have a well explained business rationale that is consistent with corporate strategy and should not overly dilute its shareholders.

 

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The organizational structure of a company or proposed modifications to a company, may improve the effectiveness of a company’s operations, thereby enhancing shareholder value. M&A issues may result in a substantial economic impact to a corporation. SSgA FM evaluates mergers and acquisitions on a case-by-case basis. SSgA FM considers the adequacy of the consideration and the impact of the corporate governance provisions to shareholders. In all cases, SSgA FM uses its discretion in order to maximize shareholder value.

Occasionally, companies add anti-takeover provisions that reduce the chances of a potential acquirer making an offer or reducing the likelihood of a successful offer. SSgA FM does not support proposals that reduce shareholders’ rights, entrench management or reduce the likelihood of shareholder’s right to vote on reasonable offers.

Compensation

SSgA FM considers the board’s responsibility to include setting the appropriate level of executive compensation. Despite the differences among the types of plans and the awards possible, there is a simple underlying philosophy that guides SSgA FM’s analysis of executive compensation; there should be a direct relationship between executive compensation and company performance over the long term.

General/Routine

Although SSgA FM does not seek involvement in the day-to-day operations of an organization, SSgA FM recognizes the need for conscientious oversight and input into management decisions that may affect a company’s value. SSgA FM supports proposals that encourage economically advantageous corporate practices and governance, while leaving decisions that are deemed to be routine or constitute ordinary business to management and the board of directors.

Environmental and Social Issues

Proposals relating to social and environmental issues, typically initiated by shareholders, generally request that the company disclose or amend certain business practices. Often, proposals may address concerns with which SSgA FM philosophically agrees, but absent a compelling economic impact on shareholder value, SSgA FM will typically abstain from voting on these proposals.

International Statement

SSgA FM reviews proxies of non-US issuers consistent with our Principles and Proxy Voting Guidelines; however, SSgA FM also endeavors to show sensitivity to local market practices when voting non-US proxies. This may lead to contrasting votes as corporate governance standards, disclosure requirements and voting mechanics differ from market to market. SSgA will vote issues in the context of our Proxy Voting Guidelines, as well as local market standards, where appropriate.

SSgA FM votes in all markets where it is feasible; however, SSgA FM may refrain from voting meetings when power of attorney documentation is required, where voting will have a material impact on our ability to trade the security, or where issuer-specific special documentation is required or various market or issuer certifications are required. SSgA FM is unable to vote proxies when certain custodians, used by our clients, do not offer proxy voting in a jurisdiction or when they charge a meeting specific fee in excess of the typical custody service agreement.

 

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SSGA FM PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES

State Street Global Advisors Funds Management (“SSgA FM”) seeks to vote proxies for which it has discretionary authority in the best interests SSgA FM clients. This means that SSgA FM will make voting decisions in the manner SSgA believes will most likely protect and promote the long term economic value of client accounts. Absent unusual circumstances or specific client instructions, SSgA FM votes proxies on a particular matter in the same way for all clients, regardless of their investment style or strategies. SSgA FM takes the view that voting in a manner consistent with maximizing the monetary value of our clients’ holdings will benefit our direct clients (e.g. fund shareholders).

I. DIRECTOR RELATED ITEMS

Director related proposals concern issues submitted to shareholders that deal with the composition of the board or impact the members of a corporation’s board of directors. In deciding which director nominee to support, SSgA FM considers numerous factors.

Director Elections

SSgA’s director election policy focuses on companies’ governance profile to identify if a company demonstrates appropriate governance practices or if it exhibits negative governance practices. Factors SSgA considers when evaluating governance practices include, but are not limited to the following:

 

   

Shareholder rights

 

   

Board independence

 

   

Board structure

If a company demonstrates appropriate governance practices, SSgA believes a director should be classified as independent based on the relevant listing standards or local market practice standards. In such cases, the composition of the key oversight committees of a board should meet the minimum standards of independence. Accordingly, SSgA will vote against a nominee at a company with appropriate governance practices if the director is classified as non-independent under relevant listing standards or local market practice AND serves on a key committee of the board (compensation, audit, nominating or committees required to be fully independent by local market standards).

Conversely, if a company demonstrates negative governance practices, SSgA believes the classification standards for director independence should be elevated. In such circumstances, we will evaluate all director nominees based on the following classification standards:

 

   

Is the nominee an employee of or related to an employee of the issuer or its auditor,

 

   

Does the nominee provides professional services to the issuer,

 

   

Has the nominee attended an appropriate number of board meetings, or

 

   

Has the nominee received non-board related compensation from the issuer.

Where companies demonstrate negative governance practices, these stricter standards will apply not only to directors who are a member of a key committee but to all directors on the board as market practice permits. Accordingly, SSgA will vote against a nominee (with the exception of the CEO) where the board has inappropriate governance practices and is considered not independent based on the above independence criteria.

Additionally, SSgA may withhold votes based on the following:

 

   

CEOs of public companies who sit on more than three public company boards.

 

   

Nominees who sit on more than six public company boards.

 

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SSgA may withhold votes from all director nominees at companies that have ignored a shareholder proposal which received a majority of the shares outstanding at the last annual or special meeting, unless management submits the proposal(s) on the ballot as a binding management proposal, recommending shareholders vote for the particular proposal(s).

 

   

SSgA may withhold votes from compensation committee members where there is a weak relationship between executive pay and performance over a five-year period.

 

   

SSgA will withhold votes from audit committee members if non-audit fees exceed 50% of total fees paid to the auditors.

 

   

SSgA will withhold votes from directors who appear to have been remiss in their duties.

Director Related Proposals

SSgA FM generally votes for the following director related proposals:

 

   

Discharge of board members’ duties, in the absence of pending litigation, governmental investigation, charges of fraud or other indications of significant concern.

 

   

Proposals to restore shareholders’ ability to remove directors with or without cause.

 

   

Proposals that permit shareholders to elect directors to fill board vacancies.

 

   

Shareholder proposals seeking disclosure regarding the company, board, or compensation committee’s use of compensation consultants, such as company name, business relationship(s) and fees paid.

SSgA FM generally votes against the following director related proposals:

 

   

Requirements that candidates for directorships own large amounts of stock before being eligible to be elected.

 

   

Proposals that relate to the “transaction of other business as properly comes before the meeting”, which extend “blank check” powers to those acting as proxy.

 

   

Shareholder proposals requiring two candidates per board seat.

Majority Voting

SSgA FM will generally support a majority vote standard based on votes cast for the election of directors.

SSgA FM will generally vote to support amendments to bylaws that would require simple majority of voting shares (i.e. shares cast) to pass or repeal certain provisions.

Annual Elections

SSgA FM generally supports the establishment of annual elections of the board of directors. Consideration is given to the overall level of board independence and the independence of the key committees as well as whether there is a shareholders rights plan.

Cumulative Voting

SSgA FM does not support cumulative voting structures for the election of directors.

 

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Separation Chair/CEO

SSgA FM analyzes proposals for the separation of Chair/CEO on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration numerous factors, including but not limited to, a company’s performance and the overall governance structure of the company. Proxy Access SSgA will consider proposals relating to Proxy Access on a case-by-case basis:

SSgA will evaluate the company’s specific circumstances, the impact of the proposal on the target company and its potential effect on shareholder value.

Considerations include but are not limited to the following:

 

   

The ownership thresholds and holding duration proposed in the resolution;

 

   

The binding nature of the proposal;

 

   

The number of directors that shareholders may be nominate each year;

 

   

Company performance;

 

   

Company governance structure;

 

   

Shareholder rights; and

 

   

Board performance.

Age/Term Limits

Generally, SSgA FM will vote against limits to tenure.

Approve Remuneration of Directors

Generally, SSgA FM will support directors’ compensation, provided the amounts are not excessive relative to other issuers in the market or industry. In making our determination, we review whether the compensation is overly dilutive to existing shareholders.

Indemnification

Generally, SSgA FM supports proposals to limit directors’ liability and/or expand indemnification and liability protection if he or she has not acted in bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.

Classified Boards

SSgA FM generally supports annual elections for the board of directors. In certain cases, SSgA FM will support a classified board structure, if the board is composed of 80 percent of independent directors, the board’s key committees (auditing, nominating and compensation) are composed of independent directors, and SSgA FM will consider other governance factors, including antitakeover devices.

Confidential Voting

SSgA FM will support confidential voting.

Board Size

SSgA FM will support proposals seeking to fix the board size or designate a range for the board size and will vote against proposals that give management the ability to alter the size of the board outside of a specified range without shareholder approval.

II. AUDIT RELATED ITEMS

Ratifying Auditors and Approving Auditor Compensation

SSgA FM supports the approval of auditors and auditor compensation provided that the issuer has properly disclosed audit and non-audit fees relative to market practice and the audit fees are not deemed excessive. SSgA FM deems audit fees to be excessive if the non-audit fees for the prior year constituted 50% or more of the total fees paid to the auditor. SSgA FM will support the disclosure of auditor and consulting relationships when the same or related entities are conducting both activities and will support the establishment of a selection committee responsible for the final approval of significant management consultant contract awards where existing firms are already acting in an auditing function.

 

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In circumstances where “other” fees include fees related to initial public offerings, bankruptcy emergence, and spin-offs, and the company makes public disclosure of the amount and nature of those fees which are determined to be an exception to the standard “non-audit fee” category, then such fees may be excluded from the non-audit fees considered in determining the ratio of non-audit to audit/audit-related fees/fax compliance and preparation for purposes of determining whether non-audit fees are excessive.

SSgA FM will support the discharge of auditors and requirements that auditors attend the annual meeting of shareholders.1

Accept Financial Statements Consolidated Financial Statements and Statutory Reports

It is the auditor’s responsibility to provide assurance as of the company’s financial condition. Accordingly, in the absence of pending litigation, governmental investigation, charges of fraud or other indicia of significant concern, SSgA FM will accept the financial statement, allocation of income and/or statutory report.

III. CAPITAL STRUCTURE

Capital structure proposals include requests by management for approval of amendments to the certificate of incorporation that will alter the capital structure of the company. The most common request is for an increase in the number of authorized shares of common stock, usually in conjunction with a stock split or dividend. Typically, requests that are not unreasonably dilutive or enhance the rights of common shareholders are supported. In considering authorized share proposals, the typical threshold for approval is 100% over current authorized shares. However, the threshold may be increased if the company offers a specific need or purpose (merger, stock splits, growth purposes, etc.). All proposals are evaluated on a case-by-case basis taking into account the company’s specific financial situation.

Increase in Authorized Common Shares

In general, SSgA FM supports share increases for general corporate purposes up to 100% of current authorized stock.

SSgA FM supports increases for specific corporate purposes up to 100% of the specific need plus 50% of current authorized common stock for U.S. firms and plus 100% of current authorized stock for international firms.

When applying the thresholds, SSgA FM will also consider the nature of the specific need, such as mergers and acquisitions and stock splits.

Increase in Authorized Preferred Shares

SSgA FM votes on a case-by-case basis on proposals to increase the number of preferred shares.

Generally, SSgA FM will vote for the authorization of preferred stock in cases where the company specifies the voting, dividend, conversion, and other rights of such stock and the terms of the preferred stock appear reasonable.

SSgA FM will support proposals to create “declawed” blank check preferred stock (stock that cannot be used as a takeover defense).

However, SSgA FM will vote against proposals to increase the number of blank check preferred stock authorized for issuance when no shares have been issued or reserved for a specific purpose.

 

 

1 

Common for non-US issuers; request from the issuer to discharge from liability the directors or auditors with respect to actions taken by them during the previous year.

 

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Preemptive Rights and Non-Preemptive Rights

In general, SSgA FM supports issuance authority requests up to 100% of current share capital with preemptive rights. Requests for the authority to remove preemptive rights will be supported for share issuances that are less than a certain percentage (ranging from 5-20%, based on market practice) of the outstanding shares, unless even such a small amount could have a material dilutive effect on existing shareholders (e.g. illiquid markets).

For Hong Kong, SSgA FM does not support issuances that do not place limits on discounts or do not provide the authority to refresh the share issuance amounts without prior shareholder approval.

Unequal Voting Rights

SSgA FM will not support proposals authorizing the creation of new classes of common stock with superior voting rights and will vote against new classes of preferred stock with unspecified voting, conversion, dividend distribution, and other rights. In addition, SSgA FM will not support capitalization changes that add “blank check” classes of stock (i.e. classes of stock with undefined voting rights) or classes that dilute the voting interests of existing shareholders.

However, SSgA FM will support capitalization changes that eliminate other classes of stock and/or unequal voting rights.

Dividends and Share Repurchase Programs

SSgA FM generally supports dividend payouts that are greater than or equal to country and industry standards; we generally support a dividend which constitutes 30% or more of net income. SSgA FM may vote against the dividend payouts if the dividend payout ratio has been consistently below 30% without adequate explanation; or, the payout is excessive given the company’s financial position.

Generally, SSgA FM votes for the authorization of share repurchase programs, unless the issuer does not clearly state the business purpose for the program, a definitive number of shares to be repurchased, and the time frame for the repurchase.

IV. MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS

Mergers and the reorganization structure of a company often involve proposals relating to reincorporation, restructurings, mergers, liquidations, and other major changes to the corporation. Proposals that are in the best interests of the shareholders, demonstrated by enhancing share value or improving the effectiveness of the company’s operations, will be supported. In general, provisions that are not viewed as economically sound or are thought to be destructive to shareholders’ rights are not supported.

SSgA FM will generally support transactions that maximize shareholder value. Some of the considerations include, but are not limited to the following:

 

   

Offer premium

 

   

Strategic rationale

 

   

Board oversight of the process for the recommended transaction, including, director and/or management conflicts of interest

 

   

Offers made at a premium and where there are no other higher bidders

 

   

Offers in which the secondary market price is substantially lower than the net asset value

SSgA FM may vote against a transaction considering the following:

 

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Offers with potentially damaging consequences for minority shareholders because of illiquid stock, especially in some non-US markets

 

   

Offers where we believe there is a reasonable prospect for an enhanced bid or other bidders

 

   

At the time of voting, the current market price of the security exceeds the bid price

V. ANTI-TAKEOVER MEASURES

Typically, proposals relating to requests by management to amend the certificate of incorporation or bylaws to add or delete a provision are deemed to have an antitakeover effect. The majority of these proposals deal with management’s attempt to add some provision that makes a hostile takeover more difficult or will protect incumbent management in the event of a change in control of the company.

Proposals that reduce shareholders’ rights or have the effect of entrenching incumbent management will not be supported. Proposals that enhance the right of shareholders to make their own choices as to the desirability of a merger or other proposal are supported.

Shareholder Rights Plans

SSgA FM will support mandates requiring shareholder approval of a shareholder rights plans (“poison pill”) and repeals of various anti-takeover related provisions.

In general, SSgA FM will vote against the adoption or renewal of a US issuer’s shareholder rights plan (“poison pill”).

SSgA FM will support the adoption or renewal of a non-US issuer’s shareholder rights plans (“poison pill”) if the following conditions are met: (i) minimum trigger, flip-in or flip-over of 20%, (ii) maximum term of three years, (iii) no “dead hand,” “slow hand,” “no hand” or similar feature that limits the ability of a future board to redeem the pill, and (iv) inclusion of a shareholder redemption feature (qualifying offer clause), permitting ten percent of the shares to call a special meeting or seek a written consent to vote on rescinding the pill if the board refuses to redeem the pill 90 days after a qualifying offer is announced.

SSgA FM will vote for an amendment to a shareholder rights plan (“poison pill”) where the terms of the new plans are more favorable to shareholders’ ability to accept unsolicited offers (i.e. if one of the following conditions are met: (i) minimum trigger, flip-in or flip-over of 20%, (ii) maximum term of three years, (iii) no “dead hand,” “slow hand,” “no hand” or similar feature that limits the ability of a future board to redeem the pill, and (iv) inclusion of a shareholder redemption feature (qualifying offer clause), permitting ten percent of the shares to call a special meeting or seek a written consent to vote on rescinding the pill if the board refuses to redeem the pill 90 days after a qualifying offer is announced).

Special Meetings

SSgA will vote for shareholder proposals related to special meetings at companies that do not provide shareholders the right to call for a special meeting in their by-laws if:

 

   

The company also does not allow shareholders to act by written consent, OR

 

   

The company allows shareholders to act by written consent but the ownership threshold for acting by written consent is set above 25% of outstanding shares.

SSgA will vote for shareholder proposals related to special meetings at companies that give shareholders (with a minimum 10% ownership threshold) the right to call for a special meeting in their by-laws if:

 

   

The current ownership threshold to call for a special meeting is above 25% of outstanding shares.

 

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SSgA will vote for management proposals related to special meetings.

Written Consent

SSgA will vote for shareholder proposals on written consent at companies if:

 

   

The company does not have provisions in their by-laws giving shareholders the right to call for a special meeting, OR

 

   

The company allows shareholders the right to call for a special meeting but the current ownership threshold to call for a special meeting is above 25% of outstanding shares, AND

 

   

The company has a poor governance profile.

SSgA will vote management proposals on written consent on a case-by-case basis.

Super-Majority

SSgA FM will generally vote against amendments to by-laws requiring super-majority shareholder votes to pass or repeal certain provisions. SSgA FM will vote for the reduction or elimination of super-majority vote requirements, unless management of the issuer was concurrently seeking to or had previously made such a reduction or elimination.

VI. REMUNERATION

Despite the differences among the types of plans and the awards possible there is a simple underlying philosophy that guides the analysis of all compensation plans; namely, are the terms of the plan designed to provide an incentive for executives and/or employees to align their interests with those of the shareholders and thus work toward enhancing shareholder value. Plans which benefit participants only when the shareholders also benefit are those most likely to be supported.

Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation and Frequency

SSgA FM supports management proposals on executive compensation where there is a strong relationship between executive pay and performance over a five-year period.

SSgA FM supports an annual advisory vote on executive compensation.

Approve Remuneration Report

SSgA FM will generally support remuneration reports that are judged to be in-line with local market practices. SSgA FM will generally vote against the approval of the remuneration report if the company fails to disclose information regarding any element of CEO remuneration including but not limited to, base salary, annual bonuses, and special bonuses relative to market practice.

If the company’s schemes allows for retesting of performance criteria over extended time period or for retesting if the original performance criteria was not met during the initial time period, SSgA FM may vote against the remuneration report.

Employee Equity Award Plans

SSgA FM considers numerous criteria when examining equity award proposals. Generally, SSgA FM does not vote against plans for lack of performance or vesting criteria. Rather, the main criteria that will result in a vote against an equity award plans plan are:

 

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Excessive voting power dilution: To assess the dilutive effect, we divide the number of shares required to fully fund the proposed plan, the number of authorized but unissued shares and the issued but unexercised shares by the fully diluted share count. SSgA reviews that number in light of certain factors, including the industry of the issuer.

Other criteria include the following:

 

   

Number of participants or eligible employees;

 

   

The variety of awards possible

 

   

The period of time covered by the plan

There are numerous factors that we view as negative, and together, may result in a vote against a proposal:

 

   

Grants to individuals or very small groups of participants;

 

   

“Gun-jumping” grants which anticipate shareholder approval of a plan or amendment;

 

   

The power of the board to exchange “underwater” options without shareholder approval this pertains to the ability of a company to reprice options, not the actual act of repricing described above;

 

   

Below market rate loans to officers to exercise their options;

 

   

The ability to grant options at less than fair market value;

 

   

Acceleration of vesting automatically upon a change in control;

 

   

Excessive compensation (i.e. compensation plans which are deemed by SSgA FM to be overly dilutive).

Historical option grants: Excessive historical option grants over the past three years. Plans that provide for historical grant patterns of greater than eight to twelve percent are generally not supported.

Repricing: SSgA FM will vote against any plan where repricing is expressly permitted. If a company has a history of repricing underwater options, the plan will not be supported.

Share Repurchases: If a company makes a clear connection between a share repurchase program and its intent to offset dilution created from option plans and the company fully discloses the amount of shares being repurchased, the voting dilution calculation may be adjusted to account for the impact of the buy back.

Companies who do not (i) clearly state the intentions of any proposed share buy-back plan or (ii) do not disclose a definitive number of the shares to be bought back and, (iii) the time frame during which the shares will be bought back will not have any such repurchase plan factored into the dilution calculation.

162(m) Plan Amendments: If a plan would not normally meet SSgA FM criteria described above, but is primarily being amended to add specific performance criteria to be used with awards designed to qualify for performance-based exception from the tax deductibility limitations of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, then SSgA FM will support the proposal to amend the plan.

Employee Stock Option Plans

SSgA FM generally votes for stock purchase plans with an exercise price of not less than 85% of fair market value. However, SSgA FM takes market practice into consideration.

Compensation Related Items

SSgA FM will generally support the following proposals:

 

   

Expansions to reporting of financial or compensation-related information, within reason

 

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Proposals requiring the disclosure of executive retirement benefits if the issuer does not have an independent compensation committee

SSgA FM will generally vote against the following proposals:

 

   

Retirement bonuses for non-executive directors and auditors

VII. MISCELLANEOUS/ROUTINE ITEMS

SSgA FM generally supports the following miscellaneous/routine governance items:

 

   

Reimbursement of all appropriate proxy solicitation expenses associated with the election when voting in conjunction with support of a dissident slate

 

   

Opting out of business combination provision

 

   

Proposals that remove restrictions on the right of shareholders to act independently of management

 

   

Liquidation of the company if the company will file for bankruptcy if the proposal is not approved

 

   

Shareholder proposals to put option repricings to a shareholder vote

 

   

General updating of or corrective amendments to charter and by-laws not otherwise specifically addressed herein, unless such amendments would reasonably be expected to diminish shareholder rights (e.g. extension of directors’ term limits, amending shareholder vote requirement to amend the charter documents, insufficient information provided as to the reason behind the amendment)

 

   

Change in corporation name

 

   

Mandates that amendments to bylaws or charters have shareholder approval

 

   

Management proposals to change the date, time, and/or location of the annual meeting unless the proposed change is unreasonable

 

   

Repeals, prohibitions or adoption of anti-greenmail provisions

 

   

Management proposals to implement a reverse stock split when the number of authorized shares will be proportionately reduce and proposals to implement a reverse stock split to avoid delisting

 

   

Exclusive forum provisions

SSgA FM generally does not support the following miscellaneous/routine governance items:

 

   

Proposals asking companies to adopt full tenure holding periods for their executives

 

   

Reincorporation to a location that we believe has more negative attributes than its current location of incorporation

 

   

Shareholder proposals to change the date, time, and/or location of the annual meeting unless the current scheduling or location is unreasonable

 

   

Proposals to approve other business when it appears as voting item

 

   

Proposals giving the board exclusive authority to amend the bylaws

 

   

Proposals to reduce quorum requirements for shareholder meetings below a majority of the shares outstanding unless there are compelling reasons to support the proposal

VIII. ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Proposals relating to social and environmental issues, typically initiated by shareholders, generally request that the company disclose or amend certain business practices. Where it appears there is a potential effect on shareholder or economic value of a company that is related to a specific environmental or social issue, SSgA FM evaluates the shareholder proposal addressing the issue on a case-by-case basis. Absent a compelling economic impact on shareholder value, SSgA FM will typically abstain from voting on these proposals.

 

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Record Keeping

In accordance with applicable law, FM shall retain the following documents for not less than five years from the end of the year in which the proxies were voted, the first two years in FM’s office:

 

  1) FM’s Proxy Voting Policy and any additional procedures created pursuant to such Policy;

 

  2) a copy of each proxy statement FM receives regarding securities held by its clients (note: this requirement may be satisfied by a third party who has agreed in writing to do so or by obtaining a copy of the proxy statement from the EDGAR database);

 

  3) a record of each vote cast by FM (note: this requirement may be satisfied by a third party who has agreed in writing to do so);

 

  4) a copy of any document created by FM that was material in making its voting decision or that memorializes the basis for such decision; and

 

  5) a copy of each written request from a client, and response to the client, for information on how FM voted the client’s proxies.

More Information

Any client who wishes to receive information on how its proxies were voted should contact its SSgA FM relationship manager.

 

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